My father passed away nine years ago today. He would have been 72.

If you knew my dad, you'd know the last thing he'd want us to do would be to sit around mourning him all day. Instead, he'd want us to celebrate his life. Of course, for those of us left behind, it's hard to do when all we can think about is that he's no longer with us. But we can still remember him in our own way.

Every year, my sister takes the day off work, goes to the park and just remembers him. I will work today, but my dad will be with me as the day goes on, in the back corners of my mind. This isn't really different from most days, though. He's always there, and I can see him as clearly as I did that last day. I know they say that our memories of the ones we've lost lessen over time, but that just hasn't happened. Whether it's because he was taken from us so young or so unexpectedly, or because he was just such a strong presence, I don't know, but he's still so ... vivid.

What I remember most are the funny things he did, his goofy laugh, even the fact that he wore his shirt unbuttoned all the way down to his waist, with his gold anchor chain hanging over his hairy chest. Yep, that's my dad.

I wish I had pictures of him to post. This was before digital cameras -- or, at least, before I had one -- but for those of us that knew him, there's no forgetting what he looked like or who he was. Yes, he had his personal demons. Who among us doesn't? But ultimately, what we remember about him was his love of life, his sense of humor, how he was the first one people called when they needed help (and how he was the first one to offer it), and how much he loved us. Those qualities are what made my dad who he was, and the reasons we miss him so.

So Dad, today, in your honor, I will go home after work, sit back, drink a beer, smoke a cigarette, and yell out "Muros!" at completely random moments. (Don't ask. It's a Perez thing.) Love you, Dad.

The pirate cake was a huge success! When he saw it, David said, "Tia, it looks perfect!" How sweet is that? Now you know why I love this kid.

To view pics of the festivities, click here. Pay no attention to the bra hanging off the radiator. It wasn't that kind of party. That was already there. (If you're a girl, you'll understand...)

And poor David had a little bit of an infection in his left eye. Thankfully, it seems to be fine now.

Only five more days and I have to do it all again, for Claudia, who's turning 10. She wants a "blue jeans" cake. Oy. Thank goodness this is only once a year!

So my nephew, David, asked me to make him a birthday cake. (Happy Birthday, David!!)

I tried to get him to go with the Lego cake, which is basically just a square cake with some marshmallows on top, but nooooo, he wanted the pirate cake.

I don't think it came out too bad, actually:

Man, I can't wait to bite into that little chocolate dude. Em, that sounded a little wrong ...

Maria Diarrhea's Moviewatch:

"There Will Be Blood": Finally! I put off watching it -- even though I wanted to see it -- because I thought that (a) it would be boring, and (b) it would be violent. Thankfully, the latter was not the case. Yes, there were a couple of "intense" scenes, but for the most part, the movie was dramatic but not gory. Unfortunately, I did find it a tad boring. Yes, Daniel Day Lewis gives one doozy of a performance -- and fully deserved his Oscar -- but it was painfully slow in many parts. And the music ... oh my gosh, it drove me crazy. The soundtrack is the absolute worst and, in some parts, was actually louder than the dialogue and made it difficult to hear what was being said. Annoying. I think that may be what soured me a little on the movie. Without the soundtrack, I might have liked it more. But it is what it is, and what it is, is ok. That last scene, though -- Wow!

"Iron Man": I'm a fan of comic-book movies, and this one did not disappoint. It was filled with top-rate action and effects, sharp dialogue, great acting and -- most importantly -- Robert Downey Jr.! He did for this movie what Johnny Depp did for "Pirates of the Caribbean" -- that is, make the movie more interesting just by his very presence in it. I can't wait to see the sequel, though the next time I hope to not have to sit next to a woman with a 2-year-old who cries "Mami, mami, mami, papi, papi, papi" the entire time. Why do people do that, especially at an 8 p.m. show? Shouldn't your child be sleeping? If you can't afford a babysitter, then guess what? You can't go to the movies. Simple as that.

Next up: I really want to see the "Indiana Jones" movie, though I'll wait a couple of weeks to avoid the massive crowds. Oh, and I'll probably be dragged to "Sex and the City." Not that I'd hate it, but it's just not my cup of tea. But what I'm really looking forward to: "Get Smart." Now that I may have to see on opening weekend...

Cookie's "Guitar Hero" commercial:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=_HnfYNLhkqM

Enjoy! :-)

Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, Yes!

Woo! David Cook is our new "American Idol"!

Cougars for Cook, unite!

(Lots of exclamation points here, I know.)

I was so happy, especially because I know Archie will be just fine. In fact, Simon was right -- it didn't really matter which one won. They've both got a huge career ahead of them. I'm still glad Cook won, though ...

They're both doing an outdoor concert on the "Today" show next Thursday. Hmm, let me check my calendar ... I may just have to take a day off ...

Woo-hoo!

Ok, I'll admit it. I watched "Idol" last night.

I wasn't going to, I really wasn't. But then my sister rightfully pointed out that since she was going to watch it anyway, it wasn't like I was going to impact their ratings. Yeah, good point, Laura. Why didn't you think of this, oh, I don't know, three weeks ago?!?

Anyway, was it just me, or did they totally throw David Cook under the bus? You'd think they'd want him to win, seeing as how he'd probably be the most successful of them all, but they seemed to favor Archie all the way. Granted, Arch did really well last night -- and I mean really. It definitely was his strongest night yet. But how many of us would buy his album? (And how old am I that I'm still calling it an album?)

Then again, perhaps that was their strategy -- be hard on Cook so his fans mobilize and vote for him. Who knows? It's not like the show is above manipulation...

What did you think? Did you vote? Will Archie win it all? And will Cook be the winner regardless?

Moi and Eva paint the town

On Friday, my sister, my friend Eva (aka "Anonymous, xoxo") and I went to see comedian Mike Marino perform at a local joint.

Don't worry, we didn't take the stage, much to the dismay of Eva, who's convinced we'd have a "hilarious" stand-up routine. ("Vinnie, get the bat!")

No, we were on our best behavior. We did get a little carried away with the laughing, though. My sister said the comedian kept staring at me because I was "cackling." Oh well, there are worse things, I suppose. Well, actually, you know I've done worse; you've read this blog.

Patrick Swayze showed up and sang a song. Ok, it wasn't really Patrick Swayze; it was some guy named Patrick who sang on Broadway or something. But Eva and I like the Swayze story better. How awesome would that have been? "Nobody puts Maria Diarrhea in a corner!"

We did, though, get a surprise appearance by Danny Aiello. And I'm sure I would be more excited about that if I were 80 years old. "That Danny boy, he's such a cute young fella."

All in all, it was a fun night. We got out of the house, had a laugh and got home at a respectable hour. And, really, what more can you ask of an old lady?

And hey, Eva, look ... you finally made it to my blog! Oh my gawd, you're famous. Huzzah!

My latest Baysider article is available here.

I've also got an exciting interview coming up with Artemis Pyle from Lynyrd Skynyrd. He's got an interesting life story, so it should be quite a lively read. Stay tuned for more info on that.

Happy birthday, Diego!

My second Baysider piece was posted this week.

You can view it here.

I don't know if you've ever noticed the Google ads above these postings, but sometimes they're totally hysterical.

The ones I see there now are for "Stomach Bloating" and "The IBS Diet." Ha! I can't quite figure those out, except that it might be because I mentioned underwear in a posting earlier today?

(And now that I mentioned them again, I'm sure they'll never go away...)

Anyway, check them out from time to time. They'll give you a chuckle.

Here's my first article for the Bayonne Baysider:

Bayonne Senior Orchestra is 'Unforgettable'

It's not going to win me any awards, but it's nice to see my byline. That never gets old (no pun intended). ;-)

You may have noticed a new link to the right, Bayonne Baysider. It's a new Web site covering my hometown, and I'll be writing for them on a regular basis. In addition to general entertainment and lifestyle news, I'll also write a semi-regular food column, profiling area restaurants, food events, recipes, etc. I'm sure it won't win any Pulitzers, but I think it'll be a fun assignment.

My first article, which should be posted later today, is on the Bayonne Senior Orchestra (contain your excitement, please). I interviewed the bandleader (June) yesterday, and I had to share our little exchange:

Me: Hi, June. It's Maria. Is this a bad time?

June: Hold on a second. My hands are wet.

[Long wait.]

June: Maria, when you buy new underwear, do you wash it before you put it on?

Me: Um ... yeah ... Definitely.

June: Well, that's what I was just doing.

I am not making that up, I swear. Like my sister-in-law said, the oldies are just like little kids -- they just say what comes to mind. Great, I see the future now: "Hey, have you seen my laxatives? I'm feeling a little bloated right now." Oh, wait, actually, that sounds like me now.

I have come to a decision: After much consideration, I am no longer watching "Idol."

Oh, I'm sure that once I stop watching it, it'll get much better, as happened with "Grey's Anatomy," "Moonlight" and a gazillion other shows that improved after they lost me. But I don't want to continue rewarding the producers for their questionable practices and blatant contempt for viewers and our level of intelligence.

So "Idol," I'm sure I'll miss you, but it's over baby. And this time, it is you, not me.