It’s the end of January and already this month has been a heck of a year, hasn’t it? I completely forgot the Friday Roundup yesterday. So we’re doing it on Saturday instead. That feels about right for how January 2026 has gone.
- Weather Report (Because It’s Ridiculous) – We had sleet and ice last weekend. Enough that I worked from home on Monday because the streets were still icy. Then it got warm. Then it got cold again. Winter in the South, y’all. Today we have a high of 26°F and we’re supposed to get up to 2 inches of snow. So far, no sign of it. But I have hope and a fire going in the fireplace.
- Catherine O’Hara died yesterday – It was a shock and such a loss. So many of her movies were a part of my life. Beetlejuice. The Nightmare Before Christmas. Home Alone. She was brilliant. Funny and weird and fearless in the best possible ways. Rest in peace, Catherine O’Hara. You made the world better. Read the New York Times obituary here.
- I’m Having A Personal Crisis – Minute Maid is discontinuing their frozen juice concentrates. Y’all, I’m concerned about this. Sharon’s frozen whiskey sour recipe requires frozen lemonade concentrate. Now what am I going to do? Do I stockpile frozen lemonade? Do I try to recreate it from scratch? Do I just accept that the world is changing in ways I don’t like and move on? This feels like the last straw for January 2026.
- What I’m Reading: It’s Always Something by Gilda Radner – It’s a bittersweet read knowing that both she and Gene Wilder are gone now. Not Ready for Prime Time Players and SNL were a huge part of my teen years. Roseanne Roseannadanna. Emily Litella. Gilda Radner was smart and funny and human in ways that still resonate today.
If you haven’t read it, and you grew up watching SNL in the 70s and 80s, it’s worth your time. - What I’m Watching: Star Trek: Starfleet Academy – Who would have guessed, back when I was in high school and college, that the nerdy, geeky Trekkie world would become such a mainstream smash hit? And that Holly Hunter would be the main player in a new Trek series? She plays the role perfectly. The series has started out strong and I’m really enjoying it.
- What I’m Eating: Roasted Veggie Chicken Sandwiches – We had roasted veggie chicken sandwiches for dinner last night and they were perfect. Oven-roasted peppers, zucchini, and onion. Feta cheese. Harissa mayo. All on a crunchy toasted sandwich roll. Now I want another one. I need to write this up as a recipe post. It was too good not to share.
That’s It. That’s the roundup for this week. Or last week. Whatever. Time isn’t real anymore.
Stay warm if you’re in the path of this winter weather. Stay safe. Make soup. Light a fire. Read a good book. And maybe stockpile some frozen lemonade concentrate, just in case.
What are you reading/watching/cooking/dealing with this week? Let me know in the comments.
P.S. If anyone has a frozen lemonade concentrate recipe that actually works, please share. I’m going to need it.
P.P.S. Holly Hunter in Star Trek was not on my 2026 bingo card, but I’m here for it.
P.P.P.S. Rest in peace, Catherine O’Hara. You were one of a kind.