It must be time to start thinking about the new semester at school since last night I had my annual first-day-goes-amok dream.  This time I was actually prepared (although I did remember that the next day I was teaching a novel I hadn't yet started reading); I knew which room I was teaching in (Morgan 136), and the building wasn't a maze.  I stopped by my office to pick up my materials, only to discover that my desk, my chair, and everything that had been on the walls were missing.  I went to the English office to complain and was told that since I was only an adjunct, my office was being moved to a local hospital.  By this time I was late to class, and when I went to 136 there was a sign saying that my class had been moved to a different building.  You'd think that since I retired in 2010, these dreams might abate, but evidently old habits die hard.

After the joy of last week's wedding, now comes the serious work of figuring out exactly which benefits we're eligible for and how to apply for them.  The most complicated seems to be a green card for Mohamed.  After the end of DOMA, there was some discussion of whether visa changes would follow and whether couples legally married in one state but residing in a state like Kansas that doesn't recognize same-sex marriages would be eligible.  Both those questions seem to have been answered quickly--and in the affirmative.  Last night I went to the USCIS website, which couldn't be more complicated.  As far as I can figure out, I must file one form attesting to our marriage and another financial form to assure the government that my spouse won't become dependent on the government.  Mohamed must file a longer form (in each case the instructions are several pages longer than the actual form), which is the actual application.  Most of the questions on the form are absurd, questions I thought had been abandoned years ago: are you or have you ever been a member of the Communist party?  Do you advocate the violent overthrow of the U.S. government?  List every club, group, organization, etc., you've belonged to since you were sixteen.  Mohamed also must take a physical to prove that he doesn't have any communicable diseases; only one physician in Topeka is authorized to give the physical.  Each of the forms requires supporting documentation, and each requires a filing fee of several hundred dollars.

In addition, we need to start accumulating evidence that our marriage is real, not a pretense: the marriage certificate, of course, plus pictures from the wedding, congratulatory e-mails and cards, bank and utility statements, letters of support from friends--whatever we can scrape together.  (Thanks for all the e-mails of support, which I'll print out today.)  If Customs and Immigration is convinced, the next step is an interview.  And then finally a bureaucrat will decide whether we love each other. 

The other most immediate benefit will be when I file my federal income tax and can declare my new marital status.  Obviously, I will still have to file as single in Kansas, but one out of two isn't bad.

Some other potential benefits are less pleasant to think about.  Mohamed is obviously a beneficiary in my will, and now the money will pass under estate tax laws rather than as a gift.  That issue is what the Windsor case that struck down DOMA was about.  And since the Republicans have increased the exemption for estate taxes (or 'death taxes' as they love to say) to something like $10,000,000, I'm $9M+ away from having to worry about that.  Less certain is whether Mohamed will be eligible for social security death benefits. 

So these are four areas to keep us occupied for a while.  With a little investigation, I'm sure we'll discover some others.  Now as long as no one moves my desk and chair, I should be good to go.