I am back!

I had an odd email SNAFU but an awesome friend figured it out. That's why I was disappeared from both here and email. Google owns it all.

So, I'm now officially laid off but have found some casual pick-up work a few days a week with a florist. It's kind of nice, doing hard physical work after such a long period of practical uselessness.

I am craving cheese grits. Odd.

I am also getting serious about Canada. The only thing holding me back is a bunch of immigration concerns if I decide I want to move back here. I can get a permit that lets me leave for up to two years, but after that I forfeit my green card. Of course if I go to Canada and become a doctor and decide I want to come back to the States, I will get another green card in under a year as an EB2.

In any case I will be applying to Dalhousie and possibly King's. They are joined but still have separate applications. Kings is more of a liberal arts school while Dal is a big university attached to a medical school. And awesomeness:

"At Dal, we offer more than undergraduate and graduate programs in Arts and Social Science, Science, Management, Engineering, Computer Science, Health Professions, and Architecture & Planning. Here, you'll also discover Professional programs in Law, Medicine, Dentistry, Architecture, Pharmacy, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Social Work, and Dental Hygiene.

These Professional programs all require previous university study for admission. In all cases, we recommend that you start your university studies at Dalhousie. The level of preparation you'll receive as part of your Dalhousie education is held in high regard the world over. And consider that prior to being admitted to these Professional programs at Dal, more than half of these applicants have already completed their undergraduate work at Dalhousie."

Plus the medical school privileges students from the maritimes when it comes to admissions, and luckily, I was born in New Brunswick. Thanks mum and dad!

So applications for Fall 2008 open next month. We'll see what happens.

ETA: New info on the immigration stuff:
" For individuals who need or want to leave the United States for an extended period of up to two years, it is necessary to obtain a reentry permit. This permit often establishes permission to reenter the U.S. to resume un-relinquished residence. This works well for individuals who wish to work or study abroad, visit or care for family for long periods, take care of financial matters or property dispositions, or otherwise explore the world for more than a year.

You should not abandon your intention to reside in the U.S. If you do so, your Green Card could be taken away from you (forfeited at port of entry). A Green Card holder has to return at least once a year to maintain PR status. A person who spends most of her/his time abroad and returns only for brief annual visits runs the risk of losing the status."

Hmm.