August Amusements

 1.    There was a lot of excitement in baseball last week when Jen Pawol made her major league debut as an umpire, the first woman ever to work in a regular season MLB game. While I am happy for her, the fact is that I have been watching major league baseball since 1959. You mean to tell me that there were NO WOMEN during that 66-year period who could have qualified to be an umpire? Come on! Let Jen be the first of many qualified women to umpire in the Bigs!
2.    Did you hear the news that Bed Bath & Beyond is coming back from bankruptcy and opening stores again? How many of you ditched those ubiquitous blue coupons when the store closed? Not me! I kept the faith – and the coupons. When they are ready to open a store near me, I’ll be there with a fistful!
3.    I did the unthinkable the other day! When cleaning out my freezer – which contained more ice packs for various body parts than it did food – I threw out Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies of an indeterminate date. I know they are supposed to last forever if kept frozen, and the fact that I had stashed them and refrained from eating them was a monumental achievement, but what if they really aren’t good? Do I really want to die from eating old Girl Scout cookies? What would my nutritionist say? I didn’t want to donate them for fear of poisoning someone, so into the garbage they went. I nearly shed a tear…
4.    The other day I read a story about something that happened to an “elderly” woman. She was later reported to be 68. I was 68 nearly 7 years ago, so what does that make me? What is older than elderly? Decrepit? Dancing around death’s door?
5.    Speaking of which, recently I went to Kohl’s on a Wednesday and the cashier automatically gave me the Senior Discount (that was a $17 saving!). I asked her what age was to be considered a senior and she said she actually didn’t know. I guess I look old enough that she assumed I qualified. I’ll take it.  
6.    Although the screen in my car is probably larger than my first TV, and it is so beautifully clear, I still find myself turning around to look over my shoulder when I back up. Force of habit.
7.    Nothing humbles me more than doing the daily Spelling Bee and finding so few words. Then I look up Spelling Bee from the day before, only to see how many obvious choices I missed!
8.    My neighbor loves her wind chimes. But when I hear them, I immediately think the ice cream man is in the neighborhood. Nothing could make a kid stop dead in his tracks and sprint back to the house for money more than the sound of the Good Humor man, ready to dole out those chocolate eclairs! 
9.    I watched the recently-concluded season of “The Gilded Age” and I am grateful that the practice of wearing dresses with bustles no longer exists. I don’t think I would be able to pull that off. And while we are on the subject of this sumptuous period drama, I will voice my usual objection to the lack of light in the program. I can hardly determine which character is on screen because so many of the scenes look dark. Lighten up, folks!
10.    I demand to know who has been sneaking into my house and leaving silver hair in my hairbrush. That can’t be mine, can it?
11.    The other day my Echo Dot stopped working, the latest in a series of failures. Once I determined that it was the device, not my network, I simply ordered another one from Amazon. My new dot arrived within hours, and I set it up in a minute. Maybe the name of the company should be Amazing instead of Amazon. I love the service, even as I am appalled by the extravagant wedding founder Jeff Bezos threw himself and his new bride. It was a display of disgustingly conspicuous consumption – and I’m sure I chipped in my part!
12.    By now, you all probably know I have a new 2025 Mercedes. Her name is Victoria, and she is quite friendly. When I get into the car, she greets me with “Nice to see you, Tina Gordon.” She has one of those voices that sounds haughty and friendly at the same time, like someone dying to get into showbiz. I can ask her questions about the weather or directions by saying, “Hey, Mercedes,” and she will respond accordingly upon hearing her name. But sometimes, when I am talking to someone on the phone or in the car, she tries to horn in on the conversation by saying, “I’m sorry, but I didn’t get that.” Right, you didn’t get it because I was not speaking to you! Big Brother?
13.    Social media like Facebook and Instagram features “Reels,” which are short videos showing everything from barbers giving haircuts to a landscape service cleaning up lawns to babies belching. Something that always captures my attention are the tiny houses. I don’t understand how people can live comfortably in 399 square feet. I’ll concede that the houses demonstrate the efficient use of space, but my winter coat would take up all of the closet space available. Yet the owners, who conduct video tours of their homes, always boast that there is a “ton” of storage, as they utilize space within the steps leading to the loft for stashing kitchen or office supplies, shoes or towels. And the loft spaces are generally not tall enough to allow an adult to stand, so occupants virtually crawl into bed and can barely sit up to read. I guess you can adjust, but a “ton” of storage? Please!
14.    In the morning, my bedroom looks like it has been ransacked. I don’t sleep well, so all that tossing and turning makes it look like there was a break-in and someone was looking for valuables. And my morning hair looks like I might have been a victim of a crime.
15.    It is three months since my knee replacement surgery and I have made good progress. I can walk up the stairs now (walking down is a different story) and getting into the car is much easier. But my knee stiffens up if I don’t move for 10 minutes, so the healing is not complete despite ongoing physical therapy and home exercises. The replacement was done in my left knee so my right leg has assumed the role of the “good leg.” But with arthritis in that leg, too, it looks like I’m facing another knee replacement in my future. I’m holding off until next year – after basketball season. I need a leg to stand on, so Mr. Left Knee had better get better and step up to the job!
16.    Every year I look forward to the Kennedy Center Honors. I mark my calendar when the broadcast date is announced and I post promos on my Facebook page to alert my friends to the air date so they don’t miss it. But now that the President has installed himself not only as the chairman of the prestigious Kennedy Center but also has declared himself the host of the event (Walter Cronkite is turning over in his grave), I will not be watching. Apparently, it is more important to be in political lockstep with the president than to have achieved artistic greatness in music, dance, or the other arts. In fact, he fancies himself as a future honoree, though I am trying to figure out what contribution he has ever made to the arts. Sadly, I will not be marking my calendar this year, nor watching the show nor promoting it online. I hope viewership plummets so he can’t brag about that, either. I will miss my December tradition – I don’t think I have ever missed the show since its inception – and apologies to new inductee Gloria Gaynor, but I will survive without having to watch a phony blowhard pretend that he has any class or culture. I’m done.

Tina's July 2025 Movies and More

This month was full of mystery and murder, comedy and sports, and a few of my all-time favorites, along with an outstanding two-part documentary on one of my favorite artists. Those items marked with an asterisk were new to me. Numbering picks up from previous months, and all entries are rated on a scale of 1-5 cans of tuna fish, with 5 as the top rating. If you leave a comment, feel free to include your name at the end so I'll know who you are. Or not.

71. Cast Away (Cable TV) – Poor Chuck Nolan (Tom Hanks), dedicated FedEx employee, tells his girlfriend (Helen Hunt) that he’ll be right back – and then his plane crashes in the South Pacific and he spends the next 4 years using his wits to survive on a deserted island. At first, he can’t figure out how to start a fire or feed himself, but he somehow manages to endure the brutal conditions and loneliness with no other people around. I have seen this movie many times and I always marvel how a movie with so little dialog (except for Chuck’s “conversations” with the volleyball he calls Wilson) can still be so captivating. I won’t ruin it for you, but Helen Hunt has a line at the end that ALWAYS makes me tear up. This is bravura filmmaking! 4½ cans.
72. Steel Magnolias (1988, Cable TV) – No actress can portray utter anguish and determination better than Sally Field, which is why we really, really like her (think “Norma Rae” and “Places in the Heart,” her two Oscar-winning performances). Here she is Southern mother MiLynn, and we meet her and her besties as everyone prepares for the wedding of her precious daughter Shelby (Julia Roberts). The bond between these women is unbreakable and the actresses who play them bring plenty of moxie and humor to the game (Shirley Maclaine, Dolly Parton, Olympia Dukakis and Darryl Hannah). The movie has plenty of memorable lines, lots of good-hearted humor and pathos. It’s a classic for women of a certain age (that would be me)! 4 cans.
73. Quarterback, Season 2* (2025, Netflix) – For someone who loves behind the scenes stuff AND sports, this 7-part series hits the sweet spot. This time around, the focus is on QBs Gerald Goff of the Detroit Lions, Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals and Kirk Cousins of the Atlanta Falcons. These players are fierce competitors, pushing themselves on and off the field to excel physically and to lead their teams to victory. All are smart, gifted and handsome. Being a pro football player is not an easy job for the player or his family. Both Cousins and Goff have played in multiple cities, which means uprooting the family. Burrow has had to fight his way back from severe injuries. The documentary traces the 2024-2025 season, where, despite thrills and chills, none of these teams made it to the Super Bowl. Better luck next year! 3½ cans.
74. One Night in Idaho* (2025, Prime Video) – This 4-part documentary is the sobering tale of four fun-loving college students who were murdered in their small college town of Moscow, Idaho. Were these random murders or did the killer target these particular students? Why did two other people in the house escape unharmed? This series spends most of its time talking to friends and families of the victims, showing their profound loss of loved ones and the rippling effect of actions by both the law enforcement authorities and amateur sleuthing by people on social media who were fascinated with the case. The murderer was arrested in Pennsylvania, had a few ties to the campus as a grad student attending nearby Washington State University and a deep interest in criminal behavior. My heart broke for the families who lost their children and equally for the close-knit friends whose lives with never be the same as they all lost their innocence and ability to trust on that fateful November, 2022, night. 4 cans.
75. Trainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel* (2025, Netflix) – This Netflix series likes to capture the hot topics, which are so current in some cases that even people who pay attention to our society’s craziness have never heard of them. Sure, I remember the American Apparel stores, but they were geared to people a generation younger than me. Chain founder Dov Charney built the brand by brute force, intimidating his employees and forcing them to work long hours, hiring and promoting on a whim, and firing just as fast. He was also sexually exploiting them for his own pleasure under threats that they would lose their jobs. Great guy, huh? You know that anything that rises as fast and furiously as this company is inevitably headed for a fall, so when the AA world comes crashing down, no one should be surprised. 3½ cans.
76. Her Last Broadcast: The Abduction of Jodi Huisentruit* (2025, Hulu) – Jodi Huisentruit was an attractive young woman working for a TV news station in small-market Mason City, Iowa, when she left for work very early one morning – and vanished. This 3-part documentary series rehashes the events from 30 years ago, as authorities checked out a few clues left behind, but to no avail. Was her abduction at the hands of a man who wanted a relationship with her? The husband of a woman in the area? This examination gets bogged down in the details (especially in the 3rd part), and, although the dedicated law enforcement people have relentlessly investigated this case for 30 years, there is still no answer to what happened. 3 cans
77. Sullivan’s Crossing* (2023-2025, CW and Netflix) – If you liked Virgin River, this is the series for you. Maggie (Morgan Kohan) is a neurosurgeon in Boston whose estranged father Sully runs a campground in bucolic Nova Scotia. When Maggie’s medical practice comes under fire, she returns to her home there to get away from everything and make peace with her crusty but kind-hearted father (Scott Patterson, who played Luke on Gilmour Girls). Brooding but handsome Cal (Chad Michael Murray) is around as the mystery man who becomes her love interest, even though she intends to go back to her fiancée in Boston. There are plenty of predictable plots here – natural disasters, money problems, medical emergencies – but you know that in the end, everyone will survive. Morgan Kohan plays Maggie, and the town around her includes former wives, friends, siblings – all kinds of people pop up as the story moves along. I can’t say I loved it, but I know Season 3 (which aired on the CW Network) will be streaming soon, and I’ll watch it to see if Sully survives the fire. My guess is yes! 3½ cans.
78.  Southpaw: The Life and Legacy of Jim Abbott* (2025, ESPN) – September 4, 1993, was a hot and humid day at Yankee Stadium as the Bronx Bombers faced the visiting Cleveland Indians with lefty Jim Abbott on the mound. I remember it well because I was there, unknowingly on hand to witness history. Until around the 7th inning, my friend Bill and I did not notice that Abbott was pitching a no-hitter. Finally, we caught on, held our breath and watched Abbott get that final out. The remarkable achievement that day was Abbott on the mound at all. Born without a right hand, Abbott became a successful pitcher at every level and that day he joined a small contingent of Yankee pitchers who had held the opposing team hitless. This E60 documentary traces Abbott’s life and career and how he inspired others to achieve their dreams – which might be as simple as tying their shoes with just one hand. This was a very moving film and for Yankee fans and others, a must-see. PS – I still have a picture I took of the scoreboard showing all those zeros and my ticket stub from the game. 4 cans.
78. Amy Bradley Is Missing* (2025, Netflix) – How can someone disappear from a cruise ship? In March of 1998, young college graduate Amy Bradley was on vacation, sharing a room with her parents and brother, and catching some fresh air on the balcony in the middle of the night when she simply vanished. Was she abducted? Was she out trying to score drugs or did she become trafficked? Did she slip and fall off that balcony? Did she commit suicide? Her family has searched, all kinds of people – official or true crime fans – have offered their opinions, but 27 years later, Amy is still missing. I wish we knew. 3½ cans.
79. Terms of Endearment (1983, cable TV) – 42 years after its release, this movie remains on my list of favorite movies of all time. The unbreakable bond between mother Aurora Greenway (Shirley MacLaine) and daughter Emma (Debra Winger) produces lots of laughter and tears. When Emma moves away with a husband Flap (Jeff Daniels), whom Aurora feels is beneath her, their bond is tested but endures through constant phone calls and occasional visits. Meanwhile, haughty Aurora takes up with her neighbor, astronaut Garrett (perfectly cast Jack Nicholson), whom she knows will disappoint her in the end. The tears start when Emma is stricken with an incurable case of cancer. This is the story of love, friendship, and strong bonds that bend but don’t break. 4½ cans.
80. Trainwreck: Bubble Boy* (2025, Netflix) – The next time you question whether truth really is stranger than fiction, just watch any of the documentaries in this “Trainwreck” series and you will understand that you CANNOT make this stuff up. When a quirky family in Colorado launches a homemade UFO, it appears that their young son sneaked on board before liftoff. There is no way to control the helium-filled balloon and no way to either communicate with the young boy or save him. But was he on board? And was this whole thing done as a publicity stunt to gain attention to the erstwhile inventor? It’s only an hour long, so check it out for yourself and then wonder why you just wasted an hour of your life, like I did. 3 cans.
81. Six by Sondheim* (2025) – Brilliant composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim discusses in detail some of his most meaningful songs in a series of interviews. If you love “Company” and “Follies” and “Sunday in the Park with George,” tune in and get the full backstory as well as the memorable performances of great songs. 3½ cans.
82. And So It Goes – Billy Joel* (2025, HBO) – This 2-part, 5-hour documentary takes a comprehensive look at Billy Joel, the songwriter, lyricist, singer, performer, husband, father and man whose music has been around for more than 50 years. I’ve always been a fan and have seen him live several times, but I never completely appreciated his extraordinary skills until this intense look at his background and the things that inspired his memorable music. He paints a picture through his work, and he touches on the moving and difficult things that have been or still are affecting his life. If you love Billy Joel, watch this documentary. If you don’t, watch it anyway. It’s that good. 5 cans, and I could really give it an entire case of tuna.
83. Trophy Wife* (Hulu, 2025) – Larry Rudolph is a dentist who amassed such a fortune (sometimes unethically, doing work that wasn’t needed), that he had big homes, showy cars, and indulged his habit for big-game hunting. And women. Although he purported to love his wife, he had a long-time girlfriend. When he would set off for a hunting expedition in Africa, his wife – herself an accomplished hunter – would sometimes accompany him. But the girlfriend grew tired of this arrangement and allegedly gave him the ultimatum to get rid of her. On a hunting trip, she was shot at close range. Accident or suicide? That’s what plays put in court. What a guy – even his friends have nothing good to say about Dr. Larry. 3½ cans.
84. Somebody Somewhere* (2025, HBO/Max) – This comedy-drama ran for 3 seasons but I had never heard of it until my sister enthusiastically recommended it. The people here are quirky to be sure, but they are also endearing. It is semi-autographical, inspired by its star, Bridget Everett, playing Sam, a woman who is dealing with family issues and looking for connections, which she finds in a family of friends. She also can sing, belting out classics or Janis Joplin. Her BFF is Joel, a conflicted gay man looking for love, though it is clear that Everett’s Sam is his real soulmate. Her sister is a drama queen, her mother has lost her mind, and the rest of the cast completes the eccentric picture. After binging all 21 episodes (30 mins each) of the three seasons, I was disappointed to learn that the show is not coming back – just as I had found a place in my heart for these people. I will miss my new friends. 4 cans.
85. Sunday Best* (2025, Netflix) – The Ed Sullivan Show was a fixture in American homes on Sunday nights, airing in the 50s until 1971. Ed came across as stiff and was easily mocked, but he had an eye for talent and personally selected the acts for his show, which highlighted Black artists such as Nina Simone, Pearl Bailey, Mahalia Jackson, Jackie Wilson, Stevie Wonder, James Brown and Sammy Davis Jr. Sullivan felt these gifted artists should receive exposure, despite the fact that some people in the South boycotted his show and advertisers to protest his inclusion of Black people. He also brought Elvis into our living rooms and introduced The Beatles to the American public. This show is a great reminder that talent knows no race or gender, and that Sullivan helped move American entertainment to a new level. 3½ cans.