Budapest

After a 14 hour bus ride (due to a train workers strike in Hungary) from Sighisoara, we made it to Budapest late Tuesday night. We're staying at a great hotel, and the weather is fabulous, so Life is Good! It's hard to find time and a fast enought internet connection to do a proper posting with photos and all, so you'll have to wait until I get back to Seattle for a full report. But trust me....this has been a great trip!

Sinaia

This is the first time I've been on the computer since I left, and to be quite honest, I haven't missed it. My impressions of Romania after a few days on the ground are great! This is not the wild-dog-ridden, glue-sniffing-beggar, taxi-scamming place depicted in the guide books. Mind you, most of that stuff was written about Bucharest, and here I am in a great little resort town with lots of ski areas within easy driving distance and lots of snow. I even saw Dracula's Castle the other day! The food's great, the company is great, and all-in-all it couldn't be going much better. I don't know when I'll have a chance to post a blog complete with photos and all. That might have to wait until Budapest, or maybe even till I get home. In the meantime, I'll continue to enjoy myself!

Fired up and ready to go!

I've spent the day doing laundry, running last minute errands, buying last minute essentials, and trying to check everything off my to-do list. I think I'm just about there. To steal one of Obama's lines, "I'm fired up and ready to go!"

I am taking my laptop with me, but who knows where the next post will come from? We're not staying in Bucharest for long, and what internet access is like amongst all the bears and wolves in The Carpathians is anyone's guess. Our hotel in Budapest has wireless access, so if worse comes to worst, I'll update you all from there.

There wasn't a wet eye in the house

I'd like to report that the oath of citizenship was a very moving ceremony that didn't leave a dry eye in the house. Instead, I can report that it was the strangest bureaucratically bungled BS ceremony I've ever had to sit (and stand) through. It was as if they had never put one of these things together before.

First of all, it took forever to get through security. I'm sure that the scanning equipment was manned by guys who didn't make the grade at the airport. We were eventually herded into the auditorium where a fat, handicapped guy from Haiti (or some equivalent place) in a wheelchair was directing traffic. After a while the auditorium was filled with the tired, poor, huddled masses, yearning to breathe free. The TPHM soon started shuffling around in their seats and talking to one another in low and excited tones. After a while, and well past the supposed starting time of 2PM, the FHGfH rolled his wheelchair up the ramp, parked behind the lecturn (so no one could see him) and spoke softly in heavily accented English (so no one could understand him) without a microphone (so no one could hear him). The screen behind him lit up with some patriotic-looking scene, and then started showing pictures of immigrants through the ages, but without any sound. The FHGfH rolled down the ramp from the podium to a side room, and then called in some other guy for hurried consultations. Finally, with 90% of the video done, the patriotic and moving music came on to accompany the patriotic and moving photos.

OK, we thought, we've finally got this show on the road. The FHGfH rolled himself back up on stage and asked if we had any questions. The TPHM looked at one another with the universal "huh?" look, but remained silent. The FHGfH then said, "I've got a question for you. What's the process for filing form I130?" More universal "huh" looks. Someone finally asks, "What's form I130?" The FHGfH then launches into his mumbling, rambling, heavily accented explanation of the intricacies of the I130 application. More "huh" looks, with murmuring about whether we were really in the right room. Then some of the TPHM got into the act, and started asking the FHGfH about how best to get their 85-year-old mothers into the country. So what I thought was supposed to be an oath ceremony turned into a seminar on the complexities of immigration. Soon, most of TPHM got restless and started wandering around the auditorium, talking to their friends and relatives who had come to witness the sacred event, talking on their cell phones, and going to the bathroom. I got up and chatted with Rita and Joe, who had come to watch me on my big day. All the while, the FHGfH held forth from the podium, oblivious to the pandemonium that was surrounding him.

Then, a 40ish somewhat heavy-set and somewhat harried-looking woman came in and took charge. She introduced herself as the acting director of the Seattle office of Immigration and Citizenship Services. She apologized for the confusion, but gave no explanation of what had happened. She then tried to get everyone back to their seats and get people back from their bathroom breaks. It took a while before the crowd was reassembled and back in their seats. She gave a bit of a talk, and welcomed us all. She led us in taking the oath, we watched a video of W welcoming us, and then the FHGfH re-emerged, reading the names of the 121 new citizens, who then walked across the podium and received their papers from the acting director. Of course, no one could hear or understand the FHGfH, so people just waited expectently to hear a fragment of their name or the name of the country of origin. This all took a while. Then we all stood and did the Pledge of Allegience.

But wait, there's more! After the pledge, the acting director welcomed us as new citizens, and then hit the button to play the music video of Lee Greenwood's "Proud to be an American" or "God Bless the USA" or whatever that patriotic drivel is called. By then Joe couldn't take any more and left. Rita was also gone, not having planned to spend an entire afternoon at the event.

Then, mercifully, it was over.

C-Day

Today's the big day! At 2PM today, I'll participate in the oath of citizenship ceremony along with who knows how many of the world's tired and huddled masses, yearning to be free. Today's a good day to post the cartoon from the New Yorker that started it all over a year ago. Somehow it seemed as if that cartoon was written for me. Politics for me has always been a spectator sport, but after today I'll be able to get in the trenches myself.

This week will be a busy week. I've changed my travel plans, and now will leave this Friday for a week of skiing in the wilds of Romania, followed by a more civilized week of culture in Budapest and the surrounding area. Before I leave I have to buy and borrow some skiing equipment, and do the usual things like paying bills, stopping the mail, doing the laundry, and packing. But along with the mundane things, SSYC is hosting their annual Valentine's Dance tonight, and Hal's having a birthday party on Wednesday. This busy week promises to be a fun week as well!

Obamania

I was in line at 8:30 this morning to see Obama. The doors at the Key Arena opened at 11AM, and Obama was scheduled to appear by 12:30. When I first arrived, I thought that maybe I'd misjudged things, and I had more time to spare. I was one of the first two or three hundred people in line. But it didn't take long for the lines to get really long, making me thankful I'd arrived when I did. In line, I met a couple of college students from Nigeria, several high school students looking for an excuse to cut class, and more than a few old farts like me.

There were entrepeneurs selling Obama cookies They claimed that 100% of the proceeds went to Obama, and they were cute, so I believed them and bought a couple cookies for $2 apiece.


When the HAG (Hot Asian Gal in Hal's parlance) came back a couple of minutes later, most of her cookies were gone.

I didn't have to stand for hours in the rain, but it was bloody cold! The wind was blowing, so most of us in line huddled together in like musk oxen in a blizzard to stay warm. After a couple of hours, which actually passed by quite quickly, we were let into the warmer confines of the Key Arena. At first it looked like it was going to be a major security hassle to get in. There were tables set up to search bags and people, but after the first 50 or so people went through, the security people apparently gave up and let everyone in. When I passed by the entry, the only security guard I saw was frantically pushing a button on some hand-held device counting the number of people who went through the doors.

I got a great seat in the arena. If the stage was in the end zone, I was on about the 50 yard line, about 20 rows up. (This is actually a basketball/hockey venue, so you'll have to use your imagination) I could have gone down to the floor level, but being basically lazy, I wanted a place to sit. (As it turned out, after Obama appeared, no one was sitting down anyway) The next hour and a half actually passed by pretty quickly. The guy sitting beside me was a 60-something Vietnam vet, who in all his years of following politics had never seen anything like this before. And he lived through the glory years of MLK and RFK. There were a couple of high schoolish students on the other side of me, and a couple of late-fiftyish black woman in front of me. There were periodic attempts to get a wave going in the crowd, and a bunch OBAMA chants, but generally the crowd was well-behaved even thought they were obviously pumped to be there. The highlight of the pre-game show was probably the dueling dancers at one end of the coliseum. Two ladies in the "end-zone" gave it their all with wild dances to the piped-in music. They'd trade moves, as if to say, "top that, bitch!" It was great fun with arms and hips and hair flailing between two women 20 rows apart.

Here's the arena a few minutes after I arrived.

Here's the arena a few minutes after that.

The first "introductory" group were a bunch of notable local musicians who put together a "Yes We Can" song. It's actually a pretty good song, but the guy (who was the piano player in the video) speaking to the crowd did anything but fire up the crowd. I myself (even though I'm usually reticent in public venues) was compelled to yell for the hook a couple of times! After that, the mayor of Seattle, Greg Nickels took the stage with a surprisingly rousing endorsement of Obama. He then introduced Christine Gregoire, Washington's governor, who gave an amazing endorsement of Obama. I had been perfunctorily introduced to her at a function at UW, and I don't hold a strong of opinion of her one way or another, but I had no idea she was such a good public speaker.

With her introduction of Obama, the crowd went absolutely bat-shit crazy. Obama's entrance sent a shiver up my spine, and brought a tear to my eye. If this had been a revival meeting with an altar call, I would have walked to the altar and sacrificed all my worldly goods to follow Obama. He was absolutely electrifying. It would have taken a dead man, or someone with a heart of stone not to be moved by his 45 minute speech. I don't think I heard anything I hadn't heard him say before, but to hear it in person was absolutely amazing, especially for a hard-bitten, cynical old fart like me.

This video is pretty shaky, with full zoom on, and with me way too excited to hold a camera steady. But if you bear with it, and turn up the volume, you might get a little bit of the feel of what was going on.

In conclusion, I've never been at any event of any kind that moved me the way this one did. Vote Obama! My only regret is that I can't vote for him tomorrow in the caucuses.

11:00AM Friday, Key Arena

I will be attending Obama's rally at The Key Arena tomorrow morning. I had previously written that I'd stand in the rain for hours to get a chance to see him. There is a 70% chance of precipitation tomorrow, so it looks like I'll actually get to do it.

Stay tuned for a full report (hopefully complete with photos) tomorrow.

Ordinary Wednesday

Super Duper Tuesday was a bit disappointing to me in that I had hoped that the Obama surge would be more apparent. If you look at the polls from a couple of weeks ago when Hillary was leading in almost all the states, he really did close that 15-20 point gap yesterday, but I wish he could have won a couple of big states, like California. With all the polls trending up in his favor, it appears that if he had another few days of campaigning, he would have won far more states. Right now, the delegate count (not including super-delegates) is about even at around 700 each, with 2,025 needed to clinch the nomination.

No matter what your politics, you have to admire the sheer endurance of the candidates. These people have been going non-stop for months. The pursuit of political power must be one hell of a drug!

The Washington State caucuses are being held this Saturday, along with primaries in Louisiana and Nebraska. I'll keep my eyes and ears open to see if Obama shows up here. I wouldn't cross the street to see most politicians, but I'd stand in line for hours in the rain to go to one of his rallies.

Super Duper Tuesday

The primary results today will be interesting, to say the least. Unless there's a major upset, McCain will become the anointed Republican candidate. On the Democratic side, no one will win a clear majority of the delegates, but the expectation game and spin could make either Hilary or Obama the front-runner. Most polls have been showing Obama momentum, but the polls are also all over the place, so there is no consensus. I look for Obama to win a narrow delegate lead and to exceed his own lowered expectations.

Some political talking-head was musing about the aura of hope and expectation building around Obama. He warned that historically these charismatic leaders usually fail to deliver, and the bubble ends up bursting. He was advocating voting for Hilary, because her balloon came pre-deflated.

Immigration Update

Well, I'm not a citizen yet. That will have to wait until after the 2PM swearing-in ceremony next Monday.

I had the interview, civics test, and English proficiency test this morning. It was all relatively painless. Ms. Li, the Asian-American interviewer was quite pleasant, the questions were easy, and the English proficiency test was a bit of a joke, considering that my English was a lot better than hers.

The civics questions consisted of the following:
-What are the colors of the American flag?
-How many branches of government are there in the US?
-How many justices sit on the Supreme Court?
-What is the most important right of an American citizen?
-Who elects the congress?

The interview questions were the typical bureaucratic nonsense:
-Are you a communist or been a member of the Communist Party?
-Are you a prostitute?
-Are you a drug addict?
-Are you an alcoholic?
-Have you ever registered to vote illegally?
-Have you ever helped a person enter the USA illegally?
-Have you ever been arrested and charged with a crime?
-Have you ever been arrested and not charged with a crime?
-Have you ever committed a crime for which you were not arrested or charged?
-Are you willing to bear arms for the USA?
-Are you willing to provide alternative service for the USA if needed?

There were a bunch more questions, but they were almost all of the kind that it's hard to imagine someone giving the wrong answer. In fairness, they did ask a few questions that only I could have answered about my early employment in the USA and how I came to be here. I was a bit surprised to see correspondence from the 80's in my file. It would have been interesting to see what else was in there.

I only waited about 10 minutes before my name was called, and the whole thing was over in less than a half hour. All-in-all it was not an unpleasant experience.

Monday, February 4, 2008, 8:00AM

Tomorrow's a big day for me. I have a Naturalization Initial Interview with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services Division of the Department of Homeland Security. I initially applied on February 9th of last year in a process that was supposed to take 6-8 months, but here I am a year later. In the meantime, I guess I've passed the FBI background check, and had my bio-metrics, i.e., fingerprints and photographs, taken. Tomorrow, I have an interview and civics test. Unless they hold my Canadian accent against me, I don't think I have to do the English proficiency test. The government website is unclear about exactly what happens if everything goes smoothly. It sounds as if I might walk out of there with my US citizenship, but I might have to show up for a separate swearing-in ceremony. I guess I'll find tomorrow. Until then, I'll check and double-check the document checklist and read the fine print on all the notices I have. If I screw up and forget something, or have a flat tire on the way to the interview, I'll have to go to the back of the line.

Coincidentally, I received the Washington State Voters' Guide yesterday in the mail. It looks like my plan to register to vote immediately and participate in the Democratic Caucus on February 9th won't work. If I register online, I have to register 30 days before the vote. If I register in person, there's still a 15 day waiting period. So my first vote might have to wait until the fall. Oh well.

The primaries on Tuesday will be interesting, to say the least. With most of the Republican states having a winner-take-all system, I think McCain will wrap up the nomination even though he's not likely to get more than 50% of the vote in any state. McCain should be thanking his lucky stars for Huckabee. If Huckabee wasn't still in the hunt, Mr. Magic Underpants would have a good chance of beating McCain in a many of the states, and the race would go on to the bitter end. The Democratic side may well go to the bitter end and a brokered convention. Most, if not all, of the states holding Democratic primaries will award the delegates on a proportional basis. Even with Obama surging in a best-case scenario, Hillary will get at least 40% of the delegates, and that will be more than enough to keep her in the race. The reverse is also true. After Super-Duper Tuesday, there are no more big multi-state primary dates, so the delegates will dribble in every week or so until June. What initially looked like a front-loaded primary where the winner would be decided on February 5th now could drag on for months.

And another note from skiing on Friday...I must be losing inches because the snaps at the waistband of my ski pants, that I previously thought must be defective because they kept popping all the time, held for the entire day!

Who am I betting on the win the Superbowl? Until this morning, I wasn't sure who the Patriots were playing, so I guess I really don't care!

Crystal Mountain

Yesterday I went skiing for the first time this year, and for the first time ever at Crystal Mountain. When I day-skied in the Seattle area, I usually went to Steven's Pass, and had always assumed that Crystal was similar in size. Was I ever wrong! Crystal is a real mountain ski area...a whole level above Steven's. And the snow conditions were fabulous! There was lots of snow, and you didn't have to get very far off the groomed areas to end up in three feet or more of powder snow. And since I'm not the greatest skier in the world, and since powder requires a totally different skiing technique than does packed and groomed snow, I was wary of the stuff. The key in powder is to keep your ski tips up. Once you bury a tip, the unwary skier is headed for a face-plant. And yes, fairly late in the day, I let my concentration lapse and did a serious face-plant, ending up face-first in at least three or four feet of the stuff, with one ski still attached, and one ski buried in the snow somewhere behind me. Once I got over the panicked feeling of not being able to move and drowning in the white powdery stuff, I managed to release the remaining binding and regain an upright position. Then I had to dig around in the snow behind me for at least ten minutes before I found my other ski. I got myself all reattached and headed out of there, with nothing wounded but my pride.

From now on, Crystal will definitely be my ski destination of choice in this area.

On Thursday night, I knocked another movie off my must-see list. Juno is the best movie I've seen this year. It will make you laugh out loud and it will make you cry. The plot isn't as predictable as you might think, and Ellen Page (a Canadian, I might add) lights up the screen like no one else I've seen in a long, long, time. She delivers her off-beat lines flawlessly. She will be a star! It's not often I find a soundtrack memorable, but I liked the songs in this show. This could well be only the second movie (the first being the re-make of Thomas Crown Affair several years ago) that moved me to go out and buy the soundtrack!

I think I'm down to two must-see movies on my list, There Will Be Blood, and No Country For Old Men. I doubt they'll make me laugh like Juno did, but I hope they're worth seeing nonetheless.