60 Things I Have Learned In My First 60 Years

In honor of my 60th birthday, I thought it appropriate to share the wisdom that comes with this advanced age. Here is a list of what I have discovered about life and about myself in my first 60 years. I figured I better write it all down because I'll probably start to forget it all in the years ahead.

1. The anticipation is almost always worse than the event itself.

2. If you don't do something now, you might not have the chance to do it later, so do it now. This does not apply to scary things.

3. I am short, vertically challenged, height handicapped -- and probably shrinking. So there is no reason not to use my grabber to reach things on the second shelf of the kitchen cabinets. Go ahead and laugh. It works for me.

4. Take lots of pictures. They remind you of happy times and who knows how long we'll remember them without visual aids?

5. It always gets dark earlier in September and October, so why do I always feel surprised when that happens?

6. There is no valid reason, in my opinion, to eat ice cream when it is cold outside.

7. I am always cold. I just have to dress appropriately, because my inner furnace will never work enough for me.

8. It's only a game. So if the Yankees lose or my beloved Rutgers Women's basketball team goes down in flames, life will go on.

9. You should always say "I love you" to those you love. They might already know, but reminding them can't hurt.

10. When someone -- especially a child -- does something wrong, it doesn't make them a bad person. It is the behavior you don't like, and that can be changed.

11. Making people laugh makes me feel great.

12. No matter how badly your day is going, I will do everything I can to make you have at least one laugh.

13. Work hard, always do your best and have fun! I based my whole management philosophy around those words and I am still friends with the people who worked for me, all of who have succeeded in their careers.

14. Paying bills or doing something you don't like takes the same amount of time if you do it now or do it later, so get it over with. And I don't care about the preposition at the end of that sentence -- for once.

15. You can have a manicure or pedicure for no reason. Nothing makes me feel more like a girl.

16. I wear perfume every day, even if I don't leave the house. I do it for me.

17. It is OK to cook a great meal for yourself.

18. Leftovers are great, as long as you liked what you ate the first time around.

19. Little kids remember everything, so be careful what you say and how you act around them.

20. For that matter, little things you say and do make an impression on people in ways you never imagined. Think about something someone said to you and how it helped or hurt and adjust accordingly.

21. Soup is for winter consumption only. I can't eat soup if I am sweating.

22. No matter how bad your day is or how insurmountable your problems seem, there's always someone who has it worse than you do.

23. If you have nothing to do, do something for someone else. It brings you great rewards.

24. Not only is it OK to cry at movies, but sometimes it is necessary. A good cry soothes the soul.

25. Don't expect too much and you will never be disappointed.

26. There is no point in having siblings or children if you can't tease them -- in a fun way, not in a mean way -- once in a while. Ask my sister.

27. I am addicted to chocolate. If it were declared illegal, I'd find a chocolate connection and risk the jail time.

28. Kidney stones hurt like giving birth. I guess. I just know they are really painful.

29. Everything you have to do takes longer and costs more than you thought it would. This particularly applies to any work done around the house.

30. You should listen when people talk to you. Just listening without judging can mean the world to someone.

31. Find something to enjoy in every day. Maybe it is the blue sky or the fact that you don't have to drive in the snow. Find something that makes you smile.

32. Keep in touch. Friendships mean a lot and they have to be nurtured to endure. That doesn't mean you have to see each other all the time, but make an effort to call, e-mail and get together. You'll be glad you did.

33. Friendships are made at all stages of life. Just when I thought I was done making friends, I started aqua aerobics and made more friends. My friends have brought me so much joy.

34. Friendship isn't a big thing, it is a million little things. That one isn't mine, but I subscribe to that theory.

35. Sweatshirts last forever. Or at least I wear mine until they disintegrate.

36. My chances of running into someone I know increase exponentially depending on how bad I look that day. Conversely, if I am having a great hair day, chances are I will see no one I know. I wonder if the strangers who see me think, "She's having a great hair day."

37. There will never be a day without a sale at Kohl's. At least until they go out of business from all that price cutting.

38. Come on. You can always do more or do better.

39. You shouldn't buy towels just as gifts for others. Treat yourself to new towels every now and then. Why not?

40. Take surveys. The people conducting them are looking for intelligent opinions, so why not express yours?

41. If I am at the beach for a day, I'll still have sand in my car six months later.

42. Nothing beats the taste of a hot dog at Yankee Stadium.

43. Old Timers Day at Yankee Stadium will always make me cry.

44. The time you spend with friends is priceless.

45. A beautiful day, with great light, me with a camera and something to shoot. That's what I call a great day.

46. Whatever age you are now seemed old to you when you were young but doesn't seem quite as bad now.

47. My doctor thinks I need to lose weight. For this she spent years in med school?

48. Anything written can be edited, and most people can't wait to get their hands on what someone else writes so they can do just that.

49. I love to be in the pool, but I hate getting my hair wet.

50. Chocolate should be served unadulterated. Get that fruit and those nuts away from it.

51. Bumble Bee Tuna should be the only brand, and it should always be served plain -- no mayo, no celery, no nothing!

52. Having a routine works for me. On days when I have nothing to do, I do nothing. And I am really good at it.

53. Whatever you have to do takes up the time in which you have to do it. That's my "kitchen cabinet" theory of life.

54. Buy books as gifts for kids. Encouraging them to read is the best gift you can give them.

55. Speaking of gifts, when you hear someone say they like something, or if you see something that would be the perfect gift for someone, write it down or buy it. You can even give the gift when there is no special occasion.

56. Naps are wonderful little respites, especially when they are least expected. I just love a good nap.

57. As soon as I walk out the door it costs me money.

58. There is always something new to learn. Read books, watch movies, read the paper. What you learn might not be life-altering, but it will enrich your life in small ways. And it will provide you plenty of material for small talk when you need it.

59. I don't like coffee or beer and refuse to to waste my time developing a taste for them.

60. I Love Lucy still cracks me up. I wish I had some Vitameatavegamin for my 60th birthday.

61. You always should strive to exceed expectations -- your own or those others have of you. Hence, 61 items on this list.

Tina's September Movies 2010

I hit my 100th movie this month and finally sat down to watch the classic "Citizen Kane." But the best movie of the month was the little-known "Mao's Last Dancer." Here's what I watched, with numbering picked up from the rest of the year.

94. Goodbye, Mr. Chips (TCM) – This 1939 movie is about as old-fashioned as they come. Mr. Chipping (Robert Donat) is a teacher at a boarding school in England, where he dedicates his life to teaching generations of young boys about Latin and life. Along the way he meets and falls for the gracious young woman (Greer Garson, in her movie debut) whose very presence makes him even more adored by the boys. This slow-paced story won’t wow anyone with action and adventure, but dear old Chips is beloved by all. Goodbye, Mr. Chips, had me at hello. 4 cans.
95. Mao’s Last Dancer (@ Montgomery with Angela and Dee) – After a stop for lunch at a nearby Chinese restaurant, my pool pals and I passed up a glorious day to see what turned out to be a glorious film. This movie is based on the true story of Li Cunxin, a boy plucked out of his tiny, impoverished village by the Chinese government for special training. With years of hard work and determination, he grows into an accomplished ballet dancer who has an opportunity to study with the Houston Ballet. Young Li assimilates into the American culture rapidly, much to the consternation of the Chinese officials who decide he must return to China. Should he defect and risk both the safety of his family remaining in China and the chance that he may never see them again? Or should he stay and enjoy his new-found freedom and the girl he loves? This is a wondrous ode to ballet, a harsh look at Mao’s regime and a salute to the joys of freedom and the arts. So good you want to see it again an hour later. 4½ cans.
96. The Summer of ’42 (TCM) – In the many years since I last saw this movie, I had forgotten how beautiful it is. From the opening sequence of sepia stills of the New England island where it was shot to the haunting Michel LeGrand music, this bittersweet tale is captivating. Hermie is a 15-year old boy spending his summer vacation hanging out with his goofy friends, eagerly reading about sex in a book and just as eagerly looking for an opportunity to put into practice what they have learned. But Hermie is smitten with a beautiful young woman in her 20s (Jennifer O’Neill) whose husband has shipped out to war. She and Hermie strike up a friendship that they both need to fend off their loneliness. This is the summer Hermie learns not about sex but about love, a memory that will stay with him for the rest of his life. 4 cans.
97. Tender Mercies (TCM) – Robert Duvall won an Oscar for his role as a down-on-his-luck country singer (aren’t they all?) who gets his life back in gear after he meets a good woman. His Mac Sledge hits rock bottom at a rundown Texas motel managed by Tess Harper. With no money and nowhere to go, he helps out the widow Harper and her young son, eventually giving up drinking and taking up songwriting once again. The performance by Duvall is authentic and nuanced, with a great accent (at least it sounded like Texas to me, but what do I know?) and a simplicity that makes him believable. Being in the right place – or the wrong place – at any given moment can change your life, as the characters here discover. 4 cans.
98. Get Low (Montgomery, with Dee) – I wasn’t trying to limit my viewing to Robert Duvall movies this week, but that’s the way things turned out. Here he plays hermit Felix Bush, an irascible loner who has hibernated in his cabin in the woods for 40 years, ruminating over events that changed his life. He decides he wants to plan and attend his own funeral service, enlisting the aid of town funeral director Bill Murray to book the ceremony and band and run a raffle to get the townspeople to turn out. He wants to reveal his big secret – or to have his old preacher friend handle that chore if he can’t. The secret didn’t seem all that secret to me, and the pace of this movie could justify changing the title to “Get Slow,” but it is just quirky and well-played enough to keep up interest. Sissy Spacek, who never fails to impress, also appears, but it is Duvall’s turn that most likely will garner another Oscar nomination. A strange little movie, this one gets 4 cans.
99. The Wonder of It All (TV) – Did you ever wonder what it would be like to actually walk on the moon? Between 1969 and 1972, 12 Americans did just that, and in this documentary seven of them recount their experiences. They discuss how they became astronauts (a term that didn’t exist when most of them joined a branch of the service or became test pilots), their feelings about walking on the moon, their place in history, spirituality and how their accomplishments should be remembered. For most of them, the realization of being there only hit home when they got home – and years later – because NASA had them so busy in their time on the moon. I thought the movie was a blast. 4 cans.
100. Citizen Kane (TCM) – Wealth…power…politics…scandal. No, I am not reviewing the sequel to “Wall Street” but rather the Orson Welles movie than many people consider a masterpiece. It is amazing how Welles’ themes in this 1941 movie still apply today. His megalomaniac Charles Foster Kane is larger than life, bullying those around him to get whatever he wants, yet he fails to get the one thing his money can’t buy – love. This is a stunning movie in so many ways: Welles was 25 when he co-wrote, produced, directed and starred in it. He ages from a young to an old man in the course of the story and is convincing at any age. The camera angles actually make Kane look larger than life, and the silhouetted shots make him seem mysterious and frightening. I am glad I finally experienced this movie, and I admired it in many ways, though it isn’t the kind of movie I long to see again, which on my scale, doesn’t make it hit the top. 4 cans.
101. The Informant! (HBO) – Matt Damon, complete with bad hair and a cheesy mustache, plays Archer Daniels Midland executive Mark Whitacre. This movie could have been called “The Man Who Talked Too Much,” as Whitacre, dismayed at the price fixing taking place at ADM, turns FBI informant and spins a series of tales which, by the end of the movie, made my head spin. Despite his attempt to take down the company, Whitacre naively believed he would be a hero and run ADM one day. Well played, with tongue firmly in cheek, this movie reminded me of the more charming “Catch Me If You Can” with Leonardo DiCaprio. Both movies lean heavily on the lead actors, and both come through with credible performances – especially for liars. 3½ cans.