I awoke to a steady shower. Not a good thing, since I did want to get some local errands done today. Cheered up the gloomy day with the first Thanksgiving special of the season. Garfield's Thanksgiving is going great...until Jon invites Liz the Veterinarian over for Thanksgiving dinner! Jon can't cook a turkey to save his life, and he's really more interested in impressing Liz than what's on the menu. Not to mention, Liz put Garfield on a strict diet. Good thing Grandma from the Christmas special knows how to make everything better, just in time for dinner.
Since I'd gotten up a early and the weather was still nasty, I decided to make this year's Christmas lists this morning. No, this isn't what I want for Christmas. It's what I'm giving. I wrote my lists for baking, cards, and shopping. The only people I give non-edible gifts to are Amanda, Lauren, and the kids. Amanda and Lauren come from small families and don't have a lot of people giving them stuff, and the kids will be getting cookies as part of their "family" gifts. (And they really don't need the extra sugar anyway.)
Ran The Care Bears Nutcracker as I worked on the lists. The first Christmas special of the year was originally intended as the fourth Care Bears movie, but was shortened to a syndicated hour special after Care Bears In Wonderland bombed at the box office. It actually has a little in common with the first film. Here, it's an older woman telling her ballet class the story of how the Care Bears helped a lonely young girl and an amnesiac nutcracker save the Kingdom of Sweets and the Sugar Plum Fairy from the evil Vizier.
Did the Max & Ruby'Thanksgiving episode as I got ready to leave. "Max's Thanksgiving" has Ruby setting the table for Grandma's big feast. Her brother is more interested in Grandma's nut stuffing. Ruby thinks "Max's Pretend Friend" wants to have a tea party with her imaginary playmate, but it may not be as pretend as she thinks. "Fireman Max" and his fire engines keep getting in the way of Ruby's attempts to practice jump rope...until they actually help her impress Bunny Scout Leader with her jumping skills.
The rain was down to a mist by the time I headed out around quarter after 11. I decided to give the bike a rest and go for a walk. While a few people on Manor had pumpkins and friendly scarecrows out for Thanksgiving, most settled for fall banners and wreaths or the colorful leaves in their yards. The trees do look much nicer than they did at this time last month, finally turning a rainbow of scarlets, golds, bright greens, and deep purples.
The Oaklyn Library wasn't busy at all when I arrived. It was just the librarian and one older woman on the computers keeping track of the rain on The Weather Channel. I organized DVDs and took a look at the kids' books. Decided to finish off three of the movie series I caught this year with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Mission Impossible III, and Men In Black 3.
Headed down the White Horse Pike to run in and out of a few stores. To my delight, Dollar General had my favorite Betty Crocker Limited Edition Gingerbread Cookie Mix. I love that mix, but the only other place I ever find it at around here is Target. I haven't seen it at the Acme in years. (They also had Salted Caramel. Maybe next month, when I hit one Target or the other.) I picked up birthday cards for Jodie and Anny, some small stationary items for Amanda, who is currently studying to be a veterinary technician, and more underwear and cooking spray (the latter is cheaper there) for me.
Didn't take as long at CVS. I just needed dishwashing liquid on a good sale. They also had those tasty Nature Valley oat sandwich cookies on a really good sale. Grabbed a pineapple-coconut sparkling water to drink on the way home.
Since it's only a few blocks from CVS anyway, I stopped at Dad and Jodie's house on the way home. Dad was watching endless Law & Order: Special Victims Unit reruns when I arrived. He made me shrimp salad from the leftover shrimp from Jodie's party on Saturday and told me he's going into the clinic for more treatment tomorrow. Jodie got home from work. just in time for me to give her birthday card to her in person. (It's tomorrow, but I have to work.)
Worked on writing when I got in. Shortly after Leia awakens from her nightmare, Finn comes down and reports that Master Harold is hurt and can't meet her in the library. She meets him in his room, tending to his heavy burns. She once again asks him about Han. The horned frog can only tell her that he's all right, and that she should stop looking for him. He's closer than she thinks.
Broke at 6 for dinner. Made Merlin's "Magic" (Baked) Chicken to go with leftover green salad from Jodie's party and a baked sweet potato. After I finished eating, I decided to try a variation on the hot fudge pudding cake, this one made with butter instead of vegetable oil. I don't know if I didn't cook it right or long enough or what. The sugar topping never melted and turned into a crust on top instead of pudding. It still tasted good, but it wasn't quite what I'd intended.
Did March of the Toy Soldiers while I ate and baked. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy headline the first sound version of Babes In Toyland, with Charlotte Henry (as Little Bo Peep) and Felix Knight (as Tom Tom the Piper's Son) as the lovers. Stan and Ollie live in Mother Peep's shoe and work for the grouchy toymaker. When they learn that nasty old Barnaby is going to turn them all out into the streets, they try to get the money for the mortgage from their boss. Their boss fires them instead after he learns that Stan botched an order for toy soldiers, making them a lot bigger than intended. Barnaby is obsessed with marrying Bo Peep, and he'll do anything to get her, including putting charges on Stan and Ollie for attempting to steal the mortgage and framing Tom for kidnapping one of the Three Little Pigs. Stan and Ollie have to prove Tom is innocent, then rescue him, Bo Peep, and all of Toyland from Barnaby and his Boogie Men.
Not my favorite version of this story, but Stan and Ollie have their moments, especially during the dunking, while trying to get the mortgage from Barnaby, and while waiting for him to call up from the Forbidden Forest. Cute if you have younger kids or are a big fan of theirs.
Ended the night online with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaits) is determined to free his father Will (Orlando Bloom) from the curse of the Flying Dutchman. He's spent years searching for the Trident of Poseidon, the only object that can break every curse in the sea. So has Katrina Smith (Kaya Scodelaro), an astronomer whose desire to study science has branded her a witch in the eyes of many in the Caribbean. Katrina has a map that'll lead to the Trident, but only she can read it. They seek out Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) to help them find it...but in the six or so years since the last film, Sparrow has become a lush and a failure (well, more than usual), and even his crew is starting to give up on him. Katrina insists that he's the only one who can help her...and Henry insists that he has to be wary. Salazar (Jarvier Bardem), a Spanish captain who had killed pirates, only to die at the hands of a young Jack, is desperate for revenge on Sparrow. Now they all have to find the trident and avoid both the British Navy and Salazar, before they end up joining him on the bottom of the briny deep.
On one hand, this was infinitely better than On Stranger Tides. The plot at least made some sense, Scodelaro and Thwaits were fine as the lovers, and Depp enjoyed one more turn as the Caribbean's daffiest buccaneer. Bardem in particular was having a ball as the zombie-like Spanish sailor desperate to return to life and stick it to Jack. The special effects continue to be some of the best anywhere, especially when they finally do find the Trident.
While I think most critics were a little harsh on this one, I also still don't consider this one to be better than the first movie. In fact, quite of bit of it did seem rehashed from the first couple of films, including the basic structure of "Jack helps young lovers while cracking drinking jokes in the background." Their attempt at creating a young Jack strayed a little too much into uncanny valley for my liking as well.
If you're a fan of this series, this is certainly a better continuation than the ridiculous Stranger Tides and is worth checking out. If you're new to Jack's barmy nautical world, back up and see the first three films before coming within miles of here.
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