My dad was born in Africa and came to America on a ship with his parents and sister when he was very young. My dad wasn't a dad like I wanted or thought he should be. When he tried it meant the world to me. He didn't remember birthdays and holidays every year but when he did he would send cards, gifts and/or money which made up for the years he didn't remember. He held onto guilt from his whole life and tried to make up for it, when he was younger he stole $20 from his roommate; this bothered him his whole life so a couple of years ago he mailed him a check for $1000. He had terrible road rage and would cuss at drivers but he also made it a fun driving game and would put a point system to objects to be hit, such as cats. He had a sense of humor for the crude things in life and enjoyed South Park and The Simpsons. He believed that everyone is equal, he didn't see color, gender, age, religion, sexual preference, he just saw human. He loved nature and would ride his bike almost every day while taking photos along the way of things he found beautiful. He found beauty in the sky and in his garden which he took such pride in and posted photos to share with us all. He had a desire to create which was evident in everything he did from his computer business down to his cooking from scratch. He believed that animals had just as many feelings and rights as humans and in addition to speaking out for animal rights he also stopped eating them. He told me he loved me once and meant it. When I graduated high school he drove 8 hours to see me graduate and gave me $1000.  He was proud of his grandchildren and always said Blake is going to be a scientist. Even though he avoided his extended family they were still important to him which is why he did things like gather photos and share them and compile everyone's contact information and then send it in an email to his family. He did genealogy work to compile a family tree.  He was good at bbq. He used the word "bitchin" and thought he really was bitchin. He loaned my grandparents money whenever they needed it even though they didn't pay him back. He took my grandmother flowers and visited her almost daily in her nursing home. He was given two months to live when he was diagnosed with a stage 4 brain tumor and decided he would live longer and did, four years longer. He loved sailing. He loved traveling and last time I counted had been to Hawaii 11 times. When he was diagnosed with his tumor he asked me to take care of his wife when he died knowing that she and I didn't get along he said "nobody should be alone." He wanted peace between his wife and his family. He was terrible at calling me back. He made fun of rednecks with gun racks in their trucks. He told me that the day he came home to find that my mother had left him and taken me with her he spent the night crying and screaming out loud on the bathroom floor. He made faces at his wife for fun by placing his thumb on his nose and his fingers wiggling in front of his face. He told me he put me in his will because he wants me to be taken care of when he dies, I think he lied but it was a nice gesture. I hurt him a lot when I was angry for him not being how I thought he should be but he always forgave me. He was so smart but it annoyed him that there was a rumor he had been tested and found to have an IQ of a genius, that never happened. He didn't go to college, he self taught himself everything he knew about computers. He made really corny jokes like when he owned his MR2 he'd say MRnot MRtoo... He kept a stack of Forbes magazines on the back of his toilet. When he got his tumor he forgot a lot and got a lot confused. He resented his dad for having enough money to buy a new car while he wore shoes that had holes in them. He didn't think illness was an issue like when I was sick because he said his dad had made him pour cement when he had the flu. He made me walk to the bus stop when there was a huge rain storm and school was cancelled. The same year he took me out to buy a huge water gun to get revenge on the neighborhood boys that had been squirting me with a tiny one at the bus stop. He went to the bar a lot no matter the time of day. He bought his wife a diamond bracelet one year and was upset she made him return it because it was "too expensive" as well as anytime he sent her flowers she'd complain about wasting the money. He had a lot of money. Even though he owned four houses he wouldn't allow me to live in any of them even if I paid rent. He visited me in the hospital when I had Blake. He drank dos equis beer at Mexican restaurants. He claimed he didn't like religion and questioned God but told me he prayed for me. He knew the Bible from cover to cover and could recite most of it.  He drove an hour to our house when we lived in the country for one of Blakes birthday parties and only stayed for about 10 minutes; while he was there he told me he was proud of me. He got veneers but I liked his natural smile better. He lived in Texas once. He liked to show off. One time he told me he used my name for his passwords to his important accounts. He owned a video store and gave me a job. He was always "busy", when we'd meet to exchange gifts he'd toss them at me from his trunk because he was "busy." He loved his mom. He is in Heaven right now watching his family.