What a year!
Here are the major personal events of the year for me: not eating right made me sick, I am no longer an employee - I'm retired! I finished paperwork after Mom died. I let "Little Kitty' (aka Trinka) go. I wanted to have her longer but she was 18 and a 1/2 years old. She gave me a lot of comfort after Mom died (she was Mom's cat). I miss her. I miss them both.
It wouldn't be a traditional New Year's Eve entry if I didn't remind myself of last year's theme and confess that I forgot it within moments. I am not 'authentically transformed'. Sigh.
And, for the sake of tradition, my theme for 2026 is "Make another choice, Vicky!"
If I continue making the same choices I've always made, I'll live the same life I've always lived.
Makes sense.
Beyond my own small world I think Donald Trump is a terrible president and his cabinet are making policies that I don't agree with. I also think the House leader, Mike Johnson, is aiding and abetting (people's representatives? pshaw!) the Trump administration's destruction of our institutions of democracy on the eve of the country's 250th year as a democracy.
Billionaires, foreign and domestic, are openly using money and gold trinkets to flatter and pay tribute to President Trump, his family, friends, and minions, so the billionaires can become trillionaires.
and...
On a lighter note: here are some television shows and movies I liked this year (the ones with a gold star I especially enjoyed. Turns out there are only 4 that aren't starred. Not because I didn;t like them, they just didn't feel special.)
⭐️Taskmaster
⭐️The Pitt, HBO
⭐️Mid-Century Modern, Hulu
Will Trent/High Potential, Hulu
The Lioness, Paramount+
⭐️The Devil's Plan, Netflix
⭐️The Residence, Netflix
⭐️Murderbot, Apple TV
⭐️Andor, Disney
⭐️Shrinking, Apple TV
⭐️Ludwig, Britbox
⭐️Happy Valley, Britbox
Last Tango in Halifax, Britbox - great show, but got repetitive, skipped some episodes, fantastic actors!!)
⭐️Time Season 2, Britbox
⭐️Boots, Netflix
Vigil, Peacock - (I liked it but it was the actors that made me keep watching - Endeavor was in Season 1!)
⭐️Physical Asia, Netflix (Yay Mongolia!)
⭐️Pluribus, Apple TV (lots of interesting ideas about AI and community and resistance)
⭐️Woyld I Lie To You?, Britbox (funny stories!)
⭐️Culinary Class Wars, Netflix (who doesn't love all the loud eating noises...slurping??)
Table 19, Hulu
Juror #2, HBO
My Old Ass, Prime Video
⭐️Arrival, Hulu (rewatch - I noticed things I'd forgotten or never realized before)
The Old Guard 2, Netflix
Molly's Game, Netflix
The Great Escaper, PBS
Come See Me in the Good Light, Apple TV
I would have thought the list would be smaller. I started and didn't finish, or skipped episodes of many television shows. They weren;t bad necessarily but I didn't care enough to keep watching.
Also, shows I enjoyed in previous years I did keep watching (Ghosts, Hacks, The Rookie, etc).
My standard shows that I'll turn on in the background are Friends or The Big Bang Theory. In the evenings I turn to 347 (Catchy) and watch Hot in Cleveland, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Cheers, Taxi, The Odd Couple, The Bob Newhart Show, and Newhart. Classic.
I've definitely watched a lot of TV this year!!
