http://www.stoupak.com/Letters2/EN_91229.TXT
----------------------------------------------------
Yuriy Stupak, 29dec99, English text follows
----------------------------------------------------

  I was bored in June 1999: I had not enough reasons 
for struggling-to-survive. My life looked like 
life-in-BUTter that went smoothly-but-slowly.

  My main adventures in the second half of 1999 follow:

1. I've got my SECOND H-1B transfer from IPEX to QSpace in June.

2. My Merged-Credit-Report program was deployed in QSpace in August 
("send by mail" mode: produced html files are printed and sent by 
mail). There were more than 20000 lines in C++ (22xxx in October).

3. I was told in QSpace that they couldn't start to do Green Card for 
me now - or guarantee my employment for Green Card processing time.

4. I've returned from QSpace to IPEX and they filled Green Card 
papers for me. But my IPEX contract was terminated in November - 
and they found me another employer (EdgeNet Communication Corp.).

5. EdgeNet decided to take me on permanent position (like QSpace 
did earlier). They prepared papers for my THIRD H-1B transfer and 
gave me a letter that they filled Green Card paper for me after 
6 months since my H-1B transfer to them will be approved.

6. I have fallen 5 times from motorbike but I've added 
M1 to C on my driver license (motorcycles to usual cars).

7. I have purchased an old Chevrolet Cavalier 1986 for $1000 in 
August, hit Ford truck in September (my insurance paid for it). 
After that I paid for replacing master and wheel brake cylinders.

8. I was hit in the rear side of my Chevy in December (their 
insurance should pay me for it now), cut the piece of car body 
that blocked left rear wheel and I'm driving this car now.

9. My daughter passed the enters exams to "Humanitarian 
University". She also got and upgraded my Russian home PC.

10. I have changed my apartments from Berkeley to San Leandro 
since August 1999 and I'm going to move again in March 2000.

11. I purchased an old 486 PC for Linux (for $45 : all except 
monitor/keyboard/mouse) and started to make my home network.

12. I almost steel one of the neighbor's cats: I feed it 2 times 
per day; sometimes the cat stays for the whole day or the night. 
Last thing I did: I purchased shampoo for cats and washed this one.

13. I have paid off all my debts to Patelco and Technology 
credit Unions and keep a zero (or 2 digits) balances now.

14. I'm making my monthly budgets in EXCEL since September 
(with debt/credit transactions for 11 correspondent accounts).

15. I have paid my taxes like "SINGLE 1" and now - after 
I have got a TIN (Tax Identification Number) for my wife - 
I can ask Uncle Sam to return me difference for 2-3 years.