Fiasco

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ho fucked up? CIS (Immigration)? The courts? Our lawyers? I don't know. Our lawyer said that today's interview was just a formality, so he didn't have to go and we should save our money. Well, that was not the case. It was anything but a formality. According to the CIS interviewer, we don't have the standing to re-apply for status because M already has status, that we should have filed for "removal of conditional status." He just rolled his eyes wondering what kind of lawyer we have. I called my lawyer and she said that they DID file for removal. It's just that INS is not talking to each other. The interviewer also did not know we had gone to court in August, saying that our court date was scheduled for December 7--isn't that Pearl Harbor day? This tells me that the court did not return M's permanent file to CIS in a timely manner. But as far as he was concerned, we had not even gone to court, that the matter was out of his hands and he could do nothing.

Great. We are still in limbo and my step-son, Chip, is in the middle, because we can't do anything for him until M's stuff is cleared up.

It is so freakin' hard to focus on what I should be doing--research, class, grading--when personal things go so freakin' wrong. I swear, I am losing it. Euthanasia. Now there's a word that is starting to sound attractive... just kidding. It would be too cowardly, and there are people who are suffering far more than us. At least we're healthy, albeit only physically... for the time being.

*sigh*

I need something to lift my spirits... Oh yeah! UCLA is still undefeated and DAMN! We're in the top 10 in the first release of the BCS (Bowl Championship Series or Bull Crap/Shit, depending on which school you go to). In August, I'm sure there were no Bruin fans who would have even dared to dream this. But this only lifts my spirits. M is a good sport and supports my die-hard college football fanaticism, but I'm pretty sure that this bit of news will do little to lift her spirits... Anyone got any suggestions?

Citizenship and Immigration Service

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omorrow, M and I go to Immigration (CIS) for her interview. As I previously mentioned, our court appearance in August went well and things were going swimmingly. Two Fridays ago, M went for a medical exam so she could present the results to CIS along with the other documentation needed for tomorrow's 9:15AM interview. The documentation is voluminous.

• M's birth certificate which is of course in Japanese, so...
• Translation of documentation not in English. Of course no one at CIS speaks Japanese to check my English, so I also needed...
• An affidavit stating that the translation is correct. Since I have a direct stake in the matter I cannot be the translator. I asked a colleague to look it over and state that the translation is correct.
• Marriage certificate if the petition for permanent residency is based on a marriage.
• An affidavit of our relationship from people who know us. This, of course, means they have to go to a Notary Public to get it notarized, a pain in the ass for them to put down in writing that, yes, we are in fact still married.
• Documentation that we have a continuing relationship. This would include:
  • Photos: this is harder than it sounds as there are few photos with both of us in them since I an usually the one taking the pictures.
  • Bank statement: This too is a pain since our bank only puts the primary account holder on any documentation. So I have to go into the bank and have them draft an actual letter stating that it is a joint account.
  • Insurance: this was the only easy one...
  • Legal document. The only thing legal we share is a deed to our house, but since we bought it before we got married, it is in her maiden name, so I have to get further documentation confirming her previous name and her current name refer to the same person. Fortunately, all I need is the marriage certificate... I hope.
• An affidavit of support which states that I will support M 'til death do us part, or something like that. Of course this support must be supported by further documentation proving I have the wherewithal to support her.
  • The last 3 federal income tax returns, with W2 forms.
  • A letter from my employer stating that, yes, I'm working.
  • My last two pay stubs as further proof that, yes, I'm working.
• Documention that I am a legal resident/citizen, like my birth certificate--my passport expired...
• Criminal record from Fairfax County, to make sure that M is not a felon.
• There are other odds and ends: drivers license, social security card, etc...

M also needs the medical examination results mentioned above. They were supposed to be ready today, and I called time and again to see if they were, but they kept giving me the run around telling me to call later. By 3:30PM I had no choice but to cancel class because I wouldn't get there on time. By 4:30, they told me it wouldn't be ready today. So now I'm really stressing. I cancel class--something I rarely do, even when I'm sick--and I don't even have the examination results to show for it. "It will be ready tomorrow morning. We open at 9AM." OUR INTERVIEW IS AT 9:15, YOU COW... No, I didn't say that. I was just think that... Instead, I tried begging, pleading, please, please, is there now way? "Sorry" was all she could muster.

So, desperate, I contact our lawyer, and she says to just go to the interview and explain the situation. It shouldn't be too bad, she says. Our lawyer--actually, she's a paralegal, but she does most of the work for the actual lawyer who represents us, and she is pretty good and helpful and quite sympthetic to our situation--she's from Hong Kong originally, I think. We are lucky to have her. And she just tells me that I should relax...

So anyway, we're off to the interview tomorrow, and I hope things will go smoothly. I will try ot make it to class tomorrow, although I warned my first class that if I'm not there by the first 15 minutes, then they could just take off...

Why am I always so busy these days? If it's not one thing, it's another...

Cardiac Cubs, 44-41

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he LA Daily News has dubbed my beloved UCLA Bruins the Cardiac Cubs. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not. Losing for most of the game, only to pull it out in the end is not good for the heart. They survive Washington, stun Cal, and then go to Pullman, WA, to play Washington State, beathing them in overtime.

Okay, that may not sound like a big deal, but the Bruins had to come back in a game in which they were down by 21 points--twenty-one--TWICE. 21-0 and 28-7. Moreover, as if losing to Cal by 12 points, 40-28, in the 4th quarter before mounting a come back wasn't good enough, yesterday the Bruins were down by 17, 38-21, in the 4th quarter. I was completely prepared to deal with our first loss of the season. And with less than five minutes to play, we start our game tying drive from our own 4 yard line. That's a 96 yard drive, guys. Of course, in overtime, I was pretty confident we'd win. These guys are pretty amazing this year, but if they don't cut it out soon, I'm gonna have myself a coronary. Can we have an easy win, just once? I'm exhausted.

*sigh*

Anyway, I'm off this wonderfully cool and sunny autumn Sunday only to check and double check all the immigration documents we need for M's interview this Tuesday. Hopefully, this will end our permanent residency woes with the Citizenship and Immigration Service. This, too, has been a situation that hasn't been too good for the ol' ticker. Hope we get everything resolved. It has been the kind of stress that begins to affect the other aspects of my life. Well, there is only one other apect of my life--work--which is why football is so important to me. It is my only, I-can-forget-everything release. But still, really guys, how about an easy win?

Love to hate

burningsecrets: Hmm. I wonder what it would be like to be a student of yours.

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ou are not the first reader to wonder this. Indeed, one reader--Daddylike?--once said something about giving his left nut to take a class of mine. Well, I'm not sure how comfortable I'd be with someone sacrificing body parts, but I do appreciate the thought. In any event, I think that wondering about me and my classes should be as far as you should go, at least if my students are any indication. Last year, I had a student who hated one of my classes. This year, I have a few who seem to hate me.

Now, I love to teach and I love my students. I have said this more than once or twice here. I will do anything and everything humanly possible to accomodate them, help them, encourage them. I am strict but fair (I think), encouraging but demanding--particularly in some classes. I can be funny and serious, and I always enjoy having fun with them--and I have been knows to perhaps go to far with a joke or remark. But this is, of course, because I feel comfortable with and close to my students. Some students think I give Japanese majors extra consideration. And I do, in a way, but not in the way they probably assume.

At the higher levels, Japanese becomes a challenging topic, particularly literary Japanese--bungo. And I figure anyone who rises to the advanced levels of Japanese and takes my classese must be pretty motivated, serious, dilligent. So what do I do? I push them even more. Yes, I give them extra consideration. Yes, I expect them to never miss a class. I expect them to prepare for every single class. I expect them to get 100% on every quiz and exam I give. Yes, I give students who want to test out of my class a hard-ass exam when they come back from Japan. I'm not sure if non-majors want this kind of expectation placed on them, and even if they did, I wouldn't because it is, quite frankly, exhausting.

Unfortunately, the "special" attention I give them has its drawbacks. Here is the official description of a new online group at school.

Ouch! They "love to hate" me? I just learned about this "Onigiriman rocks/sucks" group the other day, populated by a few of my students. Am I narcissistic? Maybe as narcissistic as anyone on Xanga who is willing to talk about his or her own life. While to some this may be tongue in cheek--a mere joke--it is painful to realize that there are students who would even entertain the thought that they "love to hate" me (or "hate the fact that they love" me--as if that were any better). This is not the fleeting "Oh, I hate you, sensei!" exclamation when a student looks at an exam, or when I give them a heavy assignment. It is the official description of a group on an online social network for schools for all to see and join. I hope that no one "official" sees it, like a colleague or *shudder* the dean. I'm sure it would raise an eyebrow or two.

*Sigh*

Still, I doubt if I will change anytime soon. I will continue to strive to maintain a high standard and leave expectations level where they are. But I should reconsider gatherings at my place. Why would anyone who loves to hate me want to come to my place? I'd hate to think that they feel obliged to come when they don't really want to. And maybe office hours will be "strictly business" from now on... as it should be.

Spelling counts II

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couple of days ago, I posted my thoughts on spelling. Writing is, in my books, an important way to communicate, and correct spelling goes a long way for the reader. Now, I realize that spelling is not everything, and I hope I didn't leave the impression that a misspelled word can ruin an otherwise wonderful literary event, as evil_vish pointed out.

I teach dyslexic boys how to read! I wish I could say that I agree, but actually, I don't. Even though I am completing an English Major at university, I believe that some people have genuine difficulty with spelling. They still have a message and a voice, they may even have a love for reading eventually, but they can not write it exactly as we prescribe. To me, it matters less than it used to. I like to spell things correctly, but I have learned since that English spelling used to be so much more variable. Shakespeare could spell the same word different ways on the same page, but his work remains outstanding.

Indeed, dyslexia is a serious handicap and those who have it truly have to work harder than others. But that shouldn't stop them from trying, nor should it prevent them from writing. I have a student who is dyslexic as well, but he rarely complains about my demands as he too realizes--I think--that others in the workplace may not be so forgiving and so he makes it a point, with my encouragement, to be vigilant. As instructors, we must encourage, but we must prepare them as well, I think. As for Shakespeare, different spellings can be a poetic choice, but it is also a product of little standardization. Today, however, we have more rigid standards--a product of greater and easier communication and dissemination of ideas. Standardization allows for easier reading and fewer miscommunications, I think. But this is not to say that words cannot be made up or misspelled given the appropriate context. Personal writing is a good example. If you go back through my blogs, you will find more than a few misspellings. And, of course, my grammar is rather loose and free-formed. I'm sure my high school English teacher would have a fit reading what I write here. But it is, perhaps, a form of expression--I write like I talk, for the most part--it is one of the many aspects that defines me. So when I say "spelling counts", I refer to academic and public--non-literary--writing, such as newspapers, government documents, policy papers, ad nauseum. But a personal touch on private writings, like Xanga blogs, is fine...

HattoriHanzo: i've always wondered how onigiriman reacts when he stumbles upon a xanga page full with typos. do you self destruct?

No, not quite. As I said above, certain liberties can be taken in private writings. I mean, if you wrote something meaningful, I wouldn't dis it because it had a couple of typos. but if it is a paper you handed in to me, then I would be a bit stricter, as writing for me at school is your time to practice writing for the real world, a public world. Of course, I have my limits with personal writings as well. Which is why I won't visit sites of peple who Rit3 Lik3 tHiS,dOOd.

wildkat03: Just FYI - I was actually taught in fourth grade to use "can not." I distinctly remember that teacher and those very specific instructions. Are you SURE this is incorrect?

I'm not about to refute or disagree with the claims of another. However, I was taught that "can not" is one word. I have had countless of teachers correct my spelling, and the word has finally stuck. The word can be separated when one wants to emphasize it: You can drink soda, but you can not drink beer. Here is a site I found that addresses this issue. Cannot vs. can not at Language Hat.

So how was everyone's Thursday? One more day and it's the weekend! Woo hoo!