Grandparents

My parents SPOIL my children. They give Chetan everything he wants: lollipops, just one more tv show, late bedtime, endless forgiveness. My dad bought Chetan two doughnuts today. One for after lunch and one for after dinner. What? Who needs 2 doughnuts in one day? I'm going to have to have a talk with my dad about nutrition. Who would have thought I'd be lecturing him on healthy food after all the nagging I received as a child to eat more than just rice & yogurt.

Mom & Her Movies

My mom's taste in movies is different than mine. Her favorite are old school Hindi movies or soap opera type Indian shows. When her mother came to the United States for a visit last year, the two of them were addicted to a show called "Aap Ki Antra" or something like that. The story was all convoluted and just like what I think a telenovela would be like. Honestly, I think those kinds of shows have influenced the way she views all other movies.

This past week we lent mom & dad "Avatar," and she hated it. She said she had to stop it half way through because she didn't like all the way the creatures looked. I'm not sure if I'll ever really understand what makes a "good" movie in her opinion.

Costco Trip

Today Jack had a break from clinic and was able to be home with Chetan. So I took the opportunity to run a few errands, one of which was to shop at Costco. I called my dad and told him my plans, and we met within a half hour at the Costco in San Leandro where we hung out for about an hour, and ate together. The menu? Dad ate a hot dog with all the fixings except the bun. I had a churro.

I'm grateful to live close enough to my parents and that our schedules are such that we can spend time spontaneously like that together. It's awesome.

Phone Call

My dad called yesterday. Here's how the first part of the conversation went:

Dad: You'll miss me when I'm gone.

Me: Oh yeah? Why is that?

Dad: Because I'm making you lots of money.

Me: Really? How?

Dad: Bidu went up 87 points in the market today, and I just bought you lots of shares. Wooh!

My dad is my go-to person for all things financial. Especially my 401(k) account. He's basically my financial advisor. Actually, he's more than that. What do you call a person who decides what stocks you should invest in and then does it for you? Oh yeah, dad.

I hope I don't forget...

the way my mom smells. It's a lingering sort of smell that I remember from my childhood: Oil of Olay. To this day when I smell it, I always think of mom. I hope one day there's some scent that will remind Chetan of me. Hopefully it's pleasant. :)

The Reason

My dad has recently been diagnosed with cancer; bladder cancer to be more specific. As cancers go, apparently this one is fairly mild. His first treatment went well, and they were able to remove all of the cancerous cells. From now on, however, he'll need quarterly scans of his bladder to ensure it does not come back.

I'm mostly optimistic at this point. He probably has decades more to live. But, what do I know? So to help combat that small part of me that isn't so cheery, I decided to create a blog. I'm going to post any and all things I remember about my parents. Starting now.