not moving house, just websites.
Please now visit http://lisounds.wordpress.com/
cheers,
kim & Wayne
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Navigating bureaucracy
Alternative title: "How to get a social security number, register a car, get a driver's licence and stay sane"
Now, before you start thinking that this will be a tale of unmitigated woe and frustration, it's actually been a relatively unpainful (for me at least...I'll let Kim tell her story separately).
First things first. You pretty much don't exist in the US without a social security number. You need it to get paid, open bank accounts, get a driver's licence, get the internet connected, buy a can of Coke from a vending machine. Alright, you don't really need one to get a Coke.
The social security number is a 9 digit number that pretty much gets attached to everything related to money here. It's fundamental in building up a credit record. The equivalent in Australia is the tax file number. But here, the "social", as it's affectionately known, gets used pretty much as a universal ID number. So, an early mission after arrival was to go and get this magical number. We fronted up at the Patchogue Social Security Administration office soon after opening, got ourselves a ticket from the automatic machine at the front door, and joined the 40-odd other people waiting. Numbers were called, and before too long, we were underway. Unfortunately, the Department of Homeland Security take a little while to get visa details for new immigrants into the computer system that Social Security look at, so I didn't actually exist yet as far as they were concerned. Fortunately, the person handling my application was nice enough to just cancel the process, rather than what they call "suspending" it. This meant that I could just go back in a week's time rather than relying on some computer system to realise that sufficient time had passed and I could have a number issued. Kim had no problem getting a letter from them stating that she was ineligible for a Social Security Number. The wording of the letter was a bit unfriendly, suggesting that she's been refused one rather than just asking for a letter stating her ineligibility.
So a week later (I interpreted the fine print on the Social Security Administration website that said you should wait 10 days to mean calendar days rather than business days) I went back to the SSA office, and the application went straight in. I walk out with a nice letter saying my application has been accepted. One key piece of information the person gave me was that I could actually go back the following day and get the number over the counter. This was the first I'd heard of that, but figured it was worth a try. And sure enough, it worked. So I'm now the proud owner of nine very important digits. A week or so later, a non-descript envelope arrived with a little cardboard card and a strong recommendation to not carry it with me. So it's now in a safe place somewhere at home, and I'm sure to forget where it is when I actually need it again.
To register a car in New York State, you need 6 points of ID. A NY licence counts for 6, but that story comes later. A passport is 3, a bank debit card is 1, an employee ID is 1. So I'd been sitting on 5 points for quite a while, and our car (see earlier posts) had been sitting unhappily unregistered in the driveway. A social security card is worth a massive 2 points, so its arrival safely put me over the 6 point requirement. The social security card is also essential for getting a driver's licence here (or a letter stating that you are not eligible for a social). So, ID in hand along with all the cryptic forms we got when we bought the car, I headed off to the Department of Motor Vehicles, affectionately known as the DMV, office in Medford (just near Patchogue). Another experience with waiting in a queue to get a ticket, and then a much longer wait with well over 50 other people to actually get served. Luckily, all the paperwork seemed to be in order, and I was now proudly holding some new registration plates for our car. So far so good.
The next mission was to start the licence process. This proved to be quite a bit more time consuming. The first step was having to fax my passport and visa info to the central DMV in Albany (NY, not Western Australia, but it took so long that it seemed like it had gone to WA) so that they could confirm that I was allowed to get a licence. This took nearly an hour, by the end of which I started to wonder if I would ever see my passport again. But finally, they got that bit sorted out, and I was given another ticket to go and actually sit the written test. It doesn't matter that I've been driving in Australia for over 20 years. I get to go through the Learners Permit process with all the 16 year olds, and everyone looks at me assuming I've lost my licence for some reason and am trying to get it back. The hour waiting for my passport to return was spent flipping through the road rules book. One of the sillier rules is that you have to stop for a stopped school bus. Now that's OK if you are overtaking the bus, or on a narrow back road, but you have to stop even if you are on the other side of a divided freeway. Yep. There can be 30m of grass between you and the kids, but you still have to stop. But Long Island drivers are good at ignoring most road rules, so I expect that one is also well ignored. The test itself is 20 questions, and you're allowed to get 6 wrong. It worries me that there are people out there who don't understand 30% of the road rules, signs and safe driving techniques but are still allowed to drive. One of the kids actually failed (the people assess it on the spot, and aren't quiet about informing them of the result), but was allowed to have another go straight away. Doubly scary. Luckily I scraped through, and managed to read the letters in the eye test, so was now the proud owner of a New York State Learners Permit.
Prior to booking a road test to get a proper licence, all "learners" have to sit a 5 hour pre-licencing course. This is a classroom course, and seems mainly designed to make the people there realise how much they don't know. There were about 20 people in my course. All but two were 18 or under, one guy about 30 who had lost his licence, and me. I was a source of some entertainment for the instructor. The concept of driving on the other side of the road seemed to horrify most of the 16 year olds. He actually did a good job of making the course relatively entertaining. The hairstyles and clothes couple of 80s videos on seat belts and the effects of alcohol provided plenty of laughs, which sort of detracted from the message. But I got out of there with a certificate saying I'd done the course. Without that certificate, you can't book the road test, so as soon as I got home, the booking for the road test went in. It's on this coming Friday, September 3. Wish me luck.
Now, before you start thinking that this will be a tale of unmitigated woe and frustration, it's actually been a relatively unpainful (for me at least...I'll let Kim tell her story separately).
First things first. You pretty much don't exist in the US without a social security number. You need it to get paid, open bank accounts, get a driver's licence, get the internet connected, buy a can of Coke from a vending machine. Alright, you don't really need one to get a Coke.
The social security number is a 9 digit number that pretty much gets attached to everything related to money here. It's fundamental in building up a credit record. The equivalent in Australia is the tax file number. But here, the "social", as it's affectionately known, gets used pretty much as a universal ID number. So, an early mission after arrival was to go and get this magical number. We fronted up at the Patchogue Social Security Administration office soon after opening, got ourselves a ticket from the automatic machine at the front door, and joined the 40-odd other people waiting. Numbers were called, and before too long, we were underway. Unfortunately, the Department of Homeland Security take a little while to get visa details for new immigrants into the computer system that Social Security look at, so I didn't actually exist yet as far as they were concerned. Fortunately, the person handling my application was nice enough to just cancel the process, rather than what they call "suspending" it. This meant that I could just go back in a week's time rather than relying on some computer system to realise that sufficient time had passed and I could have a number issued. Kim had no problem getting a letter from them stating that she was ineligible for a Social Security Number. The wording of the letter was a bit unfriendly, suggesting that she's been refused one rather than just asking for a letter stating her ineligibility.
So a week later (I interpreted the fine print on the Social Security Administration website that said you should wait 10 days to mean calendar days rather than business days) I went back to the SSA office, and the application went straight in. I walk out with a nice letter saying my application has been accepted. One key piece of information the person gave me was that I could actually go back the following day and get the number over the counter. This was the first I'd heard of that, but figured it was worth a try. And sure enough, it worked. So I'm now the proud owner of nine very important digits. A week or so later, a non-descript envelope arrived with a little cardboard card and a strong recommendation to not carry it with me. So it's now in a safe place somewhere at home, and I'm sure to forget where it is when I actually need it again.
To register a car in New York State, you need 6 points of ID. A NY licence counts for 6, but that story comes later. A passport is 3, a bank debit card is 1, an employee ID is 1. So I'd been sitting on 5 points for quite a while, and our car (see earlier posts) had been sitting unhappily unregistered in the driveway. A social security card is worth a massive 2 points, so its arrival safely put me over the 6 point requirement. The social security card is also essential for getting a driver's licence here (or a letter stating that you are not eligible for a social). So, ID in hand along with all the cryptic forms we got when we bought the car, I headed off to the Department of Motor Vehicles, affectionately known as the DMV, office in Medford (just near Patchogue). Another experience with waiting in a queue to get a ticket, and then a much longer wait with well over 50 other people to actually get served. Luckily, all the paperwork seemed to be in order, and I was now proudly holding some new registration plates for our car. So far so good.
The next mission was to start the licence process. This proved to be quite a bit more time consuming. The first step was having to fax my passport and visa info to the central DMV in Albany (NY, not Western Australia, but it took so long that it seemed like it had gone to WA) so that they could confirm that I was allowed to get a licence. This took nearly an hour, by the end of which I started to wonder if I would ever see my passport again. But finally, they got that bit sorted out, and I was given another ticket to go and actually sit the written test. It doesn't matter that I've been driving in Australia for over 20 years. I get to go through the Learners Permit process with all the 16 year olds, and everyone looks at me assuming I've lost my licence for some reason and am trying to get it back. The hour waiting for my passport to return was spent flipping through the road rules book. One of the sillier rules is that you have to stop for a stopped school bus. Now that's OK if you are overtaking the bus, or on a narrow back road, but you have to stop even if you are on the other side of a divided freeway. Yep. There can be 30m of grass between you and the kids, but you still have to stop. But Long Island drivers are good at ignoring most road rules, so I expect that one is also well ignored. The test itself is 20 questions, and you're allowed to get 6 wrong. It worries me that there are people out there who don't understand 30% of the road rules, signs and safe driving techniques but are still allowed to drive. One of the kids actually failed (the people assess it on the spot, and aren't quiet about informing them of the result), but was allowed to have another go straight away. Doubly scary. Luckily I scraped through, and managed to read the letters in the eye test, so was now the proud owner of a New York State Learners Permit.
Prior to booking a road test to get a proper licence, all "learners" have to sit a 5 hour pre-licencing course. This is a classroom course, and seems mainly designed to make the people there realise how much they don't know. There were about 20 people in my course. All but two were 18 or under, one guy about 30 who had lost his licence, and me. I was a source of some entertainment for the instructor. The concept of driving on the other side of the road seemed to horrify most of the 16 year olds. He actually did a good job of making the course relatively entertaining. The hairstyles and clothes couple of 80s videos on seat belts and the effects of alcohol provided plenty of laughs, which sort of detracted from the message. But I got out of there with a certificate saying I'd done the course. Without that certificate, you can't book the road test, so as soon as I got home, the booking for the road test went in. It's on this coming Friday, September 3. Wish me luck.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Art Institute Infinity
The Art Institute of Chicago is amazing, enormous, impressive. I spent a day in there; you could easily spend a week if you had that sort of gallery stamina. My favourites on the day? Perhaps Picasso's 'The Old Guitarist', and an Alexander Calder mobile (especially after seeing a whole Calder exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art a few days before). Photos of a random selection of works here http://tiny.cc/h16w5
Monday, August 16, 2010
24 hours in Chicago
Four types of public transport, three cuisines, a museum and a concert. On first impressions, Chicago is a great city. Starting with a train from the airport (not deluxe, and a bit noisy, but how many cities transport you directly from the airport terminal to the city for $2.25?). After checking into our hotel (thanks, Brookhaven) we headed out to wander about town. Seeking lunch, we discovered that Chicago is very much a steak town. This Mexican place at least tries to provide other options.
Further wandering eventually ended us up in the fabulous Millenium Park to for part of their free concert series. Dvořák's Requiem with full orchestra and 100 person choir was just amazing.
Sunday morning started with a run on the shore of Lake Michigan, along with hundreds of other people. Great atmosphere. Then to the Ohio House Coffee Shop for our fill of omelette, hashbrowns and blueberry pancakes in a classic American diner style, complete with sassy waitress. Fueled for (part of) the day, we were onto the train (known as the El), heading south of the city, to the national Museum of Mexican Art. This was in a very Mexican neighbourhood called Pilsen, but we resisted the call of the taco and walked and bussed east, to Chinatown. Here we discovered shops selling shark fin (terrible) and tea (delicious) and many restaurant options. After lunching on Sichuan style eggplant and jasmine tea we headed down to the river, and back into the city in a water taxi. I have not yet mentioned Chicago's architecture. The skyline, from any vantage point, is always a myriad of contrasting shapes, textures and colours. But I am sure there will be plenty more to say about that after I go on the architecture cruise...
Friday, August 13, 2010
good sports
In the land of the big people, what is one to do in order to not keep up with the Jones? As it happens, there is plenty of opportunity to get out and about and run around here.
After only a few days at work Wayne signed up to run a 3.5 mile ‘corporate cup’ type event. This is quite a big thing on Long Island with 6000 participants and all of the different organisations having tents and putting on food and drinks. For dinner in the Brookhaven tent there were ‘heros’, which turn out to be 3 foot long sandwiches. And a keg of what I think was beer, of a sort. Brookhaven Lab put in a pretty strong team, including the overall second placed woman, with Wayne coming in 7th out of the Brookhaven contingent.
Brookhaven is also looking good for team sports. We have to wait until Fall (that would be October or thereabouts) for a new competition season to start, but we have started playing volleyball and ultimate frisbee. Volleyball is pretty popular here, with an ‘in house’ competition of around 20 teams in 4 different grades. Having never played before (ignoring Year 8 PE class) I have a lot to learn and need some practise, but it has been fun so far.
One of the benefits of living out in the sticks is that there are plenty of quiet roads to ride on. Wayne has found a route to work that mostly keeps him out of the traffic. And I have a new bike (which is lovely, her name is Maz) and am going to have fun exploring around the place. My first ride ended up on some single track that lead to a beach. Nice! Cyclists are not common here and so far we have found that drivers give you a very wide berth (Melbourne drivers should take note).
And then there is always Shank’s Pony. Not a popular past time for many around here, but possible, as long as you don’t require a footpath, as they are not at all popular. Where walking is really the way to go is in the city. On a trip into Manhattan I had no real agenda except to just wander about the city. I caught the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) to Penn Station and then checked out about 10 km of NYC streets on foot. Lowlight was Times Square (it’s crowded, it’s surrounded by tourist traps and it’s not even square). Highlight was ‘The High Line’. This is a new park created out of an old elevated railway. The architecture and design is brilliant. An escape from the city has been created, for walking, or just sitting and contemplating.
More High Line pics here http://tinyurl.com/2f9auae
Monday, August 2, 2010
ready to rock 'n roll
As most of you knew, the Moon Buggy was a pretty special car. Packed with features, including doors, a roof, tow bar and that fabulous, WA country-style roo bar. According to some, the SLX model stood for, "seriously lacking extras". It wasn't very pretty, but the Moon Buggy was, well, practical. It could carry lots of stuff and take us places. What else do you want in a car?
Today Wayne finally had enough proof of ID to register our new car, Joan Jett(a). She's German, and a little more stylish than the Moon Buggy. Still a wagon, and retro enough to have a cassette player, she features modern wonders like central locking, power windows, cruise control, airbags, and even a moon roof. (Before sitting in this car I had no idea what a moon roof was; perhaps a nice homage to the Moon Buggy, if nothing else.) And with German heritage, driving on the right is in her blood, err, oil, so that should help us out.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
a little seedy
A couple of days ago I visited Hicksville. 43 miles (69 km) towards the city on the Long Island Express Way. I was on a shopping mission, but not for a cowboy hat, as the locality might suggest. My mission was to obtain spices. In order to expand our regular diet away from pasta with red sauce, an eastern Long Island staple, I had to travel. Over the last decade or so Hicksville has established itself as a centre of Indian culture on Long Island. If you want to buy a sari, colourful Indian sweets or coriander seed, Hicksville is the place (the only place?). My exploration of the main road included shopping at three different stores, and I am sure there are more. One of them, Patel Plaza, is a fully fledged supermarket, with an entire aisle of lentils and related things, and another of rice. All in massive bags of course. My newly aquired spice collection suddenly expanded from the previously aquired pepper, salt, crushed chilli and bay leaves to include coriander, fennel, fenugreek, nutmeg, black pepper, cloves, mustard and cumin seeds, ground cinnamon, tumeric, paprika and amchoor, and cinnamon sticks. Anyone for curry?
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