Let's Go to the Mall

Got a quick start this morning. I grabbed breakfast, then called Uber. I had a longer trip planned for us today. Fortunately, I had no trouble whatsoever getting a driver. The woman taking us to the Deptford Mall arrived in 10 minutes. The man going home came in 3! There was no traffic either way, not even on the highways. Everyone must be at the Shore. We got to the Round 1 at Deptford within 15 minutes

Wanted to get Round 1 in before we were hauling around a lot of packages. I had even more fun today than in Philly yesterday! I spent almost an hour and a half running from Bust-a-Move to skee ball to Centipede Chaos to giant Pac Man to ring toss. Got Princess Peach on Mario Kart and came in second on the Bowser's Castle course. No luck on the big cranes, but I did get a mini Pooh Tsum Tsum (cylindrical Disney character stuffed animal) from one of the small cranes. I got over 3,500 points, enough for a well-made denim tote bag with a smiling plush strawberry on the front pocket and another Beanie Baby, a fluffy pink cat named Lady. Lauren had more luck with the cranes and managed to get two (one for a co-worker), plus her own mini Tigger Tsum Tsum.

We briefly peeked at FYE on our way across the mall. Lauren didn't get anything this time. I grabbed a used copy of the complete series for the short-lived Bird of Prey TV show from 2002 for $5.99. I figured, I have the first two seasons of the Supergirl show. Why not give Batgirl equal time? 

Red Robin isn't far from FYE, so we had lunch there. They were pretty busy for just after 1 PM when we arrived. I had their new Crispy Fish Sandwich with pickles and cabbage slaw, fries, and a dirty coconut soda. Lauren had a berry lemonade with their new crispy chicken sandwich with hot sauce and broccoli. She said the chicken sandwich was really good, and the hot sauce added just the right zing. My fish sandwich was yummy. The fish was huge, and the cabbage slaw complimented it nicely. The coconut soda was really good, too, and I love their big salty steak fries.

We were in and out of stores for the next two hours. Lauren didn't find anything at Boscov's. I finally got a pair of Clarks' "Cloudsteppers" walking sandals there for $44. The pair I bought last year were falling apart (wearing them in torrential downpours twice last week didn't help). I got the exact same pair in beige, and they're just as comfortable this year. We both looked around Toys R' Us but didn't get anything. Lauren found a Harmony Bear Care Bear with her original triple-heart tummy symbol at Miniso. 

She got shirts at Macy's and used the bathroom at JC Penney. I didn't bother with Macy's (I rarely find anything there) and went to the bathroom at JC Penney's, then picked up a coral t-shirt and a pair of khaki shorts to replace the pair that's starting to go in the thighs. Lauren got three shirts and sweaters off BoxLunch's clearance rack, including a Garfield sweater I couldn't find in my size. I did get a cute Strawberry Shortcake/My Melody t-shirt and a Hello Kitty and Friends computer pad (my blue computer pad had drink rings and was curling at the edges) from the clearance rack for buy one, get one half-off, along with a Sailor Jupiter pen. 

After we finished at BoxLunch, we figured it was time to warm up a bit and headed across the street to Barnes and Noble, past Aldi's, the Tractor Supply Company, and the new breakfast restaurant. (They're still working on Nordstrom Rack.) Lauren went to Old Navy, but had no luck. I finally found the new Shady Hollow mystery Mockingbird Court by Juneau Black (I've been waiting for more Shady Hollow mysteries!) and two Disney soundtracks on record, Cars (in a nifty picture disc) and the brand-new live-action Moana. (I also picked up an adult version of Wizard of Oz called West of Wicked, but...um...paging through it later in the evening revealed that it's overly violent and a bit too adult for me. It'll go to Goodwill or one of the kiosks. Considering this is the second time in six months I grabbed what sounded like a romantic adult retelling of a classic story that got too adult, I really need to take a better look at these books before I buy them if I'm not familiar with the author.) 

I met Lauren around quarter of 6, and we went across the street to Red Lobster for dinner. I'm so glad the Red Lobsters in my area are still open! We had an absolutely delicious seafood dinner. I had shrimp scampi, shrimp Alfredo, and broccoli...and there was so much, I didn't finish the Alfredo. Lauren had scampi, Alfredo, fried popcorn shrimp, and fries, and she ate everything but the fries! Even with us having two cheddar biscuits each, we still had three to bring home for later in the week.

Took out the trash when I got home, then went straight in the shower. I finished the night watching American game shows that were adopted in Canada in honor of Family Feud Canada running on Buzzr. To be fair, most Canadian adaptations of American shows are pretty close to the originals. Those who are offended by the Steve Harvey Feud here in the US may prefer the Canadian version hosted by comedian Gary Dee, which has an identical set and somewhat less naughty questions. The 90's Canadian Supermarket Sweep also resembled its American counterpart, with a slightly different set, different-colored sweaters for the teams, and a much cuter host, Tino Monte (who also wore ugly ties). 

For some reason, the English-language Canadian version of Match Game in 2012 used the 1990-91 version, up to and including the Match-Up round (only one per show here) and Star Wheel, as its basis. Otherwise, it's just as funny as its American counterpart later in the decade, and only slightly less raunchy. Darrin Rose was the host. Caroline Rhea, who anchors the panel here, would later turn up in the 2016-2021 ABC show as well.

The Canadians have been adapting our shows since at least the 60's. Their Beat the Clock from 1970 originally featured American Jack Narz as the host, until he got tired of communing. Announcer Gene Wood took over from him, the only time he'd get to host a show. This is also the only version of Beat the Clock to have celebrities helping out with the stunts (rather than playing the game). Narz's little brother Tom Kennedy is the celebrity in the episode I have here. 

They occasionally adapted shows that didn't go over well north of the border. Pay Cards ran on syndication in 1968 and 1969, but it was never wildly popular. Canada tried it twice on their own version of syndication. It went over better in its original version from 1973 to 1975 than as the revamped Super Pay Cards! from 1981, which is what I have here. 

Monty Hall, himself Canadian, struck out with game shows in his native land. His 1980-1981 version of Let's Make a Deal ran into the same problem that the more lavish Pitfall with Alex Trebek did around the same time. The production company went belly up after a year, and he never did get paid. He did slightly better with a revival of Split Second. It too only ran a year, but at least there was no chicanery and everyone got their money and prizes. 

Take a summertime trip to visit our neighbors in the north with these delights from the land of hockey, comedy, and some pretty funny Feuds!

Beat the Clock (1970)

Let's Make a Deal (1981)

Super Pay Cards! (1981)

Split Second (1986)

Supermarket Sweep (1992)

Match Game (2012)

Family Feud Canada (2024)

Follow You Down

Started out today with something different and wholly welcome. We headed towards Albany, but Lauren took us off a side road to Chatham to visit a friend of hers. Sarah used to work with Lauren, but she moved and now works for a different bank. The branch she works in took over a beautifully remodeled former train station in the late 90's. They really did a remarkable job restoring it. You can see polished pine beams, the soaring ceiling, and the original train ticket booth. Sara even took us downstairs to the cavernous (and, as she pointed out, creepy) stone basement. It's so big, they keep all the records for every branch in 100 miles! Sara and everyone at the bank were real sweethearts. Sara gave us big hugs, when we arrived and when we left! I was glad to meet her and her co-workers.

Our first stop when we got closer to Albany was the Denny's just up the hill from Cracker Barrel. We timed it pretty well. It wasn't that busy. We must have missed the lunch and breakfast crowds. Lauren had the All-American Slam - basic white toast, eggs, sausage, hash browns, and bacon. I had the Berry Banana Pancakes Slam - hash browns, bacon, and scrambled eggs with plate-sized blueberry pancakes topped with bananas and strawberries. Lauren ate all of hers. I ate all of mine but half of the hash browns. Both were delicious. I especially loved the gigantic, fluffy pancakes! (Even if the syrup was a pain to get out of the bottle.)

I had never seen a two-story Wal Mart before. We stopped there next, about 15 minutes from the Denny's. The place really was huge. The first story was clothes, electronics, toys, and furniture. Anything related to groceries, including food, health and beauty aids, and cleaning supplies, were on the second floor. Lauren got a really cute fluffy teddy bear print sweater here and boxes of tea for her parents. I just used the bathroom.

Colonie Center was only a five minute drive from Wal Mart. This is the oldest and smallest of the three malls we visit during my trip up north. On one hand, remodeling a decade ago left it attractive inside and out. Trouble is, it's had a hard time keeping tenants lately. Christmas Tree Shoppe died with that franchise in 2023, and Nordstrom Rack and FYE both closed earlier this year. 

The only entertainment option, besides an indoor playground for little kids, is the small Pier Arcade. It's one room of skee ball, a lot of Pac Man, and a Scooby Doo-themed wheel. I played Cruisin' Blast here. Got a sweet cherry-red Lamborghini, but could only make third on the dinosaur-themed Madagascar track. I made over 1,800 points, but didn't see anything I really wanted. Just got a box of Sweet Tarts. Lauren was more interested in trying to win a Playstation 5 (she didn't, but it wasn't for lack of trying). 

With Nordstrom Rack gone, there wasn't a whole lot else to look at upstairs. We headed to the first floor. Our first stop here was L.L Bean. This is one of three large stores at Colonie that's unique to the Albany area. Lauren didn't see anything she really wanted, but I got two pairs of nice, thick cotton socks in red and white. (I would have gotten the green pair too, if they weren't expensive, and if those socks I bought at Jockey the other day weren't green, too.) 

After a quick peek at Go! Toys and Games, we split up to check out the other two stores that are unique to Colonie in the area. Lauren went to Boscov's. I needed to go there too, but I started at Barnes and Noble. While this store isn't anything near as big as the one in Holyoke, it's still a fair size. It once again took me a few minutes to find the cozy mysteries. I had less trouble exploring the music and DVD area, which was half-given over to educational toys. In addition to a chai latte and an Oreo brownie, I bought:

The cast album for Six: The Musical (I've heard such good things about it that I thought I'd try it.)

Cookies and Clairvoyance by Bailey Cates

Went across the way to Boscov's after I finished my snack. I needed new sneakers to run errands in. I checked JC Penney twice and DSW Shoes, but never found either the Fija pair I bought last year...or if I did, I couldn't find my size. I couldn't at Boscov's, either. I broke down and bought a pair of Easy Spirits that were the same price and just as comfortable. Lauren told me she picked up a few more lounging pants and leggings there and at the super cheap LA 7. We walked around Macy's next, but neither of us bought anything.

Trader Joe's was barely a three-minute drive down Wolf Road. I was shocked at how busy they were when we arrived! The entire parking lot was full. I forgot it was not only Friday, but past 4:30 and rush hour. We ended up parking in the back, well behind the store. The store was busy, but Trader Joe's knows how to keep lines flowing, and they were short. I just picked up my favorite dried orange slices and coconut strips. Lauren got dried ginger pieces and peanut butter and jelly bars.

Our last stop was dinner at Ted's Fish Fry, one of our favorite local franchises. It's a fast food chain specializing in huge "fish fries," massive fish sticks in hot dog rolls that are nowhere near big enough for them. I had the tasty, hot fish fry. Lauren had a bacon cheeseburger that looked pretty darn yummy, too. We both had sweet potato fries. 

It was past 5:30 when Lauren started home. Despite the hour, there wasn't much traffic. Neither the mall nor Wal Mart were busy, either. I guess it just remains too nice for shopping. The weather has been gorgeous all week. It was warmer today, in the 70's, but it's still breezy and perfectly sunny.

Lauren pulled in an hour later. After we showed everything to Lauren's parents and gave them their tea, I hit the shower. Tomorrow, we're going to finally have breakfast at Bob's Country Kitchen, then spend our last day at Jiminy Peak, a mountain resort with a twisty slide down the mountain and a roller coaster you control yourself. 

Rockin' the Heat

Began a sunny morning with breakfast and Laff-a-Lympics. Considering it got up to 100 here today, the contestants were lucky to start at the "North Pole." Daisy Mayhem's sled being pulled by her huge pig and the Teen Angels pulling Captain Caveman made at least some sense, but Yakky Doodle pulling Grape Ape seems like a recipe for disaster...until the big purple primate lends a hand. Quick Draw and the Doggie pair did their best with igloo-building, and despite the Rottens' cheating, it was good enough for first. The Yogis also dodged the Rottens and their messes long enough to win in the Pontoon race in "Tahiti." Shaggy and Scooby prove why they'd later enter a sand-castle building contest in What's New, Scooby Doo? with their winning entry. 

Spent most of the next few hours starting the rock collections inventory. These are anthologies of mostly rock music from the 50's through the 80's by various artists. I don't have as many of them as I do the regular rock albums from individual artists, but they tend to be 2 to 4 disc sets and take longer to type. I haven't had these for nearly as long, either. Most of them came from thrift shops, yard sales, or the local record stores. 

Watched Half a Sixpence as I worked. I go further into this long but charming vehicle for British pop star Tommy Steele at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews Blog.

Cult Flops - Half a Sixpence

Broke for lunch after the movie ended. Watched Super Password as I worked. Buzzr continues its "Christmas In July" theme with new-to-them episodes that aired around Christmas 1988. Pat Harrington of One Day at a Time and Ilene Graff of Mr. Belvedere helped people guess words and admired the nifty decorations that had jewel-colored glass balls against white frosted trees. 

Headed out around 6 PM. I wanted to get out and stretch my legs for a while. By that point, it was still pretty warm, but nothing close to what it had been during the heat of the day. Stopped briefly at Dollar General for a Gatorade and a roll of regular birthday wrapping paper, then went down the Black Horse Pike to Newton Lake Park. It was past quarter of 7 when I hurried past the Collingswood High School. Between the heat and the dinner hour, the only people I saw outside were a teen girl out for her own walk and what I suspect was a little league team getting some practice in on Collingswood High's fields now that it wasn't quite so hot. 

Went straight into dinner and Match Game Syndicated when I got home. Some of the episodes they showed today were among the craziest of the syndicated run. Charles arrived at the studio on roller skates in one episode. Brett and Fannie turned up wearing blonde wigs in another, and everyone but Charles and Brett changed seats. Poor Eva Gabor put up an umbrella indoors because the fan over her was leaking oil in the last episode of the night.

At this point, I also opened one of my two purchases from Amazon Prime Day. Yeah, I broke down and bought the same pink and white New Balances I had two years ago for work. They were $50, not bad for New Balance, and I can never find the ones I like in South Jersey. 

Finished the night after a much-needed shower with vintage children's records. The Care Bears' Adventures In Care-a-Lot is a basic story about the Bears helping a lonely child who has been forgotten on his birthday. In the negative column, this has the same problem as the previous Introducing the Care Bears with the Bears' (or their voice actors) not being even remotely decent singers. It does make up for it with some mildly catchy songs, including "Hall of Hearts," "Make a Wish," and "We All Count On Each Other." Nifty cover art too, depicting the bears in their cloud kingdom home and designed to resemble the Bears' greeting card art of the time. 

(There's also the fact that this holds sentimental value. My sisters and I owned a copy of this record and played it constantly through the mid-80's.)

We did have a Strawberry Shortcake album when I was a kid, but Strawberry Shortcake Sweet Songs wasn't it. I bought this to hear their covers of such sugar-related tunes as "Over the Rainbow," "Sugar Sugar," and "Sunshine Lollipops and Rainbows." The thin story gets around the voice actors' lack of singing talent by having the songs performed by others.

Although the Tale Spinners for Children version of Treasure Island was condensed to fit an hour record, it otherwise came across very well. They even retained some of the darker elements, like Billy Bones' death and all the violence in the second half. The actors playing Long John Silver and Captain Smollett are especially good. I enjoyed this far more than the shorter version on that Peter Pan record I found a while back.

What to Do Next?

Began the morning with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Donald is upset when he doesn't get any mail, so the others put together a box with their favorite things that might cheer him up. They just have to get "Donald's Special Delivery" past Postman Pete and his stamps

After I ate, I made an eye doctor's appointment for next Thursday, then called Uber. The driver arrived in less than 8 minutes. She was a pleasant older woman driving a big truck. Turns out she lived near the Outlets in Blackwood and had wanted to go home and get something anyway. She'd drop me off on the way. There was no traffic anywhere, not even the lunch rush on the highways. She pulled up in front of the Blackwood Outlets by 12:30. 

Why did I come back here when I was here with Lauren and Jessa last week? I wanted to focus on finding sneakers for work and to run errands in. I keep wearing out my sneakers in 6 months or less wearing them for work and to do everything else. I spent the next two hours going in and out of almost every shoe store in the mall. (I'm not a fan of Puma or Nike.) I was hoping to find the same New Balance trainers I buy on Amazon, but the one time I saw anything like them, they were really expensive. 

I did pick up a pair of Reeboks for running errands in. They're really cute, too, with pink and white trim and bright pink and purple floral backs. Found them for $39.99 at the Reeboks store. Beyond the cute print, it was one of the only stores that didn't require you to buy one, get one half-off for a sale. 

The only other place to have lunch besides Friendly's (and the snacks counter at Dave & Buster's) is Starbucks. Thankfully, by the time I got over there around quarter after 2, there was no line. The spinach, egg, cheese, and pepper wrap was kind of mushy, but the peach green tea lemonade was incredible, just sweet enough without the extra sugar. 

I ate outside in the main commons area. It was a far nicer day than the recent weather reports had led me to believe. Yes, it was sunny and warm, in the lower 90's, but dry temperatures and a deliciously cool breeze kept it from feeling overbearing. 

There were ads all over the mall for Ginny's cookie and ice cream treats. Since I couldn't decide if I wanted cookies or ice cream, I tried an ice cream sandwich. Theirs is made with soft serve between two cookies. The sugar sprinkle cookies weren't bad, crispy in all the right places. The peanut butter soft serve was a little on the bland side. I didn't really taste the peanut butter. I think I might stick to their cookies when I want to splurge at the mall and get ice cream from Hershey's or Haagen Daas. I did like their cookies so much, I took three more home to try later. The macadamia white chocolate could have had bigger white chocolate pieces, but the heart-shaped frosted butter cookies were sweet, rich, and yummy.

I hadn't found sneakers for work, and I picked up anything else I wanted last week. I just ended up calling a ride home at quarter of 3. I probably should have waited. It took 20 minutes for for the driver to get there. At least he was pretty fast once he did arrive. The traffic was largely going in the other direction. I got home by a little past 3:30. 

It was such a nice day, I went for a walk after I got in to clear my head. I guess I'm feeling a little down. I really don't want to go back to the Acme. The more I stay away, the more I realize how much I dislike that job. I miss Lauren, too. I wish I could meet more people around here like her. I badly want a home of my own and a decent job, but I don't seem to be getting any closer to finding either. 

I walked through the park, listening as the wind rustled through the trees. It's pretty much summer here now. The leaves are big and green, and the gardens are bursting with tiger lilies and big bright blue hydrangeas. Saw two little chipmunks darting across the path; watched a robin chatter to a friend as I relaxed on the stone bench near the back entrance to the park on Bettlewood. 

Did job searching when I got home. No luck here. I haven't heard from anyone in ages. I did apply on Indeed to a floor covering office in Cherry Hill. I just wish I knew what kind of work was really, truly right for me. I need something with health insurance that will make me enough money to buy a condo, something that I really want to do and enjoy doing. 

Listened to Bernadette Peters Loves Rogers & Hammerstein while I worked. Peters' covers of Rogers and Hammerstein's music comes out a little better than her solo album. For one thing, we get the rare "I Haven't Got a Worry In the World," which the duo wrote for a play. Other good songs here include "The Gentleman Is a Dope" from Allegro, "Mister Snow" and "If I Loved You" from Carousel, and "There Is Nothing Like a Dame" from South Pacific. 

Put on Match Game Syndicated during dinner at 7 PM. In the first episode, David Doyle, who was sitting in Charles' seat while he was away, wore his own sailor's cap and did his best impression of him for his unamused best friend Brett. In the second episode, the turntable moved too quickly after the game ended, cutting a very annoyed Gene off before he could tell the loser what prizes they got!

Finished the night on YouTube honoring Pride Month and Juneteenth with game shows featuring beloved black and gay performers. Charles Nelson Reilly, for instance, was told a gay man would never work on television. Nowadays, he's probably best-known for his work on TV, including his off-and-on stint on the 70's-80's Match Game. He turned up on many other game shows, too. He was one of the first celebrities to appear on Super Password, with Abby Dalton in the episode here.

Paul Lynde ruled Hollywood Squares from his domain in the center square during the 1970's. As long as he had a script, he was the king of witty zingers. He was in the center square for so long, he remains associated with the show and the center spot to this day. 

Author and comedienne Fannie Flagg was also a regular on Match Game in the 70's and 80's. She made her last appearance on The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour in 1984. Other actors joining her here include Tom Villard, Leonard Frey, the adorable cool older lady Nedra Volz, and soap star Anna Stuart. 

Manic Jm J. Bullock could get annoying on shows where he actually had to sit down (like Match Game), but he was a natural for Body Language. He not only had a great time contorting his body to represent the word in question, he and his contestant managed to beat big former football star-turned-host Lynn Swann.

Poet Laureate of Television Nipsey Russell was equally at home on The $100,000 Pyramid. After spouting his usual poem in the beginning, he did his best to help the contestant to victory. Sweet Teresa Ganzel did even better, helping her contestant to blast through the Winner's Circle in near-record time.

Sammy Davis Jr. turned up many times on the panel shows of the 50's and 60's. Check him out in this vintage 1955 episode of What's My Line. He sports a dashing eye patch and changes his voice ever time someone talks to him. It almost worked, until Arlene Francis caught on. Cab Calloway, the Hi-De-Ho man himself, had his own fun playing stunts on the early 70's syndicated version of Beat the Clock. 

Take My Word For It was a San Francisco-based version of the describe-the-weird-word format that would eventually evolve into Wordplay in the late 80's. Frisco native Jim Lange led four celebrities, including Roxy Roker of The Jeffersons, through odd descriptions of even stranger vocabulary. The contestants have to figure out which celebrity is giving the real description. 

There's so much to celebrate in June! Honor Pride Month and Juneteenth with these hilarious episodes!

What's My Line? (1955)

Beat the Clock (1971)

Hollywood Squares (1975)

Match Game (1976)

Take My Word For It (1983)

The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour (1984) 

Super Password (1984)

Body Language (1985)

The $100,000 Pyramid (1985) 

Angels of the Morning

This time, we started off a sunny, breezy morning heading through upstate New York towards Albany. We went around hairpin corners with fabulous views of the Graylock Mountains and through quaint farming hamlets and past small rural towns with lovely old libraries and hotels with wide porches. Pumpkin patches and baskets of apples line roadside stands; dried weeds waved in the breeze. Ran into no traffic anywhere, not even where they're repairing the road and you have to ride over graded highways.

Turned off the highway at 10 to have brunch at Cracker Barrel. Though the outside screams 70's, the inside is pure southern rural. The walls are lined with vintage tin signs, patterns, ads, and even a gun over a fireplace. We shared a cheese and bacon tater tot casserole and fried pickle chips. Lauren had Eggs Benedict, with the eggs over a biscuit instead of an English muffin. I had two big pancakes with scrambled eggs, bacon, and fried apples. Yum! The apples were a little gluey, but everything else was amazing.

We stopped at the gift shop on the way out. This sells basic toys and gadgets, but it also has holiday decorations, records, CDs (mainly for country stars), sweaters and shirts, and lots and lots of wooden rockers lining the front patio. I didn't see anything I wanted, but Lauren picked up a sweater.

It was twenty minutes to our ultimate destination for the day, the massive Crossgates Mall. Parked next to JC Penney, so we figured we'd start there. I found a coral tank top that was just $3.73 on the clearance racks. Lauren came up with two shirts.

Headed to DSW Shoes next-door after that. Lauren wanted new shoes for work. She had the devil of a time finding ones she liked. Either they were too narrow, or too big and slipped. We finally spotted a pair of slip-on loafers in the clearance racks that didn't slip with her wearing socks. And not only that, she got them for $40, 

We were in and out of a few stores next. We found nothing in their Burlington Coat Factory, Build-a-Bear, Jay Street Video Games, FYE, or a local toy store. Lauren spent nearly a half-hour looking for Lego people at the Lego Store and making her own versions of three Hogan's Heroes characters. She bought calendars at Go! Calendars and Toys for herself and her father and a pair of tweed pants for work on a really good clearance at Old Navy.

Spent the next hour at Dave & Buster's (once I finally managed to get my money into the machine). This is pretty much the same deal as Round 1, with no bowling, fewer crane games, and machines that use slightly less tickets. I spent the next hour running from skee ball to wheels you pushed under a lever to bean bag toss, ring toss, and Mario Kart (got Yoshi this time). Ended up with over 2,770 points. Indulged and got a little Charmander, the fire lizard Pokemon, with plenty of points left for next time.

Headed to Primark, the Irish department store, next. This Primark was not only a lot bigger than the one in Philadelphia, it carried a lot more plus size clothes, too. The plus sizes in the city probably get picked over quickly. I saw some sweaters I liked, but they were too heavy for me to carry in my luggage. GameStop yielded no finds. 

By this point, it was quarter after 5. We were way past dinnertime. Trouble is, most of the sit-down restaurants at Crossgates are expensive steakhouses. Finally went with the only one that seemed somewhat reasonable, Maggie McFly's. This is a sleek black and tan modern bar and grill with an aviatrix mascot. We opted for half of a pizza and salad. Lauren had barbecue chicken pizza and Caesar salad. I had a spring greens salad and Hawaiian pizza with ham, pineapple, and cheddar cheese. Oh wow, yum! It was more like a flatbread pizza, not crunchy like I expected, and it was amazing. Even the salad was good.

Finally headed home after that to show Mr. and Mrs. Miller our finds. After we got online, I finished the night with a third season episode of Charlie's Angels at Tubi. "Angel Come Home" brings back Jill Munroe (Farrah Fawcett) when she thinks her sister Kris (Cheryl Ladd) sent for her. Turns out she did nothing of the sort. Jill thinks she's going to drive a designer's experimental car in a big race. Her fiancee (Stephan Collins) disapproves of her driving the car and the man who created it, but he has his own demons. When tragedy strikes, Jill learns the car designer she admired wasn't as on the up-and-up as she believed, and that her fiancee may have been right after all...

Summer In the Fall

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mall In the Fall

Began a gorgeous morning with breakfast and Blockbusters.  The former member of the All-American Women's Baseball League just keeps striking out the competition. She easily got through a pair of brothers this morning, then beat the Gold Rush round after missing two in the beginning. Two sisters were her next challengers; she made short work of them as the episode ended.

Ran three cartoons on the Classic Cartoons Roku app as I got organized. "Small Fry" is a little fish who wants to be a big tuna amongst the local tough guys. They say he can be a "big fry" if he survives an initiation in a cave...but the scares among the coral prove to be more than he can handle. Mischievous toddler "Little Lambkins" loves living with his animal buddies in the country. He throws a tantrum when his parents insist on moving to a fancy new city apartment and finds a way to cross the wires and make them leave. "The Cobweb Hotel" is hardly the ideal honeymoon spot for insects. It's really a way for a spider to trap unsuspecting flies in his web. A fly couple have to find their way out, before they end up being his next meal.

Rose and Craig arrived on my doorstep just as I was about to grab my purse. Rose found a dresser for me a few days ago and wanted to bring it while she and Craig had the chance. It's a beauty, too. It's taller and slightly wider than my old one, but not that much. Unlike the plywood-and-plastic dresser I picked up from Manor Avenue, this one is all wood, with heavy metal handles and criss-cross carvings on the top two drawers. Rose and Craig didn't have the time to get it in all the way. They left it in the middle of my bedroom until they could come back and help me get it in on Sunday.

Left for the Cherry Hill Mall shortly after they headed out. As I did last month when I had my doctor's appointment, I opted to take Uber there and the bus back. Uber gets me faster (and likely safer in a pandemic), but the bus is cheaper (especially during rush hour). At any rate, the Uber driver was a pleasant fellow who played New Age music as we drove down the quiet highways, past a shopping center I'd never seen before, going the back way to the mall. He dropped me off near the back entrance to the Express clothing store.

I mainly went to the mall for clothes. More specifically, I went for bras. I didn't want to order them online. JCPenney's having a buy-one, get-one sale on bras. Got the two-for-one, plus a Platex and another brand. Also found a blue-print blouse for less than two dollars and a half-price pair of jean shorts. (My old jean shorts frayed on the underside.)

There wasn't really much I needed in the rest of the mall. Bought a cute flower-print blouse and a black t-shirt for my black cat costume at Old Navy. Found a pair of New Balance sneakers labeled as being 45 dollars at Famous Footwear; to my delight, they rang up $39.99. Peeked at Go! Games, The Disney Store, and GameStop, but found nothing of interest. Build-a-Bear is appointment-only and isn't allowing casual browsing at the moment.

Spent less than three hours at the mall. I arrived around 12:30 and was outside waiting for the bus by 2:30. The bus arrived right on time, and once again, there was no traffic anywhere, not even on Cuthbert or around the Garden State Plaza big-box mall.

Stopped at WaWa to do something for lunch. I probably could have eaten at the mall, but I wanted to be in and out. Not to mention, even if eating in restaurants were recommended at the moment, most of the food sold in malls tends to be of the junk food variety. I picked up a kale salad with sunflower seeds, chicken chunks, and cranberries and a French Toast Smoothie instead. (The latter really did taste like French toast, sweet and cinnamony.)

As soon as I got home, I dropped everything and headed for the garage. I gave up trying to get my bike seat back together yesterday after all the trouble it caused. Ironically, it took me less than ten minutes to get it all together and tightened today. I guess I needed time to calm down.

Had the salad for lunch while watching Tattletales. Gossip queen Rona Barrett and her husband were the big winners this time, despite everyone missing a question about half-way through involving how the women think the guys are like little boys. Press Your Luck was even more exciting. The two ladies dominated the game; in the end, the winner was a woman who had been on the show before, but lost due to technical difficulties. This time, she hit no Whammies and walked away with a stereo.

Rose told me to leave the dresser until Sunday, but...it took up a good chunk of the middle of the bedroom. There was no way I could leave it sitting there for five days. Though it made my bad arm sore and scratched the floor in front of the bedroom closet, I got it in the space and the old dresser outside. It looks so much better, and holds slightly more clothes, too. My dolls aren't bunched up on the top anymore.

Went into writing after that. The light from the princesses' magic and everyone's love not only destroys Malade, it restores the damage she and the others did to Password Palace, too. It also restores people - the trolls and demons are human again, and plants can grow in the courtyard rock garden. 

Broke for dinner at quarter of 7. Had a quick fruit smoothie and peanut butter-stuffed celery sticks while watching Match Game '74. Fannie Flagg, Adrianne Barbeau, and Bobby Van joined the regulars and Gary Burghoff for jokes about Fannie's "Mystery Guest" t-shirt. The Match Game PM episode was one of my favorites of the night-time shows. Puppets Kukla and Ollie became the first non-humans to appear on Match Game. Not only did Brett happily flirt with them, they got to witness a big 20,000 win with Eva Gabor.

Sale of the Century got almost as wild. The champ was ahead for most of the round, until she bought a beautiful amethyst necklace in the last Instant Bargain. It proved to be her undoing. She lost to the older woman challenger by two dollars. The lady won a trip to Jamaica on the prize board. She said she'd been there before, loved it, and would happily go again.

Finished the night after a shower with episodes from three Disney cartoon series of the 90's and early 2000's on Disney Plus. Recess involved the adventures of a band of typical misfits as they tried to make their outdoor activities at school even more fun. Vince, the group jock, claims "I Will Kick No More Forever" after one of the girls from the snobbish "Ashleys" clique out-kick him. His friends do everything they can to try and get his confidence back. The gang is convinced that a little kid eating a peanut butter sandwich and is hanging around them brings bad luck. They do everything they can to shake him, but "The Kid Came Back."

Tale Spin occasionally drifted into Indiana Jones territory, as in "Waiders of the Wost Twesure." Baloo the Bear competes with hippo pilot Plane Jane to see who can find the Wuby...uh, Ruby Wings belonging to Princess Grace of Walla Walla Bing Bang first. She needs to find them to claim her throne from the dastardly Prince Rudolph, who'll do whatever he can to stop the duo!

Darkwing Duck traded Indiana Jones adventures for satires of Batman and other deep-dark superhero stories of the early and mid 90's. Began with the first regular episode, "Beauty and the Beet." Dr. Reginald Bushroot was once a mild-mannered, plant-loving scientist who hoped merging ducks with plant-life would solve all the world's hunger problems. When his colleagues make fun of his theories, he tests them on himself, turning himself into a half-duck, half-plant mutant. Darkwing and Launchpad enter the scene after he attacks his former lab. Darkwing is hoping Bushroot's beautiful colleague will be able to talk some sense into him, but he'd rather try to turn her into a plant as well!

Sunny Day Matches

Began a sunny morning with breakfast and Split Second. It was a tight race, but a young woman came back and got it in the speed round. She opted to take a trip to Paris rather than coming back and trying for the car. The former All American Woman's League player continues to dominate Blockbusters. She breezed past a pair of sisters, then just got the 5,000 dollars in the Gold Rush bonus round. The lady may have met her match in a set of brothers from Canada, though.

Called Mrs. Stahl after I cleaned up from breakfast. Obviously, I couldn't do Haddonfield just yet. I'm still not entirely sure I'm up to talking to her anyway. Got her answering machine. I suggested we reschedule for late in June after I moved. (She called back later and did, indeed, reschedule us for June 30th.)

Switched to Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood while I finished the dishes and got organized. "Daniel's Bicycle" was once his dad's, but Dan Sr. fixed it up for him. He has a hard time going over a hill at first, but his dad helps him. Later, Prince Tuesday helps Wednesday and Daniel go all the way across the rings. (Bless them - I have a hard time with the rings to this day and certainly couldn't manage them when I was a six-year-old!) Dan and his mom watch "Katarina's Magic Trick" at the Enchanted Garden. Henrietta teaches her daughter a new magic trick to try. Katarina has a rough time getting it at first, but with the help of her assistant O, she eventually gets it.

Went outside...and went right back in with my final birthday gift to myself. I needed a new pair of walking sandals. The ones I bought from Amazon a couple of years ago were cheap and starting to crack. Lands' End's been having huge sales on their summer clothes. The walking sandals I picked up were perfect, comfortable as can be, with straps in a gorgeous coral red color with gray trim. They felt so wonderful, I wore them on my outing.

It was too nice of a day not to head out for a walk. The neighborhood is flat-out gorgeous right now. Trees are all lime greens with cotton-candy flowers. Gardens burst with magenta and lavender hyacinths and brilliant wildflowers. Kids toss basketballs and ride bikes in their own yards. Their parents walked their dogs and pushed their baby siblings in strollers, heading down to West Clinton to order lunch.

My first stop was Dad and Jodie's house, dodging road work on the other side of Hillcrest. Well, actually, it was at the apartment. I saw no one around, so I figured no one would mind if I took a peek inside. Peering through the front window revealed a small room painted yellow. It was only slightly larger than my current bedroom...but I could see the hall Jodie described off to one side, and what was likely the large closet she mentioned. No one was anywhere to be seen, and the room was empty. If there was anyone painting anything, they were on break.

My real destination was Dollar General. They're less-stocked than the Acme on most things. They have no toilet paper or hand sanitizer or wipes and haven't for weeks. They did have quite a bit of cleaner left; I grabbed a vinegar-based spray cleaner. Needed underwear too. Their peanut butter is cheaper than the Acme's. The main reason I was there was for plastic bins; grabbed two medium-sized gray ones.

Put everything away when I got home, then made brownies while watching episodes of Good Eats: The Return. I thought "Wild Yeast Risin'" was extremely appropriate at the moment. Yeast has completely disappeared from stores, thanks to people deciding to make bread rather than buy it. I'm glad everyone's discovered how wonderful making bread is...but there's other ways to make it, as Alton reveals here. His starter makes Cheez-It's-style cheese crackers and Belgian waffles.

(And I know Alton likely intended the zombie apocalypse theme in this episode as a joke, but for many viewers right now, it may be a little too on the nose...)

"Every Grain Old Is New Again" introduces two ancient grains that are currently seeing a renaissance. The Latin American grain quinoa is popular in salads and side dishes. Chia comes off clay busts of favorite characters and into baked goods and sauces.

Finished the night back on YouTube with the next Match Game marathon. The panelists and crew aren't the only ones who get pretty wild. The show's had it's fair share of nutty or memorable contestants as well. Dorothy, who appeared on New Year's Day 1974, got so excited, she accidentally hit Gene and the contestant next to her when she cheered after winning! She got so crazy, even Richard was afraid to go near her. Betty Boop-voiced Marlena from a few weeks later lost her shoe after Morey Amsterdam gave her the winning answer.

Good friends and neighbors Janet Finn and Carol Bartos figured into two of the most delightful weeks of the entire series, and between them became some of the biggest winners ever on the show. Sweet Janet waited breathlessly while ever-dramatic Charles Nelson Reilly delivered the news of her major win, while Richard gave Carol big smooches after giving her the winning answer. Another lady in 1975 promised she'd belly dance if she won money. She didn't, because they played the wrong music...not that it bothered Brett and Betty, who came right out and did their own interpretation of belly dancing.

There were a few memorable male contestants, too. Cop CB Farnsworth proved to be funny and charming during a week in 1974. Handsome high school coach Ron Valenti turned quite a few heads during his three-day stint in 1975, including those of Fannie Flagg and Betty White.

Here's the marathon, so you can enjoy some of the wildest people to ever play Match Game, too! And it looks like tomorrow we'll finally get to hit the high seas with the much-delayed Salute to Love Boat marathon.

Best Contestants and Biggest Winners on Match Game 1973 - 1975

I also watched the 1937 comedy musical Double or Nothing this evening. I go further into this vehicle for Bing Crosby at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Double or Nothing (1937)

Oh, and Rose called while the marathon was on. She got Jodie to push the majority of the actual move to early July, but says I can start bringing over anything I won't need for the next two months as soon as they finish painting. I'm tired of being here and was really hoping to go in early June, but I know Rose and Craig are worried about finding someone to watch the kids. Not to mention, I need to figure out how to break the news to the McHughs and get out of that rental agreement.

Goofs and Deadpools

It had been snowing when I finally went to bed last night. By the time I got up, the snow had stopped. There was a little bit on the porch, once again about an inch. I still celebrated our wintry weather with two snow-based specials. Frosty Returns in an odd tale from the early 90's. It kind of plays like a cross between a Rankin-Bass special and a Peanuts special. A far more sarcastic Frosty (John Goodman) helps a little girl who loves magic and her science-obsessed guy friend save their winter carnival from a nasty executive (Brian Doyle Murphy) who has created a chemical that instantly dissolves snow.

The Pink Panther finds himself in the Olym-pinks when he joins the 1980 Lake Placid ski team. His long-nosed rival just can't seem to beat him. He cheats at everything from the ski jump to bobsledding, but usually just ends up freezing his rear off in the icy waters. Meanwhile, Pink just wants to out-ski a piano that's determined to keep sliding after him.

Headed out to run errands around 11. My original plan was to check out the Gloucester Outlets, but between my finances, the weather, and the bus only stopping at Audubon and the Outlets at certain times of the day, I decided to save that trip for later in the winter or early spring. Opted to just explore some of the stores in the Audubon Crossings Shopping Center, starting with Goodwill. They were busy as heck when I arrived. I ducked around a woman dropping DVDs into a pile next to her to grab a few myself. Found collections of Goofy and Mickey Mouse cartoons from the long-out-of-print Classic Cartoon Favorites DVD series. (They also had Donald and Chip and Dale, but I already have the latter DVD and all of Don's shorts on my Treasures sets.) Also picked up Dumbo: Big Top Edition to review eventually and the British action film The Sword of Sherwood Forest, the latter still in its original plastic. 

My best find was something I've been hoping to pick up for a long time. The Haddon Township Library had the PBS documentary miniseries Broadway: The American Musical in its non-fiction collection, but the set has vanished from the shelves within the last year or so, and it could cost up to 50 dollars even when new. I found it for $5.99. It's totally intact, complete with the flyer from PBS advertising other sets and giving an introduction to the episodes. 

Was in and out of a few stores next. I'm still hoping to find a new bathrobe and a new pair of winter boots. I never did find a bathrobe. (I probably will end up getting that online.) I did see a few pairs of boots I liked at Marshalls and Ross, but I didn't buy them. I'm glad I waited. I found just the right pair at The Shoe Depot, black Totes boots with non-slip rubber bottoms and warm fur lining - and they were on sale for $17. 

By this point, it was almost 2, and my stomach was grumbling. I was originally going to eat at Chick Fil'A, but even then, the line for the take-out window was still half-way around the building. I went with Arby's instead. Had a tasty if messy turkey gyro with curly fries and Mello Yello. There was only one other guy there besides the people behind the counter. I enjoyed the quiet and my meal as I sat by the front window and watched cars go by on the Black Horse Pike.

Next stop was a far busier Acme to get my schedule and do my grocery shopping. Given I spent a lot of the week eating at home, there was a lot that I needed. This week is one of our occasional "buck a bag" produce sales. I grabbed bagged spinach, celery, oranges, a container of cherry tomatoes, and a bag of those tasty baked pea snacks. Had online coupons for Belvita breakfast cookies (treated myself to the chocolate sandwich cookies), butter, Celestial Seasonings herbal tea, and Pantene conditioner - they finally had the curl formula. Restocked apples, bananas, skim milk, yogurt, chocolate chips, canned pineapple, cake mix, powdered sugar, regular black tea, eggs, turkey bacon, and blueberry preserves. 

My schedule is much better than it was before vacation, and in fact is probably the best schedule I've had since Christmas week. More hours, all in the mid-afternoon except for an early Sunday. I'm so glad I have Martin Luther King Jr. Day off. The high that day is supposed to be in the teens. I'll just have to do everything next Thursday and Friday.

Went straight home after I left. Put on the Goofy DVD while I got organized. With the Walt Disney Treasures sets out of print and nearly impossible to find, I figured these were the next best thing. One of the reasons I bought it was to have the full "Art of Skiing," which is the very first cartoon on the set. "Father's Day Off" was also pretty funny. Poor Goof! If he thought being a single dad in the 90's was tough, being a married dad whose wife went off for the day in the 50's was even harder. He has to iron a dress that's shrunk, keep his son out of trouble, wonder why the heck the milkman kissed him, take care of a neighbor's baby, save his wash from birds, and explain to the cops why they heard the radio and thought it was a real murder. 

Worked on writing for the next few hours. Han, Chewie, and Luke knock out three guards who try to attack them and steal their black and white armor. They pass themselves as guards and Ben and Chewie as monks on their way to Nottingham Castle. Luke's hoping to save Maid Leia, but Han just wants his money.

Broke for a late dinner at 7. I was still full from my late lunch and opted for something lighter than the crusted fish I originally had planned. Fried up the turkey bacon and crumbled it into spinach, thinly sliced onion, chopped broccoli and cauliflower florets, and cherry tomatoes. Added my own home-made mayo-red wine vinegar dressing. Oh, yum! It came out really tasty and filling, a nice blending of flavors.

Finished out the remaining Goofy shorts as I ate. "The Big Wash" introduces Dolores the Elephant. Goofy is her caretaker and has to give her a bath, but she absolutely refuses to get clean and does her best to hide from his hose. He's a "Baggage Buster" when a magician's trunk that he's trying to load onto a train gives him nothing but trouble. Goofy tries to get an equally reluctant bear to "Hold That Pose" after he's taken up photography. A big cat refuses to take the loss of his home "Lion Down" when Goofy plants his tree on the top of his apartment building. He decides he likes Goof's hammock and tries to throw him out. Goofy tries to learn "How to Dance," but he's not prepared for how aggressive people can be when they're jitterbugging.

Moved on to The Sword of Sherwood Forest as I cleaned up from dinner. This British version of the Robin Hood legends from 1960 picks up with Robin (Richard Greene) and his men already outlaws. They vow to aid the Archbishop of Canterbury (Jack Gwillim) when he speaks out against the Sheriff of Nottingham (Peter Cushing) confiscating the lands of a lord who died in the Crusades. There's also Maid Marian (Sarah Branch), who wants the Archbishop to help her provide for the family of a man who was killed by the Sheriff's men. She thinks Robin's a selfish jerk at first, but she starts to fall for him when she realizes that he intends to help the Archbishop and give the Sheriff's money to the poor.

I never heard of this Robin Hood before...and now I'm wondering why. Maybe it's because this came from Hammer Studios, which normally specialized in horror. To my surprise, I actually quite enjoyed it. Cushing made an especially hissable Sheriff of Nottingham, and Nial MacGinnis and Nigel Green were fun as Friar Tuck and Little John respectively. Greene was a bit stiff as Robin, but he wasn't bad, and he certainly looked dashing enough in the action scenes. Loved the gorgeous widescreen color cinematography, too. Evidently, I'm not the only one who liked it - it was a surprise hit in 1960 in England. 

If you want a Robin Hood that's more Errol Flynn and less Kevin Costner, you could do far worse than to look around for this one.

Finished the night with Deadpool 2. Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) is looking forward to starting a new life with his girlfriend Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) when she announces that she's pregnant, but that's tabled when one of his targets shows up and kills her. After he tries to commit suicide, he recovers at the X-Mansion with Colossus (Stefan Kapicic), Teenage Sonic Nuclear Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand), and her girlfriend Yukio (Shioli Kutsana). They want him to join the X-Men, which he does only after much persuasion and because he thinks Vanessa would want him to. Their first job is to subdue Russell (Julian Dennison), a young fire-based mutant being raised in an abusive orphanage. 

He and Deadpool both end up in prison after Deadpool attacks some of the orphanage leaders who hurt the kid, but Deadpool's broken out by tough guy time-traveler Cable (Josh Brolin). Cable wants to kill the kid before he can murder anyone, including his family. Deadpool gets together a group of semi-mutants and just plain strange folk he calls X-Force, but the only survivor of the initial parachute drop is lucky Domino (Zazzie Beetz). Collins does get out, with the help of massive Juggernaut (voice of Reynolds). Now Deadpool and one of the strangest groups of superheroes ever have to stop Collins from killing the heads of the orphanage...even if they have to manipulate time itself to do it

Wow. Yeah, if you loved the first movie, you'll probably enjoy this one just as much. The gags are just as funny this time around, especially if you know anything about the X-Men and Marvel films or recent pop culture. Yes, it's still violent and there's still a lot of cursing and blood. This isn't a superhero movie for kids or people who aren't into heavy action. I also wish they'd made more use of a lot of characters, including Vanessa and the other members of the X-Force. Not to mention, as with Teen Titans Go to the Movies, those who aren't into recent superhero films or pop culture probably won't get a lot of the jokes, and many of the gags will likely become dated in a few years. 

Those caveats aside, if you're into meta-jokes or loved the first Deadpool movie, you'll probably have just as much fun with the second verse as you did with the first. 

(And incidentally, most of the snow - including the snow that had been around all week - had vanished by the time I went home from the grocery store. It wasn't warm so much as it was damp and chilly. While we're not supposed to get the two feet of snow that Lauren says is predicted for Western Massachusetts, we are supposed to get at least another two inches, plus freezing rain. We'll see what happens. I'm more concerned about the freezing temperatures on Monday and Tuesday.)

Walk Like a Woman

It was absolutely gorgeous when we started out this morning around 10. The sun was shining, the breeze was blowing, and it was probably in the upper 70's. There couldn't have been a nicer day in September for a ride.

Our first stop was a house about 10 minutes across Pittsfield that was holding an estate sale. It was a nice little house, too, clean and well-maintained. Lauren didn't find anything. She said she was looking for clothes, and all she found were coats and dresses from the 80's. I dug up four vintage metal fluted cookie cutters - a star, a half-circle, a mushroom, and a rectangle - for a dollar.

We were supposed to be heading for the Mass Pike next, but we ran into heavy traffic in downtown Lee. Lee is one of the many tiny historic towns scattered throughout the Berkshires. I'd never seen them so busy! The sidewalks were teeming with people of all ages, and the main road was choked with cars. We even saw several parade floats, representing a local True Value, egg farm, and recycling program, as we went by. Driving through Lee to Mass Pike ramp should have taken a little over 5 minutes. It took over 20.

There were no problems once we got onto Mass Pike, no traffic of any kind. We arrived at the Holyoke Mall around 11:30. Hit their Macy's first. I just used the bathroom here (their bathroom is conveniently in the women's plus-size section), but Lauren bought a couple of blouses for work.

We went back to the car, and Lauren pulled it around the other side of the massive building. She wanted to stop at Best Buy to recycle some wires, ink cartridges, and older electronics she couldn't use. I looked at some cartoon DVDs, but we otherwise picked up nothing here.

The Best Buy opens up into the main mall. Since it was 12:30 by this point, we hit Ruby Tuesday's for lunch. I had a coupon for 5 dollars off 15 dollars or more. We settled into the dark, leathery booths and watched college football while waiting for our sandwiches. We both had grilled chicken sandwiches. Mine was the regular sandwich; Lauren's had avocado and bacon. Mine could have used more vegetables, but otherwise was pretty good. Lauren said she loved hers. We both ate most of our thin, crispy fries.

Spent the next few hours walking around. The Holyoke Mall is the second-largest mall in New England. (Only the mall in Natick with the American Girl store is bigger.) The graceful, curving floor plan, pale wood flooring, and shiny chrome makes it feel vintage without being dated. It's fun to just walk around in there. Neither of us picked up anything at Game Stop, Hobby Lobby, or Build-a-Bear. I didn't see anything I liked at FYE, but Lauren bought a "Rowdy" Ronda Rousey t-shirt and an exclusive Weird Al Yankovitz Funko Pop toy. I would have indulged in the buy-one, get-one free t-shirt sale at Lane Bryant if their t-shirts weren't so darn expensive. Lauren bought a big box of fruit bars for her dad and a package of soft raspberry-filled cookies for her at the Christmas Tree Shoppe. I found a box of the Jello Pumpkin Spice Pudding that never seems to show up at the Acme anymore.

I made my biggest find at JC Penney. I finally got a new pair of sneakers to run errands in. The Filas were only 40 dollars, fairly cheap for good sneakers. They have incredibly comfortable "memory foam" soles that feel so nice on my sore toes! My old Easy Spirits were in such bad shape, I couldn't really save them. I tossed them in the nearest trash can on my way out.

We ended up at Target next. Lauren got bras. I finally found an Our Generation Retro outfit for Whitney. I love Our Generation's "Retro" - aka, styles from the 50's, 60's, and 70's - line, but for some reason, it never seems to show up in the South Jersey Targets. As cute as the polka-dot Dance Party dress was, it came with a lot of little accessories like records I'd probably never use. I bought the "Sweet Memories" outfit, a cute lavender checked dress with a maroon jacket and cute turquoise scarf.

It was almost 5 by the time we got out of the Christmas Tree Shoppe. Since Uno's right next door, we went there for dinner. We split an extra large thin crust pizza with half-pepperoni, half-roasted vegetables. Even sliced into small pieces, it was too much for us to eat. We brought half of it home.

Once again too the Mass Pike going back. This time, there was no trouble anywhere, not even Lee. There were still crowds in town, but they were mostly focused on the white tents where the farm market was taking place and not the streets. We listened to classic rock, 80's hard rock, bagpipe music, and Weird Al as we headed back to Pittsfield.

We're now downstairs in Lauren's room, chatting and listening to the 80's station again. Tomorrow, we're staying closer to home to check out a flea market just over the border in New York and a couple of stores in Lauren's area.

Snow Day at the Malls

A rather nice little snow shower was leaving a thin layer of fluffy whiteness on my porch when I got up this morning. Warmed up a cold morning with some baking. The pistachio cake from Julie's Cooking Studio became lemon cake. Replaced the club soda with sparkling lemonade soda and added lemon gelatin and lemon zest.

Ran The Care Bears Movie to brighten a cold morning while I baked. The Care Bears first prove to a pair of unhappy orphan twins that not every friend they have will leave them. They have less luck with another orphan, a boy living with a neglectful magician. The kid finds an old magic book that's possessed by an evil spirit. The spirit convinces him that no one wants to be his friend and gets him to cast spells that will end all caring in the world..and destroy Care-a-Lot in the process. A glitch on their new travel computer device lands several bears and the twins in the Forest of Feelings, home of the Care Bear Cousins (who are every animal but bears). Now the entire crew has to get down to Earth and convince the kid that the spirit is more trouble than it's worth, and there are easier ways to make friends than hurting them or forcing them.

For all the continuity problems and so-so songs, this is surprisingly dark for a Care Bears film. Kids who grew up with this movie recall that spirit as being one of the scariest villain of any 80's animated movie. While I still recommend this for young kids, they'll need a hand to hold during many of the spookier scenes.

The snow was slowing down when Jessa picked me up around 11. After stopping briefly at the Collingswood PNC Bank so I could deposit my Christmas money from Dad in the ATM machine, we headed off to the big Deptford Target. Probably thanks to the weather, they were busy, but not nearly to the degree that the Cherry Hill Target was earlier in the month. I finally picked up the DVDs for Wonder Woman and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, along with Yogi Bear's All-Star Christmas Caper. Found the most adorable little stuffed reindeer in a knitted snowflake scarf for 75% off in the seasonal aisles. Also grabbed the two-pack of Secret deodorant that's relatively cheap there and a container of chocolate sprinkles. (I used up the last of mine on the Merry Christmas Molasses Cookies.)

Jessa and I had lunch at Don Pablo's, the Mexican restaurant in the Target parking lot. We sat next to their elegant fountain and enjoyed our tacos. I had slightly dry fish tacos with tons of shredded cabbage, rice, avocado slices, and yummy sweet spoonbread. (A cornmeal pudding. Mom used to make the best spoonbread.) Jessa was braver and tried the Buffalo Chicken Tacos.

Spent the next couple of hours in the Deptford Mall. Despite the snow having ended somewhere around 12:30 (it was gone by the time we got out of Don Pablo's), they were still pretty mobbed. I bought a new pair of flannel pajamas with a cute blue owl print, new work pants, and warm red Airsoles slippers at Boscov's. Bath and Body Works was having massive sales. Jess and I both picked up soap. I couldn't resist a scent called "Boardwalk." Browsed in The Disney Store, Spencer's, Game Stop, and Box Lunch (a pop culture knick-knacks store that's basically a more elegant Spencer's). Peeked at a Build-a-Bear booth and poked around a booth selling calendars. I bought a Susan Branch Calendar for the hallway to write down appointments and birthdays and a Star Wars: The Last Jedi calendar for my bedroom.

Since it was only about 3 when we got out and the clouds were starting to break up, we made one last final stop at Toys R' Us. They were busy, though not to the degree of the Deptford Mall. Unlike Target and the Disney Store, whose Star Wars sections had mostly been decimated, Toys 'R Us still had a pretty good selection. I ended up with a 12-inch Poe Dameron and Cassian Andor to go with my Rey and Jyn. (The Cassian doll, stiff as he is, is actually a pretty good likeness of Diego Luna. I'll likely keep him. The Poe doll, however, looks nothing like Oscar Issac. I'll only keep him until I can find something better.)

Toys 'R Us also sells American Girl items now, though only the Wellie Wishers and and modern dolls and their things. Didn't get anything today, but it's something to keep in mind if I ever do want anything from those lines.

It was actually sunny out by the time Jessa dropped me off at home. I spent the rest of the evening writing. As they head off, BB asks Maz why Sir Kylo Ren hates his uncle so much. Maz says Kylo Ren is upset because he was neglected as a child, and his uncle did some wrong things to him. BB can't believe that...but Maz points out that everyone makes mistakes, even the people we admire. It's what makes us human.

Didn't break for dinner until past 7. I had leftover Italian meatball soup, then made lemon buttercream icing for the lemon cake while watching Wakko's Wish. This Animaniacs movie takes us to the unfortunate village of Acme Falls, which has been taxed into poverty by the evil king Salazar and his tax collectors Von Plotz and his cop minion. Wakko Warner wants to earn money for his sister Dot's operation, but Von Plotz takes it. A fairy overhears his pleas and insists that he can make a wish on a fallen wishing star. Unfortunately, the Warner siblings tell the rest of the town, and now everyone in the entire massive Animaniacs cast is on their way to that star to make all their dreams come true.

Ended the night after a shower with this summer's Wonder Woman. Diana (Gail Gadot) was raised on the all-Amazon Paradise Island by her mother Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielson). Diana has never seen a man, only tough women like her mentor Antiope (Robin Wright). It comes as quite a shock when she rescues pilot Steve Trevor (Chris Pine). She's never seen a man before. But with Steve's arrival comes the Germans to attack their island. The year is 1918, and the world is at war. Turns out Steve is a spy for the Allies who is trying to track down the German general Lundendorf (Danny Huston), whose chemist (Elena Anaya) is developing a more deadly mustard gas. Diana believes the god Ares is the cause of the war and is determined to stop him and end all the suffering. Steve's boss Sir Patrick (David Thewlis) insists that they stop the Germans before they release the mustard gas on the Western Front. Under the name Wonder Woman, Diana proves to Steve and to everyone that, male or female, we all have our own choices make, one that can effect those around us for good or for evil.

I absolutely loved this. I do wonder why it was pushed back to World War I, rather than the original World War II. (Maybe they just wanted to do something different.) Otherwise, this was incredible. I loved how strong all the women were in this film, even the ones who weren't fighting, like the very funny Etta Candy (Lucy Davis). I loved Diana more at home among the people on the Western Front than the snooty officials who thought they knew how a war should go and a woman should behave. I loved how it was her happy memories of Steve that effected her final decision.

If you're a fan of this character, the DC Universe, historical action films, or just a good superhero movie, you absolutely must see this. Highly recommended.

Just What I Needed

We were on the road today by quarter of 10 (after eating our Cheerios and blueberries for breakfast). Once again, we headed towards Albany. Our destinations this time were two of the largest malls in upstate New York. It was another gorgeous day for a drive, much warmer but still sunny and dry. We went through a different part of the country, dodging the road work that seems to spread like mushrooms.

Our first stop of the day was the massive Crossgates Mall. It's so big, it has its own exit off the highway that goes right to it. While it's not as attractive as Holyoke, it does have a really great selection of stores, probably one of the few malls that cater to both upscale tastes and emptier wallets.

We started at JC Penney's.  I wanted to find a new pair of walking sandals. My old ones that I bought at Sears last year are getting worn. Though they had some great sales, I didn't see anything I liked. Lauren didn't, either. We headed into the mall proper.

Our original plan was to hit up their Jay Street Video Games first. This proved to be a tad difficult. According to two big orange signs under the bars, the store had been seized by the State of New York for non-payment of taxes! We had far more luck at a CEX - Electronics Exchange - around the corner. They sold used DVDs, video games, and small electronics items for super cheap. Lauren bought wrestling sets featuring her favorite classic wrestler "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. I picked up copies of two musicals from the 1970's, Scrooge for a dollar and New York, New York for $2. Their GameStop was huge, but alas, it yielded no finds.

Next up was Macy's. Theirs is absolutely huge, two wide stories. I peeked at the shoes and plus-sized blouses, but I didn't see anything for a decent price in the former, and they had nothing in my size on sale in the latter. Lauren grabbed a few more blouses for work.

Our next stops were more fun. We browsed through a Build-a-Bear store that was three times the size of the one at Cherry Hill, but didn't see anything we wanted. The Disney Store was even better. Lauren picked up a Grumpy-themed t-shirt for her dad and an Eeyore shirt for her mom. I was delighted to find beautiful Rey and Jyn dolls (they were listed as "action figures," but they were really closer to fashion doll size) on sale for $7.99 each! They even came with accessories and extra hands that could hold them. I was going to wait for the Forces of Destiny dolls next month, but that was far too good of a sale to pass up on. I'll get the Forces Ahsoka and Padme instead.

We also did well at their enormous FYE. I found the third season of Happy Days on sale for $9.99. Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley are the only live-action TV shows I'm trying to find DVD sets for right now. Lauren picked up a wrestling magazine.

It was past 1:30 at this point, and we both wanted lunch. We ran into our second reality check of the day here. The Ted's Fish Fry we ate at last year was empty and closed. A sign on their door said they closed on July 14th. Rats! We rode over to the Colonie Center, the other mall we wanted to visit, and ate at their Moe's Southwest Grill instead. Lauren had the "stack" - a crunch burrito "stacked" in a soft shell. I went simpler with a chicken quesadilla.

The Colonie Center is almost as big as Crossgates Mall. It's also far older (50 years old last year), and thanks to a recent renovation, one of the prettiest malls I've ever seen. Unlike Crossgates, which feels as sterile as the Cherry Hill Mall, Colonie has elegant wrought-iron railings, soft chairs surrounding vast fireplaces, and a beautiful art-deco-inspired exterior.

We absolutely had to visit the FYE here. Despite it being almost as big as the one at Crossgates, it had closing notices posted. (Sears did, too.) Everything was on sale for 40 or 50% off! It took me forever to choose something from the piles of CDs, toys, t-shirts, and DVDs laying around. I ultimately went with two of the last James Bond movies I didn't have, the Roger Moore movie For Your Eyes Only and the most recent Daniel Craig vehicle, Spectre. (Spectre was $5.99 - I knew that one would be cheaper if I waited. Eyes was $2.99.)

We browsed through their Jay Street Video Store (which was open), a much smaller GameStop, and Barnes & Noble, but found nothing of interest. I finally picked up a pair of comfortable white huarache sandals at Boscov's, along with hair bands for 99 cents each! Lauren grabbed some more blouses and a small 2-in-1 game board for her and her parents to play together. She found more work shirts at Christopher & Banks. I just leaned on those wrought-iron railings and kept an eye on her game board.

Lauren got two shirts at Macy's that she couldn't find in her size at Crossgates. I stuck by her this time. I hadn't found anything at the other one, and I really didn't feel like more wandering and getting lost.

We finally rolled out at around 6:30. We drove down Wolf Road, which is heavily populated with restaurants and shopping centers. As Lauren put it, "if you can't find it at Wolf Road, it doesn't exist." We saw another Ted's and what Lauren was looking for, Reed's Seafood. It's apparently a favorite of her parents, and she wanted to make sure it was still there.

It was past 8:30 when we finally pulled into the garage, and closer to 9 when we were showing Mr. and Mrs. Miller our finds and trying to get Rey and Jyn out of their heavily-twist-tied boxes. We had a quick dinner of defrosted frozen pizza before I took a shower and we went online.

I'm going home tomorrow, once again around noon. Lauren and her parents are going to drive me there. I texted Jodie when we were in Albany. I only got a "wonderful" from her, so I'm going to assume they'll be at Cherry Hill to pick me up tomorrow.

Mall Madness

Bright sunshine was already filtering through the living area windows when I sat down with breakfast. I did two Good Eats episodes on desserts and candy while eating, getting organized, and recharging my iPod. Alton tried to show how the Arabic dessert baklava can be made easily. Honestly, I think it's still too fussy and takes too long for me to try. Marshmallows, on the other hand, are mostly sugar and plain gelatin, and might be worth giving a shot one day.

Finally headed out around 12:30. My first stop was the Haddon Township Library. I was mainly there to return DVDs. It's just as well. Turns out there wasn't much for me to do, anyway. They're in the midst of reorganizing their DVDs. Instead of having them face outwards on the shelves, so you riff through a bunch, then go to the next ones, they turned them horizontally in an attempt to fit more in. On one hand...this does make sense. You can see the titles of the actual movie without having to move every other one, and yeah, it does make more room. I mainly shelved audio books and new releases.

As soon as I was done, I hurried out to catch the bus...then went back in. I'd read the schedule wrong. I did finally make it on the bus to Cherry hill around 2. There was a little traffic in Westmont where they're still working on buildings. Otherwise, no problems traveling either way.

I needed to make a few quick runs to a couple of big-box stores at the Market Place...but I needed to eat first. My original thought was 1,000 Degrees Neapolitan Pizza, where Lauren and I ate when she visited last June. Alas, the store was empty. They were likely a victim of way too much competition in Cherry Hill. There's not only at least ten restaurants in the mall itself, but tons of other places to eat (including local pizzerias that are much cheaper) within walking distance. I ended up enjoying a cup of French onion soup, half of a turkey-greens-apple sandwich, a green tea, and a crusty roll at Panera Bread.

Was in and out of a few stores for the next two hours. I couldn't find my usual New Balance sneakers at Dick's. I badly need new work sneakers. (I have the feeling the state the old ones are in are one reason I turned my ankle.) Had more luck at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Grabbed a new can opener (I've had mine for at least 15 years or more) and a shower curtain, along with cherry cola Tic Tacs, for $20, thanks to two of those 12 coupons I had sitting at home. Peeked at the Hallmark down the way from Panera Bread, but didn't see anything totally necessary. Browsed around Barnes and Noble. Found Bloodline, one of the latest Star Wars novels, in paperback.

Finally got a pair of Easy Spirit sneakers at DW Shoes. I really love the ones I bought for running errands a few months ago. They weren't a bad price, either. The salesgirl was really enthusiastic. Turns out she's not only a huge fan of Harry Potter, but Star Wars as well. We had a nice talk about fandoms.

It was late when I got in, past 5:30. I did some quick writing. A young maid named Sabine helps Leia prepare for Mon Mothma's ball. Her mother appears, praising the maid for the beautiful up-do that she did for Leia. Sabine explains that she's an artist and is hoping to save her paycheck to attend art classes. Leia and Breha see Sabine meet a young man out in the hall as Breha helps her daughter with her jewels. Breha says it's sweet that Sabine has a romance, but Leia thinks their faces look more concerned that romantic.

Finished out the night with leftovers and episodes of Hello Kitty Furry Tale Theater. Tuxedo Sam is "Robin Penguin," who robs bubble gum from rich Princess Catnip and Sheriff Grinder and gives it to the poor of Knotty-Pine. He also gets to be "Pinocchio Penguin" and learn a lesson in telling the truth when he and Chip are lured by two gypsies (Catnip and Grinder again) and end up being swallowed by a whale. Chip is the "Ugly Quackling," whose feathers are very different from his siblings. They learn to never judge a bird by its color when "Ugly" grows up to not only be beautiful, but stop the hungry fox (Grinder) from harming his family. "Hello Mother Goose" has quite a mystery on her hands when famous items go missing in Mother Goose Land. The solution to the crime may lie in the whereabouts of My Melody Bo Peep's runaway sheep. Melody is the lead of a western-themed "Little Red Bunny Hood." She has to rescue her grandmother from Belle Catnip while avoiding the Big Bad Wolf (Grinder).

(And this might be a good time to get a few things Star Wars related off my chest, given that Bloodline is about how the New Republic fell apart and at least one recent book is on Han and Leia's break-up. So many people have been whining and crying about how horrible it was that the "Golden Trio" from the original trilogy were allowed to have a child that wasn't perfect, livest that weren't perfect, and were permitted to separate and be unhappy.

As my stepfather used to say, horse marlarkey. People don't stay together for 30 years. That's not how life works. Sometimes, parents do neglect their children, even when they don't mean to. They have lives, too. Sometimes, friends do break apart, even close ones. Sometimes, bad things do happen to good people. Of course, Han would go back to smuggling. That's what he does. What he's always done. My stepfather's been doing the same job for 50 years. That's not called "character derailment." That's called "being realistic." I'm wondering if people just weren't ready for that level of realism in this franchise, especially after the knights and queens and melodrama of the Prequels.

Also, allow me to point out that we've only had one movie and a prequel that amounts to a flashback. Unless there's real Jedi out there, the average person doesn't know what's going to happen yet. We don't know why Luke is on that island. He very likely has some plan he doesn't want anyone knowing about. We don't know how he's going to react to Rey. Han's likely dead, but one never knows, especially in science fiction. There's also the matter of how they're going to deal with Leia after Carrie Fisher's death. (I say...I'm sorry, but grab a reasonable look-a-like and recast Episode 9.)

I don't think Rey and Kylo Ren are going to fall in love and become the next Twilight like many teens and young adults want, either. That's hormones (and their own parental issues) talking. The guy killed a whole school of kids and his own father, and he practically mind-raped Rey. And no, having a bad childhood doesn't excuse him. If Kylo Ren is redeemed, it's probably going to be a lot messier than Vader simply tossing his boss off a ledge and dying in Luke's arms.

And all the screaming over the Han Solo movie is a whole other can of fish. Look, Harrison Ford is a great guy. I've had a crush on him since I was four. The fact of the matter remains that he's also in his 70's. He doesn't look 74, but he is. I don't mind the recasting. I think this sounds like it's going to be a fun intergalactic crime caper, sort of like the book Scoundrels. Once again, I'm willing to give a different story and different people a chance.

I don't believe in "canon." Canon means something is set in stone. Stories aren't set in stone. Stories are flowing, organic beings. They change and evolve. Everyone has their own way of telling a story. Mine is different than yours, which is different from everyone else's. Star Wars is stories...and stories change with time. Maybe this isn't the story people would have told in the 70's, or ten years ago, but it's the one being told now. And there's nothing wrong with that.

I'm starting to think I'm not cut out to be involved in big fandoms. I ran into the same problem in the American Girl fandom. I'm really laid-back about most things. For me, stories are stories and dolls are dolls. They're fun...but they're toys and fiction. In the end, they're nothing to scream over.

I think we're also starting to get an inkling of the can of worms that open when studios revive franchises that are in some cases as much as 50 or 60 years old. Sure, some people want to see the story continue and are willing to give anything a shot...but most have had their own casts and their own ideas in their head for years, maybe decades. They're not only loathe to give that up, but highly offended when the studios' stories don't match the ones they've already created or that were created by others in the interim.

I'm hoping finding conventions to attend will help me meet people who are willing to enjoy all aspects of a franchise, from the very beginning to the most current offerings. I'm just glad that we're getting more dolls and more movies and cartoons and books. Just knowing that we're going to get one Star Wars movie a year until 2019 (and likely beyond that, seeing how Disney loves its franchises) is enough to make me happy.)

Hot Fun In the Summertime

Started off a sunny morning with breakfast and Kingsmen: The Secret Service. The Kingsmen are a private spy organization with code names based around Arthurian legends. Harry, aka "Galahad" recruits a young street punk named Eggsy (Taron Egerton), to take part in a rigorous spy youth training program. While Eggsy trains with the cream of the upper-crust crop (and deals with their taunts over his lower-class status), Harry tries to convince his superior Arthur (Michael Caine) that the Kingsmen have to keep up with the times. Meanwhile, billionaire software creator Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) has come up with a new microchip that can instantly cause anyone who accesses their smart phones to become a killer. He's implanted microchips into hundreds of world leaders as well...including ones at Kingsman. When their leaders are killed, Eggsy, his fellow trainee Roxy, and their teacher have to infiltrate Valentine's secret lair and stop the genocide from taking place.

2015 was a great year for fun spy movies. This is the fourth spy-themed film I've seen in the past month that I really enjoyed. Kingsman is sort of a blend of Spy and Spectre - a dark comedy that spoofs the more over-the-top aspects of the James Bond movies and other spy-based media. As such, it's occasionally too dark and a bit too violent for everyone. It's not overly bloody, but there's a lot of comic shooting, fist-fights, a full-on brawl, etc. And I had no idea this was originally a comic book, The Secret Service. I love all the obscure comic books that producers have been adapting lately. I didn't know there were so many I'd never heard of. (See also Big Hero 6 and Guardians of the Galaxy.)

For teens on up, if you love the campier tone of the Roger Moore Bond films or some of the stranger action movies of the 80's and 90's, this darkly humorous bit of camp is recommended.

Headed out around quarter of noon for a major errand run at the Audubon Crossings Shopping Center. Stopped at Applebee's for lunch first. Considering it was the lunch hour, they were surprisingly quiet. I only saw a few families and groups of office workers, along with the patrons at the bar. I enjoyed the lunch combo. Had the house salad with bacon, honey crusted chicken fingers, and fries. The honey crusted chicken fingers were a little more crusted than I thought they'd be, but they weren't bad. The fries were divine, hot and salty, with the skins on the ends. (And they tasted good laying in pools of the honey glaze from the chicken, too.) Treated myself to a strawberry lemonade and a brownie bite with vanilla ice cream.

Went to the main mall area next. I needed a few clothes items I couldn't put off anymore. My errand-running sneakers are literally falling apart. That's what I get for buying cheap Champion sneakers from Payless. Found a pair of Easy Spirit running shoes on sale for $29.95 that were exactly what I was looking for. Avenue was also having huge summer sales. The thighs of the work pants I bought at Macy's a little over a month ago have already blown out. I don't like the satin finish or the straight-up-and-down design of the ones I bought today, but at least they're heavier and may last a bit longer.

Didn't have a ton of grocery shopping I needed to do. It was more expensive stuff than lots of it. Restocked tuna, cooking spray, peanut butter, jam (Smuckers was on a good sale - grabbed their Natural Orange Marmalade), honey, milk, eggs, chicken, and cereal (used another Grainberry coupon - got their version of Honey Nut Cheerios this time). They had a rare good sale on Fig Newtons - went with Triple Berry. Raided the clearance spices and flavorings again to stock up on ginger, cloves, and parsley flakes.

My schedule next week is more-or-less the same as this week, only with Wednesday off instead of Saturday and two 9 to 3 days. While this does mean I'll have to miss the Collingswood Farm Market next week, I'll also be able to attend both family functions. My sister Anny is having a double birthday party for her son Skylar (he's 12) and get-well-soon party for Dad-Bill after he goes into chemotherapy (while he can still eat anything) on Wednesday. It's pure luck that I happened to get that day off this week. (In fact, I called Anny while I was at the Acme and told her I was free to go.) Jodie's birthday party for Dad-Bruce is Saturday evening.

I brought everything home, put it all away, then went right back out. Despite the mid-90's heat and heavy humidity, I really needed to get to the Haddon Township Library. I had movies to return. Even Newton River Park seemed to wilt in the heat. The grass is looking brown and brittle, and algae is spreading across the lake like a noxious green cloud. I saw a few devoted fishermen and one walker, and that was it. Didn't even see any Canadian geese.

The Haddon Township Library was fairly busy when I arrived, probably with people looking for things to do while weathering the heat wave this weekend. I mostly stuck to organizing the kids' DVDs. I had no idea if they wanted someone to do the adult titles.

Took out a few movies this week. I didn't get to the 1995 Sabrina last week, so I thought I'd try again. Ant-Man is the only movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe on DVD I haven't seen yet. I'm not generally fond of Elvis movies, but I do have a soft spot for Viva Los Vegas, mainly because Ann-Margaret is a perfect partner for him.

Made one last stop at Dollar Tree on the way home. I picked up birthday cards for Skylar and Dad-Bruce and a get-well-soon card for Dad-Bill. Grabbed water to help with the heat on the ride home as well.

When I got in, I worked on writing for a few hours. Leia has ridden Chewie into a maze of close-together deep-see reefs. Too close. Leia is nearly trapped in them...until Chewie gets scared and crashes a hole through the brush.

Finished out the night with leftovers for dinner and a quick episode of Tiny Toon Adventures. "Toon TV" from the fourth season was their second spoof of MTV and music videos. My favorite shorts this time around were Elmyra's hilarious version of "The Name Game" and Plucky's "Yackety Yak."