October Offerings

1.    We should throw out those big eyecharts that hang on the wall of the optometrist’s office. Instead, let’s hand out the tiny instruction sheets that come with our electronic devices. I truly didn’t think fonts that small existed or could be printed. And since instructions are not all that intuitive and the buttons on the devices are as hard to see as the “manual,” I needed my trusty old magnifying glass to figure out how to charge and pair my new ear buds with my phone. If these documents were used to test our eyes, we would have a more accurate measurement of our sight! And have you resorted yet to taking a picture of something and enlarging it so you could read it? Last week I needed to replace a light bulb, but the markings on the old bulb were so hard to see that I had to take pictures and blow them up so I could identify the right bulb.
2.    I wish I could cook half as well as the chefs who get chopped on “Chopped.”
3.    I have about a zillion T-shirts in my collection and I have to restrain myself from buying more. But it is hard to resist when I see one that reads, “I’m really cold but I am trying to be brave.” Or “The day they handed out patience I left because it was taking too long.” Tempting!
4.    A real test of patience is when you send a text message to someone and can see that the recipient is typing a reply. How long will this take, you wonder? Is this going to be “Gone with the Wind” when you’re done? Come on, already, let’s see that reply!
5.    My sister is retired but she has so many appointments (doctors, physical therapy, etc., like the rest of us), that she says she takes a “personal day” every now and then and intentionally does not schedule anything!
6.    I know there is a lot of concern about artificial intelligence taking over. Until then, I am and will remain a devotee of Chat GPT. I use it often and am astounded by how quickly I receive a detailed response to whatever my question is. I prefer reading the directions it provides to watching a 10-minute YouTube video that I have to rewind and rewatch to understand. And it sure answers me so fast! 
7.    This time of year, NFL football is back on TV. Every Sunday, my mother would change the channel to CBS at 7 PM to watch “60 Minutes” and would be annoyed when the 4 PM game was still in progress, delaying her show. “Again with the football?” was her outcry. If you knew my mother, you can imagine her saying just that.
8.    Lately I have been awakening from my frequent afternoon naps not knowing where I am and thinking that I am supposed to be doing something (other than napping). I don’t think the naps are that long or the sleep that deep, but if I can’t immediately figure out where I am, maybe they are deeper than I thought.
9.    Why don’t road crews work on their projects during the summer, when traffic is lighter? You want to change the traffic lights? Do it when there’s less traffic! The main road through Hillsborough was blocked the other day practically in front of the high school, making it hard for buses, passenger cars and emergency vehicles to use the road without having to take a detour. In my next life, I want to be an engineer and figure out how to design more efficient roadways, parking lots, and even walking paths. And speaking of work for engineers, my sister has a drain in her backyard that the township recently added after years of her complaining about running and standing water in the part of her backyard that belongs to the township. They said they would put stones around it for drainage. So, what did they do? They covered the drain with stones, so now it can’t drain. And wait until it freezes in the winter. Do we civilians have to do everything? What are our tax dollars used for? I should have been an engineer!
10.    I’m tired of being so short. I can’t reach a light bulb even on a step stool to change it. Items above the first shelf in the kitchen cabinets are beyond my reach. Practically every pair of pants I buy has to be altered. It might be easier to have my legs lengthened! Now that it is the fall, with the sun rising early, I can’t see out of the windshield of the car because I’m too short for the visor to block the sun from blinding me. I need a phone book to sit on. Do we still publish phone books? Actually, I have a cushion that I will try.
11.    The speed limit in my “active adult community” is 25 MPH. But there are constant complaints about speeders – many of whom drive for FedEx or Amazon. I will concede that I see them zip by my house. But, as for the residents, I see more people here driving way BELOW the speed limit, not exceeding it. Too often I am stuck behind someone driving 12 miles an hour. Let’s not EXCEED the limit, but can we at least get close to it?
12.    I just saw a study that said that people who consume chocolate frequently are smarter and hotter than those who don’t. I have many friends who are willing to take part in any follow-up studies. Science, baby, science!
13.    In my travels to a new area (for me), I noticed a road marked “Search Road.” Imagine looking for that online. 
14.    My driveway was sealed recently and I was not allowed to drive or park on it for a few days. Just to be sure, well after the recommended waiting period, I paused the car in the street until the garage door was fully opened and then zoomed the car up the driveway so my wheels never stayed in one spot long enough to cause a dent or dip. It’s a good thing that my brakes work well or I might have overshot the garage and ended up with the car in the house.
15.    I went to ShopRite to pick up a few things. I popped my trunk and grabbed my shopping bags. I was halfway to the store when I realized I was carrying my gym bag with my wet bathing suit instead of my shopping bags. Duh!
16.    I’m really glad we don’t get graded in my aqua dance class. I can imagine the comments on my report card: Lacks musicality; has trouble learning the correct steps; needs help distinguishing her right from her left…My leg goes forward when it is supposed to go back, especially if we are doing something with our arms as well as our legs. I have a new respect for the ”Dancing With the Stars” contestants. How can they learn to do all of those steps and the routine to music while wearing heels and fancy costumes? I just hope I don’t fall over in the pool!
17.    With all of this aqua dance experience, I feel qualified to be a judge on “Dancing With the Stars.” Instead, earlier this week the show had sportscaster Joe Buck sit on the judging panel, largely because ESPN has the rights to the Super Bowl broadcast this year and he will be doing the game. The theme of the night was Super Bowl halftime music. It isn’t that Joe Buck did a bad job judging, but after watching every episode of every season, I would have done a great job critiquing the performances (watch your posture and those heel leads)! PS – I’m still willing and available.
18.    I finally stopped watching “Survivor” after 50 seasons! I had enough of the backstabbing, the lying, the challenges that had keys to unlock puzzle pieces, etc. I’m done, and I don’t miss it a bit. The “Amazing Race” is still on my viewing schedule, but I’m happy I “survived” 50 seasons of Jeff Probst and his dimples. It was nice while it lasted. 

Tina's September 2026 Movies and More

We just made it into double digits last month. I'm hoping for a better October. Meanwhile, movies and shows I had not seen previously are indicated with an asterisk and all entries are rated on a scale of 1-5 cans of tuna fish. Numbering picks up from previous months.

100. 9-5 (1980, Netflix) – Dolly Parton’s vibrant title song could be the theme song for a generation of women fighting for equality. Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Parton play the overlooked and undervalued employees of a faceless corporate entity who decide to seek revenge for all of the bad behavior and unfair treatment they have had to endure at the hands of their male boss. Dabney Coleman is perfectly smarmy as their boss, purposely knocking over pencils so he can see Parton bend over to retrieve them. The women kidnap the boss and chaos ensues. Personally, I don’t care for the slapstick turn the movie takes, but I get the point. While the boss is “tied up” (quite literally), the ladies issue edicts under his name to institute “radical” reforms, such as equal pay and day care. The leading ladies do a great job, and the fact that this movie has had such staying power is a testament to the reality it portrays, even in the throes of silliness. Plus, that catchy song will endure forever. 3½ cans.
101. Top of the World* (2026, CNN) – What could be grander than a luxurious New York restaurant on top of the World Trade Center? Windows on the World featured fine dining and spectacular views of New York for its patrons. However, in the wake of the tragedy of 9/11, the restaurant crumbled to the ground along with the rest of its tower, killing all the employees who were already on duty, preparing food for that day’s customers. This documentary features interviews with surviving staffers who were not on duty or scheduled to start later in the day. The sense you get is of their pride at being part of the restaurant and their connections to each other as a “family,” long before the terrorist attack. 3 cans.
102. Decoy Plane* (2026, Netflix) – This very short documentary recounts the recent event involving President Trump secretly leaving Turkey via a plane that was not Air Force One, having been vacated via a catering truck along with a few key staffers. One way to determine your status in the Trump administration is to see if you were one of the people who were spirited off AF1 or were left aboard the original plane, which security officials speculated might come under attack. The subterfuge was to thwart any potential attack on the President, and no media members or others left in the dark even knew they were flying a plane that might be attacked. No comment. 3 cans.
103. 102 Minutes in the Towers* (2026, History Channel) – This documentary is a first-hand account by the people who were in the World Trade Center when the Twin Towers were hit by jet airplanes and subsequently crumbled to the earth. Police, firefighters, and employees who worked in the Towers all have incredibly moving stories to tell, delivering information I had never heard before. They describe the sound of the jets crashing into the buildings and of the collapsing towers, the feel of the smoke, the darkness, the chaos and debris they had to fight through just to get out alive. I have always thought about how many people were NOT killed and wondered how those people were able to survive both the plane crash and the buildings collapsing. It was truly a miracle that anyone got out alive. 4 cans.
104. Enemy of the State* (1998, Prime Video) – This is an action-adventure movie that really kept me glued to the TV (translation: I stayed mostly awake). Will Smith plays a lawyer who runs into a man who happens to have video of a corrupt government operation and gives it to him. When the government agents realize that Smith has the tape, they use every technique and device to track him down and retrieve it, and, if they ruin his life, so be it. Action packed! Pass the popcorn. 3½ cans.
105. Absence of Malice (1981, Prime Video) – Sally Field is a newspaper reporter wavering between her responsibility as a journalist and her ethics when she reports a story about a Miami man (Paul Newman) who may or not be involved with the Mob. Newman is excellent as the innocent man fighting to save his reputation while simultaneously condemning the news media for writing stories based on leaks and assumptions. These are two very appealing actors and the story is absorbing. 3½ cans.
106. A Killer Story* (2026, HBO Max) – This 3-part, true crime drama focuses not only on the murder of a couple (allegedly at the hands of his ex), but also on the investigative efforts of a husband and wife who are obsessed with this case. The amateur sleuths finally get the attention of a crime reporter whom they persuade to join them as they try to ferret out the truth and protect the accused, whom they are convinced is innocent. It takes decades for the case to end, and even then, I’m not convinced that the prosecutors, the jury or the people following the accused murder got it right. The truth is out there. 3½ cans.
107. Ted Lasso, season 4* (2026, Apple TV) – All good things must come to an end, and we all thought Ted Lasso (Jason Sudekis) did that after Season 3. But the folksy soccer coach returns to the pitch, this time to coach the Richmond Women’s team in England. Most of the cast are still on board but it was awkward (it seemed to me) to work them into this new environment. Some of the new characters grated on me while some of the established players just didn’t impress me much anymore. In fact, I quit watching after episode 5. Ted Lasso, it was fun while it lasted, but your goodbye should have been after season 3. 3 soccer balls.
108. Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette* (2026, Hulu) – This 9-part series traces the relationship between the enigmatic, handsome “Sexiest Man Alive” and a New York PR woman working for Calvin Klein. John F. Kennedy Jr. meets Carolyn Bessette and is definitely smitten, even though he is dating actress Darryl Hannah (much to mother Jacquelyn Kennedy’s dismay), and as soon as he and Hannah call it quits, JFK Jr. pursues the confident, independent Carolyn (Sarah Pidgeon). But no one could be prepared to face the press and the scrutiny that Kennedy attracted daily. Much of the story is about them dealing with how to handle the press, which John needs to make his new magazine, George, a success. It is tough watching a story where you know the ending; each scene is leading up to the plane crash that takes the lives of the couple and her sister, Lauren, in 1999. John’s taciturn sister Caroline (Grace Gummer), has a line about him not being measured by what he has accomplished but by what he would have become. I did not think I would like this story as much as I did, even knowing that dialog here is often just speculation since it wasn’t witnessed by a third party who could vouch for it. 3½ cans.
109. The Remains of the Day* (1993, Cable) – Long before Mr. Carson ran the estate at Downton Abbey, Mr. Stevens (Anthony Hopkins) was the butler for Darlington Hall in England. A perfectionist, he runs the house with efficiency and attention to detail, turning a blind eye to his employer’s political views and support for the Nazis leading up to WWII. Stevens has grown up in service and sees so little beyond his world and the responsibilities he takes so seriously. Even the arrival of the equally efficient Miss Kenton (Emma Thompson) as the head housekeeper (Mrs. Hughes in Downton) cannot distract him from his duties. I was rooting for a Stevens-Kenton relationship, but Stevens is too dedicated to his life running the house to let any personal feelings get in the way. The very saddest part of this movie has nothing to do with the plot; Christopher Reeve, looking robust and healthy, has a role as a US representative who participates in an important meeting. Seeing Reeve in his virile, handsome persona always makes me sad after his accident and subsequent death. This is a classic movie that I never mind watching again. 4 cans.
110. O Solo Mio* (2026, Hulu) – This is a sweet movie about elementary school teacher Matt (Kevin James), who has a big wedding planned only to be left at the altar in Italy by his bride with cold feet. She won’t answer his messages and he feels justifiably alone. Since he cannot get back the money he spent for his honeymoon, he decides to go anyway, touring Italy with a sad sack face that somehow attracts new friends. You feel sorry for the big lout, but the friendships he experiences – especially by the coffee house owner – make the experience bearable. Kevin’s Matt is a lovable lost soul, and the movie makes you root for him to find happiness. 3 cans.