Started the My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic set yesterday and finished it this morning. While I don't understand how guys got into it, I can generally see why it's been so well-received. It's very well-written, with some of the most full-fleshed characters in any kid-oriented series. My favorites are sassy Applejack and her enormous family and sweet, scholarly Twilight Sparkle. Subsequently, my favorite episodes revolved around them.
Applejack is put in charge of the "Apple Family Reunion," but she makes too many activities that has her family getting worn out rather than enjoying the company. Poor Twilight Sparkle feels left out when her friends all have jobs to do during the "Winter Round Up," but discovers that organization is the most important job of all when it looks like spring will be late due to everyone in Ponyville fighting over which job is bigger. Another cute episode was the last one. Nutty Pinkie Pie wants to have fun with all her friends in "Too Many Pinkie Pies," but there's so many invitations! She can't be in more than one place at a time...or can she? When an ancient spell gives her clones, she thinks she has the way to have all the fun she could ever want, until the clones multiply.
Another goal of mine is to finally do some craft projects I've put off for a while, starting with a new collage. I made one a couple of years ago from various catalogs that I accumulate, but I never had a chance to make another one until today. I cut out photos from the four catalogs Vermont Country Store sent me, the two from American Girl, one each from J.C Penney and L.L Bean. I ended up with photos of several dolls (including Molly, Kit, Rebecca, and a lovely pose of a doll skating from AG's Christmas wish release), all of whom represent my fondness for dolls, skating, and the past. There was a well-dressed woman in a simple outfit, a popcorn maker, a coconut cake and several toys from the Vermont Country Store, and the Frozen dolls - I dress simply, love my cooking, and enjoy cartoons. The little girls in costume remind me of how my sisters and I loved to play dress-up when we were younger. I may see if I can try to make one of these once a season to clear out back catalogs from now on.
The collage took longer than I'd hoped, and I was almost late for work again. I wish I'd stayed at home. Work was a total pain in the rear. People who had been stuck inside for nearly a week thanks to the fluctuating weather were getting cranky and frustrated, and they were taking it out on us. I was fussed at and whined at all day long. I was so glad when one of the college boys came in for my relief and I could head home.
Did some more kids' shows when I got in while making Chocolate-Cranberry Cupcakes, and then leftover ham and roasted Brussels sprouts for dinner. Some of my favorite Max & Ruby episodes revolve around New Year's and the end of the holiday season. "Max's Christmas Passed" has Ruby feeling a little down when she has to take down the Christmas decorations. Max does his best to make his sister feel better about the end of the holiday. Max and Ruby are excited about being able to stay up until midnight for the first time in "Max's New Year," but Max is even more excited about the clock-shaped cookies Grandma baked. In "Ruby's Gingerbread House," Ruby and Louise want to set up a beautiful gingerbread dwelling, but their icing just isn't sticky enough to hold the walls together. Max, on the other hand, just wants them to try his gummy worms.
The Backyardigans have more fun in sci-fi and action cliches. You can't stop the cops in "Cops and Robots," as space police-critters Tyrone and Uniqua chase bad 'bots Pablo and Tasha across the galaxy. Uniqua and Pablo have even more trouble moving Sultan Tyrone's magic objects, even with the help of Genie Austin, in "Movers of Arabia."
Life is a lazy river - no matter where you are. Movies, musicals, mysteries, pop culture, and lots of other great stuff.
Wednesday, January 08, 2014
Tuesday, January 07, 2014
Jack Frost Nipping at Your Nose
I overslept this morning, something I haven't done in a long time. Consequently, I was late getting out the door to run errands. Maybe it was just as well. Today was not the right time to be lingering outdoors. It was bitterly cold when I finally made it out the door. I knew I had a lot of errands I couldn't skip, so I dressed warmly, layering my thick black knit pants over stockings, socks over the stockings, sheepskin-lined boots over the socks, and my heavy red tunic sweater over my red turtleneck. I wore the stocking cap Mom knitted me a couple of years ago, but I might have been better off in my earmuffs. The hat didn't cover my ears very well.
While I was able to ride on the road, there were still problems getting around. Not only was it still quite blustery, but ice had coated some sidewalks and curbs where snow melted and ran off the hillsides, then froze again. I did my best to dodge the ice and the traffic on Cuthbert as I made my way to Haddon Township Library for my first volunteering session there in over two weeks.
Actually, I was mainly there to return those DVDs I took out the last time I was there. I mostly did what I could with the still-overflowing children's DVDs shelves. Many older DVDs had been replaced by new copies, but the librarians won't or can't take the old copies out of circulation. An elderly volunteer who was shelving children's books had a good idea. Why not pull the older copy and put them on the cart used for DVDs that need to be shelved? That way, they'll be off the shelf, but people can still take them out, and the librarians will see just how bad the overflow is. Even with her suggestions and reorganizing all of the various series, I still had Spongebob Square Pants sets that didn't fit. The other thing they really need to do but seem reluctant to try is weeding out the older titles of certain series. Do they really need 60 sets each of Scooby Doo, Bob the Builder, Dora the Explorer, Thomas the Tank Engine, SpongeBob Square Pants, Pokemon, and Sesame Street?
It took me so long to do the kids' DVDs, I barely had enough time to shelve the adult titles and take out a few of my own. Haddon Township had gotten the newest Barbie As/Is title in, this one another adventure with her sisters, A Pony Tale. Speaking of horses, I've heard so much about My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, I had to grab the new set they'd just gotten in. (They've had Equestria Girls for a couple of months, but wanted to see the characters as ponies first.) The Max & Ruby set Everybunny Loves Winter features stories about New Year's and how the bunny siblings handle the end of the holidays. Also found the just re-released Winnie the Pooh: A Very Pooh New Year.
My counseling appointment was at 1. I dashed out of the Library at almost 12:40. Not the brightest thing I ever did. The ice was especially bad on the sidewalk going past Haddon Township's junior high - I had to walk it on the street in a lot of places because the ice was too thick to ride on! Thankfully, it was mostly better in Haddonfield, but I was still ten minutes late.
Mrs. Stahl said she was more worried than angry. When I did finally get in and shed my winter gear, we discussed my eventful holidays, the past two weeks, and how I deal with the winter weather. I told her what Mom told me about my being "emotional special needs." Story of my life - I'm always in the middle, neither average enough for "regular" school or special enough for "special ed" school. It's why I have such a hard time fitting in. I never feel like I'm quite right - not enough of one thing to belong to that group, not enough of another to belong to this group. When everyone around you is this or that, what do you do when you're the "or?"
I have got to get out of the Acme. I don't belong there. It's the wrong job for me. It doesn't suit my personality at all. Which leads me back to square one. I'm totally out of ideas. I'm not keen on taking any kind of classes, but then what? What jobs would suit me? Should I start my own business? Should I do what I used to do and go from office to office, hand them a resume, and beg them for a job? What am I good at? What do I want to do? I just don't know. All I know is it isn't working retail.
Mrs. Stahl basically said "get a hold of Stockton when they get back into session and consider substitute teaching." On one hand, Amanda does it, it might earn some extra money, and I do like working with younger kids. On the other hand, it would require messing with the Acme schedule, and that's not always possible. I don't know what days I'll have off from week to week.
I'm pretty fed up with Stockton right now. I wasn't happy with them when they didn't help me much when I was going there. I am going to call them when they start up again and see if I can set up another appointment. Their career center site is useless. Lots of companies listed...with no jobs, and very little that actually interests me. And I'm not really good at the traditional "send out your resume and schmooze everyone you know for a job" approach anyway. I don't know how to sell myself well enough to pull that off. I would prefer some ideas that are more outside the box.
I went to the Bistro at Haddonfield for lunch after I left Shelly Stahl. They were surprisingly busy for 2PM, with a varied crowd of college students, professionals from the offices on King's Highway, and old people avoiding the biting chill. Despite the crowd, my wrap, fries, and hot chocolate came within 10 minutes of ordering them. I had a delicious Jerk Chicken Wrap, baked with melted provolone cheese, red and green peppers, and lightly spiced chicken chunks. The fries were incredible, thin and perfectly fried, just as good as McDonald's (without the greasy container). The hot chocolate was a little disappointing, probably just Swiss Miss, but given the weather, it was something I rather badly needed.
Went straight home after that. Thanks to all that ice and the traffic on Haddon Avenue, Cuthbert Road, and the White Horse Pike, I left at quarter of 3 and didn't get in until past 4. I wasn't originally going to cut through Newton River Park, but I did anyway to avoid the traffic on Cuthbert. The mostly-frozen river had an austere beauty that sparkled against the waning sunlight. Needless to say, the only other people I passed on my way home were another bike rider and a flock of Canadian geese who'd probably experienced worse temperatures in their native north.
(Oh, and Mrs. Stahl checked the weather app on her smartphone while I was there - it reported the temperature was 9 degrees. The marquee outside the Westmont Fire Department said 13, which is what most other reports here said.)
I had a package waiting for me in the mailbox when I got home. The final items of my Christmas Amazon.com order had arrived! I picked up the last two Rankin/Bass specials avalible on regular DVD that I don't have, Jack Frost and The First Christmas: The Story of the First Christmas Snow. I ran the former as I got organized after my ride and made herbal tea to warm up my insides.
Jack Frost is basically Santa Claus Is Coming To Town crossed with a winter-oriented The Little Mermaid. This Jack is the head of the Winter Creatures, who snip snowflakes and send them down to Earth. He falls for a beautiful human girl after he saves her from going over the falls and implores Father Winter, who is in charge of all the Winter Creatures, to make him human. He agrees to make Jack and his friends Snip and Holly human until spring. Jack will only stay human if he can get a bag of gold, a horse, a home, and a loving wife. Winning the pretty girl becomes more complicated when she falls for a handsome knight, and their poor Russian village is threatened by the evil Cossack King, who wants the girl for his bride.
The third-to-last Rankin/Bass holiday special is an oddity in their canon in several respects. First of all, while there is a rather sweet Christmas sequence and song, the majority of the show is set on and around Groundhog's Day (hence the narrator, Buddy Hackett as Pardon Me Pete the Groundhog). Second, this is one of the very few Rankin/Bass specials with a bittersweet, rather sad ending. For older kids and their parents, this is one of my favorite 70s Rankin/Bass specials and really deserves to be better-known.
Moved to The Story of the First Christmas Snow as I gave the bathroom a desperately-needed scrubbing. This is a shorter, simpler tale from the mid-70s. A little orphan shepherd boy named Lucas is struck by lightening that blinds him. He's rescued and nursed back to health by kindly Sister Teresa (Angela Landsbury, who also narrates). While the priest in her parish (Cyril Ritchard) tries to figure out what to do with Lucas, Sister Teresa, their dog, and the other kids in the town help Lucas cope. All Lucas wants is to feel a white Christmas, just like the ones Sister Teresa describes in her Christmas cards. Little does he know that he and Sister Teresa may get their wish...
I'm not a big fan of this one, but I bought it anyway to finish out my Rankin/Bass collection. While I do like Lucas' touching relationship with Sister Teresa and the dog, it's a little too melodramatic for my taste, especially the ending. It doesn't work nearly as well as the other Rankin/Bass religious specials, the two Little Drummer Boy tales and Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey. For Rankin/Bass fans only; those looking for religious Christmas programming will want to go to the earlier stories first.
Ran Barbie and Her Sisters In a Pony Tale as I finished the bathroom and started a broccoli, mushroom, and cheese omelet for dinner. Barbie, Stacie, Skipper, and Chelsie are now in Switzerland, visiting their aunt's riding academy. The trip doesn't go well at first. Stacie thinks she can master riding as well as every other sport, but discovers handling a living horse is much different than handling a skateboard. Chelsie is upset that she can't ride the big horses, like her sisters. Skipper spends most of the trip online and on her tablet, avoiding anything but blogging. Barbie just can't find a horse she's able to bond with...until she encounters a mysterious white stallion with a pink streak in its mane in the Alps. While the nasty riding teacher at the next school over insists it's just a myth, Barbie eventually befriends it. Horse and rider eventually ends up saving the school and teaching everyone a lesson in friendship in the process.
While it's not bad, I didn't like it as much as the first story of Barbie and her sisters. I really would have liked to have seen more of her sisters and less of the horses, and the whole "magical" aspect seemed a tad tacked-on. I have the feeling horse-crazy little girls will be more into this one than me.
While I was able to ride on the road, there were still problems getting around. Not only was it still quite blustery, but ice had coated some sidewalks and curbs where snow melted and ran off the hillsides, then froze again. I did my best to dodge the ice and the traffic on Cuthbert as I made my way to Haddon Township Library for my first volunteering session there in over two weeks.
Actually, I was mainly there to return those DVDs I took out the last time I was there. I mostly did what I could with the still-overflowing children's DVDs shelves. Many older DVDs had been replaced by new copies, but the librarians won't or can't take the old copies out of circulation. An elderly volunteer who was shelving children's books had a good idea. Why not pull the older copy and put them on the cart used for DVDs that need to be shelved? That way, they'll be off the shelf, but people can still take them out, and the librarians will see just how bad the overflow is. Even with her suggestions and reorganizing all of the various series, I still had Spongebob Square Pants sets that didn't fit. The other thing they really need to do but seem reluctant to try is weeding out the older titles of certain series. Do they really need 60 sets each of Scooby Doo, Bob the Builder, Dora the Explorer, Thomas the Tank Engine, SpongeBob Square Pants, Pokemon, and Sesame Street?
It took me so long to do the kids' DVDs, I barely had enough time to shelve the adult titles and take out a few of my own. Haddon Township had gotten the newest Barbie As/Is title in, this one another adventure with her sisters, A Pony Tale. Speaking of horses, I've heard so much about My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, I had to grab the new set they'd just gotten in. (They've had Equestria Girls for a couple of months, but wanted to see the characters as ponies first.) The Max & Ruby set Everybunny Loves Winter features stories about New Year's and how the bunny siblings handle the end of the holidays. Also found the just re-released Winnie the Pooh: A Very Pooh New Year.
My counseling appointment was at 1. I dashed out of the Library at almost 12:40. Not the brightest thing I ever did. The ice was especially bad on the sidewalk going past Haddon Township's junior high - I had to walk it on the street in a lot of places because the ice was too thick to ride on! Thankfully, it was mostly better in Haddonfield, but I was still ten minutes late.
Mrs. Stahl said she was more worried than angry. When I did finally get in and shed my winter gear, we discussed my eventful holidays, the past two weeks, and how I deal with the winter weather. I told her what Mom told me about my being "emotional special needs." Story of my life - I'm always in the middle, neither average enough for "regular" school or special enough for "special ed" school. It's why I have such a hard time fitting in. I never feel like I'm quite right - not enough of one thing to belong to that group, not enough of another to belong to this group. When everyone around you is this or that, what do you do when you're the "or?"
I have got to get out of the Acme. I don't belong there. It's the wrong job for me. It doesn't suit my personality at all. Which leads me back to square one. I'm totally out of ideas. I'm not keen on taking any kind of classes, but then what? What jobs would suit me? Should I start my own business? Should I do what I used to do and go from office to office, hand them a resume, and beg them for a job? What am I good at? What do I want to do? I just don't know. All I know is it isn't working retail.
Mrs. Stahl basically said "get a hold of Stockton when they get back into session and consider substitute teaching." On one hand, Amanda does it, it might earn some extra money, and I do like working with younger kids. On the other hand, it would require messing with the Acme schedule, and that's not always possible. I don't know what days I'll have off from week to week.
I'm pretty fed up with Stockton right now. I wasn't happy with them when they didn't help me much when I was going there. I am going to call them when they start up again and see if I can set up another appointment. Their career center site is useless. Lots of companies listed...with no jobs, and very little that actually interests me. And I'm not really good at the traditional "send out your resume and schmooze everyone you know for a job" approach anyway. I don't know how to sell myself well enough to pull that off. I would prefer some ideas that are more outside the box.
I went to the Bistro at Haddonfield for lunch after I left Shelly Stahl. They were surprisingly busy for 2PM, with a varied crowd of college students, professionals from the offices on King's Highway, and old people avoiding the biting chill. Despite the crowd, my wrap, fries, and hot chocolate came within 10 minutes of ordering them. I had a delicious Jerk Chicken Wrap, baked with melted provolone cheese, red and green peppers, and lightly spiced chicken chunks. The fries were incredible, thin and perfectly fried, just as good as McDonald's (without the greasy container). The hot chocolate was a little disappointing, probably just Swiss Miss, but given the weather, it was something I rather badly needed.
Went straight home after that. Thanks to all that ice and the traffic on Haddon Avenue, Cuthbert Road, and the White Horse Pike, I left at quarter of 3 and didn't get in until past 4. I wasn't originally going to cut through Newton River Park, but I did anyway to avoid the traffic on Cuthbert. The mostly-frozen river had an austere beauty that sparkled against the waning sunlight. Needless to say, the only other people I passed on my way home were another bike rider and a flock of Canadian geese who'd probably experienced worse temperatures in their native north.
(Oh, and Mrs. Stahl checked the weather app on her smartphone while I was there - it reported the temperature was 9 degrees. The marquee outside the Westmont Fire Department said 13, which is what most other reports here said.)
I had a package waiting for me in the mailbox when I got home. The final items of my Christmas Amazon.com order had arrived! I picked up the last two Rankin/Bass specials avalible on regular DVD that I don't have, Jack Frost and The First Christmas: The Story of the First Christmas Snow. I ran the former as I got organized after my ride and made herbal tea to warm up my insides.
Jack Frost is basically Santa Claus Is Coming To Town crossed with a winter-oriented The Little Mermaid. This Jack is the head of the Winter Creatures, who snip snowflakes and send them down to Earth. He falls for a beautiful human girl after he saves her from going over the falls and implores Father Winter, who is in charge of all the Winter Creatures, to make him human. He agrees to make Jack and his friends Snip and Holly human until spring. Jack will only stay human if he can get a bag of gold, a horse, a home, and a loving wife. Winning the pretty girl becomes more complicated when she falls for a handsome knight, and their poor Russian village is threatened by the evil Cossack King, who wants the girl for his bride.
The third-to-last Rankin/Bass holiday special is an oddity in their canon in several respects. First of all, while there is a rather sweet Christmas sequence and song, the majority of the show is set on and around Groundhog's Day (hence the narrator, Buddy Hackett as Pardon Me Pete the Groundhog). Second, this is one of the very few Rankin/Bass specials with a bittersweet, rather sad ending. For older kids and their parents, this is one of my favorite 70s Rankin/Bass specials and really deserves to be better-known.
Moved to The Story of the First Christmas Snow as I gave the bathroom a desperately-needed scrubbing. This is a shorter, simpler tale from the mid-70s. A little orphan shepherd boy named Lucas is struck by lightening that blinds him. He's rescued and nursed back to health by kindly Sister Teresa (Angela Landsbury, who also narrates). While the priest in her parish (Cyril Ritchard) tries to figure out what to do with Lucas, Sister Teresa, their dog, and the other kids in the town help Lucas cope. All Lucas wants is to feel a white Christmas, just like the ones Sister Teresa describes in her Christmas cards. Little does he know that he and Sister Teresa may get their wish...
I'm not a big fan of this one, but I bought it anyway to finish out my Rankin/Bass collection. While I do like Lucas' touching relationship with Sister Teresa and the dog, it's a little too melodramatic for my taste, especially the ending. It doesn't work nearly as well as the other Rankin/Bass religious specials, the two Little Drummer Boy tales and Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey. For Rankin/Bass fans only; those looking for religious Christmas programming will want to go to the earlier stories first.
Ran Barbie and Her Sisters In a Pony Tale as I finished the bathroom and started a broccoli, mushroom, and cheese omelet for dinner. Barbie, Stacie, Skipper, and Chelsie are now in Switzerland, visiting their aunt's riding academy. The trip doesn't go well at first. Stacie thinks she can master riding as well as every other sport, but discovers handling a living horse is much different than handling a skateboard. Chelsie is upset that she can't ride the big horses, like her sisters. Skipper spends most of the trip online and on her tablet, avoiding anything but blogging. Barbie just can't find a horse she's able to bond with...until she encounters a mysterious white stallion with a pink streak in its mane in the Alps. While the nasty riding teacher at the next school over insists it's just a myth, Barbie eventually befriends it. Horse and rider eventually ends up saving the school and teaching everyone a lesson in friendship in the process.
While it's not bad, I didn't like it as much as the first story of Barbie and her sisters. I really would have liked to have seen more of her sisters and less of the horses, and the whole "magical" aspect seemed a tad tacked-on. I have the feeling horse-crazy little girls will be more into this one than me.
Monday, January 06, 2014
Here Comes the Cold
Began a warm, rainy morning by putting away the Christmas decorations that go in the red felt Santa Bag. These are the ones I pull out first - the Nativity, the garlands, the coasters, the mistletoe, the wreath for the front door and plaid bow for my bedroom door. It takes a lot less time to take this stuff down than it does to put them up, but I started late and didn't have much time to get ready for work afterwards.
I did squeeze Jelly's Last Jam in before I left. Gregory Hines was the star of another tragic tale of a musician. Unlike the boys of Forever Plaid, Jelly Roll Morton was a real person, an early pioneer of ragtime and jazz who spent most of his early life bragging about his musical prowess and most of his later life trying to regain his Roaring Twenties-era fame. He was popular in Chicago and his native New Orleans but never caught on in New York, where the style was already shifting to swing, big band, and boogie-woogie by the Depression. As wonderful as Gregory Hines is as Morton (he won a Tony for his performance), I have the feeling this one loses something when you can't see the spectacular tap dancing that garnered so much praise in the early 90s.
I finally made it to work at 11. I wish I hadn't. Work was crazy for most of the afternoon. People wanted to get their shopping done before the cold front came in. We also have people restocking their larders after the vacations, visitors, and kids off of school last week and the last of the beginning-of-the-month people. People were once again obnoxious and annoying, and I was stressed and frustrated. I was about ready to tear out my hair when the manager said I could shut down and she would send my reliefs elsewhere.
I went straight home after work. I would have put off changing the dolls into regular clothes until tomorrow, but the back room isn't heated. If it's going to be freezing tomorrow, that's the last place I'll want to be. All of the AG dolls were changed into the warmest clothes they own. Samantha wears her gray "Buster Brown" School Dress. Put Josefina in the hand-made pale blue-violent dress and flowered hat I got off eBay the other day and wrapped her rebozo (woven wrap) around her shoulders. Felicity wears her emerald-green Riding Habit and the tri-corned hat with the feather. Molly wears her After School Outfit corduroys and plaid flannel shirt layered with the red sweater from her hula costume. Jessa sports the stretch corduroys that were sold with the "First Day" meet outfit in the mid-90s, the turtleneck from the late 90s AG Girl Scout uniform, the navy blue hoodie from the "Drawstring Cargoes and Plaid Shirt," and the high-top sneakers from the first Blue Jeans Basics set. All of the Sailor Moon dolls were returned to their original uniforms or dresses.
After that, I had a quick dinner of baked ham and roasted Brussels sprouts before going online.
I did squeeze Jelly's Last Jam in before I left. Gregory Hines was the star of another tragic tale of a musician. Unlike the boys of Forever Plaid, Jelly Roll Morton was a real person, an early pioneer of ragtime and jazz who spent most of his early life bragging about his musical prowess and most of his later life trying to regain his Roaring Twenties-era fame. He was popular in Chicago and his native New Orleans but never caught on in New York, where the style was already shifting to swing, big band, and boogie-woogie by the Depression. As wonderful as Gregory Hines is as Morton (he won a Tony for his performance), I have the feeling this one loses something when you can't see the spectacular tap dancing that garnered so much praise in the early 90s.
I finally made it to work at 11. I wish I hadn't. Work was crazy for most of the afternoon. People wanted to get their shopping done before the cold front came in. We also have people restocking their larders after the vacations, visitors, and kids off of school last week and the last of the beginning-of-the-month people. People were once again obnoxious and annoying, and I was stressed and frustrated. I was about ready to tear out my hair when the manager said I could shut down and she would send my reliefs elsewhere.
I went straight home after work. I would have put off changing the dolls into regular clothes until tomorrow, but the back room isn't heated. If it's going to be freezing tomorrow, that's the last place I'll want to be. All of the AG dolls were changed into the warmest clothes they own. Samantha wears her gray "Buster Brown" School Dress. Put Josefina in the hand-made pale blue-violent dress and flowered hat I got off eBay the other day and wrapped her rebozo (woven wrap) around her shoulders. Felicity wears her emerald-green Riding Habit and the tri-corned hat with the feather. Molly wears her After School Outfit corduroys and plaid flannel shirt layered with the red sweater from her hula costume. Jessa sports the stretch corduroys that were sold with the "First Day" meet outfit in the mid-90s, the turtleneck from the late 90s AG Girl Scout uniform, the navy blue hoodie from the "Drawstring Cargoes and Plaid Shirt," and the high-top sneakers from the first Blue Jeans Basics set. All of the Sailor Moon dolls were returned to their original uniforms or dresses.
After that, I had a quick dinner of baked ham and roasted Brussels sprouts before going online.
Sunday, January 05, 2014
Like Dreamers Do
Started out a wet, warmer morning with the first Brunch With the Beatles of the year. This week, Brunch went way back to the Beatles on the cusp of fame on New Year's Day 1962 with their auditions for Decca Records. They didn't make the cut, but it was certainly no fault of theirs. I'm not normally into the Beatles' earlier stuff, but where else are you going to hear them perform "The Sheik of Araby"? Other rare tunes recorded during this session included "Like Dreamers Do," "In Spite of All the Danger," and excellent versions of "That'll Be the Day," "Money (That's What I Want)," "Searchin'," and "Hello Little Girl."
I originally called Mom while I was finishing my Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pancakes, but I didn't catch her then. I just shrugged and went into taking down the tree instead. It takes a lot less time to put the tree away than it does to pull it out. As with the display items, I wasn't really clearing much out. The only things I got rid of were the lights. I've had them since I bought them to put up on my window during my second year of college, which was almost 12 years ago. I bought an LED set from the Acme's 50% off Christmas sale on New Year's Day. Everything else was just repacked into various boxes or just placed straight into the container.
Mom called back as I was packing the wooden, plastic, and beaded ornaments in the round container I originally bought for cookies in 2012. She was washing up from breakfast when I called and hadn't heard me until she got my message on the answering machine. She spent her New Year's trying to keep the larder stocked. Dad's been off work, thanks to the weather, and she complained that he's literally eating her out of house and home, including polishing off the rest of the cookies she made.
I asked Mom something I've wanted to ask her for years. What am I? Am I mentally disabled? No, I'm not. She said I was diagnosed in 1991 as having "emotional special needs," and I was even on the lower spectrum of that. According to her, she withdrew me from Cape May Elementary because neither she nor I could handle the way I was treated by the other kids anymore or that most of the teachers weren't doing much to change it.
To this day, I have never understood what I did to the kids to make them bully me so incessantly. Mom says I was a happy, good-natured child who never did any harm to anyone. Everything went pretty well until third grade, when the teasing stepped up and my body started changing in ways my mind wasn't ready for. It would take another four or five years for my mind to catch up with a body that went into adolescence at age 9. Suddenly, I went from a happy child to an angry one. Why did the boys hate me? Why did the girls gossip about me? What did I do?
The teachers mostly didn't seem to get it at the time. Some of them did stand up for me, but by and large, they were older women who had been raised to believe that the body was sinful and bullying builds character. In the last 30 years, the world has discovered the hard way that bullying builds angry kids who often lash out at people or hurt themselves, not "character." I was constantly told to "ignore them," no matter how bad things got. Ignoring the problem doesn't make it go away. Mom got fed up with being told to ignore the problem and just moved me to the Special Services Middle School. I was surprised when she mentioned she had to get around a lot of red tape to do so. I figured the Cape May Elementary administration would be thrilled to get rid of what most of them probably regarded as a "problem child."
I was moved to Cape May County's Special Services Middle School in the fall of 1991. I wasn't really all that happy there, either. I still didn't feel like I fit in. Mom said that I did learn what she'd put me there to learn in the first place - how to deal with other kids. At the time, the only things I felt like I learned was I have a killer volleyball serve and don't mind playing a little rough floor hockey with the boys. (I could never understand why most of the other girls sat on the sidelines blabbing when there was a game going on!)
Mom once again suggested that I start looking into more hobbies and outside interests. Rose and Keefe had a rough time in Teitleman, Lower Township's junior high, but they both bounced back in high school. Rose became involved in softball, soccer, band, and Lower's award-winning mock trial team (they made the state championships two years running and the Nationals one year). Keefe later became a top drummer in the school's marching band and helped with sets and security for school plays and musicals. Keefe also started volunteering at the Battleship New Jersey late in junior high, which began his love affair with the Navy.
I'd like to do more "extracurricular activities," but I have three problems - time, money, and transportation. Most classes and sports here are in the afternoon or at night, when I'm usually working. There's the money problem, too. I can only afford so much and go so far. It doesn't help that I tend to lose interest quickly if a sport or class doesn't grab my attention right away or proves too difficult. I did like Shelly Stahl's suggestion of looking into volunteering for local theaters - I'll talk to her for further ideas. Lauren's big hobby is doing research on her ancestors, which might not be a bad idea, either. I'd also like to talk to the bead and yarn shop in Collingswood and see if they know of any local crocheting/knitting clubs.
Ran Forever Plaid and Five Guys Named Moe as I talked to Mom and finished putting away the rest of the tree, including the tree itself. Both of these shows are semi-revues that revolve around male vocal groups and the music of the mid-20th century. That's where the similarities end. Plaid's 50s pop songs are strung together by a psedo-tragic back story of the title group getting one last shot at the big time after they're killed in a car accident on their way to a lounge for their big break. Five Guys has a little more fun with 30s and 40s jazz and swing as the five Moes help a poor fellow who's been having a hard time with the ladies.
Thanks to the warmer weather, the packed ice that coated the streets yesterday was gone. I rode to work. That may not have been a good idea. The ice was gone, but the streets were still covered with slush, and no one ever clears the sidewalk on the Black Horse Pike. I had to dodge slush and drag my bike over piles of snow and was almost late for work.
Work was almost as busy as yesterday. While the weather was warmer, it's still the beginning of the month, and people are not only having Three King's Day and end-of-the-holiday-season parties, but are restocking as the kids (finally) go back to school tomorrow. They were also still cranky, grouchy, and obnoxious. I was so fed up by the end of my four hours, I asked to spend the last half-hour doing returns. Thankfully, it had slowed down by then, to the point where I was able to leave without a relief.
When I got home, I threw together tuna, broccoli, carrots, and the last of the chicken stock for fish and veggie soup and put on the Johnny Mathis On Broadway CD I got from Lauren for Christmas while moving two of the record crates back to where the tree was. Ironically, several of the numbers cover songs that either weren't originally written for musicals (like the title rock song) or for the show they were representing (the cast of Forever Plaid joined Mathis for "Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries," which was written for The George White Scandals of 1931 but was supposed to represent Fosse). My favorite tracks were both lovely duets. Betty Buckley (Gloria Redmond on the Christmas episode of Remember WENN) joined Mathis for a touching medley of "Children Will Listen" from Into the Woods and "Our Children" from Ragtime. Stage and TV star Nell Carter came along for a rousing "Season of Love" from Rent.
I originally called Mom while I was finishing my Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pancakes, but I didn't catch her then. I just shrugged and went into taking down the tree instead. It takes a lot less time to put the tree away than it does to pull it out. As with the display items, I wasn't really clearing much out. The only things I got rid of were the lights. I've had them since I bought them to put up on my window during my second year of college, which was almost 12 years ago. I bought an LED set from the Acme's 50% off Christmas sale on New Year's Day. Everything else was just repacked into various boxes or just placed straight into the container.
Mom called back as I was packing the wooden, plastic, and beaded ornaments in the round container I originally bought for cookies in 2012. She was washing up from breakfast when I called and hadn't heard me until she got my message on the answering machine. She spent her New Year's trying to keep the larder stocked. Dad's been off work, thanks to the weather, and she complained that he's literally eating her out of house and home, including polishing off the rest of the cookies she made.
I asked Mom something I've wanted to ask her for years. What am I? Am I mentally disabled? No, I'm not. She said I was diagnosed in 1991 as having "emotional special needs," and I was even on the lower spectrum of that. According to her, she withdrew me from Cape May Elementary because neither she nor I could handle the way I was treated by the other kids anymore or that most of the teachers weren't doing much to change it.
To this day, I have never understood what I did to the kids to make them bully me so incessantly. Mom says I was a happy, good-natured child who never did any harm to anyone. Everything went pretty well until third grade, when the teasing stepped up and my body started changing in ways my mind wasn't ready for. It would take another four or five years for my mind to catch up with a body that went into adolescence at age 9. Suddenly, I went from a happy child to an angry one. Why did the boys hate me? Why did the girls gossip about me? What did I do?
The teachers mostly didn't seem to get it at the time. Some of them did stand up for me, but by and large, they were older women who had been raised to believe that the body was sinful and bullying builds character. In the last 30 years, the world has discovered the hard way that bullying builds angry kids who often lash out at people or hurt themselves, not "character." I was constantly told to "ignore them," no matter how bad things got. Ignoring the problem doesn't make it go away. Mom got fed up with being told to ignore the problem and just moved me to the Special Services Middle School. I was surprised when she mentioned she had to get around a lot of red tape to do so. I figured the Cape May Elementary administration would be thrilled to get rid of what most of them probably regarded as a "problem child."
I was moved to Cape May County's Special Services Middle School in the fall of 1991. I wasn't really all that happy there, either. I still didn't feel like I fit in. Mom said that I did learn what she'd put me there to learn in the first place - how to deal with other kids. At the time, the only things I felt like I learned was I have a killer volleyball serve and don't mind playing a little rough floor hockey with the boys. (I could never understand why most of the other girls sat on the sidelines blabbing when there was a game going on!)
Mom once again suggested that I start looking into more hobbies and outside interests. Rose and Keefe had a rough time in Teitleman, Lower Township's junior high, but they both bounced back in high school. Rose became involved in softball, soccer, band, and Lower's award-winning mock trial team (they made the state championships two years running and the Nationals one year). Keefe later became a top drummer in the school's marching band and helped with sets and security for school plays and musicals. Keefe also started volunteering at the Battleship New Jersey late in junior high, which began his love affair with the Navy.
I'd like to do more "extracurricular activities," but I have three problems - time, money, and transportation. Most classes and sports here are in the afternoon or at night, when I'm usually working. There's the money problem, too. I can only afford so much and go so far. It doesn't help that I tend to lose interest quickly if a sport or class doesn't grab my attention right away or proves too difficult. I did like Shelly Stahl's suggestion of looking into volunteering for local theaters - I'll talk to her for further ideas. Lauren's big hobby is doing research on her ancestors, which might not be a bad idea, either. I'd also like to talk to the bead and yarn shop in Collingswood and see if they know of any local crocheting/knitting clubs.
Ran Forever Plaid and Five Guys Named Moe as I talked to Mom and finished putting away the rest of the tree, including the tree itself. Both of these shows are semi-revues that revolve around male vocal groups and the music of the mid-20th century. That's where the similarities end. Plaid's 50s pop songs are strung together by a psedo-tragic back story of the title group getting one last shot at the big time after they're killed in a car accident on their way to a lounge for their big break. Five Guys has a little more fun with 30s and 40s jazz and swing as the five Moes help a poor fellow who's been having a hard time with the ladies.
Thanks to the warmer weather, the packed ice that coated the streets yesterday was gone. I rode to work. That may not have been a good idea. The ice was gone, but the streets were still covered with slush, and no one ever clears the sidewalk on the Black Horse Pike. I had to dodge slush and drag my bike over piles of snow and was almost late for work.
Work was almost as busy as yesterday. While the weather was warmer, it's still the beginning of the month, and people are not only having Three King's Day and end-of-the-holiday-season parties, but are restocking as the kids (finally) go back to school tomorrow. They were also still cranky, grouchy, and obnoxious. I was so fed up by the end of my four hours, I asked to spend the last half-hour doing returns. Thankfully, it had slowed down by then, to the point where I was able to leave without a relief.
When I got home, I threw together tuna, broccoli, carrots, and the last of the chicken stock for fish and veggie soup and put on the Johnny Mathis On Broadway CD I got from Lauren for Christmas while moving two of the record crates back to where the tree was. Ironically, several of the numbers cover songs that either weren't originally written for musicals (like the title rock song) or for the show they were representing (the cast of Forever Plaid joined Mathis for "Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries," which was written for The George White Scandals of 1931 but was supposed to represent Fosse). My favorite tracks were both lovely duets. Betty Buckley (Gloria Redmond on the Christmas episode of Remember WENN) joined Mathis for a touching medley of "Children Will Listen" from Into the Woods and "Our Children" from Ragtime. Stage and TV star Nell Carter came along for a rousing "Season of Love" from Rent.
Saturday, January 04, 2014
Put the Holidays Away
Started a sunny but frozen morning listening to the second half of that "Top 100 of 1981" American Top 40 special. Almost every song I heard this morning was a number one hit that year - "9 to 5" by Dolly Pardon, "Keep On Loving You" by REO Speedwagon, "Kiss On My List" by Hall & Oates, "Celebration" by Kool and the Gang, "Just Like Starting Over" by John Lennon, "Lady" by Kenny Rogers, and "Endless Love" by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie. The top song of that year? "Bette Davis Eyes," by Kim Carnes.
I spent the rest of the morning listening to more Disney soundtracks as I took down the Christmas display items and the stuffed toys under the tree. I consolidated all of the smaller stuffed toys used for displays, including the Beanie Baby bears and printed elves that have been around since I was a kid, into one cloth bag. The beautiful box that held the cookies from Mom now holds the small display items for the the music area shelves, like Holly the doll and the tiny basket with the greenery. The big bell with the candy cane cut-out shapes went in the vinyl zipper bag that originally held the stuffed animals. The bears that go on my bed were returned there; the ones that went in the back room went into bags in the container.
I'm clearing out a few items, not as much as last year. The collectible bear in the sled takes up too much room; I never did figure out what to do with the bear in the Santa hat with the streamers. There's no place to hang him up outside.
I didn't want to, but I ended up calling for a ride to work. I wasn't going to chance the roads again on my own after the trouble I had getting to and from Collingswood yesterday. I wasn't sure if it was a good idea, but it turned out it was; the roads were just as messy as yesterday when Rose picked me up with a sleepy Khai. Rose said that salting the roads caused the trouble. It's too cold for the salt - it just congealed and froze. Frequently-used roads like the Black Horse Pike are fine, but anything that's even remotely a back road is still covered.
Despite the condition of the roads, work was nuts again. I suspect a lot of people may not have gotten out yesterday. There were a lot of folks who were cranky, obnoxious, or just plain rude. We're still dealing with beginning-of-the-month people; others were restocking after the holiday week and the snow storm, or buying food for late New Year's, Three King's Day, or football parties (the Eagles play tonight). I was so happy when my relief turned out to be one of the few older women who work late - she's almost always on time.
Did my shopping after work. Restocking produce was the main concern this week. I finally finished the last of the fruit Rose gave me from her Christmas Day party today as a snack at work. I needed almost everything - cranberries, grapefruit, orange juice, bananas, apples, mushrooms, Romaine lettuce, and the small plastic containers of Brussels sprouts and broccoli florets. The Acme's having a huge $.88 sale on Green Giant frozen vegetables - I bought peas, broccoli cuts, and the green beans and almonds. Replaced the canned fruit I had with breakfast this morning. Was out of brown sugar, dryer sheets (I've forgotten to buy them for two weeks), cereal (went with Acme's generic multi-grain o's on a good sale) and frozen orange juice concentrate. Grabbed a sponge to tide me over until I can get a couple of packs from the dollar store.
Oh, and my schedule is thankfully a lot less stressful than the past couple of weeks. I work 22 hours - far less than I have, but more than the 18 hours I worked the day after New Year's last year. I'm not too concerned - I should have tax return money coming as soon as I can get my taxes done, and then we'll be going into February, the Acme's single busiest month. Three days off (one for counseling) will allow me to finish taking the Christmas decorations down and get some cleaning done.
Jessa drove me home. When I got in, I listened to one of my Classic Disney CDs while making salmon and zucchini sauteed in balsamic vinegar. After a quick shower, I went online to watch the big Eagles-Saints playoff game. The Eagles haven't been their best, but they aren't that far behind in the 4th quarter, 23-17. After the Colts came back to beat the Chiefs 45-44, anything is possible.
I spent the rest of the morning listening to more Disney soundtracks as I took down the Christmas display items and the stuffed toys under the tree. I consolidated all of the smaller stuffed toys used for displays, including the Beanie Baby bears and printed elves that have been around since I was a kid, into one cloth bag. The beautiful box that held the cookies from Mom now holds the small display items for the the music area shelves, like Holly the doll and the tiny basket with the greenery. The big bell with the candy cane cut-out shapes went in the vinyl zipper bag that originally held the stuffed animals. The bears that go on my bed were returned there; the ones that went in the back room went into bags in the container.
I'm clearing out a few items, not as much as last year. The collectible bear in the sled takes up too much room; I never did figure out what to do with the bear in the Santa hat with the streamers. There's no place to hang him up outside.
I didn't want to, but I ended up calling for a ride to work. I wasn't going to chance the roads again on my own after the trouble I had getting to and from Collingswood yesterday. I wasn't sure if it was a good idea, but it turned out it was; the roads were just as messy as yesterday when Rose picked me up with a sleepy Khai. Rose said that salting the roads caused the trouble. It's too cold for the salt - it just congealed and froze. Frequently-used roads like the Black Horse Pike are fine, but anything that's even remotely a back road is still covered.
Despite the condition of the roads, work was nuts again. I suspect a lot of people may not have gotten out yesterday. There were a lot of folks who were cranky, obnoxious, or just plain rude. We're still dealing with beginning-of-the-month people; others were restocking after the holiday week and the snow storm, or buying food for late New Year's, Three King's Day, or football parties (the Eagles play tonight). I was so happy when my relief turned out to be one of the few older women who work late - she's almost always on time.
Did my shopping after work. Restocking produce was the main concern this week. I finally finished the last of the fruit Rose gave me from her Christmas Day party today as a snack at work. I needed almost everything - cranberries, grapefruit, orange juice, bananas, apples, mushrooms, Romaine lettuce, and the small plastic containers of Brussels sprouts and broccoli florets. The Acme's having a huge $.88 sale on Green Giant frozen vegetables - I bought peas, broccoli cuts, and the green beans and almonds. Replaced the canned fruit I had with breakfast this morning. Was out of brown sugar, dryer sheets (I've forgotten to buy them for two weeks), cereal (went with Acme's generic multi-grain o's on a good sale) and frozen orange juice concentrate. Grabbed a sponge to tide me over until I can get a couple of packs from the dollar store.
Oh, and my schedule is thankfully a lot less stressful than the past couple of weeks. I work 22 hours - far less than I have, but more than the 18 hours I worked the day after New Year's last year. I'm not too concerned - I should have tax return money coming as soon as I can get my taxes done, and then we'll be going into February, the Acme's single busiest month. Three days off (one for counseling) will allow me to finish taking the Christmas decorations down and get some cleaning done.
Jessa drove me home. When I got in, I listened to one of my Classic Disney CDs while making salmon and zucchini sauteed in balsamic vinegar. After a quick shower, I went online to watch the big Eagles-Saints playoff game. The Eagles haven't been their best, but they aren't that far behind in the 4th quarter, 23-17. After the Colts came back to beat the Chiefs 45-44, anything is possible.
Friday, January 03, 2014
City In the Snow
Between my long week and the messy weather, I just slept in again this morning. When I finally opened my eyes around 8:30 - quarter of 9, the sun was shining, and my landlord Andrew was shoveling my porch steps. I measured the snow left on the porch after he went downstairs and discovered that storm dropped 8 inches on us! Well, snow or no snow, I had things I wanted to do today.
I needed a good breakfast before I headed out. Ran two cartoons involving snow as I ate. The Backyardigans are on the trail of what they think is a monster living in the frozen north (but is really Pablo being cute) in the first season episode "The Yeti." Though everyone's favorite snowman is happy to be back from the North Pole in Frosty's Winter Wonderland, he's also lonely. His friends the kids make him a sweet "snow wife" named Crystal, but they can't figure out how to make her "all livin'." Meanwhile, Jack Frost is jealous that Frosty is getting all the winter attention instead of him and will do anything to keep from being second best!
Went online briefly to check my e-mail and my checking account after breakfast. Much to my disappointment, the Camden County Library System was now closed all day, rather than opening at noon as previously announced. Oh well. Those DVDs would just have to wait to go back again. I'd just spend all day in Philly.
I realized why the libraries were closed when I went downstairs. My porch and path were practically the only things that were plowed. The streets must not have been salted, because they were packed snow. It was so cold, any snow anyone shoveled just froze. I was going to ride my bike, but I ended up walking it instead. It just wasn't possible to ride anywhere. The streets were all covered with snow. I was far from the only one ignoring the literally freezing temperatures, though (it didn't get above the 20s here today). There were many people shoveling walkways or using snow blowers. I saw a group of kids and their parents happily riding down a hill on inner tubes on Bettlewood Avenue. Men were salting the sidewalks even as I arrived at the PATCO station in Collingswood.
Since the trains were running (and only slightly behind time), I figured I'd get my shopping done anyway, cold or no cold. Much to my surprise, there were quite a few other people with me on the train, especially going to 8th and Market. I got off at 16th and Locust, same as I did last month.
Much to my annoyance, most of the streets in Philly hadn't been plowed, either. They were even messier with slushy, dirty snow. The sidewalks were generally in better shape, though, making for easier walking than in New Jersey.
I once again began my trip at Barnes & Noble. It was past 1:30 by then. I started with lunch at their Starbucks. I wanted soup and a sandwich, but they said they'd opened late and hadn't gotten the soup going. I ended up with two Turkey wraps, Peppermint Hot Chocolate, and a too-crumbly blueberry muffin I didn't finish.
There were several things I wouldn't have minded buying at Barnes and Noble, but I didn't feel like hauling them around. I finally ended up with a book of crochet patterns for 18 inch doll clothes and the first book for American Girl's Girl of the Year for 2014, Isabelle. (I may see if I can pick up Tomorrow-Land on the 1964-1965 World's Fair with tax return money or for my birthday.)
My next stop was the big FYE on Broad Street. I didn't get any DVDs for Christmas beyond what I bought myself, so I had some catching up to do. I took advantage of their buy 1, get 1 for a dollar used sale to grab the third season of Laverne & Shirley, the fourth season of Moonlighting (the last season I needed for that show), and the soundtracks for A Hard Day's Night and Tangled. (Tangled and Moonlighting were the dollar items.) Made use of a massive 50% off sale to grab the more recent media I wanted, Man of Steel and the Frozen soundtrack.
I had more problems at Macy's. On one hand, they were having a buy 1 bra, get the second 75% off sale. The gift card from Lauren knocked two good bras down to 22 dollars. On the other hand, it took me over an hour to find the plus size women's section, which was shoved into a corner on the second floor. Their selection was lousy, and I just ended up grabbing a pair of JM khakis for that weren't as rugged as I would have liked - I hope they'll get me through the winter.
I was much later leaving than I'd planned. I hurried down 13th Street as well as I could to the 13th and Locust PATCO station. The 4:30 train going to Collingswood (when it finally showed up after being 10 minutes late) was surprisingly jammed full. People who would have normally taken cars or buses to work may have found themselves seeking alternate transportation when the roads proved impassible and their cars were snowed in.
Alas, the roads were still a mess when I got back in, and the sidewalks were now icy, too. I just ended up walking home, trying to stick to the main roads this time. At least the wind, which had been blasting for most of the day, wasn't as bad when I was walking home, and there was a lovely, orange-y sunset.
When I got in, I ran a couple of Laverne & Shirley episodes as I made scrambled eggs with zucchini, cheddar cheese, and ham for a quick dinner. Figured "New Year's Eve - 1960" on the second disc was an appropriate place to start. Neither woman has a New Year's for the record books when Shirley catches a cold on the big night and Laverne is heartbroken after her date ditches her. They find themselves dealing with FBI agents in their apartment who think Shirley's guy friend Carmine is a counterfeiter in "The Stakeout." And both women get the shock of their lives when they have to fly an airplane after the pilot passes out in the season opener "Airport '59."
I've spent the rest of the night online, running my many Disney soundtracks. In addition to Frozen and Tangled, I've gone chronologically and have heard The Princess & the Frog and Brother Bear. I decided to stick to Phil Collins and moved onto his Oscar-winning work for Tarzan.
I needed a good breakfast before I headed out. Ran two cartoons involving snow as I ate. The Backyardigans are on the trail of what they think is a monster living in the frozen north (but is really Pablo being cute) in the first season episode "The Yeti." Though everyone's favorite snowman is happy to be back from the North Pole in Frosty's Winter Wonderland, he's also lonely. His friends the kids make him a sweet "snow wife" named Crystal, but they can't figure out how to make her "all livin'." Meanwhile, Jack Frost is jealous that Frosty is getting all the winter attention instead of him and will do anything to keep from being second best!
Went online briefly to check my e-mail and my checking account after breakfast. Much to my disappointment, the Camden County Library System was now closed all day, rather than opening at noon as previously announced. Oh well. Those DVDs would just have to wait to go back again. I'd just spend all day in Philly.
I realized why the libraries were closed when I went downstairs. My porch and path were practically the only things that were plowed. The streets must not have been salted, because they were packed snow. It was so cold, any snow anyone shoveled just froze. I was going to ride my bike, but I ended up walking it instead. It just wasn't possible to ride anywhere. The streets were all covered with snow. I was far from the only one ignoring the literally freezing temperatures, though (it didn't get above the 20s here today). There were many people shoveling walkways or using snow blowers. I saw a group of kids and their parents happily riding down a hill on inner tubes on Bettlewood Avenue. Men were salting the sidewalks even as I arrived at the PATCO station in Collingswood.
Since the trains were running (and only slightly behind time), I figured I'd get my shopping done anyway, cold or no cold. Much to my surprise, there were quite a few other people with me on the train, especially going to 8th and Market. I got off at 16th and Locust, same as I did last month.
Much to my annoyance, most of the streets in Philly hadn't been plowed, either. They were even messier with slushy, dirty snow. The sidewalks were generally in better shape, though, making for easier walking than in New Jersey.
I once again began my trip at Barnes & Noble. It was past 1:30 by then. I started with lunch at their Starbucks. I wanted soup and a sandwich, but they said they'd opened late and hadn't gotten the soup going. I ended up with two Turkey wraps, Peppermint Hot Chocolate, and a too-crumbly blueberry muffin I didn't finish.
There were several things I wouldn't have minded buying at Barnes and Noble, but I didn't feel like hauling them around. I finally ended up with a book of crochet patterns for 18 inch doll clothes and the first book for American Girl's Girl of the Year for 2014, Isabelle. (I may see if I can pick up Tomorrow-Land on the 1964-1965 World's Fair with tax return money or for my birthday.)
My next stop was the big FYE on Broad Street. I didn't get any DVDs for Christmas beyond what I bought myself, so I had some catching up to do. I took advantage of their buy 1, get 1 for a dollar used sale to grab the third season of Laverne & Shirley, the fourth season of Moonlighting (the last season I needed for that show), and the soundtracks for A Hard Day's Night and Tangled. (Tangled and Moonlighting were the dollar items.) Made use of a massive 50% off sale to grab the more recent media I wanted, Man of Steel and the Frozen soundtrack.
I had more problems at Macy's. On one hand, they were having a buy 1 bra, get the second 75% off sale. The gift card from Lauren knocked two good bras down to 22 dollars. On the other hand, it took me over an hour to find the plus size women's section, which was shoved into a corner on the second floor. Their selection was lousy, and I just ended up grabbing a pair of JM khakis for that weren't as rugged as I would have liked - I hope they'll get me through the winter.
I was much later leaving than I'd planned. I hurried down 13th Street as well as I could to the 13th and Locust PATCO station. The 4:30 train going to Collingswood (when it finally showed up after being 10 minutes late) was surprisingly jammed full. People who would have normally taken cars or buses to work may have found themselves seeking alternate transportation when the roads proved impassible and their cars were snowed in.
Alas, the roads were still a mess when I got back in, and the sidewalks were now icy, too. I just ended up walking home, trying to stick to the main roads this time. At least the wind, which had been blasting for most of the day, wasn't as bad when I was walking home, and there was a lovely, orange-y sunset.
When I got in, I ran a couple of Laverne & Shirley episodes as I made scrambled eggs with zucchini, cheddar cheese, and ham for a quick dinner. Figured "New Year's Eve - 1960" on the second disc was an appropriate place to start. Neither woman has a New Year's for the record books when Shirley catches a cold on the big night and Laverne is heartbroken after her date ditches her. They find themselves dealing with FBI agents in their apartment who think Shirley's guy friend Carmine is a counterfeiter in "The Stakeout." And both women get the shock of their lives when they have to fly an airplane after the pilot passes out in the season opener "Airport '59."
I've spent the rest of the night online, running my many Disney soundtracks. In addition to Frozen and Tangled, I've gone chronologically and have heard The Princess & the Frog and Brother Bear. I decided to stick to Phil Collins and moved onto his Oscar-winning work for Tarzan.
Thursday, January 02, 2014
White New Year
Once again, I slept in today. I needed it. I felt so cranky and worn-out yesterday. Getting 8 hours of sleep for the first time in weeks helped a lot. So did making a quick run to WaWa before work. I needed milk, and I figured I'd have an easier time getting it at WaWa than at the Acme. Since I was there, I took money out of the ATM machine for the week, too, including for my counseling appointment on Tuesday. I also bought a "winter spice" cappuccino (I guess someone finally called them on their pumpkin spice cappuccino not tasting much like pumpkin) and a roast beef whole wheat shorti hoagie to take to work instead of throwing something together at home.
I finished out Holiday Inn as I swept the few leaves, sticker balls, and pumpkin seed pieces left on the porch, then got ready for work. Tossed on a Looney Tunes short that also discussed various holidays when the movie ended. "Holiday Highlights" comes with the Bugs Bunny's Cupid Capers DVD. It's a typical Tex Avery gag-a-thon of nutty non-sequiters, here with a calender theme. My favorite sequences - the Valentine's turn-about and the Fibber McGee & Molly jokes for June graduations.
It was still just cloudy when I rode to work around 1PM. Work was a total and complete madhouse all night. First and foremost, there was the forecast. We're supposed to get anything from 3 to 7 inches of snow. Second, it's the beginning of the month. Many people probably got their money today. Third, people were restocking for weekend parties - late New Year's for people who had to work, Three King's Day, birthdays, the Eagles-Saints game on Saturday. Fourth, today was the last day of this week's sales. Put that all together, and it spelled total bedlam. Even with as many people working as could be rounded up and as many registers open as possible, we still didn't have enough to handle them all.
Thankfully, other than I'm dead tired, that was the worst that happened. Though there were some people who were noisy or obnoxious, most seemed to take everything in good faith. By the time I finished at 8, the customers were finished, too. It had died so quickly, I was able to leave with no relief and no need for one.
The reason it quieted down was the snow started somewhere around 6PM. I walked out of the store and into a sparkling white world. It was coming down really hard, and nothing had been plowed. I walked home. While the wind was blowing, I figured it would be easier to walk than trying to drag someone out to pick me up in that mess - I doubt anyone could dig themselves out that fast.
Actually, I very much enjoyed my walk. I was able to ride slow on the Black Horse Pike. I gave up on the bike and just walked it when I got to the Oaklyn ramp, which meant I was able to take in how lovely the Christmas lights looked against the dark night sky and glittering fluff on the ground. It was like a painting from an old-fashioned Christmas card. There were a few people attempting to shovel their sidewalks or driveways on Kendall, but the snow was coming down so hard, their efforts were really rather futile and only made surfaces slippery instead of clear.
There were two surprises waiting for me when I got home. I won two lovely hand-made dresses for Josefina on eBay. One is a pretty pink floral print with an elegant lace shawl. The other is a simpler soft blue-violet print with a sweet hat trimmed with flowers. Both are long-sleeved, which is much-appreciated. Josefina only has two long-sleeved outfits in her small wardrobe. One is her pajamas. The other is her Harvest Outfit, which is long-retired and expensive on the secondary markets.
The other was also AG-related. I got my first American Girl catalog of the year, highlighting Isabelle, AG's "Girl of the Year" for 2014. Isabelle's a dancer who designs her own costumes. She joins a prestigious art school, but feels flustered by all the talent around her...until she finds her own unique voice. Oh dear. Isabelle is the first "Girl of the Year" I've ever wanted to buy. I love her creativity/theater/dance theme, and her nifty wardrobe of separates and dance costumes. I've been wanting another dance/theater/musical themed doll to go with Molly, and one I could spoil and buy frilly-girlie modern outfits for. Most of my dolls are tomboys or Bohemian. I may consider saving up for Isabelle this winter and buying her for my birthday - we'll see how I feel in the spring.
I finished out Holiday Inn as I swept the few leaves, sticker balls, and pumpkin seed pieces left on the porch, then got ready for work. Tossed on a Looney Tunes short that also discussed various holidays when the movie ended. "Holiday Highlights" comes with the Bugs Bunny's Cupid Capers DVD. It's a typical Tex Avery gag-a-thon of nutty non-sequiters, here with a calender theme. My favorite sequences - the Valentine's turn-about and the Fibber McGee & Molly jokes for June graduations.
It was still just cloudy when I rode to work around 1PM. Work was a total and complete madhouse all night. First and foremost, there was the forecast. We're supposed to get anything from 3 to 7 inches of snow. Second, it's the beginning of the month. Many people probably got their money today. Third, people were restocking for weekend parties - late New Year's for people who had to work, Three King's Day, birthdays, the Eagles-Saints game on Saturday. Fourth, today was the last day of this week's sales. Put that all together, and it spelled total bedlam. Even with as many people working as could be rounded up and as many registers open as possible, we still didn't have enough to handle them all.
Thankfully, other than I'm dead tired, that was the worst that happened. Though there were some people who were noisy or obnoxious, most seemed to take everything in good faith. By the time I finished at 8, the customers were finished, too. It had died so quickly, I was able to leave with no relief and no need for one.
The reason it quieted down was the snow started somewhere around 6PM. I walked out of the store and into a sparkling white world. It was coming down really hard, and nothing had been plowed. I walked home. While the wind was blowing, I figured it would be easier to walk than trying to drag someone out to pick me up in that mess - I doubt anyone could dig themselves out that fast.
Actually, I very much enjoyed my walk. I was able to ride slow on the Black Horse Pike. I gave up on the bike and just walked it when I got to the Oaklyn ramp, which meant I was able to take in how lovely the Christmas lights looked against the dark night sky and glittering fluff on the ground. It was like a painting from an old-fashioned Christmas card. There were a few people attempting to shovel their sidewalks or driveways on Kendall, but the snow was coming down so hard, their efforts were really rather futile and only made surfaces slippery instead of clear.
There were two surprises waiting for me when I got home. I won two lovely hand-made dresses for Josefina on eBay. One is a pretty pink floral print with an elegant lace shawl. The other is a simpler soft blue-violet print with a sweet hat trimmed with flowers. Both are long-sleeved, which is much-appreciated. Josefina only has two long-sleeved outfits in her small wardrobe. One is her pajamas. The other is her Harvest Outfit, which is long-retired and expensive on the secondary markets.
The other was also AG-related. I got my first American Girl catalog of the year, highlighting Isabelle, AG's "Girl of the Year" for 2014. Isabelle's a dancer who designs her own costumes. She joins a prestigious art school, but feels flustered by all the talent around her...until she finds her own unique voice. Oh dear. Isabelle is the first "Girl of the Year" I've ever wanted to buy. I love her creativity/theater/dance theme, and her nifty wardrobe of separates and dance costumes. I've been wanting another dance/theater/musical themed doll to go with Molly, and one I could spoil and buy frilly-girlie modern outfits for. Most of my dolls are tomboys or Bohemian. I may consider saving up for Isabelle this winter and buying her for my birthday - we'll see how I feel in the spring.
Wednesday, January 01, 2014
Merry Berry New Year
I started 2014 by sleeping in after a long week. (Thankfully, I didn't awake to mummers rehearsing as I have the past few years.) I read The Pyrates and wrote in my journal, then ran a couple of Backyardigans episodes as I had a quick oat bran and sliced pineapple breakfast. Tyrone wants to find the end of the rainbow all by himself in "Sinbad Sails Alone," but Pablo is determined to tag along. Pablo, Uniqua, and Austin want to join Tyrone's circus in "Best Clowns In Town." Tyrone is a bit humorless and doesn't like clowns...and he likes them even less when they make him miss his train.
Work was, quite frankly, boring for a lot of the day. It was busy between about 1 and 2:30, and then just went back to being mildly steady to quiet. I'm guessing everyone either did their freaking out yesterday or are waiting for tomorrow after they see the weather reports. Most of the problems I had today stemmed from my being stressed and very tired. I haven't had a day off since Christmas Day and won't have one until Friday...which is when we're supposed to get the last of the snow, of course.
And I'm not the only one who is feeling the strain of working ten days or more without a day off. One of the college boys mentioned in the back after I'd gotten off that he, too, hadn't had a day off since Christmas Day...and one of the other college students hadn't had one off since before then. With so many people gone, the Eagles doing better than expected, and the holidays here, the managers thought we'd be a lot busier than we have been.
Since I wasn't able to go out for breakfast this morning as I have the past few years, I thought I'd try going out for breakfast for dinner. The Legacy Diner in Audubon on the White Horse Pike serves breakfast all day. I had a relaxing meal of a huge, moist Belgian waffle with whipped cream and fresh strawberries and blueberries. I read the end-of-the-year Entertainment Weekly I bought at work, watched the Winter Classic (Maple Leafs beat the Red Wings 3-2), and admired the beautiful winter and Christmas stencils some creative person did on all the windows.
I thought of going to WaWa for milk, but I think I'll try getting there tomorrow instead. I just rode home and went straight in the bath. I would have enjoyed the bath more if I hadn't been so tired. After having so much fun through most of December, I feel like I've done nothing the past two weeks but work...and I haven't been able to enjoy my holidays at all. When I almost fell asleep in the bath, I figured it was time to get out.
I put on Holiday Inn after I got into my warm mauve pajamas and plaid robe. This 1942 musical featuring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire introduced the mammoth hits "White Christmas" and "Happy Holidays" and was the first of two Paramount musicals to partner Astaire and Crosby. Tired of the rat race, Crosby opens an inn that only operates on holidays. He hires a pretty dancer (Marjorie Reynolds) for the floor shows and falls for her. When Astaire catches sight of her, he falls for her, too, having been ditched by his former partner (Virginia Dale). The two spend the rest of Holiday Inn's first year competing for the two women's affections amid some lovely musical numbers.
I like this intimate romantic comedy better than the shinier White Christmas. The romantic complications have a grain of truth to them, and the way "White Christmas" is introduced is rather sweet. (PC warning - the "Abraham" number in black face for Lincoln's Birthday doesn't look so cute today, which is likely why this was an instrumental dance routine for Vera-Ellen in White Christmas.) Despite that warning, I highly recommend this one for fans of Crosby, Astaire, songwriter Irving Berlin, or smaller-scale musicals.
Work was, quite frankly, boring for a lot of the day. It was busy between about 1 and 2:30, and then just went back to being mildly steady to quiet. I'm guessing everyone either did their freaking out yesterday or are waiting for tomorrow after they see the weather reports. Most of the problems I had today stemmed from my being stressed and very tired. I haven't had a day off since Christmas Day and won't have one until Friday...which is when we're supposed to get the last of the snow, of course.
And I'm not the only one who is feeling the strain of working ten days or more without a day off. One of the college boys mentioned in the back after I'd gotten off that he, too, hadn't had a day off since Christmas Day...and one of the other college students hadn't had one off since before then. With so many people gone, the Eagles doing better than expected, and the holidays here, the managers thought we'd be a lot busier than we have been.
Since I wasn't able to go out for breakfast this morning as I have the past few years, I thought I'd try going out for breakfast for dinner. The Legacy Diner in Audubon on the White Horse Pike serves breakfast all day. I had a relaxing meal of a huge, moist Belgian waffle with whipped cream and fresh strawberries and blueberries. I read the end-of-the-year Entertainment Weekly I bought at work, watched the Winter Classic (Maple Leafs beat the Red Wings 3-2), and admired the beautiful winter and Christmas stencils some creative person did on all the windows.
I thought of going to WaWa for milk, but I think I'll try getting there tomorrow instead. I just rode home and went straight in the bath. I would have enjoyed the bath more if I hadn't been so tired. After having so much fun through most of December, I feel like I've done nothing the past two weeks but work...and I haven't been able to enjoy my holidays at all. When I almost fell asleep in the bath, I figured it was time to get out.
I put on Holiday Inn after I got into my warm mauve pajamas and plaid robe. This 1942 musical featuring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire introduced the mammoth hits "White Christmas" and "Happy Holidays" and was the first of two Paramount musicals to partner Astaire and Crosby. Tired of the rat race, Crosby opens an inn that only operates on holidays. He hires a pretty dancer (Marjorie Reynolds) for the floor shows and falls for her. When Astaire catches sight of her, he falls for her, too, having been ditched by his former partner (Virginia Dale). The two spend the rest of Holiday Inn's first year competing for the two women's affections amid some lovely musical numbers.
I like this intimate romantic comedy better than the shinier White Christmas. The romantic complications have a grain of truth to them, and the way "White Christmas" is introduced is rather sweet. (PC warning - the "Abraham" number in black face for Lincoln's Birthday doesn't look so cute today, which is likely why this was an instrumental dance routine for Vera-Ellen in White Christmas.) Despite that warning, I highly recommend this one for fans of Crosby, Astaire, songwriter Irving Berlin, or smaller-scale musicals.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Have a Shiny New Year
Began the last day of 2013 with two quick cartoons as I prepared for a relatively early work day. In Kung Fu Panda Holiday, Po has been given the honor of hosting the big Winter Feast at the Dragon Palace. However, to do so, he'll have to miss his father's family get-together at his restaurant. Po knows nothing about fancy dinners and is run ragged trying to get everything together and fend off a bunny chef who thinks he has to defend his honor...until he remembers the meaning of teamwork and being with the ones you love.
Ruby is also having party problems in "Ruby's Surprise Party." She wants to hold a big surprise bash for her best friend Louise, but Max keeps making her jump out of her hiding spot too early. All he wants is that chocolate-raspberry cake Grandma baked!
Work was a mess all day long. First of all, I took out a full trash yesterday...and found it on the ground this morning. The feral cats must have gotten into it. I had to pick that up and was almost late. Second, it's the beginning of the month. Third, people were preparing for New Year's parties and large dinners. Fourth, all the news stations are blaring snow reports, even though we're supposed to get less than an inch, and the real problem will be literally freezing temperatures. I spent most of the afternoon stressed and frustrated. I was glad to grab cheese on a good sale, along with aluminum foil and sparkling apple-cranberry cider and heavy whipped cream for tonight, and hurry home.
When I got in, I changed into regular clothes, then made my own New Year's Eve dinner. Sliced sweet potatoes and put them in with the ham, along with the leftover sliced apples from Rose's party last week. Defrosted green beans and almonds and made "French Salad" (lettuce with home-made dressing). It came out delicious, perfect and moist and just sweet enough.
Ran cartoons all evening as I baked and cooked. Everyone's favorite red-nosed reindeer finds himself chasing the unhappy baby New Year who has fled because of his big ears in the odd Rankin-Bass tale Rudolph's Shiny New Year. Chuck's not happy with how he has to spend his New Year either in Happy New Year, Charlie Brown. He has to write a book report on War and Peace, even as Peppermint Patty begs him to take her to her big New Year's Eve shindig.
Moved to shorts as I did the dishes. It takes a little spinach to give Olive's grandma enough vitality to join Popeye in a New Year's Eve dance contest in "Let's Celebrake." Popeye and Olive try to get Bluto to stop sabotaging their nightclub routine in "Morning, Noon, and Nightclub." Jerry is a "Mouse In Manhattan" when he flees the country and Tom for the bright lights of New York City. Mickey Mouse proves to be one heck of a party animal when his wild get-together even gets the furniture dancing in "The Whoopee Party."
Did two Good Eats episodes on snack food as I used Alton Brown's method for popping popcorn - a simple metal mixing bowl with oil on the bottom and foil on the top. I ran "Pop Art" and "Pretzel Logic" as I made my New Year's snack. Though I did burn the bottom of the bowl a little (as I feared), the popcorn came out surprisingly edible.
I also got the first items of my Amazon.com orders today. I really needed a new cordless phone. My old Panasonic is from when I first moved in. It was a bit clunky, and the screen had died. (The reviews on Amazon mentioned that's a problem with this particular model after six years or so. I've had it for seven.) I have another Panasonic, this one more streamlined, with larger buttons and a light-up face. I also got the most adorable WebKinz Lil' Kinz Lamb - I named her Sharri, after puppeteer Sharri Lewis, whose most famous creation was Lambchop.
I'm off to make whipped syllabub and wait for the cacophony that is the fireworks over the river. I hope all of my regular readers have a wonderful New Year's and a safe and happy 2014!
Ruby is also having party problems in "Ruby's Surprise Party." She wants to hold a big surprise bash for her best friend Louise, but Max keeps making her jump out of her hiding spot too early. All he wants is that chocolate-raspberry cake Grandma baked!
Work was a mess all day long. First of all, I took out a full trash yesterday...and found it on the ground this morning. The feral cats must have gotten into it. I had to pick that up and was almost late. Second, it's the beginning of the month. Third, people were preparing for New Year's parties and large dinners. Fourth, all the news stations are blaring snow reports, even though we're supposed to get less than an inch, and the real problem will be literally freezing temperatures. I spent most of the afternoon stressed and frustrated. I was glad to grab cheese on a good sale, along with aluminum foil and sparkling apple-cranberry cider and heavy whipped cream for tonight, and hurry home.
When I got in, I changed into regular clothes, then made my own New Year's Eve dinner. Sliced sweet potatoes and put them in with the ham, along with the leftover sliced apples from Rose's party last week. Defrosted green beans and almonds and made "French Salad" (lettuce with home-made dressing). It came out delicious, perfect and moist and just sweet enough.
Ran cartoons all evening as I baked and cooked. Everyone's favorite red-nosed reindeer finds himself chasing the unhappy baby New Year who has fled because of his big ears in the odd Rankin-Bass tale Rudolph's Shiny New Year. Chuck's not happy with how he has to spend his New Year either in Happy New Year, Charlie Brown. He has to write a book report on War and Peace, even as Peppermint Patty begs him to take her to her big New Year's Eve shindig.
Moved to shorts as I did the dishes. It takes a little spinach to give Olive's grandma enough vitality to join Popeye in a New Year's Eve dance contest in "Let's Celebrake." Popeye and Olive try to get Bluto to stop sabotaging their nightclub routine in "Morning, Noon, and Nightclub." Jerry is a "Mouse In Manhattan" when he flees the country and Tom for the bright lights of New York City. Mickey Mouse proves to be one heck of a party animal when his wild get-together even gets the furniture dancing in "The Whoopee Party."
Did two Good Eats episodes on snack food as I used Alton Brown's method for popping popcorn - a simple metal mixing bowl with oil on the bottom and foil on the top. I ran "Pop Art" and "Pretzel Logic" as I made my New Year's snack. Though I did burn the bottom of the bowl a little (as I feared), the popcorn came out surprisingly edible.
I also got the first items of my Amazon.com orders today. I really needed a new cordless phone. My old Panasonic is from when I first moved in. It was a bit clunky, and the screen had died. (The reviews on Amazon mentioned that's a problem with this particular model after six years or so. I've had it for seven.) I have another Panasonic, this one more streamlined, with larger buttons and a light-up face. I also got the most adorable WebKinz Lil' Kinz Lamb - I named her Sharri, after puppeteer Sharri Lewis, whose most famous creation was Lambchop.
I'm off to make whipped syllabub and wait for the cacophony that is the fireworks over the river. I hope all of my regular readers have a wonderful New Year's and a safe and happy 2014!
Monday, December 30, 2013
That's Laundry
I got up early so I could get the laundry done today. I won't have the time to do it until Thursday, and that's really too late. I needed clean work clothes. Thankfully, the laundromat was busy, but not as crazy as last week when I arrived, and the weather was cloudy and damp but not rainy. Helped that I had a small load, too. I was in and out in less than an hour.
I had just enough time to get home, put everything away, change into my work clothes, throw muffins and an apple into my lunch bag, and hurry to work. Work was on-and-off steady all day, sometimes pretty busy. We had plenty of help, and there were no major problems. I was able to hurry home at 5PM; thankfully, it had slowed down enough by then for me to leave without a relief.
When I got in, I made baked Italian-breaded chicken fillets and honey glazed carrots for dinner while finishing the first That's Entertainment. I generally tend to put on this or the third Entertainment documentary on the MGM musicals of the 30s, 40s, and 50s as background music when I'm busy or don't feel like watching anything else. Yeah, I know almost all of these films can be found in full now either on DVD or in the Warner Archive, but it's still fun to see them strung together, with a huge raft of hosts (almost all now passed on) gushing about how great it was to work there. Great fun for fans of musicals, not a bad rental for casual fans who want a general overview of MGM musicals in particular or Hollywood musicals of the "Golden Era" in general.
I had just enough time to get home, put everything away, change into my work clothes, throw muffins and an apple into my lunch bag, and hurry to work. Work was on-and-off steady all day, sometimes pretty busy. We had plenty of help, and there were no major problems. I was able to hurry home at 5PM; thankfully, it had slowed down enough by then for me to leave without a relief.
When I got in, I made baked Italian-breaded chicken fillets and honey glazed carrots for dinner while finishing the first That's Entertainment. I generally tend to put on this or the third Entertainment documentary on the MGM musicals of the 30s, 40s, and 50s as background music when I'm busy or don't feel like watching anything else. Yeah, I know almost all of these films can be found in full now either on DVD or in the Warner Archive, but it's still fun to see them strung together, with a huge raft of hosts (almost all now passed on) gushing about how great it was to work there. Great fun for fans of musicals, not a bad rental for casual fans who want a general overview of MGM musicals in particular or Hollywood musicals of the "Golden Era" in general.
Sunday, December 29, 2013
It's Eagles Time
And...woohooooo! The Eagles just squeaked past the Cowboys 24-22 to make it into the playoffs! They'll play the Saints here in Philly next week and knocked the Cowboys out of contention. : D
http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2013122903/2013/REG17/eagles@cowboys
http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2013122903/2013/REG17/eagles@cowboys
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