Friday, August 20, 2021

A Little More Goofy

Rain pitter-pattered on my roof as my eyes fluttered open this morning. Made me so happy to be able to curl up in my blankets and lay in bed for a while longer, then linger over breakfast. It was so wonderfully relaxing and calm, even after I put on the remaining Goofy shorts. 

"Hello, Aloha" takes Goofy to tropical paradise, as he enjoys the slower pace of Hawaii and spoofs the popularity of Tiki culture in the 50's and early 60's. "Two Weeks Vacation" has Goofy trying for a solo road trip, only to encounter noisy hotels and a road-hogging trailer. He's wondering "For Whom the Bulls Toil" when his trip to Mexico lands him in the ring dodging an angry bull while stereotyped Mexican peasants cheer him on.

He didn't do much better at home with the family. "Father's Weekend" is so packed with chores and trips to the beach and boardwalk with Junior, he looks forward longingly to the work week. "Man's Best Friend" is not a non-anamorphic dog when the huge beast Goofy brings home destroys his house and loves everyone but him. "Father's Day Off" has him trying to take care of Junior and do chores around the house while his wife's away. He thinks it'll be a piece of cake, but the day ends with the police thinking the soap opera they overhead is a real murder, the iron burning a hole through the floor, and Goofy wondering why all the delivery guys keep kissing him.

"Two Gun Goofy" and "How to Be a Detective" returns to genre satire. "Two Gun Goofy" makes fun of Lone Ranger-style westerns. Goofy manages to put Pete the bandit in jail, without realizing he's even doing it. The shadowy world of film noir comes in for a ribbing with "Detective," as a lady in a veil sends Goofy on the trail of a guy named Al.

"How to Dance" and "How to Sleep" are the last of the "How to" shorts for more than 50 years. "Dance" covers the history of dancing through the years, and shows how Goofy attempts to learn the latest steps. "Sleep" shows the many ways of getting a good night's rest, from positions to ways of actually sleeping.

"Aquamania" is the last short on the set. We're back in "Motor Mania" territory as Goofy becomes obsessed with his new boat. He tries to teach Junior water skiing, only to inadvertently end up entered in a water skiing contest with a very nervous octopus! If this one looks a little different and rougher than the other shorts, it was animated with Disney's then-recent Xerox process that would later be used for 70's animated movies like Robin Hood and The Rescuers. (It's also not the final Goofy short. Those would be the educational cartoons "Freewaymania" and "Goofy's Freeway Trouble." No clue why they weren't included. The Disney Channel showed them a lot between movies in the late 80's - early 90's.) 

Quickly got the printer organized while the cartoons ran. Put away the papers for my bank accounts and the book for the insurance money I have in a trust and all the receipts and paperwork from my recent dental appointments. Found one last Garfield folder and put that aside for Khai.

Stepped out to head off to work, just as a car drove up in front of the house. The lady just dropped a bag of new bedding and a few small items Jodie ordered off Walmart's website. She went to visit friends for the weekend and asked me to put them in her side of the house. I did so and dashed off shortly after. Thankfully, the rain ended just in time for me to get to work dry, though it remained cloudy and killer humid. (In fact, the sun came out later.)

And that may have been the most exciting thing that happened all day. We were dead almost the entire four hours I was behind a register. It picked up a little bit around 3, and then around 4:30, but that was the only time it got really bad. No problems anywhere.

Not really happy with my schedule for next week, though. In good news, Monday and Thursday off, the former for counseling. My hours are really long and often early, including a very early day Sunday. I would give anything for a consistent schedule!

Had more luck with grocery shopping. Two one-pound bags of King Arthur unbleached white flour were less expensive than a large bag of Acme unbleached white flour. Had good online coupons for cereal, and yogurt, and Talenti ice cream, as well as a reward for free eggs. Found a dented can of diced tomatoes on the clearance rack and two salmon fillets with manager's coupons. Restocked deodorant, bananas, butter, yeast, and milk.

Put everything away when I got home, then went into writing. Queen Betty admits she sent Duchess Marcia to the dungeon when she got on her nerves. King Allen hastily sends the White Rabbit to release her.

Broke for dinner at 6:30. Ate baked herbed chicken legs with roasted potatoes and green salad while watching Match Game '76. Patti Deustch actually did very well in this episode, matching the first contestant twice. Later on, Charles draws a beauty mark on his cheek to illustrate "Beauty __" in the Audience Match, and we get a question asking who on the phone would disappoint Richard Dawson.

Made Blueberry Crumble Bars as Match Game PM began. This one was notorious for them having to run their sudden death tie breaker three times before one of the contestants finally won. We also get some jokes as to what picture someone has on bouncy checks. 

Switched to PBS Kids for one of the latest Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood episodes. "Daniel Goes to the Hospital" to get his blocked ears checked out, and he's understandably nervous about it. He's helped by a very sweet nurse who shows him around and alleviates his fears, and a doctor who explains what he needs to do and what will happen to him. 

Finished the night at the Watch TCM on demand website with the silent 1922 version of The Prisoner of Zenda. Lewis Stone, best known to most old movie fans today as Andy Hardy's dad in the 30's and 40's, is Rudof Rassendyl, the man who takes over for the drugged king of Ruritania. It was Mexican heartthrob Ramon Novarro who walked off with the notices and stardom as roguish guard Rupert of Hentzau. I especially appreciate that this version sticks to the book a little bit more than the later sound movies, even including the prologue with Rupert and his sister in England before he leaves for Ruritania. 

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