I'm back ... and there's plenty to talk about

I'm back after a sabbatical. NFPW President Marianne Wolf-Astrauskas inspired me to write this column about "Murphy Brown." The Candice Bergan sitcom returned this week with plenty of fodder. Given her own morning news show, Murphy wasted no time taking on President Donald J. Trump on Twitter. She had previously surrendered her flip cell phone to her new show's millennial tech guru. His response to seeing a flip phone - and flipping it open - was priceless. It seems a bit unlikely as a twentysomething that he'd never seen one before, but it was a funny bit. I very much enjoyed the episode and not just because of its political stance. Faith Ford's character experiencing hot flashes while discussing global warming was a hoot. The irony is that I didn't watch "Murphy" during its initial run. There were times when it was Must-See TV, notably the episode that responded to Dan Quayle's family values comment. But beyond that, as a twentyishsomething, it didn't overly interest me. But this new iteration will definitely be a must-see for me. "Saturday Night Live" also returned this week and the timing was perfect for coverage of Thursday's Brett Kavanaugh hearing. The cold opening featuring Matt Damon was spot on. The irony here is that it's no laughing matter that Trump's pick for the U.S. Supreme Court would be serving long after Trump's tenure ends. His confirmation seems likely, pending an FBI investigation into allegations of sexual impropriety when he was a teen.

Celebrating the good times

"Celebrate good times, come on!" This phrase is one of the most recognizable song lyrics; it's OK, you can sing it along with me right now. What am I celebrating, you might ask? Let's start with my sister, Julie. She celebrated her 50th birthday on Jan. 12. But the other milestone she achieved occurred today when she completed her 18th and final radiation treatment. After two and a half years of chemo, we embarked on Julie's first series of radiation treatments the day after Christmas. Unlike her chemo treatments, which I have not been able to attend with her, I was able to go with her to 13 or 14 of the 18 radiation appointments. The radiation department staff at Methodist Hospital's Estabrook Cancer Center was exceptional. Even though we had been seeing the nurses for less than a month, the nurse who assisted Julie today gave her a big hug and certificate for "graduating." We'll know next month what the next step is for Julie's treatment, but in the interim she is also enjoying this ongoing break from chemo. Seeing various friends' achievements this month is also cause for celebration. Our Beta Sigma Phi sorority sister Theresa Vacanti was featured in People's magazine's weight loss issue. She was one of four five women who had lost half of their weight! Our sorority sister Beth Watson has also lost more than 60 pounds. Kudos, ladies! Our friends Meg Hunt, a former NFPW president, and Rebecca West shared photos of the wildlife in Africa. They weren't on a pleasure trip, though, as this was just their latest trip to help local residents enjoy the benefits of clean water. Bravo! Last, and actually least, I will celebrate my 29th (OK, plus a few more) birthay tomorrow. I hope our winter storm has blown through by tomorrow. For now, that is my main birthday wish. It's also the "early bird" deadline for the NFPW Communications Contest. Ladies and gentlemen, get those entries submitted! Then you can celebrate with me, too!

Time will tell trends for 2018

It's always a bit sad for me when Jan. 2 arrives. That means, unless Jan. 2 falls on a weekend, that the holidays are over. That first day back at work or schoolsignals the long wait until Memorial Day for the next holiday, unless one works for the government or their company honors MLK Day, President's Day or Good Friday as a holiday. But while we return to a more "normal" routine, it's time to celebrate the arrival of 2018. In my world, that means celebrating the return of "The X Files" and the anticipation of the Winter Olympics. We still have more than a year to go for the return of "Game of Thrones" unless one counts the anticipated changes coming to President Trump's White House staff. 2017 brought many surprises - from #TakeAKnee to #MeToo - via social media. Twitter, or at least some tweets, even doubled in size. What might double in size in 2018? Only time will tell.