Odds & Ends

I had so many cobwebs on my front porch that it looked like I was decorating for Halloween.

Every time I see one of those awful-looking Tesla trucks, I am sure they are headed into combat or that the apocalypse is here, even when they are just innocently parked in the lot at my gym.

Speaking of cars, remember when you could drive into a parking lot and head for the parking spot nearest the door? Then came handicapped parking, so most of those spots were designated for people who had the plates and needed to be close, which I totally understand. Now, I don’t know where to park. There are parking spots for drivers with young children, places to park and charge your electric vehicle, designated spots for picking up your food order or having someone come out and hand it to you, and who knows what’s next? Oh well, I could use the exercise and extra steps on my smart watch.

By the way, if you want to check out at a variety of car makes & models, stop by my upscale gym anytime. From BMWs to Audis to Mercedes and Porsches, you’ll see them all. But lately, I can’t help but notice the large number of Teslas. I guess if you can afford a couple of hundred dollars a month for a gym membership, a luxury car is not out of the question. 

Nothing that is labeled “easy to open” is ever actually easy to open.

Am I the only person who unplugs appliances around the house? It’s not like I unplug a lamp if I’m not using it, but the hairdryer, toaster oven and other kitchen stuff are only plugged in while I’m using them. If I go away for a few days, I turn off and unplug my computer, too. You can’t be too careful, though I’m not sure of the consequences.

Someone needs to tell the makers of cauliflower rice that they are not fooling us at all. Cauliflower pizza crust, mashed cauliflower “potatoes” and rice are cauliflower, not what we are told they are supposed to be.

I wonder how many actual loads I get out of a jug of laundry detergent vs. what is written on the label.

Why do I sneeze twice? And can it be that as I get older, the sneezes are louder? There are so many times I am glad I live alone!

It is so hard to get an appointment with your doctor. My PCP will book an appointment and then insist after she sees me that I come back in 4 or 8 weeks – why, I’m not sure. But if everyone is getting 2 appointments and one they really don’t need, no wonder I can’t get in for the first time! That’s why the proliferation of Urgent Care has occurred and saved the day. I can ALWAYS book an appointment with the local urgent care place, often on the same day, where I can get checked for routine things like cold and flu. I’m not asking them to resolve the complex stuff, but sometimes you just need an antibiotic and boy, does urgent care come in handy. If I waited for the doctor, I’d be cured by the time I saw her!

One of the (many) nice things about retirement is that you can change your sheets on a Tuesday! You don’t have to cram all of your chores, errands and social engagements into Saturday and Sunday.

Like most people my age, I have my share of aches and pains. So, when I got my flu and Covid vaccines, I couldn’t tell if I was sore and achy from the shots, from my aqua exercise class or just from being 73! I was lucky this time – no chills, fever or swelling.

The other day I tripped over my own feet in my driveway and went down in a heap. Luckily, no real harm was done. I fell on my “bad knee,” (of course) and scraped it up. I also scraped my hands. But it could have been so much worse – a broken hip or wrist, or the ultimate indignity of having a neighbor see me fall! I didn’t see my life flash before my eyes, but I had enough time on the way down to realize, hey, I’m falling and this is going to hurt. Those “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” commercials make much more sense to me now.

I have found tons of video clips from exercise instructors that look perfect for easing me gently into a consistent exercise program. But apparently just watching them is not enough. I have to start doing them!

I am spending way too much time on Facebook and other social media. I’ll find something interesting and then an article on the 25 things to get rid of in your house pops up and I can’t resist reading it (instead of actually getting rid of stuff). I’ll be distracted by a post on the best movies, or new books to read, and then I start looking up information to see where I can watch them. Next thing I know, I’m watching a video on how to burp a baby or watching some guy mow and clean up a lawn or someone changing out light switches – as if I would ever attempt any of those things. The list of distractions is endless and apparently, I have no will power to resist going down the rabbit hole. Go read a book, girl!

I called a friend for her birthday the other day and heard the recording say to leave a message. It must have been generated by artificial intelligence, because the instructions sounded like, “Please REcord” your message instead of “Please RECORD.” Was that too hard to understand? 

We are done with fresh peach season and into apple season, and fresh Jersey tomatoes will give way to hothouse varieties. There is no excuse for a New Jersey restaurant to serve tomatoes that look orange and mealy in the summer when there is an abundant supply of bright red and juicy ones all over the state. You can say what you want about New Jersey, but our tomatoes are a reason to live here! That, and the fact that we still don’t have to pump our own gas!

Campbell’s Soup Company has announced that it is dropping the word “soup” from its company name. They have enough other businesses that just including just SOUP in the branding no longer accurately describes the company. In looking into this, I discovered that my beloved Milano Cookies from Pepperidge Farms are in the Campbell’s product line, as are Goldfish crackers, Swanson, Prego and Rao’s spaghetti sauce, V8 Juice, Pop Secret Popcorn, Snyder’s pretzels and Lance crackers. It’s not just about the soup! You can drop the name but please keep the soup!

Is it just me or do other people use Color Catchers in the laundry to prevent color bleeding? I know not to wash my red Rutgers shirts together with white underwear, but sometimes things that you don’t think will bleed DO bleed. And this stuff works as promised.

Has anyone seen my dryer ball? I use four in the dryer and one has escaped. I hope it wasn’t in the sleeve of something I just donated to Goodwill.

When I bought my townhouse in 1983, a local realtor used to drop off gadgets with her name and number of them to promote her services. There were pasta measuring devices and a strainer, a butter spreader, measuring cups, peelers and lots of other handy-dandy items. That was 40 years ago, and I still have and use my original Laura Sampson collection! I wonder if she is still a realtor!

Basketball season officially starts next month and, as usual, I can hardly wait! The Rutgers Men’s team is ranked #25 even before the season starts, and they have some real superstars on the roster. My beloved Rutgers Women’s Basketball team is not that fortunate, coming off a season in which they won just 8 games. But there is nowhere to go but up, and I’ll be there in my usual seat cheering them on and hoping for better days from this year’s talented group. Let’s go, RU!

September 2024 Movies & More

Here are a baker's dozen of programs I watched in September. New programs that I had not seen previously are marked with an asterisk. All programs are rated on a scale of 1-5 cans of tuna fish, with numbering picked up from the previous months.

113. Selling Sunset, Season 8* (2024, Netflix) – The stylish (and over-the-top) real estate ladies of the Oppenheimer Group are back to sell their multi-million-dollar homes in the Hollywood area. The homes are gorgeous, the views spectacular, and the infighting constant. This year we have a case of infidelity to hash and rehash, a dog funeral complete with tattoos made with the dog’s ashes, and the usual changing tide of frenemies. The clothes often look more like lingerie, and certainly not suitable for showing homes and closing deals. Yet, here I am, buying what these ladies are selling. Again. There are 11 episodes this season, perfectly bingeable. Now I have to wait another year? 3½ cans.
114. Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos* (2024, HBO) – Perfect timing for this documentary to come out since just last month I finished rewatching all 7 seasons of The Sopranos. Here, documentary maker Alex Gibney interviews the show’s creator, writer and sometime director, David Chase, about the development of the show from the casting to killing off characters and to that infamous final scene where the screen turns to black. Did Tony Soprano die? Was a shooter waiting in Holsten’s while Tony and his family ate their onion rings? This was a fascinating look at the themes of the show (David Chase’s contrarian mother was a role model for Livia), the characters and the actors who portrayed them. Even Chase seemed surprised by the direction the show took at times. It was grueling for the entire company, with 12 hours on set for everyone. If you like a little behind-the-scenes story and you love the Sopranos, this 2-parter is perfect for you. 4 cans.
115. Moonstruck (1987, PBS) – What can I say about this absolutely delightful movie that I haven’t already said? It is a charming comedy-romance starring Cher, Nicholas Cage, Olympia Dukakis, Vincent Gardenia and Danny Aiello, with John Mahoney in a small but important part, and each actor delivers the goods with panache. If you have never seen it, what are you waiting for? 4 cans.
116. The Boatlift (YouTube) – Tom Hanks narrates this literally uplifting story of hundreds of volunteers who used their boats to safely evacuate people in lower Manhattan after the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. This very short documentary shows the best in people, as a call went out to move people stranded at the piers after the attack. Water taxis and ferries were not enough to handle the thousands of people trying to escape, so the Coast Guard requested that local boat owners help out. They immediately raced to the scene to help strangers in this time of crisis. In just 9 hours, they evacuated thousands of people. You will watch this movie with a lump in your throat and a feeling of hope, knowing that there are good people in this world. 4 cans.
117. Stopping the Steal* (2024, HBO) – Nothing could be further from the heroic actions portrayed in The Boatlift, above, than the despicable behavior of former President Trump and his mob in rejecting the results of the 2020 election and trying to overturn it, leading to the infamous insurrection of January 6. This riveting documentary shows maniacal pressure being foisted on the election officials in Arizona and Georgia by Trump and his lawyers as they insist that the 2020 election was unfair and seek to overturn the results. Every possible path to declare the election illegitimate was proposed by Trump and his lawyers, with the President himself reaching out to election officials to try to coerce them. In fact, several of these officials were Republicans, at least one of whom campaigned for Donald Trump. Despite his threats and the backlash the officials faced from his ardent followers, these officials were determined to uphold the Constitution and preserve the democracy. They are the heroes of the film. 4 cans.
118. Apollo 13: Survival* (2024, Netflix) – It’s not like I don’t know this story; I have watched other documentaries and I am a big fan of Director Ron Howard’s drama, “Apollo 13.” But this one captivated me with its real-time account of what happened to the flight in a near disaster. The footage from NASA and previously recorded interviews depicting the astronauts and their families, combined with the panicked news coverage as people globally watched on in fear adds to the suspense here. This situation was unprecedented; the astronauts had to move to the small lunar landing vehicle because of the damage to the main ship. The engineers and bright minds of NASA had to devise a way to bring the three men back safely when all hope appeared to be lost. Somehow, they saved the day – and the astronauts. 3½ cans.
119. Challengers* (2024, Prime Video) – The challenge here was to get through this incredibly boring movie. Not only was it excruciatingly slow, but the last few minutes were played out in slow motion and often low light. I’m not a fan of filming in the dark because I can’t see what the characters are doing. Finally, the description of this movie lists it as a comedy-drama. Comedy-drama? Did I blink and miss the comedy aspect? Here’s the premise: Two young men are tennis players, both of whom are interested in a pretty, young woman (Zendaya), who is also a tennis player but competes at Stanford instead of turning pro like the men. She seems to appreciate tormenting the two friends and pitting them against each other as they vie for her affections. But even the relationship aspect of the movie was bad – the romance was mostly tepid and the young woman smug. I almost went to the movies to see this one, and then I almost rented it, but if I had paid to see it, I would have kicked myself. 2 cans.
120. Conned* (2023, Prime Video) – When you hear stories about people who seem reasonably intelligent but who are the victims of a scam, you probably think that you would never fall for the con. The four people here did. One woman had worked for the State Department and was an alum of MIT. Yet, when she met a “nice man” who offered to feed her cats AND be her financial advisor, she let him have access to her bank account. Three others had all written books, and their scammers were sure they could represent them and get them each movie deals. But the constant costs to do that and the money the scammers requested never led to any such success. Ironically, all of them got producer credits on this documentary, so they did get to make a movie after all, just not the ones they set out to do. The lesson here is to get it in writing, and if anything smells the least bit fishy, don’t bite. 3½ cans.
121. Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter* (2024, Netflix) – When 14-year old Cathy gave birth to a daughter, she and her mother realized that it would be best for the child to place her for adoption. Cathy had no contact with the child, but many years later, through social media, she learned that she had been missing since the age of 14. With the help of the authorities and amateur sleuths, she was determined to find out what happened, and she was not about to stop until she uncovered the truth. This 2-part documentary reveals the outcome and the gruesome things people do and often get away with. 3½ cans.
122. Big Kitchens* (2015, Prime Video) – If you have ever wondered how big restaurants, hotels and cruise ships manage to keep large groups of visitors happy and well-fed, this 12-part series is for you. From a crab restaurant outside Chicago to legendary Junior’s (the cheesecake people) in Brooklyn, this series examines large restaurants that turn out five-foot pizzas, thousands of pounds of pasta, and how they feed an actual army. I love these kinds of behind-the-scenes stories where they tell you how many pancakes they turn out in a day. I can’t believe I watched the whole thing! 4 cans.
123. My Cousin Vinny (1992, Hulu) – If you are accused of murder, you might want to hire a lawyer with a modicum of trial experience. But the two “yoots” in this case turn to Cousin Vinny (Joe Pesci), straight out of Brooklyn and headed to the South to defend his cousin (Ralph Macchio) and his buddy when they are mistaken for killers. Armed with his limited experience as a lawyer (none in the courtroom) and his fabulous and smart girlfriend, Mona Lisa (Marisa Tomei), Vinny faces off against the opposition and a cantankerous Judge (Fred Gwynne). This movie has a million laughs, is perfectly cast, and always a joy to watch. 4 cans.
124. Will & Harper* (2024, Netflix) – Part documentary, part buddy movie, part road trip, this true story is about the friendship of actor Will Ferrell and his long-time pal and Saturday Night Live collaborator Harper Steele, who, at age 61, transitioned from a man to a woman. Knowing the kinds of dive bars and weird excursions Harper liked when he was a man, Ferrell suggests they go on the cross-country road trip to see how Harper fares as a transgender woman and whether she can enjoy and feel comfortable with these familiar places and activities. Ferrell is interested in Harper’s life and she doesn’t hesitate to answer his questions even as she tries to conquer her fears and longs for acceptance. This is an unconventional but moving film about acceptance, love and friendship. 3½ cans.
125. Nobody Wants This* (2024, Netflix) – Adam Brody is Noah, a charming youngish rabbi looking to move up when he meets Joanne, a cute blond who runs a relationship podcast with her sister. Opposites attract, and these two are off and running. His mother (the wonderful-in-everything Tovah Feldshah) doesn’t like their relationship. Joanne is a “shiksa” (a derogatory Yiddish term for a woman who is not Jewish, particularly a blonde with her hooks into a nice Jewish boy), who, even if she were to convert, would never be the prototypical rabbi’s wife. This 10-part mini-series has very short episodes so bingeing it is easy to do. There are interesting/annoying characters, like his brother and her sister, but the two leads have enough chemistry to overcome their distractions. Good, not great. Shalom. 3½ cans.

September Stuff

Is it just me or did summer FLY by? One minute I was waiting for Mother’s Day to plant flowers and now I have to pull them out and replace them with mums. Memorial Day was one minute and July 4th the next, and we barely got a breath before Labor Day showed up. Time flies, so I guess I must be having fun.

I am always reminded of my mother when football season starts. No, she was not a football fan; quite the contrary. She would be very annoyed when the NFL Sunday games would cause a delay in the start of “60 Minutes.” She would put on CBS and find the game instead and say with exasperation, “Again with the football?”

Just so you know, “Permanent Press” isn’t.

Every time I turn on Yacht Rock Radio, they are playing a song by Christopher Cross or Ambrosia. And really, how many songs are there by Christopher Cross (“Between the Moon and New York City”) and Ambrosia (“How Much I Feel?”) The music on this station, which I think is temporary, is so BLAND!

When you get into a cleaning mode, you need to pounce on it. I made one trip to Goodwill last week and now I am prepared to bring another bag of clothes that I don’t need or want – some still with tags. What WON’T be going to Goodwill is a pair of sweatpants from my freshman year at Douglass in 1968. They were a mandatory purchase for my body mechanics class, along with a long-gone leotard. Somehow, they survived 34 years at J&J, 18 years of retirement, 5 moves and countless cleanouts. And I'm not ditching them now!

I have always pronounced the word “vanilla” as vaNELLa. It wasn’t until I bought a box of “Nilla Wafers” that I realized the “Nilla” is short for vanilla and now I’m chagrined at having said it wrong for my whole life. You know, chocolate never posed these kinds of problems to me.

Remember the old, original TV Guide Magazine? It was small (the size of Reader’s Digest) but contained feature articles, the puzzle and the TV listings for the week. Quite a while ago it morphed into a larger size magazine that still contained those elements and a much larger grid to accommodate an increasing number of channels with the advent of cable. They first started publishing “double issues” and now they publish triple issues. What’s next? A monthly? I had stopped subscribing years ago but my sister gave me a subscription one year and now it is again a habit I can’t break. I read about new shows or movies and snap a quick pic so I can save this info to my phone for future reference. Meanwhile, I have an extensive collection of TV Guide Fall Preview Issues that I have compiled over the years that are nostalgic and fun to look at. Now I would love to sell them and have someone else enjoy reading about the introduction of The Mary Tyler Moore Show or M*A*S*H* and see when Good Times aired. Any takers?

My worst fear was realized recently when I bought a spray can that I could not open. Yes, I pushed in the sides of the top as indicated – or at least I tried – but I could not get the thing to budge. I took it back to CVS and the diminutive cashier somehow muscled it off and made it go flying about 20 feet!  This stuff is supposed to help alleviate the pain in my knee, but it has turned out to be a pain in my…

When my mother had trouble opening a jar, she would get “the big knife” and smack it (not with the blade side) against the jar. It worked every time!

In your house, did you have “the big knife” and the “good scissors?”

I don’t mind letting other drivers take the right of way, but I at least expect a nod, a wave or a pantomimed “THANK YOU” in return. And if we are merging on the highway and I let you go, please go! Don’t hang back, just go!

Remember the old car inspection process in New Jersey? You would arrive and get on a very long line and wait an hour. When you finally reached the station, you had to turn on your blinkers, lights, brights and whatever else and then get out of the car so the inspector – who you could only hope was in a good mood that day – could slam on your brakes. And then you prayed that they put the passing sticker on the windshield. Fast forward to 2024, same inspection station. I arrived just before 11 AM and 20 minutes later I was on my way home. No blinkers, no brake slamming, just emissions. And now you only have to go every two years, not every year. Not much has changed for the better, but this process has.

As much as I relish old TV shows, I wonder who is watching a block of comedies from the 1950s that include “Our Miss Brooks,” “The Donna Reed Show,” and “My Three Sons.” These sitcoms aren’t very funny and the people in the shows have no real burning issues or problems. Sure, I liked these shows in the 1950s and 1960s, but my standards have gotten higher in the last 60 years. 

This Al Gorithum guy is not always right. I keep getting emails about Universal Lacrosse, a sport I have never watched or tried. Finally, I realized I could “unsubscribe,” so I did. What took me so long?

In addition to being inept at folding fitted sheets and at parking the car, I have to admit another shortcoming. I cannot tell if a melon is ripe, and now that I have started eating avocados, I have no idea how to buy them. They seem to go from way too hard to way too soft, and I can’t seem to catch them at the perfectly ripe stage.

Hold on to your pets, friends! According to an outlandish claim made by the Republican nominee for President and his running mate, marauding bands of illegal immigrants are kidnapping Fluffy and Fido and eating them. You simply cannot make this stuff up.

August 30th was the last day of work for my sister, Nancy Gordon Tillman, after 46 years at the Middlesex County Board of Social Services. She was the person everyone went to for help, the person who always worked during the holidays so others could spend time with their families, who "donated" time to coworkers for medical or family emergencies, who trained and mentored so many people in the agency and much more. Since the staff could not work from home, she braved the covid epidemic and trudged into the office as soon as the office reopened (within just a few weeks) and worked all through the quarantine. As much as she hates snow, she would go to work as long as the roads were passable. And I can’t imagine how much money she has doled out for co-workers’ showers, weddings and special occasions over the last 46 years. 

Now she will no longer have to worry about whether her driveway will be shoveled out, the traffic jams that mark the beginning of the school year and the buses on the road. She won’t have to pack her lunch for the next day after dinner, worry about the slippery parking lot at the office or bringing the safest shoes.

When her son gets married at the end of October, she won’t have to deal with going back to work after the wedding. She made many sacrifices for a job that served people in the community for 46 years. She will be able to take her long walks before it gets dark at night and after the sun is up in the morning. She won’t have to battle the sun while driving east in the morning and west coming home. 

I'm so proud of her for her devotion to her job and I know that everyone there will miss her as a colleague and friend. I'm lucky, because I'll get to spend more time with her. She has set the standard of excellence as an employee, mother, wife and sister and she deserves a nice long rest and a healthy and happy retirement. Welcome to the club, Nan!

Movies and More, August 2024

Here are the 16 programs I watched in August. New programs that I had not seen previously are marked with an asterisk. All programs are rated on a scale of 1-5 cans of tuna fish, with numbering picked up from the previous months.

97. Her Name Was Grace Kelly* (2024, PBS) – With an apt name for a woman of grace and beauty, actress Grace Kelly had a short but storied career. At the age of 26, she retired from acting and moved to Monaco to marry Prince Ranier and begin royal duties as the Princess of Monaco. This PBS documentary takes a close look at this talented American actress who became a real-life princess. 3 cans.
98. Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes* (2024, HBO) – I’m glad someone found this treasure trove of recordings of Elizabeth Taylor telling her own story. She was a star as a young girl and only knew fame for her entire life. It’s hard to keep up with the marriages, but between romantic conquests, Taylor turned in some great performances in movies like Who’s Afraid of Virigina Woolf, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Butterfield 8. But it was her romantic entanglements that led to the rise of the paparazzi, a roving mass of photographers determined to get a picture of Liz and her latest paramour.  She started as a star and ended as a fighter for AIDS research. What an interesting life! 3½ cans.
99. Gods of Tennis* (2024, PBS) – This 3-part documentary series takes us back to the rise of tennis in popularity in the 1970s and 1980s, as rivalries between its brightest stars heated up. First there was the emergence of Billie Jean King and Arthur Ashe, not rivals on the court, but in the court of public opinion, with Billie Jean advocating for pay equity and Arthur Ashe taking positions on apartheid. Both Wimbledon winners, they commanded a lot of attention (and it was especially comforting to see Ashe ward off brash young Jimmy Connors). Then Swede Bjorn Borg made it to the top, reeling off consecutive wins at Wimbledon and challenged by his on-court opposite, irreverent John McEnroe. And finally, America’s sweetheart, Chris Evert, was challenged by Czech player and eventual US citizen Martina Navratilova. They played each other nearly 100 times. There are great memories included here and it was fun reliving those times, which is when I initially became a fan watching these players. 3½ cans.
100. The Sopranos (1999-2007, HBO) – HBO launched this outstanding series 25 years ago, and I thought this would be a good time to revisit it, so I watched all 86 episodes in about 6 weeks. There is too much drama and detail to get into in depth here, but the story centers around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), mob boss, husband and father, who sees a therapist to help him with his problems in between ordering hits on his enemies or knocking them off himself. The nuances (if a brutal show can have nuances) balance the action. The show is so well cast that it is impossible to imagine anyone else playing his beleaguered wife, Carmela (Edie Falco), who knows but doesn’t really want to know the source of his income; his nephew Christopher (Michael Imperioli); his therapist (Lorraine Bracco) and his many cronies – Paulie, Silvio (E Street band member Steven Van Zandt), Pussy, Bobby, Uncle Junior, Janice and his evil mother (Nancy Marchand). The writing is impeccable, the acting superb, the direction is perfection and the locations are familiar to all of us who know NJ. Kudos to creator David Chase and his team for making what can be considered the best series of all time. There is plenty of violence but there is also humor and a deep sense of family – blood family (ironically) and “work” family. If you have HBO Max and have 86 hours to kill, check it out. 5 cans.
101. Presumed Innocent* (2024, Apple TV+) – I remember the original Harrison Ford movie based on Scott Turow’s book. This 8-part series was much darker, tenser and longer than the movie and I honestly couldn’t wait until it ended. Maybe if I hadn’t seen the original movie I would have liked it better. But no one here had any redeeming value; each character was flawed, evil, narcissistic or unfaithful or something that made me not like them or the story. 3 cans.
102. At Witt’s End* (2024, Netflix) – I love a good Dateline-like mystery as much as the next person, but this four-parter on Netflix was excruciatingly long (and was labeled “season 1,” so expect a follow-up; the mystery was not solved at the end of the season). You know the story: Young woman disappears from her local community, everyone says she would never do that, huge search is launched and eventually her body is found. So who done it? You have to go though painstaking police work done over decades to get examine the events. I don’t need such lengthy scrutiny over the possibility of DNA on a cigarette butt from 30 years ago. Maybe this could have been just a one-part program. Pardon me, Netflix, while I return to Keith Morrison and Dateline. 3 cans.
103. Timebomb: Y2K* (2024, Max) – Think about it: 25 years ago we were worried about the impending doom that might result from the dawn of a new millennium. Computers programmed with two digits for the year might inadvertently switch to 1900 instead of 2000. Predictions of systems crashing, of food and other necessities being in short supply, of power outages and other disasters were enough to scare the general population. This documentary features so-called “experts” -- but who could be an expert on something so unprecedented? Here you will see the concern of average Americans, workers and people in our communities as they come to terms with the inevitable passage of time. I hope I don’t ruin it for you when I tell you that we survived. 3 cans.
104. The Accidental Twins* (2024, Netflix) – In the documentary, then two women spot someone they know who doesn’t recognize them, a chain of events begins that leads the confused man to find out he has a twin and a brother he didn’t know he had. The men grew up in different parts of Colombia, each with a brother, unaware that miles away was their real family. There are two sets of identical twins here, accidentally separated when one baby is sent for medical care and returned to the wrong family. What makes us related? How much DNA makes the bond between brothers and how much is the situation in which you are raised? The movie is done with Spanish subtitles so you have to pay attention to understand the action. 3 cans.
105. Wicked Little Letters* (2023, Netflix) – Somebody in the conservative British village of Littlehampton likes to write letters – crude, brash, profane letters – all received by the quiet, shy Edith Swan (Olivia Colman). The meddling neighbors are convinced the culprit is a vocal and tough young Irish woman, Rose (Jessie Buckley), a former friend of Edith, and both the police and the community set out to prove their case. After all, it was Edith who contacted the authorities on her loud and disruptive neighbor, so could these obscenity-filled diatribes be retribution by Rose? This cheeky film is based on a real incident from the 1920s and is well-played here. 3½ cans.
106. Jim Henson, Idea Man (2024, ABC-Disney) – Every now and then someone comes along with an idea for entertainment that is unique to his personality and skill set and like nothing we have ever seen before. Jim Henson was a writer, director, puppeteer – it is impossible to adequately describe the visionary man who brought us the Muppets. This documentary by director Ron Howard explores the mind of Henson, taking us beyond just a list of achievements and providing a chance to understand his artistry from behind the scenes. His Kermit the Frog (which he voiced), Miss Piggy, Big Bird and so many other characters brought joy and education into countless homes. His deal with Children’s Television Workshop introduced his beloved characters to young children, who learned by watching them for free on PBS. The Muppet Show, The Muppet Movie and a stint on Saturday Night Live exposed these characters to a wider, adult audience. Despite his death at the age of 53 in 1990, Henson left behind a huge body of work and a world that continues to flourish in his absence. 4 cans.
107. Daughters* (2024, Netflix) – This documentary is the moving story about a group of men incarcerated in a Washington, DC, prison who are participating in a program called “Dance with Dad.” For 10 weeks, they have to meet as a group with a life coach to prepare them to reunite for one evening with their young daughters, a chance for them to dress up and dance with their girls. The program forces them to reevaluate their relationships with their daughters and their responsibilities as parents. Many of the men have had sporadic or no opportunity to see or spend time with their children, and the little girls are as nervous and excited as their dads. If you watch it, stick around for the very end to see how this 12-year-old program has made a difference. Parts of this – with the children and the dads – just touched my heart. 4 cans.
108. The Murder of Laci Peterson* (2024, Netflix) and 109. Face to Face with Scott Peterson* (2024, Peacock) – These two documentaries were released within a week and each covers the case of Lacie Peterson, a pregnant wife who went missing in 2002 and who subsequently was found dead in a marina miles away from her home in Modesto, California, in the same place where her husband Scott told police he had gone fishing on Christmas Eve day, the day she disappeared. The first program focuses on Laci’s family, their initial support for Scott, and the subsequent fall-out when his affair with Amber Frey is revealed, up through his trial and conviction. The second series starts after the trial, interviewing Scott in prison, where he is serving a life sentence. Peterson rejects the circumstantial evidence in his case and his defense attorneys – including his sister, who became a lawyer to assist with his legal proceedings – are still pointing fingers at the local police department for withholding or failing to investigate clues that could identify someone else responsible. I have followed this case since it started in 2002, when it dominated the news. Watch only if you are a true crime junkie. 3½ cans each.
110. Betrayed* (2024, Hulu) – There are two seasons to this documentary series, each presenting a 3-part story of husbands who have betrayed their wives and families in a most egregious way. I won’t give away their despicable acts, but that’s just part of it. The amount of emotional abuse and manipulation by these men is astonishing. And when they say they are sorry, you naturally wonder if they are sorry for their transgressions or sorry they were caught. This series is disturbing and addictive. 3½ cans.
111. Lie to Fly* (2024, FX and Hulu) – This broadcast is part of “The New York Times Presents,” an investigative series on a wide range of topics. This one focuses on the mental health issues experienced by airplane pilots, whose actions affect the lives of all passengers on board their flights. Pilots with issues that might be addressed by medications the rest of us can take are not able to use those medications and retain their flying status. Some resort to other ways to address their problems, and, as this show reports, some have intentionally crashed their planes because they just could not cope with their problems. The jurisdiction over pilots’ health and safety are unclear, with involvement by the FAA and the National Transportation Board. This is an intriguing issue that needs much more scrutiny. 3 cans.
112. Remembering Gene Wilder* (2024, Netflix) – He was the Cisco Kid in “Blazing Saddles” and Leon Bloom in “The Producers.” Gene Wilder didn’t play ordinary people, and his characters in “Stir Crazy” and “Young Frankenstein,” which he wrote, demonstrate his ability to evoke laughter from the oddball folks he portrayed. The documentary traces his career from stage to screen, his marriage to the late Gilda Radner from “Saturday Night Live” and his last years in the grip of Alzheimer’s. If you like Gene Wilder, don’t miss this one. 3½ cans.

Here's What I'm Thinking

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?