What is the protocol when you are reading a book for your book club and really dislike it? Do you keep reading so you can participate in the discussion or just put it down and give up?
Apparently, I have no reason to exist on the planet. I am a single, white female who has never given birth, has no cats and not even a man for whom I can be subservient. According to the Republican VP candidate, my vote should not count for much. Let’s just overlook the thousands of dollars I pay in taxes to support other people’s children and our educational system, culture, the arts, infrastructure, etc., all while not utilizing most of the services for which I pay. And I should have no vote? He may be taking that “one man, one vote” thing the wrong way. The only Vance I would vote for is Vivian Vance.
If you follow me on Facebook, you know I was irate when I spotted a bin of BAND-AID Brand Adhesive Bandages knock-offs at ShopRite. The “counterfeit” packages used colors, typeface and design elements so similar to the originals that any consumer could have thought they came from Kenvue, the company that now carries the former J&J consumer products line. Luckily, one of my AADC friends works for Kenvue and she alerted the trademark counsel there for follow-up. I have been retired for 18 years, but there’s still plenty of J&J pride in me!
I feel sorry for the two American astronauts stranded on the space station. They launched in June for what was supposed to be a 10-day assignment, but, due to technical difficulties, they may not be back before the end of the year. They don’t even have their own clothes since NASA had to cut weight and purposely left their suitcases behind, so they are borrowing clothes from other astronauts on board. I would be BEGGING to get out of there! Wearing someone else’s underwear for months? Is there enough food? Does Amazon deliver in space? This situation is NASA’s version of Gilligan’s Island. That was supposed to be a 3-hour tour!
When I open a new loaf of bread, I never take slices from the top of the bag. I always reach down into the loaf, as if the bread there is better or fresher. Don’t ask me why.
I don’t watch any of the “Real Housewives” series, but do we really need “The Real Housewives of Dubai?” It seems like just another location where women with tight outfits, too much make-up and impossible hair can be nasty to each other.
My failure to correctly fold a fitted sheet has been well-documented. But I also could use remedial help in attractively arranging tissue paper in a gift bag. Mine look like they contain used paper that is ready to be thrown out.
Why do keep getting text messages with a security code so I can sign on and pay my medical bills? Is there someone else posing as me and trying to pay those bills? Go right ahead.
By the way, I think of those 6-digit codes I have to enter to verify my identity as my personal cognitive tests. So far, I can still remember all six digits to pass the test and sign on.
I decided to try using biometrics so I wouldn’t have to use a passcode to open my phone. The fingerprint thing has never worked for me, so I tried using my face. At first it worked, but a day later I started getting this message: “Face does not match.” I have one face, I didn’t change my hair or put on makeup, so how could my face have changed? I guess it’s back to the old passcode for me!
Alexa just sent me a reminder to change my furnace filter. I use Alexa to control my thermostat, so she keeps tabs on the filter-changing schedule – although I have never marked down when I have changed the filter. How would my Amazon thermostat know when I last changed the filter? Now Alexa just has to figure out a way to get herself down to the basement and do it for me!
I ordered something from Amazon yesterday at 11 AM and it was delivered to my front door by dinnertime. How do they do that?
I have a really nasty cold right now (I tested negative for Covid). One thing I can advise is not to sneeze while brushing your teeth. Trust me on this.
Macy’s recently sent me a new credit card with a new number. They didn’t know how emotionally attached I am to the original card, which started out as a Bamberger’s card and was my very first credit card! Over the 50 years since I first received it, I have spent many thousands of dollars buying suits and dresses, pants, tops and jackets, housewares, towels, sheets, gifts and more. My account doesn’t get as much of a workout now that I am retired (18 years in!), but I sure kept that store afloat for many years!
If you keep bottles of perfume around long enough (I’m talking years), eventually they all start to smell the same. Except Estee Lauder Youth Dew, whose distinctive fragrance will always conjure up thoughts of my mother. That perfume, like my mother, is timeless.
I could never be a mail delivery person. They have to drive on the wrong side of the road and reach out to place the mail in the mailbox. I would be knocking down mailboxes all over the neighborhood if I had to get that close. I dread going into a parking garage since my short arms can’t reach far enough to grab the ticket without at least releasing my seatbelt, if not having to open the car door to get it.
Every four years I – along with a global audience – fall in love with sports we would never watch, except that they are part of the Olympics. Handball, badminton (vicious), table tennis that is NOT what you played in the basement, speed climbing, water polo, fencing, archery, shooting and so much more get a piece of the Olympic spotlight. Olympic “breaking” gave us a whole new sport, one that provided laughs as the Australian breaker looked like she was doing the Elaine Benes dance from Seinfeld. Of course, there’s swimming and diving, gymnastics and track & field to go along with two kinds of basketball (5 on 5 and 3x3). I’m no expert, but wouldn’t soccer be better if the matches were 60 minutes instead of 90 and if they went into a sudden death overtime, or right into penalty kicks if the match ends in a tie? The opening ceremonies were stunning (if a little long), despite persistent rain, as the athletes paraded down the Seine in boats. I got chills seeing Celine Dion singing in French from the Eiffel Tower. When the 2028 Olympics moves to Los Angeles, will the athletes arrive in caravans on the entangled freeways? In the smog? LA has a tough act to follow, with such breathtaking scenes as the Eiffel Tower and its nearby beach volleyball venue and the setting of the Louvre. Will we be fixated on the old Hollywood sign? I don’t know about what will happen in four years, but I have enjoyed every part of the 2024 Paris Olympics. There was nothing more exciting than seeing the USA Women’s Basketball team win the Gold Medal to extend their unbeaten streak to 61 games and 8 Gold medals. I was especially thrilled that former Rutgers star Kahleah Copper played such a pivotal role in the win, scoring 10 of her 12 points in the 4th quarter with the game on the line. Copper is shining GOLD these days.
Besides the Olympics, this summer is my summer of The Sopranos. My BFF and her husband are watching the entire series and I caught a few from the middle of the run when I visited them in June. That inspired me to tackle the entire 86 episodes, from beginning to end. I had watched the original when it aired, but this refresher course has made me think even more highly of the storytelling, the writing, directing, casting and acting that went into this monumental achievement. The stories are intriguing with plenty of tension and brutality and even some humor. If you’re Italian or from NJ, you will recognize familiar terms and locations throughout the series. I’m also reading the companion book by TV critic Alan Sepinwall, whose recaps in the Star-Ledger after each airing of the original series were as interesting as the show itself. The show aired from January 1999 to its famous final episode on June 10, 2007. I’m watching it in about two months and will miss it when I complete it. What’s next?
