December 10, 2008
Uncle Marty chose Georgie V’s, not close to anything, so Janet was iffy about coming until the last minute. Milton said he would show but ended up not coming at all. Marty started off bringing us up to date about his house; they can now park both cars in their garage. He said he assumes that someone, not naming names, will bash into the side and they will soon need to replace something about the doors.
Marty also told us about playing chess with the boys at the chess club at Highland Park Library. Sometimes there are an uneven number of children, and an adult is conscripted to play, which is how he ended up playing against a 6 year old who is known as a killer chess player. Marty was sweating, concentrating hard, when the little guy made a mistake. Did Uncle Marty ask him if he wanted to redo the move? Did he offer guidance of some kind? Nope. He swooped in and won the game. And did he feel great about it? Well, it’s Uncle Marty, so you guess!
Grandma wanted to talk about the details of the upcoming trip, like who is bringing what medicines (and should she bring her Cipro even though it expired in 2006…Dr. Janet assured her that it was okay), how are people getting to the airport (we should try to use Grandpa’s driver if possible), she is going to start packing now since it takes her a long time to get organized for both Grandpa and Grandma, etc.
Grandma also wanted to talk about the birthday gift Sevonne and I picked out for her from Neiman’s that she just returned this week, and how will that work because she didn’t want a store credit so they put it back on my card. They were beautiful earrings, she admitted, but too heavy for her ears so they hurt. I refused to talk about the returning of birthday gifts at lunch; why does it need to be discussed in front of everyone else? Grandma says ‘because I never talk to you’. Yeah, except for every morning when I call to check in.
Uncle Marty brought up all the excitement of our governor Rod Blagojevitch being taken to jail yesterday; about that great Patrick Fitzgerald who is so much better than his predecessor and who inspires hope in integrity. We all liked how the FBI swooped in on Blagojevitch…maybe now we’ll all learn how to spell his name...and we wondered if his wife, who Janet reminded us is Jewish, will also go down. She is heard on at least one of the hidden tapes using profanity and suggesting that she knew something about what Rod was doing. She is the daughter of Dick Mell, who never really liked her husband the governor and who was basically shafted early on by his son in law, Rod.
Janet thinks the wife is crooked; and Marty told a story about our friend and colleague Doug Imber doing a real estate deal into which she, Patti Blagojevitch, tried to insert herself. Why? Because she wants more money. How was it even possible, I wondered? Doug is such a good guy; he fended her off, but it must have rattled him. We all know she did a lot of business with the shyster Antoine Rezko, same guy who arranged for Obama to buy his lovely Hyde Park home, and whose name was bandied about as one of the unsavory characters with whom Obama has a relationship.
Certain amount of speculation proceeded about Obama’s connections and knowledge of events….this is his vacant seat that is the source the governor’s attempts at extortion/bribery. And how will that be figured out now? Grandma expressed disdain for Jesse Jackson Jr, who is on the list, and brought up the possibility of Mark Kirk. But he is a republican so that is doubtful, even if an election were called. Grandma suggested that all politicians are crooked, but I defended Mark Kirk, and Janet said that he doesn’t go to sports events, takes no money from anyone, refuses any gifts, and anything that could possibly be taken as gift. She did however see Joe Biden sitting near where she and Gadi sit at this weekend’s Bulls game.
Janet says there is no longer any edible food at Bulls games; nothing vegetarian, and they don’t let you bring in food. I’m going to check with Gabie’s friend’s mom, because they always cater fabulous kosher feasts in their box at Bulls games, and sometimes invite friends along. Gabie is invited for this Saturday night….I told Janet if she is going she should go look for their box and invite herself in to eat something! The friend’s mom was an old friend of our departed cousin Jackie, so it wouldn’t be so terrible or strange for Janet to stop in and say hello even if she doesn’t know them.
Back to talking about Mexico, Marty wonders about the workout facilities, and although it’s just a room, Janet thinks they have all the right equipment. I think the beach if very small in this place, and you have to go back and forth a number of times to reach even a mile, but Janet says it’s better to walk back and forth on a quiet beach than to brave hordes of people on some of the nicer beaches. I waxed prolific about the yummy food at Dreams; the guacamole and eggs every morning, the fruit smoothies, delicious salads and good ice cream. Janet gushed about the coffee. The food at this place is excellent.
Grandma reminded us all about how dangerous it’s all going to be, how the kids should never be alone in town. Janet remembered that Milt and Ibby went into town almost every day when we were in Cabo a few years ago, so there will usually be adults nearby if kids want to go browsing in the shops. I plan to sit myself on the beach and only get up to eat or go back to the room. I feel no need to shop in the town or eat in the town. Janet said that all her best serving plates were from Puerto Vallarta….they have special things there and no where else. Still, there is nothing I need but sun and sand and a cool drink (plus a bowl of chips with guacamole). We are all looking forward to this vacation!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
All Four of Us with Grandpa
November 18, 2008
Last week Anat was with us for lunch at PF Chang’s, because she had just finished finals and there was a short break. Her goal was to stop thinking during that break, which was hard for her after all that constant study. I think Anat told stories about medical school, but Grandma was sitting across from me and she kept chatting so that I couldn’t hear what Anat was saying at the other end of the table. I brought extra Advair disks for Marty because two of the kids use it. Our friend Henry Danko, who used to be Grandma Weiss’s doctor, gave me a box of samples, and I shared them with Janet, Milton, and now Marty. Thee food was good, and the dessert was a giant piece of chocolate cake big enough to share between the six of us.
Today, Janet, Milton, Marty, and I had lunch with Grandpa at Stir Crazy. Marty started complaining immediately, because he much prefers an eggy kind of place, but Janet had complained earlier about how awful Eggshell Café is….something is wrong, she thinks, about the way they prepare the food. I think she suspects the cleanliness of the kitchen. So we had some discussion about where to meet next week, when some of the college kids will be around.
Grandpa has a big bandage smack across his forehead, which invites conversation. Turns out he got it on the edge of his car door when he turned around without noticing the door was still there and open. Marty, luckily, bandaged him up. We spoke a bit about how glad we all were that he now has a driver, and no car of his own. Grandma seems to think that he will lease a new car when the winter is over, but all four of us sat there and echoed each other’s relief that Grandpa is not driving.
I said I’d actually used Mark, the driver, to help me on Monday when both Becky’s and David’s cars were dead; one had to be towed, the other jump-started. I needed a ride to pick up Becky’s car from the mechanic (Kenny), and it was great to have someone like that to call. Even though Grandpa shares the driver with Julie Dann’s father, Charlie, the Danns are leaving for Florida next week, and the driver will be totally available to Grandpa. It’s not that much money either.
Marty updated us on the state of his house renovations….heated bathroom floors, steam shower etc. I made a snarky remark about how I look forward to when they are finished and he’ll have to regale us with interesting stories for a change (as fascinating as it is to hear about kinds of wood flooring). He also wanted to tell us about Sammy and his chess club….another gripping tale.
Milton told us that Matt is coming home on Friday night; it’s great that he has the entire week off. It’s really smart, because first of all the tickets are probably less, and secondly, everyone gets to enjoy the full week. Dani comes on Tuesday so she’ll be there, but both Maya and Becky get home too late on Wednesday.
Janet told us that she has a precancerous growth on her face that she is treating with a special cream. It led, as usual, to a discussion of who is fighting cancer, who had a double mastectomy, and who died (the second husband of our old neighbor Bobbi Zerlin, whose first husband Sam was one of Grandpa’s favorite people in the world).
At some point during the lunch, cousin Joanne Kirshenbaum came by with her mom Suri, and aunt Pearl. After kisses all around, Janet said mazal tov to Joanne, because her son Eric (Dani’s grade) just got accepted to U of I medical school. Janet is friends with Joanne, but no one in that entire family has been overly friendly to us since we moved back to Chicago.
Milton and Marty told us of their plans to meet at the bike trail off of Lake Cook to go for a ride this afternoon, so they had to leave early. We talked about working out; how Janet and I meet with a personal trainer every Friday morning, and Janet also works out with him on Tuesdays. I told Milton that we sometimes see Ibby’s friend working out with Donovan, who has a gorgeous body. Milton said he would never let Ibby work out with a cute guy, but I said that Donavan and Michael (David’s trainer) call women over 30 ‘cougars’, and that he shouldn’t worry about it at all. He announced that he’d then have to work out with a beautiful woman who was also a dancer.
Marty wanted to know about our work outs, and I told him that we like Aaron because he is a kinesiologist (or something) and can help us every time one of us hurts something. Also, we have that stenosis in our family. We spent a moment remembering Grandma, who was bent over the last few years from stenosis of the spine. Uncle Leon also had it, and Grandma is starting to feel it, but she and Grandpa are working out with a physical therapist.
Marty and Milton left, and Janet and I chatted with Grandpa for a bit. We tried to find a good chocolatey dessert, but they really didn’t have anything. Looks like we won’t be returning to Stir Crazy. Janet then drove Grandpa back to the office, but she promised to stop and get him something chocolate at Starbucks on the way. I had to run home and get back to the computer, I explained, because I have a hard time working in short installments, and need a chunk of time to get things done.
Last week Anat was with us for lunch at PF Chang’s, because she had just finished finals and there was a short break. Her goal was to stop thinking during that break, which was hard for her after all that constant study. I think Anat told stories about medical school, but Grandma was sitting across from me and she kept chatting so that I couldn’t hear what Anat was saying at the other end of the table. I brought extra Advair disks for Marty because two of the kids use it. Our friend Henry Danko, who used to be Grandma Weiss’s doctor, gave me a box of samples, and I shared them with Janet, Milton, and now Marty. Thee food was good, and the dessert was a giant piece of chocolate cake big enough to share between the six of us.
Today, Janet, Milton, Marty, and I had lunch with Grandpa at Stir Crazy. Marty started complaining immediately, because he much prefers an eggy kind of place, but Janet had complained earlier about how awful Eggshell Café is….something is wrong, she thinks, about the way they prepare the food. I think she suspects the cleanliness of the kitchen. So we had some discussion about where to meet next week, when some of the college kids will be around.
Grandpa has a big bandage smack across his forehead, which invites conversation. Turns out he got it on the edge of his car door when he turned around without noticing the door was still there and open. Marty, luckily, bandaged him up. We spoke a bit about how glad we all were that he now has a driver, and no car of his own. Grandma seems to think that he will lease a new car when the winter is over, but all four of us sat there and echoed each other’s relief that Grandpa is not driving.
I said I’d actually used Mark, the driver, to help me on Monday when both Becky’s and David’s cars were dead; one had to be towed, the other jump-started. I needed a ride to pick up Becky’s car from the mechanic (Kenny), and it was great to have someone like that to call. Even though Grandpa shares the driver with Julie Dann’s father, Charlie, the Danns are leaving for Florida next week, and the driver will be totally available to Grandpa. It’s not that much money either.
Marty updated us on the state of his house renovations….heated bathroom floors, steam shower etc. I made a snarky remark about how I look forward to when they are finished and he’ll have to regale us with interesting stories for a change (as fascinating as it is to hear about kinds of wood flooring). He also wanted to tell us about Sammy and his chess club….another gripping tale.
Milton told us that Matt is coming home on Friday night; it’s great that he has the entire week off. It’s really smart, because first of all the tickets are probably less, and secondly, everyone gets to enjoy the full week. Dani comes on Tuesday so she’ll be there, but both Maya and Becky get home too late on Wednesday.
Janet told us that she has a precancerous growth on her face that she is treating with a special cream. It led, as usual, to a discussion of who is fighting cancer, who had a double mastectomy, and who died (the second husband of our old neighbor Bobbi Zerlin, whose first husband Sam was one of Grandpa’s favorite people in the world).
At some point during the lunch, cousin Joanne Kirshenbaum came by with her mom Suri, and aunt Pearl. After kisses all around, Janet said mazal tov to Joanne, because her son Eric (Dani’s grade) just got accepted to U of I medical school. Janet is friends with Joanne, but no one in that entire family has been overly friendly to us since we moved back to Chicago.
Milton and Marty told us of their plans to meet at the bike trail off of Lake Cook to go for a ride this afternoon, so they had to leave early. We talked about working out; how Janet and I meet with a personal trainer every Friday morning, and Janet also works out with him on Tuesdays. I told Milton that we sometimes see Ibby’s friend working out with Donovan, who has a gorgeous body. Milton said he would never let Ibby work out with a cute guy, but I said that Donavan and Michael (David’s trainer) call women over 30 ‘cougars’, and that he shouldn’t worry about it at all. He announced that he’d then have to work out with a beautiful woman who was also a dancer.
Marty wanted to know about our work outs, and I told him that we like Aaron because he is a kinesiologist (or something) and can help us every time one of us hurts something. Also, we have that stenosis in our family. We spent a moment remembering Grandma, who was bent over the last few years from stenosis of the spine. Uncle Leon also had it, and Grandma is starting to feel it, but she and Grandpa are working out with a physical therapist.
Marty and Milton left, and Janet and I chatted with Grandpa for a bit. We tried to find a good chocolatey dessert, but they really didn’t have anything. Looks like we won’t be returning to Stir Crazy. Janet then drove Grandpa back to the office, but she promised to stop and get him something chocolate at Starbucks on the way. I had to run home and get back to the computer, I explained, because I have a hard time working in short installments, and need a chunk of time to get things done.
Robin Pfeifer visits from Corfu
November 5, 2008
Robin Pfeifer came in from Corfu, and met us, with her sister Susie, at Eggshell Café. For those grandchildren who remember Robin’s mother (Grandma’s best friend for years, and one of the most fun people in the world), Robin is sort of a wilder version of Anita Pfeifer. Anita died about four years ago, and since Grandma and Grandpa held the shiva at their house, the kids all probably remember being there.
Anita smoked for years, even after her first heart attack, and ultimately died of complications caused by all that smoking. It’s shocking that Robin still smokes, but she was always a rebellious and free-spirited person who did what she wanted. She dropped out of Niles East after one semester (she reminded me at lunch) and went to a city high school for a short time before calling it quits. She tried several different jobs; and even created a knitting business, making one sweater a day and selling it for lots of money. Then, she started travelling the world, earning money here and there doing this and that.
She told me that early on, she knew that she wanted to live on an island, and when, after years of travelling, she landed on Corfu, she knew that was her island. So, she found a cute guy on the beach, and within months, notified him that she was ready to be married and have a lot of children. When they finally had the wedding (before a justice of the peace in the town with just his family), she was already pregnant with her eldest son.
She is now divorced, with four kids ages 14-20, and still on the island. She told me that she knew at the wedding that she was making a mistake, because she wanted a horse drawn carriage ride that day, but her groom Costas wouldn’t treat her to it because it was too expensive. On her wedding day! Finally after four kids, she couldn’t live with someone who was so controlling, almost abusive, who wouldn’t let her have friends, or even leave the house much.
I can’t imagine anyone having much control over Robin. She built a restaurant from scratch, and left it to Costas and the kids when she left the marriage. She bought a small bar in the town, with a room to live in behind it, and enough room in summer for about 60 people. Grandma asked if she served food with the drinks and was shocked when Robin said no pretzels, or nuts or anything. But late at night, when it is just locals, she throws together pizzas (Grandma wanted more details so we know that she uses prepared crust). It is called Robin’s Nest, and when any of the kids go to Greece, I hope they look her up.
The youngest of the Pfeifer kids was at lunch also, and Grandpa spent time chatting with her. She is evangelical, and raised five children in that world. I’m not all that interested in talking to her; she was never as much fun as Howard or Robin. But I did like hearing about her children, especially that she has one who is musical like Howard. Both girls filled us in on Howard’s life; his reworking of a Broadway musical he hopes to launch, his beautiful older girls, and the 8 year old son he had with his second wife. Grandma’s cousin Frances and I fixed Howard up with this first wife, who turned out to be a spoiled, bratty girl, but who gave him three lovely daughters. I felt bad about that shiduch for a long time, but after all he got the daughters.
I remember many of those times we went to the reform congregation to which their family belonged. It was all very sing-songy and formal but with camp music. I never liked it, but now that I know all three kids grew up to marry non-Jews, I like it less. Even though I was a reform cantor for many years, my apathy towards that movement has grown, and I’m not at all sure it is worthwhile to keep people tethered to a Judaism that is so watered down and easy to depart from. I’ve told Grandpa that I wouldn’t want it to be so easy for my children to jump into another world; how can anyone miss Shabbat if they never experience it?
Grandma asked Robin if she felt safe living alone serving alcohol to tourists late at night. Robin says there is little crime on Corfu. Where would they escape to? Grandma remembered travelling to the Cayman Islands years ago, and learning about the one criminal in the jail, a guy who had murdered his wife, who was let out on holidays to be with his family since there was no place for him to run to. Grandma thought I remembered all those visits to Grand Cayman, but I replied dryly that I’d never been.
Robin told us that she is always thinking of new ideas, new projects to do. She is inspired now to do some jewelry making, like necklaces with stones inscribed with Greek sayings that she can sell in her bar. She has met men from all over the world, but she would love to have a single good relationship as soon as her youngest is out of the house (even though the kids are living with the father in the family house). She works hard from May to October during the tourist season, take a vacation in the winter, and plans to go back and open the bar to locals on the weekends. She is happy.
I think it was fun for both Grandma and Grandpa to remember Anita; so many happy times together! So much laughter and fun, cultural events and dinners; she was someone special for all of us.
Robin Pfeifer came in from Corfu, and met us, with her sister Susie, at Eggshell Café. For those grandchildren who remember Robin’s mother (Grandma’s best friend for years, and one of the most fun people in the world), Robin is sort of a wilder version of Anita Pfeifer. Anita died about four years ago, and since Grandma and Grandpa held the shiva at their house, the kids all probably remember being there.
Anita smoked for years, even after her first heart attack, and ultimately died of complications caused by all that smoking. It’s shocking that Robin still smokes, but she was always a rebellious and free-spirited person who did what she wanted. She dropped out of Niles East after one semester (she reminded me at lunch) and went to a city high school for a short time before calling it quits. She tried several different jobs; and even created a knitting business, making one sweater a day and selling it for lots of money. Then, she started travelling the world, earning money here and there doing this and that.
She told me that early on, she knew that she wanted to live on an island, and when, after years of travelling, she landed on Corfu, she knew that was her island. So, she found a cute guy on the beach, and within months, notified him that she was ready to be married and have a lot of children. When they finally had the wedding (before a justice of the peace in the town with just his family), she was already pregnant with her eldest son.
She is now divorced, with four kids ages 14-20, and still on the island. She told me that she knew at the wedding that she was making a mistake, because she wanted a horse drawn carriage ride that day, but her groom Costas wouldn’t treat her to it because it was too expensive. On her wedding day! Finally after four kids, she couldn’t live with someone who was so controlling, almost abusive, who wouldn’t let her have friends, or even leave the house much.
I can’t imagine anyone having much control over Robin. She built a restaurant from scratch, and left it to Costas and the kids when she left the marriage. She bought a small bar in the town, with a room to live in behind it, and enough room in summer for about 60 people. Grandma asked if she served food with the drinks and was shocked when Robin said no pretzels, or nuts or anything. But late at night, when it is just locals, she throws together pizzas (Grandma wanted more details so we know that she uses prepared crust). It is called Robin’s Nest, and when any of the kids go to Greece, I hope they look her up.
The youngest of the Pfeifer kids was at lunch also, and Grandpa spent time chatting with her. She is evangelical, and raised five children in that world. I’m not all that interested in talking to her; she was never as much fun as Howard or Robin. But I did like hearing about her children, especially that she has one who is musical like Howard. Both girls filled us in on Howard’s life; his reworking of a Broadway musical he hopes to launch, his beautiful older girls, and the 8 year old son he had with his second wife. Grandma’s cousin Frances and I fixed Howard up with this first wife, who turned out to be a spoiled, bratty girl, but who gave him three lovely daughters. I felt bad about that shiduch for a long time, but after all he got the daughters.
I remember many of those times we went to the reform congregation to which their family belonged. It was all very sing-songy and formal but with camp music. I never liked it, but now that I know all three kids grew up to marry non-Jews, I like it less. Even though I was a reform cantor for many years, my apathy towards that movement has grown, and I’m not at all sure it is worthwhile to keep people tethered to a Judaism that is so watered down and easy to depart from. I’ve told Grandpa that I wouldn’t want it to be so easy for my children to jump into another world; how can anyone miss Shabbat if they never experience it?
Grandma asked Robin if she felt safe living alone serving alcohol to tourists late at night. Robin says there is little crime on Corfu. Where would they escape to? Grandma remembered travelling to the Cayman Islands years ago, and learning about the one criminal in the jail, a guy who had murdered his wife, who was let out on holidays to be with his family since there was no place for him to run to. Grandma thought I remembered all those visits to Grand Cayman, but I replied dryly that I’d never been.
Robin told us that she is always thinking of new ideas, new projects to do. She is inspired now to do some jewelry making, like necklaces with stones inscribed with Greek sayings that she can sell in her bar. She has met men from all over the world, but she would love to have a single good relationship as soon as her youngest is out of the house (even though the kids are living with the father in the family house). She works hard from May to October during the tourist season, take a vacation in the winter, and plans to go back and open the bar to locals on the weekends. She is happy.
I think it was fun for both Grandma and Grandpa to remember Anita; so many happy times together! So much laughter and fun, cultural events and dinners; she was someone special for all of us.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Will Grandpa Stop Driving?
October 29, 2008
In case we weren’t sure if I have attention deficit disorder (for those of you in the next generation reading this): after texting everyone and calling Grandma and Grandpa to make sure they were all okay with Stir Crazy at 12:15, I went directly to Di Pescaro, and even sat down at a table to wait for them all. Oy. Jumped up and ran, still made it there before Janet.
Grandpa had asked me to write up last week, but we were in shul, and there was too much noise to hear any one conversation. It was nice that Ray Weiss and Frieda Litke were there, and Bob Weiss came to be with them for Yizkor. Bob thought it was really wonderful how we all sat around afterwards for lunch, because they are in a very reform congregation that doesn’t do this sort of thing. I reminded him that if you give them food, the Jews will come.
First order of business; both Grandpa and Grandma have to approve distributions from the trust. I’d asked Grandpa about going to the Cohn’s Bat Mitzvah in California, and he gave me the go-ahead. Sheldon Cohn is on the Banner board, and he and Kim flew out for Sarah and Gabie’s B’nai Mitzvah. I thought it was the right thing to do but the trip was not in David’s and my budget. Grandpa agreed that the trust would pay for the ticket (of course there will be all the other expenses of getting around), but apparently Grandma doesn’t agree.
Okay, I said, I get it. No more asking Grandpa for anything (note to grandchildren). Furthermore, Milton continued, the economy sucks, everyone is suffering, and even he is looking for ways to cut costs, both at home and at Banner. They might give up one of their cars, might not continue having full time help in the house, and might do any number of other things. And of course Banner needs to tighten belts as well. They have lost 25% of the value of something or other, in keeping with the rest of the country, and they are losing deals left and right. Nobody wants to lend money, or the terms are too onerous.
Janet came just before the food was served, but we both love the Chilean Sea Bass so I’d ordered for her already. She wondered why Milt and Marty were sharing one meal. Well, Milton explained, he likes to eat a big breakfast to get through the morning, and Ibby cooks a four course dinner every night, so lunch is the only time he can lighten it up. He had gained some weight, and finally lost it, but as someone nearing fifty, realizes that his metabolism has slowed down. Now, if only I can get that in my head, maybe I’d lose that extra five. Meanwhile, Grandma asked which salad was least fattening…I swear I’m not going to think about it once I hit seventy five, maybe before that.
Grandma wanted to remind us that Robin Pfeifer (daughter of her old friend Anita, who died of lung cancer after a lifetime of smoking), is coming in from Greece for her 5oth birthday. Robin is a smoker also. There will be a gathering this Saturday night at someone’s house, and we are all invited. We didn’t talk about it this time, but we all know that Robin is stuck on Corfu because her children are there. Doesn’t sound like a bad place to be stuck, but it sounds like she has to struggle. We spoke for a bit about the possibility of cancelling our winter vacation to Mexico, and Grandma said that we would have to let Elaine know by tomorrow. It is awfully expensive, but we don’t know how much we would get back, and it took so much work to set it up, we are all loathe to start redoing the trip. If they’re tightening belts though, that seems like an easy place to start.
Milton had said that he might get rid of the extra car (not the Jag), and Grandma said they’d decided to wait the winter out before replacing Grandpa’s car. They’re going to have Becky’s Avalon (SassCo) in their garage which is great for us but also good for them in case they need an extra car. I said something about how much better it would be if Grandpa just used the driver, Mark, and Iranian immigrant who is struggling without a green card, too old to get any real work. We all talked about how much better it would be if Grandpa stopped driving, and then Milton told the story of what he’d witnessed when Grandpa left the BannerDay festivities at Pinstripes the previous week.
Milt just started to drive out of his spot in the parking lot, and realized he was driving behind Grandpa, who performed two dangerous moves in quick succession. First, he pulled too far into the street and the driver passing had to veer away from him. Second, as he pulled out, he went over the curb. Milton said to Grandma that he understood she had a hard time with the idea of Grandpa losing his license, but that she seemed to be waiting for him to kill either himself or someone else before he stopped driving. We all looked at Grandpa…we want him to make a decision about this, but he just shrugged.
Naturally the subject of the election popped up; Janet is working hard on Kirk’s campaign, and asked if any of us want to volunteer at the train stations where they are passing out Kirk fliers, reminding people to vote etc. She already told the Kirk people that I don’t want to do anything outside (unless by some miracle the temperature is above 65), but I’ll do phoning or something like that, especially on Election day. I think all of us are voting for Kirk, so there was no disagreement, but the next step was discussing the busted economy.
Once again Grandpa started talking about the democrats being responsible for everything bad that happened, while Milton shot out names of years when this or that happened, and Marty just sighed, because we’ve already discussed this ad nauseum. Milton is supporting Obama, which is shocking to Grandpa (and Janet as well). Janet was probably itching to talk about the terror threat, Islam extremism, Israel security, but basically said she’s exhausted from talking about it all. Grandma just requested that they argue in the office where she doesn’t have to sit between them listening to them shout at and interrupt each other. They are both passionate about their decisions.
In case we weren’t sure if I have attention deficit disorder (for those of you in the next generation reading this): after texting everyone and calling Grandma and Grandpa to make sure they were all okay with Stir Crazy at 12:15, I went directly to Di Pescaro, and even sat down at a table to wait for them all. Oy. Jumped up and ran, still made it there before Janet.
Grandpa had asked me to write up last week, but we were in shul, and there was too much noise to hear any one conversation. It was nice that Ray Weiss and Frieda Litke were there, and Bob Weiss came to be with them for Yizkor. Bob thought it was really wonderful how we all sat around afterwards for lunch, because they are in a very reform congregation that doesn’t do this sort of thing. I reminded him that if you give them food, the Jews will come.
First order of business; both Grandpa and Grandma have to approve distributions from the trust. I’d asked Grandpa about going to the Cohn’s Bat Mitzvah in California, and he gave me the go-ahead. Sheldon Cohn is on the Banner board, and he and Kim flew out for Sarah and Gabie’s B’nai Mitzvah. I thought it was the right thing to do but the trip was not in David’s and my budget. Grandpa agreed that the trust would pay for the ticket (of course there will be all the other expenses of getting around), but apparently Grandma doesn’t agree.
Okay, I said, I get it. No more asking Grandpa for anything (note to grandchildren). Furthermore, Milton continued, the economy sucks, everyone is suffering, and even he is looking for ways to cut costs, both at home and at Banner. They might give up one of their cars, might not continue having full time help in the house, and might do any number of other things. And of course Banner needs to tighten belts as well. They have lost 25% of the value of something or other, in keeping with the rest of the country, and they are losing deals left and right. Nobody wants to lend money, or the terms are too onerous.
Janet came just before the food was served, but we both love the Chilean Sea Bass so I’d ordered for her already. She wondered why Milt and Marty were sharing one meal. Well, Milton explained, he likes to eat a big breakfast to get through the morning, and Ibby cooks a four course dinner every night, so lunch is the only time he can lighten it up. He had gained some weight, and finally lost it, but as someone nearing fifty, realizes that his metabolism has slowed down. Now, if only I can get that in my head, maybe I’d lose that extra five. Meanwhile, Grandma asked which salad was least fattening…I swear I’m not going to think about it once I hit seventy five, maybe before that.
Grandma wanted to remind us that Robin Pfeifer (daughter of her old friend Anita, who died of lung cancer after a lifetime of smoking), is coming in from Greece for her 5oth birthday. Robin is a smoker also. There will be a gathering this Saturday night at someone’s house, and we are all invited. We didn’t talk about it this time, but we all know that Robin is stuck on Corfu because her children are there. Doesn’t sound like a bad place to be stuck, but it sounds like she has to struggle. We spoke for a bit about the possibility of cancelling our winter vacation to Mexico, and Grandma said that we would have to let Elaine know by tomorrow. It is awfully expensive, but we don’t know how much we would get back, and it took so much work to set it up, we are all loathe to start redoing the trip. If they’re tightening belts though, that seems like an easy place to start.
Milton had said that he might get rid of the extra car (not the Jag), and Grandma said they’d decided to wait the winter out before replacing Grandpa’s car. They’re going to have Becky’s Avalon (SassCo) in their garage which is great for us but also good for them in case they need an extra car. I said something about how much better it would be if Grandpa just used the driver, Mark, and Iranian immigrant who is struggling without a green card, too old to get any real work. We all talked about how much better it would be if Grandpa stopped driving, and then Milton told the story of what he’d witnessed when Grandpa left the BannerDay festivities at Pinstripes the previous week.
Milt just started to drive out of his spot in the parking lot, and realized he was driving behind Grandpa, who performed two dangerous moves in quick succession. First, he pulled too far into the street and the driver passing had to veer away from him. Second, as he pulled out, he went over the curb. Milton said to Grandma that he understood she had a hard time with the idea of Grandpa losing his license, but that she seemed to be waiting for him to kill either himself or someone else before he stopped driving. We all looked at Grandpa…we want him to make a decision about this, but he just shrugged.
Naturally the subject of the election popped up; Janet is working hard on Kirk’s campaign, and asked if any of us want to volunteer at the train stations where they are passing out Kirk fliers, reminding people to vote etc. She already told the Kirk people that I don’t want to do anything outside (unless by some miracle the temperature is above 65), but I’ll do phoning or something like that, especially on Election day. I think all of us are voting for Kirk, so there was no disagreement, but the next step was discussing the busted economy.
Once again Grandpa started talking about the democrats being responsible for everything bad that happened, while Milton shot out names of years when this or that happened, and Marty just sighed, because we’ve already discussed this ad nauseum. Milton is supporting Obama, which is shocking to Grandpa (and Janet as well). Janet was probably itching to talk about the terror threat, Islam extremism, Israel security, but basically said she’s exhausted from talking about it all. Grandma just requested that they argue in the office where she doesn’t have to sit between them listening to them shout at and interrupt each other. They are both passionate about their decisions.
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