I went to get my passport today because the furnace guy showed up early in the 1-5pm time block for my appointment to fix the furnace. This was the second time in a few weeks that the furnace guy came out. The first time it was due to no heat. This time it was due to a funny noise. I took off work early to be home, and lucky me, he finished very early.
Since I had a few hours before local government shut down for the day, I decided to take advantage of my time and apply for my passport. First, I filled out the electronic form online. I was shocked by some of the questions they ask – like my ex-husband’s birthday (I don’t effen remember! I try to block what I remember about him as much as possible!) and my parent’s full names… but I happily fill in the blanks, print it out, and then run up the street to deliver it to the County Clerk.
My family is Catholic on my mother’s side, I’m sure I’ve mentioned. You know that Catholics make their kids go to catechism for umpteen years (okay I don’t really know how long) and when they’ve successfuly completed catechism, they get another name. That’s right, your gift from God is another name. Yeah, I don’t get it either. So my mother’s full name was Maria Azucena Dolores (last name would be right her if I wanted to share.)
I suppose having all those names would really confuse a person. I know for a fact my mother went by every name you could possibly ever imagine given all those names. Her family called her Nena, her friends called her Susie, legally she was Maria, and at work she was Susan (English for Azucena.) And on my birth certificate she went by Susan Dolores.
But I did not know this when I filled out the damn electronic copy of the form required to get a passport. I used her legal name – Maria Azucena. This caused a problem at the office and could result in a letter being sent to me about the discrepancy. Honestly. Why do they need to know my parents’ names anyway? What they hell does that prove… except I think my parents created the “family curse” by changing their names to suit their mood on a regular basis.
But I blame the Catholics. It makes me feel better.
Hey if it makes you feel better, being Catholic my self, my full name is Karin Alexandra Lina Katherine Powers.