PinnedMember-onlyBetween Two ShotsThe morning of March 26, I take a Lyft 35 minutes from my urban New Jersey apartment to get my first Pfizer shot. I consciously hold back a relieved sob as I sit for the 15-minute waiting period. That afternoon I find out a family member is positive for COVID. …Death13 min readDeath13 min read
Apr 1Member-onlyDocumentary Play on Hoboken’s History Is Lens on Its Present and Future“We got you out of there.” That was my parents’ reaction when I moved from a Central Jersey suburb to Hoboken in my late 30s to pursue a professional opportunity. …Gentrification5 min readGentrification5 min read
Feb 8Member-onlyThe Material Girl Has Lost Her WayIt’s become a favorite family story over the years, the time in May of 1985 when I drove to the Spectrum in Philadelphia with my sister and a friend with no tickets in hand for the Madonna concert that was happening that night. Determined to see The Virgin Tour, we…Madonna4 min readMadonna4 min read
Jan 11Member-onlyWowing Myself with ‘Artist Dates’ on SteroidsThe Artist Date is a once-weekly, festive, solo expedition to explore something that interests you. --Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way One day in September of 2000, I walked out of my chrome and glass office at NHL headquarters across from Radio City Music Hall and headed south until I arrived…Julia Cameron4 min readJulia Cameron4 min read
Nov 16, 2022Member-onlyIf ‘Barbie’ Weighed in on the Mid-TermsMy name is Barbara Millicent Roberts, but most of you know me as Barbie. You can think of me as a toy, but really, that limited thinking … well, engage in it at your peril. What I am is a sociological marvel. See, I’m over 60, which means (mostly) females…Midterms5 min readMidterms5 min read
Nov 2, 2022Member-onlyThe Evolution of (Some) MenAfter niceties including Howard Stern’s love of Metamucil, it only takes about seven minutes into his interview of Bruce Springsteen for the legendary radio host to ask a question that stops me cold. “Have you ever talked to your therapist about why you do such long shows?” Let me interject…Bruce Springsteen4 min readBruce Springsteen4 min read
Oct 25, 2022Member-onlySpeaking Up, at the Very LeastBack in the early 2000s, I took a short-term job as the program director for a senior citizens’ center on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. I loved diving into the existing and potential possibilities of what would entertain the mostly Jewish members. At one point my boss, the executive…Anti Semitism5 min readAnti Semitism5 min read
Oct 18, 2022Member-onlyThe Supreme Court Casts a Shadow on My EntertainmentIt’s been a long time since I’ve seen the classic movie Splendor in the Grass, so when TCM offered it up recently, it seemed like a good choice. It opens with characters played by Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty as teens, making out in a car in a scenic locale…Abortion4 min readAbortion4 min read
Oct 13, 2022Member-onlyMAGA’s Inexplicable MadnessSome of the most stunning images I can recall from September 11, 2001, are ones where we see Vice President Dick Cheney and First Lady Laura Bush among others in the bowels of the White House. …January 6 20215 min readJanuary 6 20215 min read
Sep 21, 2022Member-onlyWhat I learned as the daughter of a railroad manBy Nancy Colasurdo (This column was originally published on NJ.com on 9/19/22.) “Nan, how about a cup of java?” I can still hear my late father saying the words. So while visiting my mother recently and making myself an afternoon cup of coffee, I selected from the cabinet Dad’s white…Railroad4 min readRailroad4 min read