Consuela, I'm sorry things continue to be difficult. Hopefully getting all her meds handled at the facility will start to help things.

Yeah. So disappointed. Those books are fun, and Tom Cruise is awful. Also NOT ANYTHING LIKE JACK REACHER.

I heard about the casting this summer. It pissed me off too - Reacher is a BIG GUY, his size plays a factor in almost every book. Just another reason not to like Tom Cruise.

Sprog picspam time-warp. From 2007: [link] and 2012: [link]

This is from way back, but Sox, I tried to see the sprog pics but they were marked as private! Want to add me on Flickr? I'm risingtide.

'Suela, what a nightmare. Ugh. How long are your siblings going to be in town? What did the folks at the facility have to say about last night's incident? I'm so sorry it's so hard.

flea, I would not be surprised if mr. flea is having communication difficulties in China, whether it's lack of access to the internet or trouble getting to his email or whatever. A friend of mine went to China a few years ago and got locked out of her gmail account; I don't remember why, but it took her ages to get it fixed. I'm sure he's fine. But I totally understand the worry, all the same.

Somewhat long article on cases of Munchausen by internet:

The Lying Disease

Why Would Someone Want to Fake a Serious Illness on the Internet?

Good morning, all. Why is it Monday again? Did I do something wrong?

tommyrot beat me to posting the article about MBI. So fascinating and awful.

So if you can give him an iron clad excuse (it doesn't have to be true, but I'm thinking it will be better for him if he does honestly believe it) that might clamp down on things.

Yeah, that's the plan. My sister tried to get the suitcases the other day and my dad said no, but it would be useful to get them away. We are also looking at selling the bedroom set in the old apartment, or at least telling them it's been sold.

I've already been on the phone with the staff today. They're still assuring me this is nothing they haven't seen before, and they've even got some psych interns they're going to send to talk to Mom.

They were going to see if Mom wanted to participate in Tai Chi, and I just laughed. The day my mother willingly goes to a Tai Chi class, I will ... I dunno. Do something ridiculous, because I just can't see it happening.

ION, I'm back at work, argh. However I have no voicemails, which is a bit of a relief.

And holy cow, Theo, those photos! Your family must be devastated, it's too awful.

Good luck, suela. I hope the staff can manage your mom and give you guys some relief.

Owen and I had a discussion on marriage equality yesterday when he asked me if I would have voted for Reagan. We discussed the GOP's current platform and I used marriage equality as an example because we have a lesbian couple who are close friends here in town and that's something concrete that the kids can relate to.

Owen thought on it and said, "You mean N and A are...I'm not sure this word is appropriate to use...gay?" I assured him it's totally ok in this context. Then Liv said, "You mean that they can't get married? I'm going to say something bad about republicans. They're bitches!"

Then I had to explain to Liv that no, they are not all that way but the official platform is.

I can't wait until they get to vote.

::high fives Liv and Owen::

So, poker fans, what do you think?

Manhattan doctor introduces “Pokertox’’ to help give card players a poker face - NYPOST.com

Card players who don’t want to give themselves away and tip their hand can turn to a Manhattan doctor who says bet on him — and “Pokertox.”

Dr. Jack Berdy, an East Side doctor of aesthetic medicine, just launched the idea of using Botox to “allow people to gain a poker face’’ in a service he calls Pokertox.

“Very few people can maintain a real poker face,’’ said Berdy. “They have some ‘tells,’ some expression that gives away that they have a good hand or a bad hand’’ to an opponent.

He said he and his patients would go over those ‘‘tells’’ and the expressions that would give away a hand.

Some players look at their cards and ‘‘might raise their eyebrows or raise one eyebrow’’ if they do or don’t like what they see.

“Some squint, or furrow their brows,’’ Berdy said.

“We can inject Botox appropriately’’ so the other player doesn’t get the message that they’re angry, disappointed or happy.

“What someone sees across the table is no movement,’’ he said.

Pokertox costs an average $600 to $800 and lasts three to four months, he says.

The idea came to Berdy because he used to be a gambler and his specialty is Botox — “and they go together.’’

It doesn't say how many poker players have received this treatment.