Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Return of the Snow

It was still just cloudy when I got up this morning. By quarter of 9, it had started to rain and sleet slightly. I figured I would be fine to go into work. Even took the bike, with no problems other than getting a little wet.

I was one of the only people who did so. Several people had already called out when I arrived. More and more did as the afternoon wore on, especially once the snow finally started around 10. Unlike the previous snowstorm, this was heavy, slushy spring snow. This meant that it was easier for me to get carts out of the parking lot (which was just slush, rather than built-up snow), but a literal pain to shovel. Once again, my coat and my boots were so wet, they were saturated and dripping. I had no help, either. The other three baggers had all called out. I barely got any of the candy done. The only other things I got to were the inside trash and gathering baskets. (In fact, so few people actually came in, they gave five-dollar gift cards to the ones who did, including me.)

Once again got lucky. By 5:30, the roads had been cleared and the snow, while continuing, wasn't as heavy as it had been earlier in the day. I was able to ride home normally.

As soon as I got in, I changed into dry clothes, hung up my wet things, and heated up leftover chicken stew for dinner. Watched an episode of Sailor Moon while I ate. Usagi, Chib-Usa, and the girls enter the world of the stage in "Become the Prima: Usagi's Ballet." While the girls are struggling with the basic moves, villain Fish Eye seems to have them down cold...literally. His fine, if frigid, moves have attracted the eye of the class' teacher, who is hoping to put on a world-class performance of Giselle. However, he has a girlfriend who believes she may have been replaced...in the production and in his heart. Usagi and Chibi-Usa do their best to bring the two together, and then rescue them when it turns out to be a Dark Moon Circus trap.

Worked on writing for an hour after dinner. After Leia and Obi-Wan suspect they're being watched, they pull in at a clean but nondescript inn. Han's hoping to find out who he really is. Leia's more interested in finding out how to get back at Palpatine for murdering her parents and finding out what really happened to the missing Prince Henry.

Hit the shower at quarter after 8; put on Leap! after I got out. Felicie (Elle Fanning) wants desperately to become a great dancer. She and her good friend Victor (Nat Wolff) escape an orphanage in the countryside for Paris, where they both hope to realize their dreams. He becomes a worker in the office of famed sculptor Gustave Eiffel (creator of the Eiffel Tower, among others); she befriends Odette (Carly Rae Jepson), the crippled janitor for the Paris Opera and the haughty and obnoxious Regine De Haut (Kate McKinnson). After Regine's equally spoiled daughter Camille (Maddie Zigler) breaks the beloved music box that had been her mother's, Felicie gets back at her by taking her place in a prestigious ballet school. Felicie, however, is not an instant talent. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication, with help from former prima ballerina Odette, for her to pass her classes. After she fluffs an audition and the orphanage figures out what she's doing, it looks like she may have to give up her dream for good...until several people realize just how passionate she is about dancing, and how much she truly wants to realize her dream.

Cliched to the max, but also kind of fun, especially if you're a budding ballerina yourself. It's weighed down by bland pop songs, unoriginal characters, and an overdone message. The big action piece in the finale with Regine chasing Felicie felt like it came from another movie entirely. If you're a dance fan, though, you might enjoy some of the dance sequences, especially Felicie and Camille's dance-off towards the end of the film.

If you're into ballet or have kids who are, this is worth checking out once for the cast and the dancing.

No comments: