I got up a little later than I planned, but I was too happy about it being Voorhees Book Sale time again to be too upset about it. Ate breakfast while watching Garfield's Halloween Adventure. Garfield and Odie dress as pirates to do a little trick-or-treat booty raiding. They try to head across the river, but end up stranded on a deserted island with the ghosts of pirates who are coming after their treasure!
Headed out right after the cartoon ended. I had a few quick stops to make before I caught the bus to Voorhees. Dropped Phantom of the Opera at the Oaklyn Library really fast, then went to WaWa for money and a Maple Pumpkin Smoothie. (Not bad. More maple than pumpkin, but it still tastes pretty good. Very fall.)
Went straight to the Oaklyn City Hall after that to pick up the bus. It was only slightly late, and not remotely full. The White Horse Pike was fine; I guess the lunch rush hour hadn't kicked in yet. I was dropped off across from the Voorhees Library around quarter of noon.
Thankfully, the book sale wasn't anywhere near as busy as it was when I went to the one in June. I could actually move around in there. Since it was also the second day, I didn't do nearly as well as I did in June, either. I spent a little over an hour browsing around, but there didn't seem to be quite as much as usual. The kids room was particularly empty. There were no tables in the middle; everything was scattered around tables on the sides, and it was hard to tell what was what.
I did finally make a few finds. There were no good DVDs, but I unearthed three CDs from the shelves behind them. One is a collection of instrumental versions of Victorian Christmas music, one is A Very Special Christmas 2, and one is another instrumental collection, this time of romantic string easy listening music. (I may give the last-named to some friends of mine.) Found one of the Indiana Jones "Extended Universe" novels from the 90's, Indiana Jones and the White Witch, one of the later Amelia Peabody books I didn't have in hardback, Tomb of the Golden Bird, and a young adult novel about a runaway princess who joins up with pirates, The Princetta.
Went straight to the Boulevard after I left the library for lunch. It was a glorious day for a stroll. The sun was out, the sky was blue, and while it was blustery and chilly, the sun was wonderfully warm. The Boulevard is the stores and restaurants right outside the main mall. It also acts as something of a community center for the apartment buildings in the area. They were setting up for a fall beer garden later in the day as I walked past.
I had lunch at Friendly's. By 1, they were surprisingly quiet for a Friday. I saw a few college students at one table, a father and his young daughter at another, and a few solo diners scattered around the large red chrome-and-vinyl room. I settled for a turkey BLT. Didn't get any ice cream this time. Not only do they seem to have discontinued that meal-and-ice cream for $10.99 deal, but I had the smoothie earlier. The BLT was tasty (though I wish they'd served it on something besides white bread).
Explored Boscov's next. I was hoping to find a skirt, either for my fairy costume or for the winter. No luck. The only skirts I saw were jean skirts. I need something nicer than that.
I dashed through the mall, hurrying to the bus stop. There isn't much else to do at the Voorhees Town Center. It's dying heavily, the victim of a poor location that's in the middle of nowhere and is too close to other, better malls and shopping centers. I hate walking around in there. It's dark, dreary, and spookier than any haunted house. They're down to Boscov's, Adventureland (comics), Tilt Arcade, Verizon, Lens Crafters, T-Mobile, Bath and Body Works, an Italian import store, a furniture store, Victoria's Secret, and Payless Shoes. Otherwise, it's mostly offices. I think there's maybe two booths open in the Food Court.
I knew I should have skipped Boscov's. Waiting for the bus was a pain. I never saw the 3:15 at all. By the time the 3:56 finally showed up, there were five or six very annoyed and angry people waiting with me, none of whom were afraid to complain about it. The bus was full as heck when I did finally get on, and everyone's nerves were frayed. One older woman who was carrying around heavy bags accidentally set her bag down on the foot of another woman who got angry, but thankfully the bus driver and the people around them defused that quickly.
Despite it being rush hour, the traffic wasn't bad. It was mostly going in the other direction. I was able to get off across from Oaklyn's City Hall with no problems. Headed to my bike (which I locked next to the fire station earlier) and rode straight home. Pumped my tires really fast when I got in. The left tire was feeling a little low. Also waved to Charlie, who is working on my new porch light.
I had been hoping to go grocery shopping, but it was past 5:30 by the time I got everything put away and settled down. Did a little bit of writing for an hour or so. Leia is horrified to find Vader in the main room with the weapon, with Luke and Harry dangling over the molten metal pits surrounding the pedestal. Vader has already set their swords into the pedestal. He claims he'll trade the two young men for Leia's Sword of Wisdom, but she doesn't trust him...
Had a quick dinner of honey muffins and an orange cream smoothie (yogurt with skim milk, honey, and mandarin oranges) while watching a fifth season episode of Moonlighting. "I See London, I See France, I See Maddie's Netherworld" has the Blue Moon Detective Agency on edge when a man dies of a heart attack in Maddie's office. Turns out the guy had a lottery ticket on him worth millions. Maddie and David end up pursuing the dead man, who keeps turning up in the strangest places, while arguing over death, dying, and the idea of there being something "on the other side."
Finished the night with Broadcast News. Jane Craig (Holly Hunter) is a news producer whose work is her life. Her guy friend Aaron Altman (Albert Brooks) is a great reporter, but what he really wants is to go on-camera. Trouble is, he's neurotic, nervous, and extremely awkward in the spotlight. Tom Grunick (William Hurt) is good-looking and smooth, but he lacks experience and knows nothing about half the news he's reporting. Both men are gunning to replace their current major anchor Bill Rorish (Jack Nicholson), but despite his years of experience, Aaron's debut as an anchor is a disaster. Jane really loves both men, and has no idea how to deal with this situation. Aaron finally pulls out to take a job in Oregon, but he has one last thing to say about Tom and his work, something that makes Jane reconsider her relationship with both men.
This has long been one of my favorite movies. I forget when I first saw it - maybe on cable - but it's a sharp and well-written romantic comedy-drama about three people who can handle news like no one's business, but aren't nearly as good with their love lives. I like how it all comes out; even after the drama with the reporting job, they're still friends in the end.
The movie garnered nominations for Best Picture, Original Screenplay, and Hurt and Hunter, among others, in 1987, but came away empty-handed. That's too bad. If you love Brooks' other work (especially in TV), any of the cast, or are looking for a romantic comedy that's more mature than most, this deserves a second look.
No comments:
Post a Comment