Well, it's past midnight so I've officially been in the US of A for an entire week. I feel like I've accomplished very little but I do know now a lot more of what I cannot do, in terms of immigration rules and visas, so I just have to figure out what I can do to get things sorted. I've spoken to US Citizen and Immigration Services, the Auckland US Consulate and the National Visa Center. From all this I have concluded that: I need some legal advice.
In less bureaucratic news, I started painting the kitchen wall today. Part of the aforementioned wall had to be removed to access the plumbing so that old copper pipes could be replaced by new, longer-lasting, plastic pipes. Actually, technically speaking, I didn't do any painting today. I was busy wiping the extra plaster off the parts that didn't need plastering and then sanding the rest down smooth. It's not a huge area to deal with but I foolishly didn't cover my head and got fine dust all over my hair and face. It was almost comical to look in the bathroom mirror and see horizontal lines of white powder running down from the bridge of my nose. I guess dark circles are good for something and that something happens to be catching dust. Who would have thought it? The reason that I was roped into this house repair project is that, the other day when future-in-law was helping us move the things we weren't allowed to move from our room without him and mounting the TV on the wall (and I'm still not sure about having a TV in a bedroom but this will basically be like our 1 room flat which is a sanctuary away from the antiques), I accidentally confessed that my father was a house painter when future-in-law asked me if I could paint. I don't really mind doing it, he is doing a lot for me and fiancé, but sanding is one of those menial tasks which is unlikely to be enjoyed by many. I am certainly not a huge fan of it myself.
The room that we're staying in is on the way to being, but isn't quite yet, habitable. We have an annoying situation where suitcases full of clothes, and other bags, are taking up space so there's little room to move around. But, frustratingly, we can't unpack until we have somewhere to put all these belongings. One of the set of drawers that we would like to use for this room are next door in what used to be fiancé's bedroom but has become the tenth storage room (1. attic 2. basement 3. garage 4. first storage locker 5. second storage locker 6. front room 7. TV room 8. dining room 9. future-in-law's office room). To remove the draws we would have to clear a path because the floor is covered in boxes and piles of stuff and things, remove all the ornaments, lamps and etcetera from the top of the drawers, empty and remove the draws or just carry them with their contents next door and then move the frame out and somehow fit it through the door to our room which has the doorway partially obstructed by an overflowing bookshelf (which is not ours nor are its contents). Fiancé thinks it's impossible or, at the very least, close enough to impossible for him not to want to bother. I tend to agree with him. The lesson of the day seems to be; make do with what you have. And make do we shall.
It hasn't been all bureaucrats and moving boxes, though. Fiancé and I did get to the movies the other day to see Rise of The Planet of the Apes. I enjoyed it but I probably wouldn't pay to see it twice. I've also been cooking a lot more than I have in the last several months. Tonight I made couscous with dried fruit and pistachio nuts. I found it delicious but fiancé was not so enthused. He decided he would like it better with brown sugar and apple sauce - which can easily be arranged - but this does mean that I have to finish his portion. Woe unto me. It's calling me now so I'd best deal to it.
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