u/NoahCzark

My wife and I watch a fair amount of British TV, but lately, I've been rewatching Last Tango in Halifax in particular, and catch myself occasionally thinking in those specific Northern regionalisms. It’s somewhat odd - I'm not consciously voicing my thought that way, but I'm suddenly aware that I've fallen into it. For example, last night we were watching the new A Woman of Substance, and disappointed that Brenda Blethyn's role has been relatively small so far, I caught myself thinking, "They 'aven't given our Brenda very much to do yet, 'ave they?"

As I think about it, it's almost as though I was hearing Vera's voice in my head.

I recently purchased titanium frames from Morgenthal Fredericks in midtown, but for the lenses, I'm interested in shopping around to see if I can get good quality at less of a premium.

Can anyone recommend a great independent optical shop or local lab that does a great job with frames purchased elsewhere? I have a progressive prescription (+2.25 Add) and need a store that can do precise digital progressive fittings.

Manhattan ideally, but open to Brooklyn or Queens if convenient to train.

Thanks.

I never gave this much thought because It usually doesn’t make much practical difference, but does it ever feel “off” to you to have your underwear sit higher than your pants? I noticed it today in particular because I’m atypically wearing jeans to work, with a fitted white linen shirt tucked in. Something about the thin fabric over the dark underwear made me hyper-aware, even though you can’t actually see my underwear waistband through my shirt.

But I guess it’s normal to wear your underwear closer to your natural waist, whereas your pants, particularly jeans, are worn closer to the hip bone, leaving your underwear sitting maybe an inch and a half above the waistband of your pants?

I ended up adjusting my underwear to wear it closer to my hipbones, just because it felt weird, although the adjustment feels unusual itself…

I know I’m overthinking it, LOL, just curious if anyone ever feels like they have to adjust the way they wear their underwear based on what they’re wearing, or if people have underwear in various cuts, as women often do, to accommodate different types of outfits?

Applying online from the U.S. for my first British passport. I asked a longtime friend to be my identity confirmer - he's a U.S. citizen and attorney who had also served as a referree for my citizenship application - but when he tried to complete the confirmation online, HMPO rejected him as ineligible, and informed me that I need to select a British passport holder, even though the guidelines on the website clearly state that U.S. passport holders are eligible. Anyone else run into this? Most UK passport holders I know are either family members or not in a profession on the recognised list.

EDIT: thanks all, my American attorney friend is on vacation, so I'd rather not disturb him again with troubleshooting; my British friend who is currently in a non-qualifying profession reminded me that she is retired from a qualifying one, so I'll just have her complete it on that basis. Thanks!

Adding my timeline as an FYI for other applicants:

• 13 Oct 25: Application mailed
• 27 Nov 25: Approval email received from Home Office
• 23 Mar 26: Emailed consulate to follow up (since it was well past the expected 16 weeks)
• 26 Mar 26: Consulate finally emailed confirming receipt of my certificate from the Home Office (they’d been backlogged)
• 20 May 26: Ceremony!

 

Ceremony date was a last-minute serendipity. Someone else had to drop out and reschedule for a later date. As of the week before last, the consulate still anticipated I’d be scheduled for a June ceremony, although they hadn't officially set that date yet.

Good luck to anyone still waiting!

Both parents were born in Montserrat, so I applied and was approved via BOTC. Since my approval and ceremony notifications reference only my UK citizenship ceremony, is there a separate process to obtain the actual territory citizenship certificate?