Monday, June 15, 2020

Are You Ready for the Summer?

Awoke to a ringing phone. Rose called; Finley returned to her regular sitter, and she was now able to look at my letter. I would have sent it to her ages ago, but she never sent me her current e-mail address. She finally managed to text it to me. I dressed quickly, checked my text messages, and e-mailed her my attached later. I still haven't heard from her. If I don't hear from her by tomorrow, I'll call or text her.

Had breakfast while watching Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Dan makes "Something Special for Dad" when he sees how happy Grandpere's letter makes his father. Daniel Sr and his son make Mrs. Tiger banana bread as a way to say "I Love You, Mom!"

Went to Hulu for Doc McStuffins as I cleaned up from breakfast. Doc holds "Lelani's Luau" when her new hula doll is homesick for Hawaii. Lelaini tries to show everyone the hula, but she's too run down to dance. Doc has to find out what kind of power she needs to hula again. "Karate Kangaroos" are part of a "Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots"-style fighting game. Angus, however, is nervous about fighting his more energetic friend Sydney. Doc insists that they talk it over and find out how he feels about it.

Spent the next couple of hours cleaning the kitchen and going through my spices. Almost all of my spices but the ones I use come from the dollar store. Some of them have been around since I first moved to Wildwood over 15 years ago. Those small bottles of grill seasoning I like are full of salt, too. I ditched the expired cream of tartar, seasonings I don't use, and the grill seasonings that were almost empty. The remaining bottles now all fit in on my minuscule counter.

Watched Meatballs while I worked. It's going to be an exciting summer at Camp North Star in Northern Canada. Wacky head counselor Tripper (Bill Murray) constantly flirts with the female head counselor Roxanne (Kate Lynch) and befriends lonely camper Rudy (Chris Makepeace). The counselors-in-training are a horny bunch who steal camp owner Morty's (Harvey Atkin) air conditioner, listen to the girls under their cabin at night, make out on a camping trip, and help Tripper dump Morty in increasingly weird places. When they're not trying to figure out what their hormones are doing, they're trying to compete with rich Camp Mohawk across the lake. Everyone thinks Camp Mowhawk will win their big Olympiad but Tripper, who reminds everyone that it's just games, after all, and encourages Rudy to do his best when he ends up running the marathon.

I have a soft spot for the first movie in this long-running franchise. As funny as the CITs can be, it's Murray who walks away with the movie. His quips and off-the-cuff announcements over the intercom are hilarious, and his relationship with Makepeace is touching. (His harassment of Roxanne early-on is a lot less amusing nowadays.) All in all, if you're a fan of Murray or are looking for a light summer film for young teens on up, this one is worth checking out.

Went for a walk after I finally finished the kitchen. Other than it being slightly warmer, the weather today was as perfect as yesterday's. Many adults returned to work today, but I saw a lot of kids in front of Phillies Phatties with their bikes and out walking with friends. Strolled up Manheim and past Dad and Jodie's house on Hillcrest, then back down Reading. People chatted with their families on their porches and worked in their gardens before it gets too hot to do so later in the week.

Watched Tattletales and Press Your Luck while having a blueberry smoothie and slice of banana chocolate chip bread for lunch. Gary and Barbara Crosby won Tattletales for the banana (yellow) section, though Tita and Sammy Cahn did come back and get some money on the board after missing all of the questions in the first half. The Whammies flew fast and furious on Luck; in the end, the new champ was the guy who only got hit with one.

Worked on writing for the rest of the evening. Orson the troll, Gary Scarlet, and Little Sarah Riding Hood have literally crashed the party. Sir Bert Convy is with him. He assures Gene that he has friends who are willing to help deal with Malade. Debralee (Scott) the water fairy helps out by making rain in the ballroom, sending most people fleeing.

Didn't break for dinner until past 6:30. Things got really crazy on Match Game, as Gene introduced (and flirted with) the show's camerawomen in a response to an answer given as "cameramen" and Charles joked about Brett's age. The only guy playing on Sale of the Century remained neck-and-neck with the two women, but finally pulled ahead in the speed round. I don't think the previous champ was too upset, though. She bought a trip to Montreal from the Instant Bargains that she said she'd always wanted. The current champ decided he was more interested in the upcoming prizes and opted to return.

Finished up the night with Summer School, which is currently running free with ads on Pluto TV's on demand service. High school phys ed teacher Freddie Shoop (Mark Harmon) is all ready to spend the summer in Hawaii with his girlfriend, until the devious vice principal Gillis (Robin Thomas) tells him he has to teach summer school or lose his tenure. His class is all filled with kids who couldn't pass their English exam, including two goofballs who are obsessed with horror movies, a pregnant girl (Shawnee Smith), a football player  (Patrick Labyorteaux) who'll get cut from the team if he can't bring up his grade, and another girl who is more focused on getting her driver's license (Kelly Jo Minter). At first, he takes the kids to the beach and to the amusement park, then does things for them when Gillis says they actually have to study. It's after Freddy almost quits that the kids realize how much he's done for them...and that the history teacher next door (Kirstie Alley) realizes that he cares more about the kids and seeing them pass that test than he'll admit.

This is another one of those slobs-vs-snobs comedies that I loved seeing on cable when I was a kid. Alley doesn't come off as much more than a love interest and the kids (other than Gary Riley and Dean Cameron as the world's biggest fans of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) are all pretty generic. Harmon, however, is likable enough to carry most of it, especially in the second half when he starts to realize how much the kids are really learning. If you love other goofy comedies from around the same time like One Crazy Summer, you'll probably enjoy this one, too.

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