What on earth is the deal with FedEx? We are eagerly awaiting an order we put in for a certain little communications something, and here is the tracking:
Oct 18, 2007
3:42 AM At dest sort facility DENVER, CO
2:21 AM Departed FedEx location FORT WORTH, TX
Oct 17, 2007
2:24 PM Arrived at FedEx location FORT WORTH, TX
2:04 PM Left origin FT WORTH, TX
9:17 AM Package data transmitted to FedEx
8:41 AM Picked up FT WORTH, TX
It seems that our parcel did the rounds of FedEx's Fort Worth depot and now is chilling out in Denver, and has been for most of a day. Since the shipping is two days, does this mean that FedEx makes sure it takes two days even when it could've taken only one?
We are confuzzled.
Friday, 19 October 2007
Sunday, 14 October 2007
Rain rain go away
Come again some other day!
Goodness what a lot of rain we have had here over the last day! Except for the sheer amount of rain I would say I am back in Melbourne in winter. Alas, Melbourne has been missing out on rain too.
It was very dull yesterday morning. Very dull. Then in the afternoon, just when I decided to go out, it started dripping. Half an hour later, it was raining, full on. Then the great Niagara falls started - our roof has waaaaaay too much catchment for the size of the guttering and downspout. And the guttering has crud in it too. We've told the HOA but they are not fussed, they paid someone to clean it out in spring so it shouldn't be full of crud in fall..., and we aren't fixing it up cos it is two stories up and that is waaaay too long for a normal ladder, not that we have a ladder anyway.... Lightning and thunder. Oooh, a thunderstorm! Lightning flashing and thunder cracking immediately. Hmm, a thunderstorm right on top of us! Yay! Let's not go check out the creek cos it was flooding mildly. It kept raining on and off all night. I can tell cos you would think that water falling on an ashphalt roof would be quiet, but it actually sounds like whole heap of birds or small critters pattering around on it. Not as noisy as it would be on a tin roof but not quiet either.
Today's forecast is for rain showers in the morning with some extra rain showers in the afternoon. 80% chance of showers. If what I woke up to is anything to go by, we've already got 100% rain...
So it is very different but really not very exciting. It is very dull not being able to go anywhere - riding the bikes means getting horridly wet and cold. It means that we had to turn the heating on for a while yesterday and needed lights on all day long. Mebbe we moved to Seattle without noticing ;-)
Goodness what a lot of rain we have had here over the last day! Except for the sheer amount of rain I would say I am back in Melbourne in winter. Alas, Melbourne has been missing out on rain too.
It was very dull yesterday morning. Very dull. Then in the afternoon, just when I decided to go out, it started dripping. Half an hour later, it was raining, full on. Then the great Niagara falls started - our roof has waaaaaay too much catchment for the size of the guttering and downspout. And the guttering has crud in it too. We've told the HOA but they are not fussed, they paid someone to clean it out in spring so it shouldn't be full of crud in fall..., and we aren't fixing it up cos it is two stories up and that is waaaay too long for a normal ladder, not that we have a ladder anyway.... Lightning and thunder. Oooh, a thunderstorm! Lightning flashing and thunder cracking immediately. Hmm, a thunderstorm right on top of us! Yay! Let's not go check out the creek cos it was flooding mildly. It kept raining on and off all night. I can tell cos you would think that water falling on an ashphalt roof would be quiet, but it actually sounds like whole heap of birds or small critters pattering around on it. Not as noisy as it would be on a tin roof but not quiet either.
Today's forecast is for rain showers in the morning with some extra rain showers in the afternoon. 80% chance of showers. If what I woke up to is anything to go by, we've already got 100% rain...
So it is very different but really not very exciting. It is very dull not being able to go anywhere - riding the bikes means getting horridly wet and cold. It means that we had to turn the heating on for a while yesterday and needed lights on all day long. Mebbe we moved to Seattle without noticing ;-)
Friday, 12 October 2007
A change of scene
Well well well.
What a difference a few days make.
We now face the future with a certain degree of confidence.
Why?
There is a job offer on its way to DH. It means we will have to up stumps and leave Colorado in the dead of winter but given the choice of:
I think it is pretty obvious which we would choose.
We have to change our visas over. The new company will arrange an interview and fly us to Toronto (or Vancouver or Montreal or wherever we want but we know folks in TO). The idea of flying to the Mexican town opposite El Paso in Texas came up again but we are wussy and their preference is Canada as well. Everyone we know has said don't go there, or if you do, stay in a hotel real close to the consulate and don't go out. Hmmm....
Pictures care of our trip to New Mexico last week. First time I've been out of the state since we got here. New Mexico looks like a very poor state full of lots of nothing but we liked it. The scenery is different and we reached this state of enchantment just on sunset. Purdy, eh?
What a difference a few days make.
We now face the future with a certain degree of confidence.
Why?
There is a job offer on its way to DH. It means we will have to up stumps and leave Colorado in the dead of winter but given the choice of:
- being illegal, penniless immigrants in Colorado,
- legal, penniless citizens back 'ome or
- legal, monied immigrants in California,
I think it is pretty obvious which we would choose.
We have to change our visas over. The new company will arrange an interview and fly us to Toronto (or Vancouver or Montreal or wherever we want but we know folks in TO). The idea of flying to the Mexican town opposite El Paso in Texas came up again but we are wussy and their preference is Canada as well. Everyone we know has said don't go there, or if you do, stay in a hotel real close to the consulate and don't go out. Hmmm....
Pictures care of our trip to New Mexico last week. First time I've been out of the state since we got here. New Mexico looks like a very poor state full of lots of nothing but we liked it. The scenery is different and we reached this state of enchantment just on sunset. Purdy, eh?
Wednesday, 10 October 2007
Need chocolate
Chocolate.
Neeeeeed.
Good chocolate.
Actually crappy chocolate would be vaguely satisfactory too as long as it is GF and DF. It is abominably hard to get chocolate that is both gluten free and dairy free - most of the chocolate here does not mention gluten and about 95% of what I can find in Wholefoods, which has the biggest range of chocolate I've found so far, says it contains traces of dairy (not just may contain traces, does).
I might have to ride about four miles down to Vitamin Cottage (and four miles back) to get some not very good but at least it is GF and DF chocolate. I can get it with mint chips in it too...
If only Kenneman brought their GF/DF/nut free and egg free chocolate into the States. Mmmmm.....
Neeeeeed.
Good chocolate.
Actually crappy chocolate would be vaguely satisfactory too as long as it is GF and DF. It is abominably hard to get chocolate that is both gluten free and dairy free - most of the chocolate here does not mention gluten and about 95% of what I can find in Wholefoods, which has the biggest range of chocolate I've found so far, says it contains traces of dairy (not just may contain traces, does).
I might have to ride about four miles down to Vitamin Cottage (and four miles back) to get some not very good but at least it is GF and DF chocolate. I can get it with mint chips in it too...
If only Kenneman brought their GF/DF/nut free and egg free chocolate into the States. Mmmmm.....
Tuesday, 9 October 2007
Visas
Thanks to those who have commented so warmly :-)
One of the big problems we have is we are barely legal immigrants in the USA. (I am still p*ssy about being a subordinate alien.) We only have visas to be in the country for as long as Nathan is employed in his current role at HP.
As soon as his employment terminates, we have 60 days to leave the country (I thought it was 30days but one source says 60 days). Yes, we can apply for other jobs but the time taken in recruitment is over a month and then the visas take about two months to come through assuming the US govt decides to be nice. In the mean time, we have absolutely no income, no savings and outgoings of $2100 a month simply to pay our mortgage at home and the rent that we are obliged to pay here. No food, no bills paid or any little extras like cold weather clothing that we don't have.
If we go back home, we are very unlikely to come back again. Why would we? We have very few friends here, no family, the US govt is extremely obstructionist in issuing work permits for subsidiary aliens (ie I can't work).... At home both of us are allowed to work, even if we don't have jobs, we are eligible for the dole, we have family to bot off if it comes to it.
Nathan doesn't quite have a job offer from another Silly Valley company. They want him badly. We are trying to tough it out here for as long as possible and then work from there.
It is all in the lap of the gods at the moment and I *really* hate that.
One of the big problems we have is we are barely legal immigrants in the USA. (I am still p*ssy about being a subordinate alien.) We only have visas to be in the country for as long as Nathan is employed in his current role at HP.
As soon as his employment terminates, we have 60 days to leave the country (I thought it was 30days but one source says 60 days). Yes, we can apply for other jobs but the time taken in recruitment is over a month and then the visas take about two months to come through assuming the US govt decides to be nice. In the mean time, we have absolutely no income, no savings and outgoings of $2100 a month simply to pay our mortgage at home and the rent that we are obliged to pay here. No food, no bills paid or any little extras like cold weather clothing that we don't have.
If we go back home, we are very unlikely to come back again. Why would we? We have very few friends here, no family, the US govt is extremely obstructionist in issuing work permits for subsidiary aliens (ie I can't work).... At home both of us are allowed to work, even if we don't have jobs, we are eligible for the dole, we have family to bot off if it comes to it.
Nathan doesn't quite have a job offer from another Silly Valley company. They want him badly. We are trying to tough it out here for as long as possible and then work from there.
It is all in the lap of the gods at the moment and I *really* hate that.
Monday, 8 October 2007
Screwed
DH's job is one of those that will be cut.
Oh no!
I don't know what we will do for money. We don't have any savings any more. We used them all up in either paying the mortgage at home or accumulating stuff here. We don't have a car here or any real assets. We are going to lose the house back home because we won't have any way to pay for it. We will owe most of a year's rent for the place we are living in now.
HP believes it is ethical, but this is just So Wrong it isn't funny. They made a record profit last year and now want to cut jobs so they can make more money. I'll never buy any of their equipment if I can possibly avoid it. It isn't as if Nathan can just go get another job in HP which is what usually happens with other people who work there. Nathan's work visa is specifically for the job he has now. If he changes jobs, the whole visa stuff starts again.
Our only hope is another job. DH went for an interview in San Jose a bit over a week ago. They *really* want him but it will mean changing visas and that will take a couple of months if not more. With no timeline on the end of the HP job (but presumably soon) we are pretty much screwed.
I don't know what to do. Just sitting and crying seems like a really good option currently.
Oh no!
I don't know what we will do for money. We don't have any savings any more. We used them all up in either paying the mortgage at home or accumulating stuff here. We don't have a car here or any real assets. We are going to lose the house back home because we won't have any way to pay for it. We will owe most of a year's rent for the place we are living in now.
HP believes it is ethical, but this is just So Wrong it isn't funny. They made a record profit last year and now want to cut jobs so they can make more money. I'll never buy any of their equipment if I can possibly avoid it. It isn't as if Nathan can just go get another job in HP which is what usually happens with other people who work there. Nathan's work visa is specifically for the job he has now. If he changes jobs, the whole visa stuff starts again.
Our only hope is another job. DH went for an interview in San Jose a bit over a week ago. They *really* want him but it will mean changing visas and that will take a couple of months if not more. With no timeline on the end of the HP job (but presumably soon) we are pretty much screwed.
I don't know what to do. Just sitting and crying seems like a really good option currently.
Sunday, 7 October 2007
Why did the tarantula cross the road?
We just had a great long weekend driving to New Mexico (Taos to be precise) and back again. More on that later!
On the way home I saw a slow moving black thing walking on the road. It looked rather like a large spider - low slung, definitely moving like a spider. I tried to miss it but I fear I left a splat on the road. Then another one just over the crest of a hill, so it bit the dust too.
Alas I killed off two male tarantulas. I didn't mean to or aim to do it - even spiders in the middle of nowhere have a right to live. Why were they crossing the road? This little tale will reveal all..... (for the spider phobic there *are* pics of tarantulas on that page)
On the way home I saw a slow moving black thing walking on the road. It looked rather like a large spider - low slung, definitely moving like a spider. I tried to miss it but I fear I left a splat on the road. Then another one just over the crest of a hill, so it bit the dust too.
Alas I killed off two male tarantulas. I didn't mean to or aim to do it - even spiders in the middle of nowhere have a right to live. Why were they crossing the road? This little tale will reveal all..... (for the spider phobic there *are* pics of tarantulas on that page)
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