Rain In the Morning

Got a really quick start this morning when I overslept again. I had enough time to write in my journal, change, have breakfast, and call Uber. Alas, they couldn't come for 12 minutes. I arrived one minute late.

As it turned out, I could have been infinitely late. We were quiet all morning. It started raining around 11, getting pretty heavy at one point. The rain and cooler temperatures scared off our customers. It got mildly busy around 11:30-12, then went right back to being quiet again. Other than having to put away a few cold items, there were no problems whatsoever.

Once I changed, I went across the Black Horse Pike to Rexy's Bar. Thought I'd try their flatbread or pizza. Went with "The Italian Job" pizza - mozzarella, tomato sauce, ricotta, peppers, thick sweet sausage slices. I ordered the individual pie. I expected something more like Pizza Hut's individual pan pizza, a little pie that came in a pan. What I got was what would be called a "small" at most pizzerias. It was delicious, especially the sausage, but I ended up taking half of it home.

After lunch, I went back over to the Acme. Got a treat so I could take out money for the Cherry Hill Library book sale tomorrow. Called Uber early. I didn't want to be late this time. They arrived in 8 minutes...too early, as it turned out. I went for a walk around the two blocks nearest to the school until it was time for work. West Collingswood is such a lovely little town, with so many nice older houses and charming gardens, I really should check out more of it.

Good thing I did arrive early. We had 26 kids today, 9 of them at my table. The kids at my table cleaned up well enough and were fine in the bathrooms. Once they all finished snack time, though, they were a mess. The boys playing with magnetic tiles in particular threw so many of them around, there were barely any left on the table by the time we were getting ready to go outside, and everyone who had sat at the table were kept inside for 10 minutes. (Though one girl did sneak out anyway.) The ones coloring weren't much better. They ripped the white paper we taped down for them to stencil on, to the point where I finally threw it away and gave them regular paper.

Things were still crazy, even when we got outside. At least all of the teachers were here this time. I had to meditate between the two squabbling best friends again. Another girl threw an absolute fit when she tried to climb up the slides (which she's not supposed to do anyway) and some of the other kids blocked her. It calmed down a little by 4:30 when more kids started to go home. That's when they were allowed on the swings, too. Everyone wanted me to push them, even the kids who are perfectly capable of swinging on their own.

Thank heavens the weather had much improved by quarter of 5. If there weren't a few fat drops of water left on the slides, you'd never know it rained this morning. The streets weren't even wet anymore. It was sunny, breezy, and much warmer, likely in the lower-mid 60's. It was so nice, the kids never went back inside. The head teacher took the four remaining younger kids to the blacktop in the back to play ball games with the five remaining older kids as I called Uber. It took me two tries, but I did get one that came in 7 minutes, not bad for the height of the dinner rush hour.

Put on Buzzr when I got home. The Price Is Right was already into the Showcases. I think I might have seen this episode before, actually. The first one was a generic "every room in the house" that ended with a piano. The second saluted the then-popular CBS soap Capitol with a trip to Washington DC, a sports car, and an appearance on the show. Two of the hunky leading men even appeared in some segments. Alas, the lady going for the soap went over. The other lady got her piano.

Things went better on Match Game '90. The entire night was devoted to the week with Vicki Lawrence sitting in the second "character actress" seat next to Charles for the first time. She was joined by Jimmie Walker, slightly ditzy soap star Jacklyn Zeman, and stand-up comedian and voice actor Roger Behr. Honestly, Roger was the funniest this week, tossing out a few good quips. No wonder he'd been doing voices on Hanna-Barbara shows since the 70's, and would continue doing them up until his death in 2018. 

Moved to Disney Plus for two animated episodes about respecting plant life, the birth-death cycle, and helping our planet next. In Muppet Babies, Summer Penguin learns why "It's Not Easy Being Greeny" when her beloved daisy Greeny McPlant Plant starts to wilt. The Muppets do everything they can to revive it, but to no avail. Nanny gently explains about the birth-death cycle to them and that it's ok to miss their friend. "Dueling Harmonicas" is a little less dark. Rizzo the Rat stubs his toe and decides to play harmonica in the Muppet Talent Show instead of dance. Fozzie, who is also playing harmonica, tries to get him to do something else.

Usagi and the Guardians also learn a lesson about the importance of plant life and preserving it during the first season of Sailor Moon. Usagi isn't thrilled when Rei manages to snag a date with an unimpressed Mamoru in "Usagi's Panic: Rei's First Date." She grabs nerdy Umino and uses him to keep an eye on the two. Ami is more concerned about the kindly old park manager who is upset that the park may get torn down for an office building. Nephrite of the Dark Kingdom has used his black energy to possess him and the animals in the park, who attack anyone who seemingly abuse nature. It takes the combined effort of all three girls and Tuxedo Mask to get rid of the flowery monster who took over his body.

Finished the night with the first disc from my last birthday/Easter present to myself. The deluxe 4-disc CD edition of Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, and Jones LTD that I ordered from Rhino Records finally turned up today. It's the same as the previous CD box sets, two discs of the original songs on the album with remixes and rarities, another of backing tracks and rarities, a 45 featuring two of those rarities as singles (in this case "Goin' Down" and "Love Is Only Sleeping" in alternate mixes), and a book on how it all went down. Considering there's far fewer rarities here and more remixes of songs already available, I wonder if the well is really going dry here. Actually, the stand-out on the first disc that hadn't already been heard in one form or another is a lovely alternate version of "Riu Chiu," which the Monkees performed on the Christmas episode of their TV show. 

Walking Downtown

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast and "Aquamania." Goofy takes his son Junior into the great outdoors to teach him boating. Things get out of hand quickly when Goofy finds himself inadvertently joining a water skiing competition with the help of a very shocked octopus!

It was so late when I finally finished, I called Uber so I could get to work on time. That may not have been a bad idea. The morning driver came in 3 minutes, the afternoon driver in 2. Both took Nicholson Road and the White Horse Pike to dodge electrical wires being repaired on the Black Horse Pike that backed up traffic.

Work was even quieter than yesterday. The weather was gorgeous, sunny, humid, breezy, and in the mid-70's. It was too nice to be shopping. Most people were either doing trash clean-ups for Earth Day, still on vacation, or waiting for their money to come next week. I had no trouble whatsoever.

Put on the first season of Sailor Moon when I got home. Usagi is determined to stick by Rei when she goes out with Mamoru in "Usagi's Panic: Rei's First Date." She even grabs nerdy Umino and uses him as cover. Meanwhile, Ami is more concerned about the kindly old caretaker of a park that's about to be demolished. Seems Nephrite of the Dark Kingdom has gotten hold him and turned his energy, and that of the animals in the park, against anyone who seemingly abuses nature. Sailor Moon and the Guardians learn a lesson in the importance of nature - and what happens when it fights back - when they attack the flowery monster who had possessed him.

Went for a walk after the cartoon ended to celebrate Earth Day and enjoy the weather. I wasn't the only person who thought it was a perfect day to buy a treat from Yummies Palace on West Clinton. The guy near the door picked up his vanilla milkshake a few minutes after I arrived. One little girl got what looked like cherry water ice with worm gummies. The other went with cookie dough ice cream. I had orange cream water ice. Oh yum. Smooth, sweet, and cool on a day that was getting  hotter by the moment. I enjoyed it while sitting on the rock ledge around the war memorial across from the Oaklyn School. Stopped at the little convenience store on the way back and got a Poland Spring Berry sparkling water, which I haven't seen anywhere in ages. 

Put on Mr. Imperium after I got home. I go further into this tepid MGM musical romance with Lana Turner and Enzio Pinza at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Cult Flops - Mr. Imperium

Did chores while the movie was on. Took down the Easter decorations, then did some rearranging. I'd wanted to move the CD player and folders of CDs to the top of the book shelves since I moved here, but the CD player was too tall for the slanted roof. The new one, on the other hand, is the perfect size. I swapped the rag dolls, Beanie Babies, and smaller stuffed animals who were on top of the shelf to the shelf behind my bed, and the CD books and folders to the top of the book shelf. The CDs work where they are, but I'm going to need more room for hardback books. I may move the books that are under the CDs to the shelf behind my bed tomorrow.

Switched to Adam Adamant Lives! during dinner. The murder of a financier leads Adam and Georgina to "The Terribly Happy Embalmers," an undertaker who sells the men coffins, then has them killed for real. It turns out they've all seen the same psychiatrist who specializes in hypnotism. Adam thinks this is absurd, but when the hypnotist reveals a lot more about his past than he ever wanted to let out in public, he goes to the spa himself to find out what they're really up to.

Took a shower, then watched Match Game '77. Orson Bean, Fannie Flagg, and in her first week, Connie Stevens joins in to celebrate Thanksgiving. Orson discusses his role in the animated Hobbit that came out around the same time, while everyone else went with turkey jokes.

Finished the night listening to jazz and R&B records and CDs I've acquired recently. Julie London was one of the most beloved jazz singers of the 50's and 60's. Her throaty voice and distinctive dark touch is well represented in The Best of Julie. It kicks off with her biggest hit, the sensual ballad "Cry Me a River," then moves on to other darker standards like "Hot Toddy," "June In January," "Ain't I Good to You?" and "The Nearness of You."

R&B and soul singer Barry White equally dominated the mid-70's with hits like "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little Bit More, Baby," "Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up," "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe," and "You're the First, the Last, My Everything." The Ultimate Collection also includes his instrumental jazz and disco songs with the Love's Unlimited Orchestra. In fact, my favorite song in the set may be the jazzy "Love's Theme" that provided the backdrop to many a summer's day in my early childhood. 

Dolls and Interviews

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast and Charlie and Lola. "I am Going to Save a Panda" says Lola when her brother explains that they're in danger of going extinct. The kids in their school are going to do stunts to earn money. Lola wants to do it, too, but then she comes down with the chicken pox and can't go. She's badly disappointed, until Charlie comes up with a brilliant idea to use her spots to earn money.

Rushed out with my laptop the second the cartoon ended. Since Karen and I had a session this morning today anyway, we decided to do that online job interview with Camden Housing Authority together, or at least, that she would be there when I did it. The Haddon Township Library opens at 10, and then I had to get online with my laptop. That meant we signed in nearly 10 minutes late. 

At least they were really understanding when we did get there. It was pretty much your standard interview. The gentleman and lady asked me a few questions about my background, why I wanted to work there, and if I'd be willing to brush up my computer skills. I mainly asked them how you got to Camden Housing Authority and what it was like to work there. Karen said I did very well and was extremely calm and focused, considering how agitated I was when we were late. We spent the second half-hour checking Indeed, but there really hasn't been much there lately.

(And even if I don't get the job, at least I know how to use Microsoft Teams, and that I can do well in interviews when people actually give me a chance to get to them.)

When I got home, I messed around on the laptop after I got it set up again, then dressed the dolls for May. Samantha's birthday is in May, so she's in her pink striped birthday dress and white lace pinafore. Kit is in her Photographer Outfit, with its coral, white, and turquoise print skirt, yellow top, and cute crocheted cardigan. Josefina looks lovely in her Dress and Vest for Cinco Del Mayo. It pairs well with her gold wrap from the Feast Day Finery outfit. Molly's in a hand-made recreation of her hard-to-find Victory Garden Dress I found on eBay. Ariel gets to wear her new Julie outfit, Julie's second meet outfit with the "Flower Power" tank top and yellow crocheted vest. 

Felicity is ready to help me clean in her green-striped Work Gown. Her apron is actually the lower half of a pinafore I bought Samantha years ago, but rarely had her wear. Jessa mixes and matches in the magenta T-shirt and white long-sleeved shirt from the original 1995 modern doll meet outfit with Springfield Collection jean capris and the turquoise sneakers and striped socks from the 2003 meet outfits. Whitney loves her pretty purple and white Our Generation Retro rose-print dress and shiny purple shoes. Barbara Jean is the queen of Cherry Hill High East's first prom in the pink fringe-and-sequin dress and fur stole originally intended to be a play outfit for Melody and a pink princess headband "crown." 

Let Buzzr run in the background while I worked on the dolls. Press Your Luck was wild with Whammies today, particularly in the first episode. One of the guys Whammied out early in the second round, leaving the other guy and the one lady to battle it out. The guy just barely won a trip to Japan and cash. A lady hit the big time in the second.

Split Second was even more exciting, especially in the first episode. One of the women came from behind in the Countdown Round to win. I suspected she didn't want to go through that again and went home with cash and a fur coat. The next episode wasn't quite so wild. One woman dominated the entire show through the Countdown Round and opted to return for the car when she didn't choose the right numbers in the Bonus Round.

Continued into Let's Make a Deal as I cleaned up the doll mess and had lunch. I believe I'd seen both of these episodes before. The second one was familiar, at least. A lady dressed as a tourist in mixed plaids and florals and a bucket hat won a trip, then lost $1,000 on the Door 4 Wheel. She and a couple dressed as (and in) garbage bags gave up a fur for the Big Deal of the Day. The couple got gorgeous living room furniture and a TV that I'm sure he appreciated a lot more than a fur coat, and I don't think the tourist was complaining over a refrigerator and a trip to the Caribbean.

I'd seen the Super Password episodes recently, so I headed out next to run errands. I was hoping Dollar General would have Propel mixes, but they haven't in two years. I did get new hair bands, though, and bottles of Coke Zero and Cherry Coke Zero for later. 

It was such a beautiful day, I pretty much had to go for a walk in the park. Took the back paths to avoid kids coming out of school. Thankfully, they've long since dried. Someone put planks over the really muddy parts, too. The weather couldn't have been nicer here, lower 60's, warm, breezy, and sunny as can be. I was disappointed to notice someone cleared trees and brush from a short section in front of the lake. It wasn't in the main part of the park, but still. People come here to enjoy nature. They'd better have done that because the trees were in bad shape. Not the best find on Earth Day.

Speaking of Earth Day, I watched a few cartoons on being kind to our planet when I got in. "Usagi's Panic: Rei's First Date" in the first season of Sailor Moon has the Fire Guardian setting her sights on Mamoru and convincing him to take her on an outing to a local park. Jealous and annoyed, Usagi grabs Umino and follows them. Ami's more worried about the old gardener who is upset over the park being closed and paved over for a new office building. She has every right to be concerned. Nephrite intends to use the old man and every creature in the park to gather energy for his dark mistress.

Switched to YouTube for the original 80's-early 90's Muppet Babies. Gonzo insists that the future will be like something out of Star Wars, with battles and monsters. Piggy thinks it'll be more everyday, like The Jetsons. Rolf's not happy with having to play Astro in the latter, or with Nanny insisting on him taking a bath. He dodges his impending washing to learn that the future may be more like "Muppet Babies: The Next Generation" because he and the others took care of the Earth and its creatures...until the others, and at least three or four other action franchises, inadvertently end up on the Enterprise as well. 

Worked on writing for a while after that. Kathleen is shocked when Lady Jacqueline point-blank states that spring won't be coming this year. Why even bother with spring when everything is fine the way it is? Kathleen tries to stammer that they need the warm weather before the carriage moves along, leaving her sputtering and staring after it.

Broke for dinner and Match Game '74 at 7 PM. For some reason, we skipped way ahead into the next year. The first episode was from after Gary Burghoff took over Charles Nelson Reilly's seat while he directed a show in New York. Poor Gary is so embarrassed when he blurts an answer and they have to start the question over, he goes shirtless for the next question. Avery Schreiber and Phyllis Newman join in for the second episode. Avery is the only one who has to answer the first question, and surprises everyone by doing very well at it.

Finished the night at YouTube with kids' game shows from the 80's and 90's. By the time I was growing up, Saturday mornings were increasingly given over to cartoons or, more rarely, live-action shows. Game shows for kids now mostly showed up in syndication or cable, like The Disney Channel's first game show Contraption. Two teams of young kids, some as young as 5 or 6, watch a clip from a Disney movie revolving around a subject, like "Animals" or "Magic." The one who answers the most questions earns the most "Contrapt-Tiles." After answering questions, the kids ride little cars or hamster wheels in a mini-race. The kids who have the most tiles after the last round wins. 

My sisters and I loved this show when we were little. I'm surprised Disney has never tried anything like this again with updated clips and vehicles. If you're a Disney fan, it's still pretty cute to watch.

The premiere kids' game show of the 1980's also came from cable. Nickelodeon's messy stunt show Double Dare was a massive success, spawning two spin-offs and two revivals to date and providing the basis for almost every other game show on the network. My sisters and I were big fans of this one too, partially because it was filmed for its first four years at WHYY Studios in Philly and kids from South Jersey would frequently appear.

Think Fast is a less-messy variation on Double Dare. The stunts here revolve less around throwing slime and gunk at people and more about using your head and figuring out patterns. The questions would lead to removing pieces of a rebus puzzle, almost making this Junior Concentration. For the bonus round, the winners are given a crazy character popping out of a locker and having to find the identical person or object in another locker. 

Double Dare was so huge, almost every kids' game show from the mid-80's through the late 90's pretty much copied it. My favorite of the imitators was Fun House. It's basically a cross between Double Dare and Contraption, with the Disney trivia replaced by general knowledge questions and no daring. The stunts frequently followed a theme - it's all things related to the sea in the episode I chose from 1988. I actually liked the run through the Fun House better than the Double Dare obstacle course. The obstacle course was so difficult, kids frequently couldn't get more than three or four prizes out of it. Here, kids could roam wherever they wanted, and all but the slowest would walk out with cash or a few good prizes.

I never heard of Treasure Mall, another syndicated Double Dare imitator from the late 80's, until tonight. Here, the kids answer questions, then run through the store in a "mall" with stunts based around the store's theme. The Bonus Round had them going through boxes to collect as many keys to open the big treasure chest as they could. Other than it being the first shopping show for kids, there's nothing really outstanding about this one. In fact, the treasure chest bonus round seems kind of chintzy.

Kids' game shows could be educational, too, and not just from trivia questions. Where In the World Is Carmen Sandiego, a PBS show from the early 90's, taught geography and world history at a time when they were changing daily, sometimes seemingly overnight. Lynne "The Chief" Thigpen had a more personal connection to Double Trouble stealing the Tony Awards in "Bad Day On Broadway." She had been nominated for a Tony in the early 80's and would actually win one five years after this. (We even got to see a clip of her in the short-lived revue Tintypes. Host Greg Lee immediately made fun of the feathered hat she wore.) 

Every kids' channel got in on the games in the early-mid 90's. J.D Roth hosted the first season of Masters of the Maze on what was then The Family Channel. Three kids answer questions. The two who do the best gets to lead their partner through a twisty maze that includes a hall of mirrors and honeycombs and a room where the Guardians of the Maze asks them questions. The Bonus Round consists of the kids laser "shooting" TVs; get three prize TVs, and they win a shopping spree. The maze itself is honestly pretty nifty, though the bonus round is lame. (Apparently, Roth and the bonus round were replaced by Mario Lopez and more time in the maze in the second season.)

Nickelodeon did away with the questions all together for Guts. The 90's extreme sports fad is seen here as kids run through huge obstacle courses and tug their way across strong jets of water in a pool on a surfboard. I kind of wish I could have seen this as a young teen. No wonder this was one of Nick's bigger game show hits and would be revived in 2008 as a family competition. The kids are fun to watch, and the stunts are genuinely challenging.

Teenagers got in on the action in the 1997 show Click. This internet-based program was the last game show developed by Merv Griffin. Three pairs of teens run to answer different questions based on sections of the internet - "E- Mail" has them guessing which famous character or person wrote it, "Click Pix" and "Click Video" were photo and video questions, "Sound Bytes" was an audio clue, and "Home Page" had them guessing a topic. The Speed Round had one of each team member running to a board to answer questions. If they couldn't, someone from an opposing team had the chance to try. The Bonus Round was the Speed Round with an even shorter time limit.

The pre-social media internet theme does date this show a bit, but it's still fun to watch the kids run to all those stations and answer trivia, and for those who remember when the internet was just beginning, it's a major blast of nostalgia. 

If you grew up when I did, you'll want to relieve some fond childhood memories too with these enjoyable blasts from the past!

Contraption (1983)

Double Dare (1986)

Treasure Mall (1988)

Fun House (1988)

Think Fast (1989)

Where In the World Is Carmen Sandiego? (1992)

Nickelodeon Guts (1992)

Masters of the Maze (1994)

Click (1998)

Three Cheers for Earth Day!

Awoke to an absolutely glorious morning. The Earth couldn't have been more beautiful to celebrate it's big day. It was sunny and bright, a bit breezy, but not the gale-force winds we had earlier in the week. Ate a very quick breakfast before dashing off and getting to work just in time.

Which was a good thing. Work was mobbed, with lines winding half-way down the store for a lot of the day. Between people on vacation and people calling out, we didn't have anything resembling enough help to deal with them all. Didn't help that there were a couple of people not in great moods or happy over the long lines. 

There was some excitement around noon, though. Acme is one of the sponsors of the Philadelphia Eagles. The Audubon store was among those that got a visit from the Eagles' mascot Swoop and the Eagles cheerleaders this afternoon. Customers could bring in plastic bags to trade for heavy cloth ones and take photos with the ladies and their friend. 

Later, the cheerleaders not only brought extras to give away for free, but they helped me bag at my line, too. I chuckled at them helping the customers and tried to avoid the photographer taking copious pictures of them. (And yes, I snagged two bags for myself.)

Not happy with my schedule next week at all. Only one day off, Tuesday, for counseling and my eye exam. The hours for the rest of the week range all over the map, from late on Thursday to very early next Saturday. People are still using the last of their vacation time before it starts over May 1st...leaving us still really short on help. 

Went straight home and upstairs after work. Changed and had dinner while watching Match Game '77. Richard's delighted to chat with a young woman who remembers him signing her balloon six years before. He does better with "Secretary of __" than "Thumbs __" on two Head-to-Heads.

I was so wiped out, I nearly passed out during Match Game PM. Too bad, as it was the nighttime episode from the week in 1977 with Bill Cullen and Debralee Scott. Gene gets a bit tongue-tied on a question at one point, but maybe that's because he was admiring the pretty saleswoman contestant. He and Richard were certainly ready to take orders from her!

Managed to wake up long enough to switch to The Lorax special for Earth Day. The Once-ler chops down the beautiful Truffula trees to make his faddish Thneeds. The Lorax is a forest spirit who speaks for the trees and the animals the Once-ler's factory displaces, but he ignores him in the face of growing profits. The Once-ler builds and builds up his factory and the town surrounding it, thinking he'll be able to just keep making money forever. Nothing, however, lasts forever, and when the last tree is cut down, he and the Lorax learn a sad lesson about the damage unchecked "progress" can do.

Finished the night on Hulu with two 90's cartoons with ecological-themed episodes. Sailor Moon did one in the second half of the first season. "Usagi's Panic: Rei's First Date" has Usagi following Mamoru and Rei as they go on a date at a local park and bringing nerdy Umino along as a cover. Ami and Luna are more concerned about Ami's older friend, a gardener who is upset that the park will be torn down and built over. He's been acting very strangely lately. Turns out it was a plot by Nephrite to steal the not only the man's energy, but all the animals in the park, too. The Guardians not only have to fight off a plant-based monster, but animals attacking them as well.

The Tiny Toons have slightly less harrowing adventures taking care of the Earth as they come up with three "Pollution Solutions" in the first season of Tiny Toon Adventures. "The No Deposit, No Return of the Trash Bag Dispenser" has Plucky turning superhero to teach Elmyra about recycling. It's a "Jungle Bungle" when Buster and Babs try to stop a corrupt executive (with a familiar name) from destroying the jungle to build a front lawn. Go-Go the Dodo is "Waist Deep In Wackyland" when Montana Max sends the pollution from his factory into Go-Go's home. He puts Monty on trial and sends him out to clean the mess slapstick style.

Cold for Earth Day

Kicked off a sunny, cold morning with a quick breakfast and an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. The gang is holding a surprise party for Minnie, but they give her so many chores to keep her away while they set it up, she doesn't feel terribly appreciated. She dreams that Fairy Godmother Clarabelle gives her a fancy dress and glass shoes and helps her attend Prince Mickey's ball as "Minnie-ella."

Hurried off to work even before the show ended. I worked the register for the entire 8 and 1/2 hours today. It was...mostly very boring. We were on-and-off busy, and once again only had long lines because we had no one to take them. There were only two cashiers until almost the evening. I did get a WIC check in the end that almost made me late getting off, but other than that and the occasional lines, there were no major problems. 

Raced home as soon as I could. My new DVD player came today! It's a Mediasonic, and it's small - even smaller than the Sony - and very easy to set up and play. All you need to do is just plug the right cord in the sockets. My only complaints is that the buttons are downsized too, on the player and on the remote control. It's hard to tell what's stop, pause or menu. Otherwise, it appeared right away on my TV and played fine. 

Worked a little bit on writing after that. Richard notes the splendor of the City Hall furnishings. That's because the railroad has their offices on the second floor, Richard explains. Head boss Mark Goodson is usually in New York and is rarely seen, but his representative Ira Skutch is usually in residence.

Jodie knocked at the door to the main house around quarter of 6. Did I want some shrimp scampi and a very salty piece of garlic bread for dinner? Sure, why not? I've had a long couple of days, and I probably wasn't up to cooking anyway.

Switched to Match Game '79 after I broke for dinner at 6:30. We have a new group today, with sweet Susan Richardson, dour Richard Deacon, and Robert Pine of Chips joining Fannie Flagg and the regulars. Deacon's even grumpier than usual when the lights on his name look like they aren't lit, while Brett and Charles make jokes in the background. Gene has to referee Wesley Eure and Debralee Scott  teasing each other on Match Game PM, while Charles tries to help a waitress at Disneyland's private club win 10,000 on "Turning __." 

In honor of Earth Day, I put on The Lorax as I relaxed on the futon. The Lorax is a strange little orange fellow who speaks for the Truffula trees, but the greedy Onceler insists on chopping them down at an alarming rate to make his faddish Thneeds. It takes the Onceler driving away all of the animals and plantlife in the area and the loss of his business to make both understand the devastation that unchecked "progress" can cause.

Finished the night with Meet Me In Las Vegas at TCM's on demand site. I go further into this vehicle for Dan Dailey and Cyd Charisse and travel brochure for Vegas in the 50's at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Meet Me In Las Vegas 

Matches for Earth Day

Began the day with work. Though I did manage to get out and do carts for the first hour, I spent most of the day inside. I cleaned as best I could, but the cashiers kept calling me to return cold items, and then I had to sweep later in the afternoon. The other baggers were doing carts and counting people at the door. It was steady on and off, too.

I managed to snag two more boxes, including a large one from the floral department manager...but they were way too big to carry in my basket, no matter how hard I tried to get them to stay there. Didn't help that, while it was sunny and bright today, it was also chilly and gale-force windy. I even fell off my bike at one point. Thankfully, it only resulted in mildly bruised knees. I didn't even stain my pants. A neighbor who lives down the street finally stopped and said she'd drop them off at my house while I rode the rest of the way home. They were on the curb when I got in.

(And...I'm going to avoid picking up any more boxes until we get closer to moving and everything is more settled. I have lots of small boxes at home and can't carry the larger boxes I do need home on my bike.)

Ran The Lorax in honor or Earth Day while changing and throwing together leftovers for dinner. The Lorax is a little orange fellow who speaks for the Truffula trees, but the greedy Onceler chops them down to make his faddish Thneeds. When the supply runs out, both learn a sad lesson in the damage unchecked "progress" can do.

Finished the night with today's Match Game marathon. Lee Merriweather was crowned Miss America in 1955; today, she's best-known as a TV actress in shows like the detective drama Barnaby Jones and as Catwoman in the 1966 Batman movie. She brought her beauty, charm, and dry wit to the series starting in late 1973. Needless to say, many a man (including Gene and Richard) wished to kiss this former beauty queen, and Richard had to help fend off many an overly amorous contestant!

My favorite episode from this one was one of Lee's last appearances on the show  (by which time she'd become a strawberry blonde) during the syndicated era. In order to demonstrate who the Rockettes were to a British contestant, she and Fannie Flagg got together to do a kickline of their own that was definitely the hit of the show!

Check this one out and see if you can match wits with this purrfect panelist! Bring your Blue Knight and Police Squad badges along tomorrow for the next semi-regular in the spotlight, big George Kennedy, at 4 PM.

The Best of Lee Merriweather on Match Game Marathon 1973 - 1981

Going Green

Once again began the day with work. This time, we weren't even mildly busy. I ended up in the register briefly for someone's break. Otherwise, I was mostly doing carts, gathering baskets, or cleaning up two spills in a row.

Took the long way home down Nicholson Road and Atlantic Avenue. Not because it was a nice day. Actually, by that point, clouds had moved in, and while it wasn't freezing, the wind was chilly. Charlie started working on the bedroom windows today, and I wanted to give him time to finish. At least the neighborhood looks lovely. The leaves get larger and greener every day. The dogwood tree in one yard on the other end of Manor is in full bloom, and the yellow starbursts of dandelions dot every lawn.

Charlie was just starting to finish when I got in. The new air conditioner is an upright model, attached to the window by a thick tube. The two window models I have no longer work with the windows in the house. Other than I'll have to figure out how to duck around it when I need to plug something in on the wall overlooking the park, it works pretty much the same as the one Dad and Jodie bought last year.

He also replaced the window next to my desk in the bedroom with the same cranking windows used in the living area and bathroom. Though it sounds like he will remove and cover the other window tomorrow, he won't get to expanding the closet until late next month, after Lauren visits. Probably just as well. Besides Lauren visiting, I need to do my heavy spring cleaning starting next week.

Ran a couple of cartoons related to Earth Day and environmental concerns as I changed, had lunch, and let Charlie finish. The Lorax is a little orange fellow who speaks for the Truffula trees and the animals they support, but the greedy Onceler only cares about cutting them down to make his faddish Thneeds. He continually ignores the fellow's pleas, even as the pollution from the factory drives away the animals in the area...until he and the Lorax learn a sad lesson in the damage unchecked "progress" can do.

The Sailor Guardians go up against Mother Nature in "Usagi's Panic: Rei's First Date" from the first season of Sailor Moon. Rei wants to go on a date with Mamoru to a park that's about to be demolished for an office building. A jealous Usagi grabs Umino and uses him as her date to follow them. Meanwhile, Ami is concerned about the park's kindly old caretaker, who has been acting very strange. It turns out that the Negaverse is after his energy and that of the animals in the park...and use it to turn the animals against the Guardians.

Headed out as soon as the cartoon ended and I finished lunch. Despite the dark clouds building up overhead, I really needed to get the laundry done. I didn't have that big of a load, but I needed to get my work clothes done. They weren't busy, especially when I came in. I worked on story notes and half-listened to Ellen on TV. It was wet when I got out, but not raining. I must have just missed the worst of the weather. Indeed, almost as soon as I got home, the sun came out. It hasn't rained since.

Hurried home and spent the next few hours writing after I got everything put away. Ben says he'll go and turn off the main power generator. Luke wants to go with him, but he says he'll do it better alone. He also suggests that if he doesn't make it, Luke should talk to Yoda Yamada, the former Grand Master of the Jedi. Shortly after he leaves, Rudy discovers that Leia is there as well...and she's in the midst of being executed, even as they stand there...

Broke for dinner at 6:30. I had quick leftovers, then took down the Easter decorations. I moved the plastic egg bag to the bag with the baskets to make more room in the container for the other items. Wrapped up some of the items in heavier plastic or paper.

Watched an episode of Tiny Toon Adventures from the late first season as I worked. Spring fairy Babs hopes she has a "Pollution Solution" via three shorts. "No Deposit, No Return of the Trash Bag Dispenser" has Plucky trying to teach a clueless Elmyra how to recycle. It's a "Jungle Bungle" when Babs and Buster stop a rich businessman from destroying the rain forests to make a bigger front lawn. Go-Go is "Waste Deep In Wackyland" when Monty pipes the backwash from his new factory into Go-Go's home. Go-Go and the other citizens of Wackyland put Monty on a kooky trial to teach him a lesson.

Switched to The Dark Knight as I finished taking down the Easter decorations. Batman, aka Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has his gloved hands full with Gotham's biggest mob bosses and a new criminal, the insane Joker (Heath Ledger). Bruce is hoping that crusading lawyer Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) will be the hero that Gotham needs when, with Batman's help, he manages to arrest the entire mob. He's still interested in Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) as well, despite her dating Dent.

Meanwhile, the Joker has taken over the crime syndicate. He wants nothing more than to kill Batman and expose his dual identity. Bruce is about to do the same before the Joker goes on a killing spree, taking out the Police Commissioner and almost assassinating the mayor before Gordon (Gary Oldman) saves him. The Joker still has killing on the brain...and Rachel and Dent are his next victims. Bruce is devastated when he can't save Rachel, but a disfigured Harvey is even moreso, joining with the Joker to seek revenge. Now Batman has to deal with the Joker's insane plans and show Harvey that revenge is not a dish best served at all, never mind cold.

Honestly, this one might have been a little dark for my taste. That's why I've put off seeing it for so long. That, and Batman has never been my favorite character. I never was much for the rich playboy superheroes. (I'm not a fan of Iron Man/Tony Stark, either.) There are some really great performances here. Ledger's freakish Joker won him a posthumous supporting actor Oscar. Bale's not bad as Batman. Eckhart makes for a rather strange Two-Face, but Gyllenhaal is appropriately spunky as Rachel, the woman both men are after. (She was certainly better than Katie Holmes in the role.) Great makeup for the Joker and Two-Face, too.

For all the great action, it's just too darn dark for me, with everyone in dull colors and even the Joker's men not really standing out all that much. I also wish they spent less time with the rather boring mobsters and more with the Joker and Batman. The mobsters were mostly not much different than the types who show up in any generic crime thriller.

While I'm not into it, I can understand why it went over so well in 2008. If you're a fan of Bale, Ledger, or Batman or like your superhero movies darker and more adult, you'll probably enjoy this a lot more than I did.

Going Green

I awoke to the nicest day we've had in ages, sunny and warm. Made Chocolate Chip Pancakes for breakfast with a grapefruit slice. They ended up being a little too thin and got a hole in the first one, but they tasted all right. Celebrated Earth Day and Mother Nature's better mood with a couple of cartoons about environmental concerns.

The Lorax is a little orange fellow who speaks for the Truffula trees. The Onceler and his family have been chopping down the trees as fast as possible to make the faddish Thneeds...but while the factory employs his family and others and supports a town, it's also destroying the land around it and sending animals fleeing. When the last tree is cut down, the Lorax and the Onceler learn a terrible lesson about the damage unchecked "progress" can do.

The Sailor Guardians have their own problems with nature in "Usagi's Panic: Rei's First Date." Usagi is jealous that Rei is on a date with a bemused Mamoru, so she grabs nerdy Umino and follows them to a local park. Ami's also at the park, checking in with a gardener in the park who is a friend of hers. She's worried about his strange behavior ever since it was announced that the park was closing to build an office complex. Turns out she had every right to be concerned. Nephrite is not only controlling the man's energy, but that of every animal in the park, too...and he orders them to attack anyone who might abuse nature

Work was busy for most of the day, not surprising for a Sunday. I spent most of the first half of my shift doing carts and most of the second half bagging. Managed to gather baskets and squeeze in mopping the bathrooms right after break, before it got very busy again. The day went by quickly, and there were no major problems.

It was too nice of a day to rush straight home. I took the long way back to Oaklyn down Nicholson Road, dodging Sunday drivers and other bikers. As soon as I got in, I changed and went right back out for a walk. I thought I saw a line for the ice cream shop on West Clinton, but nope, it wasn't open yet. It was a table filled with plants and saplings being sold in front of The Square Meal. I strolled down West Clinton and back around to Goff instead. It's really spring now. The trees are all in bloom, clouds of pale green and snowy white and cherry pink and soft lavender. Bold, spicy-scented tulips have largely replaced early daffodils in gardens. The sun felt nice and warm on my back, though a stiff, chilly wind remained.

Worked on writing for the next couple of hours. Leia, Han, and the servants Cyril and Artello ride into Chateau Bonne Chance, a sprawling manor house on a hill overlooking the City of the Clouds, a few days later. They're greeted by Duke Lando Calarissian, an old friend of Han's, and one of the few who knows his true identity. He seems guarded at first, then suddenly turns friendly, flirting with Leia and reminiscing about old times with Han. Leia and Luke, remembering Yoda's warning, are less trusting. Cyril's worried too...especially after he runs across Palpatine's men in another part of the house...

Broke for dinner at 6:30. Had leftover ham and the last of the cabbage while watching an earlier Tiny Toon Adventures episode. "Pollution Solution" has three shorts revolving around different aspects of saving our Earth. "No Deposit, No Return of the Trash Bag Dispenser" brings in Plucky to show Elmyra how to recycle her mud pie cans. It's a "Jungle Bungle" when Buster and Babs have to stop a selfish executive from destroying the rain forest to build a huge front yard. Go-Go finds himself "Waste Deep In Wackyland" when Montana Max uses his home as a dump for his new factory.

Went right into Wii Sports as soon as the episode was over. Focused entirely on tennis tonight. I did win my actual game, though not after a few nail-biting moments! Didn't do as well at the mini-games. I'm still having a hard time with aiming straight, especially on the "Timing Your Swing" game. I just can't get it through the target more than once, maybe twice at the most.

Played some Lego Star Wars next. I was finally able to finish the New Hope bonus round with Darth Vader. Attempted "Jedi Destiny," but just could not get around those light-up circles fast enough to get the last piece. Played "Discovery On Kamino" just to get enough extra studs to buy the 8X extra.

Finished the night with Twister, another story about respecting Mother Nature. After witnessing the death of her father in a tornado as a child, Jo Thornton (Helen Hunt) grows up to become a storm chaser, a meteorologist who tracks and measures tornadoes. She shows off her newest computer, the DOROTHY research units, to her estranged husband Bill Harding (Bill Paxton). He's come over to get her to sign the divorce papers, and has even brought his fiancee Melissa (Jami Gertz). He ends up helping her chase down a storm to get the better of Dr. Jonas Miller (Cary Elwes), a corporate-funded scientist who has developed his own advanced research unit. As the two continue to go after storms, with the help of Dusty Davis (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) and other members of Jo's team, Melissa begins to realize that the two have a lot more feelings for each other than just their shared fondness for "twisters"...

I ended up surprisingly enjoying this. Critics were really harsh on this at the time, panning the generic writing and some shrill performances, but I thought it was fun. Those "twisters" are amazing to this very day - the sound and special effects got deserved Oscar nominations. (Look for the flying cows!) Hunt and Paxton weren't bad as the lovers, and Elwes was pretty decent playing against-type as the villain, but my favorite character was Lois Smith as tough-as-nails Aunt Meg (whose gravy is apparently considered to be a fifth food group among Jo and her team).

Linda Young and I aren't the only ones who loved this movie. It was the second-biggest hit of 1996, trailing only Independence Day at the box office that year, and spawned a ride at Universal Studios Florida that was around for almost 20 years. If you're a fan of the cast or disaster films, it's absolutely worth seeing and is highly recommended.

Celebrating Our Earth

I wish Mother Nature had been a bit more pleasant-looking for Earth Day when I awoke this morning. I ignored the gloomy clouds and celebrated the day with a first-season episode of Sailor Moon. "Usagi's Panic: Rei's First Date" has Usagi in a flutter because Rei netted a day out with Mamoru. Usagi grabs nerdy Umino and follows them out to a local park. Ami is also at the park, trying to figure out the strange behavior of her friend, an old gardener who is about to lose his job when the park closes. When the animals of the park attack the people involved in demolishing it, Ami and Luna begin to suspect a Negaverse plot.

Work was busy for most of the day, a lot busier than it's been since before Easter. The lines were long for most of the morning. We're still shorthanded. I ended up in the register around 11:30 so another cashier could go on break. Pretty much spent the rest of the afternoon bagging. I picked up a few things I forgot when I went shopping yesterday after I finished - skim milk, an onion, and toothbrushes.

My schedule for this week is pretty much what it's been for the past few months. I wish I could have kept those extra hours. Otherwise, one relatively late day on Monday, Tuesday and Friday off, Tuesday for counseling.

It rained lightly for most of the day, including when I got to work. Thankfully, by the time I was heading home, the rain was just ending. It would continue to shower lightly off and on for the rest of the afternoon.

I spent that time inside, working on my story. Henry invites Leia and Aunt Breha to go sightseeing in Naboo with him, Charles, and Luke the next day. Leia and Breha both think this is a wonderful idea. Leia especially - it's a great way to keep an eye on them.

Leia asks Luke how he came to live with Henry. Luke tearfully explains how he'd grown up in Tatoonie, the corrupt badlands on the border of Naboo, on a grain farm run by his Aunt Berta and Uncle Owen. One day, he'd come home after chasing a dog to the home of hermit Ben Kenton. They found the farm burned to the ground and its owners shot dead. Luke suspected they'd been killed for failure to pay taxes, but Ben said it may have been the Coruscant Empire coming after Luke.

Broke around 6 to have the last of the turkey-noodle casserole for dinner. Did a couple of cartoons themed around keeping our Earth safe and clean while I ate. The Lorax is a little orange fellow who speaks for the truffula trees. The greedy Onceler only sees the profit he can make from their leaves, not what cutting them down and destroying their habitat is doing to the animals they support and the land they were on. The Lorax tries to reason with the Onceler...but by the time he finally does, it's too late. When the last tree is gone, both learn a sad lesson in the damage unchecked progress can cause.

Two episodes of Tiny Toon Adventures from the first season covered the damage being done to the Earth, and how to do something about it. "Pollution Solution" is a trio of tales about cleaning up both the Earth and our own back yards. Plucky teaches Elmyra about recycling in "No Deposit, No Return of the Trash Bag Dispenser." Babs and Buster land in a "Jungle Bungle" when they have to stop an obnoxious businessman from destroying the rain forests to build his backyard. GoGo the Dodo finds himself "Waste Deep In Wackyland" after Montana Max empties the backwash from his new factory into his home. GoGo and the other residents of Wackyland find a way to take their revenge.

"Whale's Tale" is another Buster and Babs story. This time, they rescue from the clutches of a smothering Elmyra and release him back into the ocean. He won't leave them. He needs help. His mother is in the clutches of Gotcha Grabmore, who wants to turn her into cosmetics.

Made Apple Muffins from a modified recipe in my 50's Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook. Replaced the melted shortening with canola oil. I haven't tried them yet, but they smelled divine in the oven.

Finished out the night with one of the stranger episodes from the third season of Wonder Woman. There were some pretty bizarre plots on this show from time to time, but "Formicida" takes the wooden cake. Formicida is a scientist who has created a formula that can not only allow her to control ants, but gives her their strengths. She wants to force a businessman to stop the manufacture of a pesticide that could become toxic not only to plants and animals, but humans, too. He's thrown too much money into its creation and insists on releasing it to the public no matter what. Formicida releases ants to destroy his buildings. Wonder Woman is just as determined to prove to both that two wrongs don't make a right...and you can't save the Earth by hurting others.

Writing For the Earth

I was up really late last night. My eyes opened around 8...and I closed them again and didn't get up until around 10. When I did finally get out of bed, I had breakfast while watching Sailor Moon. The four vain sisters who had been attacking the Soldiers earlier join their side when they show each of them in turn that they're being used by the evil Rubeus. The Black Moon Clan of the future doesn't understand these human emotions, but the Guardians are willing to teach them.

It was quarter of 1 when I headed out to to this week's grocery shopping. I had a lot to do, too, mainly restocking fruit and vegetables. My crisper was empty - I filled it with romaine lettuce, grapefruit, pears, mushrooms, an onion, a small container of broccoli florets, and fingerling potatoes. I didn't really need peanut butter that badly, but $1.50 for Skippy was too good of a sale to miss. Restocked I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, two cans of tuna, cereal (the Acme/Safeway generic Shredded Wheat had the cheapest sale this week), powdered sugar, frozen peas and green beans, and two packs of $1.99 ground turkey (the only meat on a good sale).

Mixed feelings on the schedule this week. On one hand, I have far more hours than I have since late March, a good thing given my lousy hours before and after vacation. On the other hand, I only have one day off, and it's next Friday, along with a lot of early hours in the beginning of the week. I have no idea when I'm going to get my laundry done. This is the last week before our vacation cycle starts over. A lot of people are taking their remaining vacation time before they lose it.

When I got home, I put everything away, then had a quick lunch and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening writing. The candle Maz gives Leia reveals that Han is under Jabba's control...and Jabba wanted to marry him off to one of his ugly daughters. Han doesn't really want to leave her or marry someone else, but he fears what Jabba will do to those he loves. Leia takes down her hair to heal him. She lets him play with it - an honor, since Aldran noblewomen consider their hair to be sacred. They fall asleep in each other's arms, to the delight of Maz and the Enchanted Woods...and the disgust of the unromantic Boba Fett, who has followed them and intends to tell Vader where they are.

Meanwhile, Luke is still in the Dagobah Swamps, training with Yoda. He's working on meditating and focusing. As he tries to levitate rocks, he does get a vision...of his friends being tortured. He wants to go help them, but Yoda says that might cause more harm than it helps...

Continued Sailor Moon as I added a romaine lettuce salad with home-made Lemon-Wine-Honey Sauce and pan-fried fingerling potatoes to the leftover chicken legs for dinner. Chibi-Usa is fed up with Usagi's fussing and whining. She doesn't want to believe that someone as silly and childish as Usagi could be the great Sailor Moon. She couldn't have picked a worse time to steal her Silver Crystal. Rubeus kidnaps the other Sailor Guardians when Usagi can't join them. Usagi's angry at Chibi-Usa, and the kid knows she did wrong. Usagi wants to get the girls back on her own, but Chibi-Usa follows her. While they're fighting, Rubeus is trying to impress Prince Demand and get Esmeraude and her annoying laugh off his back.

Switched to The Lorax in honor of Earth Day after dinner. The Lorax is a little orange fellow who speaks for the trees. Specifically, the Truffula Trees. The greedy Onceler is chopping them down to make his faddish Thneeds...but he's destroying the balance of the forest in the process. The Onceler thinks that progress is the most important thing, but when the trees start vanishing, both creatures learn a sad lesson in the damage unchecked "progress" can do.

Moved to two episodes of Tiny Toon Adventures while making Pear-Banana Crisp for dessert. (It didn't end up being very crisp. I added too much juice.) Babs and Buster get involved in a "Whale's Tale" when they rescue a mother and baby whale from overzealous Elmyra and poacher Gotcha Grabmore, who wants to use the whales for her own line of cosmetics. "Toons Music Television" is a spoof of MTV in the early 90's. While the cracks at popular singers of the time and VJ "Downtown" Julie Brown have dated, this does feature some classic music videos, including the videos for the They Might Be Giants hits "Istanbul Not Constantinople" and "Particle Man."

Celebrating Our Earth

I slept in a bit this morning. I might have slept a little longer if I hadn't been awaking by the construction men banging and cursing downstairs. I read The Snake, the Crocodile, and the Dog and wrote in my journal instead.

When I finally got up, I honored Earth Day with a couple of conservation-themed cartoons. Started off with Sailor Moon and the re-dubbed "An Unnatural Phenomenon" from the first season. Usagi is jealous when Rei convinces Mamoru to take her on a date in a local park. She grabs Umino and uses him as a decoy so she can spy on them. Meanwhile, Ami is worried about an older friend who is a caretaker in the park. The park is supposed to be torn down for office buildings, and her friend is upset. Nephrite ends up using his anger and that of the animals in the park for the Negaverse' schemes.

My personal favorite Dr. Seuss special is also one of the darkest. The mysterious Onceler relates the sad tale of The Lorax to a little boy who has wandered to his falling-down store. Once upon a time, the Onceler was the chief executive of a bustling factory that created faddish "Theneeds" from the beautiful truffula trees. The Lorax was a little orange fellow who "spoke for the trees" and continuously protested the destruction of the forest and the loss of the animals who lived there. The Onceler ignores his pleas, until they both finally learn a lesson in the damage unchecked progress can do.

Headed out around 11:30. My first stop was Studio LuLoo. I came into a group of mothers and some very small children, as young as a few months old. Roxy explained they were having an Earth Day party for little kids. I watched the kids run around and play music with some of the volunteers while I organized old, recycled card games, Memory pieces, and flash cards that would be used to make greeting cards for Mother's and Father's Day. I enjoyed pizza and laughed at the kids' antics.

The newly revamped Yummies, replacing Leo's Yum Yums, was open when I headed out of the studio. They had more-or-less the same menu Leo's had, though, alas, their prices weren't quite as good. Even so, I thought I'd give them a try. My small cup of Cinnamon Bun ice cream was a pretty good size for two dollars. The ice cream itself was delicious, sweet and spicy with plenty of big pieces of cinnamon bun.

Since I had a free lunch, I skipped stopping to eat and went right on to the Haddon Township Library. It was still a gorgeous day for a ride at that point, sunny, warm, and breezy. Newton Lake Park is awash in the loveliest spring pastels - pale green, soft butter yellow, lavender, pale pink. There were quite a few people out and about, strolling or bike riding. I dodged a flock of Canadian geese looking for lunch.

Maybe because of the nice day, the Haddon Township Library wasn't really very busy. I did have some children's DVD's and CD's and one audio book to shelve. I still can't get all the S titles on children's shelves. The adult M through Z shelves remain so overloaded, there were a huge pile of M, R, T, and W titles that just would not fit.

In addition to renewing Jersey Boys and Get On Up (neither of which I got to last week), I found the newest titles for three of my favorite animated franchises. The latest Doc McStuffins disc looks like it concentrates on sweet Lambie, Doc's cuddly stuffed lamb. Scooby Doo's latest movie looks like it's out of this world - literally, given that Moon Monster Madness is set in outer space. Strawberry Shortcake and her friends take on winter adventures in Snowberry Days.

Headed across the street to do some quick grocery shopping at Thriftway. Their generic whole wheat flour is much cheaper than anything at Acme. I picked up light mayonnaise, too. Bought juice boxes for my nephew Khai - I was supposed to be babysitting him tomorrow. (Rose called me later and told me Khai was sick and I wasn't going to be able to watch him.)

The weather had started to get nasty while I was in the Library. Clouds had moved in, and the wind was whipping around my legs. It was time to head home. I made my way around traffic on Cuthbert and the increasing wind.

As soon as I got home, I grabbed my laundry and headed back out again. Alas, the clouds had burst by this point. I got showered on as I made my way to the laundromat. They were a bit busy when I got in, but by the time I was tossing my small load into a dryer, there were only two other people left. I listened to Family Feud and read the Kit Kitteredge mystery A Thief In the Theater and ignored everything else. The sun came out briefly while I was in the laundromat, but the showers reemerged as I went down the White Horse Pike.

When I got home, I listened to one of the Rod Stewart "Songbooks" while putting the laundry away. After everything was organized, I made chicken burger casserole (ground chicken in tomato sauce with the last of the mushrooms, onion, and cheddar cheese) for dinner, then baked Apricot-Chocolate Chip Muffins while watching cartoons.

First up was one last environmentally-themed special. It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown has the Peanuts learning about trees and the conservation of our natural resources. Sally is eager to show what she's learned and takes Lucy up on her offer to use the baseball field for their garden and orchard. Chuck isn't terribly happy...until the disruption their plants cause ends up helping them out with their game.

Moved on to Doc McStuffins next. Doc doesn't just help heal physical conditions. She's pretty good with mental problems too, as we discover in "My Huggy Valentine." Lambie is jealous of Doc's new stuffed Valentine's Day heart, until Doc reminds her that she's special in her own way. She's a "Lamb In a Jam" when she gets grape jelly all over her, and on Stuffy, too. They have to stay behind after being promised they could go to school with Doc. Hallie thinks of fun things to do to help them get over their disappointment.

As a teddy bear collector with allergies, I really appreciated "Dusty Bear." Doc can't figure out why her brother won't play with his favorite bear, until she discovers how dusty he's gotten. A good run in the washing machine gets rid of the dust...and eliminates her brother's sneezes. We learn about the importance of resting the muscles in "Awesome Guy's Awesome Arm." Awesome Guy is the resident superhero of Doc's room, ready to save Lambie and her new block home at a moment's notice! He sprains his mechanical arm while showing off and is admonished by Doc to rest it. He has to learn to let others rescue him and find new ways to save Lambie when the King goes after her home again.

Thundering Into Earth Day

Started off my Earth Day by taking down the Easter decorations and running cartoons with environmental themes. The Lorax is the little orange creature who speaks for the trees. The greedy Once-ler disregards his pleas and keeps chopping down the forests to make "Thneeds"...until both discover the damage that unchecked progress can do. Sailor Moon and the Sailor Soldiers also run across trouble when they're attacked by a caretaker and the animals of a threatened park that are under the control of the Negaverse in "An Unnatural Phenomenon" from the first season.

Tiny Toon Adventures often had shorts or whole episodes with environmental themes in their early first season. I ran two of them as I got ready for work. "Pollution Solution" has Plucky teaching Elmyra how to recycle, Babs and Buster stopping a nasty millionare from destroying the rainforest to build his home, and GoGo the DoDo dealing with the backwash from Montana Max's factory being dumped into Wacky World. Buster, Babs, and Elmyra also help a baby whale rescue his mother from poacher Grabbme Gotcha, who wants to use their blubber to make cosmetics, in "A Whale's Tale."

Work was pretty much the same as yesterday - mostly dead. I spent a lot of the early afternoon helping the baggers and managers condense the four remaining shelves of Easter candy and items to one and a half. The baskets, stuffed animals, and large bags of candy were loaded into carts and put in the self-checkout area for people to sort through. The head manager really, really wants to get the summer items out as soon as possible.

Other than some grouchy people, there were really no major problems. It did pick up during the 4-6 rush hour, but it finally slowed down long enough for me to get off and grab some milk on the way out (I ran out yesterday).

Went back to specials as I made salmon and sauteed mushrooms and spinach for dinner. It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown has Sally and Linus learning about trees and the holiday that celebrates them. Sally takes what they've learned and plants a garden on her brother's baseball field. Chuck's not too happy with this...until it looks like it may help him win a game.

Moved to an episode of the 70s Wonder Woman as I finished dinner. There were some pretty strange stories in the show's third and final season, but none more than the tale of "Formicida." Three collapsed buildings are connected to a firm that's going to release a new pesticide that could be deadly. Wonder Woman follows the trail to a biologist who has discovered a formula that allows her to control and have the powers of ants. She tries to convince the woman and the pesticide company that two wrongs don't make a right...and that while it's good to protect the Earth, it's not good to hurt innocents while doing it.

Oh, an we did have a thunderstorm briefly earlier this evening. It really came down for a while, but it's long-gone now. Otherwise, today was sunny and actually quite nice.

It's Not That Easy Going Green

My only major plans for today was getting the laundry done. It was so nice this morning, I dropped the laundry bag in Miss Ellie's old cart and walked to the laundromat instead of taking my bike. It was sunny and still chilly and windy, but slightly warmer than yesterday. The daffodils are just about gone, but the lilacs are almost out. I hope the frost they reported for the last few nights didn't do any major damage. Everything looked fine to me.

Thankfully after last week, the laundromat was empty when I arrived. The TV was on the Philadelphia NBC affiliate's 11:30 news show; they discussed Earth Day, flooding in St. Louis, and the capture of the Boston Marathon bombers. A few people did show up later, but by the time it was starting to get busier, my small load was out of the drier and ready to go.

On my way home, I thought I'd try something. Every yard, park, and patch of grass in South Jersey has at least a few sprouts of spring onions, long grass-like bulbs. When you pull them out, they look like mini pearl onions with scallion ends. I used to bring them home all the time as a child so Mom could use them in cooking. Mom didn't always appreciate it; she'd complain when I'd bring home too many, or that she couldn't figure out what to do with them.

I knew what to do with them. I plucked a bunch from the side path that leads to my apartment, along with some fresh dandelion greens. I washed them thoroughly, then chopped the onion and added it to tuna, light mayo, chopped celery, and dried tarragon. I put the tuna mix on a bed of spinach and dandelion greens for Simple Abundance Tuna Salad (named after the book I got the idea from).

Ran cartoons themed around Earth Day, Arbor Day, and conservation of our natural resources throughout the morning and early afternoon. The Lorax is the little orange man who speaks for the trees, but the greedy Onceler won't listen to him and continues chopping them down and destroying the forest, until both learn a sad lesson in the damage unchecked "progress" can do. The Sailor Soliders learn a similar lesson when evil magic turns the creatures of a threatened local park and the park's caretaker against them in the first season Sailor Moon episode "An Unnatural Phenomenon." The Pink Panther has his paws full trying to keep a camper who ignores his signs from making a mess of Mother Nature in the early 70s short "Keep Our Forests Pink."

Tiny Toon Adventures did several episodes on saving the planet and its creatures; I chose two from the later first season. In "A Whale's Tale," Buster and Babs save a baby whale from a clueless Elmyra and his mother from a female poacher who wants to use her blubber for cosmetics. "Pollution Solution" has Plucky trying to keep Elmyra from tossing her cans into his pond, Buster and Babs stopping a nasty rich executive from destroying the rain forest to build his front lawn, and GoGo the Dodo coming up with a creative way of getting the backwash from Montana Max's factory out of Wackyland.

The Peanuts take conservation of the Earth into their own hands, paws, and wings in It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown. Sally wants to put what she's learned about Arbor Day and trees in school into action. The gang finds the perfect lot for a garden...Charlie Brown's baseball field! Chuck isn't thrilled with their beautification project, until it looks like it might actually help them win a game.

I went to work not long after the Peanuts and Pink Panther finished. Work was pretty much the same as yesterday - busy when I came in, quiet when I left. The time went quickly, and there were no major problems. I was in and out after picking up cherry tomatoes (on sale for a dollar), eggs (still a dollar - might as well stock up), and buttermilk.

April Showers Bring Cold Weather

Started a cloudy morning with oatmeal for breakfast and cartoons to celebrate Earth Day yesterday. I did The Lorax, the Dr. Seuss tale of the little orange man who "speaks for the trees," yesterday. This morning, I ran two Tiny Toons Adventures episodes with environmental themes and a Sailor Moon episode from the early first season. The Toons deal with Elmyra carelessly littering Plucky's swamp, the destruction of the Acme Acres jungle, and Montana Max dumping his factory's sludge into GoGo's beloved Wackyland in "Pollution Solution." Babs and Buster Bunny (no relation) save a baby whale and his mother from poacher Grabbme Gotcha, with the inadvertent help of Elmyra, in "Whale's Tale." The Sailor Soliders band together to save a park from being destroyed by developers and stop the Negaverse from making nature go wild in "An Unnatural Phenomenon."

While the cartoons were on, I tried something I haven't done in years. I bought a sun catcher paint set at Dollar Tree last week. We used to buy them all the time when I was little. The kits usually consist of a circle of translucent plastic and four colors of a special paint. You paint the pattern in the plastic, then let it dry and hang it from a window. I painted a deep red rose with soft green leaves and yellow and blue octagons around the edges. I haven't found anything to hang it with yet; I'll figure that out later.

It was still just cloudy, windy, and cold when I rode to work. It sprinkled a tiny bit on the way, but nothing resembling yesterday's monsoon. I arrived perfectly dry this time. It was quiet when I got in, steady but not crazy when I finished as rush hour petered out. There were no major problems, and I was in and out quickly with no relief.

For once, I got off early enough to have a decent dinner at home. I made Chicken Parmesan with spinach salad, steamed broccoli, and multi-grain pasta, with bread pudding made from the last of last month's Irish Soda Bread and Cinnamon Swirl Bread for dessert. I did At Sword's Point, my second Warner Archive birthday DVD from Lauren, during dinner.

The aging queen of France (Gladys Cooper) fears her evil nephew (Robert Douglas) intends to try to usurp the throne on her death. She calls the original Four Musketeers to come to her rescue. Alas, the four gentlemen are now too old to fight, so they send their sons...and Athos' tough daughter Claire (Maureen O'Hara). Claire may be a woman, but she's the equal of any man in France, as D'Artangan Jr. (Cornel Wilde) discovers. Claire will need all of her wits and cunning if she and the other Musketeers are to save the Queen's daughter and young son from her nephew's plotting!

This one is notable for being one of the very few Golden Age of Hollywood action films with a female star. Athletic O'Hara is genuinely good at the fencing heroics, and is noticeably more at ease with the swashbuckling than Wilde is. The dialogue is a bit stilted at times, but if you like old-fashioned swashbucklers or the original Three Musketeers, it's all a great deal of fun.

It's Earth Day, Charlie Brown

I wish I could have spent more time today on the earth, but alas, I had all-day work. It was really busy too. We had long lines the entire day, though no other real problems. Thank goodness for once there were three people coming in when I was leaving and they were all on time. I had my own groceries to shop for.

The majority of what I needed was fruit and vegetables. Asparagus and strawberries are on sale. Needed to restock grapefruit, oranges, bananas, peanut butter, and yogurt. The Acme gourmet brand fresh mozzarella (Culinary Circle) was on sale and I had a coupon, so I grabbed some of that, too. Got things to make a pudding pie for Jodie and Dad for an Easter present and a bag for my 1-year-old nephew Khai's birthday present.

Khai's mother, my sister Rose, called when I got home. She feels exactly the same way I do about everything that's going on at Dad's. We both feel sorry for Uncle Ken's cancer, but they're all being ridiculous over there. You don't cancel holiday festivities because you suddenly decide you don't like someone's girlfriend. We're going to chat with Dad and Jodie for a little while Easter morning. If Rose (and Khai) are up to it, we'll hang out together in the afternoon. If not, as I mentioned, I don't mind being alone. After this weekend, I could probably use it.

Not to mention I have a long schedule next week. Though I have three days off (Easter Sunday, Monday for the party at Mom's, and Wednesday), I work 7 hours on Thursday and 8 1/2 hours next Friday and Saturday! I'll try to get the laundry in on Monday before I go down to Mom's. I have to get to the Haddon Township Library (DVDs are due), and the Oaklyn Library is easy to get to. I'll just take a week off from yoga and the Collingswood Library to make things a little less crazy.

I ran a couple of cartoons related to environmentalism and protecting our natural resources throughout the day. In It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown, Sally decides to celebrate the tree-related spring holiday by turning Chuck's baseball field into a garden. Her brother isn't thrilled at first...until he realizes that the plants give his team an unexpected advantage.

Tiny Toon Adventures did several cartoons related to keeping the Earth clean and helping animals. One had Buster and Babs rescuing a pair of endangered whales from beauty-crazed Gotcha Grabmore, who wants to use their blubber in her "all natural" line of cosmetics. Another spoofed The Toxic Avenger as Plucky outwitted Montana Max to get his swamp water back. Monty wants it for his swimming pool. (I don't care if it's free - was Monty crazy? Swimming in swamp water? Eeww. You can tell he's never lived next to a swamp.)

"Pollution Solution" had three shorts with environmental themes. Plucky explains recycling to a clueless Elmyra. Buster and Babs stop an obnoxious executive from destroying rain forests. GoGo the Dodo finds a clever - and wacky! - way to get Monty to clear his factory's backwash out of Wackyland.

Pollution is a world-wide problem, as we were reminded in the first season of Sailor Moon. The Soldiers' favorite local park is going to be torn down to build and office building...and the job of the kindly old gardener who is a friend of Amy's will go with it. While Amy tries to figure out a solution to her friend's difficulties, Serena and Raye pursue Darien...with varied success. The Soldiers come into play when the evil Nephlite harnesses the man's anger to increase the power of the Negaverse...and it makes the park's citizens go wild in the process!