(no subject)

[deckardcanine]

I may pride myself on writing, but not the journalistic kind. My last entry and subsequent comment contained more than one error:

1. My grandfather's situation is not nearly as grave as I thought. By the time my dad arrived, the doctors had everything going fine. He was cheery today, both when my dad visited and when my family talked on the phone with him. He'll be going home tomorrow in much the same shape as before he needed to come.

This is one example of my Jewish family side fitting the stereotypes. While my mom's (mildly Presbyterian) parents have avoided the hospital scene even when a loved one is in serious danger, my dad's side is expected to drop everything and visit even when it's a routine operation. It was merely peer pressure, as from his sister (who's still there), that drove my reluctant dad to Baltimore; he waited until late afternoon to go and came home the same evening with no plan to return in the next couple days.

2. By extension, my grandfather has had more serious heart problems. Before I was born, he had a heart attack and needed quadruple bypass surgery. The most serious event for him since has been the installation of his defibrillator. Knock on wood.

3. His full first name is Max, not Maxwell. I didn't know that was anybody's full first name, but apparently it's more common than Maxwell among Jews.

Despite the overestimation and misinformation, I'm glad I posted something about this. It allowed me to deal with related problems, made my parents happier, and gave me something more to say in our phone chat.

Comments

[richardf8]

Max is often an anglicization of Moshe (Moses). My own paternal grandfather, who I never met, was named Max. My Father, the eldest male in his family, was named Morris, and also bore the Hebrew name Moshe.