Today is my Dad's 77th birthday. E was in Stockton so she bought him dinner at the hotel that she and Laura, her cousin, where she and Laura, her cousin, are staying. Then they went up to their room to Skype me at work so I could wish him Happy Birthday. He was sitting in a chair a little baffled by the technology. How could he see his son 9,000 miles away and talk to him at the same time? He wasn't impressed for long, because he announced that he "had to go." Home. Ah, Dad, we set this up so we could talk. I got everyone in the clinic to sit on my chair and wish him happy birthday. When Karki said hello and happy birthday, my father announced that he didn't know who he was."My son doesn't talk about you," he said. Thanks Dad. We did convince him to stay. If you watch any of the 8mm movies from when I was a kid you will see the Caplin family just standing there. Doing nothing. Luckily there is no sound or you would hear my mother and father yelling at each other to "do something." My Dad used it instead of the still camera. There are pictures of us standing around, all over the world. So in true Caplin tradition, my Dad just sat there on Skype. Afraid to move. My father the statue. I kept saying,"Dad, say something." He asked how the weather was. I knew the "how's traffic, it's horrible here" conversation was just around the corner, so I redirected the conversation elsewhere. They had even plied him with wine. Didn't seem to help. Just my father, frozen in the chair baffled by technology. A lot has changed in 77 years. Except my Dad...
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