General information you may need to know.
It occurred to me upon adding some new folks to my F-List, *waves to new people* that there may be some things that they need/want to know to 'keep up' as it were. So, here it goes.
Updated slightly 2021
Family
Mum: One of my closest friends. Always supportive, we often are slap happy together and she has become a sort of mother hen for my roomies. She's an amazing woman, if I'm even half as awesome a mother as her, I'll count myself lucky. Passed away 9/2019
Dad: epic work-aholic, not purposefully but partnership is loosing docs there for it sucks to be him. Otherwise we get along although it took a loooooong time (and a lot of therapy) for it to be that way. We share tastes in music so we've become music buddies. It's funny. Moved to PA, haven't seen the new place.
Sam: Older brother by 4 years. I couldn't be prouder of him. Again, took us a while to get where we are in our relationship. We're not that close, but I know that if I'm ever in a bind he'll be there no questions asked. We don't see much of each other but as we've gotten older we've seen more eye to eye. Married to Laura. She's a classic New Yorker, loud, right about everything, spends money in absurd ways. But she's lovely. Will be moving from Brooklyn to upstate NY this year.
Shai & Judah: My nephews!! Yaishai is Hebrew for Jesse, my grandpa, born 2018. Judah is named for my mother, born August 2020. Haven't met him because CO-VID19.
Uncle Phillip, Aunt Julie, Zachary, Brendan, Alex & Josh: Mum's brother & 2nd wife. I'm closest to my cousin Zachary, the other 3 by his first wife never liked me and idolized my brother. But it doesn't matter since we're no longer in contact. He accused my Mum of killing my Grandpa & killing my Grandma (in front of her before she died), so since both have passed away my Mum's cut all contact and so has my Uncle.
Grandma Phyllis, Uncle Ricky and Aunt Rosie: My Dad's Mum and younger siblings. I love them but weren't involved much in my childhood unless it was convenient/we came to them. Now they've been reaching out more and I have more memories of my Aunt Rosie than anyone, but sometimes it's easier to placate them. Haven't spoken to her since Mom died. She never called me, or my father (her son) or reached out in anyway. She's only talked to my brother.
Grandpa Les: My Dad's step father, the only Grandpa I've known on his side. My Dad's father died when he was 11, it's a sad story that fucked them all up royally. I was the only one crying at my Grandpa's funeral, it turns out he used to be a mean man but he was always so nice to me and Sam.
Grandpa Jess: My Mum's Dad and the grandparent I was closest to. He was deaf for as long as I can remember, and was one of the first people to get a cochlear implant in the 90's. I was the only grandkid who learned any sign language, he was never fluent nor was I but signing "I love you" was our thing. He had a stroke and went into a coma when I was about 10. No one expected him to wake up but he did, I remember standing at the end of the bed and when he saw me he went to sign "I love you" but was too weak to do it properly and I burst into tears. He lived another 8 years, no short term memory, falling and breaking ribs going in and out of the hospital. My Mum told me he lived to see me be Bat Mitzvah'ed. To this day a part of me hates myself if this is even a little true. My senior year I got the lead in a play I helped write and Grandma came to see it then we'd all go to their house in NJ for Thanksgiving. The Sunday after the final show we got the call he wasn't going to last long, he died alone while we were stuck in traffic.
Grandma Natalie: Mum's Mum. We got closer when Mum moved her to RI so she could take care of her. My Uncle lived closer but couldn't be bothered. Mum was closer to her too--it was more than anyone expected. She died November of 2010.
Friends/Family I choose
Emma: Oldest friend since kindergarden.
Alli: Only person from high school I'm still in touch with, best person in the damn place if you ask me.
Andrea: Friend since Hebrew school--so like, 3rd grade? Long time. Happily married with a baby girl.
Steph, Amanda, Michela, Ginger & Drew: Gang from MassArt. Amazing people & amazing artists.
My girls
Jessie: How I met the rest of my amazing roomies. My hetero lifemate. Happily married to her wife in TX. Adopted the cutest baby boy, Gryffie who is my godson.
Roomies
Medra: My rock. Gryffie's other godmom.
Becky: Jessie's younger sister who lived with us for a while. She was a little sister to all of us. She passed away 2/18/18. She was 28.
Updated: 03/20/21
Updated slightly 2021
Family
Mum: One of my closest friends. Always supportive, we often are slap happy together and she has become a sort of mother hen for my roomies. She's an amazing woman, if I'm even half as awesome a mother as her, I'll count myself lucky. Passed away 9/2019
Dad: epic work-aholic, not purposefully but partnership is loosing docs there for it sucks to be him. Otherwise we get along although it took a loooooong time (and a lot of therapy) for it to be that way. We share tastes in music so we've become music buddies. It's funny. Moved to PA, haven't seen the new place.
Sam: Older brother by 4 years. I couldn't be prouder of him. Again, took us a while to get where we are in our relationship. We're not that close, but I know that if I'm ever in a bind he'll be there no questions asked. We don't see much of each other but as we've gotten older we've seen more eye to eye. Married to Laura. She's a classic New Yorker, loud, right about everything, spends money in absurd ways. But she's lovely. Will be moving from Brooklyn to upstate NY this year.
Shai & Judah: My nephews!! Yaishai is Hebrew for Jesse, my grandpa, born 2018. Judah is named for my mother, born August 2020. Haven't met him because CO-VID19.
Uncle Phillip, Aunt Julie, Zachary, Brendan, Alex & Josh: Mum's brother & 2nd wife. I'm closest to my cousin Zachary, the other 3 by his first wife never liked me and idolized my brother. But it doesn't matter since we're no longer in contact. He accused my Mum of killing my Grandpa & killing my Grandma (in front of her before she died), so since both have passed away my Mum's cut all contact and so has my Uncle.
Grandma Phyllis, Uncle Ricky and Aunt Rosie: My Dad's Mum and younger siblings. I love them but weren't involved much in my childhood unless it was convenient/we came to them. Now they've been reaching out more and I have more memories of my Aunt Rosie than anyone, but sometimes it's easier to placate them. Haven't spoken to her since Mom died. She never called me, or my father (her son) or reached out in anyway. She's only talked to my brother.
Grandpa Les: My Dad's step father, the only Grandpa I've known on his side. My Dad's father died when he was 11, it's a sad story that fucked them all up royally. I was the only one crying at my Grandpa's funeral, it turns out he used to be a mean man but he was always so nice to me and Sam.
Grandpa Jess: My Mum's Dad and the grandparent I was closest to. He was deaf for as long as I can remember, and was one of the first people to get a cochlear implant in the 90's. I was the only grandkid who learned any sign language, he was never fluent nor was I but signing "I love you" was our thing. He had a stroke and went into a coma when I was about 10. No one expected him to wake up but he did, I remember standing at the end of the bed and when he saw me he went to sign "I love you" but was too weak to do it properly and I burst into tears. He lived another 8 years, no short term memory, falling and breaking ribs going in and out of the hospital. My Mum told me he lived to see me be Bat Mitzvah'ed. To this day a part of me hates myself if this is even a little true. My senior year I got the lead in a play I helped write and Grandma came to see it then we'd all go to their house in NJ for Thanksgiving. The Sunday after the final show we got the call he wasn't going to last long, he died alone while we were stuck in traffic.
Grandma Natalie: Mum's Mum. We got closer when Mum moved her to RI so she could take care of her. My Uncle lived closer but couldn't be bothered. Mum was closer to her too--it was more than anyone expected. She died November of 2010.
Friends/Family I choose
Emma: Oldest friend since kindergarden.
Alli: Only person from high school I'm still in touch with, best person in the damn place if you ask me.
Andrea: Friend since Hebrew school--so like, 3rd grade? Long time. Happily married with a baby girl.
Steph, Amanda, Michela, Ginger & Drew: Gang from MassArt. Amazing people & amazing artists.
My girls
Jessie: How I met the rest of my amazing roomies. My hetero lifemate. Happily married to her wife in TX. Adopted the cutest baby boy, Gryffie who is my godson.
Roomies
Medra: My rock. Gryffie's other godmom.
Becky: Jessie's younger sister who lived with us for a while. She was a little sister to all of us. She passed away 2/18/18. She was 28.
Updated: 03/20/21