Blackout on Manor Avenue

Cheered up a dreary day with breakfast and more Star Wars Rebels. Hera's "Secret Cargo" is Mon Mothma, a senator who had spoken vehemently against the Emperor. Ezra and the Gold Squadron have to defend her against the Empire's best, including their strong new TIE fighter.

Chopper is inadvertently a "Double Agent Droid" when an Imperial officer takes control of him and tries to use him to find the Rebel base. Wedge and Ezra don't believe that there's something wrong at first, but AP-5 knows better...and Hera knows she doesn't like people messing with her droid.

Ezra receives a message from the Holocrons that the "Twin Suns" mentioned earlier in the season are in Tatoonie...where Obi-Wan Kenobi is hiding. The others don't believe that he's still alive, leaving Ezra and Chopper to seek him alone. Maul's hot on their trail, but Tatoonie's other dangers may get to Ezra before he does.

I overslept this morning, giving me just enough time to make brownies before I left. I considered other recipes, but ultimately went with my favorite fudgy brownies from a low-fat cookbook I got in college. They use egg whites instead of eggs; I also use whole wheat flour with the regular and up the antioxidant quota with dark cocoa. Oh, yum. They came out perfectly, just rich and chewy enough.

It was just barely showering when I headed to work. In fact, I arrived only slightly wet. Work was on-and-off busy, not bad for a day between holidays and with lousy weather. I spent it inside, doing trash, checking the bathrooms, bagging, and shelving cold returns. There was plenty of help and no major problems. I even got to check out the Acme's new Eagles Super Bowl gear.

It was a little harder getting home. The rain started to pick up as I headed down the Black Horse Pike. By the time I rolled in, I was trying to dry off damp spots on my knees.

Spent the next few hours writing. Han and Leia introduce the girls to their adopted sons Poe, Finn, and Snap. Seeing that Rose and Kaydel show obvious interest in Finn and Snap, Rey agrees to retrieve Luke the Wizard and his magical artifacts if her sisters are allowed to court the princes and she can learn about magic from Luke.

The power had been flickering since I came home. It finally died all together around 6:30. I was upset at first, especially since I had no idea what had happened, or even who to call to find out. I don't pay the electrical for the apartment. Peering outside made me feel a little better. The whole neighborhood was dark, at least as far as I could see from the big window in the back room. There must have been a tree down on a wire. At least my laptop was fully charged, allow me to finish what I was doing.

For once, I was actually kind of glad the house was an older model. My stove and the water heater downstairs are gas. I was able to have dinner and take a warm shower. Even took the opportunity to defrost the freezer, which I've been meaning to do for a while.

I was messing around on my phone in bed when the power finally came back on. I moved into the back to chat with Lauren and finish out Rebels. It's "Zero Hour" in the two-part season finale as the newly-formed Rebel Alliance gathers to fight the Empire. Grand Admiral Thrawn catches wind of their plans, and after capturing their double agent Kallus, attacks their base. Hera and Zeb join the pilots, while Kanan tries to get the stubbornly neutral Bendu to join their cause. After a ship crashes into one of the Imperial star destroyers, Ezra's able to escape long enough to get help from Sabine and a few members of her family. They infiltrate the Rebel base and manage to rescue the others, including Kallus, thanks to an angry Bendu.

I have to admit, I've really grown fond of this show. What I like about Rebels is the family dynamic between the leads, with Hera and Kana as the parents, Ezra and Sabine as the kids, and Chopper and Zeb as cool older uncles. You won't find a group like this anywhere else in the Star Wars universe. This is also one of the few times that you actually get to see the leads physically grow and change - Ezra and Sabine are noticeably older and more mature this season than they were previously.

It's a shame that from what I've heard, the current season 4 will be its last. It's been really fun to watch this family and the Rebel Alliance grow up together. I will add that, as with previous seasons, a working knowledge of the Star Wars universe - at least the Prequel Trilogy, Clone Wars cartoons, Rogue One, and New Hope - is necessary to understand most of what goes on here.

If you're already a fan of either the Prequel Trilogy, Original Trilogy, Rogue One, or the Clone Wars series, jump right on this starship. If you're new to the Star Wars universe, you'll really need to check out the movies and/or Clone Wars before coming here.