Category Archives: Life with Sophia

Farewell, Apartment 202

Posted on August 23, 2010 by Neil

Sophia and I have finally moved everything out of my in-laws’ Los Angeles apartment, and Sophia closed the lease.   Fanya and Vartan lived in this one-bedroom apartment since 1984.   Sophia was very strong during the whole ordeal, but as we … Continue reading →

Posted in Life with Sophia | Tagged , , | 21 Comments

Stuff

Posted on August 17, 2010 by Neil

The hardest part of packing up my in-law’s apartment is “the stuff.”  We always hear that “stuff” — material objects — is meaningless.  Yesterday, on Oprah, there was discussion about women who give up the trappings of the real world … Continue reading →

Posted in Life with Sophia | Tagged , , , | 30 Comments

Vartan’s Passing

Posted on August 4, 2010 by Neil

I only took a carry-on with me to LAX yesterday because going to BlogHer was a last minute decision.  The health of my father-in-law, Vartan, was still shaky.  He had just started with hospice.   I got my boarding pass from … Continue reading →

Posted in Life with Sophia | Tagged , | 62 Comments

Flying Non-Stop

Posted on July 21, 2010 by Neil

Vartan, my father-in-law, was taken to the hospital last week. The Cedars-Sinai Hospital emergency room was too busy at the time, so he was taken to a nearby hospital which is nowhere near the caliber of Cedars Sinai. Sophia was … Continue reading →

Posted in Life with Sophia, Los Angeles | Tagged , , , | 30 Comments

The Closing of the Eyes

Posted on July 9, 2010 by Neil

This is what I was doing when Sophia’s mother passed away a few weeks ago. I was waiting for my yearly exam at the eye doctor on Robertson Blvd.  I was hoping I didn’t need another prescription, because my last … Continue reading →

Posted in Life with Sophia | Tagged , , | 32 Comments

My Favorite Shirt

Posted on July 8, 2010 by Neil

I’ve been anxious and unproductive lately.  I looked up my symptoms — back tension, worry, sleepiness — and apparently I have now overcome my old ailments of codependency, people-pleasing, and OCD to catch something new from that sneezy cashier at … Continue reading →

Posted in Life with Sophia | Tagged , , | 25 Comments

Fanya’s Funeral

Posted on June 20, 2010 by Neil

Sophia asked me to speak at her mother’s funeral instead of her. It was intimidating because most of the attendees at the service only spoke Russian, so as I spoke my eulogy, it was as if I was speaking to … Continue reading →

Posted in Life with Sophia | Tagged , | 44 Comments

Sophia’s Mom

Posted on June 17, 2010 by Neil

Sophia’s mother passed away on Tuesday. Today is the funeral. It was unexpected, since it was her husband who was bedridden. Fanya had an interesting and adventurous life, which took her from the horrors of war-torn Soviet Union to present-day … Continue reading →

Posted in Life with Sophia | Tagged , | 54 Comments

Why Not?

Posted on May 25, 2010 by Neil

I had a nice weekend with Sophia. Tonight we are sitting in separate rooms. She is in the bedroom, playing online poker on her laptop. I am in my office, writing this nonsense, in between stints on Twitter and Facebook. … Continue reading →

Posted in Life with Sophia | 13 Comments

Figure-Skating Fans of Orange County

Posted on May 23, 2010 by Neil

On Wednesday, I noticed in the newspaper that “Smuckers Stars on Ice” was playing at the Staples Center on Thursday, for one night. “Hey, “Stars on Ice” is at Staples tomorrow,” I said to Sophia. This comment was supposed to … Continue reading →

Posted in Life with Sophia | Tagged , | 19 Comments