Started a sunny, warm day with breakfast and the second half of To Tell the Truth. Today's guests were three older women who claimed to be one of the heads of the Gray Panthers, a militant group that fought for the rights of those 60 and older. Answers were all over the map, but it turned out to be number one, the soft-spoken British woman. It was fascinating to listen to her talk about how she and her group held sit-ins and protests to bring the elderly out of old people's homes and into regular society, especially given the Acme is two blocks from an apartment building for the elderly and at least a quarter of our customer base is over 60.
What's My Line was absolutely hilarious. The panel didn't get close to guessing what a retired colonel did for a living - he made and sold castanets to dancers. He let them test his musical wares and try dancing with them. Soupy Sales and Jim Backus really got into it, doing the most adorable flamenco I ever saw.
Work wasn't anywhere near that much fun. First of all, I didn't discover they were waxing the floor in the back room until I tried to get in the back. Second, though I did finish the carts, that was all I managed to get done today. They tossed me in the register an hour after I got in. One of the cashiers called out, and they're still short on help. The lines got long during the noon rush hour, and I was really nervous. Thankfully, it slowed down enough by 1:30 for me to get out at the regular time and dash home.
Watched Classic Concentration and Password as I changed and had lunch. The champ in Concentration managed to win a tie-breaker and make it to the bonus round, but had no luck matching cars. Password held a "Tournament of Champions," including at least one contestant I'd caught on a previous episode. June Lockhart of Lost In Space and Ross Martin of Wild Wild West competed in a duel of words, with their partners often getting them in one guess.
Tried to focus on looking up writing opportunities for an hour after Password ended. I wanted to write down sites I could send in articles or blog entries or stories for, but I'm so tired, it was hard to think. I did write down a few ideas; I'll see if I can get some more tomorrow or this weekend.
Got a little further on writing. Arlene mixes a chocolate brew that she claims will bring Richard back to life. Poor Orson can't control his troll body and keeps knocking things over, though he is able to retrieve a cocoa tin without damaging the room. With Gene's help, they do manage to get Richard to drink the cocoa mix. He awakens...just in time to see a beautiful redhead name Fannie flutter into the room. Seems she had a hard time getting away from her stepmother and her many chores...
Broke for dinner at quarter of 7. Esther Rolle and Jack Silver continue their run on Match Game. Charles is more interested in needling Gene's fashion sense. Everyone did some shopping on Sale of the Century. None of the contestants went home empty-handed, but the champion pulled ahead in the speed round.
Switched to Hudson Hawk on Crackle after turning the gingerbread mix I got at the Acme into a moist gingerbread loaf. Eddie "Hudson Hawk" Hawkins (Bruce Willis) is a master thief and safe cracker who just got out of prison. He's no sooner joined his buddy Tommy (Danny Aiellio) at their bar for some coffee than he's attacked by a Mafia family who want him to swipe a horse statue from a museum. Turns out they're not the only ones after horse statues. A bonkers group of gung-ho CIA agents, headed by George Kaplan (James Coburn) and insane tycoons Minerva (Sandra Bernhard) and Darwin (Richard E. Grant) Mayflower are also after not only the statues, but what they lead to. Three crystals hidden in three museums hold the secret of Leonard DiVinci's machine to create gold from lead. Joined by Tommy and Vatican operative Sister Anna Baragli (Andie MacDowell), Eddie has to figure out how to keep that machine out of the hands of these human cartoons, dodge murderous butler Alfred (Donald Burton), and finally get that cup of cappuccino he's been wanting.
Hoo boy, is this a weird one. I remember it being a massive flop in 1991. I suspect they were expecting a heist caper, not a bloody, foul-mouthed Looney Tune. Everyone is chewing the scenery all over the place...except for Coburn, who plays it straight and manages to be even funnier. If you like your action movies bloody and nuts or are black comedy fans, you may want to take flight with this wild heist story.
Finished the night with The Patty Duke Show on The Roku Channel. Rose and I used to love this show on Nick @ Nite when we were little. We may not have looked alike like Patty and Cathy, but we were as different as sisters could be, had a little sister who drove us crazy like Patty's brother drove her up the wall, and thought Patty had the best dad in the universe (William Schallert). In the first season episode "Horoscope," Patty becomes obsessed with reading the stars and starts fortune telling for her friends and her dim boyfriend Richard (Eddie Applegate) to earn money for her mother's birthday present. She even enlists Cathy and her brother Ross to help with the load. Turns out that not only is fortune telling illegal in New York without a license, but Patty's predictions aren't entirely true.
Life is a lazy river - no matter where you are. Movies, musicals, mysteries, pop culture, and lots of other great stuff.
Wednesday, March 11, 2020
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Dolls on a Sleepy Day
Began a gloomy, warm morning with breakfast and Blockbusters. Two elderly ladies played a younger teacher with a considerable mustache. The ladies played very well, getting to the end of the board first besides just being plain funny. They had a few bobbles, but did finally win the 5,000 in the bonus round.
Switched to spring-themed records while dressing the dolls for March and the warmer weather. Samantha wears her pretty green floral Special Day Dress and the black shoes from her meet outfit. Whitney borrowed Molly's navy "meet outfit" skirt and saddle shoes and Jessa's green-print Girl Scout turtleneck. Ariel also borrowed Molly's argyle sweater (which has some green in it), modern AG doll jeans, and loafers. Jessa's in an emerald-green wrap blouse, cargo pants, yellow ankle socks, and denim Springfield Collection sneakers. Josefina gets her lovely sage green-print skirt and long-sleeved camisa (shift) embroidered with red flowers. Molly's in a shamrock-print dress I found at a yard sale years ago and her white t-strap shoes. Felicity gets her friend Elizabeth's celery green "Summer" gown. It has a quilted insert petticoat that makes it more appropriate for spring.
Watched Classic Concentration while eating a quick chocolate-coffee smoothie for lunch. The first female contestant got very lucky, winning a beautiful red Mustang literally at the last second in the bonus round. Her successor didn't have as much luck making matches and missed the car by a mile.
Continued onto Password from the mid-60's while dusting the apartment. Broadway's Barry Nelson and Agnes Moorehead, who is still likely best-known for playing Samantha's witch mother Endora in Bewitched, were today's celebrities here. Moorehead absolutely killed at this, getting her contestants through at least two bonus rounds.
My original plan for today was to hit the Haddon Township Library...but by the time I'd finished dusting, I came to the conclusion that I just couldn't do it. I've been going all week. This was my first day off since last Tuesday. It's also my first chance at a day home all winter. I normally spend at least a day or two entirely at home, due to extreme cold or wind or a snowy day...but it hasn't been that cold, the extreme wind hasn't lasted long enough to be a problem, and we haven't had snow since late January. I fell into bed and napped for two hours.
When I did emerge, I went into writing. Arlene just finished claiming she's no longer able to heal when her partner and business associate Soupy (Sales) storms in. She can heal just fine, he claims. Her potions are wonderful. She just lost confidence after Malade fired her. Charles and Gene convinces her to heal Richard by reminding her that he's Robin Hood, the champion of the people...and he can heap humiliation galore on Malade if he's up and about.
Broke for dinner at 6:30. The Match Game episode was a new one on me. I'd never heard of Joe Silver, but I did recognize homey Esther Rolle of Good Times. Sale of the Century crowned a new champion, a young man who came back to win the speed round at the last minute. He, too, opted to come back the next day and try for the two water skis.
Finished the night with Match Game syndicated premieres on YouTube and The Dolly Sisters after a shower. I go further into the very Hollywood-ized biography of one of the most popular acts in vaudeville in the early 20th century at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
The Dolly Sisters
Switched to spring-themed records while dressing the dolls for March and the warmer weather. Samantha wears her pretty green floral Special Day Dress and the black shoes from her meet outfit. Whitney borrowed Molly's navy "meet outfit" skirt and saddle shoes and Jessa's green-print Girl Scout turtleneck. Ariel also borrowed Molly's argyle sweater (which has some green in it), modern AG doll jeans, and loafers. Jessa's in an emerald-green wrap blouse, cargo pants, yellow ankle socks, and denim Springfield Collection sneakers. Josefina gets her lovely sage green-print skirt and long-sleeved camisa (shift) embroidered with red flowers. Molly's in a shamrock-print dress I found at a yard sale years ago and her white t-strap shoes. Felicity gets her friend Elizabeth's celery green "Summer" gown. It has a quilted insert petticoat that makes it more appropriate for spring.
Watched Classic Concentration while eating a quick chocolate-coffee smoothie for lunch. The first female contestant got very lucky, winning a beautiful red Mustang literally at the last second in the bonus round. Her successor didn't have as much luck making matches and missed the car by a mile.
Continued onto Password from the mid-60's while dusting the apartment. Broadway's Barry Nelson and Agnes Moorehead, who is still likely best-known for playing Samantha's witch mother Endora in Bewitched, were today's celebrities here. Moorehead absolutely killed at this, getting her contestants through at least two bonus rounds.
My original plan for today was to hit the Haddon Township Library...but by the time I'd finished dusting, I came to the conclusion that I just couldn't do it. I've been going all week. This was my first day off since last Tuesday. It's also my first chance at a day home all winter. I normally spend at least a day or two entirely at home, due to extreme cold or wind or a snowy day...but it hasn't been that cold, the extreme wind hasn't lasted long enough to be a problem, and we haven't had snow since late January. I fell into bed and napped for two hours.
When I did emerge, I went into writing. Arlene just finished claiming she's no longer able to heal when her partner and business associate Soupy (Sales) storms in. She can heal just fine, he claims. Her potions are wonderful. She just lost confidence after Malade fired her. Charles and Gene convinces her to heal Richard by reminding her that he's Robin Hood, the champion of the people...and he can heap humiliation galore on Malade if he's up and about.
Broke for dinner at 6:30. The Match Game episode was a new one on me. I'd never heard of Joe Silver, but I did recognize homey Esther Rolle of Good Times. Sale of the Century crowned a new champion, a young man who came back to win the speed round at the last minute. He, too, opted to come back the next day and try for the two water skis.
Finished the night with Match Game syndicated premieres on YouTube and The Dolly Sisters after a shower. I go further into the very Hollywood-ized biography of one of the most popular acts in vaudeville in the early 20th century at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
The Dolly Sisters
Monday, March 09, 2020
The Warmth of the Sun
After my long week, all I wanted was to get some sleep. I read and did my online journal in bed and didn't roll out until around 9:30. Did an episode of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood during breakfast. "Daniel Gets a Cold" and is disappointed that he'll have to miss Prince Wednesday's birthday party at school, but his parents remind him that he needs to rest. When "Mom Tiger Is Sick," her boys bring her vegetable soup and finish her Fruit Picking Day invitations.
Spent the rest of the morning taking down the winter decorations and putting up the ones for spring and St. Patrick's Day. Yes, I know we're a week from St. Patrick's Day and a week and a half from spring, but the weather went into the lower 70's today. Mother Nature says it's spring, even if the calendar doesn't. Don't have a place for the green tinsel garland anymore, but I was able to put up the St. Patrick's letter banner, the shamrock-print Beanie Baby bear, and the cute vintage animals dressed as leprechauns. Shamrock Bear's joined by spring stuffed animals Lilly the Duck, Sunny the Bunny, Carrots the Beanie Baby Bunny, April the spring Beanie Baby Bear, and Shari the Lamb. Tiny baskets of fabric spring flowers go on the dresser in the living area
Watched the fourth episode of the third season of Downton Abbey while I worked. Things kick off with the return of Branson, who's now wanted by the Irish police for taking part in the destruction of English property. The Crowleys are appalled, and upset that he left his pregnant wife Sybil behind. She arrives safely later, but now wants to stay at Downton. Branson wants to return to Ireland and continue fighting for independence. Meanwhile, the new footman Jimmy and maid Ivy are turning heads, Ethel turns her son over to his grandparents for a better life, Bates is no longer allowed to have letters or visits from Anna, and Edith shocks all when her letter about woman's suffrage is published in a London paper.
Watched a little Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour while eating a very quick lunch, then dashed off to work. As it turned out, I read the schedule wrong. I thought they wanted me at noon; I wasn't due until 12:30. I probably could have come in at any time. We were relatively steady for the entire day, not really dead, but not as busy as yesterday. I began and ended the afternoon with the carts; when another bagger came in at 2, I shelved loose items. Very briefly ended up in a register shortly before I came in, but that was only for another cashier.
It was certainly a gorgeous day to spend a lot of time outside. The weather couldn't have been more perfect. Sun warmed the parking lot, and the wind had diminished considerably. I'm surprised were even steady. I figured everyone would be outside.
It was so quiet by 6, I left a few minutes early. Went straight home for leftovers and Match Game. The contestant got so excited and bounced around so much after she won the main game, Gene claimed she actually damaged the floor. Richard actually looked a little nervous when she bounded over to give him a kiss for helping her win money!
Sale of the Century got even more exciting. The two women kept alternating the leads, and the one guy wasn't far behind. In the end, the woman champion bought two of the three Instant Bargains and just barely won the speed round. She opted to return and try for the upcoming prizes; I suspect she had her eye on a vacation to Ireland.
Friday's Let's Make a Deal ended with a lady devil; today's began with a woman angel making bargains. She went for a car, but missed it at the last minute. The big winner of the day was a mermaid in a sexy tight costume, who won over $8,000 in cash for her and her fiancee.
Ran Batman on the Roku Channel next. Robin is "Stuck In the Middle" when he's used as a pawn to lure Batman to the Riddler. The Riddler's girl (Jill St. John) dresses as Robin and pretends to be him in order to infiltrate the Batcave, but she doesn't last long there. Batman has to figure out where they're keeping Robin, and then stop him from taking out his fiendish plan at the Moldovian Embassy.
Finished the night with I Dream of Jeannie at Roku before I watched Match Game premieres on YouTube. "Jeannie and the Wild Pipchicks" from the fourth season has Jeannie's mother sending along her favorite candy. Turns out it can give humans incredible strength. A female sergeant (Reta Shaw) wants it for NASA's nutritional program...but it makes humans amorous if not cooked correctly.
Spent the rest of the morning taking down the winter decorations and putting up the ones for spring and St. Patrick's Day. Yes, I know we're a week from St. Patrick's Day and a week and a half from spring, but the weather went into the lower 70's today. Mother Nature says it's spring, even if the calendar doesn't. Don't have a place for the green tinsel garland anymore, but I was able to put up the St. Patrick's letter banner, the shamrock-print Beanie Baby bear, and the cute vintage animals dressed as leprechauns. Shamrock Bear's joined by spring stuffed animals Lilly the Duck, Sunny the Bunny, Carrots the Beanie Baby Bunny, April the spring Beanie Baby Bear, and Shari the Lamb. Tiny baskets of fabric spring flowers go on the dresser in the living area
Watched the fourth episode of the third season of Downton Abbey while I worked. Things kick off with the return of Branson, who's now wanted by the Irish police for taking part in the destruction of English property. The Crowleys are appalled, and upset that he left his pregnant wife Sybil behind. She arrives safely later, but now wants to stay at Downton. Branson wants to return to Ireland and continue fighting for independence. Meanwhile, the new footman Jimmy and maid Ivy are turning heads, Ethel turns her son over to his grandparents for a better life, Bates is no longer allowed to have letters or visits from Anna, and Edith shocks all when her letter about woman's suffrage is published in a London paper.
Watched a little Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour while eating a very quick lunch, then dashed off to work. As it turned out, I read the schedule wrong. I thought they wanted me at noon; I wasn't due until 12:30. I probably could have come in at any time. We were relatively steady for the entire day, not really dead, but not as busy as yesterday. I began and ended the afternoon with the carts; when another bagger came in at 2, I shelved loose items. Very briefly ended up in a register shortly before I came in, but that was only for another cashier.
It was certainly a gorgeous day to spend a lot of time outside. The weather couldn't have been more perfect. Sun warmed the parking lot, and the wind had diminished considerably. I'm surprised were even steady. I figured everyone would be outside.
It was so quiet by 6, I left a few minutes early. Went straight home for leftovers and Match Game. The contestant got so excited and bounced around so much after she won the main game, Gene claimed she actually damaged the floor. Richard actually looked a little nervous when she bounded over to give him a kiss for helping her win money!
Sale of the Century got even more exciting. The two women kept alternating the leads, and the one guy wasn't far behind. In the end, the woman champion bought two of the three Instant Bargains and just barely won the speed round. She opted to return and try for the upcoming prizes; I suspect she had her eye on a vacation to Ireland.
Friday's Let's Make a Deal ended with a lady devil; today's began with a woman angel making bargains. She went for a car, but missed it at the last minute. The big winner of the day was a mermaid in a sexy tight costume, who won over $8,000 in cash for her and her fiancee.
Ran Batman on the Roku Channel next. Robin is "Stuck In the Middle" when he's used as a pawn to lure Batman to the Riddler. The Riddler's girl (Jill St. John) dresses as Robin and pretends to be him in order to infiltrate the Batcave, but she doesn't last long there. Batman has to figure out where they're keeping Robin, and then stop him from taking out his fiendish plan at the Moldovian Embassy.
Finished the night with I Dream of Jeannie at Roku before I watched Match Game premieres on YouTube. "Jeannie and the Wild Pipchicks" from the fourth season has Jeannie's mother sending along her favorite candy. Turns out it can give humans incredible strength. A female sergeant (Reta Shaw) wants it for NASA's nutritional program...but it makes humans amorous if not cooked correctly.
Sunday, March 08, 2020
Out of the Blue
Awoke to a sunny, breezy morning. I blinked, rolled over to look at my alarm clock...and to my horror, it said 8:07! I was supposed to be at work by 8! I quickly changed, ate cranberry sauce and yogurt for breakfast, and dashed out the door.
After all that, we were dead when I arrived. They hadn't even noticed I was missing. I told them I'd stay an extra half-hour to make up for the mishap. I'm glad I did manage to work on the carts in the morning. It was chilly when I arrived, but by noon, the temperature rose to the lower 60's. The nice day brought in the customers...and decimated our work force. Three people called out. I ended spending most of the rest of the afternoon in the registers, despite the bagger who came in needing more help with the carts.
Needless to say, I dashed home as soon as I finished. As soon as I changed, I fell into bed. I'm so dead tired. I haven't had a day off since Tuesday (and won't until this Tuesday), and it's been busy at work with the beginning of the month. I slept for two hours and didn't really feel much better.
Tried to do some writing when I got up, but I remained too groggy to think much. Charles is dazed when he awakens in a strange room. Arlene and Gene explain that Gene managed to bring them all to the herbal shop to make use of her remedies. Charles, however, is more concerned about his friends Brett and Richard...
Broke for dinner at 7. Cooked up the shrimp with imitation Old Bay seasoning and ate it on a bed of spinach with my own home-made French dressing for dinner. Had green beans with butter on the side. Listened to the soundtrack from Flashdance while I ate. I've never been the biggest fan of the melodramatic 1983 musical film, but it does have some nifty music. Along with the Oscar-winning "What a Feeling!" and the hit "Maniac," I'm a fan of the sexy "He's a Dream" and "Manhunt" and the touching ballad "Lady, Lady, Lady."
Finished the night as I did the dishes with a blast from my own childhood. Debbie Gibson's albums Out of the Blue and Electric Youth were among the things that helped get me through a rough time in the late 80's and early 90's. I used to listen to "Fallen Angel," "Red Hot," the ballad "Between the Lines," and the perky title song constantly. My sisters loved her so much, they shared a version of the black hat she always wore.
After all that, we were dead when I arrived. They hadn't even noticed I was missing. I told them I'd stay an extra half-hour to make up for the mishap. I'm glad I did manage to work on the carts in the morning. It was chilly when I arrived, but by noon, the temperature rose to the lower 60's. The nice day brought in the customers...and decimated our work force. Three people called out. I ended spending most of the rest of the afternoon in the registers, despite the bagger who came in needing more help with the carts.
Needless to say, I dashed home as soon as I finished. As soon as I changed, I fell into bed. I'm so dead tired. I haven't had a day off since Tuesday (and won't until this Tuesday), and it's been busy at work with the beginning of the month. I slept for two hours and didn't really feel much better.
Tried to do some writing when I got up, but I remained too groggy to think much. Charles is dazed when he awakens in a strange room. Arlene and Gene explain that Gene managed to bring them all to the herbal shop to make use of her remedies. Charles, however, is more concerned about his friends Brett and Richard...
Broke for dinner at 7. Cooked up the shrimp with imitation Old Bay seasoning and ate it on a bed of spinach with my own home-made French dressing for dinner. Had green beans with butter on the side. Listened to the soundtrack from Flashdance while I ate. I've never been the biggest fan of the melodramatic 1983 musical film, but it does have some nifty music. Along with the Oscar-winning "What a Feeling!" and the hit "Maniac," I'm a fan of the sexy "He's a Dream" and "Manhunt" and the touching ballad "Lady, Lady, Lady."
Finished the night as I did the dishes with a blast from my own childhood. Debbie Gibson's albums Out of the Blue and Electric Youth were among the things that helped get me through a rough time in the late 80's and early 90's. I used to listen to "Fallen Angel," "Red Hot," the ballad "Between the Lines," and the perky title song constantly. My sisters loved her so much, they shared a version of the black hat she always wore.
Saturday, March 07, 2020
Winds of March
Kicked off the morning with breakfast and Garfield's Feline Fantasies. Garfield and Odie spend their morning daydreaming themselves into everything from Airport to a western and a magician's act. Jon's always there to rescue them when things get hairy, leading Garfield to believe they're invincible. To test his theory, he concocts their wildest adventure yet, a James Bond spoof with Garfield as a suave spy and Odie as his sidekick outrunning a woman agent and two grotesque bad guys out to find the original banana used in the slip on the banana peel gag.
Rushed off to the laundromat as soon as I finished breakfast. Had a huge load, including towels, and I desperately needed clean work clothes. Though they were busy when I arrived, I was able to grab one of the front-loading washers. They're only slightly more expensive than the top-loaders, and it's fun to watch everything go around. Half-listened to Good Morning America and kids' nature shows while working on story notes. It started to empty out just as I dashed out the door. I raced home, put everything away, changed as quickly as possible, and raced back out.
Work was a bit of a pain. We were off-and-on busy, and we still don't have enough help. I kept getting tossed into the register, including for most of the second half of my day. At least everyone seemed to be understanding about my frustration. One of the moms with two sweet teenagers was especially helpful, telling me I did well and that I shouldn't worry so much. I wish I could have spent more time outside with the carts. Though it continues to be windy, it was also gloriously sunny, with a warm sun that held more than a hint of spring.
Needless to say, I went straight home after all that. Tried to work on writing, but I was too tired to really concentrate. Charles awakens to see Arlene Francis bandaging his burned hand while Gene and Orson (the latter still in troll form) look on in concern. Gene took them to Arlene's shop in Holly Woods to make use of her many potions. She's a friendly witch who specializes in healing and medicines, but she's not sure what she can do for Richard...
Broke for dinner at 6:30. Watched The Pebble and the Penguin while enjoying the last of the black bean dip and tortilla chips for dinner. I go more into this Don Blue Antarctic romance at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Animation Celebration Saturday - The Pebble and the Penguin
Oh, and don't forget to set your clocks ahead an hour tonight for Daylight Savings!
Rushed off to the laundromat as soon as I finished breakfast. Had a huge load, including towels, and I desperately needed clean work clothes. Though they were busy when I arrived, I was able to grab one of the front-loading washers. They're only slightly more expensive than the top-loaders, and it's fun to watch everything go around. Half-listened to Good Morning America and kids' nature shows while working on story notes. It started to empty out just as I dashed out the door. I raced home, put everything away, changed as quickly as possible, and raced back out.
Work was a bit of a pain. We were off-and-on busy, and we still don't have enough help. I kept getting tossed into the register, including for most of the second half of my day. At least everyone seemed to be understanding about my frustration. One of the moms with two sweet teenagers was especially helpful, telling me I did well and that I shouldn't worry so much. I wish I could have spent more time outside with the carts. Though it continues to be windy, it was also gloriously sunny, with a warm sun that held more than a hint of spring.
Needless to say, I went straight home after all that. Tried to work on writing, but I was too tired to really concentrate. Charles awakens to see Arlene Francis bandaging his burned hand while Gene and Orson (the latter still in troll form) look on in concern. Gene took them to Arlene's shop in Holly Woods to make use of her many potions. She's a friendly witch who specializes in healing and medicines, but she's not sure what she can do for Richard...
Broke for dinner at 6:30. Watched The Pebble and the Penguin while enjoying the last of the black bean dip and tortilla chips for dinner. I go more into this Don Blue Antarctic romance at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Animation Celebration Saturday - The Pebble and the Penguin
Oh, and don't forget to set your clocks ahead an hour tonight for Daylight Savings!
Friday, March 06, 2020
Matched Caped Crusaders
Brightened a gray and gloomy morning with breakfast and one of my favorite episodes of Match Game PM from 1975. The first question in the Audience Match was "Admiral ___." Brett chose "Byrd." Richard, when goaded, went with "Admiral Color Television." Gene didn't think much of his choice. Rich made a bet that it would be the top answer...and lo and behold (and to Gene's annoyance), it was! Rich gave the money to Earl, the guy who opened the slots for the Audience Match. Or as he put it "Bless you, my boy!"
Headed straight to work as soon as the episode ended. I wasn't originally supposed to work today. They called me in because they put the head bagger on the registers. As it turned out, they didn't really need me. It got busy once, when I had to take two customers. Otherwise, we were mildly steady for most of the afternoon. After another bagger came in, I spent the morning sweeping, cleaning messes, and shelving items.
Ignored the steady shower after work and strolled to Audubon Crossings for lunch. Grabbed a slice of cheese, a slice of vegetable and ricotta, and a bottle of Cherry Pepsi at Tu Se Bella's. They were busy when I arrived. I took a small table next to the counter and watched the pizza servers hand slices to hungry shoppers. By the time I finished, the only people left were one other solo diner and a man and woman.
Had a lot of shopping to do this week. Got free 18-count eggs again from the Acme's rewards program. Grabbed whole wheat pasta in a slightly torn box, cinnamon Christmas tea, and boxes of their cranberry muffin and gingerbread mixes off the clearance shelves. Had online coupons for Jif peanut butter, yogurt, canned tomato sauce, and canned tuna. Found a small package of salad shrimp that will be great for dinner tomorrow. Restocked diced tomatoes, canned black beans, skim milk, oranges, bananas, cranberries, turkey hot dogs, sugar (liked the golden so much, I got that again), and strawberry preserves. Found magnetic note pads in the Value dollar section; grabbed the one with the watermelon background.
Not entirely happy with my schedule this week. Three days off will allow me to get a lot done and organized, including looking into writing projects and talking to Dad and Jodie. They also cut my hours, and I'm working early on Sunday again. While we've had trouble finding help in the morning, we're also past the beginning of the month. Not much going on this month besides March Madness and St. Patrick's Day, which aren't celebrated by everybody.
Moved on to another classic Match Game episode from 1975 while putting everything away. Charles Nelson Reilly took a six-month hiatus to direct a Broadway play. He came back in the grandest and wackiest way possible - he was "flown" in via flying harness and a stuffed bird he named Harry. "Well, I figured if they could fly me in," he quipped after he landed, "he could fly Brett out!"
Worked on writing for the rest of the afternoon. Malade joins Charles in the circle of fire that terrifies him. She taunts him, calling him cowardly and saying he could never be his best friend's champion. Ignoring his protests that it's his livelihood, she throws his lute into the fire. Unthinkingly, Charles goes after it, badly burning his hand. Gene finally gets him, Orson, and Richard out as Charles faints from fear and pain.
I got so into writing, I didn't break for dinner until 7. Thought I'd give Pluto TV another shot...and lo and behold, they seem to have fallen back to the older interface. It worked. I saw the second half of Sale of the Century and all of Let's Make a Deal while having turkey meatballs, pasta, and green beans and almonds for dinner. Deal was especially fun. Monty had the devil of a time with a woman in red who gave up a Mexican vacation and a man dressed as a moneybag who went for the big prize of the day. The man got nice kitchen appliances...but they really rewarded the lady, who traded in her trip for the big deal. I would have been happy with the gorgeous piano alone, but they also had a fine painting, a fur, and a big check.
Finished the night after a shower with the first episode of Batman between Match Game syndicated premieres on YouTube. The Roku Channel is currently running the infamously campy 1966 Batman for free. I never did get as crazy about this show as Rose did when we were kids, but I thought I'd give it another chance as an adult.
"Hi Diddle Riddle" has the Dynamic Duo caught in quite a pickle when the Riddler (Frank Gorshin) lures them into thinking he's committing a crime, then photographs them catching him and sues them when it turns out he isn't. They got to a nightclub to find out what he's up to, but an attractive barfly (Jill St. John) leads Batman into danger.
Headed straight to work as soon as the episode ended. I wasn't originally supposed to work today. They called me in because they put the head bagger on the registers. As it turned out, they didn't really need me. It got busy once, when I had to take two customers. Otherwise, we were mildly steady for most of the afternoon. After another bagger came in, I spent the morning sweeping, cleaning messes, and shelving items.
Ignored the steady shower after work and strolled to Audubon Crossings for lunch. Grabbed a slice of cheese, a slice of vegetable and ricotta, and a bottle of Cherry Pepsi at Tu Se Bella's. They were busy when I arrived. I took a small table next to the counter and watched the pizza servers hand slices to hungry shoppers. By the time I finished, the only people left were one other solo diner and a man and woman.
Had a lot of shopping to do this week. Got free 18-count eggs again from the Acme's rewards program. Grabbed whole wheat pasta in a slightly torn box, cinnamon Christmas tea, and boxes of their cranberry muffin and gingerbread mixes off the clearance shelves. Had online coupons for Jif peanut butter, yogurt, canned tomato sauce, and canned tuna. Found a small package of salad shrimp that will be great for dinner tomorrow. Restocked diced tomatoes, canned black beans, skim milk, oranges, bananas, cranberries, turkey hot dogs, sugar (liked the golden so much, I got that again), and strawberry preserves. Found magnetic note pads in the Value dollar section; grabbed the one with the watermelon background.
Not entirely happy with my schedule this week. Three days off will allow me to get a lot done and organized, including looking into writing projects and talking to Dad and Jodie. They also cut my hours, and I'm working early on Sunday again. While we've had trouble finding help in the morning, we're also past the beginning of the month. Not much going on this month besides March Madness and St. Patrick's Day, which aren't celebrated by everybody.
Moved on to another classic Match Game episode from 1975 while putting everything away. Charles Nelson Reilly took a six-month hiatus to direct a Broadway play. He came back in the grandest and wackiest way possible - he was "flown" in via flying harness and a stuffed bird he named Harry. "Well, I figured if they could fly me in," he quipped after he landed, "he could fly Brett out!"
Worked on writing for the rest of the afternoon. Malade joins Charles in the circle of fire that terrifies him. She taunts him, calling him cowardly and saying he could never be his best friend's champion. Ignoring his protests that it's his livelihood, she throws his lute into the fire. Unthinkingly, Charles goes after it, badly burning his hand. Gene finally gets him, Orson, and Richard out as Charles faints from fear and pain.
I got so into writing, I didn't break for dinner until 7. Thought I'd give Pluto TV another shot...and lo and behold, they seem to have fallen back to the older interface. It worked. I saw the second half of Sale of the Century and all of Let's Make a Deal while having turkey meatballs, pasta, and green beans and almonds for dinner. Deal was especially fun. Monty had the devil of a time with a woman in red who gave up a Mexican vacation and a man dressed as a moneybag who went for the big prize of the day. The man got nice kitchen appliances...but they really rewarded the lady, who traded in her trip for the big deal. I would have been happy with the gorgeous piano alone, but they also had a fine painting, a fur, and a big check.
Finished the night after a shower with the first episode of Batman between Match Game syndicated premieres on YouTube. The Roku Channel is currently running the infamously campy 1966 Batman for free. I never did get as crazy about this show as Rose did when we were kids, but I thought I'd give it another chance as an adult.
"Hi Diddle Riddle" has the Dynamic Duo caught in quite a pickle when the Riddler (Frank Gorshin) lures them into thinking he's committing a crime, then photographs them catching him and sues them when it turns out he isn't. They got to a nightclub to find out what he's up to, but an attractive barfly (Jill St. John) leads Batman into danger.
Thursday, March 05, 2020
Springtime In the Neighborhood
Awoke to a sunny day and a phone call. The Acme wanted to know if I could come in tomorrow for four hours in the morning. They didn't have enough cashiers and needed the head bagger to take a register. I said yes. I didn't want to give up my day off, but I need the money.
Cheered myself up with breakfast and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Dan and Prince Wednesday are playing in "The Royal Sandbox" when they use Prince Tuesday's crown to top a mud pie. Tuesday's understandably upset and insist they apologize, then do something about it. At school, Dan, Katerina, and Miss Elaina are playing in their own cardboard vehicles. He first complains about Elania beeping in his ear and disrespecting his personal space, but then "Daniel Says He's Sorry" when he accidentally rips Katerina's paper trolley.
Though I did gather trash and recycling early on, I spent the vast majority of the day outside rounding up carts. With sunlight, blue skies, and upper 50-degree weather, I saw no reason to be anywhere else. Neither did anyone else. We weren't nearly as busy today as we were earlier in the week. Most people were likely out enjoying the warmth before rain returns tomorrow.
Went straight home after work. Did an episode of Match Game as I changed and had a snack. Blind contestant Glenn and his service dog Princess made history as one of the first disabled contestants to appear on a game show on the 1980 syndicated Match Game. Glenn made it to the Super Match on his second try, but not before the panel pointed out that one of his competitor's answers to a question about a nasty child offended poor Princess!
Worked on writing a list for the next few hours. I needed to get everything I wanted to ask Dad, Jodie, Jesse, and Dana about the apartment and what I need to do before I move. I need to ask about the apartment itself, for starters. Is it central heating, or will I need my air conditioner? I imagine it has Wifi, since the main house does. What's the rent? Did they work on it before Dana and Jesse moved in? I also made a quick survey of all the furniture I have in the house. I need to do something about the wardrobes. They won't fit in the new place, and I probably won't need them.
Went into writing after I finished the list. Malade grabs Bill the wolf and threatens to drain his energy. Marcia agrees to marry Sheriff Ira and let the wicked witch drain her magic if she'll release him. She does strip Marcia's magic...but binds Bill in rope and a collar, muzzles him, and turns him over to her trolls to take away. Gene and Charles watch in horror as she casts a spell of eternal sleep over the tall redhead. Ira tries to kiss her awake, but she doesn't stir. He's not her true love.
Finished the night eating leftovers for dinner and making Peanut Butter Cookies while watching The Perils of Pauline. I go into more detail on this 1947 biography of early 20th century serial queen Pearl White at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
The Perils of Pauline (1947)
Cheered myself up with breakfast and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Dan and Prince Wednesday are playing in "The Royal Sandbox" when they use Prince Tuesday's crown to top a mud pie. Tuesday's understandably upset and insist they apologize, then do something about it. At school, Dan, Katerina, and Miss Elaina are playing in their own cardboard vehicles. He first complains about Elania beeping in his ear and disrespecting his personal space, but then "Daniel Says He's Sorry" when he accidentally rips Katerina's paper trolley.
Though I did gather trash and recycling early on, I spent the vast majority of the day outside rounding up carts. With sunlight, blue skies, and upper 50-degree weather, I saw no reason to be anywhere else. Neither did anyone else. We weren't nearly as busy today as we were earlier in the week. Most people were likely out enjoying the warmth before rain returns tomorrow.
Went straight home after work. Did an episode of Match Game as I changed and had a snack. Blind contestant Glenn and his service dog Princess made history as one of the first disabled contestants to appear on a game show on the 1980 syndicated Match Game. Glenn made it to the Super Match on his second try, but not before the panel pointed out that one of his competitor's answers to a question about a nasty child offended poor Princess!
Worked on writing a list for the next few hours. I needed to get everything I wanted to ask Dad, Jodie, Jesse, and Dana about the apartment and what I need to do before I move. I need to ask about the apartment itself, for starters. Is it central heating, or will I need my air conditioner? I imagine it has Wifi, since the main house does. What's the rent? Did they work on it before Dana and Jesse moved in? I also made a quick survey of all the furniture I have in the house. I need to do something about the wardrobes. They won't fit in the new place, and I probably won't need them.
Went into writing after I finished the list. Malade grabs Bill the wolf and threatens to drain his energy. Marcia agrees to marry Sheriff Ira and let the wicked witch drain her magic if she'll release him. She does strip Marcia's magic...but binds Bill in rope and a collar, muzzles him, and turns him over to her trolls to take away. Gene and Charles watch in horror as she casts a spell of eternal sleep over the tall redhead. Ira tries to kiss her awake, but she doesn't stir. He's not her true love.
Finished the night eating leftovers for dinner and making Peanut Butter Cookies while watching The Perils of Pauline. I go into more detail on this 1947 biography of early 20th century serial queen Pearl White at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
The Perils of Pauline (1947)
Wednesday, March 04, 2020
Matches and Hedgehogs
Began a sunny morning with breakfast and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood on PBS Kids. The Tiger family takes their youngest member to the clock factory for "Margaret's First Chime Time." On the way, they encounter Katerina Kittycat and her mother Henrietta, who share a tea party and dance together. "Tiger Family Fun" takes them to the Enchanted Garden to pick strawberries. After they encounter Music Man Stan, Lady Elaine, and Miss Elaina picking blueberries, they opt to put their fruit together and have blueberry-banana pancakes for dinner with fruit skewers for dessert.
Work got really crazy for a Wednesday. It's the beginning of the month, and many of our customers are taking advantage of big sales while they can. I did manage to round up carts and baskets and the inside trash, but not much else. They kept calling me into the register.
Hurried out as soon as possible. Though it remained windy, the rain disappeared overnight, and the sun felt wonderful. Took the long way down Nicholson Road to enjoy the warmth a little more, given it's supposed to drop back into the 40's by the weekend. Dodged some late-lunch traffic until I got into Oaklyn; most people there were likely still in work or school.
Changed and had lunch, then switched to scrubbing the kitchen. Watched more Hart to Hart on the Roku Channel while I worked. They have to "Cruise at Your Own Risk" when they learn Johnathan's cruise line's been hit by jewelry thieves. The duo pose as a Southern bigwig and his diamond-toting mistress to ferret out the thieves. Meanwhile their housekeeper Max, who is pretending to be a rich Italian, romances a sweet widow from Brooklyn.
Ran a bunch of Match Game episodes while finishing the kitchen and vacuuming. Started off with the last episode of 1975 as Gene, his regulars, Dick Martin, Fannie Flagg, and Richard Dawson's then-girlfriend Jody Donovan celebrated with fancy hats and a slightly inebriated Charles dragging in a giant "Match Game 75" balloon. New Year's Day 1976 saw the first jokes about that year's Bicentennial. Broadway songwriter Marvin Hamlisch and Isobel Sanford from The Jeffersons joined in for the next episode. A strange answer on an Audience Match inspired Hamlisch to write a song called "Fog Cloud."
Rose called as I vacuumed the bedroom. I texted her earlier about the new rent agreement. Frankly, I want out. I'm not living over a nice little old lady and raking her yard anymore. I should have moved out ages ago. Turns out the rent is for month-to-month, rather than a full year. My landlady can ask me to leave at any time, but I can also leave on my own at any time. I didn't even see anything in the rambling 8-page rental agreement about giving her notice. The agreement mostly boiled down to variations on "don't make noise, don't hurt the apartment, and we're not responsible if you do." It also claims she's going to convert the heat and stove to electric, which I'll have to pay for...but she claimed that on last year's lease, and it never happened. Supposedly, it'll happen this month.
(It also claimed that the apartment was rented unfurnished. It was furnished when I moved in. I like the sturdy little vintage table that holds my TV, VCR, and Wii and would have asked if I could keep it anyway and am willing to keep the dresser until I can find something better. I don't need the rack in the back or the two huge wardrobes. I need to figure out what to do about those.)
Did some more research after I got the cleaning done, then worked on writing. Malade orders Sir Gautier to carry Brett off. She's hold his fellow trolls, including his protege Sir Walden, hostage in the dungeon. Angry, Marcia runs over to bargain with her before Gene can stop her...
Finished out the night during dinner with two episodes of the 1993 cartoon The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog in honor of the movie currently in theaters. The plot here is pretty simple, as per the original Sega Genesis games. Sonic (Jaleel White) and his fox buddy Tails (Christopher Welch) spend most of their time outrunning evil mad scientist Dr. Robotnik (Long John Baldry) and his hench-bots Scratch (Phil Hayes), Grounder (Garry Chalk), and Coconuts (Ian James Corlett).
We learn how Robotnik came to make his mooks for the "Super Special Sonic Search & Smash Squad." He needed better bounty hunters to catch freedom fighters Sonic and Tails, so he made them himself...but all they do is fight with each other and with fellow robotic bounty hunter Coconuts. Sonic and Tails go underground in "Subterranean Sonic" when they inadvertently invade the caves made by selfish mole Spleunk. Not only do they have to convince him that they care nothing about his diamonds, but Robotnik's robots are on their trail, too.
I thought most cartoons stopped using the "moral of the day" segments by the 90's, but this show ends with "Sonic Says." In the first episode, he admonishes Tails to save calling 911 for real emergencies. "Subterranean Sonic" ends with Sonic admonishing Spelunk and Tails to share their lunches.
My memories of this show go back to the mid-90's, when Grandma Ann gave Keefe a big stuffed Sonic for his birthday one year. Since we didn't have Sega at the time, the one Adventures video at our local mom and pop video store gave him his only chance to see the lightning-fast hedgehog in action. We rented that video constantly through the late 90's. Keefe was devastated when they finally sold that video (and not to us). This is the first time I've seen it since then.
Work got really crazy for a Wednesday. It's the beginning of the month, and many of our customers are taking advantage of big sales while they can. I did manage to round up carts and baskets and the inside trash, but not much else. They kept calling me into the register.
Hurried out as soon as possible. Though it remained windy, the rain disappeared overnight, and the sun felt wonderful. Took the long way down Nicholson Road to enjoy the warmth a little more, given it's supposed to drop back into the 40's by the weekend. Dodged some late-lunch traffic until I got into Oaklyn; most people there were likely still in work or school.
Changed and had lunch, then switched to scrubbing the kitchen. Watched more Hart to Hart on the Roku Channel while I worked. They have to "Cruise at Your Own Risk" when they learn Johnathan's cruise line's been hit by jewelry thieves. The duo pose as a Southern bigwig and his diamond-toting mistress to ferret out the thieves. Meanwhile their housekeeper Max, who is pretending to be a rich Italian, romances a sweet widow from Brooklyn.
Ran a bunch of Match Game episodes while finishing the kitchen and vacuuming. Started off with the last episode of 1975 as Gene, his regulars, Dick Martin, Fannie Flagg, and Richard Dawson's then-girlfriend Jody Donovan celebrated with fancy hats and a slightly inebriated Charles dragging in a giant "Match Game 75" balloon. New Year's Day 1976 saw the first jokes about that year's Bicentennial. Broadway songwriter Marvin Hamlisch and Isobel Sanford from The Jeffersons joined in for the next episode. A strange answer on an Audience Match inspired Hamlisch to write a song called "Fog Cloud."
Rose called as I vacuumed the bedroom. I texted her earlier about the new rent agreement. Frankly, I want out. I'm not living over a nice little old lady and raking her yard anymore. I should have moved out ages ago. Turns out the rent is for month-to-month, rather than a full year. My landlady can ask me to leave at any time, but I can also leave on my own at any time. I didn't even see anything in the rambling 8-page rental agreement about giving her notice. The agreement mostly boiled down to variations on "don't make noise, don't hurt the apartment, and we're not responsible if you do." It also claims she's going to convert the heat and stove to electric, which I'll have to pay for...but she claimed that on last year's lease, and it never happened. Supposedly, it'll happen this month.
(It also claimed that the apartment was rented unfurnished. It was furnished when I moved in. I like the sturdy little vintage table that holds my TV, VCR, and Wii and would have asked if I could keep it anyway and am willing to keep the dresser until I can find something better. I don't need the rack in the back or the two huge wardrobes. I need to figure out what to do about those.)
Did some more research after I got the cleaning done, then worked on writing. Malade orders Sir Gautier to carry Brett off. She's hold his fellow trolls, including his protege Sir Walden, hostage in the dungeon. Angry, Marcia runs over to bargain with her before Gene can stop her...
Finished out the night during dinner with two episodes of the 1993 cartoon The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog in honor of the movie currently in theaters. The plot here is pretty simple, as per the original Sega Genesis games. Sonic (Jaleel White) and his fox buddy Tails (Christopher Welch) spend most of their time outrunning evil mad scientist Dr. Robotnik (Long John Baldry) and his hench-bots Scratch (Phil Hayes), Grounder (Garry Chalk), and Coconuts (Ian James Corlett).
We learn how Robotnik came to make his mooks for the "Super Special Sonic Search & Smash Squad." He needed better bounty hunters to catch freedom fighters Sonic and Tails, so he made them himself...but all they do is fight with each other and with fellow robotic bounty hunter Coconuts. Sonic and Tails go underground in "Subterranean Sonic" when they inadvertently invade the caves made by selfish mole Spleunk. Not only do they have to convince him that they care nothing about his diamonds, but Robotnik's robots are on their trail, too.
I thought most cartoons stopped using the "moral of the day" segments by the 90's, but this show ends with "Sonic Says." In the first episode, he admonishes Tails to save calling 911 for real emergencies. "Subterranean Sonic" ends with Sonic admonishing Spelunk and Tails to share their lunches.
My memories of this show go back to the mid-90's, when Grandma Ann gave Keefe a big stuffed Sonic for his birthday one year. Since we didn't have Sega at the time, the one Adventures video at our local mom and pop video store gave him his only chance to see the lightning-fast hedgehog in action. We rented that video constantly through the late 90's. Keefe was devastated when they finally sold that video (and not to us). This is the first time I've seen it since then.
Tuesday, March 03, 2020
The Ballad of the Cowboy and the Yeti
Started a gloomy but dry morning with breakfast before going into chores. Made the bed and got the bathroom cleaned. The bathtub really needed scrubbing. It's not usually this damp in the winter! We've had a lot more rainy weather than we normally would in February.
Watched Toy Story 4 while I worked. We find out how Bo Peep (Annie Potts) left Andy's room - she ended up in a box for the thrift shop. Woody (Tom Hanks) is devastated, but she says she's fine with moving along to another child. Years later, Woody is beginning to wonder about his own relationship with his new owner Bonnie (Madeline McGraw). She prefers using cowgirl Jessie (Joan Cusack) in play over him. Even so, he still tries to stop Forky (Tony Hale), a toy she made from a fork and pipe cleaners, from throwing himself away.
While on a family trip, he chases the agile spork and finally convinces him he's a toy...just as he sees Bo Peep's lamp in an antique shop. Turns out she and a group of loose toys who live at a local playground help other playthings find new humans. Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks) would love to find her previous owner, but her voice box is broken. She captures Forky and holds him ransom for Woody's voice box. While Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) enlists the aid of a pair of carnival toys to find Woody, Woody and Bo Peep are joined by lost toys Duke Caboom (Keanu Reeves) and Giggles McDimples (Ally Maki) to rescue him.
I wasn't sure how Pixar could do another Toy Story film after the previous one ended beautifully, but they pulled it off. I can understand why it won Best Animated Film at this year's Oscars. Forky's existential crisis, Woody's loyalty to Bonnie, and Bo Peep's wish to help other toys are all handled with a great deal of sensitivity. There's some amazing animation too, especially at the carnival and antique shop. It was great to see Bo Peep again, and Hendricks and Reeves were great additions as the spiteful broken doll and the Evel Knevel-esque Canadian daredevil.
I do advise Pixar to leave the franchise here, at least as far as movies are concerned. They were lucky it worked out, but this is all the end the story needs. I kind of wish we could have seen more of the other characters, especially my favorite Jessie; not much of Buzz, either. At any rate, this is a wonderful ending (I hope) to a franchise that holds a lot of fond memories for me.
Went into Abominable as I finished cleaning and had lunch. Yi (Chloe Bennet) is a Chinese teenager living in Shanghai with her mother (Michelle Wong) and grandmother (Tsai Chin) in a small apartment. She's trying to make enough money to fulfill her late father's dream of traveling across China, but her many jobs mean she's never at home. One night, she find a young Yeti hiding in her favorite spot on the roof. She feeds it steamed buns, which it loves, and makes friends with it, naming him Everest. The helicopters pursuing him aren't nearly so friendly. The Yeti is owned by Mr. Burnish (Eddie Izzard), an animal lover who wants to prove the existence of Yetis. Despite her claims, Dr. Zola (Sarah Paulsen) is more interested in selling the creature than keeping it. Yi and Everest flee, joined by basketball-loving Peng (Albert Tsai) and his ultra-cool cousin Jin (Tenzing Norgay Trainor). Turns out Everest loves the violin Yi plays that connects her with her father...and it's that music and their road trip that helps to ultimately connect her with the boys and her new furry friend.
I'm surprised this one wasn't nominated for an Oscar, too. The road trip story and the villains are a bit cliched, but the relationship between the kids and their giant pal is truly touching. The animation is fabulous, too, especially when they're in the valleys of Tibet and flying through the clouds to the Himalayas. Violence and frank discussions of death and loss makes this for older kids and young teens interested in road trip stories or Asian cultures.
Headed out shortly after Abominable ended. It started to shower hard shortly after I left, and I arrived at PNC Bank quite damp. They were having problems with their internet, backing up a long line. I only wanted to pick up checks for the rent anyway. Stood in line twice, the second time to ask if I messed up checks too badly to use. (I didn't.)
The rain took a temporary leave of absence as I dodged traffic on Cuthbert and headed to Westmont. The Haddon Towship Library wasn't as busy as the bank had been. I once again shelved DVDs...and once again couldn't fit all the DVDs in the adult shelves again. I didn't take out anything. I still had With a Song In My Heart for review, and have really enjoyed exploring all the options on Roku.
Made a brief stop at Target on the way home. Their peanut butter is far cheaper than the Acme's, and I wanted to see if my food stamps came in yet. (They did.) Grabbed tortilla chips for dinner tonight and sponges, too.
It showered again as I headed into Oaklyn, and has continued on and off, sometimes heavily, for the rest of the night. Dropped the rent next-door, then spent the next hour doing research on other possible writing opportunities. Despite Mrs. Stahl's claims that the writing market is tapped out and no one's hiring, I found lots of general and movie and book review blogs who hire new writers. I'll do even more research this week. She must mean no one offline is hiring.
Did a little bit of fanfic writing after that. Marcia demands that Malade release Charles and Brett, but she has the upper hand. Charles is devastated when she orders her trolls to destroy his lute, and Bill's even more so when they go after his rose garden.
Broke for dinner at 7. Made Southwestern Black Bean Dip to go with those chips while watching With a Song In My Heart. I go further into this biography of courageous radio singer Jane Froman at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
With a Song In My Heart
And I heard from Willa tonight. She did get the rent, but now she wants the new rent agreement to be signed, too. I need to text or call Rose tomorrow and see what we should do and if she can deal with her.
Watched Toy Story 4 while I worked. We find out how Bo Peep (Annie Potts) left Andy's room - she ended up in a box for the thrift shop. Woody (Tom Hanks) is devastated, but she says she's fine with moving along to another child. Years later, Woody is beginning to wonder about his own relationship with his new owner Bonnie (Madeline McGraw). She prefers using cowgirl Jessie (Joan Cusack) in play over him. Even so, he still tries to stop Forky (Tony Hale), a toy she made from a fork and pipe cleaners, from throwing himself away.
While on a family trip, he chases the agile spork and finally convinces him he's a toy...just as he sees Bo Peep's lamp in an antique shop. Turns out she and a group of loose toys who live at a local playground help other playthings find new humans. Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks) would love to find her previous owner, but her voice box is broken. She captures Forky and holds him ransom for Woody's voice box. While Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) enlists the aid of a pair of carnival toys to find Woody, Woody and Bo Peep are joined by lost toys Duke Caboom (Keanu Reeves) and Giggles McDimples (Ally Maki) to rescue him.
I wasn't sure how Pixar could do another Toy Story film after the previous one ended beautifully, but they pulled it off. I can understand why it won Best Animated Film at this year's Oscars. Forky's existential crisis, Woody's loyalty to Bonnie, and Bo Peep's wish to help other toys are all handled with a great deal of sensitivity. There's some amazing animation too, especially at the carnival and antique shop. It was great to see Bo Peep again, and Hendricks and Reeves were great additions as the spiteful broken doll and the Evel Knevel-esque Canadian daredevil.
I do advise Pixar to leave the franchise here, at least as far as movies are concerned. They were lucky it worked out, but this is all the end the story needs. I kind of wish we could have seen more of the other characters, especially my favorite Jessie; not much of Buzz, either. At any rate, this is a wonderful ending (I hope) to a franchise that holds a lot of fond memories for me.
Went into Abominable as I finished cleaning and had lunch. Yi (Chloe Bennet) is a Chinese teenager living in Shanghai with her mother (Michelle Wong) and grandmother (Tsai Chin) in a small apartment. She's trying to make enough money to fulfill her late father's dream of traveling across China, but her many jobs mean she's never at home. One night, she find a young Yeti hiding in her favorite spot on the roof. She feeds it steamed buns, which it loves, and makes friends with it, naming him Everest. The helicopters pursuing him aren't nearly so friendly. The Yeti is owned by Mr. Burnish (Eddie Izzard), an animal lover who wants to prove the existence of Yetis. Despite her claims, Dr. Zola (Sarah Paulsen) is more interested in selling the creature than keeping it. Yi and Everest flee, joined by basketball-loving Peng (Albert Tsai) and his ultra-cool cousin Jin (Tenzing Norgay Trainor). Turns out Everest loves the violin Yi plays that connects her with her father...and it's that music and their road trip that helps to ultimately connect her with the boys and her new furry friend.
I'm surprised this one wasn't nominated for an Oscar, too. The road trip story and the villains are a bit cliched, but the relationship between the kids and their giant pal is truly touching. The animation is fabulous, too, especially when they're in the valleys of Tibet and flying through the clouds to the Himalayas. Violence and frank discussions of death and loss makes this for older kids and young teens interested in road trip stories or Asian cultures.
Headed out shortly after Abominable ended. It started to shower hard shortly after I left, and I arrived at PNC Bank quite damp. They were having problems with their internet, backing up a long line. I only wanted to pick up checks for the rent anyway. Stood in line twice, the second time to ask if I messed up checks too badly to use. (I didn't.)
The rain took a temporary leave of absence as I dodged traffic on Cuthbert and headed to Westmont. The Haddon Towship Library wasn't as busy as the bank had been. I once again shelved DVDs...and once again couldn't fit all the DVDs in the adult shelves again. I didn't take out anything. I still had With a Song In My Heart for review, and have really enjoyed exploring all the options on Roku.
Made a brief stop at Target on the way home. Their peanut butter is far cheaper than the Acme's, and I wanted to see if my food stamps came in yet. (They did.) Grabbed tortilla chips for dinner tonight and sponges, too.
It showered again as I headed into Oaklyn, and has continued on and off, sometimes heavily, for the rest of the night. Dropped the rent next-door, then spent the next hour doing research on other possible writing opportunities. Despite Mrs. Stahl's claims that the writing market is tapped out and no one's hiring, I found lots of general and movie and book review blogs who hire new writers. I'll do even more research this week. She must mean no one offline is hiring.
Did a little bit of fanfic writing after that. Marcia demands that Malade release Charles and Brett, but she has the upper hand. Charles is devastated when she orders her trolls to destroy his lute, and Bill's even more so when they go after his rose garden.
Broke for dinner at 7. Made Southwestern Black Bean Dip to go with those chips while watching With a Song In My Heart. I go further into this biography of courageous radio singer Jane Froman at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
With a Song In My Heart
And I heard from Willa tonight. She did get the rent, but now she wants the new rent agreement to be signed, too. I need to text or call Rose tomorrow and see what we should do and if she can deal with her.
Monday, March 02, 2020
Very Warm for Winter
Kicked off a sunny morning with breakfast and Match Game PM on YouTube. Robert Pine of ChiPs, Dick Martin of Laugh In, and a young Jamie Lee Curtis joined Gene, Charles, and Brett for this episode from 1979. While the contestant did manage to get through the main show, he had no luck in either of the Audience Matches, to the frustration of the panel and the audience.
Went into some online research after breakfast. I wanted to check out ListVerse, a site of lists that pays 100 dollars per list. Sounds great...but they're mostly for general knowledge. Everything I know is so specific! I still want to do it. I need the money and the boost. Just have to figure out what exactly to make a list about.
Broke for lunch at quarter of noon. Switched over to Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood at PBS Kids while I had coconut yogurt and oranges for lunch. I had seen "Daniel's Birthday" before. In fact, it's the very first episode of the series. Dan's thrilled when he, his mom, O the Owl, and Katerina Kittycat pick up a tiger-shaped cake for his party...but his delight diminishes when he discovers it got smushed on the ride home. His parents help him find something good about the mess. Miss Elaina and Prince Wednesday join little and big Dan for "Daniel's Picnic." The kids are upset when they pop their ball and the picnic gets rained out. Daniel Sr. helps them find the good in a bad situation.
Work didn't get too busy early-on. The head manager did as me to mop the bathrooms at one point, but I otherwise spent the rest of the evening alternating between sweeping the floors, gathering carts, and returning cold items. By the time it picked up, I'd opted to stick to outside. Perfect weather for it, too, with lots of sunshine, fresh breezes, and 60-degree temperatures. I'm surprised the store got as busy as it did. I suspect it had more to do with the beginning of the month than anything else going on.
When I got home, I had leftovers for dinner while checking out an episode of I Dream of Jeannie. It's "Jeannie for the Defense" in the fourth season when Tony is thrown into jail after he slightly bumps a car and the occupants sue him. Roger and Jeannie have to figure out how to prove that the man is lying while bringing Dr. Bellows to court as quickly as possible.
Finished the night before a shower and a Match Game syndicated premiere with two classic color shorts from the Fleischer Brothers. Two poor children imagine themselves "Somewhere In Dreamland," where they pull donut rings on the animal cracker cake-go-round, shake new clothes from trees, and catch popcorn in the popcorn fields. It's all fantasy, but the surprise several townspeople have for them in the end is very real. A spoiled colt teases Spunky the donkey in "Snubbed By a Snob," but it's Spunky who rescues them from an angry bull.
Went into some online research after breakfast. I wanted to check out ListVerse, a site of lists that pays 100 dollars per list. Sounds great...but they're mostly for general knowledge. Everything I know is so specific! I still want to do it. I need the money and the boost. Just have to figure out what exactly to make a list about.
Broke for lunch at quarter of noon. Switched over to Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood at PBS Kids while I had coconut yogurt and oranges for lunch. I had seen "Daniel's Birthday" before. In fact, it's the very first episode of the series. Dan's thrilled when he, his mom, O the Owl, and Katerina Kittycat pick up a tiger-shaped cake for his party...but his delight diminishes when he discovers it got smushed on the ride home. His parents help him find something good about the mess. Miss Elaina and Prince Wednesday join little and big Dan for "Daniel's Picnic." The kids are upset when they pop their ball and the picnic gets rained out. Daniel Sr. helps them find the good in a bad situation.
Work didn't get too busy early-on. The head manager did as me to mop the bathrooms at one point, but I otherwise spent the rest of the evening alternating between sweeping the floors, gathering carts, and returning cold items. By the time it picked up, I'd opted to stick to outside. Perfect weather for it, too, with lots of sunshine, fresh breezes, and 60-degree temperatures. I'm surprised the store got as busy as it did. I suspect it had more to do with the beginning of the month than anything else going on.
When I got home, I had leftovers for dinner while checking out an episode of I Dream of Jeannie. It's "Jeannie for the Defense" in the fourth season when Tony is thrown into jail after he slightly bumps a car and the occupants sue him. Roger and Jeannie have to figure out how to prove that the man is lying while bringing Dr. Bellows to court as quickly as possible.
Finished the night before a shower and a Match Game syndicated premiere with two classic color shorts from the Fleischer Brothers. Two poor children imagine themselves "Somewhere In Dreamland," where they pull donut rings on the animal cracker cake-go-round, shake new clothes from trees, and catch popcorn in the popcorn fields. It's all fantasy, but the surprise several townspeople have for them in the end is very real. A spoiled colt teases Spunky the donkey in "Snubbed By a Snob," but it's Spunky who rescues them from an angry bull.
Sunday, March 01, 2020
March Goes In Like a Lion
Got a rare chance to sleep in on a Sunday. When I did roll out of bed, I made quick buttermilk whole wheat pancakes while listening to the 1961 musical Carnival. This full-musical version of the film Lili features Anna Maria Alberghetti as Lili, the naive French girl who performs with the puppets in a carnival and thinks they're real. She has a crush on Marcus (James Mitchell), the dashing magician, but he's really romancing his assistant Rosalie (Kaye Ballard). The puppeteer is Paul (Jerry Orbach), a bitter former dancer who lost his career to an injury in World War II. He's grouchy to most people, including Lili, and only shows his kinder nature through his puppets. When Lili realizes what a cad Marcus is, she claims she's going to leave the show...but the puppets manage to remind her of how much they and their friend loves her.
This is a lovely and charming show, with some sweet music by Bob Merrill. The most famous number is Lili's hit solo "Love Makes the World Goes Round," which is one of the four song she performs with the puppets. Paul also gets three excellent solos, "Everybody Likes You" as he admits how he can really only be kind through the puppets, "I've Got to Find a Reason" in the beginning, and "Her Face" as he admits he's falling for Lili. It's too bad this is another one that doesn't often get revived. There was talk for a while of an Encores! concert with Anne Hathaway moving to Broadway, but it never happened.
Headed off to work shortly after the record ended. It started off well. I spent almost the entire morning and early afternoon outside, enjoying the beautiful sunshine. While it remained windy, it had also gotten a bit warmer, probably into the mid-upper 40's. I did briefly end up in the registers at least twice when we needed help, but I mainly bagged for the rest of the day. We were busy, but never overwhelmingly so, especially for the first of the month. People likely either took advantage of the nice weather, or will get their money during the week. I grabbed scrubbing cleaner and baking powder before rushing home.
When I got in, I went online, but I didn't write. I found tons of lists on Pinterest with sites you could check out for part time online jobs or quick writing jobs. Some have changed names and/or goals since the lists were released, but I did get some interesting leads, The sites that pay for random lists looks especially interesting.
I texted Jodie and Dad during my break at work about the raise in rent. Dad's text when I got home said that Dana and Jesse are currently looking for a house and may be moving out in 3 to 4 months. He and Jodie would be willing to help pay my rent until I can move into the apartment attached to their house. I really need to talk to them face to face about the whole thing - I'll see if I can get around there sometime this week.
Unfortunately, I also heard from my landlady Willa. She wants the rent tomorrow and to know whether or not I'm going to sign the rent. Dad's text indicated that he'd be willing to help me with the rent until I can move. Frankly, I intend to text or call Rose tomorrow and let her deal with Willa. I wish she'd at least try to understand that I don't have much money. She doesn't have to raise it 100 dollars. Yes, Charlie did fix the windows and the porch, and I appreciate it...but he hasn't done anything since then, nor will he be able to. I saw him hobbling on crutches outside about a week or two ago. It'll be a long time before he can do anything for anybody.
Finished the night with leftovers for dinner, three Match Game syndicated "premieres" on YouTube, and another Broadway cast album. Applause, a musical version of All About Eve, debuted in 1970 as a vehicle for Lauren Bacall. Bacall played Margo Channing, an aging stage star hoping to make a comeback in a play. She takes on an assistant, Eve (Penny Fuller), who claims to be her biggest fan. Eve, however, is more devious than she appears, but Margo doesn't want to believe it...until the young woman attempts to take over her roles and her life.
Like Carnival, this is a show that doesn't turn up often today. I suspect it's too associated with Bacall, who apparently appeared in a TV version with Larry Hagman in 1973. Like Carnival, it turned up as an Encores concert (this time in 2008) and hasn't been seen since. Too bad. The show may be very much of it's time, but there's some good songs. Bacall can't sing, but she does no harm to the showstoppers "But Alive" with Fuller (in a gay bar) and "Welcome to the Theater." Bonnie Franklin of the sitcom One Day at a Time gets to belt out the title song and "She's No Longer a Gypsy" when Eve snubs the other struggling actors at a local watering hole.
This is a lovely and charming show, with some sweet music by Bob Merrill. The most famous number is Lili's hit solo "Love Makes the World Goes Round," which is one of the four song she performs with the puppets. Paul also gets three excellent solos, "Everybody Likes You" as he admits how he can really only be kind through the puppets, "I've Got to Find a Reason" in the beginning, and "Her Face" as he admits he's falling for Lili. It's too bad this is another one that doesn't often get revived. There was talk for a while of an Encores! concert with Anne Hathaway moving to Broadway, but it never happened.
Headed off to work shortly after the record ended. It started off well. I spent almost the entire morning and early afternoon outside, enjoying the beautiful sunshine. While it remained windy, it had also gotten a bit warmer, probably into the mid-upper 40's. I did briefly end up in the registers at least twice when we needed help, but I mainly bagged for the rest of the day. We were busy, but never overwhelmingly so, especially for the first of the month. People likely either took advantage of the nice weather, or will get their money during the week. I grabbed scrubbing cleaner and baking powder before rushing home.
When I got in, I went online, but I didn't write. I found tons of lists on Pinterest with sites you could check out for part time online jobs or quick writing jobs. Some have changed names and/or goals since the lists were released, but I did get some interesting leads, The sites that pay for random lists looks especially interesting.
I texted Jodie and Dad during my break at work about the raise in rent. Dad's text when I got home said that Dana and Jesse are currently looking for a house and may be moving out in 3 to 4 months. He and Jodie would be willing to help pay my rent until I can move into the apartment attached to their house. I really need to talk to them face to face about the whole thing - I'll see if I can get around there sometime this week.
Unfortunately, I also heard from my landlady Willa. She wants the rent tomorrow and to know whether or not I'm going to sign the rent. Dad's text indicated that he'd be willing to help me with the rent until I can move. Frankly, I intend to text or call Rose tomorrow and let her deal with Willa. I wish she'd at least try to understand that I don't have much money. She doesn't have to raise it 100 dollars. Yes, Charlie did fix the windows and the porch, and I appreciate it...but he hasn't done anything since then, nor will he be able to. I saw him hobbling on crutches outside about a week or two ago. It'll be a long time before he can do anything for anybody.
Finished the night with leftovers for dinner, three Match Game syndicated "premieres" on YouTube, and another Broadway cast album. Applause, a musical version of All About Eve, debuted in 1970 as a vehicle for Lauren Bacall. Bacall played Margo Channing, an aging stage star hoping to make a comeback in a play. She takes on an assistant, Eve (Penny Fuller), who claims to be her biggest fan. Eve, however, is more devious than she appears, but Margo doesn't want to believe it...until the young woman attempts to take over her roles and her life.
Like Carnival, this is a show that doesn't turn up often today. I suspect it's too associated with Bacall, who apparently appeared in a TV version with Larry Hagman in 1973. Like Carnival, it turned up as an Encores concert (this time in 2008) and hasn't been seen since. Too bad. The show may be very much of it's time, but there's some good songs. Bacall can't sing, but she does no harm to the showstoppers "But Alive" with Fuller (in a gay bar) and "Welcome to the Theater." Bonnie Franklin of the sitcom One Day at a Time gets to belt out the title song and "She's No Longer a Gypsy" when Eve snubs the other struggling actors at a local watering hole.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)