college 7 Comments

BGSU Alumni: How do I know this name?

Jeremy Zawodny.

The name sounds familiar, but the face — even the older, early-to-mid 90s pictures — really doesn’t ring a bell. I’ve been going through his site and his archives, trying to decide if he had a younger sibling, or if I just heard his name somewhere. Did he write for the BG News? Was he in band? Did I hear his name because he worked for UCS / ITS (University Computing Services, which later became Information Technology Services)?

He went to BGSU between 1992 and 1997, and went to St. John’s before that. —Aaron? Is this one of your St. John’s cronies I’ve heard spoken of? Maybe that’s it.

Anyway, I know I’ve heard this person’s name before, and it’s driving me nuts.

in memoriam 4 Comments

Charles Mickler, 1930-2005

I got a call at work this morning, from my Uncle Charlie‘s case worker in Tampa. It seems that my great-uncle passed away earlier this month.

Charlie had no wife or children, and was living in a nursing home with no family nearby. He had lived with his mother, my Granny, until her death in 1990. His younger sister, my Memaw, died over two years ago. Myself, my mother, my aunt and my cousin are his only living relatives.

Uncle Charlie sold his land years ago, and the profits have paid for his care since then. He hadn’t banked on needing to pay a nursing home for his care; he’d planned to give his $40,000 (or thereabouts) to me instead. As a poor college student, I had been flabbergasted at the prospect of being in someone’s will. Now, though, I understand the funds needed to support the elderly, and I certainly don’t begrudge him his care.

As the only relative who has kept in contact with Charlie’s legal guardians in Tampa, it is now my duty to call the Medical Examiner in Tampa and give them the authorization to cremate him. He had no funds left for a burial; and neither myself, nor my Mom, nor my aunt will be able to travel to Florida to make any sort of burial arrangements.

I’m sad that he’s gone, but I’m more sad that he was alone, and now has so few to mourn him. I’m also slightly beside myself at the bizarre and slightly morbid call I’ll need to make tomorrow morning.

food 2 Comments

Homemade Adult Beverage

Take this recipe, substitute Splenda for white sugar and Splenda Brown Sugar Blend for brown sugar, and you’ve got a seriously kickass homemade amaretto with a fraction of the sugar.

Note to self: Next time I make this, I must remember to use less Splenda Brown Sugar Blend. It really is twice as sweet as regular brown sugar; they’re not kidding around. Also, reading the ingredients correctly and adding 2 TEASPOONS of vanilla would make things better, as well. *facepalm*

Still, though, I *heart* my new Homemade Amaretto And Caffeine-Free Diet Coke. 🙂

randomness 3 Comments

Christmastime Is Here

We received our first Christmas card of the season today.

Grandpa and Grandma Cook — Mom’s father and stepmother — sent us a card with an unusually short inscription. Usually, Grandma Cook writes the Christmas cards, and adds something about great-grandbabies or asks how we’re liking our house or something like that.

This year, though, it looks like Grandpa wrote the Christmas cards. Maybe, after 20-some odd years of taking care of their correspondence, Grandma finally flipped and made Grandpa write the cards. 😉

What’s funny, besides the two-line greeting, is that they’ve been forgetting what I used to call them. Apparently, to their other grandchildren, they’re Grandpa Bill (or Billy!) and Grandma Rose, which is how they’ve taken to signing their correspondence to me. *shrug*

Because I must be feeling masochistic this evening, I leave you with this photo of Grandma Cook, my stepdad Tom, me (about age 12), and my Grandpa Cook. This photo was taken around 1988, but Grandpa and Grandma looked like this forever. They’re only now starting to look considerably older, having put on a few pounds and a few wrinkles.

*looks at wedding photo proofs from May 2003*

They really do still look the same, I think, even after 15 years.