As I mentioned a while back, I’ve been having a pretty bad arthritis flare-up with my left elbow and knee. I had juvenile rhumetoid arthritis as a kid, and it comes back to be an annoyance every once in a while, but this bout has been pretty bad (lots of swelling, pain, loss of motion, etc) Went to the rhumetologist, who loaded me with lots of medication, which didn’t work too well. His next step was to inject my joints with cortisone, which seemed a little extreme, so I started in on the exciting world of alternative medicine and booked myself an appointment with an acupuncturist.

First visit included a variety of needles in my arms and legs, as well as one in my face (to help with sinus issues). Didn’t hurt at all, though some strange muscle pull-like feelings in my right arm. Very strange. Left forearm felt all burned/sensitive for a couple days, but when that went away, almost all the pain in my left arm was gone. Range of motion is much better, and the pain really is about the same as it was when I was on large doses of Prednisone. Good stuff. Went back again last week. Did the same spots for knee and elbow, as well as some work on my back. So far, I’m pleased with the results.

Otherwise, very little going on. Tried out a couple new restaurants, the highlight being the Vita Cafe, which is mostly vegan/vegetarian, but perversely managed to serve Eleanor the best hamburger she’s had since moving up here. I went for the vegan chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, and gravy, which was fantastic. They have a pretty fantastic menu of non-meat items, so I’m looking forward to going back there fairly regularly.

The Savoy Cafe was strange; I’ve read reviews that described it as gourmet Midwestern, which is accurate, I suppose, but it was a little bland even by Midwestern standards. The fried cheese curd appetizer was quite delicious (sort of tasted like a cross between mac and cheese and mozarrella sticks), but my entree of trout, sauteed root vegetables, and mac and cheese (I can’t really resist a side of mac and cheese if it’s offered) was disappointing. The trout was bland, which is unsuprising for trout, but I expected a little more seasoning. The mac and cheese was a little mealy and flavorless – not far off from the Howard Johnson’s frozen mac and cheese, really. The root vegetables were actually the highlight of the dish, which is a little troubling. Eleanor had a hamburger (again), which she said had good meat, but a lousy bun and flavorless cheese. I think we’re so accustomed to delicious Oregon cheese that the imported Wisconsin cheese just doesn’t cut it.

Movie-wise, been working through the Marx Brothers pre-Thalberg films (Animal Crackers, Horse Feathers, Duck Soup so far). I’m not sure why my dad didn’t have me watch more Marx Brothers stuff as a kid. We watched a fair bit of Three Stooges and Laurel and Hardy, but not sure I ever watched a Marx Brothers film with him. Surprising. Also watched Casino, which some critic thought was the best film ever, so we had to watch it. Really very odd. Not only is it virtually the exact same film as Good Fellas, but the first 100 minutes or so are shot as one would normally shoot a little introduction sequence – all action moved forward only by voiceover, length time gaps between scenes, heavy use of music. It took me about an hour to get into the rhythm, shortly after which they switch back to a more normal narrative structure to get to what I assume Scorcese thought was the heart of the story, i.e., DeNiro and Stone yelling at each other. Really not very good. Not sure what this guy was thinking.

Also watched Une Femme est une Femme, which isn’t on my list, but I’ve been enjoying all the Godard stuff so much, I figured I should get every Godard film I can from library. This one was fantastic (as they have all been). It makes excellent use of Michel Legrand’s score, so that every scene seems like the characters are about to burst into song, which they never do. Except for when the main character sings at her club, which is almost inaudible. Like all the Godard films we’ve seen so far (except maybe Le Mepris), Godard seems to be having so much fun making the film, it’s very hard not to smile the entire time (which may go against his desire to be a serious Marxist filmmaker, but still makes for some very enjoyable films).

Finally, watched the Superbowl on Sunday. Seattle was robbed.