When my father died, my step-mother and I went to the bank where he had an IRA to show them the death certificate. They appreciated this, but told us that neither of us was the beneficiary for the asset in question. It was left to a third party. They wouldn't tell us the name, but could rule out some people and relationships: it wasn't going to any of his friends, sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews, or cousins. My step-mom and I looked at each other dramatically, both wondering the same thing: did he have a secret love child somewhere? A whole secret family?
It was a really strange, destabilizing moment, which opened up whole new unsettling side of my father.
But no: it turned out he left it to his ex-wife, my mom. (It had been old, and probably in her name in care of me when I was younger, and never changed.)
I don't know if Sandeep was a Punjabi, as per his name, but California Punjabis are a fairly old ethnic group. I've also been told that there's a fairly old, very small Mongol community in San Francisco.
But no: it turned out he left it to his ex-wife, my mom. (It had been old, and probably in her name in care of me when I was younger, and never changed.)
I hope it wasn't for a lot of money. That sort of oversight is pretty common, I understand, and sometimes for big-ticket items like life insurance policies.
I know, and I don't know what I did wrong. I'm just trying to link to an Armsmasher comment in the marriage thread, so it's not that crucial, but I posted the url you get when you click on "link to this comment" and for some reason it won't work. I was hoping maybe my techier co-bloggers could explain the problem.
Did you write the post in Word or Outlook and then paste it into the text space in Movable Type? It looks like you wrote it somewhere that has one of those "auto-convert straight quotes to curly quotes" features turned on. It's not recognizing the quotes around the web address since they're curly and not straight, it seems.
I understand that the INS is pretty nosy these days about such marriages: they want to know if you live together, sleep together, your relationship prior to getting married, photographs of the two of you together, etc.
Rearrange the letters of Sandeep Punjabar, throw away 5 letters, then add 10 more letters and you get Standpipe Bridgeplate.
If you plan to compose outside of Movable Type (I do that – I write the posts in Outlook and then copy them into MT), you might want to change your AutoCorrect settings to not convert straight quotes to smart quotes so you don't have to fix everything before copying. If you're using Microsoft stuff, you should be able to go to Tools -> AutoCorrect Options... -> AutoFormat As You Type tab and then deselect the replace straight quotes with smart quotes option.
I always wanted to bring an x-rated video into immigration to prove consummation, but it wasn't worth it to marry a foreigner for that purpose alone.
Videos can be manipulated and thus are not acceptable proof. They have sofabeds in the offices for cases in which proof is required.
So, Tia -- did you ever get the full story?
I got more of it than I remember now. I'm inspired to call my mom to ask her to remind me of the details about Sandeep. Unfogged: bringing families closer together.
Seriously OT, and apologies in advance for abusing the forum, but will anyone with experience traveling in Istanbul please shoot me a line? I'm looking for advice on a nice, preferably easy/romantic daytrip outside the city. Going at the end of February. Would also appreciate hotel recs, though I'm making progress on that front. Thx!
Arms has decided to break from the Russian mail order bride tradition and go Turkish instead.
Pick-up orders only in Turkey, turns out.
I always wanted to bring an x-rated video into immigration to prove consummation
I suggested to one of the lawyers in our Immigration Department that they might want to have their clients do that to prove that their marriages were legit, but she didn't think much of the idea. Probably if you did that, INS would accept that your marriage was legit, but then deport you for making pron.
btw, imagine if Clarence Thomas, instead of being on the Supreme Court, were in charge of INS. He would not only require pron videos to prove that marriages were legit, he would insist on personally viewing all the videos, and would demand "money shots" to make sure the guys weren't faking it. Guys who could compete with "Long Dong Silver" in length would get their cases considered faster.
I'm looking for advice on a nice romantic daytrip outside the city.
We got tall girls, we got short girls. We got dark, we got blond. Just tell us what you're looking for.
Others got there first, but the term "pwned" was retired by Ogged as his last offical act.
Is that true? Or did he just reinforce the idea that to be beaten to the post was not to be pwned?
Not enough of you are heeding the threadjacking of 15. You're supposed to be worldly people, folks.
Hard as it may be for you to believe, Arms, not all of us consider "wordly" synonymous with "pays for sex."
Isn't the Topkapi palace a museum, and I think it's outside of downtown? I haven't been -- my only visit to Istanbul lasted 18 hours, and most of it that I wasn't asleep I was haggling over leather jackets.
Is that true?
Yes. If not in so many words, then by example. (Looking for the link…)
Not enough of you are heeding the threadjacking of 15.
Turkey . . . whatever . . . I hear the deadly bird flu over there is delightful.
If it wipes out the deadly birds, travel should be safer!
Yeah, you all need to help Smasher out. He's on a recon mission for my vacation.
the deadly bird flu
Don't worry, President Bush has a solution.
not all of us consider "wordly" synonymous with "pays for sex."
Wouldn't "wordly" be synonymous with "able to talk one's way into sex"?
Whoops, double posted. I think I jinxed myself.
I scoff at bird flu. I am clucking defiance.
Bird flu in Turkey -- how appropriate. What kind of bird is it attacking?
21 and 22: Has anyone ever written the definitive treatise on the wor pwned? If so, I'd like to read it. Its usage continues to perplex me.
Wikipedia's entry on pwn. Perhaps not definitive, but a good start.
Smasher, I would love to help you out, but I'm taking my first trip to Turkey in March (buying the tickets tomorrow! woohoo!). I can let you know what hotels we decide to stay at, when we decide (which will be soon...).
Now I just need to start learning Turkish.
Hey, my old firm just got back to me. I should have the pleadings and the briefs on dispositive motions in a week or so.