Go Speed Racer Go!

Got a quick start this morning with some writing. Leia rides Luke to head off the Naboo soldiers while the rest of the rebels take Han and Chewie further ahead to Alderaan Manor, where her Uncle Bail and Aunt Breha live. Leia and Luke do get rid of them, but they get lost in the woods in the process. As they're trying to find their way back, they encounter a little green elf by a tree. He talks in riddles, but avoids saying much besides they shouldn't go to Alderaan Manor. Something dark has already taken over there...

Finished out an episode of The Yogi Bear Show that I started earlier in the morning during breakfast as I got ready for work. Yogi is "A Wooin' Bruin" when he competes with a bigger bear for Cindy's affections by stealing gifts from around Jellystone Park. Snagglepuss doesn't have nearly as much luck with a whiny lioness who hides from hunters in his home in "Spring Has Hit a Snag." Yakky Doodle has to deal with an Alfred Hitchcock-imitating alligator who thinks he's on he Easter menu in "Duck Seasoning."

Work was crazy when I got in, off-and-on busy all day. I spent most of it bagging, though I also did the inside trash, mopped the bathroom floors, and mopped up the leaky flower displays. It's probably just as well that they had plenty of help outside. It rained for most of the afternoon (which explains why it did slow down a bit around 2).

Got my schedule during my break. In good news, I have Easter off for the first time in four years, three days off again, and mostly early morning hours. In fact, the latest I work is until 4:30 next Friday. In annoying news, I also have another 8 and 1/2 hour day, this time on Thursday.

My original thought for Easter dinner was salmon, but I couldn't find any cheap. Found turkey bacon and frozen pie crust and decided I'd make a bacon-asparagus quiche instead. I did find shrimp for dinner tonight. Bought coconut to make Lemon Coconut Rolls. Restocked yogurt, honey, chicken (there was a really good chicken sale this weekend), cereal (Quaker was on sale - went with Life Vanilla), brown sugar, yeast, bananas, oranges, and pudding.

(And I got lucky with the weather again. By the time I finally got out of there, the clouds were breaking up and the rain was long gone. It remained windy, though, and it was much colder. The sun did come out a little later, when I was eating dinner.)

Watched Yogi the Easter Bear while putting everything away and eating shrimp and steamed asparagus for dinner. Yogi's really in trouble after he eats all the candy for Jellystone Park's big Easter Jamboree. He and Boo Boo have to rescue the Easter Bunny from a pair of strange plastic-obsessed villains who want to be the only ones delivering eggs.

Played some Wii Sports after dinner. This time, I started out with boxing after the fitness test. Whew, you do get a workout from that! Played a game and ran through all three mini-games a few times. Also did Target Practice and Hitting on the Green for golf, hitting balls in baseball and tennis, and a round of bowling and one of the mini-games.

Finished the night after a shower with Speed Racer. Speed (Emile Hirsch) is obsessed with racing and redeeming the tarnished name of his older brother, who died in the grueling cross-country Casa Cristo 5000 race. E.P Royalton (Roger Allum), a smarmy British executive, tries to get him into his stable of corrupt racers, but Speed wants to stay with his family. Royalton is incensed and tries to damage the Racer family's reputation. Speed and the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox) join a Japanese racing firm that's trying to avoid a Royalton buyout and give proof of Royalton's activities to Inspector Detector (Benno Fuurmann). Pops (John Goodman) and Mom (Susan Sarandon) Racer aren't happy that another son has signed up for the Casa Cristo 5000, but Speed and his girl Trixie (Christina Ricci) are more enthusiastic...at least until Speed finds out what the Japanese family is really after and who Racer X is. Now he has to show everyone that he has what it takes to be a real winner...and that no matter what they do or where they land, family is still family.

I have no idea why this did so badly back in 2008. I thought it was a heck of a lot of fun. Maybe the goofy story (which included an ape as the best friend of Speed's brother Spirtle) was a little too ridiculous for a lot of people, or they just weren't ready for what is essentially a live-action cartoon. The special effects are amazing. Everything is bright, wacky, candy-colored, and over-the-top. The Wachowskis (directors of The Matrix, among others) really went to town with this one. Special mention to Fox as the mystery racer and Allum as the nasty villain.

If you're into racing, the cast, or the popular 1960's anime this was based after, this deserved far better than it got when it came out and gets a recommendation from me.