Mick
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Posts posted by Mick
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The floods are wide spread. Li's brother, who lives in Jiangsu, sent some photos from there, as well as from Anhui, where the family originated. All along the tributaries of the Chang Jiang there are major floods.
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A fine gesture, indeed. And I hope the statues are eventually rebuilt, but they can never, ever be replaced. I was so distraught when the Taliban blew up the statues. Buddhism in general, and Zen in particular, was a central aspect of the early healing of some of my scars from being in a war that was an abomination. As some of you old timers may recall, I spent time in a Zen training center, located in the Middle of Nowhere, Arizona. It was here I faced some of my demons. I am eternally grateful for what the Roshi and the monks did for me. When those statues were blown up, it really put me in a funky spiral for a few weeks. Yes, I know that Zen tradition teaches that holy scriptures, relics, even the Buddha himself, are to be transcended - yet in practice, these kinds of shrines are important to the lineage of the tradition. Isis is even worse it seems and I fear what they might do in places like Sri Lanka, Indonesia, etc.
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As has been said, the I-130 and CR 1 has the advantage of her getting a green card upon arrival in the States (citizenship comes later). If you go the K-1, she will have to go through Adjustment of Status, which can take over a year in some cases. The downside of the CR 1 is if she is denied the visa, your options are limited. However, if she goes the K-1 route and is denied the visa, you can always go to China, get married, and apply for CR-1. Either way, this process can take awhile and great patience is needed. The suggestion of going to China to stay for awhile is a good one. I lived there for over five years and learned so much about my wife's culture. I loved it there. At least, that is one option to consider. Best wishes on success in all this and welcome to Candle.
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I would be far more interested if they ran a contest on pubic hair (or lack thereof without shaving). They could have categories of winners like "least" - "most" - "longest" - "softest" - Hey, I have a great idea. Randy, you are an excellent photographer. You could really make a name for yourself and I am sure the wifey would understand that it is all for the sake of art (not to mention your CFL brethren). How 'bout it bro?
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http://en.people.cn/n/2015/0608/c90882-8903705-11.html
Interesting to note that many are in Guangdong. Shanwei is a small town by Chinese standards and is located on the coast between Shantou (where we lived) and Shenzhen. It looks like it has grown a good bit since we lived over there. Whenever we took the bus to Guangzhou, we would stop to eat in Shanwei. There is a big mountain there as well, although it does not show up in the photo.
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I can recall the exact same discussion and subsequent trend in this country back in the late 60s/early70s. I dated more than a few "unshaven" ladies during that era. I could live with arm pit hair, but being a leg man, I didn't much care for ladies that took off their jeans and looked like a chimpanzee.
Yes Mick, seems most of the ladies I knew during that time let everything be "natural". One girl I knew had so much hair she looked like she had Buckwheat in a headlock.
Over time, things changed to where everything's shaved now. The sadest change was that ladies brought back the bra.
Dennis, that line about Buckwheat caused me to spray my coffee all over my computer screen. What a hoot.
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Tennerbama got Fedex and Regions.
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I can recall the exact same discussion and subsequent trend in this country back in the late 60s/early70s. I dated more than a few "unshaven" ladies during that era. I could live with arm pit hair, but being a leg man, I didn't much care for ladies that took off their jeans and looked like a chimpanzee.
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Randy, I am just fascinated by pics of old houses and ancient quarters of cities. Those pics of the gun slots are incredible, as are the bare stone walls. When I lived in China, I often explored the old sections of cities, especially the ones I lived in. Shantou, where we lived for four years, was called "Swataw" in the old days and was a busy port on the northeast coast of Guangdong. It still is. There are some fantastic old areas in Shantou and these pics remind me of those areas. Thanks so much for posting. Your photographic skills are first rate.
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Prayers go out for those involved and their families. Hopefully there are more survivors.
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As I said early this morning, today was most likely going to be a bittersweet day and it was. The memories of those who didn't make it. Li and Salina went to some friends for a cookout today (turned out to be a cook in as we had storms here today). I stayed at home as I was not feeling so well health wise. After spending some alone time I talked for awhile with my good friend Chris (Ronny, you met Chris when you were down here) - He was a point-walker in Nam and also has a tough time on days like this. Just talking to each other helped us both and by the time we finished, we were both yukking it up over the absurdity of military life as a whole. Chris and I have known each other since sixth or seventh grade. We have experienced much together over the years. He is a true brother to me.
Ronny, I listened to the JJ Cale and Eric Clapton album today, as I do on many days. It was a great gift my friend and one I cherish greatly. Thanks so much.
Catherine, thanks so much for the kind words. They mean a lot. I wish you much happiness in your new home.
Thought I would post this. I spent time in and out of here, mostly flying dust offs as an onboard medic and bringing in the wounded. Also did two rotations in this hospital, which I think had a different number than 67, but my memory is bad. Only the first half is at the hospital, the rest is shot elsewhere.
And this is the primary base I was stationed at, Camp Enari, in the shadow of Dragon Mountain outside Pleiku.
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Memorial Day is always a bittersweet day for me. It is positive in the sense that it gives us pause to pay tribute to those brave, selfless servicemen and service women who made the ultimate sacrifice. These men and women deserve the highest and most lasting honor we, as humans, can muster. Yet it is also a very bitter day for me too as I often wake early in the morning thinking of those grunts that I watched take their final breath. These guys are etched deeply in my mind and will never be evicted, no matter how much time has passed. As I type this I begin to get that deeply familiar feeling in the pit of my stomach, the familiar shaking in my hands and my eyes begin to grow damp. I see the two kids that grew up together and died within minutes of each other on the back deck of a slick flying low over Dragon Mountain heading into Pleiku, where they hoped to find healing but instead found the inside of a body bag. I see a kid named Chuck, who played on the offensive line in high school and was going to be a walk on at Michigan State, but got drafted instead. He bled to death from a severed femoral artery, that was about all he had left of a leg blown off by a mine. I see the blank, wide-eyed stare of Pete, I think that was his name. Pete was already gone when they tossed his corpse into my lap in the hot LZ just two clicks from the Cambodian border. He had a small entry wound in his forehead, but the entire back of his skull was gone. I think of these guys and scores of others. Memorial Day is bittersweet - bittersweet, indeed. I think any combat medic would echo what I just said.
That thing that Dusty said to David just broke me up - my God, how many times did I live that scenario, over and over. Yes, I wrote more than a few of those letters home to parents, especially to the ones that had sons sent home in pieces. Sorry, I was listening to Dusty as I was typing this - I have to stop. Sorry. It hit just way too close to home.
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As the old song says, if there is a Rock and Roll heaven, I'll bet they have a hell of a band. And now the true king is home. B.B. King was one of a kind. He left us a great legacy and his magic flows through so many disciples. RIP Mr. King.
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Pretty much all of them are true, Tom, except maybe the little girls and the monograms. I like grits, sweet tea, and I see tractors on the road every day, most often the narrow, two-lane roads that make it impossible to get around them. I have lived most of my life in the South, although my formative years were spent on the southwest coast of Florida (Sarasota County), which for all practical purposes is not culturally southern. As for churches, I could hit an eight-iron in any direction and hit one.
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When they get a backlog and start scrambling to catch up, the time line estimates they give are at best just that -estimates. Sometimes they run way past that estimate. It reminds me in at least a small way of the Black Hole era that was the catalyst that brought Candle for Love into existence. To give you an example, my wife passed her interview on August 20, 2002. She was told that due to rule changes, she could not pick up her visa but it would only be a short delay, somewhere around two weeks, thirty days tops. For the record, we picked up her visa on March 10, 2003. At least in the current situation, the longer processing times simply seem to be from a flood of applicants, staff shortages, and related themes. As Tsap said, be patient and this too shall pass. I would not pay much attention, however, to their estimates of how long it might take. I know that is tough to swallow and it shouldn't be that way, but my guess is that is how it is.
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Robert, I am waitin' to hear about the happy ending!
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I must say, Randy, that was a mighty fine way to start my day - looking at that flag and all.
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Randy, that road is not one I would be at all interested in taking for any reason. Looks like it is one way, so I wonder, how do they get down the mountain?
Especially in a Chinese bus. Those drivers are nuts. I took a bus from GZ to Nanning once. I was amazed we made it there alive.
Believe me, Carl. I am well aware of how crazy Chinese bus drivers can be. Li and I were involved in a major bus accident way back in February, 2003, on our way to GZ to meet with the head of the visa unit about the Black Hole. I banged up my shoulder and it still causes me trouble. There was at least one fatality in that accident.
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Randy, that road is not one I would be at all interested in taking for any reason. Looks like it is one way, so I wonder, how do they get down the mountain?
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When Li took her test, I helped her study for it. At the beginning, before we started, I had her give me the 100 questions. I got an 88.
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Thanks for the well-wishes fellers. It was a great day indeed. Li, Salina, myself, my best friend Chris, and another of our old high school buddies who came all the way from Phoenix for the occasion, had a great day together. Today I go and pick up my present, a brand new geetar - and on May 18, we will have installed the other part of my present, a tornado shelter. This is a busy time for the Turner family - April 4 was our Anniversary, April 29 my birthday, May 7 is Li's birthday, May 10 is Mother's Day, May 13 is our dog's birthday, and May 18 is Salina's birthday. Whew!
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Now Randy, Mick and I specifically said "meat on their bones"...NOT...meat and lots of tate-ders, too. Hit's okay with me if'in you like lookin' at stick figured doe eyed teeny boppers. I hain't never held that against a man.
I have faith you'll git it rite one day. Going to extremes never accomplishes much in life...happy mediums usually is what puts the z in zest.
tsap seui
Now RawKnee, I couldn't agree more with yore philosophy on wimmin folk. A happy medium, with a tight, tiny hiny, and some fine legs with a bit of muscle to give definition and that thar is a fine wo-mern. Li Na comes to mind, fer example.
Them thar stick figgers don't do much fer me either, but I do like them doe eyes, specially when they is soft and invitin', ifin you know whut I mean, Vern.
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Congrats and best wishes for a great life together.
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I agree with you, Carl. we need to do all we can do to make it easier for the best and brightest, especially from countries like China where kids excel in math and science, to come to the States for study, especially post-graduate opportunities. In addition, we need to make it easier for them to stay after they complete their studies. Some argue that this will take jobs from Americans, but I don't think so. The kind of jobs I am thinking of, jobs that require high-level math and science skills, need to be filled by the best and the brightest, regardless of where they come from. The foundation for our space program, for example, was built right near my home in Huntsville, Alabama, largely by German scientists who came over after the war in Operation Paperclip. Werner Von Braun pushed the envelop and our American scientists and students followed his lead. I think high level math and science students will add a healthy competition to the job market that will raise the bar for our own students. Believe me, if we don't make it easier for them to study here, someone else will. I know three of my former students, for example, who were denied visas for the States, two accepted at Ivy League schools by the way, who went to Germany to study and are now working and living in Berlin.
Technological Systems Issue (Dept of State)
in Consulate Process: P-3 ~ Interview
Posted
Printing machine broken again; Good Lord, let's hope this doesn't create another "Black Hole" like the one back in 2002-2003.