sore

Even though I have been maintaining my cardio routine on-and-off this summer I hadn't done any strength training since late April/early May. Thursday I decided to resume and even though I started out with very light weights (about what I started with originally, not what I ended with in May) and didn't do too many reps by about Friday at 1pm every major muscle group was in pain.

Despite the soreness Denis and I went hiking on Saturday. We climbed to the summit of Mt. Greylock--the highest point in MA. It was a beautiful day and the hike took a few hours. At the top there is a lovely lookout area and a huge tower that was originally a lighthouse, but was placed on top of the mountain as a war memorial in the thirties. (You can drive to the top as well, but that would take out the fun of hiking.) It seemed a fitting way to spend our last official weekend together as Berkshire residents.

Then we rented In America, which I found delightful and Denis found boring (he left about 15 minutes in to play computer games.) Friday night we went and saw the Terminal, which was sweet and entertaining. Tom Hanks was great and I got a kick out of the fact that Catherine Zeta Jones's character is named Amelia.

Now we are both stressed with the demands of finding a place to live (very stressful if you are not in the area, I can't imagine moving overseas). Should we take something now, sight-unseen that looks promising, or wait until Denis moves down there so he can look, but then where will Denis stay while he's looking? Who's going to have the car when he moves down? How/when is the house going to get packed up, when are we going to move, what stuff should we get rid of, how will we know what to bring until we have an apartment, etc. We are thinking of getting cell phones, and I'm feeling some sticker shock from that too.

All these stupid questions that are stressful to negotiate and decide. Blech, I hate moving.

I married an alien

Sometime between August and October we need to file the we've-been-married-two-years-form to renew Denis's greencard. The stupid form costs $200 to file, we need proof that our marriage is real (lease proving we live together, document showing we own property together, or that we have a kid together, none of which we have now, what if only one person's name is on the lease?) and if we don't:

If you fail to properly file the Form I-751 (Petition to Remove the Conditions on Residence) within the 90-day period before your second anniversary as a conditional resident, your conditional resident status will automatically be terminated and the USCIS will order removal proceedings against you. You will receive a notice from the USCIS telling you that you have failed to remove the conditions, and you will also receive a Notice to Appear at a hearing. At the hearing you may review and rebut the evidence against you. You are responsible for proving that you complied with the requirements (the USCIS is not responsible for proving that you did not comply with the requirements).


We also need to notify the Department of Homeland Security of Denis's change of address or:

Penalties for Failure to Comply
A willful failure to give written notice to the USCIS [US Citizenship and Immigration Services] of a change of address within 10 days of the change is a misdemeanor crime. If convicted, the alien (or parent or legal guardian of an alien under age 14 who is required to give notice) can be fined up to $200 or imprisoned up to 30 days, or both. The alien may also be subject to removal from the United States. (INA § 266(b)). Compliance with the requirement to notify the USCIS of any address changes is also a condition of an alien’s stay in the United States. Failure to comply could also jeopardize the alien’s ability to obtain a future visa or other immigration benefit.


Basically if you screw up even a little they can do whatever they want to you, fine, court, jail, kick you out altogether. I just feel tired and resigned.