Reducing a purchase price

I placed an order of a new car. I don’t have any complaints about my current car. Considering the present conditions, I decided it.

When I visited a car dealer to get a quotation at first, I didn’t look at it carefully added some accessories and a set of car audio. I found I would be able to reduce a purchasing price after I came back to home. It’s just an idea that I buy floor mats and car audio at the Internet store. The prices the car dealer showed included a set of floor mats at 19,800 yen and an audio set about 60,000 yen. I can get a 7,000 yen floor mat and a 40,000 yen audio set by the Internet. It’s about a half price.

I had thought them inevitable costs before I placed an order. As having car dealers make quotes, these accessories like a set of floor mats, mat guards and door visors were listed on it. Now we don’t need to buy unnecessary stuff.

When I was a boy, every car had a set of white lace seat covers. The prices of cars were enough expensive compared to salaries of business persons at that time. The car owners wanted to treat their cars carefully.

At present, we regard cars as one of consumer goods. The value of cars has been falling. There are other things we want to do or buy. Moreover, we know the means we can get them less expensive. Eventually what we want to get in case of purchasing a car is content. One may choose the performance, or another may like the outward appearance. At any rate, these accessories are not essential.

Mother’s day

It was a Mother’s day yesterday. I went to shopping with my wife. There were many people in the mall. I guess a lot of families have gotten some gifts for their mother or wives. Though I didn’t buy a carnation for her, I treated her to lunch. It’s my thankful feeling to her.

The moment when I entered the shopping mall, I noticed it was a Mother’s day. A lot of banners appealed to us that it’s a Mother’s day and you should buy presents for your special person. This is one of the market tactics, it makes us be inclined to gain something.

I’ve delivered a bunch of carnation to my wife some times. However, I suppose enjoying lunch is enough happy for her. Is it lack of gratitude?

My son, who has been very busy these days thanks to school activities, bought a bag of cream puff at a convenience store and gave it to her. I asked him why he didn’t get another cream puff for me. So it was a Mother’s day.

Rheumatism

My father has complained severe pain of joints around his arms and legs. Though he’s asked doctors what disease he suffered from, the disease name has not identified. After his blood test indicated anemia, a physician set to diagnose his stomach with a gastric camera today.

He asked my wife to take him to the doctor yesterday because he would be done with local anesthesia. She was planned to do. But he drove by himself instead of driven by her.

I was concerned about if he had a cancer because of the anemia and numbness. However, I was surprised to hear the result of the gastroscopy, which his stomach is clear. I can’t believe it. I take a medical check-up every spring. The test sheet has showed some polyps in my stomach since a few years ago.

On the other hand, his symptom is so sharp pain in morning that he can’t get out of his futon bed for a while. I look into it the symptom of rheumatism “morning stiffness.” The doctor also diagnosed it as rheumatism. The cause of this disease is unclear, the treatment is going to be supportive care.

At any rate, it’s good that the suspect of stomach cancer was denied and his disease name was identified. I wonder about that he drive despite of the disease. But he cannot accept any advice of others.

A new wallet

When I went to a shopping mall the other day, I bought a wallet. The day was the next day of my birthday. It may be seen as a birthday gift for me.

It’s about ten years ago when I got the previous wallet. I don’t stick to stuff. Since it was enough to work to hold paper currencies and coins, I didn’t intend to change it.

When I went to a business trip last month, I had a scene that I paid some money out of my wallet in front of others. A part of the outward was rubbed raw and revealed its rough skin. I felt a bit embarrassed.

I remember a shop where I bought the previous wallet. The shop has already been closed. When I picked up it, I became fond of it because of its soft leather.

I don’t know how long you use a wallet. However, ten years might be too long. Because I keep using such an old wallet, I may not earn money enough. Can the new wallet change me something?

Free music

Although I’ve not read it yet, I know of a book title “Free : The Future of a Radical Price” by Chris Anderson. A review on the Web tells me that in the digital marketplace, the most effective price is no price. Digitalized stuff gets to be available free of charge sooner or later.

When my brother came to my place on this Golden Week, he said that the sales figure of CDs has been declining for years. I don’t go to CD shops these days. If I dropped by a CD shop, I could not find CDs I want to buy.

We can get music with no expense by the Internet or other ways. The IT technologies have been changing past methods and stuff including music. Less people buy CDs to listen to music.

According to him, compilation albums with famous songs seem to have relatively a large circulation. I wonder that it means that the gap between famous songs and not ones is increasing.

There are many aspiring young musicians. They are working on to aim to be professionals. However, they are unable to make both ends meet by the profession in reality even if they become professional musicians.

The review of the book shows another rule of “Free” that we can’t stop the “Free.” The sense of value on music has been changing.

My brother also told that some members of the music industry whom he met have moved to other jobs. It’s a pleasant shift for consumers, but for producers it’s a matter of life or death.

Hailstorm

On the way back home from fishing, I came across a sudden hailstorm. Hailstones as big as peas struck my car, the noise they hit the hood and roof of my car had me worried about damage of it. A number of hailstones were rolling on the road. I’ve never seen such a scene.

The weather forecast predicted yesterday that it would be heavy rain today’s afternoon. However I didn’t expect the hailstorm. According to TV news, tornados blew houses and roofs at Tsukuba or other sites. As far as I watched it, the damages in these areas appear to be severe.

We can say it as an abnormal weather. Is it just my imagination that many abnormal climates and natural disasters have happened these days? As seeing these natural disasters destroy buildings and artificial structures, I feel fear and the power of humanity never win the forces of nature.

The storm caused large drops of rain and thunder. But an hour after the dark cumulonimbus blew over, the sun came out.

Birthday

My birthday is in the middle of the Golden Week. When I was small, I felt somewhat excluded because other classmates were celebrated on their birthdays. However, I don’t care about my birthday after half a century passed.

I thank my family. My brother’s family has given me a T-shirt as a birthday gift every year. My wife has prepared a birthday cake. This year’s one was an apple pie. I’ve never eaten an authentic one, so it was so delicious that I was stunned.

I feel that the around 50’s birthday stands on a threshold. My son is busy to deal with examination learning for the next spring college entrance examination and his after-school activity. Even now I don’t have enough time to communicate with him. After he enters a college and leaves this city, I will have further less chance to look at him.

On the other hand, my parents are starting to claim difficulty on their health. My wife and I are going to have to take care of them.

My hair is getting poor. I’m trying not to lose my hair with a hair growth agent. However, I can’t stop it. As well as the hair-disadvantage, I’ve changed my wearing since last year. I didn’t mind about clothes, and I used to wear casual ones like T-shirts and jeans. They came not to fit me. Hence, I’ve begun to put on shirts and slacks.

These external and internal changes have occurred little by little. Probably it’s a situation around 50 years old.

In an old time like Edo era, the life expectancy seems to have been around 50 years old. Most of people of my same age in the Edo period were died. I enjoy playing tennis, swimming and walking. I thank God, family and living in a contemporary advanced country. That’s my birthday.

Hamamatsu Matsuri (festival)

 

Since the Great East Japan disaster struck Japan, the Hamamtsu Matsuri, which are held on May 3^rd to 5^th every year, were called off last year. It is carried out for the first time in two year. 

The origin of the festival is to celebrate the birth of a first boy in a family. The family flies a big kite to pray the infant’s health with the help of its town members. Each town has its float. Floats are pulled by children in each town, and come and go around the town. 

I walked to downtown to see these floats after dinner. When my son was small, I also drew the rope tying a float with him. Now he ignores the floats, so I just look at them. 

There are girls in make-up playing some Japanese musical instruments like flute and drum on a float. Therefore the floats are beautiful and gorgeous. 

The downtown of Hamamatsu city has been losing bustle recently. That floats and the bustle taken back in a downtown is necessary. 

We are used to living in a modern IT society, and we can get anything through the Internet. It’s convenient. To the contrary, the factor of this traditional festival requires more work. And it’s lack of stimulus. In other words, it’s inconvenient. Everyone taking part in it is expecting a part of human.

Idleness

I always wish that I could work for a lifetime. My wife and I visited my parents- in-law. My father-in-law is going to undergo surgery of his cataracts next week. He doesn’t drive, so my wife will take him to a hospital.

He is 76 years old, as well as my parents are the same generation. Fortunately they don’t have serious problems about their health despite of the age. However, they have told us some minor troubles. I don’t know if the cataract is a serious disease. Yet, I heard the surgery would be finished within ten minutes. I guess that the advancement of its surgery technology has overcome the seriousness.

My mother and my mother-in-law say their dizziness. The cause is unclear though they visited doctors. These minor troubles will increase. We can’t resist the age.

My parents-in-law is a farmer and work at their field even now. I think it’s an envious life for a businessperson, who would have nothing to do after the retirement. Even if they don’t earn much money, I think it’s better they have the work than nothing but watching TV all day.

Although I have a lot of time to do something during the holidays, I’ve passed my time in idleness. I should spend the time more efficient. Or, is it wrong that I consider such a matter in a holiday?

Shin Tomei Expressway

I drove part of the Shin Tomei Expressway, which was opened newly to traffic on April 14. I got on to it at Hamamatsu Nishi interchange for Fujieda-Okabe via Mikkabi junction. It is a regular day according to the calendar among the Golden Week holidays. There were not traffic jam on the road, but a service area of Hamamatsu called as Neopasa was so crowded that I gave up to get in it. Instead, I stopped at three parking areas, Enshuu Mori Machi, Kakegawa and Fujieda. I felt they are trying to make an independent shop. Although they have restaurants and souvenir shops, the foods and goods are different.

The road impression is good. I hardly heard the road noise, because I guess it’s new and the pavement technology is better. There are more tunnels compared to the Tomei Expressway because it runs through mountain areas. These tunnels are wide and the insides are brighter thanks to the strong white lights.

The curvature of the Shin Tomei Expressway is surely less than that of the existing expressway. I felt that conversely the up-down is more.

After I got out at Fujieda, I headed for the Rengeji Ike Park to enjoy seeing Fuji (Japanese wisteria) flower. It’s a normal day, but many schools take a school trip. A lot of students or kindergarten pupils were playing at the park. Some boys played at a water place. Their phys ed uniforms were drench.

The flowers of Fuji were beautiful, but they’ve passed the full bloom. It’s a bit of a pity.