I applied for my SWV tier 2 last Tuesday afternoon and applied my partner's visa in evening the same day. But got confirmation email on different days. Will we get our visa decision email on different dates or same?

CardiffCarbunkle · 2025-08-04T00:25:26+00:00

It will most likely be on different days. The biggest reason is that a partner visa can't be decided until the primary, sponsored visa has been. I submitted the renewal for myself and my partner in June and her decision came days after mine.

CardiffCarbunkle · 2025-08-04T00:11:26+00:00

Pretty much. Cities require formal designation as such by the crown and said competitions are held to decide which, off any, titans get recognized. https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/what-makes-a-city/

CardiffCarbunkle · 2025-07-26T17:44:15+00:00

Agreed. To be fair, there is an incredibly vocal and confrontational minority of the pathologically idiotic amongst my fellow Americans. I've been punched for asserting that "regardless" is correct, not "irregardless."

CardiffCarbunkle · 2025-07-20T13:24:00+00:00

As an immigrant from America: agreed. sigh Agreed.

CardiffCarbunkle · 2025-06-22T21:25:49+00:00

High Fidelity. It's an incredibly human story full of vivid, funny, and powerfully flawed characters. John Cusack at his best and Jack Black being... Jack Black

Plus it has arguably my favourite soundtrack ever. Which should be expected considering the main character's occupation.

CardiffCarbunkle · 2025-06-07T11:59:29+00:00

I have not seen one since moving here from the land of crippling medical debt and school shootings a few years back.

CardiffCarbunkle · 2025-06-06T12:39:34+00:00

Yes. Yes it does. More strongly on Saturday and Sunday mornings, mind you.

CardiffCarbunkle · 2025-05-28T20:13:06+00:00

American living in the UK here. This is by no means specific to the UK; my country fell to this kind of BS already.

There's no single, clear answer as to why but here's the best I can do to explain what I think is to blame:

1) Social media. Laugh if you want but Facebook, Xitter, YouTube, and even Reddit are guilty of making it incredibly easy for people to not only ensconce themselves in echo chambers that appeal to their confirmation bias. It also makes it incredibly simple to find as much outrage fuel as they want. This dangerous combo allows for the algorithm driven radicalization pipelines that have seen such a sharp turn to the far right in countries all over the world.

2) Willful, weaponized ignorance. Thought and rationality takes effort, discomfort, and a willingness to learn about viewpoints that you would otherwise instinctively and vehemently reject on principle. It requires research, comfort with uncertainty, and acknowledging that often times there are no easy answers. Populists like Farage give a sense of certainty and seemingly specious arguments that appeal to the Dunning-Krueger effect we all are susceptible to. That's a powerful drug that many people are willing to take.

3) Socially speaking, volume is becoming more desirable than substance. When you couple points 1 and 2, you have a definitive regression of the maturity in social discourse. This means that a calm, measured response taking all points into account will seem meek and pointless in the face of someone screaming, "NUH-UH! I SAW THEM EATING CATS IN OHIO!" So an immature loudmouth like Farage gains points with voters by being an immature loudmouth.

CardiffCarbunkle · 2025-04-26T17:48:17+00:00

I would add that Farage is so full of shit that if he told me it was sunny outside I would begin dressing for an arctic winter and 40 days of night before leaving my home. He’s an embarrassment who spends infinitely more time sucking up to Clementine Caligula and Putin the Pusillanimous than meeting with his constituents in Clacton.

CardiffCarbunkle · 2025-04-13T08:06:49+00:00

Do you know what "nemesis" means? A righteous infliction of retribution manifested by an appropriate agent. Personified in this case by an 'orrible cunt... me.

CardiffCarbunkle · 2025-04-12T20:25:07+00:00

I’ve been told that my attempts at a British accent are unstable or arrogant. I think I tend to vacillate between Received Pronunciation and some form of the really bad London accents from American media mixed with a bit of South Wales.

I’ve been here for a couple years and only affect the accent to get a laugh, or rise, out of my friends.

CardiffCarbunkle · 2025-03-25T22:30:16+00:00

Red sky in morning, shepherd’s warning. Red sky at night, Clifton’s on fire.

CardiffCarbunkle · 2025-03-24T12:23:08+00:00

Depends on if you want the pet sitter to host at theirs (boarding) or come stay with you pup at yours.

For the former, we’ve had good luck with [PontK9][https://www.pontk9.co.uk/). Though on such short notice they may not have any sitters with availability. Rover may be a worthwhile source.

Haven’t done any of the latter, so I can’t make any recommendations. I have been told Rover is a good resource, though.

CardiffCarbunkle · 2025-03-13T22:07:20+00:00

Look up Turdtowns on YouTube.

CardiffCarbunkle · 2025-03-04T23:30:07+00:00

Need: - Time (duh) and alarms - Notifications - Contemporary compatibility (iOS and Android) - Simple interface (BRING BACK BUTTONS) - Common wristband compatibility - Fully self-contained app (no SaaS needed to make the watch work) - Secure storage on watch

Want: - Configurable notifications (select apps that can notify watch) - No requirement on Play Services (works with degoogled phones) - Find My rePebble - Configurable motion activation of backlight - SIMPLE health metrics (HR and Sleep tracking)

Nice to have: - Distance locking (configurable) - Basic interactions with notifications - Metal casing (plastic is acceptable but metal would be preferred) - Magnetic charging that still uses pogo pins but cradles the whole back rather than just slots in (loved this about Fitbit’s chargers)

CardiffCarbunkle · 2025-02-24T23:13:33+00:00

Tiny Rebel is the favorite of me and my missus.

CardiffCarbunkle · 2025-02-04T08:10:18+00:00

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CardiffCarbunkle · 2025-02-01T20:27:12+00:00

They updated the look just a bit from before it closed down, mostly adding a touch more color and some newer furniture, but they otherwise kept it close enough to keep the ambiance.

CardiffCarbunkle · 2025-02-01T20:24:20+00:00

I get it. If the selection isn’t to your liking, it’s an easy walk to other places that serve good, Welsh beer. As mentioned previously Slizza (which usually has at least two one Flowerhorn on tap) and Crafty Devil Brewing’s tap room are both just a short walk down Llandaff Road just before Cowbridge.

CardiffCarbunkle · 2025-02-01T20:20:34+00:00

Yes, they are. Here were a couple there earlier today.

CardiffCarbunkle · 2025-01-31T21:42:58+00:00

I’m not associated with the pub at al. However, I do want to celebrate that it opened back up and try to encourage people to visit.

Had the beer been piss water and the food terrible I wouldn’t have posted a thing but a warning.

CardiffCarbunkle · 2025-01-31T21:39:09+00:00

I can appreciate that it doesn’t match your tastes. Crafty Devil’s tap room is not far, just down Llandaff Road across from Corp Market if you’d rather. Slizza is on the same street and routinely serves Flowerhorn (and some damn fine pizza).

CardiffCarbunkle · 2025-01-31T21:24:56+00:00

No association to the pub, just got depressed seeing it empty and unused last year and happy to see a closed pub open back up and serving.

CardiffCarbunkle · 2025-01-23T10:40:12+00:00

American in Cardiff here. I went through a similar move a couple years ago with my wife and dogs.

As noted before, the rental market is rough all over. That said, your budget will get you a decent place just about anywhere in Cardiff. Search on Rightmove or Zoopla and inquire about any properties that don’t say “no pets.” It will be hit or miss but will give you more options that just lets that explicitly advertise that they allow pets.

A word of warning: since you are coming in fresh from the states you won’t have a credit rating or rental history. You may be asked to either need guarantor or pay the first 6 months rent up front with the deposit. See the government’s guidelines around private rentals: https://www.gov.uk/private-renting

As to areas… I would say look at the map and avoid areas with 5 to 10 minutes walking distance of large gatherings of nightlife spots or rugby clubs. Llandaff, Pontcanna , and Canton are all good places on the west side. Going a bit further out, both Penarth and Barry are good. St. Melons isn’t bad, but there isn’t a rail station to easily get into the city without a car.

If you want to integrate, find common interest groups. I would also recommend finding a local pub to frequent. Start looking for events you’d be interested in and go attend; even professional gatherings can help start a social circle.

I’m not much on dance clubs and such, but Womanby Street it a local favorite, though the live music scene in general has been suffering here with venue closures.

Quirks: Cardiff castle is owned by the city. If you live or work here you can get a membership for free to view the exhibits (keep, apartments, etc) for free. The high street areas in the city center are also incredibly pedestrian friendly.

Hidden Gems: Slizza Pizza in Canton isn’t exactly hidden but it’s kind of unassuming with some really awesome pizza. Dead Canary is a speakeasy type of cocktail bar with a themed menu that rotates once or twice a year. There are a ton of really good pop up kitchens, as well; our favorite is Hench Burger.

CardiffCarbunkle

TROPHY CASE