Yes, although... that's also why regular family visitors are so important.

They help, yes. I would love if my dad had a reminder to put on a clean shirt every day; it's embarrassing to take him to church and discover he has spaghetti stains on his shirt.

This weekend Dad turned on the water in the sink to do the dishes, and then had a sudden need to go to the store. By the time he got back, the staff were in his apartment, mopping up the water, which had spread all over the floor and leaked out into the hallway.

He called me at 7:20AM today to announce that the carpets were dry. Yay, Dad. t sigh

In other words, hang in there, Jesse. And Jesse's Mom. And Jesse's Dad, too.

Jesse, I wanted to say that you are such a role model for me in dealing with parent stuff. I know it's hard, but I appreciate you sharing as much as you do a lot. And Suela too, earlier this year.

Aw, thanks, flea. I feel pretty lucky because my mother is so together and our relationship is good. Also I tell you people everything because it's more support than sympathy, I realized. I can't deal with too much sympathy.

It is a huge blessing to have my step-father to be there for my mom. He is 15 years younger than her and in much better physical condition. He absolutely dotes on her. Pushes her to do her physical therapy, keeps track of all the medical stuff, and constantly gets her flowers and cards and generally spoils her. He is no youngster at 78, but I am so grateful for him and the care and love he provides.

She has said that there was no way she would ever live with her kids since we were kids. Goes back to her MIL living with them. Grateful that she doesn't have to make those choices.

Sometimes I feel like I need a reminder to put on a clean shirt.

Jesse, I wanted to say that you are such a role model for me in dealing with parent stuff. I know it's hard, but I appreciate you sharing as much as you do a lot. And Suela too, earlier this year.

Likewise.

About to file, and we're actually getting a refund. We'll ignore the little blip where I did something wrong and we suddenly owed money. I fixed it.

Woohoo!!! I have to say that paying an accountant (wacko conspiricist though he may be) to do our taxes every year is money so well spent. I had him before I got married and an old friend of Bob's had been doing his for years so neither of us were hung up on doing them ourselves. I feel like, given our temperments and the sorts of things we argue about, filing out tax forms would be a huge source of stress for us.

Boo, I just failed at completing Couch to 5k week 6 day 1. Supposed to be run 6, walk 1, run 12. I managed something more like run 6, walk 2, run 4, walk 4, run 4. Or something. I'm trying to be like "hey, but a few weeks ago six minutes of running would seem like a lot!" But kinda not feeling cheered by that, since my legs hurt.

On the plus side, I am about to go eat some Puerto Rican food. OM NOM NOM.

I just did a little retail therapy to assuage the general meh-ness and inadequacy I'm feeling right now and defended my purchases in my head in the voice of Billy on the Street which made the whole thing more hilarious then sad.

Oh hey, did I tell you folks about my derm visit yesterday? Involved an impromptu biopsy of a mole that may or may not be a basal cell carcinoma. Ugh. Knowing my fears of cancer, he did tell me repeatedly that no one has ever died of a basal cell carcinoma. So I'm trying to be all mature about it. The biopsy site itches.

Burrell, my stepdad (who is a stereotypical ginger with freckles and skin that fears the sun) has had several basal cell carcinomas removed over the past 10-15 years (he's 55, so he started having them removed in his early 40s). They've never been problematic/malignant, just a pain in the butt.

I don't know if anecdata helps, but I thought I'd mention it just in case.