Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Re: is a passport required for a nexus card? **13-40951**

From: Jessica Murray <death.to.koalas@gmail.com>
To: CBSA-ASFC_CONTACT <CBSA-ASFC.CONTACT@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca>

i appreciate the response, but you didn't come close to answering my questions.

is a passport required to apply for a nexus card? does having a nexus card come with an implicit assumption of having a passport? can a nexus card be used as a replacement for a passport?

maybe i'll give you a call tomorrow...

j
installation file:
FileFormatConverters.exe

RE: is a passport required for a nexus card? **13-40951**

From: "CBSA-ASFC_CONTACT" <CBSA-ASFC.CONTACT@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca>
To: "Jessica Murray" <death.to.koalas@gmail.com>

You may qualify to participate in NEXUS if you are a citizen or permanent resident of Canada or the United States and have lived in Canada and/or the United States continuously for the last three years.

You may not qualify if one of the following applies:

•    you are inadmissible to Canada or the United States under applicable immigration laws;
•    you intentionally provide false or incomplete information on your application;
•    you have been convicted of a serious criminal offence in any country for which you have not received a pardon (for U.S. background checks you may be questioned about your full criminal history, including arrests and pardons, which may exclude you from NEXUS);
•    you have a recorded violation of customs, immigration or agriculture law; or
•    you fail to meet other requirements of NEXUS.

Effective June 30, 2012, Canadian and American citizens living outside of Canada or the United States or who have recently returned to either country and have not previously been able to meet the three-year residency requirement are now eligible to apply. In addition, certain permanent residents are also exempted from the three-year residency requirement. For further information on any of the above, please visit the NEXUS Web site at:
http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/prog/nexus/elig-admis-eng.html 

Both Canada and the United States must approve your application for you to become a member of NEXUS. If you do not meet all of the requirements, your application will be denied.

Should you require additional assistance, we recommend that you contact the nearest NEXUS Enrolment Centre. A directory is available at:
http://www.cbsa.gc.ca/prog/nexus/location-eng.html 

Also, you may contact the following NEXUS Canadian processing centres during regular business hours:

•    1-866-496-3987 for British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba residents
•    1-800-842-7647 for Ontario and United States residents
•    1-866-399-5887 for Quebec and Atlantic residents

Should you wish to obtain more information on NEXUS, we invite you to consult the Canada Border Services Agency Web site at:
http://www.nexus.gc.ca

Thank you for your interest in the NEXUS program.

is a passport required for a nexus card?

From: Jessica Murray <death.to.koalas@gmail.com>
To: contact@cbsa.gc.ca

hi.

i've just moved to windsor. i'd like to get the proper documents to be able to go over to detroit to see some concerts. nothing particularly difficult in the request.

however, i'm finding the reference requirements to obtain a passport to be very difficult. i just don't know a lot of people, nor do i know anybody that could act as a 'guarantor'. finding two references is difficult enough; four is virtually impossible for me. that's not a reflection of my fitness for very short-term cross-border travel, though, it's just a reflection of my social skills.

in searching for alternatives, i've found the nexus card. it seems like this process interviews me directly, rather than asking me to provide references. that's a process that is better suited for me to go through.

i'm just a little confused as to whether a passport is required to apply for a nexus card. i have a valid birth certificate, a valid health card, a valid sin card and various other things (although i never took the time to learn to drive, and consequently don't have a driver's license). i'm unclear as to whether the application is requesting a passport AND a birth certificate or a passport OR a birth certificate.

i'm also a little confused about the longer term usefulness of the nexus card. i've read some things online that suggest that, should i be stopped, i would be asked for a passport. yet, i'm looking to get the nexus card because i can't find the references to get a passport.

so, i guess the question i'm asking is if a nexus card is something i could use as a valid replacement for a passport in the context of just going over for a few hours to catch a show and then coming back.

j
there may be a way around this. there’s a thing called a NEXUS card that’s designed for “low-risk” cross-border travel, and relies on a personal interview rather than a set of references.
Jessica Amber Murray
hi. you guys have passports, right? could i use one of you as a "guarantor"? i just want to be able to go over to detroit to catch the odd concert. the process to be "allowed" to do that seems really ridiculous, but this is how things work... i hope things are going well with you guys. life here has been different. i went into a little bit of a funk when i got here (the whole process of moving here was just really overwhelming, with everything happening all at once), but i'm starting to get out of it. really, i'm glad i had the time away from people and free of external pressure to reflect, heal and adjust - and enough things to d to keep my mind occupied. it's what i needed. but, yeah, if i can use you as a guarantor it would make this process a lot easier. as it is, i'm going to have to rely on some documentation and argumentation...

The Oldest Aunt’s Wife
no passport enhanced driver license would that help

Jessica Amber Murray
no. i don't even have a g-1. thanks anyways...

The Oldest Aunt’s Wife
no will a enhanced help you get a passport

Jessica Amber Murray
no. or at least i don't think so. i should probably check to make sure though.

The Oldest Aunt’s Wife
we can help

is it an identity

you can put us down as knowing you

Jessica Amber Murray
i'm sorry, i'm not understanding the question. i have two choices. i can get a guarantor (somebody with a passport, i'll check to see how flexible that definition is) + 2 references or i can just go with 4 references. reality is i have 0 references, so going with the guarantor would make it a lot easier to further argue with odsp documents, etc.

i could use you as a guarantor, but not a reference, because you're family.

The Oldest Aunt’s Wife
what does a guarantor have to do

Jessica Amber Murray
i'm under the impression that a guarantor is simply somebody with a passport, and that itself is enough to act as a reference. i have to look further into that... very little of this process is making sense to me, so i'm not really expecting to find a valid purpose or explanation.

The Oldest Aunt’s Wife
let use know if we can help

Jessica Amber Murray
i will, thanks.
i really don't have the slightest idea just how big this sprawling metropolis in front of me actually is.

http://dc.streetsblog.org/2013/07/22/how-sprawl-got-detroit-into-this-mess/

(the corporate tax cuts spurred on by neo-liberal nonsense couldn't have helped)


the new ranaldo disc is really stellar, btw.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

you know, i don't mind the border people doing all kinds of inane checks into my history. in the end, they might not like my politics, and it might harm my employment opportunities (if it hasn't already, and i'm sure it has), but i don't expect that to be a serious limit on anything i actually want to do in life. i don't find surveillance to be particularly bothersome, not even at a deep level. i dunno, call me a political voyeur or something...

...but the reference requirements are really quite onerous. if you don't know anybody with a passport, you need to find four people that aren't family and have known you for more than two years and they have to vouch that the information you provide (which is mundane shit like address and work history) is valid.

i couldn't even find one person that's known me for two years well enough to verify that.

nor is it really useful in any kind of...well, anything. security wise, references are stupid. i've been through this argument with employers. do you expect me to give you a bad reference? really, what the process is doing is determining if the applicant has the social skills to build personal friendships or not. that's at least arguably valid in an employment situation. it's of almost no value in a passport situation.

all of this is so that i can walk over a bridge to see a concert, maybe have a few beers. to spend money in the local economy, if you want to phrase it like that.

i'm good at 'splainin'. i can run off odsp documents, write an essay. i'm sure i'll convince them.

...but the whole process is really quite stupid, regardless of the angle it's being approached from.

demo #10: mellon collie & the infintesimal wing

i wish i took the time to clean this up a little more, but i don't think i thought i'd be sitting here 17 years later talking about it...

so, i'm trained as a blues guitarist. everybody knows that the way to prove you're a real blues guitarist is to do a cover of little wing. that's just how it is.

however, i kind of felt a generational disconnect. i mean, i love hendrix and everything; that's kind of obvious, if you listen. i just felt little wing needed a bit of a punk rock update, and i thought it might be neat to merge it with a more contemporary piece - the opening track on the smashing pumpkins' double disc opus.

so, that's what this is. mellon collie and the infinitesimal wing.....

recorded in nov, 1996. remastered on oct 15, 2013.

RE: out of ideas for the shower

From:  the initial landlord
To: "'Jessica Murray'" <death.to.koalas@gmail.com>

I will come by and we will figure out how/ when we will get this done.

Please be patient, I will have to go and look where I can buy another shower that will fit just in case when we pull it out it gets destroyed.

Monday, October 14, 2013

demo #1 cover art


demo #9: terrorists

i really don't want to upload this, but i want to be comprehensive in getting everything up, and i actually really like the musical aspect of parts of this (especially the end section, which is one of the creepiest things i've ever managed to successfully get out).

lyrically, this is the most embarrassing of these tracks, and not because i was being a goof on purpose (which is true for most of this stuff), but because i was trying to be insightful for a change and failed badly. i have no idea why i mixed the vocals so loudly but it's irreversible....

well, again, i was 15. systemic analyses were a little beyond me, and further beyond the people surrounding me.

i guess i could at least say that the version of things i was exposed to didn't make sense to me. hence the first-person satire, in misguided biting punk rock prose.

i should also point out that 'terrorist' in 1996 had a different meaning that younger people may not be able to connect with. terrorists were people that blew up abortion clinics in the deep south, gay night clubs in germany, federal buildings in oklahoma, churches in northern ireland and synagogues in montreal. while terrorists always identified as religious extremists, the religion they connected to was not certain and, at least in the mind of this individual, the assumption was that they were usually christians and probably white supremacists. i didn't get properly programmed after 9/11 because i avoided media; to this day, i still assign white supremacist christian groups as the primary suspect in any kind of attack , and tend to hold to it until evidence surfaces. when you keep that in mind, the song makes a little more sense.

recorded in october, 1996. remastered on oct 14, 2013.

aloha

hey.

i'm not entirely piecing together those apparent wedding (?) pictures, but i do hope you're happy. and safe.

life here is sort of quietly hectic. like, i don't have a worry in the world. i love it. but i've got so much stuff to do.

i've got my website up here:
http://dghjdfsghkrdghdgja.appspot.com/

it's a primary focus. i hope to finally have the shell done in the next few hours. it's taken far too long to sort through. then, music...

...and reading.

i guess we always had different perceptions on the value of existence. you were all about the body, and physicality; i was all about the mind, knowledge, abstraction. maybe it's funny that i'm the empiricist and you're the spiritual one?

...but i'm happy here. i've found something.

erin is still in ottawa, if you're curious. i wanted to have my own place, i was clear about that from the very start. i didn't really trust her, and i didn't really like the other people that were planning on coming down. she ended up unable to find somewhere to stay in windsor, so she stayed there. honestly, i'm sort of happy about that. our friendship was based on being mutually antagonistic. we're both always right. etc. so we just fought, and maybe we both enjoyed it on some level. yet, she's a lot more competitive than i am and it brings out this really mean streak. near the end, i got kind of *afraid* of her and wasn't really sure how to cut off communication.

that seems to be over with, now, and i'm very relieved about it.

if you're ever in the 'hood, you should drop me a line.

but this email is to say congratulations. i think.

jess

Sunday, October 13, 2013

i think i'm starting to realize that yearning for a return to the simpler time invoked by 60s pop culture is the conservatism of the new generation, largely brought on by an influence from their grandparents.

it's really just a shift from 40s/50s imagery to 60s/70s imagery.
installation file:
touchpad.exe
installation file:
cardreader.exe
installation file:
sata.exe
installation file:
product number.txt

a typical conversation with my psychotic mother

mom
How come you deleted my comments off your post? Or did you? I do think though that one needs a passport these days to get across the border....But, I may be wrong....

I finally broke up with "you know who"....I am afraid though.....I am almost afraid to even leave my place...But, I don't think he would strike so soon......If anything ever happens to me...It would be him, as he has threatened me on numerous occasions.......I just don't know how to handle this situation....Perhaps listing his name was not so smart, or maybe it was??......I just don't know what to do......

It could be him, or other(horrible characters) he knows....He has threatened me about them...But, I don't even know who "they" even are?

I have witnessed some insane behaviours(sp?what is the right spelling then) from him on numerous occasions....He is a very scarey man!

I think he may have keys to my apartment..Because when he left the other night, I locked the door promptly behind him, and when I got up the next morning....My door was unlocked!.......

Keys, that I NEVER EVEN GAVE HIM!.........

I guess the first thing, I should do, Is change my locks....I have two of them...

jessica amber murray
the spell check is american spelling. i never liked the guy at all, although we only met briefly. that's about all i can say. if changing your locks would make you feel better, you should do it.

mom
Yes... I will have to wait till next week to put the order in down at the main office here in my building...Although, I wonder if they would do it sooner...Prolly Not....I think it costs $100.00...Not Sure...Think so though....They(management) kinda think I am nuts already though...LOL....

Who cares what they even think at this point....If it will save my life or the contents inside here....

Yes, I know...Sounds a bit on the melodramatic side....But, I have been dealing with someone who is truly insane...I believe....

I am going to share something that might sound insane....But, on nights when he leaves here all angry and stuff...A dead prostitute shows up somewhere...Or goes missing....He used to make this horrible joke about putting a person in his septic tank.....That, that would be the best way of disposing of a body....

He has even claimed that alive ones were put in there!

He screamed at me that I knew too much!...Whatever that means??

jessica amber murray
that sounds really creepy, mom. if you have some information about missing prostitutes, or you think your life is in danger, you should really go to the police.

mom
Yes... I know...But he has threatened me with my life if I even mention the police...

jessica amber murray
btw, there are a number of 'normal' pieces of id that the border cops will accept. they'll even accept a parking card. i don't have anything like that, though. health card isn't listed. getting a passport should be easy, it says it takes ten days, so i'll go down on tuesday.

mom
And if I was to go to the police...What do you even think they will even do? They really are rather useless for the most part.....He even has police friends.....

jessica amber murray
i think that if you have evidence of a serious threat against you then you can put a restraining order on him and possibly get him tracked. i think you have to be pro-active in some sense, though. you can't just sit there and wait for him to come get you.

mom
I don't really have any evidence of any sort at all....

jessica amber murray
i mean, this guy isn't in the mafia or something is he....? hell's angels? if it's something like that, you're maybe right. you should maybe be thinking about finding a way to move. staying at nana's for a bit. i dunno. otherwise, it's probably the best choice.

if you claim he's threatened you, a judge might believe you. probably, even. it's a risk, sure. but, if the other risk is waiting around, i'd personally take the pro-active option.

mom
He's not hell's angels or mafia...But he claims that he knows people from this exact class of people....

He has mentioned names to me before...but I can't remember them...

Never thought I would have to..

jessica amber murray
those types of organizations are very professionally run. if you want to use that word. but you get the idea. they're businesses. the hell's aren't going to randomly hit somebody. it would put their operation in jeopardy. and if the boss found out somebody was fucking around like that, their own life might be in danger.

mom
He just has a really big mouth!....And I would just ignore what he was blithering about for the most part.....

jessica amber murray
in order for him to be able to follow through with a threat like that, he'd need to front some serious cash, and he'd have to find somebody that's on their way out. it sounds like he's bullshitting to me. still, it's hard not to take it seriously.

mom
He has money...

Stashed away....He is into all kinds of illegal shit!

He knows that I know this...

Saturday, October 12, 2013

demo #8: boogeyman / depressed

listening to this all these years later has been sort of interesting. my influences on this track are really blatantly obvious...

it's actually a pop song. honestly. it's also maybe the only song in this collection where i give my age away clearly. this couldn't have been written by an adult.

the instrumental at the end is also something i spent many hours playing, by myself, and is also much older than 1996.

recorded in oct, 1996. remastered on oct 12, 2013.