I started a cloudy, cooler morning with Speedy Gonzoles cartoons. Though many Americans still find his cartoons to be offensive, the majority of them could be worse. I've heard that Mexicans generally consider him to be a heroic character, or at the worst, a positive stereotype. Actually, most animation fans have more problems with how predictable his starring shorts got. His early vehicles like "Tabasco Road" usually had him pitted against Mexican villains, cats or birds who wanted to eat his fellow mice. By the time of the fantasy poem spoof "The Pied Piper of Guadeloupe" and the rescue-from-the-lab tale "West of the Pecos," Speedy was rescuing his buddies (including his cousin Slowpoke Rodiguez) from Sylvester the Cat. In "Nuts and Volts," Speedy was basically a faster, less obnoxious Tweety, easily avoiding Sylvester's attempt at a robot and house security.
Headed out for today's chores and volunteering on foot around quarter of noon. Started at a very quiet Studio LuLoo. Roxy was the only one there today, and she was mainly doing work on her computer. I told her about my fanfiction and Remember WENN while doing the dishes. The dishes actually weren't that bad. They were three-fourths plastic cups. (Although I do wish someone had emptied a few of those cups of what appeared to be chocolate milk.)
Lunch was next. I had a small, quiet meal at Common Grounds Coffee House a couple of doors down from Studio LuLoo on West Clinton. The place was relatively busy, at least as close to being busy as I'd ever seen it. Two college-age couples sat at different tables, talking. A mother played with her adorable baby son. I enjoyed watching them and reading over the inspirational quotes on the wall while having a slice of scallion and bacon quiche and a perfect chai latte.
Next on the to-do list was volunteering at the Oaklyn Library. There wasn't a whole lot going on over there, either. I mainly organized DVD's while listening to CNN and the librarian and the one woman using the computers chat. I wasn't even there for a half-hour.
I needed a few things at CVS, so I strolled down the White Horse Pike. It was a little nicer by 1 PM, slightly sunnier and warmer, though still cooler and windier than yesterday. CVS wasn't busy, either. I had no problems buying replacement bristles and an 88 cent bottle of Palmolive.
I spent the rest of the afternoon working on my Remember WENN "Crimson Blade" fanfiction. I finally got the staff to the big masquerade ball held at the Governor's mansion. Trying to avoid the overtures made by the slimy Governor Pruitt, a suspicious Betty and Hilary confront Kurt Holstrom, a local publisher, about codes found in the advertisements he wants to hang on the Inn. Holstrom reveals his true colors and takes Hilary hostage...only to encounter the sharp end of her incensed husband Jeff's sword. Holstrom's no swordsman - Jeff quickly takes care of him.
Betty escapes that duel, only to be caught by Pruitt in the mansion's gardens. He's about to get a little too close for comfort when the Crimson Blade appears. Their sword duel is less lopsided, but Betty and the Crimson Blade both escape.
The Crimson Blade tells her to meet him at the Inn at midnight. He doesn't realize just how busy the garden is going to be. Victor Comstock also appears to Betty at the Inn that night. He has quite a few secrets to reveal to her...including one about how he doesn't know his successor Scott Sherwood. Meanwhile, Hilary wants Jeff to tell her everything - or as much as he can - about what he's doing with Scott.
I am so excited about this! I haven't been this excited about anything I've done in years. I have so many plans. Next up, Betty will confront Scott with what Victor told her...and a gloating Pruitt will show up at the Inn to reveal that he's onto at least some of Scott's scheming...
I didn't get off the computer until nearly quarter of 6. I had steamed asparagus, a roll, and two leftover chicken legs for dinner while watching The Three Amigos. A trio of out-of-work silent movie actors (Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short) are called to Mexico to help a small village defeat a bandit that's been plaguing them. Trouble is, though they played gunfighters on the silver screen, they really don't know anything about being heroes. When the bandit kidnaps one of the girls and devastates the town, the Three Amigos discover that they can be heroes for real...and show the townspeople how to be the heroes of their own movies, too.
This hilarious spoof of silent melodramas is one of my favorite underrated 80's comedies. All three leads are clearly having a marvelous time. I'm especially fond of Randy Newman's score - the "My Little Buttercup" sequence is classic. (Rose and Anny used to do that number together when we were kids.) Highly recommended for fans of the three stars, movie spoofs, or comic action.
I made a small peanut butter cake during the second half of Amigos. I loved that one-layer strawberry cake I made a few weeks ago so much, I decided to make another one. This time, it was a variation on a recipe from a low-fat cookbook Mom gave me when I moved here. I had to replace the brown sugar with regular sugar and molasses - I'm out of brown sugar - and I replaced half the cake flour with whole wheat flour. Yum. Sweet and peanutty. (Especially since I used chunky peanut butter.
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