Slept in a bit again today, though not as much as yesterday. I had things to do. Started off a hot, beautiful morning with breakfast and There's No Time For Love, Charlie Brown. Despite the title and it being included on the Charlie Brown Valentine DVDs, No Time For Love has more to do with school than love. Charlie Brown is worried about having to get an "A" for his report on a school trip to the art museum. Somehow, he, Peppermint Patty, Sally, Marcie, Snoopy, and Woodstock manage to mistake a grocery store for the museum. Meanwhile, Patty's trying to figure out how to tell Chuck she likes him, but she has the frequent habit of stuffing her foot in her mouth.
Hit the laundromat around 11:30. It was pretty quiet when I arrived. By the time it started to pick up, my laundry was in the drier. I didn't have a big load anyway, but I wanted to get it done today. I heard it may rain tomorrow. Spent most of the 40 or so minutes I was there working on story notes and half-listening to The View and Action News.
As soon as I went home, I put everything away, then grabbed two blueberry muffins for lunch and went right back out again. I got caught up listening to the Hairspray movie soundtrack and was later than I'd planned getting out the door for counseling. By quarter after 1, most area kids had just gotten off school. I dodged tons of people on bikes, not to mention lots of newly-released kids out enjoying the sunny day on their way home.
I was just about two minutes late for counseling...which was fine. Mrs. Stahl was ten minutes late. I don't have a ton to discuss, anyway, despite us not having met since June. (It's just as well we didn't get together last month, anyway. The second time we were scheduled, at least, was hot and humid and rainy.)
Most of my news is good news - my baby niece Finley's birth the day before the 4th of July, my vacation to Pittsfield with Lauren, finishing my epic Star Wars swashbuckler novel the day before I left. I'm still broke and still having problems with work, especially with the lack of hours and those annoying managers. Charlie hasn't quite finished with the porch yet, either (and lord only knows when he'll actually get to it). Otherwise, I'm in a pretty good mood. I have ideas for stories of all kinds coming out of my ears, something I couldn't have said three years ago. Mrs. Stahl just said "keep writing"...and I have every intention of doing just that.
Headed down a busy Haddon Avenue, dodging cars and kids on bikes. Stopped at Primo's Water Ice to wet my very dry whistle. I saw a crowd of people, a pair of friends and a grandmother with her children and a mother with hers, sitting outside, enjoying treats, and I thought they'd be busy. To my surprise, there was no line. I got a creamy, very sweet coconut water ice. Also grabbed a bottle of water to save me a stop at Walgreens or CVS on the way home.
Cut through Haddon Lake Park both ways. It was absolutely gorgeous there today, and busier than I've seen it in weeks. There were lots of people pushing baby strollers, young adults sunning on benches, people fishing, kids riding bikes or chatting at the stone pavilion by the play ground. The grass is so green, it nearly glows. The summer flowers are just starting to wither, but you can see the beginnings of the fall foliage.
When I got in, I went right on the computer. Luke catches sight of a light flashing off a familiar black helmet and follows it. Arturro tries to go after him, but the door locks on him. Vader shoves a chair in front of the back door. He wants this confrontation to be between him and Luke alone.
Pan-fried the potato-crusted cod and made Ratatouille and Blueberry Shortcake for dinner. Watched The Magnificent Seven while I enjoyed my tasty late-summer meal. Mining baron Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard) wants to clear the people of Rose Creek off their land so he can mine it for gold. After he kills her husband and five others and burns their church, tough-minded Emma (Haley Bennett) assembles a motley collection of legendary sharpshooters, gamblers, and bounty hunters to help take Bogue down. Lead by former US Army officer Chisum (Denzel Washington), these men find themselves going into battle with Bogue's boys...when they're not fighting each other over their prejudices and personal problems.
Was this remake necessary? Not at all. Was it really good? Surprisingly...yes. The cast did really well with all the western cliches, especially Ethan Hawke as a hard-drinking former Confederate soldier, Washington as the haunted Chisum, and Bennett as the widowed woman who wants to avenge her husband. I do wish some of the characters had been more explored, including the native who joins them simply because he wants to and the Hispanic bounty hunter Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo).
I can actually see why this was a surprise hit last year. It's not going to replace the original, but it's worth a look if you're a fan of westerns or the cast.
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