It was cloudy and cold when I rolled out of bed this morning. I was so glad to be off! I had plenty of time to slice apples for Apples and Cinnamon Pancakes and really savor my chai tea.
Listened to one of my two Looney Tunes Christmas albums while I ate. Holli-Daze is a record collection of four holiday stories, all starring Bugs. He, Speedy Gonzales, and Porky head to the North Pole to take over for a sick Rudolph in "Bugs the Red-Nosed Bunny." Millionaire Elmer Fudd will give his fortune to anyone who can cure him of his "Santa Claus-trophobia" - he thinks he is the big guy in red. Bugs and Daffy pose as a psychiatrist and his nurse to get the money. After quite a few antics, they finally give Elmer an idea that'll make all three of them happy. Bugs and Granny are in a "Holli-Daze" when they're stranded in an Arizona town during Christmas. Yosemite Sam arrests them, but they help him catch the real thieves. Bugs' nephew Clyde insists he no longer believes in Santa in "'Twas a Sight Before Christmas." Bugs interviews various Toons on the street to prove that Santa is very real.
Spent the rest of the afternoon on the computer. I first added a short sequence before Hux goes into the First Order offices. He encounters two more fellow bank workers (First Order officers Canardy and Mititaka) on the street. They discuss Scrooge's death and how they go to his cheap funeral if a lunch is provided...but they never say his name, and Scrooge has no idea who they're talking about.
At the Cratchits' house, a now out-of-work Luke arrives home with Rey. His children and wife note that he's walked much slower since Temiri died. He tells them that, despite the loss of her headquarters, Leia may have a position open for young Anakin. The little ones don't want their brother to go, but Luke sadly tells them that all things must go sometime...including those they love.
The Ghost finally drags Scrooge to that final graveyard, where he sees his name etched in the stone. He tells the Ghost that he's ready to change...and discovers, to his horror, that he's begging a wrinkled and aged Snoke. Snoke basically tells him that he made his bed, and he has to lie in it. Anakin tries to grab at his cloak...only to discover that they're his blankets, and he's back in his own room.
(And no fire-and-brimstone. I'm surprised Disney got away with that. I want to go slightly lighter here.)
I also signed up for several online writing companies and took my photo with my ID for one. I'm hoping to get a bite from at least one...and if I don't, some research this afternoon and this evening turned up dozens of sites specializing in online writing gigs.
Broke for a quick lunch of fried eggs and Cranberry Flummery around 3:30. Listened to more Looney Tunes while I ate fast. I picked up my Christmas With the Looney Tunes cassette from the CVS in Wildwood around 2002. This one is a collection of songs featuring the various Toons (or at least, their voice actors in the early 2000's). Daffy gets a hilarious "All I Want for Christmas Is More, More, More"; he also attempts "Good King Wenceslas" in "The Halle-Looney Chorus," but he gets the words completely wrong. Other good numbers include Bugs and Taz performing "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" and Pepe Le Pew's "Christmas In Paree."
Walked to Dad and Jodie's around quarter after 4. Not only did I figure I'd be there too late for bike rides, but heavy clouds were gathering. I didn't trust the weather. Rose and her kids were on their way out as I came in. Rose brought Finley over during the early afternoon games. Khai had spent the day with his grandparents and was tired out, and she wanted to feed both of them.
Mark and his new girlfriend Joya were still there. Jodie ordered pepperoni, mushroom, and cheese pizza from Phillies Phatties during the second quarter. She also had an "Italian Salad" - bologna, capricola, sliced provolone, hot pickled peppers, kosher deli pickle chips, greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and sliced hard boiled eggs. I picked out the hot peppers, but the rest of it was delicious. Jodie gave me some salad and two remaining slices of pizza to take home.
The game started out very badly on both sides. Neither the Cowgirls nor the Eagles played well. The Cowboys were barely ahead 9-0 at halftime. Things picked up in a big way after the second half, even as Mark and Joya drove me home. I worked on crocheting a new dish rag while I listened to the rest. One team would make a touchdown, and the other would run right back and get another one. It went into overtime, but in the end, the Cowboys got the final score, 29-23.
(Oh, and Mark and Joya invited me for an open house at their new home next Sunday. We'll see what - or if - I'm working next Sunday.)
Finished the night online, listening to more Christmas CDs. John Denver and the Muppets: Christmas Together pairs two of the most beloved icons of the late 70's in one of my favorite holiday albums. Denver gets the lovely "Noel: Christmas Eve 1913," while the Muppets have a blast with the opening "Twelve Days of Christmas" and "Christmas Is Coming."
Christmas With the Chipmunks is the first of the two original Alvin and the Chipmunks holiday albums. Along with the famous "Please Christmas Don't Be Late," I like Alvin hilariously overacting on "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" and "Here Comes Santa Claus." They also have fun introducing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."
The Judy Garland Christmas Album is actually the soundtrack from the Christmas episode of her short-lived 1963-1964 variety show. While we do get Judy singing her beloved "Over the Rainbow" in the finale and her doing "Consider Yourself" with her children Lorna and Joey, there's quite a few oddities. Vocalist Jack Jones gets "Wouldn't It Be Loverly" and "Lollipops and Roses," and Lorna talks him into doing "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" with her. Judy's "Little Drops of Rain" from the animated film Gay Purr-ee is actually quite touching. Liza Minnelli has fun doing "Steam Heat" with one of the dancers and tells her mother about her "Alice Blue Gown."
Finished the night quietly with An Early American Christmas. This was released by the same company that put out my Dixieland Christmas CD, Green Hill. Though a few of the songs, like "Joy to the World," were familiar to me, most of these were much older songs that I'm guessing would have been popular at the holidays during the 1700's and early 1800's. I'd never heard of such lovely numbers as "The Cherry Tree Carol," "Sweet Slumbers," or "The Parting Glass."
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