Began the morning with early work. The snow was already melting when I left at 8. The sky was blue, the sun was blinding, the roads were clear, and while it was windy and chilly, it was still nice to be outside. I rounded up trash inside and out early-on, but I mostly alternated between doing returns and gathering carts and baskets again. We were steady, but not overwhelmingly busy - most people may be waiting for early next week to finish up their Thanksgiving shopping. While the snow was almost totally gone by noon, clouds had moved in, leaving it windy and chilly for the rest of the day.
Speaking of Thanksgiving, I have the best Thanksgiving week schedule I've had in a long time. While I work early on Wednesday, it's not long or late. I did get Thanksgiving off, along with Sunday and next Saturday. Working Black Friday means I'll get extra money for Thanksgiving...and having Saturday off means I'll get to see the big Christmas parade in Collingswood for the first time in three years. (And I'll get to check out the winter festival in Westmont, too.)
Headed to the shopping center behind the Acme for lunch. My first thought was Chick Fil'A...but the line for the take-out window stretched almost all the way around the building! The one inside was almost as long. I ended up at Tu Se Bella Pizza instead. They were busy too, but not quite as much. I had a slice of mushroom pizza, a slice of tasty broccoli chicken Alfredo, and a bottle of Coke.
Did my grocery shopping when I got back to the Acme. With Thanksgiving coming, there's tons of good sales this week. I've been wanting to try the Belvita Gingerbread Cookies. I just ran out of dried basil. Not only was the Acme's organic brand on a good sale, but I had a coupon from a sample a while back. Had online coupons for peanut butter, Life Cereal (got Vanilla this time), and pancake mix. (Went with Aunt Jemima Whole Wheat Blend.) Found a pack of Crayola dry erase markers on clearance. Restocked brown sugar, ground turkey, honey, canned pineapple, yogurt, skim milk, muffin papers, and peppermint extract.
Ran a Christmas-themed Scooby Doo episode while putting everything away. Fred joins Daphne, Shaggy, Scooby, and Scrappy or "A Nutcracker Scoob." The gang is putting on a Christmas pageant for a local orphanage. Not only does a mean old miser want to tear down the orphans' home, but the Ghost of Christmas is sabotaging the production. There's something very special hidden in the house, and the kids want to be the ones who find it first...before the ghost gets their hands on it!
Worked on writing for a while. Anakin wonders what in the heck his dead partner is doing sitting in his parlor room. Marley has a warning for him. He's going to be visited by three spirits that night. He has to listen to him...or he could end up like Marley, or the dozens of chained ghosts who suddenly appear outside his window.
Marley disappears when Scrooge slams the window. He's visited by his landlady, Jyn Erso Andor. Jyn basically tells him to yell softly and not bang windows, no matter how many ghosts he sees.
Broke for dinner at quarter of 7. Had leftover tuna salad while watching more Scooby Doo. "A Scary Night With a Snow Beast Fright" comes from the mid-70's series. The gang has been called to the Arctic by a professor who was doing research there. When they arrive, the professor is gone and the Inuit village where he was working has been scared off by a huge dinosaur-like snow beast. After the village chief also vanishes, the gang finds a black substance around some totem poles and begin to wonder if the beast isn't after something more than scaring off villagers.
Finished out the set after a shower. "Alaskan King Coward" is one of the goofy late-70's shorts featuring Shaggy, Scooby, and Scrappy. Once again, a dinosaur is involved, this time a real one that breaks out of his icy prison and goes after the guys. Scooby and Shaggy would love to outrun him, but Scrappy would rather attack this scaly claim jumper!
"That's Snow Ghost" comes from the original Scooby Doo, Where are You? This time, the wintry creep is a Yeti-style monster who has been seen outside of a run-down ski resort. An elderly Tibetian man insists that the creature is after him. Velma thinks there's a far more logical explanation for it being there.
Ended my night with An American Christmas Carol as I went online. This late 70's TV movie stars Henry Winkler as Benedict Slade, a miserly old man who runs a loan company. With the Great Depression at its zenith, he's had to repossess the heirlooms of half the town. When Thatcher, his assistant, suggests he re-open the quarry to create jobs, he fires him, fearing that more jobs would mean fewer repossessions - and less money for him. Slade learns his lesson when ghosts who resemble the people he took possessions from show him his past, his present, his chilling future, and why Thatcher and the town dearly need the jobs.
Ok, not bad, not great. I do think the setting's creative, and Winkler does fairly well under a tone of aging makeup. Always nice to see Geraud Parkes of Fraggle Rock fame as well (he's the Ghost of Christmas Present and the head of the town orphanage). Worth checking out if you're a fan of Winkler or are looking for an unusual version of A Christmas Carol.
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