Today I'll write about my parents. Some parts of this will be more difficult than others, as You, if You know me, can easily imagine.

My father is one smart dude. He has a phenomenal memory for words. He can recite tens/hundreds of songs/poems that he learned years and years ago. He loves language, he delights in recitation. That is what originally brought him to the stage. There is no doubt he is creative; I think his output is partly driven by his utter conviction that he has something important to say to the world. I often think this is so much more valuable than someone who has even the best ideas but feels no compunction to share them. What's the value of an idea if awareness of it is limited to its generator? So, anyway, he has that. He also loves his children. He obviously wants what is/he considers to be best for each of us. His ability to translate that to actual support in helping us pursue happiness can be questioned; but he without a doubt wants us to be happy. He has presence. He commands attention. He has charisma. He can make himself liked by almost anyone when he wants to; I think both M and I have this trait from him. I look almost exactly like him, in female form. He has strong genes.

Mom is in a way a more difficult object of description, because there is so little about her that isn't the best ever. What can I say. Hhmmmm. She is the best cook ever. She cares a lot about food. I think she should definitely open a restaurant, because then people would actually appreciate her efforts. I will eat almost anything, and that's not who she's really cooking for. She deserves more refined, questing palates. She is the most caring person alive. She will never, ever, knowingly/intentionally make anyone feel bad. Even if they deserve to feel bad. She will protect people's emotions far beyond what is courteous or typical. She has a warmth that is overpowering, paired with an intelligence that is always evident, but always subordinate to that warmth. This I am trying to learn from her. She's incredibly good at helping in ways that are actually helpful. It's hard to explain. But it involves flexibility, silently adapting to other people's needs in ways that make them unaware that she is actually having to simultaneously reconcile multiple other needs. She loves her children, and also she loves everyone her children love. Which is sort of nuts. But awesome! She is so respectful. She never denigrates anyone, which is particularly noteworthy when applied to people who have less power/status/whatever. She never even uses her legitimate power, let alone abuses it. Or at least it never feels that way. She interacts democratically. She raised us to be fairly responsible adults, I'm convinced, by never treating us as less than responsible, conscious, thinking individuals. That is rare in a parent. What else? She has taste, she has savoir vivre, she is knowledgeable about literature and music, she can cut a rug, she can sing. She speaks 3 languages fluently. She is a mathematician by education, which I bet just surprised You if You didn't know it already. She's got a logical, pragmatic, problem-solving mind. But she's whimsical and spontaneous and light-hearted whenever an occasion arises. And she lets me throw parties whenever I want.