Strive to be like my grandfathers. The one who's passed was a kind, gentle, mountain of a man who took life seriously. He fixed things that were broken and despite having two kids, he seemed to enjoy most the company of his wife, my grandmother. The one who's still alive is probably one of my best friends, and has been since my parents split up. He's a hilarious, good-natured, active extrovert, very much unlike me in a lot of ways but such a good person. He flies an airplane recreationally at the age of 89. He still drives and exercises each morning. He maintains countless friendships via telephone and handwritten correspondence. Amazing dude.

My father is who I strive not to be like. Aimless, dull, and soft. He left the family to - literally - marry a stripper, and I believe he got mixed up in most of the vices and bad behavior in his life out of a sense of misguided rebellion against his adoptive parents and a sense of never having fit in. He's as or more complex a person as both of my grandparents combined and yet a totally repellent person. That said, he's done one thing I haven't, which is to quit smoking, which almost leads me to dislike him even more.