Kicked off a sunny morning with breakfast and The Backyardigans. "Sinbad Sails Alone" has Tyrone as the famous seaman of legend off to find the end of the rainbow. Pablo wants to be a sailor too and tags along. Tyrone keeps insisting that he doesn't need any help, especially the bumbling messes that Pablo gets him into. He might need more help than he thinks to defeat the games of Siren Uniqua and Medusa Tasha!
Headed out around quarter of 10 to run errands. First stop of the day was the Collingswood Farm Market, which opened last week. It was packed elbow-to-elbow with people buying produce for Mother's Day dinners, barbecues, and college graduation parties. Strawberries are out, and so are asparagus, green and wax beans, radishes, spinach, and other leafy greens. I picked up mushrooms, scallions, Florida carrots, and spinach for spinach bacon salad.
Spent the next two and a half hours riding around Haddon Township, checking out their town-wide yard sale. Disappointingly, there wasn't much. Most of the stuff on display was either junk, clothes, or toys and other items for very young children. One man was selling books and DVDs. I picked up the 1992 Robert Downey Jr. vehicle Chaplin, on the life of famous movie comedian Charlie Chaplin. Found a lovely Raggedy Ann doll in perfect condition at another sale, along with two notebooks.
Needed a few things I forgot at the Acme yesterday at Target on the way home. The raspberry preserves were even more expensive there than at the Acme. I'll hold off and get them elsewhere. I did pick up brown sugar and cake mix, though. I checked out a few sales in the neighborhoods behind the Ritz Theatre after leaving Target, but didn't find anything else I really wanted and headed home around 1:30.
Had an orange-banana smoothie for lunch while watching more Smallville. "Visage" brings back Whitney Fordman, a former boyfriend of Lana's who joined the Marines and was shipped overseas. He seems a little too eager to start things up with Lana again, to Clark's annoyance. Turns out there's a reason for him to be frustrated. Whitney isn't what he seems. Meanwhile, the woman Lana's newly-discovered dad is married to gently warns her away, worried that her husband won't have time for her and will forget about her.
After lunch, I took the trash and recycling cans downstairs to give them a good scrub. Charlie got the hose working again. I washed them, then used the hose to wash off my dirt-covered bike. I clean the bike and the cans twice a year, in May when it gets warm enough to use the hose, and in October right before it becomes too cold to. The recycling cans aren't big, and it never takes me more than 20 minutes to get it all done.
Worked on writing for a while as the cans dried. Luke picks up flying with a jet pack easily. In fact, flying comes naturally to him, thanks to his air and light powers. Even when he's shot down in the thick of battle, he hears Ben's voice in his head that encourages him to use the remaining light of day to fly on his own.
Broke for dinner at 5:30. Did another Smallville episode while eating leftovers and making very moist Banana-Blueberry Strusel Muffins. "Insurgence" takes us into crime thriller territory. Mrs. Kent is upset when Lionel Luther forces her to work on her anniversary. Things take an even worse turn when they're held hostage at the main LutherCorp building in Metropolis by thieves who want everything in the vaults...and Mrs. Kent finds out why Lionel really hired her.
Moved on to Lego Star Wars while the muffins were in the oven. Completed the very long "Through the Jutland Wastes," including all of the pieces and the red brick. Got the red brick in "Discovery at Kamino," but somehow missed a piece.
Finished the night with Mother Wore Tights in honor of my own mother, who loves this movie. I go into more details on Betty Grable's favorite of her movies at my Musical Dreams Movie Review blog.
Mother Wore Tights
Life is a lazy river - no matter where you are. Movies, musicals, mysteries, pop culture, and lots of other great stuff.
Saturday, May 11, 2019
Friday, May 10, 2019
A Little Bit of Spring Rain
Kicked off a cloudy morning with breakfast and The Backyardigans. Uniqua, Pablo, and Austin are "The Best Clowns In Town." The only problem is, they don't have a circus. They'd like to work for Ringmaster Tyrone, but he hates clowns. When they accidentally make him miss his train, they take him across the countryside to show him just how funny clowning around can be.
Did some writing after breakfast. The Red squadron show Luke how to put on and use the jet packs that allow them to fly. Luke's still a little upset about Harris leaving. Leia, who is giving the men their orders, assures him that Harris had to do his own thing, and Luke has to do his. He blushes when she kisses him on the cheek. Rudy teases him about liking two girls, but he brushes any feelings he may have for Mara Jadeson off.
Broke for a quick lunch at 11. Returned to Smallville for "Dichotic." Clark's concerned when Ian (Johnathan Taylor Thomas), one of the kids at school, manages to take every class, night school classes, and date Chloe and Lana at the same time. Turns out he can make clones of himself...and he's not happy when Clark and Ian figure out what he's up to.
Work was a bit of a pain in the morning. I spent almost all of the first half of the day in the register. We were off-and-on busy, and they just didn't have enough help. Thankfully, other than covering someone's break, I spent most of the second half shelving candy and gathering carts.
My schedule for next week is afternoon-early evening work on Sunday and Tuesday, off Monday, and then...vacation starts Wednesday! I didn't expect to have Sunday off anyway (that's Mother's Day), but I am glad for one extra day to get stuff done before Lauren arrives. I might do the libraries that day, depending on the weather.
It was sunny earlier in the day, but by 6 PM, the clouds had returned. I was starved after my long day. I dodged traffic in the parking lot as I made my way to Tu Se Bella's Pizza. To my surprise, they weren't that busy, considering it was Friday night and a couple of days before Mother's Day. I had no problems ordering a slice of cheese, a slice of white broccoli, and a bottle of the new Coke Orange Vanilla. Enjoyed them at the small table by the window.
Had some grocery shopping to do after I finished dinner. The Acme's having big sales on General Mills products; I got two boxes of Multi-Grain Cheerios and two boxes of Nature Valley breakfast cookies. (Got the latter super-cheap, thanks to an online coupon.) Made use of online and Monopoly coupons for Sunbelt Granola Bars, Starkist tuna, generic diced organic tomatoes, Oscar Meyer bacon, and a doughnut for a treat - and the last three were free coupons! Restocked strawberries, raspberries, bananas, honey, peanut butter, milk, mandarin oranges, ground turkey, butter, yogurt, and hot dogs.
Went home just as it started showering lightly. The rain had stopped by the time I got in. Charlie and his family had barely noticed. They were enjoying a rousing game of croquet in Charlie's front enclosure. (That brings back some memories. My family had a croquet set in the late 80's-early 90's, when we were living on the north end of Cape May and had a relatively large yard. My sisters and our friends and I used to have a great time hitting the balls around the yard.)
Played Lego Star Wars after I finished. No problems here, either. Went back to Revenge of the Sith for "Chancellor In Peril" and "Ruin of the Jedi." Completed "Chancellor" with all pieces and the red brick. Got all the pieces and red brick in "Fall of the Jedi," but fell off ledges too often to get True Jedi.
Ended the night with more Smallville. "Skinwalker" pits Clark and the Kents against LuthorCorp when it turns out a sacred Native American cave is located under one of their building sites. Local Native Americans, including Joseph Willowbrook (Gordon Tootoosis) and his granddaughter Kyla (Tamara Feldman), are fighting to save the caves. Clark discovers they're worth saving when it turns out that the symbols in the cave closely resemble his own life. He falls for Kyla...but she has a secret of her own, one that comes out when her grandfather is arrested for attacking Martha Kent and killing the foreman on the project.
Did some writing after breakfast. The Red squadron show Luke how to put on and use the jet packs that allow them to fly. Luke's still a little upset about Harris leaving. Leia, who is giving the men their orders, assures him that Harris had to do his own thing, and Luke has to do his. He blushes when she kisses him on the cheek. Rudy teases him about liking two girls, but he brushes any feelings he may have for Mara Jadeson off.
Broke for a quick lunch at 11. Returned to Smallville for "Dichotic." Clark's concerned when Ian (Johnathan Taylor Thomas), one of the kids at school, manages to take every class, night school classes, and date Chloe and Lana at the same time. Turns out he can make clones of himself...and he's not happy when Clark and Ian figure out what he's up to.
Work was a bit of a pain in the morning. I spent almost all of the first half of the day in the register. We were off-and-on busy, and they just didn't have enough help. Thankfully, other than covering someone's break, I spent most of the second half shelving candy and gathering carts.
My schedule for next week is afternoon-early evening work on Sunday and Tuesday, off Monday, and then...vacation starts Wednesday! I didn't expect to have Sunday off anyway (that's Mother's Day), but I am glad for one extra day to get stuff done before Lauren arrives. I might do the libraries that day, depending on the weather.
It was sunny earlier in the day, but by 6 PM, the clouds had returned. I was starved after my long day. I dodged traffic in the parking lot as I made my way to Tu Se Bella's Pizza. To my surprise, they weren't that busy, considering it was Friday night and a couple of days before Mother's Day. I had no problems ordering a slice of cheese, a slice of white broccoli, and a bottle of the new Coke Orange Vanilla. Enjoyed them at the small table by the window.
Had some grocery shopping to do after I finished dinner. The Acme's having big sales on General Mills products; I got two boxes of Multi-Grain Cheerios and two boxes of Nature Valley breakfast cookies. (Got the latter super-cheap, thanks to an online coupon.) Made use of online and Monopoly coupons for Sunbelt Granola Bars, Starkist tuna, generic diced organic tomatoes, Oscar Meyer bacon, and a doughnut for a treat - and the last three were free coupons! Restocked strawberries, raspberries, bananas, honey, peanut butter, milk, mandarin oranges, ground turkey, butter, yogurt, and hot dogs.
Went home just as it started showering lightly. The rain had stopped by the time I got in. Charlie and his family had barely noticed. They were enjoying a rousing game of croquet in Charlie's front enclosure. (That brings back some memories. My family had a croquet set in the late 80's-early 90's, when we were living on the north end of Cape May and had a relatively large yard. My sisters and our friends and I used to have a great time hitting the balls around the yard.)
Played Lego Star Wars after I finished. No problems here, either. Went back to Revenge of the Sith for "Chancellor In Peril" and "Ruin of the Jedi." Completed "Chancellor" with all pieces and the red brick. Got all the pieces and red brick in "Fall of the Jedi," but fell off ledges too often to get True Jedi.
Ended the night with more Smallville. "Skinwalker" pits Clark and the Kents against LuthorCorp when it turns out a sacred Native American cave is located under one of their building sites. Local Native Americans, including Joseph Willowbrook (Gordon Tootoosis) and his granddaughter Kyla (Tamara Feldman), are fighting to save the caves. Clark discovers they're worth saving when it turns out that the symbols in the cave closely resemble his own life. He falls for Kyla...but she has a secret of her own, one that comes out when her grandfather is arrested for attacking Martha Kent and killing the foreman on the project.
Thursday, May 09, 2019
Rainy Day Caper
It was showering lightly when I woke up this morning. Cheered up a gloomy day with breakfast and Sailor Moon. We're first introduced to Makoto in "Jupiter, the Powerful Girl In Love." Makoto is a tall, strong girl who stands up for Usagi when she's attacked by bullies. In appreciation, Usagi brings Makoto to the arcade where she hangs out and introduces her to the others, including her crush Motoki. Meanwhile, the Negaverse's newest general is vain Zoicite, who has to find the seven Rainbow Crystals within seven humans. He first targets Crane Machine Joe, a boy who uses his power to manipulate crane games and win prizes. Makoto thinks he's cute and tries to get to know him...but she'll have to turn into the thunder-based guardian Sailor Jupiter to rescue him!
Work wasn't nearly as busy as it has been. A lot of people may have been scared off by the weather. While the rain ended as I was going to the Acme, it remained chilly and damp. I mostly alternated between doing two more full carts of returns and rounding up carts. Got stuck in the register once, and of course had to deal with an annoying customer who fussed because she hadn't read about a digital coupon needed for some of the sales.
Headed straight home after work. It started raining harder briefly, but the rain was vanishing even as I walked in my door. Charlie was finished in the bathroom for the day. I'm hoping he intends to paint the tile he put in. It's a strange green-brown color and looks nothing like the yellow tile in the rest of the room.
Had a quick smoothie and muffin lunch while watching more Sailor Moon. It takes a shy artist to finally bring Usagi and Mamoru together in "The Painting of Love: Usagi and Mamoru Get Closer." A renowned artist wants them to model for her newest creation. She's shy and sees herself as plain, refusing to paint herself as she really is. Mamoru puts her down for not putting herself out more, but Usagi encourages her to be herself. That may be a moot point when it turns out that she's a Rainbow Crystal holder...and that Tuxedo Mask may be after the crystals, too.
I really wanted to get to the Haddon Township Library today. Thankfully, by the time I was back on the bike, the rain was gone again. I cut through a brilliant green Newton Lake Park on my way there. The only people I saw were one lone jogger and several flocks of ducks and Canadian Geese.
The library wasn't busy, either. There wasn't a lot for me to do. Most of the DVDs were being saved for the student volunteers. I shelved what I could fit in the stacks, then moved on. Dollar Tree was even quieter, surprising for rush hour. I needed cars for Lauren and Mom there; also bought a surprise for Lauren.
Worked on writing when I got home. Dr. Dodonna and the White Queen give the group their assignments. Luke joins the Jet Pack Squad, including his college buddies Wedge and Biggs. He's disappointed to see Harris leaving with his cash. He'd begun to look up to the older man like a brother. Harris insists that he has debts he needs to pay off, but wishes Luke luck anyway.
Charlie returned while I was writing. He finally (and with much cursing) finished getting all of the new siding on the house. He says he's going to hold off on finishing the bathroom and painting the bedroom until the weather is better on Saturday.
Broke for dinner at quarter after 6. Watched more Smallville while I made Southwestern Turkey Soup (taco meat with the last of the vegetable stock and most of the vegetables in my refrigerator). "Ryan" is a young teen with psychic powers who is a friend of Clark's. His aunt couldn't handle his ablities and dumped him in a mental facility with questionable ethics. Clark, Lex, and the Kents manage to get Ryan out, but he just winds up in a hospital again when it turns out he has a brain tumor and doesn't have much time to live. Clark tries to get him as much help as he can.
Did Lego Star Wars after I ate. After all the trouble I had with the bonus rounds yesterday, I came to the conclusion that I really need to earn more money for extras and characters first. Did the first three rounds of The Phantom Menace on Free Play. Had no problems anywhere. Completed "Negotiations" and "Escape from Naboo Palace"; missed one piece on the remaining round.
Ended my night with one of my favorite Muppet movies, The Great Muppet Caper. I go into more details on this nutty jewelry heist tale at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
The Great Muppet Caper
Work wasn't nearly as busy as it has been. A lot of people may have been scared off by the weather. While the rain ended as I was going to the Acme, it remained chilly and damp. I mostly alternated between doing two more full carts of returns and rounding up carts. Got stuck in the register once, and of course had to deal with an annoying customer who fussed because she hadn't read about a digital coupon needed for some of the sales.
Headed straight home after work. It started raining harder briefly, but the rain was vanishing even as I walked in my door. Charlie was finished in the bathroom for the day. I'm hoping he intends to paint the tile he put in. It's a strange green-brown color and looks nothing like the yellow tile in the rest of the room.
Had a quick smoothie and muffin lunch while watching more Sailor Moon. It takes a shy artist to finally bring Usagi and Mamoru together in "The Painting of Love: Usagi and Mamoru Get Closer." A renowned artist wants them to model for her newest creation. She's shy and sees herself as plain, refusing to paint herself as she really is. Mamoru puts her down for not putting herself out more, but Usagi encourages her to be herself. That may be a moot point when it turns out that she's a Rainbow Crystal holder...and that Tuxedo Mask may be after the crystals, too.
I really wanted to get to the Haddon Township Library today. Thankfully, by the time I was back on the bike, the rain was gone again. I cut through a brilliant green Newton Lake Park on my way there. The only people I saw were one lone jogger and several flocks of ducks and Canadian Geese.
The library wasn't busy, either. There wasn't a lot for me to do. Most of the DVDs were being saved for the student volunteers. I shelved what I could fit in the stacks, then moved on. Dollar Tree was even quieter, surprising for rush hour. I needed cars for Lauren and Mom there; also bought a surprise for Lauren.
Worked on writing when I got home. Dr. Dodonna and the White Queen give the group their assignments. Luke joins the Jet Pack Squad, including his college buddies Wedge and Biggs. He's disappointed to see Harris leaving with his cash. He'd begun to look up to the older man like a brother. Harris insists that he has debts he needs to pay off, but wishes Luke luck anyway.
Charlie returned while I was writing. He finally (and with much cursing) finished getting all of the new siding on the house. He says he's going to hold off on finishing the bathroom and painting the bedroom until the weather is better on Saturday.
Broke for dinner at quarter after 6. Watched more Smallville while I made Southwestern Turkey Soup (taco meat with the last of the vegetable stock and most of the vegetables in my refrigerator). "Ryan" is a young teen with psychic powers who is a friend of Clark's. His aunt couldn't handle his ablities and dumped him in a mental facility with questionable ethics. Clark, Lex, and the Kents manage to get Ryan out, but he just winds up in a hospital again when it turns out he has a brain tumor and doesn't have much time to live. Clark tries to get him as much help as he can.
Did Lego Star Wars after I ate. After all the trouble I had with the bonus rounds yesterday, I came to the conclusion that I really need to earn more money for extras and characters first. Did the first three rounds of The Phantom Menace on Free Play. Had no problems anywhere. Completed "Negotiations" and "Escape from Naboo Palace"; missed one piece on the remaining round.
Ended my night with one of my favorite Muppet movies, The Great Muppet Caper. I go into more details on this nutty jewelry heist tale at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
The Great Muppet Caper
Wednesday, May 08, 2019
The Guardians and the Superman
Kicked off another rainy morning with breakfast and a first season episode of Sailor Moon. Usagi is thrilled when she's selected to be a finalist in a modeling contest in "Usagi's a Model: The Flash of the Monster Camera." Things get a lot scarier when it turns out that the camera owned by the kid who is running the contest has been possessed by a Negaverse monster...and Usagi will be on her own to fight it.
Went straight to work after the episode ended. Though I did get stuck in the register for a while (we were short on help), I spent most of the morning shelving three full carts of returns. I totally finished two carts, but got disrupted too much to finish the third one.
By the time I got out, the morning rain had vanished, replaced by slowly emerging sunshine. It was so nice, I took the long way home down Nicholson Road. Thankfully, I didn't run into much traffic, not even around the entrance to the shopping center. Probably thanks to the rain, everything is so green now. The leaves on the trees get bigger and greener every day, and the purple irises look like dark purple velvet.
Charlie was just finishing up when I was getting in. He painted the new walls in the living room and kitchen a simple winter white. He'll be putting new tile on the bathroom walls tomorrow.
Spent the next couple of hours after he left finishing the dusting. I do thorough dusting under everything in the house twice a year, in the spring before Lauren visits in April and May, and in October and November before Christmas. The bedroom always takes the longest. Even after all the clearing out I've done over the past few months, I still have a ton of stuff to dust under in there.
Ran episodes of Smallville while I worked. "Nocturne" is actually rather sweet. Someone keeps leaving Lana love poems at her parents' grave. Turns out it's a young man named Byron who is kept n the basement by his well-meaning mother and gruff father, who claim he's dead. Clark and Pete free him...only to discover that he turns into a huge, angry creature with amazing strength in the sunlight. Freed, he goes after Lionel, whose experiments at LuthorCorp caused his condition. Meanwhile, Clark and Johnathan are not happy when Martha takes a job as Lionel's assistant.
"Redux" was also really interesting. Smallville High is getting ready for their Spirit Week, but the discovery of a swimming star who has aged 50 years in 10 seconds in the pool puts a literal damper on their enthusiasm. Chloe, Clark, and Pete discover that a pretty cheerleader saps life from anyone she touches, keeping her young and immortal. Lana has her own problems. She learns from a pile of photos that the man her mother married may not be her father. Lex helps her find the man..
Worked on writing for a while after that. Rudy sets up the tapes with the Death Ray plans and hooks up an intercom, allowing them to speak to the voice of their unknown leader, the White Queen. She thanks Luke and Harris for rescuing Leia before explaining why it's so important that they destroy the ray gun. No one else should be destroyed like Aldera Hills and the Erso Shipyards.
Broke for dinner at 6:30. Watched more Smallville while I ate. Clark starts to wonder about his "Lineage" when a woman (Blair Brown) shows up claiming to be his biological mother. He finally gets his parents to tell him about the day he was adopted...and how Lionel Luther got involved. Meanwhile, Lana tries to see the man who may be her birth father, but he may not be happy to see her.
Did some Lego Star Wars after dinner. I didn't do very well on any of the bonus rounds I tried tonight. The only one I managed to get through was "Anakin's Flight," the Lego version of Anakin destroying the Trade Federation ship in The Phantom Menace. I just couldn't get the original version of "Gunship Calvary" right, and it took me so long to do the "Lego City" round, I finally gave up and went online.
Finished the night with Lovely to Look At. I go into more details on MGM's 1952 remake of Roberta at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Lovely to Look At
Went straight to work after the episode ended. Though I did get stuck in the register for a while (we were short on help), I spent most of the morning shelving three full carts of returns. I totally finished two carts, but got disrupted too much to finish the third one.
By the time I got out, the morning rain had vanished, replaced by slowly emerging sunshine. It was so nice, I took the long way home down Nicholson Road. Thankfully, I didn't run into much traffic, not even around the entrance to the shopping center. Probably thanks to the rain, everything is so green now. The leaves on the trees get bigger and greener every day, and the purple irises look like dark purple velvet.
Charlie was just finishing up when I was getting in. He painted the new walls in the living room and kitchen a simple winter white. He'll be putting new tile on the bathroom walls tomorrow.
Spent the next couple of hours after he left finishing the dusting. I do thorough dusting under everything in the house twice a year, in the spring before Lauren visits in April and May, and in October and November before Christmas. The bedroom always takes the longest. Even after all the clearing out I've done over the past few months, I still have a ton of stuff to dust under in there.
Ran episodes of Smallville while I worked. "Nocturne" is actually rather sweet. Someone keeps leaving Lana love poems at her parents' grave. Turns out it's a young man named Byron who is kept n the basement by his well-meaning mother and gruff father, who claim he's dead. Clark and Pete free him...only to discover that he turns into a huge, angry creature with amazing strength in the sunlight. Freed, he goes after Lionel, whose experiments at LuthorCorp caused his condition. Meanwhile, Clark and Johnathan are not happy when Martha takes a job as Lionel's assistant.
"Redux" was also really interesting. Smallville High is getting ready for their Spirit Week, but the discovery of a swimming star who has aged 50 years in 10 seconds in the pool puts a literal damper on their enthusiasm. Chloe, Clark, and Pete discover that a pretty cheerleader saps life from anyone she touches, keeping her young and immortal. Lana has her own problems. She learns from a pile of photos that the man her mother married may not be her father. Lex helps her find the man..
Worked on writing for a while after that. Rudy sets up the tapes with the Death Ray plans and hooks up an intercom, allowing them to speak to the voice of their unknown leader, the White Queen. She thanks Luke and Harris for rescuing Leia before explaining why it's so important that they destroy the ray gun. No one else should be destroyed like Aldera Hills and the Erso Shipyards.
Broke for dinner at 6:30. Watched more Smallville while I ate. Clark starts to wonder about his "Lineage" when a woman (Blair Brown) shows up claiming to be his biological mother. He finally gets his parents to tell him about the day he was adopted...and how Lionel Luther got involved. Meanwhile, Lana tries to see the man who may be her birth father, but he may not be happy to see her.
Did some Lego Star Wars after dinner. I didn't do very well on any of the bonus rounds I tried tonight. The only one I managed to get through was "Anakin's Flight," the Lego version of Anakin destroying the Trade Federation ship in The Phantom Menace. I just couldn't get the original version of "Gunship Calvary" right, and it took me so long to do the "Lego City" round, I finally gave up and went online.
Finished the night with Lovely to Look At. I go into more details on MGM's 1952 remake of Roberta at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Lovely to Look At
Tuesday, May 07, 2019
Let's Begin
Started off a sunny morning with breakfast and the first episode of the second season of Smallville. We jump back a bit to experience a "Vortex" as Clark (Tom Welling) rushes from a formal dance with his gal buddy Chloe (Allison Mack) to rescue his crush Lana Lang (Kristen Kreuk) from a tornado. Meanwhile, his father Johnathan (John Schneider) is trapped underground with Roger Nixon (Tom O'Brian), a whiny reporter who threatened to expose Clark's secret, and Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum) manages to get his father Lionel (John Glover) to the hospital, only to see him lose his sight.
Headed out to get the laundry done as soon as the episode was over. I picked the right time to do it. The laundromat was dead when I arrived. I never saw more than one person the entire hour I was there. Good thing, too. I had a big load to do today, including towels. Worked on story notes and half-listened to soap operas and the news on Channel 10.
Put everything away when I got in, then had a quick lunch and swept the fuzzy seed pods off the porch. Continued Smallville while I worked. Clark's really feeling the "Heat" when a major heat wave and his gorgeous young biology teacher has him contemplating sexual thoughts...which triggers his heat vision. He nearly burns down his biology class before Mr. Kent helps him figure out how to control it. Meanwhile, Clark's teacher is using her abilities to breathe phenomenons that will make men go mad for her to marry Lex and gain his fortune. Clark and the girls have to keep her from controlling Lex and Johnathan, too.
Went back out after lunch to run a few errands. First stop of was the Oaklyn Library. With the clouds gone and the sun back out, the only people there were the librarians. I snatched up a few titles leftover from Free Comics Day (including a Solo: A Star Wars Story comic from last year) and focused on organizing DVDs.
Dodged late lunch traffic to hit Dollar General next. I ran out of laundry detergent doing that big load. Grabbed it, grabbed my favorite pecan log, got into a long line, got out.
Since I was in the neighborhood, I dropped by Dad and Jodie's house, mainly to confirm them picking up Lauren and opening the pool. While they're not quite finished with the pool yet (partially due to all the rain we've had), it'll be open eventually. Rose will pick Lauren up at 7:45 next Wednesday. I'll have to remind her (and get her to leave early, given how late she always is for everything). Jodie will drop her off the Thursday after.
Rode straight home after that. I still have quite a bit to do at my place. I washed the new windows inside and out, then dusted the living area as thoroughly as I could, given all the books, DVDs, and CDs I have to move.
Finished out the first disc while I worked. "Duplicity" introduced me to Clark's original best friend Pete (Sam Jones III). He finds Clark's spaceship in a cornfield, where the tornado dropped it during "Vortex." He's going to sell the story before Clark tells him that it's his and he's an alien. Pete's more upset that Clark didn't tell him before than about his origins...but his discovery has inadvertently put him in danger when it's stolen by a doctor (Joe Morton) who thinks he knows more about it.
Clark's seeing "Red" when the ruby-colored stone in his new class ring turns him into a nasty, black-leather-wearing biker who rebels against his parents and first asks Lana for a date, then a black-clad girl who just moved to town. It turns out that the girl is involved with some nasty people who want to kill her...but Clark's new persona is more than up to the challenge of getting rid of them.
Switched to an episode of Tiny Toon Adventures while finishing the dusting. It's "New Class Day" for the Toons as they learn all about comic book heroics in the Justice League spoof "The Just-Us League of Superheroes," silent movie gags in "Sound Off," and famous group acts in "A Night In Kokomo."
Did some writing for a while. Harris, Luke, and Leia sit in on a meeting with Dr. Dodonna, a professor of Leia and Luke at Coruscant U, and the mysterious "White Queen" who gives them their orders. Luke recognizes a couple of friends from school, including his old friend Brian "Biggs" Darkman and engineering student Wally "Wedge" Andrews. Luke agrees to help the Rebel League keep others from getting hurt like his uncle and father. Harris isn't as keen to stay, even if Chewbacca seems to be getting attached to Leia.
Broke for dinner at 6:30. Had tuna salad wraps while watching two short Hello Kitty Furry Tale Theater episodes that spoof two of the most beloved sci-fi franchises of the 70's and early 80's. "Cat Wars" strands Hello Princess Kitty and Tuxedo Sam Skywalker on a planet far from home. It'll take the gift of the Fur from Obi-Wan Catnobi to remind Sam that he's got a lot of hero in that little frame. Kitty is "K.T: The Kitty Terrestrial" who has to phone home with the help of Sam and the others and avoid scientists Grinder and Catnip.
Moved on to Lego Star Wars after I ate. Completing "Jedi Destiny" and "Death Star Escape" ends the story portion of the game. I did manage to get the red brick and True Jedi on "Jedi Destiny," a boss round where Vader and Luke work together to fight Palpatine. Found half the pieces and the red brick on "Escape," but just missed True Jedi. I also played the original Pod Race as one of the bonus rounds. It was so hard, I did manage to finish it, but came out with no studs.
Ended the night with the Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers vehicle Roberta. I go more into this tale of fashion and romance at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Roberta
Oh, and after being cloudy off and on all day, it finally started raining hard a few hours ago. Looks like it's going to continue in some capacity for most of the week. We'll see what happens.
Headed out to get the laundry done as soon as the episode was over. I picked the right time to do it. The laundromat was dead when I arrived. I never saw more than one person the entire hour I was there. Good thing, too. I had a big load to do today, including towels. Worked on story notes and half-listened to soap operas and the news on Channel 10.
Put everything away when I got in, then had a quick lunch and swept the fuzzy seed pods off the porch. Continued Smallville while I worked. Clark's really feeling the "Heat" when a major heat wave and his gorgeous young biology teacher has him contemplating sexual thoughts...which triggers his heat vision. He nearly burns down his biology class before Mr. Kent helps him figure out how to control it. Meanwhile, Clark's teacher is using her abilities to breathe phenomenons that will make men go mad for her to marry Lex and gain his fortune. Clark and the girls have to keep her from controlling Lex and Johnathan, too.
Went back out after lunch to run a few errands. First stop of was the Oaklyn Library. With the clouds gone and the sun back out, the only people there were the librarians. I snatched up a few titles leftover from Free Comics Day (including a Solo: A Star Wars Story comic from last year) and focused on organizing DVDs.
Dodged late lunch traffic to hit Dollar General next. I ran out of laundry detergent doing that big load. Grabbed it, grabbed my favorite pecan log, got into a long line, got out.
Since I was in the neighborhood, I dropped by Dad and Jodie's house, mainly to confirm them picking up Lauren and opening the pool. While they're not quite finished with the pool yet (partially due to all the rain we've had), it'll be open eventually. Rose will pick Lauren up at 7:45 next Wednesday. I'll have to remind her (and get her to leave early, given how late she always is for everything). Jodie will drop her off the Thursday after.
Rode straight home after that. I still have quite a bit to do at my place. I washed the new windows inside and out, then dusted the living area as thoroughly as I could, given all the books, DVDs, and CDs I have to move.
Finished out the first disc while I worked. "Duplicity" introduced me to Clark's original best friend Pete (Sam Jones III). He finds Clark's spaceship in a cornfield, where the tornado dropped it during "Vortex." He's going to sell the story before Clark tells him that it's his and he's an alien. Pete's more upset that Clark didn't tell him before than about his origins...but his discovery has inadvertently put him in danger when it's stolen by a doctor (Joe Morton) who thinks he knows more about it.
Clark's seeing "Red" when the ruby-colored stone in his new class ring turns him into a nasty, black-leather-wearing biker who rebels against his parents and first asks Lana for a date, then a black-clad girl who just moved to town. It turns out that the girl is involved with some nasty people who want to kill her...but Clark's new persona is more than up to the challenge of getting rid of them.
Switched to an episode of Tiny Toon Adventures while finishing the dusting. It's "New Class Day" for the Toons as they learn all about comic book heroics in the Justice League spoof "The Just-Us League of Superheroes," silent movie gags in "Sound Off," and famous group acts in "A Night In Kokomo."
Did some writing for a while. Harris, Luke, and Leia sit in on a meeting with Dr. Dodonna, a professor of Leia and Luke at Coruscant U, and the mysterious "White Queen" who gives them their orders. Luke recognizes a couple of friends from school, including his old friend Brian "Biggs" Darkman and engineering student Wally "Wedge" Andrews. Luke agrees to help the Rebel League keep others from getting hurt like his uncle and father. Harris isn't as keen to stay, even if Chewbacca seems to be getting attached to Leia.
Broke for dinner at 6:30. Had tuna salad wraps while watching two short Hello Kitty Furry Tale Theater episodes that spoof two of the most beloved sci-fi franchises of the 70's and early 80's. "Cat Wars" strands Hello Princess Kitty and Tuxedo Sam Skywalker on a planet far from home. It'll take the gift of the Fur from Obi-Wan Catnobi to remind Sam that he's got a lot of hero in that little frame. Kitty is "K.T: The Kitty Terrestrial" who has to phone home with the help of Sam and the others and avoid scientists Grinder and Catnip.
Moved on to Lego Star Wars after I ate. Completing "Jedi Destiny" and "Death Star Escape" ends the story portion of the game. I did manage to get the red brick and True Jedi on "Jedi Destiny," a boss round where Vader and Luke work together to fight Palpatine. Found half the pieces and the red brick on "Escape," but just missed True Jedi. I also played the original Pod Race as one of the bonus rounds. It was so hard, I did manage to finish it, but came out with no studs.
Ended the night with the Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers vehicle Roberta. I go more into this tale of fashion and romance at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Roberta
Oh, and after being cloudy off and on all day, it finally started raining hard a few hours ago. Looks like it's going to continue in some capacity for most of the week. We'll see what happens.
Monday, May 06, 2019
Sunny Day With the Petries
You'd never know it poured for a lot of yesterday when I got up this morning. The sun was shining, the breeze was blowing, and it was already in the 60's by 9 AM. Celebrated the improved weather with breakfast and more Dick Van Dyke Show. "The Twizzle" is a new dance sensation Sally discovers in a bowling alley. She thinks the song, the dance, and its handsome teen performer would be a big hit...but the kid has more interest in Paul Anka ballads than Chubby Checker dance routines.
Poor Sally is wondering "Where You Been, Fassbinder?" when she's worried about being alone on her birthday. An old friend of hers from high school calls and says he'll go out with her...but it turns out he's more interested in selling insurance than in romance.
I did some vacuuming after breakfast. It takes me a bit longer to vacuum when I do spring cleaning than normally. I clean under furniture I don't usually bother moving and around all the woodwork.
Continued with Dick Van Dyke while I cleaned. Rob is "One Angry Man" when he's the only one who believes a ditzy blonde dancer didn't steal a bag of jewelry. Her flirting with him during the trial and his obvious kindness to her doesn't help convince the other jurors he's on the level.
Rob wishes it was "The Bad Old Days" when Buddy tells him about an article in a magazine about the decline of the American male. He occasionally helps Laura with housework and wonders if it's too feminine of him. He has another weird dream when he imagines that they're in the early 20th century, and she's a drudge of a housewife who is too tired and unattractive to spend time with him. He comes to the conclusion he'd rather help her and give her time to be pretty than let her get worn down. (Yeah, the Aesop on this one hasn't dated well. It was apparently called out by the cast and writers for the misogynist plot even at the time, and is generally regarded as the series' worst episode.)
Headed to work shortly after the episode ended. Work was more-or-less the same as yesterday, only a bit less busy. I spent most of the first part of the day shelving candy and gathering carts and the outside recycling in the glorious sunshine...but I got stuck in ther register during my last hour when it got busier. I just got out in time.
Took the long way home down Nicholson Road. That might not have been smart. It was 3:30 by then, and rush hour was just starting. I dodged cars all the way down to Atlantic Avenue. It was much better in Oaklyn. Despite clouds having moved in briefly, the weather still felt nice. The trees are really green now, the leaves almost full-grown. Red and yellow tulips and rich purple flowers grow in gardens.
Spent the next couple of hours writing. Leia brings the guys back to the Rebel League's headquarters in Yavin Park. They have rooms upstairs in a series of older buildings with normal businesses like delis and coffee shops on the first floor. Leia greets and older gentleman, a professor named Dr. Dodonna, and gives him the tapes and blueprints for the laser gun. Luke goes to greet an old friend of his, Brian "Bigs" Darkman.
Broke for leftover tacos for dinner at 6:30. Did more Dick Van Dyke Show as I ate. We meet Rob's brother Stacey (Dick Van Dyke's real-life brother Jerry) in "I Am My Brother's Keeper." Stacey has an unusual problem. When he sleepwalks, he's a hilarious party animal who plays the banjo and livens any room. The trouble is, when he's awake, he's desperately shy. He does manage to impress Mel Cooley as a party...but now he has to audition for Alan Brady while he's awake.
Played Lego Star Wars after dinner. "Speeder Showdown" and "Endor Attack" are two of the longest rounds in the game. "Speeder" has Luke and Leia trying to shoot down stormtroopers on speeder bikes and blow up rods that block your way. After that's done, they head to a bunker to take over an AT-AT and blow up satellites. "Endor Attack" begins at the Ewoks' village as Wicket leads Leia, Han, Chewie, and the droids from the village and across Endor to the bunker, where they blow up the main satellite. I got more pieces on "Speeder Showdown" (all that you can get in the regular mode) than "Endor Attack," but I ran into too many trees and got shot at too many times to earn True Jedi on either round.
Finished the night by finishing off the first season of The Dick Van Dyke Show. Stacey is "The Sleeping Brother" who is a great comedian only when he's sleepwalking. Rob's at wit's end to figure out how to get him to audition for Alan Brady, until he comes up with the idea of recording him.
Rob's surprise to encounter his old mentor Happy, a former radio writer, at a tie store. He hires him to work for The Alan Brady Show, but "The Return of Happy Spangler" doesn't go as well as he hoped. They get nothing done, because Happy keeps reminiscing about his days as a radio writer rather than working...but it's happy who gives Rob the idea for a final skit.
That was fun. No wonder this continues to be one of the most influential of all sitcoms. It was the first show to put as much emphasis on the lead character's unusual job as his home life. Rob and Laura's relatively sexy and intense relationship and Laura's fairly casual wardrobe (including her capris) were also revolutionary at the time. Not every episode has dated well; its treatment of the female characters, whether Rob questioning Laura working or Sally being desperate to get a man, any man, can be a bit sexist at times. There's also Rob working for a variety show, the type that today is generally seen only on late-nights or as a one-off special during holidays.
If you're a fan of the cast or want to check out one of the seminal sitcoms, or just need a laugh, you'll want to get to know the Petries and their friends and families, too.
Poor Sally is wondering "Where You Been, Fassbinder?" when she's worried about being alone on her birthday. An old friend of hers from high school calls and says he'll go out with her...but it turns out he's more interested in selling insurance than in romance.
I did some vacuuming after breakfast. It takes me a bit longer to vacuum when I do spring cleaning than normally. I clean under furniture I don't usually bother moving and around all the woodwork.
Continued with Dick Van Dyke while I cleaned. Rob is "One Angry Man" when he's the only one who believes a ditzy blonde dancer didn't steal a bag of jewelry. Her flirting with him during the trial and his obvious kindness to her doesn't help convince the other jurors he's on the level.
Rob wishes it was "The Bad Old Days" when Buddy tells him about an article in a magazine about the decline of the American male. He occasionally helps Laura with housework and wonders if it's too feminine of him. He has another weird dream when he imagines that they're in the early 20th century, and she's a drudge of a housewife who is too tired and unattractive to spend time with him. He comes to the conclusion he'd rather help her and give her time to be pretty than let her get worn down. (Yeah, the Aesop on this one hasn't dated well. It was apparently called out by the cast and writers for the misogynist plot even at the time, and is generally regarded as the series' worst episode.)
Headed to work shortly after the episode ended. Work was more-or-less the same as yesterday, only a bit less busy. I spent most of the first part of the day shelving candy and gathering carts and the outside recycling in the glorious sunshine...but I got stuck in ther register during my last hour when it got busier. I just got out in time.
Took the long way home down Nicholson Road. That might not have been smart. It was 3:30 by then, and rush hour was just starting. I dodged cars all the way down to Atlantic Avenue. It was much better in Oaklyn. Despite clouds having moved in briefly, the weather still felt nice. The trees are really green now, the leaves almost full-grown. Red and yellow tulips and rich purple flowers grow in gardens.
Spent the next couple of hours writing. Leia brings the guys back to the Rebel League's headquarters in Yavin Park. They have rooms upstairs in a series of older buildings with normal businesses like delis and coffee shops on the first floor. Leia greets and older gentleman, a professor named Dr. Dodonna, and gives him the tapes and blueprints for the laser gun. Luke goes to greet an old friend of his, Brian "Bigs" Darkman.
Broke for leftover tacos for dinner at 6:30. Did more Dick Van Dyke Show as I ate. We meet Rob's brother Stacey (Dick Van Dyke's real-life brother Jerry) in "I Am My Brother's Keeper." Stacey has an unusual problem. When he sleepwalks, he's a hilarious party animal who plays the banjo and livens any room. The trouble is, when he's awake, he's desperately shy. He does manage to impress Mel Cooley as a party...but now he has to audition for Alan Brady while he's awake.
Played Lego Star Wars after dinner. "Speeder Showdown" and "Endor Attack" are two of the longest rounds in the game. "Speeder" has Luke and Leia trying to shoot down stormtroopers on speeder bikes and blow up rods that block your way. After that's done, they head to a bunker to take over an AT-AT and blow up satellites. "Endor Attack" begins at the Ewoks' village as Wicket leads Leia, Han, Chewie, and the droids from the village and across Endor to the bunker, where they blow up the main satellite. I got more pieces on "Speeder Showdown" (all that you can get in the regular mode) than "Endor Attack," but I ran into too many trees and got shot at too many times to earn True Jedi on either round.
Finished the night by finishing off the first season of The Dick Van Dyke Show. Stacey is "The Sleeping Brother" who is a great comedian only when he's sleepwalking. Rob's at wit's end to figure out how to get him to audition for Alan Brady, until he comes up with the idea of recording him.
Rob's surprise to encounter his old mentor Happy, a former radio writer, at a tie store. He hires him to work for The Alan Brady Show, but "The Return of Happy Spangler" doesn't go as well as he hoped. They get nothing done, because Happy keeps reminiscing about his days as a radio writer rather than working...but it's happy who gives Rob the idea for a final skit.
That was fun. No wonder this continues to be one of the most influential of all sitcoms. It was the first show to put as much emphasis on the lead character's unusual job as his home life. Rob and Laura's relatively sexy and intense relationship and Laura's fairly casual wardrobe (including her capris) were also revolutionary at the time. Not every episode has dated well; its treatment of the female characters, whether Rob questioning Laura working or Sally being desperate to get a man, any man, can be a bit sexist at times. There's also Rob working for a variety show, the type that today is generally seen only on late-nights or as a one-off special during holidays.
If you're a fan of the cast or want to check out one of the seminal sitcoms, or just need a laugh, you'll want to get to know the Petries and their friends and families, too.
Sunday, May 05, 2019
Amigos In the Rain
It was raining when I got up this morning, but not hard. I didn't think I'd get a ride early or on a busy weekend, so I rode to work and got mildly damp. Work was the same as yesterday - crazy. Thankfully, someone took over doing carts about half-way through the morning, but every time I'd try to get candy shelved or put something away, they'd throw me in a register. All I did was panic, including totally messing up a WIC check order and holding up the line.
It was raining harder by the time I got off. I ran into Dana on my way out, but she didn't have room for my bike in her van. I just rode home and got wet.
Ran an quick Mickey Mouse short as I changed and dried off. "The Galloping Gaucho" was the second Mickey cartoon made and the second one released. Mickey is the title character, the beer-drinking caballero who has to rescue Senorita Minnie from nasty Pete...but the rhea he rides gets drunk and doesn't make pursuit easy.
Watched two short episodes of Danger Mouse while making Banana-Peanut Butter Pancakes for lunch (since I left in too much of a hurry to make them for breakfast). "Bandits, Beans, and Ballyhoo" has DM and Penfold chasing after a Mexican bandit that they accidentally brought into England across Drury Lane and the London Theater District and British Museum. "The Good, the Bad, and the Motionless" is an even stranger tale. Danger Mouse has to fight his rarely-seen bad side while time (and Penfold) stands still at Stonehenge.
Switched to Lego Star Wars after I ate. Got through the two Jabba the Hutt-based episodes. Didn't find many pieces on "Jabba's Palace," but I did find the red brick (probably the easiest red brick to find in the whole game) and earned True Jedi. Got a few pieces on the sail barge round, but just barely missed True Jedi.
Spent the next few hours writing. Vader and Tarkin reveal that they did, indeed, put a homing beacon on the Falcon...and that Vader is really Darren Vedder, Chief of Police and second in command in Coruscant City. Mara Jadeson tries to interview him about the laser coming from Mufasar Iron Works, but he brushes her off.
Broke for dinner at 6:30. Made tacos and steamed broccoli while watching sitcom episodes set in Mexico and South America. Max and 99 aren't saying "Viva Smart" in the third season of Get Smart when they pose as flamenco dancers in a South American country ruled by an insane dictator and end up in front of a firing squad. "It's a Nice Place to Visit" takes The Monkees to Mexico, where they free Davy from bandits who don't like him flirting with the head man's girl.
Finished the night after a shower with Three Amigos. Martin Short, Chevy Chase, and Steve Martin are the title characters, former silent movie stars who are fired from their studio when they try to hold out for more money. They take a job in Mexico, thinking that they have to put on a show for a small town. Turns out that the bandits who have invaded the village are real...and so's the danger. The Amigos run out at first, but they finally realize they really don't have anywhere else to go. They set out to take on the bandit El Guapo...and teach themselves and the whole town a lesson in standing up for your beliefs and facing your fears.
Another comedy we watched a lot of cable, and later on Dad's old video copy, during my childhood. All three comedians are hilarious as the trio of performers, and there's a nice score by Randy Newman. If you love the cast or western spoofs, you'll have a lot of fun with this one.
And the rain has continued on and off, sometimes heavily, all day. I'm so glad I only worked for a few hours this morning. It's supposed to rain for a lot of this week, thankfully not as heavily as today.
It was raining harder by the time I got off. I ran into Dana on my way out, but she didn't have room for my bike in her van. I just rode home and got wet.
Ran an quick Mickey Mouse short as I changed and dried off. "The Galloping Gaucho" was the second Mickey cartoon made and the second one released. Mickey is the title character, the beer-drinking caballero who has to rescue Senorita Minnie from nasty Pete...but the rhea he rides gets drunk and doesn't make pursuit easy.
Watched two short episodes of Danger Mouse while making Banana-Peanut Butter Pancakes for lunch (since I left in too much of a hurry to make them for breakfast). "Bandits, Beans, and Ballyhoo" has DM and Penfold chasing after a Mexican bandit that they accidentally brought into England across Drury Lane and the London Theater District and British Museum. "The Good, the Bad, and the Motionless" is an even stranger tale. Danger Mouse has to fight his rarely-seen bad side while time (and Penfold) stands still at Stonehenge.
Switched to Lego Star Wars after I ate. Got through the two Jabba the Hutt-based episodes. Didn't find many pieces on "Jabba's Palace," but I did find the red brick (probably the easiest red brick to find in the whole game) and earned True Jedi. Got a few pieces on the sail barge round, but just barely missed True Jedi.
Spent the next few hours writing. Vader and Tarkin reveal that they did, indeed, put a homing beacon on the Falcon...and that Vader is really Darren Vedder, Chief of Police and second in command in Coruscant City. Mara Jadeson tries to interview him about the laser coming from Mufasar Iron Works, but he brushes her off.
Broke for dinner at 6:30. Made tacos and steamed broccoli while watching sitcom episodes set in Mexico and South America. Max and 99 aren't saying "Viva Smart" in the third season of Get Smart when they pose as flamenco dancers in a South American country ruled by an insane dictator and end up in front of a firing squad. "It's a Nice Place to Visit" takes The Monkees to Mexico, where they free Davy from bandits who don't like him flirting with the head man's girl.
Finished the night after a shower with Three Amigos. Martin Short, Chevy Chase, and Steve Martin are the title characters, former silent movie stars who are fired from their studio when they try to hold out for more money. They take a job in Mexico, thinking that they have to put on a show for a small town. Turns out that the bandits who have invaded the village are real...and so's the danger. The Amigos run out at first, but they finally realize they really don't have anywhere else to go. They set out to take on the bandit El Guapo...and teach themselves and the whole town a lesson in standing up for your beliefs and facing your fears.
Another comedy we watched a lot of cable, and later on Dad's old video copy, during my childhood. All three comedians are hilarious as the trio of performers, and there's a nice score by Randy Newman. If you love the cast or western spoofs, you'll have a lot of fun with this one.
And the rain has continued on and off, sometimes heavily, all day. I'm so glad I only worked for a few hours this morning. It's supposed to rain for a lot of this week, thankfully not as heavily as today.
Saturday, May 04, 2019
The Working Menace
Kicked off a cloudy, humid morning with a quick breakfast and an episode of Tiny Toon Adventures in honor of Star Wars Day. Plucky Duck becomes "A Quack In the Quarks" when two alien "exchange students" believe his boasting about his academic and athletic prowess and take him aboard their ship, hoping he'll help them fight against the evil Duck Vader. Hamton, Buster, and Babs witness the abduction and borrow the ship from Duck Dodgers to go after him.
I wish I'd stayed with the Toons. Work was crazy today. This is one of the busiest weekends of the spring season. Along with Star Wars Day, tomorrow is Cinco Del Mayo, and the Kentucky Derby is this weekend. It's also still the beginning of the month. Most local high schools either just had their proms or are about to have them, and the kids are still celebrating. It's the height of spring sports season, too. I'd try to shelve candy or get outside to do carts, only to get called back in to take a register and panic. Everyone says I do fine, but all I did was make a mess.
I couldn't have been happier to dash home the moment work ended. Went straight into writing. Luke may be upset about Ben's death, but Harris has a way to avenge him. His van the Falcon can not only fly, but it shoots laser guns too, via paddles from Pong game consoles. Leia uses her fire power to get rid of them, while Luke and Rudy do the shooting. Harris and Luke are both quite enamored of Leia, despite her low opinion of the former, but Harris would rather needle Luke than admit it.
Broke for dinner at quarter after 6. Had leftovers, then decided to try a different brownie recipe. I had a can of evaporated milk that was almost expired. I used a recipe that required melting butter and chocolate in milk. Came out quite well, actually, fudgy and not too sweet. Since I had a lot of milk leftover, I added eggs, skim milk, vanilla, and sugar and made ice milk in a pan in the freezer. (That didn't come out too badly, either.)
Watched The Phantom Menace as I worked in honor of its 20th anniversary. Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and his padawan (student) Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan MacGregor) are at Naboo to make a simple treaty with the Trade Federation when they're attacked by droids. Escaping to Naboo, they encounter clumsy Gungan native Jar Jar Binks (Ahmed Best). They head to his underwater home to try to get his ruler Boss Nass (Brian Blessed) to help them, but Nass believes that the humans who live on the surface believe they're better than them.
After escaping the city and several sea monsters, they rescue Naboo's Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) and her entourage, only to become stranded on the backwater desert planet of Tatoonie. Nine-year-old Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) agrees to enter his pod racer in a local rally in order to earn the money they need for a new hyperdrive. Qui-Gon is convinced that the boy could become a Jedi, but the Council, including Yoda (voice of Frank Oz) is not impressed. Meanwhile, the blockade is causing starvation on Naboo. It'll take a concentrated effort on the part of Gungans, humans, and Jedi alike to break the blocade and discover who the mysterious "Phantom Menace" is behind the Sith Lord Darth Maul (Ray Park).
While I've softened a bit to the Prequels over the years, this is still my least-favorite Star Wars film. I don't even have problems with the things people usually complain about - namely, Jar Jar and young Anakin. Jar Jar isn't really that annoying, and Lloyd's fine. The plot is deadly dull, overly complicated, and doesn't really seem that connected to the rest of the series, and some of the dialogue is laughably stiff. I actually think it would have worked better if they'd started with Anakin as a teenager and focused more on his relationship with Qui-Gon, Padme, Obi-Wan (who barely appears), and his mother, and less on the boring blockade nonsense. I don't really care much about the pod race, either.
There are a few things about the movie that work. Neeson and MacGregor have wonderful chemistry. They elevate the movie whenever they're together and really make me wish that Qui-Gon had made it into at least Attack of the Clones. Brian Blessed is hilarious in his brief role as the genuinely nifty Boss Nass. The movie features on of John Williams' most underrated scores, notably the "Duel of the Fates" that underscores the Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan/Darth Maul fight. And for the little screen time he has, Darth Maul is a genuinely cool character, and the two lightsaber duels he figures into are just awesome. I also like the nice mix of practical and computer effects here; they've actually dated fairly well, especially compared to the all-CGI used in the remaining prequels.
I know a lot of people who grew up watching this on cable and DVD have fond memories of it, but I'm afraid the negatives outweigh the positives for me. I still say look up the lightsaber duels, pod race, and soundtrack online, but otherwise skip ahead to Attack of the Clones (which, while not that much better, is at least a little more connected with the rest of the series). This one is for hard-core fans and nostalgia nuts only.
Finished the night with Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros in honor of Cinco Del Mayo tomorrow. I go into more details about these wacky Donald Duck vehicles at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Saludos Amigos & The Three Caballeros
I wish I'd stayed with the Toons. Work was crazy today. This is one of the busiest weekends of the spring season. Along with Star Wars Day, tomorrow is Cinco Del Mayo, and the Kentucky Derby is this weekend. It's also still the beginning of the month. Most local high schools either just had their proms or are about to have them, and the kids are still celebrating. It's the height of spring sports season, too. I'd try to shelve candy or get outside to do carts, only to get called back in to take a register and panic. Everyone says I do fine, but all I did was make a mess.
I couldn't have been happier to dash home the moment work ended. Went straight into writing. Luke may be upset about Ben's death, but Harris has a way to avenge him. His van the Falcon can not only fly, but it shoots laser guns too, via paddles from Pong game consoles. Leia uses her fire power to get rid of them, while Luke and Rudy do the shooting. Harris and Luke are both quite enamored of Leia, despite her low opinion of the former, but Harris would rather needle Luke than admit it.
Broke for dinner at quarter after 6. Had leftovers, then decided to try a different brownie recipe. I had a can of evaporated milk that was almost expired. I used a recipe that required melting butter and chocolate in milk. Came out quite well, actually, fudgy and not too sweet. Since I had a lot of milk leftover, I added eggs, skim milk, vanilla, and sugar and made ice milk in a pan in the freezer. (That didn't come out too badly, either.)
Watched The Phantom Menace as I worked in honor of its 20th anniversary. Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and his padawan (student) Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan MacGregor) are at Naboo to make a simple treaty with the Trade Federation when they're attacked by droids. Escaping to Naboo, they encounter clumsy Gungan native Jar Jar Binks (Ahmed Best). They head to his underwater home to try to get his ruler Boss Nass (Brian Blessed) to help them, but Nass believes that the humans who live on the surface believe they're better than them.
After escaping the city and several sea monsters, they rescue Naboo's Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) and her entourage, only to become stranded on the backwater desert planet of Tatoonie. Nine-year-old Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) agrees to enter his pod racer in a local rally in order to earn the money they need for a new hyperdrive. Qui-Gon is convinced that the boy could become a Jedi, but the Council, including Yoda (voice of Frank Oz) is not impressed. Meanwhile, the blockade is causing starvation on Naboo. It'll take a concentrated effort on the part of Gungans, humans, and Jedi alike to break the blocade and discover who the mysterious "Phantom Menace" is behind the Sith Lord Darth Maul (Ray Park).
While I've softened a bit to the Prequels over the years, this is still my least-favorite Star Wars film. I don't even have problems with the things people usually complain about - namely, Jar Jar and young Anakin. Jar Jar isn't really that annoying, and Lloyd's fine. The plot is deadly dull, overly complicated, and doesn't really seem that connected to the rest of the series, and some of the dialogue is laughably stiff. I actually think it would have worked better if they'd started with Anakin as a teenager and focused more on his relationship with Qui-Gon, Padme, Obi-Wan (who barely appears), and his mother, and less on the boring blockade nonsense. I don't really care much about the pod race, either.
There are a few things about the movie that work. Neeson and MacGregor have wonderful chemistry. They elevate the movie whenever they're together and really make me wish that Qui-Gon had made it into at least Attack of the Clones. Brian Blessed is hilarious in his brief role as the genuinely nifty Boss Nass. The movie features on of John Williams' most underrated scores, notably the "Duel of the Fates" that underscores the Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan/Darth Maul fight. And for the little screen time he has, Darth Maul is a genuinely cool character, and the two lightsaber duels he figures into are just awesome. I also like the nice mix of practical and computer effects here; they've actually dated fairly well, especially compared to the all-CGI used in the remaining prequels.
I know a lot of people who grew up watching this on cable and DVD have fond memories of it, but I'm afraid the negatives outweigh the positives for me. I still say look up the lightsaber duels, pod race, and soundtrack online, but otherwise skip ahead to Attack of the Clones (which, while not that much better, is at least a little more connected with the rest of the series). This one is for hard-core fans and nostalgia nuts only.
Finished the night with Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros in honor of Cinco Del Mayo tomorrow. I go into more details about these wacky Donald Duck vehicles at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Saludos Amigos & The Three Caballeros
Friday, May 03, 2019
In a Galaxy Far, Far Away...
Started off a quick morning with breakfast and The Dick Van Dyke Show. Rob's proud to be named "Father of the Week" at Richie's kindergarten. Richie's far less so. He's worried that his daddy's job as a comedy writer won't be interesting for his classmates. Rob comes into the classroom to give a speech about his job, and ends up showing the kids how much fun creating comedy can be.
Headed to work shortly after the episode ended, dropping off my rent next-door as I left. Work was on-and-off busy. The first weekend in May is always crazy. First of all, it's the beginning of the month. The Kentucky Derby is this weekend; Cinco Del Mayo is Sunday. Most local farm markets, including the big one in Collingswood, open this week as well. I'd try to get outside to gather carts or do returns, only to get called up to take a register because we were just so low on help. I ended up spending the last hour going in for the cashiers' breaks and going crazy.
Mixed feelings on my schedule next week. Only two days off, but at least they're spread out, and most of the days I work are early or late enough to get a lot of things done. A lot more hours, too. I'll be able to finish the heavy-duty spring cleaning, work on writing and job hunting, and get to check out Haddon Township's Town-Wide Yard Sale next Saturday.
Did my grocery shopping right after work. I had on and offline coupons for the Choboni yogurt, and the Eggland's Best eggs, strawberries, blueberries, and the vine tomatoes were on good sales, too. Picked up soft taco wraps and a small container of spinach from the salad bar for my Cinco Del Mayo dinner on Sunday night. Found French cream-filled pastries on the rack that I thought I'd try. Restocked canned pineapple, skim milk, mandarin oranges, canned diced tomatoes, butter, canned black beans, cheese, sugar, olive oil, pears, bananas, and breakfast cookies.
Went right home...and of course, my bike fell over on that short stand the second I got off it. Three eggs were crush. I put them aside for dinner, then put everything away. Made scrambled eggs with spinach, cheese, and tomatoes while finishing out one of the hour-long Backyardigans specials. Robots never break down in futuristic Mega City, to the dismay of robot repairman Austin. But when the other kids' droids go on a "Robot Rampage," he's the only one who can fix them and stop Professor Bug (Pablo) from taking over all the robots in the city!
Played Lego Star Wars while I ate dinner. I didn't do nearly as well with the remaining three rounds of Empire as I did with some of the earlier ones. Probably the best was "Falcon Flight," the trip through the asteroids. Despite constantly hitting asteroids, I did manage to get True Jedi and half the pieces. "Dagobah" is long and meandering and takes forever to get through. I lost too many studs from bat attacks and falling into swampy water to get True Jedi, and I could only find two pieces. Got more pieces on "Escape from Cloudy City," but got shot a few too many times for True Jedi.
Finished the night with the original Star Wars: A New Hope in honor of the late Peter Mayhew and to kick off my Star Wars Day a bit early. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) is a farmer on a dull desert planet. He's thrilled when he finds two droids with a message from a beautiful princess in distress (Carrie Fisher) that could mean an adventure away from the farm. He gets a lot more action than he bargained for when the droids lead him to former Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi (Sir Alec Guinness), and then to the Death Star and the evil Darth Vader (voice of James Earl Jones). Along for the ride are smuggler Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and his furry Wookie buddy Chewbacca (Mayhew), who agreed to get them off-planet for a price. Now they have to rescue the sassy Princess Leia, then find away to keep Vader, the Empire, and the Death Star from blowing them all to the other side of the galaxy.
I know this is the original one that a lot of people still love, but...while I like it a lot and it's fun, it's not my favorite Original Trilogy movie. Maybe it's because I didn't grow up with this one quite in the way that I did the later two. We recorded Return of the Jedi in 1985 and Empire in 1987, but wouldn't get New Hope until 1990. To its credit, it moves a lot faster than most of the other movies in this series, and I've always loved Princess Leia's rescue, which is hilarious. The trench run does nothing for me, though. I tend to tune out after they arrive at Yavin 4.
Even with the above caveats, this is pretty much necessary viewing for fans of sci-fi, fantasy, or Star Wars in general as the movie that started them all and just a pretty darn enjoyable adventure.
Headed to work shortly after the episode ended, dropping off my rent next-door as I left. Work was on-and-off busy. The first weekend in May is always crazy. First of all, it's the beginning of the month. The Kentucky Derby is this weekend; Cinco Del Mayo is Sunday. Most local farm markets, including the big one in Collingswood, open this week as well. I'd try to get outside to gather carts or do returns, only to get called up to take a register because we were just so low on help. I ended up spending the last hour going in for the cashiers' breaks and going crazy.
Mixed feelings on my schedule next week. Only two days off, but at least they're spread out, and most of the days I work are early or late enough to get a lot of things done. A lot more hours, too. I'll be able to finish the heavy-duty spring cleaning, work on writing and job hunting, and get to check out Haddon Township's Town-Wide Yard Sale next Saturday.
Did my grocery shopping right after work. I had on and offline coupons for the Choboni yogurt, and the Eggland's Best eggs, strawberries, blueberries, and the vine tomatoes were on good sales, too. Picked up soft taco wraps and a small container of spinach from the salad bar for my Cinco Del Mayo dinner on Sunday night. Found French cream-filled pastries on the rack that I thought I'd try. Restocked canned pineapple, skim milk, mandarin oranges, canned diced tomatoes, butter, canned black beans, cheese, sugar, olive oil, pears, bananas, and breakfast cookies.
Went right home...and of course, my bike fell over on that short stand the second I got off it. Three eggs were crush. I put them aside for dinner, then put everything away. Made scrambled eggs with spinach, cheese, and tomatoes while finishing out one of the hour-long Backyardigans specials. Robots never break down in futuristic Mega City, to the dismay of robot repairman Austin. But when the other kids' droids go on a "Robot Rampage," he's the only one who can fix them and stop Professor Bug (Pablo) from taking over all the robots in the city!
Played Lego Star Wars while I ate dinner. I didn't do nearly as well with the remaining three rounds of Empire as I did with some of the earlier ones. Probably the best was "Falcon Flight," the trip through the asteroids. Despite constantly hitting asteroids, I did manage to get True Jedi and half the pieces. "Dagobah" is long and meandering and takes forever to get through. I lost too many studs from bat attacks and falling into swampy water to get True Jedi, and I could only find two pieces. Got more pieces on "Escape from Cloudy City," but got shot a few too many times for True Jedi.
Finished the night with the original Star Wars: A New Hope in honor of the late Peter Mayhew and to kick off my Star Wars Day a bit early. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) is a farmer on a dull desert planet. He's thrilled when he finds two droids with a message from a beautiful princess in distress (Carrie Fisher) that could mean an adventure away from the farm. He gets a lot more action than he bargained for when the droids lead him to former Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi (Sir Alec Guinness), and then to the Death Star and the evil Darth Vader (voice of James Earl Jones). Along for the ride are smuggler Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and his furry Wookie buddy Chewbacca (Mayhew), who agreed to get them off-planet for a price. Now they have to rescue the sassy Princess Leia, then find away to keep Vader, the Empire, and the Death Star from blowing them all to the other side of the galaxy.
I know this is the original one that a lot of people still love, but...while I like it a lot and it's fun, it's not my favorite Original Trilogy movie. Maybe it's because I didn't grow up with this one quite in the way that I did the later two. We recorded Return of the Jedi in 1985 and Empire in 1987, but wouldn't get New Hope until 1990. To its credit, it moves a lot faster than most of the other movies in this series, and I've always loved Princess Leia's rescue, which is hilarious. The trench run does nothing for me, though. I tend to tune out after they arrive at Yavin 4.
Even with the above caveats, this is pretty much necessary viewing for fans of sci-fi, fantasy, or Star Wars in general as the movie that started them all and just a pretty darn enjoyable adventure.
Thursday, May 02, 2019
Dolls In Maytime
It was already in the 70's when I emerged this morning. Had breakfast and opened the windows while watching more Dick Van Dyke Show. "The Curious Thing About Women" is how Laura reacts to her name being used in Rob's sketch about a wife who opens her husband's mail. She doesn't like people thinking she's nosy...although she can't resist opening a certain package for Rob that arrives on their doorstep...
Let the disc run while I made the bed. Rob's wondering "Who Owes Who What?" when he finds a canceled check from Buddy and thinks his friend owes him money. He doesn't know how to ask him for it, until he comes up with the idea of using one of their sketches to do it.
Switched to 50's ballads and Elton John as I dressed the dolls for warmer weather. In the books, Samantha's birthday is in May. She gets to wear her pink striped Birthday Dress and Ruffled Pinafore with the pinkish-lavender pearly boots from her Ice Cream Dress. Jessa is in (Ivy's) terrycloth Rainbow Romper with her purple jelly sandals. Josefina wears one of my favorites of her retired outfits, her colorful red, white, and gold Dress and Vest. Put Molly in a hand-made version of her very hard-to-find Victory Garden Dress.Ariel and Whitney both get Our Generation outfits. Whitney looks cute in the lavender cabbage rose early 60's-style dress with the lavender net petticoat, net stockings, and shiny purple strap shoes. Ariel is one of my few dolls who can fit into the tight lavender sundress with the hot pink pineapple print and crocheted white shrug. (Left Felicity in her pink Birthday Pinner Outfit. I don't really have much to change her into.)
Called Mom after I finished the dolls. I hadn't actually talked to her in a while; she only texted on my birthday and Easter. Turns out there was a reason for that. She put her house on the market...and got several interested buyers almost instantly. I kind of get the feeling she wasn't expecting to her house to sell so fast, probably because of that unfinished room. She has to finish cleaning up her home and find a place to live before the end of the summer, not an easy task in a summer resort and when she's still working at the Ferry, too.
Headed out as soon as I let her go. It was a gorgeous day for a walk. You'd never know it was so cold and gloomy yesterday. Today was hot, humid, and sunny, probably in the lower 80's. There were lots of people out and about, mowing lawns and walking dogs, as I made my way through the neighborhood and down to the Dollar General on the White Horse Pike. I needed cleaner for the sink and counter in the kitchen. I got in around 1:30, and they were still pretty busy with beginning-of-the-month people. Good thing a second person finally opened after I'd been in line for five minutes.
Since I was in the neighborhood, I dropped by Dad and Jodie's house to see how they were doing. I mainly wanted to know if they were going to open the pool this year, given how Dad's been feeling. Got that answer the moment I arrived and saw the two of them clearing debris and mucky water off the pool cover. I was wondering if I needed to buy a new bathing suit this year. Mine is badly stretched out. Looks like I do. They'd just started pumping the dirty water off the pool; they'll be doing this for a few days.
When I got in, I cleaned the kitchen while watching more Dick Van Dyke. "The Boarder Incident" occurs when Rob invites Buddy to stay with them while his wife Pickles is out of town. He brings Larry the dog, a ton of furniture, and his gargling at night and staying up to all hours. Laura and Rob can't figure out how to get rid of him. Rob finally confronts him at work.
Rob wants to "Punch Thy Neighbor" when his buddy next-door Jerry (Jerry Paris) makes jokes about this week's Alan Brady Show not being good. When Jerry comes back from a dinner with Rob with a black eye, rumors start to fly...and they get worse when Rob accidentally hurts Laura, too.
Richie asks "Where Did I Come From" while he and his parents look at old photos one night. Rob launches into the complicated story of how he was so nervous about Laura's pregnancy, he rushed home without his pants and with an (accidental) black eye and ran into several cars. They ended up having to take a laundry truck to the hospital.
Richie's proud to be learning "A Word a Day." His parents are proud of him, too, until one of those new words he brings home turns out to be a dirty one. Rob thinks that the new family on the block might be where his son is picking up his blue vocabulary.
Worked on writing after I finished the kitchen. Luke's horrified when Vader and Ben's duel nearly burns half the building and them with it. Ben finally steps back, letting himself be burned by Vader's fire...and giving the others a chance to escape.
Broke for leftovers at quarter after 6. Ate, and then made chocolate chip muffins while watching the Backyardigans hour-long special "Robot Rampage." Austin the kangaroo is a robot repairman in futuristic Mega City, where robots never break...until Tasha, Uniqua, and Tyrone's personal robots go haywire! Now the kids have to figure out how to wrest control of their robots from the evil Professor Bug (Pablo), before he takes over the whole city!
Played Lego Star Wars for an hour after the muffins were in the oven and while they cooled. Finished New Hope with the Trench Run round, then did the first two rounds of Empire, "Hoth Battle" and "Escape From Echo Base." The only one I did badly on was "Hoth Battle." I can't figure out how to dodge the many walkers and TIE Fighters that come after you, get enough walkers down to get the pieces, and keep from losing studs. I didn't get close to True Jedi and only got a few pieces. While I didn't get too many more pieces on the other two rounds, I did get True Jedi on both. (Just barely on "Escape.")
Finished the night with Maytime. I go more into this romantic vehicle for singers Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Maytime
And a final Wookie roar to the original Chewbacca, towering Peter Mayhew, who passed away today. He was the 7-foot British man in the furry bodysuit in the Original Trilogy, Revenge of the Sith, and The Force Awakens (and supervised his replacements in The Last Jedi and Solo: A Star Wars Story). A real-life gentle giant who also appeared in Ray Harryhausen movies of the 1960's and 70's, Mayhew was apparently as sweet as Chewie is under all that fur. He and Han Solo were my favorite Star Wars characters during my childhood (along with Leia and Lando), and he will certainly be missed.
Let the disc run while I made the bed. Rob's wondering "Who Owes Who What?" when he finds a canceled check from Buddy and thinks his friend owes him money. He doesn't know how to ask him for it, until he comes up with the idea of using one of their sketches to do it.
Switched to 50's ballads and Elton John as I dressed the dolls for warmer weather. In the books, Samantha's birthday is in May. She gets to wear her pink striped Birthday Dress and Ruffled Pinafore with the pinkish-lavender pearly boots from her Ice Cream Dress. Jessa is in (Ivy's) terrycloth Rainbow Romper with her purple jelly sandals. Josefina wears one of my favorites of her retired outfits, her colorful red, white, and gold Dress and Vest. Put Molly in a hand-made version of her very hard-to-find Victory Garden Dress.Ariel and Whitney both get Our Generation outfits. Whitney looks cute in the lavender cabbage rose early 60's-style dress with the lavender net petticoat, net stockings, and shiny purple strap shoes. Ariel is one of my few dolls who can fit into the tight lavender sundress with the hot pink pineapple print and crocheted white shrug. (Left Felicity in her pink Birthday Pinner Outfit. I don't really have much to change her into.)
Called Mom after I finished the dolls. I hadn't actually talked to her in a while; she only texted on my birthday and Easter. Turns out there was a reason for that. She put her house on the market...and got several interested buyers almost instantly. I kind of get the feeling she wasn't expecting to her house to sell so fast, probably because of that unfinished room. She has to finish cleaning up her home and find a place to live before the end of the summer, not an easy task in a summer resort and when she's still working at the Ferry, too.
Headed out as soon as I let her go. It was a gorgeous day for a walk. You'd never know it was so cold and gloomy yesterday. Today was hot, humid, and sunny, probably in the lower 80's. There were lots of people out and about, mowing lawns and walking dogs, as I made my way through the neighborhood and down to the Dollar General on the White Horse Pike. I needed cleaner for the sink and counter in the kitchen. I got in around 1:30, and they were still pretty busy with beginning-of-the-month people. Good thing a second person finally opened after I'd been in line for five minutes.
Since I was in the neighborhood, I dropped by Dad and Jodie's house to see how they were doing. I mainly wanted to know if they were going to open the pool this year, given how Dad's been feeling. Got that answer the moment I arrived and saw the two of them clearing debris and mucky water off the pool cover. I was wondering if I needed to buy a new bathing suit this year. Mine is badly stretched out. Looks like I do. They'd just started pumping the dirty water off the pool; they'll be doing this for a few days.
When I got in, I cleaned the kitchen while watching more Dick Van Dyke. "The Boarder Incident" occurs when Rob invites Buddy to stay with them while his wife Pickles is out of town. He brings Larry the dog, a ton of furniture, and his gargling at night and staying up to all hours. Laura and Rob can't figure out how to get rid of him. Rob finally confronts him at work.
Rob wants to "Punch Thy Neighbor" when his buddy next-door Jerry (Jerry Paris) makes jokes about this week's Alan Brady Show not being good. When Jerry comes back from a dinner with Rob with a black eye, rumors start to fly...and they get worse when Rob accidentally hurts Laura, too.
Richie asks "Where Did I Come From" while he and his parents look at old photos one night. Rob launches into the complicated story of how he was so nervous about Laura's pregnancy, he rushed home without his pants and with an (accidental) black eye and ran into several cars. They ended up having to take a laundry truck to the hospital.
Richie's proud to be learning "A Word a Day." His parents are proud of him, too, until one of those new words he brings home turns out to be a dirty one. Rob thinks that the new family on the block might be where his son is picking up his blue vocabulary.
Worked on writing after I finished the kitchen. Luke's horrified when Vader and Ben's duel nearly burns half the building and them with it. Ben finally steps back, letting himself be burned by Vader's fire...and giving the others a chance to escape.
Broke for leftovers at quarter after 6. Ate, and then made chocolate chip muffins while watching the Backyardigans hour-long special "Robot Rampage." Austin the kangaroo is a robot repairman in futuristic Mega City, where robots never break...until Tasha, Uniqua, and Tyrone's personal robots go haywire! Now the kids have to figure out how to wrest control of their robots from the evil Professor Bug (Pablo), before he takes over the whole city!
Played Lego Star Wars for an hour after the muffins were in the oven and while they cooled. Finished New Hope with the Trench Run round, then did the first two rounds of Empire, "Hoth Battle" and "Escape From Echo Base." The only one I did badly on was "Hoth Battle." I can't figure out how to dodge the many walkers and TIE Fighters that come after you, get enough walkers down to get the pieces, and keep from losing studs. I didn't get close to True Jedi and only got a few pieces. While I didn't get too many more pieces on the other two rounds, I did get True Jedi on both. (Just barely on "Escape.")
Finished the night with Maytime. I go more into this romantic vehicle for singers Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Maytime
And a final Wookie roar to the original Chewbacca, towering Peter Mayhew, who passed away today. He was the 7-foot British man in the furry bodysuit in the Original Trilogy, Revenge of the Sith, and The Force Awakens (and supervised his replacements in The Last Jedi and Solo: A Star Wars Story). A real-life gentle giant who also appeared in Ray Harryhausen movies of the 1960's and 70's, Mayhew was apparently as sweet as Chewie is under all that fur. He and Han Solo were my favorite Star Wars characters during my childhood (along with Leia and Lando), and he will certainly be missed.
Wednesday, May 01, 2019
Spring Cleaning and Other Day Off Tales
Awoke to a cloudy, cold day, much colder than it has been lately. It actually felt rather cozy as I had breakfast and put on The Dick Van Dyke Show. Mel Cooley is so impressed with Laura after she dances at a party, he lets her fill in for a dancer on The Alan Brady Show. He eventually offers her a contract, to the dismay of Rob, who's been eating frozen meals all week. He has to decide "To Tell or Not To Tell" his wife that she may have a shot at a dancing career.
Charlie had come up shortly after I started breakfast. He started putting the new siding on the house as I was leaving. Despite the gloomy day, I had to get all the paperwork I needed to renew my food stamps. I'd already planned on volunteering there today anyway. I organized the DVDs, then went on the computers to print out my electrical bill, once I finally remembered the password, and made a copy of my rent. (I still haven't figured out how to get my printer at home working.)
Next stop was a quick pop into Five Below. They sell electronics accessories, including ear phones. The only ear phones I have are the small ones I use for my iPod when I travel. I wanted a larger pair that would be more comfortable, so I can watch YouTube and online streaming after 10 PM without bothering the residents downstairs. Found a neat pair with a padded band in bright coral red.
I was mainly there to print out my pay stubs. I direct deposit my paychecks. One of the head managers helped me get onto the computer. From there, it was easy to print everything out. I didn't really need anything else. Bought a pretzel for a snack and headed out.
Ducked around Charlie when I got in, then went right into signing the remaining paperwork. Slid everything into the envelope that came with it, then took it downstairs and put it in the mailbox. I'm now glad that I had these three days off in a row. Unlike last year, when I had to rush to get everything out by the right time, this time I'm pretty proud that I got everything in the mail three days ahead of schedule.
Made a quick chocolate-banana smoothie when I came back upstairs, then started the spring cleaning. Scrubbed the bathroom and drowned out Charlie's potty mouth with more Dick Van Dyke. Laura has to remind Rob and Buddy that "Sally Is a Girl." They tend to treat her like one of the guys and forget she's even female half the time. Rob attempts to be a gentleman and take her out to dinner, which makes Mel and Buddy think they're having an affair.
Buddy's saying "Buddy, Can You Spare a Job" when he gets Mel and the others to write a bad letter of recommendation to get him to leave, only to not get the job. Sally and Rob find someone even more obnoxious to annoy Mel into taking Buddy back.
"Empress Carlotta's Necklace" is huge and gaudy, too much for Laura's taste. She can't bring herself to tell Rob that she loathes it. Rob bought it from a jewelry salesman and is thrilled about it. It takes a visit from Rob's parents to give Laura a way to get rid of the necklace without hurting Rob's feelings.
Did some writing after I finished the bathroom. Luke and Leia are chased to the edge of the unfinished catwalk...but Leia has a better solution for getting across the room than swinging. Her flame allows her to fly. She easily carries Luke to the other side of the room, where they join Chewbacca and Harris behind the Falcon. They're about to leave when Luke sees Ben and Vader burst into the room...and Luke doesn't like how the fight's going...
Broke for dinner at 6. Made macaroni and cheese with broccoli, cherry tomatoes, and the last of the ham and asparagus in the refrigerator. Yum! The white sauce came out a bit clumpy, but it mostly tasted delicious, just the thing to hit the spot on a chilly day.
Did one more Dick Van Dyke episode as I ate. Rod's buddy Sol from the episode where he met Laura turns up at his house one day for a visit. He'd be happier if the sponsor of The Alan Brady Show wasn't coming for dinner. Sol is a loud mouth mechanic and car salesman with questionable taste. Things don't look like they're going well for "Sol and the Sponsor" when he gets into an argument with the man over his taste in cars, only to end up helping him solve a major problem.
Finished the night with Lego Star Wars. The two rounds that have you rescuing Princess Leia are long and involved. Thankfully, I did find a way to build the mosaic in the second without getting shot at. The "power up" ball that you get from one of the explosives in the room lets you move twice as fast...and build twice as fast! I actually managed to get True Jedi on both rounds, though not much in the way of pieces. Both of these rounds will require far more exploring in Free Play.
Charlie had come up shortly after I started breakfast. He started putting the new siding on the house as I was leaving. Despite the gloomy day, I had to get all the paperwork I needed to renew my food stamps. I'd already planned on volunteering there today anyway. I organized the DVDs, then went on the computers to print out my electrical bill, once I finally remembered the password, and made a copy of my rent. (I still haven't figured out how to get my printer at home working.)
Next stop was a quick pop into Five Below. They sell electronics accessories, including ear phones. The only ear phones I have are the small ones I use for my iPod when I travel. I wanted a larger pair that would be more comfortable, so I can watch YouTube and online streaming after 10 PM without bothering the residents downstairs. Found a neat pair with a padded band in bright coral red.
I was mainly there to print out my pay stubs. I direct deposit my paychecks. One of the head managers helped me get onto the computer. From there, it was easy to print everything out. I didn't really need anything else. Bought a pretzel for a snack and headed out.
Ducked around Charlie when I got in, then went right into signing the remaining paperwork. Slid everything into the envelope that came with it, then took it downstairs and put it in the mailbox. I'm now glad that I had these three days off in a row. Unlike last year, when I had to rush to get everything out by the right time, this time I'm pretty proud that I got everything in the mail three days ahead of schedule.
Made a quick chocolate-banana smoothie when I came back upstairs, then started the spring cleaning. Scrubbed the bathroom and drowned out Charlie's potty mouth with more Dick Van Dyke. Laura has to remind Rob and Buddy that "Sally Is a Girl." They tend to treat her like one of the guys and forget she's even female half the time. Rob attempts to be a gentleman and take her out to dinner, which makes Mel and Buddy think they're having an affair.
Buddy's saying "Buddy, Can You Spare a Job" when he gets Mel and the others to write a bad letter of recommendation to get him to leave, only to not get the job. Sally and Rob find someone even more obnoxious to annoy Mel into taking Buddy back.
"Empress Carlotta's Necklace" is huge and gaudy, too much for Laura's taste. She can't bring herself to tell Rob that she loathes it. Rob bought it from a jewelry salesman and is thrilled about it. It takes a visit from Rob's parents to give Laura a way to get rid of the necklace without hurting Rob's feelings.
Did some writing after I finished the bathroom. Luke and Leia are chased to the edge of the unfinished catwalk...but Leia has a better solution for getting across the room than swinging. Her flame allows her to fly. She easily carries Luke to the other side of the room, where they join Chewbacca and Harris behind the Falcon. They're about to leave when Luke sees Ben and Vader burst into the room...and Luke doesn't like how the fight's going...
Broke for dinner at 6. Made macaroni and cheese with broccoli, cherry tomatoes, and the last of the ham and asparagus in the refrigerator. Yum! The white sauce came out a bit clumpy, but it mostly tasted delicious, just the thing to hit the spot on a chilly day.
Did one more Dick Van Dyke episode as I ate. Rod's buddy Sol from the episode where he met Laura turns up at his house one day for a visit. He'd be happier if the sponsor of The Alan Brady Show wasn't coming for dinner. Sol is a loud mouth mechanic and car salesman with questionable taste. Things don't look like they're going well for "Sol and the Sponsor" when he gets into an argument with the man over his taste in cars, only to end up helping him solve a major problem.
Finished the night with Lego Star Wars. The two rounds that have you rescuing Princess Leia are long and involved. Thankfully, I did find a way to build the mosaic in the second without getting shot at. The "power up" ball that you get from one of the explosives in the room lets you move twice as fast...and build twice as fast! I actually managed to get True Jedi on both rounds, though not much in the way of pieces. Both of these rounds will require far more exploring in Free Play.
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