Here it finally is:

Aida’s Life: The Interview on Vimeo

That tape I was waiting to rewind was an interview I did with my grandmother. She was only 3-4 months from dying. It’s freakin’ surreal! I knew I had this tape, but I couldn’t find it for the past 3 years! I had wanted to do this for years - video tape an interview with my grandmother about her life - for genealogical purposes. A lot of questions I’ve recently asked my mother, my grandmother answers in this tape. I just didn’t bother writing it down since I was video taping it. I couldn’t believe it when she died because I wanted to do this so badly and I wanted to get more interviews. She used to tell me story upon story when I was a child. It was my favorite thing to do at her house. I will post it to vimeo with some translations and an introduction. Probably tomorrow if I’m feeling especially ambitious. ---- edit it was 1 year and 3-4 months from her death - but still came out of the blue for me!

I’m waiting for a video to rewind which is the last time my grandmother Aida was on tape. This is the longest rewind EVER!

But at least I continue to surprise myself with the amount of pictures I have, not only of my grandmother, but of my grandmother with my brothers and I. I have spent months dispairing that I had not taken enough pictures of her before she left us, but as I’ve gone through my old photos looking for pictures that should be on flickr, I have found so many of them. They bring me so much happiness and sadness at once that they cancel each other out and all I can do is stare at them and thank God that I took them.

While talking to my mom last night she asked me to do her a favor. For today, her mother’s birthday, she asked me to write a message on a balloon and let it go into the air, metaphorically going to my grandmother in Heaven. I did it, taking pictures to document the act because that is a symbolic thing to me as a visual person and photographer. I was fine while I did it but when I came inside and looked at the weight which had kept the balloon down while in the supermarket, I was instantly depressed. I was having one of the most amazing days of my life, propped up by the fact that my blog was back and this was just like jumping into one of Ithaca’s gorges. I didn’t even feel like having dinner anymore. Eventually, I got it out of my system and I feel better. I am still a little down, but nowhere near as bad as before. Stay tuned for the next part, where I put up some pictures of the event.

Today would have been my grandmother’s birthday. She died this past March during my Spring Break and I loved her very much. I know that she’s up in Heaven now having a heckuva time with her husband who was taken from her more than twenty years ago. She remained faithful to him to the last day and never remarried. I miss her so much whenever I open up my phone and think of someone to call. I would always call her when I had a free minute. I always get so mad that she didn’t get to see the wedding or my graduation. I mean, I’d like to believe that she was able to see it from Heaven, but she didn’t get to hug me that day. I didn’t get to see the smile on her face. The best way I know to remember her is to use my talents and remember her through my photography. Here is a tribute to her on her bithday:

My grandmother was buried today. Everything has revolved around the burial and funeral. It’s been weird meeting people and talking about the future with these sad events around. Not much else to say - I’m very low on sleep. The funeral went from 4p to 1a. Burial stuff began at 9a.

Didn’t think I’d ever say this, but I’m looking forward to Cornell.

Thanks, my love, for being here for me these past few days.

If you are in a hospital, you will know you’re about to die when your entire family suddenly starts coming in with more and more frequency. My grandmother died today after nearly eight decades of life. I was really close to her and I loved her so much. Ever since I was a little kid we would see her nearly every weekend. On week days my mother would take her to the stores since she couldn’t drive. I remember being dragged along, but now I treasure those moments. That’s back when she could walk and dance and play without pain.

This week my grandmother will probably be diagnosed with lymphoma, cancer of the lymph nodes. This is one of the worse types of cancer for two reasons. First of all, it is attacking the very part of your body responsible for keeping the body healthy. So this cancer leaves the person extra debilitated as they not only have cancer, but lose the ability to fight off infections. Second, because the lymph nodes can’t be removed like bone or even lung can, there are no surgical procedures which can be performed. The patient can participate in chemotherapy or some of the newer drug therapies.