My boss suddenly took a week off when her mother unexpectedly died today. I had to come in late so I was not there when she got the news. I haven't talked to her, but they say she is taking it reasonably well. The boss is also expecting her first granddaughter any day now so I guess if they haven't picked out a name yet there is a big candidate looming on the horizon.

Coincidently, I am named after both of my grandfathers. My paternal grandfather died about a year before I was born, and I was born on the anniversary of his birthday. So naturally I got his name. His name is very ethnic and unusual so they put it as my middle name and then gave me my maternal grandfather's name as my first name. Strangely enough, my maternal grandfather was a Jr. and didn't like sharing his father's name so he went by his middle name. So I ended up with my paternal grandfather's first name as my middle name and my maternal grandfather's middle name as my first name. If you aren't confused by now, congratulations: you've just qualified for MENSA.

So anyway, since I was born so close my paternal grandfather's death and on his birthday, there has always been this underlying reincarnation thing. I don't look a darn thing like him (but my oldest brother could pass for his twin). They say that I have the same temperament. He seems to have been a decent guy so I don't mind the comparison. He came to the U.S. around 1908, served as a cook in the war, and then worked in the local shoe factory for the rest of his life. He married late and my father was his youngest child. He was an unassuming, quiet person who worked hard all his life. I guess that pretty much describes both of my grandfathers though.

So anyway, I'll toast the last portion of my Nesquik strawberry milk to grandparents. Here's to my grandfathers and grandmothers. Here's to the boss' mom. Here's to my parents who have eight grandchildren. And in the event that I actually am my grandfather, here's to me.