My Grandpa passed away last October and what I miss most is listening to his stories: how my Grandma gave birth to my Dad at home (on her birthday, no less!) and he had to deliver him and even cut the umbilical cord, the ranch he once owned, the horses and dogs he loved, the classic cars he had, the long motorcycle rides he would take to the beach, how he caught me "accidentally" stealing a ChapStick at age 4 and made me give it back to the store, his German and Mexican ancestors, and how our last name should be different, but my favorite story is about his birthday.
Grandpa was born on 02-28-1931, but he actually has two birthdates. See, Gpa used to drink...a lot. His favorite watering hole was Zacatecas Park within 0.5 walking distance of his home in Azusa. Unfortunately, he would often pass out there and the cops would swing by and give him a bed for the night. Gpa was always smart enough to leave his identification at home and would tell the officers that his birthday was 02-29. He even knew the calculation of how old he "really" was. Over the years, his name and "DOB" were memorized by the nice coppers. Here's the funny part... Gpa bought his first motorcycle and had to get a license to drive it wayyy back in the day, in a time where you didn't need to bring silly things like a social security card or birth certificate to the DMV. Well, as sharp as Gpa thought he was, after so many years of lying, when it came to filling out the paperwork he put down the wrong date of birth! So, yes Grandpa was born on February 28, but if the authorities ask, he was born on Leap Day!
CONGRATS TO VIPERCAMP FOR THE FTF!!!