The Visa Situation

I decided last week that I really ought to look up what the requirements are for my next visa so that I *know* and am not just relying on heresy and rumour. While I am glad to have a more solid conception of what I need to do, I also discovered that I need to triple my current income in order to stay in this country past 2011.

So I'm developing a number of plans in order to make that happen. I might need to leave teaching and find a desk job, or I might need to find three other schools who'd be willing to hire me for full days at my current rate of pay. Currently I'm moving forward on both fronts. I have a dinner meeting with a friend of mine tomorrow to talk about the company that he works for and what he thinks about it. I have talked to my headmaster about other schools to approach and talk to and he has promised me a reference and told me to drop his name as much as I please. Also at the Kid's school today the director asked me if I would be interested in teaching more levels of musicianship next year. So that is excellent and definitely a step in the right direction.

There are options and possibilities and I'm going to find some way to make this work. Yup.

All of this might change anyway- as I understand it the newly elected Lib-Con government is less immigrant friendly than the Labour party was, so we'll see what happens in the next year or so.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I've spent the afternoon eating stuffing and pretending like I'm going to have an appetite for all of the food that I've been making. (But really, let's be honest, it's all about the stuffing. And the cranberry sauce.)

Hey, guess what? My VISA SHOWED UP TODAY! So I'm good to go until November 18, 2011 now! And all that work that I've been doing? ALL of it is legal now! Woo!

We're having Thanksgiving at Sarah and Dave's place this year since A: they have the biggest living room/dining space and B: Sarah's parents are here, which is great because they are fun. There is going to be about 14 people there (Will there be enough chairs? No.) and since this year there are going to be a number of meat eaters- I've put myself in charge of the turkey again. Finding a turkey in London...

There was a giant turkey breast for sale at Morrisons, but since it was 35 (!) GBP, I thought...no. Tesco's had a sale on Chickens: 3 for ten quid, so I did that and then bought a couple of giant turkey legs since I figure that white meat is white meat, but turkey dark meat and chicken dark meat are *different.*

Currently in the oven I have two chickens, one turkey leg, and a rolled up roast of turkey breast. On top of the stove I've got one small casserole filled with stuffing and one loaf pan filled with stuffing (the loaf pan is staying at my flat so that Ella and I can have left overs.) The brussels sprouts aren't done yet, the corn bread and cranberry sauce was made yesterday, and this blog entry is turning in to a to do list for me...but that's still fun reading, right?!

Cranberries were hard to find this year, probably because I'm no longer living or going to school right next to a fancy, expensive grocery store. I managed to find *one* package so there is only a very small batch of cranberry sauce this year. (I may horde it. I'm not making any promises.)

I hope you all enjoy your Thanksgiving and have a wonderful holiday!