Fresh Powder

Yay!

Going skiing for the first time this season - H and I are going up to Solitude. I did get into a bit of a pickle earlier when I waxed my skis and thought I'd test out my bindings which worked perfectly.

All well and good except my ski-poles were still in the garage - I had to use a biro to free myself and scared the crap out of the cat in the process.

Bloody Cheek!

I got a letter on Saturday from the DMV, didn't think much about it as my license is due to expire soon and I thought that's what they were reminding me of, but oh no.

Let me explain this cockeyed system. (Guys this makes the Revenue look organised!!) When we first came over here, I couldn't work cos of the class of visa I was on so I got a drivers license with my ITIN number (short-hand for girl who doesn't pay tax). When the rules got changed and I could get a work permit, I applied and got one which also meant applying for a social security number (which means I now pay tax) .

I waded through the tide of forms, for each of these prized pieces of paperwork, sent christ-knows how many photos of myself to go along with them and finally I had my social security card and as far as I was concerned that was the end of it.

A law was passed last year by the state legislature that restricts illegal immigrants from having a drivers license instead they are allowed to have a privilege card and I knew about this because my friend H ended up with one of these last year, which is ridiculous, she and T have every right to be here and they have the paperwork to prove it but as usual the law wasn't thought through before it was implemented and innocent people get caught up in the dragnet.

Long and short is that they want my license back - because of the ITIN - happy birthday Paula, give us your license! I was outraged on H's behalf when it happened to her but I was well ticked off when I got that letter.

Don't their departments talk to each other? Would it kill them to have an integrated system so that it would flag a change of status or ITIN to SSN and I bet they have no idea I've even got my green-card.

Anyway the upshot of this is that I have to go and seem Patty or Selma this week and get a new license and they had better not take my license away!

2006 Paula Blogs Again

Wow

I can't believe that I haven't blogged since September, this is crazy but I have been kind of busy. Went back to Europe for a month in October and when I got back I got caught up in this building a website business - website is now online and looks pretty damn good for a first attempt (www.writersatwork.org) check it out.

C's parents were here for Christmas and no nothing blew up or broke and the power didn't go out. We actually had a cooked turkey this time instead of a frozen one buried in our own snowcave in the garden!

We got dumped on with snow yesterday although they forecast 3-7 inches and I think we barely got 3 but of course the last lot that came down froze instantly so today is going to be spent in and out and in and out.

We already have a couple of trips lined up for this year. LV end of Feb and back to UK for Christmas 06. I didn't make any resolutions, as they always get broken, but I will make the time to keep this thing a bit more up-to-date so here goes.