Started off a late morning with cereal and The Backyardigans. They did three mildly horror-oriented episodes, starting with "It's Great to Be a Ghost" from the first season. Uniqua, Pablo, and Tyrone play a spooky game of hide-and-seek when they pretend to be ghosts. Uniqua and Pablo are having fun, but Tyrone's a little scared. Tasha shows up, claiming she's never scared...but it's the least-likely kid who finally does frighten her.
I wanted to get my major errands done today, starting with the library runs. Hit the Oaklyn Library first. It was surprisingly busy there for an on-and-off sunny day, with several people on the computer and a mother and her daughter playing games in the children's area. I did a little organizing in the adult section, but I mainly worked with the children's books and DVDs and the young adult novels.
Headed across Newton Lake Park after leaving Oaklyn. Fall's slowly spreading across the park. The trees are just starting to show signs of color. Many of the summer flowers have vanished; the green plants in the lake are disappearing, too. Oh, and as it turns out, they weren't demolishing the stone pavilion next to the green and yellow playground. They were just giving it a new roof. It looks like they're just about done.
The Haddon Township Library was even busier than Oaklyn was. There was plenty to do and lots to shelve! The kids' section still has too many "S" DVDs - they didn't close to fit on the shelf. The adult titles do, too, but they have more room to stuff DVDs between the stacks. I ended up with four movies - Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Star Trek Into Darkness, and two made-to-order titles, the Doris Day musical I'll See You In My Dreams that was just released into the Warner Archives a few months ago, and the romantic drama Kentucky with Loretta Young from the 20th Century Fox Cinema Archives.
Went to the Westmont Bagel Shop for lunch. They were an hour from closing when I had my roasted veggie wrap and fries, but were still surprisingly busy. I saw a couple of office workers and an old man as I listened to Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and Jeopardy!.
After lunch, I made a quick stop at a busy Dollar Tree for sponges, bath salt, and birthday cards. Two of my best friends, Amanda and Lauren, have birthdays this month. I had to go back in the long line and get the cards after I already made my order; the lady didn't see the cards under the bath salts.
I dodged heavy rush-hour traffic and two very funny boys who were trying to ride one skateboard as I made my way to the Acme for this week's grocery trip. I mainly needed meat - ended up with chicken tenders, the buy-one-get-one spiced chicken deal, and three packets of fish fillets. Had a coupon for three bags of Nestle Chocolate Chip, and they were on sale for $2.50, so I restocked. I also stocked up on frozen green beans (the Green Giant frozen vegetable boxes were 79 cents), and cooking oil (Crisco was $2.99).
I'm not all that happy with my schedule next week. While I'm going to have a good-sized paycheck, I don't have another day off after tomorrow until next Saturday! I hate it when they do that. It means I'll be a stressed-out mess by the end of the week. And when am I supposed to get my chores and errands done? The only day I don't work in the middle of the day is Monday. The trouble is, all those college kids they hired in the summer are back in school, and can now only work during the evenings and on weekends. I'd be more appreciative of my hours if they were more consistent.
When I got home, I ran I'll See You In My Dreams as I got organized, then as I made spiced chicken cutlets, corn on the cob, and spinach salad for dinner. Gus Kahn (Danny Thomas) may not be a well-known name today, but you've probably hummed one of his songs at least once in your life. "Love Me Or Leave Me," "Makin' Whoopee," "Carolina In the Morning," and "It Had to Be You" are just a few of the songs he wrote the lyrics for. His beloved wife Grace (Doris Day) was originally a song plugger who first partnered him, then married him. She keeps pushing him along, into bigger and better projects, even after the Depression wipes out his cash and a heart attack nearly wipes out him.
Kahn died in 1941, but Grace was still alive when this movie debuted a decade later, and her input makes this charming bio-pic more honest than most. Like MGM's Three Little Words, there's no spectacle or big musical numbers here - it's even shot in black and white. The closest we get is Patrice Wymore doing "Love Me Or Leave Me" with a few chorus girls. My favorite number is "Makin' Whoopee." No backstage doings or melodrama - just Thomas and Day having fun with a duet on a train. While the latter half, with Kahn's difficulties in the 30s and Wymore making a play for him, isn't as enjoyable, the movie is still worth seeking out for fans of Day, Thomas, or smaller-scale musicals.
Ended the day as I began, with The Backyardigans. This time, Princess CleoTasha is searching for "The Key to the Nile," which will refill the river and make the Niles' banks green again. Trouble is, Tasha takes that princess thing quite literally and refuses to thank her pages Austin, Pablo, and Tyrone as they help her look for presents for the Sphinx Uniqua, who will tell them how to get the water back if given the right gifts.
No comments:
Post a Comment