Just a Quick Meme

that I got from Mary. It's the Family Meme.

1. Who's the oldest living member of your family? I believe the oldest is Cousin Edith, who turned 90 in December. I really think of her as my aunt, as if she were my mother's older sister, but in fact she was my mother's first cousin. And my father's second cousin. (It's a long story, available elsewhere here.) I think that my Aunt Honey, who was married to my mother's brother, either just turned 90 or is just about to.

2. Who's the newest? Newest born would be my own first cousin's 5 year old twins (that would be Aunt Honey's great-grandchildren), but most recently added to the family would be Wonderful Niece's husband G (married just over two years) and W.N.'s brother's fiancee, K, who is part of the family although they're not technically married yet.

3. If you could spend a two-week vacation with one family member, who would it be? My sister.

4. The old saying goes, "you can pick your friends, but you cannot pick your family." if you could choose one of your friends, who would you 'elect' to become a member of your family? That would be my OldFriend, who has been a de facto memer of the family since 1961, when we moved into the house across the street from her.

5. Who in your family can you just NOT stand? Well, Edith was always very hard to take, even when she was younger, but for real CAN NOT STAND status, I'd have to go the family of my father's middle sister. Her son is a great guy, but both his parents and his older sister were best avoided.

6. Do you have a member of the family who is currently suffering an illness? Many. The two 90 year-olds are not well, although Edith has Alzheimer's but is still physically strong and healthy. Aunt Honey is sharp and clear but terribly frail, and lives in a body wracked by osteoporosis, arthritis, and emphysema, although she is a long-time -- maybe 30 years -- survivor of breast cancer. And then there are the rest of us; you know, everyone's got something going on.

7. Do you have a family member that you've lost contact with? Who are they, and why do you not currently have contact? Many. Certainly that whole generation of my mother's cousins other than Edith are long out of the picture, and I'm not good with keeping in touch with either Edith's son or Aunt Honey's younger daughter. But we're all in the grapevine, and we hear things. I did see Edith's son last year when his brother died. But it's not all me; they don't keep in touch here, either.

8. Do you have any famous family members? Well, no Paris Hiltons, for sure. There was someone who was one of the major radio announcers in the 30s and 40s, and his wife, who was a character actress. (She played Lucille Toody on Car 54, Where Are You?) There was a distant somebody who was implicated in a huge government scandal in the early 50s. (Bernard Shine, I think, who tried to bribe government officials with vicuna coats.) My eldest nephew is, I think, a locally well known character in San Diego. I think that's it.

WATCHING THE DAILY SHOW :: ENTRY #1510