This doesn't add up

But I'm not complaining!

The latest update on priority dates for the N400 Application for Naturalisation at the Phoenix Office of USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Service), issued on July 17th, indicates they're processing applications received on or before January 14th 2006.

So quite how it happens that my application, which has a priority date of May 18th 2006, has advanced to the point of interview is a source of considerable puzzlement.

Meantime I'm doing my rote learning over dinner. I think Andrew's enjoying being the questioner rather than the questioned though we often disagree and have to resort to our friend Google to prove that I'm right and he's wrong. Bastard did get me on the number of constitutional amendments though; I had 37 and he had 27. Confusion over whether the Bill of Rights were the first 10 or not...

The scariest question that may come up is to name the original 13 colonies. Let's see how I do (and I'm writing this from memory, no cheat sheet).

New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Massachussets, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia.

Easy enough to remember; think of the three News, then stick to the East Coast and work southward...

Now if only I can remember that it was the 18th amendment that ushered in Prohibition and the 19th that gave women the vote! (Yes, I did have to look those numbers up). Oh, and blessed be the 21st amendment!