Happy New Year!!

Happy 2007 to all. My holidays were full of friends, family, food, films and football -- more about that later.

My life is now broken up into 3-week segments:

Week 1: Chemo week. Rest, TV and naps. I had my 3rd chemo treatment on January 2nd (great way to ring in the New Year!!). My friend, Tulin, accompanied me to the treatment and we had a great lunch afterwards. Day 1 of chemo isn't usually too bad, but Days 2-4 are not too much fun. I definitely feel as if I'm getting the flu on those days -- nausea, headaches, low energy levels and inability to focus. Those are days are Couch Potato Days.

Week 2: On Days 7-11, my white blood count is down and am susceptible to infection. So that means avoiding crowds, stay warm, and no visits to the gym -- which is a hotbed of germs. Especially now as the New Year Resolution Exercise Newbies flock to the gym. They don't follow gym courtesy and wipe down the weight and cardio machines when they're done. But you can always count on them dropping off the exercise regime by late February.

Week 3: My best week. Have my energy and appetite back. Feel pretty normal. Time to go back to the gym. I took a beginning yoga last last month, which was fun. The plan is to return later this week -- days 12-14. Luckily, last month's Week 3 coincided with the week between Christmas and New Year's. Saw lots of friends and family and ate way too much goodies.

Film reviews
During that week, I saw several films -- all of which were pretty good. Here's a rundown:

"The Departed" -- Another Martin Scorsese near-masterpiece. Not up to par with "Raging Bull" and "Taxi Driver" but really good. Great performances by all of the actors but high body count by the end of the film. According to Scorsese, there aren't any more Irish-Americans left alive in Boston...

"Blood Diamond" -- 2nd film I saw with Leonardo DiCaprio. He's becoming an extremely talented, adult actor. Very violent but tells an important political story. (Sue D.: I wouldn't recommend that you see either of these films. Too violent for you.)

"DreamGirls" -- I saw the play about 25 years ago and the movie doesn't disappoint. Supporting actors, Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson, steal the movie from the stars (Beyonce Knowles and Jamie Foxx). If you like musicals, this is a must see. If you don't understand the appeal of people breaking out into song during a conversation, this isn't the movie for you.

"Casino Royale" -- Last but not least, "Bond is back". The franchise has moved back to the beginning of Bond's story -- how he became 007, his family background and why he's the way he is. Daniel Craig is a great actor ("Munich", "Road to Perdition", "Layer Cake", and "Sylvia"), so he adds depth to Bond and he's not bad on the eyes. What a hunka, hunka burnin' love!! Word on the street is that the movie studio is scrambling to get the next installment of the franchise out by the end of this year. That would be "007 in 007"!! Can't wait.

CAL Football: And finally, CAL walloped Texas A&M at the Holiday Bowl, 45-10. My long-time college friend Ken, came over and we watched the game on my new 42" HDTV. Great fun!! Go Bears!!

That's all for now. Please post your thoughts or send me an email. I love hearing from everyone.

Jean