Bad, GorBro, Bad.

http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifClick here for bad news bears. Usually, I am a fervent defender GorBro in the face of DavCam, but this is HOO HAA.

Hold that thought...

So, the clever folks at Homerton Hospital's respiratory clinic have not yet actually decide if I have TB or not. Public health, in theory, is a good thing. Let me tell you, it is a pain in the neck to be at the receiving end of it. I spent 2 hours on Thursday trying to get the conclusive "purple box" blood test. Hypothetically, if I do have TB, I can't even go to the fancy Swiss rest homes (where I could work on my German while reclining) as the Home Office still has my passport.

update

I don't have tb. I've known this for months, but have been to lazy to update it. apparently, I live in a council with a high tb rate. Not because of the immigrants- we immigrants are tested and treated if need be- but because of our friends who visit us and bring their rotten tb germs.

Whoa, dear reader

Just when you totally forgot about this blog, I've decided to bring it back! Much has happened in the past 6 months. I got married, quit my job and moved back to London with my husband. It is 10am in London which means it is time for Radio 4's Women's Hour! My favorite. It looks like today there will be a segment about polygamy! My favorite!

What else to expect this week:
-gremolata, schmemolata, gremolata!
-milan/paris mens shows
-scientific flow chart guide to immigration
-10 trillion things to do with left over polenta in a land without canned black beans

Consoling Consulates

Dear Reader,

As you no doubt know, I've spent a large chunk of my adult life as an expat. This means I've had all kinds of fascinating visa related experiences and anecdotes. Americans, studying abroad, in France must prove they have health care while Americans, studying in the UK, must prove their prior academic experiences. Most of my dealings with consulates and what not have been a headache at the very least. You try navigating these automated phone systems. But, the German Consulate in NY is the very model of the exception of these things. Not only was it easy to get connected with a real live operator, but this operator connected me to a real person's voice mail. This consular official called me back 5 minutes later! And he was charming and helpful, and once I get my paperwork, I get to stand the the line for "citizens"!

Xenophobes make me really angry!

Every morning, rain or shine, summer or winter, I walk past a line of women I assume are day workers. These women are queued up even in the bitterest of winter mornings. It looks miserable, and I can't imagine how tough their lives must be. So this morning there were 2 women holding signs saying "illegals go home" and video taping the women. I don't know if I've ever witnessed such cruelty. I have a plan, though.