Magic To Do In Manhattan

Began the day with a laundry run. It was a big one, too. I had towels and linens to do along with my regular clothes. Thankfully, they weren't that busy at all when I got in. I listened to Let's Make a Deal, read Women Who Run With the Wolves, and watched the manager and a couple of repair men fix the larger, front-loading washing machines.

It was after I left the laundromat that it happened. I took the bike to the laundromat in order to avoid any rainy weather. My laundry bag was perched on my bike basket. Shortly after I crossed the street, the bag suddenly fell off. I rolled over it before I could stop myself. The bag got caught under the wheels. One thing lead to another...and down I and the bike went.

I got really, really lucky. My sneaker got caught in the frame of the bike, but it was the thick back sole and didn't hurt at all. I have bumps and bruises (including two dillies on my upper thighs), my left knee was skinned and bruised, and I think I might have pulled a few muscles in my front left shoulder. My other knee and feet were fine, and I was able to ride home upset and shaken but not permanently damaged.

As it turned out, the only other things that were hurt were my cargo capris (which now have small blood stains and holes in the bottom) and the laundry bag, which is a hole-filled mess and will have to be replaced. The laundry itself was unharmed, as were the book (good thing I put it in a plastic bag to keep it from getting wet in case of rain), the detergent bottle, and my bike. The box of drier sheets got squished, but the sheets themselves look all right.

When I got home, I cheered myself up with lunch, then made Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies while watching Bell, Book, and Candle. This 1958 comedy takes us to New York, where curio shop owner Gillian (Kim Novak) bewitches handsome if staid publisher Shep (James Stewart) away from his obnoxious fiancee. No, really bewitches him. She's an actual witch, as are her eccentric aunt Queenie (Elsa Lanchester) and whimsical brother Nick (Jack Lemmon). Thing is, Gillian can't fall for Shep, as much as she'd like to. If a witch falls in love, they lose their powers. Not to mention, there's the writer (Ernie Kovacs) who is determined to sniff out witches among Manhattan's underground beatnik culture...and it doesn't help that Nick is more than happy to lend a hand.

While some of this is mildly dated (including what she gives up in the end), for the most part, this is still a fun and unusual look at how underground sophistication tends to clash with "normal" morality...and how hard it can be to let one in over the other. Although Stewart isn't bad as the befuddled publisher, it's Novak and the supporting cast who really shine, especially Lemmon and Lanchester as her magical family and Hermione Gingold as a colorful older witch. Great color cinematography, too, especially in the opening sequences set during Christmas.

Stewart was far from the only normal guy to find himself up against supernatural forces. Harry Stone deals with an older woman who may or may not have clairvoyant powers and gets her to lift a "curse" on the court staff in the second season Night Court episode "The Gypsy." In the third season Perfect Strangers episode "The Horn Blows at Midnight," a female medium predicts that Larry will die that evening. Larry doesn't believe a word, but Balki does, and then strange coincidences start happening...

Animated characters had their own bouts with the supernatural. Garfield chases a magician's dog around a magic shop in "Magic Mutt" and deals with a gypsy curse of his own in "The Carnival Curse." When obnoxious witch Emerald turns her powers and her annoying laugh on a local pastry shop, the Sailor Soldiers find themselves up to their ears in icing and danger in "Emerald Bakes Up Trouble."

It started monsoon-level pouring during Bell, Book, and Candle. I called Dad for a ride again. It wasn't raining when he picked me up at 3:30, but it didn't look great out there, either. The rain continued on-and-off all night...and scared off a lot of our customers. It was steady all night, and only once during rush hour was it more than mildly busy. I did have to get a manager to take my line so I could get out, though.

Today was my last day of work until next week. As of now, I am officially on vacation! Lauren will be visiting starting tomorrow night; before that, I have a lot of things to do, including this week's library volunteering run.