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Post by Mini Mia on Apr 8, 2010 17:03:46 GMT -6
Sorry, Jox. Looks like I misremembered on the password thing. It's been so long since I looked, I really should have double-checked that before posting.
No worries, Lesa. I do remember you warning me about some of the individual website-based forums giving the admins access to member passwords, but I've never known any of the forums that I've created or had admin powers on being able to do that. I do believe that the staff of Proboards, ezBoards, Yuku, etc. have the powers to view them though. Often times on the Support forum, the staff will ask for your 'original' password as proof you're who you claim to be, so they must have access to such info. (BTW: If anyone ever has a problem with your account and you go to the Support forum for help and they ask for your original password: make sure the person _is_ a staff member, then send your password to them in a PM. DO NOT post your password in a post where anyone can get it and 'hack' into your account.)
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Post by Lesa on Apr 15, 2010 7:44:45 GMT -6
That's good advice, but I would also add that you should make sure the staff member already has access to that information. Thor is the only person with access to that kind of information on Runboard, although he did give me some login info on a couple of occasions recently, so I could verify their identities and help them get back into their accounts. The fewer people that have that kind of access, the more secure the system is, and he is huge on security. With any message board that's installed on its own domain like a phpBB or vBulletin, the site's webmaster will always have access to your password.
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Post by Lesa on Apr 27, 2010 14:17:10 GMT -6
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Post by Mini Mia on Apr 27, 2010 17:50:16 GMT -6
Very nice. How much longer are you staying in Paris? And then off to England for 3 months, yes? We have a few members in the UK.
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Post by Lesa on Apr 28, 2010 14:55:33 GMT -6
Thanks. I leave here in just under 7½ days, when I'll fly to London and make my way across England, doing some sight seeing before meeting up with my friend there for 3 months. I don't have an exact plan for when I get there yet; just a couple of places I'd like to see, and want to play it by ear. My friend was going to drive all the way to London and pick me up, but I wanted the adventure and she isn't into ancient sites. I'll miss Paris and Thor, but the next leg of my journey should be interesting. Anyone I know live near the English Channel?
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Post by Mini Mia on Apr 28, 2010 17:49:52 GMT -6
You're very welcome. Chak & Ann & Dixie no longer drop in, but they are in the UK. XenGab & eirene no longer post here either, but they're in the UK. [They post at Q's board. (Mary'sGurl)] Not sure of their locations though. Moonglum & Vox are in the UK. I don't think you've conversed with them. They showed up after you went AWOL. I've probably forgotten someone, I'm good like that. Perhaps these past members lurk from time to time and will pop in to get a chance to meet you in person.
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Post by Lesa on Apr 29, 2010 3:05:27 GMT -6
My two meetings with the Michigan Whoosher were enjoyable, and I have a good track record with Runboarders so far. It would be neat to meet up with a few former and current UK Whooshers. For anyone reading this, Salisbury and Glastonbury are two places I plan to visit soon after 6 May, so if you're near that path from London, let me know.
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Post by Mini Mia on May 26, 2010 1:13:42 GMT -6
Wow ... You must be in England now. How's it going? Where you headed when your 3 months is up? Back to the US, or some other parts of the world? Gonna write your own "Eat, Pray, Love" memoir when this is all done? Hey, ya never know. If you get in Oprah's book club, be sure to let us all know so we can watch the show.
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Post by Lesa on May 31, 2010 11:36:24 GMT -6
Border Control at Heathrow thought I was there to work, citing a rental agreement in French, which they supposedly found in my luggage. I knew there was no such agreement and asked to see it, but the guy refused to show it to me. It wasn't until 2 days later that I realized the idiot must have been looking at my Attestation D'Accueil, because it was the only document I had that was in French. If he would have looked it up online, he would have known it wasn't a rental agreement, although he should have known by looking at the document itself ( see pdf), which has official stamps, an embossed seal, no mention of price anywhere, and didn't have my signature or a place for a tenant to sign. What kind of moron mistakes that for a rental agreement? If I thought it looked anything like a rental agreement, it wouldn't have taken me 2 days to figure out what he was mistaking for one. Anyway, I was sent to Dusseldorf, Germany (where I barely knew two words), since having a connecting flight there on my way from Paris to London made Dusseldorf my "last point of entry". Arriving late at night, I had a hell of a time finding a hotel that I finally checked into around 1am, then took a train back to Paris the next day after exchanging my GBP for Euros because my unexpected change in plans caused my bank to block my debit card. I'm still in Paris, trying to appeal that nitwit's decision, and have yet to hear back from the agency. The good news is, I found out how wonderful my friends at Runboard are, and I have some pretty good material for a book if I ever decide to write one. I just need to find that moron's name, since he didn't sign that paper he gave me like he was supposed to. Whether I can get into England or not, I plan on seeing another RB friend in Germany for 2 weeks before leaving Europe to go back home. She would have helped me while I was stranded in Dusseldorf, but she was a couple of hours away on the autobahn with a carload of people and didn't know what was happening until later.
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Post by Mini Mia on May 31, 2010 17:06:25 GMT -6
Yikes, what an adventure. I'd have been freaked out of my mind. I hope you finally get into England, and can finish out your stay before coming home. Or maybe you were meant to stay in Paris a wee bit longer. Here's hoping something good comes of it.
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Post by Lesa on Jun 5, 2010 19:14:23 GMT -6
When I was sent from London to Dusseldorf, I immediately told the guys at the passport counter what had happened and how long I had been in Paris, and asked them if I would be deported. They said no, and that I could stay in the Schengen territory for another 3 months because I left for a day. Yesterday, I went to the US Consulate here in Paris, and found out they were wrong. Not only am I here illegally now, but I also can't visit Germany because they're part of the Schengen territory. To top it off, Americans don't need a visa to visit England, so I never got one. Because I didn't have one, I'm not allowed the right to appeal their decision. I can apply for a visa and try again, but a visa is still no guarantee of entry, and after looking at the questions on that application, I know they wouldn't give me one if I answered the questions truthfully... and there's no way in hell I'm lying on that thing and risking the consequences. The only thing left for me to do for now is to go back home asap, so I booked a flight for next Saturday. You know me, though. I won't let this rest, and will do what I can to set the record straight.
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Post by Mini Mia on Jun 5, 2010 19:31:18 GMT -6
That sucks. I hope you get it all worked out though. It'd be a shame you missed out on your adventure. Gee, it's not like you're asking to live there forever ... just 3 months. If you were in a Romantic Novel, you'd pay a man to marry you so you could stay in the country, and then when you started the divorce proceedings you'd find out you were both in love.
Okay, okay ... I watched "The Proposal" the other night. Plus, I've read many a novel with a similar premise. Sue me.
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Post by Lesa on Jun 20, 2010 19:14:07 GMT -6
You're such a romantic. But if I was going to do something like that to stay in Europe, I would have chosen France, then just visited England for a week at a time. The idiot at UK Border Control didn't believe I was "only" going to stay for 3 months. Geeze, if I was going to lie about the duration of my stay, I would have written "2 weeks" on my landing card. I've been home for 8 days now, staying with my mom until I find more work and another place. Instead of settling for another monkey job like I've always done, I'm looking for something that fits my skills better, preferably in the city. So far, I've found 2 openings in Grand Rapids that look interesting.
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Post by Mini Mia on Jun 20, 2010 21:18:50 GMT -6
I hope your plans work out. Maybe you'll get to England someday.
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Post by Phalon on Jun 22, 2010 3:58:25 GMT -6
Sorry your trip ended on such a sour note. Sheesh, what a nightmare! Hope the job hunt goes much smoother.
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Post by Lesa on Jun 22, 2010 18:23:39 GMT -6
Thanks, Jox and Phalon. Phalon, how would you like to do lunch in the near future? My schedule is pretty clear at the moment.
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Post by Phalon on Jun 23, 2010 6:01:49 GMT -6
Sure, Lesa....although how near is the "near future"? Lunch would have to be on a Wednesday, and my Wednesday's are pretty much packed for the next few weeks. Mid-Julyish maybe?
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Post by Lesa on Jun 25, 2010 8:16:41 GMT -6
If I'm still not working M-F by then, mid-Julyish sounds good.
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