Birthdays, Parents, and Other Stuff

So, I find myself with a bit of motivation at the moment so I might as well grab the chance and post a few more lines here.

My birthday (back on July 26 for those who don't know and I turned 48 ::ptui:: I hate thinking I'm that old!! My amazon.com wishlist is on the bottom of the links on the right there, for those who feel guilty about not wishing me a happy birthday and/or those who want to help soothe my painin' mind from the knowledge of being so old and decrepit) was quiet. A few phone calls, cards, and a friend took me out to my fave Mexican restaurant, Rosa's:

Rosa's Mexican Food Restaurant
Originally uploaded by AZLee

In the parental unit department, they're prime examples that getting old can suck. As I've mentioned before, my dad has been slowly sliding further into dementia/senility and my sister got him under guardianship late last year. He hates it and lawyers moreso than ever, and doesn't speak highly about my sister for doing it to him. She doesn't speak to him unless absolutely necessary. I was the same but have been talking to him periodically now for the past 3 weeks. Thankfully, the conversations have been pleasant enough but if he thinks he's ever going to have a good "father son" relationship withe NOW, forget it!! Too much shit has happened over the years to change that.

Alas, my mother's memory is also going. Long term is still good but she'll misplace things, forgets some words she normally knows, forgets that she said or was told something earlier that day or week, etc. It's scary for both me and my sister to helplessly witness it especially since my maternal grandmother had a memory like a steel trap till she died at 98. Luckily, tho she's got her own place in a very nice senior's community (my mother moved out of my parents' place back in November, 2007 since my father's volatile behavior was getting increasingly worse and it wasn't safe for her to be living in the same apartment with him) and they have an assisted living and Alzheimer's sections if, Zod forbid, it's ever needed.

Other than that, I finally did a comprehensive blood test for the first time in over 3 years, everything looks better than expected EXCEPT glucose level! Ick! Higher than it should be. Not in "yeah it's definitely diabetes" level but up there to keep it monitored. I'm going back this week or next for another fasting blood draw. Exciting, ain't it?

And one final word for the moment - the ASPCA/Sarah MacLachlan commercial still makes me cry up a storm everytime I see it.