Permanent

As of 18th December, Uta and I are officially permanent residents of the Commonwealth of Australia. On the positive side, we now don't have to worry about our visas expiring (which they would have at the end of February) and we'll be able to ride out the upcoming U.S. recession in more stable waters. On the negative side, we can no longer deduct our living expenses from our taxes (which was saving us quite a bit of $ every year). Barring deportation from something sordid, we'll be positioned to apply for citizenship in early 2009.