Began a slightly cloudy morning with breakfast and Garfield's Feline Fantasies. As Jon points out, Garfield has quite an active imagination for a fat, lazy kitty. His daydreams take him and Odie everywhere from on a plane about to crash-land to the jungle in search of the Banana of Bombay, the banana that was first used in the banana-peel-on-the-floor gag.
Work was a bit of a pain. I spent the first hour doing carts, but I got stuck in the registers for the rest of the day. We weren't even really that busy, especially early on. We just didn't have enough help. At least most everyone I talked to were in good moods. (It probably helped that I was mostly in the express line.)
I'm not really happy with my schedule next week, either. I have the same amount of hours next week that I originally did this week - which is to say, not nearly enough. And this time, there's no holiday to make up for it. That's the other reason I wanted to take time off in January this year, besides it being mid-way between my trips with Lauren. I figured I'd probably make a bigger paycheck on vacation than if I were actually at work.
I did get some grocery shopping done. I found two containers of small shrimp intended for shrimp scampi for super-cheap in the seafood section. Decided that one container would become shrimp and vegetable pizza tonight, and the other would be shrimp stir-fry next week. Bought a can of pizza dough and shredded mozzarella cheese to go with the former. Restocked skim milk, honey, apples, bananas, cranberries, cheddar cheese, yogurt, aluminum foil, sponges, toilet paper, cream of mushroom soup, white and brown sugar, and mandarin oranges. Grabbed more of those wonderful pumpkin creame cookies off the clearance shelves, along with a box of pumpkin bread mix.
Did another Garfield special when I got home. Garfield's daydreaming again in Babes and Bullets. This time, he imagines himself as Sam Spayed, a private eye who is on the trail of the man who murdered a handsome young history professor. What I like about this one is, for all the comic elements, there's a surprisingly believable mystery at it's core. It feels more realistic than some of the cozy mysteries I read.
The special actually gave me a story idea. I've been wanting to do a fanfic with Han Solo as a private detective for a while now, but I only had the story title. I didn't know if I wanted it to be in the regular Star Wars universe, or real life, or when in real-life...but I think I have it now. I love film noir, but my last attempt at it in the Remember WENN fandom was colored by the action-packed third season finale.
Hank Solomon is a private detective in Philadelphia in 1948. Gorgeous rich girl Leia Ortez hires him and his big foreign buddy Chuck to find out who murdered her parents, Bail and Breha Ortez, and why. It turns out that Leia and her family made some powerful enemies, including Darren Vedder, the city's corrupt Chief of Police. Leia turned information on Vedder's activities over to a nervous Philadelphia Inquirer reporter, Cyril Thomas, and his excitable photographer buddy Arlo Detton. He has to work with them, ex-cop Benjamin MacKennon, and rookie cop Luke Walters to find out what Vedder and his boss Mayor Simon Palpatine has in mind, before they take over the city.
No clue when this one's going to come out. Possibly later this year, if I can work out all the details. I really want to finish off as many Original Trilogy ideas as possible before they start advertising for Episode 9 and I switch gears to the Sequels.
Did a few major things online before I started writing. I e-mailed two of the listings I'd seen on Craigslist and Trulia and called a third. The call did not go well. She said I didn't make enough money to rent from her. I never really thought of that. Miss Ellie didn't ask how much money I made when I moved down here in 2006 - and I probably made even less then. And the other Craigslist listing vanished hours after I e-mailed them. I hope they still respond.
Finally got to writing around 5 PM. After they pull up in the crumbling castle owned by the thieves, Diefa, the younger female thief, drags Leia and Chewie to her room. She keeps her "collection" - birds and a tauntaun she has in cages and on a leash - there. She intends to make Chewie part of her menagerie and hold Leia as a slave.
Broke to make my pizza at 6:30. Watched an episode of Fairie Tale Theatre while I enjoyed my meal. The Star Wars fanfic I'm currently working on was inspired by the original Hans Christian Anderson version of "The Snow Queen." Gerda (Melissa Gilbert) wants to find her friend Kai (Lance Kerwin), whose heart was soured by a troll's evil magic. The beautiful Snow Queen (Lee Remick) takes him in and teaches him patience. Meanwhile, Gerda gets help from the Lady of Summer (Lauren Hutton), a talking tree, a sassy thief (Linda Manz), and a reindeer (David Hemmings).
Finished the night after a shower with 12 Angry Men. This 1957 Sidney Lumet film is simplicity in itself. It's a hot day in a New York courtroom. Twelve ordinary guys would love to be anywhere but a stuffy room with no air conditioning, but one of the jurors (Henry Fonda) insists that the teenager who is on trial for murdering his abusive father is not guilty. Another juror (Lee J. Cobb) just as passionately points out that all the evidence indicates that the kid did the deed. The other jurors, ranging from a meek banker (John Fielder) to a huge baseball fan (Jack Warden) to a man who managed to get out of a situation not unlike the kid's (Jack Klugman), hear both sides of the arguement over the course of a long afternoon. Ultimately, all the men learn a lesson about justice...and getting all the facts straight before presenting your case.
I'm not normally a fan of courtroom dramas, but this one was really compelling. You wouldn't think that twelve guys arguing in one room for a hour and a half could be so riveting, but twelve of the best character actors in Hollywood in the late 50's throwing out passionate speeches left and right make it truly memorable. (Like Marty, it's pretty obvious from the intimate settings that this was based after a TV play - and it was later made into a stage play as well.)
Not for those who are looking for more action, but if you love compelling character-driven stories or courtroom dramas, this is one of the most unique.
And...it started raining about an hour ago. Sounds like it's coming down pretty good, too. I hope it doesn't linger too long into tomorrow. I have a lot that I want to do, including laundry. (I'll still take downpours over the icy weather we had in early January last year, though! At least I can go outside, even if I get wet doing so.)
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