Tuesday, January 01, 2019

Let's Start the New Year Right

Began 2019 with stories from the Colliers Harvest of Holidays. My favorite was the one about the kids in a small New Hampshire town who bring firewood to an elderly couple on New Year's Eve, then ring the bell for the man when he can't get out in the snow. I also like the story about the doll who is stolen from her wealthy young owner by hooligans, only to end up being given to the sister of one of them.

Headed to work after breakfast...and had more work than I planned. I stayed an extra two hours because, for some reason, that computer scheduled the head bagger to work New Year's, when she never, ever works holidays. Not that there was a whole lot for me to do. We were dead the entire day. I did do some returns early-on, but I was mainly outside with the carts. I had no problems with this. It was still cloudy when I went to work at 8:30. By noon, the clouds had cleared, and though it remained windy, it was otherwise a gorgeous, sunny day, probably in the upper 50's. (I'll take upper 50's and gale-force windy over the upper 10's and icy weather we had on New Year's Day last year.)

Picked up a few things from the after-Christmas-sales during my break. Found another pack of cards, this one with a really nice folk city design. Also found more tags (including the ones you tie on - I used up all of mine) and cardboard boxes for baked goods. (I need more for the cupcakes and bread next year.)

Went straight to the Legacy Diner after work for a now-late lunch/brunch. By 3 PM, they were steady, but not really crazy. I got my Chunky Monkey (banana and chocolate chip) Pancakes in less than 10 minutes. The waitress said they're her favorite pancakes, and I don't blame her. They were delicious - and nearly the size of the plate. I'm glad I went with the short stack. Watched the Mummers Parade from earlier on the TV in the back as I ate.

After I got home, I started going through things in the living area closet and my room. I need to clear out some of my Christmas decorations - they don't fit in the bin I have them in anymore - and a lot of the stuff in the back room and closets. I go through the books and other media fairly frequently and didn't need to get rid of much there...except the American Girl books. I still love American Girl, but I don't really read the books that often. I may keep the mysteries and get rid of the picture books. We'll see. I just don't have that much room, and if/when I move, I'll likely have even less room.

Worked on writing for a while around 4:30, but I was tired and didn't get far. Leia, Chewie, and Han are introduced to Princess Herfa and her husband, Prince Delent. While the prince does someone resemble Luke, he's not him. They were informed of their coming by Lady Gerda and are willing to help them get north to find Luke.

Broke at 6:30 to have leftovers for dinner. Continued to go through things after that, pulling some games, toys, and puzzles that I don't use from the living area closet. Watched Holiday Inn while I worked before and after writing. I go into more detail on this vehicle for Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Holiday Inn

Finished the night with Return of the Jedi. We begin with Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and his friends rescuing Han Solo (Harrison Ford) from the clutches of the disgusting crime lord Jabba the Hutt. After they manage to get out of that adventure intact, Han, Leia, and Lando (Billy Dee Williams) return to the Rebellion to learn that Darth Vader (voice of James Earl Jones) and the Emperor (Ian McDermid) are building a bigger, better Death Star. Luke has a talk with Yoda (voice of Frank Oz), who confirms that revelation about Vader from Empire and insists that Luke confront him. While Luke goes to the Death Star to deal with Vader, the cackling Emperor, and the truth about his family heritage, Leia, Han, and the Rebels find useful allies in the furry, cute, and extremely tenacious Ewoks.

This one starts off well, with the action-packed opening at Jabba's Palace that's by far my favorite part of the movie. I love the confrontation between Vader, Luke, and the Emperor, and I actually like the Ewoks...but the movie is too slow, with too much talk and dry exposition, and it goes on for about 20 minutes too long. Not my favorite Star Wars movie, but it was my first Star Wars movie (Mom says she took Rose and me to see it when it came out in 1983), and I still have a little bit of a soft spot for it.

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