Clean energy

We get our electricity from this company www.greenmountain.com
You can choose your electricity company and not rely on what's there. Say MSEB. We chose this one.

The electricity bill says something like this each month. Very unique.

Thanks for helping clean the air we breathe! By purchasing Green mountain energy electricity, you have helped avoid the emission of this much CO2, pollution over the past month

KWh Electricity used : 1,316
CO2 emissions avoided (pounds) : 280
Equivalent Automobile miles not driven : 312

Quite something to have on an electricity bill?

nimbooda

There's this small Indian restaurant nearby. They play hindi movies. Were there for breakfast on the morning of July 4. They were playing "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam".
The point where Aish gets married, she is reading the letters from Salman.
One of the letter ends like

Tumhara,
Khatta Nimbooda

Ok.. what I am trying to say? The best part about watching Hindi movies in US, for me, is the English subtitles.
The above part was translated like-

Undersigned

Your's
Tangy Lemon

Passports renewed in a week...yay!

Hubby and kid's passports had to be renewed.
After a month's procastination, I decided to take action. Made hubby fill up the online forms (read: harassed him) and get the printouts. Filled the blank spaces on the form with pen.

Decided to spend 18$ for passport size photos taken at Walgreens. Hubby insisted on taking prints from our digicam photos. But my decision prevailed. The last thing I wanted here was a returned application due to some issue with the photos.

Made out cashier's checks in favor of CGI Houston.

Got a stamp-pad from Office Max for the kid's thumbprint. I am sure she can now sign her initials, but may not be able to reproduce the signature. Thumb print was safer.

Printed out a Change of appearance form...for the kid...infant to child

Bought a set of 2 sized paper clips. organised the documents using small paper clips...eg utility bills together, marriage cert, 'add spouse name' application, my passport photocopy together.....and wrote on the top document what the bunch was for. eg- For addition of spouse name.
Took the small clip bunches together and secured with a large paper clip along with the application, remaining 2 photos(1 affixed on application) and original passport.

Went to the Fedex shipping center where they have a notary. Got all photocopies notarised. For passport copies, only the pages with a picture.

Sent everything to CGI Houston, along with a pre-paid self addressed envelope. It reached them on June 24. I got the new passports today, July 1. In exactly 1 week. I'd like to believe its the organised paperwork I sent, that got the process speeded up. Could be the efficiency of their staff? Yes, lets give them half the credit. :)

And for those of you who are in the process and have bumped into my blog looking for information

Photocopies:

Got 2 copies of my passport, 3 of hubby's and 1 kid's
a copy of my passport each with both their applications, a copy of hubby's passport with both (even his own...wierd i know) and a copy of both their passport for our records.
2 photocopies of both of their I94s and Visa pages. - 1 to be sent and 1 for records
Photocopies of marriage cert and kid's birth cert.

This is what i attached :
For husband
1. 3 passport size photos, including 1 pasted on the form
2. photocopies of first 5 and last 2 pages of passport, I-94, and visa page.
3. Passport application
4. original passport - along with the I-94
5. An application for addition of Spouse name
6. Two utility bills - cable and phone
7. Photocopy of my passport
8. Cashiers check 40$

For daughter
1. 3 passport size photos including 1 pasted on form
2. passport application
3. Original passport along with the I-94
4. Change of appearance form
5. Photocopy of both parent's passport.
6. Cashier's check 25$