Wednesday, November 29, 2023

Cold Autumn

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast and Charlie & Lola. "I am Going to Save a Panda" Lola insists when her school holds various activities to raise money for helping the pandas in China. She's devastated when she comes down with chicken pox the day of the school marathon and can't go. Charlie finds a way for her to take part and feel better about her illness.

I might have called Uber anyway, regardless of how my knee felt. It was in the 20's when I got up this morning. Considering I got a late start, it actually worked out pretty well. They got here in less than 3 minutes and got me there in a little over five. They had to go slow on Nicholson, which seems to be getting regraded. Fortunately, it wasn't enough to make me late. I was just on time.

Truth be told, I probably could have stayed home again. We were dead almost the entire day. It's the end of the month and the week after the biggest food holiday of the year. If people aren't finishing their Thanksgiving leftovers, they're waiting on their beginning-of-the-month money. It's also too early for people to think about Christmas dinner and baking. Many people may be just starting to buy their presents. The weather was nice too, sunny, pale blue, and far more tolerable once it got a little bit warmer later in the day. I swept the store, shelved cold items people didn't want, and pushed carts well as I could. 

Since I don't think I'll make it to the Westmont Plaza this weekend, I did my grocery shopping today. Mostly needed to restock yogurt and Propel mix and add to my granola bar stash. Picked up a bag for Amanda's presents. Strawberries were on a good sale with an online coupon. Bought a brace for my knee. 

Had a harder time getting a ride home. The driver was supposed to come in 8 minutes...but then it jumped to a minute, then two. And by 2:30. Nicholson Road was blocked off all together, and he had to go down Market Street and the White Horse Pike instead. Between traffic and the alternate route, it took almost ten minutes to get home. 

Put everything away, then had lunch while watching Super Password. The first episode had a very funny Pat Sajak playing against Jo Ann Worley. The second returned to the week with Lucille Ball, Ann Dusenberry, and the Golden Girls duo. Lucy seemed kind of slow to figure things out, and Betty White plays Password better than anyone. She and Estelle Getty made it to the Super Password bonus round twice.

Did some job research after that, then worked on writing. When a maid brings Cora her wedding dress, she convinces her to try it on. Cora walks out in her clothes, determined to find where Stephen's fortress home is in the woods. The woods, however, are very big, and Cora is soon very lost. She stops to ask an old woman if she can give her directions...

Broke for dinner and Match Game Syndicated at 7 PM. The first episode started off with everyone admiring Gene's new tie embroidered with men in kilts that Bill Daily gave him, leading Bill to almost give him the rest of his clothes! There's jokes about the male contestant's couch-cover coat, too. The episode after that is another one that's currently lost, which means Buzzr went to the end of the week. Gene has a hard time remembering names in the second one. Joyce Bulifant has a story with every answer, but not everyone wants to hear them...

Finished the night with The Golden Voyage of Sinbad for free on YouTube. Columbia returned to the stories of Sinbad the Sailor and his adventures twice in the 70's. This time, Sinbad (John Phillip Law) finds a gold amulet dropped by a strange little monster. He dreams of a man in black and a girl with an eye tattooed on her palm. The man is the wicked magician Koura (Tom Baker), who claims the amulet is his. Sinbad dodges him and makes his way into the city. He meets the Vizier, who reveals that the amulets are pieces of a map that'll lead to youth, a shield of darkness, and a wealthy crown. Koura has already tried to get the Vizier's piece, locking him in a burning room and leaving him so disfigured, he has to wear a mask. He also meets the girl with the eye on her hand, the slave Margiana (Catherine Munro). Her master agrees to let her go if Sinbad also takes his lazy, spoiled son Haroun (Kurt Christian). 

The Golden Voyage is full of danger, from a moving masthead that attacks the sailors to hostile natives who attack the group. Koura too is determined to get the amulets and find that crown. Sinbad, however, won't back down. In the end, it'll take a team effort from him, his crew, and his new friends to take on Koura, the natives, and the Guardians of Good and Evil who watch over the Fountain.

I enjoyed the 50's one a little bit more, but this wasn't bad, either. The creature work may have been even more intricate - check out the battle between the Guardians in the end! Baker's work here so impressed the producers of Doctor Who, it's how he ended up being hired as the Fourth Doctor. Law is sufficiently dashing as Sinbad, and Christian gets a few funny moments as the whiny kid who eventually learns about teamwork and independence. If you're looking for 70's fantasy and sci-fi with a slightly softer edge, you'll want to go on that golden voyage with Sinbad, too. 

No comments: