Snoopy, Shalhoub, Writing Battles, and Chicken (Things I Loved: February 2026)

The Psych Movies (Peacock)

They exist for Lassie to get work and insurance. See, Timothy Omundson had a stroke before the Psych movies were filmed. The first one used him minimally, in a phone call, but the following two films used him in a larger role. This both showed the reality of living after a stroke and provided the actor with SAG health insurance.

Look, the movies are not award-worthy, but they are fun, like three verylong episodes. They are a bit too romance-y for me, but that is okay.

Snoopy’s Legendary Rooftop Concert

I normally hate Charlie Brown, but his wardrobe was unmatched. I recommend watching this whole thing, tbh. It’s magical.

Watching this incredible theme park stage show introduced us to the Jelly of the Month Club. In addition to being Snoopy’s house band, they also provide accessible, online music lessons for kids.

Shrinking

The accountability on this show gets my nips hard. I love all of them. I love how flawed they are and how human. This show is a learning show for me. That’s it. I’ll never shut up about this show. You’ll hear about it in March, too.

Tony Shalhoub

The fact that he exists brings tears to my eyes. We watched Monk this month, and he was perfect throughout. I found him to be less “assy” than Shawn Spencer from Psych, if I’m being honest. Maybe that’s because I’m an OCD bitch, so I understand the workings of his brain, even if our obsessions and/or compulsions do not line up.

Salmon

I love a fish that I can cook at home and doesn’t smell up the place.

The Olympic Opening Ceremonies

The music is doing it for me. The fashion is impeccable. I am eternally grateful to KPerks for reminding me they were on in the afternoon. I again hate that they have designed the ceremony for television rather than for the people watching in the stadium. I much prefer looking at one object that already exists vs. something created for Television.

Writing Battle!

At the urging of D, I participated in my first Writing Battle this month! It was a FUN time and is different than NYCMidnight competitions I participated in before. The one I started in February is peer-judged. Here is how it worked (so far):

• I paid my money.
• I waited until the start date.
• I received a:
  • Genre
  • Character
  • Object
• I had a few days to “reroll” and choose something else if I didn’t like my topics.
• I didn’t love my genre, but I stuck with it as a challenge to myself.
• I wrote a 1000-word story.
• I turned it in.
• I got two stories to:
  • read
  • critique
  • and choose a winner
• This happened 4 times (I think, I lost count).
• Now we await the winners.

Writing Battle also has pro-judged contests, which I will be participating in. The next one begins in April, and you can sign up here. I’m probably gonna be doing all of ’em. This has been veryfun so far.

Rose Byrne (HBOMax)

Rose Byrne was INCREDIBLE in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, and I will never, ever watch it again.

Super Bowl Halftime Show

Loved the music, costumes, and DANCING. Annoyed that they have designed the ceremony for television instead of the people watching in the stadium. (see above, basically)

Hamnet (VOD)

What a needle drop at the end. I do think Chloe Zhao chose Max Richter as a composer so that they could use “On the Nature of Daylight” for that pivotal scene and still get an Oscar nomination for Best Score. The use of that song throughout Arrival kept Jóhann Jóhannsson’s score from being nominated that year… which SUCKS because it was an iconic score, Max Richter use aside.

All this said, I love Max Richter’s score for Hamnet, but I do not want him to win. I’d rather him win for a wholly original score that doesn’t rely on one of his classic tracks. I’m rooting for Ludwig (Sinners) or Jerskin (Bugonia) in 2026.

Captain Stottlemeyer (Monk)

Okay, sure, he has some problematic views on women and masculinity, but I’m here for his friendship with Adrian Monk. He is SUCH a good friend to him. He believes Monk, and he believes IN him.

Fantasmas

Sharing this with Logan in podcast form, and it makes me so happy to feel seen on screen. And even happier to hear Logan getting similar energy from this show. You can watch us talk about this (and other!) shows on Fridays at about 2pm on Twitch or YouTube. We didn’t start streaming to YouTube until episodes 4&5 of Fantasmas.

Full Cooked Chicken

I can order one of these (with the most incredible Middle-Eastern rice) from no less than 5 restaurants near me and get, like, three meals out of it… including the MOST incredible soup and the best Chicken Salad I’ve ever had in my life. Sorry, Angela from Pepper Tree (RIP), your Chicken Salad has been dethroned after literal decades of holding my crown.

One of Them Days (VOD or Netflix)

SZA is a motherfucking STAR. Also, this movie was fun as hell.

Search Party Arriving on Netflix

This is one of my favorite shows of the 2000s. All five seasons just hit Netflix, and the Search Party subreddit is alive with new folks discovering this incredible work in escalation. Some hate it, some love it.

If you decide to watch, go in as blind as possible, but expect the characters to infuriate you. I would never want to be friends with them, but I love watching their drama unfold.

Also, this show is a “Jacki Talent” touchpoint. So many young actors who are gonna go big places are in this show. I would mention some of them, but I want you to be surprised as possible.

If you watch on Netflix, two things:

• Thing 1: DO NOT “Play Next Episode”. Netflix has apparently cut off the end of many of the episodes when you do this, so please pay attention and be aware. Every second of this show counts.
• Thing 2: TALK TO ME ABOUT IT. I love this show, and I love dissecting it.

Again, I can’t stress enough… go in as BLIND AS POSSIBLE.

No Other Choice (VOD)

Near perfect. Literally no notes on this movie. It’s my number 2 movie of the awards season (behind Sinners), and it got completely shut out. Fucking stupid.

The Moment (In Theaters via my A24 Membership)

You know what? I didn’t know what I was getting into with this movie and left a huge(er) fan of CharliXcX. The soundtrack/score has made it into my regular rotation, too.

Gimmie Eddy – Eddy Grant

Like a mix between Fela Kuti and Reggae by the same fella who brought us Electric Avenue. A fun time (with less fun lyrics).

Boston Public (DVD)

There will be a whole blog coming about this show. I am halfway through season one and, holy shit, y’all. This show WAS WILD and so ahead of its time.

Mr. Monk’s Last Case (Peacock)

This had no right being this sad. Really great, tho.

A Think I Did Not Like in February

The fourth season of Monk. They lost themselves a bit, but seem to get it back!