• Old cassette tape with headphones and walkman

    The world is turning upside down

    January 18, 2026 / No Comments

    Like millions of other people, M and I are in the middle of watching the final season of “Stranger Things.” We’re halfway through, and so far, it’s freakin’ fantastic. In addition to the likeable characters and the action-packed story, we’re also enjoying all of the callbacks to other cultural touchstones (“Back to the Future,” “The Great Escape,” “The Talisman,” etc.).

    It probably helps that we grew up with these stories, so the Easter eggs — whether blatant or subtle — were instantly recognizable.

    Anyway, I shall not spoil this wonderful show for anyone who hasn’t had the pleasure of seeing it yet. If this is you, definitely start at the beginning. Also know that I’m a bit envious; there’s nothing like savoring a story for the first time.

    For those of you who’ve been watching all along, I offer my Top 5 saving songs:

    1. “Mad About You” by Sting

    2. “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel

    3. “Comptine d’un autre été, l’après-midi” by Yann Tiersen

    4. “Classical Gas” by Eric Clapton

    5. “Joy in Repetition” by Prince

    What are your songs?

  • fancy earrings

    My immune system thinks it’s posh

    January 1, 2026 / No Comments

    I’ve always worn costume jewelry. It was easy to find and affordable. Plus, if I lost an earring or a necklace broke, it wasn’t the end of the world. In fact, the only “real” jewelry I own is my wedding ring, my engagement ring and my Outlander ring, all of which are made out of sterling silver.

    Then, perimenopause arrived and suddenly my skin began to reject cheap adornments.

    If I wore a stud or hoop made from base metals, my earlobe would redden. The skin would start to itch and I’d have to remove the earrings for fear of infection. My hands were no different. If I wore my real jewelry, all was fine. But if I donned a ring containing non-precious materials, the skin around my finger would swell and peel, like it was experiencing an allergic reaction.

    And apparently, it was. After doing some research, I learned that the fluctuating estrogen levels sparked by perimenopause can increase the skin’s sensitivity to common allergens, like the nickel used in costume jewelry, and cause dermatitis. Which means from now on, I must wear sterling silver, platinum, surgical stainless steel or titanium jewelry — or nothing at all.

    I expected gray hair, wrinkles and wisdom to come with old age, but who knew my skin would demand the finer things in life?

  • 2025: The Year In Review

    December 23, 2025 / 4 Comments

    Each December, I take time to reflect on the ups and downs I experienced over the past year. What follows is my personal and professional review of 2025. I:

    * Worked as a curator of local news for Apple News (via Magnit), wrote the 5 Things AM newsletter and weekly news quiz for CNN (via Creative Circle) and returned to HuffPost as a night news editor.

    * Spent months scouring the Web for job opportunities and applied for countless positions. It was maddening.

    * Continued writing A Bit Of Good News, The End Files, The Moonlight Reader Society and The Written Word.

    * Started wearing an Apple Watch in an effort to improve my sleep. It worked! I’m now averaging 7 hours a day.

    * Attended “An Evening with Amy Tan.”

    * Attended my first death cafe.

    * Was the featured guest in a “Drinks with a Doula” event via DeathReady with T.J. Ford

    * Began watching the birds who live in my backyard through a video bird feeder. Also saw a lot of squirrels.

    * Penned at least 25 journal entries and 2 new poems.

    * Frequently posted on the social media sites: BlueSky, Threads, Ko-Fi and Substack. Begrudgingly rejoined X/Twitter for work.

    * Occasionally posted to my two Instagram accounts: @thejadewalker and @catsofjade.

    * Read 61 books, yet failed to complete my 2025 Goodreads reading challenge. Although I also read the first 50 pages of another two dozen books, I just couldn’t get into them and moved on.

    * Held a book swap at my house with members of my book club. Participated in a special reading at the Currier Museum of Art and enjoyed the Silent Book Club’s 10th Anniversary Readathon. The Manchester, N.H. chapter was also named one of the 10 longest-running Silent Book Club chapters in the world.

    * Participated in The Society of Professional Obituary Writers, the New Hampshire Writers Guild, the Authors Guild, the Writers Guild of America East and the Women’s National Book Association.

    * Joined the NH Astronomical Society and Dark Sky International.

    * Purchased two new computers: a desktop named Sherlock and a laptop named Poe.

    * Subscribed and read numerous magazines, including Cook’s Country (RIP), Cooks Illustrated, Bake From Scratch, Smithsonian Magazine, Scientific American, The Saturday Evening Post, TeaTime Magazine and Baking Nation.

    * Watched at least 70+ TV shows and 40+ movies, and listened to 40+ podcasts.

    * Spent the weekend at The Deep Sleep Inn at Gibson, New Hampshire’s first dead and breakfast.

    * Searched for our next home, but had no luck. The effort continues.

    * Had my implants/crowns installed. So, for the first time in five years, my mouth contains a full set of teeth.

    * Got my “you’re over 50” shingles vaccine.

    * Decorated the inside of our house for Halloween and dressed up as Death (M was a plague doctor).

    * Decorated our house for the holidays and mailed 40+ Christmas cards.

    * Tried many recipes. New favorites include: apricot tarte tatin, chicken saltimboca, spaghetti with a lemon and marscapone sauce, spicy pepper chicken pie, snowflake brownies and a chocolate terrine.

    * Became more than a little obsessed playing the Tiny Bookshop videogame.

    * Worked my 35th year as a journalist.

    * Celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary.

    * Turned 52.

     

    End of the year

     

    Goals for 2026

    * Leave the country.

    * Purchase a home with at least 5 acres of land.

    * Grow the readership of my newsletters.

    * Improve my baking/cooking skills.

    * Learn Morse Code.

    * Plant a lovely garden.

    * Work on my fiction and poetry.

    * Write more blog entries.

    * Read at least 70 books.

    * Win the lottery.

  • Tales from my book club

    December 22, 2025 / No Comments

    I read a lot of books this year, as did my friends. But we do not always read the same tomes, nor are we in competition with each other. Instead, a passion for reading keeps us close, no matter which titles — or how many — we finish.

    Here are the Silent Book Club – Manchester chapter’s favorite books of the year:

     

    Silent Book Club Manchester chapter's favorite books of 2025

    Silent Book Club Manchester chapter's favorite books of 2025

     

    There’s probably a local chapter of the Silent Book Club near you. If you’re interested in joining one, click here.