Sunshine and Shadows

Began the morning with breakfast and two classic Disney shorts on winter sports. Donald thinks he's the "Hockey Champ" when he shows off for his nephews, but the boys have a thing or two to teach him about the game. "Double Dribble" gets back into Goofy sports territory, this time parodying college football. The shortest member of P.U seems to be the most outmatched, but he proves that size doesn't matter when he manages to find a way to get the ball through the net anyhow.

Since it's still cold and windy and I wanted to get groceries later, I called Uber. No trouble here. The first driver came in 7 minutes, the second in 4. Got where I was going quickly and with no trouble.

Work was slightly busier than yesterday, but still nothing overwhelming...or like last weekend. At least the weather is finally improving. Though the wind remains frigid and blustery, it was a little warmer when you could get in the sun. I spent the morning pushing carts and sweeping with no trouble.

As I expected, my schedule is back to four and five hours on weekends and Wednesday morning. I only got the hours I did the last two weeks because the floral department manager needed extra help, and then the head bagger went on vacation. Honestly, I don't mind. I could use the time to catch up on chores I put off over the last few weeks when I was busy or not feeling well, and I did want to see Captain America: Brave New World. 

Went straight into grocery shopping after I got home. Restocked oranges, yogurt, and granola bars. Slice was on sale; they now have the lemon-lime along with cola and grapefruit. Got two turkey sliders on pretzel buns for lunch and more of that tasty Orange Cream Coke Zero. A brand of tropical and corn-flavored cracker crisps were on clearance. The guava had the least salt, so I thought I'd try that.

Had lunch and put everything away while watching The Busy World of Richard Scarry. "Superstitious Bananas" is worried he's going to have nothing but bad luck when a fortune cookie claims things will go badly for him on Friday the 13th. Couscous the detective is shocked when "Pepe le Goodstaire" is let out of jail for good behavior. He knows better than to believe Pepe has turned over a new leaf. Mr. Frumble somehow manages to mistake a new parking garage for the "Drive-Through Movie," much to the detriment of his pickle car.

Changed, then headed out to Boost Mobile three blocks down on the White Horse Pike. I wanted to finally upgrade my cell phone and change the service. I've had my cell phone since January 2021. The battery sometimes dies quickly, sometimes slowly. The screen is cracked and chipped. It's beyond time for a change. I bought a Samsung Galaxy A16 that's basically the updated version of my old A11. It took a bit longer to switch providers, but after 40 minutes of changing passwords and pins, I had a new cell phone and was now with Boost Mobile.

It was such a nice day, I went for a walk to WaWa. I hadn't had a smoothie in ages. Got a pina colada smoothie to celebrate the end of two busy weeks and my new cell phone. It was a little on the watery side, with more pineapple than coconut flavor. 

Threw on Scooby's All-Star Laugh-a-Lympics when I got home. "North Pole" starts off with some unique dog-sled racing. Daisy Mayhem being pulled by her pet pig and Captain Caveman being toted by the Teen Angels makes sense, but Yakky Doodle pulling Grape Ape seems more like a recipe for disaster, until the big ape lends a hand. The Rottens' attempt at cheating in the igloo-building contest only solidifies Quick-Draw and the Doggies' entry and puts the Blue Falcon out to sea. Their cheating wrecks havoc on Wally Gator, Hokey Wolf, and Huckleberry Hound's paddle boat in "Tahiti," until they figure out a way to spring back. As anyone who's seen What's New, Scooby Doo knows, even the Dread Baron's sand-digging machine can't beat champion sand castle builders Shaggy and Scooby. 

Switched to Match Game Syndicated during dinner. Ginger, the contestant from yesterday, does manage to get to the Audience Match...but her ridiculous answer for "Cuckoo __" in the Head-to-Head leaves everyone on-stage and in the audience falling over laughing. Richard Paul and Nipsey Russell join in the next week, as the panel wear hard-hats in honor of a female contestant who works for a construction company. Charles even gives the lady her own hard hat.

Watched more of Roots next. By 1776, Kinta Kunte (John Amos) has grown to manhood. He's still determined to return home to Africa and manages to escape again. Not everyone has his desperate desire to go home. He flees to his former sweetheart Fanta (Ren Woods), only to discover she's turned away from her African heritage and has no desire to do anything but survive. After he's caught and loses his right foot in punishment, he's nursed back to health by the Reynolds' cook Bell (Madge Sinclair). 

Moved to YouTube for more of that newly-released syndicated week. Someone really needed to do a better job gluing the names on the Star Wheel. Charles' name fell off not once, but twice. He taped it the first time and just jammed it on the second. 

Here's both episodes to check out, so you can see the rest of this now-found week!

Match Game Syndicated #189 - Charles Name Falls Off the Wheel

Match Game Syndicated #190 - Name Falls Off the Wheel Again

Finished the night with another, much darker Czech fairy tale film. Their version of Beauty and the Beast from 1978 mostly follows the French story. Julie (Zdena Studenkova) takes the place of her merchant father (Vaclav Voska) in the damp, murky castle of a bird-like Beast (Vlastimil Harapes) after he takes a rose from the Beast's garden. Here, the Beast feeds on blood and fears he'll harm Julie, or that she'll flee if she sees him. He's goaded by a little imp-like creature (whose presence is never explained) into almost killing her at several points, but ends up falling for her instead. She dreams of a handsome man who literally sweeps her off her feet...one who seems familiar, almost like her strange bird friend. 

Played for horror rather than for comedy or romance, this does get pretty scary at times, especially when that little creature is popping up in the chandeliers. The Beast's bad makeup on his bird head does mitigate the effect somewhat. His castle is much spookier, a fetid place filled with musty corners and bubbling mud pits. The copy I found at YouTube did have English close-captioning, making it easier to follow this spooky and dreamy romance. 

You Can Get It If You Really Want

Got such a quick start this morning, I didn't have the time to do anything but quickly eat breakfast and call Uber. At least I had no trouble getting a driver. They arrived in 10 minutes and got me to work in less than 5. No traffic anywhere, not even where they're working on the electric power building on Nicholson.

Work was even less of a problem. We were even quieter this morning than we were yesterday. As I mentioned, there simply isn't much going on right now. We're not even really supposed to get snow this time. By the time it started getting busier, I was on my way out.

I changed, then called Uber. They arrived within 7 minutes this time...but I wasn't going home. I really didn't want to put off running errands at the Westmont Plaza again now that I'm feeling better. He dropped me off at Target in five minutes, despite some after-lunch traffic on Cuthbert. The young woman who took me home came in four minutes and got me home in less than five. 

Target was even less busy than the Acme had been. For once, I had no trouble getting into line. Didn't find the mouthwash I wanted, but I did buy granola bars and larger bags of cough drops. Had a sweet-earthy matcha latte and a messy turkey-pesto-pepper sandwich at Starbucks for lunch. (And I got there just in time. I was eating my sandwich when the line started picking up.)

Sprouts was a little busier. Restocked granola bars, coconut milk, and Olipop and Nixie soda (the former with an online coupon). Found white chocolate-macadamia nut cookies on the bakery clearance racks. Bananas are cheaper at Sprouts than they are at the Acme by 20 cents. Got brown sugar, mango slices, and more of that tasty European hot oatmeal with dates out of the bulk bins.

Took the recycling out when I got home, then finally called T-Mobile to find out what was going on with my account. To make a long story short, we ended up redoing my account. I can now get into it online...and switch it over to Boost Mobile tomorrow. The lady who helped me was really nice, but that doesn't mean any of this should have happened in the first place or I don't still need a new phone. 

Put everything away while watching The Harder They Come. I go further into this Jamaican cult favorite from the 70's at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

The Harder They Come

Switched to Match Game Syndicated during dinner. Abigail "Dear Abby" Van Buren and comedian Jack Carter joined in for the shenanigans in the first episodes. Jack and Gene sang "It's a Hot Time In the Old Town" for Bill Daily and a sweet older lady contestant when she won with him on the Audience Match. They even ended up dancing together. The next week featured Robert Walden, Elaine Joyce, Joyce Bulifant in increasingly strange wigs, and a nice contestant named Ginger who gave a rather notoriously weird answer to what a jock centipede would buy...and would give an even weirder answer in the next episode...

Finished the night with the original cast album for Hallelujah, Baby! Leslie Uggams became a stage star in this look at 60 years of black history, from cakewalks in "The Slice" to the jubilant title song and "Now Is the Time" in the finale. Though Uggams and Robert Hooks as her perpetually protesting boyfriend sound great and some of the songs aren't bad, just reading the back of the album lets me see the problems here. The story is too disjointed and tries to cram too much in. Hooks' character in particular and the over-reliance on white character actors made this seem dated even when it came out. It won a Best Musical Tony in 1967 more due to a lack of competition than its own merits. Worth hearing at least once for some good songs if you love Uggams or want to hear some Jules Styne and Comden and Green that haven't been done to death. 

Antiquing Harts

Began the morning with a quick breakfast and two more Minnie's Bow-Toons. The girls' planned pet fashion show turns into "Minnie's Fashion Emergency" when a goat eats the outfits. Minnie figures out a way to use the balloon decorations to make truly unique pet fashions. Minnie and the girls have to figure out how to make "A Good Sign" when the bow sign over their door keeps falling down.

Called Uber again, as I had errands to run after work and it remains frigid here. I guess a lot of other people were trying to avoid the cold weather too. It took 8 minutes for them to arrive. No traffic once they did, though.

No trouble at work today, other than I had to rush and put away some cold returns. It wasn't busy. The weather is cold, gray, and blustery, and we're between holidays. There simply isn't much going on right now. 

Instead of going straight home, I changed into a regular shirt and grabbed something I wanted to try. Coke just put out an Orange Cream flavor and Dr. Pepper has Blackberry. Since they did have the Orange Cream in Zero, I took that. Fever Tree Sparkling Pink Grapefruit Soda is supposed to be a mixer for cocktails. The Acme had boxes of tiny cans on clearance for $2.07, so I thought I'd try them. 

(And they both turned out to be excellent. The Orange Cream really does taste like a creamsicle. The sparkling pink grapefruit resembles an even-better, tarter Fresca.)

Had lunch around the corner at Applebee's. They were relatively busy for 1:30, with several couples and friend pairs enjoying a meal on their late lunch break. I had the same crispy chicken ranch sandwich and fries I got at the Applebee's in Somerdale back in December. They were just as good this time, with juicy chicken and well-seasoned fries.

I thought it would be quicker and easier to take Uber up to the T-Mobile in Lawnside. The gentleman picked me up in 9 minutes. There thankfully was no traffic on the White Horse Pike whatsoever. We arrived at the T-Mobile in less than 10 minutes.

Unfortunately, I had no more luck here. On one hand, they did tell me that my cell phone's pre-paid service was ending because my debit card expires next month. Unfortunately, not only were they unable to fix my account that won't let me in no matter how hard I try, they wouldn't let me upgrade my phone, either. Apparently, you can't upgrade phones on a prepaid account. And they were all kind of grumpy about it, but that might have been because they were oddly busy for the middle of the week.

Frankly, I'd had enough of them. I felt like a complete moron. I left in tears. No more T-Mobile for me. I'd been considering switching carriers for some time. The only reason I still used T-Mobile was because Jessa used it. Later research and talking to a friend revealed that Boost Mobile does let you upgrade your phone with a prepaid account. There's a Boost Mobile literally around the corner from me on the White Horse Pike. I think it's time I gave another carrier a try.

The House of Fun is two blocks from T-Mobile, so I walked there next to make myself feel better. Dug another Wuzzle out of the big stuffed animal bin. Neon pink and yellow Rhinokey is a money with wings and a yellow and pink-striped horn on his nose. He was the show's prankster, always playing goofy jokes on the others. His arms seem kind of flat, but he was otherwise in perfect shape. He cost me $35, the same as the other two Wuzzles I bought from the House of Fun, Hoppo and Eleroo.

Walked another two blocks down to the Barrington Antique Center. They're a huge barn of a building filled with tiny rooms that are stuffed to the rafters with everything from Depression glass bottles to 60's hats to recent DVDs and Barbies. I didn't see a whole lot that I wanted. Just picked up a bag of chocolate cookies from the front and two vintage kids' records:

Great Children's Stories: Cinderella and Hansel and Gretel (Looks like MGM's kids LP series. If I like this, I might look for others in the series, including The Wizard of Oz and Babes In Toyland.)

Walt Disney Presents the Stories of Hans Christian Andersen (Interestingly, of the four Andersen stories included here, the only one Disney would later adapt was "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" as a short in Fantasia 2000.)

Strolled 15 minutes down Barrington and West Atlantic Avenue to Haddon Heights. I hadn't been to Doc's Finds, a record store and thrift shop, for a while. At the very least, Doc did finally get all of the soundtrack and comedy albums that had been thrown under the racks in bins. Though I didn't dig up as much as I did the last time I shopped here, I did come up with a cast album for a rare flop and a soundtrack for a lost TV musical:

The original cast for the 1967 flop Hallelujah Baby! (Despite only running 10 months, this chronicle of African-American life in the 20th century won a Tony for best musical and made a star out of Leslie Uggams.)

The soundtrack for Olympus 7000 (This 1967 TV musical features Donald O'Connor as the god Mercury who attempts to help a hapless football team and let its coach Larry Blyden earn enough money to marry his sweetheart. Despite also featuring Phyllis Newman as Blyden's fiancee and Joe Namath as his quarterback, the only place anyone seems to be able to find this nowadays is at the Paley Center in New York.)

By the time I got out of Doc's, it was past 4:30. I already took Uber twice today, so I hiked across the White Horse Pike to pick up the bus. It was almost 10 minutes late, not a surprise during rush hour. Thankfully, it took five minutes to arrive back in Oaklyn, and there was another woman getting off with me.

Watched Match Game Syndicated when I got home. They ran the episodes where Kirstie Alley was a contestant tonight. Gene spent the entire time drooling over her, but to tell the truth, she seemed rather bored by the whole thing. At least she did win money with Jamie Lee Curtis on the Head-to-Head. The episode before and the beginning of Kirstie's first episode featured a totally hapless contestant who just could not get any answers. She took so long to answer a question, Gene lay down at one point and took a nap!

Switched to the rediscovered Match Game Syndicated episodes on YouTube after I got out of the shower. The first one has Charles going up to the Audience Match board to prove his answer for "__ and Needles" will be there. Bart shows off his frequent flyer pins in the second, and we get a cheery fan of Brett with the highest hair I ever saw.

Match Game Syndicated #187 - Charles Pine Needles Answer

Match Game Syndicated #188 - Bart's Flight Pins

Ended the night with Hart to Hart. The Harts are horrified when a Middle Eastern king who is a friend of theirs is almost killed by an assassin, and then has the golden lion that represents his throne stolen out from under him in "In the Hart of the Night." Jennifer overhears a plot by his second-in-command and his wife to overthrow the sheik, as they find his leadership to be too old-fashioned. Jennifer and Johnathan first attempt to switch the fake lion with the real one. After it turns out the two schemers anticipated this, Jonathan recruits Max to help with a scheme of his own. 

Ghosts of the Planet Mongo

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast and Bluey. Bluey and her mother Chili use their hands as puppets to play two sisters going over "Blue Mountain." Little sister Bingo is a fairy who helps them. Dad Bandit is the "mountain." When he awakens, he joins in as a suspicious wolf luring the older sister off the path.

It was so late when I got downstairs, I took Uber. Even with the guy arriving in 7 minutes and minimal traffic, I was still two minutes late. It wasn't bad when I arrived, but by 11 AM, it picked up to the point where I had a hard time keeping up with the carts on my own. I'm the only one who works Wednesday mornings. The head bagger has Wednesday off, and none of the other baggers work mornings. At least it was only four hours, and I was in and out.

Wanted to pick up a few things, since I'm not sure if I'll get out tomorrow due to the ice storm. Had an online coupon for Cream of Wheat. Haven't had that in years. The Acme had more Slice flavors, including a grape that I hadn't seen online, and it was on sale. 

My other reason for sticking around after work was to upgrade my cell phone and renew my pre-paid service. There was a T-Mobile in the back of the Acme, or so I thought. Turns out it was Metro by T-Mobile, which is something totally different. It must have switched carriers when it moved to a larger store further down in the mall about two or so years ago. I don't see the difference. It's still owned by the same company. If it's not the same company, it shouldn't have "T-Mobile" in the name. They sold me my service and phone in 2021. Though the lady was fine, I was still embarrassed for not figuring it out. I ended up walking back to the Acme and picking up Uber from there.

(The lady said I'd have to talk to a regular T-Mobile office. The closest are in Lawnside and the Market Place shopping center in Cherry Hill. Honestly, I wonder if I ought to keep them as a carrier. I only have them because Jess did when she gave me that phone years ago and the T-Mobile had their office in the back of the Acme. There's now an AT&T and a Cricket back there, too, and a Boost Mobile on the White Horse Pike. Maybe I should do some research and see if I can find someone cheaper who'll give me less hassle.)

Got off at the Oaklyn Municipal Building across from the pretzel shop on the White Horse Pike. I figured it would be easier for the driver to drop me off in a parking lot than the tiny parking spaces on the street. They were a lot less busy than the Acme was! I had no trouble buying a cheesesteak stuffed pretzel and two regular pretzels for lunch, then walking home.

Changed and had lunch, then relaxed while watching the serial Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe. This time, Ming (Charles Middleton) is spreading something called "The Purple Death" across Earth. Flash (Buster Crabbe), Dr. Zarkov (Frank Shannon), and Dale Arden (Carol Hughes) visit their friend Prince Barin (Roland Drew) at Arboria to seek solutions. Apparently, only Polarite from the planet Frigia will counter the Purple Death. Flash and Barin do manage to get Polarite and use it to stop the Purple Death, but Ming gets his hands on Dale and Zarkov. Flash and his Arborian friends return to Mongo to rescue them, then to plant a laser that will take down Ming once and for all...if they can get around the primitive Rock Men who live in the Land of the Dead and the treacherous Lady Sonja (Anne Gwynne).

I get a real kick out of these early space opera serials. Obviously, the special effects are dated and the dialogue is cheesy as heck, but that's part of the charm. Buster Crabbe so much looks like someone's idea of a square-jawed hero, it's hardly surprising that he'd play these types of roles well into the 50's. This isn't my favorite of the three, but they're all worth checking out if you love vintage science fiction or the more out-there serials.

Worked on the fairy tale next. Sir Michael doesn't trust Kathleen, who has no magic. How can she help them? Kathleen is somewhere between annoyed and starstruck - she's had a crush on Sir Michael for years. Mother Nature insists that she knows what she's doing.

Watched Match Game '90 as I worked. The next week spotlighted General Hospital. My parents loved that show in the 80's, but I couldn't tell you much about it now. Soaps bored me even in 1990. I wish I remembered Stuart Damon and his co-star Lynn Herring, as both played very well and seemed to enjoy themselves. Charles was joined by comedians Bill Kirkenbauer and Pam Stone, the latter of whom tossed out many southern jokes.

Finished the night after a shower and game show premieres on YouTube with more Mystery Science Theater 3000. Tormented from 1960 is unusually quiet for this show. Jazz pianist Tom Stewart (Richard Carlson) lets his ex-girlfriend Vi (Juli Reding) fall off the railing of a dilapidated lighthouse rather than interfere with his marriage to wealthy Meg Hubbard (Lugene Sanders). He keeps seeing her everywhere after that, from footprints in the sand to a disembodied head in the lighthouse. He gets so paranoid, he'll literally kill to keep anyone from finding out...but things really get sticky when Meg's little sister Sandy (Susan Gordon) finds out and almost ends up as another victim.

Wow, this one gets dark for a 60's horror flick. They almost let a little girl and an old blind woman die. Even Joel and the robots comment on it. Like Flash Gordon, this one loses some effectiveness due to the rather ridiculous special effects that make Vi's disembodied head look more comic than scary. It doesn't help that neither Vi nor Tom are especially pleasant people who deserve pretty much everything they get. Even producer Bert I. Gordon's daughter Susan as Sandy doesn't always come off as the nicest kid. Even with the special effects problems, this is still worth seeing for those who like their horror on the quiet and creepy side, with or without robot wisecracks. 

Rainy Daze

Awoke to gloomy, gray skies and heavy humid weather. The damp roads indicated that it rained overnight, but not recently. I managed to eat a quick breakfast and hurry off to work without getting even damp. 

The weather must have scared everyone away. The Acme was dead for most of the day. It would pick up a little when the rain slowed down, only to die again after it started up again. I spent the time between customers shelving candy and organizing shelves and coolers. Of course, it started to get busy again just as I prepared to go. I shut down just in time with no relief. 

Despite the shower coming down when I left, I had a few errands to do. Started with the T-Mobile in the shopping center behind the Acme again. My phone still wasn't working right. I couldn't use the internet or text or make phone calls. Turns out my old SIM card didn't work with my new phone line, and I had to buy a new one. 

Thankfully, by the time they fixed that problem, the rain had vanished. It remained damp and humid, but not not wet. I dodged early rush hour traffic on Nicholson, heading across Oaklyn to WaWa. Picked up a Peach Perrier and money from the ATM machine.

Hurried in by quarter of 4 and went straight upstairs. Tossed popcorn in the microwave and watched It Started With Eve. I go further into this romantic comedy vehicle for soprano Deanna Durbin and Captain Bligh himself Charles Laughton at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

It Started With Eve 

Went online for some writing around quarter of 6. Bill Cullen, who moved out to California with his wife Ann in the late 70's, wonders why Gene Rayburn won't do the same. It would cut down on communiting time and give him more opportunity to act on TV. Gene disagrees. He and his wife Helen dislike the LA pollution, traffic, noise, and glittering lifestyle, preferring quieter Cape Cod. 

Broke for dinner at quarter of 7. Watched Match Game '74 as I ate. A soft-spoken Frenchwoman with a charming accent became the big winner, though she didn't do as well against a gentleman with a pompadour who said he'd buy his children a pony with his winnings...despite not having anywhere to keep it. 

Cleaned up during Match Game '77. Brett laughed so hard at something Charles said at one point, she nearly fell off her chair. While the others figure out "__ Form" in the Audience Match, Gene literally puts himself in the place of the contestant after he gets fed up with their answers. 

Finished the night watching more Murder She Wrote after my shower. Jessica's nephew Grady makes his first appearance in the second-season episode "Murder By Appointment Only." Jessica's shocked when one of her former students dies in what seems to be a robbery. The door, however, shows no signs of forced entry. Turns out the young woman had many secrets, some of which didn't make her fiancee, the president of a cosmetics company (Robert Culp), happy. Meanwhile, Jessica keeps trying to dodge his sister (Jayne Meadows), the bossy head of the company who insists she sell her product.

Earlier in the season, Jessica takes what she hopes will be a relaxing weekend at a local lakeside inn. It turns out to be anything but when she witnesses a woman get pushed into the lake by her husband. When the body finally turns up, he's accused of drowning "A Lady In the Lake." Jessica thinks there's more to it, especially after she discovers the husband just sold his family business for millions of dollars. 

Oh, and the rain came back during Murder She Wrote. It poured for the next couple of hours, but seems to have settled down now. 

Phone Troubles

Slept in again this morning. By the time I got going, Match Game '75 was on. Carol Bartos became the all-time winner on the show to that point, thanks to Fannie Flagg helping her with "Tie __" on the Head-to-Head (and what Fannie wore in that episode). Bartos kept a small piece of paper with her, a good luck charm from her dear friend and another enjoyable all-time winner, the sweetly adorable Janet Finn.

Let Tattletales run as I found and inserted my old SIM card into my phone. This time, though Richard and Jody did well, they only came in second. I had more concerns about my card. No sooner did I put it in than my phone wouldn't send text messages or let me make calls. I don't get it. If it doesn't want the original SIM card or the new one, what does it want? 

Got fed up around 1:30-2 PM and rushed out to run a few errands. Started at the Haddon Township Library. They're not really a very big library. While they do have a good selection of children's books and DVDs, their adult section leaves something to be desired. They had absolutely nothing from Ben Aaronovitch or Glenn Cook, and I didn't feel like ordering them from other libraries. I'll have to look those up online or in used book stores. I did end up taking out the newest books from Joanne Fluke's Caramel Pecan Roll Murder (which kept vanishing earlier in the year) and Lauren Childs' Haunted Hibiscus (which I saved for October due to its Halloween setting), and two books on managing money for women.

Didn't get to Target until past 3:30. Picked up an extra-large container of conditioner they had there for the price of the regular-sized one at the Acme. I mainly wanted to look at things for my Mystery Bags. I got the go-ahead to hand out candy for a friend yesterday. Target, however, had already pulled the majority of its Halloween section except the costumes. Why, I have no clue. Everyone else in the area still has extensive Halloween sections, and we're still a good two weeks from the holiday. They could have waited until after Halloween to pull everything. 

Had far more luck at Dollar Tree a few doors down. They still had a ton of Halloween decorations and party favors. Ended up with mini-notebooks, chalkboard ornaments, regular wooden ornaments you can paint on, plastic ping-pong ball eyes, vampire teeth that squirt candy "blood," and two boxes of pumpkin spice mini-Moon Pies. 

Soon as I got home, I went upstairs and straight into Acting Blank. Gene Rayburn loves being able to disappear into a character, whether it's Scrooge or randy Old Man Perriwinkle. Bill Cullen understands his interest, but he prefers talking to people and hearing their stories as himself. 

Broke for dinner at 7 PM. Watched more Match Game '77. The rest of the week isn't quite as wild, but we do get a few jokes about a contestant named Tom Parker (who even looked a little like the infamous Colonel Tom Parker who managed Elvis Presley). In the second episode, Elaine Joyce points out that Gene's shoelaces are untied...because she did it. 

Finished the night on the Roku Channel with the 1944 version of Gaslight. Paula Alquist (Ingrid Bergman) witness the terrible murder of her beloved opera-singing aunt as a teen. She later trains as an opera singer herself, then marries handsome Frenchman Gregory Anton (Charles Boyer) despite barely knowing him. That turns out to be a big mistake. They move into her aunt's old house and intend to use some of her furniture, until she reads a lettter that mentions a "Sergis Bauer." He gets angry...and that's where the trouble begins. He claims she's sick, refusing to allow her to visit neighbors or even leave the house. He tells the new maid Nancy (Angela Lansbury) she's crazy. She almost starts to believe it after she hears strange noises upstairs. Scotland Yard Inspector Brian Cameron (Joseph Cotten) had interest in Alice's death, and now he believes there's more to story, and more to what's happening to her niece as well.

Classic psychological thriller veers from the play it's based on, but still manages to work thanks to incredible performances from a tense Bergman, cold Boyer, and coy Lansbury. You'd never know Lansbury was 17 at the time and this was her first performance. She and Bergman got Oscar nominations, as did the film itself. Highly recommended for lovers of psychological mysteries or dark romances. 

A Step In the Right Direction

Got a such a late start this morning, I had breakfast during the tail end of Classic Concentration and the start of Match Game '75. Carol Bartos won her second and third games in these episodes; she would eventually go on to become one of the show's biggest winners. Arlene Francis also made her first appearance since the pilot episode here, while Bob Barker tossed out jokes about why they hadn't called the first items up for bids yet. Fannie's happier to help Carol with "Pie __" in the Audience Match.

Even before the second episode ended, I went online. Called T-mobile after I called their customer service phone number. They couldn't get into the original account because I didn't have Jessa's password and account number. I never needed them before! Dad and Jessa always handled everything to do with the phone line. I called Jessa to either go to one of their stores and give them the password or call them and give it to them, but she said I'd need to hit a physical store.

Let Tattletales run while I signed a congratulations on your new baby card for Keefe and Julia, a get-well-soon card for Skylar, and a late birthday card and gift card for my good friend Amanda. Tattletales moved to 1 PM as of yesterday, bumping the 60's Password off the schedule. (While I am disappointed they removed that and dumped Let's Make a Deal at 11 PM, they did restore Press Your Luck at 10 AM.) The only couple I recognized in the 1975 episodes I watched were Richard Dawson and his then-girlfriend Jody Donovan. They played well in the first episode, but not well enough to beat producer Harvey Miller and his wife Diana Ewing.

Rushed out as the second episode was ending. Briefly stopped at Dollar General first, but they didn't have the conditioner I wanted. Went to WaWa next. Had a very fast and simple lunch of a soft pretzel, a banana, and a pumpkin spice smoothie.

Made it to the T-Mobile store in the mall behind the Acme by almost 3, then called Jessa. We had a lot of miscommunication. I tried to get her to give me the password and account number, or at least go to a physical store herself, but she kept insisting I do it. Then she said she only knew the pin number and couldn't remember the account number. It took over 40 minutes of haggling and frustration before the young woman finally transferred my phone number to the new phone line and said I was free to go.

(And from now on, no letting my family do anything for me. No giving them anything "for safekeeping," no sharing anything with them, no living with them. I'll hang out with Jessa and spend holidays with her, but I really need to  stand on my own two feet.)

Cut through Oaklyn on my way back. I hoped to see one of the neighbors who knew Jodie on Hillcrest, but I only saw kids out enjoying the gorgeous, warm sunshine and soft breezes. I'll try texting them tomorrow and seeing if I can get Jodie's phone number to call her about the death certificate. Made another quick stop at Dollar General for laundry detergent after I crossed the White Horse Pike.

Went straight upstairs after I finally got home and into popcorn popped in a microwave and First Love. I go further into this lovely Cinderella tale starring teen soprano Deanna Durbin at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

First Love (1939)

Went online to work on the review for that and Acting Blank. Gene chuckles as the others head off. Brett and Charles are really something else. Bill Cullen is more worried about their appearing in A Christmas Carol together. He's doing it for the children's charity and for Gene's sake, but he's not really much for acting. 

Had dinner at 7 PM. Watched Match Game '77 as I ate. Today's episode was one of the funniest of the year, and one of the best to feature tough-guy Scoey Mitchilll. He's so tough, he's probably the only panelist who could get away with leaving the desks to use the bathroom in the middle of an episode. 

(Oh, and looks like Buzzr's next special event will be their first Halloween marathon on the 29th. I'm really excited for this one. Looks like it'll include several shows that they either haven't run or don't often turn up, including the hilarious Halloween episode of Match Game '90 and episodes of the Ray Combs and Richard Karn Family Feud.) 

Finished the night online after a shower with episodes of Murder She Wrote in honor of Angela Lansbury, Jessica Fletcher herself, who passed away today. "Harbinger of Death" from the fourth season brings her to a research observatory, where her niece Carrie and her husband Leonard (Dean Jones) are supposed to be residing. Carrie's not there when she comes, and Leonard is tied up in trying to discover a new comet. What he finds is a dead man at the home across the street...the one where the victim assaulted his bored wife. The local cop is convinced Leonard did it, but Jessica thinks there's a lot more to it...and there's a lot that neither Leonard nor Carrie are telling.

Skipped way ahead to the eleventh season for "Film Flam." Jessica travels to Hollywood to discuss the adaptation of one of her novels. The studio is in the midst of restoring the lost, unfinished work of a popular director who died young. A huge fan of his who is going to write a book on his death (John Astin) also passes away, just as he claims he got a bit of information that would bring several shocking revelations to light. Jessica works with the head of the studio and his daughter to find who didn't want that book to come out.

Two of Lansbury's movies were major parts of my childhood. I'm even fonder of Bedknobs and Broomsticks than I am of Mary Poppins. It has a grittiness to it that the 60's fantasy lacks; Lansbury keeps things grounded as the apprentice witch who hopes to find a spell that will help England wind World War II. Her lovely ballad "The Age of Not Believing" got nominated for an Oscar. She also joined David Tomlinson for his rousing "Eglantine" and the catchy "Substitutionary Locomotion." "A Step In the Right Direction" and "Nobody's Problems" didn't make it into the original cut of the film, but the former is on the soundtrack, and the latter was restored later. For most kids who grew up in the 90's, Lansbury is probably best-known as the voice of Mrs. Potts in the original 1991 Beauty and the Beast who introduced the Oscar-winning title song. 

Actually, my first encounter with Lansbury may have left the most lasting impression. I was only four when I first saw Lansbury and George Hearn in the stage version of Sweeney Todd that ran on cable in the early 80's. I never forgot the gruesome image of a woman and a man making meat pies from human remains...and I never really felt the same way about Lansbury afterwards! (I don't think half the cops who harassed Jessica in Murder She Wrote would have given her as much trouble if they knew what this lady could do with a meat cleaver.) 

Muppet and Matches Entertainment

Slept in this morning; didn't start Muppet Babies until past 10:30, after the rain had already passed. Razzie is "The Copy Cub" when she repeats everything her big brother Fozzie says and does. It's driving him crazy and keeping him from practicing for his big Joke Show. Bunsen and Beaker try to make two of Fozzie, so she'll copy the copy...but they end up making three Razzies instead! Now Fozzie has to figure out how to evade all three of them. "Animal Loses It" when he's fed up with losing every game he plays. Scooter and Skeeter invite the gang to play the jungle-themed board game they made. Animal has high hopes that he'll finally be a winner...but Nanny and Piggy help him learn that it's more important to have fun playing with your friends.

While I had no trouble calling Uber today, they were late, which meant I was late for work. Thankfully, that was the worst that happened all night. The Acme was busy when I came in, but they slowed down around 2 PM and never really got busy again. Once again, I was on my own until around 4, when more help arrived. Spent the last hour wiping down cooler handles and registers. No trouble whatsoever. 

Had some grocery shopping to do after work. Took advantage of an online coupon for Turkey Hill Ice Cream to treat myself to their Tin Roof Sundae (aka chocolate-covered peanuts in vanilla with fudge swirl). Found glass bottles of Chinese Five Spice and Herbs de Provenance in a cart filled with clearance spices and condiments. Thought I'd try frozen raspberries in my smoothies this week, since most fruit is expensive at this time of year. The Acme is having their occasional "Buck-a-Bag" produce sale; grabbed scallions, a bag of collard greens, cherry tomatoes, mini-cucumbers, baked rice pea snacks, and oranges. Restocked milk, yogurt, jam, ground turkey, a salad bowl for dinner at work this week, and chocolate chips. 

While I have slightly fewer hours next week, my schedule is otherwise an improvement. I still work pretty long on Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday, but next weekend isn't as bad. Sunday is the only early day. Tuesday and Thursday off. I should still have time to call Jessa and ask her about the phone line and getting a new bike in Deptford.

(Oh, and my cell phone works beautifully. My old phone would have been down to 60 or lower by the end of the night and probably would have reset before I could use Uber. The new phone only dropped to 97 by the end of the night.)

Let Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour run in the background while I put everything away. Poor Gene Rayburn had laryngitis during this episode and sounded terrible; several panelists expressed their concern for him, including Marcia Wallace and Charles Nelson Reilly. Other notable panelists that week including Pat Sajak (who just began hosting Wheel of Fortune at that point),  Larry Manetti of Magnum PI, and the late Helen Reddy. 

Finished the night online after a shower with That's Entertainment III. I go further into the final That's Entertainment documentary at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Musical Documentaries - That's Entertainment III

Princess and Pony Tales

Began a dark and cool morning with breakfast and Blockbusters. The current solo champ played a pair of twin gentlemen, then went on to kill at the Gold Run bonus round. He was having a harder time with a perky mother-daughter pair when the show ended. 

Switched to the 80's My Little Pony on The Roku Channel while cleaning up from breakfast and getting organized. The second season kicked off with "The Quest of the Princess Ponies." The Princess Ponies are supposed to be the guardians of the magic wands that protect the balance of magic in Ponyland. Truth be told, they're spoiled and silly creatures who spend their time arguing over who should be queen. They learn a quick lesson in leadership and working together when an evil lava monster called Lavan kidnaps them and steals their wands. While Spike and the Bushwoolies rescue them, the other Ponies try to figure out how to rebalance the magic in Ponyland when Lavan's attempts to use the wands throws it into chaos.

Headed out as soon as the cartoon finished. Needed to run some errands, starting with a quick stop at Dollar General. Mainly stopped there to grab a cord for my cell phone. It did say that it was for an older release of the Samsung...but why would they have cords for phones that haven't been sold in years? I bought it anyway. I have too many cast album CDs to fit into one binder anymore. Grabbed a second one in yellow. Ran out of shaving lotion last week. My niece Lilah's sixth birthday is this weekend. I did send her birthday gift in her mother's Christmas package, but I forgot her card. 

Next stop was the laundromat. They weren't that busy, but the managers were installing new big front-loading washers for oversized loads and I didn't want to get in their way. I dumped my load into the smallest front-loader with the least time, then worked on story notes outside. 

After my load went into the dryer, I strolled to WaWa to get a Chocolate Chocolate Chip frozen hot chocolate. While windy and cloudy, it wasn't really cold or raining, probably in the lower 50's. It actually wasn't a half-bad day for mid-January. There were a lot of people out and about, especially around Elsie's, a deli and sandwich shop across from WaWa.

I got home and tried to slide the cord into my new cell phone...but it didn't work. It was just too big. Put on Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood to cheer me up while making a quick banana-cherry smoothie lunch. "Daniel Plays Ball" with the other kids and Prince Tuesday, but he's not very good at catching it. (Me too, kid. I can't catch a ball to save my life.) Prince Tuesday shows him how to catch and encourages him to keep trying. Daniel likewise helps "O Build a Block Tower." It keeps falling down, but they look for ways to keep it standing. 

The show just ended when Jodie came in. Apparently, I got a package in the mail. My Christmas presents from Linda and James Young finally arrived! She sent them over a month ago, but wrote the zip code wrong. They somehow ended up in Hartford, Connecticut, then everything was so crazy with the post office over the holidays, they didn't get here until now. I'm glad they did get here. She gave me a charming and folksy anthology of Lois Lenski Christmas stories and the TCM book Must-See Musicals. The latter is among the books frequently advertised on TCM before their movies start. I've almost ordered it a dozen times, but had put it off...and now I'm glad I did! They also sent a gorgeous gold-embossed reindeer card.

Shelved the books and my laundry, then went online briefly and ordered a cell phone cord that did say it fit my specific phone as a rush order from Amazon. After that, I took a nap for an hour and a half. I've had a very long week, had a long couple of months before that, and had no other plans for today. Even with the kids playing outside my window, I still had a nice rest.

Woke up around 5. Read Anne of Green Gables for a while, then went on my laptop and did some writing. Understandably, Gene doesn't trust Richard a bit after he threw him over in favor of Goodson. Robert Walden agrees to watch over him, mainly because he wants to ask Richard about Goodson and his corrupt government. 

Broke for dinner at 6:30. For some reason, Match Game '74 skipped way, way ahead. Jack Carter, dizzy blonde Louisa Moritz, and Orson Bean joined in as Jack stuck markers in his teeth and pretended to be a walrus and then ran off the set, Richard Dawson's chair somehow disappeared, and Betty White got tied up in electrical tape. Match Game PM went in the opposite direction to 1977. Sarah Kennedy and Dick Martin of Laugh-In joined in for jokes about what the senator gave to his secretary and "Beverly ___."

Made Coffee-Cinnamon Brownies while watching Sale of the Century. The young lady champ had a lot of stiff competition today, despite buying both Instant Bargains and the Instant Cash. She barely won the Speed Round by a question; had far more luck with the Bonus Round.

Jodie brought in the cord I bought on Amazon earlier while the brownies were in the oven. Yes, this one worked just fine. Took a look at my new phone while watching Jack Frost. I go further into this unique Rankin-Bass stop-motion fairy tale at an entry from my Musical Dreams Movie reviews from last February. 

Jack Frost

Finished the night online. Jeannie tries to help Tony and Roger after they're pushed to their limits by a nutrition expert (Paul Lynde) in "Please Don't Feed the Astronauts." The expert sees all the energy Jeannie gave them and thinks they're up to his grueling trek across Skull Island. Still trying to help, Jeannie creates a "Friendly Native Village" of Arabians and makes the expert think he's having hallucinations.

Switched to TCM for The Little Princess. Shirley Temple's first color vehicle is supposedly an adaption of the Frances Hodgeson Burnett book. Here, her father goes away to the Boer War, Mrs. Minchin's silly sister becomes a shy brother (Arthur Treacher), her French maid becomes a friendly teacher (Anita Louise), and she has a handsome riding teacher beau (Richard Greene) whose grouchy grandfather (Miles Mander) disapproves of their relationship. Miss Minchin not only forces Sarah to become a servant after her father dies, she fires her two teachers in love after they marry. Here, Sarah doesn't believe her father is dead. With the help of Miss Minchin's brother, she dilligently searches the veteran's hospital for him. Ram Dass (Caesar Romero) still gives her beautiful things, but Miss Minchin finds out, and Sarah has to flee.

This one is a lot of fun in the first half, when Sarah is trying to play matchmaker, and then during her adorable dream sequence where she's a real princess, Bertie is her jester, Miss Minchin is a witch, and the teachers are peasant lovers. The last twenty minutes veer uncomfortably into melodramatic territory as Sarah desperately searches for her father; this would be done much better and more realistically in the 90's version. Enjoyable and cute if you're a Temple fan and pretty easy to find (it's in the public domain). 

I'll Walk Alone

Began a cloudy morning with breakfast and Muppet Babies. Gonzo and Fozzie accidentally turn a painting Summer made for Nanny into "Summer's Disaster-Piece" when they splash it with paint. Gonzo distracts the others while Fozzie tries to fix the artwork, but he just makes it worse instead of better. It takes Summer's creative eye to find beauty in their mess. Fozzie thinks he has to say "Farewell, Statler and Waldorf" when he hears him say they're packing to leave. He tries to hide their suitcase while the kids find games to keep them at home.

Did a little bit of writing after I ate. Brett releases the other women, who are raring to go. Richard knows where they have Jack Narz and Gene's crew, but not Charles, who is being kept separately. He says he'll lead them to the hold, but Gene doesn't trust him after he betrayed him on the Marauder...

Broke to change and get ready for work around 11 and called Uber shortly after. I wanted to leave early to buy a new cell phone from the T-Mobile store in the shopping center behind the Acme. I know exactly what I wanted - a new Samsung phone that's basically an updated version of my old one. Thankfully, they'd just gotten a new batch of the smaller one in the day before. Buying that and a cover took longer than expected. I didn't have the chance to let him transfer all of my data to the new phone from the old one.

Work was pretty much the same as it's been the past week - mostly dead except during rush hours, when it picks up slightly. The sun came out around 2 and turned it into a beautiful, sunny day in the upper 40's, too nice for grocery shopping. Besides, most people are likely waiting for the holiday weekend to shop. I spent the entire day outside this time, gathering carts and what little trash needed to be done. I'm sore as all get out, but at least there were no major problems. Once again, I had plenty of help by the end of the night. 

I really should have let the guy switch my data over and just been a little late for work. I hadn't realized the man who set up my new phone threw away the ancient SIM card for the old phone. I had to get the password for Uber off my old phone so I could download it on the new one, and it took me longer than I care to admit to figure that out. And the old phone died again and I had to reset that. 

When I walked in the door at home, I realized I left the pink bag with the receipt and the box that held the instructions and charger at work. Now I couldn't charge a phone that was getting low or put it away. I was so angry with myself, Jodie ended up coming in when she heard me yelling. She did finally admit that she has no intention of selling the house anytime soon. According to her, it'll take anywhere from six months to a year to get her side of the house painted and re-carpeted enough to be presentable.  

She also told me Rose and her family are under quarantine. Her husband Craig started a second job with Amazon and came home with the virus. Thankfully, they caught it before it could spread to the rest of the family and he recovered quickly and well, but it means they can't go anywhere. Jodie's delivering food for them, too. 

Had a snack while watching Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. "Daniel Waits for Show and Tell," but he really wants to show off the photo album he and his dad made. Teacher Harriet distracts him and the other kids by singing songs and playing games while they wait for their duck egg to hatch. Daniel and Katerina also use their imaginations to pass the time during "A Night Out at the Restaurant." 

Finished the night online with That's Entertainment, Part 2. I go further into the second documentary, this time featuring Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly dancing and hosting, at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Musical Documentaries - That's Entertainment, Part 2

Summer In the Fall

This time, I slept in and didn't roll out of bed until past 10:30. Started off my morning with breakfast and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Daniel, Miss Elaina, and Katerina are at the Museum-Go-Round, working on their costumes for Dress-Up Day. Daniel wants to be Tigey the Adventure Tiger, while Elaina makes her robot outfit. "Katarina's Costume" ends up being more creative - she can't decide what she wants to be! O the Owl is excited to be dressed as a traffic light for the school parade on "Dress Up Day" and help people. He's upset when his costume rips, but Mrs. Tiger and the people in the town encourage him to figure out what else he wants to be.

Switched to DVD for a spooky episode of the rousing early 2000's swashbuckler spoof Jack of All Trades. Jack's alter-ego The Daring Dragoon is accused of desecrating sacred cemeteries and destroying monuments. Inventor Emilia takes a potion that makes her a "Dead Woman Walking" and will allow her to be in the tombs when they're attacked. Jack joins her and gets really hot under the collar when they're almost creamated!

Jumped over to Match Game '77 just in time for one of my favorite episodes of the entire series. In the first question of the day, Gene laments that the upper tier already matched, so the lower tier panelists play the ones on the upper tier. As funny as Richard Dawson was as Brett, Jo Ann Pflug made a hilarious Dick Gautier with a big white smile, and Fannie Flagg borrowed the appropriate hat and pipe to be a perfect Charles Nelson Reilly!

Headed out shortly after the show ended. It was cloud when I got up, but by 12:30, the clouds and mists vanished, leaving an utterly perfect sunny afternoon. Took the long way across Audubon to the Crossings shopping center. First stop was a brief one at GameStop to get ideas for Lauren and Skylar for Christmas. Next, went to The Shoe Depot. My poor errand-running sneakers were literally falling apart. Found a pair of nifty Reebox with reflective strips on either sides and rubber soles. I love them! They're sooo comfortable. Didn't see any winter boots I liked, though. I may end up ordering those online.

I've wanted to get my hair cut for months now. Thank goodness I last got it done in February, about a month before everything started shutting down. I meant to get my hair done in August, after I returned to work, but I discovered that the Hair Cuttery I was going to in Collingswood shut down. I've looked at places to get my hair done...but I ultimately just stepped into Great Cuts at the shopping center. The lady was sweet, trimming my hair to just above shoulder length. It looks really cute!

There's three cell phone stores in the shopping center. I talked to Metro by T-Mobile and Cricket Wireless. Cricket had slightly cheaper 1-line plans and let me keep my old phone number, but Metro's phone price was cheaper. Not only do I desperately need a new phone, I need an actual phone plan. I'm currently using a free line on Jessa's plan...which is in Dad's name. They're not going to keep a line for a man who is not among the living much longer. Didn't do anything today; I need to do more research.

Hit the Acme next for this week's grocery shopping. Made use of my accumulated rewards points to get free eggs and a chicken sale to pick up two packs of chicken cutlets. Acme's generic sandwich bags are buy one, get one. They're in the midst of their annual "buck a bag" produce sale. I bought most of my vegetables last week, but I did pick up a bag of spinach. The Acme may be one of the only places with plenty of disinfectant wipes. I grabbed a container to use on my hands when I come home from work and errand runs. Restocked bananas, apples, yogurt, milk, trash bags, toilet paper, tomato sauce, crushed pineapple, and brown rice. 

Not nearly as happy with my schedule next week. In good news, I did get Halloween off, as I asked for...but I don't have my next day off until next Friday! And except for Sunday, I work in the afternoon all week. It's starting to get dark earlier. Going home is going to be kind of scary. 

Headed home after that. Got in just in time for Tattletales. Comedian Max Adrian and his gorgeous wife Vonnetta were by far the big winners today, getting a double-money question in the end right. Press Your Luck was really exciting today. Everyone picked up money in the first round. They also did well in the second...until they kept hitting Whammies. The champ hit a Whammy and couldn't pass the one guy, who picked up a car and a trip to New Orleans.

Worked on writing for a while after that. Dick Martin comes over, looking for his cufflinks. Richard pops his hand out to give them to him. Dick just wishes Rich would get over himself a little. He's not nearly as much fun as when they worked together on Laugh-In. Richard angrily tells them he's doing what's best for him and Family Feud. Gene turns down his offer of appearing in the show, saying he'll never speak to him again. 

Broke for Asian Chicken Salad at 6:30. Pan-fried chicken fillets, then sliced them into strips. Put the strips on top of greens, shaved carrots, and tomato wedges, and topped it with sesame seeds and my own home-made Asian dressing. Oh, yum! Came out very well. Good and good for you.

Match Game '74 got almost as wild as the earlier episode. Gene introduced a comedy record Patti Deustch and several other comic actors made, and Richard complained about his chair breaking. A contestant who worked in a psychiatric hospital prompted several jokes on Match Game PM about who on the panel needed to attend one. 

No clue why Sale of the Century skipped ahead to 1988. The champ went back and forth with a young Asian man the entire game. The guy picked up at least one Instant Bargain and the Instant Cash and eventually jumped ahead in the Speed Round. He just missed the "guess the puzzle" Bonus Round, though.

Moved on to Mystery at the Wax Museum when I went online. In this spooky Technicolor thriller, reporter Florence Dempsey (Glenda Farrell) is almost fired on New Year's Day by her editor Jim (Frank McHugh) for not being able to find any news. She runs across a real scoop when she learns that the body of a model thought to be a suicide has disappeared. The model's not the only one. Many bodies have gone missing from the morgue. Florence's roommate Charlotte (Faye Wray) has a boyfriend who works at a brand-new wax museum, overseen by former sculptor Ivan Igor (Lionel Atwill) who was crippled and disfigured in the conflagration that destroyed his previous museum. Florence notices that the wax figure of Joan of Arc closely resembles the dead model. She's not the only one. Igor and his freaky lackeys may be hiding more than just wax under those statues...and Charlotte could be the next one who gets the statue treatment.

Two-strip Technicolor horror mystery proves that the pinks and greens can be as good dressing up spooky stories as they are musicals. This movie was one of the last major films made in the then-dated Two-Strip process. It was lost for years and only very recently restored to as close to its original glory as UCLA can get it. Determined Farrell, genuinely creepy Atwill, and some scary sets and special effects are the thing here. It was remade in the 1950's as House of Wax with Vincent Price, but this earlier movie is worth checking out, too. 

Finished out the night with The Facts of Life at the Roku Channel. Their "Halloween Show" was in the fifth season, after the girls and Miss Edna (Charlotte Rae) started Edna's Edibles. They're getting ready for their Halloween party when an elderly customer stumbles in with a spooky story about four sisters who were involved in a massacre at the building where their store's housed. Things get even creepier when sausages turn up with no explanation, and then Miss Edna walks around with knives and appear to be possessed. The girls try to get to the bottom of this mystery...but Natalie (Mindy Cohn) may know more than she's telling. 

Very Warm for Easter

Began a gorgeous, warm Easter morning with stories and poems from Colliers Harvest of Holidays. Nino's Easter is the tale of a little Greek boy's typical Easter customs, from attending church to the huge family feast afterwards. The Country Bunny and the Little Golden Shoes tells of a mother rabbit who so impresses the head Easter Bunny with how she takes care of her large family, he makes her an official Easter Bunny. She's not sure she can make it, but a pair of shiny shoes may help her get through.

Also did a short from the Disney Storybookland anthology. "Grandpa Bunny" is supposedly based after "Funny Little Bunnies." Great Grandpa Bunny Bunny has been the head of the Easter rabbits for as long as anyone can remember. When he dies, the older bunnies search for his last legacy...but their children know where it can be found.

Ran The Easter Bunny Is Coming to Town as I ate Confetti Pancakes for breakfast. Sunny the Bunny is discovered by the citizens of all-child Kidsville on Easter morning. As he grows up, he insist that the kids start to expand their products outside the village and tries to bring their eggs to dismal Town. Not only does grouchy Gadzooks the Bear keep chasing him away, but rigid Lady Longtooth, who rules Town, pretty much hates anything that isn't beans or her young nephew King Bruce. As Sunny, his hobo friend, and the kids create ways to get around Lady Longtooth's laws, the discover that they're creating traditions that will outlast her strict ways.

Tossed on a quick Looney Tunes short as I got ready for work. "Easter Yeggs" features a far less benign spring hare. The Easter Bunny is feeling overworked and recruits Bugs Bunny to take over his job. No wonder - Bugs is attacked by a criminal kid and Elmer Fudd looking for a rabbit for his stew pot. Fed up, he finally decides to get revenge on the lazy rabbit.

Work was surprisingly not that bad for a Sunday and a holiday. It was busy on and off, with occasional long lines, but they didn't last. I assumed the lines would be long all day. I cleaned the bathrooms and bagged in the morning and did the carts in the afternoon. Glad I did. Part of the reason we weren't that busy may have been it was absolutely gorgeous today, sunny, windy, and ridiculously warm for April, probably in the lower 80's. I treated myself to a free chocolate doughnut (via one of the Monopoly coupons) and an Acme Orange/Mango sparkling soda on the way out.

Took the long way home down Nicholson Road. Given the weather, it was practically required. They weren't too bad, either. A little busy down Nicholson, but once I got to Atlantic, it was smooth sailing. Took an even longer route down Kendall, past Rose and Craig's house and the West Clinton Business District. Needless to say, there were quite a few people out and about today, chatting on porches, riding bikes, or watching their children play in their yards.

Did more Looney Tunes, this one a TV special, when I got in. Daffy Duck's Easter Egg-citment gives us three all-original shorts with a spring theme, and all featuring Daffy. He and Sylvester chase a golden egg in the first short. In the second, he has to keep Speedy Gonzoles out of a chocolate bunny factory. Speedy wants the bunnies for the kids of his village, but Daffy has no intention of paying. Daffy's solo in the third, as he tries to figure out how to get north without flying.

Worked on writing and editing for an hour or so. Leia's disappointed to say good-bye to Uncle Bail, who is returning to Alderaan to deal with the fall-out from the Death Star destroying their shipyards. He promises he'll be back in time for the Diamond Jubilee Gala Ball at the end of the summer.

Headed to Dad and Jodie's around quarter of 5. Rose, Khai, and Craig were already there when I arrived. Jesse, Dana, T.J, and his new girlfriend showed up shortly after. Dad and Jodie did give me socks (they're kind of thin, though - I may get one more pack next month) and Rogue One. (Which I'll watch tomorrow.)  Jodie also gave me 20 dollars. (The bulk of my birthday money is going towards tickets and money for my visit to Pittsfield to see Lauren in mid-July.) Rose and her boys gave me a 25 dollar gift card to CVS. (I gave Rose a 15 dollar gift card to Target.)

I chased Khai and Chloe around for a bit, watching them play with Khai's new blocky Minecraft toy animals in the living room. Watched some pretty odd episodes of Teen Titans Go! as the kids tumbled and jumped around the scarred old coffee table. One episode was a parody of Gilligan's Island, with Beast Boy as Gilligan, Cyborg as the Skipper, and Robin as the Professor. A two-parter had Starfire and Raven rescuing the boys from prison with the help of a few less-trustworthy female characters.

We had dinner around quarter after 5. Instead of ham, we had an amazing succulent prime rib Jodie bought straight from a local butcher. There were also roasted rosemary red potatoes, sauteed asparagus, garden salad, corn (Khai was very happy - he loves corn), and sweet rolls with butter. We said our prayers, then dug in. Everything was so good! The prime rib just melted in my mouth. The company was equally nice. Even Khai was a perfect gentleman. (And he's a lot better at cutting his meat than I was at that age.)

Chloe and her mother returned as we were preparing to have dessert. Rose requested something key lime; I wanted chocolate. The compromise - two small, round key lime cheesecakes surrounding a slightly larger chocolate fudge cake with colorful flower icing decorations. The chocolate cake was delicious, with it's very thick candy-like frosting, but soooo rich!

Joe and Jessa showed up as we were finishing dessert. They'd had car trouble, but I'm glad they did make it. My birthday gift from them was a smartphone to replace my ancient flip-top cell phone. It's Joe's previous phone, a Samsung Galaxy 5, and not that old. They showed me how to set it up and inserted the SIM card. Joe even drove me to CVS when they realized they'd forgotten the charger and bought me a new one (with a 10-foot cord) as part of the gift. I also grabbed my annual bag of post-holiday York Peppermint Patties - they were already gone at the Acme.

Which means...I can now text properly (without having to use one number for three letters) and take photos on my phone! I texted Mom later this evening to thank her for the Easter card and for calling me on my birthday. I'll mess around with the phone more later this week.

Put on a few remaining specials as I got organized and added contacts to my new phone when I got home. The First Easter Rabbit is another Rankin-Bass Easter Bunny origin story, this time in regular 2-D animation. Stuffy was once a toy rabbit, the beloved favorite of little Glinda. When she gets scarlet fever, he's saved from the rubbish pile by a fairy who turns him into a real bunny. She proclaims him the Easter Bunny, the symbol of spring for all children. But there's a nasty old snow wizard nearby who doesn't want spring to go on...

It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown follows the Peanuts' Easter preparations. Peppermint Patty wants to teach Marcie to color eggs, but her best friend keeps on doing everything but boiling them. Charlie Brown takes Sally shoe shopping (and gets in some cracks about extra-early Christmas sales), while Snoopy searches for a waterproof home for Woodstock. Don't bother with the fuss, says Linus. The Easter Beagle does all that. Sally is more than a little skeptical after the Great Pumpkin incident on Halloween. Lucy would rather hide and find her own eggs.

Finished out the night with the classic 1948 musical Easter Parade. Fred Astaire plays a vaudeville dancer whose partner (Ann Miller) leaves him for a star turn in the Ziegfield Follies. Hurt, he hires a far more different and down-to-earth dancer and singer (Judy Garland) as her replacement. He tries to groom her as a ballroom dancer...but the act really takes off when he discovers she's a born comedienne. His college student best friend (Peter Lawford) has a crush on her; his former partner is after Lawford, but may still have feelings for him, too. Both couples manage to reconcile in time for the big Easter Parade in New York.

The thin story is really more of a tent pole to hang some wonderful Irving Berlin numbers, including Astaire's "Drum Crazy" and "Steppin' Out With My Baby" and Garland and Astaire's hilarious comic hobo duet "A Couple of Swells." My favorite song is Lawford's adorable ballad "A Fella With an Umbrella." If you love the cast, Irving Berlin, or light musicals, this is a fun watch for late Easter afternoon or evening.

And happy Easter to all those who celebrate it! This ended up being the nicest Easter I had in years. I hope all of you had just as much fun!

Goin' Up the Country

Today was yard sale day, or tag sales, as they're called in New England. Lauren and I were up around 9 and out by 10 to take in a couple near-by. Most of them just had knick-knacks, although one had a really nice collection of soft blankets and linens. Lauren bought a comfy blue plaid blanket and some hangers. (She says her parents are in perpetual need of them.) Otherwise, neither of us came up with anything. The one large estate sale mostly had dishes that were too fancy and fruit-painted for my taste, frilly pink linens, and a lot of books on Israel.

Finally headed into Vermont around 11 (after Lauren stopped for gas). Vermont is gorgeous country. It's moniker "The Green Mountain State" is well-earned. We rolled by endless forest-covered mountains, meadows carpeted with wildflowers in every color of the rainbow, historic ski lodges, ancient faded brown barns selling tractors or furniture, and whole families of horses frolicking in brilliant green fields. The view from the highway was amazing. You could literally see the mists rolling off the mountain tops. It was a glorious day for a ride, too, sunny, warmer than yesterday (but not out of line for August) and still dry.

Had lunch at Bennington Station. This restaurant is situated in a gorgeous restored stone train depot. It was noon when we arrived, but surprisingly for Saturday, they weren't that busy. There were a few other people in the glass-enclosed back room where we ate, a group of older women and a family of four women (including one middle-school-aged girl). Their sandwiches were huge and incredible. My burger patty was as thick as the stone in the walls around us. Lauren's Vermont Turkey Sandwich was stuffed to the top of the whole wheat bread crusts with turkey slices, apples, and local cheddar cheese. Other than it was really salty, my burger was amazing. I'm glad I passed up the condiments when the waitress suggested them. The lettuce, red onion, and tomato was more than enough!

Weston is a small village nestled snugly in the mountains in the heart of Vermont. It's known mostly for the popular Vermont Country Store. This venerable old building is filled with everything from Vermont plaid flannels to hard-to-find shampoos from the 70s to giant Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls to penny candy. They were elbow-to-elbow busy, almost as much as they were when we visited last year.

Lauren bought shirts for her dad and candy for herself and her parents. I don't have much money left. Even the sale items upstairs were either outside of my budget or too big to carry home. They sell their own brand of fancy milled soaps. I've seen sandalwood, lavender, citrus, rose, and oatmeal and honey scents in other stores...but I've never seen apple cider vinegar-scented soap! I also found a set of neon colored pencils

I love the Vermont Country Store's Cookie Buttons! They have samples of each flavor of cookie scattered throughout the food area. I tried a couple, but I fell in love with this year's new fall flavor, Apple Crisp. Wow! It's so spicy and sweet. (And, oddly, it comes in a bag, rather than a box like most of the other flavors.) I had to get it.

After we left the Store, we bought sodas at Mildred's Dairy Bar (named for the Orton family's long-time matriarch, who passed on in 2010), then went across the street to the Weston Country Store. Kind of the same thing, but with more Vermont-themed merchandise and slightly better prices. I didn't get anything here...and Lauren just wanted to go home.

Lauren had been having problems with her cell phone ever since we crossed the border between Massachusetts and Vermont. She was trying to text her parents and tell them we were at the Store, but it either wouldn't go through, or was taking forever. She'd grown increasingly frustrated the further we went into the mountains. Tired of the cell phone problems, she insisted we skip anything else and just go home.

We did stop at a small KFC/Taco Bell in Bennington to pick up dinner. She grabbed the large Doublelicious sandwich. I was still kind of full from that burger and just went with the Chicken Littles sandwich. We bought bought biscuits. I grabbed a Mountain Dew Baja Blast as well.

The van finally made it into the garage around 6. Lauren showed her parents her finds. I started to do a little packing and rounded up my two new CD's to sync them onto my iPod to listen to on the way home. We ate our sandwiches around 7, then went online.

Right now, we're chatting, listening to 80's pop music on an internet radio station, and sipping tea and eating soft bakery chocolate chip cookies. Tomorrow, I'm heading home at noon after Lauren's folks go to an early appointment.

I Get a Kick Out of Them

I slept in on a chilly, sunny November Sunday...more than the clock said, due to Daylight Savings last night. Got up in time for a long, quiet breakfast of Apple-Cornmeal Pancakes and a pear. Ran the Coasters record I picked up from a yard sale a few weeks ago, then listened to Brunch With the Beatles. "The Beatles and Other British Invasion Bands." Normally, I'm not crazy about shows that focus on the early Beatles songs that sounded too...well, too boy-band-ish. This theme, however, alternates Beatles hits from 1963-1965 with other British acts who debuted in America during those years. Among my favorites were Herman's Hermits "I'm Into Something Good" and two from Dusty Springfield, "Wishin' and Hopin'" and "I Only Wanna Be With You."

Talked to Mom after breakfast. She seemed to be in a pretty good mood. She was on her way out to run errands. She was very happy with her new cell phone, which can take pictures. She wants to get pictures of his son before he finishes his senior year of high school. Dad got himself a Droid, so he can enjoy his newest pastime - putting money in the stock market.

Edited some Bowery Boys stories for a while before heading to work. Work was on-and-off really busy, not surprising for a football Sunday in November. I was in and out with no problems other than my relief was one of those college boys with a second job who is always late.

I had tilapia with peppers and mushrooms for dinner, then went online for tonight's Dress Circle. "The Shows of November" was the theme for tonight. November is a big month for Broadway openings, and among the hits and flops that first appeared in November are Cabaret, Jersey Boys, Anything Goes, Guys and Dolls, Bells Are Ringing, the recent musical version of Young Frankestein, and the cult flops The Grass Harp and Taboo.

Oh, and the Eagles played a big game tonight against Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. Though the Colts did come back in the second half, the Eagles ultimately won 26-24.

Recovering from the Holiday

Slept in this morning after spending a lot of it trying to keep my nose from running all over the place. My allergies aren't as bad as Thursday, but they're still annoying. Other than that, I ate Blueberry Pancakes, worked on editing our latest Monkees role play, and listened to the Brunch With the Beatles show on WOGL. (Ringo Starr, whose birthday is Tuesday, was in the spotlight.)

I called Mom a bit later than usual. I hadn't realized until this morning that I left my cell phone in my purse all night and it had died. I let it charge and called her on my home phone instead. Mom was in a good mood. The big seafood party she and Dad had for their neighbors had gone well. The two of them and Keefe seemed to be in the midst of cleaning up after it; Mom was washing dishes when I called her.

Work was steady-to-dead, not nearly as bad as yesterday or as it usually is on a Sunday. There were a few mildly obnoxious customers. I messed up a check, putting it in as exact when the man wanted money back, which was a little embarrassing. My relief was late. Good thing I was just going straight home anyway.

Phoning In the 21st Century

I spent most of the morning puttering around online and editing the last few parts of this month's Monkees Role Play story. Around 1PM, Dad called and told me he was going to give me Jessa's old cell phone, as Jessa had just gotten a new one. I'd be on his family plan. I'll have to ask him about payment. He said he'd pay, but I want to contribute something.

I'm still figuring the darn thing out. I don't really want to use it much. I still don't like cell phones. I think they're intrusive unless you're a mother or a doctor or someone who really does need to be on call. It took me a while, but I did figure out how to delete the phone numbers of Jessa's 6,000 friends from the phone book. (For a kid who doesn't do much besides sit in her room, watch anime, work on art projects, and download music, she's sure popular.) It's charging in the living room now. I'll mess with it more tomorrow, along with checking out that makeup kit Rose gave me.

The weather today was on-and-off cloudy, windy, and still hot but not quite as bad as it has been. It's supposed to drop into the mid-70s starting tomorrow before going back to being hot by the weekend, according to Yahoo!Weather. We were supposed to get isolated thunderstorms today, but while it did get dark outside around 6PM, I don't think it's rained yet.

Work was busy, which isn't uncommon on a Monday, but we had more sick people and more call-outs and were low on help again. Thankfully, it was starting to thin out by the time I went home.

I also found out that the Acme got rid of its constantly malfunctioning photo machine and never replaced it. I'm strictly a low-tech girl. If I don't need the fancy version, I won't use it. I'm fine with buying disposable cameras for holidays, vacations, and events. I eventually dropped my finally-used-up-camera next-door at Rite Aid.

Oh, and I finally called my stepfather tonight. He was happily watching last year's version of Hairspray, but only because thunderstorms in the area had interfered with their satelite signal and disrupted his constant Law & Order and CSI re-runs.