Three Days in the Valley

For the last couple of days, I've been staying at my sister-in-law's new apartment in the Valley, in Akron, Ohio. Chelsea and her boyfriend, Jeff, recently moved to Akron to start their lives after Chelsea graduated nursing school. She's going to take her exams soon and then go out and start fixing IVs and sponge-bathing seniors. Jeff is going to work in a maintenance bay at one of the many car dealerships.

I came to Akron this week to update my Ohio Bar admission status and visit some people. Specifically, I wanted to spend some time with my parents, as I never really get the chance to talk to them by themselves. It's always at a funeral or a holiday party or whatever, and I don't get to just have a real conversation with these people who absorbed so much of my life.

My original plan was to sit down and do a StoryCORP-style interview with my father. He's getting older, you see, and his health has not been great the last few years. He's had a couple of strokes and heart attacks, has been a lifelong smoker and drinker, and has consumed enough drugs (prescribed and otherwise) to stop a small army of rhinos. On top of that, Diroll men have a habit of kicking off sometime in their 60's. It's relatively rare for one of my breed to see 70. The only ones I know of who have made it are from a much earlier generation and I have less in common with them, genetically. One of the deciding factors in our limited longevity is that there is a common genetic flaw in our line which results in fucked up arteries around the heart. If you get it fixed early enough, you could live forever. But if you don't, you'll put your boots up by about 67.

So I want to get some time to talk to the old man and get him on the record. The idea is, when my kids tell me that I'm the worst parent who ever lived and how did I become so mean, I will sit them down and make them watch the interview with the old man. I think it's a fair bet to say that when we do have kids, it's quite unlikely that they'll have much memory of their grandfather.

I didn't really get the chance to prepare for the interview, as the time I set aside for that I ended up having to spend here in Akron, traveling, etc. So I didn't do it this time. Probably some time this year, I will make the old man take some time off work and sit down with me and the camera. Should be entertaining.