I've Got the Sun In the Morning

The sun remained when I got up this morning, to my delight. In fact, it was even nicer than yesterday, just warm enough, with a nice breeze. Celebrated (and cheered myself up after a long week) with corn meal mush, strawberries, burnt butterscotch chip cookies, and one of my K-Tel albums, the second disc from the Pure Gold collection.

Worked a little bit on writing this morning. Thought it made more sense for Leia to blend in as a showgirl. (Plus...even as a kid, I thought that infamous metal bikini was just one feathered and beaded headdress away from belonging on a stage at Bally's Wild West.) One of her fellow dancers informs her that Jasper Hutt, mob boss and owner of the casino, has his eye on her. Leia ignores her, even when she tells her what "the Hutt" did to his previous mistress when she spurned him.

Broke a little after 1 to eat a quick lunch and get ready for work. Listened to Frank Sinatra - The Duets while I ate. I remember this being a big deal in the early 90's. Sinatra was a legend by that point, and it was pretty cool just to hear some newer singers work with him. On the other hand, this was achieved by having Sinatra and the other singer record at different times, which garnered some complaints about lacking spontaneity.

My favorite numbers are the ones where the performers come closer to complimenting Sinatra's style. Among the better ones are the gorgeous "I've Got a Crush On You" with Barbara Streisand, a fun "You Make Me Feel So Young" with Frenchman Charles Aznavour, "Come Rain or Come Shine" with Gloria Estefan, and "What Now My Love" with Aretha Franklin. I can see the critics' complaints, though. Some numbers do sound like the other performer came in from some place entirely different. Particularly problematic are the bland version of "New York, New York" with Tony Bennett and "The Lady Is a Tramp" with Luther Vandross, whose laid-back velvet voice clashes with Sinatra's crooning.

After quickly sweeping the bathrooms, I spent the majority of the first half of my shift outside, gathering carts and trash. It was too nice to be inside, anyway. Yesterday's humidity had vanished, leaving blue skies and that wonderful breeze. It was still a bit warmer than it has been, but not out of line for mid-September.

It picked up considerably once rush hour started. The evening manager pulled me off returns to bag for her. Which I wouldn't have minded, if she hadn't stood behind the register and insisted on doing everything as fast as possible, even though there was already a cashier there. Neither of us could keep up to her satisfaction, and she wasn't terribly happy with me. I'm sorry, but as most of the managers have pointed out at one time or another, I am slow. I did the best I could. Not to mention, the managers are pretty much the only people who actually want to rush. Most of our customers are getting home from work or on outings. The last thing they want to do is rush through everything.

I was not up to cooking when I got out. Walked over to Arby's for a quick dinner. Despite it being the dinner hour, they were quiet inside when I arrived, with only two couples and a family with a toddler enjoying their meals. (The line was longer at the take-out windows.) I tried the Bourbon BBQ Turkey Sandwich, with curly fries and a Mountain Dew "Game Fuel" (cherry) soda. Oooh, very tasty, if a bit messy. The fried onions weren't all that crunchy, thanks to the sauce, but the sauce itself was just tangy enough, and the bacon was nice and thick.

Didn't really need a whole lot grocery-wise this week. Took advantage of a dollar for Jello boxes sale to restock gelatin and pudding mixes. Used coupons I'd gotten off a lady giving out samples earlier for the Yoplait Mix-Ins and online coupons for the generic organic blue chips and an already-on-clearance box of Puffs. Restocked tomato sauce, plain yogurt for baking, ground turkey, sugar, and actual chocolate chips (dark chocolate, in fact).

My schedule for next week is more-or-less the same as last week's, early or mid-afternoon hours and Wednesday and Thursday off. While the 12 to 4 on Sunday and next Saturday means I'll have to miss the Eagles game, it also means I'll be able to make a quick run to the Farm Market.

Listened to My One and Only while putting everything away. I have absolutely no idea what this 1983 Broadway show was about. Wikipedia mentions something about a barnstormer (Tommy Tune, who also directed) pursuing an English swimmer (Twiggy). I do know that there's some good Gershwin tunes ("Blah Blah Blah," "Funny Face," and "Little Jazz Bird" are especially fun), and that the show does lose something without its Tony-winning choreography.

Switched to Annie Get Your Gun as I went online. Did my later LP re-release of the 1946 cast album with Ethel Merman. I love her version of "Anything You Can Do" with Ray Middleton. (I give him credit for trying to hold a note as long as Merman!) Other good numbers here include Merman's versions of "I Got the Sun In the Morning" and "You Can't Get a Man With a Gun." Middleton's best moment is "My Defenses are Down" with the chorus.

And...thanks to extra money from working Labor Day, I was able to order a DVD player tonight. Went with a Sony on Amazon. It has most of the same capabilities as the top-selling Sony, but it's a bit cheaper and hooks up with a power cord rather than a port. My TV is an older model and doesn't have any fancy USB ports or anything like that.

By the way, to give you an idea of how old my DVD recorder is, the manufacturer is Toshiba. If their website is any indication, they don't make DVD and Blu-Ray players anymore. (They do still make laptops. Good. I like my Toshiba laptop. It's about five years old. I may need to replace it in a few years, but it runs fine right now.)