The Dog, the Kids, and the Witches

I ran more Scooby Doo as I had breakfast and got ready to head out late this morning. I didn't have to work until 5:30, so there was plenty of time to do what I had to do. Of course, I lost my keys and ended up spending twenty minutes looking for them. I can't lose my keys. Miss Ellie had the other set of house keys, and she's not there anymore. I have no idea if Andrew knows where they are in her house, or when Andrew and Linda are at their home a few blocks down. I eventually found them in the pocket of the capris I wore yesterday. Boy, do I still feel silly.

I lost so much time, I opted to move the planned run to the Oaklyn Library tomorrow and just did the other two errands I needed to get done. The first was a really big one. When I was on vacation, I got a form from the insurance company that said they couldn't process my claim for the orthopedics until they had more information. I needed the doctor to do the other side of the papers. Trouble is, the Camden County Foot and Ankle Center moved to Haddon Heights in December. Between my vacation and them being farther away, I'd just put off going up there.

Turns out the Foot and Ankle Center moved into the same building as Haddon Imaging, where I rode last fall to see if they'd check out my foot.  I found them easily once I knew where to look. The lobby alone was twice the size of the one in Oaklyn - no wonder they moved. Caroline the receptionist let me sign my part right there in the lobby. She said all Dr. Berlin needed to do was sign it, and she'd fill out the rest. She swore she'd send it out tomorrow and my orthopedics would arrive in a few weeks.

Rode straight to Lucile Roberts in Audubon for my first gym session this week. It was really, really quiet when I came in and did my 20 minutes on the stationary bike. By the time I was finishing on the leg weight machines, there were a few people in the weight machine area and no one on the cardio machines. I'll have to remember to come to the gym in mid-afternoon more often.

After I finished, I went home to have leftovers for lunch, bake Ginger Cookies (made with fruit concentrate and applesauce), and watch Scooby Doo: Curse of the Lake Monster. The second Cartoon Network-made live-action Scooby film takes the gang to Daphne's playboy uncle's (Ted McGinty) country club, where they all have jobs for the summer. A monster in the lake by the club appears and scares off all the guests, and may force the closure of the club...and the loss of the kids' jobs...if they don't find out what's really behind its appearance. Meanwhile, the kids are remembering they're teenagers with raging hormones. As in the current animated version, Daphne and Fred are chasing each other, Shaggy's chasing Velma, and Scooby's just wishes Shaggy would notice him. Velma's acting peculiar, even for her, and her behavior may be the key to finding out what the lake monster is and who controls it.

I was impressed. This was a really cute movie, and the closest to the cartoon of the four live-action Scooby Doo films. A leap ahead of the original Cartoon Network film, and more fun than either of the theatrical Scooby movies, too. For one thing, this is only about the second or third time in the entire Scooby franchise I've seen a story revolve around Velma, one of my favorite characters. (I'm also fond of Shaggy and Scooby.) Shaggy's fantasies of wooing Velma were totally adorable. I loved his vaudevillian "By the Light of the Silvery Moon," complete with barbershop quartet and Velma in a fancy dress and parasol. There were lots of gags from the original show incorporated (look for the famous in-and-out-of-doors routine towards the end). The music video representing the styles of 1969 through the early 90s at the end had nothing to do with anything but was enjoyable anyway. I still say you're better off with the original cartoon to introduce kids to Scooby, but if you or your kids ever catch this on DVD or Cartoon Network, you could do far worse.

Ran off to work as soon as the cookies were out of the oven. Work was busy for most of the night; we're still in the beginning of the month. Alas, I had to deal with some fairly obnoxious people. One woman gave me such a hard time over a meat sale and a sale on soda, even the people behind her complained. Another group bickered loudly the entire time they were in the store. They called a truce on the noise after they got up to me, but they were still sniping at each other. Thank heavens I didn't have many hours anyway and was able to get off with no problems.