Pfeffernüsse, In Treatment, and Better Living Through Chemistry

I saw a bag of these while waiting in line for the self-checkout at the grocery, and I just couldn’t help myself. Sugary, gingery goodness. Goes great with soy milk.

Anyone else as hopelessly drawn in by HBO’s In Treatment as I am? Based upon an Israeli show, this daring experiment is written and directed by Rodrigo Garcia. The show features Gabriel Byrne as Paul, a therapist as tormented as his patients. Byrne is magnificent, his raspy Irish brogue and rumpled countenance revealing a man who is gradually losing control of his own life. Broadcast five nights a week over nine weeks, you almost feel like you’re there in the office with Paul and his patients, on the couch next to guest stars that include Blair Underwood, Embeth Davidtz, Josh Charles, Melissa George, and delightful youngster Mia Wasikowska.

And I’m not referring to Fatboy Slim in the title of this post, although I often wonder about his weapon of choice. I just purchased an entire year’s supply of Dr. Theo’s glucosamine-chondroitin supplement Avosoy Complete. It’s one of the few commercially available sources of glucosamine that I can take, given that most products derive their glucosamine from shellfish. I don’t know whether I’m just benefiting from the placebo effect, but I can feel my knee pain level ratchet up when I’m not taking a glucosamine/chondroitin mixture. Although not a conclusive endorsement, I take some solace in the fact that the NIH’s GAIT study showed that patients with moderate to severe knee pain showed greater benefit taking a g-c blend than they did taking prescription NSAIDs.