Website Feedback
Closed Threads
IRC Chat
irc.quakenet.org #teamliquid
IRC Web ClientTeamSpeak 3 (45 users) | |
|
| legaton France. January 12 2011 03:13. Posts 1713 | Profile # |
TotalBiscuit is a pretty good caster, and you really need a funny guy to comment SC2 as the game can be sometimes so infuriating (2rax scv-all in) or boring (50m long TvT.... yeah, even the ones i can't comment on not to make spoilers). But he takes so much place... i always thought Biscuit worked solo. Still, great caster and best of lucks with your visa problems.
And i agree with Martijn, the logical solution should be DeMuslim, he's a good player with great insight, casting experience and he's going there anywhere. He's a good-looking Artosis. Amsterdam on the other hand.... he's English is not good enough (just like Martijn's... that accent >_> ) . Now, they need to found the New Tasteless. |
| | No GG, No Skill - Jaedong <3 |  |
|
|
| GreEny K Germany. January 12 2011 03:15. Posts 7263 | Profile # |
On January 12 2011 02:38 TotalBiscuit wrote:
Show nested quote +On January 12 2011 02:28 LesPhoques wrote:
On January 12 2011 00:51 TotalBiscuit wrote:
Won't be applying for this, as awesome as it would be. I'm already fighting a legal battle to get back into the States so I can be with my wife and kid again, after being apart for 2 years thanks to the irreversible decision of a single Homeland Security officer. I can't go running off to South Korea, not a bachelor anymore.
Inception anyone ?
That movie hit pretty close to home yes.
Care to share what happened? Sounds like an interesting story, maybe a blog? |
| |
|
| Zechs United Kingdom. January 12 2011 03:19. Posts 319 | Profile Blog # |
Martijn/wheat/day9 gets my vote (though i hear a lot of people saying Day9 wouldn't take it? I also can't imagine Wheat taking it either, but i think he's much better in a duo/team anyway. So, that pretty much just leaves Martijn i guess, which is fine by me. GSL even removes his only downside (playing the same 5-6 songs on loop every night) ;D
Would be nice to hear someone other than an noisy American with ADD casting a major tournament for a change.Last edit: 2011-01-12 03:26:44 |
| | Esports and stuff: zechleton.tumblr.com |
|
|
| Martijn Netherlands. January 12 2011 03:37. Posts 1098 | Profile Blog # |
On January 12 2011 03:07 Redox wrote:
Reading this one gets the impression you have never listened to Tastosis. What analytical insight does Tasteless bring again?
Apart from that, casters should imo not evaluate (or devaluate) other casters publicly. Question of manners.
So you'd argue it's better for there to be 221 posts from people with little to no insight other than common sense than for people that have been involved with casting for years and have learned a thing or two to voice their opinion? If TB takes offense, he can drop me a message on skype and I'll remove any reference of him. That's manners. I think you underestimate how much of a thick skin you have to grow to be a caster, something like this won't phase us. He's of course more than welcome to disagree.
Nick made his mark plenty with BW. What I will grant is that he hasn't competed much in sc2 other than a few appearances in beta tournaments, but even there he was notable.
Any caster out there should at one point have read Redeye's guide to casting. It's as close as we've got to a casting handbook http://www.theshoutcaster.co.uk/site/index.php/so-you-want-to-be-a-shoutcaster/ It discusses different roles in casting as well. However, these roles are in no way abstract and great casters must be able to perform several. You should excel at the role you're in, but feel comfortable enough to switch seats as well. For example, you can be the funniest play-by-play commentator out there, but if you can't grasp the depth of what the guy next to you is trying to highlight, you'll never provide a complete performance.
This is why DeMusliM/Rotterdam is the best fit all around.Last edit: 2011-01-12 03:39:15 |
| | http://www.glhf.tv fighting! WesternWolves & LowLandLions progaming teams. |
|
|
| TotalBiscuit United Kingdom. January 12 2011 03:47. Posts 3206 | Profile Blog # |
On January 12 2011 03:15 GreEny K wrote:
Show nested quote +On January 12 2011 02:38 TotalBiscuit wrote:
On January 12 2011 02:28 LesPhoques wrote:
On January 12 2011 00:51 TotalBiscuit wrote:
Won't be applying for this, as awesome as it would be. I'm already fighting a legal battle to get back into the States so I can be with my wife and kid again, after being apart for 2 years thanks to the irreversible decision of a single Homeland Security officer. I can't go running off to South Korea, not a bachelor anymore.
Inception anyone ?
That movie hit pretty close to home yes.
Care to share what happened? Sounds like an interesting story, maybe a blog?
I don't think it really suits a blog honestly. I'm not even sure if I should post about it at all but what the hell, I'll give you the tl;dr version (it should concern you that this is the tl;dr version, ton more bullshit occurred)
I met my wife at Blizzcon in 2005, as nerds do. We kept in touch, it got serious after a couple more visits and I decided to take a chance to move to the States in 2007, so I packed up all my shit, put the rest in storage and went to go live with her. I was at the time of my life where I felt like taking risks and I was in a position to take them.
It worked out, we got married in the UK. We didn't have much money at the time, but we had enough to survive. I wasn't able to work over there since I was still on the visa-waiver program, but I could take care of the kid (not mine, but might as well be, guy has never had an actual father, another long, fairly horrendous story), work on my amateur broadcasting, keep my website going to bring in ad revenue. However, we were living pretty much paycheque to paycheque and affording the legal fees to have a lawyer get my spousal visa sorted out was outside of our reach. We consulted a paralegal, got the advice we thought we needed and submitted the applications. Heard nothing back for a while. Bear in mind at this point I was on visa-waivers so I was flying back and forth from the US every 3 months. Never broke the terms of the visa-waiver program, not once. It would turn out later that we had been given bad advice and the application (and more disturbingly, the fee) had just disappeared and been rejected out of hand because it did not fulfil the specific double-speak requirements of US law. You might rightly ask "how could you afford flights and not be able to hire a lawyer?". Answer is necessity. We had to because otherwise nobody would be there to look after Orion (the kid) while my wife worked. There was no option there.
Fast-forward to October 2008 (I think). I'm concerned at this point, heard nothing back on my visa application, no status available, even after repeated calls I just end up getting fobbed off. I call the USCIS to check if I'm going to be ok going back again on a visa-waiver. They say yes, as long as you're not breaking the terms, which I wasn't. Blizzard wanted me at Blizzcon 2008. They paid my flights out to LA, had hotel sorted out and everything, so I flew direct into LAX. Plan was to meet up with my wife at Blizzcon. Had all my paperwork to prove what I was doing, my hotel booking, itinerary, even my shuttle booking from LAX. I got stopped at the homeland security checkpoint, explained exactly what I was doing etc. They took me over for further questioning. Spent about 2 hours being questioned by Homeland Security. Full patdown and everything, this was before the whole TSA thing got big. They repeatedly questioned me about the same things, I gave them the same answers. Even provided proof of my marriage to a US citizen etc. They asked me why I had entered the US through Mexico at what point and what business I had there. I'd never entered the US through Mexico, I showed them my passport, no stamp from Mexico, nothing of the sort, but they didn't seem convinced.
Eventually I was taken to their boss who declared I would not be allowed into the country and that my visa-waiver was revoked. The British Consulate fought with the guy on my behalf but he wouldn't budge and there is no appeal allowed for visa-waiver users, none at all. Even Blizzard called to verify my story, the guy didn't care. Far as he was concerned, he was judge, jury and executioner, and he's right, he is, that's how US immigration law works. They took me to a detention centre in downtown LA, stuck me in a cell with some guys who didn't speak any English (thankfully entirely reasonable people who kept themselves to themselves, no trouble) and put me on the next flight back home, all the while with armed escort and cuffs.
Since then I've been trying to raise the funds to get back to the US. My wife lost her job in the recession and could not sponsor my application, there is a certain level of income your spouse must have and she didn't qualify, plus they wouldn't count my income. I supported my wife and kid from the UK up until summer 2010 when I lost my job due to cutbacks at the company, but Husky saved my ass and got me a Youtube partnership (you want to know why I'll defend that guy to the hilt? Now you know, he is the reason my family isn't out on the street right now). Now I'm finally able to afford the lawyer, plus my wife managed to get herself another job. The process has started again, this time with a lawyer riding the ass of the byzantine immigration system to make sure they get their stuff sorted out. Assuming all goes well, I should be back in the States by summer this year. I've seen my wife twice in the last 2 years, when we've been able to afford flights. Haven't seen my kid (I say my kid, step-Dad, but still, you get the idea) since 2008.
Well, that was a bit more soul-baring than I meant it to be, but I can't be bothered to retype it now. There's your answer.
EDIT : Oh yeah and I've already spoke with Martijn. No offence was taken. It's just not been a good day today.Last edit: 2011-01-12 04:17:18 |
| | Host of I Suck at Starcraft 2 and SHOUTcraft - http://www.youtube.com/totalbiscuit |  |
|
|
| lac29 United States. January 12 2011 04:01. Posts 1407 | Profile Blog # |
Torch would seem like a good choice. But I'm betting it'll turn out to be someone we've never heard of that happens to be in Korea and speaks decent enough English.
Maybe even just a GSL employee who happens to speak good English and plays a bit of SC2 to be somewhat knowledgeable. |
|
|
| Xacez Sweden. January 12 2011 04:07. Posts 2365 | Profile # |
+ Show Spoiler +
On January 12 2011 03:47 TotalBiscuit wrote:I don't think it really suits a blog honestly. I'm not even sure if I should post about it at all but what the hell, I'll give you the tl;dr version (it should concern you that this is the tl;dr version, ton more bullshit occurred)
I met my wife at Blizzcon in 2005, as nerds do. We kept in touch, it got serious after a couple more visits and I decided to take a chance to move to the States in 2007, so I packed up all my shit, put the rest in storage and went to go live with her. I was at the time of my life where I felt like taking risks and I was in a position to take them.
It worked out, we got married in the UK. We didn't have much money at the time, but we had enough to survive. I wasn't able to work over there since I was still on the visa-waiver program, but I could take care of the kid (not mine, but might as well be, guy has never had an actual father, another long, fairly horrendous story), work on my amateur broadcasting, keep my website going to bring in ad revenue. However, we were living pretty much paycheque to paycheque and affording the legal fees to have a lawyer get my spousal visa sorted out was outside of our reach. We consulted a paralegal, but the advice we thought we needed and submitted the applications. Heard nothing back for a while. Bear in mind at this point I was on visa-waivers so I was flying back and forth from the US every 3 months. Never broke the terms of the visa-waiver program, not once. It would turn out later that we had been given bad advice and the application (and more disturbingly, the fee) had just disappeared and been rejected out of hand because it did not fulfil the specific double-speak requirements of US law. You might rightly ask "how could you afford flights and not be able to hire a lawyer?". Answer is necessity. We had to because otherwise nobody would be there to look after Orion (the kid) while my wife worked. There was no option there.
Fast-forward to October 2008 (I think). I'm concerned at this point, heard nothing back on my visa application, no status available, even after repeated calls I just end up getting fobbed off. I call the USCIS to check if I'm going to be ok going back again on a visa-waiver. They say yes, as long as you're not breaking the terms, which I wasn't. Blizzard wanted me at Blizzcon 2008. They paid my flights out to LA, had hotel sorted out and everything, so I flew direct into LAX. Plan was to meet up with my wife at Blizzcon. Had all my paperwork to prove what I was doing, my hotel booking, itinerary, even my shuttle booking from LAX. I got stopped at the homeland security checkpoint, explained exactly what I was doing etc. They took me over for further questioning. Spent about 2 hours being questioned by Homeland Security. Full patdown and everything, this was before the whole TSA thing got big. They repeatedly questioned me about the same things, I gave them the same answers. Even provided proof of my marriage to a US citizen etc. They asked me why I had entered the US through Mexico at what point and what business I had there. I'd never entered the US through Mexico, I showed them my passport, no stamp from Mexico, nothing of the sort, but they didn't seem convinced.
Eventually I was taken to their boss who declared I would not be allowed into the country and that my visa-waiver was revoked. The British Consulate fought with the guy on my behalf but he wouldn't budge and there is no appeal allowed for visa-waiver users, none at all. Even Blizzard called to verify my story, the guy didn't care. Far as he was concerned, he was judge, jury and executioner, and he's right, he is, that's how US immigration law works. They took me to a detention centre in downtown LA, stuck me in a cell with some guys who didn't speak any English (thankfully entirely reasonable people who kept themselves to themselves, no trouble) and put me on the next flight back home, all the while with armed escort and cuffs.
Since then I've been trying to raise the funds to get back to the US. My wife lost her job in the recession and could not sponsor my application, there is a certain level of income your spouse must have and she didn't qualify, plus they wouldn't count my income. I supported my wife and kid from the UK up until summer 2010 when I lost my job due to cutbacks at the company, but Husky saved my ass and got me a Youtube partnership (you want to know why I'll defend that guy to the hilt? Now you know, he is the reason my family isn't out on the street right now). Now I'm finally able to afford the lawyer, plus my wife managed to get herself another job. The process has started again, this time with a lawyer riding the ass of the byzantine immigration system to make sure they get their stuff sorted out. Assuming all goes well, I should be back in the States by summer this year. I've seen my wife twice in the last 2 years, when we've been able to afford flights. Haven't seen my kid (I say my kid, step-Dad, but still, you get the idea) since 2008.
Well, that was a bit more soul-baring than I meant it to be, but I can't be bothered to retype it now. There's your answer.
EDIT : Oh yeah and I've already spoke with Martijn. No offence was taken. It's just not been a good day today.
Wish you the best of luck though and hope that everything gets sorted out. |
| | Essence. Gotta Collect 'Em All. Zergmon! |  |
|
|
| Frankon January 12 2011 04:19. Posts 2953 | Profile # |
| Last edit: 2011-01-12 04:27:39 |
| |
|
| GreEny K Germany. January 12 2011 04:34. Posts 7263 | Profile # |
On January 12 2011 03:47 TotalBiscuit wrote:
Show nested quote +On January 12 2011 03:15 GreEny K wrote:
On January 12 2011 02:38 TotalBiscuit wrote:
On January 12 2011 02:28 LesPhoques wrote:
On January 12 2011 00:51 TotalBiscuit wrote:
Won't be applying for this, as awesome as it would be. I'm already fighting a legal battle to get back into the States so I can be with my wife and kid again, after being apart for 2 years thanks to the irreversible decision of a single Homeland Security officer. I can't go running off to South Korea, not a bachelor anymore.
Inception anyone ?
That movie hit pretty close to home yes.
Care to share what happened? Sounds like an interesting story, maybe a blog?
I don't think it really suits a blog honestly. I'm not even sure if I should post about it at all but what the hell, I'll give you the tl;dr version (it should concern you that this is the tl;dr version, ton more bullshit occurred) I met my wife at Blizzcon in 2005, as nerds do. We kept in touch, it got serious after a couple more visits and I decided to take a chance to move to the States in 2007, so I packed up all my shit, put the rest in storage and went to go live with her. I was at the time of my life where I felt like taking risks and I was in a position to take them. It worked out, we got married in the UK. We didn't have much money at the time, but we had enough to survive. I wasn't able to work over there since I was still on the visa-waiver program, but I could take care of the kid (not mine, but might as well be, guy has never had an actual father, another long, fairly horrendous story), work on my amateur broadcasting, keep my website going to bring in ad revenue. However, we were living pretty much paycheque to paycheque and affording the legal fees to have a lawyer get my spousal visa sorted out was outside of our reach. We consulted a paralegal, got the advice we thought we needed and submitted the applications. Heard nothing back for a while. Bear in mind at this point I was on visa-waivers so I was flying back and forth from the US every 3 months. Never broke the terms of the visa-waiver program, not once. It would turn out later that we had been given bad advice and the application (and more disturbingly, the fee) had just disappeared and been rejected out of hand because it did not fulfil the specific double-speak requirements of US law. You might rightly ask "how could you afford flights and not be able to hire a lawyer?". Answer is necessity. We had to because otherwise nobody would be there to look after Orion (the kid) while my wife worked. There was no option there. Fast-forward to October 2008 (I think). I'm concerned at this point, heard nothing back on my visa application, no status available, even after repeated calls I just end up getting fobbed off. I call the USCIS to check if I'm going to be ok going back again on a visa-waiver. They say yes, as long as you're not breaking the terms, which I wasn't. Blizzard wanted me at Blizzcon 2008. They paid my flights out to LA, had hotel sorted out and everything, so I flew direct into LAX. Plan was to meet up with my wife at Blizzcon. Had all my paperwork to prove what I was doing, my hotel booking, itinerary, even my shuttle booking from LAX. I got stopped at the homeland security checkpoint, explained exactly what I was doing etc. They took me over for further questioning. Spent about 2 hours being questioned by Homeland Security. Full patdown and everything, this was before the whole TSA thing got big. They repeatedly questioned me about the same things, I gave them the same answers. Even provided proof of my marriage to a US citizen etc. They asked me why I had entered the US through Mexico at what point and what business I had there. I'd never entered the US through Mexico, I showed them my passport, no stamp from Mexico, nothing of the sort, but they didn't seem convinced. Eventually I was taken to their boss who declared I would not be allowed into the country and that my visa-waiver was revoked. The British Consulate fought with the guy on my behalf but he wouldn't budge and there is no appeal allowed for visa-waiver users, none at all. Even Blizzard called to verify my story, the guy didn't care. Far as he was concerned, he was judge, jury and executioner, and he's right, he is, that's how US immigration law works. They took me to a detention centre in downtown LA, stuck me in a cell with some guys who didn't speak any English (thankfully entirely reasonable people who kept themselves to themselves, no trouble) and put me on the next flight back home, all the while with armed escort and cuffs. Since then I've been trying to raise the funds to get back to the US. My wife lost her job in the recession and could not sponsor my application, there is a certain level of income your spouse must have and she didn't qualify, plus they wouldn't count my income. I supported my wife and kid from the UK up until summer 2010 when I lost my job due to cutbacks at the company, but Husky saved my ass and got me a Youtube partnership (you want to know why I'll defend that guy to the hilt? Now you know, he is the reason my family isn't out on the street right now). Now I'm finally able to afford the lawyer, plus my wife managed to get herself another job. The process has started again, this time with a lawyer riding the ass of the byzantine immigration system to make sure they get their stuff sorted out. Assuming all goes well, I should be back in the States by summer this year. I've seen my wife twice in the last 2 years, when we've been able to afford flights. Haven't seen my kid (I say my kid, step-Dad, but still, you get the idea) since 2008. Well, that was a bit more soul-baring than I meant it to be, but I can't be bothered to retype it now. There's your answer. EDIT : Oh yeah and I've already spoke with Martijn. No offence was taken. It's just not been a good day today.
wow, amazing how stupid and power hungry people can be... At least things are coming back together for you. What state does your wife live in? |
| |
|
| onara Netherlands. January 12 2011 04:37. Posts 12 | Profile # |
On January 12 2011 03:47 TotalBiscuit wrote:
Show nested quote +On January 12 2011 03:15 GreEny K wrote:
On January 12 2011 02:38 TotalBiscuit wrote:
On January 12 2011 02:28 LesPhoques wrote:
On January 12 2011 00:51 TotalBiscuit wrote:
Won't be applying for this, as awesome as it would be. I'm already fighting a legal battle to get back into the States so I can be with my wife and kid again, after being apart for 2 years thanks to the irreversible decision of a single Homeland Security officer. I can't go running off to South Korea, not a bachelor anymore.
Inception anyone ?
That movie hit pretty close to home yes.
Care to share what happened? Sounds like an interesting story, maybe a blog?
I don't think it really suits a blog honestly. I'm not even sure if I should post about it at all but what the hell, I'll give you the tl;dr version (it should concern you that this is the tl;dr version, ton more bullshit occurred) I met my wife at Blizzcon in 2005, as nerds do. We kept in touch, it got serious after a couple more visits and I decided to take a chance to move to the States in 2007, so I packed up all my shit, put the rest in storage and went to go live with her. I was at the time of my life where I felt like taking risks and I was in a position to take them. It worked out, we got married in the UK. We didn't have much money at the time, but we had enough to survive. I wasn't able to work over there since I was still on the visa-waiver program, but I could take care of the kid (not mine, but might as well be, guy has never had an actual father, another long, fairly horrendous story), work on my amateur broadcasting, keep my website going to bring in ad revenue. However, we were living pretty much paycheque to paycheque and affording the legal fees to have a lawyer get my spousal visa sorted out was outside of our reach. We consulted a paralegal, got the advice we thought we needed and submitted the applications. Heard nothing back for a while. Bear in mind at this point I was on visa-waivers so I was flying back and forth from the US every 3 months. Never broke the terms of the visa-waiver program, not once. It would turn out later that we had been given bad advice and the application (and more disturbingly, the fee) had just disappeared and been rejected out of hand because it did not fulfil the specific double-speak requirements of US law. You might rightly ask "how could you afford flights and not be able to hire a lawyer?". Answer is necessity. We had to because otherwise nobody would be there to look after Orion (the kid) while my wife worked. There was no option there. Fast-forward to October 2008 (I think). I'm concerned at this point, heard nothing back on my visa application, no status available, even after repeated calls I just end up getting fobbed off. I call the USCIS to check if I'm going to be ok going back again on a visa-waiver. They say yes, as long as you're not breaking the terms, which I wasn't. Blizzard wanted me at Blizzcon 2008. They paid my flights out to LA, had hotel sorted out and everything, so I flew direct into LAX. Plan was to meet up with my wife at Blizzcon. Had all my paperwork to prove what I was doing, my hotel booking, itinerary, even my shuttle booking from LAX. I got stopped at the homeland security checkpoint, explained exactly what I was doing etc. They took me over for further questioning. Spent about 2 hours being questioned by Homeland Security. Full patdown and everything, this was before the whole TSA thing got big. They repeatedly questioned me about the same things, I gave them the same answers. Even provided proof of my marriage to a US citizen etc. They asked me why I had entered the US through Mexico at what point and what business I had there. I'd never entered the US through Mexico, I showed them my passport, no stamp from Mexico, nothing of the sort, but they didn't seem convinced. Eventually I was taken to their boss who declared I would not be allowed into the country and that my visa-waiver was revoked. The British Consulate fought with the guy on my behalf but he wouldn't budge and there is no appeal allowed for visa-waiver users, none at all. Even Blizzard called to verify my story, the guy didn't care. Far as he was concerned, he was judge, jury and executioner, and he's right, he is, that's how US immigration law works. They took me to a detention centre in downtown LA, stuck me in a cell with some guys who didn't speak any English (thankfully entirely reasonable people who kept themselves to themselves, no trouble) and put me on the next flight back home, all the while with armed escort and cuffs. Since then I've been trying to raise the funds to get back to the US. My wife lost her job in the recession and could not sponsor my application, there is a certain level of income your spouse must have and she didn't qualify, plus they wouldn't count my income. I supported my wife and kid from the UK up until summer 2010 when I lost my job due to cutbacks at the company, but Husky saved my ass and got me a Youtube partnership (you want to know why I'll defend that guy to the hilt? Now you know, he is the reason my family isn't out on the street right now). Now I'm finally able to afford the lawyer, plus my wife managed to get herself another job. The process has started again, this time with a lawyer riding the ass of the byzantine immigration system to make sure they get their stuff sorted out. Assuming all goes well, I should be back in the States by summer this year. I've seen my wife twice in the last 2 years, when we've been able to afford flights. Haven't seen my kid (I say my kid, step-Dad, but still, you get the idea) since 2008. Well, that was a bit more soul-baring than I meant it to be, but I can't be bothered to retype it now. There's your answer. EDIT : Oh yeah and I've already spoke with Martijn. No offence was taken. It's just not been a good day today.
wow... Hope it gets sorted soon man. messed up laws in the US sometimes... |
| |
|
| Numy South Africa. January 12 2011 04:48. Posts 7386 | Profile Blog # |
On January 12 2011 03:47 TotalBiscuit wrote:
Show nested quote +On January 12 2011 03:15 GreEny K wrote:
On January 12 2011 02:38 TotalBiscuit wrote:
On January 12 2011 02:28 LesPhoques wrote:
On January 12 2011 00:51 TotalBiscuit wrote:
Won't be applying for this, as awesome as it would be. I'm already fighting a legal battle to get back into the States so I can be with my wife and kid again, after being apart for 2 years thanks to the irreversible decision of a single Homeland Security officer. I can't go running off to South Korea, not a bachelor anymore.
Inception anyone ?
That movie hit pretty close to home yes.
Care to share what happened? Sounds like an interesting story, maybe a blog?
I don't think it really suits a blog honestly. I'm not even sure if I should post about it at all but what the hell, I'll give you the tl;dr version (it should concern you that this is the tl;dr version, ton more bullshit occurred) I met my wife at Blizzcon in 2005, as nerds do. We kept in touch, it got serious after a couple more visits and I decided to take a chance to move to the States in 2007, so I packed up all my shit, put the rest in storage and went to go live with her. I was at the time of my life where I felt like taking risks and I was in a position to take them. It worked out, we got married in the UK. We didn't have much money at the time, but we had enough to survive. I wasn't able to work over there since I was still on the visa-waiver program, but I could take care of the kid (not mine, but might as well be, guy has never had an actual father, another long, fairly horrendous story), work on my amateur broadcasting, keep my website going to bring in ad revenue. However, we were living pretty much paycheque to paycheque and affording the legal fees to have a lawyer get my spousal visa sorted out was outside of our reach. We consulted a paralegal, got the advice we thought we needed and submitted the applications. Heard nothing back for a while. Bear in mind at this point I was on visa-waivers so I was flying back and forth from the US every 3 months. Never broke the terms of the visa-waiver program, not once. It would turn out later that we had been given bad advice and the application (and more disturbingly, the fee) had just disappeared and been rejected out of hand because it did not fulfil the specific double-speak requirements of US law. You might rightly ask "how could you afford flights and not be able to hire a lawyer?". Answer is necessity. We had to because otherwise nobody would be there to look after Orion (the kid) while my wife worked. There was no option there. Fast-forward to October 2008 (I think). I'm concerned at this point, heard nothing back on my visa application, no status available, even after repeated calls I just end up getting fobbed off. I call the USCIS to check if I'm going to be ok going back again on a visa-waiver. They say yes, as long as you're not breaking the terms, which I wasn't. Blizzard wanted me at Blizzcon 2008. They paid my flights out to LA, had hotel sorted out and everything, so I flew direct into LAX. Plan was to meet up with my wife at Blizzcon. Had all my paperwork to prove what I was doing, my hotel booking, itinerary, even my shuttle booking from LAX. I got stopped at the homeland security checkpoint, explained exactly what I was doing etc. They took me over for further questioning. Spent about 2 hours being questioned by Homeland Security. Full patdown and everything, this was before the whole TSA thing got big. They repeatedly questioned me about the same things, I gave them the same answers. Even provided proof of my marriage to a US citizen etc. They asked me why I had entered the US through Mexico at what point and what business I had there. I'd never entered the US through Mexico, I showed them my passport, no stamp from Mexico, nothing of the sort, but they didn't seem convinced. Eventually I was taken to their boss who declared I would not be allowed into the country and that my visa-waiver was revoked. The British Consulate fought with the guy on my behalf but he wouldn't budge and there is no appeal allowed for visa-waiver users, none at all. Even Blizzard called to verify my story, the guy didn't care. Far as he was concerned, he was judge, jury and executioner, and he's right, he is, that's how US immigration law works. They took me to a detention centre in downtown LA, stuck me in a cell with some guys who didn't speak any English (thankfully entirely reasonable people who kept themselves to themselves, no trouble) and put me on the next flight back home, all the while with armed escort and cuffs. Since then I've been trying to raise the funds to get back to the US. My wife lost her job in the recession and could not sponsor my application, there is a certain level of income your spouse must have and she didn't qualify, plus they wouldn't count my income. I supported my wife and kid from the UK up until summer 2010 when I lost my job due to cutbacks at the company, but Husky saved my ass and got me a Youtube partnership (you want to know why I'll defend that guy to the hilt? Now you know, he is the reason my family isn't out on the street right now). Now I'm finally able to afford the lawyer, plus my wife managed to get herself another job. The process has started again, this time with a lawyer riding the ass of the byzantine immigration system to make sure they get their stuff sorted out. Assuming all goes well, I should be back in the States by summer this year. I've seen my wife twice in the last 2 years, when we've been able to afford flights. Haven't seen my kid (I say my kid, step-Dad, but still, you get the idea) since 2008. Well, that was a bit more soul-baring than I meant it to be, but I can't be bothered to retype it now. There's your answer. EDIT : Oh yeah and I've already spoke with Martijn. No offence was taken. It's just not been a good day today.
Man I knew US laws were messed up, didn't realize just how badly. Hope everything works out.
|
|
|
|
| Artanis[Xp] Netherlands. January 12 2011 04:56. Posts 3457 | Profile Blog # |
| Very gripping story TB. Really hope it'll all get sorted out in the end. Really can't imagine being married to someone and then only seeing them twice in two years, not even seeing your own (step)son. Ugh. |
| |
|
 donut boi United States. January 12 2011 04:59. Posts 154 | Profile # |
@totalbiscuit
Jeez man, that really sounds rough... lol i'll subscribe to you on youtube now, and maybe even husky too :D Husky's antifans are really pathetic to be honest. They only hate him cuz he makes money off of what he does. That is absolutely no reason to hate someone...Last edit: 2011-01-12 04:59:46 |
| |
|
| DayJP Brazil. January 12 2011 05:00. Posts 477 | Profile # |
goddamnit TB
our hearts go towards you buddy, hope it gets sorted out
as awesome as it'd be to see you in the freaking gsl, personal life does come (shockinly!) first |
| | "Why did the Colossus fall over? Because it's imbalanced! :D" - Dan Artosis |
|
|
| UberThing Great Britain. January 12 2011 05:00. Posts 410 | Profile # |
| I have new found respect for you TB |
| | Wag1 |  |
|
|
| DayJP Brazil. January 12 2011 05:06. Posts 477 | Profile # |
On January 12 2011 04:53 {88}iNcontroL wrote:
STOP QUOTING THE WHOLE POST
are you applying to that job, kind sir? |
| | "Why did the Colossus fall over? Because it's imbalanced! :D" - Dan Artosis |
|
|
| UberThing Great Britain. January 12 2011 05:07. Posts 410 | Profile # |
On January 12 2011 05:06 DayJP wrote:are you applying to that job, kind sir?
Come on.. give us a teaser at least? |
| | Wag1 | |
|
|
| pingy[wen] United States. January 12 2011 05:08. Posts 156 | Profile # | |
|
|
| resilve United Kingdom. January 12 2011 05:09. Posts 678 | Profile Blog # |
Rotterdam would be amazing, but I think he is contracted with ESL? And also his style/voice might not go down too well with americans.
Last edit: 2011-01-12 05:12:22 |
| |
|
| Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Next All | |
|
|
|
| |
|
Sidebar Settings...
|
Store
USA. January 12 2011 04:53. Posts 28393
