That sounds good, ita. I know how hard it can be to try to be support from a distance, but it sounds like you're making the right efforts and that they're doing well considering.

I figure that making her laugh, and making my father and sister laugh, is the best thing I can do right now.

Absolutely.

ita !, it's really hard to be far away when your family needs you. It sucks. A listening ear is a good thing, and some humor, too. I'm glad your mom is in better spirits.

Being away is really hard. But thank god for technology, right? You get to see her, anyway, and your dad and your sister.

Laughter is also a really good thing, all around.

I'm sorry I looked up the etymology of basket case, too.

Okay, basket case is out of my vernacular. That's gross.

I figure that making her laugh, and making my father and sister laugh, is the best thing I can do right now.

Also, we haven’t seen you in ages (since the reception, I think?) and would love to take you out to dinner some night. I know you can’t make plans too far in advance, but please know the offer is open. (And don’t I work really close to your apartment? Maybe you and I could meet some night.) If you’d rather not have company, that’s also completely fine.

I'm going to avoid looking up basket case, so forgive me if I keep using it.

okay,

so question to you all: is it possible to be hungry and yet not have an appetite? Or are these two mutually exclusive states?

I learned the origin of "basket case" today. I am not sure I have ever heard a term come into use whose origin was in people denying the term was used.

Wild.

But thank god for technology, right? You get to see her, anyway, and your dad and your sister.

Seriously. I *love* video chatting. I just wish the picture quality were better. What are the alternatives to Skype? That don't involve Google? I might try and convince my sister to switch so I can hear and see her better.

I'm pretty sure you're not that far north of me if memory serves, Pix. We could totally do dinner one evening--remind me once the furore wears down? I'm sort of running on fumes right now.

is it possible to be hungry and yet not have an appetite?

I can be hungry and nauseous at the same time, which is incredibly frustrating. Not sure if that counts for what you're talking about.

Okay, gotta get off my ass. Need to clear out the totalled car at the very least, and I might as well swing through some dealerships in that neighbourhood while I'm down there.

ita, I have found that one task that often falls on the family member who lives far away is being the shoulder upon which the other family members unburden themselves. At least that's what happened to me, and I saw my sister Becca take on that duty when my parents were ill. It can sometimes be unpleasant, but it's an important role.