The Apartment That Rocked

I couldn't believe how nice it was when I finally poked my head out this morning after breakfast. It had to be in the 60s, and though it was windy, it was sunny as could be. I didn't even need my heavy black coat. In fact, I was warm in my blue ribbed hoody sweater.

It was the perfect day for a short stroll to the bank and around the neighborhood. The bank was surprisingly busy for such a nice day, both inside and out. After I finally finished my transaction, I went for a short walk around the neighborhood, enjoying the fine weather. I saw a lot of other people outside, too, raking or pruning bushes or cleaning out cars. They were cutting down bushes at the Oaklyn Library. (I don't know why. I never saw anything wrong with their bushes before.)

When I got in, I put on Pirate Radio and cleaned the kitchen. Pirate Radio tells the story of a little-known piece of English rock history. In the late 50s and early 60s, the British government only played one hour of rock a day on the BBC. In protest, pirate radio stations sprung up on boats along the English coast, devoted to playing nothing but rock. The movie follows one such fictional radio station, Radio Rock, in 1966.

Like Fast Times at Ridgemount High and the Christopher Guest movies, this is an ensemble comedy. Not surprisingly, it also has a killer soundtrack that includes music by Dusty Springfield, the Beach Boys, the Hollies, the Rolling Stones, and the Who. It'll probably be best appreciated by those who are either fans of the music from this time period, mid-20th Century history in general, or of comedies with lots of great characters and not a lot of plot.

Pirate Radio literally ended just as I'd finished lunch and was getting ready to walk out the door. I had quite a ride to and from work. By this time, it was very, very windy and getting cloudier by the minute (though it remained warm). I was luckier I wasn't later than I was.

Work was very busy all day, though not out of line with the first weekend of the month. Other than a couple of old ladies who gave me a hard time about bagging, there were no major problems.

I held off doing my own grocery shopping until tonight because I worked so late last night. I mostly needed fruit, anyway - strawberries, oranges, grapefruit, bananas, apples, and tangerines. I bought asparagus on sale. Restocked dried fruit, ground chicken, packs of fish, a can of crushed pineapple, chicken soup, and oatmeal.