Finished out Doc McStuffins as I ate breakfast this morning. Doc herself is the one who gets hurt in "Run Doc Run." She twists her ankle while practicing for a marathon with her dad. She found a toy that fell out of a child's bag. She and the "My Little Pony"-style unicorn both learn a lesson when she has to figure out how to rest her ankle and take care of her patient. "Hallie's Happy Birthday" was unusual in that there was really no patient - Doc and her crew give Hallie the Nurse Hippo a surprise party, but they try to give her a lot of work to keep her from figuring it out. Chilly has to "Think Pink" when he's washed with the dark colors and gets turned pale rose. He's embarrassed by his new color, until Doc reminds him that changes to the body can sometimes make us special. "You Foose, You Lose" when Doc has to figure out why her brother's star Fooseball goalie is sticking (and teach kids a little about sports medicine in the process).
Made a "Lazy Daisy Oatmeal Cake" from the Vintage Cakes book. It came out pretty well, moist and sweet.
Work was pretty quiet for most of the day. It was so quiet, a lot of the managers spent the time cleaning. It did pick up by rush hour, but I was done by then. The managers sent one of the college kids in for me so I could get out on time.
When I got home, I first finished out the rest of that collection of Red Skelton YouTubes clips Lauren sent me a few months ago. Seeing Red is a short Skelton did for Warners when he first came to Hollywood in the mid-30s. An executive fires Red, then keeps seeing him everywhere at a nightclub, from at the door to taking his order to onstage. Lucile Ball and Red did a cute routine on one of their shows that had them as hobos (he's his Freddie the Freeloader character) doing a song, then performing a pantomime of a matre'd and a customer at a fancy restaurant.
Moved to Planes: Fire & Rescue as I made baked salmon, honey-glazed carrots, and Cheddar Cornmeal Muffins for dinner. Dusty Crophopper is devastated when an important part of his engine breaks and no one can find a replacement part. He can't fly fast, or he risks crashing. In order to help his friends at the hanger re-open after a fire, he flies to a national park to be certified as a firefighter. Firefighting isn't an easy job, and it's even more difficult because the firefighters are looking at a rapidly shrinking financial base. Most of their money is going to a newly remodeled hotel and its used-car-salesman manager. Dusty has to prove that he has the guts to be a real hero, especially when a wildfire gets out of control and starts heading straight for the hotel!
While this was by and large a rehash of the first movie (plane overcomes fears and equipment problems to become a hero), I actually liked it a little bit more. This isn't just about a race - this is literal life and death Dusty is facing. There's also surprisingly pointed commentary on the importance of firefighting, of the danger real firefighters deal with on a daily basis, and on what should get government funds vs what often does.
Some scary moments (and a few Native American stereotypes) makes this a bit much for very young kids, but elementary school kids and older who liked the first movie will probably enjoy this one as well, especially if they have any interest in planes and/or firefighting.
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