Random Thoughts, Holiday Edition, December 2017

I was seriously considering fasting today.  In fact, I thought about it the whole time I was eating lunch.

I would like to think that I clean out my pantry often enough, but apparently I am wrong.  Otherwise, why do I keep finding food that expired in 2016, and even an occasional 2015?

Remind me never to buy ShopRite Spring Water again.  The bottles are filled to the very top, so every time I open one, it spills.  Why can’t bags of potato chips be that full?

I must admit, I am intrigued by that Romba commercial where the robotic vacuum annihilates an entire box of Cheerios.  That seems a bit scary.  Then it retreats to its charging station to rest up for its next feeding frenzy.

Remember the old Sky Mall catalog on an airplane?  It was always fun to peruse the pages and find things like ladders for dogs to climb unto the couch, or a hot tub for two, or giant globes.  Now you have to go on line to buy that kind of stuff, and if you want to do that while you’re flying, you have to buy wifi time with your credit card.  They get you coming and going.

Soup season has officially begun, with the first batch of lemon chicken orzo soup finished.  Just last month I was in the warm weather of Florida, where I ate ice cream, thereby breaking my cardinal rule of no ice cream after Labor Day.  I swear, the temps in the 70s threw me all off!

I’m living on the edge right now, so please DON’T TELL my doctor that I bought a grapefruit with full intentions of eating it.  I take Lipitor for high cholesterol, and I am not supposed to eat grapefruit.  But one won’t kill me, right?  I mean, how bad would it be to have to tell people that Tina died of grapefruit consumption?  I swear, I only bought one and it is only the second time all year!

As I have mentioned previously, I’ll never figure out how to fold a fitted sheet even after having watched several videos on this subject.  I will, however, be glad to do an instructional video on how to fold a pillowcase.

Michael Kaye is the broadcaster for the New York Yankees and he hosts a popular radio talk show that I often catch while driving.  The other day he disclosed that he had NEVER eaten an egg, a tomato, ketchup or a banana.  Who lives a life without these things?  I had to get out of the car before I found out why he refuses to consume these foods.  I may have to write to him and ask.

Why do hotels have bathtubs instead of stall showers?  When was the last time you took a bath in a tub that might be really nasty?  Why don’t hotels have a few rooms with tubs that people can select (like selecting a king-sized bed vs. two doubles or queens)?  Tubs are hard to get into and out of (you know, for us old folks), and I’d much rather take a shower without the tub.

There are truly so many simple pleasures in life that are just the smallest of things but so appreciated and welcomed.  Little things are very enjoyable, like getting into a toasty bed (I have a heated mattress pad) in my microwaved pajamas (yes, I have a thing for warmth).  There is a list of just some of the things – small things – that I truly appreciate:

A nice, strong, hot shower (see heat addiction, above).

My towel warmer (sensing a theme here?).

Well-fitting sneakers that give me support and comfort when I walk.

Socks that do the same as above and that don’t sink into my shoes!

Clean sheets on my bed and fresh towels in the bathroom.

A good nap, when I wake up and don't even know where I am.  Also a good night's sleep, a rare occurrence these days.

My all-time favorite sweatshirt that was given to me at least 15 years ago by a good friend.  I dread the day when that reliable and beloved shirt starts to go.  I may give it a burial in the backyard when that happens.

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, which does exactly what it is supposed to do.  Make sure you buy the brand version and not the generic.

A good, sharp utility knife.  Considering how many boxes come to my door from Amazon, this tool is essential in breaking them down.

A pair of tongs for use in the kitchen.  I have a few pairs that are nothing fancy (from the supermarket) that I use every time I cook (note that I did not say every day).

Moisturizing skin cream.  I’m already flaky, and the cold weather and dry air does me in. A need a good, reliable cream that is thick and rich and not greasy.

Charmin in the large roll size.  My last pack says 9 rolls equals 54 roles (that must be the new math).  I don’t accept the single ply option (OK, I understand the environmental aspect, but I’m not compromising).

A good pen.  It doesn’t have to be expensive – some of my favorites I have gathered from hotel rooms or through giveaways) – just pens that write well.

Handy office supplies that are around when I need them – staples, envelopes, plenty of pads and stamps, folders, pens and markers that work, paper clips and binder clips.

My letter opener that slices through the envelope without threatening to wound my fingers.

A fresh Jersey tomato in the late summer.

Chocolate chip cookies.  No nuts, please.

A great steak.

The perfect banana, one that is firm but ripe, has no blemishes and hasn’t turned brown.  I toss those out (and no, I’m NOT going to save them for making banana bread, because I don’t bake).

My hard boiled egg cooker.  Perfect eggs every time!

A beautiful fall day when the light is perfect for taking pictures and the trees are full of color.

When someone uses a great and especially appropriate word.  Or when a designer uses the perfect font for the job.

A little child laughing.  They always crack me up.

A great book or absorbing movie that I can relish.

Unexpectedly catching a favorite episode of a TV show I love.

A day on the beach with my best friend of nearly 50 years, where we talk and read and eventually one of us (or both) falls asleep.  You know you are comfortable with someone when there are gaps in the conversation that don’t feel like blank pages in a book and when you know either of you can fall asleep without offending the other one.

Driving in the car and getting all green lights, which only seems to happen when I am NOT in a hurry.  And no traffic, even when I have allotted extra time to get where I am going. AND hearing my favorite song on the radio!

Finding a parking space I can pull through, because nobody I know wants to back up, even with the back-up camera in the car!

Short checkout lines at the supermarket or at Kohl’s.  My sister says they should have a special checkout at ShopRite when a snowstorm is expected just for people who are doing their regular shopping, not their Armageddon shopping.

A good waiter or waitress.  Someone who is efficient, unobtrusive and doesn’t rush you by trying to clear the plates when you are still lingering over those last few bites.

A good cabbie or Uber/Lyft driver, someone who knows the way, doesn’t douse him/herself with cologne or perfume and doesn’t try to talk to you for the whole ride.

Ditto a seatmate on an airplane.

A day when nobody asks me a question, for a favor and when I don’t have to review/edit/proofread something.  There is rarely a day when these things do not occur.

When I spend quality time with my friends and loved ones.  And when someone just picks up the phone to chat and tell me they miss me.

People who make me laugh.

A good manicure.

A good haircut.

A great massage.

An ice cold Coke, an indulgence I rarely allow myself.

Chocolate.  Just don’t put nuts, peanut butter, fruit or pretzels in or near it.  Plain only, please

A satisfying win by the Rutgers Women’s basketball team, one where they lead from start to finish, play well and don’t make me ready to keel over with every pass they make and every shot they take (sounds like that song from The Police, doesn’t it?).

I truly appreciate the people who come into my life and leave their mark on me.  It doesn’t have to be a long friendship, just one where we share things in common, like to laugh and joke with each other and make great memories.  One of these friends passed away last month, and I still cannot believe she is gone.  I do know that the cheering section in Heaven got a lot louder with the passing of Glenys Manfre.  Glenys was a huge fan (short for fanatic) of Rutgers Women’s Basketball, and she and her husband Bob faithfully followed the team to home and away games.  In 2013-2014, Glenys attended every single game.  We hopped in my new car and headed to Northeastern University for the first road game of the season that year and ended the season with a bunch of our fellow Cagers Club friends (the official fan club of RUWBB) and fans in El Paso, Texas, as Rutgers captured the Women’s National Invitational Tournament championship to our absolute delight.  Glenys served as Cagers President, organized bus trips with her husband Bob, always brought the Twizzlers, hosted pool parties for the team in the summer, attended every banquet, fundraiser and event she could until her health started to fail.  A 16-year survivor of breast cancer, Glenys put up a tough, determined fight until the bitter end.  Bob brought her to Florida for this year’s Thanksgiving Tournament, and we and our other Cager friends there had Thanksgiving dinner together again.  But Bob knew he had to get her back to see her doctors, and, in the end, he realized that she wouldn’t be there to cheer by his side much longer.  Her time ran out on November 29, just weeks after their 39th wedding anniversary.  My head and my heart will be full of images of many road trips together, of Glenys wearing some crazy RU hat, megaphone in hand, exhorting the team with her cry, “Defense, Rutgers, defense.”  The RAC and the stands won’t be the same without her, and neither will her husband, Bob, and her legions of fans.  RIP, my friend.