Mick

I agree. It sounds like an interesting read.

It's a backlog due to quotas, not processing. They are only ALLOWED to admit a certain number each year. Once processing is complete, your petition/application sits and waits (for years) until a "visa number becomes available", or your "priority date becomes current". Thanks for the clarification, Randy. I thought for a minute it might just be organizational incompetence....

March 2006 ?????? Does that mean they have a seven-year backlog..... I know they be slow, but surely not that slow....

Just incredible, Carl. You are a true craftsman. Following this project has been not only a pleasure, but enlightening as well. It takes such precision and attention to detail. Excellent work!

Tsap, I have an abiding interest in exactly what you do with that thar terlet seat, once you got it screwed into the ceiling. Is it an oval terlet seat, or a horseshoe? Does one sit in it, hang through it, hang from it, or all of the above.?????? Are there any accessory items that come in handy, like whips, chains, handcuffs, inflatable critters, or thaings of that thar nature??? If'n you think the details might be too graphic fer this here family board, you could always send me a PM with the instructions as to how to propery use such a device. I would assume you need a power drill to make the holes necessary to put in a thingie to hang it on. And again, horseshoe or oval? I'd hate to buy the wrong kind.

The interior of the church is especially striking. Interesting how they used that weird mixture to put the stones together. Li and I attended a Chinese Catholic service in Guangzhou at a large and quite old church.

Your talk of Phoenix reminds me of the old days of late 1969, when I spent what was most likely the craziest months of my life. Just out of the Army in early summer. Went to Atlanta Pop Festival, then up to D.C. briefly, then moved out to Phoenix. In those days, Central Avenue was a hippie haven and the drugs flowed freely there, and in Encanto Park, which I hear has really gone down. Back in '69, Encanto Park was great. I was thrown out of there, however. After ingesting a large quantity of Peyote buttons (nasty tasting things), we thought it would be great to rent one of those pedal boats they had back in those days. We managed to run into a fountain chasing a duck, put a large hole in one pontoon, and sink the thing. They had to come rescue us off the fountain. Put us in a golf cart and drove us to the entrance of the park and said "Don't come back." Can't say as I blame them. About an hour later we got thrown out of a Woolworth's as well, but that's another story. Like I said, it was a crazy time. It wasn't too long after that I ended up with the Zen monks out in the desert, which for me, was a life saver.

Great to hear from you, Robert. Glad to hear things are going well for the two of you. Stay in touch, you are missed around here.

Congrats and best wishes on a great future together.

Congrats on finally having the visa in hand.

Dan is so right about avoiding dealing with a Civil Surgeon if at all possible. Some of these guys (or gals) will charge you an arm and a leg for filling out this form and signing it. I remember cases in the past where some docs wanted unbelievable amounts for this routine procedure. Don't know how it is now.....

I am confused about one thing here. If CGI Stanley is handling visa application process, does this mean CGI Stanley will now do the interviews as well? Or will they simply make the appointments? If they are outsourcing the actual interviews, that can open up a whole can of worms, to say the very least.

What an absolutely incredible journey that must have been. That 1,000 mile stretch of road they describe at 16,000 feet has to be spectacular. I would love to see a full documentary of their trip.

Gee.....at 78, I am the sad sack of the bunch. But it says I am very happy, so go figure. Must have been the health issues what brung my score down....

I came in at 78, right under your 80. "Very Happy" it said.

You and me both, Robert. I miss China so much but alas, my team of docs won't let me fly to Chattanooger, much less the Middle Kingdom. BTW, don't be such a stranger around here. Where you been hidin' out? Li and I spoke of you and Ping Ping yesterday as we were up on Monte Sano Mountain, where we visited when the two of you were up this way.

Glad to hear everything worked out okay, tsap. I imagine that kind of pressure build up, had she not been seen before the weekend, would have created major problems before Monday rolled around. God bless that doc for being a dedicated professional. Yes, they have antibiotics in China and give them for just about everything from a headache to a hangnail. Often they are given I.V. , even for minor problems. At least that is how it was when I was over there. I never will forget walking into one ward in a hospital, looking for a doctor's office, and saw rows of babies with I.V.s going, with the needles inserted in their foreheads. Freaked me out but good. Also, somewhere in the bowels of Candle there is a write up of my trip to the eye, ear, nose, and throat doctor in China. I had a wax build up in my ear - what an adventure that turned out to be. Anywaze, happy to here the little rabbit is doin' better.

Change was happening at breakneck speed when we lived over there and we left ten years ago. I can only imagine what it is like now. What I find ironic is back in the horrors of the Cultural Revolution, one of Mao's big goals was to destroy tradition and ties with the past. Highly ironic that capitalism seems to be doing this rather than Maoism. From a sociological perspective, China is undergoing a lot of what Alvin Toffler described way back in the late 60s in his landmark book "Future Shock."

It is also wise to have at least a few aspects of things "planned out" in your own mind regarding this initial time together. You mentioned not getting married, which is wise. But now, what about the sex card? Should the opportunity present itself, you need to have already decided yea or nay. Like most red-blooded males, we have a part of our anatomy screamin' "yea yea yea" and then some. But ahead of time think this through. Keep in mind that, although the morals are changing fast in China, many are still quite traditional in this area. Sexual activity may mean a level of commitment to her that is far greater than it might be for you. Don't get me wrong. I am not saying "don't have sex." But I am saying, recognize that it will add complications and you need to have decided in advance what you are going to do should the issue arise.

In Shantou, where we lived in China, the scooters were ubiquitous to say the least. They had designated lanes for them, but no one paid attention to any of that business. Cars and taxis drove in all the lanes, even the far right one designated for bicycles and some of the more daredevil taxi drivers would actually hop the curb and take to the sidewalk. I was in such a taxi once. After going upon the sidewalk for about a block, he went back down onto the street and shortly thereafter made a sharp left turn, clipped the tail end of a bus and then t-boned a truck load of pigs. We were not injured, but there were cages of squealing oinkers all over and around the cab. Police were on the scene in minutes, as were the newspaper photographers and reporters. I guess the fact that a foreign devil like myself was somehow involved in this misadventure made it more newsworthy. I had a TV newswoman come to my apartment the next day, along with a cameraman, for an interview about the great pig truck accident. What a hoot!

Dennis is right on the mark when he says that there is a wealth of experience on this board that you can draw upon. Sure, there may be times you might hear things you don't want to hear, but at the same time, people here truly do care about each other and look out for one another. Hopefully, this trip will be highly revelatory in that it answers many of your questions, calms any fears, and provides both of you an opportunity to get to know one another better. As others have said, take it slow and easy, keep your eyes open, and enjoy your visit. It can be and should be a very special time, one that, if you have a future together, you will look back upon with fond memories. Best wishes.

When it comes to vaginal cleanliness, Li is absolutely obsessive. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure in her book and I can say that when it comes to that part of her anatomy, she is by far and away the cleanest woman I have ever been with. What has been interesting is watching her pass this on to our daughter. Salina, being only eight and as of yet unenlightened about the ins and outs of what that equipment is for, couldn't care less. This of course, when taken together with their Taurean natures (both are bull-headed Tauruses, as am I), has caused more than a few major bathroom rukuses. Whenever I hear them going at it about this subject, I just tell Salina her Mom is an expert and do whatever she says. Then I bow out gracefully. Sorry about that "ins and outs" pun, but it couldn't be helped....

Our weather is up and down as well, but not nearly as warm in the daytime. This morning it was 27 here and I had to scrape ice off the windows to take Salina to school. It supposed to only go to the low 50s for a high. Over last weekend, it was supposed to hit the 70s, but never quite made it. It was upper 60s with a 25 mph wind, so still coldish. Spring, however, is in the air. Down here in Tennerbama, that doesn't necessarily mean a young man's fancy turns to love. It just means the sheep start gettin' nervous. http://youtu.be/oCRE9qOgbug I know it's a repeat, but enjoy anyway!

Like Carl said, it takes practice, practice, and more practice. At first, the pain in the fingers is almost unbearable, especially if the action is set too high on the guitar. Of course, if it is too low, you get a lot of buzz, so finding the happy medium is the key. But tell him if he can just play through the pain, his fingertips will toughen up in short order and then it is smoother sailin'. I once heard in a biographical video how Stevie Ray used to play in clubs in Austin all night, sometimes until the callouses on his fingers fell off. He would Super-glue them back on and keep on rockin'. I hope he takes to it. Like Carl said, Epiphone is a great choice for gitfiddles. I like Ibanez as well. I order a lot of my stuff from Musicians Friend, which is located up there in Pennsylvania somewhere. Great prices and free shipping. You can find them at: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/?source=3WWRWXGT&ktid=37-3234639&gclid=CPnXpICC97UCFRGqnQodCTsADw.

Tropic of Cancer also ran right through the city where we lived in China, Shantou. The Tropic itself was located just a mile or so north of where we lived on campus.