2005-02-23 - 5:21 p.m.
That gerbil recipe?
It’s a fake. The actual recipe calls for curlews. They’re substantially bigger than gerbils, but still, 133 pounds of curlew… sheesh.
Anyway, I have two items of news.
One, I am an uncle! Again! My sister in New York gave birth to a bouncing baby boy, one John Peter, eight pounds six ounces. After four years, two IVF attempts, 36 hours of labor, and one C-section, she’s a mom. Needless to say, she’s thrilled. I don’t know when we’ll be able to go out to see them, but I hope it’s soon.
Two, my mother has been diagnosed with diabetes. It’s in an early phase, and she’s starting a regimen of monitoring and weight control, so she could last another 30 years. Thing is, diabetes is what killed her father, and some part of her is treating this as a death sentence. She’s younger than her father was when he was diagnosed. I’ve told her that she stands a much better chance of living with this than he did; he was in the habit of eating a half-pound of candy every day, and we know a lot more about managing it than we did 35 years ago. Still, she’s somewhat fatalistic. Now I KNOW I’ve got to be more careful with the diet. First Grandpa, then Mom… when does my turn come?
As I ride the bus in the mornings, I occasionally run into the teenaged daughter of an acquaintance. I’ve known Alex since she was eleven. For a while she wasn’t very happy with school or with learning. Then she started a culinary arts program at a career tech school and she hasn’t looked back. She’s in her second year at Forest Park Community College, and she’s got her sights on Le Cordon Bleu in France. She wants to be an executive chef. Needless to say, I’m thrilled for her. When I first met her, she was having trouble reading, and she didn’t really care much. Now she’s learning French. Moreover, she knows exactly what she wants to do with her life, which is more than what I could claim at 19. Even though I had nothing to do with this particular turnaround, it’s still a great thing to see.
As always, life is good.
