Back On the Road

I slept in a little and spent a lot of the morning reading El Dorado and writing in my journal. I didn't really get going until around 10. I looked up some things online, then had breakfast while watching more Three Stooges shorts. Curly Joe is "The Classical Clinker" when Moe tries to pass him off as an opera singer by having him lip-sync to records. The Stooges do their best to dodge Dirty Dan Dimwitty, who has won every car race with his tricks, in "There Auto Be a Law." The Stooges are "Movie Scars" when they get jobs as stunt men in a big epic, but every stunt goes wrong.

I finally decided it would be easier to just catch a ride to Haddonfield and get my bike some professional help. Dad wasn't home when I called him. He called me back when I was already half-way down the street, on my way to the Collingswood Train Station. I met him at the parking lot across from the Manor Bar on West Clinton. It was past noon by then. The traffic in Haddonfield wasn't great, but we did make it there. He dropped me off on a side street.

It finally took about 20 minutes to fix the back tire, pump both tires, and give the bike some oil. I had a little time to admire the remodeling job they'd been doing at Freestyle. The jumbled mess was replaced by organized racks of bikes, gleaming new hardwood floors, soothing celery-green walls, and a longer and more elaborate counter.

I made a quick stop at the pizza parlor across from Freestyle for lunch. I wasn't that hungry; just grabbed a glass of Diet Pepsi and a slice of ricotta and cheese with spinach, tomatoes, and broccoli. The majority of the roads here are mostly clear, and I had no problems taking the back streets over to Haddon Township after I finished.

I made it to the Haddon Township Library at a good time. It was quiet there, probably due to the warm day and the clouds that were building up, even as I arranged the children's DVDs. By the time I was working on the adult titles and clearing out anything that didn't belong, it was pouring and thundering. Once again, I opted not to take anything out myself. I'm afraid I may not have the time (or the energy) to return them next week, given what this week was like.

It was still raining hard when I left the library. I ducked into Tuesday Morning to avoid the weather. Didn't find anything there, not even WebKinz. When the rain finally started slowing down, I got back on the bike, stopping only at WaWa on the way home for milk and money from the ATM machine.

After I got in, I went upstairs, loaded my laundry into a bag, and went right back out. I really had to get that done today. While the rain got rid of a lot of the snow and ice, it didn't eliminate all of it. There's still quite a bit of ice and dirty snow piles on the curbs. When I tried to get the rusty old cart over the ice, the front wheels broke off! I didn't have the time to do anything else or fix the wheels, so I just pulled the cart backwards.

The laundromat was busy when I arrived, mostly with college students who were doing loads between classes. I read El Dorado and listened to Action News mostly discuss today's warm weather and the cold front that's supposed to be coming in by the end of next week. I did have a big load, so it was nearly dark before I made it home.

I ran into my landlord Andrew on the way and apologized about the cart. Honestly, from what he said, I don't think he even knew the darn thing was there before. It probably belonged to Miss Ellie. I'll buy a new one as soon as I can get a new one home - this time, one that actually belongs to me.

I was too tired after my long week to do much more than put the clothes away, have leftovers for dinner, and watch the first half of Lovely to Look At when I got in. The semi-operetta Roberta is reworked for the 50s, as the two musicians of the original become a trio of show business pals (Red Skelton, Howard Keel, Gower Champion) who desperately want to get their show on Broadway. When Skelton inherits half of a Parisian fashion house, his buddies pressure him to sell...until they see that the owners of the other half are the lovely Kathryn Grayson and Marge Champion. Keel's dancer girlfriend (Ann Miller) throws a spanner into the works when she shows up looking for the boys. A producer who wants to put their show on Broadway after all may make even more problems.

Not bad, not great. There's some nice dance numbers from the Champions, especially the lovely "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes," and Skelton's "Go and Tell Aunt Rhodie" bit is still a riot. Fun for fans of fabulous 50s fashion (Adrian did the costumes for the elaborate finale), big MGM musicals, or any of the cast.