Yeah, there's no easy solution. But I'll repeat again that you taking care of them is NOT a solution. You need a job for money and can't do both things full-time and survive. Put your own oxygen mask on first.

Put your own oxygen mask on first.

Wise.

Oh Suela, I hope you aren't feeling piled upon right now. We are all speaking out of love for you.

If given a choice, I want to fly internationally on sheik-funded MidEast airlines. Avoiding US based like the plague. They've been the cushiest in my limited experience. Best food, entertainment, perks. C'mon Qantas, impress me with more than your safety record!

When flying internationally, I try to fly the country's airline. It's almost always nicer.

Qantas is pretty nice, I'd place them ahead of US and United. My favourite airline is probably Singapore, though it's been some years since I last checked them out.

I flew Singapore airlines once with my parents. I remember getting a lot of swag, including a deck of cards with a gorgeous woman on them. Of course, that may have been because we were flying on the black passports.

Of course, that may have been because we were flying on the black passports.

I think Vortex just confirmed what I always knew: she is one of the Incredibles.

Oh Suela, I hope you aren't feeling piled upon right now. We are all speaking out of love for you.

Oh, no worries. I'm just sort of flailing. We had rather decided it would be too difficult to get my mother into a facility, but I think we're going to have to re-evaluate that. If there's one where they can be together but still get enough support for dad and he doesn't have to be the full-time caregiver, that would be best.

That does sound most ideal, Suela. And I want to pipe up with how difficult I know it is. My mother has expressed in no uncertain terms how she would never be happy in any kind of home and that she expects us to care for her should the need arise. She's not speaking out of a vacuum; she was the primary caregiver for her mother, blind and partially deaf, for many years, and is now the caregiver for my father with Parkinson's. She's not asking anything she hasn't already done herself. There are definitely times when providing the care yourself is, in fact, the best thing you can do for the person, albeit not the best thing you can do for yourself. So it's not ever an easy decision, and I feel for you.

Man, I have to leave at 6 tomorrow to pick up the SO from the end of his tour. I should have been sleeping, not getting myself involved in a discussion of Native spirituality on facebook.

I will add that while getting the best airline is ideal, almost any foreign airline is better than the U.S. airlines. When I went to a conference is Bali, the budget of the people paying for my tickets only covered my fare if I took a bottom of the basket Taiwanese airline. And it was great. 20 hours. The seats were comfortable even though I'm a fat guy. The food was good. (We had either a Chinese or an American option. I always took Chinese. Why fly a Chinese airline and eat American food?) The flight attendants were not only polite. They were warm and went out their way to be be helpful. I had no special dietary requirements but there were to my knowledge one vegetarian and one person eating kosher in my seating area and both seemed happy.

Argh. There is no water in my apartment. Which makes me not want to go to work, but actually, I should, since there is water there! But I feel (am) dirty! Oy vey.