The Ides of March - March 15, 2026

1.    As March marches on, we seem to be caught in a strange weather pattern: One day there is light snow (thank God it is light) and the next day there are temperatures in the 70s-80s. If we are voting, I cast my vote for the latter.
2.    Those clever Girl Scouts! I saw online that the young ladies trouped down to the town marijuana dispensary to sell their Girl Scout cookies. Smart cookies! Yesterday I found them hawking their addictive wares outside of ShopRite and I confess – I succumbed. It’s all for a good cause, right? I even told them to keep the change.
3.    I don’t trust white chocolate. I know there is an explanation for why it is white, but I don’t care. Don’t trust it. Never will.
4.    I keep seeing ads online for some kind of “smart” ring that celebrities are wearing to improve their health, sleep, etc. Should I be swayed to track my sleep and fitness by a piece of jewelry because Jennifer Anniston wears this kind of ring? Granted, she looks damn good, but that’s not going to happen to me! Look at the money I just saved!
5.    Confession: I have never tried a PopTart nor eaten at Taco Bell. My sister has never had a Big Mac or a Whopper. Today, in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I made my first corned beef. Also my last. It is messy, full of fat and there is enough salt to fill the Dead Sea. Next time I have a craving, I’ll go to Harold’s New York Deli for a sandwich.
6.    I have decided that at my age if I don’t want to do something or go somewhere, I simply won’t. No equivocating, no feeling guilty for not going. Life is easier and less stressful this way.
7.    If CBS correspondent Steve Hartman had a daily show highlighting the kind and thoughtful people whose stories he brings us, I’d probably watch it. After all, there is already a recounting of the day’s worst deeds, many of which are so bad they don’t seem credible. It’s called The Nightly News.
8.    This week at the doctor’s office I encountered a nurse who was a “low talker” (see Seinfeld for the first documented use of that term). As she was reviewing my symptoms and meds, I could barely hear her. And when I had to ask her to repeat her question, she spoke in a voice barely over a whisper. She was very sweet and nice, but suppose I had a hearing problem (which I thought might be the case since I didn’t know most of what she was saying)? I think we ended up on the same page, but for a while, I had no idea how to respond to questions I couldn’t hear.
9.    While I was at the doctor’s office, of course I had to be weighed and measured. I’m OK with the weight part since I have dropped a lot of poundage, but I do worry about my height. Somehow, I ended up at 5 feet and one-half inch again this year. I told the nurse that I refused to have her put the number 4 in that box!
10.    My car Victoria was at the spa (body shop) getting some cosmetic work done, so I had to drive a rental to get me around. The Mitsubishi mini-SUV was actually shorter than my Mercedes 350 E and it fit into the garage better. But “Mitzi” didn’t have the ability to talk to me like Victoria does, warning me about potholes and greeting me when I enter the car, so it was almost unbearably quiet as I drove. I couldn’t tell Mitzi to navigate for me or ask her the time. To shift the car into gear required using the gearshift on the floor, whereas Victoria’s shift is on the column. I kept trying to back up by turning on the windshield wipers! But when I needed the wipers, I could only get them to go on briefly, except for the rear wiper, which was happy to clear the back window, even when it wasn’t raining. Welcome home, Victoria.
11.    Just so you know, if I come to your house and your toilet paper is hung so it goes under, I WILL change it to the RIGHT way, which is over. The patent design shows it over, so I know I am correct.
12.    The internet offers us so much information online that it can be overwhelming. Used properly, we can learn more about the features of a car we might want to buy or better understand the medical information our doctors give us, and so much more. But I find that people are lazy. Instead of asking questions through a site like Google, they throw a question out into the universe and expect an accurate answer. This winter I have seen people ask how much they should expect to pay for having their driveway plowed. Who can estimate that without knowing how big the driveway is? And in my neighborhood, where residents were giving high praise to a local dentist, someone wanted to know how much he charges. Isn’t that a question for the dentist and not for the folks next door? The most annoying thing, to me, is when people can’t be bothered looking for information and just ask ME. Is my last name GOOGLE? I would have to look it up myself. Isn’t that your job? Technology works better when used correctly. Rant over. 
13.    I used to introduce myself by saying, “I’m Tina, like Tina Turner.” But now I realize that the young people I know DON’T know who Tina Turner was. My heart be still. She remains one of my heroes! 
14.    Here is the usual process for ordering something online. You place the order and almost immediately you get an email saying they got your order and giving you the order number. Then you get a message thanking you for the order. That is followed by countless messages offering you additional products or touting the virtues of the product you already ordered. Then you get messages telling you it will be shipped soon or it has been shipped and explaining how to track the order. In between you get more marketing messages pleading with you to buy more of the product you haven’t yet received. Then there is a message saying the product is coming soon. Just ship me the product already! I’m not buying more when I haven’t even gotten the first one yet!
15.    I went to Urgent Care recently, where they know me well and have my credit card on file. So why did I just get a bill for 49 cents? There were two separate emails: The first said my card was on file and the 49 cents would go on the card. The second email said I had to pay the 49-cent charge. So, which is it? I am not going out of my way to investigate a 49-cent charge and its handling. My time is worth more than that.
16.    March Madness is about to take over the lives of sports fans everywhere, and I will be watching. By the end of the first week, I don’t know whether the Duke women beat the UConn men or what I have watched. One year I was stuck in the hospital and got to watch 11 hours straight from my hospital bed. What I won’t be watching is my beloved Rutgers Women’s Basketball team. Their 9-20 season record and abysmal 1-17 results in the Big 10 Conference eliminated them from even participating in the BIG 10 Tournament, which takes only the top 15 finishers. No trip to Indianapolis, no Cagers Club dinners in Indy, no watch parties for those who stay home and watch on TV. I can only take solace in the fact that the first Rutgers team I followed, in 2002, went 9-20 and then turned things around the following season. I would sign up for that!  And there is hope in the form of a new coach coming on board. It is a male coach, and that will take some getting used to, but a change was needed and this guy sounds like the right choice. Just no 9-20 next year, OK? I don’t ask for much.

 

Tina's February 2026 Movies and More

February was a short month and so this list is also short. Programs new to me are indicated by an *. Everything is rated on a scale of 1-5 cans of tuna, with 5 as the highest rating. Numbering picks up from the previous month. 

12. Becoming (2020, Netflix) – If you want to see a documentary about a gracious woman who occupied the White House as First Lady with empathy, intelligence, flair and charm, this is the movie to watch. Michelle Obama was on a book tour to promote her autobiography, “Becoming,” as this movie was filmed. In the interviews that took place on the tour, she reveals much about her childhood in Chicago, her education, her career, marrying Barack Obama, raising daughters in the White House and showing how a real lady conducts herself. 4 cans.
13. Heated Rivalry* (2025, HBO Max) – It didn’t take long for me to see that this series about hockey was much less about the sport than about two macho players who fall in love. It is a secret affair, because their images might be ruined if anyone found out they are queer and because they are archrivals in the sport. There is a lot of almost full nudity and passionate scenes, if you can take that. He shoots, he scores! 3 cans.
14. Same Time, Next Year (1978) – This is a love story about a long-term relationship between a man and a woman who meet innocently at a small hotel in California. Both are married to other people, but they are instantly smitten and they meet once a year at a small resort for their private trysts. The film catches up with them every 5 years, when their lives intersect. Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn are perfect as the loving couple in this clever and sweet comedy. I especially enjoyed seeing the black and white scenes depicting time passing before each time we revisit the couple. They clearly love their spouses and their lives, but they also relish the time they spend together. I know it’s morally wrong, but I find this film irresistible. 4½ cans.
15. Ella McCay* (2025, Netflix) – James L. Brooks, the man behind “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Broadcast News” and other bright and sharp movies and TV shows, has slipped more than a bit with this movie. Ella (Emma Mackey) accidentally becomes governor when the current governor (Albert Brooks in a dreadful wig) gets a Cabinet post, but she cannot manage her own life, no less the responsibilities of holding office. She has a caring aunt who can be overbearing (Jamie Lee Curtis), a son with a whole host of social problems, a father who is a philanderer (Woody Harrelson, also in a bad wig), and a husband who has been loyal and loving, but who now is looking to advance himself. The movie is billed as a comedy, but I found no joy or humor in it. It is unfocused, with characters you cannot grow to love. My one bright light was seeing Julie Kavner (best known on screen as Brenda Morgenstern from "Rhoda" but also known as the voice of Marge Simpson) play Ella’s assistant, weathered and worn but loyal. Brooks has done much better than this mess. 2 cans.
16. Song Sung Blue* (2025, Peacock) – Let me start by admitting that I am not now, nor have I ever been, a fan of Neil Diamond. His ubiquitous songs generally leave me with the sense that he is trying TOO hard. But this movie is not about Neil Diamond himself. Hugh Jackman is a musician desperate to elevate above his contemporaries who are Elvis impersonators and not original artists. Somehow he feels like becoming a tribute band leader of the music of Neil Diamond will do the trick. He calls himself Lightning and is an “interpreter” of Diamond’s music, and he has very specific ideas about what songs to feature and how to structure of the show. Then he meets Claire (Kate Hudson), another experienced but not hugely successful singer, and they team up on the Diamond gig, calling themselves “Lightning and Thunder.” Both of these actors can sing, so their presentation of the music rings true. They quickly marry and go on to success, but you know nothing works out this smoothly, and it doesn’t here, either. There are tragedies to come, and resiliency on display. I thought Hudson did a great job as Claire, and she scored an Oscar nomination for her performance. This movie has its moments – good and bad. 3½ cans.
17. Black and Jewish America: An Interwoven History* (2026, PBS Documentaries) – Historian Henry Louis Gates did an exceptional job in documenting the relationship between Blacks and Jews in the US. The two groups have much in common – starting with each being expelled from their native lands and persecuted for their race or religion. As both grew in America, their plight was difficult to overcome, and they often leaned on each other for help and support. Jewish liberals supported Civil Rights and voter registration; some college students who went to the deep South were taunted, arrested and killed for their efforts. But there have been major disagreements between the two groups, too, over issues like support of Palestine. This 4-part series explains the commonalities and the differences between the two groups in presenting some of the most notable events while also including plenty of interviews and leaders of both groups. I found this series fascinating, and it helps me understand the history and significance of Blacks and Jews in America. 4 cans.
18. Rental Family (2025, Hulu) – Brendan Fraser has perfected the lonely man (see his Oscar-winning performance in “The Whale”). Here plays Philip, a mostly unsuccessful American actor who has been living in Japan for 7 years. He doesn’t have a lot going for him; he gets small parts here and there, but he is hardly a star. When he gets offered a role by an agency that rents out actors to serve as erstwhile family members and friends, he signs up. He befriends an aging Japanese actor, is cast as the father to a young girl and takes on other assignments offered by this unusual agency. For a man who doesn’t really have connections in a strange country, he grows into the roles and finds that reality and these roles become blurred lines as he develops relationships with the people he is supposed to be helping. What is friendship and reality anyway? Can he find a better life by pretending to be someone else? The movie is described as a “comedy-drama,” but I didn’t really note any comedy, just sadness and loneliness. 3 cans.
19. Becoming Katherine Graham* (2025, Prime Video) – Seeing this personal account of the life of the former publisher of The Washington Post, Katharine Graham, only made my respect for her deeper. I had read her Pulitzer-Prize-winning autobiography, but seeing her story and hearing from people who were on hand to see her in action made it even more inspiring. Mrs. Graham took on the challenge of working at the Post from her father, the owner, and became very loyal to the paper. Her husband, Philip Graham, then ran the paper for years. Mrs. Graham took it over after his death by suicide. Often the only woman in the room, dealing with men who didn’t want to report to a woman, she nonetheless guided the Post through extremely challenging times – the publishing of the Pentagon Papers, the reporting on Watergate and its aftermath, and surviving a devastating union strike by the pressmen. The most interesting part, to me, was the use of the Watergate tapes, where conversations between President Nixon and his minions excoriated her and threatened to destroy the Post – to say nothing of the crass references to Graham herself. Under current owner, Amazon creator Jeff Bezos, and in light of the recent decimation of the editorial and sports staffs, it is hard to imagine any media organization who can survive and profit during a time of such belligerence from the White House. 4 cans.
20. How to Make a Killing* (2026, Manville Cinema) – Glen Powell brings his considerable charm to this role as Beckett, whose mother was ostracized from her immensely rich family because of giving birth to him out of wedlock. That, and the fact that seven other family members stand ahead of him on the family tree, means that he will never inherit the billions in the family coffers. Unless, that is, some unfortunate fate ends the lives of those in line ahead of him. This is a clever dark comedy and Powell sets just the right tone of seeming innocence and bravura. The story reminded me of the old classic “Kind Hearts and Coronets,” a 1949 comedy-drama with Sir Alec Guinness playing eight of the doomed relatives. Check that one out, too. 3½ cans.
21. Paul McCartney – Man on the Run*(2026, Prime Video) – One of the most popular bands of all-time, The Beatles, broke up in 1970. Paul says it wasn’t his idea. But 27-year-old McCartney wasn’t ready to abandon his storied musical career just yet. Instead, he and beloved wife Linda took up residence on his rural farm among the sheep and other animals, had kids and started another group, Wings. This documentary focuses on his work, his creativity and his life after the Beatles, as Wings soared over America, sometimes to great success – but not always. But let’s face it – once you’re a Beatle, anything else would have to come up short. To me, this movie reinforces my own opinion about Wings not being a worthy successor to The Beatles. But I doubt Sir Paul cares about that kind of comparison. 3 cans.
22. Love Affair (1994, PBS) – You probably recognize this story from having seen either the Cary Grant-Deborah Kerr version or perhaps “Sleepless in Seattle,” where the characters are fixated on that movie. Here, real-life husband and wife Warren Beatty and Annette Bening star as strangers who meet on a plane and fall for each other despite being engaged to others. He is Mike, a former NFL quarterback turned sportscaster (thanks to his influential and wealthy/fiancée, Kate Capshaw), and she is Terry McKay, musician/designer who has worked with a very rich man on several of his estates and become engaged to him (Pierce Brosnan). When their plane is disabled, they end up on a Russian cruise ship, which allows them to spend time together. Along the way home, they stop at his aunt’s house in Tahiti, where an aged but wise Katherine Hepburn subtly helps Terry understand the best qualities in Mike, convincing her that it is time to dump the fiancée and choose Mike. The couple resolve to meet in May at the top of the Empire State Building if they still feel the same way about each other. You probably know the rest. It was nice to revisit this classic story, although the handsome Beatty could never outshine the classy and elegant Grant, whose charms certainly won me over in the earlier version. 3½ cans.
 

 

February 2026 -- This & That

With such cold winter weather, I have had plenty of time in the house to ponder of late. Here's what I have been thinking:

1.    We have been hit hard with snow to start the new year here in the Mid-Atlantic region, and that always makes me wonder – how do the snowplow drivers get to the plows with the roads covered with snow? Do they sleep at the location of the plows? And even beyond how they get there, how does the first plow find the road to plow? How do you get to the Garden State Parkway or NJ Turnpike when they are covered with snow? It’s not like they have any tracks to follow. I’d watch a documentary on snow removal – as long as my driveway has been cleared! I saw video of NYC snowplows transporting tons of heavy snow to waiting “hot tubs” strategically stationed around NYC to melt and eliminate the snow. Would someone like to pick up my snow? There is a pile in my front yard right now that I could burrow into and make an igloo. I think it might still be here on Memorial Day!
2.    Along the same vein, I can’t recall in recent years a period when the temperature stayed under 32 – and, for that matter, when it has spent days hovering around zero -- for such a long time. When the thermometer reads 20 degrees, it seems almost balmy. I did all the required things you do in a cold snap, like opening the cabinets under the sink and letting the faucet drip to prevent the pipes from freezing – but it is just TOO COLD. My face hurts when I go outside. No comments on that, please.
3.    I don’t understand why every day, right after lunch, I just know I am going to fall asleep. I can sense a nap coming on, and no matter how loud the TV is or how much light streams into the family room, before long, I’m out for a nice stretch. Contrast that with the bedtime ritual, where I seldom feel like I am about to fall sleep, despite a comfy room and bed and all the right conditions. And if I do get to bed and fall asleep at a reasonable time, that just means I’ll be up by 1 AM for that first trip to the bathroom. I know it isn’t just me, is it? But that afternoon nap is sweet!
4.    What’s with these British family feuds, and why are we forced to hear about them? Whether it is Harry and Meghan feuding with the King and the Prince or Brooklyn Beckham denouncing his parents (who gave him a fairly nice life, let’s face it) over his wedding and wife, the actions of these people are not newsworthy and instead of required reading should be avoided reading.
5.    It is frustrating when things work and then suddenly they stop working. Take my scanner, for instance. Last year I used it for all my tax materials. This year it doesn’t show up on my computer as part of my HP printer. Yesterday, my car inexplicably lost access to the navigation system, the radio and the phone. I didn’t think the car could run without the radio on! Then I had to stop the car for an errand, and, when I restarted it, everything was back except the phone, which I assume had somehow lost its Bluetooth connection. So, the problem has been solved, but who knows what happened in the first place? Some kind of update, I assume.
6.    We can’t be too careful with our personal information, such as passwords. I put mine in an organized document and saved it with a password on my desktop to protect it. I did a great job, because even I can’t get into the document! What was that password?
7.    The other day I found tissue remnants all over the washing machine, meaning that someone left a tissue in her pocket. I’m not naming names, but we all know I live alone. Many people to whom I told this story commiserated with me, because we have all done this at one time or another. It looks like somebody had a party and used tissues for confetti. This should be my biggest problem.
8.    My friends and I were talking about the inimitable and indomitable Cher recently with awe. She is 78 years old and has scored hits in 7 decades of music. She looks much younger than her age, dates a 39-year-old man, and can still kick ass on the stage, wearing outfits that defy her years. If only we could ALL turn back the hands of time like Cher does.
9.    Does anyone still pay extra for fancy checks? Why? Will PSE&G think better of you if you pay your bill with a check full of puppies? I never understood why someone would feel that paying their electric bill on a check featuring birds or seashore scenes was worth the expense. For that matter, does anyone still use checks to pay their bills?
10.    Did you watch the Superbowl Halftime show with Bad Bunny? I don’t know his music, but the show was so imaginatively staged and so full of joy, that I cannot understand why anyone would object – unless it is out of sheer racism. Puerto Rico is part of the US, and Bad Bunny was born there, which makes him as much of a citizen as any of the rest of you. All I know is that the music had a good beat and you could dance to it, and that’s the standard we have used since Dick Clark’s American Bandstand. As for the other music, just play the Whitney Houston version of the Star-Spangled Banner. It was magnificent, and no one will ever perform it as well as Whitney!
11.    Since 2016, I have done my best to avoid watching the news. But the tragic story about Savannah Guthrie’s missing mother has me tuning in again. My heart breaks for the family as the authorities examine every possible lead that will resolve the case one way or another. Savannah is accustomed to reporting on these stories; being the center of one must be unbearable. I expect to be watching this on Dateline at some point in the future.
12.    I have watched entirely too much curling in this year’s Olympics, but that’s what has been on during the daytime, and I got hooked. Besides, participating in curling seems attainable for an average person, as opposed to hurtling down a mountain on a snowboard or skis. Or having some strong and graceful man throw me through the air across the ice. And I don’t see the joy in the luge, where you lie on your back on your sled and race down an ice-covered track. What’s your view there? The sky? I can relate better to the summer Olympics, where people run and jump and play tennis and soccer. Not that I could actually do those things, but they SEEM like something I could do. And I wouldn’t be cold doing them!
13.    With the world in such a contentious and bleak state, I find myself upset, mad and depressed. I think the only thing that is getting me through this terrible period is watching the uplifting stories provided by Steve Hartman in his “On the Road” series. Whether the story is about a school that was named after its janitor, or a little girl bonding with a lonely, elderly man at the supermarket, or a group of high school kids who show up every week for breakfast at the home of a grandmother whose grandson was killed in a car accident, or a policeman who pulled over a young woman and told her he wouldn’t give her a ticket if she continued her education (she is now a nurse), or any number of acts of kindness provided by friends and strangers, these stories lift my spirits and give me some degree of solace. That, and the fact that pitchers and catchers have reported to training camp. There is still hope!
 

 

Tina's January 2026 Movies & More

The new year started out with some new programming and old favorites. Asterisks indicate shows that I had not seen previously. Ratings are based on one to five cans of tuna, with five being the top rating. 

1. I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not* (2026, Netflix) – In 1975 Saturday Night Live burst on the late-night scene with its irreverent “Not Ready for Prime Time Players” that included a tall, good looking, young Chevy Chase. Hired as a writer, he persuaded producer Lorne Michaels to let him be part of the cast, and soon, with his clever “Weekend Update” and numerous pratfalls, he became SNL’s breakout star. One season was enough for Chevy, who quickly went on to star in movies. This documentary traces his career, his talent and triumphs, along with his problems with drugs and alcohol and sometimes nasty behavior. You get the impression that he thought he had the most talent and didn’t mind letting everyone know. 3½ cans.
2. Cover-Up* (2025, Netflix) – Journalist Seymour Hersch is best known for his detailed and extensive coverage of some of the biggest stories of the past 50 years. From the My Lai Massacre to the Watergate scandal, the Pulitzer Prize winner worked hard to track down insiders who could tell the real stories and not just accept the words of the military or government. Hersch is the print version of Mike Wallace – no one in charge ever wanted to see him show up to cover a story. Here his memories and extensive notebooks tell the tales of some of the most important stories in our lifetime. 4 cans.
3. Flight Risk* (2025, Netflix) – Downtown Abbey’s Michelle Dockery sheds her Lady Mary Crawley character (and English accent) to portray a US Marshal assigned to escort a reluctant witness (Topher Grace) from Alaska to New York to testify against a mobster. He is cuffed and chained to their small plane and unable to communicate with the marshal or pilot, both of whom are wearing headphones. The plane ride is bumpy and the radio isn’t always operational. The pilot of the small plane (Mark Wahlberg) has other ideas, and before long, he and Dockery are trading punches in the tiny aircraft. Any time a movie is shot in a confined space, the tension in the scenes is heightened. Not the best movie, but interesting to see Lady Mary as a badass. 3½ cans.
4. The Martian (2015, Hulu) – What if you made it to Mars but couldn’t get back? That seems to be the fate of astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) when a storm prevents him from joining his crewmates as they head home from the red planet. Left alone with minimal supplies, Watley figures out how to plant and harvest food, get water and stay safe until NASA can figure out a way to rescue him. He eventually rigs up a way to communicate with NASA and works hard to just stay alive until they can get him. Damon hits all the right notes as a clever, resourceful guy who uses his smarts to survive. 3½ cans.
5. The Housemaid* (2025, Montgomery Cinema) – As always, the book is better than the movie, but I can attest to the suspense level on this one being very high. Sydney Sweeney plays Millie, out of jail on parole and hired as a housekeeper for a wealthy couple. SHE (Amanda Seyfried) is nuts, a real psycho who almost immediately after hiring Millie begins to plot against her. HE (played by a very handsome actor named Brandon Skelnar) is gorgeous, devoted, understanding and kind. This movie is filled with tension (and ominous music) and with twists you don’t see coming. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop – and it did. No spoilers. 3½ cans.
6. Marty Supreme* (2026, Manville Cinema) – If you go to this movie expecting to see a sweet sports story about a gifted table tennis player, you will be very surprised. Timothee Chalamet stars as Marty, a man with one goal – to be the world champion table tennis player. But he needs money to travel to England and Japan to compete, and he comes up way short financially. He is a hustler on the order of a pool shark, taking on all comers for modest winnings to finance his trips. His desperation leads to lies, cons, wildly fabricated stories where he imposes on everyone in his orbit for places to stay and to get the cash he needs. He is not exactly an upstanding individual, but you have to admire his moxie. This is one intense movie, and Chalamet is sensational in the title role. It is much less about table tennis than the action surrounding Marty’s goal, although the table tennis is incredible to watch (you can’t help but wonder – how did they do that?). The director, Josh Safdie, also directed “Uncut Gems”, and this movie has the same frenetic pacing and obstacles for the “hero” to overcome. Only after seeing the movie did I learn that it is based on a real person. Be aware that it is not only intense and somewhat violent, but it is also long at two-and-a-half hours. 4 cans.
7. Hamnet* (2025, Montgomery Cinema) – As an English major, I thought I knew a lot about Shakespeare, but I sure didn’t know anything about this story. A young man falls completely in love with a woman whose name I couldn’t even understand. They keep having babies and he keeps going on trips to London to pursue his writing, leaving his wife and children to be cared for by their supportive community. When there is a terrible tragedy, the man, who turns out to be William Shakespeare, is inspired to write his classic play, Hamlet. Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal play the star-crossed lovers. A little too dramatic and tragic for me. 3½ cans.
8. Queer Eye, Season 10* (2026) – I love this Netflix franchise, which offers its final season of improving the lives of ordinary people with the aid of the “Fab Five” group of gay men with expertise in home design, food, clothing, personal care and counseling. Most of the people they help, who have been nominated for improvement by friends and family, are grateful for the assistance, but this year there was at least one woman who was very resistant. Even so, these fabulous gays worked their magic. However, I felt shortchanged when episode 5 ended and so did the series. I was counting on double that amount because I was not ready to say goodbye. I will miss all of their good ideas and quirky personalities. Thanks for the ride, guys. It was fabulous! 4 cans.
9. Mel Brooks: The 99-Year-Old Man* (2026, HBO) – If you love clever, funny, sometimes sophomoric comedies, you have to love Mel Brooks. The 99-year-old is responsible for “Blazing Saddles,” “The Producers” (on stage and in the movies as a musical and also a movie without music, all of which Brooks wrote), “Young Frankenstein,” Spaceballs,” and many more. Melvin Kaminsky was just always funny, and humor saved him from the rough times of serving in the Army during WWII, getting divorced and not working. But after he married Anne Bancroft, I think he did his best work. Anyone who can make me laugh about Hitler really has a demented and hysterical approach to humor. This 2-parter could have been a little shorter, but it was entertaining. 3½ cans.
10. Julie & Julia (2009, Hulu) – The incomparable Meryl Streep – looking incredibly tall – plays beloved chef Julia Child, and Amy Adams plays Child’s superfan Julie Powell – a young woman living in Queens with her husband – in this combination of their respective stories. Julia Child’s story is of her years in France with her beloved husband Paul (Stanley Tucci) as she decides to attend the Cordon Bleu culinary institute and become a chef and, ultimately, a cookbook author. When she begins to write the definitive book on French cooking for an American audience, she faces plenty of challenges. Julie, on the other hand, challenges herself by vowing to go through Child’s entire book, making 571 recipes in 365 days, a daunting cooking task but great subject matter for a blog. The stories are told in parallel fashion. Child, full of enthusiasm and with a one-of-a kind, patrician, strange voice, is completely charming, adoring her husband, enthusiastically adapting to life in Paris and transforming herself into a master chef. How they ever got her to appear that tall is an amazing movie feat. Julie tackles her challenge with relish and feels a growing kinship with the woman she grows to love. This movie made me hungry! 3½ cans and a hearty serving of beef bourguignon.  
11. Miracle: The Boys of 1980* (2025, Netflix) – Just in time for the Winter Olympics, this documentary retells the story of one of the greatest achievements in sports, the 1980 upset of the Russian Olympic Hockey team by a bunch of college kids brought together as the US Olympic Hockey team by Coach Herb Brooks. Here, the surviving members of the team recount their path to glory. I remember the upset and the subsequent US win over Finland that brought the Gold Medal to the US at the Lake Placid Olympics. I remember those cute guys – now aged senior citizens! – as they upstaged the Russians and went on to Olympic fame and glory. Do you believe in miracles, intoned sportscaster Al Michaels. Yes, we do! 3½ cans.
12. Melania* (2026) – Are you kidding?  I wouldn’t watch this piece of vapid fluff propaganda if you tied me up and dragged me to a theater. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos funded it and should be ashamed of himself, pandering to…never mind. Enough. Never. No way.
 

New Year, New Thoughts

Happy New Year to all. I don't think you are allowed to wish happy new year after today, so here you go. May 2026 be your best year yet!

1.    Like everyone else, I watched the ball drop in Times Square to mark the beginning of 2026. However, as the lights came up, my heart skipped a beat because the font used on the ball made 2026 look like 2024. Did someone make a huge mistake, I wondered? That 6 did not look like a 6 at all; it looked like a 4! Does that mean we get a do-over for 2024? I’d take that any day!
2.    It finally happened, as I knew it would: I grabbed the cinnamon jar instead of the paprika jar and added some to my shredded potatoes. Interesting taste. At least I haven’t yet grabbed the tube of lidocaine and started brushing my teeth. That’s next.
3.    There’s always that awkward response when you cough and someone says, “God bless you,” and you don’t know whether to tell them it was not a sneeze but a cough or whether you just accept the blessing. And why do we make a blessing only on a sneeze? Maybe coughs should be included in the blessing process. 
4.    It is not a good idea to sneeze when you are brushing your teeth. Trust me on this one.
5.    When I wake up in the morning, one of the first things I do is turn on my phone and start playing Wordle and Spelling Bee. “They” say it is a good idea to play games to keep your brain sharp. That’s fine in theory, but when I play Spelling Bee, I don’t exactly feel sharp or confident. I get the most obvious words and then find myself stumped. Any benefit to my brain is surpassed by my crushed ego. On Wordle, sometimes I stumble into the right word when I didn’t think it was a word at all. So much for keeping the old brain sharp!
6.    After 20+ years of attending Rutgers Women’s Basketball games, I have come to the realization that what I wear to the game has no impact on the outcome. I usually wear red Rutgers shirts and sweatshirts and even try to wear red socks, but there does not seem to be any correlation between my attire and the results. That doesn’t mean I will be switching to neutral colors, however, just in case…
7.    My hair looked so bad the other day that if the house had been on fire, I’m not sure I would have left! I got it cut the next day.
8.    Between asking Alexa questions or using the voice feature on the TV remote or telling my Mercedes’ GPS to “take me home,” I find I am communicating verbally with devices more and more. If nothing else, it has made me enunciate more clearly. The navigation system in my car sometimes doesn’t understand the address I am asking for so it is necessary to S A Y  I T  M O R E  C L E A R L Y!  And I never have better verbal skills than when I am barking “REPRESENTATIVE” into the phone to please get one of the last humans on earth to deliver live customer service.
9.    I was out of ideas for dinner, so, on a whim, I asked Alexa for a suggestion. She immediately offered the idea of roasted rainbow vegetables with baked salmon, a sheet-pan special. Then she downloaded the recipe to my phone and more information to the Alexa app on my phone, all within seconds. I was truly amazed. I’m just waiting for her to show up and start cooking!
10.    You know, it’s not the temperature, it’s the wind. The same temperature on two days will feel completely different if it is windy. Best to stay inside!
11.    Buttons, Button, who’s got the buttons? I DO! They are in a big jar that used to hold instant coffee. I’m not sure whether all clothes today come with that extra button, but I have decades worth of tiny bags with single buttons to match the buttons on suits and dresses I long ago gave away. Have I gotten rid of the buttons? No. What should I do with them? I’m so inept with a needle and thread (and can’t thread a needle anymore anyway) that I’ll never sew one on! One time a button popped off my winter coat in the parking lot of Macy’s. I went into the store and bought a new coat! Anyway, who can use these individual buttons? I can imagine someone might appreciate this bunch of buttons for crafting, but who? Ideas, please!
12.    I bought new pants online that fit me very well but have no front pockets. What am I supposed to do with my hands? I wore the pants once and my hands kept trying to find pockets. It was like when you forget to wear your watch and you keep glancing at your wrist all day as if it will suddenly appear. 
13.    I have reached the point where I can no longer remember your grandchildren’s names and ages. I knew your kids, and your first grandkids were such a delight, but now there are so many of them that I can’t recall their names or ages. It happens. Forgive me.
14.    The other day I had to call an online pharmacy company regarding a problem with my order. Like many other companies, this one pushes customers to go to its website to transact their business, thereby bypassing humans in customer service, but I have never been able to access the site successfully. I got a live, human rep on the phone and we reviewed the problem and the status of my order – for 30 minutes. Once I was convinced that they would be sending my prescription, I asked to speak with a supervisor since this same scenario transpired a month ago over an order for the same product. I explained my situation, got a lot of sympathy and understanding and a request from the supervisor to speak directly with the IT team about not being able to access the company’s website. I told him that if he wanted me to review the problem with the IT team then I would need to be paid as a consultant. I cannot be the only person who cannot get access, and I’m not going to waste another 30 minutes trying to help them solve a technical issue they should be able to identify and fix on their own. 
15.    I keep seeing that commercial for Rocket Money where they ask people if they know how many subscriptions they have. Inevitably, everyone underestimates what they are spending each month for digital access to newspapers, for streaming services, for memberships and websites, etc. I decided to drop my subscription to the online version of a national newspaper when the price increased. I was all canceled and feeling proud of myself when they emailed me and enticed me back with a much better price. OK, Rocket, add another subscription to my list!
16.    Here in New Jersey we seem to have come up short on names for some of our towns. Maybe that’s why we have New Brunswick, North Brunswick, South Brunswick and East Brunswick, which are miles from each other. There is no Brunswick or West Brunswick, however. And we have Orange, West Orange, East Orange and South Orange but no North Orange. Who decides these things? And why do I notice them or care?