Harvest Adventures

I began a cloudy and slightly humid morning with the American Top 40.  Casey jumped ahead to 1982, when country, pop, and R&B ruled the airwaves. The hits that week included "Hurts So Good" and "Jack and Diane" by John Cougar (Melloncamp), "Love Will Turn You Around" by Kenny Rogers, "Vacation" by the Go-Gos, "Abracadabra" by the Steve Miller Band, "You Should Hear How He Talks About You" by Melissa Manchester, and "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" by Chicago.

That week's big hit was the theme from one of the blockbuster movies of that summer, "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor, from Rocky III.

I've been wanting to get to the thrift shop at the Logan Presbyterian Church in Audubon for a while now, but I haven't had the time. As it turns out, it was just as well. They were closed for July and most of August. Today is the first time they've been open since June! I donated most of my Care Bears (I only kept a few - I really don't have the room for them), an old messenger bag from college, and a stack of videos, records, books, and comics.

There were lots of yard sales for the first time in weeks. I checked out three in Audubon, three in Collingswood, and two in Oaklyn. They were all very disappointing. I ended up buying a pretzel in Audubon and a cup of kid-sold lemonade in Oaklyn, but nothing else.

Did far better at the Farm Market. The sun had come out by then; it wasn't that hot, but it did remain humid. Despite the weather, the Market was crawling with people buying produce for barbecues and family get-togethers. This is the height of the summer harvest season, but fall is waiting in the wings. I saw the first acorn squash and small Gala apples of the season. I ended up with the small Galas, plums, peaches, cucumbers, two tomatoes (a bright red Jersey and one a bit more purple-y), Chinese beans, honey, and zucchini.

I got in around 12. I had leftovers for lunch and nursed my sore fingers while running The Adventures of Tin Tin. The same odd motion capture animation that was used for the recent Disney A Christmas Carol was also employed here, and while the results are still too waxy, they do look much better than the holiday film.

It's hardly surprising that old action hands Peter Jackson and Steven Spielburg helmed this one. It's up both their alleys. Tin Tin (Jamie Bell), a curious young reporter in 40s Europe, and his beloved dog Snowy are thrust into an adventure when Tin Tin buys a ship model and three men immediately want to buy it. Tin Tin's attempts to find out what's going on lead him to being kidnapped and imprisoned on a ship that has been keelhauled by the wealthy Sakharine (Daniel Craig). He's after the treasure that the clue found in the model ship leads to...and won't let anything or anyone stop him from obtaining the other clues. He also holds the very drunk Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis) hostage. The duo and the dog must fight their way through rough seas, hot deserts, and a foggy Europe to find out what Haddock knows, how it ties into his family history, and where the other clues are.

This is based after the long-running comic books from Europe surrounding Tin Tin and his many escapades. While I never read the comics, I do have vague but fond memories of the cartoon that ran on HBO in the late 80s. The still-developing animation aside, this one certainly lives up to that...and then some! It has more in common with Spielburg's Indiana Jones romps than Jackson's darker fantasy tales, so if you're a fan of Indy or Tin Tin, by all means, this is a total blast. Special mention to Haddock's amazingly animated pirate tales and to that much-talked-about motorcycle chase across a desert city.

I headed to work not long after Tin Tin ended. Pretty standard for the time of year and month - very busy through about 7PM, quiet afterwards. A manager came in for me, as the other cashier was late getting back from break.

Mixed feelings on my schedule next week. On one hand, Monday is the only really late night, and I have three days off. On the other hand, I don't have nearly enough hours. Hopefully, things will pick up a bit next week as we hit Labor Day Weekend and the kids return to school.