This morning we went to the government office to get our documents. We were assisted by a young and pretty Japanese lady. I though she was Mexican when were speaking over the phone to arrange our meeting. Her name was Chico which solidified my impression that she was Latin American. But Chico was in fact a nickname. She has been here for about 7 years and knows her way around. She was born in Nagoya, Japan. She helped us go the bank with my son to open his account. She also helped me in the gas station to check the tire pressure of the rental car. Actually, she told me how much money to tip the attendant who checked the tires.
Finally, she helped me return the rental car to the airport. She drove the rental because she was used to the automatic transmission. I drove the new second hand car which had a manual transmission. Checking again the Internet, this car model seemed to get mixed reviews. I discovered that it had more negative views than I had noticed previously. I wonder why I missed this part. I guess you tend to see only what you what to see. But I guess the over riding attraction for me was the lowered price. It was what made me buy it. Now that I am reading less than good reviews I wonder if I made a mistake. Now for the second car, I am deciding whether to buy a Ford or a Nissan.
I thought I should have a Japanese car for my second one so that I have a balance of reliability. At the moment, a 2007 Nissan in the car dealer I am looking at, is the brand with the lowest mileage and cost as compared to Toyota or Honda. In fact I think you can never get a used Toyota or Honda with a car mileage less than 50,000 miles because of their quality and durability. People tend to keep them and use them more rather than most car brands. The Nissan is the next good alternative and there are used car mileage of less than 50,000. A good reliable car but not in the same class as the other 2 well known Japanese brands.
On the other hand, Ford provides an attractive alternative. There are good pre-owned cars that have less than 20,000 miles, with good miles per gallon at a very attractive selling price. So I am seriously thinking of Ford if the car I liked - a 2 door 2007 Ford Focus - is still available when my wife and son arrives in June. I think the 2 door model will be a good car for my kids to go to school with instead of the Saturn. I am also closing the deal on the townhouse and it looks like it can be settled in less than 30 days. Last night I also took care of the school transcript verification for my son to complete his enrollment. Hopefully it will turn out right with his previous school credits accepted here.
It was actually a rough day and the government agency found an old record 24 years ago that I deeply regret having done. It was at the back of my mind and I did not think their system could have records stretching that far back. So now this problem has come back to haunt me and bite me in the ass after so many years. It has come at a time when everything seems to be working out fine. Now I am getting paranoid after this incident and I am getting to see demons everywhere because it can turn our really bad for me and my family. I hope they just delete the old record so that we can start anew.
I pray again that God will help me and turn things right. So many things in my mind and suddenly this comes out to strike me. It like that scene in the famous move ('The Godfather'? I think) when the hero tries to lead a new life but out comes his past to drag him back to a life of crime. this afternoon I had a good discussion with my boss on the things I need to do. I think he is a decent man and I have to continually talk to him to understand his thoughts. He is actually very intelligent and we reached a good understanding on the project. I am starting to get excited again on the work and in my life and circumstances but out comes this problem. Suddenly I have thoughts of failure and disgrace and shame.
I got my first paycheck yesterday and was shocked to find that my taxes where 33%. I was suddenly fearful that my financial plans will be thrashed. But I think my finances are still sound and we could still survive by living frugally. Maybe I need to get a 2nd job. The Ford purchase is also starting to look good. But now comes the ghost of my past lurking behind. I think the people at the agency will do the right thing instead of making it a big brouhaha. What have they got? I think they do not have a picture nor a thumbprint. Will they go to all that trouble to dig up the past? I think they can if they want to but I hope my situation will appeal to their humanity. Please God help me.
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