Movie Monday: Fall 2016 Movies Based on Books

I was reading an article in the newspaper this week about upcoming fall movie releases, and I was struck by how many of them are book adaptations. This is a Hollywood trend that shows no signs of slowing...which is great for book lovers like me! I haven't read all related books yet, but I am excited to see so many familiar book titles coming to the big screen.

Here are some to watch for - better hurry up & read the books first! (note that where I have read the book already, I have linked to my review)

September 2 - The Light Between Oceans - A book that my book group and I all enjoyed, about an impossible moral decision faced by a kind husband and wife who rescue a baby.

September 16 - Bridget Jones's Baby - I admit I have not yet read any of the Bridget Jones novels (though I'd like to!), but I loved Renee Zellweger and Colin Firth in the first Bridget Jones movie. This one, the third, finds Bridget in her 40's and pregnant and unsure who the father is...and they've added Patrick Dempsey to the cast! I will go see it just for that.

September 23 - The Dressmaker - I haven't read this one, but the movie is adapted from a novel of the same name by Rosalie Ham, about a glamorous woman who returns to her small town in rural Australia and transforms the local women. The movie stars Kate Winslet and Liam Hemsworth.

September 30 - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - I just read this YA novel in June for one of my book groups & really enjoyed it, so I can't wait for the movie, directed by Tim Burton (so you know it's peculiar-ness will be extra-peculiar!) Fair warning, though: if you want to read the book, definitely read it FIRST, before seeing the movie, because even the movie trailer gives away some surprises that are gradually revealed in the book.

October 7 - The Girl on the Train - Both  my husband and I read and enjoyed this fast-paced thriller last summer, so we can't wait to see it on the big screen. Emily Blunt is starring as the messed-up unreliable narrator, Rachel.

October 7 - Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life - Based on a popular middle-grade series by the prolific James Patterson, the first book is coming to theaters, about a 6th grader. Starring Lauren Graham.

October 21 - American Pastoral - I am excited about this one! My book group read the Pulitzer Prize-winning modern classic by Philip Roth a couple of years ago, and I really enjoyed it. It's a very thoughtful novel, so it will be interesting to see how they adapted it. Ewan McGregor stars in the movie adaptation, along with Dakota Fanning and Jennifer Connelly. Might have to get some book group friends to go see this one with me!

October 28 - Inferno - Another of Dan Brown's popular novels comes to theaters this fall, with Tom Hanks once again starring as symbologist Robert Langdon. I read (and loved) The Da Vinci Code but haven't read this one yet (though I think we have it and my husband has probably read it).

November 11 - Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk - Yay!! This was an amazing novel that blew me away, about one day (a long and confusing day) in the life of a returning war hero who is really just a kid. It was hilarious, heartbreaking, and incredibly thought-provoking. The movie stars Vin Diesel, Kristen Stewart, and Steve Martin, among others - an odd collection! I hope they were able to capture the magic of the book.

Have you heard of any other book adaptations coming to theaters this fall? Which fall releases are you most excited to see?

Exciting New Research May Help with ME/CFS Diagnosis & Treatment

Photo © Max Blain | Dreamstime Stock Photos

Earlier this week, University of California San Diego released the results of a ground-breaking study that identified a metabolic chemical "signature" that was able to differentiate between ME/CFS patients and healthy controls. This study represents a big step forward in developing a method for diagnosis (rather than just relying on clinical symptoms) and potential treatments. Here is UC San Diego's press release describing the study results and an article that appeared in Science Daily this week on the study.

This is a complicated one, so here are some of the highlights and WHY this study represents a major breakthrough:

• The study included 45 men and women with CFS and 39 matched controls.
• Researchers looked at 612 metabolites (substances produced by the processes of metabolism) from 63 biochemical pathways in blood plasma.
• They found abnormalities in 20 of those metabolic pathways in ME/CFS patients compared to healthy controls.
• From just their metabolic data, they were able to accurately identify over 90% of the ME/CFS patients, showing that this could be a valuable diagnostic tool, more accurate than anything else we have yet.
• Of the many metabolites measured, researchers found that 80% of them were decreased in ME/CFS patients, indicating a state of reduced metabolism.
• This reduced metabolism or hypometabolism is the opposite of what is seen in metabolic syndrome or in acute infection. Basically, our bodies are trying to protect themselves by partially shutting down or slowing down, a process called Cell Danger Response (CDR).
• Of the abnormalities found in ME/CFS patients, 25% of them were consistent across all patients tested regardless of time sick or how the illness began - these are the ones that could help create an accurate diagnostic test(s).
• The remaining 75% of abnormalities differed from one patient to the next, which helps to explain why some patients respond well to a treatment and others don't. These individualized abnormalities could help lead to very specific treatments based on metabolic testing to help each patient.
• There were significant differences in many of the measured metabolites between men and women (though still that core 25% that were the same across the board and could be used for diagnosis).

The best news of all? This is just the beginning! The main researcher at UC - San Diego, Dr. Naviaux, has joined the board of the Open Medicine Foundation (a key ME/CFS research and clinical organization), and OMF is already planning the next study with Dr. Naviaux, which will include a larger patient population and will also look at the role of genetics.

If you want to know more of the details, this is an excellent study summary and Q&A with Ron Davis, Director of the Scientific Advisory Board at OMF.

So, all-around great news for ME/CFS patients! This is one of many ground-breaking scientific studies on ME/CFS in the past few years that is moving the science forward at a fast pace. Diagnostic tools and treatments come next! All of this leads to hope for a better future for all of us!

TV Tuesday: The Missing

In this sort of in-between seasons TV season, my husband and I were looking around for a new show to try on one of the streaming services. We settled on The Missing, a Starz show currently available on Amazon Prime (note that there is a different show also called The Missing available on Netflix or to rent on Amazon - the one we are watching aired in 2014 and is a joint Starz-BBC production).

In short, The Missing is a show that centers on a single mystery and is a suspense-thriller, though it is focused on the victims. British citizens Tony and Emily Hughes are enjoying a vacation in France with their five-year old son, Oliver, when the unthinkable happens. One evening, in a crowd of people, Oliver goes missing. One moment he's holding onto Tony's hand, and the next, he's gone. It's every parent's worst nightmare (and brought back my own nightmares of the time my 2-year old son slipped away from me at a shopping mall!).

As the show opens, it has been 8 years since Oliver's disappearance, and Tony is back in the small French town where it happened, following up on a new lead he thinks he found on social media. Tony has never stopped looking for his son and has become obsessed with the case, to the point that he and Emily are now divorced. Tony calls on the detective originally assigned to the case, Julien, who has since retired but also still thinks about Oliver. Together, the two men follow Tony's latest lead, slim though it may be.

The narrative moves back and forth between the past, when Oliver first disappeared, and the present day, with scenes in both England and France. Most of the action takes place in the small French town where Oliver went missing. As with any mystery or detective show, the details of the investigation unfold gradually, as the police follow one lead after another, chasing down a variety of suspects and clues. What is different here, though, is the focus on this one single case, as well as the perspective of Oliver's parents. Most of the story is told from Tony's point of view.

We have watched the first 5 episodes of 8 in season one (the fact that there is a season 2 doesn't bode well for the Hughes family!). It is engaging and intriguing, a good mystery that keeps surprising us. The subject matter gets a little difficult at times, as when the police suspect a pedophile. After watching episode 5 recently, I asked my husband if he wanted to watch another and he said, "How about something a little lighter?" (episode 5 is a tough one!). But we do want to watch more. It is suspenseful, the action moves along at a good pace, and we want to see what happens next.

The Missing is currently available free on Amazon Prime and on DVD.

TV Tuesday: Stranger Things

Over the past two weeks, since my last TV Tuesday post (and even with a vacation in the middle), my family tried, became obsessed with, and finished a new TV show that I have been dying to tell you about! You've probably already heard about it because everyone seems to be raving about it, so I will add my enthusiasm to the noise. My husband, son, and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of season 1 of Stranger Things, a new Netflix show, and can't wait for the next season!

Before I get into the details of plot and character, you should know that one of the most enticing things about Stranger Things is that it takes the best, most beloved 80's movies, puts them in a blender, and spits out an original, compelling TV show. One of my favorite podcasts, Pop Culture Happy Hour, described it like "taking a Stephen King book starring kids and having Steven Spielberg produce the movie," and that is a pretty apt description (the link will take you directly to their Stranger Things episode, which I highly recommend). The three of us spotted references, similarities, and homages to ET, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Stand by Me, and The Goonies, just for starters.

The set-up goes like this: it's 1983 in suburban Indiana, and four nerdy pre-pubescent best friends ride their bikes, sleep over at each other's houses, and obsessively play Dungeons & Dragons in one boy's basement for hours. Mike is the boy with the afore-mentioned basement rec room (complete with shag carpeting), Lucas is his best friend who lives next door as part of the only black family in town, Dustin is an adorable chubby-cheeked boy with a medical condition that means he is still missing baby teeth (for which he gets teased relentlessly by the bullies at school), and Will completes the foursome. In the first episode, Will goes missing while riding his bike home one night.

Will's mother, played by Winona Rider (another wink to the 80's), is frantic. She is raising Will and his teen brother, Jonathan, on her own. Police Chief Jim Hopper, played by David Harbour, is an old friend and immediately begins a search for Will, but the boys set off on their own investigation. Meanwhile, a mysterious girl of about the same age, with a shaved head and wearing a hospital gown, shows up suddenly in a local diner after dark, having escaped from a super-creepy secret government facility in town (under the guise of the Department of Energy). The girl, known as El, doesn't talk much, but the boys find her in the woods and keep her safe.

That is all in the first episode, and I won't say more because this is a show that relies on unfolding secrets and mysteries. Some very strange things are going on in this town, and they are going to get worse before they get better. There are three main plotlines: the adults looking for Will, the kids doing their own investigation and search, and eventually, Jonathan and Mike's teen sister also getting involved (plus flashbacks to what is going on at the secret facility). Over the course of 8 episodes, some questions are answered and some mysteries solved, but others remain unclear, paving the way for a suspenseful second season.

Have I mentioned that we all LOVE this show? It is just so addictingly good in so many ways. The tone and feel will remind you of your favorite 80's movies, even though the plot is unique. The kids are all great actors, especially the mysterious El, played by Millie Bobby Brown. Winona Rider and David Harbour are excellent in the main adult roles. The music, pop culture references, and settings all lovingly recreate the 80's. Too young to remember the 80's movies I mentioned? You'll still love this show. Fortunately, we gave our son a solid education in the "modern classics" of the 80's! And if you've enjoyed any of Stephen King's novels that feature kids (his best writing, in my opinion), like IT or The Body (the novella on which the movie Stand By Me was based - not horror), then you will also feel right at home.

Stranger Things takes the best of the movies and stories of the 80's and recreates them for a modern audience, with a nice sense of nostalgia. It's a very suspenseful, action-packed mystery/sci fi combination that will have you saying at the end of each episode (like we did), "We have to watch the next one!"

Stranger Things is a Netflix Original program, so it is available only on the streaming service.

Camping & Enjoying the Outdoors with ME/CFS

Beautiful Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park, SD

Sorry I have been absent from the blog - we just returned from a short vacation to one of our favorite places, the Black Hills region of South Dakota. It is absolutely beautiful there! Plus, we have lots of family in the area, so it was good to see everyone. It was exhausting for me, as you'd expect, and my son had one really bad day while there. However, we do love to travel and managed the trip well overall. This one was tough for us because it involved two very long days of air travel (12 full hours on the way out!) and a sort-of hotel stay (in a cabin but like a hotel room). We both manage better on road trips, when we can bring our camper with us.

Being outdoors is so important to me! I've written here before about the joy I get from the outdoors, how it conveys a sense of peace and tranquility. When I mention a camping trip, I often hear from other people with chronic illness, "You're so lucky!" But it's really not luck that allows me to still enjoy the outdoors: it's a combination of relentlessly trying new treatments for small improvements and of changing the way that we camp, travel, and get outdoors. I've been meaning to share some of our tips for camping and spending time outdoors, so this seems like a good time - these tips apply well to regular travel, too.

First, Improve Your Condition As Much As Possible
Before getting into specific travel tips, I have to mention treatments for ME/CFS. Too many people are told (by doctors!) that there are no treatments for ME/CFS and they just have to live with it, but that's just not true. There are many effective ways to treat ME/CFS, and I summarized those that have worked well for my son and I in that link. There are no outright cures (yet), but by trying different treatments, you can greatly improve your quality of life and ability to function, little by little. For instance, since starting beta blockers for Orthostatic Intolerance (an integral part of ME/CFS), I can now take walks (up to an hour!) without crashing afterward, which allows me to enjoy a bit of careful hiking.

Our Pop-Up Camper - Home Away From Home

Bring Your Home With You
If at all possible, find, borrow, rent, or buy some sort of camper for your outdoor adventures. In this way, you take your home with you (at least a mini version of your home). I do so much better staying in our own little camper than in a hotel! And I could never manage sleeping on the ground in a tent anymore. We just have a pop-up camper that is easy to tow, and we have taken it all across the U.S. I sleep just as well in the camper as I do at home (with my treatments for correcting sleep dysfunction that I take every night), we cook many of our meals ourselves so it is easy to stick to my diet (and far less expensive!), and it feels like our own little home-away-from-home. We also bring folding lounge chairs for my older son and I so that we can lie down and have our feet up. Folding bungee chairs work really well, too.

Stick To Your Routines As Much As Possible
I learned early on that I must stick to my daily routines if I want to function as well as possible. Yes, sometimes it stinks having to live life like a toddler, but staying within my limits helps so much! For me, those routines include getting to sleep by 10:30 pm every night, sleeping at least 9-10 hours at night, and taking a nap after lunch every day. My nap is sacred, and I never skip it! Without it, I would be useless by 4pm. In the car or on a plane, I bring pillow, light blanket, ear plugs, eyemask, and Valerian (a mild herbal sedative similar to chamomile that wears off quickly). In the car, I just lean my seat back or lie in the backseat at naptime. It's tougher on a plane (much tougher!), but I do my best, with a couple of small travel pillows and all the rest of the accessories I mentioned. LOTS of water, salt, and healthy snacks are also essential on a travel day. Camping or vacations with extended family are very tough for me, but I still stick to my own routines because I know I will crash otherwise.

With beta blockers, I can enjoy a slow paddle in the kayak.

Focus Your Energy On Fun
I find that I naturally feel better when we are camping, simply because I am away from my normal responsibilities and obligations - no internet, no computer, no to-do lists, no laundry or other household chores. With all of those daily must-dos removed from the equation, I find that I have more energy to devote to enjoying the outdoors, with a short hike or kayaking (I discovered that kayaking doesn't raise my heart rate much!). I wear a heart rate monitor during these times, to allow me to be active while staying within my limits. This does mean that I often have to stop and sit on a rock or crouch down to wait for my heart rate to slow down on a hike, but I am OK with that (and my family is very patient!).

Because of my limits and need for an afternoon nap, our typical routine when camping or vacationing is an easy activity in the morning, right after breakfast, and then back to the camper (or as in this week, cabin) for lunch and my nap. My older son usually rests when I do, and my husband and younger son can take another hike or do something else (though my husband has been known to enjoy a nap, too!).

Sometimes when we are just camping locally and feeling rundown, there are no active periods - we just rest, take it easy, and enjoy the outdoors surrounding us (and our books, too!).

Our son on a "down day," enjoying his book while resting on a camping trip.

Change Your Expectations
Especially if you are new to a life of chronic illness, you may need to adjust your expectations of what camping or vacationing means. Some people go on trips and cram everything they can into every moment, so as not to miss anything. We know we just can't do that. So, we choose the things we most want to do and schedule them for our best times (mornings for me).

Another adjustment that is needed is to stay flexible and change your plans based on how you feel. Monday this week, our son woke up feeling awful, with his Lyme symptoms badly flared up. I was OK but somewhat worn out from the long air travel day. So, over breakfast, we postponed our plans to go to our favorite hiking spots and instead planned a less active day. We drove our rental car through Custer State Park (an amazing place that rivals the National Parks!) along its Wildlife Loop, with a stop for lunch at one of our favorite lodges. So, instead of hiking that day, we drove through the park spotting herds of bison, wild burros, pronghorn antelope, deer, and prairie dogs - still a very enjoyable day but much more low-key. And the next day, we both felt better and were able to manage visiting our favorite hiking spots.

Relaxing by the campfire with my feet up (and a book!)

Relax and Enjoy
We enjoy our downtime, too. That's a big part of enjoying camping and travel with chronic illness - embracing the slower pace and learning to enjoy it. We always slow down for the afternoon while I nap, but that is just a normal part of our routine now. My older son, husband, and I all love to read, so downtime while camping or vacationing for us means books! We also enjoy having a campfire at night, a quiet, relaxing way to end the evening (which is low energy time for me).

Your limits and routines are probably different than ours. Perhaps you can't manage mornings and have to sleep past noon or maybe you use a wheelchair to get around. The same advice still holds - create your own camping & travel routines to meet your own needs. Every campground in the U.S. has handicapped-accessible campsites, and every public park has at least one handicapped accessible trail.

I have been sick for 14 years, my older son for 12 years, and our younger son was sick with milder ME/CFS for 10 years before he recovered. Through all of that, we have never skipped our annual family vacation or stopped enjoying camping. With some simple adjustments and changes, you too can still enjoy camping, travel, and the outdoors, even with ME/CFS.

IMPORTANT P.S. As much as I love the outdoors, I now have a healthy fear of ticks! I have had Lyme disease twice and our older son has 3 different tick infections that he's been battling for almost 10 years now.  You MUST take precautions when outdoors to prevent tick bites - there are infected ticks carrying Lyme disease and other serious infections in every state of the U.S. and on every continent except Antarctica. So what do you do? When the weather permits, you can wear light-colored long-sleeved shirts tucked into long pants tucked into socks. Check yourself for ticks frequently and definitely before bed each night. And always wear insect repellent that works against ticks. Most natural repellents either do NOT work against ticks or wear off too quickly, so DEET or picaridin is usually necessary. We wear bug spray with low concentrations of DEET and wash it off at the end of the day (you need to re-apply if you are outside for long - read the label).  Here is a Consumer Reports article on best insect repellents they tested. They've revised the article to focus on mosquitoes and Zika virus, but they still address ticks and Lyme disease, too (though the incidence maps are NOT accurate - the infections are much more wide-spread). As you can see in the article, there is only one natural product that they found effective. Believe me from hard experience, a little prevention can avoid a lot of pain and suffering!

TV Tuesday: What We're Watching This Summer

A lot of our summer TV shows have been wrapping up, so I thought it might be fun to talk about what we've enjoyed watching this summer. Plus, we are in need to some new shows to check out, so recommendations are welcome!

Here's some of what we've been watching this summer, with links to my past reviews (all reviews include trailer video clips):

Watching With My Husband and 22-year old Son:

Wayward Pines
This super-creepy sci fi show is filled with twists and turns and is a favorite among all three of us. We just watched the season 2 finale - which was once again an ending that made us think, "what the heck is going to happen next season?" I guess that's the point. 

Colony
Technically, not a summer show - I think it aired last winter - but we have been catching up on it On Demand this summer.  It's a post-apocalyptic story set in L.A. after aliens have taken over, starring one of our favorite actors, Josh Holloway (who played Sawyer on Lost). We just finished the season finale and can't wait for season 2 next winter!

Mr. Robot
The three of us watched season 1 together last summer and have been eagerly awaiting season 2. It's a bit confusing so far (we're on episode 4), but when isn't this show a little confusing? There's always a lot going on in this totally unique show about a group of hackers intent on bringing down big corporations. It's got a completely unique tone, feel, and approach.


Watching with My Husband:

The Last Ship
One of our favorite shows! We both love this post-apocalyptic naval drama starring Eric Dane (aka McSteamy from Grey's Anatomy). Now in its third season, it just gets better and better. I think (I hope) there are still a couple of episodes left before the finale, but we must be getting close to the end of the season.

Aquarius
We are currently watching season 2 of this intriguing show starring David Duchovny as a homicide detective in 1960's L.A. who crosses paths with Charles Manson. So good! It seems to be on hiatus because of the Olympics but should be coming back afterward.

Orange is the New Black
We are both SO HOOKED on this amazing show! It's an incredible ensemble cast set in a women's prison in upstate New York, based on a true-life memoir of a pampered, white, wealthy young woman who spent a year in prison. It's filled with emotional drama but is also often really, really funny. We just finished season 4, which was even better, and are in mourning until a new season comes out. This season started with a lot of laughs and ended with sobbing tears (mine) and a huge cliffhanger.

The Wire
With many of our summer shows wrapping up, we went back to an old favorite, The Wire, which we have been watching on Amazon Prime. This show about the drug trade, projects, and police of Baltimore is just SO good! Every season is different, and they just get better and better. We are currently watching season 4 (only one episode left!), and this one focuses on the children in West Baltimore and a new mayor who wants to change things. It is an incredibly good show with an amazing ensemble cast and a new angle every season.

BrainDead
With some of our favorites wrapping up, we were looking for something new and stumbled onto a new favorite from the creators of The Good Wife. This is the strangest show you will ever see...but also one of the best! Believe it or not, it combines political satire with a sci fi alien plot. It is totally addictive, and we can't wait for each new episode!

I also watch some shows on my own at lunchtime, like my current obsession, Feed the Beast on AMC starring David Schwimmer...but alone-time is rare this summer!

What have YOU been watching this summer? What should we watch next with all of our summer shows wrapping up?


 

Movie Monday: Star Trek Beyond

We actually went to the theater two weeks ago. That used to be an extremely rare occasion - maybe once a year - but we have been trying to get out a bit more. Cinemark theaters nationwide have Discount Tuesdays, where all movies (except 3D) all day are just $5.25 (which seems a whole lot more reasonable to me), so we try to take advantage of that. Two weeks ago, my husband and I went to see Star Trek Beyond and absolutely loved it!

Star Trek Beyond picks up where Star Trek Into Darkness left off, as the third in the prequel Star Trek movies featuring young versions of crew on the original Star Trek TV series. The Enterprise is in the third year of its 5-year exploration mission when it stops at a huge space station called Starbase Yorktown for resupply and shore leave. What the rest of the crew doesn't know is that Captain Kirk, played by Chris Pine, is thinking of giving up command of the Enterprise and has applied for the job of Vice Admiral of Yorktown. He has recommended Spock, played by Zachary Quinto, for the captain's job, and is trying to figure out how to tell him. Meanwhile, Kirk doesn't realize that Spock is also thinking of leaving the Enterprise, after getting the upsetting news that Ambassador Spock (who, I believe, is him in the future, right?) has died. He is also trying to figure out how to tell Kirk of his decision.

While on leave, though, an emergency comes up, and the Enterprise is called upon to cut its leave short to respond. A female named Kalara has come to the Starbase on an escape pod and says that her ship and shipmates are stranded on a nearby planet called Altamid. After a harrowing journey through an asteroid field, the Enterprise arrives on the planet to investigate, with Kalara along. As you might expect, things don't go quite as planned, and there are plenty of surprises awaiting the Enterprise crew on this strange planet.

My husband and I both really enjoyed this movie. Of course, it is filled with sci fi action, adventure, and thrills, but it also has plenty of humor and emotional drama in it, too. That's kind of Star Trek's modus operandi, right? We both thought that these younger actors did a fabulous job of capturing the essence of the characters from the original show, even more so than in the first two prequels. In fact, that's where some of the humor comes from, if you watched the original, in hearing those quintessential Star Trek lines, like Bones saying, "Damn it, Kirk, that will never work!" or Scotty calling, "I'm givin' it all she's got, Captain!" They all really hit those familiar characters perfectly.

In fact, the way my husband described the movie as we were walking out was, "It was like one of the best episodes of the original TV show, only movie-length." I see that Richard Roper said almost the exact same thing in his review! Both my husband and Roper meant it as the highest compliment. I wasn't quite as big a fan of the original series as my husband, though I watched it often enough with my family on Friday nights (in repeats by then). The two of us together watched - and loved - Star Trek Next Generation in the 80's and 90's. So, this was right up our alley.

For those who are not as "into" Star Trek, there is still a lot to like in this movie - it's an action-packed sci fi adventure with a great sense of humor (I really don't like action movies without humor!). But for those fans like us who have watched it for decades, it is an especially fun ride, filled with little nods and winks to the original while also adding a whole new intriguing story to the canon. Note that this was the last Star Trek movie for Anton Yelchin, who played Chekov, since he recently died in a car crash; the film was dedicated to his memory.

Star Trek Beyond is currently in theaters, with its DVD scheduled for release in November 2016 (probably to coincide with its availability on streaming services). This is a great one to see on the big screen, if you can manage it.

TV Tuesday: Feed the Beast

I recently finished watching season 3 of The Fosters (one of my faves) and season 2 of The Mysteries of Laura, so I was at loose ends for a show to watch on my own, on the rare occasions I am alone! I ran through my list of shows to try (ever-growing) and remembered Feed the Beast, starring David Schwimmer, which started in June. I've watched four episodes now and am enjoying it.

Schwimmer, of Friends Fame, plays Tommy Moran, father of an adorable 10-year old boy named T.J. Tommy's wife and T.J.'s mother died recently in a car crash, and both father and son are suffering. Tommy is clearly depressed and drinking too much, and T.J. hasn't spoken since his mother's death. Meanwhile, Tommy's old friend, Dion (played by Jim Sturgess), gets let out of prison early. Before he's even released (while changing his clothes), Dion has already done coke and had sex with his lawyer, so you know this guy is bad news.

Tommy, his wife, Rie, and Dion had planned to open their own restaurant in the Bronx. Dion is an excellent chef who cooked for the guards in prison (they hated to see him leave), and Tommy is world-class sommelier (wine expert). Rie had drawn up designs for their restaurant, but with her death, Tommy gave up on his dream. He and T.J. are living in the old warehouse they had planned to restore for the restaurant. Dion finds Tommy when he gets out of prison and immediately begins to convince him to resurrect their dreams.

What Tommy doesn't know is that Dion owes a mobster $600,000 and is being threatened to pay or else. The mobster, Patrick Wolchek (played by Michael Gladis, a familiar face from Mad Men), also threatens to hurt Tommy and T.J. if Dion doesn't pay up. So, although Dion does want to bring their dreams to life and open his own restaurant, he doesn't tell Tommy that the need to earn a lot of money quickly is life-threateningly urgent. Desperate for start-up capital, Dion convinces Tommy to ask his estranged father, played by John Doman from The Wire, to invest in their restaurant. That raises a whole new set pf problems, since Tommy's father is a horrible bigot, and T.J. is multi-racial.

So, you can see, right from the first episodes, that there is a lot going on in the show. There is also grief counseling for Tommy, a possible future romantic interest, bullying at school for T.J., and Dion's drug problem. It's a complex, intricate web of challenges and secrets. I had never seen David Schwimmer do anything but comedy before, but this is a serious drama, tackling issues of death, being a single parent, starting a new business, family....and yeah, and the Mob.

I'm enjoying the show so far and am interested to see where it goes. The main characters are in peril right from episode 1 (whether they all know it or not), so there is some suspense in addition to drama. You know that Dion's lies and secrets will eventually get the main characters in serious trouble, but you are still rooting for things to work out, especially where Tommy and T.J. are concerned. I also love delicious food and cooking, so I'm finding that aspect interesting as well, as they plan their restaurant.

Feed the Beast is an AMC show still currently airing its first season - tonight is the season finale. All episodes are available On Demand (until 10/1/2016) and free on the AMC website. It is also available on Amazon Prime for $1.99 an episode or $17.99 for the season (link below).

New Study: Gut Bacteria Provides Clues to ME/CFS

The Hype
By now, you have probably heard something about the recent study out of Cornell that was published a month ago which looked at gut bacteria and inflammatory markers in the stool and blood of ME/CFS patients compared to healthy controls. This study was even covered in many mainstream media outlets. I had about five different healthy friends all forward me articles about it! So, why did it take me so long to write about it here?

Well, in short, I was annoyed by the headlines and press accompanying this study. While any mainstream media coverage of real scientific studies of our illness is great, and I am thrilled that my friends thought of me, it was yet another ME/CFS study that was publicized with all the sensationalism of tabloid news. This headline from Science Daily's article on the study was typical:

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is in Your Gut, Not in Your Head

I can't fault Science Daily because that headline came directly from Cornell's press release. Seriously? Are we still in the "Breaking News: CFS is not all in your head" phase of press coverage?? Come on, people. We've had decades of serious scientific studies showing loads of abnormalities and dysfunction in the immune systems, endocrine systems, and autonomic nervous systems of people with ME/CFS. Why are even academic PR people still acting like its news that ME/CFS has real physiological causes?

The rest of the article and press release were just as bad. The very first paragraph (again, copied directly from Cornell's press release) is: "Physicians have been mystified by CFS...There are no known triggers..."

No known triggers?? Where have these researchers been for the past 30 years? Lots and lots of studies have identified infectious triggers for ME/CFS, and it is well known that most cases of it start that way - there have been studies on mono (Epstein-Barr Virus), Parvovirus B-19, Ross River Virus, and more. The famous Dubbo study first documented this connection, and ME/CFS is even sometimes referred to as Post-Viral Syndrome. In fact, there have even been studies previously on a common gut virus and ME/CFS, identifying enteroviruses (frequent causes of stomach viruses) as a trigger or cause for ME/CFS. The references for that article list many of the other infectious trigger studies previously conducted.

Shouldn't researchers be conducting a thorough literature study of previous studies related to their work before they embark on a new study? Shouldn't research facilities' PR people know what came before their study? Sorry for ranting, but this really makes me angry. If every researcher treats his or her new study like it's the first legitimate study ever done on ME/CFS, then we will never make any progress. OK, rant over.

The Real News
The actual study is interesting and does add to the body of knowledge on ME/CFS, once you strip away the National Inquirer-type headlines. They studied stool and blood samples of about 40 of Dr. Levine's ME/CFS patients and compared the results with about 40 healthy controls. The differences were enough that the researchers could correctly identify 83% of the ME/CFS patients - that's getting close to a usable, non-invasive diagnostic tool. They found there were more markers of inflammation in the blood (no surprise there) and fewer anti-inflammatory bacterial species in the gut of the ME/CFS patients (guess we better keep up those probiotics!). None of this is surprising, since most of us have GI symptoms as a part of ME/CFS, and it is said that about 80% of the immune system is in the GI tract. What's interesting here are the specifics of their work and its potential use in diagnosing ME/CFS - we all know how badly we need some diagnostic tools. You can see the full scientific article here and if you scroll past the early paragraphs of Cornell's press release, the second half of it provides a brief (and understandable) summary of the findings.

So, this is all good news for those of us with ME/CFS. I just wish we could get past the sensationalist headlines and that researchers would look at the whole body of research that's been done instead of just their own study.

Had you heard about this study yet? What was your reaction?

New Article on ProHealth about Chronic Illness & Summer

My latest article on the ProHealth website has been published: Summertime...and the Livin' Is Easy (Or Is It?) - read the full article at the link.

My article is about the unique challenges that this easy-living season can bring for those of us with chronic illness...and also the pleasures of summer that we can still indulge in.

What's the most difficult part of summer for you? And what do you enjoy about this season?

TV Tuesday: Aquarius

My husband and I started watching NBC's show Aquarius last year when it first came out and were hooked. This summer, we have been enjoying season 2, as well. Aquarius is set in 1960's L.A. during the time when Charles Manson was becoming popular and growing his following.

David Duchovny (of X-Files and Californication fame) stars as Detective Sam Hodiak, an L.A. homicide detective who is old-school and plays loose with the rules. One of his co-workers is Brian Shafe, played by Grey Damon, a long-haired cop of the younger generation who is working undercover on a drug case. Claire Holt plays Charmaine Tully, the first female police officer in the precinct, a pretty, young, blonde woman whom no one takes seriously. Hodiak, despite his gruff exterior, sees the potential in both of the young officers, though.

Meanwhile, a 16-year old girl named Emma, played by Emma Dumont, runs away from home and from her parents' constant fighting. She meets a group of other girls her age who bring her to their home. It's basically a hippie commune overseen by a charismatic guy named Charlie Manson. Charlie takes an instant liking to Emma and nicknames her Cherry, and she joins their happy family.

Emma's mother is an old friend (and former girlfriend) of Sam Hodiak's, so she goes to Sam for help in finding their daughter. Her husband has political aspirations, so she wants to keep things out of the news but hopes that Sam will agree to look for their daughter. And that's how Hodiak and Manson first cross paths. Soon Shafe - and later, Charmaine - are going undercover with Manson's group, and trying to find out exactly what is going on at his house. Of course, no one knows at this point just how dangerous Charlie will turn out to be, but they are looking into the drugs and all the runaways he attracts.

The show alternates back and forth between the police officers' work and personal life and what is happening at the Manson house. It's a slow boil. Hodiak is assigned all sorts of cases to work, while he's keeping an eye on Charlie on the side. Manson's followers are growing in number. All of this is set against a perfect 1960's backdrop of fashions, hairstyles, cars, and the civic unrest building in the community over the Vietnam War and race issues.

We have really been enjoying this show, now in the middle of its second season. It's a police drama, in part, but based on a well-known, mystical historical figure at its center. It pulls much of its material from actual history, with the rise of the Blank Panthers, the assassination of Bobby Kennedy, the growing threat of race riots, and of course, Manson's slow but steady growth and descent into madness. In addition, the main characters' personal lives come into the story, as well. It's an engrossing, fascinating story with excellent writing and acting. Duchovny is especially good in the lead role, as is Gethin Anthony as the scarily charismatic but crazy Manson.

The show is currently in the middle of its second season. Both seasons are available on Amazon Prime for $1.99 an episode or $21.99 a season. The first season is available on Netflix for subscribers. Cable On Demand and the NBC website currently have episodes 4 through 7 of the second season (on ours, episode 4 will be coming off on 7/28). It looks like the second half of season 2 will be starting up on July 28.

TV Tuesday: BrainDead

Without a lot of shows to watch during the summer, my husband and I decided to try something new last week. I'd been seeing ads for BrainDead. Frankly, I thought it looked really weird, but it's from the creators of The Good Wife (one of our recently departed favorites!), so we thought we'd give it a try. What followed was one of the oddest hours of television we've ever watched! As strange as it is, though, it is also really, really good - we're hooked!

OK, so try crossing the political drama and satire of House of Cards with the sci fi plot of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and add in a hefty dose of humor. Got it? No, probably not. This is one show you definitely have to see to understand. Basically, it posits that the reason politicians seem so crazy these days is that a bunch of them have had aliens eat their brains. It makes as much sense as anything else, doesn't it?

Laurel Healy, a young woman who grew up in Washington, DC, reluctantly returns to her hometown to earn some money so that she can return to her real passion: making documentaries about obscure types of music in isolated places. Laurel is not all that happy to be back and really hates politics. The rest of her family, though, are DC-insiders. Her father, Dean, played by Zach Grenier (The Good Wife's David Lee), has worked in politics all his life and agrees to give Laurel the money she needs to finish her current documentary if she will work in her brother's office for 6 months. Her brother, Luke Healy, played by Danny Pino, is a Democratic Senator.

Right from Laurel's first day as Constituent Coordinator, it is as she feared: politics as usual, with back-room deals, extremist views, and power-hungry members of Congress (including her brother). To make matters worse, Congress can't agree on a budget and is about to shut-down the government. To try to avoid that and keep thousands of people in DC working, Laurel agrees to meet with Gareth Ritter, played by Adam Tveit from Graceland, a staffer for Republican Senator Red Wheatus (played hilariously by Tony Shalhoub), who is on the opposite side of the budget crisis.

Meanwhile, something very strange is going on in DC. Some aliens that look like ants have escaped from a meteor that was delivered to the Smithsonian. They crawl into people's heads through their ears and either eat up (and spit out) a good portion of their brains or their brains explode. Really. And to top it all off, Laurel keeps hearing "You Might Think" by The Cars playing.

Yes, it's just as weird as it sounds! But somehow, despite the complete goofiness of the concept, it works. The acting is excellent: Mary Elizabeth Winstead does a great job as smart, good-hearted Laurel, and the rest of the cast is great, too. The writing is top-notch; you can tell it shares a pedigree with The Good Wife. It manages to be a political satire, a sci fi mystery, and a comedy all at once. Oh, and there is even some romance in it, as Laurel and Gareth are clearly attracted to each other but on opposite sides of the aisle. We have now watched three episodes, and it just gets better and better. You have to at least try 2 episodes, minimum, so you can hear the hilarious little "previously on" song they sing at the beginning of the show!

I know it sounds incredibly strange, but you have to trust me on this one. Give it a try - it is oddly compelling and very funny.

BrainDead is currently airing on CBS Mondays at 10 pm and all three of the current episodes are available On Demand (I think episode #1 comes off Demand on 7/24, so hurry up!). All episodes are also available for free on Amazon Prime or for $1.99 an episode for non-Prime members (link below). They are also available on CBS All Access, if you are a member (since when do the networks require membership to watch their shows?).

Movie Monday: Room

I absolutely loved the novel Room by Emma Donoghue when I read it in 2011 (my review at the link). It lived up to all its hype - and more - and kept me captivated. My husband read it and loved it, too. When the movie came out last year, I was dying to see it and hoped to go with some book group friends, but I didn't get a chance while it was in the theater. I finally had my chance last week when my husband and I found it free on Amazon Prime. It was wonderful and loved up to the promise of the book.

The movie follows the book's story quite closely (Emma Donoghue also wrote the screenplay). A young woman, played fabulously by Brie Larson, has been held captive in an 11-foot by 11-foot room for 7 years. During that time, she gave birth to a boy named Jack, played remarkably by young Jacob Tremblay. Ma, as Jack calls her, has done a great job of bringing Jack up under these horrific conditions. Jack was born in the room and has never left it, so he doesn't realize there is anything else. He's happy and healthy, full of fun and very smart. Ma has kept up a nice routine for the two of them, with time for learning, exercise, and play.

As the movie opens, it is Jack's 5th birthday. He is full of questions, bright and curious, and he and Ma enjoy a small celebration. Their captor, known only as Old Nick, comes to visit during the night. Ma has put Jack to bed inside a large wardrobe, as usual, so that he won't know what's going on. Jack is getting older, though. He asks more questions, watches through a crack in the wardrobe, and one night, Old Nick sees him (Ma is usually careful to keep him out of sight). Ma begins to realize that Jack is growing up, and this room is no longer enough. Thus begins a dangerous period of trying to plan an escape from a place she previously thought was inescapable.

Just like the book, the movie is tense and filled with suspense, but it is also warm and tender. Because the story is shown from Jack's perspective, his innocence pervades the tone, keeping it from being too dark or disturbing (though, of course, the situation is still disturbing). It's a completely unique story, filled with hope and love, about healing and moving forward. We both loved it and thought it was an excellent adaptation of the book.

NOTE: If you have not yet read the book and want to, then skip the movie trailer for now - it gives away pretty much the whole story. I've been careful to avoid spoilers in my review here and in my book review.
 
 

Room is currently available for free on Amazon Prime (or available to rent for $4.99 if you don't have a Prime membership) or on DVD.

Weekly Inspiration: 7/17 Are You a Soldier or a Scout?

I haven't had time to watch any TED talks lately (nor much blogging time!), so this morning, with most of the household still asleep, I sought out an interesting one and listened with my earbuds.

I was intrigued by the title of Julia Galef's recent talk, "Why You Think You're Right - Even if You're Wrong." Let's just say I've been accused before of always thinking I am right! Since my husband has the same tendency, it can cause a bit of friction at times, if we are on opposite sides of an issue (for the record, we agree on most of the big stuff, but this tendency can cause arguments about all kinds of trivial things!).

The talk was very interesting - in ways I didn't expect. Galef explains how research has shown that people generally have one of two mindsets: the soldier, certain of his viewpoint & defensive of anything different, and the scout, curious and always interested in new information & learning new things. She weaves in an interesting story from French history to illustrate the two mindsets.

She explains it all far better (and more engagingly) than I can, in just 11 minutes:



What really interested me is how this simple idea applies to so much in our world. Yes, it is very applicable to one-on-one relationships, which is what I was thinking about when I clicked on it. But, as I listened, I couldn't help but think how strongly this concept explains the deep divisions going on in our world today politically - the increasingly nasty upcoming presidential election in the U.S. and the recent Brexit vote in the U.K. are two huge examples.

I also think this concept applies to our lives with chronic illness. First, our illnesses already provide a barrier between us and our loved ones. I still - after 14 years - have many family members who feel uncomfortable with the reality of my illness. With that kind of conflict already in place, the last thing I need is more tension in my personal relationships. This idea of trying to have a Scout mindset and be open-minded can certainly help to improve our personal relationships - and less stress equals feeling better.

Second, for some people, this Soldier mindset might even get in the way of living their best life with chronic illness. As I said, I am something of a Soldier myself at times, but in my case, I think that has helped me with my illness because my mindset is that I can improve, things will get better, and there are treatments out there to help me. This single-minded determination has helped me to not give up when things get rough (as they do), and the Scout in me has pushed me to constantly seek new information and remain open-minded. However, if your Solider beliefs are more negative - I will never improve, things will never get better, I am trapped in this life - than those could certainly have a negative impact on your well-being.

In any case, this is a fascinating talk and has inspired me this Sunday morning to try to be more of a Scout in my personal relationships.

How about you? Are you a Scout or a Soldier or a little of each?

TV Tuesday: The Last Ship

Summer is kind of a low season for TV - especially this year with Graceland cancelled (one of my favorites) - but there is one summer show that we love. The Last Ship just came back for its third season, and it just gets better and better, with an intriguing & unique story, high drama, and a great cast.

The Last Ship begins with a viral pandemic outbreak. The show follows the crew of a Naval Destroyer called the Nathan James, which was on a top-secret research mission in the Arctic when the pandemic hit. In fact, their mission, unbeknownst to them, involved the virus that caused the pandemic. On board their ship is Rachel Scott, a world-famous virologist who needed to go to the Arctic to look for a primordial version of the virus in order to create an effective vaccine. By the time that mission is complete, the whole world has gotten sick, and chaos has broken out.

Rachel finally tells the captain, Commander Tom Chandler, played wonderfully by Eric Dane (who could have guessed that McSteamy from Grey's Anatomy would make such a good military man?), what's going on, both with their mission and with the rest of the world. By now, millions of people have died, including the U.S. President and Vice-President, and Rachel's goal to create a vaccine has become even more important. Having been completely isolated in the Arctic, the crew of the Nathan James is healthy and not at risk as long as they stay out at sea. So, now they are a floating crew of survivors, tasked with nothing less than saving the world.

It's not as simple as Rachel just doing her work to create the vaccine, though, because chaos and anarchy are in full force all over the world. There are evil forces that want to capture Rachel and the vaccine for themselves and keep it from the rest of the world. Most of that happens in the first episode or two! From then on, it is a fight to survive...and to save the world.

My husband and I both love this show. It is an intriguing plot, with lots of twists and turns and plenty of action and suspense. The cast is incredible, and you quickly grow to care about them. The second-in-command, XO Mike Slattery, is played by Adam Baldwin. Plus, there is a full crew of excellent actors. This is truly an ensemble show, though I haven't had any trouble keeping track of the characters. The overall quality of the show is excellent, from the very first episode through the current third season, in which the world has changed dramatically, but the Nathan James is still of central importance. We can't wait to see what happens next!

Seasons 1 and 2 of The Last Ship are available on Hulu (with subscription), through Netflix DVD service (not but streaming), and on Amazon Prime for $1.99 an episode or $14.99 a season. Our Cable on Demand currently has the last 5 episodes of season 2 and all episodes so far (5) of season 3, as does the TNT website.

Movie Monday: Twinsters

Two weeks ago, ALONE in the house for an unheard-of four days, I was choosing a movie to watch. I decided to choose a documentary because it's been a long time since I'd watched one. I found Twinsters on Netflix and thoroughly enjoyed this fateful, mind-bending true story.

Samantha Futerman, a 25-year old actress living in L.A., had had a few significant TV and movie roles and had a growing following for her YouTube videos. In 2013, across the world in France, some young people were enjoying one of Samantha's videos when they noticed that she looked exactly like their friend, Anais Bordier. They watched more of the videos and showed them to Anais; the whole group was astounded by how much the two young women looked alike. Anais did some online searching and discovered that she shared a birthday with Samantha - November 19, 1987 - and that, like her, Samantha was adopted as a baby from South Korea.

Anais reached out to Samantha online - tentatively at first - and the two women began getting to know each other via video chats. The similarities between them were startling, even though Samantha had grown up in America and Anais in France. They contacted an agency that helps adopted children  find their birth parents and found a specialist on twins within the organization who recommended DNA testing, in addition to the adoption research. Eventually, the two young women and their families and friends met face-to-face in London, while they waited for the results of their DNA tests.

I won't give away how it ends, but it is a thoroughly enjoyable journey to watch these two young women get to know each other and find out more about their backgrounds. Samantha and Anais are both very sweet, endearing women, and watching them unravel the secrets of their lives is a joy.

Samantha wrote the documentary herself, and she and her friend, Ryan, directed it. Much of it is put together from real-time video chats between her and Anais, and videos friends and family took when they met. It's a charming and joyful (and fascinating) 90-minute documentary, perfect if you are looking for something light and life-affirming.

Twinsters is available free on Netflix or for $2.99 to rent on Amazon Prime.

Stanford ME/CFS Study Looking for Female Participants

Here's a great opportunity to participate in an ME/CFS study at a renowned research facility with one of the top ME/CFS experts in the world. This can help to move research and knowledge forward and might also help you to learn more about your own illness (I'm not sure whether they will be sharing individual results with participants or not). Details and contact info below:

"Recently the Stanford Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Initiative began recruiting for the neuroendocrine study.

Dr. Jose G. Montoya, Professor of Medicine at Stanford, is conducting a study investigating the endocrine system in patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) and healthy controls.

He is looking for individuals with ME/CFS to participate in the study.
Participants must be female and 18 ‐ 45 years old.

Participation in the study involves an online questionnaire and two study visits at Stanford with blood draws and endocrine testing.

There is no cost to participate in the study.

Participants will be compensated $200 for completion of the study.

If you are interested in participating or have any questions, please contact the study coordinator, Jill Anderson, at (650) 723-9711.

For general information about participant rights, contact 1‐866-680-2906."

TV Tuesday: Wayward Pines

We recently started watching the second season of Wayward Pines on Fox. It's a twisty-turny sci fi thriller, but I'm going to be careful not to tell you too much about the plot. Discovering its secrets one by one is part of its unique charm.

The pilot was directed by M. Night Shyamalan, who is an executive producer of the series, so right away, you know you are in for some super creepy, unexpected surprises, and he doesn't disappoint.

In the first episode, Secret Service Agent Ethan Burke, played superbly by Matt Dillon, is searching for two fellow agents who disappeared about a month ago. He tracks them to a small town in remote Idaho called Wayward Pines, but he gets in a car accident. Ethan wakes up in the hospital and immediately notices something is "off" about the town and its residents. He can't call outside the town, the local police seem completely uninterested in his missing agents, and Sheriff Pope, played by Terrence Howard, tells him he can't leave the town. Back in Seattle, we see that Ethan's wife, Theresa, played by Shannon Sossamon, is worried about her husband and wonders whether he left her for Kate, one of the missing agents and Ethan's former mistress.

Ethan does find Kate in Wayward Pines in that first episode, but she seems to be happily settled in the bucolic town. Nothing makes sense to Ethan, and no one will listen to his urgent pleas that something is wrong. Back in the oddly deserted, quiet hospital, Nurse Pam, played by Melissa Leo, gives off a super-creepy vibe, while Megan, played by Hope Davis, is equally disturbing as the ever-smiling head of the local school. Everything seems strange and unexplainable to Ethan, and it's clear the town's residents aren't going to give him any answers. By the second episode, those eerie feelings are replaced by true fear as Ethan gradually learns more about the town's rules and consequences.

I really don't want to say anything beyond describing the first episode, because like most of M. Night Shyamalan's movies, this show is best discovered on your own, moment by moment, without any spoilers. I can tell you that you will be surprised - again and again - as the town's secrets are gradually revealed.

This is one of the few shows that our college son comes home to watch with us! He, my husband, and I all like it very much, even as it constantly reinvents itself, as its secrets are slowly disclosed. Wayward Pines is a thriller, with plenty of action and suspense. It is also a dystopian sci fi show, with all the elements that we love in those genres. And it is a drama, as the viewers get to know the town's residents and root for the good guys (and boo the evil ones!). The second season (we are 5 episodes into it now) brings even more surprises, as the first season ended with a disaster, and the second season brings in an almost entirely new cast...but it works and is still just as gripping as ever.

Season 2 of Wayward Pines is currently available free On Demand (our cable service shows it available until 3//17) or on the FOX website. It airs Wednesday nights at 9pm Eastern (I sometimes forget that some people still watch TV live when it airs!). Season 1 is available through Netflix DVD service (but not streaming), it looks like it is available on Hulu, and it is $1.99 an episode (or $17.99 for the entire first season) on Amazon Prime (see link below).

Weekly Inspiration: We Are Born for Joy

It's been a few weeks since I've had time for a Weekly Inspiration post. Between my son's high school graduation, and both of our sons running in and out of the house in between their trips, it has been super hectic, noisy & chaotic here! I think I am finally started to get caught up...and am seriously looking forward to a few days this week ALL BY MYSELF!

One of the things I caught up on this weekend was my Quote Journal. If you're a regular reader of my blog, you know that I love to read and often write down quotes from the books I read that I find inspiring.

Today's inspiring book quote is one of my favorites but comes from an unexpected source: Life Expectancy by Dean Koontz. Koontz is best known for his horror novels, which I started reading when I was a teenager. I hadn't read much Dean Koontz in years, but after my dad died a year ago, my husband and I brought home his extensive collection of Stephen King and Dean Koontz books, with the encouragement of his wife. Reading and enjoying books was something special we shared with my dad. Coincidentally, just a week after that, I joined the ME/CFS Book Group on Facebook and found that their next book choice was Life Expectancy by Dean Koontz. It was on my dad's shelf, so I read it with the group and was pleasantly surprised (my review at the link - no spoilers).

Life Expectancy is not horror - like Stephen King, Koontz actually writes a wide variety of novels in lots of different genres. This one was a genre-bending blend of thriller and humor. But I realized last night, while writing down favorite quotes from the book, that it was also thoughtful, introspective, and inspiring! The family at the heart of the novel (who, yes, are being pursued by killer clowns - cue suspense & humor both) is the greatest literary example ever of a loving, joyful, happy family.

Here's what the main character, Jimmy Tock, says toward the end of the novel:

"No one's life should be rooted in fear. We are born for wonder, for joy, for hope, for love, to marvel at the mystery of existence, to be ravished by the beauty of the world, to seek truth and meaning, to acquire wisdom, and by our treatment of others to brighten the corner where we are.

...No one can grant you happiness. Happiness is a choice we all have the power to make. There is always cake."

                    - Jimmy Tock in Life Expectancy by Dean Koontz

That last line is because Jimmy and his dad are bakers, and his family delights in all the wonderful foods - and especially baked goods - they prepare for their daily meals together.

I loved this fictional family, and I loved these words. They perfectly capture my own view of life, a view I have had for many decades but that has been strengthened by my experiences with chronic illness. It's easy, when our lives are filled with exhaustion and pain, to focus only on suffering, but this is a reminder that no matter what happens in our lives (and Jimmy's family endures a LOT in this novel), life is really about wonder, joy, hope, and love.

I often write on this blog about the importance of these positive emotions and experiences, even (especially) in the midst of a life of chronic illness, but this brief quote seems to sum up all of that in one beautiful, succinct passage. I want to pin it on my wall and read it every morning to start my day!

Words to ponder...and to live by.

What books and authors have surprised or inspired you?

TV Tuesday: The Fosters

With both of my sons home for summer, TV is very action/thriller-oriented right now (I'm the only female in the household!) and time to watch "my" shows is very limited. So, when I had a rare lunchtime to myself last week and was looking for something to watch, I wanted some "comfort TV." I wanted something that would remind me of the glory days of Parenthood (one of my all-time faves) or my more recent discovery, The Girlfriend's Guide to Divorce (only season 1 is available on Netflix and I finished it). I was thrilled to discover that one of my old favorites is on Netflix - all of its seasons - so I could catch up.

The Fosters is a wonderful family drama set in California. If you think that there's not enough diversity on TV, then this show is for you! Stef and Lena are a lesbian couple with a group of pre-teen and teen kids who are a mixture of natural, adopted, and foster (of multiple races)...and their family keeps growing! Stef, played by Teri Polo (who I just discovered is from Delaware, where we live), works as a police officer. Her ex-husband, Mike (played Danny Nucci), who is also a police officer, lives nearby - he later gets into fostering, too! They had a son together, Brandon (played by David Lambert), who is now in his late teens and lives with Stef and Lena. Lena (played by Sherri Saum), works as vice-principal at a local charter school, where Brandon attends, along with his adopted brother and sister, Jesus (played by Jake T. Austin) and Mariana (played by Cierra Ramirez), who are twins and a year younger. Stef and Lena adopted the twins when they were just toddlers.

Into this mix, in the first episode, comes Callie, a troubled teen just out of Juvie. Callie comes to Stef and Lena on a temporary basis, while the system tries to find her a new foster home. Callie has a single-minded purpose: to get her little brother, Jude, out of his foster home, where their foster father is abusive. Stef insists to Lena that they can't possibly take in any more kids, but after getting to know Callie and Jude, they agree to find a way to add them to their family.

The Fosters is a typical family drama in that awful things keep happening to this poor family! But the show also has a good sense of humor, which keeps it entertaining and not depressing. Additional foster kids come in and out of their lives, and Callie - who has had some terrible experiences in the system - continues to get into trouble, though she is clearly a good kid. You'll be rooting for her from the very first episode. I think what I like best about this show is the quality of the writing and the acting, especially the kids. When I started watching it, I admit to a bit of a bias, thinking that maybe an ABC Family show might not be of very high quality...but I was wrong. Now I am midway into season 3 and absolutely thrilled to have found it available on streaming, so I can get back to it. And I see that season 4 has just started...oh, boy! If you are looking for a replacement for Parenthood or The Gilmore Girls - a warm, funny, moving family drama - this is for you.

The Fosters is an ABC Family show (now called Freeform). Some recent episodes plus new season 4 episodes are available free on Freeform, as well as on cable On Demand. Netflix streaming has all seasons of The Fosters available - yay! It is also available on Amazon for $1.99 an episode or $24.99 for a season (which usually contains 20 or more episodes).

Have you seen The Fosters yet? What's your favorite family drama?

Just watch this trailer - you'll be hooked! Makes me want to watch it all over from the beginning.