I didn't go see Emily on Wednesday night. Instead I went to see From Hell with my friends Jeanne and Tom. The theory it presented was interesting, but anyone who knows anything about Jack the Ripper knows it played awfully fast and loose with the facts. I can't say much more without spoiling it. I'd have gone to see it just because of my fascination with Film Noir, but From Hell seemed to me like an excuse to show a bunch of closeups of Johnny Depp and shots of Heather Graham dressed up like people imagine turn-of-the-century prostitutes looking. In other words, too much oogle and not enough plot. I think the directors realized this wasn't enough, so they added a sex scene and a few female-female French kisses. And of course lots of blood. I'd have preferred a less-predictable storyline and a little more intrigue.

Sleepy Hollow played way fast and loose with the story it was based on, but somehow it seemed more compelling to me.

But I didn't come here to be Gene Siskel.

Last night, Emily was out of ICU. She looked really good. Her color was back, she'd had a chance to wash the blood out of her hair, and a lot of the cuts on her face had healed. To me, it looked very possible that she'd escape this without any noticeable scars on her face. The tubes and wires were gone, and she was sitting up on her own, moving around, and talking. Man, was she talking. She's been eating solid foods. Someone slipped her some Taco Bell after lunch Thursday, and she had McDonald's on Wednesday. Apparently they're having a festival in Millstadt this weekend and she's a bit bummed she won't be able to go to it. "Chili and snoots. That really sounds good. Especially snoots. That's my favorite."

She turned to me. "You like snoots?" she asked.

"I'm gonna feel real stupid for saying this, but I don't know what snoots are," I said.

"Pig snouts," she said.

I think she enjoyed the look on my face. "They're good," she said unconvincingly. "You ought to try some."

I think I'd rather take up vegetarianism again.

Then her uncle and Norm, one of my congregation-mates, started talking about other--ahem--delicacies. They asked Emily what she thought of pig's feet, liver, tongue, brain, blood sausage, and head cheese. She turned her nose up at most of them. When she didn't turn her nose up, she gave commentary instead: That's just gross.

Then they started talking about their experiences with Rocky Mountain Oysters. "I'll bet he doesn't know what those are either," one of them said, nodding in my direction.

Emily turned and looked straight at me. "Bull balls," she said nonchalantly. I shuddered and made a face. She seemed to enjoy that.

What can I say? I've lived a sheltered life.

I'm mostly glad to have seen her looking and acting like her old self. That's worth a lot of laughs and gross-outs at my expense.

She gets to go home today.