The Post In Which I Don't Mention My Mother

I'm just recovering from two days in bed with something which can best be described as "right-sided disease."  I had a headache behind my right eye, horrible right hip pain, right-sided sciatica, right foot pain, plus a sore throat and fever, nausea, and an overall feeling of crappiness.  I did manage on Friday morning to take all the boys to school, visit my doctors' offices, go to the post office, and deposit money at the bank, but i had to stop by the side of the road to vomit in the middle of all of that.  I think I slept more in the last 2 days than i've slept in weeks, and the sort of sad thing about it is that I don't even really feel rested.  I've still got the headache behind the eye, especially if I turn my head a certain way.
 
Oh well.
 
My brain is currently playing a loop of Any King's Shilling, the Elvis Costello song, I think in some sort of response to watching Cold Mountain the other night, a movie which royally pissed me off.  Maybe I'm too demanding of movies these days, or maybe most movies just really suck ass.  I don't know.  Jude Law is certainly nice to look at, as is Nicole Kidman, but that there just ain't enough.  And that's about all this movie had going for it.  Well that and some good music.  And you know I'm really tired of these fucking Brits/Aussies/Kiwis/South Africans coming over here and playing Americans.  Don't we have enough talent in Hollywood for Christ's sake?  With actual AMERICAN ACCENTS?  But anyway, for a good old Odysseus-style epic tale retold in the modern world of the American South I would more heartily recommend O Brother, Where Art Thou? Which also has some pretty fine music not to mention a whole lot more to offer in terms of visuals and dialogue.   The Coen brothers would just crush Anthony Minghella* in a Celebrity Death Match any day of the week with all four hands tied behind their backs. 
 
(deleted paragraph about my mother)
 
So anyway, where was I?  Oh yes, sick, watching movies, not thinking about my mother.  In the middle of posting this it was discovered the Allison has a temperature of 100.5 (and a piercing pain behind her right eyeball, no doubt), so she's been given a hefty dose of Tylenol. 
 
(not) Speaking of my mother, she just sent us (or rather, the boys, but I rather think it will be better appreciated by the adults) this book, which is incredible.   Just look at these  for a taste.  I'm bringing the book to pozole for show-and-tell.  Which is where we're headed now, so it's off to the shower for me.  I hope your weekends are free of illness and full of good food.
 
*although I admit to having really liked The Talented Mr. Ripley and to never having seen The English Patient because I read the book and thought the book was amazing and didn't want it ruined by the movie.  And I think that was probably a good call.  And, okay, I saw Truly Madly Deeply and thought it was charming.  But I still say the Coen brothers would kick his ass.  And I guess they would have to resort to ass kicking what with their hands all tied up.