Still Wondering

1.    I wish I could sleep as soundly at 3 AM as I sleep at 3 PM!
2.    Recently, in the middle of the night (since I am up at 3 AM, as you know), I saw a commercial for “The Prayer Clock.” Every hour on the hour the stentorian tones of James Earl Jones’ voice read one of 12 passages from the New Testament to inspire listeners. The round wall clock background is described as depicting “Jesus in a contemplative pose.” The clock is available from Amazon and QVC for about $20. Certainly, I am not the intended audience for this gift but maybe people like the idea of praying every hour on the hour. I just think hearing James Earl Jones, who was always thought of as “the voice of God,” would startle me. Please don’t put one of these things on my holiday gift list!
3.    Buffalo mozzarella. Buffalo wings. Buffalo plaid – Does anything here have anything to do with each other or with the city of Buffalo?
4.    Are those yummy Hawaiian sweet rolls actually from Hawaii?
5.    Why do we call the people who clear tables in restaurants “bus boys?” What does that job have to do with transportation?
6.    The other day I found on the supermarket shelf a package of chocolate sandwich cookies from the ShopRite brand Bowl & Basket that touts itself as “the original chocolate sandwich cookie.” I think Oreos would be offended by such hyperbole! I wish Nabisco were still around to dispute that claim.
7.    Basketball season is again underway and I am thrilled to be back in my happy place – Jersey Mike’s Arena – watching my favorite team – Rutgers Women’s Basketball. Equally thrilling is that six months after my left knee replacement, I am able to walk down to my 3rd row seats and back up again. That was the goal I conveyed to my surgeon and my physical therapist when I had the surgery and began my rehab. Am I winning any races on the steps? No. Can I always walk normally? Not exactly, but I expect to do just that by the end of the season in March. I’m never going to be James Cagney dancing down the staircase as composer and song-and-dance man George M. Cohan in “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” but I am definitely better than I was a year ago, when my knee first started to bother me. That’s what I call progress!
8.    The other day I put on a nice, warm, comfy sweatshirt that a friend bought for me in Hawaii years ago. I can’t help but wonder why there are big, warm sweatshirts available in a tropical climate. No complaints, mind you, but why?
9.    My new car, a 2025 Mercedes 350E that I named Victoria, is super friendly. She greets me by name when I get in the car and she automatically adjusts my seat. When I am using route guidance, she never gets mad or annoyed if I don’t follow her instructions exactly. We have come a long way since Garmin GPS devices practically yelled at you for disregarding their directions. Remember hearing that tone of disgust when they would say “Recalculating?” Once my Garmin finally gave up and just told me to stay on the road since I ignored her commands to get back on Route 287!
10.    One thing I don’t appreciate is Victoria’s desire to be in on the conversation. When someone else is riding with me and we are chatting, she will say, “I’m sorry, I didn’t get that,” as if she is supposed to be part of the discussion. Sorry, Victoria, but we will let you in on the chat when we need you! The one thing the car lacks is a way to automatically shut the door, which is massive. The seats are automatically adjusted when I enter the car, and I can open and close the trunk remotely, but I have to strain to close the door. How about it, Mercedes? Can you give a short girl a hand?
11.    Math is not my strong suit. But I defy any math prodigy or expert to understand the food offerings and prices on Applebee’s “2 for $25” menu. You can order this, but you can’t order that…I’ll have a burger, please, and I will pay full price because I am just too confused. 
12.    I’m amused by people who cruise the parking lot at the gym looking for the space closest to the entrance. We ARE here to exercise, aren’t we?
13.    I would pay someone to sort out the tangle of wires underneath my desk leading to the computer, the router, the printer and the accessories. What a mess! I can’t get down on my new, surgical knee, and I’m afraid to unplug something anyway. Any suggestions?
14.    I used to be cool. I subscribed to Rolling Stone and knew or owned a good percentage of the most popular music. I can still sing the entire Motown catalog, and I know every girl group of the 60s. I was up on the news and tuned into the cultural zeitgeist. And then I turned 75. Remember when we were in school and our teachers all seemed like they had personal memories of the Civil War, because they were THAT old? Today I am older than they were then. I live in an “active adult” community for people over 55 and trust me when I say these people are WAY over 55. My cool factor would dominate this crowd, but it has diminished just being in their presence. I was born when Harry Truman was the President and the US was fighting the Korean War. I have lived through 14 presidents and the addition of two states – Alaska and Hawaii. I graduated from high school and attended college during the Vietnam war. I saw the first man land on the moon. I was alive before there were car seats and seat belts. And still, I thought I was pretty cool, until People magazine anointed actor Jonathan Bailey the “Sexist Man Alive,” and I didn’t know who he is. And, as if that weren’t deflating enough, I don’t know or understand the meaning of and excitement over the word of the year, “SIX SEVEN.” I’m writing it out because if I use the numbers, you might think of it as sixty-seven. And what is all the hype about? I looked it up and STILL don’t get it. I’m pretty sure this fact extinguishes any of the cool factor that previously existed for me. And even more telling, most of you who read this blog also don’t know what 6-7 means, unless you have grandchildren to keep you in the know. I lament the passing of my coolness, such as it was, as I barrel into this last segment of life. I envy those people who are older than I am and have no signs of losing their cool – like Cher. She will always be my hero, performing on stage at 78 and not taking any crap from anyone. Now, THAT’S cool!

Tina's October 2025 Movies & More

October was a busy month for movies. Following the death of Diane Keaton, I decided to revisit several of her movies. I also eagerly awaited the opening of the Bruce Springsteen movie and I was not disappointed. I'm sure you will find something here to inspire you to watch. 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. 

111. Eleanor the Great* (2025, Montgomery Cinema) – June Squibb, the 94-year-old lead in this film, is Eleanor, and she IS great! Eleanor has lived in Florida with her dear friend Bessie for many years. The woman, a Holocaust survivor, shares her heart-wrenching stories with Eleanor, who listens intently to the brutality and pain Bessie suffered before escaping from Poland and arriving in the US. When Bessie passes away, Eleanor moves back to New York to stay with her daughter, but she is lonely. At her daughter’s behest she joins a group at the local Jewish Community Center, not realizing it is a group of Holocaust survivors. The result is a poignant story of grief and loss and intergenerational friendship that sustains Eleanor. This is a moving story and Squibb is highly capable of delivering in her star turn. 4 cans.
112. I Like Me* (2025, Prime Video) – John Candy was a unique talent. The comic actor from Canada went through comedy troupes in both Canada and Chicago before landing movie roles in such hits as “Uncle Buck, “Stripes,” and my personal favorite, “Planes, Trains & Automobiles,” a movie I make sure to watch around Thanksgiving every year. He is described in this documentary by his friends and colleagues – including Dan Ackroyd, Bill Murray, Mel Brooks and Catherine O’Hara – as a generous, wonderful guy, but he also had his demons, especially from a childhood spent mostly without his father, who died on Candy’s 5th birthday. He was a people- pleaser who overindulged in food and who wanted everyone to be happy and satisfied at all times. I had forgotten how many movies Candy starred in, and one of my favorites, “Only the Lonely,” a bittersweet story co-starring Maureen O’Hara, wasn’t even included. It is worth rewatching the classics that starred Candy, a sweet and lovable guy gone too soon. 3½ cans.
113. The Woman in Cabin 10* (2025, Netflix) – This suspense story reminds you of its genre by using music befitting the plot. Keira Knightly is a journalist who takes on what sounds like an easy assignment to write about a woman suffering from cancer whose mega-rich husband starts a foundation to raise money for victims of the disease. All Lo (Knightly) has to do is join members of the Foundation Board and other friends of the sick woman on the husband’s yacht as they set sail to bring attention to the organization. But then someone disappears from cabin 10 – which the crew and husband insist was never occupied. Will Lo get the story? Will she survive the ship or will she remain trapped in a giant fish tank? And who did she see fall or get pushed overboard? The other passengers and the yacht crew don’t believe her, and it seems someone is getting away with murder. Very mysterious. 3 cans.
114. The Substance* (2025, HBO Max) – I don’t like horror movies and haven’t watched one for decades, but Demi Moore’s performance in this bizarre tale received so many accolades that I decided to give it a shot. And shots are the theme here, as exercise guru Elisabeth Sparkle (Moore) seizes the opportunity to inject a substance guaranteed to make her younger after her boss declares that she is getting too old to strut her stuff for viewers. I won’t try to summarize the plot, but I will say that the movie budget for fake blood here must have been enormous. Moore was nominated for an Oscar for her brave and unyielding performance in this film, and, although she didn’t win, the acclaim she got must have been very rewarding. Not my kind of movie but well done, with a bravura performance by Demi Moore. 3½ cans.
115. Ghost (PBS) – I went for a Demi doubleheader with the viewing of this ethereal, suspenseful story of Molly (Demi Moore), a potter, and the love of her life, banker Sam (Patrick Swayze). When Sam is gunned down randomly on the street in New York, Molly is grief-stricken, but is Sam really gone? He is now a ghost that no one (except other ghosts) can see, but he can be heard by a phony fortune teller Oda Mae, played with humor and exasperation by Oscar-winning Whoopi Goldberg. Sam realizes his death was a murder and he needs to warn Molly of the danger around her, some of which comes from a friendly source. Swayze has to act mostly by using facial expressions except for his dialog with Oda Mae. And who can forget that scene with the potter’s wheel? 4 cans.
116. Annie Hall (1977, Cable TV) – Diane Keaton died today, shocking news for her many fans. She brought parts of her iconoclastic self to every movie she made, and this Woody Allen film melded the real Diane Keaton so well with the on-screen version. Dressed in her trademark menswear and sporting a hat, Keaton’s style was her own and admired by women who are independent, free and portraying themselves. In what I consider his best movie, Woody Allen works much of their personal relationship and Keaton’s style into the story of a neurotic NY-based Jewish comic and the white bread girl he fell for. I cannot imagine anyone else in the role of Annie, and Keaton won the Oscar for the part. The world became a little less bright and quirky today, but at least we have a large repository of Keaton’s work to enjoy. La dee dah, La dee dah. 4½ cans.
117. First Wives Club (1996, Rented) – This is a silly little comedy about the revenge of wealthy, jilted wives that stars Diane Keaton, Better Midler and Goldie Hawn. The college friends go their separate ways until one of their friends kills herself over a failed marriage. Realizing that they are largely responsible for the success of their cheating husbands, the remaining trio form the First Wives Club to recover their finances and teach the men a lesson. The movie is amusing enough, with all three actresses in top form. The one memorable scene is when they sing “You Don’t Own Me.” 3 cans.
118. And So It Goes (2024, On Demand) – This movie is my least favorite of the many Diane Keaton rom-coms. Here she is a woman who has to contend with her cantankerous neighbor (Michael Douglas), who suddenly has the responsibility of caring for a 10-year-old granddaughter he didn’t know he had. Keaton has the child thrust upon her, but she is up to the task. It takes Douglas much longer. The romance is inevitable. 2½ cans.
119. Father of the Bride (1991, On Demand) – Diane Keaton is the Mother of the Bride in this remake of the old Elizabeth Taylor-Spencer Tracy story about a man coming to terms with his daughter growing up. Steve Martin is the beleaguered father, stuck with a bill for a wedding that includes swans in the front yard and a guest list that is more people that can fit in the family home. Kimberly Williams is the young bride. The scenes of her facing off on the basketball court with dear old dad are touching, as he realizes that things will never be the same between them. Martin is the dominant figure in the film and comes through with shining colors. Keaton is wonderful at giving him space and simultaneously keeping the Father of the Bride in line. Charming. 3½ cans.
120. Something’s Gotta Give (2003, rented) – Director Nancy Meyers crafts a wonderful rom-com with Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson. Nicholson’s 63-year-old Harry is dating the 30-something daughter of playwright Erica (Keaton) despite the age gap between them. When he suffers a heart attack at her mother’s gorgeous Hamptons home, Harry has to stay there and rest under the care of a very reluctant Erica. The message here is that you can be older and never have been in love, or you can be older and experience real love. Keaton gives a top-rate performance as a woman leaning into her sexuality and loving love, although Harry is the poster-boy for staying unattached. Nicholson is his best rascally self and raises the game for the rest of the cast. Keanu Reeves plays a young doctor who also falls for Erica, despite their age gap. Good story, well done by all. 4 cans.
121. The Parent Trap* (1998, Rental) – The last time I saw “The Parent Trap” was when Hayley Mills starred in it. In this remake, a young Lindsay Lohan plays twins who don’t know about each other’s existence because they were split up as babies when their parents (Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson) divorced. They discover each other in summer camp and plot to get their parents back together. This is a lightweight movie whose best asset, besides the cast, is the flawless technology that makes the twins appear on the same screen together. Suitable for children, not 75-year-olds. 3 cans.
122. Bad Shabbos* (2025, Netflix) – A prospective bride (not Jewish) and groom (Jewish) plan a Shabbat dinner at his parents’ NYC apartment to meet her parents, and everything goes awry when the sister’s boyfriend dies in the bathroom unexpectedly. They don’t want the youngest brother blamed for the death and they scramble, with the help of the doorman, to get the body out of the house before the prospective in-laws show up. Neither Plan A, B or C is going to get them out of this mess. Clever movie with good performances. 3 cans.
123. Midnight Run (1988, Cable TV) – If you have never seen this clever caper movie, go out and find it. Robert DeNiro is Jack Walsh, a bounty hunter who takes on the job of capturing “The Duke” (Charles Grodin), a quirky accountant who has absconded with money from a mobster. But the FBI, the Mob and another bounty hunter are hot on their heels, and contending with The Duke and his personality is enough to drive Jack crazy. This movie uses planes, trains, automobiles, trucks, helicopters and I think boats to transport the Duke across country to meet a deadline so Jack will get his money. It is a cops-and-robbers story and a buddy movie where the two principals aren’t exactly buddies. Great movie. 4 cans.
124. Under the Tuscan Sun (2003, Hulu) – If living well is the best revenge, author Frances (Diane Lane) is doing a great job. Jolted by an unexpected divorce from her husband, she takes off on a trip to Italy. Riding a bus and seeing the sites won’t do it, so she leaves the tour and visits a small town where she impulsively buys a rundown Tuscan villa. Although the place is quite grand, it is old and needs lots of renovation. As she builds her home, Frances builds a new family with the colorful locals and her construction crew. And, along the way, she encounters the handsome Marcello and starts to believe in love again. Sandra Oh plays her American best friend. 3½ cans.
125. Bruce Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere* (2025, Manville Cinema) – If you go to this movie expecting a Springsteen concert, you will be disappointed. Though Jeremy Allen White does a great job of portraying Bruce and singing several of his songs (he actually had to learn to play guitar for the role), most of the movie is about Bruce’s inner turmoil, stemming from his fractious relationship with this father and trying to express his creativity in a decidedly un-stadium rock way. Thus was born “Nebraska,” a somber album reflective of Bruce’s state of mind. He wasn’t able to truly commit or connect with an erstwhile girlfriend because he couldn’t connect with himself during this period in the early 80s, following his explosion onto the music scene. As we know now, he survived the period but experienced the mental anguish that plagues much of society. Right after Nebraska, which was recorded not at a studio but on a cassette in a rented house in Colts Neck, NJ, Bruce released my favorite of his albums, “Born in the USA,” a raucous collection of hit after hit. The movie portrays an exceptionally self-reflective Bruce during a difficult period and handles the material with care and respect. 4 cans.
126. An Old-Fashioned Family Murder* (2025, George Street Playhouse) – This play was a clever comedy-murder mystery that starred Sally Struthers, a comedy veteran with great timing, in a role she could sink her teeth into. She was terrific, as was the rest of the cast, the direction and the set. The show takes place on a dark and stormy night and somebody – as we know – is going to die. But whodunit? If you aren’t taking advantage of this venue and its wonderful productions, you are missing some excellent entertainment. 3½ cans. 
  

 

An Ode to the Oddities in My Head

1. I went to the Hallmark store recently to buy a bunch of birthday cards for the coming weeks. The terms of my loan run for 3 years.
2. I find that whenever I ask someone how to do something that they know and I don’t, the instructions always seem to start with, “You just…” That’s when I know I am in trouble, because whatever they are doing never seems to work the same way for me.
3. Do you know how hard it is to find pantyhose these days? I know, I know, nobody wears pantyhose, but for a semi-formal wedding with a black dress, I didn’t want my pasty white legs showing. It has always been tough for me to buy pantyhose. When you are short and heavy, the pantyhose that fit around your hips are about two feet too long. And the ones that are the right fit for your legs come up between your knees and your crotch. Don’t give me those dreaded control top versions: I can’t get them over my hips and, if I could get them on, I couldn’t even think about taking them down for a trip to the bathroom. Gone are the days of buying L’Eggs in the egg-shaped package. What was the significance of that branding anyway? Did the pantyhose hatch?
4. If I ran for office, part of my platform would be that all toilets must be “comfort height” as the higher ones are described. And public restrooms would require grab bars or something that would make it easier to use the toilets. I am accustomed to the higher type toilets in my house and using a public restroom makes me feel like I am squatting over a hole in the floor. And while we are at it, why do we call them “restrooms?” Who goes there to rest?
5. Why is it that the days of the week all incorporate the word “day” but the months of the year don’t include the word “month?” I guess we have to figure out that they are months.
6. I liked the days when I could find the Yankee game on good old WPIX in the New York area. I could turn it on, listen to a few commercials for Ballantine, and enjoy the game. Now finding the game is like a scavenger hunt. Is it on the Yankee Network? Possibly, unless it is the featured game on ESPN or another network. Or it could be on Prime Video, a streaming network. Or Peacock, or some other place I can forget to look. The olden days were so much simpler for sports fans.
7. And speaking of the Yankees, the baseball season for me ends when the Yankees lose. After that happens (which seems to be every year), I no longer watch. At least I won’t be staying up late to watch games. Bring on college basketball!
8. We seem to agonize over which color to pick when we paint a room. But before long, they all look the same anyway, unless you choose a bold color for an accent wall. Otherwise, it is impossible to tell the difference between countless shades of gray or beige.
9. Why do we need two ways to spell “gray?” “Grey” and “gray” have exactly the same meaning, don’t they? Why couldn’t we settle on one version?
10. The other day my weight was down a pound. That must have been a good haircut the night before!
11. I got a new picture taken so I could renew my passport. You can’t wear glasses or smile in the picture, and with the bags under my eyes not obscured by glasses, I looked like an ad for Botox or cosmetic surgery – before! I guess the passport police don’t let you smile because if they need to track you down, they can use your passport picture as a mug shot. Look for mine in the post office!
 12. My nail salon is very quiet: no people talking loudly on their phones or with each other or engaging in conversations with the nail techs. The sound there comes from the whirring of the grinders and sanders and polishers, sounds that you would expect to hear in a workshop or dental office! And to relax clients, there are large monitors showing colorful fish swimming amid coral, snowcapped mountains, seaside vistas and even views of earth from space. The one scene that perplexes me is the shot of complicated, winding highways, with dozens of ramps and curves that immediately make me nervous, even though I’m not driving. Stick to the scenic views!
13. My dentist cleaned my teeth the other day. He shot so much water into my mouth that I should have worn a cape like I wear at the hair salon instead of a useless paper bib! And, by the way, his name is Dr. Chu – a great name for a dentist!
14. Can we talk for a minute about actress Diane Keaton, who died last week? We should all wish that we would be as beloved as this independent, talented woman, who could be a dramatic actress (as in “The Godfather,” all three of them) or a comic actress (as in countless Woody Allen and Nancy Meyers films). In every interview, she exuded a quirky charm, humility and grace. Her iconic style – menswear, large belts and her trademark hats (See “Annie Hall”) – was unique to her. She was not just likable on the screen; she seemed like someone you could join for lunch and have a wonderful time. Her legacy is dozens of movies that viewers will enjoy for generations. Since she passed away, I have already watched several of her movies, and viewing “The Family Stone” this year during the holidays will take on a special significance. Thanks for the memories, Diane Keaton.
15. I must also salute one of my all-time favorite actors, Robert Redford, who passed away recently. He was extraordinarily handsome; his Sundance Kid poster hung on the walls of my bedroom. He was also a terrific actor. I loved him in the big movies, like “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “The Sting,” and I have seen “All the President’s Men” too many times to count. But watch him in “Three Days of the Condor” and “The Electric Horseman,” and laugh with him in “Barefoot in the Park” or “The Hot Rock” to see his range. And then there’s “The Way We Were.” When Barbra Streisand touches his face and hair in the final scene across from the Plaza Hotel, millions of women (including me) swooned. Now that was a love story! RIP, Sundance.
16. With Taylor Swift always making news AND music, I realized that I knew very little about her work. So lately I have listened to her music on Sirius Radio (until they discontinue her station). I knew some of the big songs they played on the radio, like “Shake It Off,” and I believed her when she declared, “We Are Never, Never, Ever Getting Back Together,” but I never explored the breadth of her catalog. I can really hear her country roots in her earlier songs, with the teenage lyrics and twangy guitars, but as she grew as an artist, her songs became more sophisticated. She has her share of angst, and, if you are one of her former boyfriends, you probably think this song is about you. But her more recent work shows a maturity and depth that I did not see coming. Normally, I listen to oldies stations, and I’m never, ever, ever going to hear Taylor Swift there – at least not for 20 years, so this experiment gets me into the Taylor Swift game.

Tina's September 2025 Movies and More

My September collection is typically eclectic, with some comedies, suspenseful dramas and interesting documentaries. 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.  

97. Eva Longoria: Searching for Spain* (2025, CNN) – Actress Eva Longoria offers a delicious tour of Spain, the land of her ancestors, as she discovers traditional cuisines unique to various regions and experiences new culinary delights in this 8-part series. Longoria takes great pleasure in showcasing the culinary experts of Spain and learning about their specialties and commitment to their craft. In fact, Longoria enjoyed herself so much that she discloses that she has moved to Marbella, a beautiful city on the coast of Spain, where I can personally attest to the outstanding food. If you liked Stanley Tucci’s Searching for Italy, you’ll love this yummy series. 3½ dishes of paella.
98. He’s Just Not That Into You* (2009, Netflix) – Follow the story of some shallow young people and their dating lives and you will share their frustration and fun. 3 cans.
99. The Girlfriend* (2025, Prime Video) – This 6-part series is full of suspense and intrigue. Robin Wright is the classy, rich art gallery owner who dotes just a little too much on her adult son. When he brings home beautiful, sexy Cherry Lane, the girl of his dreams, her red flags become his mother’s nightmare. The two psycho women develop an instant mutual distrust and try to sabotage each other’s relationship with the man in the middle. If you liked “Fatal Attraction” and “Gone Girl,” this one’s for you. 4 cans.
100. Highest 2 Lowest* (2025, Apple TV+) – Denzel Washington plays powerful music executive David King, an aptly named mogul who is on top of the world. He has fame and fortune, literally sitting on top of the world in his gorgeous penthouse overlooking Manhattan, with his beautiful wife Pam and beloved son Trey. Everything is perfect – except for some potential financial setbacks, but none of that matters when his son and his son’s friend are kidnapped. This thriller takes us on car and foot chases as the police follow the case with King and company staying a step ahead of them. Considered the “best ear in the business,” King hears something in the kidnapper’s messages to him that gives him a big clue on how to get his son back safely. Spike Lee directs the thriller and Denzel is convincing as a man who knows how to get what he wants. 3½ cans.
101. Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale* (2025, Manville Cinema) – After six seasons on TV, two follow-up movies and the death (in real life) of Downton’s matriarch, the unforgettable Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess Violet, we have finally reached the finale of this esteemed and precious franchise. It is 1930 and so much has changed. The characters routinely ride in cars and use the telephone; the downstairs staff is reduced in size (where’s another footman when you need one?), and the natural progression of responsibilities has come about for the family. Lady Mary is due to take over running the estate, just as Mr. Carson and Mrs. Patmore (now Mrs. Mason) are scheduled for retirement. It isn’t easy for some folks to let go (Lord Grantham), but it also won’t be easy for viewers who loved the series (raising my hand) to bid these characters farewell. The film brings together past, present and future with plenty of heart, with a few genuine chuckles along the way. Godspeed, dear Downton, and thanks for the joy you have provided us for these many years. 4 cans.
102. Remember the Day (1941, Cable TV) – Beloved teacher Miss Trinell (Claudette Colbert) adores her students, but one young man stands out from the class. Years later, that student, Dewey Roberts, has just been nominated for President and Miss Trinell goes to his reception at a Washington hotel to see him after many years. As she waits, she recalls their time as teacher and student, her love affair with a fellow teacher and her memories of days gone by. There’s not a lot of action here, but the sweetness and innocence were a welcome change from action movies and the news. I probably first saw this one as part of the “Million Dollar Movie” on WOR (the series whose theme was the music from “Gone with the Wind”) back in the 1960s. 2½ cans.
103. The Art of Racing in the Rain (2019, Cable TV) – This is the sweet story of race car driver Denny (Milo Ventimiglia), his dog Enzo (perfectly voiced by Kevin Costner), his wife Eve (Amanda Seyfried) and his daughter Zoe. Denny and Enzo have an unbreakable bond right from the start. The perceptive dog reluctantly welcomes Eve to the family but eventually falls in love with her. And when baby Zoe is born, Enzo becomes a watchful big brother. Denny shares his theories on car racing with his family (Enzo especially takes the information in) and leaves for races knowing Enzo will watch over his girls. I won’t ruin the story in case you haven’t seen it, but this movie doesn’t just make me cry, it makes me sob! 4 cans and a box of tissues!
104. The Unknown Number – The High School Catfish* (2025, Netflix) – Lauryn and Owen are young high school students in the throes of adolescent love at their tiny high school in Michigan. Their bliss is interrupted by a barrage of texts that are hateful and threatening, telling them to break up and suggesting that the young girl kill herself. As the texts continue, their parents go to the school, the police and the FBI for help, but to no immediate avail. The texts get sexually explicit and contain information only the two young lovers would know. Was it a jealous classmate? A cousin? High school is tough enough for kids learning to fit in and thrive socially, but these cruel messages made life even more difficult. The extent to which the texter goes is beyond belief, but this is a documentary, so all of it – including a major twist – is true. 3½ cans.
105. The Intern (2015, Cable TV) – This is NOT the Robert DeNiro you associate with “The Godfather” and “Good Fellas.”  Here he is 70-year old retired widower Ben Whittaker, whose ordered life needs a lift, so he applies for a “senior” intern position at an e-commerce clothing company led by its dynamic young founder, Jules (Anne Hathaway). Dressed in his neat business suits, always carrying a briefcase and a handkerchief, Ben is hardly the typical intern, but even with his extensive experience, he knows to defer to the boss and be ready when needed. And he is, as Jules’ personal and business lives run toward chaos, and Ben lends a helpful and guiding hand. I really like this movie as it shows that not everyone in their 70s needs to be put out to pasture and that not all up and coming entrepreneurs can make it without some support -- and a handkerchief at the ready. This movie was written and directed by Nancy Myers, and you can always count on her for contemporary charm. 4 cans.
106. All the President’s Men (1976, Cable TV) – With the passing of iconic actor and director Robert Redford, I decided to watch a few of my favorite Redford movies. This is the story of the Watergate crisis that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. Redford’s Bob Woodward and Dustin Hoffman’s Carl Bernstein play two dogged reporters for the Washington Post who start with a small story about a break-in at the Democratic National Headquarters at the Watergate complex and unravel the dirty tricks, slush money and the role of White House officials in the plans and the cover-up. I wish a reporting team today could be as successful in revealing the truth about the current administration and lead to its legitimate ouster. 4½ cans.
107. The Sting (1973, Cable TV) – Newman, Redford, slicked back hair, fedoras and Scott Joplin music. The combination of these factors and a slick plot about a couple of grifters out to avenge the death of their pal at the hands of a mob boss with a predilection for gambling make for a clever caper movie that I had not seen for many years. 4 cans.
108. Fisk, Season 3* (2025, Netflix) – This quirky Australian comedy centers around a woman (Fisk) who serves as an attorney in a small law firm. She wears the same bland, brown suit every day and she has to deal not only with annoying clients, but also with her officemates and her father and his male partner. I loved the first season, but I think this series may have worn out its welcome. 3 cans.
109. The Baltimorons* (2025, Montgomery Cinema) – Poor, hapless Cliff (Michael Strassner) can’t even kill himself successfully! When he goes with his fiancée to her family’s Christmas Eve gathering, he runs into the door frame and loses a tooth. Desperately seeking a dentist, he ends up with Didi (Liz Larsen), the only dentist who is available on the holiday, who treats his dental problem. Then his car is towed, he can’t get back to the party and the movie turns into both a buddy movie and a rom-com with Cliff and Didi going all over Baltimore so Cliff can perform his improv routine at a comedy club. This younger, lost but charming guy doesn’t fit with a middle-aged dentist, but the two hit it off after spending most of the day running around the city. You can wait until this movie is available to stream, but it is worth seeing. 3½ cans.
110. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry* (2023, Prime Video) – Harold (Jim Broadbent) and his wife Maureen (Penelope Wilton) lead a quiet life in England. She cooks and cleans the house and he takes out the trash. When he gets a brief note from “Queenie,” an old work friend, letting him know she is in hospice care, he decides to send her a note and sets off on foot to mail it in town. But a young woman tells him the story of her aunt, whom she “saved” by having faith in her recovery, and suddenly, Harold hits the road, determined to walk the 500 miles to see her in person. After a few days, he lets his wife know about his plan and she thinks he is crazy, but he is resolute, even calling the hospice so they can encourage Queenie know to hang on and wait for his arrival. Along the way, he meets a whole series of kind people who inspire him and are inspired by him, and the truth of his painful past and his friendship with Queenie are revealed. Although my feet hurt just watching his elderly man walk, it was a revelatory journey. 3½ cans. 

See You in September!

1. Now that we have to do practically everything online, why do I still have so much paper in this house? Remember when you would write a check with those carbonless copies and retain the copy? Or when you received the cashed checks back to retain them for your files? I had copies of checks from banks that no longer exist. I purged them all (or so I thought) each time I moved, but there would always seem to be a few that came along for the ride. I also used to save the receipts I got from the ATM machine; now they aren’t available. So at least a few sources of paper have been eliminated, but why do I still have so much?
2. My local ShopRite is reorganizing the aisles in the store. I wish they would ask me if they are doing it right. Just when I finally can remember where the Parmalat milk is located, they are going to move it again. Some of us are creatures of habit, so please don’t change anything!
3. The guy checking out ahead of me at ShopRite the other day had no bags to put his groceries in, he forgot his ShopRite card AND his glasses, so he couldn’t see well enough to enter his phone number into the terminal for identification. What a mess!
4. This morning I heard the song that my freshman year roommate at Douglass selected as her wedding song at her nuptials after her sophomore year – “Run Around Sue.” I don’t think the marriage lasted much longer than the song!
5. What does an emu have to do with insurance? That Liberty Insurance commercial with Lemu the Emu is so annoying! But I guess it is effective since I remember the company name.
6. Remember when you could go to the “Travel Size” bins in the store and find deodorant, shampoo and other necessities for 99 cents? Man, those days are over. You might as well buy the full size and portion it into a smaller bottle. I know I’m not paying $4 for a tiny bottle of shampoo!
7. This summer was filled with tennis watching for me. I watched Carlos Alcaraz beat Jannik Sinner in the French Open and then lose to him at Wimbledon. They were matched up again at the US Open, with Alcaraz taking the crown. Sinner is 24 and Alcaraz 22. If they stay healthy, these two superb players will be providing tennis fans with about 15 more years of great tennis.
8. Do you think the term “cul de sac” is actually French? I don’t remember that phrase from the 4 years of French I had in high school.  Of course, I can barely remember that I TOOK 4 years of French in high school! It has been 57 years since I graduated from good old Somerville High School – SHS, we are the best! Pioneers forever!
9. I can’t seem to open anything these days – bottles and wrapped food seem impenetrable to me. When the package claims it is “Easy to open,” I know I’m in trouble. A wrench, pliers, bottle openers, rubber thingys – nothing seems to help. I’m losing my competence and confidence at the same time!
10. I love to watch food shows on TV, whether they feature competitions or highlight specific chefs at restaurants, diners, drive-ins and dives. I find it fascinating that chefs can take random ingredients and, using their culinary know-how, create mouth-watering dishes. The only drawback of these shows is that I can’t TASTE the food. I wish I had a fork and a way to grab a bite of these delicious-looking concoctions.
11. As I said, I love the food shows, but the Halloween baking shows with scary and spooky cakes are not my thing. I’m already scared by the thought of the calories these concoctions carry!
12. My credit card was "compromised" recently so I had to notify the credit card company so they could send me a new one. The new one doesn’t expire until 2030. Let’s hope I don’t expire before the card does! And what a pain! I had to try to recall all of the subscriptions, etc., that bill directly to that card, including EZPass, Norton, Sirius radio, Microsoft, media and newspapers and so on. Our technology is wonderful – except when it isn’t.
13. I had a RING camera installed at my front door. The thing works fine, except that it gets all excited when the lawn service guy rides by on the mower. It can’t wait to let me know there is someone at my door – repeatedly! Thank God I figured out how to turn off the audio!
14. Sometimes it pays to be a hoarder. I always stashed away most of the clothes I outgrew, thinking that someday I might fit into them again. After a considerable weight loss this year, I have gone shopping in the bins in the basement where jeans of every size have sat patiently waiting for an eventual reunion, and that time is now. (Classic jeans don’t go out of style, right?) But will I store the jeans that are too large in case I need them again in the future – God forbid? Who knows? I have already traipsed to Good Will several times to donate some of the clothes – even things that now fit but which I know I won’t wear again. Even things that I never wore and still have the tags on. But the rest can relax until I make up my mind. I’m just glad I kept the stuff I didn’t think I would ever be able to wear again!
15. I’m going to be 75 in October (even I can’t believe it), but I still have a collection of baseball caps and sweatshirts that I don’t recall my mother wearing when she hit 70, so I really don’t look or feel my age. Except that body parts are failing (hence my left knee replacement in May with the right knee replacement looming) and my hair is no longer thick and full. I have less hair on my head and more on my chin, and I object to this age-related transition. I also object to hearing the phrase, “Considering your age…” from doctors who want us to just accept that we are getting older. Aging isn’t easy, but it beats the alternative!
16. After a year apart, a knee replacement for each of us and various health challenges that made a get-together impossible, reuniting with my BFF this month was especially sweet. We have been friends since the first day of our freshman year at Douglass, 57 years and counting, and except for during the pandemic, we have never gone this long without seeing each other. I took my new knee to the highway and headed her way, arriving stiff but intact 4 hours later. Seeing her was well worth the trip.

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