Victoria

That's for sure. I came just before that so the ground rules are different. The first part has been the case for 30 years. My father's employer (an University) simply said his research was needed, but it's not so difficult to get around that, believe me. You can work without an SS card, but it's progressively difficult the higher the ladder you go. If you're a Mexican picking tomatoes, sure. If you're an accountant, no. Since Phaedo is an accountant... Yes, for a price. But there are even pro-bono attorney hotlines here. Dade County Legal Aid Society 123 NW 1st Ave Miami, FL 33128 (Google for Telephone) But as in reps, gens, and anything, you get what you pay for... @Phaedo below: Yikes. That is steep. Fortunately, that $325k will get you a bungalow, 3/2 but in a place like Kendall, a nice suburb of Miami. There are still single-room condos available for $250k in Miami Beach, but they are disappearing. Good luck!

Beauty! ...but everytime I see it, it kills me, TMG. Remember I said I bought a cheapy version of the Speedy on RWI? Well, it never arrived from Oz. Going on 2 months, so I guess I have to get another one. Sniff.

FRIDAY I love my Narikaa Big Bang Aspen! Check out the HBB St. Barths though. Guess Hublot are going to honour one caf

Nice. I just PMed Andrew to see if he can source this from his associate, Joshua. We'll see. If so, I could buy the watch tomorrow. I'm very very excited. More than the 005, but that's only because of that stupid slant of the OP logo. @Yellomen: Yep, that matte dial colour worries me. But I'm going to email Andrew once he replies, about that. Let's be honest. Neither Andrew nor Joshua have the best photography on their sites. When I bought the FM Crazy Hours I didn't expect much. Fortunately, it's NOTHING compared to how it looks in person. @Bazonkers: Might wait until you get yours then!

Thanks for the explanation, By-Tor. Will Shoutbox be back online soon? I know Admin said there were upgrades, and possibly the site might be down a few days. But just to put in a good word for that wonderful medium. I really miss live-chatting with POTR, e.g...RWI's SB doesn't cut it.

Once you get a job, you go to the US Consulate/Embassy and apply for a work permit. They'll give you forms to fill out, lots..., and you will have to provide bank statements, that letter of hire from your new employer, references, etc. A work permit (HB1/L-1) is contingent on you having that job, BUT you can apply for a Green Card later, despite that they say you cannot. My dad did...my ex-Belgian boyfriend's family did (his dad was a professor, which means he was a professional like Phaedo is, so that's relevant). http://www.workpermit.com/us/us_h1b.htm http://www.workpermit.com/us/us_l1.htm Get yourself a good immigration attorney once you're in the USA. If Phaedo moves to South Florida, I can very easily recommend him one.

Bazonkers follows up noting that autos have thinner crowns, and sure, I've heard that. But in my thread, I posted a pic of a gen 228 GMT: Thicker crown than that rep, no? But hey. I love pizza!

MY DREAM COME TRUE!! http://www.rwg.cc/members/index.php?s=&amp...st&p=331923 I posted inquiring if this was ever going to be repped, and people didn't know. Davidsen didn't reply. Now I can buy it, thank you thank you for posting!! MWAH! EDIT: After my enthusiasm has calmed down, I note the positives outweight that skinnya$s crown. Look at that movement, indeed. Wow!

Phaedo, I have lived in more countries than most people even visit in one lifetime. But I did so because my dad moved around from grant to grant. So I know from that experience, that FIRST you get the job, THEN you start the move to another country. Good Point in your Favour: Emigrating at the age of 30 is perfect. It's young enough for an employer, but not so young as to be a risk. I'm with Jfreeman here. Come to Florida. If you move to Jacksonville, you can even get some change of season, if you're used to that. If you move to Orlando, it's got money pouring out everywhere (one of the hottest cities in the USA, for growth, for a while). If you move to South Florida, pick your poison -- it's all good, lots of sun, lots of money, lots of great attractions. But as I said, get the job first. Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel "Want Ads" (Situations Vacant): http://www.sun-sentinel.com/classified/jobs/ Miami Herald version: http://www.careerbuilder.com/Default.aspx?...-252770424-JO-5 Work South Florida (very touted in TV adverts): http://www.worksouthflorida.com/ Miami Craigslist (also good for finding living arrangements): http://miami.craigslist.org/ Miami Recruiter: http://www.miamirecruiter.com/ Jobs for Accountants in Miami: http://accounting.jobs.net/Florida-Miami.htm The downside to this area, if you can call it that, is that property prices are THROUGH THE ROOF. A decent home starts at $375k. But I fancy that doesn't apply to you, and you would want a long let in a condo or sharing a home with some U of Miami co-eds (for example), instead. But other than that, South Florida (how we call Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and the Palm Beaches) is my suggestion for you. In 1998, when I was 23, I emigrated to the USA from the UK. It was the best decision of my life. Changing cultural realities isn't easy, but since you used to live in America, you're half-way home. And Miami makes it easier on the foreigner. There are so many of us here it's like a mini-New York. Good luck. OH! This is what you will have to look forward to, if you do move: ...there's a reason Ponce de Leon was searching for the fountain of youth in Florida.

Well, it's 11:16 PM EST, and not all votes are in. But it's close enough. RESULTS SO FAR: (My predictions in parentheses) Mike Huckabee 34% (33%) Mitt Romney 25% (26%) Fred Thompson 13% (13%) John McCain 13% (10%) Ron Paul 10% (-) Rudy Giuliani 4% (5%) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa_Republic...aucuses%2C_2008 Not too bad at all. I got the order right, and the level of margin of win almost identical. I was surprised by the Paulians, though. But I really screwed the pooch in the Democratic side. RESULTS SO FAR: (My predictions in parentheses) Barack Obama 38% (31%) John Edwards 30% (28%) Hillary Clinton 29% (22%) Bill Richardson 2% (12%) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa_Democrat...aucuses%2C_2008 Yipes, big underpredicting for Barack on my part, though like CT I knew he was going to win. The only thing I can say is that the percentage difference I got right, between Sens. Obama and Clinton -- 9% difference exactly. It was just a lot tighter, and Richardson really failed to put up any fight. I didn't expect that. As I turn off the computer, to those of you who live outside the US, and don't understand what a caucus is, or what these results mean, it's just this: People want change. It's not about a charismatic black man, or a preacherman outsider. It's about a vision of America. And a rather cold lady and a national hero with character flaws, who are both probably the best qualified to actually BECOME President of the USA, just didn't cut it tonight. It's going to be an interesting year. Good night.

I at first thought that's what Predfan was asking, too. But isn't he saying something like a forum discount? Andrew has a Repgeek discount (a Chopard Mille Miglia, I believe). I'm sure other dealers do too. Since neither Andrew nor Joshua, e.g., place the RWG icon on their list of sites which recommend/endorse them, perhaps there are some administrative guidelines that prevent that for RWG? If the question really is about individual discounts, I think that's about a person's chemistry and amount of purchases with a given a collector. @Pugwash below: Three words. Little White Lies.

Without sharing the adjectives for the voters, I agree with the results. Since no one is replying to the thread, let me do a little prediction game. It's 8:40 PM EST. The Caucii (heh) are almost over, I think. This is what I think the end result will be. REPUBLICANS Huckabee - 33% Romney - 26% Thompson - 13% McCain - 10% Giuliani - 5% (much lower than expected) DEMOCRATS Obama - 31% Edwards - 28% Clinton - 22% Richardson - 12% We'll see. Again, without any exact political analysis, or giving my opinion, I just see that Huckabee is really the Republican Jimmy Carter, as I call him (the outsider that comes out of no where to win big; it's interesting, because he spent nearly nothing compared to Romney and it's the home schooler/Christian Conservatives which made his campaign grow, not his staff). Senator Clinton was never supposed to have done well in Iowa, but man, when a black candidate, also from Illinois, can win in one of the most whitebread States in the Union, the guy really has a chance. It's disaffection with the status-quo that we are seeing in largely a state which differs from so many others.

I got this for my boyfriend, but never got around to sending it...it's not a quality watch like King's. It was from the same member who sold me the hard-to-find Lange1 Timezone. He has great, unusual taste.

I Googled, and it's that way in Finland too, apparently. From a black friend once I heard she never goes to apply for public aid wearing anything but jeans and a t-shirt, with no bling at all obviously. Also true of unemployment insurance. I wondered what a bureaucrat could do, if you're entitled to what you're entitled? Ah well.

Couldn't agree more. A sexy watch, no matter the colour. Can't a girl have some fun? Not saying a word more, or confirming/denying.

Ryyannon should be all over this post, as will TeeJay. I'm guessing it was named for Etienne Louis Bollee, the architect. Amongst his abortive projects in the late 1700s...a cenotaph to Sir Isaac Newton. Freakily the same! This is a little too avant-garde for me. One of my neighbours has the FrancisFrancis espresso machine, which Baryshnikov gave the Sarah Jessica Parker character in Sex in the City.

You know, this exchange had an odd effect on me. I actually went in search of any photos or mementos of that particular stay in Brussels (I don't have a scanner, but I could've taken a photo of the photo). You know what I was searching for? I went to Mini-Europe during that trip, and actually took one of their little "people" maquettes from one of the exhibits. Oh, and I derailed their mini-Eurostar by placing a rock on the rails. I took a photo of that. But knowing people, I would then become a thief who stole from a theme park, not to mention a vandal. Ryyannon, you can't win when the dice are loaded against you. I learnt that years ago, when a little jealous girl in my school had similar reactions. On a happier note, today is my dad's birthday, and we might go to Le Bouchon du Grove, the best (most authentic) French resto in Miami.

Everything depends on State to State here. I would be very surprised if there were such a thing in the USA, though, FxrAndy. It's up to the discretion of the judge (if you pay court costs, etc.). I've always contested my traffic tickets...

UB7, neither, especially if it's DUI. If it's something like minor speeding, then the 111h (overall, that watch looks best with the combo you chose, anyway). Good luck, buddy...maybe the cop won't show up. Followup: Wow, we're all saying the same thing. Trust legal proceedings to bring RWG together. @UB7 below: If it's a very minor ticket, the Tissot. It's a good marque without being snobby. Still say don't wear any watch, or a Casio, even...

Sam, taste is a very delicate topic, but I myself would go with the updated tobacco-dial 232, if there's a choice. It just looks so much better. Two quick Pros/Cons 249 - Exposition Caseback/Plexiglass 'crystal'/some members at RWI pointed out the dial flaws 232 - Closed Exposition Caseback / Sometimes the wrong shade of brown/better, accurate dial If you do get the Cali, and the 249 plexiglass dome breaks, make sure you ask Davidsen for spares. Not sure if he sells them, or includes them if you ask. Member dluddy has the 232, and perhaps he can give you better info.

I'm sorry Stephane. You are wrong about my stay(s) in Brussels. But that's not the matter here. You have problems with me as can be evinced by your "you can't resist to jump in every bloody thread", as if somehow as a member I should stay away from threads which interest me, or where I can add info, like anyone else. I think this will come up each and every time we have a conversation. I cannot tell you what to do, but I don't want to start the new year with old troubles. Goodbye.

Love it! Any wallpaper-size of it?

That's my favourite photo, Narikaa. Actually, serious question -- what is the rep watch activity like in Russia these days? Mostly Rolexes? I know Shura sometimes reads these threads, and he might know, but do any of you collectors sell a lot of reps to those in Russia? I'm guessing that the people who have the money to afford these kinds of Gaytonas know the difference between a real one, and a fake one. And in a place where money is GUSHING, maybe being a poseur is bad news (and dangerous).

I think I'm one of the few people in this world that is not Belgian who thinks Brussels isn't ugly. Or boring. But hey, they have a LOT of free museums and I like that. However, food is prohibitively expensive in certain parts of Belgium. As in dining out, but also in supermarkets. And a taxi ride in Brussels? Wow. Prepare to mortgage your undies. I'm no rube, and always settle on the fare before getting in the taxi (in French), but once to take me from the icky, and dangerous Gare du Midi station to my youth hostel, the Jacques Brel, it was the equivalent of U$69. I almost fainted. When questioned the cabbie said, "This is the capital of Europe" (shrug). What can you say, right? Property values and the consequent rent in Brussels are very high...I think it's actually cheaper in Paris in the 17eme. Well, I think the matter has been settled, so best of luck and croissants aux chocolat on Ryyannon!