бабушка

Cyrillic for Babushka = Grandmother in Russian, also Baba

About 30% of who I am & what I do today can be directly drawn to my Baba. My Dad's mom, Nadya McCann, was a fierce and fiery woman who lived half her life in China and the other half in San Francisco. And, was as complicated a woman as vodka is Russian. Spoke over 8 languages, played golf like a pro when woman were an exception on the course, never shopped sales and could curse my Dad under the table (often ending our visits with a somewhat slurred and thick accented "Alan, you ass-hole. I love you. Scratch my head" - which, come to think of it, take away the slur & accent we're left with my Dad's departure comments as well... hmm... apple, tree, not far to fall). And, though cliche to a Babushka, nonetheless true - she was unbelievable in the kitchen - the borsche, the pashka, the pilemeni, the stroganoff... OMFG... my pregnant-mind often dreams of her buttery concoctions. I can honestly say that I have yet to have a better meal than the last Russian Orthodox Easter we had with a healthy Baba in 1997. I attribute 100% of my cooking prowess and 75% of my profanity to her (college roommates get the other 25%).

One of my more lasting memories of Baba was luckily capture on film (thank you Daddio for knowing comedy and awkwardness when you see it). A little set-up: Baba loved Vegas... L-O-V-E-D it. A perfect Baba day consisted of golfing during the day and dollar slots accompanied by bottomless vodka tonics and Budweiser at night. On 2 occasions my Dad and Baba took my sister Rocket and me with them on their golfing & gambling excursions. Once we saw Tom Jones and the other Cirque De Soleil. And, I could write like 2 million blogs about what Rocky (9 then 11 years old) and I (11 then 13 years old) did during the days we were left alone in major casinos with nothing but the Vegas Strip, $200 dollars and 8 hours of youthful ambition to keep us company. After one such day ending with Baba saying something along the lines of "how could you girls spend ALL that money in 8 hours? Erin you're 11 years old. You know better", she decided to take a long soak in the in-room jacuzzi while we just hung out waiting impatiently to go to the buffet downstairs. It was at this point that Big-Daddy posed this picture:

Rocket, me, & Baba.
Luxor Hotel. Las Vegas, 1994

Mid-pubescently yours,
erin