Bad News
My new nephew, Skylar, is in the hospital with jaundice, probably due to his small size. His mother is feeding him every two hours, they're pulling every nurse they can, and he's under ultraviolet lights.
Please, please, PLEASE, let him live. : ' 0 (
Life is a lazy river - no matter where you are. Movies, musicals, mysteries, pop culture, and lots of other great stuff.
Thursday, August 05, 2004
Tuesday, August 03, 2004
Monkee-Ing Around...and the Arrival of a New Family Member
First of all, I would like to announce to one and all....I AM AN AUNT! My sister Anny Jackman had her son, Skylar Mikah, at 5:54 PM on Saturday, July 31st, 2004. He's a tiny, adorable thing, weighing in at 5 pounds, 10 ounces. He's long, too - he's gonna be a tall boy. He already has a head full of hair and his mother's nose. : 0 ) Mom and Dad have asked to be called Nana and Pop Pop. Mom says she has enough people calling her "Mom," and Dad does NOT want to hear "Grandpa." ; 0 ) They've spent the summer re-doing Keefe's old room for Anny and the baby and putting Keefe downstairs, as well as getting new furniture for their bedroom, and I think it all looks fabulous - I love the orange and soft green colors used for the walls. : 0 D
Second, you may wonder why I haven't posted since April. Where have I been? Well, quite literally, nowhere...and everywhere. My friend Lauren and I started a little Monkees role-play story between the two of us in our daily e-mails sometime in late April, just to goof off and practice the guys' dialogue (those Texas and British accents can be quite a handful....) for our fanfics. By early May, it had grown out of the e-mails and onto the IM, where we concocted two stories, one a fantasy, the other revolving around the complicated but fun Yahoo Monkees fanfic group we both belong to, Long-Title.
We had so much fun IMimg the "Dream World" story, we decided to do another IM role-play after the Memorial Day crowds came and went from the Wildwood area....and we enjoyed THAT one so much, we decided to just keep going and do one role-play story per month, usually at the beginning. The format is two stories, one "just for fun" two-to-three part pure sitcom-esque tale meant as a warm-up, and one longer, more action/drama-oriented story. The running gag in our stories is that the six of us - Lauren, me, and the four Monkees (Mike the tall hatted or sunglassed one, Micky the curly-haired nut, Peter the sweet blonde, and Davy the short girl-chaser) use the power of our imaginations (represented by a soft, blue light) to "dream" ourselves into any scenario or place we choose, from the Wildwood Boardwalk to the woods to the Wild West to a sinister factory in Davy's hometown of Manchester, England. We're probably going to tone down this somewhat after our next few stories, which will take us into Peter's imagination (a reprise of the famous second season Monkees episode "Fairy Tale") and Micky's (Lauren is planning something with gangsters and the beach...).
Other ideas planned for upcoming role-plays include another go-around with the infamous Mr. Zero from the second season Monkees episode "The Devil and Mr. Tork," spying on a record company that may be defrauding the public, and exploring the origins of the guys' clumsy alter egos from the first and early second seasons of the show, the Monkeemen. We'll also be writing short connecting vignette-style tales between the role-plays, and we also have plans to eventually turn the longer stories into full-blown fanfic, starting with "Dream World."
Oh, yes, and there is some romance here. In our stories, Lauren has married Micky, and I'm going in an on-again, off-again romance with the eternally stubborn Mike. ; 0 )
Want to see what we've done so far? Here's Lauren's Monkees site, where all of our current stories are posted.
The role-play and Anny's new son have occupied much of my mind, but not all of it. I know I've said this, but I REAAAAAAALLLY need to get out of the Acme. It's been driving me crazy this summer. They hired way too many people to cashier, so I haven't been getting the hours I should. The new people are a pain in the rear end. They're mostly nice, but they either come from foreign climes or larger stores where they have people to do everything for them. In the tiny Wildwood store, cashiers are expected to do more than just stand behind a register - we clean, gather baskets and return them to the front of the store, put things away, you name it. Few of the newcomers understand this. They either think they're too good to dirty their hands or are just used to larger, less self-sufficent stores. One of the girls asked me the other day how I could clean the bathrooms, since I was a cashier. I asked her how I couldn't. It's not like the bathrooms are huge, they need to be done (and done RIGHT), and I get away from the registers and have a chance to think.
And because we have so many new people, I've been getting far fewer hours than usual for this time in the summer. By the height of the summer in mid-late July, I'm usually clearing 40 hours a week easily. This summer, I think I've made 38 twice. Mostly, it's been 32-35, which is not only insulting to a cashier of my experience (I've only been working at the Acme on and off for six years), but isn't helping me pay the rent. I've tried to explain this a billion times. I live ALONE. No one is helping me pay the rent or my bills. This is my only job - I'm not a waitress or a game barker at night. I can barely handle this job sometimes.
My sister and my mom suggested a temp agency, and I may look into that. No newspaper has any interest in hiring anyone besides sales people, and I'm tired of 2,000 people a day in my face. I want normal hours that don't change in the summer, a body of co-workers that doesn't fluxuate wildly with the seasons, a building that's in GOOD shape, and a place where I don't have to face a bunch of cranky, rude idiots and snobs for four to eight hours. : 0 p
First of all, I would like to announce to one and all....I AM AN AUNT! My sister Anny Jackman had her son, Skylar Mikah, at 5:54 PM on Saturday, July 31st, 2004. He's a tiny, adorable thing, weighing in at 5 pounds, 10 ounces. He's long, too - he's gonna be a tall boy. He already has a head full of hair and his mother's nose. : 0 ) Mom and Dad have asked to be called Nana and Pop Pop. Mom says she has enough people calling her "Mom," and Dad does NOT want to hear "Grandpa." ; 0 ) They've spent the summer re-doing Keefe's old room for Anny and the baby and putting Keefe downstairs, as well as getting new furniture for their bedroom, and I think it all looks fabulous - I love the orange and soft green colors used for the walls. : 0 D
Second, you may wonder why I haven't posted since April. Where have I been? Well, quite literally, nowhere...and everywhere. My friend Lauren and I started a little Monkees role-play story between the two of us in our daily e-mails sometime in late April, just to goof off and practice the guys' dialogue (those Texas and British accents can be quite a handful....) for our fanfics. By early May, it had grown out of the e-mails and onto the IM, where we concocted two stories, one a fantasy, the other revolving around the complicated but fun Yahoo Monkees fanfic group we both belong to, Long-Title.
We had so much fun IMimg the "Dream World" story, we decided to do another IM role-play after the Memorial Day crowds came and went from the Wildwood area....and we enjoyed THAT one so much, we decided to just keep going and do one role-play story per month, usually at the beginning. The format is two stories, one "just for fun" two-to-three part pure sitcom-esque tale meant as a warm-up, and one longer, more action/drama-oriented story. The running gag in our stories is that the six of us - Lauren, me, and the four Monkees (Mike the tall hatted or sunglassed one, Micky the curly-haired nut, Peter the sweet blonde, and Davy the short girl-chaser) use the power of our imaginations (represented by a soft, blue light) to "dream" ourselves into any scenario or place we choose, from the Wildwood Boardwalk to the woods to the Wild West to a sinister factory in Davy's hometown of Manchester, England. We're probably going to tone down this somewhat after our next few stories, which will take us into Peter's imagination (a reprise of the famous second season Monkees episode "Fairy Tale") and Micky's (Lauren is planning something with gangsters and the beach...).
Other ideas planned for upcoming role-plays include another go-around with the infamous Mr. Zero from the second season Monkees episode "The Devil and Mr. Tork," spying on a record company that may be defrauding the public, and exploring the origins of the guys' clumsy alter egos from the first and early second seasons of the show, the Monkeemen. We'll also be writing short connecting vignette-style tales between the role-plays, and we also have plans to eventually turn the longer stories into full-blown fanfic, starting with "Dream World."
Oh, yes, and there is some romance here. In our stories, Lauren has married Micky, and I'm going in an on-again, off-again romance with the eternally stubborn Mike. ; 0 )
Want to see what we've done so far? Here's Lauren's Monkees site, where all of our current stories are posted.
The role-play and Anny's new son have occupied much of my mind, but not all of it. I know I've said this, but I REAAAAAAALLLY need to get out of the Acme. It's been driving me crazy this summer. They hired way too many people to cashier, so I haven't been getting the hours I should. The new people are a pain in the rear end. They're mostly nice, but they either come from foreign climes or larger stores where they have people to do everything for them. In the tiny Wildwood store, cashiers are expected to do more than just stand behind a register - we clean, gather baskets and return them to the front of the store, put things away, you name it. Few of the newcomers understand this. They either think they're too good to dirty their hands or are just used to larger, less self-sufficent stores. One of the girls asked me the other day how I could clean the bathrooms, since I was a cashier. I asked her how I couldn't. It's not like the bathrooms are huge, they need to be done (and done RIGHT), and I get away from the registers and have a chance to think.
And because we have so many new people, I've been getting far fewer hours than usual for this time in the summer. By the height of the summer in mid-late July, I'm usually clearing 40 hours a week easily. This summer, I think I've made 38 twice. Mostly, it's been 32-35, which is not only insulting to a cashier of my experience (I've only been working at the Acme on and off for six years), but isn't helping me pay the rent. I've tried to explain this a billion times. I live ALONE. No one is helping me pay the rent or my bills. This is my only job - I'm not a waitress or a game barker at night. I can barely handle this job sometimes.
My sister and my mom suggested a temp agency, and I may look into that. No newspaper has any interest in hiring anyone besides sales people, and I'm tired of 2,000 people a day in my face. I want normal hours that don't change in the summer, a body of co-workers that doesn't fluxuate wildly with the seasons, a building that's in GOOD shape, and a place where I don't have to face a bunch of cranky, rude idiots and snobs for four to eight hours. : 0 p
Monday, April 12, 2004
Hey Hey, They're the Monkees!
More nostaligia via my online girlfriend Lauren. Lauren's crazy about those four wacky musicians from the late 60s and sent me 3 CDs of their greatest hits...including my two favorite Monkees songs, "Daydream Believer" and "Star Collector," for my birthday. The songs renewed my interest in the wild, silly sitcom I first saw as a seven-year-old on Nickelodeon.
My sisters and I used to look forward to seeing what new adventures sweet David, silly Mickey, gentle Peter, and smart Mike would get into every week. Mike was the group leader (or fancied himself as such) and head guitarist. Mickey was the comic drummer who did impressions. Dave was the British drummer/maracca-playing hottie who tended to attract every woman within a five mile radius. Peter was the compassionate but immature second guitarist. The episodes tended to revolve around the boys trying to make it big, escape some female chasing Dave (often in a foreign or unusual place), or being conned by someone stronger or smarter than them. For all the wildness and generally weird stuff (this was the 60s, after all), the guys were just four good-natured and rather naive fellas out to have a good time, play music, and show off their talents.
It didn't matter to my sisters and I that we all knew it wasn't the Monkees playing their instruments on the screen then. We knew they were funny and colorful and we liked the music, and that was all that mattered. We all had our favorite Monkee - mine was Mickey. I've always liked men who can make me laugh.
Even now, the show comes off something like an American "Monty Python goes Beatles by Way Of The Bowery Boys" - jump cuts, animation, spoofs of everything from westerns to fairy tales to Star Trek-esque sci-fi to swashbucklers and yes, some of TV's first music videos. I may buy the DVD sets of the full two season if and when I get around to buying a DVD player. Hell, I'd get them for the swashbuckling spoofs alone.
The episodes I recall best include the one where poor Dave landed in a sword fight over some girls' honor (not surprisingly, given how many tended to chase him), the one where Mickey is mistaken for a gangster, and where the guys did their own fairy tale, with Peter as the hero and Mike as the damsel-in-distress (don't ask, it was a you-had-to-be-there thing).
More nostaligia via my online girlfriend Lauren. Lauren's crazy about those four wacky musicians from the late 60s and sent me 3 CDs of their greatest hits...including my two favorite Monkees songs, "Daydream Believer" and "Star Collector," for my birthday. The songs renewed my interest in the wild, silly sitcom I first saw as a seven-year-old on Nickelodeon.
My sisters and I used to look forward to seeing what new adventures sweet David, silly Mickey, gentle Peter, and smart Mike would get into every week. Mike was the group leader (or fancied himself as such) and head guitarist. Mickey was the comic drummer who did impressions. Dave was the British drummer/maracca-playing hottie who tended to attract every woman within a five mile radius. Peter was the compassionate but immature second guitarist. The episodes tended to revolve around the boys trying to make it big, escape some female chasing Dave (often in a foreign or unusual place), or being conned by someone stronger or smarter than them. For all the wildness and generally weird stuff (this was the 60s, after all), the guys were just four good-natured and rather naive fellas out to have a good time, play music, and show off their talents.
It didn't matter to my sisters and I that we all knew it wasn't the Monkees playing their instruments on the screen then. We knew they were funny and colorful and we liked the music, and that was all that mattered. We all had our favorite Monkee - mine was Mickey. I've always liked men who can make me laugh.
Even now, the show comes off something like an American "Monty Python goes Beatles by Way Of The Bowery Boys" - jump cuts, animation, spoofs of everything from westerns to fairy tales to Star Trek-esque sci-fi to swashbucklers and yes, some of TV's first music videos. I may buy the DVD sets of the full two season if and when I get around to buying a DVD player. Hell, I'd get them for the swashbuckling spoofs alone.
The episodes I recall best include the one where poor Dave landed in a sword fight over some girls' honor (not surprisingly, given how many tended to chase him), the one where Mickey is mistaken for a gangster, and where the guys did their own fairy tale, with Peter as the hero and Mike as the damsel-in-distress (don't ask, it was a you-had-to-be-there thing).
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
My Firsts and Lasts
Saw this at Linda's Blog and thought I'd give it a try....
FIRSTS
First job: Probably babysitting my siblings. First job with an actual paycheck? McDonald's, one of the worst mistakes I ever made in my entire life. Ugh. I hate the lady who owns the North Cape May MickeyD's, and I still haven't figured out to this day why I was "let go" (i.e, fired).
First screen name: starwenn, which I still use (The star is from "Star Wars," my favorite movies series. The wenn is from my favorite TV show "Remember WENN.")
First self purchased CD: I don't remember. Mom bought my copies of the "Can-Can" original cast album and "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." Um...the cast album for "My Fair Lady," or maybe the soundtrack for the first movie version of "Annie?"
Vinyl Album: By the time I was old enough to be buying my own music, vinyl was on the way out. And now, all the cassettes I have, some dating back to the mid-80s, are going out, too...
First piercing/tattoo: One in each ear when I was nine, and that's it. I can't handle pain enough to get anything anywhere else.
First true love: Have I ever been in love? Maybe Josh Kingston, although I don't know if he'd agree....
First enemy: Most of the boys in elementary school.
LASTS
Last big car ride: To northern Virginia for my sister's college graduation in from American University in Washington, DC.
Last kiss: From someone other than a reletive? More than a year ago.
Last library book checked out: Bethlehem Road by Anne Perry. One of the best of the Inspector Pitt/Charlotte Pitt books I've read, very evocative and thoughtful.
Last movie seen: Disney's Sleeping Beauty, which is also a first for me - the first movie anyone bought me on video : 0 ).
Last beverage drank: Skim milk.
Last food consumed: Browned Butter cake.
Last phone call: To my family. I was bored and ended up over their house to get out of Wildwood.
Last CD played: Wicked Original Broadway Cast. Wonderful when concentrating on the two leading ladies, less successful when concentrating on the politics of Oz.
Last annoyance: Trying to get around the mess in Rio Grande people around here vaguely call "Road Construction." : 0 p
Last pop drank: Um....I don't drink soda that much...the root beer I had at my parents' house on Monday night?
Last ice cream eaten: Turkey Hill's Peanut Butter Cup, also at my parents' house. I don't often buy ice cream, either. It's so expensive, even in small amounts, and I hardly need it.
Last time scolded: Mom's worried about my weight, and I have been gaining again, but I can't help it. I get hungry, and I like baking.
Last shirt worn: Light green-yellow knit with three-quarter length sleeves for St. Patrick's Day. : 0 )
I....
I AM: afraid I'll never really fall in love.
I WANT: a decent job that gives me 40 hours a week in the winter and where I don't have to handle 500 obnoxious people a day and can actually use what I learned in college.
I HAVE: lots of stuffed animals, which are my babies. : 0 )
I WISH: someone down here needed a writer or an editor or an organized person.
I HATE: writing rain checks.
I FEAR: being declared insane...losing my independance, my income, and my home...being made fun of...being hurt...fighting....
I HEAR: Chita Rivera and the original cast of "Chicago" belting "All That Jazz" ("Wicked' just finished).
I SEARCH: for a good movie to watch during dinner to cheer me up after a hard day of work.
I WONDER: If I'll ever find someone who'll move in with me or find a place with me who isn't going back to school, can afford to move, and is ready to leave their family.
I REGRET: keeping my mouth shut at some of the bigoted comments I've heard both customers and co-workers make at the Acme recently.
I LOVE: my family and friends.
I ALWAYS: do my grocery shopping on Fridays (which also happens to be when I get my paycheck).
I AM NOT: bold or witty.
I DANCE: in front of the mirror, imitating Fred Astaire or Eleanor Powell.
I SING: often, especially in the shower, when I do dishes, and at work.
I CRY: when I'm angry, upset, or very sad. I've cried a lot lately over my financial problems.
YES or NO:
YOU KEEP A DIARY: Yes. I just wrote in my offline journal the other day, and I have this blog.
YOU LIKE TO COOK: I live alone, so I either cook or eat out every day. I don't have the money to eat out every day, so I cook. : 0 )
YOU HAVE A SECRET YOU HAVE NOT SHARED WITH ANYONE: Many, but I'm not sharing them here. They wouldn't be secret if I did! ; 0 )
DO YOU...?
HAVE A CRUSH: Do my crushes on Ben Stiller and Ewan MacGregor count? ; 0 )
WANT TO GET MARRIED: Not at the moment. I broke up with my boyfriend of three years not long before Christmas 2002, and I'm not in the hurry to get another one. Most of the guys my age in Cape May County are idiots.
GET MOTION SICKNESS: Nope.
THINK YOU'RE A HEALTH FREAK: See my reply to the last food I consumed. ; 0 )
CURRENT HAIR COLOR: Brown
EYE COLOR: Gray, like Anne Shirley's
BIRTHPLACE: Broward County Hospital, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
FAVORITES
NUMBER: 14
COLOR: Fire Engine Red
DAY: Sunday
MONTH: September
SONG(S): more than I can mention here
SEASON: autumn
DRINK: Don't drink alcholic beverages. Orange juice.
PREFERENCES
CUDDLE OR MAKE OUT: Cuddle. It's safer.
CHOCOLATE MILK, OR HOT CHOCOLATE: Neither. Crystal Lite Iced Tea and Lipton Orange Tea.
MILK, DARK OR WHITE CHOCOLATE: All of the above, in great quantaties. ; 0 )
VANILLA OR CHOCOLATE: Chocolate.
IN THE LAST 24 HRS, HAVE YOU...
CRIED? Yeah, but it was a good cry. I laughed so hard at one of Matt at X-Entertainment'srecent blog entries, I cried. : 0 )
HELPED SOMEONE? Today, no.
BOUGHT SOMETHING? A dish pan and birthday cards from Dollar Tree, a renewal for my non-driver's ID from Department of Motor Vehicles, and a Shamrock Shake from McDonald's (in Wildwood). I couldn't resist the latter. I hate beer of any color, so I had to celebrate with some kind of green food today! ; 0 )
GOTTEN SICK? No.
GONE TO THE MOVIES? No.
SAID 'i love you'?: No
WRITTEN A REAL LETTER: No.
TALKED TO AN EX?: He hasn't written me in a while.
MISSED AN EX?: Sigh, yes.
WRITTEN IN A JOURNAL?: Just in this blog. I only write in both every once and a while.
HAD A SERIOUS TALK?: With whom? I live alone.
MISSED SOMEONE? Yes.
HUGGED SOMEONE? Yes. My stuffed animals count. ; 0 )
MADE A GUY MOAN? No
Saw this at Linda's Blog and thought I'd give it a try....
FIRSTS
First job: Probably babysitting my siblings. First job with an actual paycheck? McDonald's, one of the worst mistakes I ever made in my entire life. Ugh. I hate the lady who owns the North Cape May MickeyD's, and I still haven't figured out to this day why I was "let go" (i.e, fired).
First screen name: starwenn, which I still use (The star is from "Star Wars," my favorite movies series. The wenn is from my favorite TV show "Remember WENN.")
First self purchased CD: I don't remember. Mom bought my copies of the "Can-Can" original cast album and "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." Um...the cast album for "My Fair Lady," or maybe the soundtrack for the first movie version of "Annie?"
Vinyl Album: By the time I was old enough to be buying my own music, vinyl was on the way out. And now, all the cassettes I have, some dating back to the mid-80s, are going out, too...
First piercing/tattoo: One in each ear when I was nine, and that's it. I can't handle pain enough to get anything anywhere else.
First true love: Have I ever been in love? Maybe Josh Kingston, although I don't know if he'd agree....
First enemy: Most of the boys in elementary school.
LASTS
Last big car ride: To northern Virginia for my sister's college graduation in from American University in Washington, DC.
Last kiss: From someone other than a reletive? More than a year ago.
Last library book checked out: Bethlehem Road by Anne Perry. One of the best of the Inspector Pitt/Charlotte Pitt books I've read, very evocative and thoughtful.
Last movie seen: Disney's Sleeping Beauty, which is also a first for me - the first movie anyone bought me on video : 0 ).
Last beverage drank: Skim milk.
Last food consumed: Browned Butter cake.
Last phone call: To my family. I was bored and ended up over their house to get out of Wildwood.
Last CD played: Wicked Original Broadway Cast. Wonderful when concentrating on the two leading ladies, less successful when concentrating on the politics of Oz.
Last annoyance: Trying to get around the mess in Rio Grande people around here vaguely call "Road Construction." : 0 p
Last pop drank: Um....I don't drink soda that much...the root beer I had at my parents' house on Monday night?
Last ice cream eaten: Turkey Hill's Peanut Butter Cup, also at my parents' house. I don't often buy ice cream, either. It's so expensive, even in small amounts, and I hardly need it.
Last time scolded: Mom's worried about my weight, and I have been gaining again, but I can't help it. I get hungry, and I like baking.
Last shirt worn: Light green-yellow knit with three-quarter length sleeves for St. Patrick's Day. : 0 )
I....
I AM: afraid I'll never really fall in love.
I WANT: a decent job that gives me 40 hours a week in the winter and where I don't have to handle 500 obnoxious people a day and can actually use what I learned in college.
I HAVE: lots of stuffed animals, which are my babies. : 0 )
I WISH: someone down here needed a writer or an editor or an organized person.
I HATE: writing rain checks.
I FEAR: being declared insane...losing my independance, my income, and my home...being made fun of...being hurt...fighting....
I HEAR: Chita Rivera and the original cast of "Chicago" belting "All That Jazz" ("Wicked' just finished).
I SEARCH: for a good movie to watch during dinner to cheer me up after a hard day of work.
I WONDER: If I'll ever find someone who'll move in with me or find a place with me who isn't going back to school, can afford to move, and is ready to leave their family.
I REGRET: keeping my mouth shut at some of the bigoted comments I've heard both customers and co-workers make at the Acme recently.
I LOVE: my family and friends.
I ALWAYS: do my grocery shopping on Fridays (which also happens to be when I get my paycheck).
I AM NOT: bold or witty.
I DANCE: in front of the mirror, imitating Fred Astaire or Eleanor Powell.
I SING: often, especially in the shower, when I do dishes, and at work.
I CRY: when I'm angry, upset, or very sad. I've cried a lot lately over my financial problems.
YES or NO:
YOU KEEP A DIARY: Yes. I just wrote in my offline journal the other day, and I have this blog.
YOU LIKE TO COOK: I live alone, so I either cook or eat out every day. I don't have the money to eat out every day, so I cook. : 0 )
YOU HAVE A SECRET YOU HAVE NOT SHARED WITH ANYONE: Many, but I'm not sharing them here. They wouldn't be secret if I did! ; 0 )
DO YOU...?
HAVE A CRUSH: Do my crushes on Ben Stiller and Ewan MacGregor count? ; 0 )
WANT TO GET MARRIED: Not at the moment. I broke up with my boyfriend of three years not long before Christmas 2002, and I'm not in the hurry to get another one. Most of the guys my age in Cape May County are idiots.
GET MOTION SICKNESS: Nope.
THINK YOU'RE A HEALTH FREAK: See my reply to the last food I consumed. ; 0 )
CURRENT HAIR COLOR: Brown
EYE COLOR: Gray, like Anne Shirley's
BIRTHPLACE: Broward County Hospital, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
FAVORITES
NUMBER: 14
COLOR: Fire Engine Red
DAY: Sunday
MONTH: September
SONG(S): more than I can mention here
SEASON: autumn
DRINK: Don't drink alcholic beverages. Orange juice.
PREFERENCES
CUDDLE OR MAKE OUT: Cuddle. It's safer.
CHOCOLATE MILK, OR HOT CHOCOLATE: Neither. Crystal Lite Iced Tea and Lipton Orange Tea.
MILK, DARK OR WHITE CHOCOLATE: All of the above, in great quantaties. ; 0 )
VANILLA OR CHOCOLATE: Chocolate.
IN THE LAST 24 HRS, HAVE YOU...
CRIED? Yeah, but it was a good cry. I laughed so hard at one of Matt at X-Entertainment'srecent blog entries, I cried. : 0 )
HELPED SOMEONE? Today, no.
BOUGHT SOMETHING? A dish pan and birthday cards from Dollar Tree, a renewal for my non-driver's ID from Department of Motor Vehicles, and a Shamrock Shake from McDonald's (in Wildwood). I couldn't resist the latter. I hate beer of any color, so I had to celebrate with some kind of green food today! ; 0 )
GOTTEN SICK? No.
GONE TO THE MOVIES? No.
SAID 'i love you'?: No
WRITTEN A REAL LETTER: No.
TALKED TO AN EX?: He hasn't written me in a while.
MISSED AN EX?: Sigh, yes.
WRITTEN IN A JOURNAL?: Just in this blog. I only write in both every once and a while.
HAD A SERIOUS TALK?: With whom? I live alone.
MISSED SOMEONE? Yes.
HUGGED SOMEONE? Yes. My stuffed animals count. ; 0 )
MADE A GUY MOAN? No
Tuesday, March 02, 2004
Saturday Morning Fever
I have fond memories of Saturday mornings. I the morning person was always up first, sometimes before the channels were. I remember watching the test patterns on Nickelodeon and The Disney Channel before they went 24 hours. Yeah, that's how much of a couch potato I was when I was a kid - I watched test patterns. ; 0 )
When the channels did start, I'd watch "Mousercise" on The Disney Channel or "Lassie" on Nick before switching over to the networks for one of the joys that, unfortuantly, can no longer be relished - cheap early-morning kids' programming. Our shows were "Captain Noah" (a "Captain Kangaroo" variant) on ABC and "Starstuff," "The Candy Apple News Team," and "Dr. Fad" on CBS. (I totally don't remember what was on early on NBC or if Fox ever did any early morning shows.) "Candy Apple News" was the most charming - a kind of "WKRP In Cincinatti" for kids, with puppets and humans trying to keep a struggling radio station afloat. Ironically, since I still consider it to be the best of the lot, it was the first of these shows to vanish. The news team was gone by the mid-80s.
"Starstuff" was....well, let's just say it was unique. It was another puppet/human show, only they didn't interact in this one. It had something of a plot - a boy in Philadelphia contacted a girl in space using his huge computer. The puppets' segment was a very, very weird parody of "Flash Gordon"-style space operas that always began with this odd, thumping music and orangy-pink flashing blobs on the screen and had nothing whatever to do with the kids or the compuer. The rest of the show was given over to "Sesame Street"-style short educational segments and, yes, silent "Laurel and Hardy" shorts. The boy was a big fan of Laurel and Hardy and popped in a video of the boys whenever the dialogue ran short (which, as you can imagine, it frequently did). My love of old movies began with "Starstuff" and Laurel and Hardy.
"Starstuff" will forever be my definition of "so bad it's good." Except for Ollie and Stan, it was really terrible - the puppets were just odd, the computer was years out of date, the dialogue was stiffer than a board, and the kids couldn't act. Even so, I couldn't take my eyes off the screen, and it must have had its fans, because it outlasted "Candy Apple News Team." I believe I last saw it around 1988-1989.
"Dr. Fad" was the only one of the three I remember that didn't involve puppets. The good Dr. was a hilarious, energetic Japanese-American fellow who hosted a show on fads and inventions. The fads spotlighted ranged from the Twist (performed by Chubby Checker himself, or a really, REALLY good Chubby Checker imitator) to Gumby to Slinky to Barbie. There were segments where kids created their own inventions and silly skits about inventions that supposedly didn't make it. "Dr. Fad" started in the late 80s and was still running in 1992 when we had our cable turned off.
My sisters rarely joined me for the early morning stuff. I occasionally got Rose up for "Starstuff" and "Dr. Fad," but the girls and my parents usually slept until 8, when it was time for the main attractions. CBS was our most-watched station - Saturday morning allumni from Columbia Broadcasting include "TMNT," "Muppet Babies," "Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures," "Galaxy High School," "CBS Storybreak," "Teen Wolf," "Pee Wee's Playhouse," "Garfield and Friends," "Dungeons and Dragons," "Back To the Future," "Super Friends," "The Adventures of Raggedy Ann and Andy," "The Wuzzles," "Pac Man," and a short-lived favorite of Rose's, "Wildfire."
NBC was our second most watched Saturday station with "The Smurfs," "Alvin and the Chipmunks," "The Snorks," "Kidd Video" (which also ran on CBS for a time), "The Amazing Spiderman and the Incredible Hulk," "Punky Brewster," and later "Captain N: The Game Master."
ABC ran a distant third with "The Real Ghostbusters," "A Pup Named Scooby Doo" (and many other Scooby Doo variants, including re-runs), "Beetlejuice" (a favorite of Anny's - she also loved the movie) and various incarnations of "The Bugs Bunny Show."
And then, we had Nick, who ran oddball foreign cartoons like "The Mysterious Cities of Gold" and "Arcadia of My Youth," syndicated cartoons like "Inspector Gadget," "Loony Tunes" in prime-time, and the three-some-hour "Pinwheel." There was also The Disney Channel, which specialized in it's delightful puppet kid revues "Welcome to Pooh Corner" and "Dumbo's Circus," along with one of the earliest "kids do wild stunts" game shows, "Contraption," and the live-action Canadian action programs "The Edison Twins" and "Danger Bay."
When Rose and I were really young, Mom and Dad let us sleep together on the couch bed in the living room on Friday nights, so we'd have the TV all to ourselves in the morning. We'd make a "tent" with the couch pillows while Mom made breakfast. Later, we'd let our folks sleep in and grab a bowl of cereal or toast. I don't remember there being that much arguing, odd as it may seem. I was usually the last one left before Mom would tell me to go out and play, or go in my room and play if the weather was bad, or let Dad have the TV if he was home.
I have fond memories of Saturday mornings. I the morning person was always up first, sometimes before the channels were. I remember watching the test patterns on Nickelodeon and The Disney Channel before they went 24 hours. Yeah, that's how much of a couch potato I was when I was a kid - I watched test patterns. ; 0 )
When the channels did start, I'd watch "Mousercise" on The Disney Channel or "Lassie" on Nick before switching over to the networks for one of the joys that, unfortuantly, can no longer be relished - cheap early-morning kids' programming. Our shows were "Captain Noah" (a "Captain Kangaroo" variant) on ABC and "Starstuff," "The Candy Apple News Team," and "Dr. Fad" on CBS. (I totally don't remember what was on early on NBC or if Fox ever did any early morning shows.) "Candy Apple News" was the most charming - a kind of "WKRP In Cincinatti" for kids, with puppets and humans trying to keep a struggling radio station afloat. Ironically, since I still consider it to be the best of the lot, it was the first of these shows to vanish. The news team was gone by the mid-80s.
"Starstuff" was....well, let's just say it was unique. It was another puppet/human show, only they didn't interact in this one. It had something of a plot - a boy in Philadelphia contacted a girl in space using his huge computer. The puppets' segment was a very, very weird parody of "Flash Gordon"-style space operas that always began with this odd, thumping music and orangy-pink flashing blobs on the screen and had nothing whatever to do with the kids or the compuer. The rest of the show was given over to "Sesame Street"-style short educational segments and, yes, silent "Laurel and Hardy" shorts. The boy was a big fan of Laurel and Hardy and popped in a video of the boys whenever the dialogue ran short (which, as you can imagine, it frequently did). My love of old movies began with "Starstuff" and Laurel and Hardy.
"Starstuff" will forever be my definition of "so bad it's good." Except for Ollie and Stan, it was really terrible - the puppets were just odd, the computer was years out of date, the dialogue was stiffer than a board, and the kids couldn't act. Even so, I couldn't take my eyes off the screen, and it must have had its fans, because it outlasted "Candy Apple News Team." I believe I last saw it around 1988-1989.
"Dr. Fad" was the only one of the three I remember that didn't involve puppets. The good Dr. was a hilarious, energetic Japanese-American fellow who hosted a show on fads and inventions. The fads spotlighted ranged from the Twist (performed by Chubby Checker himself, or a really, REALLY good Chubby Checker imitator) to Gumby to Slinky to Barbie. There were segments where kids created their own inventions and silly skits about inventions that supposedly didn't make it. "Dr. Fad" started in the late 80s and was still running in 1992 when we had our cable turned off.
My sisters rarely joined me for the early morning stuff. I occasionally got Rose up for "Starstuff" and "Dr. Fad," but the girls and my parents usually slept until 8, when it was time for the main attractions. CBS was our most-watched station - Saturday morning allumni from Columbia Broadcasting include "TMNT," "Muppet Babies," "Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures," "Galaxy High School," "CBS Storybreak," "Teen Wolf," "Pee Wee's Playhouse," "Garfield and Friends," "Dungeons and Dragons," "Back To the Future," "Super Friends," "The Adventures of Raggedy Ann and Andy," "The Wuzzles," "Pac Man," and a short-lived favorite of Rose's, "Wildfire."
NBC was our second most watched Saturday station with "The Smurfs," "Alvin and the Chipmunks," "The Snorks," "Kidd Video" (which also ran on CBS for a time), "The Amazing Spiderman and the Incredible Hulk," "Punky Brewster," and later "Captain N: The Game Master."
ABC ran a distant third with "The Real Ghostbusters," "A Pup Named Scooby Doo" (and many other Scooby Doo variants, including re-runs), "Beetlejuice" (a favorite of Anny's - she also loved the movie) and various incarnations of "The Bugs Bunny Show."
And then, we had Nick, who ran oddball foreign cartoons like "The Mysterious Cities of Gold" and "Arcadia of My Youth," syndicated cartoons like "Inspector Gadget," "Loony Tunes" in prime-time, and the three-some-hour "Pinwheel." There was also The Disney Channel, which specialized in it's delightful puppet kid revues "Welcome to Pooh Corner" and "Dumbo's Circus," along with one of the earliest "kids do wild stunts" game shows, "Contraption," and the live-action Canadian action programs "The Edison Twins" and "Danger Bay."
When Rose and I were really young, Mom and Dad let us sleep together on the couch bed in the living room on Friday nights, so we'd have the TV all to ourselves in the morning. We'd make a "tent" with the couch pillows while Mom made breakfast. Later, we'd let our folks sleep in and grab a bowl of cereal or toast. I don't remember there being that much arguing, odd as it may seem. I was usually the last one left before Mom would tell me to go out and play, or go in my room and play if the weather was bad, or let Dad have the TV if he was home.
Saturday, December 20, 2003
Holly Jolly Christmas Specials
I watched Christmas specials while baking cookies today. I don't have cable, so the specials were all video copies, some recorded as far back as 1987. Since many were among my very favorites and they're still fresh in my mind, I thought this would be a great time to list my all-time favorite Christmas specials. Not Christmas movies (we'll do them later this week) - Christmas specials, usually no longer than 90 minutes.
Those of you who recall 50s and 60s specials will find some, but not all of them here - I grew up in the 80s, and many of the shows I recall could only have come from that decadant decade.
In no particular order...
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: I missed this two years in a row when I was in college, after which I broke down and bought my own copy. It's too cute to miss. Like most of the Rankin-Bass specials, it's a tad dated ("We have to get the women back to Christmastown") but a lot of fun, with a delightful score that includes the subject line song. Recent restoration (including a song and the "peppermint mines" sequence) was a big help.
Trivia: Burl Ives would narrate a second, traditionally-animated Rankin-Bass holiday special, "The First Easter Rabbit," in the 1970s. I don't know if it's on video, but I do know it ran on cable in the early 90s, as my parents have it on tape somewhere.
A Charlie Brown Christmas and It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown: Of course, I couldn't leave off the classic 1966 tale of Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, jazz, and that little tree. It's probably the most famous animated Christmas special ever filmed (and usually the first the networks run during December). Linus gets my vote for the best line, but not from his famous sermon. When Lucy threatens her younger brother in order to get him to memorize his lines for the pageant, Linus nervously observes "Christmas is not only getting too commercial, it's getting too dangerous." ; 0 )
You may be surprised to see the second Peanuts Christmas special on this list, since it's usually not regarded as well as the original. I don't think that's quite fair. The Media Center where I worked at Richard Stockton College in New Jersey, for some reason, had a copy that I watched every Christmas I worked there. It's more fragmented than its predecessor and starts slow, but the Christmas pageant finale with Marcie, Peppermint Patty (who missed the first special), and Sally is hilarious. "Hockey Stick!"
Trivia: According to my mother, the pink alumnium Christmas trees Lucy and Violet mention weren't merely a creation of the writers. Apparently, metallic trees in odd colors were the "in thing" in the early-mid 60s.
A Garfield Christmas Special: I have no idea why the networks have ceased running the hilarious Garfield specials, including this classic tale. Jon drags an initially reluctant Garfield and Odie to his parents' farm, where we meet his younger (and only) brother Doc Boy and his awesome, rockin', down-to-earth Grandma. Granny is the savior of this special - her wisecracks keep it from getting too sugary, and her lonliness for her husband provides a touching subplot.
Trivia: David Lander, the voice of Doc Boy, was Squiggy on the 70s-80s sitcom "Laverne and Shirley."
Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas: The first Muppet Christmas outing to not use the Muppet characters (except for narrator Kermit the Frog) has my vote for best music from any holiday special, including the catchy "Barbecue" and the gorgeous folk ballad "When the River Meets the Sea." (Jim Henson Workshops, if you're reading, you've GOT to put the soundtracks for this and your other Christmas specials on CD!) This is a simple but sweet tale not far removed from "The Gift of the Magi" - a mother otter and her son sacrifice what means most to them when they enter a talent contest in a near-by town. Ma sings another showstopping ballad, "In Our World" - her son organizes the titular band.
Trivia: The special is based after the children's book of the same title by Lillian Hoban.
The Christmas Toy: Here's the other Muppet special I recall, from 1986 (though I taped it off of Nickelodeon about five years ago). It's something of an early take on "Toy Story." Rugby the egotistcal tiger cub thinks he'll be his little girl's Christmas present again this year, just like he was the year before. It takes meeting a Buzz Lightyear-like female action figure and the near-loss of his friend Mew the Cat Toy to make him realize that friendship - human and otherwise - is the most important part of the season. The music doesn't quite match the earlier special, with the exception of the bouncy "Try the Impossible" and Rugby's song to the (supposedly) lost Mew, "Old Friends, Dear Friends."
Trivia: "The Christmas Toy" and "Emmett Otter" were filmed for cable. "Emmett Otter" was made for (and run for many years on) HBO.
The Year Without a Santa Claus: I watched this one a lot on Fox (now ABC) Family Channel when I was in college and fell in love with it. I'm going to get around to buying the video one of these days. Most people watch this one just for those battling siblings of the seasons, the Heat Meister and the Snow Meister. As much as I like those two, I'm here for the whole package. Shirley Booth (one of my favorite comediannes!) is a wonderful Mrs. Claus. This one loses points for a pedestrian music score - only a nice rendition of "Blue Christmas" in the finale holds up.
Trivia: I believe this was the first Rankin-Bass holiday special to be narrated by a woman.
Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol: New to my favorites list. Some of my older friends recommended this version of the famous Charles Dickens novella for its delightful music. I bought a copy last year and wasn't disapointed, even though I'm not a fan of Mr. Magoo. Magoo's antics fit surprisingly well with a scaled-down, musical version of the tale of the redemption of that arch miser, Ebeneezer Scrooge. The animation is limited, but the script sticks surprisingly well to the original story and the much-talked-about music is as fantastic as my friends claimed. I was particuarly charmed by the lovely, meloncholy ballad "Winter Was Warm" and the rousing "We'll Have the Brightest Christmas." No wonder, as it was written by real-life Broadway songwriters Jule Styne and Robert Merrill, fresh off of "Funny Girl." Jim Backus (the long-time voice artist for Magoo) has able support from June Foray, Morey Amsterdam, and then-Broadway juvenile Jack Cassidy.
And what the heck is "razzleberry dressing?"
Trivia: This was the very first network Christmas special, released in 1963.
Mickey's Christmas Carol: Not a musical (though I do wish Disney would commercially release the beautiful opening song, "Oh What a Merry Christmas Day," on CD), but just as delightful as Mr. Magoo's rendition. It matches the Bill Murray "Scrooged" as the funniest Christmas Carol on record. The counter-casting of Goofy as Jacob Marley works surprisingly well, and Ferdie (one of Mickey's nephews) is too adorable as Tiny Tim! Mickey makes a beguilling Bob Cratchet as well...but, as a Donald Duck fan, I would liked to have seen more of his nephew Fred!
Trivia: Alan Young started doing the voice of Uncle Scrooge in this special, released theatrically in 1983. He also does the voice of Scrooge McDuck in the early 90s Disney cartoon "Duck Tales" and the more recent "Mickey Mouse Works" and "Mickey's House of Mouse."
How the Grinch Stole Christmas: I've never seen the Jim Carrey version of Dr. Seuss' timeless tale of an oddball burglary gone wrong, and I have no desire to. I'm afraid the animated version is too heavily implanted in my subconcious for even Jim Carrey in a green fuzzy suit to make much of an impression. One of the first specials I looked forward to seeing every year. The grouchy, noise-hating Grinch tries to remove all of his neighbors the Whos' holiday decorations, only to learn there's a lot more about the spirit of the holiday than trees, toys, and roast beast. This bitter story that turns sweet is ably assisted by the late Chuck Jones' expressive characters (especially Max the dog!) and the ghoulishly gentle narration of Boris Karloff.
Trivia: I swear I heard a version for a couple of years where Walter Matthau dubbed over the narration (if you run into it, run away from it - I like Matthau, but it can't hold a candle to the original). Thurl Ravenscroft, who sings "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch," is the voice of Kelogg's Tony the Tiger.
And let's not forget nods to my two favorite TV series "special holiday episodes." American Movie Classic's (AMC) Remember WENN and ABC's Perfect Strangers may be two very different examples of the sitcom formula at its finest, but they do have one thing in common - excellent Christmas episodes. Strangers was around long enough to get two in, "A Christmas Story" from 1986 and "The Gift of the Mypiot" from 1988. "Mypiot" was cute, but I love "Christmas Story." It was actually somewhat reminicent of Charlie Brown - Larry Appleton is terribly upset when he can't get home for Christmas, so his immigrant cousin Balki Bartokomous does his best to remind his cousin of the Christmas spirit. The finale, with just the two cousins, a special gift, and a tree as forlorn as Chuck's, is one of the quietest and sweetest moments of the entire series.
Trivia: Actress Belita Moreno can be seen as two different characters in both episodes (she's Edwina Twinkicetti in "A Christmas Story" and Lydia Markham in "Gift of the Mypiot").
The 1996-1998 cult dramady Remember WENN also sported a memorable holiday episode, 1996's "Christmas in the Airwaves." It's Christmas 1940, and perpetually struggling radio station WENN is ready to celebrate - if their grieving owner and her nasty accountant will allow them to. The witty, warm script, wonderful music ("You Make It Christmas" was nominated for an Emmy in 1996), and fun cast make this one of the best WENN episodes ever.
Trivia: AMC released this and three first-season episodes on video. The set hasn't been sold in years, but there may be copies avalible on eBay.
I watched Christmas specials while baking cookies today. I don't have cable, so the specials were all video copies, some recorded as far back as 1987. Since many were among my very favorites and they're still fresh in my mind, I thought this would be a great time to list my all-time favorite Christmas specials. Not Christmas movies (we'll do them later this week) - Christmas specials, usually no longer than 90 minutes.
Those of you who recall 50s and 60s specials will find some, but not all of them here - I grew up in the 80s, and many of the shows I recall could only have come from that decadant decade.
In no particular order...
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: I missed this two years in a row when I was in college, after which I broke down and bought my own copy. It's too cute to miss. Like most of the Rankin-Bass specials, it's a tad dated ("We have to get the women back to Christmastown") but a lot of fun, with a delightful score that includes the subject line song. Recent restoration (including a song and the "peppermint mines" sequence) was a big help.
Trivia: Burl Ives would narrate a second, traditionally-animated Rankin-Bass holiday special, "The First Easter Rabbit," in the 1970s. I don't know if it's on video, but I do know it ran on cable in the early 90s, as my parents have it on tape somewhere.
A Charlie Brown Christmas and It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown: Of course, I couldn't leave off the classic 1966 tale of Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, jazz, and that little tree. It's probably the most famous animated Christmas special ever filmed (and usually the first the networks run during December). Linus gets my vote for the best line, but not from his famous sermon. When Lucy threatens her younger brother in order to get him to memorize his lines for the pageant, Linus nervously observes "Christmas is not only getting too commercial, it's getting too dangerous." ; 0 )
You may be surprised to see the second Peanuts Christmas special on this list, since it's usually not regarded as well as the original. I don't think that's quite fair. The Media Center where I worked at Richard Stockton College in New Jersey, for some reason, had a copy that I watched every Christmas I worked there. It's more fragmented than its predecessor and starts slow, but the Christmas pageant finale with Marcie, Peppermint Patty (who missed the first special), and Sally is hilarious. "Hockey Stick!"
Trivia: According to my mother, the pink alumnium Christmas trees Lucy and Violet mention weren't merely a creation of the writers. Apparently, metallic trees in odd colors were the "in thing" in the early-mid 60s.
A Garfield Christmas Special: I have no idea why the networks have ceased running the hilarious Garfield specials, including this classic tale. Jon drags an initially reluctant Garfield and Odie to his parents' farm, where we meet his younger (and only) brother Doc Boy and his awesome, rockin', down-to-earth Grandma. Granny is the savior of this special - her wisecracks keep it from getting too sugary, and her lonliness for her husband provides a touching subplot.
Trivia: David Lander, the voice of Doc Boy, was Squiggy on the 70s-80s sitcom "Laverne and Shirley."
Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas: The first Muppet Christmas outing to not use the Muppet characters (except for narrator Kermit the Frog) has my vote for best music from any holiday special, including the catchy "Barbecue" and the gorgeous folk ballad "When the River Meets the Sea." (Jim Henson Workshops, if you're reading, you've GOT to put the soundtracks for this and your other Christmas specials on CD!) This is a simple but sweet tale not far removed from "The Gift of the Magi" - a mother otter and her son sacrifice what means most to them when they enter a talent contest in a near-by town. Ma sings another showstopping ballad, "In Our World" - her son organizes the titular band.
Trivia: The special is based after the children's book of the same title by Lillian Hoban.
The Christmas Toy: Here's the other Muppet special I recall, from 1986 (though I taped it off of Nickelodeon about five years ago). It's something of an early take on "Toy Story." Rugby the egotistcal tiger cub thinks he'll be his little girl's Christmas present again this year, just like he was the year before. It takes meeting a Buzz Lightyear-like female action figure and the near-loss of his friend Mew the Cat Toy to make him realize that friendship - human and otherwise - is the most important part of the season. The music doesn't quite match the earlier special, with the exception of the bouncy "Try the Impossible" and Rugby's song to the (supposedly) lost Mew, "Old Friends, Dear Friends."
Trivia: "The Christmas Toy" and "Emmett Otter" were filmed for cable. "Emmett Otter" was made for (and run for many years on) HBO.
The Year Without a Santa Claus: I watched this one a lot on Fox (now ABC) Family Channel when I was in college and fell in love with it. I'm going to get around to buying the video one of these days. Most people watch this one just for those battling siblings of the seasons, the Heat Meister and the Snow Meister. As much as I like those two, I'm here for the whole package. Shirley Booth (one of my favorite comediannes!) is a wonderful Mrs. Claus. This one loses points for a pedestrian music score - only a nice rendition of "Blue Christmas" in the finale holds up.
Trivia: I believe this was the first Rankin-Bass holiday special to be narrated by a woman.
Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol: New to my favorites list. Some of my older friends recommended this version of the famous Charles Dickens novella for its delightful music. I bought a copy last year and wasn't disapointed, even though I'm not a fan of Mr. Magoo. Magoo's antics fit surprisingly well with a scaled-down, musical version of the tale of the redemption of that arch miser, Ebeneezer Scrooge. The animation is limited, but the script sticks surprisingly well to the original story and the much-talked-about music is as fantastic as my friends claimed. I was particuarly charmed by the lovely, meloncholy ballad "Winter Was Warm" and the rousing "We'll Have the Brightest Christmas." No wonder, as it was written by real-life Broadway songwriters Jule Styne and Robert Merrill, fresh off of "Funny Girl." Jim Backus (the long-time voice artist for Magoo) has able support from June Foray, Morey Amsterdam, and then-Broadway juvenile Jack Cassidy.
And what the heck is "razzleberry dressing?"
Trivia: This was the very first network Christmas special, released in 1963.
Mickey's Christmas Carol: Not a musical (though I do wish Disney would commercially release the beautiful opening song, "Oh What a Merry Christmas Day," on CD), but just as delightful as Mr. Magoo's rendition. It matches the Bill Murray "Scrooged" as the funniest Christmas Carol on record. The counter-casting of Goofy as Jacob Marley works surprisingly well, and Ferdie (one of Mickey's nephews) is too adorable as Tiny Tim! Mickey makes a beguilling Bob Cratchet as well...but, as a Donald Duck fan, I would liked to have seen more of his nephew Fred!
Trivia: Alan Young started doing the voice of Uncle Scrooge in this special, released theatrically in 1983. He also does the voice of Scrooge McDuck in the early 90s Disney cartoon "Duck Tales" and the more recent "Mickey Mouse Works" and "Mickey's House of Mouse."
How the Grinch Stole Christmas: I've never seen the Jim Carrey version of Dr. Seuss' timeless tale of an oddball burglary gone wrong, and I have no desire to. I'm afraid the animated version is too heavily implanted in my subconcious for even Jim Carrey in a green fuzzy suit to make much of an impression. One of the first specials I looked forward to seeing every year. The grouchy, noise-hating Grinch tries to remove all of his neighbors the Whos' holiday decorations, only to learn there's a lot more about the spirit of the holiday than trees, toys, and roast beast. This bitter story that turns sweet is ably assisted by the late Chuck Jones' expressive characters (especially Max the dog!) and the ghoulishly gentle narration of Boris Karloff.
Trivia: I swear I heard a version for a couple of years where Walter Matthau dubbed over the narration (if you run into it, run away from it - I like Matthau, but it can't hold a candle to the original). Thurl Ravenscroft, who sings "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch," is the voice of Kelogg's Tony the Tiger.
And let's not forget nods to my two favorite TV series "special holiday episodes." American Movie Classic's (AMC) Remember WENN and ABC's Perfect Strangers may be two very different examples of the sitcom formula at its finest, but they do have one thing in common - excellent Christmas episodes. Strangers was around long enough to get two in, "A Christmas Story" from 1986 and "The Gift of the Mypiot" from 1988. "Mypiot" was cute, but I love "Christmas Story." It was actually somewhat reminicent of Charlie Brown - Larry Appleton is terribly upset when he can't get home for Christmas, so his immigrant cousin Balki Bartokomous does his best to remind his cousin of the Christmas spirit. The finale, with just the two cousins, a special gift, and a tree as forlorn as Chuck's, is one of the quietest and sweetest moments of the entire series.
Trivia: Actress Belita Moreno can be seen as two different characters in both episodes (she's Edwina Twinkicetti in "A Christmas Story" and Lydia Markham in "Gift of the Mypiot").
The 1996-1998 cult dramady Remember WENN also sported a memorable holiday episode, 1996's "Christmas in the Airwaves." It's Christmas 1940, and perpetually struggling radio station WENN is ready to celebrate - if their grieving owner and her nasty accountant will allow them to. The witty, warm script, wonderful music ("You Make It Christmas" was nominated for an Emmy in 1996), and fun cast make this one of the best WENN episodes ever.
Trivia: AMC released this and three first-season episodes on video. The set hasn't been sold in years, but there may be copies avalible on eBay.
Tuesday, December 02, 2003
Oh Christmas Tree
Mom brought over my Christmas boxes this afternoon while I cleaned and dusted my apartment, and I put up the tree tonight. I love decorating the tree. It's been one of my favorite parts of Christmas since I was a very small girl. My parents gave me my own tree last year as an early Christmas present. I adore that tree. It's just the right size for me - I don't need a stool to put the star on top! I thought of "A Christmas Story" as I put on the star. "That star is crooked!" "That star is perfectly straight!" (BTW, as far as I can tell, yes, my star is straight. : 0 )
I bought several boxes of balls last month, and Mom gives all of us new ornaments for our own trees every year. Last year, I got a really cute bear carrying shopping bags, and a glass gingerbread man wearing a chef's hat. Many of my ornaments have bears on them, from the big bear-topped ornament I recieved from Mom a few years ago to the Yogi Bear (with a pic-a-nic basket full of candy canes) I got at the North Cape May's After-Christmas sale in 1999.
Yes, my tree is fake, but not for the usual reasons. I don't care about the tree shedding, since my carpet is dark and thin and wouldn't retain needles. I don't trust a real tree around my ancient heater.
I'm going to try to finish decorating tomorrow before work or on Thursday. The tree and outdoor wreath are up, but I have other things that need homes - a tiny tree I put with my Sailor Moon and Pokemon toys, garlands I hang over the windows, a white garland that's wrapped around the top of the baker's rack/video shelves, my Christmas bears, various knick-knacks.
Mom brought over my Christmas boxes this afternoon while I cleaned and dusted my apartment, and I put up the tree tonight. I love decorating the tree. It's been one of my favorite parts of Christmas since I was a very small girl. My parents gave me my own tree last year as an early Christmas present. I adore that tree. It's just the right size for me - I don't need a stool to put the star on top! I thought of "A Christmas Story" as I put on the star. "That star is crooked!" "That star is perfectly straight!" (BTW, as far as I can tell, yes, my star is straight. : 0 )
I bought several boxes of balls last month, and Mom gives all of us new ornaments for our own trees every year. Last year, I got a really cute bear carrying shopping bags, and a glass gingerbread man wearing a chef's hat. Many of my ornaments have bears on them, from the big bear-topped ornament I recieved from Mom a few years ago to the Yogi Bear (with a pic-a-nic basket full of candy canes) I got at the North Cape May's After-Christmas sale in 1999.
Yes, my tree is fake, but not for the usual reasons. I don't care about the tree shedding, since my carpet is dark and thin and wouldn't retain needles. I don't trust a real tree around my ancient heater.
I'm going to try to finish decorating tomorrow before work or on Thursday. The tree and outdoor wreath are up, but I have other things that need homes - a tiny tree I put with my Sailor Moon and Pokemon toys, garlands I hang over the windows, a white garland that's wrapped around the top of the baker's rack/video shelves, my Christmas bears, various knick-knacks.
Tuesday, November 18, 2003
Mystery and Adventure in the Old British Empire
Two of my favorite mystery book series are Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody/Emerson novels and Anne Perry's Inspector Pitt/Charlotte Pitt stories. Both are set in the Victorian era. Both revolve around an eccentric husband-and-wife detective duo who are aided by a second, younger couple. The two stories are steeped in the details of Victorian life in England and abroad. Both have sinister, terrible villians, and heroes who are not always entirely heroic.
The Amelia and Emerson books are the more action-oriented of the two series. They're wonderfully old-fashioned adventures revolving around the tough, intelligent, strong-willed Amelia, a fictional female archeologist whose adventures begin when she inherits a fortune and visits Egypt in the 1880s with her friend and companion, the delicate but sensible Evelyn. They meet the Emerson brothers there, the hot-tempered Radcliffe (who goes by his last name) and the sweet and gentle Walter. After adventures involving mummies and spurned lovers, they marry the brothers - Evelyn and Walter move to Evelyn's family home in England, while Emerson and Amelia dedicate themselves to excavation, even after the birth of their only child, Ramses.
The books are sprawling Indiana Jones-esque adventures that encompass the end of the Victorian era, the Ragtime era, and World War I. (I'm afraid to contemplate how Emerson is going to react when King Tut's tomb is discovered by someone other than him...) Long-time readers have witnessed Ramses grow from a talkative, precocious kid to a strapping young man with a wife and children of his own, and the additions of three adopted children to the Emerson clan. Even with all the changes, the books never lose sight of what made them popular in the first place - action, adventure, romance, daring escapes, fantastic discoveries of Egyptian antiquities, impossible disguises, wild chases across the desert, "monsters" who turn out to be not-so monstrous, evil villians, and daring heroics.
Rising above it all (with the aid of her steel-shafted parasol) is Amelia herself. She remains indomiable and undeniably human no matter what the situation, whether she faces Master Criminals, amnesia, lost cities, or World Wars. My favorite Amelia books are the "Master Criminal" stories The Mummy's Curse, The Lion in the Valley, and The Snake, the Crocodile, and the Dog. The "Master Criminal" was just what the name implies, the head of a ring of antiquities thieves. Despite his nasty habit of dying every three or four novels, he always seemed to come back with a wilder plot than ever...and, at one point, had the hots for Amelia. As much as I've enjoyed the World War I-set novels, it's just not the same since Amelia reformed Sethos and he joined the Secret Service and we found out a rather interesting secret about his and Emerson's relationship. Another favorite is The Last Camel Died at Noon, in which Amelia, Emerson, and Ramses discover a fabulous lost city in the desert.
The Inspector Thomas/Charlotte books don't get quite as wild, perhaps because they're set primarily in England and, despite being around even longer than the Amelia/Emerson series, remain in the Victoria era. What they lack in outrageous villains, action-filled plots, and exotic settings, they make up with more realistic stories, wonderful characters, and a genuine feel for everyday life in London and the surrounding areas during the Victorian era. And instead of one "Master Criminal," we have a whole gang of them. The thorn in the side of Inspector Thomas and Charlotte Pitt is "The Inner Circle," a sinister secret society of men who are supposedly doing good...while actually furthering their own lust for power.
Unlike the wealthy, eccentric Emersons, the Pitts live a respectable lower-middle-class life in nice, normal Bloomsbury. Until the most recent books, Inspector Pitt was an officer with (later the head of) the Bow Street office of the London police. Pitt questions the men in tough back streets and formal offices of London, while his former society wife Charlotte, her sister Emily, and their Great-Aunt Vespasia handle their wives, sisters, and lovers in fancy, frilly Victorian drawing rooms and tea parlors. Charlotte's loyal and perky maid Gracie takes on the servants who attend to England's elite and the ragamuffins in the slums and Thomas' equally loyal but somewhat predjuced partner Tellman makes the rounds of thugs, small-time grifters, and other society oddities.
I haven't been reading the Inspector Thomas/Charlotte books as long as the Amelia/Emerson series. My grandmother sent me the newest tale of the Pitts, Seven Dials, a few months ago, and I loved it so much I sought the rest of the series and several audio books. I'm currently reading Southhampton Row, and have also enjoyed Belgrade Square, Farrier's Lane, and Cardington Cresent, and have heard the books-on-tape for Half-Moon Street and Traitor's Gate. While the stories lack the adventure and romance of the Amelia/Emerson series, the mysteries are often far more involving, and it's not without cool characters. Aunt Vespasia, a strong, regal elderly woman who frequently aids Inspector Thomas and Charlotte, is by far my favorite. The Inner Circle is far more serious and sinister than Sethos and his minions, and not likely to be reformed anytime soon. Indeed, they recently flexed their muscles by having Inspector Thomas removed from the police and reassigned to the early version of England's Secret Service. Vespasia, Emily, Gracie, and Charlotte are still around to meddle and poke in London's drawing rooms and slums, though.
Two of my favorite mystery book series are Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody/Emerson novels and Anne Perry's Inspector Pitt/Charlotte Pitt stories. Both are set in the Victorian era. Both revolve around an eccentric husband-and-wife detective duo who are aided by a second, younger couple. The two stories are steeped in the details of Victorian life in England and abroad. Both have sinister, terrible villians, and heroes who are not always entirely heroic.
The Amelia and Emerson books are the more action-oriented of the two series. They're wonderfully old-fashioned adventures revolving around the tough, intelligent, strong-willed Amelia, a fictional female archeologist whose adventures begin when she inherits a fortune and visits Egypt in the 1880s with her friend and companion, the delicate but sensible Evelyn. They meet the Emerson brothers there, the hot-tempered Radcliffe (who goes by his last name) and the sweet and gentle Walter. After adventures involving mummies and spurned lovers, they marry the brothers - Evelyn and Walter move to Evelyn's family home in England, while Emerson and Amelia dedicate themselves to excavation, even after the birth of their only child, Ramses.
The books are sprawling Indiana Jones-esque adventures that encompass the end of the Victorian era, the Ragtime era, and World War I. (I'm afraid to contemplate how Emerson is going to react when King Tut's tomb is discovered by someone other than him...) Long-time readers have witnessed Ramses grow from a talkative, precocious kid to a strapping young man with a wife and children of his own, and the additions of three adopted children to the Emerson clan. Even with all the changes, the books never lose sight of what made them popular in the first place - action, adventure, romance, daring escapes, fantastic discoveries of Egyptian antiquities, impossible disguises, wild chases across the desert, "monsters" who turn out to be not-so monstrous, evil villians, and daring heroics.
Rising above it all (with the aid of her steel-shafted parasol) is Amelia herself. She remains indomiable and undeniably human no matter what the situation, whether she faces Master Criminals, amnesia, lost cities, or World Wars. My favorite Amelia books are the "Master Criminal" stories The Mummy's Curse, The Lion in the Valley, and The Snake, the Crocodile, and the Dog. The "Master Criminal" was just what the name implies, the head of a ring of antiquities thieves. Despite his nasty habit of dying every three or four novels, he always seemed to come back with a wilder plot than ever...and, at one point, had the hots for Amelia. As much as I've enjoyed the World War I-set novels, it's just not the same since Amelia reformed Sethos and he joined the Secret Service and we found out a rather interesting secret about his and Emerson's relationship. Another favorite is The Last Camel Died at Noon, in which Amelia, Emerson, and Ramses discover a fabulous lost city in the desert.
The Inspector Thomas/Charlotte books don't get quite as wild, perhaps because they're set primarily in England and, despite being around even longer than the Amelia/Emerson series, remain in the Victoria era. What they lack in outrageous villains, action-filled plots, and exotic settings, they make up with more realistic stories, wonderful characters, and a genuine feel for everyday life in London and the surrounding areas during the Victorian era. And instead of one "Master Criminal," we have a whole gang of them. The thorn in the side of Inspector Thomas and Charlotte Pitt is "The Inner Circle," a sinister secret society of men who are supposedly doing good...while actually furthering their own lust for power.
Unlike the wealthy, eccentric Emersons, the Pitts live a respectable lower-middle-class life in nice, normal Bloomsbury. Until the most recent books, Inspector Pitt was an officer with (later the head of) the Bow Street office of the London police. Pitt questions the men in tough back streets and formal offices of London, while his former society wife Charlotte, her sister Emily, and their Great-Aunt Vespasia handle their wives, sisters, and lovers in fancy, frilly Victorian drawing rooms and tea parlors. Charlotte's loyal and perky maid Gracie takes on the servants who attend to England's elite and the ragamuffins in the slums and Thomas' equally loyal but somewhat predjuced partner Tellman makes the rounds of thugs, small-time grifters, and other society oddities.
I haven't been reading the Inspector Thomas/Charlotte books as long as the Amelia/Emerson series. My grandmother sent me the newest tale of the Pitts, Seven Dials, a few months ago, and I loved it so much I sought the rest of the series and several audio books. I'm currently reading Southhampton Row, and have also enjoyed Belgrade Square, Farrier's Lane, and Cardington Cresent, and have heard the books-on-tape for Half-Moon Street and Traitor's Gate. While the stories lack the adventure and romance of the Amelia/Emerson series, the mysteries are often far more involving, and it's not without cool characters. Aunt Vespasia, a strong, regal elderly woman who frequently aids Inspector Thomas and Charlotte, is by far my favorite. The Inner Circle is far more serious and sinister than Sethos and his minions, and not likely to be reformed anytime soon. Indeed, they recently flexed their muscles by having Inspector Thomas removed from the police and reassigned to the early version of England's Secret Service. Vespasia, Emily, Gracie, and Charlotte are still around to meddle and poke in London's drawing rooms and slums, though.
Monday, November 10, 2003
Memories, of the Way We Were...and Are...
I was reading my friend Linda Young's nostalgia essays about growing up in Rhode Island, and I realized that there are still neigborhoods like the ones she mentioned. The last time I visited my parents' house, I arrived to find my brother Keefe and a gaggle of neighborhood kids of both sexes playing a game of touch football. The houses are 60s tracts and the "suprette" is a WaWa, but kids do some of the same things their parents probably did in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. The older kids walk the sidewalks with no fear, chatting and bike riding, sometimes trying to imitate their favorite "x-treme" rider in the empty lot in the back of WaWa. Middle-schoolers practice their skateboarding on the big parking lot next to WaWa. The younger ones play in their backyards, the ones my brother's age in the street. "Play Dates" are practically unknown, and many mothers work during school hours (like mine) in order to spend afternoon with their children. There's even little old ladies, like Miss Ida next door to my parents, who give out food for the kids and whom everyone knows.
Alas, although animals on a leash are sometimes seen playing with the kids, most are kept in yards - all of Cape May County has a terrible feral animal problem, and North Cape May's is worst than most.
Produce Place is closer to the suprette. It's a deli (with prices better than Acme's), but it also sells fancy sodas like Stewart's and Welch's Grape and Canada Dry Cream Soda that WaWa doesn't carry, and cheap candy (not for a penny, alas, but still pretty cheap!). It's also next door to the Rainbow Ice Cream Palace and Minature Golf, a favorite stop for Keefe and I in the summer (they don't stay open in the winter - shame, because I'd love to get a Breyers cherry vanilla cup during a blizzard! ; 0 ). Kids who are old enough go hang out at the Bayshore Mall or the Bayshore 8 or take the bus or beg a friend to drive them to the Hamilton Mall. The big Acme is NCM's A&P (there was an A&P in Cape May Courthouse, but it became a Super Fresh ages ago).
I envy Linda's trips to downtown Providence! I always wished for a downtown like that as a child, with real stores that carried real, useful merchandise. Dellas General Store in Cape May was not unlike a smaller version of a big, fancy department store once. They still carry different merchandise...but overpriced, just like everything else in Cape May now. We never had anything like Shepard's, and any Woolworth's vanished by the time I was a very small child. The only movie theater on Cape Island was (and is) the Beach Theater, now the Beach 4.
To me, big-time shopping meant a trip to the K-Mart in Rio Grande, the very one I went to today, in fact. When I was little, K-Mart was part of a big shopping mall that included a Deb Shop (Rose loved that store - I found it dull), a record store, several children's clothing stores (I remember the gorgeous frilly dresses Monkeys' had!), Thrift Drug, an arcade, a pizzaria, and a movie theater. My whole family used to go see movies together at Rick's Theater, most memorably "The Adams' Family" and "Beauty and the Beast." The whole, full theater, including my family, stood and applauded at the end of the latter - the first standing ovation I ever saw outside of TV.
Thrift Drug was the first to go, followed by the record store when CDs came in. The arcade, probably devestated by the home video game market, went next. The Deb Shop, being next to the K-Mart, was one of the last hold-outs, but Monkeys' vanished quickly. Rick's and the pizza parlor both held on as well, Rick's reduced to second-runs and B-pics, the pizza parlor continuing as a favorite place for birthday parties. Sadly, unlike your downtown Providence, there were no second chances for the Rio Mall. By the mid-90s, even Rick's was barely holding on, and the disappearance of the Deb Shop was the last straw. I hated having to run through there when Mom would come up to K-Mart. It was so bleak, especially since I remembered it as you recall the Outlet and Woolworth's, stuffed with Christmas decorations and busy shoppers. Rose and I even had our first visits with Santa at the Rio Mall, near what's now Save-a-Lot.
It was all gone by the turn of the millenium. The arrival of the Bayshore 8 sounded the death knell for Rick's. While K-Mart, the former Thrift Drug and Super Fresh buildings (now a Save-a-Lot cheap grocery store and empty, respectively), and a few small shops remain, the area of the mall that housed Rick's, the pizza parlor, the Deb Shop, and Monkeys' was demolished. They have yet to try a "real" indoor mall of that stripe in this area again. Even the new mall apparently being planned for across from K-Mart is a strip mall. (Ironically, Mom said that this plot of land was once a drive-in movie theater - she mentioned having seen the James Bond film "Live and Let Die" there.)
We don't get the kind of snow in this part of New Jersey that you guys get in New England. Last winter was downright amazing! I do have my own, somewhat similar snow memories - my sisters and I getting up early and listening to the radio for school closed reports, Mom insisting on breakfast first, going outside and running around the yard. With three (and later, four) of us, there were plenty of people for snowball fights and building snowmen and snow forts. When Daddy would come back from the dock, he'd chuck a couple of snowballs at us (he grew up in New York state and loves snow) and take all of us, even Mom, sledding on the West Cape May Bridge. There's an area of the bridge that borders a plot of farmland that remains in use as the local sledding hill to this day. It's bordered by a line of thick bushes and trees that keep vigorous sledders out of the Cape May Canal. Dad would drive us home, and while we took our wet things off, Mom would make us all hot chocolate, and we'd settle down and play games or watch a movie or (later) play video games.
I grew up around history, too, but of a different kind. My parents' tales were of growing up in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Mom was moved from suburb to suburb (which she continues to have a healthy disdain for) and spoke of being the only kid with a working mother, her beloved kitchen playset, wrestling and playing sports with her brothers, and how she would fight her mother's efforts to make her dress like a "lady"...though she speaks longingly today of the muffs and lace dresses and fancy hats she had. My favorite picture of Mom is one when she was my age, taken in a Cape May boutique. Her hair is pure blonde Farah Fawcett fly-away, her shirt is so tight I'm surprised she can breathe, and she sports sunglasses and a tough, too-cool-for-words attitude. This is far from the warm, down-to-earth brunette I know today. Daddy's tales were of being a hoodlum and (accidentally) burning barns with his buddies and running to Cape May at 16.
I was reading my friend Linda Young's nostalgia essays about growing up in Rhode Island, and I realized that there are still neigborhoods like the ones she mentioned. The last time I visited my parents' house, I arrived to find my brother Keefe and a gaggle of neighborhood kids of both sexes playing a game of touch football. The houses are 60s tracts and the "suprette" is a WaWa, but kids do some of the same things their parents probably did in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. The older kids walk the sidewalks with no fear, chatting and bike riding, sometimes trying to imitate their favorite "x-treme" rider in the empty lot in the back of WaWa. Middle-schoolers practice their skateboarding on the big parking lot next to WaWa. The younger ones play in their backyards, the ones my brother's age in the street. "Play Dates" are practically unknown, and many mothers work during school hours (like mine) in order to spend afternoon with their children. There's even little old ladies, like Miss Ida next door to my parents, who give out food for the kids and whom everyone knows.
Alas, although animals on a leash are sometimes seen playing with the kids, most are kept in yards - all of Cape May County has a terrible feral animal problem, and North Cape May's is worst than most.
Produce Place is closer to the suprette. It's a deli (with prices better than Acme's), but it also sells fancy sodas like Stewart's and Welch's Grape and Canada Dry Cream Soda that WaWa doesn't carry, and cheap candy (not for a penny, alas, but still pretty cheap!). It's also next door to the Rainbow Ice Cream Palace and Minature Golf, a favorite stop for Keefe and I in the summer (they don't stay open in the winter - shame, because I'd love to get a Breyers cherry vanilla cup during a blizzard! ; 0 ). Kids who are old enough go hang out at the Bayshore Mall or the Bayshore 8 or take the bus or beg a friend to drive them to the Hamilton Mall. The big Acme is NCM's A&P (there was an A&P in Cape May Courthouse, but it became a Super Fresh ages ago).
I envy Linda's trips to downtown Providence! I always wished for a downtown like that as a child, with real stores that carried real, useful merchandise. Dellas General Store in Cape May was not unlike a smaller version of a big, fancy department store once. They still carry different merchandise...but overpriced, just like everything else in Cape May now. We never had anything like Shepard's, and any Woolworth's vanished by the time I was a very small child. The only movie theater on Cape Island was (and is) the Beach Theater, now the Beach 4.
To me, big-time shopping meant a trip to the K-Mart in Rio Grande, the very one I went to today, in fact. When I was little, K-Mart was part of a big shopping mall that included a Deb Shop (Rose loved that store - I found it dull), a record store, several children's clothing stores (I remember the gorgeous frilly dresses Monkeys' had!), Thrift Drug, an arcade, a pizzaria, and a movie theater. My whole family used to go see movies together at Rick's Theater, most memorably "The Adams' Family" and "Beauty and the Beast." The whole, full theater, including my family, stood and applauded at the end of the latter - the first standing ovation I ever saw outside of TV.
Thrift Drug was the first to go, followed by the record store when CDs came in. The arcade, probably devestated by the home video game market, went next. The Deb Shop, being next to the K-Mart, was one of the last hold-outs, but Monkeys' vanished quickly. Rick's and the pizza parlor both held on as well, Rick's reduced to second-runs and B-pics, the pizza parlor continuing as a favorite place for birthday parties. Sadly, unlike your downtown Providence, there were no second chances for the Rio Mall. By the mid-90s, even Rick's was barely holding on, and the disappearance of the Deb Shop was the last straw. I hated having to run through there when Mom would come up to K-Mart. It was so bleak, especially since I remembered it as you recall the Outlet and Woolworth's, stuffed with Christmas decorations and busy shoppers. Rose and I even had our first visits with Santa at the Rio Mall, near what's now Save-a-Lot.
It was all gone by the turn of the millenium. The arrival of the Bayshore 8 sounded the death knell for Rick's. While K-Mart, the former Thrift Drug and Super Fresh buildings (now a Save-a-Lot cheap grocery store and empty, respectively), and a few small shops remain, the area of the mall that housed Rick's, the pizza parlor, the Deb Shop, and Monkeys' was demolished. They have yet to try a "real" indoor mall of that stripe in this area again. Even the new mall apparently being planned for across from K-Mart is a strip mall. (Ironically, Mom said that this plot of land was once a drive-in movie theater - she mentioned having seen the James Bond film "Live and Let Die" there.)
We don't get the kind of snow in this part of New Jersey that you guys get in New England. Last winter was downright amazing! I do have my own, somewhat similar snow memories - my sisters and I getting up early and listening to the radio for school closed reports, Mom insisting on breakfast first, going outside and running around the yard. With three (and later, four) of us, there were plenty of people for snowball fights and building snowmen and snow forts. When Daddy would come back from the dock, he'd chuck a couple of snowballs at us (he grew up in New York state and loves snow) and take all of us, even Mom, sledding on the West Cape May Bridge. There's an area of the bridge that borders a plot of farmland that remains in use as the local sledding hill to this day. It's bordered by a line of thick bushes and trees that keep vigorous sledders out of the Cape May Canal. Dad would drive us home, and while we took our wet things off, Mom would make us all hot chocolate, and we'd settle down and play games or watch a movie or (later) play video games.
I grew up around history, too, but of a different kind. My parents' tales were of growing up in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Mom was moved from suburb to suburb (which she continues to have a healthy disdain for) and spoke of being the only kid with a working mother, her beloved kitchen playset, wrestling and playing sports with her brothers, and how she would fight her mother's efforts to make her dress like a "lady"...though she speaks longingly today of the muffs and lace dresses and fancy hats she had. My favorite picture of Mom is one when she was my age, taken in a Cape May boutique. Her hair is pure blonde Farah Fawcett fly-away, her shirt is so tight I'm surprised she can breathe, and she sports sunglasses and a tough, too-cool-for-words attitude. This is far from the warm, down-to-earth brunette I know today. Daddy's tales were of being a hoodlum and (accidentally) burning barns with his buddies and running to Cape May at 16.
Workin' Nine to Five...
I want so badly to have a nine-to-five job that's nine-to-five year-round. I want to have 40 hours in June and January. I want to have office parties and coffee breaks and my own little office, or at least cubicle. I finally did something to try to make my dream a reality today. I went to a job interview at the Current Newspapers of Cape May and Atlantic Counties in Egg Harbor. They're interested in finding someone to proofread and summarize and type items for their community calendar. They're still taking applicants, but the interview seemed to go well despite my stammering and nervousness. I hope something will come of it. I like my co-workers and my job at the Acme, but it's hardly what I want to do for the rest of my life.
I want so badly to have a nine-to-five job that's nine-to-five year-round. I want to have 40 hours in June and January. I want to have office parties and coffee breaks and my own little office, or at least cubicle. I finally did something to try to make my dream a reality today. I went to a job interview at the Current Newspapers of Cape May and Atlantic Counties in Egg Harbor. They're interested in finding someone to proofread and summarize and type items for their community calendar. They're still taking applicants, but the interview seemed to go well despite my stammering and nervousness. I hope something will come of it. I like my co-workers and my job at the Acme, but it's hardly what I want to do for the rest of my life.
Monday, November 03, 2003
80s Revival
Is everybody between the age of 20 and 35 feeling just a little old lately, or is it me? And it isn't just Perfect Strangers' recent Nick-at-Nite run, either. For one thing, my brother just entered fifth grade. I remember the first time I held him on my lap, when he was a newborn in the Burdette Tomilin Memorial Hospital! My teenage sister just moved out of my parents' house. I remember playing Barbies and stuffed animals and Legos with her when she was 6 and I was 12. My other sister now lives with her boyfriend and works long hours in a Cherry Hill restaraunt. I remember when we were the only kids in the family, and Mom was single, and the only men in our lives were Bert, Ernie, and Ken dolls.
I walked through the toy section at K-Mart today and was immediately transported more than a decade back. I saw Strawberry Shortcake rag dolls that smelled like fruit (although she doesn't sport a cute swiss-dotted dress anymore, and she doesn't smell quite as good). I saw huge stuffed Care Bears. I saw Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and He-Man action figures I was tempted to buy my brother...and myself. It amuses me that my brother's two favorite shows are "Yu-Gi-Oh!" and "Transformers Armada." After all, didn't kids in the 80s revel in such complicated, Japanese Anime (or anime-inspired) adventures as "Robotech," "Voltron," "Spartacus," and "The Mysterious City of Gold?" And "Transformers" is one of the great 80s adventure 'toon, a dramatic, sometimes muddled tale of technology run amok.
It's strange, how some pop culture icons never really go away. Take Barbie. There's a whole eisle in K-Mart devoted to Barbie and similar fashion dolls - and Barbie's been around for 50 years. If you told me 10 years ago that half the toys I loved as a child would be making comebacks by 2003, I would have laughed and gone back to reading Sue Grafton. I can only imagine how my parents and older friends felt in the 80s, when 50s and 60s shows and toys started to make the rounds. I remember playing "The Lone Ranger" and "Superman" with my sisters in our backyard or at the beach.
Is everybody between the age of 20 and 35 feeling just a little old lately, or is it me? And it isn't just Perfect Strangers' recent Nick-at-Nite run, either. For one thing, my brother just entered fifth grade. I remember the first time I held him on my lap, when he was a newborn in the Burdette Tomilin Memorial Hospital! My teenage sister just moved out of my parents' house. I remember playing Barbies and stuffed animals and Legos with her when she was 6 and I was 12. My other sister now lives with her boyfriend and works long hours in a Cherry Hill restaraunt. I remember when we were the only kids in the family, and Mom was single, and the only men in our lives were Bert, Ernie, and Ken dolls.
I walked through the toy section at K-Mart today and was immediately transported more than a decade back. I saw Strawberry Shortcake rag dolls that smelled like fruit (although she doesn't sport a cute swiss-dotted dress anymore, and she doesn't smell quite as good). I saw huge stuffed Care Bears. I saw Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and He-Man action figures I was tempted to buy my brother...and myself. It amuses me that my brother's two favorite shows are "Yu-Gi-Oh!" and "Transformers Armada." After all, didn't kids in the 80s revel in such complicated, Japanese Anime (or anime-inspired) adventures as "Robotech," "Voltron," "Spartacus," and "The Mysterious City of Gold?" And "Transformers" is one of the great 80s adventure 'toon, a dramatic, sometimes muddled tale of technology run amok.
It's strange, how some pop culture icons never really go away. Take Barbie. There's a whole eisle in K-Mart devoted to Barbie and similar fashion dolls - and Barbie's been around for 50 years. If you told me 10 years ago that half the toys I loved as a child would be making comebacks by 2003, I would have laughed and gone back to reading Sue Grafton. I can only imagine how my parents and older friends felt in the 80s, when 50s and 60s shows and toys started to make the rounds. I remember playing "The Lone Ranger" and "Superman" with my sisters in our backyard or at the beach.
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