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!

October 2024 Movies & More

Here are the dozen movies and programs I watched in October. 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.
126. Rebel Ridge* (2024, Netflix) – This suspenseful action adventure starts off promising. Terry (Aaron Pierre), a man racing on his bike to post bail for his cousin, is literally derailed by the local cops. They want to search his backpack and generally delay him. When they find $30,000 in cash on him, that raises the stakes even more. They let hm go but confiscate the money, complicating his plans. But when he shows up at the police station and comes face-to-face with the Chief (Don Johnson), things only escalate. My objection here is that things get very complicated, despite the help of Summer (Anna Sophia Robb), an officer studying for her law degree who, for some unknown reason, is willing to risk her standing to come to Terry’s aid. And then the movie gets so dark – literally – that I could not tell what was going on. I’ll give this a 3 but with more light, it might have gained a half can.
127. Wolfs* (2024, Apple TV+) – I guess the idea here is to take two popular, attractive actors (George Clooney and Brad Pitt) and throw them into a suspenseful comedy/drama that involves a drug cartel, a young guy running around New York in his underwear after he was seemingly murdered and lots of wisecracking dialog between the stars as they argue with each other. Yeah, I’m not buying it. The plot was senseless, the action stupid, too many bodies are shot and strewn around the streets and you still don’t understand what the hell just happened. I’m only surprised they didn’t bring in Leonardo DiCaprio for a part. 1 can. And that's being generous.
128. Taking Chance (2009, Max) – When young Marine Lance Corporal Chance Phelps is killed in action in the Mideast, his body must be transported back to the US for his family to bury. Lieutenant Colonel Michael Strobl (Kevin Bacon) volunteers to serve as his military escort for his final journey. This beautiful movie honors the young marine, as Strobl and every person responsible for the body takes pains to treat Chance with complete dignity and respect. As Strobl thinks about how his military career has gone, he gains new respect for the sacrifices made by those who gave their lives to serve the US. This was originally a TV movie and one of the better ones. 4 cans.
129. Starbucks Unfiltered* (2018, Prime Video) – I don’t drink coffee and I’ve ventured into the world of Starbucks just a handful of times, mostly for a cup of hot chocolate and a pastry when there was nothing else around. But Starbucks is a ubiquitous brand, like Coca Cola and McDonalds, and can be found nearly anywhere in the world. It was interesting to see its origins, how it sources its coffee and how the company creates a consistent quality of product and experiences from store to store. Maybe the brand is too big (38,000 locations worldwide), and maybe they don’t always treat the growers right. I’m not here for the coffee, just the story, and it held my interest. 3 cans.
130. The Best of Everything (1959, Cable TV) – Before there was “Mad Men,” there was this soapy melodrama about women in the workplace. Joan Crawford is the editor of a paperback book publishing house in NYC, where most of the young women are just trying to get and keep jobs as secretaries. It isn’t easy, what with Crawford’s character rattling them and the men in the office chasing them. They might move up if they charm their bosses. I know this seems like light years ago and things have improved for women since the 1950s, but today the discrimination and pay discrepancies still exist; they are just not quite as obvious. Besides Crawford, there’s Hope Lange, Diane Baker and Suzy Kendall as a would-be actress who finds that show business isn’t any better than the steno pool unless you hook up with the right guy. My favorite part among the men is Dexter, played by Robert Evans, who went on to be a Hollywood mogul. Here he’s a rich young guy just trying to score with Diane Baker. This movie is far from the best of everything but an interesting sociological look back 65 years to the way we were. 3 cans.
131. Killer Heat* (2024, Prime Video) – While this movie fancies itself as a “film noir,” with plenty of suspense, it’s no “Body Heat,” a vastly superior film of the same ilk. Private investigator Nick Bali (Joseph Gordon-Leavitt) is called to Crete to look into the death of Leo, a mountain climber who slipped off the mountain to his death. Or so it seems. But when Nick learns Leo has an identical twin, the possibilities of foul play are doubled. The dead man’s wife (Shaylene Woodley) hired Nick and cooperates in the investigation – to a point – but there are plenty of people with something to gain or something to lose here, so the game is not over yet. The suspense isn’t harrowing, the finale not perfect, but I found this story diverting enough. 3½ cans.
132. Saturday Night* (2024, Manville Cinema) – If the real story of what happened in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of “Saturday Night” in 1975 is anywhere near the frenetic scramble portrayed in this film, it is a wonder not only that the first broadcast happened, but that show creator Lorne Michaels was able to pull this off successfully for now going on 50 years! As the writers and performers get ready to go live, there is a chaotic blend of egotistical young actors, the hubris and brilliance of Michaels, who can barely describe what he expects the show to be, and the last-minute efforts to keep the show under its 90-minute airtime. As on the real show, some things work exceedingly well and others, not so much. I clearly remember that initial show, hosted by comedian George Carlin, and thinking how DIFFERENT it was from the nighttime programs fronted by Johnson Carson and other more conventional comedians. Here we see a manic John Belushi, a clever Dan Ackroyd, the sardonic Chevy Chase – who utters the first ever “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night.” There are too many actors to list but the casting, hair and makeup seemed true to the original Not Ready for Primetime players – Belushi, Ackroyd, Chase, Gilda Radner, Jane Curtain, Larraine Newman and Garrett Morris – and each one of them connected me back to the real players. The show is iconic not just for surviving 50 years, but for continuing to be fresh and unconventional despite the sea of NBC Network “suits” monitoring it. The star here is Lorne Michaels, the creator and driving force behind the show. It was fun seeing it all come to life once more. 3½ cans.
133. Superman* (2024, Montgomery Cinema) – The irony of a healthy man, athletic and stunning on screen as “Superman” and then tragically confined to a wheelchair and respirator is movingly portrayed here in this account of the life and times of actor Christopher Reeve. With a treasure trove of clips showing him engaged in athletics, playing with his kids and having fun with his best buddy, Robin Williams, Reeve seems like the guy all other guys would want to be. But then, after becoming a genuine movie star, Reeve was following his hobby of horseback riding when he was thrown to the ground, never to walk again or breathe on his own. He never stopped trying to get better or raising money for a cure for paralysis, supported and cared for by his wife, Dana. The end comes suddenly for Reeve, following not long after by the death of his wife from lung cancer. His children, now grown, rallied together to help him when he was alive and continue to support the foundation he and Dana sent up to help others. Expect a large lump in your throat and real tears from this sad movie. 4 cans.
134. Superman (1978, HBO) – It seemed only fitting to watch the movie that gave Christopher Reeve his first part as the Man of Steel. He brought his handsome face, chiseled body, his silly outfit and his wry, Clark Kent humor to the part. However, watching this movie again after all these years reminded me that I don’t like movies like this. It took a good 40 minutes until Superman became Superman in this drawn-out film and it was easy to fast forward through parts when Superman is out for a fly-around with Lois Lane (Margot Kidder). Faster than a locomotive, Superman rescues Lois, a train, a helicopter, a dam, some cars and pretty much anything in his wake. He is a hero in the best sense, even if the adventures, based on the classic comic, are as far-fetched as the character. I used to watch the black & white TV show with George Reeve and Phyllis Coates/Noel Neill faithfully each week and loved it. The movie is one I probably could have gone another 50 years without revisiting. Only my opinion, of course, but 2 cans.
135. Starting 5* (2024, Netflix) – I can’t recommend this documentary series – not because I didn’t like it, but I can’t think of anyone in my circles who would sit down and watch a 10-part documentary about five NBA players filmed over the course of the 2023 season. LeBron James, Jason Tatum, Jimmy Butler, Domantis Sabonis and Anthony Edwards are among the league’s biggest stars, and while their basketball accomplishments are given their due, they are also shown as fathers, playing with their kids (in the case of LeBron, worrying about his oldest, Bronny, who last year had a health emergency when he went into cardiac arrest; he has since recovered), interacting with their wives or mothers or significant others. I love behind-the-scenes stuff, and when the girlfriend of the young and not quite mature Anthony Edwards has a baby girl, all his bluster is blown away as he cuddles and talks to his new daughter. Jason Tatum’s son Deuce practically steals the show. These guys are superstars on the court, but to their kids, they are just Daddy. 3½ cans.
136. Woman of the Hour* (2024, Netflix) – Anna Kendrick, who also directed this movie, stars as aspiring actress Cheryl. Her agent encourages her to go on the Dating Game to get some exposure to help her career. Little does she know that one of the three “eligible bachelors” is actually a serial killer, and since she can’t see him (the men are kept on a separate part of the stage), she has no idea how creepy this guy Daniel is. The movie, based on a true story, shows Daniel coaxing women into having their pictures taken, and then he takes them to a pretty location and rapes and/or kills them. The movie is suspenseful, but the guy was so creepy to me that it was distracting. Judge for yourself. 3 cans.
137. Road Diary* (2024, Hulu) – Bruce Springsteen is the genius behind the 50+-year longevity of the inimitable E-Street Band. He writes the songs, arranges them, runs the band and is the ultimate rock performer, putting on a 3-hour show every night. Why? Because, he says, “It is my job.” It is clearly a job he loves, and he is accompanied by people whom he adores and respects and to whom he gives a degree of artistic freedom, even as he figures out how best to tell a story through his music. His goal is to create a special experience for all of the fans, and he succeeds. If you love Bruce, you will love this documentary. If you’re not a Springsteen fan, leave this space immediately. 4 cans.

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!