Happy 2025!

No need to make any new New Year’s resolutions. I just dusted off last year’s collection to give them another shot.

If I can have heated seats in my car, shouldn’t I be able to have heated seats on my couch? I don’t think I would ever leave the house!

Being short has very few advantages. Sure, I’m closer to the ground and could stop, drop and roll in case I catch on fire, but that doesn’t make up for my need to climb on the supermarket shelves to get something I need. I’m tired of asking taller people (for me, that’s anyone over 5’2”) to get something from a higher shelf. Where I shop, the rest of the old people around here shop, so there aren’t that many “tall” people to ask for help. I have to use a step-stool to get to the second shelf of the kitchen cabinets, and I even have a step-stool next to my bed. The phrase “climb into bed” is completely accurate for me. I’d like to be able to get the laundry out of the washing machine without injuring my ribs. I don’t take a carry-on on an airplane if it has to be stored in the overhead bin because I always need help putting it there and retrieving it. And at this age, I am probably shrinking, so the reality of my ever reaching anything has diminished.

I wonder what is stored in the cabinets above the refrigerator. I hope it’s not something I need.

Passwords – the bane of our existence! I have all of mine in a cleverly labeled document that no one else would guess and I put a password on that to keep it safe. Now I can’t figure out THAT password, so I can’t access the master document. I got a password protection program but that no longer works either. Some passwords require a capital letter, a number and a special symbol – but which ones? As I said – the bane of our existence!

According to my driver’s license, I have brown hair. That’s what it looks like to me in the mirror. So why does every picture of me look like I have gray hair, white hair or sometimes blonde hair? I’m sticking with brown. I don’t want to change my driver’s license.

I’m a firm believer in back-ups, so I rarely find myself without an ample supply of staples like toilet paper, napkins and cleaning supplies. If I install a new cartridge in my printer, I’ll order a new back-up that day, so I never get caught short. I keep plenty of tape, paper clips and, yes, even staples on hand so I’ll never run out. That’s probably because when I was growing up, I was lucky to find a pen or pencil to do my homework. My father would use a razor blade to sharpen the pencils because who could afford a sharpener? Now I have an overabundance of everything, and if I only have 48 rolls of toilet paper in the house, I’m sure it’s time to restock. 

My sister is sitting in her very noisy house while the roofers put a new roof on. Between the hammering and nailing and her Ring doorbell alarm going off, that is not the place you want to be. She’s a little disappointed that she needed a new roof in the first place. She never had a roof leak (that she knows of), just an occasional shingle would blow off. But it was looking old and worn and it was probably the right time to replace it, despite the noise and inconvenience, before it did start to leak. She said she just couldn’t believe that the old one would lose shingles periodically. I had to point out that the old roof was 36 years old!

I cannot imagine having the ability to write a song, record and perform it, and have an entire audience enraptured by it. What a feeling it must be to create something that captures people’s hearts to the point that they sing along or play it over and over and share it with meaningful people in their lives. To know that you made something that was loved and shared by others must be a joyful accomplishment.

Alexa and I are BFFs. She lets me know the weather and I tell her what to add to my shopping list. But sometimes she can demonstrate mom-like tendencies. She’ll tell me that it may be time to order more tuna fish or that I might be running out of my probiotics. And sometimes her algorithm seems a little off, like when she tells me about a book or author that I might like, and I have never heard of the author. She let my sister know that there was a book available that she might like. Nancy doesn’t read that much and since Alexa said the book was about animals, a subject in which Nancy has no interest, that algorithm made no sense at all. Do better, Alexa.

My sister and I are tired of the whole dinner planning/cooking/cleaning up routine. In addition to using paper plates (at least for lunch), she says she would prefer to have paper pots so she wouldn’t have to scrub anything. I get it.

I’d like to wash the dishes without getting water up my sleeves. 

I didn’t think some of the songs of the Disco era could get any faster, but even KC & the Sunshine Band is sped up on “That’s the Way, (Uh, Huh, Uh, Huh) I Like It” when they play it for my aqua aerobics class. It is played at breakneck speed! Eventually, all of the songs played sound like “Ice, Ice, Baby” by Vanilla Ice. 

I have more Tupperware and glass containers than I could ever use, unless I move into a shelter in the event of an apocalypse. But I cannot bring myself to let go of any. The same is true of mugs. I don’t even drink coffee, yet I have an extensive collection of mugs, many of which were gifts or have some special meaning, like my mug from my high school reunion from 25 years ago. No way I’m getting rid of that one!

The days are getting longer, thankfully. By now it only starts getting dark just before 5 PM. Man, it is a long, cold, lonely winter!

I feel sorry for those astronauts who were launched into space back in June for about a week but who have been stuck on the space station ever since. This is the real-life equivalent of “Gilligan’s Island,” when a three-hour tour on the S.S. Minnow turned into a multi-season TV comedy. I would be so sick of my socks and clothes by now, to say nothing of my co-workers. Do they have enough laundry detergent to wash their meager wardrobe?  Are they rationing toothpaste and mouthwash? Will they ever get to see new movies or binge TV shows? And I sure hope they didn’t have any library books on hand when they launched, because those books will be WAY overdue!

I love the sound of Michael McDonald’s voice and I love his music. Maybe one day I’ll actually understand the words that he is singing. Same with Bob Dylan and Dave Matthews.

In December there was an area-wide issue here with water quality, taste and smell. The local water company, which recently hiked their prices substantially, initially could not explain why the water smelled like paint thinner. I suppose it didn’t taste quite right, either, but I refrained from consuming it and went back to using bottled water. There were numerous assurances that the water tested just fine, thank you, but I don’t want to start growing an ear on my forehead if it turned out that it was actually dangerous to consumers (think: Love Canal). The problem was eventually traced to a small local company that makes fragrances (and presumably dumps dangerous chemicals into local streams and tributaries), but the water company insisted the water was safe to use. Meanwhile, my used bottles are filling the recycling can and I’m having trouble finding cases of water in the supermarket.

I have been immersed in watching “ER,” the old medical show from NBC, for the past few weeks. There are 330 episodes in the 15 years that the series aired, and I’m up to season 6 – and those were the days when a season went ran around 20 episodes or more! I’m amazed at the ability of the writers to convey real-life medical issues and in the actors’ ability to deliver the medical lingo with such conviction. I keep looking up terms and conditions so I understand the plots better. Yesterday I caught an episode where they were bemoaning the advent of Y2K, something my younger readers will barely remember at all. But for the rest of us who were worried about how turning the page on the last century would cause technical chaos, what a non-event that turned out to be – thank goodness! I’m totally enjoying this show and I don’t think I ever finished it when it first aired, so there’s plenty for me to experience for the first time.

December 2024 Movies & More Plus 2024 Favorites

Here is a list of the movies & more that I saw in December, and below it is a list of the movies that I liked the most this year. Movies marked with an asterisk were new to me. All shows are rated on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the top grade. Enjoy!
146. Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary* (2024, HBO and Max) – This documentary celebrates the soft rock sound, a California sound best exemplified by Michael McDonald and the Doobie Brothers, Toto, Steely Dan, Ambrosia, Kenny Loggins and Christopher Cross. The filmmakers work hard to tie this genre to jazz, rock (as in Fleetwood Mac) and other types of music. I confess I didn’t always see the connection, but the music itself – no matter how it became “Yacht Rock” -- remains memorable 40 years later. 3½ cans.
147. She Came to Me* (2023, Netflix) – In this strange little movie the protagonists are an opera composer (Peter Dinklage), a therapist (Anne Hathaway), a tugboat operator (Marisa Tomei), a Civil War reenactor (Brian D’Arcy James) and a couple of teenagers in love. It takes a while until the plot makes sense, and I almost bailed at one point, but it comes together in the end somehow. The point is that love comes from unusual places sometimes and when you least expect it. I’m not recommending highly, so you might want to do some more research before committing an hour and a half to this one. 3 cans.
148. Gene & Gilda* (2024, stage production at the George Street Playhouse) – It was nice being back at the theater again after a while, and you cannot find a comfier place than GSP to watch a show. There’s not a bad seat in the house (and the seats are comfortable, too) and the productions, while not the typical elaborate Broadway shows, are staged and directed well, with more emphasis on the steak and less on the sizzle. That said, this two-person show about actor/writer/director Gene Wilder and his love affair and marriage to Saturday Night Live comedienne Gilda Radner is sweet and poignant. They bounce around the stage, embodying the silliness, intelligence and passion of the characters as their love blossoms and is later faced with tragedy. Stars Jonathan Randell Silver as Gene Wilder and Jordan Kai Burnett as Gilda Radner carry a heavy load of dialog and perform on a minimalist set, but they rise to the occasion. He is insecure and afraid to open up and she’s naturally funny and looking for love. It has a limited engagement, so by the time you read this, it is likely closed, but it was enjoyable. 3½ cans.
149. Queer Eye, Season 9* (2024, Netflix) – The boys are back in town – this time, Las Vegas – where the Fab Five helps everyday people to improve their lives with everything from restyled hair and wardrobe to redesigned homes and cooking and love. This season they are there for a Black male librarian, a couple looking to get married, a few single moms and a man who lives in a costume. New cast member Jeremiah takes over the home reno, organization and decorating duties and I wasn’t sure he would make it through the season since he was moved to tears by practically every person he helped! The series remains a heartwarming look at how basic changes and being more confident about yourself can make a vast difference in life. 4 cans.
150. The Turnaround* (2024, Netflix) – Philadelphia sports fans are known for their particular brand of vitriol. They boo the opponents and sometimes their own players with bravado. After all, this is the fan base that booed Santa once. So, when it came to slumping infielder Trea Turner, the Phillies fans expressed their contempt. Until they didn’t. Vociferous fan Jon McCann decided that Turner needed encouragement, not condemnation, and he voiced his view that the fans should give Turner a standing ovation to help him turn things around. This 25-minute documentary shows how a little encouragement can work wonders. 3 cans.
151. Carry-On* (2024, Netflix) – I’m not usually an action fan, but I found this film suspenseful AND improbable but enjoyable. Most of the things portrayed here could never happen; plenty of people here are in fights or get shot and just get up and carry on. Jason Bateman is a mysterious operative who wants to make sure a particular bag gets on a particular flight, and he sets up TSA agent Ethan (Taron Edgerton) by threatening to kill his pregnant girlfriend if he fails to follow Bateman’s instructions. The movie is like “Die Hard” but without the humor, and it takes place at Christmas time to help the viewer make that connection. As action films go, it has enough, but this isn’t a Liam Neeson movie. Worth seeing if you like action and suspense and can overlook the improbability. 3½ cans.
152. Conclave* (2024, Netflix) – There is quite a complex process to selecting a new Pope when one dies, and this suspenseful movie takes us behind the scenes as the candidates vie for the Papacy. Ralph Fiennes is Cardinal Lawrence, Dean of the Cardinals, and he is responsible for overseeing the secretive process. Stanley Tucci, as Cardinal Bellini, is lobbying for the job to keep the church from his nemesis, Cardinal Tremblay (John Lithgow). There are many secrets that could be exposed, questionable behavior and accusations going on outside the room where the Cardinals must cast their votes, and a surprise that I doubt any viewer could see coming. If you are interested in a taut and thought-provoking film, check out Conclave. 4 cans.
153. Later Daters* (2024, Netflix) – I like documentaries and true stories, and this Netflix series WAS produced by former First Lady Michelle Obama, but wow, this was NOT what I was expecting. The series focuses on several single people, all at least in their 50s, who are seeking life partners and working with a dating coach to improve the process and the outcomes. We get to see them meet their potential mates on blind dates (presumably set up by the Coach) and then report back for feedback and further coaching. Trust me when I tell you I am not here for the tips or the blind dates, only to observe – and there is a lot to see. Since we see these folks go out on several blind dates with different people, we get to know the cast better than the dates, and the cast can be pretty fussy (one woman was ready to reject her date because he wore a white T-shirt under his dress shirt), but they don’t have that much time! I guess my standards are slipping, now that I have watched this, The Golden Bachelor and The Golden Bachelorette, but even I have to admit that there is something about these shows that drags me in. I think this one will be back for season 2, and I may or may not watch. But the real question is: What does Michelle Obama have to do with this? She’s not planning to dump Barack, is she? 3½ cans.
154. Juror #2* (2024, Max) – This legal thriller from Clint Eastwood harkens back to the classic “12 Angry Men.” Juror #2 is assigned to a case where a young woman is killed and her boyfriend is accused of the murder. They were in a bar, had a disagreement, stormed out, and the next thing you know…Only #2 isn’t sure the obvious answer is the obvious answer at all. This is a taut film with little to distract you from the plot as the principals and the audience try to figure out what will happen in the case. 3½ cans.
155. Virgin River, Season 6* (2024, Netflix) – The problem with these episodic series is that you can binge the entire season and then you have to wait for months (or more) to see the next season. But this comfortable, pleasant show is always worth watching. This season is all about the planned wedding of main characters Mel and Jack – with some roadblocks along the way. The season features rock slides, bad guys, doubts about relationships, ice sculptures, pregnant people, medical issues – the list goes on. There will be a seventh season, and I’ll be back for that one, too. 3½ cans.
156. Die Hard (1988, Hulu) – Christmas movie or not? Please discuss. I’m not a big fan of action movies but the wit and charm of lead actor Bruce Willis compensates for a lot. There is a holiday party at the Nakatomi building in Los Angeles where NYPD police detective John McClane is meeting his estranged wife when a group of sophisticated criminals raids the building to steal bearer bonds. Working alone, McClane is the only one who can save the day. Far-fetched, maybe, but still a captivating film that is chock full of machine guns and explosions and a barefoot McClane dodging the bad guys. And yes, I DO think of this as a Christmas movie. 4 cans.
157. The Six Triple 8* (2024, Netflix) – This heroic film is based on the story of the Army Battalion 6888, a group of 855 Black women who served in the Army during World War II. They were led by the commanding Captain Charity Adams (Kerry Washington), who was given the daunting task of going through 17 million pieces of undelivered mail intended for the soldiers that were being stored in rat-infested warehouses in overseas. And they had only months to do it. The job was tough enough, but the women in the unit experienced racism and sexism at the hands of male soldiers and even ranking officers. One of the soldiers is Lena (Ebony Obsidian), a woman who enlisted after her boyfriend was killed, to serve out the hitch he never completed. This is an inspiring story of determination and the sad story of Blacks being again overlooked and mistreated, things we never were taught in school. Thank you to producer Tyler Perry for telling us about this important piece of history. Expect some Oscar nods for this one. 4 cans.
158. Love Actually (2003, Prime Video) – You don’t have to twist my arm to get me to watch this delightful movie that takes place in England around Christmas time. Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Keira Knightly and others play characters who are somehow related to each other (I’m going to need an org chart) and who have interlocking stories of love. I couldn’t even say which character I like best because each one makes me smile (mostly). I actually love this movie. 5 cans.
159. Auntie Mame (1958, Cable) – Rosalind Russell stars as irrepressible Mame, who is unexpectedly charged with the care and upbringing of her young nephew Patrick when her brother passes away. She is rich, her brother was rich, and young Patrick is to be supervised by stuffy Dwight Babcock of the Knickerbocker Bank. Mame is unconventional and full of love for her “little love” Patrick. The story begins during the Roaring 20’s and soon the new family loses everything in the stock market crash of 1929. But Mame is indomitable and determined to give Patrick so many wonderful life experiences. Their bond cannot be broken, even by his eventual choice of a snooty girlfriend (which Mame cleverly handles). This is a charming movie that I have seen many times. This year, I treated myself to a viewing on New Year’s Eve. 4 cans.
160. Trading Places* (1983, Cable) – Funny man Eddie Murphy began to show his acting chops here, and he is brilliant. Dan Ackroyd, Jamie Lee Curtis and the rest of the cast measure up to his work. 42 years after its release, this movie is still in my top 5 comedies of all time, and it was a great way to end my year of Movies & More. 4½ cans.

My Favorites from 2024:

3. The Color Purple

13. The Greatest Night in Pop

20. James Brown: Say It Loud

36. Anatomy of a Fall

47. The Real Story of Mr. Bates vs. The Post Office

63. One Life

107. Daughters

125. Nobody Wants This

133. Superman (the Christopher Reeve story)

142. An Inside Man

152. Conclave

157. The 6888

Droning On

Welcome to New Jersey, Drone Capitol of the World. Jerseyans cannot figure out why drones are being spotted everywhere these days. Government spying? Extraterrestrials? Keeping an eye on the Trump property? I have gotten a barrage of emails and texts and I have seen social media posts from people who like to take pictures and report these drone sightings to the rest of us. Everyone seems to have a theory. What’s it all about, Alfie?

My sister and I have decided that there are various levels of what we can best call “casual wear.” There are the sweatpants you would never wear outside of the house and there are the better sweats that we have now defined as “dress sweats,” which are acceptable attire for doctor visits and errands, but not for dining or general public viewing. I like the dress sweats idea!

Just so you know, if I find that the toilet paper in your bathroom goes UNDER instead of OVER, I will change it. Maybe not if I went to Buckingham Palace, but otherwise, this will happen anywhere else.

I am no longer capable of sitting down or getting up from a chair without groaning.

No one I know can sleep anymore. Sure, we try to go to bed early, but for me, the earlier I go to sleep, the earlier my FIRST wake-up session will be. I always have to get up to use the bathroom at least once. I know it is not just me, because all of my friends seem to be online and texting by 7 AM at the latest. When I was a teenager and a young adult, if I woke up by 11 AM on a weekend, that was early. And no trips to the bathroom were needed!

When I was working, there was one woman in the office who kept a stash of what we called “the Magic Crackers.” They were made in the shape of butterflies and sold by Pepperidge Farm, and we would ask good old Pat for a few when we had some stomach issues. They worked every time. Bland, but soothing. Just what we needed on a bad tummy day.

Practically no one I know wants to drive at night anymore – or can drive at night. My night driving got much better after my cataract surgery, but I’m only comfortable going to places that are so familiar to me that the car could get there on its own.

I keep the ringer on my cellphone OFF most of the time, so chances are that if you call, I might not pick up. My phone is often in my hand, so I might just see that you called – but I might not pick up anyway! 

How can I break a nail in the shower? I don’t understand. I didn’t shampoo THAT vigorously!

If you use the term “back in the day,” you are officially old.

One of my superpowers is the ability to correctly guess numbers. I do this mostly with the time of day – or night. I can wake up and know the approximate correct time. This skill does me no good in a casino or with lottery tickets, so it is mostly useless. Sometimes I’m so lazy that I won’t even roll over to check the clock to see if I guessed right about the time. I’ll just ask Alexa what time it is. She must be pretty bored with me by now. 

I hear from Kohl's much more often than I do my closest friends. Every day there is a new email offering me Kohl's Cash or telling me I can save 10, 20, 30 or 40%, and that the sale ends that day. And I forget to delete the message so my mailbox is overflowing with Kohl's crap.

I have seen so many clips, promos and appearances by the stars of “Wicked” that I am turned off about seeing the actual movie. I saw the show on Broadway and thought it was way overdone. Let’s say it wasn’t “popular” with me. Truthfully, I loved the original Wizard of Oz movie and as a kid I really looked forward to its one airing on TV every year. My mother used The Wizard of Oz to threaten us – if you don’t do such-and-such, you cannot watch the movie! The expansion of the story and the addition of so many bells and whistles that blow away the original are just too much for me. 

I’m spending too much time looking for things to watch on Prime, Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV+, Max, Peacock, Paramount+ and whatever else I am wasting money on than I spend on actually watching things. It is time to reevaluate my subscriptions and get this stuff under control!

I have no incentive to go to the movies anymore since most of the movies I want to see will be streaming weeks after their debuts. My rule is to wait for them and NOT pay the rental fee, which could be $19.99. If I really want to see a movie at home, I’m willing to rent it for $5.99, but I generally use great restraint and wait for it to be FREE. Free is always better, and I don’t feel so bad watching a movie I end up not liking when I don’t have to pay for it.

A word of advice: Don’t go to the ER on Thanksgiving. There is a skeleton staff on duty and no turkey. Just saying. And don’t go on Yom Kippur, as I did years ago with a kidney stone. There was hardly a doctor in the house!

When I was growing up and we could not open a bottle, my mother used the nutcracker. I knew it was called a nutcracker, but since we never had nuts to be cracked in our house, it wasn’t until I was in college and went to someone’s house where a big basket of nuts was on the table that I finally realized that a nutcracker was intended to be used to crack nuts. I also thought that the pliers were used only to change the channels on the TV when the knob fell off. Years later, when I saw someone using a pair of pliers as a tool, I finally realized that their use was not intended solely for the TV. Live and learn.

How do you put a pillow into a pillowcase? My mother taught me to turn the case inside out, but that doesn’t seem to help. It takes me more time to wrestle the pillow into the case than it does to wash and dry the cases! Where’s Mom when I need her? I’m 74 years old. You would think I would have mastered this skill by now!

This is my last blog entry (except for my year-end movie list) of the year. Over the past 15 years I have published more than 400 times. Sometimes I feel like I am running out of material, and then something like drones over NJ comes along and reawakens my appreciation of the absurd or odd stuff that fuels my writing. I can’t say this will go on indefinitely, but I hope you find my writing entertaining enough to continue to read it. If your attention is beginning to wane, let me know and I will take you off this mailing list (for those of you who receive this material via email; the rest of you can simply ignore the link I put on Facebook). I hope the new year brings me more inspiration to continue to publish and put a smile on your face. Happy holidays and happy new year to all.

November 2024 Movies & More

Here is a short list of movies and programs I watched in November. Ratings are based on a score of 1-5 cans of tuna fish, with 5 being the highest. Programs with an asterisk are ones I had not seen previously, and numbering picks up from last month.

138. Martha* (2024, Netflix) – One name should be enough to identify domestic doyenne, former model, former stockbroker, former inmate Martha Stewart. Martha pioneered the art of entertaining, gardening, decorating, classy crafting and making the rest of us feel woefully inadequate, all the while building an empire that led her to becoming the first self-made woman billionaire. This documentary by R. J. Cutler tells the whole story, with Martha’s rise for a suburban upbringing in Nutley, NJ, to becoming a media mogul with her magazine, TV show and Martha Stewart Omnimedia. She certainly did it her way, and she doesn’t pull any punches in this film. Her reputation as being a five-letter-word (mogul?) is probably legit. She achieved unimaginable success – until it vanished. You may not want to have coffee with her, but her story captured my attention. 3½ cans.
139. Simone Biles: Rising* (2024, Netflix) – I’m starting the month with intense looks at two very strong women – Martha Stewart and the GOAT of gymnastics, Simone Biles. Simone may be small in stature, but she soars in gymnastics, winning seven Olympic Gold Medals over the Rio, Tokyo and Paris games. She has 11 Olympic medals in total. Her feats of flight are miraculous to watch, yet she stays grounded thanks to her family and her own determination. This 4-part documentary focuses on the Paris Olympics (likely her last) and how she got to this point in her career. She had to drop out of the Tokyo competition in 2021 with a case of what the sport refers to as “the twisties,” when a gymnast loses mental control over their movements. Her story is a good one and a promo for taking care of mind and body. This series is a little too long, but I found it addicting enough to watch the whole thing in one day. Let’s not give a score for this one. Let’s just give it a Gold Medal.
140. Sweet Bobby* (2024, Netflix) – This is the kind of movie that could not have existed a decade ago. Kirat is a lovely woman who meets a sweet man, Bobby, and begins a relationship with him online. When he goes through some serious and strange life circumstances, she is there to support him. When he cannot see him in person, she is endlessly understanding. But after more than a decade “together,” suddenly things don’t add up. This documentary peels back the layers of this complicated and frustrating relationship that once again proves that truth is stranger than fiction. 3½ cans.
141. Anatomy of Lies* (2024, Peacock) – This 3-part documentary is the fascinating story of a successful writer for the Grey’s Anatomy TV series whose life wasn’t quite what it seemed. I cannot provide more details without giving the story away, so, if you believe that truth is stranger than fiction, check this one out. 4 cans.
142. An Inside Man* (2024, Netflix) – Ted Danson gives a subtle performance as Charles, a man who applies for a job with a private investigator. His task is to move to a senior citizens complex and work undercover to find out who is responsible for the theft of a valuable piece of jewelry. He is a grieving widower, a former engineering professor, and his innate curiosity and powers of observation are perfectly suited to the assignment. He goes there to do a job but becomes immersed in the lives of his new friends and neighbors. He is so charming in this part, and the show will be back for a new season! 4 cans.
143. Cold Case: Who Killed Jon Benet Ramsey? (2024, Netflix) –  This 3-part documentary series focuses on a case that was almost impossible to ignore when the pretty 6-year old was found murdered in her own home in 1996. Did the police mishandle the evidence? Did they jump to the conclusion that the family was involved?  How big a role did the incessant media coverage play in demanding the parents be charged? There are still plenty of questions surrounding this case, and, despite the title, you will not get the definitive answer. 4 cans.
144. Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy* (2024, Netflix) – I felt great guilt watching this documentary about how we tend to buy much more than we need (I can’t fit even one more Rutgers T-shirt into my drawer) and what happens once we discard the stuff we didn’t need in the first place. Clever marketers constantly encourage us as consumers to buy more and more, and the result is a world overwhelmed by what eventually is garbage. The whole system is out of control and the impact on the planet is already significant. Not exactly a cheery holiday film. 3 cans.
145. Before and After* (1996, Prime Video) – I don’t know how I missed or never even heard of this Meryl Streep-Liam Neeson movie from the last century. It certainly wasn’t one of Meryl’s showy parts – no accent needed. She is a doctor, married to Ben, an artist, when their family is upended by the tragic death of a young woman in their small town. Suddenly, the focus of the investigation is on their teenaged son, who, it turns out, was dating the murder victim. There is evidence to be found, but what is the truth and who will save the day? Good performances, especially on the part of the anguished father (Neeson). 3 cans.

Short & Sweet - November 2024

I went to my retina doctor on Halloween and everyone in the office was dressed like dominoes. I left there seeing spots before my eyes.

At the dentist’s office this month they took my blood pressure. On Election Day!  At the dentist’s office. Isn’t the dentist’s office anxiety-producing all my itself? Needless to say, it was HIGH! I usually don’t mind going to the dentist and the eye doctor, the only places where they DON’T take my blood pressure or make me get on the scale. So much for that. 

Aside from the dentist and the eye doctor, the only other place where I can legitimately avoid the scale is at the dermatologist. She doesn’t care what I weigh. She’s only interested in whether I have skin damage from the sun. And according to her, I have great skin. Clearly, her standard of “great skin” is vastly different from mine.

I feel that I am using too many exclamation points lately. Is all that emphasis needed? And who came up with exclamation points anyway? Now I have started using question marks to excess…

I wish I could sleep as well at 4 AM as I do at 4 PM.

You know those drug commercials that tout the benefits of some prescription and then warn you not to take that drug if you are allergic to it? How are you supposed to know you are allergic to something unless you take it and have a bad reaction?

There’s an app for everything, right? You buy a pair of shoes and they want you to install their app. My medical records are waiting for me to see – in the app. Do I really need to occupy the space on my phone with every place I go online? I don’t think so. 

I cannot eat scrambled eggs off a paper plate.

Don’t you hate that feeling when you are walking around and your sock slides into your shoe? Or when you suddenly feel your toe going through your sock? I’ve reached the point in life where I just throw the socks away and don’t feel the guilt (except that they do make good cloths to shine my shoes on the rare occasions that I shine my shoes).

The pay for local substitute teachers in my area just went up to $155 a day, a far cry from 1972, when I briefly substituted in my old high school for $22 a day before I started working at J&J, where my weekly salary was all of $125. Of course, the price of gas was under 50 cents a gallon then. But my real point is that despite the growth in the pay rate for teachers, we still don’t pay them enough. 

Now that I am making a concerted effort to drink more water, I feel like I spend half my time filling up the Brita water container, filling my water bottle and making ice. I never knew how much I appreciated the taste of COLD water until I got up a Yeti water bottle.

I’m not a Halloween fan. I don’t like dressing up or scary stuff and I really should not have candy in the house. Luckily, I live in an adult community so there aren’t any kids in the neighborhood to approach the house in costumes I cannot identify. Residents here instead hold a party for the grandkids and anyone who wants to hand out candy puts a paper pumpkin in their window. The kids are happy, the grandparents are happy, and I’m don’t have to bring candy into my house or hear the doorbell ring! Win-win. I’m just an old grouch, I guess.

I made a turkey meatloaf recently that was so bad that if I had ordered it at a restaurant, I would have sent it back. I tried to hold down the calories and, in the process, I eliminated the taste! Ground white meat turkey is dry and lacks flavor anyway, and I only made things worse. This healthy eating is not easy!

I had to go for blood work the other day and I was afraid I would accidentally eat when I was supposed to be fasting! I didn’t.

During the Presidential campaign, Trump asserted that you could send your son to school in the morning and he would come home as your daughter later that day because the schools were doing gender reassignment surgery as, he said, “without parental permission.” So that means my tax dollars are used to fund sophisticated operating rooms capable of performing such complex surgery? And who is supposed to be performing such surgery? The school nurse has to jump through hoops to give out an aspirin. So now school staff is supposed to be combat ready for a gunman AND trained to perform delicate surgery (and with no place for post-op recovery)? Come on! Don’t you think permission to set up the facilities to do on-site surgery might have come up at a school board meeting and would be reported in the local press? Of all of the many lies, misstatements, exaggerations and overstatements he made during the campaign, I found that one the most egregious and the one that could be most easily disproved. Yet, here we are. America. You have been conned. 

My Yankees lost in the World Series after leading in the final game by five runs. The Rutgers football team won 4 straight then lost 4 straight before winning their last two games, making them bowl-eligible. The Jets and Giants disappoint most weeks. But now that college basketball season is starting again, I have optimism and renewed hope for success. The Rutgers men’s team is already making national news with two top freshmen and the women’s team has some outstanding newcomers who hopefully will make them competitive in the very tough BIG 10 conference. Ask me in March if my hope was justified and my dreams came true!