Rhode Island and Connecticut

As luck would have it, I was scheduled to travel to New London, Connecticut on Tuesday. Had I known what a tooth extraction would feel like, I would have postponed it till after the trip. But you gotta do, what you gotta do. So on Tuesday, right after the biometric scanning for my UK visa application, we headed to the airport.

Side note. Before Jojo dropped me at DFW airport, we had lunch at a new place. I Love Pho (or as I would call it, I heart Pho). I loved this place. Tooth or no tooth, it's good. We started off with fresh shrimp rolls, and then Jojo and I shared the beef stew and crispy noodles. Yummy!

So going to a Connecticut meeting proved to be a challenge in terms of getting good flights. I ended up taking a 1-stop flight via North Carolina and arriving in TF Green Airport (PVD) in Rhode Island. Going home, my stop was at Reagan Airport in Washington DC.

A total of 16 hours of travel for a one hour meeting. The things you have to do. Oh, and of course, I was still on medication because of the tooth extraction the day before. C'est la vie.

Travels and Amazon puchases

There seems to be a lot of projects that will start this month, and after the trip to South Dakota next week, I have travels lined up for Philadelphia, Florida, Minneapolis, and Amsterdam. So listed in order of priority and then percentage of chance that I'll be going. Small chance of going to Amsterdam though, too bad.

I was disappointed to receive the digital frame that I ordered in Amazon, which means to say I will be returning the item as I am not particularly happy. As a consumer, I have a right to be satisfied and if not, then I will exercise my consumer right to return the product. I haven't done this yet with an online purchase though, so let's try my luck.

On the other hand, I also got my DDR game today and have actually tried a few songs. Not the best that I imagined I could do (in my sleep!) but with practice and perseverance and a lot of sweat, I will conquer. I just know it. I need to pick up another dance mat though. Whoever is brave enough to go against me can do so at their expense. Of course, at the rate I'm going now, they'll probably have the last laugh!

I also just discussed the renewal of my visa here in the US with my boss, and it does seem like we will be traveling back to Manila to get the visa stamp as soon as the visa is approved. Maybe not as soon as, but it definitely means that when I travel out of the country after the visa expires, I will have to go get the visa stamped before I could come back. This actually is good news because that means I would get to visit Manila soon! The bad news is, I'm not sure we are financially prepared for this. I still haven't talked to Jojo about it (as I've just found out myself) but I'm guessing we're gonna have to cross the bridge when we get there?

Biometric scanning and the weekend

Last Friday, I took a personal leave. This I would consider a milestone in our plans to secure a permanent residency status here in the US. We picked up Gabriel in school midday and went straight to the recommended agency right here in Dallas. We didn't have to wait long, after taking digital fingerprints and pictures, we were done. Biometric scanning... check! Now we wait for the next process - the interview.

Anyway, I also want to tell you that Jojo bought 3 Schwinn mountain bikes. They're great, although we probably won't have the chance to use them until Spring. Now as soon as we figure out where to keep them (the patio seems too small), I would be happier. The last thing that we really want is to make a storage room out of Gabriel's bedroom. I'm still harboring this thought that soon, Gabriel will want to sleep in his own bed. (Yes, he still sleeps with us.)

We went to a Mardi Gras party in downtown Dallas yesterday. If you know, from tradition, what a Mardi Gras party is about, then you'd know what to expect in said event. However, since the organizers banned nudity, it was rather conservative. Until, just as we were leaving the party, I saw this pretty girl walking about with both boobs sticking out - breathing open air. Yep, I'm guessing she didn't think too much about the ban. This tells me that next year, we won't be bringing Gabriel, if we ever decide to go again. That girl has set a precedent, and soon more will follow. Mark my words.

The night turned out to be busy for us. Gabriel came down with high fever, and we pretty much had to stay up all night round the clock to make sure it didn't worsen. Luckily, Gabriel liked the sponge baths and the medicine, so he didn't put up a fight. And thank God, by 5am, he's feeling better and the fever has gone.

Okay, I've had a lot to say after missing a couple of days of blogging. And I need to prepare anyway to go to Jan's and Vangie's superbowl party. So off we go.

Come back soon.

Consulate of the Netherlands

Haven't checked out of the hotel yet but close. We need to stop by the Netherlands Embassy to try to submit a visa application - or else ask what the next step is. My visa expired last year and the woman from the embassy has asked me to call first before submitting a renewal application. I've called several times but no one is there to answer. So, after a couple of months, I'm going there personally to inquire. I'll let you know how that goes.

(Postscript) The nice woman from the consulate took my application and requested that I send her a fax of updated company letters. I'll do that on Monday.