La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.
THE SIMPLE TRANSLATION OF “FUE apto” is “It was apt.” It’s the message the director of my driving school finally received in response to his request for information about my exam. He emailed the Department of Traffic. The two-word response, “Fue apto,” means in this case that, yes, I’m able to drive.
I phoned Traffic myself Monday and was told they had no record of me and if I wanted any further information, it could only be done with the assistance of my driving school. They would not talk with me directly. It looks like “I’m apt” is all the confirmation I’m going to get at this point. My data still doesn’t appear on the website but the director insists it will appear to the police if they should stop me for any reason. AND, he hopes I’ll soon receive my license in the mail. Okay then. I might be calling you to bail me out.
As for our New York lawyer: We’ve suspected for a while that he and⁄or his paralegal have been lying to us. The final nail in the coffin? We’ve been waiting a year for one document that would enable us to settle a custody issue and settle my mother’s estate (just a few minor things that have been costing us monthly to maintain in her name). We’ve been told by the paralegal that the court is way behind because of Covid and that the lawyer’s office has been in regular contact with them; this has been a constant refrain throughout our dealings.
I phoned the court directly the other day and learned the documents were sent to our lawyer in March of 2020 and were returned as undeliverable. I also discovered that our lawyer’s paralegal isn’t actually his personal paralegal. She has her own “rent a paralegal” business in another state. Now that the truth is out, I’m staying in “regular contact” [daily] with the lawyer’s office until we have those documents. I’m sorry I didn’t do this sooner. Liar. Liar. Pants on fire.
But, steps in the right direction in recent days and steps in the right direction on a beautiful walk this morning.
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LA TRADUCCIÓN SIMPLE DE “FUE apto” es “It was apt”. Es el mensaje que finalmente recibió el director de mi escuela de manejo en respuesta a su solicitud de información sobre mi examen. Envió un correo electrónico al Departamento de Tráfico. La respuesta de dos palabras, “Fue apto”, significa en este caso que sí, puedo conducir.
Llamé a Tráfico yo mismo el lunes y me dijeron que no tenían ningún registro mío y que si quería más información, solo podía hacerlo con la ayuda de mi escuela de manejo. Ellos no hablarían conmigo directamente. Parece que “Soy apto” es toda la confirmación que obtendré en este momento. Mis datos aún no aparecen en el sitio web, pero el director insiste en que aparecerá a la policía si deben detenerme por cualquier motivo. Y espera que pronto reciba mi carnet por correo. No estoy tan seguro. Podría estar llamándote para que sácame de la cárcel.
Sobre nuestro abogado de Nueva York: Hemos sospechado desde hace un tiempo que él y/o su asistente legal nos han estado mintiendo. ¿El último clavo en el ataúd? Llevamos un año esperando un documento que nos permitiera resolver un problema de custodia y la herencia de mi madre (solo algunas cosas menores que nos han costado mensualmente mantener a su nombre). El asistente legal nos ha dicho que el tribunal está muy atrasado debido a Covid y que la oficina del abogado ha estado en contacto regular con ellos; este ha sido un estribillo constante a lo largo de nuestras relaciones.
Llamé a la corte directamente el otro día y supe que los documentos se enviaron a nuestro abogado en marzo de 2020 y se devolvieron como imposibles de entregar. También descubrí que el asistente legal de nuestro abogado no es en realidad su asistente legal personal. Ella tiene su propio negocio de “alquilar un asistente legal” en otro estado. Ahora que se ha descubierto la verdad, me mantendré en “contacto regular” [todos los días] con la oficina del abogado (que nunca cuenta con personal) hasta que tengamos esos documentos. Lamento no haber hecho esto antes. En inglés, se dice: “Liar, liar, pants on fire.” Signífica: Mentiroso. Mentiroso. Pantalones en llamas. (Porque rima en inglés.)
Pero, pasos en la dirección correcta en los últimos días y pasos en la dirección correcta en una hermosa caminata esta mañana.
• Me sorprendió encontrar un huerto frente al apartamento de alguien en el Paseo.
• Dudo sigue esperando el regreso de las palomas (y Moose, también).
Wish I was ‘a fly on the wall’ for that phone call to your lawyer after learning the truth!
LOVE those photos of Dudo/ocean/terrace.
Jim:
Unfortunately, it was an email and he’s on vacation. So only to the paralegal I caught in this week’s lie. Plan to video chat with the lawyer next week.
Your driver’s license may be apt, but the Department of Traffic is definitely inept. Same clearly applies to the lawyer’s handling of your mother’s estate. Ay yi yi.
Good that you have pleasant things to observe like blue water, panoramic skies, pretty plant life and charming kitty cats.
Mary:
What a let down after all my stress about getting my license. I still don’t really have it and don’t understand how the police will find me in the database. Here’s hoping. The lawyer still has me fuming… and we still don’t have the documents. So grateful for the view and the walks and the cats.
Perhaps the next time you send an email/letter to the lawyer, you might cc the state bar association or some other lawyerly bureaucratic institution responsible for ethical behavior (is there one..in NY?). I know when I had an issue with an insurance company and they didn’t respond, I cc’d (in bold) the Maryland Insurance Administration on my next correspondence to them. Evidently that department had teeth because my issue was then promptly resolved in my favor.
Here’s a link that gives you places to file a complaint in NY: https://www.nycbar.org/for-the-public/about-lawyers-and-judges/complaints-about-lawyers-and-judges-how Even provides links for the complaint form.
Perhaps using one of these addresses on your correspondence might motivate the scumbag. Good luck.
Mary:
Thanks. David Travel Penguin is a lawyer in DC (the one honest one) and provided me with the information to file a grievance. I’m hoping to have this resolved quickly and then do so or there’s no telling what the lawyer and paralegal might do to the process. It might, however, be useful to go the cc route if this isn’t resolved to my satisfaction this week.
Clearly your lawyer was not apt.
Dudo is looking especially photogenic today!
Bob:
Dudo says he’s ALWAYS photogenic. Not only is our lawyer not apt, he’s also a lying ass.
Sorry to hear about your legal woes. That sucks. It’s very hard to conduct legal matters by long distance.
Debra:
It’s been a royal pain to do this from across the ocean. But it seems we might have done it better ourselves from here than he did it from the same city.
I do believe lawyers and lying go hand in hand. I ‘m happy that you are apt. It’s got to be better than being, oh I don’t know, suite. Ba dum tsssh. I’ll go away now, while humming Little Shop of Horrors. That garden freaked me out!
Deedles:
The legal profession is not known for honesty but more for how to get around things. Unfortunately, our idiot lawyer didn’t try to get around things on our behalf. Oh, according to one of our English friends, being apt is much more chic than being flat, too. They bought a bijou apartment, which is not to be mistaken for a small flat (although it would be),
The apt phrase here is Oy with the poodles, along with People are particularly stupid today. I can’t talk to anymore of them. I wonder how many comments I can make made up of nothing but Gilmore Girls quotes.
Love,
Janie
Janie:
Yes, this is definitely Oy with the poodles. I think I might have to go back and watch Gilmore Girls. Besides, I’ve read that Milo Ventimiglia was part of it. Sigh.
Yes! He was young and gorgeous and sexy!!! He plays the bad boy, Jess.
With the ocean nearby, who needs to drive?
Frank:
We DO live in a great place to be without a car.
You should sue the lawyer. Seriously.
Dudo is stunning and I love the urban veggie garden.
Wilma:
Just might at least file a complaint when all is said and done.
I think you better just look at the pretty pictures you shared. Too much turmoil. That lawyer saga is absolutely ridiculous. And I agree with Deedles to a point. Not all lawyer are liars….but the two friends i had once….were lawyers and were always pulling quick ones and fibbing. Now it hard for to to trust another one.
Some lie by omission, Mads. I had a bad time as a witness for my friend and the stuff they left out was important to the case. Bugged the crap out of me.
Deedles:
Lying by omission is bad enough, especially when representing an individual. This team of lawyer and paralegal have blatantly lied. If they lied by omission, they then backed it up by lying outright.
Mistress Borghese:
Travel Penguin is a laywer and not a liar. So there’s ONE!!!
Congrats on getting your Spanish license (I guess I should say passing, as you haven’t gotten it yet :)). As for lawyers…..they are all liars in my experience. Hugs back at ya!
Cheapchick:
Lawyers do not have a good rep… and, sadly, too many have justified that rep. Yeah, I still am not feeling all that secure in that Spanish license. I wonder how many years it will be before I receive it in the mail.
Sounds like you have been going through a lot of hassle recently. Sorry about the lawyer issues. Not fun. The photos are beautiful!
mcpersonalspace54:
I’m going out for more photos today. The license and the lawyer have me stewing.
I look forward to the photos, though I am sorry for the reasons. I hope you get those items resolved quickly.
mcpersonalspace54:
Quickly is not a word used by Traffic or our lawyer and paralegal. Things WILL be resolved.
Good luck!
After you get what you need and the file is closed, the complaint office can be found at http://ww2.nycourts.gov/attorneys/grievance/complaints.shtml Rule 1.3 https://www.nycourts.gov/ad3/AGC/Forms/Rules/Rules%20of%20Professional%20Conduct%2022NYCRR%20Part%201200.pdf
Let me add a reminder on that to my October training agenda (I started writing training materials this afternoon,)
So pretty there
David:
Thanks so much for the links. (WordPress saw all the links and thought it was spam, so held the comment for my approval). I had thought of asking you how I go about filing a complaint. Still no response from the paralegal on the new status of the documents and the lawyer is supposedly on vacation this week (I don’t believe even that), but the minute we’re done with this, I’ll be following up with a grievance. An honest laywer/paralegal would have had this completed two or more years ago. Thanks again.
I really cannot see why the Police would stop you, they probably have their own site which the public cannot see. If you do end up in jail, think of all the stories you will be able to tell when you write your memoirs. As for the Lawyer, this is dreadful and unforgivable, hopefully this can be settled soon.
Laurent:
I just worry in case there’s an accident or an emergency — or they don’t like when I drive 120 kph. I’ve never seen a Spanish jail. I’m still working on that lawyer and paralegal. So infuriating.
Re. the lawyers: Bloody hell. (As the English would say.) It’s so hard to transact any kind of business from afar. Our business affairs are pretty simple but I still get tied in knots by certain things. That’s a fine-looking vegetable garden! I wonder if someone will make off with the produce when it ripens? (They would in NYC, for sure!)
PS — I say that as a former NYC resident. I’m not just being wantonly disparaging. 🙂
Steve:
SG had the same thought about the vegetable garden. Locals tend to be good about those kinds of things, but I can’t imagine the garden will go unpicked by some passerby. Maybe the growers figure there’s enough to go around.
As for the lawyer, yes, it’s hard enough to do these kinds of things from a distance with someone reliable and honest. This has been awful. But, I should have our needs met this week and I’ve already got most of the documentation done to file a grievance. THAT is very satisfying.