After the last few days, I needed to sleep in. By the time I got moving, Buzzr was running Match Game episodes. Orson Bean brought his goofy, laid-back wit to the first episode, joined by a lady named Chelsea Brown whom I'd never heard of, but was a lot of fun. Charles and Brett got a lot of mileage out of teasing each other here, whether it was talking about Brett streaking or joking about his toupee. The next episode brought in redheaded Kaye Stevens of the noisy laugh, Loretta Swit from MASH, and former football player Rosy Grier. (Rosy was the size of the rest of the panel put together. Gene quickly told him he could write whatever he wanted!) Orson Bean returned for the first '75 episode, joined by Betty White and blonde bombshell Lynda Day George.
Headed out to get the laundry done after the first '75 episode ended. I had a huge load to do, including towels. Thankfully, after the last two weeks, there were several cheaper washers open when I arrived. It was busy, but not overwhelmingly so. I worked on story notes and ignored Action News on Channel 6 and a talk show.
There was a package waiting for me in the mail box when I got home. Lauren found a knitted "Baby Yoda" from The Mandalorian on Etsy and sent him to me as a late Christmas present. He's soo cute and is knitted beautifully. Looks just like the little fellow in the show and is the right size to hug. (I figured he'd be much smaller.)
I put Baby Yoda on my bed, then spent the next hour dusting around furniture. I only do really major dusting every couple of months. Who's going to see it besides me? I just wanted to get as much of it up as I could quickly.
As soon as I finished, I put out the winter decorations. I usually get most of them up when I put out the Christmas stuff, but I forgot. Two folksy snowmen - one on wooden legs, one a "snow angel" with wire wings and a halo - surround the red vase on the music area table. There's a cute little stuffed snowbear ornament guarding the CD player. A lovely little sparrow bell Mom gave me several years ago went up on my bedroom door. Hung a "let it snow" sign and cardboard hangings of snowmen taking part in winter sports on my walls.
For some reason, Charlie was upstairs cursing for a lot of the morning and early afternoon. I really have no idea what he was doing, other than painting the two wooden posts that hold up the dormer roof. I do know it involved much cursing and drowning him out with Sailor Moon Super S (fourth season).
The only new episode out of this batch was actually a two-part "special." In the first story, we encounter Micheru "Sailor Neptune" Kaioh and Haruka "Sailor Uranus" Tenouh for the first and only time in the fourth season. Micheru takes on a possessed ventriloquist and his demonic dummy when they attack her ailing lover. Chibi-Usa is in the spotlight in the second story, based after a short from the manga (comic book) series. A new student in her school may be turning boys heads in more ways than just her looks. The pretty, pale miss is seen eating flowers and avoiding sunlight, leading Chibi-Usa and her friends to believe she may be a mini-vampire.
Went into writing after all the winter decorations were hanging up or on the tables and shelves. Bill Cullen is a wizard who can make the books he's going to deliver vanish and reappear in his carriage. Marcia warns him about going too close to the Summerlands, which are crawling with Malade's trolls, among other monsters. Bill assures her and the others that he can take care of himself. Bill the Wolf tries to explain what happened in the Summerlands, but he ends up howling again.
Broke for dinner at quarter of 7. Had leftovers while watching one more Match Game episode. Comic actor Ron Massak (who ironically also appeared on Password Plus this week) had the honor of watching Charles and Brett spar on the top desks in this one. The delightful Patty Duke Astin traded quips with Richard under them, while sweet Joyce Bullifant told Gene some very odd jokes.
Finished the night online with the 1991 comedy Delirious, which is currently running for free on YouTube. Jack Gable (John Candy) is a soap opera writer who would do anything to keep the show's diva and his crush Laura (Emma Samms) on the air, despite her spoiled behavior behind the scenes. The show's producers (Jerry Orbach and Renee Taylor) hire a hack writer (Milt Oberman) behind his back, and he puts down a pretty young woman (Mariel Hemingway) trying out for a part he deems unimportant.
After he sees Laura returning to her boyfriend, he hits his head, gets into an accident, and wakes up in the world of his soap. Laura is now Rachel, the only woman in a wealthy and powerful male-dominated family, whose evil patriarch (Raymond Burr) is determined to get his hands on a weight-loss formula. Janet DuBois (Hemingway) is the daughter of the formula's creator, who thinks Jack is a big pharmaceuticals executive who wants to buy the formula. Jack tries to tell her otherwise at first, until she makes him realize that his writing changes the outcome of the show and what happens to the characters. He writes himself as a strong, dashing character to catch Rachel's eye, only to realize that Janet is the one who really deserves the formula and his attention. Now he has to decide how he wants this story to end...and learn that no amount of re-writing can make him anything but himself.
I remember Dad-Bill renting this one at least once after it came out on video in the early 90's, but I don't think I've seen it since then. I've never been a fan of soap operas and have no trouble seeing them skewered. Candy has fun as the guy who finds out he can write himself into the macho role he's always wanted, and Samms and Hemingway, both of whom have considerable experience with real soap operas, have a blast as the two different women he tries to impress. This is a fun little gem if you're a fan of Candy or the real soaps from the 80's-early 90's this is spoofing. Here's the YouTube link if you're interested:
Delirious (1991)
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Showing posts with label house repairs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label house repairs. Show all posts
Friday, January 10, 2020
Wednesday, August 14, 2019
Little Summer Showers
Kicked off the morning with early work. It was almost exactly the same as yesterday, up to and including the on-and-off showers. I spent a lot of the first half of my shift gathering carts, and most of the second doing returns and sweeping, especially when another bagger came in during the last hour. The rain scared most of our customers off. We were quiet as can be the entire morning.
It had started to shower again when I rode home. Thankfully, the rain was stopping by the time I made it home. Charles was taking down the tape around the boardwalk. Yes, it's finally dry. I was able to park my bike at the wooden rack, pick a few cherry tomatoes from his garden, and dash upstairs.
Despite the humidity, it was cool enough for me to make Oatmeal Fruit Squares after lunch. This time, I used the Fruit & Honey jam and the last of the blueberries. Listened to my Lost In Boston IV and Unsung Musicals CDs while I worked. I love these series from Varese Sarabande. Lost covers songs cut from Broadway musicals. Unsung showcases songs from musicals that either never made it to Broadway, or were from shows that had super-short runs and were never recorded. Favorites of mine from Lost include "Marking Time" from Pippin, the hilarious "Thirty Weeks of Heaven" that's funnier than anything that made it into By the Beautiful Sea, and three devastating character songs from Ballroom. By far my favorite number from Unsung is the ravishing ballad "Starfish," from a musical version of La Strada that featured an early appearance by Bernadette Peters.
The bars came out of the oven around 2:30, giving me enough time to dash off to Westmont. Not only was it not raining by then, but the sun was struggling to come out. Newton Lake Park was a lot busier than you'd think on such a dreary and wet day. I passed a woman being tugged along by her huge Irish settler and black lab, several bike riders, and a couple of fisher-folk. The park is looking a little brown despite the rain, but the leaves over my head were emerald green and wide as umbrellas.
The Haddon Towship Library wasn't much busier than the Acme had been. It was mainly young teens amusing themselves on the computers. It must have been busy earlier, though. The DVDs were overloaded! It took me an hour to shelve half the adult DVDs, and I never even got to the kids' titles. I didn't take any movies out this week, but I found five interesting paperback mysteries on the free book racks, along with a cookbook devoted to candy.
Since the weather was holding out, I stopped at Target quickly on the way home. I needed sugar and a drink; grabbed Dasani Sparkling Water. They weren't busy, either, not even the self-checkout terminals. I went in, got what I needed, and went out.
Went straight into writing as soon as I got in and took out the trash. While Maz prepares dinner for Harris and Leia, she tries to work on the engine of the Falcon. When he helps, she pushes him away at first...but they end up kissing. A drunk Charlie interrupts, telling them that Maz is calling them for dinner before falling over them.
Broke for dinner at quarter of 7. Had an egg, cheese, and fresh tomato wrap for dinner while watching a few public domain shorts featuring Canadian kids show host Mr. Piper. This jolly gentleman tells limited animation fairy tales, some of which are still obscure to this day. "Brave Molly" tells of a little girl who uses her brains to defeat a giant and rescue a queen. "The Kindhearted Girl" has a gentle girl give animals her food when she visits her witch aunt. They repay her kindness by not stopping her escape. "Hasty and the Princess" also involves kindness to animals. This time, they help a country bumpkin win a princess. "The Proud Princess" snubs a prince who gives her sweet, simple gifts. He dresses as a swineherd to get near her, but learns what she's really like when he does find something to give her.
Moved onto Lego Star Wars as soon as I cleaned up from dinner. It took two tries, but I finally completed the blue minikit challenge for "Hoth Battle." No luck anywhere else. "Into the Death Star" is so dark, I couldn't see many of the pieces, and I couldn't figure out "The Pit of Carkoon." I'll try again tomorrow.
Finished the night with Ernest Goes to Camp. Ernest (Jim Varney) is hoping to be a counselor at Camp Kikakee, but right now, he's just the handyman. He gets his chance when he's assigned to a group of delinquent kids whose pranks left their previous, rather obnoxious counselor with a broken leg. They prank Ernest too, at first, until he tells them stories during a campfire and helps them with their tent project. Ernest doesn't have as much luck fending off the nasty head of a mining corporation who wants the oil under the camp. He tricks Ernest and the camp's Native American owner (Iron Eyes Cody) into signing over the rights. The kids are angry at Ernest at first, until the owner's daughter (Victoria Racimo) convinces them and Ernest to fight back.
The first Ernest movie was a surprise hit in 1987. Though it's cliched and a bit corny, it also has its moments, including Ernest's campfire story and the big action finale. Fun time waster if you're a fan of Ernest or have kids who will enjoy his antics.
It had started to shower again when I rode home. Thankfully, the rain was stopping by the time I made it home. Charles was taking down the tape around the boardwalk. Yes, it's finally dry. I was able to park my bike at the wooden rack, pick a few cherry tomatoes from his garden, and dash upstairs.
Despite the humidity, it was cool enough for me to make Oatmeal Fruit Squares after lunch. This time, I used the Fruit & Honey jam and the last of the blueberries. Listened to my Lost In Boston IV and Unsung Musicals CDs while I worked. I love these series from Varese Sarabande. Lost covers songs cut from Broadway musicals. Unsung showcases songs from musicals that either never made it to Broadway, or were from shows that had super-short runs and were never recorded. Favorites of mine from Lost include "Marking Time" from Pippin, the hilarious "Thirty Weeks of Heaven" that's funnier than anything that made it into By the Beautiful Sea, and three devastating character songs from Ballroom. By far my favorite number from Unsung is the ravishing ballad "Starfish," from a musical version of La Strada that featured an early appearance by Bernadette Peters.
The bars came out of the oven around 2:30, giving me enough time to dash off to Westmont. Not only was it not raining by then, but the sun was struggling to come out. Newton Lake Park was a lot busier than you'd think on such a dreary and wet day. I passed a woman being tugged along by her huge Irish settler and black lab, several bike riders, and a couple of fisher-folk. The park is looking a little brown despite the rain, but the leaves over my head were emerald green and wide as umbrellas.
The Haddon Towship Library wasn't much busier than the Acme had been. It was mainly young teens amusing themselves on the computers. It must have been busy earlier, though. The DVDs were overloaded! It took me an hour to shelve half the adult DVDs, and I never even got to the kids' titles. I didn't take any movies out this week, but I found five interesting paperback mysteries on the free book racks, along with a cookbook devoted to candy.
Since the weather was holding out, I stopped at Target quickly on the way home. I needed sugar and a drink; grabbed Dasani Sparkling Water. They weren't busy, either, not even the self-checkout terminals. I went in, got what I needed, and went out.
Went straight into writing as soon as I got in and took out the trash. While Maz prepares dinner for Harris and Leia, she tries to work on the engine of the Falcon. When he helps, she pushes him away at first...but they end up kissing. A drunk Charlie interrupts, telling them that Maz is calling them for dinner before falling over them.
Broke for dinner at quarter of 7. Had an egg, cheese, and fresh tomato wrap for dinner while watching a few public domain shorts featuring Canadian kids show host Mr. Piper. This jolly gentleman tells limited animation fairy tales, some of which are still obscure to this day. "Brave Molly" tells of a little girl who uses her brains to defeat a giant and rescue a queen. "The Kindhearted Girl" has a gentle girl give animals her food when she visits her witch aunt. They repay her kindness by not stopping her escape. "Hasty and the Princess" also involves kindness to animals. This time, they help a country bumpkin win a princess. "The Proud Princess" snubs a prince who gives her sweet, simple gifts. He dresses as a swineherd to get near her, but learns what she's really like when he does find something to give her.
Moved onto Lego Star Wars as soon as I cleaned up from dinner. It took two tries, but I finally completed the blue minikit challenge for "Hoth Battle." No luck anywhere else. "Into the Death Star" is so dark, I couldn't see many of the pieces, and I couldn't figure out "The Pit of Carkoon." I'll try again tomorrow.
Finished the night with Ernest Goes to Camp. Ernest (Jim Varney) is hoping to be a counselor at Camp Kikakee, but right now, he's just the handyman. He gets his chance when he's assigned to a group of delinquent kids whose pranks left their previous, rather obnoxious counselor with a broken leg. They prank Ernest too, at first, until he tells them stories during a campfire and helps them with their tent project. Ernest doesn't have as much luck fending off the nasty head of a mining corporation who wants the oil under the camp. He tricks Ernest and the camp's Native American owner (Iron Eyes Cody) into signing over the rights. The kids are angry at Ernest at first, until the owner's daughter (Victoria Racimo) convinces them and Ernest to fight back.
The first Ernest movie was a surprise hit in 1987. Though it's cliched and a bit corny, it also has its moments, including Ernest's campfire story and the big action finale. Fun time waster if you're a fan of Ernest or have kids who will enjoy his antics.
Monday, July 01, 2019
The Jedi and the Con Men
Awoke to a gorgeous and fairly cool morning. Enjoyed breakfast while doing more Clone Wars. "Lightsaber Lost" has Ahsoka pursuing the thief who swiped hers. She's helped by kindly old Jedi master Tera Sinube, who teaches her to slow down and have patience.
It was so cool in my kitchen, I was able to make Chocolate Chip-Orange Muffins from the Hershey's 1934 Cookbook without turning my house into a sweat box. Did more Clone Wars as I worked, and then as I did the dishes and got ready for work. The next three episodes introduce Duchess Satine, Obi-Wan's love interest, and the planet of Mandalore. Satine is determined to have her eternally warring home sit this galactic conflict out. "The Mandalore Plot" has a terrorist organization known as Death Watch target her for assassination. Obi-Wan is supposed to guard her - but they had once had a relationship, and he ends up falling for her again instead.
Obi-Wan has to endure a "Voyage of Temptation" when he, Anakin, and Artoo are supposed to protect Satine on her way to Coruscant to talk to the Senate. Artoo and Anakin discover assassin droids in the cargo who attempt to murder the Duchess. Obi-Wan has to figure out who aboard is the traitor.
Headed out to work as soon as the cartoon ended and the muffins were out of the oven. Work didn't start well. Every time I tried to help the head bagger fill the carts, I'd get pulled in to return cold items or take a register. Everything calmed down after that first hour, allowing me to spend the majority of the rest of the day outside with the carts. It was a good day for it. While not as windy or cool as yesterday, it was still really beautiful, sunny and dry.
Ran into Charlie on my way in. My bike had been moved further down the fence this morning, and the bricks they used to lean on had been removed. Charlie told me he's going to finally upgrade the walkway to my apartment so that it's even and extends to front of the house. The bricks will be replaced by a small shed or patio for my bike and the bike that belongs to a friend of his. He'll be outside working on them for a couple of weeks.
Did writing when I made it upstairs and changed. Harris admits to Leia and Rieekian via walkie-talkie that their location has likely been compromised. Leia says they'll have to evacuate. Harris is more interested in grabbing his stuff and leaving, or so he claims...
Broke at 6 for leftovers for dinner and Clone Wars. The "Duchess of Mandalore" herself is the one in trouble when they do finally make it to Coruscant. A senator is murdered giving her information on Death Watch's plot to encourage the Republic to establish a military presence there, overthrowing her peaceful government.
Moved on to Lego Pirates of the Caribbean after dinner. Finally found those last two pieces in "Tortuga." They were actually on a separate island you have to take a boat over to that's behind the main area. "Isla Del Muerta" is a lot more complicated. There's two secret areas, one underwater, that requires a lot of back and forth. It took me over 40 minutes, and I still missed three pieces.
Finished the night with The Sting. This Oscar-winning caper comedy takes us to Chicago during the height of the Great Depression. Young con man Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford) is looking for revenge against mob boss Doyle Lonnigan (Robert Shaw), who had his partner murdered. He looks up Chicago grifter Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman), who agrees to help him. Aided by Henry's girlfriend Billie (Eileen Brennan) and a group of experienced cons, they create a phony betting parlor and draw Doyle in. Meanwhile, cop Snyder (Charles Durning) pursues Hooker, lead by FBI Agent Polk (Dana Elcar).
One of the best comedies ever made. A terrific cast of character actors back a top-of-their-game Newman and Redford as they navigate through the twists and turns of the delightfully complicated plot. The Marvin Hamlisch ragtime score might be anachronistic, but it's so catchy you can overlook that. Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer" became a top 10 hit more than 70 years after it was written, and you can't hear it and not think of this film. If you're a fan of Newman, Redford, caper comedies, or Joplin, this is absolutely recommended.
It was so cool in my kitchen, I was able to make Chocolate Chip-Orange Muffins from the Hershey's 1934 Cookbook without turning my house into a sweat box. Did more Clone Wars as I worked, and then as I did the dishes and got ready for work. The next three episodes introduce Duchess Satine, Obi-Wan's love interest, and the planet of Mandalore. Satine is determined to have her eternally warring home sit this galactic conflict out. "The Mandalore Plot" has a terrorist organization known as Death Watch target her for assassination. Obi-Wan is supposed to guard her - but they had once had a relationship, and he ends up falling for her again instead.
Obi-Wan has to endure a "Voyage of Temptation" when he, Anakin, and Artoo are supposed to protect Satine on her way to Coruscant to talk to the Senate. Artoo and Anakin discover assassin droids in the cargo who attempt to murder the Duchess. Obi-Wan has to figure out who aboard is the traitor.
Headed out to work as soon as the cartoon ended and the muffins were out of the oven. Work didn't start well. Every time I tried to help the head bagger fill the carts, I'd get pulled in to return cold items or take a register. Everything calmed down after that first hour, allowing me to spend the majority of the rest of the day outside with the carts. It was a good day for it. While not as windy or cool as yesterday, it was still really beautiful, sunny and dry.
Ran into Charlie on my way in. My bike had been moved further down the fence this morning, and the bricks they used to lean on had been removed. Charlie told me he's going to finally upgrade the walkway to my apartment so that it's even and extends to front of the house. The bricks will be replaced by a small shed or patio for my bike and the bike that belongs to a friend of his. He'll be outside working on them for a couple of weeks.
Did writing when I made it upstairs and changed. Harris admits to Leia and Rieekian via walkie-talkie that their location has likely been compromised. Leia says they'll have to evacuate. Harris is more interested in grabbing his stuff and leaving, or so he claims...
Broke at 6 for leftovers for dinner and Clone Wars. The "Duchess of Mandalore" herself is the one in trouble when they do finally make it to Coruscant. A senator is murdered giving her information on Death Watch's plot to encourage the Republic to establish a military presence there, overthrowing her peaceful government.
Moved on to Lego Pirates of the Caribbean after dinner. Finally found those last two pieces in "Tortuga." They were actually on a separate island you have to take a boat over to that's behind the main area. "Isla Del Muerta" is a lot more complicated. There's two secret areas, one underwater, that requires a lot of back and forth. It took me over 40 minutes, and I still missed three pieces.
Finished the night with The Sting. This Oscar-winning caper comedy takes us to Chicago during the height of the Great Depression. Young con man Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford) is looking for revenge against mob boss Doyle Lonnigan (Robert Shaw), who had his partner murdered. He looks up Chicago grifter Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman), who agrees to help him. Aided by Henry's girlfriend Billie (Eileen Brennan) and a group of experienced cons, they create a phony betting parlor and draw Doyle in. Meanwhile, cop Snyder (Charles Durning) pursues Hooker, lead by FBI Agent Polk (Dana Elcar).
One of the best comedies ever made. A terrific cast of character actors back a top-of-their-game Newman and Redford as they navigate through the twists and turns of the delightfully complicated plot. The Marvin Hamlisch ragtime score might be anachronistic, but it's so catchy you can overlook that. Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer" became a top 10 hit more than 70 years after it was written, and you can't hear it and not think of this film. If you're a fan of Newman, Redford, caper comedies, or Joplin, this is absolutely recommended.
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
Thunder In the Stars
Kicked off the morning with breakfast and more Clone Wars. Anakin and Obi-Wan wants to see "Dooku Captured"...but Hondo Ohnaka and his band of pirates got there first and are holding him prisoner. The two Jedi head to their hideout on Florrum to see if they can make a deal for him.
Spent the rest of the morning trying to write the blog entry I didn't get to last night. The internet went down almost as soon as I posted my Blues Brothers review last night. It still wasn't up by 9 AM. It didn't come up until 10:30. That barely gave me enough time to get the entry up, change, grab lunch, and hurry out.
The carts were a total mess when I arrived. I spent the first three hours alternating between catching up on them and sweeping the store, including dodging a downpour in one of the corrals. Between showers, it was hot, humid, and on-and-off sunny. Thankfully, another bagger came in and took over the carts and sweeping after about 2:30. I focused on shelving a full cart of returns for the last hour. Grabbed tissues and a pretzel for a snack before rushing home.
Took out the trash and the old cork board that used to be over my desk, then changed and put the tissues away. As I was getting a snack, I caught sight of a note from Charlie on my kitchen. He painted the wide rectangles under the windows in the bedroom black; I suspect they'll probably be covered with wood eventually. He'll supposedly return next Wednesday.
Went into writing after I ate. Leia contacts the White Queen, telling her that they know the location of the stolen coolant. Now they just need to figure out who wants it so badly. The White Queen's even more interested in playing matchmaker with her daughter and Harris. Leia's not so sure, especially given he wants to leave...
Broke for dinner at 6:30. Had leftovers while continuing with Clone Wars. Anakin and Obi-Wan aren't feeling so smart anymore in "The Gungan General." Hondo's drugged them and is now holding them and Dooku for ransom. It's up to Jar-Jar Binks (yes, that Jar Jar) and several clones to deliver the ransom and make sure Dooku doesn't get away.
Finished the night with Lego Pirates of the Caribbean. I'm getting so closer to the end! The minikit finder extra was a huge help. Got more than half the pieces, Jack's compass, and a ton of studs on "The Fountain of Youth." Finally got through "London Town" with no glitching and found all but one piece. Picked up the last character I didn't have and the x10 red hat extra, as well as figuring out how to switch from day to night in the hub areas.
And the rain has continued on and off. It came down in torrents during dinner, and we're currently in the midst of a rather noisy thunderstorm. I think it's supposed to finally pass by the time I got to work tomorrow.
Spent the rest of the morning trying to write the blog entry I didn't get to last night. The internet went down almost as soon as I posted my Blues Brothers review last night. It still wasn't up by 9 AM. It didn't come up until 10:30. That barely gave me enough time to get the entry up, change, grab lunch, and hurry out.
The carts were a total mess when I arrived. I spent the first three hours alternating between catching up on them and sweeping the store, including dodging a downpour in one of the corrals. Between showers, it was hot, humid, and on-and-off sunny. Thankfully, another bagger came in and took over the carts and sweeping after about 2:30. I focused on shelving a full cart of returns for the last hour. Grabbed tissues and a pretzel for a snack before rushing home.
Took out the trash and the old cork board that used to be over my desk, then changed and put the tissues away. As I was getting a snack, I caught sight of a note from Charlie on my kitchen. He painted the wide rectangles under the windows in the bedroom black; I suspect they'll probably be covered with wood eventually. He'll supposedly return next Wednesday.
Went into writing after I ate. Leia contacts the White Queen, telling her that they know the location of the stolen coolant. Now they just need to figure out who wants it so badly. The White Queen's even more interested in playing matchmaker with her daughter and Harris. Leia's not so sure, especially given he wants to leave...
Broke for dinner at 6:30. Had leftovers while continuing with Clone Wars. Anakin and Obi-Wan aren't feeling so smart anymore in "The Gungan General." Hondo's drugged them and is now holding them and Dooku for ransom. It's up to Jar-Jar Binks (yes, that Jar Jar) and several clones to deliver the ransom and make sure Dooku doesn't get away.
Finished the night with Lego Pirates of the Caribbean. I'm getting so closer to the end! The minikit finder extra was a huge help. Got more than half the pieces, Jack's compass, and a ton of studs on "The Fountain of Youth." Finally got through "London Town" with no glitching and found all but one piece. Picked up the last character I didn't have and the x10 red hat extra, as well as figuring out how to switch from day to night in the hub areas.
And the rain has continued on and off. It came down in torrents during dinner, and we're currently in the midst of a rather noisy thunderstorm. I think it's supposed to finally pass by the time I got to work tomorrow.
Friday, May 31, 2019
Cherry Sweet Spring
Awoke to hammering and cursing downstairs around 8:30. Charlie was already at work. I read in bed and wrote in my new journal for a while, then had breakfast. I discovered that most of the cherries I bought from the Acme last week were getting too soft and starting to go bad, so thought I'd add them to the Lemon Snaps cookies I was making from that Duncan Hines Bakery In a Box book. I put juice in with canola oil because I was using a yellow cake mix and made the mix much too runny. Not only that, but the cherries were too soft and made a mess, including on my favorite t-shirt.
Watched episodes of Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes as I worked. Tony Stark is "Alone Against AIM," a terrorist group that has stolen his technology. His friend James becomes War Machine and joins Captain America and Black Panther to help him clear them out of Stark Industries.
The Enchantress commits "Acts of Vengance" against the Baron Zemo and his men, killing them off one by one. The Baron is finally forced to turn to the Avengers to help stop her and keep himself from becoming her next victim.
Ms. (now Captain) Marvel is saying "Welcome to the Kree Empire" when she and space spy organization SWORD are attacked by the aliens the Kree. Her boss Abigail Brand stays with the ship while she joins the Avengers to get rid of the Kree on Earth.
Hank Pym is considering hanging up his ant feelers in "To Steal an Ant Man," but someone takes off with his suit before he can. He hires mercenaries Luke Cage and Iron Fist to figure out who did it. Turns out it's Scott Lang, who uses the suit to rob banks and get gangsters to release his daughter Carrie.
Ran a few errands after the cookies came out of the oven. The Oaklyn Library was relatively busy for them, with several people reading or at the computers, despite it being a nice day. I organized both the adult and kid DVD titles and shelved books in the kids' area. Made a quick stop at WaWa for money; picked up a sparkling water to make change.
Went home and had muffins for lunch; continued with the Avengers while I ate. "Michael Korvac" is a man who claimed to have been tortured by aliens. When a strange group from outer space that includes a wisecracking raccoon and a talking tree show up and try to capture him, they assume that they're the ones who tortured him. But looks can be deceiving...
Headed to the laundromat next. There were a few people around, including a family, but they weren't that busy. It was just as well. Didn't really have a big load, anyway. I mainly wanted to get work clothes done and wash the cherry juice stains out of my shirt (which I did).
Went straight home and did some research, not on jobs, but on how to get rid of fear. All this fear is holding me back, but it just doesn't seem to want to go away. It's hard to believe when everything is going wrong. I've had a hard time staying positive lately, with everything going on.
Tried to cheer myself up by finally finishing The Rebel League and the Death Ray. Even as Luke, Leia, Han, and the others team up, Vader - Chief Darren Vedder, the head of Coruscant's police force - is meeting with tough-guy bounty hunter Bob R. Fettman. Fettman knows quite a bit about Harris Arietta, including what he was doing when he took that job from Jake Hunter. Vedder introduces Fettman to his boss, Mayor Stephan Palpatine, who has his own plans for the Rebel League...
Whew! That took a lot longer than I thought it would. Hopefully, the two follow-ups I have planned won't be quite so difficult. I didn't get the chance to put it on my blog or Fanfiction.net before dinner, but it is up at Archive of Our Own.
Archive of Our Own
Made thin chicken cutlets with mushroom sauce and the last of the spinach for dinner. Continued on with the Avengers as I cooked. "Who Do You Trust?" when Earth is invaded by a group of shapeshifting aliens known as the Skrulls? Nick Fury tells Tony Stark and Maria Hill not to trust anyone...and the ensuing accusations eventually drive the rest of the Avengers apart. But the real Skrull is closer than they think...
"The Ballad of Beta Ray Bill" tells of a mysterious creature that attacks Thor...but turns out to be able to wield the hammer Mjolnar. He's Beta Ray Bill, an alien who is transporting his people from their destroyed planet to a place where they can start over. Thor and his people help him save his race and his ship from a possessed Enchantress.
Moved on to Lego Pirates of the Caribbean next. Thanks to a glitch, I only had time to do "The Brethren Court." The round isn't nearly as hard as some previous ones. You have to do a series of puzzles to find the members of the Court and get them to move to open the door to their meeting place. Once inside, you have to find the book of their rules and get them to help deal with Davy Jones.
Finished the night after a shower with The Amazing Spider Man, Sony's 2012 reboot. Unlike the previous version, we start with the past, as young Peter is taken by his parents to live with his Aunt May and Uncle Ben. Years later, a teenage Peter (Andrew Garfield) finds his father's papers and learns he was experimenting on genetics with fellow scientist Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans). He's bitten by a spider who was one of their test subjects and immediately develops spider-like abilities, such as shooting webs and sensing danger. Peter gives Connors a bit of data that he wanted, and he tells him more about his father. But all is not well. Peter's uncle died in a hold-up at a deli that he did nothing to stop, and now he's determined to find his uncle's killer. Though he tells his crush Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) who he is, her policeman father George (Dennis Leary) thinks he's meddling.
Meanwhile, hoping to regrow his lost arm, Connors has taken the genetics formula. It turns him into the Lizard, a super-strong, scaly green menace that can regrow limbs. Peter is the only one who can stop his dastardly plan to turn the whole world into lizards, but can he get there in time?
Maybe it's because I'm not the biggest fan of the character, but while this wasn't bad, it wasn't great, either. Garfield and Stone did well enough as the title character and his crush, but they were outshown by the supporting cast. Leary was suitably stoic as Gwen's cop dad, Ifans had a great time as the limb-growing villain, and Sally Field and Martin Sheen made a warm and wise Aunt May and Uncle Ben. Some nice special effects too, especially in the finale, when Peter and the Lizard were climbing around in the rain.
If you're more of a fan of Spider Man than I am, you'll probably find a lot to enjoy in this one.
Watched episodes of Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes as I worked. Tony Stark is "Alone Against AIM," a terrorist group that has stolen his technology. His friend James becomes War Machine and joins Captain America and Black Panther to help him clear them out of Stark Industries.
The Enchantress commits "Acts of Vengance" against the Baron Zemo and his men, killing them off one by one. The Baron is finally forced to turn to the Avengers to help stop her and keep himself from becoming her next victim.
Ms. (now Captain) Marvel is saying "Welcome to the Kree Empire" when she and space spy organization SWORD are attacked by the aliens the Kree. Her boss Abigail Brand stays with the ship while she joins the Avengers to get rid of the Kree on Earth.
Hank Pym is considering hanging up his ant feelers in "To Steal an Ant Man," but someone takes off with his suit before he can. He hires mercenaries Luke Cage and Iron Fist to figure out who did it. Turns out it's Scott Lang, who uses the suit to rob banks and get gangsters to release his daughter Carrie.
Ran a few errands after the cookies came out of the oven. The Oaklyn Library was relatively busy for them, with several people reading or at the computers, despite it being a nice day. I organized both the adult and kid DVD titles and shelved books in the kids' area. Made a quick stop at WaWa for money; picked up a sparkling water to make change.
Went home and had muffins for lunch; continued with the Avengers while I ate. "Michael Korvac" is a man who claimed to have been tortured by aliens. When a strange group from outer space that includes a wisecracking raccoon and a talking tree show up and try to capture him, they assume that they're the ones who tortured him. But looks can be deceiving...
Headed to the laundromat next. There were a few people around, including a family, but they weren't that busy. It was just as well. Didn't really have a big load, anyway. I mainly wanted to get work clothes done and wash the cherry juice stains out of my shirt (which I did).
Went straight home and did some research, not on jobs, but on how to get rid of fear. All this fear is holding me back, but it just doesn't seem to want to go away. It's hard to believe when everything is going wrong. I've had a hard time staying positive lately, with everything going on.
Tried to cheer myself up by finally finishing The Rebel League and the Death Ray. Even as Luke, Leia, Han, and the others team up, Vader - Chief Darren Vedder, the head of Coruscant's police force - is meeting with tough-guy bounty hunter Bob R. Fettman. Fettman knows quite a bit about Harris Arietta, including what he was doing when he took that job from Jake Hunter. Vedder introduces Fettman to his boss, Mayor Stephan Palpatine, who has his own plans for the Rebel League...
Whew! That took a lot longer than I thought it would. Hopefully, the two follow-ups I have planned won't be quite so difficult. I didn't get the chance to put it on my blog or Fanfiction.net before dinner, but it is up at Archive of Our Own.
Archive of Our Own
Made thin chicken cutlets with mushroom sauce and the last of the spinach for dinner. Continued on with the Avengers as I cooked. "Who Do You Trust?" when Earth is invaded by a group of shapeshifting aliens known as the Skrulls? Nick Fury tells Tony Stark and Maria Hill not to trust anyone...and the ensuing accusations eventually drive the rest of the Avengers apart. But the real Skrull is closer than they think...
"The Ballad of Beta Ray Bill" tells of a mysterious creature that attacks Thor...but turns out to be able to wield the hammer Mjolnar. He's Beta Ray Bill, an alien who is transporting his people from their destroyed planet to a place where they can start over. Thor and his people help him save his race and his ship from a possessed Enchantress.
Moved on to Lego Pirates of the Caribbean next. Thanks to a glitch, I only had time to do "The Brethren Court." The round isn't nearly as hard as some previous ones. You have to do a series of puzzles to find the members of the Court and get them to move to open the door to their meeting place. Once inside, you have to find the book of their rules and get them to help deal with Davy Jones.
Finished the night after a shower with The Amazing Spider Man, Sony's 2012 reboot. Unlike the previous version, we start with the past, as young Peter is taken by his parents to live with his Aunt May and Uncle Ben. Years later, a teenage Peter (Andrew Garfield) finds his father's papers and learns he was experimenting on genetics with fellow scientist Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans). He's bitten by a spider who was one of their test subjects and immediately develops spider-like abilities, such as shooting webs and sensing danger. Peter gives Connors a bit of data that he wanted, and he tells him more about his father. But all is not well. Peter's uncle died in a hold-up at a deli that he did nothing to stop, and now he's determined to find his uncle's killer. Though he tells his crush Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) who he is, her policeman father George (Dennis Leary) thinks he's meddling.
Meanwhile, hoping to regrow his lost arm, Connors has taken the genetics formula. It turns him into the Lizard, a super-strong, scaly green menace that can regrow limbs. Peter is the only one who can stop his dastardly plan to turn the whole world into lizards, but can he get there in time?
Maybe it's because I'm not the biggest fan of the character, but while this wasn't bad, it wasn't great, either. Garfield and Stone did well enough as the title character and his crush, but they were outshown by the supporting cast. Leary was suitably stoic as Gwen's cop dad, Ifans had a great time as the limb-growing villain, and Sally Field and Martin Sheen made a warm and wise Aunt May and Uncle Ben. Some nice special effects too, especially in the finale, when Peter and the Lizard were climbing around in the rain.
If you're more of a fan of Spider Man than I am, you'll probably find a lot to enjoy in this one.
Thursday, May 30, 2019
Rainy Afternoon In Oaklyn
Began a cloudy, humid morning with an episode of The Backyardigans as I ate breakfast and got ready for work. Pablo, the World's Greatest Detective, is asking "Whodunnit?" when Lady Tasha's jewels go missing. Could the thief be her butler Tyrone? Or Miss Uniqua Underhood, who knew about the theft before it took place? Or her neighbor Austin Frothingslosh, who rushed out for a rather shady reason? Or maybe the mysterious figure that the kids saw wandering around in the garden...
Headed to work just as the sun was coming out. Thankfully, it wasn't nearly as much trouble as yesterday. I was the only bagger when I arrived, but two (including a new recruit) arrived by the afternoon. It was so quiet, I barely needed to do carts or shelve items. I mainly did inside trash and outside recycling, gathered baskets, and bagged for a few folks.
This time, I rushed out as soon as I finished around 1 PM. Dark clouds had begun to gather again, but they weren't quite as threatening as yesterday yet. Charlie was working on replacing the wooden steps that lead up to my apartment, so I went inside through the door that leads into his side of the house. He wasn't inside, but I could still hear him cursing his brains out, even over his power tools. I changed, grabbed Chocolate Cream Pie Murder and the DVDs, and headed back out.
Had a far better lunch at Phillies Phatties. Even with soap operas going in the background, it was still a lot quieter. I enjoyed my slice of tomato basil, slice of tomato basil and fresh mozzarella, and can of Cherry Vanilla Pepsi in peace.
Took the long way across Newton Lake Park to Westmont. Despite the clouds, there were quite a few people out and about, mainly fisher folk and dog walkers. It's looking more and more like summer here. The grass and the trees are full and thick and very green. Clover and buttercups dot the banks of the lake.
The Haddon Township Library wasn't too busy when I got in. At any rate, there wasn't much to do. I tried shelving the kids' titles, but most of them still don't fit. A teen volunteer did the remaining DVDs. I just took out a few titles. Decided to give the two recent Amazing Spider Man movies a shot, along with last year's version of Robin Hood. The library finally got the rest of the Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes cartoon in. I took out the last two volumes. Found a book called The Girl Stays In the Picture, on the friendship between silent screen star Mary Pickford and screenwriter Frances Marion, that I thought might be promising.
The clouds had just been getting darker and darker all afternoon, and it was growing more humid by the minute. I figured I'd be safer going straight home. Went online and on the computer as soon as I got in. Rudy and Charlie are eager to join their group. Rudy can make gadgets (and chats with Harris about several designs); Charlie can translate and understand almost any language. Even Chewbacca can bite people in the leg. Wedge not only adds that he and his friends would be willing to help, but offers to help Luke run Ben MacKenner's comics shop as well.
It started raining somewhere around 5:30. While the storms weren't as heavy as they were last night, they were still pretty noisy, with at least one major downpour. Charlie continued to work (and curse) until the rain got to be too heavy.
It was nearly 7 before I finally broke for dinner. Watched the first episode of the final season of Earth's Mightiest Heroes as I enjoyed a quick meal of leftovers. The Fantastic Four join the Avengers to help them take down one of the Four's regular villains, Doctor Doom. But Doom has something more sinister in mind when he kidnaps Sue Storm, the Invisible Woman, and Janet Van Dyne the Wasp...
Moved on to Lego Pirates of the Caribbean after I ate. I had problems with "Norrington's Choice." While the puzzles weren't that hard to figure out, one of them glitched. I was supposed to be able to choose the tatooed sumo wrestler pirate, but for some reason, he just stood in a corner and did nothing. I ended up resetting the round and doing it over again, this time with no trouble.
Finished the night with The Big Broadcast of 1938. I go more into Bob Hope's first feature film at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
The Big Broadcast of 1938
Headed to work just as the sun was coming out. Thankfully, it wasn't nearly as much trouble as yesterday. I was the only bagger when I arrived, but two (including a new recruit) arrived by the afternoon. It was so quiet, I barely needed to do carts or shelve items. I mainly did inside trash and outside recycling, gathered baskets, and bagged for a few folks.
This time, I rushed out as soon as I finished around 1 PM. Dark clouds had begun to gather again, but they weren't quite as threatening as yesterday yet. Charlie was working on replacing the wooden steps that lead up to my apartment, so I went inside through the door that leads into his side of the house. He wasn't inside, but I could still hear him cursing his brains out, even over his power tools. I changed, grabbed Chocolate Cream Pie Murder and the DVDs, and headed back out.
Had a far better lunch at Phillies Phatties. Even with soap operas going in the background, it was still a lot quieter. I enjoyed my slice of tomato basil, slice of tomato basil and fresh mozzarella, and can of Cherry Vanilla Pepsi in peace.
Took the long way across Newton Lake Park to Westmont. Despite the clouds, there were quite a few people out and about, mainly fisher folk and dog walkers. It's looking more and more like summer here. The grass and the trees are full and thick and very green. Clover and buttercups dot the banks of the lake.
The Haddon Township Library wasn't too busy when I got in. At any rate, there wasn't much to do. I tried shelving the kids' titles, but most of them still don't fit. A teen volunteer did the remaining DVDs. I just took out a few titles. Decided to give the two recent Amazing Spider Man movies a shot, along with last year's version of Robin Hood. The library finally got the rest of the Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes cartoon in. I took out the last two volumes. Found a book called The Girl Stays In the Picture, on the friendship between silent screen star Mary Pickford and screenwriter Frances Marion, that I thought might be promising.
The clouds had just been getting darker and darker all afternoon, and it was growing more humid by the minute. I figured I'd be safer going straight home. Went online and on the computer as soon as I got in. Rudy and Charlie are eager to join their group. Rudy can make gadgets (and chats with Harris about several designs); Charlie can translate and understand almost any language. Even Chewbacca can bite people in the leg. Wedge not only adds that he and his friends would be willing to help, but offers to help Luke run Ben MacKenner's comics shop as well.
It started raining somewhere around 5:30. While the storms weren't as heavy as they were last night, they were still pretty noisy, with at least one major downpour. Charlie continued to work (and curse) until the rain got to be too heavy.
It was nearly 7 before I finally broke for dinner. Watched the first episode of the final season of Earth's Mightiest Heroes as I enjoyed a quick meal of leftovers. The Fantastic Four join the Avengers to help them take down one of the Four's regular villains, Doctor Doom. But Doom has something more sinister in mind when he kidnaps Sue Storm, the Invisible Woman, and Janet Van Dyne the Wasp...
Moved on to Lego Pirates of the Caribbean after I ate. I had problems with "Norrington's Choice." While the puzzles weren't that hard to figure out, one of them glitched. I was supposed to be able to choose the tatooed sumo wrestler pirate, but for some reason, he just stood in a corner and did nothing. I ended up resetting the round and doing it over again, this time with no trouble.
Finished the night with The Big Broadcast of 1938. I go more into Bob Hope's first feature film at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
The Big Broadcast of 1938
Thursday, May 09, 2019
Rainy Day Caper
It was showering lightly when I woke up this morning. Cheered up a gloomy day with breakfast and Sailor Moon. We're first introduced to Makoto in "Jupiter, the Powerful Girl In Love." Makoto is a tall, strong girl who stands up for Usagi when she's attacked by bullies. In appreciation, Usagi brings Makoto to the arcade where she hangs out and introduces her to the others, including her crush Motoki. Meanwhile, the Negaverse's newest general is vain Zoicite, who has to find the seven Rainbow Crystals within seven humans. He first targets Crane Machine Joe, a boy who uses his power to manipulate crane games and win prizes. Makoto thinks he's cute and tries to get to know him...but she'll have to turn into the thunder-based guardian Sailor Jupiter to rescue him!
Work wasn't nearly as busy as it has been. A lot of people may have been scared off by the weather. While the rain ended as I was going to the Acme, it remained chilly and damp. I mostly alternated between doing two more full carts of returns and rounding up carts. Got stuck in the register once, and of course had to deal with an annoying customer who fussed because she hadn't read about a digital coupon needed for some of the sales.
Headed straight home after work. It started raining harder briefly, but the rain was vanishing even as I walked in my door. Charlie was finished in the bathroom for the day. I'm hoping he intends to paint the tile he put in. It's a strange green-brown color and looks nothing like the yellow tile in the rest of the room.
Had a quick smoothie and muffin lunch while watching more Sailor Moon. It takes a shy artist to finally bring Usagi and Mamoru together in "The Painting of Love: Usagi and Mamoru Get Closer." A renowned artist wants them to model for her newest creation. She's shy and sees herself as plain, refusing to paint herself as she really is. Mamoru puts her down for not putting herself out more, but Usagi encourages her to be herself. That may be a moot point when it turns out that she's a Rainbow Crystal holder...and that Tuxedo Mask may be after the crystals, too.
I really wanted to get to the Haddon Township Library today. Thankfully, by the time I was back on the bike, the rain was gone again. I cut through a brilliant green Newton Lake Park on my way there. The only people I saw were one lone jogger and several flocks of ducks and Canadian Geese.
The library wasn't busy, either. There wasn't a lot for me to do. Most of the DVDs were being saved for the student volunteers. I shelved what I could fit in the stacks, then moved on. Dollar Tree was even quieter, surprising for rush hour. I needed cars for Lauren and Mom there; also bought a surprise for Lauren.
Worked on writing when I got home. Dr. Dodonna and the White Queen give the group their assignments. Luke joins the Jet Pack Squad, including his college buddies Wedge and Biggs. He's disappointed to see Harris leaving with his cash. He'd begun to look up to the older man like a brother. Harris insists that he has debts he needs to pay off, but wishes Luke luck anyway.
Charlie returned while I was writing. He finally (and with much cursing) finished getting all of the new siding on the house. He says he's going to hold off on finishing the bathroom and painting the bedroom until the weather is better on Saturday.
Broke for dinner at quarter after 6. Watched more Smallville while I made Southwestern Turkey Soup (taco meat with the last of the vegetable stock and most of the vegetables in my refrigerator). "Ryan" is a young teen with psychic powers who is a friend of Clark's. His aunt couldn't handle his ablities and dumped him in a mental facility with questionable ethics. Clark, Lex, and the Kents manage to get Ryan out, but he just winds up in a hospital again when it turns out he has a brain tumor and doesn't have much time to live. Clark tries to get him as much help as he can.
Did Lego Star Wars after I ate. After all the trouble I had with the bonus rounds yesterday, I came to the conclusion that I really need to earn more money for extras and characters first. Did the first three rounds of The Phantom Menace on Free Play. Had no problems anywhere. Completed "Negotiations" and "Escape from Naboo Palace"; missed one piece on the remaining round.
Ended my night with one of my favorite Muppet movies, The Great Muppet Caper. I go into more details on this nutty jewelry heist tale at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
The Great Muppet Caper
Work wasn't nearly as busy as it has been. A lot of people may have been scared off by the weather. While the rain ended as I was going to the Acme, it remained chilly and damp. I mostly alternated between doing two more full carts of returns and rounding up carts. Got stuck in the register once, and of course had to deal with an annoying customer who fussed because she hadn't read about a digital coupon needed for some of the sales.
Headed straight home after work. It started raining harder briefly, but the rain was vanishing even as I walked in my door. Charlie was finished in the bathroom for the day. I'm hoping he intends to paint the tile he put in. It's a strange green-brown color and looks nothing like the yellow tile in the rest of the room.
Had a quick smoothie and muffin lunch while watching more Sailor Moon. It takes a shy artist to finally bring Usagi and Mamoru together in "The Painting of Love: Usagi and Mamoru Get Closer." A renowned artist wants them to model for her newest creation. She's shy and sees herself as plain, refusing to paint herself as she really is. Mamoru puts her down for not putting herself out more, but Usagi encourages her to be herself. That may be a moot point when it turns out that she's a Rainbow Crystal holder...and that Tuxedo Mask may be after the crystals, too.
I really wanted to get to the Haddon Township Library today. Thankfully, by the time I was back on the bike, the rain was gone again. I cut through a brilliant green Newton Lake Park on my way there. The only people I saw were one lone jogger and several flocks of ducks and Canadian Geese.
The library wasn't busy, either. There wasn't a lot for me to do. Most of the DVDs were being saved for the student volunteers. I shelved what I could fit in the stacks, then moved on. Dollar Tree was even quieter, surprising for rush hour. I needed cars for Lauren and Mom there; also bought a surprise for Lauren.
Worked on writing when I got home. Dr. Dodonna and the White Queen give the group their assignments. Luke joins the Jet Pack Squad, including his college buddies Wedge and Biggs. He's disappointed to see Harris leaving with his cash. He'd begun to look up to the older man like a brother. Harris insists that he has debts he needs to pay off, but wishes Luke luck anyway.
Charlie returned while I was writing. He finally (and with much cursing) finished getting all of the new siding on the house. He says he's going to hold off on finishing the bathroom and painting the bedroom until the weather is better on Saturday.
Broke for dinner at quarter after 6. Watched more Smallville while I made Southwestern Turkey Soup (taco meat with the last of the vegetable stock and most of the vegetables in my refrigerator). "Ryan" is a young teen with psychic powers who is a friend of Clark's. His aunt couldn't handle his ablities and dumped him in a mental facility with questionable ethics. Clark, Lex, and the Kents manage to get Ryan out, but he just winds up in a hospital again when it turns out he has a brain tumor and doesn't have much time to live. Clark tries to get him as much help as he can.
Did Lego Star Wars after I ate. After all the trouble I had with the bonus rounds yesterday, I came to the conclusion that I really need to earn more money for extras and characters first. Did the first three rounds of The Phantom Menace on Free Play. Had no problems anywhere. Completed "Negotiations" and "Escape from Naboo Palace"; missed one piece on the remaining round.
Ended my night with one of my favorite Muppet movies, The Great Muppet Caper. I go into more details on this nutty jewelry heist tale at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
The Great Muppet Caper
Wednesday, May 08, 2019
The Guardians and the Superman
Kicked off another rainy morning with breakfast and a first season episode of Sailor Moon. Usagi is thrilled when she's selected to be a finalist in a modeling contest in "Usagi's a Model: The Flash of the Monster Camera." Things get a lot scarier when it turns out that the camera owned by the kid who is running the contest has been possessed by a Negaverse monster...and Usagi will be on her own to fight it.
Went straight to work after the episode ended. Though I did get stuck in the register for a while (we were short on help), I spent most of the morning shelving three full carts of returns. I totally finished two carts, but got disrupted too much to finish the third one.
By the time I got out, the morning rain had vanished, replaced by slowly emerging sunshine. It was so nice, I took the long way home down Nicholson Road. Thankfully, I didn't run into much traffic, not even around the entrance to the shopping center. Probably thanks to the rain, everything is so green now. The leaves on the trees get bigger and greener every day, and the purple irises look like dark purple velvet.
Charlie was just finishing up when I was getting in. He painted the new walls in the living room and kitchen a simple winter white. He'll be putting new tile on the bathroom walls tomorrow.
Spent the next couple of hours after he left finishing the dusting. I do thorough dusting under everything in the house twice a year, in the spring before Lauren visits in April and May, and in October and November before Christmas. The bedroom always takes the longest. Even after all the clearing out I've done over the past few months, I still have a ton of stuff to dust under in there.
Ran episodes of Smallville while I worked. "Nocturne" is actually rather sweet. Someone keeps leaving Lana love poems at her parents' grave. Turns out it's a young man named Byron who is kept n the basement by his well-meaning mother and gruff father, who claim he's dead. Clark and Pete free him...only to discover that he turns into a huge, angry creature with amazing strength in the sunlight. Freed, he goes after Lionel, whose experiments at LuthorCorp caused his condition. Meanwhile, Clark and Johnathan are not happy when Martha takes a job as Lionel's assistant.
"Redux" was also really interesting. Smallville High is getting ready for their Spirit Week, but the discovery of a swimming star who has aged 50 years in 10 seconds in the pool puts a literal damper on their enthusiasm. Chloe, Clark, and Pete discover that a pretty cheerleader saps life from anyone she touches, keeping her young and immortal. Lana has her own problems. She learns from a pile of photos that the man her mother married may not be her father. Lex helps her find the man..
Worked on writing for a while after that. Rudy sets up the tapes with the Death Ray plans and hooks up an intercom, allowing them to speak to the voice of their unknown leader, the White Queen. She thanks Luke and Harris for rescuing Leia before explaining why it's so important that they destroy the ray gun. No one else should be destroyed like Aldera Hills and the Erso Shipyards.
Broke for dinner at 6:30. Watched more Smallville while I ate. Clark starts to wonder about his "Lineage" when a woman (Blair Brown) shows up claiming to be his biological mother. He finally gets his parents to tell him about the day he was adopted...and how Lionel Luther got involved. Meanwhile, Lana tries to see the man who may be her birth father, but he may not be happy to see her.
Did some Lego Star Wars after dinner. I didn't do very well on any of the bonus rounds I tried tonight. The only one I managed to get through was "Anakin's Flight," the Lego version of Anakin destroying the Trade Federation ship in The Phantom Menace. I just couldn't get the original version of "Gunship Calvary" right, and it took me so long to do the "Lego City" round, I finally gave up and went online.
Finished the night with Lovely to Look At. I go into more details on MGM's 1952 remake of Roberta at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Lovely to Look At
Went straight to work after the episode ended. Though I did get stuck in the register for a while (we were short on help), I spent most of the morning shelving three full carts of returns. I totally finished two carts, but got disrupted too much to finish the third one.
By the time I got out, the morning rain had vanished, replaced by slowly emerging sunshine. It was so nice, I took the long way home down Nicholson Road. Thankfully, I didn't run into much traffic, not even around the entrance to the shopping center. Probably thanks to the rain, everything is so green now. The leaves on the trees get bigger and greener every day, and the purple irises look like dark purple velvet.
Charlie was just finishing up when I was getting in. He painted the new walls in the living room and kitchen a simple winter white. He'll be putting new tile on the bathroom walls tomorrow.
Spent the next couple of hours after he left finishing the dusting. I do thorough dusting under everything in the house twice a year, in the spring before Lauren visits in April and May, and in October and November before Christmas. The bedroom always takes the longest. Even after all the clearing out I've done over the past few months, I still have a ton of stuff to dust under in there.
Ran episodes of Smallville while I worked. "Nocturne" is actually rather sweet. Someone keeps leaving Lana love poems at her parents' grave. Turns out it's a young man named Byron who is kept n the basement by his well-meaning mother and gruff father, who claim he's dead. Clark and Pete free him...only to discover that he turns into a huge, angry creature with amazing strength in the sunlight. Freed, he goes after Lionel, whose experiments at LuthorCorp caused his condition. Meanwhile, Clark and Johnathan are not happy when Martha takes a job as Lionel's assistant.
"Redux" was also really interesting. Smallville High is getting ready for their Spirit Week, but the discovery of a swimming star who has aged 50 years in 10 seconds in the pool puts a literal damper on their enthusiasm. Chloe, Clark, and Pete discover that a pretty cheerleader saps life from anyone she touches, keeping her young and immortal. Lana has her own problems. She learns from a pile of photos that the man her mother married may not be her father. Lex helps her find the man..
Worked on writing for a while after that. Rudy sets up the tapes with the Death Ray plans and hooks up an intercom, allowing them to speak to the voice of their unknown leader, the White Queen. She thanks Luke and Harris for rescuing Leia before explaining why it's so important that they destroy the ray gun. No one else should be destroyed like Aldera Hills and the Erso Shipyards.
Broke for dinner at 6:30. Watched more Smallville while I ate. Clark starts to wonder about his "Lineage" when a woman (Blair Brown) shows up claiming to be his biological mother. He finally gets his parents to tell him about the day he was adopted...and how Lionel Luther got involved. Meanwhile, Lana tries to see the man who may be her birth father, but he may not be happy to see her.
Did some Lego Star Wars after dinner. I didn't do very well on any of the bonus rounds I tried tonight. The only one I managed to get through was "Anakin's Flight," the Lego version of Anakin destroying the Trade Federation ship in The Phantom Menace. I just couldn't get the original version of "Gunship Calvary" right, and it took me so long to do the "Lego City" round, I finally gave up and went online.
Finished the night with Lovely to Look At. I go into more details on MGM's 1952 remake of Roberta at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Lovely to Look At
Wednesday, May 01, 2019
Spring Cleaning and Other Day Off Tales
Awoke to a cloudy, cold day, much colder than it has been lately. It actually felt rather cozy as I had breakfast and put on The Dick Van Dyke Show. Mel Cooley is so impressed with Laura after she dances at a party, he lets her fill in for a dancer on The Alan Brady Show. He eventually offers her a contract, to the dismay of Rob, who's been eating frozen meals all week. He has to decide "To Tell or Not To Tell" his wife that she may have a shot at a dancing career.
Charlie had come up shortly after I started breakfast. He started putting the new siding on the house as I was leaving. Despite the gloomy day, I had to get all the paperwork I needed to renew my food stamps. I'd already planned on volunteering there today anyway. I organized the DVDs, then went on the computers to print out my electrical bill, once I finally remembered the password, and made a copy of my rent. (I still haven't figured out how to get my printer at home working.)
Next stop was a quick pop into Five Below. They sell electronics accessories, including ear phones. The only ear phones I have are the small ones I use for my iPod when I travel. I wanted a larger pair that would be more comfortable, so I can watch YouTube and online streaming after 10 PM without bothering the residents downstairs. Found a neat pair with a padded band in bright coral red.
I was mainly there to print out my pay stubs. I direct deposit my paychecks. One of the head managers helped me get onto the computer. From there, it was easy to print everything out. I didn't really need anything else. Bought a pretzel for a snack and headed out.
Ducked around Charlie when I got in, then went right into signing the remaining paperwork. Slid everything into the envelope that came with it, then took it downstairs and put it in the mailbox. I'm now glad that I had these three days off in a row. Unlike last year, when I had to rush to get everything out by the right time, this time I'm pretty proud that I got everything in the mail three days ahead of schedule.
Made a quick chocolate-banana smoothie when I came back upstairs, then started the spring cleaning. Scrubbed the bathroom and drowned out Charlie's potty mouth with more Dick Van Dyke. Laura has to remind Rob and Buddy that "Sally Is a Girl." They tend to treat her like one of the guys and forget she's even female half the time. Rob attempts to be a gentleman and take her out to dinner, which makes Mel and Buddy think they're having an affair.
Buddy's saying "Buddy, Can You Spare a Job" when he gets Mel and the others to write a bad letter of recommendation to get him to leave, only to not get the job. Sally and Rob find someone even more obnoxious to annoy Mel into taking Buddy back.
"Empress Carlotta's Necklace" is huge and gaudy, too much for Laura's taste. She can't bring herself to tell Rob that she loathes it. Rob bought it from a jewelry salesman and is thrilled about it. It takes a visit from Rob's parents to give Laura a way to get rid of the necklace without hurting Rob's feelings.
Did some writing after I finished the bathroom. Luke and Leia are chased to the edge of the unfinished catwalk...but Leia has a better solution for getting across the room than swinging. Her flame allows her to fly. She easily carries Luke to the other side of the room, where they join Chewbacca and Harris behind the Falcon. They're about to leave when Luke sees Ben and Vader burst into the room...and Luke doesn't like how the fight's going...
Broke for dinner at 6. Made macaroni and cheese with broccoli, cherry tomatoes, and the last of the ham and asparagus in the refrigerator. Yum! The white sauce came out a bit clumpy, but it mostly tasted delicious, just the thing to hit the spot on a chilly day.
Did one more Dick Van Dyke episode as I ate. Rod's buddy Sol from the episode where he met Laura turns up at his house one day for a visit. He'd be happier if the sponsor of The Alan Brady Show wasn't coming for dinner. Sol is a loud mouth mechanic and car salesman with questionable taste. Things don't look like they're going well for "Sol and the Sponsor" when he gets into an argument with the man over his taste in cars, only to end up helping him solve a major problem.
Finished the night with Lego Star Wars. The two rounds that have you rescuing Princess Leia are long and involved. Thankfully, I did find a way to build the mosaic in the second without getting shot at. The "power up" ball that you get from one of the explosives in the room lets you move twice as fast...and build twice as fast! I actually managed to get True Jedi on both rounds, though not much in the way of pieces. Both of these rounds will require far more exploring in Free Play.
Charlie had come up shortly after I started breakfast. He started putting the new siding on the house as I was leaving. Despite the gloomy day, I had to get all the paperwork I needed to renew my food stamps. I'd already planned on volunteering there today anyway. I organized the DVDs, then went on the computers to print out my electrical bill, once I finally remembered the password, and made a copy of my rent. (I still haven't figured out how to get my printer at home working.)
Next stop was a quick pop into Five Below. They sell electronics accessories, including ear phones. The only ear phones I have are the small ones I use for my iPod when I travel. I wanted a larger pair that would be more comfortable, so I can watch YouTube and online streaming after 10 PM without bothering the residents downstairs. Found a neat pair with a padded band in bright coral red.
I was mainly there to print out my pay stubs. I direct deposit my paychecks. One of the head managers helped me get onto the computer. From there, it was easy to print everything out. I didn't really need anything else. Bought a pretzel for a snack and headed out.
Ducked around Charlie when I got in, then went right into signing the remaining paperwork. Slid everything into the envelope that came with it, then took it downstairs and put it in the mailbox. I'm now glad that I had these three days off in a row. Unlike last year, when I had to rush to get everything out by the right time, this time I'm pretty proud that I got everything in the mail three days ahead of schedule.
Made a quick chocolate-banana smoothie when I came back upstairs, then started the spring cleaning. Scrubbed the bathroom and drowned out Charlie's potty mouth with more Dick Van Dyke. Laura has to remind Rob and Buddy that "Sally Is a Girl." They tend to treat her like one of the guys and forget she's even female half the time. Rob attempts to be a gentleman and take her out to dinner, which makes Mel and Buddy think they're having an affair.
Buddy's saying "Buddy, Can You Spare a Job" when he gets Mel and the others to write a bad letter of recommendation to get him to leave, only to not get the job. Sally and Rob find someone even more obnoxious to annoy Mel into taking Buddy back.
"Empress Carlotta's Necklace" is huge and gaudy, too much for Laura's taste. She can't bring herself to tell Rob that she loathes it. Rob bought it from a jewelry salesman and is thrilled about it. It takes a visit from Rob's parents to give Laura a way to get rid of the necklace without hurting Rob's feelings.
Did some writing after I finished the bathroom. Luke and Leia are chased to the edge of the unfinished catwalk...but Leia has a better solution for getting across the room than swinging. Her flame allows her to fly. She easily carries Luke to the other side of the room, where they join Chewbacca and Harris behind the Falcon. They're about to leave when Luke sees Ben and Vader burst into the room...and Luke doesn't like how the fight's going...
Broke for dinner at 6. Made macaroni and cheese with broccoli, cherry tomatoes, and the last of the ham and asparagus in the refrigerator. Yum! The white sauce came out a bit clumpy, but it mostly tasted delicious, just the thing to hit the spot on a chilly day.
Did one more Dick Van Dyke episode as I ate. Rod's buddy Sol from the episode where he met Laura turns up at his house one day for a visit. He'd be happier if the sponsor of The Alan Brady Show wasn't coming for dinner. Sol is a loud mouth mechanic and car salesman with questionable taste. Things don't look like they're going well for "Sol and the Sponsor" when he gets into an argument with the man over his taste in cars, only to end up helping him solve a major problem.
Finished the night with Lego Star Wars. The two rounds that have you rescuing Princess Leia are long and involved. Thankfully, I did find a way to build the mosaic in the second without getting shot at. The "power up" ball that you get from one of the explosives in the room lets you move twice as fast...and build twice as fast! I actually managed to get True Jedi on both rounds, though not much in the way of pieces. Both of these rounds will require far more exploring in Free Play.
Tuesday, April 30, 2019
Spring In My Step
The day did not begin well. I awoke to Charlie cursing on the porch. I forgot he was going to start putting the new siding on the house today. I'd been reading Superfluous Women for an hour and ignoring him when the phone rang. Turns out it was a very upset Mrs. Stahl. Her brother had just died, and she was going to his funeral. Having lost my stepfather back in October, I could understand her distress too well. We rescheduled our appointment to the end of May, the week after Lauren's visit.
Finally had breakfast while watching more Dick Van Dyke Show. Rob is more than a little surprised when "Harrison B. Harding of Camp Crowder, Mo." shows up at the office one day, claiming to be an old army buddy. He doesn't recognize him, but he still invites him and his wife to his house for dinner. He's convinced that Harding has nefarious motives, and gets Laura worrying, too...but maybe things aren't as bad as they seem.
Headed to the laundromat after the episode ended. I'd already planned on doing this in the morning anyway. There were a few people around when I arrived. By the time my small load was in the dryer, the place was almost empty. I listened to 70's and 80's hits (and one good recent country-pop song) playing over a man's phone, ignored soap operas, and worked on story notes.
Put everything away when I got home, then made a strawberry-banana smoothie for lunch. Continued with Dick Van Dyke while I sipped my treat. Rob was supposed to buy "Forty-Four Tickets" for the PTA, but he forgot. Now he has to beg, borrow, or con enough tickets off everyone he can think of, before the members figure out what's going on.
Since the weather is supposed to be lousy the rest of the week anyway, I flip-flopped my original plans for Thursday and did the Haddon Township Library today. It was so nice, I took the long way through Newton Lake Park. The weather was gorgeous today, sunny and breezy, a perfect upper 60's-lower 70's spring day. I dodged a lot of people enjoying the scenery, including dog walkers, fisherfolk, parents out with strollers, and people out for jogs.
The Haddon Township Library wasn't terribly busy when I arrived. It was too beautiful for people to want to hang around a library all day. I shelved all the DVDs I could. Many of the shelves were overloaded, and there were quite a few titles I just couldn't fit in. Didn't get any movies, but I did find the next Super Hero High novel, this one about Bumblebee.
Made a very quick stop at Target on the way home for cough drops. I'm hoping it'll loosen the gunk in my chest enough to stop me from sounding like I'm hacking up a hair ball. They weren't busy either, and I was in and out in less than 15 minutes.
Noticed that Phillies Yummies was open for the first time this season. They're the ice cream place a few blocks down from me on West Clinton. Tried a cherry vanilla Yum-Yum, a creamier, grittier water ice. Oooh, it was good, especially the vanilla part. Enjoyed it a table while watching the kids show off on their bikes and chatter amongs themselves at the picnic benches on the sidewalk.
Went straight home and on the computer, ignoring Charlie's fussing as he finished up the work for the day. Leia, Harris, Luke, and Chewbacca manage to get out and regroup in a service hallway. Leia expects the guys to follow her, but Harris is having none of it. He's his own man. They finally get to a catwalk above the Falcon...only to be spotted by the Shadow Men...
Broke for a quick dinner at quarter of 7, then some Lego Star Wars. The two rounds I did tonight are among the longest in the game. "Through the Jutland Wastes" and "Mos Eisley" both have distinct parts and long, involved puzzles that take a while to figure out. I managed to get True Jedi from "Jutland," but got shot at too much to get it in "Mos Eisley." Didn't really find much in the way of pieces in either round. I do better with those rounds on Free Play, when I have refilling hearts and invincibility.
Finished the evening with the fantasy Yolanda and the Thief. I go more into this unusual Fred Astaire film from 1945 at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Yolanda and the Thief
Finally had breakfast while watching more Dick Van Dyke Show. Rob is more than a little surprised when "Harrison B. Harding of Camp Crowder, Mo." shows up at the office one day, claiming to be an old army buddy. He doesn't recognize him, but he still invites him and his wife to his house for dinner. He's convinced that Harding has nefarious motives, and gets Laura worrying, too...but maybe things aren't as bad as they seem.
Headed to the laundromat after the episode ended. I'd already planned on doing this in the morning anyway. There were a few people around when I arrived. By the time my small load was in the dryer, the place was almost empty. I listened to 70's and 80's hits (and one good recent country-pop song) playing over a man's phone, ignored soap operas, and worked on story notes.
Put everything away when I got home, then made a strawberry-banana smoothie for lunch. Continued with Dick Van Dyke while I sipped my treat. Rob was supposed to buy "Forty-Four Tickets" for the PTA, but he forgot. Now he has to beg, borrow, or con enough tickets off everyone he can think of, before the members figure out what's going on.
Since the weather is supposed to be lousy the rest of the week anyway, I flip-flopped my original plans for Thursday and did the Haddon Township Library today. It was so nice, I took the long way through Newton Lake Park. The weather was gorgeous today, sunny and breezy, a perfect upper 60's-lower 70's spring day. I dodged a lot of people enjoying the scenery, including dog walkers, fisherfolk, parents out with strollers, and people out for jogs.
The Haddon Township Library wasn't terribly busy when I arrived. It was too beautiful for people to want to hang around a library all day. I shelved all the DVDs I could. Many of the shelves were overloaded, and there were quite a few titles I just couldn't fit in. Didn't get any movies, but I did find the next Super Hero High novel, this one about Bumblebee.
Made a very quick stop at Target on the way home for cough drops. I'm hoping it'll loosen the gunk in my chest enough to stop me from sounding like I'm hacking up a hair ball. They weren't busy either, and I was in and out in less than 15 minutes.
Noticed that Phillies Yummies was open for the first time this season. They're the ice cream place a few blocks down from me on West Clinton. Tried a cherry vanilla Yum-Yum, a creamier, grittier water ice. Oooh, it was good, especially the vanilla part. Enjoyed it a table while watching the kids show off on their bikes and chatter amongs themselves at the picnic benches on the sidewalk.
Went straight home and on the computer, ignoring Charlie's fussing as he finished up the work for the day. Leia, Harris, Luke, and Chewbacca manage to get out and regroup in a service hallway. Leia expects the guys to follow her, but Harris is having none of it. He's his own man. They finally get to a catwalk above the Falcon...only to be spotted by the Shadow Men...
Broke for a quick dinner at quarter of 7, then some Lego Star Wars. The two rounds I did tonight are among the longest in the game. "Through the Jutland Wastes" and "Mos Eisley" both have distinct parts and long, involved puzzles that take a while to figure out. I managed to get True Jedi from "Jutland," but got shot at too much to get it in "Mos Eisley." Didn't really find much in the way of pieces in either round. I do better with those rounds on Free Play, when I have refilling hearts and invincibility.
Finished the evening with the fantasy Yolanda and the Thief. I go more into this unusual Fred Astaire film from 1945 at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Yolanda and the Thief
Tuesday, April 23, 2019
Hello, Oaklyn, Hello
Started off the morning with another episode of Rick Steves' Europe. This time, we head east to Prague, the capitol of the Czech Republic. Prague has some really interesting history, including recent history. Czechoslovakia was able to shake off its communist past without bloodshed in 1989, something Rick does discuss. I also love the ornate Art Noveau buildings and artwork on display, especially since that form of art seems to have become popular again of late.
Work was even quieter than yesterday. It was gorgeous, sunny, breezy, and in the upper 60's by 10 AM. While I did check the bathrooms, clean the backroom, and do returns during the last hour, I was mostly outside. The carts generally weren't that bad...but not only was it too nice to be inside, but there really wasn't that much to do inside, either. When the carts were full, I swept the patio and rounded up what little trash there was. (The recycling was fine.)
Took Nicholson Road home. As soon as I got in, I changed, grabbed my purse and Harley Quinn at Super Hero High to return, and went right back out. Charlie was still working on the last window in my bedroom, so I hit Phillies Phatties for lunch. I loved the basil-fresh mozzarella pizza from last week so much, I had it again, this time with a slice of cheese and a can of Pepsi. The place was much busier than usual for a weekday. It's a popular hangout for local kids, and they're all out of school this week. I half-listened to their chatter and half-watched ESPN talk about football trades.
The weather was so gorgeous, I took the long way across Newton Lake Park to the Haddon Township Library. I wasn't the only one who wanted to get out and enjoy the weather. I dodged other bikers, dog walkers, people with strollers, and a dad walking hand-in-hand with his adorable little girl, who didn't look more than 4. The trees are just getting greener and greener; buttercups wave in the breeze on the riverbanks.
The Haddon Township Library was just as dead as the Acme this morning. They were doing inventory, but I was able to shelve DVDs for adults and kids between their hourly work sessions. Once again, it was quiet, and there just wasn't that much to do. I spent longer grabbing a young adult book about Superman's youth in Smallville than I did volunteering.
Stopped at Dollar Tree really fast on the way home. I bought a plastic tote for Khai's Pokemon figure, instead of the usual cheap bag, along with sponges, tissue paper, and a card for Khai. (His birthday was on Friday.) They weren't really all that busy either, despite it being rush hour when I finally headed back to Oaklyn.
Did some writing after I packed up Khai's gift. Luke insists on rescuing Leia, whom Vader wants to kill. Harris refuses to help, until Luke plays the "she's rich" card, and even then he does it reluctantly.
(Oh, and Charlie is now totally finished with all the windows in the house. He's going to come back and paint in the living room and kitchen, and then he'll be done until after Lauren visits and he can do the closet. I really wish some of the windows weren't permanently closed ones, but at least most of them can open. And I need to ask about new shades or curtains after the windows are done. I like my privacy.)
Rose called me last night, but I had my cell phone turned off and missed it. Called her back this afternoon, right after work. She invited me to eat Easter leftovers with her, Khai, and Finley. No problem! I only had leftovers of my own planned for dinner. We had ham, potato salad, and a green bean and tomato salad that apparently is a specialty of Craig's and is delicious. Rose, Finley, and I shared pineapple upside-down cake for dessert. Khai wasn't feeling well and went to his room and his new loft bed as soon as he could, but he did like the Pokemon figure I gave him. Rose loved her gift card to Target, too. She gave me a 25 dollar gift card to Applebee's. Finley has a cool new bed too, a white loft bed with a very slippery slide to ride down. I got to watch her mother give her a bath before we settled in to watch the first How to Train Your Dragon movie for a while.
Returned to Rick Steves after I got in. The episodes about Berlin fascinate me. Like Prague, this is one of the few episodes where I can actually claim to have lived through some of the history depicted. I remember watching people tear the Berlin Wall down on my little black-and-white Zenith TV in 1989. Berlin has exploded as a cosmopolitan center since the Cold War ended and the two sides of Germany were unified. It does respect it's past, though, including a touching Holocaust Memorial Monnument and the excavated ruins of Germany Nazi underground bunkers.
Finished the night with the 1943 Alice Faye vehicle Hello, Frisco, Hello, which I go into in more detail on my Musical Dreams Movies Reviews blog.
Hello, Frisco, Hello
Work was even quieter than yesterday. It was gorgeous, sunny, breezy, and in the upper 60's by 10 AM. While I did check the bathrooms, clean the backroom, and do returns during the last hour, I was mostly outside. The carts generally weren't that bad...but not only was it too nice to be inside, but there really wasn't that much to do inside, either. When the carts were full, I swept the patio and rounded up what little trash there was. (The recycling was fine.)
Took Nicholson Road home. As soon as I got in, I changed, grabbed my purse and Harley Quinn at Super Hero High to return, and went right back out. Charlie was still working on the last window in my bedroom, so I hit Phillies Phatties for lunch. I loved the basil-fresh mozzarella pizza from last week so much, I had it again, this time with a slice of cheese and a can of Pepsi. The place was much busier than usual for a weekday. It's a popular hangout for local kids, and they're all out of school this week. I half-listened to their chatter and half-watched ESPN talk about football trades.
The weather was so gorgeous, I took the long way across Newton Lake Park to the Haddon Township Library. I wasn't the only one who wanted to get out and enjoy the weather. I dodged other bikers, dog walkers, people with strollers, and a dad walking hand-in-hand with his adorable little girl, who didn't look more than 4. The trees are just getting greener and greener; buttercups wave in the breeze on the riverbanks.
The Haddon Township Library was just as dead as the Acme this morning. They were doing inventory, but I was able to shelve DVDs for adults and kids between their hourly work sessions. Once again, it was quiet, and there just wasn't that much to do. I spent longer grabbing a young adult book about Superman's youth in Smallville than I did volunteering.
Stopped at Dollar Tree really fast on the way home. I bought a plastic tote for Khai's Pokemon figure, instead of the usual cheap bag, along with sponges, tissue paper, and a card for Khai. (His birthday was on Friday.) They weren't really all that busy either, despite it being rush hour when I finally headed back to Oaklyn.
Did some writing after I packed up Khai's gift. Luke insists on rescuing Leia, whom Vader wants to kill. Harris refuses to help, until Luke plays the "she's rich" card, and even then he does it reluctantly.
(Oh, and Charlie is now totally finished with all the windows in the house. He's going to come back and paint in the living room and kitchen, and then he'll be done until after Lauren visits and he can do the closet. I really wish some of the windows weren't permanently closed ones, but at least most of them can open. And I need to ask about new shades or curtains after the windows are done. I like my privacy.)
Rose called me last night, but I had my cell phone turned off and missed it. Called her back this afternoon, right after work. She invited me to eat Easter leftovers with her, Khai, and Finley. No problem! I only had leftovers of my own planned for dinner. We had ham, potato salad, and a green bean and tomato salad that apparently is a specialty of Craig's and is delicious. Rose, Finley, and I shared pineapple upside-down cake for dessert. Khai wasn't feeling well and went to his room and his new loft bed as soon as he could, but he did like the Pokemon figure I gave him. Rose loved her gift card to Target, too. She gave me a 25 dollar gift card to Applebee's. Finley has a cool new bed too, a white loft bed with a very slippery slide to ride down. I got to watch her mother give her a bath before we settled in to watch the first How to Train Your Dragon movie for a while.
Returned to Rick Steves after I got in. The episodes about Berlin fascinate me. Like Prague, this is one of the few episodes where I can actually claim to have lived through some of the history depicted. I remember watching people tear the Berlin Wall down on my little black-and-white Zenith TV in 1989. Berlin has exploded as a cosmopolitan center since the Cold War ended and the two sides of Germany were unified. It does respect it's past, though, including a touching Holocaust Memorial Monnument and the excavated ruins of Germany Nazi underground bunkers.
Finished the night with the 1943 Alice Faye vehicle Hello, Frisco, Hello, which I go into in more detail on my Musical Dreams Movies Reviews blog.
Hello, Frisco, Hello
Monday, April 22, 2019
Going Green
Once again began the day with work. This time, we weren't even mildly busy. I ended up in the register briefly for someone's break. Otherwise, I was mostly doing carts, gathering baskets, or cleaning up two spills in a row.
Took the long way home down Nicholson Road and Atlantic Avenue. Not because it was a nice day. Actually, by that point, clouds had moved in, and while it wasn't freezing, the wind was chilly. Charlie started working on the bedroom windows today, and I wanted to give him time to finish. At least the neighborhood looks lovely. The leaves get larger and greener every day. The dogwood tree in one yard on the other end of Manor is in full bloom, and the yellow starbursts of dandelions dot every lawn.
Charlie was just starting to finish when I got in. The new air conditioner is an upright model, attached to the window by a thick tube. The two window models I have no longer work with the windows in the house. Other than I'll have to figure out how to duck around it when I need to plug something in on the wall overlooking the park, it works pretty much the same as the one Dad and Jodie bought last year.
He also replaced the window next to my desk in the bedroom with the same cranking windows used in the living area and bathroom. Though it sounds like he will remove and cover the other window tomorrow, he won't get to expanding the closet until late next month, after Lauren visits. Probably just as well. Besides Lauren visiting, I need to do my heavy spring cleaning starting next week.
Ran a couple of cartoons related to Earth Day and environmental concerns as I changed, had lunch, and let Charlie finish. The Lorax is a little orange fellow who speaks for the Truffula trees and the animals they support, but the greedy Onceler only cares about cutting them down to make his faddish Thneeds. He continually ignores the fellow's pleas, even as the pollution from the factory drives away the animals in the area...until he and the Lorax learn a sad lesson in the damage unchecked "progress" can do.
The Sailor Guardians go up against Mother Nature in "Usagi's Panic: Rei's First Date" from the first season of Sailor Moon. Rei wants to go on a date with Mamoru to a park that's about to be demolished for an office building. A jealous Usagi grabs Umino and uses him as her date to follow them. Meanwhile, Ami is concerned about the park's kindly old caretaker, who has been acting very strange. It turns out that the Negaverse is after his energy and that of the animals in the park...and use it to turn the animals against the Guardians.
Headed out as soon as the cartoon ended and I finished lunch. Despite the dark clouds building up overhead, I really needed to get the laundry done. I didn't have that big of a load, but I needed to get my work clothes done. They weren't busy, especially when I came in. I worked on story notes and half-listened to Ellen on TV. It was wet when I got out, but not raining. I must have just missed the worst of the weather. Indeed, almost as soon as I got home, the sun came out. It hasn't rained since.
Hurried home and spent the next few hours writing after I got everything put away. Ben says he'll go and turn off the main power generator. Luke wants to go with him, but he says he'll do it better alone. He also suggests that if he doesn't make it, Luke should talk to Yoda Yamada, the former Grand Master of the Jedi. Shortly after he leaves, Rudy discovers that Leia is there as well...and she's in the midst of being executed, even as they stand there...
Broke for dinner at 6:30. I had quick leftovers, then took down the Easter decorations. I moved the plastic egg bag to the bag with the baskets to make more room in the container for the other items. Wrapped up some of the items in heavier plastic or paper.
Watched an episode of Tiny Toon Adventures from the late first season as I worked. Spring fairy Babs hopes she has a "Pollution Solution" via three shorts. "No Deposit, No Return of the Trash Bag Dispenser" has Plucky trying to teach a clueless Elmyra how to recycle. It's a "Jungle Bungle" when Babs and Buster stop a rich businessman from destroying the rain forests to make a bigger front lawn. Go-Go is "Waste Deep In Wackyland" when Monty pipes the backwash from his new factory into Go-Go's home. Go-Go and the other citizens of Wackyland put Monty on a kooky trial to teach him a lesson.
Switched to The Dark Knight as I finished taking down the Easter decorations. Batman, aka Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has his gloved hands full with Gotham's biggest mob bosses and a new criminal, the insane Joker (Heath Ledger). Bruce is hoping that crusading lawyer Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) will be the hero that Gotham needs when, with Batman's help, he manages to arrest the entire mob. He's still interested in Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) as well, despite her dating Dent.
Meanwhile, the Joker has taken over the crime syndicate. He wants nothing more than to kill Batman and expose his dual identity. Bruce is about to do the same before the Joker goes on a killing spree, taking out the Police Commissioner and almost assassinating the mayor before Gordon (Gary Oldman) saves him. The Joker still has killing on the brain...and Rachel and Dent are his next victims. Bruce is devastated when he can't save Rachel, but a disfigured Harvey is even moreso, joining with the Joker to seek revenge. Now Batman has to deal with the Joker's insane plans and show Harvey that revenge is not a dish best served at all, never mind cold.
Honestly, this one might have been a little dark for my taste. That's why I've put off seeing it for so long. That, and Batman has never been my favorite character. I never was much for the rich playboy superheroes. (I'm not a fan of Iron Man/Tony Stark, either.) There are some really great performances here. Ledger's freakish Joker won him a posthumous supporting actor Oscar. Bale's not bad as Batman. Eckhart makes for a rather strange Two-Face, but Gyllenhaal is appropriately spunky as Rachel, the woman both men are after. (She was certainly better than Katie Holmes in the role.) Great makeup for the Joker and Two-Face, too.
For all the great action, it's just too darn dark for me, with everyone in dull colors and even the Joker's men not really standing out all that much. I also wish they spent less time with the rather boring mobsters and more with the Joker and Batman. The mobsters were mostly not much different than the types who show up in any generic crime thriller.
While I'm not into it, I can understand why it went over so well in 2008. If you're a fan of Bale, Ledger, or Batman or like your superhero movies darker and more adult, you'll probably enjoy this a lot more than I did.
Took the long way home down Nicholson Road and Atlantic Avenue. Not because it was a nice day. Actually, by that point, clouds had moved in, and while it wasn't freezing, the wind was chilly. Charlie started working on the bedroom windows today, and I wanted to give him time to finish. At least the neighborhood looks lovely. The leaves get larger and greener every day. The dogwood tree in one yard on the other end of Manor is in full bloom, and the yellow starbursts of dandelions dot every lawn.
Charlie was just starting to finish when I got in. The new air conditioner is an upright model, attached to the window by a thick tube. The two window models I have no longer work with the windows in the house. Other than I'll have to figure out how to duck around it when I need to plug something in on the wall overlooking the park, it works pretty much the same as the one Dad and Jodie bought last year.
He also replaced the window next to my desk in the bedroom with the same cranking windows used in the living area and bathroom. Though it sounds like he will remove and cover the other window tomorrow, he won't get to expanding the closet until late next month, after Lauren visits. Probably just as well. Besides Lauren visiting, I need to do my heavy spring cleaning starting next week.
Ran a couple of cartoons related to Earth Day and environmental concerns as I changed, had lunch, and let Charlie finish. The Lorax is a little orange fellow who speaks for the Truffula trees and the animals they support, but the greedy Onceler only cares about cutting them down to make his faddish Thneeds. He continually ignores the fellow's pleas, even as the pollution from the factory drives away the animals in the area...until he and the Lorax learn a sad lesson in the damage unchecked "progress" can do.
The Sailor Guardians go up against Mother Nature in "Usagi's Panic: Rei's First Date" from the first season of Sailor Moon. Rei wants to go on a date with Mamoru to a park that's about to be demolished for an office building. A jealous Usagi grabs Umino and uses him as her date to follow them. Meanwhile, Ami is concerned about the park's kindly old caretaker, who has been acting very strange. It turns out that the Negaverse is after his energy and that of the animals in the park...and use it to turn the animals against the Guardians.
Headed out as soon as the cartoon ended and I finished lunch. Despite the dark clouds building up overhead, I really needed to get the laundry done. I didn't have that big of a load, but I needed to get my work clothes done. They weren't busy, especially when I came in. I worked on story notes and half-listened to Ellen on TV. It was wet when I got out, but not raining. I must have just missed the worst of the weather. Indeed, almost as soon as I got home, the sun came out. It hasn't rained since.
Hurried home and spent the next few hours writing after I got everything put away. Ben says he'll go and turn off the main power generator. Luke wants to go with him, but he says he'll do it better alone. He also suggests that if he doesn't make it, Luke should talk to Yoda Yamada, the former Grand Master of the Jedi. Shortly after he leaves, Rudy discovers that Leia is there as well...and she's in the midst of being executed, even as they stand there...
Broke for dinner at 6:30. I had quick leftovers, then took down the Easter decorations. I moved the plastic egg bag to the bag with the baskets to make more room in the container for the other items. Wrapped up some of the items in heavier plastic or paper.
Watched an episode of Tiny Toon Adventures from the late first season as I worked. Spring fairy Babs hopes she has a "Pollution Solution" via three shorts. "No Deposit, No Return of the Trash Bag Dispenser" has Plucky trying to teach a clueless Elmyra how to recycle. It's a "Jungle Bungle" when Babs and Buster stop a rich businessman from destroying the rain forests to make a bigger front lawn. Go-Go is "Waste Deep In Wackyland" when Monty pipes the backwash from his new factory into Go-Go's home. Go-Go and the other citizens of Wackyland put Monty on a kooky trial to teach him a lesson.
Switched to The Dark Knight as I finished taking down the Easter decorations. Batman, aka Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has his gloved hands full with Gotham's biggest mob bosses and a new criminal, the insane Joker (Heath Ledger). Bruce is hoping that crusading lawyer Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) will be the hero that Gotham needs when, with Batman's help, he manages to arrest the entire mob. He's still interested in Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) as well, despite her dating Dent.
Meanwhile, the Joker has taken over the crime syndicate. He wants nothing more than to kill Batman and expose his dual identity. Bruce is about to do the same before the Joker goes on a killing spree, taking out the Police Commissioner and almost assassinating the mayor before Gordon (Gary Oldman) saves him. The Joker still has killing on the brain...and Rachel and Dent are his next victims. Bruce is devastated when he can't save Rachel, but a disfigured Harvey is even moreso, joining with the Joker to seek revenge. Now Batman has to deal with the Joker's insane plans and show Harvey that revenge is not a dish best served at all, never mind cold.
Honestly, this one might have been a little dark for my taste. That's why I've put off seeing it for so long. That, and Batman has never been my favorite character. I never was much for the rich playboy superheroes. (I'm not a fan of Iron Man/Tony Stark, either.) There are some really great performances here. Ledger's freakish Joker won him a posthumous supporting actor Oscar. Bale's not bad as Batman. Eckhart makes for a rather strange Two-Face, but Gyllenhaal is appropriately spunky as Rachel, the woman both men are after. (She was certainly better than Katie Holmes in the role.) Great makeup for the Joker and Two-Face, too.
For all the great action, it's just too darn dark for me, with everyone in dull colors and even the Joker's men not really standing out all that much. I also wish they spent less time with the rather boring mobsters and more with the Joker and Batman. The mobsters were mostly not much different than the types who show up in any generic crime thriller.
While I'm not into it, I can understand why it went over so well in 2008. If you're a fan of Bale, Ledger, or Batman or like your superhero movies darker and more adult, you'll probably enjoy this a lot more than I did.
Thursday, April 18, 2019
The Sailor and the Star
Slept in a little bit this morning, but I did have enough time to start the set of Popeye 40's cartoons before work. We begin with the very first Popeye color short, "Her Honor the Mare." Popeye's nephews find a broken-down old horse and bring her home with them. Popeye wouldn't mind so much if they didn't insist on keeping her inside. He does everything he can to remind them that horses are outside pets.
Popeye's Navy buddy Shorty joins in for "The Marry-Go-Round." Popeye wants to propose to Olive, but doesn't know what to say to her. Shorty tries to show him how to do it...but Olive ends up falling for him instead!
"We're On Our Way to Rio" is more-or-less a color version of the earlier "Kicking the Conga Around." This time, it's the samba Popeye doesn't know how to dance. Once again, it takes spinach to get him stepping with the beat.
Olive is "The Anvil Chorus Girl," a female blacksmith who is overwhelmed with work and the heavy tools she uses. Bluto and Popeye try to help, but they may end up making more of a mess than anything. She's upset with Popeye when he loses a big fight in the ring. He has to remind her that he's "Spinach-Packing Popeye" who has fought and won many opponents before, via sequences from the earlier "Sinbad the Sailor" and "Ali Baba" featurettes.
Popeye's not feeling "Puppet Love" when Bluto creates a live-sized marionette version of him and uses it to push Olive away from him. He turns the tables on Bluto and uses him as a puppet. "Pitchin' Woo at the Zoo" is somewhat similar, only this time, Bluto is a zookeeper who makes uses of some of his more ferocious or playful charges to get Olive to himself.
Headed out to work as soon as the cartoon ended. Thankfully after yesterday, work was no problem whatsoever. It was so nice, I spent the entire day outside, gathering carts, sweeping, and doing the outdoor trash and recycling. It was too beautiful to be inside! The day was hot and sunny, probably in the upper 70's, with a nice breeze and a brilliant blue sky.
It was so nice, I took the long way home down Nicholson Road, dodging the beginning of rush hour traffic. Spring has really hit the neighborhood now. The trees are a lovely, soft green. The dogwood and cherry blossoms are in bloom. Bold tulips have replaced the early hyacinths and daffodils in yards. There were quite a few kids outside riding bikes or throwing baseballs, and several adults working in their yards.
Charlie came upstairs shortly after I got in. He and Richard covered the siding with black paper. I ignored them, changed, and worked on my story. Leia is horrified when Tarkin goes through with his destroying her family's home Aldera Hills, despite her telling him where the tapes supposedly are. Meanwhile, Harris' attempt at fooling the Shadow Man guards at the gates doesn't work. He knocks them out instead and suggests he, Charlie, and Luke dress as the guards to gain entrance.
Broke for dinner at 6:30. Finished out the Popeye shorts while I had turkey hot dogs, steamed asparagus, and pasta tossed with olive oil for dinner. Olive is "Moving Aweigh." Popeye and Shorty try to help her pack her things, but a cop gets upset when they accidentally hit his car and keeps trying to arrest them.
"She-Sick Sailors" has fun with Superman and the popularity of superheroes in the early-mid 40's (likely due to Paramount also making the original Superman shorts). Olive has fallen in love with the comics and refuses to date any man but Superman. Bluto dresses as him to impress her...but Popeye is determined to prove he's as good as any superhero.
"Pop-Pie A la Mode" is a lot tougher to take today. Popeye is stranded on an island filled with extremely and annoyingly stereotyped natives who want him on tonight's menu. He's happier to be stranded with Bluto in "Shape Ahoy," at least until Olive washes up as well, and they end up fighting over her.
"For Better or Nurse," the guys try to get themselves injured when they see an attractive Olive working as a nurse in a local hospital. "Mess Production" was the last cartoon made during and themed around World War II. Olive, Popeye, and Bluto are all working at a wartime factory. Both guys do their best to rescue Olive after she's knocked senseless and wanders around the machines and production line.
No wonder it took them so long to put this set out. Most of the cartoons were kind of disappointing. Shorty was no replacement for Bluto. "Moving Aweigh" wasn't too bad, but "The Marry-Go-Round" just got weird. "Puppet Love" got a little creepy, especially when Popeye started using Bluto as a human marionette, and there were the stereotype complaints on "Pop-Pie a la Mode."
The set definitely improves as it goes along. "She-Sick Sailors" was a riot; it'll be even funnier if you know anything about the Paramount Superman shorts. Popeye and Bluto's attempts to hurt themselves and get closer to Olive in "For Better or Worse" were pretty funny too, as was Olive stumbling around in "Mess Production."
I'm afraid there's more misses than hits here. I'm ultimately glad I bought it, but I really wouldn't recommend it for anyone but major fans of Popeye. Hopefully, the next batch will start off as strongly as they end.
Went into Kirby's Epic Yarn after dinner. After a try at getting that last music disc in King Dedede's Castle, I finally opted to take on Yin Yarn. It took me two tries, but for the first time on my own, I actually managed to get the patches for the final rounds in the game. The first one has you playing through several of the abilities you pick up along the way; the second is a shooting round that takes place on-board Meta Knight's ship the Halbeard. I lost a lot of beads in the first one, but managed to get up to silver in the second; found all three items on both. If I continue with this game, I'll either go back and see if I can find some of the items I missed, or play a few of those mini-games with the little tadpole guys in Patch Land.
Ended the night with last year's version of A Star Is Born. I go into more detail on the fourth retelling of this famous story at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
A Star Is Born (2018)
Popeye's Navy buddy Shorty joins in for "The Marry-Go-Round." Popeye wants to propose to Olive, but doesn't know what to say to her. Shorty tries to show him how to do it...but Olive ends up falling for him instead!
"We're On Our Way to Rio" is more-or-less a color version of the earlier "Kicking the Conga Around." This time, it's the samba Popeye doesn't know how to dance. Once again, it takes spinach to get him stepping with the beat.
Olive is "The Anvil Chorus Girl," a female blacksmith who is overwhelmed with work and the heavy tools she uses. Bluto and Popeye try to help, but they may end up making more of a mess than anything. She's upset with Popeye when he loses a big fight in the ring. He has to remind her that he's "Spinach-Packing Popeye" who has fought and won many opponents before, via sequences from the earlier "Sinbad the Sailor" and "Ali Baba" featurettes.
Popeye's not feeling "Puppet Love" when Bluto creates a live-sized marionette version of him and uses it to push Olive away from him. He turns the tables on Bluto and uses him as a puppet. "Pitchin' Woo at the Zoo" is somewhat similar, only this time, Bluto is a zookeeper who makes uses of some of his more ferocious or playful charges to get Olive to himself.
Headed out to work as soon as the cartoon ended. Thankfully after yesterday, work was no problem whatsoever. It was so nice, I spent the entire day outside, gathering carts, sweeping, and doing the outdoor trash and recycling. It was too beautiful to be inside! The day was hot and sunny, probably in the upper 70's, with a nice breeze and a brilliant blue sky.
It was so nice, I took the long way home down Nicholson Road, dodging the beginning of rush hour traffic. Spring has really hit the neighborhood now. The trees are a lovely, soft green. The dogwood and cherry blossoms are in bloom. Bold tulips have replaced the early hyacinths and daffodils in yards. There were quite a few kids outside riding bikes or throwing baseballs, and several adults working in their yards.
Charlie came upstairs shortly after I got in. He and Richard covered the siding with black paper. I ignored them, changed, and worked on my story. Leia is horrified when Tarkin goes through with his destroying her family's home Aldera Hills, despite her telling him where the tapes supposedly are. Meanwhile, Harris' attempt at fooling the Shadow Man guards at the gates doesn't work. He knocks them out instead and suggests he, Charlie, and Luke dress as the guards to gain entrance.
Broke for dinner at 6:30. Finished out the Popeye shorts while I had turkey hot dogs, steamed asparagus, and pasta tossed with olive oil for dinner. Olive is "Moving Aweigh." Popeye and Shorty try to help her pack her things, but a cop gets upset when they accidentally hit his car and keeps trying to arrest them.
"She-Sick Sailors" has fun with Superman and the popularity of superheroes in the early-mid 40's (likely due to Paramount also making the original Superman shorts). Olive has fallen in love with the comics and refuses to date any man but Superman. Bluto dresses as him to impress her...but Popeye is determined to prove he's as good as any superhero.
"Pop-Pie A la Mode" is a lot tougher to take today. Popeye is stranded on an island filled with extremely and annoyingly stereotyped natives who want him on tonight's menu. He's happier to be stranded with Bluto in "Shape Ahoy," at least until Olive washes up as well, and they end up fighting over her.
"For Better or Nurse," the guys try to get themselves injured when they see an attractive Olive working as a nurse in a local hospital. "Mess Production" was the last cartoon made during and themed around World War II. Olive, Popeye, and Bluto are all working at a wartime factory. Both guys do their best to rescue Olive after she's knocked senseless and wanders around the machines and production line.
No wonder it took them so long to put this set out. Most of the cartoons were kind of disappointing. Shorty was no replacement for Bluto. "Moving Aweigh" wasn't too bad, but "The Marry-Go-Round" just got weird. "Puppet Love" got a little creepy, especially when Popeye started using Bluto as a human marionette, and there were the stereotype complaints on "Pop-Pie a la Mode."
The set definitely improves as it goes along. "She-Sick Sailors" was a riot; it'll be even funnier if you know anything about the Paramount Superman shorts. Popeye and Bluto's attempts to hurt themselves and get closer to Olive in "For Better or Worse" were pretty funny too, as was Olive stumbling around in "Mess Production."
I'm afraid there's more misses than hits here. I'm ultimately glad I bought it, but I really wouldn't recommend it for anyone but major fans of Popeye. Hopefully, the next batch will start off as strongly as they end.
Went into Kirby's Epic Yarn after dinner. After a try at getting that last music disc in King Dedede's Castle, I finally opted to take on Yin Yarn. It took me two tries, but for the first time on my own, I actually managed to get the patches for the final rounds in the game. The first one has you playing through several of the abilities you pick up along the way; the second is a shooting round that takes place on-board Meta Knight's ship the Halbeard. I lost a lot of beads in the first one, but managed to get up to silver in the second; found all three items on both. If I continue with this game, I'll either go back and see if I can find some of the items I missed, or play a few of those mini-games with the little tadpole guys in Patch Land.
Ended the night with last year's version of A Star Is Born. I go into more detail on the fourth retelling of this famous story at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
A Star Is Born (2018)
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
Breezin'
Charlie was just coming upstairs as I got moving this morning. He was mostly outside on the porch while I was here. I ran an episode of Rick Steves while I was eating breakfast. This time, he went further north in Italy to three cities that had once been owned by Venice. Of the three, Ravenna, with its beautiful churches and colorful amusement park, was my favorite.
When Charlie came in, I moved to my room, checked out a few books, and made my bed. I'd already gotten my lunch together before he left. By the time he was in the bathroom, I was heading out. As Charlie pointed out, at least it was a nice day to do the work. While not as warm as over the weekend, it was still pretty nice, probably in the lower 60's, sunny, and breezy.
Work was off-and-on steady. I did do the carts with the help of one of the college kids this morning, but after that, I was mainly inside. I manage to get the candy done early this afternoon, the inside trash later in the day, and most of the returns shelved in the last hour...but they kept throwing me in the register, usually for someone's break. Thankfully, it slowed down well before I finished. I needed tissues again; grabbed them on the way out.
Charlie was just finishing when I got in. The new window in the bathroom is the same as the ones in the living area that you crank to open. At least it's high up enough that no one can see you going to the bathroom. That had always been a problem. The bathroom window was so low, anyone could see someone using it. That's why the shades in that room were always down. (I do want to know how he's going to replace the tile on the wall...)
Had leftovers for dinner while continuing across Europe with Rick Steves. We head west from Italy to The Netherlands for two episodes displaying the charms of that low-lying Scandinavian country. Amsterdam, its largest city, is home of lovely architecture from its "golden era" of the 1600's, beautiful museums, and the adult pleasures of its street life. Things are more quaint in the smaller towns situated on land the Dutch has reclaimed from the sea, home of farms, windmills, and tons of flowers.
Worked on writing for a while after dinner. Backtracked to the Mufasar Iron Works, where Vader is keeping Leia hostage. He and his crony Tarkin threaten her parents' home Aldera Hills if she doesn't cooperate and tell them where the plans are. She does...but they still destroy it and say they'll drown her.
Ended the night after I finished off the Netherlands episode with the final episode of the fourth season of Smallville. Smallville High's "Commencement" is going well...except for the fact that Lana and Lex are missing. Clark doesn't have the time to ponder where they might have gone to. There's a huge meteor shower coming their way, thanks to Lana having used one of the Stones of Knowledge to kill Genevieve and expel the witch from her. Now Clark has to get the stones and stop Jason from hurting his parents, or none of them are going to have much of a future beyond high school.
When the show actually focuses on Clark coming into his powers and the various strange things going on in Smallville, it can be a lot of fun. The problem is, it tends to go off on tangents. The entire side plot with Lana and the witches was unnecessary, out of place, and awkwardly tied in with the main story. This is Smallville, not Charmed. There was no need for them to go to China in that one episode, either.
I liked it enough to give that second season set I found at Goodwill a shot...eventually. After four sci-fi series in a row, I think it's time to try something different. I still haven't watched all of at least four full series Lauren gave me a while back. I think it's time to give a sitcom a shot, either the first season of Wings or The Dick Van Dyke Show.
When Charlie came in, I moved to my room, checked out a few books, and made my bed. I'd already gotten my lunch together before he left. By the time he was in the bathroom, I was heading out. As Charlie pointed out, at least it was a nice day to do the work. While not as warm as over the weekend, it was still pretty nice, probably in the lower 60's, sunny, and breezy.
Work was off-and-on steady. I did do the carts with the help of one of the college kids this morning, but after that, I was mainly inside. I manage to get the candy done early this afternoon, the inside trash later in the day, and most of the returns shelved in the last hour...but they kept throwing me in the register, usually for someone's break. Thankfully, it slowed down well before I finished. I needed tissues again; grabbed them on the way out.
Charlie was just finishing when I got in. The new window in the bathroom is the same as the ones in the living area that you crank to open. At least it's high up enough that no one can see you going to the bathroom. That had always been a problem. The bathroom window was so low, anyone could see someone using it. That's why the shades in that room were always down. (I do want to know how he's going to replace the tile on the wall...)
Had leftovers for dinner while continuing across Europe with Rick Steves. We head west from Italy to The Netherlands for two episodes displaying the charms of that low-lying Scandinavian country. Amsterdam, its largest city, is home of lovely architecture from its "golden era" of the 1600's, beautiful museums, and the adult pleasures of its street life. Things are more quaint in the smaller towns situated on land the Dutch has reclaimed from the sea, home of farms, windmills, and tons of flowers.
Worked on writing for a while after dinner. Backtracked to the Mufasar Iron Works, where Vader is keeping Leia hostage. He and his crony Tarkin threaten her parents' home Aldera Hills if she doesn't cooperate and tell them where the plans are. She does...but they still destroy it and say they'll drown her.
Ended the night after I finished off the Netherlands episode with the final episode of the fourth season of Smallville. Smallville High's "Commencement" is going well...except for the fact that Lana and Lex are missing. Clark doesn't have the time to ponder where they might have gone to. There's a huge meteor shower coming their way, thanks to Lana having used one of the Stones of Knowledge to kill Genevieve and expel the witch from her. Now Clark has to get the stones and stop Jason from hurting his parents, or none of them are going to have much of a future beyond high school.
When the show actually focuses on Clark coming into his powers and the various strange things going on in Smallville, it can be a lot of fun. The problem is, it tends to go off on tangents. The entire side plot with Lana and the witches was unnecessary, out of place, and awkwardly tied in with the main story. This is Smallville, not Charmed. There was no need for them to go to China in that one episode, either.
I liked it enough to give that second season set I found at Goodwill a shot...eventually. After four sci-fi series in a row, I think it's time to try something different. I still haven't watched all of at least four full series Lauren gave me a while back. I think it's time to give a sitcom a shot, either the first season of Wings or The Dick Van Dyke Show.
Monday, April 01, 2019
Dolls In the Spring
Began a sunny, bright morning with breakfast and two episodes of Garfield and Friends from the second season in honor of April Fool's Day. Jon gets a lobster from a relative, but he's a live critter, not the "Maine Course." They first keep him as a pet, then take him to the ocean to set him free. It's "No Laughing Matter" when aliens come to US Acres to steal the world's humor. Orson and the other animals try to tell jokes to get rid of them, but it's Roy who discovers that slapstick is the most potent weapon of all. "Attack of the Mutant Guppies" has Garfield and Nermal outrunning giant radioactive fish in the sewers, until Garfield decides he wants a seafood dinner!
We go into spoof territory with "The Legend of the Lake." Garfield has fun with prehistoric tales when he relates the story of a cave-cat who was bound and determined to get to an island filled with lasagna trees. "Double Oh Orson" brings the residents of US Acres in on the satire when Orson imagines himself to be a James Bond-type super spy. Garfield gets into a "Health Feud" with the beefy-but-dumb host of a fitness show Jon loves. The fat cat has to mix up the host's cue cards to get rid of him.
Headed out after breakfast to get the laundry done, delivering my rent (and the new insurance deposit) at the McHugh's on the way. It may not have been the best time. The place was packed when I arrived around quarter of 12. I got one of the last washers, and then one of the few dryers. Left the dryer on for a little longer, despite having a relatively small load. I wanted to get everything dry. While it was on, I worked on story notes and ignored talk shows and the local news.
Instead of putting everything away right when I got home, I pulled out the bin with the summer clothes. It was cold and windy today, barely in the upper 40's, but it's going to be in the 50's by tomorrow, and back into the 70's by next week. We're done with winter weather for a while. I don't really need much in the way of summer clothes. In fact, pretty much the only thing I need is a new bathing suit, and if Dad and Jodie aren't going to open the pool this year, I won't be in any hurry to pick up that. We'll see how well my shorts fit me. Most of them were falling off me by the end of last summer.
As soon as I finished organizing my seasonal clothes, I went right into doing the dolls' clothes. The boxes with the handles that hold the Kimberly Clark items that Lauren sends me every Christmas were perfect "suitcases" for the dolls' accessories and seasonal clothes. Their winter clothes go in Samantha's box; hats and accessories were moved to larger boxes.
Dressed the dolls in formal spring outfits for Easter after I got their clothes together. Josefina wears her turquoise and orange Feast Day Outfit with the ruffled camisa (shift). Whitney looks adorable in Kit's Springtime Dress from a few years ago, and Molly gets her Polka-Dot Outfit. Samantha sports her pink and magenta Flower Picking Outfit, white stockings, and black and white boots. Felicity is in her pink Birthday Gown with the flowered pinner apron. Ariel is lovely in the silky Flower Girl Dress from about a decade ago and the Swiss lace Springfield Collection espadrilles. It's sleeveless, so I wrapped her in the ruffle-trimmed Springfield Collection sweater. Jessa's in the 1997 Birthday Outfit with the purple jelly sandals.
Charlie and another gentleman came upstairs while I was dressing the dolls. Evidently, a "challenged" friend of his needed help remodeling his bathroom. Charlie won't be able to finish the windows for over a week. He did finally finish installing the new porch light on the overhanging roof, so I'll actually have light outside at night.
It was so late when I finally finished the dolls. I made baked chicken fingers in a cornmeal crust with roasted broccoli and leftover cabbage and pasta for dinner. Watched more Flash while I ate. It's "Rogue Time" when Captain Cold returns, this time with his fire-creating partner Heatwave and his equally nasty sister, Golden Glider. They force Cisco to make more heat and cold guns by holding his brother hostage, then say they'll broadcast Barry's true identity over live television. Meanwhile, Barry's attempts to make his feelings known to Iris only annoys her and her fiancee Eddie, while the Reverse-Flash takes care of a reporter who was getting a little too close to the truth.
"Tricksters" also involves illicit broadcasts. A crazy young man named Axel Walker has been sending bombs among children and filming it under the alias The Trickster. He's not the first person to use that name. The original Trickster, James Jesse, is now in prison. It turns out the bombs were a cover to break out Jesse and let him continue his reign of terror. They poison the patrons of a wealthy banquet and ransom the antidote, then plant a bomb on The Flash that will go off if he stops moving.
(This one holds more than a few memories for me. Mark Hamill played The Trickster, both here and in the 1990 Flash. He was the reason I watched the 1990 Flash in the first place. I was going through my first Star Wars obsession phase at the time, and I had to see anything that featured anyone from the original films. A line that Jesse says to Walker after he breaks him out cracked me up. Let's just say Mark Hamill has probably wanted to use that line since about 1980...)
Felicity returns from Arrow for an "All Star Team Up," this time with Ray Parker, aka The Atom, in tow. Ray's looking to improve his own suit, and bonds with Cisco as they work on it. They have to work fast. Someone has been using killer bees to target scientists in Central City, and they almost take down Barry. It'll take a group effort to find the person controlling the bees and stop them, before Harrison Welles' former colleague Dr. Tina McGee is next.
Worked on writing for a while after dinner. Went back and added a scene between Luke and his Aunt Bertha (Beru) as he's coming downstairs from changing. He tells her he's considering moving into his own place. Bertha's fine with whatever he wants to do, but Owen wants him to stay and continue to run his furniture shop.
Finished out "All Star Team Up," then moved on to First Man. The "first man" is Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling), and the movie details the events leading up to the flight of Apollo 11 and how he became the first man on the moon in 1969. He was originally grounded after a series of mishaps, due to his worry about his little daughter's operation. After her death, he accepts a job with NASA and moves his wife Janet (Claire Foy) and son Rick (Gavin Warren) to Houston, where they welcome their second son, Mark. Things go wrong again a few years later when a few friends of his die in a terrible fire in the Apollo 1 mission, then his space craft rolls and he barely makes it through another. He's shaken, and his wife wants him at home...but NASA finds him to not be at fault and selects him to be one of the men who will join the first trip to the moon anyway.
Touching, if slightly melodramatic, account of the US' space program in the 1960's and how Armstrong overcame his own problems to be part of a major moment in history. The visual effects recreating the vastness of space won an Oscar. I also loved the gorgeous electronic score by Justin Hurwitz.
If you prefer more fact than fiction in your science fiction, are interested in the history of space travel or NASA, or fondly remember the moon landing yourself, you may find much to enjoy in this one.
We go into spoof territory with "The Legend of the Lake." Garfield has fun with prehistoric tales when he relates the story of a cave-cat who was bound and determined to get to an island filled with lasagna trees. "Double Oh Orson" brings the residents of US Acres in on the satire when Orson imagines himself to be a James Bond-type super spy. Garfield gets into a "Health Feud" with the beefy-but-dumb host of a fitness show Jon loves. The fat cat has to mix up the host's cue cards to get rid of him.
Headed out after breakfast to get the laundry done, delivering my rent (and the new insurance deposit) at the McHugh's on the way. It may not have been the best time. The place was packed when I arrived around quarter of 12. I got one of the last washers, and then one of the few dryers. Left the dryer on for a little longer, despite having a relatively small load. I wanted to get everything dry. While it was on, I worked on story notes and ignored talk shows and the local news.
Instead of putting everything away right when I got home, I pulled out the bin with the summer clothes. It was cold and windy today, barely in the upper 40's, but it's going to be in the 50's by tomorrow, and back into the 70's by next week. We're done with winter weather for a while. I don't really need much in the way of summer clothes. In fact, pretty much the only thing I need is a new bathing suit, and if Dad and Jodie aren't going to open the pool this year, I won't be in any hurry to pick up that. We'll see how well my shorts fit me. Most of them were falling off me by the end of last summer.
As soon as I finished organizing my seasonal clothes, I went right into doing the dolls' clothes. The boxes with the handles that hold the Kimberly Clark items that Lauren sends me every Christmas were perfect "suitcases" for the dolls' accessories and seasonal clothes. Their winter clothes go in Samantha's box; hats and accessories were moved to larger boxes.
Dressed the dolls in formal spring outfits for Easter after I got their clothes together. Josefina wears her turquoise and orange Feast Day Outfit with the ruffled camisa (shift). Whitney looks adorable in Kit's Springtime Dress from a few years ago, and Molly gets her Polka-Dot Outfit. Samantha sports her pink and magenta Flower Picking Outfit, white stockings, and black and white boots. Felicity is in her pink Birthday Gown with the flowered pinner apron. Ariel is lovely in the silky Flower Girl Dress from about a decade ago and the Swiss lace Springfield Collection espadrilles. It's sleeveless, so I wrapped her in the ruffle-trimmed Springfield Collection sweater. Jessa's in the 1997 Birthday Outfit with the purple jelly sandals.
Charlie and another gentleman came upstairs while I was dressing the dolls. Evidently, a "challenged" friend of his needed help remodeling his bathroom. Charlie won't be able to finish the windows for over a week. He did finally finish installing the new porch light on the overhanging roof, so I'll actually have light outside at night.
It was so late when I finally finished the dolls. I made baked chicken fingers in a cornmeal crust with roasted broccoli and leftover cabbage and pasta for dinner. Watched more Flash while I ate. It's "Rogue Time" when Captain Cold returns, this time with his fire-creating partner Heatwave and his equally nasty sister, Golden Glider. They force Cisco to make more heat and cold guns by holding his brother hostage, then say they'll broadcast Barry's true identity over live television. Meanwhile, Barry's attempts to make his feelings known to Iris only annoys her and her fiancee Eddie, while the Reverse-Flash takes care of a reporter who was getting a little too close to the truth.
"Tricksters" also involves illicit broadcasts. A crazy young man named Axel Walker has been sending bombs among children and filming it under the alias The Trickster. He's not the first person to use that name. The original Trickster, James Jesse, is now in prison. It turns out the bombs were a cover to break out Jesse and let him continue his reign of terror. They poison the patrons of a wealthy banquet and ransom the antidote, then plant a bomb on The Flash that will go off if he stops moving.
(This one holds more than a few memories for me. Mark Hamill played The Trickster, both here and in the 1990 Flash. He was the reason I watched the 1990 Flash in the first place. I was going through my first Star Wars obsession phase at the time, and I had to see anything that featured anyone from the original films. A line that Jesse says to Walker after he breaks him out cracked me up. Let's just say Mark Hamill has probably wanted to use that line since about 1980...)
Felicity returns from Arrow for an "All Star Team Up," this time with Ray Parker, aka The Atom, in tow. Ray's looking to improve his own suit, and bonds with Cisco as they work on it. They have to work fast. Someone has been using killer bees to target scientists in Central City, and they almost take down Barry. It'll take a group effort to find the person controlling the bees and stop them, before Harrison Welles' former colleague Dr. Tina McGee is next.
Worked on writing for a while after dinner. Went back and added a scene between Luke and his Aunt Bertha (Beru) as he's coming downstairs from changing. He tells her he's considering moving into his own place. Bertha's fine with whatever he wants to do, but Owen wants him to stay and continue to run his furniture shop.
Finished out "All Star Team Up," then moved on to First Man. The "first man" is Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling), and the movie details the events leading up to the flight of Apollo 11 and how he became the first man on the moon in 1969. He was originally grounded after a series of mishaps, due to his worry about his little daughter's operation. After her death, he accepts a job with NASA and moves his wife Janet (Claire Foy) and son Rick (Gavin Warren) to Houston, where they welcome their second son, Mark. Things go wrong again a few years later when a few friends of his die in a terrible fire in the Apollo 1 mission, then his space craft rolls and he barely makes it through another. He's shaken, and his wife wants him at home...but NASA finds him to not be at fault and selects him to be one of the men who will join the first trip to the moon anyway.
Touching, if slightly melodramatic, account of the US' space program in the 1960's and how Armstrong overcame his own problems to be part of a major moment in history. The visual effects recreating the vastness of space won an Oscar. I also loved the gorgeous electronic score by Justin Hurwitz.
If you prefer more fact than fiction in your science fiction, are interested in the history of space travel or NASA, or fondly remember the moon landing yourself, you may find much to enjoy in this one.
Friday, March 29, 2019
Busy, Busy Spring
I got up early enough to be able to have breakfast, make the bed, and tidy up in the back room and around the apartment before Charlie arrived. Watched a couple of Peanuts specials in honor of the start of baseball season while I worked. Lucy Must Be Traded, Charlie Brown, since she's the worst player on Chuck's team. Trouble is, no one will take her. Peppermint Patty wants Snoopy, but the kids she trades for him won't play on Chuck's team. Even when she does finally take Lucy, she gives Chuck Marcie. Marcie is a very sweet girl, but she's no good at baseball and only plays because her best friend does.
Chuck has even less luck in the second Peanuts special, Charlie Brown's All-Stars. The only way he can keep the kids from quitting all together is by telling them a local businessman promised them uniforms. Trouble is, he won't sponsor a team that features several girls and a dog. It takes a tongue-lashing from Linus to remind the others that, no matter what Charlie Brown's failings are, he was looking out for them.
It's Spring Training, Charlie Brown from 1992 is basically the same story, only this time, in order to get the uniforms, the kids have to win a game. This time, help comes in the form of Freida's little brother Leland, who has decided he's good enough to play with the big kids.
After Charlie arrived, I spent the next few hours working on writing in my room. Ben hands Luke his father's Khyber Saber, Blue Fire, which he'd used to help take on the Nazis and Sith during World War II. The moment Luke takes it into his hand and holds it under a sun beam, he manages to blow every comic in the place off the shelf and take out a substantial chunk of Ben's counter with a sun ray. Luke's apologetic, but Ben's delighted. He seems to have inbred abilities of his own, much like his father...
Headed out around 11:30 to run errands. First stop was the Oaklyn Library. They were pretty quiet. It was just me, the librarian, and one or two people on the computers. They have several of the Pink Panther and Friends collections; I took out the one focusing on the Inspector. I also grabbed Bohemian Rhapsody for review on my Musical Dreams blog onTuesday.
I was originally going to hit Sonic for lunch. It was cloudy and a little cool, but warmer than it has been. A large crowd of chattering teenagers gathered around the outside ordering intercom at Sonic scratched that idea. I wondered what all the kids were doing there during school hours when I noticed two yellow buses from schools in Camden across the way in the parking lot between Sonic and Arby's. They must have been on their way back from a school field trip. Well, that killed that idea. Not only had they invaded Sonic, but Chick Fil'A was mobbed as well. The last time I had anything from Arby's, I spent the next few days with severe heartburn.
Ended up at Tu Se Bella's by default. I hadn't had pizza out in a while, anyway. Had a slice of cheese and a slice of mushroom, spinach, ricotta, and tomatoes. Washed it down with that new Orange Vanilla Coke. Thankfully, they weren't so busy that I didn't get my pizza in less than five minutes. Everything was delicious, as always. The vegetable pizza was amazing. Loved the orange Coke, too. Tasted like a creamsicle.
Grocery shopping was next on my list. I was mainly there to restock and buy things for dinner tonight. Picked up shredded Italian cheese, Parmesan cheese, and pasta for my meal They were having a good chicken sale; I bought ground chicken and chicken tenderloins. Citrus fruit had gotten so expensive, I opted for low-sugar strawberry applesauce to go with breakfast. Grabbed pears, skim milk, bananas, yogurt, white and brown sugar, and peanut butter.
Mixed feelings on my schedule next week. On one hand, it's a bit closer to normal, with the days off more spread out (and one on Monday). However, I have slightly fewer hours, and early hours on Sunday.
Put on a few Inspector cartoons while I got everything organized. "The Great DeGaulle Stone Operation" is a plan to keep the diamond out of the hands of the three-headed thief the Maxi-o-Reilly Brothers...but the Inspector just can't seem to keep it away from them. (One of the brothers is pretty much an annoying Asian stereotype.) The Inspector and his Spanish partner Deux-Deux go after Captain Clamity and Crab Louie, but their attempts to "Reaux, Reaux, Reaux Your Boat" just keep giving the Inspector that sinking feeling. The Commissioner becomes "Napoleon Blown-Apart" when the Mad Bomber keeps tossing explosives at him wherever he goes, despite the Inspector's best efforts to keep him safe.
Headed back out after the groceries had been put away. This time, I went straight to the Haddon Township Library. They weren't too busy, either. It showered lightly earlier in the day, but by 2:30, the rain was gone, and while it remained cloudy, it was also warmer. I mostly shelved quite a few DVDs. Limited the DVD rentals to the last Daniel Tiger set I hadn't seen, Daniel On the Farm, and another new release I really wanted to see, First Man.
They finally seem to have finished rebuilding the McDonald's on the hill under the library. It's boxy and "space-age," though the gray and yellow paint is a bit bland. (From what I could see when I passed it, it also no longer has an indoor playground. Khai is going to be so disappointed.) I was now able to take the long way home across the park again. I wasn't the only one. With the rain gone and the sun trying to come out, I dodged dog walkers, joggers, kids walking home from school, and members of Haddon Township High School's spring track team.
Made a very quick stop at Dollar General on the way home. I needed eggs, and they're a lot cheaper there than they are at the Acme. I went in, I bought them, I got out.
Headed straight home after that. Made baked pasta for dinner; a layer of tomatoes and sauteed onions, then a layer of browned ground chicken, then a layer of pasta, topped with Italian cheese and Parmesan and tomato sauce. Yum! Other than the sauce was too thin and didn't stick to anything, it came out very well, nice and flavorful.
Moved on to making Lime Cookies from that one-bowl cookie cookbook Lauren sent me a while back after dinner. They came out just perfect, even though I used lime juice instead of lime extract (which I didn't have), nice and chewy.
Ran the Daniel Tiger farm-themed episodes while I ate and worked. Daniel's thrilled to introduce Margaret to the farm where the duck his school hatched now lives in "Daniel and Margaret Visit the Farm." He sees Chrissie there, riding her horse Peaches, and wants to try it too...until he's on the horse and realizes how big it is. Daniel Sr. holds his son's hand until he's used to riding. Dan has to hold Margaret's hand when she's nervous about feeding the ducks birdseed.
It's "Clean-Up Time" for Daniel and O the Owl when they keep leaving toys all over while they play farm. Mrs. Tiger has to remind them to clean up...until Dan loses his favorite watch, and they have to pick up everything to find it. "Daniel Uses His Words" when he's so mad at his mother for moving his farm toys, he just sputters. She reminds him that there's a better way to express his anger. Daniel loves helping his mother with "Margaret's Bathtime." He enjoys taking care of his little sister and making sure she gets scrubbed clean and is happy. (The two of them playing together is sooo precious!)
Played some Angry Birds Star Wars after a shower. This time, I did manage to get three stars on at least two of the rounds, and two stars on another. It's really hard to figure out how to get the Han birds to shoot just right, or where to aim the Luke red birds and their lightsabers. I'll be starting out in space the next time I play.
Finished the night with a couple of episodes of The Flash. Wells is the one in trouble in "The Sound and the Fury." Hartley Rathaway, aka The Pied Piper, had once been one of his brightest assistants...but he was also an arrogant rich jerk with no social skills, and no one at STAR Labs was unhappy when he was fired. Angry, he uses sonic blasts to decimate his targets, including Barry. Wells and the others have to find a way to put him out of commission...but he claims that he knows where Ronnie, now Firestorm, wandered off to...
Which leads us to "Crazy for You." While Barry and Wells chase down a woman who uses her teleportation powers to help her boyfriend pull off a heist, Cisco tries to get Hathaway to tell him what he knows about Ronnie. Barry does manage to catch the girl, but Hathaway reveals that Ronnie merged with well-known scientist Martin Stein (Victor Garber) during the particle accelerator explosion before he escapes.. Meanwhile, Barry's started to date a girl named Linda (Malese Jow) who works at the newspaper with Iris.
Things get really hot under the collar in "The Nuclear Man." Turns out that it's Stein's mind in Ronnie's brain, to Catalin's horror. Stein agrees to a series of tests. To everyone's horror, it would seem that the atoms of the two men are in conflict, and if they don't do something soon, he'll explode and decimate the entire city. Stein flees outside of town before that can happen, but Barry and Cisco think they may have a way to separate the men...
The "Fallout" is difficult for both men. Turns out their minds have melded into one. What one feels, the other feels, too. The crazy General Elling from "Plastique" now intends to grab both men for his experiments. Catalin just wants to live a normal life with the man she loves, but Ronnie knows that isn't possible with Elling on their tale and finally leaves with Stein. Meanwhile, Wells - and his psychic gorilla - have their own ways of dealing with the mad military man.
Chuck has even less luck in the second Peanuts special, Charlie Brown's All-Stars. The only way he can keep the kids from quitting all together is by telling them a local businessman promised them uniforms. Trouble is, he won't sponsor a team that features several girls and a dog. It takes a tongue-lashing from Linus to remind the others that, no matter what Charlie Brown's failings are, he was looking out for them.
It's Spring Training, Charlie Brown from 1992 is basically the same story, only this time, in order to get the uniforms, the kids have to win a game. This time, help comes in the form of Freida's little brother Leland, who has decided he's good enough to play with the big kids.
After Charlie arrived, I spent the next few hours working on writing in my room. Ben hands Luke his father's Khyber Saber, Blue Fire, which he'd used to help take on the Nazis and Sith during World War II. The moment Luke takes it into his hand and holds it under a sun beam, he manages to blow every comic in the place off the shelf and take out a substantial chunk of Ben's counter with a sun ray. Luke's apologetic, but Ben's delighted. He seems to have inbred abilities of his own, much like his father...
Headed out around 11:30 to run errands. First stop was the Oaklyn Library. They were pretty quiet. It was just me, the librarian, and one or two people on the computers. They have several of the Pink Panther and Friends collections; I took out the one focusing on the Inspector. I also grabbed Bohemian Rhapsody for review on my Musical Dreams blog onTuesday.
I was originally going to hit Sonic for lunch. It was cloudy and a little cool, but warmer than it has been. A large crowd of chattering teenagers gathered around the outside ordering intercom at Sonic scratched that idea. I wondered what all the kids were doing there during school hours when I noticed two yellow buses from schools in Camden across the way in the parking lot between Sonic and Arby's. They must have been on their way back from a school field trip. Well, that killed that idea. Not only had they invaded Sonic, but Chick Fil'A was mobbed as well. The last time I had anything from Arby's, I spent the next few days with severe heartburn.
Ended up at Tu Se Bella's by default. I hadn't had pizza out in a while, anyway. Had a slice of cheese and a slice of mushroom, spinach, ricotta, and tomatoes. Washed it down with that new Orange Vanilla Coke. Thankfully, they weren't so busy that I didn't get my pizza in less than five minutes. Everything was delicious, as always. The vegetable pizza was amazing. Loved the orange Coke, too. Tasted like a creamsicle.
Grocery shopping was next on my list. I was mainly there to restock and buy things for dinner tonight. Picked up shredded Italian cheese, Parmesan cheese, and pasta for my meal They were having a good chicken sale; I bought ground chicken and chicken tenderloins. Citrus fruit had gotten so expensive, I opted for low-sugar strawberry applesauce to go with breakfast. Grabbed pears, skim milk, bananas, yogurt, white and brown sugar, and peanut butter.
Mixed feelings on my schedule next week. On one hand, it's a bit closer to normal, with the days off more spread out (and one on Monday). However, I have slightly fewer hours, and early hours on Sunday.
Put on a few Inspector cartoons while I got everything organized. "The Great DeGaulle Stone Operation" is a plan to keep the diamond out of the hands of the three-headed thief the Maxi-o-Reilly Brothers...but the Inspector just can't seem to keep it away from them. (One of the brothers is pretty much an annoying Asian stereotype.) The Inspector and his Spanish partner Deux-Deux go after Captain Clamity and Crab Louie, but their attempts to "Reaux, Reaux, Reaux Your Boat" just keep giving the Inspector that sinking feeling. The Commissioner becomes "Napoleon Blown-Apart" when the Mad Bomber keeps tossing explosives at him wherever he goes, despite the Inspector's best efforts to keep him safe.
Headed back out after the groceries had been put away. This time, I went straight to the Haddon Township Library. They weren't too busy, either. It showered lightly earlier in the day, but by 2:30, the rain was gone, and while it remained cloudy, it was also warmer. I mostly shelved quite a few DVDs. Limited the DVD rentals to the last Daniel Tiger set I hadn't seen, Daniel On the Farm, and another new release I really wanted to see, First Man.
They finally seem to have finished rebuilding the McDonald's on the hill under the library. It's boxy and "space-age," though the gray and yellow paint is a bit bland. (From what I could see when I passed it, it also no longer has an indoor playground. Khai is going to be so disappointed.) I was now able to take the long way home across the park again. I wasn't the only one. With the rain gone and the sun trying to come out, I dodged dog walkers, joggers, kids walking home from school, and members of Haddon Township High School's spring track team.
Made a very quick stop at Dollar General on the way home. I needed eggs, and they're a lot cheaper there than they are at the Acme. I went in, I bought them, I got out.
Headed straight home after that. Made baked pasta for dinner; a layer of tomatoes and sauteed onions, then a layer of browned ground chicken, then a layer of pasta, topped with Italian cheese and Parmesan and tomato sauce. Yum! Other than the sauce was too thin and didn't stick to anything, it came out very well, nice and flavorful.
Moved on to making Lime Cookies from that one-bowl cookie cookbook Lauren sent me a while back after dinner. They came out just perfect, even though I used lime juice instead of lime extract (which I didn't have), nice and chewy.
Ran the Daniel Tiger farm-themed episodes while I ate and worked. Daniel's thrilled to introduce Margaret to the farm where the duck his school hatched now lives in "Daniel and Margaret Visit the Farm." He sees Chrissie there, riding her horse Peaches, and wants to try it too...until he's on the horse and realizes how big it is. Daniel Sr. holds his son's hand until he's used to riding. Dan has to hold Margaret's hand when she's nervous about feeding the ducks birdseed.
It's "Clean-Up Time" for Daniel and O the Owl when they keep leaving toys all over while they play farm. Mrs. Tiger has to remind them to clean up...until Dan loses his favorite watch, and they have to pick up everything to find it. "Daniel Uses His Words" when he's so mad at his mother for moving his farm toys, he just sputters. She reminds him that there's a better way to express his anger. Daniel loves helping his mother with "Margaret's Bathtime." He enjoys taking care of his little sister and making sure she gets scrubbed clean and is happy. (The two of them playing together is sooo precious!)
Played some Angry Birds Star Wars after a shower. This time, I did manage to get three stars on at least two of the rounds, and two stars on another. It's really hard to figure out how to get the Han birds to shoot just right, or where to aim the Luke red birds and their lightsabers. I'll be starting out in space the next time I play.
Finished the night with a couple of episodes of The Flash. Wells is the one in trouble in "The Sound and the Fury." Hartley Rathaway, aka The Pied Piper, had once been one of his brightest assistants...but he was also an arrogant rich jerk with no social skills, and no one at STAR Labs was unhappy when he was fired. Angry, he uses sonic blasts to decimate his targets, including Barry. Wells and the others have to find a way to put him out of commission...but he claims that he knows where Ronnie, now Firestorm, wandered off to...
Which leads us to "Crazy for You." While Barry and Wells chase down a woman who uses her teleportation powers to help her boyfriend pull off a heist, Cisco tries to get Hathaway to tell him what he knows about Ronnie. Barry does manage to catch the girl, but Hathaway reveals that Ronnie merged with well-known scientist Martin Stein (Victor Garber) during the particle accelerator explosion before he escapes.. Meanwhile, Barry's started to date a girl named Linda (Malese Jow) who works at the newspaper with Iris.
Things get really hot under the collar in "The Nuclear Man." Turns out that it's Stein's mind in Ronnie's brain, to Catalin's horror. Stein agrees to a series of tests. To everyone's horror, it would seem that the atoms of the two men are in conflict, and if they don't do something soon, he'll explode and decimate the entire city. Stein flees outside of town before that can happen, but Barry and Cisco think they may have a way to separate the men...
The "Fallout" is difficult for both men. Turns out their minds have melded into one. What one feels, the other feels, too. The crazy General Elling from "Plastique" now intends to grab both men for his experiments. Catalin just wants to live a normal life with the man she loves, but Ronnie knows that isn't possible with Elling on their tale and finally leaves with Stein. Meanwhile, Wells - and his psychic gorilla - have their own ways of dealing with the mad military man.
Thursday, March 28, 2019
Day In the Sun
Kicked off the morning with a quick breakfast while watching more Flash. "The Man in the Yellow Suit" makes Barry's Christmas less-than-jolly when he attacks the Flash while he's protecting a new technology revolving around faster-than-light particles. To his horror, he realizes that this is the man he saw killing his mother. Meanwhile, Catlin and Cisco make their own discovery when they find out that, not only is Catlin's boyfriend alive, but he's got some smoking hot powers of his own...
Captain Cold is back in "Revenge of the Rogues," this time with his fire-based partner Mick Rory. When they grab Catlin, the guys have to find a way to rescue her and get Barry around their weapons...by pulling a Ghostbusters trick and crossing their streams.
After I made the bed, I spent my remaining hour before work cleaning up in the back room. Stuff was spread out all over the floor in plastic bags and cloth totes. I moved almost everything to boxes except for the stuffed animals, which went into the now-empty tote bags.
Once again, work was as dead as can be. It got a little bit steady around noon-1 PM, but was otherwise no trouble. Not only did baseball season start today (the Phillies murdered the Braves, 10-4), but it's the end of the month, and the weather is just too nice to be inside. It was sunny and still windy, but not nearly as chilly has it has been. I shelved candy when I arrived, but I spent most of the day gathering carts and baskets and sweeping the patio.
Charlie was just finishing up when I got home. He put on the actual walls and covered the rivets. He's talking about putting the window in the bathroom, then returning to the living room to paint the new walls before he moves on to my bedroom.
Finished up in the back room after he left. After everything I wanted to donate was in boxes or bags, I did a little writing. Ben explains the history of the Jedi Knights, telling Luke how they fought alongside the Allied nations in World War II. His father Anthony had been Ben's sidekick Blazing Boy as a child before growing up and becoming known as The Hero With No Fear.
Broke for dinner at 7. Made scrambled eggs with scallions, spinach, and mushrooms while watching Star! I go into more detail on this lavish vehicle for Julie Andrews at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Star!
Captain Cold is back in "Revenge of the Rogues," this time with his fire-based partner Mick Rory. When they grab Catlin, the guys have to find a way to rescue her and get Barry around their weapons...by pulling a Ghostbusters trick and crossing their streams.
After I made the bed, I spent my remaining hour before work cleaning up in the back room. Stuff was spread out all over the floor in plastic bags and cloth totes. I moved almost everything to boxes except for the stuffed animals, which went into the now-empty tote bags.
Once again, work was as dead as can be. It got a little bit steady around noon-1 PM, but was otherwise no trouble. Not only did baseball season start today (the Phillies murdered the Braves, 10-4), but it's the end of the month, and the weather is just too nice to be inside. It was sunny and still windy, but not nearly as chilly has it has been. I shelved candy when I arrived, but I spent most of the day gathering carts and baskets and sweeping the patio.
Charlie was just finishing up when I got home. He put on the actual walls and covered the rivets. He's talking about putting the window in the bathroom, then returning to the living room to paint the new walls before he moves on to my bedroom.
Finished up in the back room after he left. After everything I wanted to donate was in boxes or bags, I did a little writing. Ben explains the history of the Jedi Knights, telling Luke how they fought alongside the Allied nations in World War II. His father Anthony had been Ben's sidekick Blazing Boy as a child before growing up and becoming known as The Hero With No Fear.
Broke for dinner at 7. Made scrambled eggs with scallions, spinach, and mushrooms while watching Star! I go into more detail on this lavish vehicle for Julie Andrews at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Star!
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
Close Encounters of the Flash Kind
Kicked off an early morning with more Flash. "Plastique" is a young woman who can turn anything she touches into a bomb. Unlike some of the other villains The Flash has rounded up, she's more confused than evil. She's on the run from a general who is determined to use her abilities. Unfortunately, also unlike the others, the bomb shrapnel that caused her condition bonded with her and can't be removed. Upset and angry, she easily allows Wells to persuade her to go after the General, whom he has some ugly past history with.
Work was generally as quiet as it's been all week. The weather was gorgeous, sunny, breezy, and in the mid-50's. Not only is it too nice for people to be in a grocery store, but it's the end of the month, and the only thing going on is March Madness. I did get stuck in a register briefly when it got mildly busy around noon. Otherwise, I gathered carts and baskets, did returns, shelved candy, and did the outside trash and recycling.
It was so nice, I took the long way home down Nicholson Road again. This time, the traffic was far milder, and I had no problems on the road. Everything is just starting to get greener here. Daffodils are blooming in yards; buds swell on the trees.
To my surprise, Charlie was gone when I arrived, but he did cover the kitchen wall with what I assume to be boards. I had a snack and got organized while continuing with The Flash. Barry's stuck in a "Power Outage" when a high-voltage villain can not only drain electricity, but his powers as well. He has to figure out how to overcome his fears when this new menace attacks Wells. Meanwhile, Iris has to deal with another villain, the Clock King, on her own.
Worked on writing for a while after that. Ben explains to Luke that he was one The Negotiator, a member of the elite superhero squadron from the years before, during, and after World War II known as the Jedi Knights. His father Anthony was their most famous member, The Hero With No Fear, before he was (ahem, supposedly) murdered by Darth Vader. Rudy made their gadgets and weapons.
Broke for dinner at 6:30. My Saucepans and the Single Girl cookbook had a simple quick recipe for cabbage and cooked noodles sauteed in butter called "Noel's Noodles." I used regular pasta rather than the egg noodles called for, but other than that...oh, yum! Earthy and slight sweet, it was a nice accompaniment for the last turkey burger and a spinach salad.
Returned to The Flash while I ate. I was going to skip "Flash Vs. Arrow" until after I'd seen the latter show, but since I already had it on, I figured, why not? "Arrow" is The Green Arrow, aka Robin Hood-like vigilante Oliver Queen. He arrives to help Barry and his friends deal with the Rainbow Raider, a villain who sends people into rages by touching them. Unfortunately, Barry's been effected...and his powers makes the anger last longer and even more uncontrollable. It'll take help from Joe and Oliver to get Barry to calm down and help them find the real culprit.
Finished the night after a shower with Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Electrical lineman Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) finds himself up closer to a UFO than he ever wanted to be when he's nearly burned by one. He nearly runs over upset mother Jillian (Melinda Dillon) and her son Barry (Cary Guffey), who have also seen the strange vehicle. Roy and Jillian become obsessed with UFOs and paranormal activity, to the annoyance of Roy's wife Ronnie (Terri Garr). Their worst fears are realized when little Barry vanishes. Meanwhile, they're not the only one interested in alien activity. A group of United Nations scientists are also on the track of these strange beings from another planet and have even figured out a way to contact them. But it's Roy they want to join them on their travels...and only he can get them to release those they've taken over the years.
Wow. This was really weird, especially for Steven Spielburg. Dreyfuss and Dillon were excellent as the duo who become more and more convinced that Earth's been visited by folks from another world. French actor and director Francois Truffault made his only English-language movie as one of the French scientists. The real stars are the incredible cinematography and special effects, especially when we actually see the UFOs towards the end, and John Williams' majestic score. If' you're more into the darker side of sci-fi than I am, you'll probably find far more interest in this much-loved classic.
Work was generally as quiet as it's been all week. The weather was gorgeous, sunny, breezy, and in the mid-50's. Not only is it too nice for people to be in a grocery store, but it's the end of the month, and the only thing going on is March Madness. I did get stuck in a register briefly when it got mildly busy around noon. Otherwise, I gathered carts and baskets, did returns, shelved candy, and did the outside trash and recycling.
It was so nice, I took the long way home down Nicholson Road again. This time, the traffic was far milder, and I had no problems on the road. Everything is just starting to get greener here. Daffodils are blooming in yards; buds swell on the trees.
To my surprise, Charlie was gone when I arrived, but he did cover the kitchen wall with what I assume to be boards. I had a snack and got organized while continuing with The Flash. Barry's stuck in a "Power Outage" when a high-voltage villain can not only drain electricity, but his powers as well. He has to figure out how to overcome his fears when this new menace attacks Wells. Meanwhile, Iris has to deal with another villain, the Clock King, on her own.
Worked on writing for a while after that. Ben explains to Luke that he was one The Negotiator, a member of the elite superhero squadron from the years before, during, and after World War II known as the Jedi Knights. His father Anthony was their most famous member, The Hero With No Fear, before he was (ahem, supposedly) murdered by Darth Vader. Rudy made their gadgets and weapons.
Broke for dinner at 6:30. My Saucepans and the Single Girl cookbook had a simple quick recipe for cabbage and cooked noodles sauteed in butter called "Noel's Noodles." I used regular pasta rather than the egg noodles called for, but other than that...oh, yum! Earthy and slight sweet, it was a nice accompaniment for the last turkey burger and a spinach salad.
Returned to The Flash while I ate. I was going to skip "Flash Vs. Arrow" until after I'd seen the latter show, but since I already had it on, I figured, why not? "Arrow" is The Green Arrow, aka Robin Hood-like vigilante Oliver Queen. He arrives to help Barry and his friends deal with the Rainbow Raider, a villain who sends people into rages by touching them. Unfortunately, Barry's been effected...and his powers makes the anger last longer and even more uncontrollable. It'll take help from Joe and Oliver to get Barry to calm down and help them find the real culprit.
Finished the night after a shower with Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Electrical lineman Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) finds himself up closer to a UFO than he ever wanted to be when he's nearly burned by one. He nearly runs over upset mother Jillian (Melinda Dillon) and her son Barry (Cary Guffey), who have also seen the strange vehicle. Roy and Jillian become obsessed with UFOs and paranormal activity, to the annoyance of Roy's wife Ronnie (Terri Garr). Their worst fears are realized when little Barry vanishes. Meanwhile, they're not the only one interested in alien activity. A group of United Nations scientists are also on the track of these strange beings from another planet and have even figured out a way to contact them. But it's Roy they want to join them on their travels...and only he can get them to release those they've taken over the years.
Wow. This was really weird, especially for Steven Spielburg. Dreyfuss and Dillon were excellent as the duo who become more and more convinced that Earth's been visited by folks from another world. French actor and director Francois Truffault made his only English-language movie as one of the French scientists. The real stars are the incredible cinematography and special effects, especially when we actually see the UFOs towards the end, and John Williams' majestic score. If' you're more into the darker side of sci-fi than I am, you'll probably find far more interest in this much-loved classic.
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
The Sunny Side of Life
Started off a sunny morning with breakfast and more of The Flash. I backtracked a bit to the first disc and the third episode, "Things You Can't Outrun." As the group at STAR Labs creates a prison for the metahumans they capture to reverse their mutations, Barry finds himself dealing with a killer who is using his ability to transform into poison gases to kill off the people who sent him to jail...and Iris' dad Joe may be his next victim.
Charlie still hadn't arrived by 10:30, so I made the bed and cleared off the top of my printer while I waited for him. Ran the next episode, "Going Rogue," as I did my chores. This one introduces one of The Flash's most famous adversaries, the ice-based vigilante Leonard Snart, aka Captain Cold. Barry is showing a visiting Felicity Smoak (from another DC show, Arrow) around town when he's called to stop an armored truck robbery. Unfortunately, he's nearly left in a coma by Snart's ice-shooting gun. Barry's upset that he wasn't able to save everyone...and he's even more angry when it turns out that his friend Cisco made the gun that Snart stole. Meanwhile, Joe is less than pleased with his daughter Iris' relationship with his dull partner Eddie.
He finally arrived around 11, shortly before I left for work. Work was even quieter than it's been the past few days. This time, we never even got remotely steady. I spent the whole day outside, rounding up carts, sweeping the patio, and gathering the trash and recycling. It was a nice day for it. While the wind was chilly and blustery, it wasn't quite as bad as it was over the weekend, and the air was warm when you could get into the sun. We had plenty of help and no problems whatsoever.
It was such a gorgeous day, I took the long way home from work. It was almost rush hour, and I ended up dodging a lot of traffic on Nicholson Road. Atlantic was a lot easier to deal with. The neighborhood is really looking like spring now, with buds on the trees and more and more grass sprouting on yellow lawns.
Charlie was starting to wind down when I arrived. Along with putting in the kitchen window and the insulation around it, he'd taken out the old exhaust fan for the stove that, for some reason, was on the side of the house across from the stove, and covered the hole. I'd had it covered with plastic since I moved in. Not only has it not worked the entire time I've lived here, Charlie revealed that it wasn't even hooked up to anything. He also talked about taking out a window in my bedroom to expand the closet so I can actually hang things in it. I'll be able to get rid of those cheap wardrobes that are falling apart.
Worked on writing for a while after he left. Luke and Rudy learn that their rescuer is Ben MacKenner, the owner of Ben's Comics. To Luke's shock, it turns out he was known as the Negotiator, a member of the elite superhero group the Jedi Knights, during World War II. He went into hiding after the group was disbanded. Rudy recognizes him, and so does Charlie after he's coaxed from behind the trash cans. Ben says he'll explain further inside...
Rose called while I was writing. First of all, she confirmed that Dad-Bruce is feeling much better, and will be undergoing a new series of tests this spring. She didn't have as much luck with the doctor they all wanted me to see. Turns out that doctor is booked months in advance and has a long waiting list. They're looking up more doctors in the area who might be easier to get into. We also discussed Lauren's visit. She might be able to drive her from the station when she arrives, since she works in Camden, but we will either need to talk to the family to drive her to the station going home, or take Uber.
Broke for dinner at quarter of 7. I had leftovers and took a shower. Watched the 1949 biography of 1920's Broadway star Marilyn Miller, Look for the Silver Lining, before and after my shower. I go into more details at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Look for the Silver Lining
Charlie still hadn't arrived by 10:30, so I made the bed and cleared off the top of my printer while I waited for him. Ran the next episode, "Going Rogue," as I did my chores. This one introduces one of The Flash's most famous adversaries, the ice-based vigilante Leonard Snart, aka Captain Cold. Barry is showing a visiting Felicity Smoak (from another DC show, Arrow) around town when he's called to stop an armored truck robbery. Unfortunately, he's nearly left in a coma by Snart's ice-shooting gun. Barry's upset that he wasn't able to save everyone...and he's even more angry when it turns out that his friend Cisco made the gun that Snart stole. Meanwhile, Joe is less than pleased with his daughter Iris' relationship with his dull partner Eddie.
He finally arrived around 11, shortly before I left for work. Work was even quieter than it's been the past few days. This time, we never even got remotely steady. I spent the whole day outside, rounding up carts, sweeping the patio, and gathering the trash and recycling. It was a nice day for it. While the wind was chilly and blustery, it wasn't quite as bad as it was over the weekend, and the air was warm when you could get into the sun. We had plenty of help and no problems whatsoever.
It was such a gorgeous day, I took the long way home from work. It was almost rush hour, and I ended up dodging a lot of traffic on Nicholson Road. Atlantic was a lot easier to deal with. The neighborhood is really looking like spring now, with buds on the trees and more and more grass sprouting on yellow lawns.
Charlie was starting to wind down when I arrived. Along with putting in the kitchen window and the insulation around it, he'd taken out the old exhaust fan for the stove that, for some reason, was on the side of the house across from the stove, and covered the hole. I'd had it covered with plastic since I moved in. Not only has it not worked the entire time I've lived here, Charlie revealed that it wasn't even hooked up to anything. He also talked about taking out a window in my bedroom to expand the closet so I can actually hang things in it. I'll be able to get rid of those cheap wardrobes that are falling apart.
Worked on writing for a while after he left. Luke and Rudy learn that their rescuer is Ben MacKenner, the owner of Ben's Comics. To Luke's shock, it turns out he was known as the Negotiator, a member of the elite superhero group the Jedi Knights, during World War II. He went into hiding after the group was disbanded. Rudy recognizes him, and so does Charlie after he's coaxed from behind the trash cans. Ben says he'll explain further inside...
Rose called while I was writing. First of all, she confirmed that Dad-Bruce is feeling much better, and will be undergoing a new series of tests this spring. She didn't have as much luck with the doctor they all wanted me to see. Turns out that doctor is booked months in advance and has a long waiting list. They're looking up more doctors in the area who might be easier to get into. We also discussed Lauren's visit. She might be able to drive her from the station when she arrives, since she works in Camden, but we will either need to talk to the family to drive her to the station going home, or take Uber.
Broke for dinner at quarter of 7. I had leftovers and took a shower. Watched the 1949 biography of 1920's Broadway star Marilyn Miller, Look for the Silver Lining, before and after my shower. I go into more details at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Look for the Silver Lining
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