Author: Doris

Our dining room wall is getting filled with laminated photos of Edda’s favorite foods. Edda is starting to use these cards to tell us what she wants to eat.

My main memories of my grandfather are so blurry and fuzzy. We spent only a few weeks together during my whole life. I think maybe twice in my life, I flew from DC to California to spend a week with my grandparents. I remember he loved Whoppers, we walked to the Burger King everyday for lunch. I remember he and grandma ate crackers and jelly for breakfast. I remember he took me to the San Diego Zoo and Sea World – I don’t actually remember the zoo or the amusement park, I just remember how long the bus ride seemed to be from LA to San Diego. I remember he had a scruffy cat and he was the first person I knew who had a sprinkler system in his front yard. I know that he was not an easy man to live with, but he was kind to me during our short stays together and it was nice.

I’m trying to find photos of my grandfather (my father’s father), I think there are a few digital ones which show him hanging out with Vince and Edda, but they are lost in a sea of disorganization. I know I have paper ones, but those are locked in a storage facility somewhere in New Jersey.

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Vince is sick today – he stayed home from school, but not sick enough to participate in today’s Mid Autumn festival.

Grandpa passed away in LA at 96 this morning.

In LA, aunts Diana, Jane, Liz, Helen and uncle Joseph took care of him day in and day out for all these years for which I am deeply appreciated. Although Grandpa was healthy until the last moment, still there were a lot compassion and hard work involved.

Well, finally, Grandpa and Grandmom can rest together and I wish them all the best.

About 6 to 8 months ago, when I was in the middle of all this medical crap for Edda, I couldn’t look at other children Edda’s age or younger without feeling sorry for myself. A tightness would surround my chest and I would have to excuse myself so I could sit and cry in the bathroom. There were plenty of dinners and parties where I had spent a good 30 minutes of the evening crying in the bathroom and then trying to make myself look like I wasn’t crying.

I would see 12 month old kids learning to walk and using their pincer grip and when they would reach out to say hello to me, I would give them the evil eye and mutter to them something about not knowing how lucky they were to be able to pick up their own Cheerios. Grrr.. I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to invite another child born in the year 2004 over to my house ever again.

But I’m happy to say that I’m pretty much over it. Where I was 6 months ago, I was at the fork in the road and I could still see that most everyone else was taking the other road, which was well paved and had good directions and my road looked rather dark and in need of a good weedwacker. I really, really wanted to be on the other road, everyone else was turning right! I wanted to be in the right lane too! But now I’m so far down my own road, I can’t even really believe there exists another road for me and my life for it is so far away now that there is no way I can find it again.

So now I pick up babies and kiss them and tell their mothers how beautiful their kids are and I see the kids in Vince’s school that are Edda’s age and I’m OK with it all!

There are no photos of beaches or swimming pools. There are no photos of sand or sunscreen. Within an hour of us arriving at Bintan, a mishap occurred. Vince, while jumping down steps, managed to unbalance Mom who was holding onto his little hand and Mom tumbled to the ground.

The rest of the time at the resort, Mom hobbled around and we managed to snag the use of a wheelchair for the whole time that we were there. I was hoping that it was only sprained, but after 2 days of no decrease of pain, we decided to get the appendage X-rayed in Singapore. Everything is fine. Perhaps just a minor crack of the heelbone. Just a compression bandage and some Tylenol and Motrin and some crutches.

We did have a good time. Mom and I squeezed in a facial at the spa and some good swimming sessions. Jeremy recovered from hives. Vince took some time getting used to spending time in the Mini Club Med, but once he started he loved it. Edda had a nice time at the pool and the beach, but she still loves her air conditioning and if kept out too long in the tropical weather, she started to wilt.

The three girls

Mom is off in Hong Kong, not missing a step in her Asia tour!

Ever see a million bucks?

My mom and Vince worked together to make a welcome home dinner for Jeremy. It included dumplings, carrot cake, salmon, broccoli and eggplant and pork dishes. Yummy!

Do you see what Mom is holding? It’s a fish head. Mom is so excited about all the cooking ingredients available in Singapore. No need to head downtown for parmesean cheese or ravioli or corn tortillas or salsa or frozen pizza or peas. No need when you can just go buy yourself a fish head at the local market.

She makes a terrific fish head soup!

…you spill your Starbucks vanilla latte all over your bike?

Sigh.

This morning, I decide I need a little pick me up and I dropped by Starbucks on my way into work. I was riding my bike, and of course, I never drink coffee, but sometimes I do get a craving for it. Anyways, I drop by the Starbucks on California St. It’s a big Starbucks, which is good since I’m there with my bike. Everyone’s giving me funny looks cause I’m in my whole get up. I order my drink and pop it into the vertical water bottle holder and take off down the street. The thing I forgot was that there’s this little hole in the lid, where you sip out of, and all of a sudden there’s latte everywhere. On my frame, on my cranks, on my wheel. I think I lost half of my latte within 20 feet. Of course, it turns all sticky and nasty after I bike the remaining 1 mile into work.

The stupid thing is that I’ve done this a bazillion times with sodas from McDonald’s and it’s never spilled a drop. Sigh. Next time I’ll have to duct tape the opening before biking away.

However, the coffee cake I got was excellent and intact.

This is what Vince did to himself today:

So I had to shave his head. I’m sorry, Jeremy. Leave me alone with the kids for less than 2 days, this is what happens.