Wednesday, April 06, 2022

Busy Day In the Spring

Began a dreary morning with breakfast and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. When "Jodi's Asthma" acts up during a game of splatball, the other kids have to find something she can play, too. Dan gets a taste of being left out when the other kids pass around slices of peach pie, but he's allergic to peaches. Dan and Katarina love playing with little Margaret at the playground, but they have to remember she can't climb steps and join them on the slide. Daniel's new autistic friend Max prefers the xylophone. Katerina and Dan have to find a way for both of them to play along in "Daniel and Max Play at the Playground."

Spent the next few hours doing chores in my room. I hadn't made the bed since before I moved. All the blankets I use to combat the drafts in the attic were falling off! Once I got the blankets on and folded and the stuffed animals on the shelf alongside the bed, I turned my attention to pulling out the warm-weather clothes. While it is supposed to be in the 50's and 60's here this week, it'll be in the 70's by early next week. I won't be needing the turtlenecks or my paisley flannel pajamas for a while. 

Found something I remembered from my childhood on Tubi. I watched the 1990 TV version of The Flash occasionally as an 11-year-old, mainly because Mark Hamill played the Joker-like Trickster and I was in my all-out Star Wars obsession phase at the time. In the pilot film for the series, forensic scientist Barry Allen (John Wesley Shipp) is struck by lightning while surrounded by highly dangerous chemicals. He discovers he has super speed and can run so fast, he literally breaks the sound barrier. STAR Labs scientist Tina McGee (Amanda Pays) keeps track of his speeds and abilities. He uses his newfound powers to fight a motorcycle gang with very strange weapons who killed his brother (Tim Thomerson) in a shootout. 

Now I wish I watched more of the show in 1990. I actually quite enjoyed this. Some of it hasn't dated well; the biker's gang look more like the Foot Clan from the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, and even have a similar hide-out, and some of the special effects are obvious today. On the other hand, this is relatively dark for sci-fi TV in 1990 - it doesn't shy away from discussing the death of a major character or showing Barry's relationship with Iris West (who leaves after the pilot movie) and Tina. 

Still a lot of fun if you're a fan of the DC Comics characters, the Flash, or sci-fi from this time. 

Had a quick chili lunch before rushing off to my first appointment of the day. Unfortunately, I hit traffic trying to cross Cuthbert and arrived at Walgreens five minutes late...which turned out to be a moot point anyway. Their system went down while I tried to get checked in, and the lady couldn't do anything. Not only that, but I hadn't known this would require fasting. I ended up buying a birthday card for Rose (hers is tomorrow) that I hope she actually accepts. I'm not buying her a gift card. I'm afraid she'll just throw it away and not even bother with it. 

Had a far easier time a few blocks down the road at South Jersey Radiology on the border of Westmont and Haddonfield. They were the first office you saw when you entered the building. In fact, I was there so early, they took me ten minutes ahead of time.  I laid down on on a doctor's bed. The lady spread something warm and thick on my neck. She pushed on one side of my neck with something soft for a few minutes, then the other. That's all there was to it. I cleaned up my neck and was back on the road in less than ten minutes. 

Between chilly, cloudy weather and getting close to rush-hour traffic, I went straight home. Avoided said traffic by taking the back roads and riding through Newton Lake Park. Took a shortcut across a path over a hill. The path was a muddy mess, but it did get me home a little faster...and it revealed that all this rain has been great for the local flora. The grass is emerald green now, with patches of buttercups and dandelions sprouting everywhere. The trees are in full flower, sprouting creamy white and lime green and pale shell pink.

Had a snack while watching Press Your Luck. I tried watching Match Game '79 earlier, but they kept repeating the first question over and over. Thankfully, that problem seemed to have been fixed by 4 PM. Whammies really flew fast and furious in this one. The champ Whammied out at the last minute, making a young gentleman who won a trip to Rome the new winner.

Went straight into writing after that. White Queen Helen explains to Brett that she has no difficulty remembering things forwards and backwards...and not only is Sir Richard Dawson the White Knight in danger, but so is she. Brett can't get her to reveal what will happen before she seems to prick her finger. She didn't...then. She knew it was going to happen, and it does happen. Helen tells Brett she needs a lot of practice to imagine "six impossible things before breakfast." She ends up chasing after her shawl again, and Brett follows her into the next square...where she becomes a sheep (Arlene Francis) in a shop.

Watched Match Game PM while getting organized and finishing up things online. Two lovely young ladies, Debralee Scott and Jonelle Allen, bookend an unusually dapper McLean Stevenson (who is hoping for his own series) while joking that a well-dressed contestant with a stiff blonde hairdo looks like Barry Manilow. Charles doesn't have nearly as much fun trying to figure out "Escape __" in the Head-to-Head or listening to Brett ranting about the state of the New York subway system. The girls singing "The Battle of Jerico" and making fun of commercials shilling music collections. 

Switched to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse while having leftover chicken, carrots, and potato fries for dinner. "Mickey's Treasure Hunt" is one of the few episodes to take place almost entirely at the Clubhouse. Mickey finds five clues that'll lead to a treasure full of gift bags and play jewels. While he uses the Mouske-tools, Donald claims he and Goofy will find the treasure their own way...but the things they bring back are anything but treasure!

Finished the night on Paramount Plus with a two-part The Love Boat episode from the fifth season. Farnsworth (Lloyd Bridges) is a millionaire who brought all of his relatives along to figure out who will make it into his will...but a lovely lady (Linda Evens) who seems interested in him makes him rethink "Farnsworth's Fling." Turns out the lady has her own agenda, with the help of her friend (Jessica Walter), Farnsworth's niece who believed he ruined her father. His daughter (Morgan Fairchild) and her ex-husband (Grant Goodeve) find themselves to be "Three In a Bed" when her stuffy fiancĂ© (Alan Fletcher) show's up, too. Merrill falls for the daughter of an old flame in "Merrill, Melonie, and Melonesia." "Gopher Farnsworth Smith" believes himself to be related to Farnsworth and entitled to a share of his fortune. 

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