Balance On A Busy Day

Whew! I've had a long day. Started it with yoga class to make up for missing it yesterday. Even arriving ten minutes early, the place was packed. At least 22 people jammed into the small Yogawood studio to work on the shoulders and "core" (i.e, stomach). We couldn't do much else. It was kind of hard to move around squeezed together like that. On the other hand, I agree with Micki that the energy level in the room was fabulous. It's a good reminder of why I enjoy these classes.

Next stop was the Collingswood Library, which I also skipped yesterday. I just put away DVDs and did a lot of DVD organizing. They all needed it. I didn't get to the Collingswood Library last week. I didn't have the time, with the extra hours at work.

Rode straight home after that...but it was too nice of a day to stay inside for long. It was sunny, breezy, and in the lower 60s, same as yesterday. I had a leftover chicken leg and spinach for lunch, then went right back out again.

Headed for the Acme next. I picked up my paycheck, did grocery shopping, and got my schedule. While I do have some late hours (including a 4:30-9 on Thursday), I also have some earlier hours (10-4 on Friday) and more of them. I'll take that.

The Acme was surprisingly quiet for the time of day and year. I'm guessing everyone's waiting for next week to start stocking up for Thanksgiving. In any event, I didn't need much. Quaker was having a $1.99 sale on cereal and granola bars - bought regular Life (a favorite of mine) and the new Chocolate Mint Granola Bars and Raspberry Mocha Granola Squares. Got Acme's not-bad generic light yogurt, the only yogurt on a good sale. Bought shrimp on a really good sale and three of those packs of individual servings of fish that make a great quick dinner. Stocked up on canola oil.

I had lots to do, so I headed right home. I put everything away, then went for a walk on the White Horse Pike. I stopped at the post office to finally get my sister's birthday card out. Went a block to the bank to deposit my paycheck. Browsed in the House of Fun. Stopped at WaWa for milk, a pretzel, and a Coke Zero with chocolate and raspberry syrups.

After I got home, I spent the rest of the evening baking and watching movies. I started a baguette before leaving for my chores. I formed it into a long shape after I came home, then let it double in size while I made Cranberry-Orange Muffins.

Ran several videos I hadn't gotten to watching yet while baking. The Great Waltz is a sweeping MGM operetta in the same vein as the Jeanette MacDonald/Nelson Eddy movies. Ferdinand Gravet is the young Johann Strauss, who writes memorable music while being caught up in the whirl of Viennese life in the 1840s and 50s, including a student revolution. But while he does love his wife (Luise Rainer), he's also infatuated with the diva who helps create one of his most famous compositions, "Tales of the Vienna Woods" (Miliza Korjus).

I don't know anything about Strauss, other than I like some of his music, so I can't tell you what's fact and what's fiction here. The movie was filmed by French cinema great Julian Duvivier, and it does have a certain flair to it, from the whirling "Viennese Woods" number to the stirring "Blue Danube" finale montage.

On the other hand, the script is a bit of a bore. Rainer, Korjus, and half the German-accent character actors on the MGM lot do their best to lift a storyline that's fun in spots but really lacks inventiveness and devolves into a routine soap opera in the second half. This currently isn't available on DVD, but if you ever run into it on video or TCM, stay for the not-bad leading ladies, Oscar-winning cinematography, and amazing costumes...not for the plot.

Switched to little-known Christmas specials while I made salmon, honey-wine-glazed carrots, and Chilled Golden Beet Soup for dinner. Snowden's Christmas was one of the big holiday offerings for 1999. I remember it being huge at the time, with tons of toys on the shelves at Target and even a float at the Macy's Parade. Ironically, all the fuss was for a what amounted to a so-so Toy Story knock-off. Four toys, including the title stuffed snowman, head for New York so they can be with their little boy for Christmas. Fairly cute, with decent Claymation, but nothing you haven't seen before.

I found Yes Virgina, There Is A Santa Claus at a yard sale a few years ago. It's the oft-told real-life tale of the little girl of the title who wrote a letter to the editor of a New York newspaper asking him about the existence of Santa. The twist is the special was done by the same people who made the Peanuts specials and looks and sounds like it, with a similar animation style and familiar voice actors. I'm surprised Paramount didn't try to add this onto one of their original Peanuts releases as a bonus short - it apparently did win an Emmy in the 70s, according to the box.

Oh, and the baguette came out very well, nice and chewy.