So my mom's birthday party went out without a hitch last weekend. I got her a calendar will all our pics on it, which she loved. I'm also hoping to kidnap her this weekend and take her to AC. Gotta get some gambling in before she leaves for Spain again. Yes, I've been complaining about having her around, but now that she's almost gone, I'm starting to miss her already.

Doesn't she look great for 61? (Shhh, don't tell her I told you...)



And, of course, the kids gotta do their hammy picture thing.

The devilish David:



And the clever Claudia:



Hey, if I win at AC tomorrow, I'll make sure to take a picture of me screaming as they hand me the million-dollar check. Hey, a girl can dream ...

Woo hoo! Go Javier Bardem! Way to represent us Spaniards!

I agreed with most of the winners, especially Bardem -- but that's mostly because he's one of the only nominated performances I actually saw... I always say I'm going to watch all the nominees, but never quite make it. But I did get to knock one off my list this weekend: "Michael Clayton" (see review below). I thought Tilda Swinson was very good, but enough to win the Oscar? I probably would have gone with Cate Blanchett, not because I saw the movie but just based on her past performances. Also, Tilda seems a little, well, strange, doesn't she? She has an alien look to her. No, that shouldn't reflect on her acting abilities. I'm just sayin'. And this is my blog, so I'm entitled to it. So there.

Anyway, here's the latest Maria Diarrhea Moviewatch:

"Michael Clayton": Great acting, great script, great directing, so-so movie. Maybe I expected a little more action or -- crazy idea for a movie about lawyers -- some courtroom drama. I hate to say this, because I love George Clooney, but this was boring. For a psychological "thriller," it was missing all the thrills. But did I mention George Clooney was in it?

"Little Children": You know how there are movies you want to watch but don't actually want to sit and watch them? This was one of those movies. It just looked so Boring with a capital B. It turned out to be the exact opposite. In fact, two days after watching it, I find myself still thinking about it, wondering what happened to those characters. To me, that's the mark of a great movie -- one that makes you want to know more, to follow the lives of the characters as if they were real. Kate Winslet is amazing, as usual. She really is one of the most talented actresses around. And Patrick Wilson -- what a revelation! I'd never seen him before, but now I want -- need -- to see everything he's in. It didn't hurt that you see him naked ... several times. What a nice ass. Ok, now I sound like a perv. But seriously, it's a gem of a movie. Rent it. Do it, do it.

"Notes on a Scandal": Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench. Even if the plot weren't there (which it is) and the acting wasn't there (which it is), it would be worth it to see these two actresses go toe to toe. It's like a cage match of great acting! They are both superb, and the storyline is quite interesting. And bonus points for Cate for making what could have been an unappealing role seem real. Actually, the same goes for Judi Dench. (Sorry, she's a dame -- I can't refer to her by just her first name. I think it's illegal or something.)

I don't have Venereal Disease.

Now that I have your attention, let me give you a brief update on my hand. Besides the aforementioned VD, I also do not have gout, Lyme disease, lupus and about 17 other things the doctor tested me for. In fact, my bloodwork came through clear. Great, right? Yeah, except we still don't know what the heck is up with my hand.

I feel a little like a patient on "House," but we're now just going to try stuff until it sticks. First up is medication to treat arthritis. Actually, it's primarily used to treat cholitis, but also helps with arthritis. Why cholitis? Isn't that some sort of intestinal issue? Yes, yes it is. But in rare cases (uh, that would be me), cholitis can cause localized arthritis six months to a year before the cholitis would present itself. Look, at some point, I gotta take the leap of faith and trust the guy with the white coat and medical degree, because I just don't get it.

Anyways, this medication has a couple of side effects. One is anorexia (fingers crossed!). Another is orange skin. Great. I should totally hook up with that blue dude.



If nothing else, we'd make the ultimate Mets fan.

Well, it's only day three of the pills, and no orange skin or anorexia yet, but I'm holding out hope.

Maria Diarrhea's Moviewatch:

"The Game Plan": Two words: The. Rock. Was there ever a finer specimen of a man? And is there anything he can't do? He can wrestle, he can (sorta) act, and, as we find out in this movie, he can sing. Granted, there's not much else to this movie, so if you're a guy, you can -- and probably will -- skip it. But ladies, even if you're not into the "famous, egotistical, non-kid-loving man finds out he has a daughter he never knew about" movies, this is kinda cute. And it's got The Rock. So come on, what more do you want? Rent it. Rent it now. And make sure you have a steady stream of tissues for the drool.

"3:10 to Yuma": I've been wanting to see this, like, forever, and I was not disappointed. I'm not a huge Russell Crowe fan -- as in, Russell Crowe the person; I'm ok with the actor -- but he's fantastic in this movie. It's saying something that he's just as good as Christian Bale, one of my favorite actors. I wish they would just make movies together all the time. I'll have more of "The Christian and Russell Show," please. And it's a really good movie, to boot. Without giving anything away, let me just say that it also has the perfect ending. Actually, I couldn't find fault with any part of this movie -- everything was just spot on. On a side note, though, I have to say that I would totally not do well living in Wild West times. A frontier lady I'm not. I mean, gosh, did they ever take a bath? Gross. Not even The Rock would look hot.

Do you ever feel like you just want to make a major change in your life, but you're (a) scared to do anything, or (b) not even sure what it is you want to do?

I feel that way right now. I want to change several aspects of my life, but I'm not entirely sure to what. I'd like a new job -- something that doesn't involve constant deadlines or managing staff -- but I'm scared to start something new, or worried that I'm not going to make as much as I do now. Actually, I would like an entirely new career. I was thinking about teaching, but I'd have to go back to school to get certified, it would involve an entirely new skillset, yada yada yada. There's always some excuse.

I've been thinking about moving away, too. But there's a bunch of stuff holding me back there, too.

I'm not someone who likes change, so it's hard to embrace it, even if it would be a positive step forward. But I think I'm at the point where I need big change to happen. I need a new career. I need new surroundings. I need a new life, pretty much. Now the question is, how do I go about getting one, and what should go first?

I know I can't be the only one who's ever experienced this, so if you are -- or were -- in the same boat, let me know what you did ... or didn't do. I'm open to all ideas, even the stupid ones. ;-)

I'm going to London! Woo hoo!

Neets told me about a great deal Virgin Atlantic is having on round-trip tickets to London, so we decided to just take a few days and go. The whole trip is only $450 -- on premium class! -- so I just couldn't say no to that.

We're going in mid-March. I'm so excited, I'm already packing my bags! :-)

So today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, which means I have to decide on what to give up this year.

I usually give up chocolate, but seeing as how I sneaked in a piece this morning, that's pretty much a no-go. I think I've pretty much decided on red meat. I've been wanting to eat less meat anyway, ever since I heard that reducing your meat intake to one day per week is one of the actions that has the most impact on our environment. So not only do I fulfill my Lenten duties, but I also help Mother Earth. Sweet!

Now I just have to decide how I'll live without bacon. Mmmmm, bacon. Turkey bacon doesn't count as red meat, does it? Because if so, I'm cooked. (No pun intended.)

I could always take the easy road and give up mushrooms...

Well, I had all hopes of listing my favorite ads from the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, Big Brother had a different idea. I was called to jury duty this week. I was excused, so I don't have to serve, but it effectively threw my entire weekly schedule into a tizzy. Needless to say, I didn't get a chance to make the list, and it's kinda late now. It's old news, baby, old news. Oh well.

At least the Giants won! :-)

It's been a while since I gave a hand update, so here goes.

I went to the rheumatologist yesterday. Remember how the hand surgeon said I had trigger finger on my index finger and a torn ligament on my thumb, but I thought he was wrong? Well, the rheumatologist, Dr. S, agrees with me. Yay! I'm not crazy! (Well, at least not about this...)

Anyway, he said that it's highly unlikely that that's what is wrong with my fingers. It's more likely that it's some type of arthritis. Actually, he said it could be:

Rheumatoid arthritis
Osteoarthritis
Gout
Lupus
Lyme Disease
Psoriasis

Yeah. Wow. That's a whole lot of options right there. Some of them are interesting. Gout? Really? And psoriasis -- isn't that some kind of skin condition? Believe it or not, though, if there's a "perfect storm" of conditions, such benign diseases might react by inflaming tissues and might cause the hand problems I've been having. Quite interesting, indeed.

I'm having bloodwork done this week to either rule out or confirm the above conditions. Honestly, I just want to know either way. It's been seven months -- seven loooooong months -- and it'd be really nice to just have an answer as to what the heck is going on. And it's a sad state of affairs when Lyme Disease would be the best option, huh?

Ah, the joys of getting older. Ain't aging grand?