It’s the End of the Month as We Know It

From Royal Arrests to Celebrity Goodbyes: Your February Recap.

Winter up here in Wisconsin inevitably means more screen time. Granted, I’m doing my darndest to keep up with my ‘read two books a week’ goal (not always hitting it, but I keep trying), instead of Googling beachy getaways.

The problem with going on vacation in the winter up here is that you escape to get sand and sun…and then you come back to subzero wind chills and perpetually gray skies.

As someone whose mood seems to hinge on how much sunshine she’s getting every day, let’s just say I moved up here for love, cause it sure wasn’t the weather.

Anyway. Been scrolling a little too much this month, and what a month it's been.

Is This What Accountability Looks Like?

‘The Sleaze Formerly Known as Prince Andrew’ being arrested was not on my 2026 bingo card, but hot damn.

Former ambassador Peter Mandelson was also arrested this week, both men being accused of misconduct in public office.

What a rare moment when an institution that usually feels untouchable is suddenly…well, touchable.

Across Europe and other regions, leaked names allegedly tied to the Epstein files are sparking backlash, protests, and fierce calls for accountability.

Some countries seem to be moving remarkably faster than others…

It’s Too Soon in the Year For All These Goodbyes

We’ve lost a surprising number of pretty notable figures this month, people whose work, humor, talent, or simple presence left a legacy that the rest of us can only hope to aspire to.

A few who stood out for me:

Robert Duvall: I envy anyone with that level of gravitas. In an industry that seems to reward volume, his forte was restraint.

Jesse Jackson: Civil rights activist, minister, and political force for over forty years. He could be polarizing at times, but never irrelevant.

Grady Demond Wilson: As a child of the 80s, I grew up watching Sanford and Son, and he was half the magic.

The full list is longer than I could possibly cover here. But it is a reminder that time waits for no one, something I’ll be writing more about next week.

The Olympics ('Cause I Can’t Think of a Catchy Title For This One)

The 2026 Winter Olympics provided jubilation, heartbreak, drama, and something for people to argue about besides politics (thank God).

That said, I didn't really watch all that much of it. I saw the “quad god” and Alysa Liu’s hair trending on TikTok, both of which seemed to spark more interest than the medal counts, which feels about right for this year.  

Meanwhile, the U.S. men’s hockey team won its first gold since 1980, while the women snagged their third. I'm very happy for all of them.

Because we must have controversy, there have, of course, been cheating allegations and even disqualifications. And that whole U.S. Hockey/State of the Union "joke" added drama we sure as hell didn’t need.

My take: Athletes will keep doing what they do. The internet will keep doing what it does.

The real ones don't need validation or pay attention to something that was "just a joke" (which it rarely is).
They just keep on winning.

The Súper Bowl

You know I already covered this here. But just for some follow-up details: it peaked at 137.8 million viewers, marking the highest peak in U.S. television history.

Seven AI companies made commercials this year, making it the most prominent new ad category.

A record 103 celebrity appearances across 39 different ads.

None of them Avengers: Doomsday.

Yes, I’m still salty, and yes, I know there have been four other Doomsday trailers. I don’t care. Gimme more.

Movies To Look Forward To (Since Weather Sucks Here Until May)

• Mortal Kombat II: The final trailer dropped, and now I’m in the mood to fire up my Xbox.
• Scream 7: Wait, we’re at seven now? I remember going to the first one like it was yesterday. Damn, I’m old.
• The Devil Wears Prada 2: About damn time.
• Crime 101: Hemsworth and Ruffalo in a crime thriller. Say less.
• The Madison: Praying: Please, Taylor Sheridan, please don’t screw this up. I miss Yellowstone.

Trending news (AKA, mixed bag that didn’t fit anywhere else)

A record-setting blizzard is hammering the Mid-Atlantic and New England, bringing deep snow, power outages, and a snowball fight that turned political.

We can’t have anything, y’all.  

Robert Downey Jr. (c’mon, you knew I was gonna work another Marvel angle in here somewhere) was just crowned the official “godparent” of Disney’s newest cruise ship, the Disney Adventure.

Good for him.

Personally, I swore off cruise ships after my first and only attempt. On the way to Bermuda, our ship listed so hard that dishes shattered, pool water launched across the deck, hot tubs nearly drained, and people were literally falling out of elevators.

I was gripping the dinner table, dressed in my best, including heels not meant for running, much less swimming, in a restaurant many decks below, watching our dinner slide straight off the table while the floor tilted under us.

You could hear all the plates crashing to the floor – it felt straight out of Titanic in that moment.

Ever the cool-headed one, my now-husband, then-boyfriend, calmly assured me, “I got you. Don’t worry.”

Unconvinced, I squawked, “What exactly are you going to do, Aquaman? Swim us to shore??"

The crew remained diligently tight-lipped about what happened, so obviously, we blame the Bermuda Triangle.

So yeah, I’ll stick to dry land for any further Disney magic, thankyouverymuch.

A man in Pennsylvania set fire to his townhouse to kill spiders, a genius solution that ended up spreading to other townhouses.

I fully empathize with that urge, but not the execution.

A Wisconsin man admitted to drinking Fabuloso cleaner before ending up naked in public and leading police on an 18-miles chase in a stolen ambulance…with a patient inside it.

“Wisconsin Man” is the new "Florida Man".

Influencer Tara Woodcox has sparked major backlash after an old TikTok of her resurfaced, in which she discusses putting her underwear in a hotel room coffee maker as an 'emergency cleaning hack'.

She now says it was a joke.

Jokes are supposed to be funny. And again, are also rarely just jokes.

Anyway, real or not, I'm glad I converted to lobby coffee years ago.
We truly cannot have nice things.

Here's a travel hack: bring 35 pairs of underwear for a 7-day trip, like the rest of us.

Personally, I always pack as if I might repeatedly shit myself.

For a month with only 28 days, February has been eventful to say the least.  

Next week, I’m kicking off March by writing about something much closer to home: a story about a brotherhood of chefs, empty seats at the table, and why postponing “until next year” feels a lot riskier than it used to.