Where I've been and other random crap

Well, I'm back. I was out of town with my dad for a few days. His brother is terminally ill and he was admitted to the hospital for evaluation. He was staying with my dad, but after this hospital visit, he'll be admitted to an assisted living facility. He has a tremendous amount of apprehension about going to this place. He asked my dad what the difference was between this place and an "old folks home".

He's being brave in the face of all that scares him. I never knew him very well. We always lived out of state. My dad's family seemed a little weird to us kids. We were raised knowing my mom's big, loud Italian clan. They're all fairly close-knit and constantly in each other's business.

My dad's family is an enigma. His dad died when my dad was quite young around 4. My grandmother remarried and then the step-father died when dad was 12 or so and then she died when he was 18. My dad was the youngest and I think after his mom died all the kids kind of scattered to the wind. Most all of the kids in that family suffer with alcohol addiction, so when we saw them their behavior was erratic; not exactly ideal for building relationships.

Anyway, we were never close to dad's family. My uncle "Red" was married and had 3 kids. The drinking and carousing caused that marriage to end and his kids all moved away from Montana. Now they've come back to help their dad, but you don't get the impression that they're close with him. They're doing what they're supposed to and it makes me kind of sad. If anything I'm reminded of the great influence I have on my own children. Those bonds can be so fragile.

Craig did so awesome with the kids while I was away. He's an incredible dad and is so supportive of me! I'm one lucky duck. It was nice to let the boys miss me. They were all glad to see me when I returned which can make a girl feel pretty special! I was glad I was able to be with my dad to lend some support and I was glad my guys did so well in my absence.

I have a couple of things (TOTALLY off the subject) to ask advice over:

1) how do you feel about those herbal cleansings to flush out the system? Anyone out there ever try one of those?

2) I'm seriously considering piercing stuff and I want to know of your experiences. My source tells me that getting your nose pierced is more painful than the clitoris. Any input from you bloggers? I personally find that hard to believe, but she swears the nose is worse.

3) Does it seem lame for a thirty something to get her nose pierced? Is that some mid-life "I'm trying to hold on to my youth" thing?