Homework and Work at Home

Very quiet day. I once again slept in, then spent what was left of the morning making phone calls. I finally got a hold of Donna at the Acme. She gave me the website and phone number for the State of New Jersey's Department of Labor, which apparently deals with disability claims. I called them a bit later. They put me through to a fellow named Dan, who confirmed that my claim had gone through, and the money should be on its way.

WebKinz just completely redid its site map. It's now interactive. You can move the buildings around, add road wherever you like, and even set up your own forests and picnic areas. I fiddled around with it for a couple of hours. It took me a while to get the hang of it, but once you do, it's really fun. Five of your pets, four random ones and the one you're using at the moment, stroll on the roads. You can even get them to enter buildings.

After a late lunch, I did some reading. This time, I went through the first few chapters of If I Don't Do It Now, a book I picked up from the used book shop in Collingswood a few years ago. It's kind of the same thing as The 10 Laws of Career Reinvention, but geared towards women 35 and over instead of everyone. I did the multiple choice quiz in Chapter 3. I'll do more of the activities in that chapter tomorrow.

Ran one of my favorite movies, The Band Wagon, while making Ginger Cookies and leftovers for dinner. Fred Astaire plays Tony Hunter, a washed-up Hollywood dancer who wants to make a comeback on Broadway. Cranky pianist Oscar Levant and perky Broadway star Nanette Fabray are the married composers and playwrights who have fabricated a light musical stage vehicle for his comeback. The problems start when they engage currently-popular director/actor Jerry Cordova (British stage star Jack Buchanon)  to direct. Uber-serious and egotistical Cordova has his own ideas of how the show should be run, including hiring ballerina Gabby (Cyd Charisse) who is Hunter's complete opposite, in age and dance genre. The show goes badly and looks like it may flop...until Gabby and Tony rebel.

If you're a fan of MGM musicals, Fred Astaire, or musicals in general, you absolutely must look up this one. The two-disc set is worth the cost, especially the making-of documentary that explains just how troubled this seemingly light frappe was.