The Joys of Fall
It was late in the morning when I headed out for a walk around Oaklyn. I'm glad I did. The weather was absolutely gorgeous today. It was a bit chillier than yesterday, but breezy and sunny. The neighborhood looks gorgeous, too. The trees are cloaked in their fall radiance, brilliant shades of gold, rust, orange, lime green, and deep red. A few houses have already pulled out the Thanksgiving decorations, or have settled on pumpkins and mums, but most of those who decorated still have out their Halloween jack o' lanterns and witches and spooky hanging ghosts. (The majority of my neighbors usually take their Halloween displays down the first weekend after the holiday.)
Spent the rest of the afternoon getting things done around the apartment. I did my budget. (Spent far more on food last month, but less on other things. I also bought more clothes than usual.) I dusted. It was a quick dusting, just around most things. I'll do a more thorough job when I prepare for the holidays at the end of the month. I washed windows. I had a fast lunch of leftovers, then headed off to work.
Work was pretty much the same as last night, busy through most of the evening until right before it was time to leave. There were a few annoying beginning-of-the-month customers. I'm still having problems remembering some of the new computer set-ups. The way you do WIC Checks is entirely different on this computer system! I keep having to restart the order because I can't remember that the button you push is under "Transaction," not "Check," and you enter the date first.
Thankfully, I didn't need much after work. In fact, my groceries were limited to ground chicken, cooking spray, tea (I had a coupon and the new Twinings holiday teas were on a small sale - the Pumpkin Spice Chai sounds wonderful), and egg whites (I thought I'd try making meringue cookies again). I also treated myself to Scooby Doo on Zombie Island on DVD to celebrate the Acme employees finally getting their raises (almost two years after that threatened strike).
My schedule next week is actually pretty decent. Only one really late night (Monday), my first morning-early afternoon shift since the spring (Wednesday), and Tuesday and Friday off. I have slightly fewer hours, but considering what my hours were like last year in October and early November, this isn't that bad.
Life is a lazy river - no matter where you are. Movies, musicals, mysteries, pop culture, and lots of other great stuff.
Friday, November 04, 2011
Thursday, November 03, 2011
Seeking Balance Again
With my heel and the weather looking much improved, I decided to see if I could return to yoga. Karin gave me a hug when I arrived and asked where I'd been. I had the hardest time with doing squats and standing poses, and down-dog started to wear my foot out after a while. It was nice to be back, though. I shouldn't have put it off for so long. It really does help.
(It'll also help to be back on a more regular schedule, especially as we enter the holidays.)
Headed straight for the Collingswood Library after class ended. I organized DVDs - once again, the kids' section was a mess - but it turned out that there wasn't much else to do. I headed out after a little more than an hour.
Stopped at Doria's Deli for lunch and to get some business advice. Though everyone talks about using online college message boards for advertising, I've looked at their sites and can't seem to find them. I think I'll start a bit simpler, with paper advertisements hung in the local libraries and some businesses that college students might frequent, like The House of Fun collectables store and the comic book store on the White Horse Pike. It's just a matter of deciding what to write and what to call my business.
I bought a turkey and provolone hoagie at the Doria's and ate it at home. Spent the rest of the afternoon doing things online and checking out my finances. Turns out I had a LOT more in my savings account than I thought. I transferred about half of what was in my savings account to my checking account to pay for most of my rent; my paycheck tomorrow should cover the rest and a bit extra. It'll just be a little late.
Work was pretty much the same as last night - very busy, with many huge orders right up until when I left. The lines weren't helped by register 2 deciding to run slow and making me move less than an hour after I arrived and by another cashier going home sick. Thankfully, it was so quiet by the time I finished, I was able to leave with no trouble.
With my heel and the weather looking much improved, I decided to see if I could return to yoga. Karin gave me a hug when I arrived and asked where I'd been. I had the hardest time with doing squats and standing poses, and down-dog started to wear my foot out after a while. It was nice to be back, though. I shouldn't have put it off for so long. It really does help.
(It'll also help to be back on a more regular schedule, especially as we enter the holidays.)
Headed straight for the Collingswood Library after class ended. I organized DVDs - once again, the kids' section was a mess - but it turned out that there wasn't much else to do. I headed out after a little more than an hour.
Stopped at Doria's Deli for lunch and to get some business advice. Though everyone talks about using online college message boards for advertising, I've looked at their sites and can't seem to find them. I think I'll start a bit simpler, with paper advertisements hung in the local libraries and some businesses that college students might frequent, like The House of Fun collectables store and the comic book store on the White Horse Pike. It's just a matter of deciding what to write and what to call my business.
I bought a turkey and provolone hoagie at the Doria's and ate it at home. Spent the rest of the afternoon doing things online and checking out my finances. Turns out I had a LOT more in my savings account than I thought. I transferred about half of what was in my savings account to my checking account to pay for most of my rent; my paycheck tomorrow should cover the rest and a bit extra. It'll just be a little late.
Work was pretty much the same as last night - very busy, with many huge orders right up until when I left. The lines weren't helped by register 2 deciding to run slow and making me move less than an hour after I arrived and by another cashier going home sick. Thankfully, it was so quiet by the time I finished, I was able to leave with no trouble.
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
On the Sunny Side of the Fall
I slept in and spent a lot of the morning reading self-help books in bed. I didn't get going until nearly 12:30! When I did head out, my first stop was the Oaklyn Library for this week's volunteer session there. As with the Haddon Township Library yesterday, there wasn't much going on. I'd apparently just missed the pre-school kids. Did the usual organizing on the DVDs and in the kids' section and moved on.
It's been a while since I've had a really good, solid walk. Either the weather's been bad, or my heel's been sore, or both. Now that Mother Nature's in a better mood and my heel's at least been helped in the right direction, I can enjoy my strolls through the neighborhood again. It was a gorgeous day for it, too, sunny and in the upper 50s, with no wind at all. The sky was a brilliant blue, without a cloud to break up the brightness. Oaklyn is looking far more fall-ish now. A few people had already put up turkey banners and other things for Thanksgiving, but most still had their Halloween decorations out, or just mums and pumpkins.
When I got home, I mostly just puttered around the apartment. I made a Mexican omelet (omelet with farm market Colby cheese, broccoli, peppers, and the last of the salsa) for lunch and ran Sailor Moon episodes. Spent what little time I had before work getting the My Little Ponies together and bagged for Faith's birthday.
Work was much busier than Halloween night. I guess a lot of people put off their shopping because of the holiday. It didn't slow down until almost 9 this time. The weather must have put everyone in a good mood, because there were no problems and I was in and out quickly.
I slept in and spent a lot of the morning reading self-help books in bed. I didn't get going until nearly 12:30! When I did head out, my first stop was the Oaklyn Library for this week's volunteer session there. As with the Haddon Township Library yesterday, there wasn't much going on. I'd apparently just missed the pre-school kids. Did the usual organizing on the DVDs and in the kids' section and moved on.
It's been a while since I've had a really good, solid walk. Either the weather's been bad, or my heel's been sore, or both. Now that Mother Nature's in a better mood and my heel's at least been helped in the right direction, I can enjoy my strolls through the neighborhood again. It was a gorgeous day for it, too, sunny and in the upper 50s, with no wind at all. The sky was a brilliant blue, without a cloud to break up the brightness. Oaklyn is looking far more fall-ish now. A few people had already put up turkey banners and other things for Thanksgiving, but most still had their Halloween decorations out, or just mums and pumpkins.
When I got home, I mostly just puttered around the apartment. I made a Mexican omelet (omelet with farm market Colby cheese, broccoli, peppers, and the last of the salsa) for lunch and ran Sailor Moon episodes. Spent what little time I had before work getting the My Little Ponies together and bagged for Faith's birthday.
Work was much busier than Halloween night. I guess a lot of people put off their shopping because of the holiday. It didn't slow down until almost 9 this time. The weather must have put everyone in a good mood, because there were no problems and I was in and out quickly.
Tuesday, November 01, 2011
One Little Maid From the Library
It was sunny and beautiful when I awoke this morning. The wind had died down, and while it was chilly (maybe still a little too much for the time of year), it wasn't nearly as bad as over the weekend.
It was a lovely day to run errands. I never did get to the bank, thanks to the weekend's wild weather and Halloween yesterday, so that was my first stop. After I left there, I rode across Newton River Park to the Haddon Township Library. The park was just gorgeous today. The trees took a while to turn colors here, but they're finally reveling in their fall cloaks of red, gold, pale green, and rust. There were quite a few joggers enjoying the cool weather. I saw the first family of Canadian geese in ages, too.
Most people must still be recovering from yesterday's festivities. The Library wasn't busy at all, and there wasn't much to do. I organized the children's DVDs, put kids' books away, and shelved a few adult DVDs. I took out a fall-oriented Max & Ruby Treehouse collection, the last of the three new Scooby Doo collections of random episodes, the second Sesame Street spoofs set, the movies Avatar and the British The Mikado, and three books that I thought might be helpful for me now - The Happiness Project, a book on finding jobs that suit your personality type, and a book on health and nutrition for women, The Dish On Eating Health and Looking Fabulous!, that was really useful a while back.
Made a quick stop at Dollar Tree next. I needed a gift bag and card for my cousin Faith's birthday. Also picked up sponges and magic erasers. Dollar Tree already has their Christmas stuff out. That's the fastest conversion between holidays I've ever seen. Last time I checked, there was only one small wall of Christmas items.
Spent the rest of the afternoon at home. I ran Max & Ruby and the Scooby Doo episodes while I vacuumed and cleaned up those vintage My Little Ponies I found for Faith at a yard sale a few weeks ago. Max & Ruby wasn't anything new, but I hadn't seen the two What's New, Scooby Doo? episodes at all, and haven't seen the one from the original show in years.
The last of the three new Scooby collections revolves around ghosts. The What's New episodes are ok, not great. The second, "Lights, Camera, Mayhem!" takes a few mild shots at the state of Hollywood in the late 90s-early 2000s, as well as the films The Matrix and Agent Cody Banks. It's also notable as one of the very few episodes from any Scooby franchise where no one does any real harm, goes to jail, or even really commits a crime.
The classic "Jeepers, It's the Creeper!" from the 1969 series is probably one of the best-known episodes of the entire series, and certain one of the ones to solidify the form. The kids chase down a ghost who seems to be robbing bank cars from the inside, without doing any damage to the exterior. This is one of the very few times in any series you see the kids interacting with young people their own age in a normal way that doesn't involve mysteries. In fact, the whole thing revolves around the gang heading for a dance at an old barn, then at a malt shop when the lights in the barn break down.
I ran records while I took down the Halloween decorations and put up what little I have for Thanksgiving. This was not the best Halloween I ever had, but it wasn't the worst, either. Most of my current problems have nothing to do with the holiday, and it really did help to celebrate and get my mind off my problems for a while. My Little Red Riding Hood costume went over really well yesterday, too. I just hope I can do more with trick-or-treating next year.
Switched to the Sesame Street Spoofs disc while making chicken meatballs, whole-wheat pasta, steamed green beans, and spaghetti sauce for dinner. I thought this was even funnier than the first one. My favorites were the satires of Columbo (as "Colambo" - the sheep did look a bit like Peter Falk), "Law & Order: Special Letters Unit," and the hysterical crack at the High School Musical franchise (as "Pre-School Musical").
And I thought CNN already DID stand for "The Grouch News Network." ;)
It was sunny and beautiful when I awoke this morning. The wind had died down, and while it was chilly (maybe still a little too much for the time of year), it wasn't nearly as bad as over the weekend.
It was a lovely day to run errands. I never did get to the bank, thanks to the weekend's wild weather and Halloween yesterday, so that was my first stop. After I left there, I rode across Newton River Park to the Haddon Township Library. The park was just gorgeous today. The trees took a while to turn colors here, but they're finally reveling in their fall cloaks of red, gold, pale green, and rust. There were quite a few joggers enjoying the cool weather. I saw the first family of Canadian geese in ages, too.
Most people must still be recovering from yesterday's festivities. The Library wasn't busy at all, and there wasn't much to do. I organized the children's DVDs, put kids' books away, and shelved a few adult DVDs. I took out a fall-oriented Max & Ruby Treehouse collection, the last of the three new Scooby Doo collections of random episodes, the second Sesame Street spoofs set, the movies Avatar and the British The Mikado, and three books that I thought might be helpful for me now - The Happiness Project, a book on finding jobs that suit your personality type, and a book on health and nutrition for women, The Dish On Eating Health and Looking Fabulous!, that was really useful a while back.
Made a quick stop at Dollar Tree next. I needed a gift bag and card for my cousin Faith's birthday. Also picked up sponges and magic erasers. Dollar Tree already has their Christmas stuff out. That's the fastest conversion between holidays I've ever seen. Last time I checked, there was only one small wall of Christmas items.
Spent the rest of the afternoon at home. I ran Max & Ruby and the Scooby Doo episodes while I vacuumed and cleaned up those vintage My Little Ponies I found for Faith at a yard sale a few weeks ago. Max & Ruby wasn't anything new, but I hadn't seen the two What's New, Scooby Doo? episodes at all, and haven't seen the one from the original show in years.
The last of the three new Scooby collections revolves around ghosts. The What's New episodes are ok, not great. The second, "Lights, Camera, Mayhem!" takes a few mild shots at the state of Hollywood in the late 90s-early 2000s, as well as the films The Matrix and Agent Cody Banks. It's also notable as one of the very few episodes from any Scooby franchise where no one does any real harm, goes to jail, or even really commits a crime.
The classic "Jeepers, It's the Creeper!" from the 1969 series is probably one of the best-known episodes of the entire series, and certain one of the ones to solidify the form. The kids chase down a ghost who seems to be robbing bank cars from the inside, without doing any damage to the exterior. This is one of the very few times in any series you see the kids interacting with young people their own age in a normal way that doesn't involve mysteries. In fact, the whole thing revolves around the gang heading for a dance at an old barn, then at a malt shop when the lights in the barn break down.
I ran records while I took down the Halloween decorations and put up what little I have for Thanksgiving. This was not the best Halloween I ever had, but it wasn't the worst, either. Most of my current problems have nothing to do with the holiday, and it really did help to celebrate and get my mind off my problems for a while. My Little Red Riding Hood costume went over really well yesterday, too. I just hope I can do more with trick-or-treating next year.
Switched to the Sesame Street Spoofs disc while making chicken meatballs, whole-wheat pasta, steamed green beans, and spaghetti sauce for dinner. I thought this was even funnier than the first one. My favorites were the satires of Columbo (as "Colambo" - the sheep did look a bit like Peter Falk), "Law & Order: Special Letters Unit," and the hysterical crack at the High School Musical franchise (as "Pre-School Musical").
And I thought CNN already DID stand for "The Grouch News Network." ;)
Monday, October 31, 2011
The Music of the Night
Happy Halloween, all! Actually, I had a very quiet Halloween, especially compared to the last few years. I worked late tonight, so I didn't get to help out with trick-or-treating. I did get the laundry done this morning. I was surprised at how busy it was! I figured everyone would be getting their kids ready for tonight or themselves ready for parties. Thankfully, I did get a washer and a dryer pretty fast. I had a very large load, including towels.
When I got home, I ran Halloween specials as I put the clothes away and had leftovers for lunch. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is the most famous of the trio. Linus insists that the Great Pumpkin will arise out of a sincere pumpkin patch on Halloween night and give treats to good little girls and boys. Lucy and the other kids scoff, but Sally's willing to spend a night in the pumpkin patch with her Sweet Baboo. Meanwhile, Charlie Brown has his own problems with trick-or-treating, and Snoopy begins his eternal World War I battle with the Red Baron.
When most people think of Halloween specials, this is probably the one that comes to mind. Actually, there's an awful lot of filler (Snoopy's World War I sequences don't really have much to do with the rest of the story), and who on earth gives children rocks in their treat bag? On the other hand, some of the opening episodes, with Charlie Brown and Lucy and the football and the kids getting ready to go out, are more fun. And for once, Lucy gets zinged (by Patty, I believe).
The other two I ran are less well-known. Garfield's Halloween Adventure takes Garfield and Odie have a very spooky encounter with a group of ghostly pirates after their lost treasure. Halloween Is Grinch Night is less spooky and more just plain strange. When a sour sweet wind sends the Grinch on the prowl, young Whoville citizen Eukeriah takes it on himself to make sure the Grinch never gets to the town.
Switched to Arsenic and Old Lace while making bread pudding with the last of the whole wheat bread and getting ready for work. A 1944 adaptation of a hit stage play, this dark farce features Cary Grant as a drama critic who discovers that his two little old lady aunts have been poisoning old men with no family and burying them in the basement. As Mortimer tries to figure out how to deal with his two serial-murderer aunts, his ghoulish criminal brother and his plastic surgeon show up with skeletons of their own in the window seat.
This is a great Halloween comedy for those of you looking for something that's just scary enough. It's even set on Halloween.
With Halloween on a weekday for the first time in two years, work was much, much quieter than the last few Halloweens have been. It was steady during the rush hour when I came in, but it died as early as 5:30. By the time I left, there was practically no one left but one or two customers and the remaining employees.
I did see some nice costumes on the college students. One boy was a whoopie cushion. (Seriously.) Another was a hockey player. The girl working the customer service desk was a panda bear in a fuzzy costume. Another cashier was the blond girl in the blue sailor middy outfit from the movie Sucker Punch, complete with fake sword.
Some of the kids had cute outfits, too. I saw the sweetest little Belle, and a lovely pirate girl. An older boy wore Army fatigues. Another young lady was a very pink and silver Spider Woman. A college-age girl was Minnie Mouse.
I was Little Red Riding Hood this year. I wore the red cape I got from the Haddon Heights town-wide yard sale event a few weeks ago and the jean skirt and vintage apron from Frugli in Collingswood. I had my own white t-shirt on under the cape and carried an Easter basket trimmed with flowers and Gabe the WebKinz Gray Wolf. Tied a red ribbon in my hair and wore red socks. (Alas, there wasn't much I could about wearing sneakers. My good white shoes are not only inappropriate for the chilly weather, they're not the most comfortable things to stand in for six hours, especially given the way my heel's been feeling.)
I'm now running the original London cast CD for The Phantom of the Opera, as I have every Halloween night since I was in high school. Here's hoping your Halloween was truly spook-tacular!
Happy Halloween, all! Actually, I had a very quiet Halloween, especially compared to the last few years. I worked late tonight, so I didn't get to help out with trick-or-treating. I did get the laundry done this morning. I was surprised at how busy it was! I figured everyone would be getting their kids ready for tonight or themselves ready for parties. Thankfully, I did get a washer and a dryer pretty fast. I had a very large load, including towels.
When I got home, I ran Halloween specials as I put the clothes away and had leftovers for lunch. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is the most famous of the trio. Linus insists that the Great Pumpkin will arise out of a sincere pumpkin patch on Halloween night and give treats to good little girls and boys. Lucy and the other kids scoff, but Sally's willing to spend a night in the pumpkin patch with her Sweet Baboo. Meanwhile, Charlie Brown has his own problems with trick-or-treating, and Snoopy begins his eternal World War I battle with the Red Baron.
When most people think of Halloween specials, this is probably the one that comes to mind. Actually, there's an awful lot of filler (Snoopy's World War I sequences don't really have much to do with the rest of the story), and who on earth gives children rocks in their treat bag? On the other hand, some of the opening episodes, with Charlie Brown and Lucy and the football and the kids getting ready to go out, are more fun. And for once, Lucy gets zinged (by Patty, I believe).
The other two I ran are less well-known. Garfield's Halloween Adventure takes Garfield and Odie have a very spooky encounter with a group of ghostly pirates after their lost treasure. Halloween Is Grinch Night is less spooky and more just plain strange. When a sour sweet wind sends the Grinch on the prowl, young Whoville citizen Eukeriah takes it on himself to make sure the Grinch never gets to the town.
Switched to Arsenic and Old Lace while making bread pudding with the last of the whole wheat bread and getting ready for work. A 1944 adaptation of a hit stage play, this dark farce features Cary Grant as a drama critic who discovers that his two little old lady aunts have been poisoning old men with no family and burying them in the basement. As Mortimer tries to figure out how to deal with his two serial-murderer aunts, his ghoulish criminal brother and his plastic surgeon show up with skeletons of their own in the window seat.
This is a great Halloween comedy for those of you looking for something that's just scary enough. It's even set on Halloween.
With Halloween on a weekday for the first time in two years, work was much, much quieter than the last few Halloweens have been. It was steady during the rush hour when I came in, but it died as early as 5:30. By the time I left, there was practically no one left but one or two customers and the remaining employees.
I did see some nice costumes on the college students. One boy was a whoopie cushion. (Seriously.) Another was a hockey player. The girl working the customer service desk was a panda bear in a fuzzy costume. Another cashier was the blond girl in the blue sailor middy outfit from the movie Sucker Punch, complete with fake sword.
Some of the kids had cute outfits, too. I saw the sweetest little Belle, and a lovely pirate girl. An older boy wore Army fatigues. Another young lady was a very pink and silver Spider Woman. A college-age girl was Minnie Mouse.
I was Little Red Riding Hood this year. I wore the red cape I got from the Haddon Heights town-wide yard sale event a few weeks ago and the jean skirt and vintage apron from Frugli in Collingswood. I had my own white t-shirt on under the cape and carried an Easter basket trimmed with flowers and Gabe the WebKinz Gray Wolf. Tied a red ribbon in my hair and wore red socks. (Alas, there wasn't much I could about wearing sneakers. My good white shoes are not only inappropriate for the chilly weather, they're not the most comfortable things to stand in for six hours, especially given the way my heel's been feeling.)
I'm now running the original London cast CD for The Phantom of the Opera, as I have every Halloween night since I was in high school. Here's hoping your Halloween was truly spook-tacular!
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Frosty Halloween Weather
Brrr! I awoke to a chilly but sunny morning before Halloween. It was probably in the upper 40s-lower 50s, well below the norm for this time of year. At the very least, the storm hadn't seemed to have caused any trouble here. What very little snow and sleet we had was gone, and other than a few branches and more leaves, there was no indication anywhere that we even had a nor'easter yesterday.
I skipped Brunch With the Beatles in favor of Halloween specials and horror comedies. (I don't do actual horror movies, or anything with heavy gore. I'm not a big fan of blood.) Ran the Winnie the Pooh special, Boo To You, Too! first, then the tape with the three New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh episodes that goes under Frankenpooh.
Most of the stories in Frankenpooh involve Piglet and his imagination, which is a rather big one for such a small pig. "The Monster Frankenpooh", as you can guess, is a spoof of the famous horror film and book, with Piglet as a very unlikely mad scientist and Pooh as the title creature. "Things That Go Piglet In the Night" have the gang scaring each other when they venture into a dark night to investigate a strange sound (that turns out to be Eeyore and a spooked Piglet). "Pooh Moon" is more sci-fi than horror oriented. Pooh and Piglet wander around what they think is the moon after a close encounter with a mud puddle during a camping trip. The others think they're monsters.
Boo to You! reminds me of the Pooh Thanksgiving special and New Adventures Valentine's episode. All three involve a character wanting to cancel the holiday in question because someone raised a fuss or something isn't going right. In this case, the someone raising a fuss is Piglet. Pooh insists they not celebrate Halloween because it frightens their diminutive porcine pal too much. Piglet, however, ends up giving them all a good scare when he takes off and they go after him...and he realizes how brave he can be when he thinks his friends are in danger.
Called Mom during the tail-end of the Frankenpooh video. We talked for over an hour! It's hard for me to discuss a lot of my deeper problems, like my inability to move forward on finding a job. She suggested that I return to yoga, heel spur or no heel spur, and that I get cracking on posting advertisements for my new business and finding places to advertise at. She also suggested I talk to Jodie, Dad-Bruce's girlfriend, who is looking for a job herself, for advice on how to find a job. Whatever I've been doing for almost ten years hasn't found me a real job I can really enjoy. She also suggested looking for smaller college courses in something I could use for work, like doing medical filing. I may look into that.
Ran the original Ghostbusters while I ate a fast lunch and got ready for work. When three Columbia University professors of the paranormal are fired from their jobs, they strike out on their own as professional ghost-chasers. They get more than they bargained for when a lovely musician who lives in a spooky Central Park West apartment building requests their help in finding the evil deity who seems to live in her kitchen. Spooks suddenly start turning up all over the Big Apple, including one hungry little green ghost...
A classic comedy mixing elements of laughs and Dan Ackroyd's long-time interest in real-life paranormal activity, along with some of the most quotable lines of any 80s movie. My favorite was supposedly an ad-lib by Harold Ramis:
Peter Venkman (Bill Murray): Egon, this reminds me of the time you tried to drill a hole in your head.
Egon (Ramis): That would have worked if you hadn't stopped me.
Work was very busy all afternoon, the result of people avoiding the weather yesterday, this being the beginning of the month, and the Eagles playing the 8:20 game tonight against the Dallas Cowboys.)
(And at press time, the Eagles are smashing the Cowboys all over the place, 34-7. I knew they had it in them. ;) )
Brrr! I awoke to a chilly but sunny morning before Halloween. It was probably in the upper 40s-lower 50s, well below the norm for this time of year. At the very least, the storm hadn't seemed to have caused any trouble here. What very little snow and sleet we had was gone, and other than a few branches and more leaves, there was no indication anywhere that we even had a nor'easter yesterday.
I skipped Brunch With the Beatles in favor of Halloween specials and horror comedies. (I don't do actual horror movies, or anything with heavy gore. I'm not a big fan of blood.) Ran the Winnie the Pooh special, Boo To You, Too! first, then the tape with the three New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh episodes that goes under Frankenpooh.
Most of the stories in Frankenpooh involve Piglet and his imagination, which is a rather big one for such a small pig. "The Monster Frankenpooh", as you can guess, is a spoof of the famous horror film and book, with Piglet as a very unlikely mad scientist and Pooh as the title creature. "Things That Go Piglet In the Night" have the gang scaring each other when they venture into a dark night to investigate a strange sound (that turns out to be Eeyore and a spooked Piglet). "Pooh Moon" is more sci-fi than horror oriented. Pooh and Piglet wander around what they think is the moon after a close encounter with a mud puddle during a camping trip. The others think they're monsters.
Boo to You! reminds me of the Pooh Thanksgiving special and New Adventures Valentine's episode. All three involve a character wanting to cancel the holiday in question because someone raised a fuss or something isn't going right. In this case, the someone raising a fuss is Piglet. Pooh insists they not celebrate Halloween because it frightens their diminutive porcine pal too much. Piglet, however, ends up giving them all a good scare when he takes off and they go after him...and he realizes how brave he can be when he thinks his friends are in danger.
Called Mom during the tail-end of the Frankenpooh video. We talked for over an hour! It's hard for me to discuss a lot of my deeper problems, like my inability to move forward on finding a job. She suggested that I return to yoga, heel spur or no heel spur, and that I get cracking on posting advertisements for my new business and finding places to advertise at. She also suggested I talk to Jodie, Dad-Bruce's girlfriend, who is looking for a job herself, for advice on how to find a job. Whatever I've been doing for almost ten years hasn't found me a real job I can really enjoy. She also suggested looking for smaller college courses in something I could use for work, like doing medical filing. I may look into that.
Ran the original Ghostbusters while I ate a fast lunch and got ready for work. When three Columbia University professors of the paranormal are fired from their jobs, they strike out on their own as professional ghost-chasers. They get more than they bargained for when a lovely musician who lives in a spooky Central Park West apartment building requests their help in finding the evil deity who seems to live in her kitchen. Spooks suddenly start turning up all over the Big Apple, including one hungry little green ghost...
A classic comedy mixing elements of laughs and Dan Ackroyd's long-time interest in real-life paranormal activity, along with some of the most quotable lines of any 80s movie. My favorite was supposedly an ad-lib by Harold Ramis:
Peter Venkman (Bill Murray): Egon, this reminds me of the time you tried to drill a hole in your head.
Egon (Ramis): That would have worked if you hadn't stopped me.
Work was very busy all afternoon, the result of people avoiding the weather yesterday, this being the beginning of the month, and the Eagles playing the 8:20 game tonight against the Dallas Cowboys.)
(And at press time, the Eagles are smashing the Cowboys all over the place, 34-7. I knew they had it in them. ;) )
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Puttin' On the Snow
I awoke to the sound of rain pouring on the roof in torrents. Yes, we were getting the huge storm everyone was talking about, though at that point, it was just rain. I ran the American Top 40 while I hoped that the rain would slow down enough for me to go to at least the bank and the farm market. They were in late October 1986 today, a year that seemed to delight in ballads - we heard Don Johnson's "Heartbeat" (yes, the Miami Vice Don Johnson), Boston's "Amanda," Genesis' "Throwin' It All Away," and that week's number one song, the classic Cyndi Lauper ballad "True Colors." (Interestingly, Phil Collins would have an equally popular remake of that number more than a decade later.)
I ended up spending most of the day at home. The rain never slowed down. Sometime before noon, it changed to sleet. I could see it on the side of my porch with fewer trees. I never did get to the farm market or the bank, or anywhere else besides work.
Spent the morning cleaning the bathroom and the kitchen. I ran horror-themed Looney Tunes and Garfield and Friends shorts while I was in the kitchen, and then during lunch. After lunch, I put on Young Frankenstein and worked on crocheting.
Young Frankenstein is one of Mel Brooks' most unusual movies, even for him. For starters, it's one of the few movies he made that he doesn't appear in, even in a cameo. It also has far more atmosphere than most of his films, thanks to the use of the real sets from the original Universal Frankenstein. The script by him and star Gene Wilder is both a funny and oddly touching homage to the films and book. The "young Frankenstein" of the title is the Fredrick Frankenstein (pronounce it "Fraunk-ensteen, please)(Wilder), grandson of the famous mad scientist, who wishes to distance himself from his infamous grandparent. He travels to Transylvania to claim an inheritance. The inheritance turns out to be a spooky castle, an assistant named Igor with a humpback that keeps moving (Marty Feldman), a far more attractive female assistant (Terri Garr), and his grandfather's library of ideas to reanimate dead humans. Believing that his grandfather's theories may work, the trio unearth a dead man and bring him to life...but Igor's mistake with brains may wind up doing a lot more damage than even Fredrick could have predicted.
I've always liked this one. It's perfect for a spooky, rainy afternoon like this one, a great movie to watch while sipping hot chocolate in a cozy room. It's not as goofy as some of Brooks' other movies, with an odd elegance all it's own.
Switched to The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters after Young Frankenstein ended. This one goes further into goofy territory. For once, both Slip and Sach are equally in trouble when they try to buy a lot off a spooky family of mad scientists who want to get their hands on both their brains. Not my favorite Bowery Boys horror comedy, but it is one of the most popular they did. There are some clever touches, notably the man-eating tree.
Obviously, even I wasn't going to attempt to ride to work in sleet. Dad and Jodie drove me to work. Dad drove me home. Work was busy with beginning-of-the-month shoppers when I came in, dead when I left. Someone told me it snowed for a little while. If it did, I didn't see it. When I came out after buying produce to replace what I wasn't able to get at the farm market, it was back to raining and sleeting. It's continued to rain and sleet for the rest of the night.
I awoke to the sound of rain pouring on the roof in torrents. Yes, we were getting the huge storm everyone was talking about, though at that point, it was just rain. I ran the American Top 40 while I hoped that the rain would slow down enough for me to go to at least the bank and the farm market. They were in late October 1986 today, a year that seemed to delight in ballads - we heard Don Johnson's "Heartbeat" (yes, the Miami Vice Don Johnson), Boston's "Amanda," Genesis' "Throwin' It All Away," and that week's number one song, the classic Cyndi Lauper ballad "True Colors." (Interestingly, Phil Collins would have an equally popular remake of that number more than a decade later.)
I ended up spending most of the day at home. The rain never slowed down. Sometime before noon, it changed to sleet. I could see it on the side of my porch with fewer trees. I never did get to the farm market or the bank, or anywhere else besides work.
Spent the morning cleaning the bathroom and the kitchen. I ran horror-themed Looney Tunes and Garfield and Friends shorts while I was in the kitchen, and then during lunch. After lunch, I put on Young Frankenstein and worked on crocheting.
Young Frankenstein is one of Mel Brooks' most unusual movies, even for him. For starters, it's one of the few movies he made that he doesn't appear in, even in a cameo. It also has far more atmosphere than most of his films, thanks to the use of the real sets from the original Universal Frankenstein. The script by him and star Gene Wilder is both a funny and oddly touching homage to the films and book. The "young Frankenstein" of the title is the Fredrick Frankenstein (pronounce it "Fraunk-ensteen, please)(Wilder), grandson of the famous mad scientist, who wishes to distance himself from his infamous grandparent. He travels to Transylvania to claim an inheritance. The inheritance turns out to be a spooky castle, an assistant named Igor with a humpback that keeps moving (Marty Feldman), a far more attractive female assistant (Terri Garr), and his grandfather's library of ideas to reanimate dead humans. Believing that his grandfather's theories may work, the trio unearth a dead man and bring him to life...but Igor's mistake with brains may wind up doing a lot more damage than even Fredrick could have predicted.
I've always liked this one. It's perfect for a spooky, rainy afternoon like this one, a great movie to watch while sipping hot chocolate in a cozy room. It's not as goofy as some of Brooks' other movies, with an odd elegance all it's own.
Switched to The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters after Young Frankenstein ended. This one goes further into goofy territory. For once, both Slip and Sach are equally in trouble when they try to buy a lot off a spooky family of mad scientists who want to get their hands on both their brains. Not my favorite Bowery Boys horror comedy, but it is one of the most popular they did. There are some clever touches, notably the man-eating tree.
Obviously, even I wasn't going to attempt to ride to work in sleet. Dad and Jodie drove me to work. Dad drove me home. Work was busy with beginning-of-the-month shoppers when I came in, dead when I left. Someone told me it snowed for a little while. If it did, I didn't see it. When I came out after buying produce to replace what I wasn't able to get at the farm market, it was back to raining and sleeting. It's continued to rain and sleet for the rest of the night.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Let It Snow...at Halloween?
First thing on the agenda this morning was volunteering at the Oaklyn Library. It was dead quiet there. They had a table set up with Halloween-themed party items and a tablecloth, probably for a party sometime this weekend. I just organized the DVDs and the children's books and headed out.
Strolled to Dad and Uncle Ken's after leaving the Library. It was a gorgeous day. The sun was out, the sky was a fresh, bright blue, and there was a snappy breeze in the air. Dad was removing his exotic plants from the side of the front porch. Jodie was there, too, taking a smoking break outside. I told them both about seeing the doctor and getting the x-ray done earlier in the week, and asked for recommendations of good local general physicians.
When I went home, I had leftovers for lunch again and ran Perfect Strangers. Their one actual Halloween-themed episode was the fourth season's "Aliens." Larry talks Balki, Mary Anne, and Jennifer into watching a night-long marathon of horror movies with him on Halloween night. The other three leave early, but Larry insists on watching the whole marathon...which leads him to having a nightmare (his second of three throughout the series) where he thinks Balki is an alien from the planet Mypos who is taking over the Earth!
The other two episodes weren't about Halloween per se, but they both dealt with supernatural elements. "Fright Night" from the seventh season involves the boys trying to get rid of a ghost who lives in Balki's room in the new house. And in the third season's "The Horn Blows at Midnight," when a psychic predicts Larry will die at midnight, Balki and the girls do their best to keep "Mr. Death" at bay!
The Acme called during "Fright Night." Could I come in as soon as possible? They had a call-out, and it was busy. I was in the middle of lunch! I finally said I'd come in a half-hour early at 4. I had to get my paycheck anyway.
It was cloudy, damp, and a little windy when I headed out to work around 3:30, but nothing out of the ordinary for late October in New Jersey other than how cold it was. I wore my heavy black coat for the first time since last spring! I don't think it was even in the 50s.
As it turned out, the worst of the crowds must have been earlier in the afternoon. It was busy, but no more or less than a normal Friday rush hour at the end of the month. I'm not surprised. For all the fuss about snow, we're not supposed to get more than a few inches at the most, and it's more than likely that it'll stick to the grass and not much else...if that.
I decided to avoid the panic and get my own shopping done. I needed to restock pumpkin, brown sugar, and eggs after this week's baking. Was almost out of yogurt and applesauce, and I wanted more of those on-clearance Acme generic organic multi-grain flatbread (long, crunchy whole-grain crackers) - they're really good.
My schedule next week is ok, not great. On one hand, I have two days off again, Tuesday and Saturday, and only one long shift. Not to mention, the fact that I have hours at this time of year is something. On the other hand, the long day is Monday, which means I'll have to miss trick-or-treating all together, and there's more nights until 9:30 than I'd like.
First thing on the agenda this morning was volunteering at the Oaklyn Library. It was dead quiet there. They had a table set up with Halloween-themed party items and a tablecloth, probably for a party sometime this weekend. I just organized the DVDs and the children's books and headed out.
Strolled to Dad and Uncle Ken's after leaving the Library. It was a gorgeous day. The sun was out, the sky was a fresh, bright blue, and there was a snappy breeze in the air. Dad was removing his exotic plants from the side of the front porch. Jodie was there, too, taking a smoking break outside. I told them both about seeing the doctor and getting the x-ray done earlier in the week, and asked for recommendations of good local general physicians.
When I went home, I had leftovers for lunch again and ran Perfect Strangers. Their one actual Halloween-themed episode was the fourth season's "Aliens." Larry talks Balki, Mary Anne, and Jennifer into watching a night-long marathon of horror movies with him on Halloween night. The other three leave early, but Larry insists on watching the whole marathon...which leads him to having a nightmare (his second of three throughout the series) where he thinks Balki is an alien from the planet Mypos who is taking over the Earth!
The other two episodes weren't about Halloween per se, but they both dealt with supernatural elements. "Fright Night" from the seventh season involves the boys trying to get rid of a ghost who lives in Balki's room in the new house. And in the third season's "The Horn Blows at Midnight," when a psychic predicts Larry will die at midnight, Balki and the girls do their best to keep "Mr. Death" at bay!
The Acme called during "Fright Night." Could I come in as soon as possible? They had a call-out, and it was busy. I was in the middle of lunch! I finally said I'd come in a half-hour early at 4. I had to get my paycheck anyway.
It was cloudy, damp, and a little windy when I headed out to work around 3:30, but nothing out of the ordinary for late October in New Jersey other than how cold it was. I wore my heavy black coat for the first time since last spring! I don't think it was even in the 50s.
As it turned out, the worst of the crowds must have been earlier in the afternoon. It was busy, but no more or less than a normal Friday rush hour at the end of the month. I'm not surprised. For all the fuss about snow, we're not supposed to get more than a few inches at the most, and it's more than likely that it'll stick to the grass and not much else...if that.
I decided to avoid the panic and get my own shopping done. I needed to restock pumpkin, brown sugar, and eggs after this week's baking. Was almost out of yogurt and applesauce, and I wanted more of those on-clearance Acme generic organic multi-grain flatbread (long, crunchy whole-grain crackers) - they're really good.
My schedule next week is ok, not great. On one hand, I have two days off again, Tuesday and Saturday, and only one long shift. Not to mention, the fact that I have hours at this time of year is something. On the other hand, the long day is Monday, which means I'll have to miss trick-or-treating all together, and there's more nights until 9:30 than I'd like.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Whither the Weather
It rained on and off all day, a light rain that didn't really do much besides make everything damp. I ignored the weather and rode into Collingswood for my first Collingswood Library volunteer session in over a month and a half. I'm still going to take time off from yoga because of my foot, but I miss it when I don't do all of my library volunteering. I'm glad I did it today, too. There was a very big stack of DVDs to file and shelve and a lot on the shelves that needed to be organized, especially the kids' and classics sections.
My library visit also confirmed that my decision to switch internet providers was the right one. FA, the librarian who was behind the counter this morning, told me that the Library's internet had been down for all but one hour of their day. Yes, they use Verizon. I should have switched from them ages ago. They can't even keep their business lines up and running, much less residential.
After I finished at the Library, I headed across the street to Frugli, a resale clothes shop. Like the thrift shop before they shut down, they rely on donations for their inventory. Unlike the thrift shop, they don't just take any old thing. They only keep the nicest, newest, most decent clothes, books, videos, DVDs, and accessories, along with some vintage items in good shape.
I made my first find among the vintage items. Hanging with the polyester 70s dresses and 60s paisley blouses were a really cute apron and pot holder made of red and blue cotton. The apron had a flower print on the blue fabric and was trimmed with red rick-rack. The pot holder has beautifully embroidered flowers on the front. I can always use another pot-holder, and I thought the 40s-50s style apron would be great for my Red Riding Hood costume!
As I explored the store, I also came up with a thin but soft Lane Bryant sweater and a pale orange-peach Land's End t-shirt. Neither item looked like it was ever worn. The sweater still had the buttons in their bag dangling on the inside collar! I found a lightly used jean skirt with ivory and green trim on the bottom on sale with the skirts. It's a little tight around the middle, but I'll just wear a shirt that covers it. It'll be a wonderful year-round skirt (I can wear something warm under it in the winter) and look really cute with the apron for my costume. Everything but the apron and pot holder came up on sale, too. I bought all four for about 31 dollars.
The rain was starting to pick up as I headed down to Newton River Park. It was cloudy, humid, fairly warm for this time of year, and not too windy. In fact, I was too warm as I headed for the CVS across from Newton River Park on the border of Collingswood and Oaklyn. In addition to the strained left heel, I've also had a callus on my left big toe for quite a while now. I finally bought some callus pad removers to get rid of it, along with orange juice to make Orange-Cranberry Muffins later and milk.
Not surprisingly, given the weather, I spent the rest of the afternoon at home. Ran some more Get Smart while I had leftovers for lunch. In the fifth season two-parter "House of Max," Max and 99 travel to London to discover that a wax figure who resembles Jack the Ripper has been seen around town committing murders. This leads them to French scientist and sculptor DuVal's "Cave of Wax," with its gruesome set-ups involving both famous Hollywood figures and scary horror icons. Max does his best to find out DuVal's plot and avoid becoming a waxwork himself!
Switched to The Black Cauldron after lunch while I worked on the Cranberry Orange Muffins. Most people probably don't think of "Disney movies" and "Halloween" in the same sentence. This lesser-known Disney animated feature isn't technically a horror film, but the dark atmosphere is forbidding enough for me to have watched it every Halloween for the past four or five years. A young man in a fantasy kingdom is sent to hide his oracular pig from the evil Horned King, who wishes to use her to find the fabled Black Cauldron. Taran learns an lesson in friendship and what really matters in life when he, a princess with a glowing magic ball, a goofy old minstrel, and a perpetually-hungry little creature, look for the Cauldron and try to keep it out of the Horned King's hands.
This was a first for Disney in many respects. It was their first animated movie to feature nary a song, be rated PG, and go in for really heavy action. Alas, for all those "firsts," it's far from a masterpiece. Taran and Elonwy are not the most exciting characters, the all-important pig is barely mentioned after the first half, and a lot of it just seems jumbled or doesn't make sense. It was adapted from the Chronicles of Prydain series of novels by Lloyd Alexander, and trying to condense a five-book series into one short movie really did not work.
On the other hand, the dark, spooky atmosphere is spot-on. The animation is really quite well-done, especially the Horned King and his castle and his Army of the Undead. There was apparently to have been more of the Fair Folk, but a lot of their sequences got cut.
I have fond memories of seeing this in the theater when it first came out in 1985, but I can really understand why it wasn't well received by critics or most movie-goers at the time. Fantasy fans and older kids who think they've seen every Disney movie out there may enjoy this...but please, it's not for little guys. It earns that PG rating with action movie violence, ghoulish scenes of the walking undead, and at least one character who jumps into the cauldron to destroy it.
Ran two horror-themed Tiny Toons episodes as I did the dishes and a few chores around the apartment. "Stuff That Goes Bump In the Night" and "The Return of the Acme Acres Zone" are anthology episodes with myriad spoofs of science fiction and horror cliches. "Acme Acres Zone" has my favorites - a dead-on spoof of Blade Runner and film noir, a take on old-haunted-house movies with Plucky and Hampton being spooked by a poltergeist working the day shift, and a hilarious take on "Duck Dodgers" that marks the only appearance on Tiny Toons of Marvin the Martian and his protege Marsha.
The weather had changed significantly by the time I headed to work. It was a bit colder and much windier! The clouds had darkened as well, but it wasn't doing anything besides blowing. I made it in and out of work with no problems. I wasn't working a very long shift tonight, anyway.
I heard people at work mention snow. Yes, it looks like we may be getting some snow Saturday night. I hope it doesn't make people go crazy. First of all, it's late October in southern New Jersey. Even if we do get snow, it probably won't stick. Second, even if it did, it's only three inches. It's not like it's the end of the world.
It rained on and off all day, a light rain that didn't really do much besides make everything damp. I ignored the weather and rode into Collingswood for my first Collingswood Library volunteer session in over a month and a half. I'm still going to take time off from yoga because of my foot, but I miss it when I don't do all of my library volunteering. I'm glad I did it today, too. There was a very big stack of DVDs to file and shelve and a lot on the shelves that needed to be organized, especially the kids' and classics sections.
My library visit also confirmed that my decision to switch internet providers was the right one. FA, the librarian who was behind the counter this morning, told me that the Library's internet had been down for all but one hour of their day. Yes, they use Verizon. I should have switched from them ages ago. They can't even keep their business lines up and running, much less residential.
After I finished at the Library, I headed across the street to Frugli, a resale clothes shop. Like the thrift shop before they shut down, they rely on donations for their inventory. Unlike the thrift shop, they don't just take any old thing. They only keep the nicest, newest, most decent clothes, books, videos, DVDs, and accessories, along with some vintage items in good shape.
I made my first find among the vintage items. Hanging with the polyester 70s dresses and 60s paisley blouses were a really cute apron and pot holder made of red and blue cotton. The apron had a flower print on the blue fabric and was trimmed with red rick-rack. The pot holder has beautifully embroidered flowers on the front. I can always use another pot-holder, and I thought the 40s-50s style apron would be great for my Red Riding Hood costume!
As I explored the store, I also came up with a thin but soft Lane Bryant sweater and a pale orange-peach Land's End t-shirt. Neither item looked like it was ever worn. The sweater still had the buttons in their bag dangling on the inside collar! I found a lightly used jean skirt with ivory and green trim on the bottom on sale with the skirts. It's a little tight around the middle, but I'll just wear a shirt that covers it. It'll be a wonderful year-round skirt (I can wear something warm under it in the winter) and look really cute with the apron for my costume. Everything but the apron and pot holder came up on sale, too. I bought all four for about 31 dollars.
The rain was starting to pick up as I headed down to Newton River Park. It was cloudy, humid, fairly warm for this time of year, and not too windy. In fact, I was too warm as I headed for the CVS across from Newton River Park on the border of Collingswood and Oaklyn. In addition to the strained left heel, I've also had a callus on my left big toe for quite a while now. I finally bought some callus pad removers to get rid of it, along with orange juice to make Orange-Cranberry Muffins later and milk.
Not surprisingly, given the weather, I spent the rest of the afternoon at home. Ran some more Get Smart while I had leftovers for lunch. In the fifth season two-parter "House of Max," Max and 99 travel to London to discover that a wax figure who resembles Jack the Ripper has been seen around town committing murders. This leads them to French scientist and sculptor DuVal's "Cave of Wax," with its gruesome set-ups involving both famous Hollywood figures and scary horror icons. Max does his best to find out DuVal's plot and avoid becoming a waxwork himself!
Switched to The Black Cauldron after lunch while I worked on the Cranberry Orange Muffins. Most people probably don't think of "Disney movies" and "Halloween" in the same sentence. This lesser-known Disney animated feature isn't technically a horror film, but the dark atmosphere is forbidding enough for me to have watched it every Halloween for the past four or five years. A young man in a fantasy kingdom is sent to hide his oracular pig from the evil Horned King, who wishes to use her to find the fabled Black Cauldron. Taran learns an lesson in friendship and what really matters in life when he, a princess with a glowing magic ball, a goofy old minstrel, and a perpetually-hungry little creature, look for the Cauldron and try to keep it out of the Horned King's hands.
This was a first for Disney in many respects. It was their first animated movie to feature nary a song, be rated PG, and go in for really heavy action. Alas, for all those "firsts," it's far from a masterpiece. Taran and Elonwy are not the most exciting characters, the all-important pig is barely mentioned after the first half, and a lot of it just seems jumbled or doesn't make sense. It was adapted from the Chronicles of Prydain series of novels by Lloyd Alexander, and trying to condense a five-book series into one short movie really did not work.
On the other hand, the dark, spooky atmosphere is spot-on. The animation is really quite well-done, especially the Horned King and his castle and his Army of the Undead. There was apparently to have been more of the Fair Folk, but a lot of their sequences got cut.
I have fond memories of seeing this in the theater when it first came out in 1985, but I can really understand why it wasn't well received by critics or most movie-goers at the time. Fantasy fans and older kids who think they've seen every Disney movie out there may enjoy this...but please, it's not for little guys. It earns that PG rating with action movie violence, ghoulish scenes of the walking undead, and at least one character who jumps into the cauldron to destroy it.
Ran two horror-themed Tiny Toons episodes as I did the dishes and a few chores around the apartment. "Stuff That Goes Bump In the Night" and "The Return of the Acme Acres Zone" are anthology episodes with myriad spoofs of science fiction and horror cliches. "Acme Acres Zone" has my favorites - a dead-on spoof of Blade Runner and film noir, a take on old-haunted-house movies with Plucky and Hampton being spooked by a poltergeist working the day shift, and a hilarious take on "Duck Dodgers" that marks the only appearance on Tiny Toons of Marvin the Martian and his protege Marsha.
The weather had changed significantly by the time I headed to work. It was a bit colder and much windier! The clouds had darkened as well, but it wasn't doing anything besides blowing. I made it in and out of work with no problems. I wasn't working a very long shift tonight, anyway.
I heard people at work mention snow. Yes, it looks like we may be getting some snow Saturday night. I hope it doesn't make people go crazy. First of all, it's late October in southern New Jersey. Even if we do get snow, it probably won't stick. Second, even if it did, it's only three inches. It's not like it's the end of the world.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
X-Ray Marks the Spot
Rose did drive me to South Jersey Radiology. We were a few minutes late, but that was all right. As it turns out, AmeriHealth doesn't require referrals, so there wasn't much to sign or explain. Not to mention, even if they did, I had the note from Dr. Berlin. I waited a few minutes in a booth, then went into a room, pulled a big heavy apron on a plastic tube around my waist, let the doctor take two pictures of my foot, waited while the doctor developed the film, picked up the film, and left.
Rose and I talked going there and back. She wants me to find a gynecologist and a general physician. I did some research on both when I got back in, since I had no other plans for this afternoon. When I'd found some names that looked worthwhile, I had lunch and watched two fairly spooky Get Smart episodes, the first season's "Weekend Vampire" and the third's "The Mummy."
Went to work not long after Get Smart ended. Work was fairly busy all night, probably with the first of the beginning-of-the-month people. Thankfully, there were no real problems besides a lack of help (we had call-outs). I was in and out with no problems.
Rose did drive me to South Jersey Radiology. We were a few minutes late, but that was all right. As it turns out, AmeriHealth doesn't require referrals, so there wasn't much to sign or explain. Not to mention, even if they did, I had the note from Dr. Berlin. I waited a few minutes in a booth, then went into a room, pulled a big heavy apron on a plastic tube around my waist, let the doctor take two pictures of my foot, waited while the doctor developed the film, picked up the film, and left.
Rose and I talked going there and back. She wants me to find a gynecologist and a general physician. I did some research on both when I got back in, since I had no other plans for this afternoon. When I'd found some names that looked worthwhile, I had lunch and watched two fairly spooky Get Smart episodes, the first season's "Weekend Vampire" and the third's "The Mummy."
Went to work not long after Get Smart ended. Work was fairly busy all night, probably with the first of the beginning-of-the-month people. Thankfully, there were no real problems besides a lack of help (we had call-outs). I was in and out with no problems.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
No Insurance of Good Health
I spent a frustrating morning trying to get the X-ray matter settled. I called the South Jersey Radiology branch at Haddonfield. Yes, they take AmeriHealth. Do I have an insurance card? Uh, no. I didn't think so. I hadn't needed one before. I used Uncle Ken and Bruce's doctor when I got my knee checked out in 2007. I made my appointment for 11:10 tomorrow and told them I'd figure out the insurance thing.
Next, I called Rose for a ride to Haddonfield tomorrow. I don't like asking for rides, especially from someone as busy as Rose, but Jodie and Dad are still down at the Jersey Shore. I told her about my foot and the X-ray appointment. She asked me why I didn't have this better organized and hadn't called AmeriHealth about this. And why don't I have a primary health care physician? Why haven't I had a checkup, or a mammogram?
I don't know. I guess, part of it is the manual they send is long, thick, and filled with boring jargon I don't understand. It would take a very patient doctor to plow through it. The paperwork is endless. Not to mention, I don't get sick enough to need a doctor that often. I just haven't gotten around to the mammogram. I will, eventually.
I wish I knew how to handle this better. This is the first time I've ever had health insurance. Fishing boat workers are considered self-employed and don't have health insurance. My parents always paid for anything health-related when I was a kid.
It was past 12:30 when I finally got off the phone with her and got going to the Haddon Township Library for this week's volunteer session there. It was absolutely gorgeous when I headed out, sunny, breezy but not too windy, and in the lower 60s, perfectly normal and lovely weather for late October in southern New Jersey. I stopped at the Oaklyn Post Office really quick first to send off two Halloween card and a birthday card, then rode through a busy Newton River Park to Westmont.
The Haddon Township Library wasn't busy by the time I arrived. It was too nice to be hanging around inside! This was reflected in the stacks, too. There weren't nearly as many children's books to put away as usual. There was a very small pile of adult DVDs and no kids' movies. I organized the kids' DVDs, put the DVDs that were there away, and shelved kids' books and put Halloween ones on display. I ended up taking out two more Scooby Doo DVDs (the newest movie Scooby Doo and the Phantosaur and another recently-released random episode collection, Scooby Doo and the Pirates) and the Angelina Ballerina DVD Lights, Camera, Action! that has their Halloween episode. (It was the only Halloween episode of any series I could find.)
Went across the street to Westmont Plaza after I left. I needed a few things at Super Fresh. The were having a $1 sale on their generic cake mixes. I needed white cake mix after making that Pumpkin Cake last week. They also have frequent sales on grits, which I love to have for breakfast in the fall and winter. I also grabbed a Halloween card for my sister and nephew.
I made it to the Bagel Shop across the Plaza about twenty minutes before they shut down. One of the waitresses was mopping the very back of the dining area as I ordered my Roast Beef and Provolone Sandwich on a Sesame Seed Bagel with Spicy Mustard, Lettuce, and Onion. There are some advantages to being a quick eater. I managed to finish my sandwich and pay right before they closed.
After that, I went straight home. I spent a couple of hours finishing the Holiday Music Inventory, then baked Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies (thought I'd try a different recipe than usual) and ran the Scooby Doo DVDs.
Phantosaur takes the gang out west to a health spa to try to help poor Shaggy recuperate after their last mystery. As usual, where the gang goes, ghosts follow...no matter what Shaggy wants. When a ghostly dinosaur starts haunting the people of the town and the archeological dig in an old mine, Shaggy's ready to turn tail...until the spa's owner hypnotizes him into becoming truly brave! While Shaggy takes on a biker club, Velma's fallen head-over-heels for the archeologist's assistant, but her feelings for him makes her ignore the weird signals he's giving off...
Not great, not bad. I thought the mystery was interesting, and a brave Shaggy was truly a sight to behold. (Check him out taking on the entire biker club...by himself!) Probably best for dinosaur lovers or Scooby fanatics who have seen the other movies.
The Pirates episode collection was something of a misnomer. The first episode, "Hassle In the Castle" from the original Scooby Doo, Where are You? series, doesn't really have anything to do with pirates. This spooky tale of magic and mystery is one of the best of the first series, though, so it gets a pass. "Go Away Ghost Ship" obviously has a far better relation to the theme. The ghost of Redbeard the Pirate and his ship is stealing cargo from Mr. Merton's line. The gang investigates before Merton is driven out of business.
The third episode, "The Ghostly Creep from the Deep," is from The New Scooby Doo Movies. Scooby Doo fans know these as the hour-long episodes that featured caricatures of kid-friendly "celebrities" from the early 70s solving mysteries with Mystery Inc. The celebs in question here are basketball group the Harlem Globetrotters, who help the kids deal with the return of Redbeard the Pirate, this time in an abandoned inn next to a scary swamp. An old man tries to warn the kids and basketball players away, but what is he really after?
Campy as all get-out, more than the original show, but still pretty funny, too. I kind of wish it had been another celebrity besides the Globetrotters, though. I'm not a basketball fan, and their antics wore out pretty quickly. If nothing else, I got to hear the second theme song that stuck to the show well into the 80s.
I spent a frustrating morning trying to get the X-ray matter settled. I called the South Jersey Radiology branch at Haddonfield. Yes, they take AmeriHealth. Do I have an insurance card? Uh, no. I didn't think so. I hadn't needed one before. I used Uncle Ken and Bruce's doctor when I got my knee checked out in 2007. I made my appointment for 11:10 tomorrow and told them I'd figure out the insurance thing.
Next, I called Rose for a ride to Haddonfield tomorrow. I don't like asking for rides, especially from someone as busy as Rose, but Jodie and Dad are still down at the Jersey Shore. I told her about my foot and the X-ray appointment. She asked me why I didn't have this better organized and hadn't called AmeriHealth about this. And why don't I have a primary health care physician? Why haven't I had a checkup, or a mammogram?
I don't know. I guess, part of it is the manual they send is long, thick, and filled with boring jargon I don't understand. It would take a very patient doctor to plow through it. The paperwork is endless. Not to mention, I don't get sick enough to need a doctor that often. I just haven't gotten around to the mammogram. I will, eventually.
I wish I knew how to handle this better. This is the first time I've ever had health insurance. Fishing boat workers are considered self-employed and don't have health insurance. My parents always paid for anything health-related when I was a kid.
It was past 12:30 when I finally got off the phone with her and got going to the Haddon Township Library for this week's volunteer session there. It was absolutely gorgeous when I headed out, sunny, breezy but not too windy, and in the lower 60s, perfectly normal and lovely weather for late October in southern New Jersey. I stopped at the Oaklyn Post Office really quick first to send off two Halloween card and a birthday card, then rode through a busy Newton River Park to Westmont.
The Haddon Township Library wasn't busy by the time I arrived. It was too nice to be hanging around inside! This was reflected in the stacks, too. There weren't nearly as many children's books to put away as usual. There was a very small pile of adult DVDs and no kids' movies. I organized the kids' DVDs, put the DVDs that were there away, and shelved kids' books and put Halloween ones on display. I ended up taking out two more Scooby Doo DVDs (the newest movie Scooby Doo and the Phantosaur and another recently-released random episode collection, Scooby Doo and the Pirates) and the Angelina Ballerina DVD Lights, Camera, Action! that has their Halloween episode. (It was the only Halloween episode of any series I could find.)
Went across the street to Westmont Plaza after I left. I needed a few things at Super Fresh. The were having a $1 sale on their generic cake mixes. I needed white cake mix after making that Pumpkin Cake last week. They also have frequent sales on grits, which I love to have for breakfast in the fall and winter. I also grabbed a Halloween card for my sister and nephew.
I made it to the Bagel Shop across the Plaza about twenty minutes before they shut down. One of the waitresses was mopping the very back of the dining area as I ordered my Roast Beef and Provolone Sandwich on a Sesame Seed Bagel with Spicy Mustard, Lettuce, and Onion. There are some advantages to being a quick eater. I managed to finish my sandwich and pay right before they closed.
After that, I went straight home. I spent a couple of hours finishing the Holiday Music Inventory, then baked Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies (thought I'd try a different recipe than usual) and ran the Scooby Doo DVDs.
Phantosaur takes the gang out west to a health spa to try to help poor Shaggy recuperate after their last mystery. As usual, where the gang goes, ghosts follow...no matter what Shaggy wants. When a ghostly dinosaur starts haunting the people of the town and the archeological dig in an old mine, Shaggy's ready to turn tail...until the spa's owner hypnotizes him into becoming truly brave! While Shaggy takes on a biker club, Velma's fallen head-over-heels for the archeologist's assistant, but her feelings for him makes her ignore the weird signals he's giving off...
Not great, not bad. I thought the mystery was interesting, and a brave Shaggy was truly a sight to behold. (Check him out taking on the entire biker club...by himself!) Probably best for dinosaur lovers or Scooby fanatics who have seen the other movies.
The Pirates episode collection was something of a misnomer. The first episode, "Hassle In the Castle" from the original Scooby Doo, Where are You? series, doesn't really have anything to do with pirates. This spooky tale of magic and mystery is one of the best of the first series, though, so it gets a pass. "Go Away Ghost Ship" obviously has a far better relation to the theme. The ghost of Redbeard the Pirate and his ship is stealing cargo from Mr. Merton's line. The gang investigates before Merton is driven out of business.
The third episode, "The Ghostly Creep from the Deep," is from The New Scooby Doo Movies. Scooby Doo fans know these as the hour-long episodes that featured caricatures of kid-friendly "celebrities" from the early 70s solving mysteries with Mystery Inc. The celebs in question here are basketball group the Harlem Globetrotters, who help the kids deal with the return of Redbeard the Pirate, this time in an abandoned inn next to a scary swamp. An old man tries to warn the kids and basketball players away, but what is he really after?
Campy as all get-out, more than the original show, but still pretty funny, too. I kind of wish it had been another celebrity besides the Globetrotters, though. I'm not a basketball fan, and their antics wore out pretty quickly. If nothing else, I got to hear the second theme song that stuck to the show well into the 80s.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)