Dave G.

I think the best way to answer the question is this: follow the money. How many people sought the equiviant of K-1/K-3 visas to China. Nuff said.

Dave must work for the Bush Campaign. The US spent a lot of money on defense too. Your point? America would cease to exist given bin Laden and the such. China only needs defense spending to keep their people hemmed inside their borders. The only threat Taiwan poses is loss of face. That's no reason to launch missiles.

Interesting question, but the answer is obvious. America is far richer. Think about it...when the World Trade Buildings fell and 3000 people were killed, how much money was raised through contributions? $500,000,000! Name a country able -- or willing -- to donate that kind of dough. Let's not also forget how much money is given to others too. Bush just pledged $15B to deal with AIDS in Africa. China won't take care of their own so people will work for a few RMB to feed their families. It's gotten a lot better there, but they still have a long way to go. What does China do with their trade surplus? Build missles to shoot at Taiwan. What a shame.

I thought Patrick was going to share something a bit more intimate.

Yesterday, I was out with my wife looking for office furniture and I was starving. I wanted to stop and eat but wanted to consider what she might want. I asked, "Are you hungry?" She exploded. We're still in the throws of the incident. My point is this: How can I ask her what she wants to eat if I don't know if she's hungry? I ask first if she's hungry then follow up with what she'd like to eat. Her point: What a stupid question! If it's lunch time, of course she's hungry. If I ask if she's hungry, then I don't care about her, haven't watched what she's eaten for the day, and am not willing to get her food. WTF? It's actually quite funny now (for me, anyway). When nothing much is going on, I'll ask, "Are you hungry?" Oh...her English is so good now. She respondes with, "F--- you." I really love this gal!

Wow! I just read this thread, Where to start??? As a guy with a new wife who had a son (whom I love) and a past fiancee who had three kids (whom I loved), the expectations seem somehow skewed. A single guy going into a relationship where kids exist is undaunting. We're expected to put up with alot of baggage, smile, and take it in the butt while paying for it all. But, for a woman to cry "foul" despite her assurances seems wrong. The gal who cuts my family hair is Chinese. Her boyfriend is also Chinese. He has two kids who refuse to accept her. She's a doll and is so hurt by the kids' choices. Somehow, it's a Chinese thing...I understand it but don't agree with it. Enight is right...kids don't come first. They are too stupid and naive to know what's going on. A healthy relationship consists of husband/wife - mother/father - children. When the husband and wife have to settle for the unrealistic/immature needs of children, they are doomed to fail. Love between spouses will offset all the past history from previous relationships. Trust me...I learned this the hard way. I tried to love a woman before with a sick, unhealthy tie to her ex. The children played the mother against me vis a vis the father and I couldn't win for losing. Face it...most of use meet later in life. Boy meets girl; girl meets boy. There's a connection. Love finds a way. But, when we get greedy or selfish, it's doomed to fail. Kids are great. It's our responsibilty to care for them...they are only children. How dare we put ourselves above them. When we do, we have to take a serious look in the mirror and see how childish we are. If we are not ready to admit how selfish we are, then we have no business committing to another.

Skibum, This is one of the greatest posts on CFL I've ever read! Good for you that you posted it and made us all think. Ironically, it's perfect timing for Jing Mei and me. Of all the ideas you've posted, I've covered everything except for phone numbers. I'll take care of that this weekend. Thanks for the ideas. For what it's worth, we should also give our loved ones internet sites, logon screen names and passwords so they can access banking info and the such. Truth be told, I finally convinced my wife to see a denist this week. Since she doesn't read CFL, I can tell her story. Her breath got SO bad that kissing her became a nightmare. I thought it had to do with all the spicy food we eat. But no...it was much more. I had a dentist who was masterful...but he had the bedside manner of a cockroach and charged an arm and a leg. JM wanted to wait to see a DDS until she went back to China. I put my foot down! We finally agreed to dump my guy and we found a Taiwan DDS here in town. Long story short: She loved the guy. He taught her about oral care (don't be gross) which she never learned before. JM has gum disease out the wazoo, a rotten tooth that can't be saved, and four teeth that need crowns. My step-son? A B+ examination. Of course, I got a clean bill of health. Seems that that bad breath had to do with the rotten tooth and gum problems. JM's total oral care will cost about $3k. Well worth it, knowing that all will be fixed. She's thrilled. And, her little, dirty secret? She has a perfect smile....God, I love her smile. But, all her upper and lower teeth are capped. Seems that when she as a child, China gave tons of tetracycline to children which turned their teeth gray. Nothing they can do about it now. Next year, we'll re-cap her teeth so she can have a white smile. Damn...she'll be even more perfect. For me, I'll keep bleaching. Same difference.

Jason and Tony are both right. Having them here is much better than getting waiting for the visa. But, waiting for SSNs, EAD, etc., is like being a bird in a gilded cage for our spouses. For the last six months, JM has relied on me for every little movement she makes outside the house. She's gotten really depressed about her lost freedom. Ironic, if you think about it. Coming to the land of milk and honey, not being able to taste of it when you want to. And yes, she's dying to go home. Hopefully, AP will be here in two weeks so she can take off sometime in August. She'll be gone three months. I was in AZ last week for seven days....it killed both of us. I can't imagine three months! But, I know she'll be so happy with her friends, family, and of course....MAH JONG!!!

As you can see by the timeline, we have gone over the 90 day waiting period for EAD. Before leaving to teach last week, I called the National Service Center and they too confirmed the 90 days passed. They advised me to take ALL notices to the local service center to obtain a temp EAD for JM and my step-son. We got there at 7:00 AM and got in line. The front of the building faces East so everyone baked in the hot Las Vegas morning sun. At 7:30, the doors opened and everyone filed in. Going into this office is worse than any airport screening. What? Some terrorist wants to blow a USCIS office up? Doubt it..... I got in another line to show our papers. After about 30 minutes, I showed our papers to the officer. She was overwhelmed by the notices, looking only for the notice concerning the I-765. To show her we had followed all the steps so far (and at the suggesting of the Customer Service Center), I also brought our marriage certificate. "I don't need all this.", she said. I responded with, "But they told me to bring everything." "But, I don't need it." "I'm just doing what I was told." "You're confusing me." "I just did what I was told." This lasted about a few minutes before she finally said, "Okay...you did what you were told to do." We got a number and waited. I swear...waiting for your number to show on the board is like playing Keno or Bingo. We waited another 30 minutes and were finally called. They checked our paperwork and gave us an appointment for next week to have pictures taken so temp EADs can be issued. So, what's so damn hard about getting EADs? If a temp can be issued for eight months so easily, why all the hullaballoo to get one that lasts one year??? At least, there's light at the end of the tunnel for JM to get her SSN and driver's license. Of course, by that time, she'll have AP in hand and will take off to China for three months. Just thought I'd post our little adventure today..........

I'm surprised this wasn't included... http://www.nationalcynical.com/Images/humor-political/bush-alfrede01.jpg

I can feel your excitement, Patrick. But, as was said earlier....forget life as you know it. Up is down; right is left. Walls will be painted....and then painted again with a new color. You will sell things to make room for new stuff...only to sell the new stuff too. You will be reminded how expensive things are, then watch the bills start rolling in. You've been warned.............

It's not necessarily about American women...it's about how American values clash in relationships. Working hard, going higher, wanting more...all gets in the way of family. Men and women work hard and want to be the best in their professions. The Chinese place family, health, etc., over trival matters.

Howdy, Who. Welcome to the site. Your first post is a good one. My advice? It's always normal to question the progress of any relationship. Just don't forget the foundation it's built on. Think back on the time when you courted, fell in love, and married. Houses built on strong foundations can weather any storm. The houses and such? Normal! The Chinese are very clever....we should listen to them. No, there way isn't always our way but they do love us and want to make our lives better. Sometimes their way goes counter to what we think (my wife wanted to recently gut my kitchen and put everything in the small pantry....NO WAY!). Learning how to compromise will take you far. Don't be too fast to dismiss the house thing. We bought a new home in Leshan last September. It will be completed this month (brand new) and has already appreciated 7%. Not a bad investment, eh? Keep in mind the Chinese values of caring for family and the capitolistic value of investing. Together, you can't go wrong. Good luck....keep on posting here!

LOL....LMAO....TEE HEE!!!!!!!!! I meant "shut up" about waiting for the PayPal account to be set up. ------- Can't stop laughing..... ------- Thanks for the concerns and nice words. I ain't going nowhere; no way I'm leaving the RR! Many converts have still to be made to come into the light (humm....rhymes with right).

I'm still waiting for the PayPal account to be created. I'm one of the biggest RR abusers. My donation will reflect my dedication and appreciation to CFL and to the RR. I promise to put up and shut up.

As always.... ...more information is needed about the story. As much as I hate the "video rule," sometimes I understand the concern. What was the evidence provided at the time of the interview? Did your loved one speak English or Chinese when interviewed. Annoying but important questions.....

http://www.geocities.com/clkeele/pips.html Do I get one :greenblob: Do I get one :redblob: Ok, I just used MegaView, and changed the hue, saturation, RGB colors, and etc. Then it made a yellow line down the right. I dumped it into MGI Photosuite and made the yellow line white.... New Golden boxes. (sorry, I have somewhat crude tools at my disposal, but I can make them do what I want). ----- Clifford ----- I'm impressed! How 'bout silver and bronze? I know you can do it! Just for Dave, I've updated.... Now, Blue, Bronze, Silver, and Golden http://www.geocities.com/clkeele/pips.html P.J. You can download the graphics from the WWW link. Just right click on them and Save-As.... You know the rest. ----- Clifford ------ You forgot the ones for the GOP.

http://www.geocities.com/clkeele/pips.html Do I get one :greenblob: Do I get one :redblob: Ok, I just used MegaView, and changed the hue, saturation, RGB colors, and etc. Then it made a yellow line down the right. I dumped it into MGI Photosuite and made the yellow line white.... New Golden boxes. (sorry, I have somewhat crude tools at my disposal, but I can make them do what I want). ----- Clifford ----- I'm impressed! How 'bout silver and bronze? I know you can do it!

Maybe when PJ buys more web space, we can create an area just for CQ people.

I'm game for a donation. Just set up the PayPal account and watch the money flow in. I echo what's been said here. This place is too valuable (and fun!) not to pay my fair share.

This is all the NV DMV says. Not very helpful... Non U.S. Citizens Nevada does not issue licenses or ID cards to tourists. Other Non U.S. citizens may, or may not, be eligible depending on their specific immigration status. E-mail or call your local DMV office before applying for a license. Please include the Status Code issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The type of license or ID issued is determined by immigration status. You must have one of the immigration documents listed above under Proof of Identity. Nevada does not accept foreign driver licenses, foreign birth certificates, matricular consular cards, border crossing cards or foreign passports without an I-94 Arrival-Departure Record.. Non U.S. Citizens who have applied for, but not received, a Social Security number may attest to this on the driver license application. They are not required to provide proof of a Social Security number. If you have never been licensed in the United States, you will have to take vision, written and driving skills tests. See Beginning Drivers 18 and Older, or Nevada Teen Driving for those under 18.

Yeah...you tricked me too. Missed this on the board. Today when I saw the "Christmas in July" topic, I thought you might know about the Santa picture in my father's-in-law house. It's up 365 days a year. Why? Cuz it's cute. Congrats, dude! You've been a valued member here on CFL. It's is indeed your turn. What did Irina say when you told her the news?

Same here.

Congrats! I've been wondering how you've been. I figure the quiet = baby. Hope you don't mind losing sleep....it's worth it. We want pictures!!!! If you need help posting them, drop me an email and I'll get them on CFL for you. No nursing photos, please.

I want my money back.