Thomas wrote:We'll see. Meanwhile, I answered "no". If I ever had been bonded, I'd be knowing what they're talking about, and I don't.
As to the peeing agreement, I just notice that it was myself who falsely told JPB it was a checkbox. Sorry about that!
Do be aware Thomas that the drug screening may require a few hairs from your head instead of pee. It's a test that cannot be fooled. Just so you know. And likely you already do.
There was an item on our News today that said that a hair can be cut up into 50 sections and each section when analysed shows up where you were when that bit grew.
No wonder all those evil looking men shave their heads and chins and the innocents allow it to grow down to their shoulders and sport tasteful beards.
The first section shows where you were yesterday and the last bit a few months ago. It seems the air and water are different everywhere in ways detectable by this new wonder of science.
I saw an Australian scientist ten years back with a machine that he claimed could tell you the year you would die from analysis of one hair and that dye couldn't fool it even if it could fool non-scientists. The insurance companies were expressing an interest but I think it all got hushed up like most of the interesting biology does.
The "true" biology, such as that taught in Dover, is just the boring old fart's stuff which meets with the approval of the Mothers of America.
Mind blowing innit?
Yeahh!!!!! Hey Thomas, I passed my test! We're not going to be on the streets, begging for food afterall. Yippee!
Congratulations, Lola (but we already knew that you would pass it!)!
Lola wrote:Yeahh!!!!! Hey Thomas, I passed my test! We're not going to be on the streets, begging for food afterall. Yippee!
Well done, L!
I knew you could do it.
Us Yurpeans were rootin' for you.
Thomas wrote:Lola wrote:Do be aware Thomas that the drug screening may require a few hairs from your head instead of pee. It's a test that cannot be fooled. Just so you know. And likely you already do.
No problem. I'm clean.
So in that case, how do you explain your presence on these suspect premises in 2006?
Lola wrote:Yeahh!!!!! Hey Thomas, I passed my test! We're not going to be on the streets, begging for food afterall. Yippee!
Good job!
(But bad for the Jewellry store I guess -- were you planning to revive it in Portland?)
McTag wrote:So in that case, how do you explain your presence on these suspect premises in 2006?
Oh, just some shady jewellry deals.
Hey, Lola, I'm very happy for you!
McTag wrote:Thomas wrote:Lola wrote:Do be aware Thomas that the drug screening may require a few hairs from your head instead of pee. It's a test that cannot be fooled. Just so you know. And likely you already do.
No problem. I'm clean.
So in that case, how do you explain your presence on these suspect premises in 2006?
Now McTag, you've contributed to home sickness.......it was a lovely little store.
No, Thomas, we'll probably not open a store here. But I am selling jewelry in three different shops, plus the web site and as soon as we get my office in order, we'll be working on some others. I still like to design jewelry and it makes pretty good extra money.
We're busy, busy little people here. But today we took off to celebrate.
Okay. As far as apartments go, I have gotten as far as I'm going to get while in Germany. I've got my temporary apartment, I know who's going to hook me up with decent realtors once I get there, and when they're going to do so. Nothing left to do for the next week and a half.
Next up: The car. I'm going to buy a used one, so the first lesson I learned consists of three parts: Car Fax, Car Fax, and Car Fax. Next lessons to learn:
1) What else can I do to make sure they don't sell me a lemon?
2) What else should I buy along with the car? What insurances are mandatory? What insurances make sense? Should I join AAA?
3) Anything else I should know or do about a car?
Thomas, how much are you looking to spend on a car? (no, I don't wish to sell you one)
I was thinking of about $15,000 for the car itself. As to operating costs, I have no idea what to expect for reasonable insurance policies, taxes, and the like. If you (or others) could provide some orientation here, I would be grateful.
If you shop carefully, you should be able to find a very reliable 2 - 4 year old car. I recommend an import.
A wise buy is an off lease or program car with the remainder of the factory warranty intact. This will mitigate major repair costs.
I can't speak to insurance in New Jersey, never had the priveledge of living that East.
Good Luck
RH
You get a VW Beetle for $ 17,000 brand new, including 2-year warranty.
If you're a good negotiator and buy at the end of the month, you probably
can knock of another couple of thousand.
CalamityJane wrote:You get a VW Beetle for $ 17,000 brand new, including 2-year warranty.
If you're a good negotiator and buy at the end of the month, you probably
can knock of another couple of thousand.
I hear you can get a 40 year-old Beetle for almost half that. :wink:
Good luck on your move, T.
Ticomaya wrote:CalamityJane wrote:You get a VW Beetle for $ 17,000 brand new, including 2-year warranty.
If you're a good negotiator and buy at the end of the month, you probably
can knock of another couple of thousand.
I hear you can get a 40 year-old Beetle for almost half that. :wink:
Good luck on your move, T.
Thanks, Rockhead, CalamityJane, and Ticomaya. I'm a car bigot, so I'll probably stick with products from Southern Germany (and their branches in the Southern States). The most likely candidates right now are 5-to-6-year-old specimens of the BMW 3 series, the Mercedes C-class, or Audi A4.
In related news, I surfed around the State of new Jersey's website to look at possible insurance policies and the premiums you pay for them. They list premiums for a number of example drivers in
this PDF file. My profile is somewhere between the 3-A and the 3-B column in this table -- never mind the details of the categorization. I find it interesting that the cheapest and the dearest policies differ by a factor of two. Are the expensive companies providing improvements in service that are worth the increase in cost? To take just the two US insurers I've heard of yet, would the upgrade from the AAA policy (cheap) to a Geico policy (expensive) be worth it in your opinion?
You can buy a brand new corolla for $15,000.
Dependable transportation.
I'd join AAA. If you break down just once in the year, it's paid for itself.
Let me tell you about the last time I drove in New Jersey....
I hadn't lived there in a couple of decades, except for brief visits where I didn't need a car.
A couple years ago, I had a 2-3 day meeting in NJ, so decided to stay 3 extra days, over the weekend. Took the shuttle from the hotel back to Newark Airport, to get the car.
Frankly, I was somewhat nervous about being able to navigate, especially getting out of the airport area.
I had memories of being a child and a teen, and being totally confused by the area around there, lots of exits, cloverleafs, general havoc.
I was pleasantly surprised.
Leaving the rental area, I had to find the Garden State Parkway to drive down to the Shore.
I experienced no confusion, the signs were clearly marked, and when I had to merge over or switch lanes, people were very courteous. In fact, I spent the day wandering around my old haunts, getting "lost" (as in I was no longer familiar w/ the area, but had a general idea).
Actually, I quickly remember this was where I developed my own driving habits.
In a word, drivers in NJ are very decisive.
If they need to switch lanes, they aren't going to cut you off (ok, we're talking normal polite drivers), BUT, they are not going to lollygag for 1/2 a mile with their turn signal on, slowly inching over, like they're afraid you don't see them.
They see the opening, you see them, they slip in front of you. Done deal.
Also, driving to the Shore, I Really noticed that No One was speeding.
I set the cruise control at 65, and I was not blocking anyone's way, in fact, I had to pass people several times in the trip down there.
I didn't hear cars honking once that day, or any anger. It was like "hey, I gotta get somewhere, so do you, let's not make it personal"
