Sglass wrote:I lived in New Jersey at one time and Sandy Hook was my favorite beach area too. Had friends at the marine laboratory. Cool. I lived in New Shrewsbury.
I thought you looked familiar. Small world isn't it?
thomas said
Quote:Blatham, there's some incredibly pretty student gals hanging out downtown. And they're much younger than they used to be when I went to college. You'll need to help me with pickup lines and the like though, as I am an incompetent amateur in this department.
I'm afraid I have no talent for 'pick-up lines' either. Any good fortune that I've had in this delicate matter seems to have arisen out of 1) holding genuine affection and respect for the other gender and 2) mingling with that subset of them who maintain low standards.
How is New Jersey treating you, Thomas?
Thomas wrote:Thomas wrote:My first day of work will be Monday December 12.
December 12 is a Wednesday. I meant Monday, December 17.
One more week to bring the new neighbourhood into line :wink:
Acclimatized?
First day in the new job any good? :wink:
Will there be a second day?
Sorry JPB, Walter, and Blatham, I missed your posts.
My first day, as I said, will be December 17. So I don't have anything about the first day to write home about.
So far, New Jersey is treating me well. New Brunswick is a nice-ish little small town. Some beautiful public buildings and churches going back to the 18th century, but also, unfortunately, some ugly parking houses in between, along with some bland new brick houses. Lots of students -- always a pretty sight -- and as a side effect, lots of cheap and good food, mostly Hispanic and Chinese. The population has a large share of Hispanics and Asians as well, which I consider a plus. I'm not into WASP monoculture small towns.
I am biased however: A Chinese version of Seinfeld's soup kitchen Nazi, together with his two Hispanic employees, runs my favorite American diner, which I go to for eggs and bacon in the morning and sandwiches in the afternoon. (Amendment: His wife came back from a trip to China the day before yesterday, and since then he has been much less authoritarian. He even promoted me to "please sit anywhere you want" status, which I consider a great honor.)
So life is good; the only thing I'm struggling with is the state of New Jersey. It has recently started requiring that when foreigners want a New Jersey drivers' license, they don't just have to show their passports and their Green Cards. These documents also have to be certified by the US Citizenship and Immigration Service. The USCIS, in turn, is swamped with other applications so can't make an appointment. Moreover, when I called them, they said they aren't issuing any certifications. My Green Card, in particular, is their certification that I'm a lawful permanent resident of the country.
I never thought I would say this, but the federal government is making a lot of sense. If I had the criminal energy and competence to forge a Green Card, I certainly wouldn't draw a line at forging a letter from USCIS saying "oh and by the way, we really mean it." Nevertheless, that doesn't impress the New Jersey Department of Motor Vehicles. No certification, no driver's license. But, hey, I know the Americans in this thread sleep better knowing that New Jersey heroically fights off dangerous German drivers license applicants with non-certified Green Cards. And that makes it all worthwile!
Oops - I got mixed up with your date. Fortunately, so I've another week before I have to consider what presents to buy for Christmas.
Quote:You can simply exchange your license if you come from Canada or the U.S. states of Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, , New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, Washington State, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
So when you should ever consider to return to Germany (or the EU resp,) - it's not easy for someone from NJ to get here a driving licence either :wink:
Walter Hinteler wrote:Oops - I got mixed up with your date. Fortunately, so I've another week before I have to consider what presents to buy for Christmas.
Little correction here, Walter: it's "the holidays", not "Christmas". Judging by what I see on TV, the word "Christmas" is no longer used in polite society. Only impolite people like Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity still say it these days.
Oh, and one more thing: I've only been in New Jersey for ten days, and already the state legislature is voting to abolish the death penalty! Of course, other things than my presence might have had an effect on the vote. Still, I'm pretty satisfied.
CalamityJane wrote:Sglass wrote:I lived in New Jersey at one time and Sandy Hook was my favorite beach area too. Had friends at the marine laboratory. Cool. I lived in New Shrewsbury.
I thought you looked familiar. Small world isn't it?
Speaking of Sandy Hook -- I've spent the afternoon of last Saturday there, and it really is a beautiful beach. Too bad I have no digital camera to document it. Can someone recommend one? I'm thinking something in the 6 megapixel range (not more, because images get less sharp above that.)
Thomas wrote:Little correction here, Walter: it's "the holidays", not "Christmas".
I'll buy them for Christmas = the night from 24th to 25th December.
"Holidays" - so there's Boxing Day (or something like that) in New Jersey as well?
Thomas wrote:Oh, and one more thing: I've only been in New Jersey for ten days, and already the state legislature is voting to abolish the death penalty! Of course, other things than my presence might have had an effect on the vote. Still, I'm pretty satisfied.
You must be sending out some powerful vibes, Thomas.
Walter Hinteler wrote:Thomas wrote:Little correction here, Walter: it's "the holidays", not "Christmas".
I'll buy them for Christmas = the night from 24th to 25th December.
"Holidays" - so there's Boxing Day (or something like that) in New Jersey as well?
I can't argue with you about this, because I haven't yet discovered the rationale for no longer speaking the name of "the holidays". I can only speculate that by using the plural, polite Americans pay their respect to Hanukkah, the winter solstice, and whatever the other religions are celebrating near the end of the year. I further speculate that these days, wishing someone a "merry Christmas" somehow discriminates against American Non-Christians.
JPB wrote:Thomas wrote:Oh, and one more thing: I've only been in New Jersey for ten days, and already the state legislature is voting to abolish the death penalty! Of course, other things than my presence might have had an effect on the vote. Still, I'm pretty satisfied.
You must be sending out some powerful vibes, Thomas.
I'm glad to see a professional statistician reach this conclusion. That should settle the case.
Thomas wrote:Walter Hinteler wrote:Thomas wrote:Little correction here, Walter: it's "the holidays", not "Christmas".
I'll buy them for Christmas = the night from 24th to 25th December.
"Holidays" - so there's Boxing Day (or something like that) in New Jersey as well?
I can't argue with you about this, because I haven't yet discovered the rationale for no longer speaking the name of "the holidays". I can only speculate that by using the plural, polite Americans pay their respect to Hanukkah, the winter solstice, and whatever the other religions are celebrating near the end of the year. I further speculate that these days, wishing someone a "merry Christmas" somehow discriminates against American Non-Christians.
I'd say that's fairly spot on.
JPB wrote:I'd say that's fairly spot on.
Is any American left of Rush Limbaugh annoyed by this new custom? Because this atheistic newcomer from secular, continental Europe does find it a bit annoying. Christmas is an official national holiday. It has a proper name, as does any other national holiday. I want to use this proper name without having to feel like a boor for using it, zeusdammit!
I'll worry about this first thing after I crack the top-secret security code surrounding the New Jersey driver's license.
Merry Christmas. Gawd bless you for saying this, JPB!
Thomas wrote:JPB wrote:Thomas wrote:Oh, and one more thing: I've only been in New Jersey for ten days, and already the state legislature is voting to abolish the death penalty! Of course, other things than my presence might have had an effect on the vote. Still, I'm pretty satisfied.
You must be sending out some powerful vibes, Thomas.
I'm glad to see a professional statistician reach this conclusion. That should settle the case.
Well.Dome.Thomas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
