The Chic Chickadee

Spent most of the morning in bed! I was up late last night and didn't get up until quarter after 10. By the time I'd written in my journal, gotten dressed, and had breakfast, it was almost noon. I headed over to the Acme to pick up my paycheck. Went to Wal-Mart. Wanted to get a bra but didn't see any my size that I liked. (Do they all have to be padded? It's not like I need the padding!) They didn't have any halos for angel costumes, either, just scary stuff. I'd do a scary costume, but I don't want to do elaborate face make-up...and my round face and figure just weren't meant to frighten people. My teddy bears are scarier than I am. Besides, I still have those white wings leftover from my fairy costume two years ago. I just ended up with brushes for between the teeth and the Rankin-Bass movie Mad Monster Party?. I made a quick stop at FYE to see if they had the black cat (nope), then went to the Acme to do my grocery shopping and headed home.

After I put everything away and had a quick cereal lunch, I went back out again. Since I had to go to the bank anyway, I kept going and headed for Willie the Woodsman's, the small gift shop in Audubon that carries WebKinz. They also didn't have the Black Cat, but they did have another WebKinz I was looking for, the Chickadee. I got my first Lil'Kinz flying pet and a Pumpkin outfit for my bat Boo. I don't normally buy the clothes for the real stuffed animals. It's one thing to do it for onscreen animals you're playing with, but it seems silly and pointless for the real ones. Boo's supposed to be a decoration, though, and I thought it would look festive.

I stopped by Abbie Road and said "hi" to Bob on the way back. He works a second job at the Acme in Runnemede, but it doesn't sound like he will for much longer. The night crew apparently lost so many hours, most are quitting. I did finally buy a used Fleetwood Mac CD that has my favorite of their songs on it, "Seven Wonders." I also picked up some pumpkin-shaped sugar cookies at Desserts By Design.

I watched Mad Monster Party? after I got home. Boy, what a weird trip THAT was. It was almost as mind-blowing as Vertigo yesterday, but in a totally different way. That was artsy. This was just plain bizarre. Baron Von Frankenstein (voice - and the likeness - of Boris Karloff) wants to retire and intends to leave all his secrets, including his newest one, to his nephew Felix. Trouble is, Felix is not only a mega-nerd, but a human one as well, which doesn't sit well with his hot assistant Francesca or any of the other monsters gathered for a convention. Francesca and the monsters try their best to get Felix off the island and the Baron to change his mind.

When Phyllis Diller (as the Bride of Frankenstein) is the least strange thing on the screen, you KNOW a movie's weird. Apparently, the movie was one of three Rankin-Bass features released in the mid-60s after the success of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. None of them ever really made it past kiddie matinees and fell out of sight all together before they were finally released on video a few years ago. As the only even remotely Halloween-tinged Rankin-Bass project, this one's a lot of fun. Karloff is a wonderful warm and yet creepy Baron, and singer Gale Bennett is fine as the scheming Francesca. You can tell this was intended for the big screen - the sets, choreography, and animation is more elaborate than the holiday specials, there's more special effects, and the color's eye-popping. The horror icons who turn up are a lot of fun too, ranging from the browbeaten Frankenstein's monster to the odd Peter Lorre-like zombie. Weird, but recommended for people who prefer their Halloween scares more comic and less gruesome or for those of you who want to explore the less cutesy side of Rankin-Bass.

Oh, and meet Chicka, my chic little chickadee! I built two rooms with the money she came with, an airy room for her (complete with the POTM cloud machine), and a small bathroom with the last of the Halloween items. I also got to buy Chicka a cute little blouse with a butterfly on it from the KinzStyle bag.