These are stories about my father.
Some months ago I asked dad what he would do if he finally won his millions of dollars. What did he need that he didn’t already have? His response after some thought was, “I would like to go back to Latvia one more time.” My response was, “We can do that right now!” With some …
Learning Latvian Last night, my cousin John Grinberg came over to offer me a lesson in the Latvian language. John is a retired high school German teacher, and I think he relished the opportunity to teach again because he showed up in full Latvian Language Mode! All I could say was “I don’t speak Latvian” …
I had been planning a trip to Latvia this summer as a celebration. I mentioned it to dad awhile ago, and he said he might be interested. In fact, when I asked him what he would do if he did win one of those stupid sweepstakes he has been entering, and he said, “Travel to …
On the way to the USA Women’s Volleyball game in Lincoln, Vitauts began telling me stories. Usually, he will point out what road we are on and which way to go and how many times he has been on a certain highway. “Are you taking interstate?” he asked as I turned onto 680. I told him …
This is our Christmas letter for 2015. I usually send one out, but hey, I’m paying for this website. I might as well make use of it, right? It has been an incredible year, and I say that without sarcasm or a single tinge of irony. Each year I live, I think that it cannot …
After a few rather depressing posts about Gambling, I’m hoping to get back to the lighter side of life. The day after acquiring the Cadillac DeVille, I woke up on Sunday and asked dad if he wanted to go for a drive. It was a gorgeous morning with the sun shining and the promise of …
I have been saving this one for last because this is the most egregious of Vitauts’ gambling vices. While he spends a few dollars on the fraudulent contests and a few dollars on the scratch tickets, he spends hundreds at the casino. I have idly sat by for the past year watching him go “Across …
Scratch tickets. I remember when they first started in Nebraska. I was either in middle school or early in high school. I did a quick check, but the exact date isn’t readily available. I am trying to figure out why these kinds of gambling games are legal, while others are not? Mom always enjoyed scratch …
This is one of the harder posts to share with the world, but I think what I have to say on this issue is important. If to no one else, then to me. Vitauts has always liked games of chance. From an early age, I watched him play poker, solo, solitaire and many other games …
After deliberation, Vitauts decided to let the Mercury die. I had to explain the insurance situation a few times. Basically, he had three choices after we found out that the fuel pump was broken. 1) He could fix the car’s body damage and the fuel pump and end up paying $1,000 or more out of …