I slept in today. It was rainy and gloomy early in the morning, but by the time I was up and about, the sun was coming out. I put on my first holiday special of the year as I ate and got organized. Very Merry Christmas Songs is the expanded DVD release of the Disney Sing Along video of the same name from the late 80's. It's holiday and winter sequences from Disney shorts and films up to the early 2000's set to music. Most of the songs are traditional carols, but there's also some pop numbers, including Gene Autry's version of "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" and two songs from Bing Crosby, "Let It Snow" and "White Christmas." My family traditionally watched this after the kids got home from school on the first day of holiday break in the late 80's and early 90's. This isn't the most necessary thing, but it makes great background music if you or your kids are big Disney fans.
Called Mrs. Stahl after breakfast to cancel my appointment. I barely had the money for the things I needed this week, much less counseling. I was hoping to see her again during my December vacation, but she's booked. We won't be getting together again until January 3rd.
Headed out around quarter after 12 to run errands. Started at the Oaklyn Library. For once, they were very busy, with plenty to do. I shelved a big pile of board books in the kids' area while the librarian and other volunteers prepared for their basket auction this week. Looked at the DVDs as well.
Strolled down to the Family Dollar next. It was a nice day for a walk. By 1 PM, it was sunny and warm, actually a bit too warm for the time of year. The neighborhood is looking so beautiful now, with the trees all gold and green and red. Most houses are festooned with pumpkins, scarecrows, and the remaining mums and roses, or just settle for fall banners waving in the breeze.
I really only needed pads. I was almost completely out. Family Dollar was very busy when I arrived, probably with people coming off their lunch breaks on the White Horse Pike. Thankfully, they'd just opened another line when I got up there.
When I got home, I ran another holiday special while eating soup for lunch. The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold is one of the strangest stop motion cartoons Rankin-Bass ever made. A young Irish sailor stops on a remote island to get a Christmas tree for his captain. When he cuts down the tree, he accidentally frees a banshee. She's needs a leprechaun's gold to survive, or she'll turn into tears on Christmas morning. Art Carney is the leprechaun and Peggy Cass his wife, separated by the banshee's spells. The sailor tries to help, but he also succumbs to the banshee. It takes a lesson in forgiveness to banish the wailing spirit and free the sailor.
Went right back out after lunch to get the laundry done. Good thing the place was dead, with only one other cheerful woman watching Steve Harvey and Ellen. I had a huge load to do, including towels and sweaters.
Worked on the story for the next couple of hours. The rest of the party goes very well. Rey happily dances with her father, her uncle, and her friends. She plays dolls with Kaydel and Jess and tries to ignore the boys crashing through their games and introduces them to Bee Bee the kitten.
After the party, she overhears Snoke kissing her mother's hand, laying on the flattery. Hans Stahlbaum doesn't appreciate this one bit. He argues with Leia over the snobbish tutor's attentions to her and Benjamin. Leia's beginning to wonder if her husband is right. She hired him after getting good recommendations from a friend, but she agrees that he's being too forward with her and has too much influence on their son. Rey sticks around long enough to see them kiss on the top of the steps, silhouetted by the Christmas Eve moon.
Rey takes Bee Bee to the kitchen to get her fed. She chats with Mrs. Maz, the cook and housekeeper. Mrs. Maz is a very old woman, and she knows pretty much everything that goes on in the household. Rey asks her why her parents argue and if they really love each other. Don't worry, dear, Maz explains. They adore one another. They just have such strong personalities, they tend to clash every now and then. It's just their way. Everyone has their own way of showing love.
Since it was on the same disc as Leprechauns' Christmas Gold, I ran How the Grinch Stole Christmas while eating scrambled eggs with mushrooms and onions for dinner. Snoke's not the only grouch making trouble during the holidays. The grumpy Grinch is determined to steal the Whos' yuletide fun and keep his mountain quiet on Christmas Day. He finally learns that Christmas is about more than gifts and noise when the Whos manage to keep their traditions going, with or without gifts.
Moved on to Barbie In the Nutcracker while working on crocheted flowers to make into ornaments for family for Christmas. The first Barbie As/Is movie was a Christmas tale. Barbie is Clara, who travels with the Nutcracker to find the Sugar Plum Princess in a remote island. The Mouse King (Tim Curry) is determined to stop them and continue his evil rule over the land. But the Princess is closer than any of them believe. Clara learns that, when we have courage and stay strong, we can all be kings and queens.
I like this better than I did when it came out in the late 90's. The CGI animation is waxy and stiff, and some of the effects (like the rock monster) haven't dated well. On the other hand. the story is a creative take on mainly the ballet (though the end with who the Sugar Plum Princess turns out to be feels like a bit of a cop-out). Not the best of the Barbie specials, but if you don't expect it to follow the ballet to the letter, it's a lot of fun.
Ran The Nutcracker: A Fantasy On Ice after taking a quick shower. Dorothy Hamill is Clara in this lovely ice skating version of the ballet from the early 80's. Lorne Greene narrates as a grandfather telling the story to his granddaughter. This was my first Nutcracker, well before I knew it was a ballet, and I still have very fond memories of it.
Ended the night with The Nutcracker Prince on YouTube. This 1990 animated film is pretty much the only movie version I've ever seen use the original story The Hard Nut. We still have Clara and her prince and the Mouse King, but we also found out how the Nutcracker was enchanted. (It also briefly includes the older sister Louise, who is often dropped from most versions.) Like Barbie, I enjoy this more than I did when it made occasional appearances on cable in the early 90's. If you like animation from the time or the original Nutcracker story, it's worth a look.
The Nutcracker Prince
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Showing posts with label The Nutcracker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Nutcracker. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Monday, November 14, 2016
March of the Fantasy Tales
Started off the morning with more She-Ra. Adora saves He-Man in "He Ain't Heavy" (where he's kidnapped by the Horde) and evades Skeletor in "Horde Prime Takes a Holiday." She has to rescue her own voice when Shadow Weaver seals it, and the voices of a group of locals who want to join the Rebels, in bubbles in "A Loss for Words." Madame Razz the witch, her talking broom, and Bow's koala/owl thing Kowl end up saving her from the Sixth Dimension in "Three Courageous Hearts."
My favorite episode from the last round was "Enchanted Castle." When Bow and She-Ra help an old woman, she does them kindness in return when they're captured by an evil queen who wants to keep them as slaves. The old woman proves the old adage about doing kindness and having kindness done in return, for she's not what she seems to be...
And...yeah, for all the camp, this ended up being fun. No, it hasn't dated that well, but I sort of liked it this time around. It's actually pretty funny, an odd and charming cross between sword-and-sorcery tales, superhero comics, and Hunger Games-esque dark sci-fi.
What I love most of it, especially as a girl who grew up with this show, is how awesome She-Ra was. She probably inspired many of our childhood stories that had girls rescuing boys. Although she occasionally was the one saved, she more often than not was the one who kicked rear, not only with her sword, but with her mind. She tricked the villain of the week as often as she fought them (probably because this was a kid's show).
Though I enjoyed it, I don't really recommend it unless you grew up with it, are a huge fan of the old Filmation action cartoons of the 70's and 80's, or have a daughter who is an action or fantasy fan and won't mind the limited animation and stilted dialogue.
Worked on cookies as I watched. I tried a recipe from one of the cookie cook books Lauren sent me last year, Double Chocolate Chip Cookies - namely, chocolate cookies with chocolate chips. I've really been craving chocolate lately. Oh yummm. They came out beautifully, perfect little chocolate morsels.
Headed to work around quarter of 11. It was still a beautiful day at that point, bright blue and sunny. I spent most of the day doing carts. We're sort of low on them right now. A lot of the carts are being used to by the carpenters doing remodeling to hold equipment or pieces of wall or shelves. I wish they'd bring their own trolley or something. We need those carts for our customers.
At any rate, it was never really busy. Perhaps people were scared off by the weather. I saw clouds on the horizon as early as 11:30. By the time I was done at 3, it was cloudy, cool, and breezy. I headed home quickly, hoping to avoid the rain that was supposed to come later.
Finished out the last episode on the She-Ra set, then worked on writing. Luke has presents for everyone at the party. He saves the most special present for Rey - a funny old nutcracker, dressed as a soldier. Luke shows her how to crack nuts with it. Rey's older brother Ben is jealous of the attention his sister gets. He grabs the doll and tries to crack the largest nut in the bowl, breaking it's jaw in the process. Rey is horrified. Their father Hans is angry and makes Ben apologize. Snoke tries to soothe Ben's outburst, while Luke temporarily repairs Rey's new toy.
Did more Nutcracker while eating leftovers for dinner and making Cranberry Flummery. This time, I ran a favorite of mine, the 1977 version featuring Mikhail Baryshnikov. This one is fairly traditional, though it naturally places more emphasis on Clara and her nutcracker prince, giving them the Sugar Plum Fairy's dances in the second act. Given how short it is, it's not a bad starter Nutcracker for kids if you can find it.
Went back to Lego Star Wars after I finished dinner. Finally got the last three pieces on "Through the Jutland Wastes" and two more pieces on "Hoth Battle." Otherwise had no luck. I just couldn't get to that last piece in "The Battle of Endor."
Ended the night with the more comic Snow White and the Three Stooges. We move from ballet to ice skating for this unique version of the famous fairy tale from the early 60's. The first half of the story is pretty true to the original fairy tale, other than Snow White's (Carol Heiss) fondness for ice skating. In this tale, though, the "dwarves" are the Three Stooges (by this point Moe, Larry, and Curly Joe), whose adopted son Quatro may not be whom they think he is. A lot of Stooge fans have problems with this, especially since the Stooges' routines are sort of water-down compared to their earlier shorts. I find it charming and colorful. If you love the later-day Stooges or ice skating extravaganzas or fantasy musicals, there's a lot to recommend here.
My favorite episode from the last round was "Enchanted Castle." When Bow and She-Ra help an old woman, she does them kindness in return when they're captured by an evil queen who wants to keep them as slaves. The old woman proves the old adage about doing kindness and having kindness done in return, for she's not what she seems to be...
And...yeah, for all the camp, this ended up being fun. No, it hasn't dated that well, but I sort of liked it this time around. It's actually pretty funny, an odd and charming cross between sword-and-sorcery tales, superhero comics, and Hunger Games-esque dark sci-fi.
What I love most of it, especially as a girl who grew up with this show, is how awesome She-Ra was. She probably inspired many of our childhood stories that had girls rescuing boys. Although she occasionally was the one saved, she more often than not was the one who kicked rear, not only with her sword, but with her mind. She tricked the villain of the week as often as she fought them (probably because this was a kid's show).
Though I enjoyed it, I don't really recommend it unless you grew up with it, are a huge fan of the old Filmation action cartoons of the 70's and 80's, or have a daughter who is an action or fantasy fan and won't mind the limited animation and stilted dialogue.
Worked on cookies as I watched. I tried a recipe from one of the cookie cook books Lauren sent me last year, Double Chocolate Chip Cookies - namely, chocolate cookies with chocolate chips. I've really been craving chocolate lately. Oh yummm. They came out beautifully, perfect little chocolate morsels.
Headed to work around quarter of 11. It was still a beautiful day at that point, bright blue and sunny. I spent most of the day doing carts. We're sort of low on them right now. A lot of the carts are being used to by the carpenters doing remodeling to hold equipment or pieces of wall or shelves. I wish they'd bring their own trolley or something. We need those carts for our customers.
At any rate, it was never really busy. Perhaps people were scared off by the weather. I saw clouds on the horizon as early as 11:30. By the time I was done at 3, it was cloudy, cool, and breezy. I headed home quickly, hoping to avoid the rain that was supposed to come later.
Finished out the last episode on the She-Ra set, then worked on writing. Luke has presents for everyone at the party. He saves the most special present for Rey - a funny old nutcracker, dressed as a soldier. Luke shows her how to crack nuts with it. Rey's older brother Ben is jealous of the attention his sister gets. He grabs the doll and tries to crack the largest nut in the bowl, breaking it's jaw in the process. Rey is horrified. Their father Hans is angry and makes Ben apologize. Snoke tries to soothe Ben's outburst, while Luke temporarily repairs Rey's new toy.
Did more Nutcracker while eating leftovers for dinner and making Cranberry Flummery. This time, I ran a favorite of mine, the 1977 version featuring Mikhail Baryshnikov. This one is fairly traditional, though it naturally places more emphasis on Clara and her nutcracker prince, giving them the Sugar Plum Fairy's dances in the second act. Given how short it is, it's not a bad starter Nutcracker for kids if you can find it.
Went back to Lego Star Wars after I finished dinner. Finally got the last three pieces on "Through the Jutland Wastes" and two more pieces on "Hoth Battle." Otherwise had no luck. I just couldn't get to that last piece in "The Battle of Endor."
Ended the night with the more comic Snow White and the Three Stooges. We move from ballet to ice skating for this unique version of the famous fairy tale from the early 60's. The first half of the story is pretty true to the original fairy tale, other than Snow White's (Carol Heiss) fondness for ice skating. In this tale, though, the "dwarves" are the Three Stooges (by this point Moe, Larry, and Curly Joe), whose adopted son Quatro may not be whom they think he is. A lot of Stooge fans have problems with this, especially since the Stooges' routines are sort of water-down compared to their earlier shorts. I find it charming and colorful. If you love the later-day Stooges or ice skating extravaganzas or fantasy musicals, there's a lot to recommend here.
Saturday, November 12, 2016
Seasons of Sunshine
I overslept and had just enough time for a few Max & Ruby shorts before I dashed off to work. "Max's Thanksgiving" has Ruby setting the table for Grandma's big feast. Max would rather sample Grandma's stuffing. "Max's Pretend Friend" isn't pretend at all, but Ruby thinks he is. He tries to point this out while she sets up a "pretend tea party." "Fireman Max" wants to play with his rescue toys while Ruby and Louise are practicing their jump rope. Dodging Max's toys is more helpful for Ruby's jumping than she can imagine!
Work was actually pretty quiet up through noon, when things started to pick up a lot. I wish the new manager had listened to me about the plastic bags. We put out the boxes because our customers tend to go through them. He only wanted four or five stacks per register. We'll be putting them out constantly! He'll have to learn the hard way.
I'm kind of glad I spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon outside, rounding up carts. It was too nice to be inside arguing over plastic bags anyway. It was cold, in the upper 40's, probably the coldest it's been since March, and very windy. The air was nice and crisp, though, and had that snap to it that says winter - or at least late fall - isn't far off.
Got my schedule during break. Not too bad. On one hand, a late day next Saturday will allow me to get to the last Collingswood Farm Market of the season, and I'll get to see most of the Eagles game tomorrow, too. On the other hand, I still don't have enough hours.
And I put in a request for December 6th through 12th off. My friend Amanda from Vineland is visiting the 6th anyway. I'd wait for February or March, but I really need the extra money now. It might be nice to have time off in December, anyway. I'll be able to finish what little shopping I had planned, wrap presents, and get the cards done. Besides, a lot of single older employees tend to take their vacations in late February and March.
I did have some grocery shopping to do today. Restocked skim milk, toilet paper, cake mix, bran flakes, canned black beans, whole wheat flour, bananas, and diced tomatoes. Applesauce cups were cheaper than mandarin oranges. They finally had fresh cranberries, too.
When I got in, I put everything away while doing one more episode of Max & Ruby. "Max's Shadow" makes for a fun playmate for him while Valerie and Ruby work on a ballet poster. But it also proves to be quite helpful when the girls can't get the pose on the poster quite right...
Worked on my story for the next couple of hours. Rey's delighted when Uncle Luke Drosselmeyer, her mother Leia's brother, arrives. He's a toy and clock maker who comes bearing wonderful gifts. He performs the story of a cursed prince in his puppet show, then lets his mechanical Spanish soldier, Asian candied ginger doll, and toy soldier dance for them. He's helped by his new apprentice, a handsome young lad named Finn. Rey likes him immediately, but stuffy Snoke, the Stahlbaum household's tutor, reminds her that she's not supposed to be chatting with apprentices.
Broke for dinner around 6. Made Turkey Cheeseburgers, (frozen) green beans, and applesauce while watching Winnie the Pooh; Seasons of Giving. This made-for-home-media movie is really two episodes of The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and the Thanksgiving special strung together with some new material. The first segment has Rabbit, Tigger, and Pooh dressing Piglet as a groundhog to find out when spring is. The second is the Thanksgiving cartoon. The gang is ready for a feast of honey, haycorns, and hot chocolate ice cream. Rabbit insists that Thanksgiving is all about tradition. When the party doesn't go the way he planned, the others remind him of what the holiday is all about. The final sequence has Rabbit raising a little girl bird named Kessie. She wants to fly south for the winter, but he's afraid to let her go.
Moved to Lego Star Wars next. Finished out "Battle of Coruscant," "Gunship Calvary," "Death Star Attack," "Darth Vader," "Ruin of the Jedi," and "Count Dooku"; got the red brick on "Calvary" and True Jedi on "Darth Vader." The only round I wasn't able to complete today was "Bounty Hunter Pursuit," though I did find most of the pieces and the red brick.
Tried something different tonight. I'm typing this on the couch instead of at the dining area table. I'm tired of dragging the old desk chair out, and the wooden dining area chairs aren't comfortable enough. This isn't really that comfortable, either, but it beats the chair.
Did a couple of episodes of She-Ra as I got comfortable. "The Laughing Dragon" is Sorrowful, who is afraid of just about everything. He learns about true bravery when She-Ra places supposedly magic flowers around his neck that gives him the courage to stand up to the Horde. Sorrowful is captured by the Horde in "The Prisoner of Beast Island." The others go after him.
She-Ra insists on going alone to help a former colleague who wants to defect to the Rebellion in "Friendship." Bow and Kowl follow her anyway. Adora's friend is forced to turn her in. When Kowl returns her sword, she finds out why her friend betrayed her.
"The Peril of Whispering Woods" is a poison that the Horde is using to destroy the Rebellion's magical hiding place. Good thing the son of Horde Pride, the head of the Horde, winds up being captured by the Rebels and takes their side.
"King Miro's Journey" brings He-Man and his grandfather to Etheria so he can meet his granddaughter. The twins get a chance to show their grandfather their teamwork when the Horde tries to trap them in the Whispering Woods.
Finished the night on YouTube. I've been watching a couple of different performances of The Nutcracker for story inspiration. My favorite was this interpretation by the San Francisco Ballet in 2007, set in a residential neighborhood in San Francisco in 1915.
The Nutcracker: San Francisco Ballet 2007
Work was actually pretty quiet up through noon, when things started to pick up a lot. I wish the new manager had listened to me about the plastic bags. We put out the boxes because our customers tend to go through them. He only wanted four or five stacks per register. We'll be putting them out constantly! He'll have to learn the hard way.
I'm kind of glad I spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon outside, rounding up carts. It was too nice to be inside arguing over plastic bags anyway. It was cold, in the upper 40's, probably the coldest it's been since March, and very windy. The air was nice and crisp, though, and had that snap to it that says winter - or at least late fall - isn't far off.
Got my schedule during break. Not too bad. On one hand, a late day next Saturday will allow me to get to the last Collingswood Farm Market of the season, and I'll get to see most of the Eagles game tomorrow, too. On the other hand, I still don't have enough hours.
And I put in a request for December 6th through 12th off. My friend Amanda from Vineland is visiting the 6th anyway. I'd wait for February or March, but I really need the extra money now. It might be nice to have time off in December, anyway. I'll be able to finish what little shopping I had planned, wrap presents, and get the cards done. Besides, a lot of single older employees tend to take their vacations in late February and March.
I did have some grocery shopping to do today. Restocked skim milk, toilet paper, cake mix, bran flakes, canned black beans, whole wheat flour, bananas, and diced tomatoes. Applesauce cups were cheaper than mandarin oranges. They finally had fresh cranberries, too.
When I got in, I put everything away while doing one more episode of Max & Ruby. "Max's Shadow" makes for a fun playmate for him while Valerie and Ruby work on a ballet poster. But it also proves to be quite helpful when the girls can't get the pose on the poster quite right...
Worked on my story for the next couple of hours. Rey's delighted when Uncle Luke Drosselmeyer, her mother Leia's brother, arrives. He's a toy and clock maker who comes bearing wonderful gifts. He performs the story of a cursed prince in his puppet show, then lets his mechanical Spanish soldier, Asian candied ginger doll, and toy soldier dance for them. He's helped by his new apprentice, a handsome young lad named Finn. Rey likes him immediately, but stuffy Snoke, the Stahlbaum household's tutor, reminds her that she's not supposed to be chatting with apprentices.
Broke for dinner around 6. Made Turkey Cheeseburgers, (frozen) green beans, and applesauce while watching Winnie the Pooh; Seasons of Giving. This made-for-home-media movie is really two episodes of The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and the Thanksgiving special strung together with some new material. The first segment has Rabbit, Tigger, and Pooh dressing Piglet as a groundhog to find out when spring is. The second is the Thanksgiving cartoon. The gang is ready for a feast of honey, haycorns, and hot chocolate ice cream. Rabbit insists that Thanksgiving is all about tradition. When the party doesn't go the way he planned, the others remind him of what the holiday is all about. The final sequence has Rabbit raising a little girl bird named Kessie. She wants to fly south for the winter, but he's afraid to let her go.
Moved to Lego Star Wars next. Finished out "Battle of Coruscant," "Gunship Calvary," "Death Star Attack," "Darth Vader," "Ruin of the Jedi," and "Count Dooku"; got the red brick on "Calvary" and True Jedi on "Darth Vader." The only round I wasn't able to complete today was "Bounty Hunter Pursuit," though I did find most of the pieces and the red brick.
Tried something different tonight. I'm typing this on the couch instead of at the dining area table. I'm tired of dragging the old desk chair out, and the wooden dining area chairs aren't comfortable enough. This isn't really that comfortable, either, but it beats the chair.
Did a couple of episodes of She-Ra as I got comfortable. "The Laughing Dragon" is Sorrowful, who is afraid of just about everything. He learns about true bravery when She-Ra places supposedly magic flowers around his neck that gives him the courage to stand up to the Horde. Sorrowful is captured by the Horde in "The Prisoner of Beast Island." The others go after him.
She-Ra insists on going alone to help a former colleague who wants to defect to the Rebellion in "Friendship." Bow and Kowl follow her anyway. Adora's friend is forced to turn her in. When Kowl returns her sword, she finds out why her friend betrayed her.
"The Peril of Whispering Woods" is a poison that the Horde is using to destroy the Rebellion's magical hiding place. Good thing the son of Horde Pride, the head of the Horde, winds up being captured by the Rebels and takes their side.
"King Miro's Journey" brings He-Man and his grandfather to Etheria so he can meet his granddaughter. The twins get a chance to show their grandfather their teamwork when the Horde tries to trap them in the Whispering Woods.
Finished the night on YouTube. I've been watching a couple of different performances of The Nutcracker for story inspiration. My favorite was this interpretation by the San Francisco Ballet in 2007, set in a residential neighborhood in San Francisco in 1915.
The Nutcracker: San Francisco Ballet 2007
Saturday, September 03, 2016
Farm Market Fantasy
Began a cloudy and cool morning with breakfast and Sailor Moon. Chibi-Usa is in the spotlight in an unusual episode from the second season. The Guardians and the cats have joined Rei, who is on a tropical island to work on spiritual training. Chibi-Usa gets upset with the others and drifts out too far on her inner tube. She's rescued from sharks by a baby dinosaur and makes friends with it. The dinosaur's mother finally comes for her baby...just as the volcano on the island they've ended up on is about to go off...
Headed out to the Collingswood Farm Market around 10:30. Despite the chilly, windy morning, the place was packed. I couldn't move without hitting an elbow. Everyone wanted produce, meat, cheese, and honey for their Labor Day barbecues. The tables are still spilling over with the summer harvest. The fall harvest is slowly debuting, too. I saw acorn squash and pears for the first time today. I ended up with three little onions (one red, two white), Gala apples, a sugar baby (small dark green) watermelon, a tomato, a zucchini, and one of the acorn squash.
Next stop was WaWa for skim milk. Wow. The Collingswood WaWa had really changed since the last time I was in there. It's now all wood-grained paneling and rough boxy siding. It looks really great, almost warmer, even. I really need to check and see if Oaklyn got that same upgrade when they were remodeled a few weeks ago.
Headed home via Newton River Park, passing through the parking lot at the CVS on the border of Oaklyn and Collingswood. There was some kind of party or fair going on at the park, but by then, it was quarter of noon and looked like it was ending. I saw a colorful bounce house and the tops of white tents flapping in the wind. Got to say "hi" to Dad-Bruce briefly as I made my way up the hill to Newton Avenue. He was in his car, probably on his way home from running errands.
I was at home long enough to put everything away before heading right back out. I wanted to hit the Oaklyn Library today. They were pretty quiet, with just two old ladies gossiping about everything they were reading online the only people there besides the librarian. It was probably just as well. I had a lot to do. The kids' DVDs weren't bad, but the adult ones were a mess. The kids' books weren't much better. I need to totally re-organize the graphic novels. (Which basically amounts to "anything related to a comic book, sci-fi, or cartoon franchise that isn't Disney fairy tales.") In the meantime, I gave the picture books and board books a good combing-through.
Debated having lunch at the Oaklyn Manor Bar. I heard live music coming from their outside patio, but it did seem kind of noisy up there. I decided I'd rather have a nice quiet lunch. I enjoyed a slice of spinach, tomato, and feta quiche and a Deb's Spicy-Sweet Iced Tea at Common Grounds Coffee House instead. They were dead, with only one other guy there.
Though the clouds were disappearing by 1:30, it remained windy and very cool. I spent the rest of the afternoon inside, working on my story. Jyn says her dad once worked for Empire Industries. Leia says she'll be the one who checks it out.
Had leftovers for dinner, then baked chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. Watched The Nutcracker Sweet while I worked. This CGI rendition of the beloved Christmas story from last year has Marie Stalhbaum and her brother Fritz constantly at odds. Marie doesn't tell him when she sees her beloved Nutcracker doll come to life and fight the Mouse King. Her parents and godparents laugh at her ideas, and she thinks he will, too. She eventually follows the Nutcracker to the Land of Toys to help restore his human form and stop the Mouse King from taking over. Fritz, tired of his sister not sharing, follows. The two learn just how important teamwork is when they have to band together to end the Mouse King's reign.
This was...odd. Very odd. The animation is simplistic and kind of ugly, but some of it is well-done. There's some really strange ideas - the tree-creatures that throw characters around in the climatic battle look like they belong in Lord of the Rings, and the toy designs of some characters after they end up in the fantasy world is downright disturbing.
On the other hand, I do like the emphasis on Marie and Fritz's relationship. In the ballet and E.A Hoffman's original story, Fritz is prominent during the first third of the tale, during the ball, where he breaks the Nutcracker. He disappears thereafter, not to be seen again. Here, Fritz is equally as important as Marie, and in fact, it's their love for each other that ends up saving the Nutcracker.
This is cute, but not that great. Not too bad if you run into it, but not really worth tracking down unless you have to see every version of The Nutcracker.
Finished out the night in a nice, warm bath. Ahhh. I needed that badly after the stressful and often frustrating couple of weeks I've had. I soaked in peppermint-scented bath water and looked over Christmas craft books for gift ideas while listening to one of my jazz CDs.
Headed out to the Collingswood Farm Market around 10:30. Despite the chilly, windy morning, the place was packed. I couldn't move without hitting an elbow. Everyone wanted produce, meat, cheese, and honey for their Labor Day barbecues. The tables are still spilling over with the summer harvest. The fall harvest is slowly debuting, too. I saw acorn squash and pears for the first time today. I ended up with three little onions (one red, two white), Gala apples, a sugar baby (small dark green) watermelon, a tomato, a zucchini, and one of the acorn squash.
Next stop was WaWa for skim milk. Wow. The Collingswood WaWa had really changed since the last time I was in there. It's now all wood-grained paneling and rough boxy siding. It looks really great, almost warmer, even. I really need to check and see if Oaklyn got that same upgrade when they were remodeled a few weeks ago.
Headed home via Newton River Park, passing through the parking lot at the CVS on the border of Oaklyn and Collingswood. There was some kind of party or fair going on at the park, but by then, it was quarter of noon and looked like it was ending. I saw a colorful bounce house and the tops of white tents flapping in the wind. Got to say "hi" to Dad-Bruce briefly as I made my way up the hill to Newton Avenue. He was in his car, probably on his way home from running errands.
I was at home long enough to put everything away before heading right back out. I wanted to hit the Oaklyn Library today. They were pretty quiet, with just two old ladies gossiping about everything they were reading online the only people there besides the librarian. It was probably just as well. I had a lot to do. The kids' DVDs weren't bad, but the adult ones were a mess. The kids' books weren't much better. I need to totally re-organize the graphic novels. (Which basically amounts to "anything related to a comic book, sci-fi, or cartoon franchise that isn't Disney fairy tales.") In the meantime, I gave the picture books and board books a good combing-through.
Debated having lunch at the Oaklyn Manor Bar. I heard live music coming from their outside patio, but it did seem kind of noisy up there. I decided I'd rather have a nice quiet lunch. I enjoyed a slice of spinach, tomato, and feta quiche and a Deb's Spicy-Sweet Iced Tea at Common Grounds Coffee House instead. They were dead, with only one other guy there.
Though the clouds were disappearing by 1:30, it remained windy and very cool. I spent the rest of the afternoon inside, working on my story. Jyn says her dad once worked for Empire Industries. Leia says she'll be the one who checks it out.
Had leftovers for dinner, then baked chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. Watched The Nutcracker Sweet while I worked. This CGI rendition of the beloved Christmas story from last year has Marie Stalhbaum and her brother Fritz constantly at odds. Marie doesn't tell him when she sees her beloved Nutcracker doll come to life and fight the Mouse King. Her parents and godparents laugh at her ideas, and she thinks he will, too. She eventually follows the Nutcracker to the Land of Toys to help restore his human form and stop the Mouse King from taking over. Fritz, tired of his sister not sharing, follows. The two learn just how important teamwork is when they have to band together to end the Mouse King's reign.
This was...odd. Very odd. The animation is simplistic and kind of ugly, but some of it is well-done. There's some really strange ideas - the tree-creatures that throw characters around in the climatic battle look like they belong in Lord of the Rings, and the toy designs of some characters after they end up in the fantasy world is downright disturbing.
On the other hand, I do like the emphasis on Marie and Fritz's relationship. In the ballet and E.A Hoffman's original story, Fritz is prominent during the first third of the tale, during the ball, where he breaks the Nutcracker. He disappears thereafter, not to be seen again. Here, Fritz is equally as important as Marie, and in fact, it's their love for each other that ends up saving the Nutcracker.
This is cute, but not that great. Not too bad if you run into it, but not really worth tracking down unless you have to see every version of The Nutcracker.
Finished out the night in a nice, warm bath. Ahhh. I needed that badly after the stressful and often frustrating couple of weeks I've had. I soaked in peppermint-scented bath water and looked over Christmas craft books for gift ideas while listening to one of my jazz CDs.
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Rainy Day In Never Land
It had just started to rain as I finished the Daisy Dalyrumple mystery Requiem for a Mezzo and wrote in my journal. It was absolutely pouring by the time I started breakfast. In honor of the weather, I ran a Tiny Toons Adventures first-season episode about stormy weather, "Rainy Daze." In the first short, Montana Max rents friends to abuse during a rainy day. He gets his just desserts when the next friend in line turns out to be Buster, who won't put up with that kind of treatment. Babs shows how to use your imagination to have fun inside when the weather's bad during the second short. Even cleaning your room and taking a bath can be an adventure when you let your imagination run wild! The third short has the two rabbits chasing Gotcha Grabmore, a fur-obsessed poacher who wants a seal-skin coat.
I waited out the rain doing chores around the apartment. I made the bed first. I haven't made it in ages. Who's gonna see it? After that, I did the dishes, then worked on taking notes. Listened to my Coasters' Greatest Hits LP while I took down some of what I have for Betty's fairy tale, "The Little Mermaid." The album ended around the same time I noticed the rain had. I decided it was a good time to get out and get some errands done.
The Oaklyn Library was relatively busy when I arrived. A couple of little girls watched Sonic the Hedgehog cartoons in the kids' area. I mainly concentrated on the DVD's while they were there. With not much else going on, I was in and out in less than a half-hour.
Had lunch at Capitol Pizza. I had my usual slice of mushroom, slice of cheese, and can of Diet Pepsi. Channel 6 Action News was mostly talking about the weather. Thankfully, by quarter of 1, the sun was in and out of clouds. The rain seemed to mostly be in Central New Jersey, between Trenton and the Central Shore area.
I made a couple of quick stops at the Westmont Plaza after lunch. The mayo I wanted at Thriftway was too expensive. I was hoping it was on sale. I'll get it at work. I checked Tuesday Morning for Ever After High dolls. I did see the original release of Cedar Wood there; otherwise, nothing new.
Haddon Township Library was even busier than Oaklyn had been. I guess everyone wanted something to do on a weird weather day. Interestingly, while the adult DVDs were so full I couldn't fit some titles in, the kids' shelves were decimated. Everything fit, even the Scooby Doo titles, with room leftover. The new releases cart was overflowing, too. I had tons to put away there.
I made an interesting video find at the book sale area. A three-video set in an insert from Reader's Digest called The Wonders of Christmas featured the 1983 holiday special The Nutcracker: A Fantasy On Ice. My sisters and I used to love that when we were little. It also had a Christmas concert with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and what I suspected was a Christmas-themed "background noise" series of instrumental Christmas tunes set to holiday scenes.
Headed home across Haddon Lake Park to avoid the traffic on Cuthbert. They were surprisingly busy for a sticky, humid day. There were a lot of kids out riding their bikes, people sunning themselves, and kids and their parents fishing off the rails or the concrete walkways. The lake is mostly looking better; the dredging machines hired by local officials seem to have gotten rid of most of the algae, except around the fountains.
Made a quick stop at Phillies' Yummies for cinnamon bun ice cream. Most of the kids seemed to be heading for Studio LuLoo or Phillies Phattties. The windows at what used to be Doria's Deli are covered by bamboo blinds. Hopefully, that means they've started remodeling.
I spent the rest of the afternoon at home. The clouds were starting to build again. They did burst somewhere around 5 PM briefly, but otherwise, it was just too humid to be doing any real running around.
Dubbed the Christmas specials while I continued to work on notes for "The Little Mer-Betty." The Nutcracker: A Fantasy On Ice streamlines the story a bit by having it begin after the party where Clara (Dorothy Hamill) receives her nutcracker doll (Robin Cousins) and having a modern grandpa (Lorne Greene) and his granddaughter narrate the story. There's also no Godfather Drosselmyer - the dolls dance and the tree grows on their own. This was probably the first version of The Nutcracker I ever saw, well before I even knew it was a stage ballet. I love the elaborate costumes and some of the more fanciful routines, especially for the World Candy characters in the second half. I don't think this was ever on DVD, but it can be found on YouTube.
Dubbed the other two while dusting the apartment. They both made great background noise as I did my chores. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir alternated between secular and religious Christmas songs, ending with a rousing "Hark the Herald Angels Sing." The third tape was kind of a series of music videos - images of snow, Christmas, or Santa set to traditional carols or classic music, some of it (like "Ode to Joy") not even remotely related to Christmas. Both videos were nice to have, but far from essential unless you're a fan of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir or choir music in general.
(And I suspect the videos in this set were original three individual releases that were thrown together when Reader's Digest wanted something relatively inexpensive for Christmas. They each had a different opening and closing video label. Vestron seems to have originally released Nutcracker - the others were probably cheap budget releases.)
After I finally got the dusting done and did the windows, I made myself a nice dinner. I've made Chicken Therese from the Eat Up, Slim Down cookbook many times, and it always comes out tasty. Chicken breasts in a low-fat, low-sodium cream of chicken soup-based sauce, with onions, mushrooms, and cooking wine. (It called for dry sherry, but I don't have any.) I had it with steamed peas. Yumm, yum. Salty but delicious, a wonderfully savory meal.
Finished the night dubbing the Mary Martin Peter Pan. This is the 1960 taped, color version of the beloved 1955 musical version of the boy (Martin) who won't grow up and prefers crowing and annoying Captain Hook (Cyril Ritchard) to adult life. He brings three kids from London to Never Land to tell his crew stories. The pirates first capture the princess Tiger Lily of the local Indian tribe to set them against the kids. When Peter rescues her and makes friends with the tribe, Hook goes after the kids instead, intending to poison Peter. What the kids really want is just to go home to their parents and dog Nana...but the pirates may not let them, and Peter certainly doesn't want them to.
I don't know how last year's Peter Pan Live looked, but I do know the original version is as campy a musical comedy as one could wish. You'd think Martin would be a tad bit creepy playing a young boy, but she actually does quite well as Peter - her "Distant Melody" is especially sweet. Ritchard happily hams it up as her adversary. I recommend this one for younger kids - they might get a kick out of the people obviously costumed as animals and very stage-y sets - but do explain that the extremely un-PC Indians were written as they would have been for the kids in the early 1900's. (Including a very blond Tiger Lily.) Campy but cute - if you're offended by the Indians, you might want to steer the kids to the Cathy Rigby version from the 90's or last year's version that toned down their role a bit.
I waited out the rain doing chores around the apartment. I made the bed first. I haven't made it in ages. Who's gonna see it? After that, I did the dishes, then worked on taking notes. Listened to my Coasters' Greatest Hits LP while I took down some of what I have for Betty's fairy tale, "The Little Mermaid." The album ended around the same time I noticed the rain had. I decided it was a good time to get out and get some errands done.
The Oaklyn Library was relatively busy when I arrived. A couple of little girls watched Sonic the Hedgehog cartoons in the kids' area. I mainly concentrated on the DVD's while they were there. With not much else going on, I was in and out in less than a half-hour.
Had lunch at Capitol Pizza. I had my usual slice of mushroom, slice of cheese, and can of Diet Pepsi. Channel 6 Action News was mostly talking about the weather. Thankfully, by quarter of 1, the sun was in and out of clouds. The rain seemed to mostly be in Central New Jersey, between Trenton and the Central Shore area.
I made a couple of quick stops at the Westmont Plaza after lunch. The mayo I wanted at Thriftway was too expensive. I was hoping it was on sale. I'll get it at work. I checked Tuesday Morning for Ever After High dolls. I did see the original release of Cedar Wood there; otherwise, nothing new.
Haddon Township Library was even busier than Oaklyn had been. I guess everyone wanted something to do on a weird weather day. Interestingly, while the adult DVDs were so full I couldn't fit some titles in, the kids' shelves were decimated. Everything fit, even the Scooby Doo titles, with room leftover. The new releases cart was overflowing, too. I had tons to put away there.
I made an interesting video find at the book sale area. A three-video set in an insert from Reader's Digest called The Wonders of Christmas featured the 1983 holiday special The Nutcracker: A Fantasy On Ice. My sisters and I used to love that when we were little. It also had a Christmas concert with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and what I suspected was a Christmas-themed "background noise" series of instrumental Christmas tunes set to holiday scenes.
Headed home across Haddon Lake Park to avoid the traffic on Cuthbert. They were surprisingly busy for a sticky, humid day. There were a lot of kids out riding their bikes, people sunning themselves, and kids and their parents fishing off the rails or the concrete walkways. The lake is mostly looking better; the dredging machines hired by local officials seem to have gotten rid of most of the algae, except around the fountains.
Made a quick stop at Phillies' Yummies for cinnamon bun ice cream. Most of the kids seemed to be heading for Studio LuLoo or Phillies Phattties. The windows at what used to be Doria's Deli are covered by bamboo blinds. Hopefully, that means they've started remodeling.
I spent the rest of the afternoon at home. The clouds were starting to build again. They did burst somewhere around 5 PM briefly, but otherwise, it was just too humid to be doing any real running around.
Dubbed the Christmas specials while I continued to work on notes for "The Little Mer-Betty." The Nutcracker: A Fantasy On Ice streamlines the story a bit by having it begin after the party where Clara (Dorothy Hamill) receives her nutcracker doll (Robin Cousins) and having a modern grandpa (Lorne Greene) and his granddaughter narrate the story. There's also no Godfather Drosselmyer - the dolls dance and the tree grows on their own. This was probably the first version of The Nutcracker I ever saw, well before I even knew it was a stage ballet. I love the elaborate costumes and some of the more fanciful routines, especially for the World Candy characters in the second half. I don't think this was ever on DVD, but it can be found on YouTube.
Dubbed the other two while dusting the apartment. They both made great background noise as I did my chores. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir alternated between secular and religious Christmas songs, ending with a rousing "Hark the Herald Angels Sing." The third tape was kind of a series of music videos - images of snow, Christmas, or Santa set to traditional carols or classic music, some of it (like "Ode to Joy") not even remotely related to Christmas. Both videos were nice to have, but far from essential unless you're a fan of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir or choir music in general.
(And I suspect the videos in this set were original three individual releases that were thrown together when Reader's Digest wanted something relatively inexpensive for Christmas. They each had a different opening and closing video label. Vestron seems to have originally released Nutcracker - the others were probably cheap budget releases.)
After I finally got the dusting done and did the windows, I made myself a nice dinner. I've made Chicken Therese from the Eat Up, Slim Down cookbook many times, and it always comes out tasty. Chicken breasts in a low-fat, low-sodium cream of chicken soup-based sauce, with onions, mushrooms, and cooking wine. (It called for dry sherry, but I don't have any.) I had it with steamed peas. Yumm, yum. Salty but delicious, a wonderfully savory meal.
Finished the night dubbing the Mary Martin Peter Pan. This is the 1960 taped, color version of the beloved 1955 musical version of the boy (Martin) who won't grow up and prefers crowing and annoying Captain Hook (Cyril Ritchard) to adult life. He brings three kids from London to Never Land to tell his crew stories. The pirates first capture the princess Tiger Lily of the local Indian tribe to set them against the kids. When Peter rescues her and makes friends with the tribe, Hook goes after the kids instead, intending to poison Peter. What the kids really want is just to go home to their parents and dog Nana...but the pirates may not let them, and Peter certainly doesn't want them to.
I don't know how last year's Peter Pan Live looked, but I do know the original version is as campy a musical comedy as one could wish. You'd think Martin would be a tad bit creepy playing a young boy, but she actually does quite well as Peter - her "Distant Melody" is especially sweet. Ritchard happily hams it up as her adversary. I recommend this one for younger kids - they might get a kick out of the people obviously costumed as animals and very stage-y sets - but do explain that the extremely un-PC Indians were written as they would have been for the kids in the early 1900's. (Including a very blond Tiger Lily.) Campy but cute - if you're offended by the Indians, you might want to steer the kids to the Cathy Rigby version from the 90's or last year's version that toned down their role a bit.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Raining In the Holidays
It was very quiet here today. I spent most of the day on the computer. Looked up some things on the Disability site in the late morning; wrote two flash fiction stories and started the Holiday Books Inventory in the afternoon. The Holiday Books Inventory will include all books about a specific holiday - fiction, nonfiction, children, adults', cookbooks, craft books, picture books and novels. I got through the nonfiction and the two story anthologies today. Tomorrow, I'll see if I can at least start the fiction books.
It was raining when I first got up this morning, but the rain was quickly replaced by clouds, and then sunshine. It was also much colder, back into the lower 50s. I celebrated the return of seasonal weather with several rare Christmas specials and films.
Rankin Bass' output got more and more bizarre as the 70s went on, and one of their weirdest is The Leprichan's Christmas Gold. When a young sailor uproots a pine tree on a phantom Irish isle, he discovers a banshee who is after the gold of the wee people who live there. Art Carney and Peggy Cass narrate the only holiday special I know of that blends Irish mythology and Christmas legends.
The Stingiest Man In Town makes a bit more sense. It's an animated adaptation of a 50s TV musical version of A Christmas Carol. While many people who saw the original broadcast consider the live-action rendition to be superior, this does have it's charms, including some decent animation and fine vocal performances by Tom Bosley as the insect narrator and Walter Matthau as Scrooge.
(Hmm. Some research on Amazon.com reveals that, after it being lost for decades, the original 50s Stingiest Man In Town has been unearthed and released on DVD. The score is on CD, too. It has an equally good cast - Basil Rathbone is Scrooge, and other performers include Vic Damone and The Four Lads. I might have to put both on my Christmas list.)
I spent a pleasant hour before dinner watching the 1978 version of The Nutcracker while working on my current crocheting project. Russian star Mikhail Baryshnikov is the title character in the American Ballet Theater rendition of the beloved holiday fantasy. There are many other versions of this beloved holiday tale, but few with a star performer as good as this one.
Switched to a more colorful variation on the Nutcracker tale during a dinner of leftover chicken legs, romaine salad, and steamed green beans. The Care Bears made their only holiday special in 1988, a very loose adaptation of the fantasy ballet. Here, Tenderheart, Funshine, Grumpy, Lots-A-Heart, and BraveHeart join a little girl and the title character as they travel through a ravaged Toyland to rescue the Sugar Plum Fairy from the evil Vizier. Fun for younger kids or fans of the late 80s Care Bears Family show.
It was very quiet here today. I spent most of the day on the computer. Looked up some things on the Disability site in the late morning; wrote two flash fiction stories and started the Holiday Books Inventory in the afternoon. The Holiday Books Inventory will include all books about a specific holiday - fiction, nonfiction, children, adults', cookbooks, craft books, picture books and novels. I got through the nonfiction and the two story anthologies today. Tomorrow, I'll see if I can at least start the fiction books.
It was raining when I first got up this morning, but the rain was quickly replaced by clouds, and then sunshine. It was also much colder, back into the lower 50s. I celebrated the return of seasonal weather with several rare Christmas specials and films.
Rankin Bass' output got more and more bizarre as the 70s went on, and one of their weirdest is The Leprichan's Christmas Gold. When a young sailor uproots a pine tree on a phantom Irish isle, he discovers a banshee who is after the gold of the wee people who live there. Art Carney and Peggy Cass narrate the only holiday special I know of that blends Irish mythology and Christmas legends.
The Stingiest Man In Town makes a bit more sense. It's an animated adaptation of a 50s TV musical version of A Christmas Carol. While many people who saw the original broadcast consider the live-action rendition to be superior, this does have it's charms, including some decent animation and fine vocal performances by Tom Bosley as the insect narrator and Walter Matthau as Scrooge.
(Hmm. Some research on Amazon.com reveals that, after it being lost for decades, the original 50s Stingiest Man In Town has been unearthed and released on DVD. The score is on CD, too. It has an equally good cast - Basil Rathbone is Scrooge, and other performers include Vic Damone and The Four Lads. I might have to put both on my Christmas list.)
I spent a pleasant hour before dinner watching the 1978 version of The Nutcracker while working on my current crocheting project. Russian star Mikhail Baryshnikov is the title character in the American Ballet Theater rendition of the beloved holiday fantasy. There are many other versions of this beloved holiday tale, but few with a star performer as good as this one.
Switched to a more colorful variation on the Nutcracker tale during a dinner of leftover chicken legs, romaine salad, and steamed green beans. The Care Bears made their only holiday special in 1988, a very loose adaptation of the fantasy ballet. Here, Tenderheart, Funshine, Grumpy, Lots-A-Heart, and BraveHeart join a little girl and the title character as they travel through a ravaged Toyland to rescue the Sugar Plum Fairy from the evil Vizier. Fun for younger kids or fans of the late 80s Care Bears Family show.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Walking a Christmas Mile
I had an incredibly long day. I was supposed to be meeting my friend Amanda at 11:45 to see The Nutcracker at Richard Stockton College at 1PM. Long story short, I did get on the right bus this morning on time...but I got off at not only the wrong stop, but a stop over a mile from where I was supposed to get off! The White Horse Pike/Pomona Road stop is kind of in the middle of nowhere, and I must have missed the sign. I ended up getting off at Absecon!
I had no idea when the next bus was going to arrive, and Absecon is on a part of the White Horse Pike that's really more of a major highway, so I just walked back to Pomona Road. That was probably a mistake. It was a clear, cold day, and I was wearing my cheap sneakers, which are falling apart. (I wore them because they're comfortable and I didn't think I'd be doing a lot of walking today!) I was so upset over getting off, I cried and berated myself the whole way back.
By the time I got there, it was 1PM, the Nutcracker had already begun, I was freezing and hungry, and my feet were not only killing me, but my old sneakers had rubbed the backs of my feet so bad, they were bleeding. I walked around another hour, looking for Amanda's car. When I couldn't find it or her by quarter after 2, I put Band-Aids on my feet (good thing I always carry some in my purse) and took the quick express bus to Stockton. (I know that bus well. I used to take it to the Hamilton Mall or to the small groceria on Pomona Road to buy food for me and my roommates when I lived in the Housing IV apartments.)
The bus goes directly by Stockton. (I would occasionally be able to convince kind-hearted bus drivers to stop at Housing IV when I lived there. The bus literally goes right by my old apartment.) Stockton's been doing some major updating in the past decade or so. They'd already begun when I was there with the new Housing IV apartments and "Big Blue" freestanding gym/auditorium. From what I could see from the bus, they'd added another set of apartments in what used to be a bare, grassy area between Housing IV and Housing I (probably Housing V) and had renovated the exteriors of Housing I, which were looking more than a little scuzzy between 1997 and 2001. They'd also turned the old causeway on the path over Lake Fred between the apartments and the main campus into a lovely bridge.
There were more renovations as I made my way past the front brick building that houses the art classes, where the bus lets off. There was so much construction going on in the first two wings, I had to go around them outside! Not something that made me happy after all the outdoor walking I did. I finally made it to K-Wing on the other side of the main campus, where the stage is. There was no one guarding the doors to the stage, and nobody objected when I just walked right in.
I did end up getting to see the last half-hour of The Nutcracker, which was lovely. I came in just as the Chinese Tea dancers were getting started. My favorites were the vigorous Russian Trepack dancers (three gentleman and a rare lady - the Russian dancers are usually all male) and the lovely pas de deux of the Sugar Plum Fairy and her cavalier and their subsequent solos.
I met Amanda after the show. As it turned out, she had been waiting for me but finally left about 10 minutes to 1...not long before I arrived at Pomona Road! They gave her credit for the unused ticket. We had originally planned on walking around Stockton after the show, but between the very cold day and my tired feet, we decided to head to dinner at the Hamilton Mall instead.
We ate a lovely meal at Red Lobster. We shared the Jumbo Coconut Shrimp. Amanda had a Caesar Salad and stuffed flounder. I had a garden salad and (Broiled) Tilapia in a Bag with Winter Vegetables. My Tilapia was a tad mushy, but otherwise, it was really, really good. Amanda said her stuffed flounder was excellent, but she doesn't have the appetite I do (and hadn't been walking in the cold for two hours), so she ended up taking her home. We got to take home two each of those heavenly cheddar drop biscuits Red Lobster does so well, too.
We walked around the Hamilton Mall after that, too, which may have been a mistake. Not surprisingly for a Saturday evening in December, the place was mobbed. I was happy to see that they still have some of my favorite stores, though, including the Suncoast Video that's yielded some of my favorite video and DVD finds over the years. Amanda actually ended up buying a Three Stooges DVD set that was on sale there.
I picked up presents at Claire's and at Gertrude Hawk's Chocolates (though the latter present was for kids, and not actually food).
Though the lines at Gertrude Hawk and Claire's weren't bad, it was hard to just walk around in the mall...and the traffic outside was much worse. We missed the bus the first time and went back to a Starbucks across from the mall, next to Applebee's for warm drinks. In fact, we almost missed the NEXT bus, but Amanda was able to follow it to the next stop on the White Horse Pike, and I picked it up from there.
The ride home was smooth sailing, with no traffic and no problems, on the bus or the train. It was really quite pleasant. A lot of the White Horse Pike runs through small towns and farms and wineries, giving homes and businesses plenty of space for massive Christmas lights displays. Seeing all those gorgeous lights really cheered me up after all the trouble I'd had today.
Today concludes my Christmas shopping. I'll wrap my presents tomorrow and spend the rest of the next two weeks baking and raking.
And some good came out of today. Now I know where the stop for the Lindenwald-Atantic City bus is, and that it's not really that far from the bus terminal (a little under an hour). I also discovered that the Voorhees Town Center is minutes from the Woodcrest, Ashland, and Lindenwald PATCO terminals, and they're all close to each other. Both might be better places to occasionally meet with Amanda than Deptford.
I had an incredibly long day. I was supposed to be meeting my friend Amanda at 11:45 to see The Nutcracker at Richard Stockton College at 1PM. Long story short, I did get on the right bus this morning on time...but I got off at not only the wrong stop, but a stop over a mile from where I was supposed to get off! The White Horse Pike/Pomona Road stop is kind of in the middle of nowhere, and I must have missed the sign. I ended up getting off at Absecon!
I had no idea when the next bus was going to arrive, and Absecon is on a part of the White Horse Pike that's really more of a major highway, so I just walked back to Pomona Road. That was probably a mistake. It was a clear, cold day, and I was wearing my cheap sneakers, which are falling apart. (I wore them because they're comfortable and I didn't think I'd be doing a lot of walking today!) I was so upset over getting off, I cried and berated myself the whole way back.
By the time I got there, it was 1PM, the Nutcracker had already begun, I was freezing and hungry, and my feet were not only killing me, but my old sneakers had rubbed the backs of my feet so bad, they were bleeding. I walked around another hour, looking for Amanda's car. When I couldn't find it or her by quarter after 2, I put Band-Aids on my feet (good thing I always carry some in my purse) and took the quick express bus to Stockton. (I know that bus well. I used to take it to the Hamilton Mall or to the small groceria on Pomona Road to buy food for me and my roommates when I lived in the Housing IV apartments.)
The bus goes directly by Stockton. (I would occasionally be able to convince kind-hearted bus drivers to stop at Housing IV when I lived there. The bus literally goes right by my old apartment.) Stockton's been doing some major updating in the past decade or so. They'd already begun when I was there with the new Housing IV apartments and "Big Blue" freestanding gym/auditorium. From what I could see from the bus, they'd added another set of apartments in what used to be a bare, grassy area between Housing IV and Housing I (probably Housing V) and had renovated the exteriors of Housing I, which were looking more than a little scuzzy between 1997 and 2001. They'd also turned the old causeway on the path over Lake Fred between the apartments and the main campus into a lovely bridge.
There were more renovations as I made my way past the front brick building that houses the art classes, where the bus lets off. There was so much construction going on in the first two wings, I had to go around them outside! Not something that made me happy after all the outdoor walking I did. I finally made it to K-Wing on the other side of the main campus, where the stage is. There was no one guarding the doors to the stage, and nobody objected when I just walked right in.
I did end up getting to see the last half-hour of The Nutcracker, which was lovely. I came in just as the Chinese Tea dancers were getting started. My favorites were the vigorous Russian Trepack dancers (three gentleman and a rare lady - the Russian dancers are usually all male) and the lovely pas de deux of the Sugar Plum Fairy and her cavalier and their subsequent solos.
I met Amanda after the show. As it turned out, she had been waiting for me but finally left about 10 minutes to 1...not long before I arrived at Pomona Road! They gave her credit for the unused ticket. We had originally planned on walking around Stockton after the show, but between the very cold day and my tired feet, we decided to head to dinner at the Hamilton Mall instead.
We ate a lovely meal at Red Lobster. We shared the Jumbo Coconut Shrimp. Amanda had a Caesar Salad and stuffed flounder. I had a garden salad and (Broiled) Tilapia in a Bag with Winter Vegetables. My Tilapia was a tad mushy, but otherwise, it was really, really good. Amanda said her stuffed flounder was excellent, but she doesn't have the appetite I do (and hadn't been walking in the cold for two hours), so she ended up taking her home. We got to take home two each of those heavenly cheddar drop biscuits Red Lobster does so well, too.
We walked around the Hamilton Mall after that, too, which may have been a mistake. Not surprisingly for a Saturday evening in December, the place was mobbed. I was happy to see that they still have some of my favorite stores, though, including the Suncoast Video that's yielded some of my favorite video and DVD finds over the years. Amanda actually ended up buying a Three Stooges DVD set that was on sale there.
I picked up presents at Claire's and at Gertrude Hawk's Chocolates (though the latter present was for kids, and not actually food).
Though the lines at Gertrude Hawk and Claire's weren't bad, it was hard to just walk around in the mall...and the traffic outside was much worse. We missed the bus the first time and went back to a Starbucks across from the mall, next to Applebee's for warm drinks. In fact, we almost missed the NEXT bus, but Amanda was able to follow it to the next stop on the White Horse Pike, and I picked it up from there.
The ride home was smooth sailing, with no traffic and no problems, on the bus or the train. It was really quite pleasant. A lot of the White Horse Pike runs through small towns and farms and wineries, giving homes and businesses plenty of space for massive Christmas lights displays. Seeing all those gorgeous lights really cheered me up after all the trouble I'd had today.
Today concludes my Christmas shopping. I'll wrap my presents tomorrow and spend the rest of the next two weeks baking and raking.
And some good came out of today. Now I know where the stop for the Lindenwald-Atantic City bus is, and that it's not really that far from the bus terminal (a little under an hour). I also discovered that the Voorhees Town Center is minutes from the Woodcrest, Ashland, and Lindenwald PATCO terminals, and they're all close to each other. Both might be better places to occasionally meet with Amanda than Deptford.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
The Glory of Fall
Riding to work was very "fall-ish" this morning. It was gray but not raining, damp, and still a tad warm for this time of year. The heavy winds blew torrents of leaves in magnificent shades of red, orange, gold, brown, and green around me and my bike as I headed up the Black Horse Pike to the Acme for my last work session until (as of this second) Saturday morning.
Work was still a bit of a pain today. While not nearly as busy as yesterday, we still had a lot more people than usual, especially for the middle of the week, and those beginning-of-the-month people were still annoying. I really, REALLY wish people would learn how to freakin' count! We had more people getting rid of half their orders because they assumed they wouldn't cost as much as they did. Read the signs and you'll know how much things cost!
The rest of the day was quiet. My relief was late and I didn't really get home with enough time to do the windows and vacuum as I'd planned, so I worked on editing our newest Monkees role-play story instead and kicked off my holiday season with the Mikhail Barishnicov version of The Nutcracker.
Incidentally, this month's Monkees story is the long NaNoWrite story, so you'll be seeing it in parts. Look for the first six or seven parts or so this weekend!
Riding to work was very "fall-ish" this morning. It was gray but not raining, damp, and still a tad warm for this time of year. The heavy winds blew torrents of leaves in magnificent shades of red, orange, gold, brown, and green around me and my bike as I headed up the Black Horse Pike to the Acme for my last work session until (as of this second) Saturday morning.
Work was still a bit of a pain today. While not nearly as busy as yesterday, we still had a lot more people than usual, especially for the middle of the week, and those beginning-of-the-month people were still annoying. I really, REALLY wish people would learn how to freakin' count! We had more people getting rid of half their orders because they assumed they wouldn't cost as much as they did. Read the signs and you'll know how much things cost!
The rest of the day was quiet. My relief was late and I didn't really get home with enough time to do the windows and vacuum as I'd planned, so I worked on editing our newest Monkees role-play story instead and kicked off my holiday season with the Mikhail Barishnicov version of The Nutcracker.
Incidentally, this month's Monkees story is the long NaNoWrite story, so you'll be seeing it in parts. Look for the first six or seven parts or so this weekend!
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