Salad Days

It was a gorgeous day when I got up this morning. The sun shown through my bedroom window, the sky was a rich blue, and it while it was still pretty chilly at that point, it was warmer than it has been. I finished off The Desert Song as I ate breakfast. I dubbed the 1953 film version of the 1925 operetta a couple of years ago. Professor Paul Bedard (Gordon MacRae) moonlights as El Khobar, the desert chieftan who leads the Riffs to victory in the Sudan and helps the natives against a scheming sultan. Bedard wants the French to listen to his views on helping the natives, but they just think he's a quiet little teacher...until the spirited Margot (Kathryn Grayson) appears from Paris. He becomes her tutor. She thinks he's a bore, but he falls for her. Can he make her see the appeal of the desert...and what the French and the sultan are doing to its people?

Fun stuff if you can find it. MacRae is much too stiff as the passionate desert leader, but Grayson is having a ball as Margot. Alas, neither this nor the 1929 and 1943 versions are available on DVD at this writing, though I believe a TV version with Nelson Eddy is. Keep an eye on TCM if you're a fan of MacRae, Grayson, or old-fashioned operetta adventure.

Headed out as soon as the movie was over. By the time I was in Newton River Park, it was far more spring-like, in the upper 60s-lower 70s, than it has been. I dodged just about half of Haddon Township this morning, and I can't blame them for being out and about. The park is gorgeous; the trees are all in flower, the riverbank is lined with yellow starbursts, and the grass is a vibrant shade of lime green.

The Haddon Township Library was much quieter when I got in, especially as this week's Storybook Hour had been canceled for some reason. I almost wish it hadn't. The children's DVD racks were overloaded again. No amount of organizing could fit everything in where it belonged. I had to leave some of it on the return cart. Just barely squeezed some of the adult titles in, too. There was nothing else to do there, so I moved on. Didn't take anything out again this week; I have plenty to read and watch at home.

I wanted a real lunch, not just a sandwich or pizza. I ended up at Friendly's. It was about noon by that point, and they were fairly busy. I still managed to get a booth up front. Since I enjoyed my Pear Spinach Salad so much last week, I ordered a salad this week, too. This time, I went with the Asian Chicken Salad. It wasn't quite as good as that Pear Salad last week, but it wasn't bad, either. The chicken was a bit spicy, and so hot off the grill, I had to let it cool down for a few moments. The additions here were almonds, wonton strips, and sweet mandarin oranges. It made for a very tasty meal; once again, I ate almost the entire plate.

Went straight home after lunch. I didn't have the time for any running around this week. I looked up dentists online when I got in. I haven't been to a dentist in a while, and my teeth have been acting up. I finished that with just enough time to get my things together, change into my work shirt, and hurry out to the Acme.

Probably due to the nice weather, work was pretty much the same as it was yesterday - quiet when I came in, quiet when I left, steady only during rush hour. There were no major problems, and I was in and out.