Thursday, May 04, 2023

Muppets and Marx Brothers

Forgot to set the alarm this morning and overslept, but I still had enough time for Charlie and Lola during breakfast. Lola claims that "Thunder Completely Does Not Scare Me"...but it completely does. Charlie explains to her about thunder storms and that thunder isn't anything to be afraid of.

I rushed outside to wait for Karen to pick me up...and of course, she had a client before me and ended up running late. No matter. I sat outside, looked at my phone, and enjoyed the chilly, windy, cloudy weather until she did arrive. 

We didn't have an easier time doing the FASFA form. It took us almost a half-hour just to figure out all the passwords you need and the security questions you'll have to answer. Most of the darn form is security. And of course, when we did get to the taxes part, it turns out they wanted the form from 2021 instead of 2022. I brought this year's tax form, not last year's. We ended up not finishing it. We won't next week, either. She'll be on vacation.

Went straight upstairs and into writing when I got home. Gene claims he's ready to let the Wild Rider Gang come to them. Brett thinks he's crazy, but he's ready to try anything. Bill's worried that they might not be able to handle it, but Gene thinks they can with Richard there...

Broke for lunch at 1:30. Watched more Muppet Babies on YouTube while I ate. The newest acquisition in the nursery is a video game system. Piggy and Gonzo get a little too into playing Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong, and the now-forgotten Fantasy Zone. Skeeter and Scooter play with the Power Pad, but decide they'd rather race each other. Kermit is happier playing traffic cop for Frogger. In the end, it's Kermit who finally reminds Piggy and Gonzo that "It's Only Pretendo," after all, and the real point is to have fun.

Gonzo learns a much tougher lesson in "Faster Than a Speeding Weirdo." After seeing a NASCAR race, he becomes obsessed with speed. He keeps taking the other kids' cars apart and adds bigger wheels and other features to make them faster, but they just fall apart. He then puts together his own racer...and not only does he crash in the hallway, but his beloved stuffed chick Camilla is torn apart in the wreckage. While the other kids teach Gonzo about driving and toy safety and asking before you borrow things, Gonzo just hopes Camilla comes through.

(And...poor Gonzo! This is as dark as the show ever got. Gonzo singing "I'll Be Blue Without You" is probably one of the most heartbreaking moments you'll see in a cartoon. Heck, I was crying by the end of it, and I did as a kid, too.)

Headed out shortly after the second cartoon ended. I wish I hadn't. Work was a mess almost the entire afternoon. We had very long lines with huge beginning-of-the-month orders and not anything resembling enough help to deal with them. I kept panicking and trying to move faster because the lines were so long. Thank heavens it slowed down enough by 7 for me to get off without a relief.

Went straight home after that. Had dinner while watching more Babies. The kids are so thrilled with the stage version of Snow White they just saw, they decide to put on their own version of "Snow White and the Seven Muppets." Piggy's furious that she has to play the Wicked Queen and Skeeter gets to be Snow White...but she really gets mad when it comes time for Prince Kermit to kiss her awake!

(That ends the bootleg set, by the way. There's one more episode on the first disc, "My Muppet Valentine," but we'll save that one for next February.)

Finished the night with A Day at the Races. The Marx Brothers celebrate the Kentucky Derby and help save a failing sanitarium in their second hit movie with MGM. 

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