How I know my mom is feeling better …

She's STILL in the hospital. She's coming home tomorrow afternoon (so they assure me -- as they assured me Tuesday and Wednesday and today). But today we gossiped about Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer. And my uncle's first wife, who was nice enough to call my mom in the hospital -- she's so much nicer than his second wife. And Hillary Clinton (my mom feels suprisingly sorry for her and hopes she can get out of the race with her pride in tact).

These are not the topics that preoccupy a woman who is afraid she'll never be able to breathe normally again. Hopefully we'll be able to have a sleep-over tomorrow night at her house, and I'll give her early Mother's Day gifts.

Remember "The Boxer?"

It's an old Paul Simon song. "I have squandered my resistance, for a pocketful of mumbles, such are promises. All lies and jest. Still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest."

Those lines make me think of the Clinton campaign. Everyone is telling her she can't win. Today's Tribune says she has to win 67% of the remaining delegates, which is nearly impossible. Especially because her campaign has no money coming in, except her's.

Yet she keeps going. It's as though she believed the hype of a year ago -- that she is inevitable, that now is her turn, that somehow she deserves the nomination. Perhaps because of all she endured and sacrificed to help her husband win the Presidency -- beginning when she chose him and Arkansas after she graduated from law school. Now that those promises have turned out to be nothing but lies and jest, she hears what she wants to hear and disregards the rest.

Hugging Victoria

I'm sitting here waiting to hear that my mom is finally coming home from the hospital (long story, separate entry to come) and I'm watching an infomercial for Victoria Principal's Reclaim cosmetics line.

I like Victoria's products and have been using some of them for more than a decade. I know I don't look my age and I give this line some credit for that. But if Victoria Principal and I were to suddenly cross paths, would I hug her in gratitude? No. A handshake, sure. Perhaps even a surprised, delighted squeal. But no hug.

That's one thing I've noticed about this infomercial: all the women who are on air to provide testimonials seem so comfortable with Victoria, so eager to hug her.

Is it because the products are so wonderful? Because these women watched her as Pam on Dallas for all those years?