January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?

[BlakeandOlha 0]

Living in the UK can be hard - we give our height in feet, our weight in stones, measure small distances in centimetres and metres but long distances in miles. Food in the supermarkets is usually weighed in grams and kilograms but when I cook at home I use pounds and ounces. Phew!

I use online conversions all the time!

u guys are more messed up than we are. I checked out the online converter....its my new friend.

[BlakeandOlha 0]

The Soviet Union banned some of the best books! Considering several of my favourite authors are either Russian or Ukrainian I shall have to read it one day. And then watch the movie.

Mine too - I was a russian studies major at university, amongst other things. Never quite got a handle on the language though.

That is such a sweet memory from your grandfather - I'm sure the experience was amazing. I know you are going to enjoy it so much here.

And to all the January filers, you guys give me energy and hope - thank you so much!

[Cecile and Bryan 0]

home-made food and decorations (I've learned how to make lanterns from willow and tissue paper recently, I'm really tempted to make some). I think I shall have to look at ebay.

I wish I could do that! Could you explain to me how to make them?

As for conversion, we use the metric system for everything here.

At least in UK, it's already messed up, so going from a messed up system to another one shouldn't be too difficult

Mine too - I was a russian studies major at university, amongst other things. Never quite got a handle on the language though.

I guess that helps to talk to your soon-to-be wife!

[BlakeandOlha 0]

As for conversion, we use the metric system for everything here.

At least in UK, it's already messed up, so going from a messed up system to another one shouldn't be too difficult :

My sister and her husband are moving to Flanders this summer - so she's going from messed up to sane - or as sane as things get over there. Still, this stuff gets pretty deeply engrained in you. When someone said it snowed 4 inches, I know exactly - if someone said it snowed 10.63cm I wouldn't have a clue. (online conversion.com tells me they're the same). And Olga speaks very good english - which is very fortunate because my russian stinks! :lol

Edited February 29, 2008 by BlakeandOlha

[Cecile and Bryan 0]

And that's the exact opposite for me! 10 centimeters of snow, that's ok. 4 inches? no idea...

What seems the most annoying is not the conversion between metric and non-metric, it's the fact that the non-metric seems so complicated! it's so easy to have 10 millimeters in 1 centimeters, and 10 centimeters in 1 decimeter, etc. how do you remember how many inches there are in a foot, and how many gallons there are in... whatever is bigger than a gallon?

[Alex & Rachel 78]

home-made food and decorations (I've learned how to make lanterns from willow and tissue paper recently, I'm really tempted to make some). I think I shall have to look at ebay.

I wish I could do that! Could you explain to me how to make them?

As for conversion, we use the metric system for everything here.

At least in UK, it's already messed up, so going from a messed up system to another one shouldn't be too difficult

True

The lanterns are deceptively simple. You'll need willow sticks (purchasable in bundles online), PVA glue, extra-strong tissue paper, masking tape, a sponge and some clippers!

You just soak the willow sticks in water for a few hours, until they are nice and pliable. Then you bend and cut to create your lantern shape and tape joints together using the masking tape. The joints may look a little messy but once the lantern is finished you won't really notice them - it'll be a part of the rustic charm!

You can make a lantern in any shape you desire - a very easy thing to do is to create two 2D shapes and then join them together with short connecting sticks. Leave some space at the bottom for the candle to go. I'd also recommend not having too many large spaces for the tissue paper to cover as it's so flimsy.

Once you've made your lantern frame the next stage is to cover it in tissue paper! Make a mix in a plastic tub (we used old margarine tubs) of 1/2 water 1/2 PVA glue. Tear the tissue paper into strips (I found this much easier to apply) and dip the sponge in the PVA glue mix and cover one side of the tissue paper. Then place the tissue paper over the frame.

All you have to do then is wait for it to dry! I wish I'd taken pictures of the one I made, but it was for this year's Sharrow lantern festival - here's information on last year's:

http://thewhiteroseofyorkshire.blogspot.co...-april-1st.html

And that's the exact opposite for me! 10 centimeters of snow, that's ok. 4 inches? no idea...

What seems the most annoying is not the conversion between metric and non-metric, it's the fact that the non-metric seems so complicated! it's so easy to have 10 millimeters in 1 centimeters, and 10 centimeters in 1 decimeter, etc. how do you remember how many inches there are in a foot, and how many gallons there are in... whatever is bigger than a gallon?

See...I have no idea - the problem with using two systems concurrently in the UK is that no one's really sure what's what! We have pints of milk but litres of petrol, we don't use gallons for anything. I know what a mile is like but not a kilometer, but I have no idea how many feet are in a mile!

[dbears 1]

With all the waiting involved I've been thinking about ways not to let either myself or Olha to get depressed about all this. I want to redocorate the house - paint, drapes, new carpeting, and all that. Initially I was thinking that it would be good to do all these things before she arrived. I'm starting to think, however, that perhaps that is not such a good idea. I think having her spend time thinking about what she'd like to do, planning how she'd like things to look, and then actually working side by side with me to get it done, will not only give us both something to distract us for the next 6 months, but also give her that sense of immediate contribution to our new "family" when she is here. Once the fun of planning the decorating wears off, my next step is to encourage her to start shopping for her wedding dress, that should extend the good mood for at least another 45 days.

Anybody have any other ideas on how to help our SO's get through this as well?

My big bear asked about good color for the kitchen the other night... though I keep telling him I want to be able to help with the painting when i get there and the only thing he said was, "i will surely leave some for you to paint..."... i do hope he was not thinking of making me paint the roof

[BlakeandOlha 0]

With all the waiting involved I've been thinking about ways not to let either myself or Olha to get depressed about all this. I want to redocorate the house - paint, drapes, new carpeting, and all that. Initially I was thinking that it would be good to do all these things before she arrived. I'm starting to think, however, that perhaps that is not such a good idea. I think having her spend time thinking about what she'd like to do, planning how she'd like things to look, and then actually working side by side with me to get it done, will not only give us both something to distract us for the next 6 months, but also give her that sense of immediate contribution to our new "family" when she is here. Once the fun of planning the decorating wears off, my next step is to encourage her to start shopping for her wedding dress, that should extend the good mood for at least another 45 days.

Anybody have any other ideas on how to help our SO's get through this as well?

My big bear asked about good color for the kitchen the other night... though I keep telling him I want to be able to help with the painting when i get there and the only thing he said was, "i will surely leave some for you to paint..."... i do hope he was not thinking of making me paint the roof

I think your safe

[BlakeandOlha 0]

And that's the exact opposite for me! 10 centimeters of snow, that's ok. 4 inches? no idea...

What seems the most annoying is not the conversion between metric and non-metric, it's the fact that the non-metric seems so complicated! it's so easy to have 10 millimeters in 1 centimeters, and 10 centimeters in 1 decimeter, etc. how do you remember how many inches there are in a foot, and how many gallons there are in... whatever is bigger than a gallon?

I think we all pretty much understand the logic of the metric system - its all based on units of 10 - but 10 what? The length of a centimeter is mysterious, although theoretically there are 100 of these little buggers in a meter, which is slightly less than one of our yards, which is equal to three feet. Hmmmmm....sounds confusing, you're right. So let me start again....There are always 12 inches in a foot. Why? who knows, ask the English who gave us this system (that's one to you Rachel) There's not much bigger than a gallon here, gallons are made of just 4 quarts which is about the same as a liter. Now, not to confuse anything, but if you go to Canada you don't get what we call gallons you get what are called "imperial gallons" which are a little different.

Still, a pint of beer is still a pint, the world around. Kilos are how we measure the size of the drug arrests, and the mile is something like 5,248 feet. Which is really only important to know in Denver, Colorado aka the "Mile High City." Unless your a doctor, scientist, or engineer no one you talk to about metric measures will really know what you're talking about. Welcome. Thank god our SO's love us....

[gabrielle08 0]

Hellow fellow January filers at the CSC. There are a lot of you out there, but I don't see many of you posting in the regular January filers thread. I don't begrudge the wonderful speed at which the VSC filers are being approved - Congratulations to all of them - but it points out how different the experience is for CSC filers vs. VSC filers. While the January thread is full of great news about approvals and touches, etc. we CSCers have our own issues to deal with. For myself, I know it is difficult to empathize with a January filer who voicing impatience with a process that is so much shorter than the one I am facing - it may not be "fair" that our processing times are so different, but its also not fair to rain on their parade or dismiss the concerns of the VSC filers. There is also the relevancy - when the CSC side is talking about approvals the VSC group will be talking about interviews or weddings.

So how are you doing? Are you frustrated, concerned, or excited? Knowing the wait that sits in front of you, how will you use the next 5 months. If you think this is a valuable thread then please add to it. Regardless of CSC or VSC, I hope we can all support each other on this amazing journey.

Like I said there are a lot of January CSC filers, I have listed them below (based on I-129f sending date).

Thomas & Michelle 01-01

Cecile & Bryan 01-02

Janeth & Derek 01-02

Ten & DJ 01-03

Yuliya & Brian 01-03

Paola & Chris 01-04

Thanh & Cao 01-04

Zrinka & Eric 01-05

P & J 01-07

Shirley & Steven 01-07

Maria & Eric 01-09

S & KP&SS 01-09

Pamela & Joshua 01-11

Eliciana & Benjamin 01-11

Rachel & Alex 01-11

Bing & John 01-12

Erica & Scott 01-12

WW & MM 01-12

Stuart & Amy 01-14

jj & sh 01-15

Elena & Sergey 01-15

jen & jay 01-16

Agatha & Robert 01-17

VRP & SK 01-18

gabbie & erv 01-22

Chris & Therese 01-23

nr123 & nm123 01-23

Laura & Scott 01-23

yan & isa 01-24

199 a & o 01-24

Greivin & Courtney 01-24

Jeroen & Michelle 01-24

Olga & Blake 01-25

Lea & Ron 01-25

jennie & matthew 01-25

Paul & Joanna 01-25

Supida & Supida 01-28

Lena & Val 01-29

TS & BNR 01-29

Alexandra & Mark 01-29

Susan & Chris 01-30

Benny & Cassi 01-31

Ge & Haibo 01-31

Sapna & Dinesh 01-31

wow!..well we are excited and patiently waiting..I hope it won't take too long for us! goodluck for those who got their Noa2

[Cecile and Bryan 0]

I think we all pretty much understand the logic of the metric system - its all based on units of 10 - but 10 what? The length of a centimeter is mysterious, although theoretically there are 100 of these little buggers in a meter, which is slightly less than one of our yards, which is equal to three feet. Hmmmmm....sounds confusing, you're right. So let me start again....There are always 12 inches in a foot. Why? who knows, ask the English who gave us this system (that's one to you Rachel) There's not much bigger than a gallon here, gallons are made of just 4 quarts which is about the same as a liter. Now, not to confuse anything, but if you go to Canada you don't get what we call gallons you get what are called "imperial gallons" which are a little different.

Still, a pint of beer is still a pint, the world around. Kilos are how we measure the size of the drug arrests, and the mile is something like 5,248 feet. Which is really only important to know in Denver, Colorado aka the "Mile High City." Unless your a doctor, scientist, or engineer no one you talk to about metric measures will really know what you're talking about. Welcome. Thank god our SO's love us....

It feels like I need to go to school again.

by the way, Rachel, thank your for the willow lanterns.

Edited March 1, 2008 by Cecile and Bryan

[Cecile and Bryan 0]

wow!..well we are excited and patiently waiting..I hope it won't take too long for us! goodluck for those who got their Noa2

Hello! There's nothing else to do but patiently waiting anyway

[Alex & Rachel 78]

No problem!

Imperial measurements have several advantages and would've been more useful in a pre-digital age.

First of all, they're a little easier to relate to in a physical sense. A foot? That's roughly the inside length of an adult's lower arm. A yard was a good measurement to use when buying and selling fabric, and it's also an easy length to pace. A pint? That's a good measurement of drink - a litre is a little bit too much to drink in one go, but a pint of beer feels just right. Baking? Much easier to remember imperial measurements - a basic cake is 4 ounces of flour, 4 ounces of butter, 4 ounces of sugar and 2 large eggs.

Also, base units of 10 are harder to divide - a foot, for example, is easily divisible by 2, 3, 4 and 6. This is why we still have 24 hours in a day and 60 minutes in an hour. You can't easily chop 10 into thirds or quarters.

Of course, if you're getting into complex mathematics or wanting to build buildings, metric is the way to go, but for every day purposes, it's easy to see why Britain has found it hard to shake the use of imperial measurements!

I am glad, though, that we don't deal in shillings, old pennies and old pounds any more - now that really would've been confusing!

[BlakeandOlha 0]

imperial measurements!

I am glad, though, that we don't deal in shillings, old pennies and old pounds any more - now that really would've been confusing!

I could never get that one figured out.

Mattjen - welcome to the thread, I hope you and your SO are doing well. The waiting is the hardest part, but we CSC filers get really good at it. Thankfully they've picked up the pace at CSC a little, but it'll still be a long haul to approval. How do you and your SO spend the time?

Rachel - like the new avitar, but the hamster was pretty good too.

[B'sA 0]

Thomas & Michelle 01-01

Cecile & Bryan 01-02

Janeth & Derek 01-02

Ten & DJ 01-03

Yuliya & Brian 01-03

Paola & Chris 01-04

Thanh & Cao 01-04

Zrinka & Eric 01-05

P & J 01-07

Shirley & Steven 01-07

Maria & Eric 01-09

S & KP&SS 01-09

Pamela & Joshua 01-11

Eliciana & Benjamin 01-11

Rachel & Alex 01-11

Bing & John 01-12

Erica & Scott 01-12

WW & MM 01-12

Stuart & Amy 01-14

jj & sh 01-15

Elena & Sergey 01-15

jen & jay 01-16

Agatha & Robert 01-17

VRP & SK 01-18

gabbie & erv 01-22

Chris & Therese 01-23

nr123 & nm123 01-23

Laura & Scott 01-23

yan & isa 01-24

199 a & o 01-24

Greivin & Courtney 01-24

Jeroen & Michelle 01-24

Olga & Blake 01-25

Lea & Ron 01-25

jennie & matthew 01-25

Paul & Joanna 01-25

Supida & Supida 01-28

Lena & Val 01-29

TS & BNR 01-29

Alexandra & Mark 01-29

Susan & Chris 01-30

Benny & Cassi 01-31

Ge & Haibo 01-31

Sapna & Dinesh 01-31

That's funny...i was considering we're january filers(got the NOA1 on 3rd january and filed on new year's vve),but,ha-ha, i guess the fact that we filed on 31st december makes us december filers...woo-hooo, i feel like i'm i month closer to the NOA2

Good luck to all