I slept in and didn't get moving until past 10. It was quarter of 11 before I made it to the Collingswood Farm Market. They were busy as heck today, even that late. Everyone must have been buying produce for barbecues and birthday parties. It's probably just as well that I didn't need much. I just bought blueberries, sugar plums (which got mushed on the way home), a small watermelon, and peaches.
Work was a lot busier than it has been recently. Not only is it the beginning of the month, but we're in the midst of a massive anniversary sale. They're having that "Mega Sale" event - buy any six items from a wide assortment of brands, get $3.00 off. A lot of kids will be going back to school in the next two to three weeks as well. Thankfully, there were no major problems, and the college boy who was my relief arrived right on time.
I got my schedule when I arrived. In good news, I have Tuesday and Friday off again (Tuesday for counseling), slightly more hours, and a late day next Saturday will allow for a less rushed farm market trip. In somewhat annoying news, I have some early days, including tomorrow (though not quite as bad as I did last summer).
Thanks to that big sale, there was a lot I wanted to stock up on this week, though it still wasn't a huge cart full. I needed to restock milk, canned tuna (59 cents!) and chicken, honey, and toilet paper. Jiff Peanut Butter, Quaker cereals (went with Cinnamon Oatmeal Squares this time), Pillsbury Cake Mix (couldn't resist Funfetti), and Crisco Canola Oil were a part of the sale. (I bought two of the peanut butter and canola oil.) Treated myself to the delicious Ivin's Spiced Wafers (ginger snaps, more or less) and Acme's new generic organic "Italian Soda." Thought I'd try blood orange. (It's yummy, but it has quite a bit of real sugar in it. It'll only be an occasional splurge.) Those little turkey tenderloins I loved a while back were on a really good sale - I went with "rotisserie" flavor.
When I got home, I put everything away, then watched Strange Magic while eating leftovers for dinner. Marianne (Evan Rachel Wood) was a fairy who was once in love with the handsome Roland (Sam Palladio). At least, until she caught him kissing another on their wedding day. Broken-hearted, she became a warrior instead, intent on avoiding all love. Meanwhile, her little sister Dawn (Meredith Anne Bull) falls for every good-looking fairy she sees. Her elf guy friend Sunny (Elijah Kelley) wishes she'd just see him. Things get really odd when Sunny gets the Sugar Plum Fairy (Kristin Chenowith), who has been imprisoned by the Bog King (Alan Cummings), to make him a love potion. Sunny tries to use the potion on Dawn, with disastrous results. Marianne tries to rescue her love-struck sister...and learns in the process that love can be a very complex thing indeed, and there's more to love than wanting someone with a pretty face.
Very, very odd movie. George Lucas had a hand in this (he produced and wrote it), so it shouldn't be that surprising. First and foremost, this is a musical, using almost 40 pop songs from the 60's through the early 2000's to tell its tale. That's a few too many musical numbers, even for me. Second, a lot of the story doesn't make sense or moves too fast, even for a fantasy.
As with Maleficent, the thing here is the special effects. The animators did an amazing job of creating a world like you've never seen. The characters are all creative and original-looking, even things like elves and fairies you think you've seen everywhere. The colors and detail are incredible. There's something amazing in every frame.
If you're looking for something different and don't mind the constant barrage of music (or barrage of plot holes), this one is worth at least a look.
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