Kicked off the day with early work. It wasn't bad when I came in. I was even able to shelve candy for a little while. Things picked up quickly, to the point where I ended up spending most of the day outside with the carts. No problems with that whatsoever. Though it was chilly when I went out this morning, by noon, it was absolutely gorgeous, sunny and breezy. It was also insane in the Acme. They threw me in a register around 1 because a cashier went on break and they just didn't have enough help. I was so happy to get back outside after that!
It was so gorgeous, I took the long way home down Nicholson Road. Nicholson itself was pretty busy, not a surprise for a beautiful Sunday. It was much better in Oaklyn. Most people were probably out and about, enjoying the unusual 50 degree temperatures. I passed a bunch of kids on bikes and several folks out for a stroll.
Went straight into writing after a snack. Marcia desperately searches for the short prince in the snow, but he's vanished. Charles and Brett shiver under a tree, too cold to move, and Gene and Richard were turned to ice. The whole thing finally fades away...revealing the entire crowd's been having the same dream for weeks. Charles tells Richard as they work on sword fighting that it must mean something. They both know there's something going on with the invisible servants and the curse on Bill. Charles, however, is easily distracted by Richard touching him to work on his stance.
Spent the rest of the day watching Buzzr's "Love at First Sight" marathon. Basically, this is their Valentine's Day event, and all the episodes were new to the channel. Two episodes of Password Plus from 1980 featured Betty White playing alongside her host husband Allen Ludden, with Match Game host Gene Rayburn along for the ride. I can guess why these were included for Valentine's Day. From all reports, Betty and Allen were absolutely nuts about each other, and it shows in their warm and witty rapport in these episodes. Gene just couldn't resist throwing in his two cents about his good friends and frequent panelists as well.
Had bacon spinach salad for dinner again and made Pineapple-Pumpkin Muffins while watching Sale of the Century. Four episodes from 1988 spotlighted "True Romance," with the studio decorated in hearts and lace. The contestants were all singles with interesting stories, and all the prizes revolved around love or finding it, from a wide-screen TV two could watch to a Caribbean windjammer cruise and a trip to Rio De Janeiro. No one in any of the four episodes won the bonus round money, but Jim did say if they had the highest points, they would come back in two weeks for a crack at a red car. I hope Buzzr shows the entire two weeks sometime - I want to know who won that car!
Tattletales, with its celebrity couples answering questions about their relationships, is a natural for a Valentine's Day marathon. The two 1977 episodes were apparently from the show's rarely-seen syndicated nighttime run, which is why the men were in tuxes and the ladies in evening gowns and flowing pantsuits. Elegant Joan Collins, several years before becoming one of the most notorious villanesses on television, won the first show with her then-husband, businessman Ron Kass. Jazz singer Julie London and songwriter Bobby Troupe, who'd been married for years (and would remain together until his death in 1999) won the second show over recently-married couples Bill Macy and Samantha Harper and John Ritter and Nancy Morgan.
(Skipped the much-advertised Bzzz!, apparently a dating show from the late 90's. I've never cared much about dating game shows. I could never get into Love Connection or any version of The Dating Game or any of those dating shows that were on when I was a kid.)
Life is a lazy river - no matter where you are. Movies, musicals, mysteries, pop culture, and lots of other great stuff.
Sunday, February 09, 2020
Saturday, February 08, 2020
Return of the Sun
Stayed up late last night and slept in this morning. I was so glad to finally awaken to blue skies sunshine after the rain we've had all week! Celebrated with breakfast and Split Second. I came in during the second half of the 11 AM episode. From the looks of thing, the one guy in the middle had kicked rear the whole game, and though the ladies put up a fight in the speed round, he ultimately answered his questions first. Wasn't able to get the car in the bonus round, though, and opted to come back next week.
Switched to another Winnie the Pooh Valentine's Day special while doing the dishes. This one is actually an episode of The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. It's "Un-Valentine's Day" when Rabbit cancels the holiday in the wake of the avalanche of valentines Pooh sent last year. As so often happens when a resident of the 100 Acres Woods cancels a holiday, it doesn't stay canceled for long. Someone leaves Pooh a honey pot...which leads to flying cakes, Piglet clinging to a giant heart, and Rabbit putting on his idea of a romantic play. But who did send the original pot of honey? The episode also includes the super-short "The Three Little Piglets." The group tries to tell the famous folk tale, but Pooh keeps injecting honey, and Rabbit does not want to be the Big Bad Bunny.
Thought I'd try something a little different while getting organized. My sisters and I were huge fans of the original My Little Pony & Friends in the mid-80's, both the toys and the cartoon. The toys remain popular with collectors to this day. The cartoon can be cutesy, but some episodes are surprisingly dark for a girl show from this era. Take "Bright Lights," a four-part story from the second season. Four of the baby ponies are crazy about Nightshade, a handsome pony singing idol who is holding a concert in Ponyland. His zebra manager convinces the little ponies to join their band as back-up singers. As soon as they do, he steals their shadows and energy. Their human friend Megan and their horrified mothers go searching for them...and to find out who's really behind the shadow thefts.
Headed out shortly after the cartoon ended. My first stop of the day was the Oaklyn Library. Organized DVDs and books in the kids' area. The library just reorganized their DVDs and cleared out a lot of them. I picked up a box set of all of Shirley Temple's movies for a dollar. (Which means, look for reviews of her musicals at my Musical Dreams blog over the next few months.)
Next stop was the Acme. I had a lot of groceries I needed, and there were quite a few good sales this weekend. Had online coupons for peanut butter, canned tomato sauce, brown sugar, and the Oui yogurts in the little glass jar. An online coupon coupled with a sale on Honey Bunches of Oats allowed me to get it for free. Found turkey bacon with a manager's coupon and sales on crusted fish fillets. The Steve's Organic Ice Cream is still on clearance; went with Cold Cinnamon Coffee Brew. Restocked cranberries, bananas, butter, milk, frozen peas, cake mix, white flour, mechanical pencils, and muffin papers.
Not a bad schedule this week. On one hand, a long and early day tomorrow and I work four days straight through. On the other hand, I have Monday and next Saturday off, and a lot of morning and mid-afternoon shifts will allow me to get writing and other things done at home.
Ran Classic Concentration while putting everything away. Though a young man found the "take" card and was able to swipe pearl earrings from the older woman challenger, she still not only won in the end, but picked up more prizes, including sailing lessons and fresh flowers for a year. In a truly heart-stopping moment, she literally completed the bonus round and got the car at the very last possible second.
Worked on both the mall essay and the fanfic for a while. I wish malls hadn't been so quick to drop fun things like arcades, book stores, toy stores, and DVD and video stores...and considering that many are re-adding arcades, movie theaters, and other entertainment options, I suspect a lot of them are regretting it, too. I don't care if you can find them online. It's more fun to pick them up in a store. Clothes are not the be-all and end-all of everything. Not to mention, there's the sheer hang-out factor. I envy 80's and 90's kids who got to hang out in malls when they were younger. I don't have those stories. Kids in Lower Township had to beg their parents to drive them to malls further up north, or drive themselves and their friends almost an hour or more if they were teens.
Moved on to the fanfic around 5:30. The storm intensifies, turning Richard into a frozen statue. Brett clings to Charles, her dear friend, to protect her from the storm and from Malade's magic. Marcia tries to hang on to her prince friend, but he's vanishing in the heavy snow. All she hears before he disappears into the snow is his warning not to be misled by appearances and to look closer to find him...
Ran Descendants 3 earlier in the evening. I go further into the final movie in this series at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Musicals On TV - Descendants 3
It was almost 7:30 before I broke for dinner. Made spinach bacon salad with that turkey bacon while switching around Roku. The Roku Channel currently has the first two seasons of the late 70's-early 80's mystery-action series Hart to Hart. Since it was set around Valentine's Day, I chose the second season episode "Hart-Shaped Murder." Jennifer Hart (Stephanie Powers), the wife of wealthy industrialist Johnathan Hart (Robert Wagner), sends chocolate hearts to the members of her charity committee as a thank-you gift. However, the hearts are stolen or destroyed almost as soon as they're delivered. As the Harts investigate the thefts, someone sends them a seemingly random box of candies. Good thing the Harts and their man-of-all-trades Max (Lionel Stander) are on diets, because this box of goodies has a poison center inside that candy shell.
Finished the night after a shower with Match Game episodes on YouTube in honor of comedian and long-time regular Orson Bean, who was tragically run over by a car today at 91. His witty and homespun Vermont humor was a favorite on the show pretty much through its entire run. These episodes should give you at least a decent idea of some of his talents:
Match Game '74 - Orson's debut on the 70's show (and Marcia Wallace's as well).
Match Game '74 - Orson's gives an unusual - and rather sexual - answer to a later question.
Match Game '76 - Orson gives wry observations to some rather wild antics, including problems with the set and Betty White getting all tied up in tape.
Switched to another Winnie the Pooh Valentine's Day special while doing the dishes. This one is actually an episode of The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. It's "Un-Valentine's Day" when Rabbit cancels the holiday in the wake of the avalanche of valentines Pooh sent last year. As so often happens when a resident of the 100 Acres Woods cancels a holiday, it doesn't stay canceled for long. Someone leaves Pooh a honey pot...which leads to flying cakes, Piglet clinging to a giant heart, and Rabbit putting on his idea of a romantic play. But who did send the original pot of honey? The episode also includes the super-short "The Three Little Piglets." The group tries to tell the famous folk tale, but Pooh keeps injecting honey, and Rabbit does not want to be the Big Bad Bunny.
Thought I'd try something a little different while getting organized. My sisters and I were huge fans of the original My Little Pony & Friends in the mid-80's, both the toys and the cartoon. The toys remain popular with collectors to this day. The cartoon can be cutesy, but some episodes are surprisingly dark for a girl show from this era. Take "Bright Lights," a four-part story from the second season. Four of the baby ponies are crazy about Nightshade, a handsome pony singing idol who is holding a concert in Ponyland. His zebra manager convinces the little ponies to join their band as back-up singers. As soon as they do, he steals their shadows and energy. Their human friend Megan and their horrified mothers go searching for them...and to find out who's really behind the shadow thefts.
Headed out shortly after the cartoon ended. My first stop of the day was the Oaklyn Library. Organized DVDs and books in the kids' area. The library just reorganized their DVDs and cleared out a lot of them. I picked up a box set of all of Shirley Temple's movies for a dollar. (Which means, look for reviews of her musicals at my Musical Dreams blog over the next few months.)
Next stop was the Acme. I had a lot of groceries I needed, and there were quite a few good sales this weekend. Had online coupons for peanut butter, canned tomato sauce, brown sugar, and the Oui yogurts in the little glass jar. An online coupon coupled with a sale on Honey Bunches of Oats allowed me to get it for free. Found turkey bacon with a manager's coupon and sales on crusted fish fillets. The Steve's Organic Ice Cream is still on clearance; went with Cold Cinnamon Coffee Brew. Restocked cranberries, bananas, butter, milk, frozen peas, cake mix, white flour, mechanical pencils, and muffin papers.
Not a bad schedule this week. On one hand, a long and early day tomorrow and I work four days straight through. On the other hand, I have Monday and next Saturday off, and a lot of morning and mid-afternoon shifts will allow me to get writing and other things done at home.
Ran Classic Concentration while putting everything away. Though a young man found the "take" card and was able to swipe pearl earrings from the older woman challenger, she still not only won in the end, but picked up more prizes, including sailing lessons and fresh flowers for a year. In a truly heart-stopping moment, she literally completed the bonus round and got the car at the very last possible second.
Worked on both the mall essay and the fanfic for a while. I wish malls hadn't been so quick to drop fun things like arcades, book stores, toy stores, and DVD and video stores...and considering that many are re-adding arcades, movie theaters, and other entertainment options, I suspect a lot of them are regretting it, too. I don't care if you can find them online. It's more fun to pick them up in a store. Clothes are not the be-all and end-all of everything. Not to mention, there's the sheer hang-out factor. I envy 80's and 90's kids who got to hang out in malls when they were younger. I don't have those stories. Kids in Lower Township had to beg their parents to drive them to malls further up north, or drive themselves and their friends almost an hour or more if they were teens.
Moved on to the fanfic around 5:30. The storm intensifies, turning Richard into a frozen statue. Brett clings to Charles, her dear friend, to protect her from the storm and from Malade's magic. Marcia tries to hang on to her prince friend, but he's vanishing in the heavy snow. All she hears before he disappears into the snow is his warning not to be misled by appearances and to look closer to find him...
Ran Descendants 3 earlier in the evening. I go further into the final movie in this series at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Musicals On TV - Descendants 3
It was almost 7:30 before I broke for dinner. Made spinach bacon salad with that turkey bacon while switching around Roku. The Roku Channel currently has the first two seasons of the late 70's-early 80's mystery-action series Hart to Hart. Since it was set around Valentine's Day, I chose the second season episode "Hart-Shaped Murder." Jennifer Hart (Stephanie Powers), the wife of wealthy industrialist Johnathan Hart (Robert Wagner), sends chocolate hearts to the members of her charity committee as a thank-you gift. However, the hearts are stolen or destroyed almost as soon as they're delivered. As the Harts investigate the thefts, someone sends them a seemingly random box of candies. Good thing the Harts and their man-of-all-trades Max (Lionel Stander) are on diets, because this box of goodies has a poison center inside that candy shell.
Finished the night after a shower with Match Game episodes on YouTube in honor of comedian and long-time regular Orson Bean, who was tragically run over by a car today at 91. His witty and homespun Vermont humor was a favorite on the show pretty much through its entire run. These episodes should give you at least a decent idea of some of his talents:
Match Game '74 - Orson's debut on the 70's show (and Marcia Wallace's as well).
Match Game '74 - Orson's gives an unusual - and rather sexual - answer to a later question.
Match Game '76 - Orson gives wry observations to some rather wild antics, including problems with the set and Betty White getting all tied up in tape.
Friday, February 07, 2020
Dolls On a Windy Day
I awoke to a torrential downpour and blasting winds that made me happy I had today off. It continued on and off all morning, providing a rather noisy backdrop to breakfast and Blockbusters. A young woman went up against the mother-daughter team. She didn't have a chance; they blasted through, and the daughter won the bonus round in half the time. WKRP In Cincinatti bombshell Loni Anderson and kooky McLean Stevenson and baby-faced Gary Burgoff of MASH joined Gene, Brett, and Charles for shenanigans and jokes about Loni's hot babe status in two Match Game episodes from late 1978.
Finally got around to making that eye doctor appointment after I finished eating. I haven't had an eye exam in at least five years. I was going to America's Best behind the Acme, but they didn't take my health insurance at the time, and it got too expensive. Not only do I need a basic exam, but I need to get that lazy eye checked out, too. Yes, the place Dr. Jessica recommended takes my current health insurance. I'll be going there on the 25th.
Dressed the dolls for Valentine's Day around 11:30. Samantha's in her Talent Show Dress, a limited edition outfit from 2003 based after one of her short stories. It's so historically accurate, it's based after a real Edwardian girl's dress from a Wisconsin museum. Whitney and Josefina wear hand-made outfits from eBay. Whitney's is a long-sleeved blouse with a pink felt poodle skirt and thick cotton slip trimmed with lace; she also gets to borrow Molly's saddle shoes and a pink knit cardigan with pearl trim I got from a yard sale. Josefina looks lovely in a ruffle-trimmed Empire waist dress with a pink and maroon floral pattern and a lace wrap and maroon satin ribbon trim. Molly wears her plaid School Jumper and blouse with Sam's black strap shoes. Felicity is also dressed for school, or at least tea lessons, in her Laced Jacket and Petticoat. Ariel gets the cream-colored Sweet Spring Dress with the pink satin flower on the collar. Though we're past Chinese New Year, Jessa still got to wear Ivy's Chinese New Year dress - it's the right color for Valentine's Day, too.
Since I was out of yogurt, I had leftover turkey chili for lunch. Started Downton Abbey, but I accidentally put on Season 4 instead of 3. By the time I realized the mistake, it was too late to check out the whole episode. I ended up watching the Winnie the Pooh Valentine's Day special A Valentine For You. Pooh and the others are upset when they see Christopher Robin making a valentine for a girl. They think he likes her better than them. Owl convinces them that he's been bitten by the "smitten" bug, and they have to find another one to change him back.
It was down to clouds, wind, and the rare minor shower when I headed out to get the laundry done. Thankfully, unlike the last couple of weeks, it was fairly quiet when I arrived. I had no trouble getting a washer or a dryer. Good thing, too. I had a big load, including towels. I worked on story notes while half-listening to talk shows and General Hospital on Channel 6.
Put everything away when I got home, then did some writing. The winds blow the crowds into each other. Charles isn't happy to land on Brett; Marcia feels a lot better when she and the small man hold onto each other for dear life. Brett and Gene know it's black magic trying to separate them, but it's making Brett groggy, and Gene can't reach for his wand. It's also drowning out what the dark-haired royal is trying to tell Marcia...
Broke at 6 to get ready to go out to dinner with Jessa. Watched Match Game while I got organized. The episode from 1975 had a set-up similar to the one I watched this morning; baby-faced comic (Johnny Brown from Good Times), cool but goofy smart-mouthed guy (Richard Dawson), and cute blonde (soap opera star Trish Stewart) join Brett, Charles, and Gene for a round of jokes and Brett and Charles teasing each other about his toupee and her age.
Jessa picked me up around 6:30. My first suggestion was the Applebee's next-door to the Acme, but I forgot they're a bar and it's Friday. Since we were already at the mall, we ended up at Tu Se Bella's. I eat there fairly frequently, but I usually just get pizza. Jess and I shared a basket of fries and had sandwiches. She had chicken with broccoli rabe and American; I had hot roast beef with provolone, spinach, and gravy. Not only were they enormous, the size of three regular sandwiches, but they were messy...and very tasty. My hot roast beef sandwich dripped gravy, making it hard to hold, but it was warm and cheesy and cooked just right. They were so huge, we both ended up taking half of them home.
Watched a couple of game show episodes on Buzzr when we got in. Most of the folks on Let's Make a Deal did better than the ones I saw the other day. This time, a male nurse and his house of cards buddy got money and an entertainment center and stereo that the nurse said he could use, and a lady in a poncho got the big deal of the day, lots of bedroom furniture.
Password Plus was even funnier. Then-married couple Patty Duke and John Astin had more than a few problems getting through to their partners. One guessed "tuna fish" on a puzzle that said "bumble" and "bee." Yeah, it was honey; Patty Duke looked like she was ready to throttle her. Patty herself did much better, guessing "Devil" on the first puzzle on just the word "horns." Her jaw must have dropped a mile when she realized she guessed correctly on her first try!
Finished the night after Jess left with another I Dream of Jeannie episode. Major Roger Healy becomes "The World's Greatest Lover" in the second season when Jeannie, seeing he can't get a date, casts a spell on him that makes him irresistable to to women. Now, his secretary wants to marry him, putting her jealous gangster boyfriend after him, and the wife of base psychiatrist Dr. Bellows attempts to seduce him. Jeannie has to reverse the spell, before Roger ends up either wed, dead, or transferred to the Aleutian Islands!
Finally got around to making that eye doctor appointment after I finished eating. I haven't had an eye exam in at least five years. I was going to America's Best behind the Acme, but they didn't take my health insurance at the time, and it got too expensive. Not only do I need a basic exam, but I need to get that lazy eye checked out, too. Yes, the place Dr. Jessica recommended takes my current health insurance. I'll be going there on the 25th.
Dressed the dolls for Valentine's Day around 11:30. Samantha's in her Talent Show Dress, a limited edition outfit from 2003 based after one of her short stories. It's so historically accurate, it's based after a real Edwardian girl's dress from a Wisconsin museum. Whitney and Josefina wear hand-made outfits from eBay. Whitney's is a long-sleeved blouse with a pink felt poodle skirt and thick cotton slip trimmed with lace; she also gets to borrow Molly's saddle shoes and a pink knit cardigan with pearl trim I got from a yard sale. Josefina looks lovely in a ruffle-trimmed Empire waist dress with a pink and maroon floral pattern and a lace wrap and maroon satin ribbon trim. Molly wears her plaid School Jumper and blouse with Sam's black strap shoes. Felicity is also dressed for school, or at least tea lessons, in her Laced Jacket and Petticoat. Ariel gets the cream-colored Sweet Spring Dress with the pink satin flower on the collar. Though we're past Chinese New Year, Jessa still got to wear Ivy's Chinese New Year dress - it's the right color for Valentine's Day, too.
Since I was out of yogurt, I had leftover turkey chili for lunch. Started Downton Abbey, but I accidentally put on Season 4 instead of 3. By the time I realized the mistake, it was too late to check out the whole episode. I ended up watching the Winnie the Pooh Valentine's Day special A Valentine For You. Pooh and the others are upset when they see Christopher Robin making a valentine for a girl. They think he likes her better than them. Owl convinces them that he's been bitten by the "smitten" bug, and they have to find another one to change him back.
It was down to clouds, wind, and the rare minor shower when I headed out to get the laundry done. Thankfully, unlike the last couple of weeks, it was fairly quiet when I arrived. I had no trouble getting a washer or a dryer. Good thing, too. I had a big load, including towels. I worked on story notes while half-listening to talk shows and General Hospital on Channel 6.
Put everything away when I got home, then did some writing. The winds blow the crowds into each other. Charles isn't happy to land on Brett; Marcia feels a lot better when she and the small man hold onto each other for dear life. Brett and Gene know it's black magic trying to separate them, but it's making Brett groggy, and Gene can't reach for his wand. It's also drowning out what the dark-haired royal is trying to tell Marcia...
Broke at 6 to get ready to go out to dinner with Jessa. Watched Match Game while I got organized. The episode from 1975 had a set-up similar to the one I watched this morning; baby-faced comic (Johnny Brown from Good Times), cool but goofy smart-mouthed guy (Richard Dawson), and cute blonde (soap opera star Trish Stewart) join Brett, Charles, and Gene for a round of jokes and Brett and Charles teasing each other about his toupee and her age.
Jessa picked me up around 6:30. My first suggestion was the Applebee's next-door to the Acme, but I forgot they're a bar and it's Friday. Since we were already at the mall, we ended up at Tu Se Bella's. I eat there fairly frequently, but I usually just get pizza. Jess and I shared a basket of fries and had sandwiches. She had chicken with broccoli rabe and American; I had hot roast beef with provolone, spinach, and gravy. Not only were they enormous, the size of three regular sandwiches, but they were messy...and very tasty. My hot roast beef sandwich dripped gravy, making it hard to hold, but it was warm and cheesy and cooked just right. They were so huge, we both ended up taking half of them home.
Watched a couple of game show episodes on Buzzr when we got in. Most of the folks on Let's Make a Deal did better than the ones I saw the other day. This time, a male nurse and his house of cards buddy got money and an entertainment center and stereo that the nurse said he could use, and a lady in a poncho got the big deal of the day, lots of bedroom furniture.
Password Plus was even funnier. Then-married couple Patty Duke and John Astin had more than a few problems getting through to their partners. One guessed "tuna fish" on a puzzle that said "bumble" and "bee." Yeah, it was honey; Patty Duke looked like she was ready to throttle her. Patty herself did much better, guessing "Devil" on the first puzzle on just the word "horns." Her jaw must have dropped a mile when she realized she guessed correctly on her first try!
Finished the night after Jess left with another I Dream of Jeannie episode. Major Roger Healy becomes "The World's Greatest Lover" in the second season when Jeannie, seeing he can't get a date, casts a spell on him that makes him irresistable to to women. Now, his secretary wants to marry him, putting her jealous gangster boyfriend after him, and the wife of base psychiatrist Dr. Bellows attempts to seduce him. Jeannie has to reverse the spell, before Roger ends up either wed, dead, or transferred to the Aleutian Islands!
Thursday, February 06, 2020
An Afternoon With Cats and Tigers
Began another rainy morning with breakfast and To Tell the Truth. The guest today was a man who wrote a book on how ultraviolet rays can be beneficial to our health. Guesses on who he was were all over the map, but in the end, Kitty Carlisle-Hart was the only one to correctly claim that #3 was the man of science...because he talked the least. The panel didn't have as much luck on What's My Line? They got so close to guessing the career of a young woman on stilts, but said "painting ceilings" when she was a ceiling plasterer.
I was lucky with the weather, too. By the time I headed to work, the rain had taken a temporary leave of absence. Even when I did carts in the morning, it mostly just misted or showered very lightly. I spent the first half of my shift outside with the carts and recycling and trash, and the second half after another bagger arrived inside doing returns and helping a manager lug boxes of plastic bags out so the cashiers could refill the bag holders.
The rain didn't pick up until I was almost on my way out. Even then, I arrived damp but not soaked. It's continued on and off for the rest of the day, sometimes fairly heavily.
Decided the gloomy day could use some cheering up and ran cartoons for the next few hours. Among the shows currently on the PBS Kids streaming service are Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood and The Cat In the Hat Knows a Lot About That. Began with Daniel while eating a snack. "Daniel Makes a Mistake" at school when he knocks over the basket of items he and Miss Elainia are studying under a microscope. Katerina is equally upset when she drips pink paint on her picture of a pig. Teacher Harriet reminds her students that it's ok to make mistakes and we should try to learn from them. Dan and Prince Wednesday learn about "Baking Mistakes" when they make trolley cookies with Baker Aker.
Continued with Dan while dusting the living room. He has his first sleepover with Prince Wednesday at the Royal Castle in "Daniel's Sleepover." The boys are spooked by odd lumps and shadows, until Dan Sr. and Queen Sarah encourage them to check out what they're afraid of. "Dan Sr. takes his son and O the Owl "Backyard Camping." O's nervous and not used to sleeping in a tent or away from home. The two Dans show him there's nothing to be afraid of in the dark.
Switched to The Cat In the Hat while dusting the bedroom. Nick and Sally want to be "Super Cleaner-Uppers" and learn how to pick up trash in their backyard more effectively. The Cat takes them to the beach to meet Sandy the Sandhopper, a hopping crustacean who cleans up beaches by eating the older seaweed and other natural objects laying around. She can't, however, eat man-made trash like a candy wrapper, so the Cat and the kids lend her a hand. The kids are about to dump the water out of their pool when the Cat turns up to admonish them not to waste it. They learn why it's important to conserve water from the residents of the Drippety-Dry Desert in "Itty Bitty Water."
Worked on writing for a while next. The little man explains that Malade attacked his country and tried to force him to marry her and help her find the Legendary Princesses. When he refused to do either, she cursed him and his entire household. He's trying to spit out his name when the wind picks up, and Brett feels black magic in the air...
Broke for dinner and to make Pumpkin Cookies at 6:30. Tonight's Match Game episode is a favorite of mine. Things get really wild when Gene says jokingly "I've done Betty (White)" during the Audience Match, forgetting her husband Allen Ludden is on the panel. The contestant, a belly dancer who claimed she'd perform if she won big money, did indeed win the Head-to-Head and was called on to do her stuff. She didn't, mainly because they put on "The Stars and Stripes Forever" instead of belly-dancing music...but Brett had no problem showing her own moves no matter what song played!
Sale of the Century didn't get quite as ribald. Despite buying the second Instant Bargain, Chou Chou just kept blowing everyone away in the second half...but she still couldn't get through the bonus round. The dealers on Let's Make a Deal didn't have much better luck. A woman in a princess costume who claimed to have been on the show 20 years before and Zonked out and a young man and his buddies in 80's rock-star wigs and Members Only jackets went for the Deal of the Day. The young men ended up with kitchen appliances they'd probably never use, while that poor lady got a check for less money than she started off with.
Finished the night with Descendants 2. I go further into the first sequel to the massive hit Disney Channel fantasy musical at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Musicals On TV - Descendants 2
I was lucky with the weather, too. By the time I headed to work, the rain had taken a temporary leave of absence. Even when I did carts in the morning, it mostly just misted or showered very lightly. I spent the first half of my shift outside with the carts and recycling and trash, and the second half after another bagger arrived inside doing returns and helping a manager lug boxes of plastic bags out so the cashiers could refill the bag holders.
The rain didn't pick up until I was almost on my way out. Even then, I arrived damp but not soaked. It's continued on and off for the rest of the day, sometimes fairly heavily.
Decided the gloomy day could use some cheering up and ran cartoons for the next few hours. Among the shows currently on the PBS Kids streaming service are Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood and The Cat In the Hat Knows a Lot About That. Began with Daniel while eating a snack. "Daniel Makes a Mistake" at school when he knocks over the basket of items he and Miss Elainia are studying under a microscope. Katerina is equally upset when she drips pink paint on her picture of a pig. Teacher Harriet reminds her students that it's ok to make mistakes and we should try to learn from them. Dan and Prince Wednesday learn about "Baking Mistakes" when they make trolley cookies with Baker Aker.
Continued with Dan while dusting the living room. He has his first sleepover with Prince Wednesday at the Royal Castle in "Daniel's Sleepover." The boys are spooked by odd lumps and shadows, until Dan Sr. and Queen Sarah encourage them to check out what they're afraid of. "Dan Sr. takes his son and O the Owl "Backyard Camping." O's nervous and not used to sleeping in a tent or away from home. The two Dans show him there's nothing to be afraid of in the dark.
Switched to The Cat In the Hat while dusting the bedroom. Nick and Sally want to be "Super Cleaner-Uppers" and learn how to pick up trash in their backyard more effectively. The Cat takes them to the beach to meet Sandy the Sandhopper, a hopping crustacean who cleans up beaches by eating the older seaweed and other natural objects laying around. She can't, however, eat man-made trash like a candy wrapper, so the Cat and the kids lend her a hand. The kids are about to dump the water out of their pool when the Cat turns up to admonish them not to waste it. They learn why it's important to conserve water from the residents of the Drippety-Dry Desert in "Itty Bitty Water."
Worked on writing for a while next. The little man explains that Malade attacked his country and tried to force him to marry her and help her find the Legendary Princesses. When he refused to do either, she cursed him and his entire household. He's trying to spit out his name when the wind picks up, and Brett feels black magic in the air...
Broke for dinner and to make Pumpkin Cookies at 6:30. Tonight's Match Game episode is a favorite of mine. Things get really wild when Gene says jokingly "I've done Betty (White)" during the Audience Match, forgetting her husband Allen Ludden is on the panel. The contestant, a belly dancer who claimed she'd perform if she won big money, did indeed win the Head-to-Head and was called on to do her stuff. She didn't, mainly because they put on "The Stars and Stripes Forever" instead of belly-dancing music...but Brett had no problem showing her own moves no matter what song played!
Sale of the Century didn't get quite as ribald. Despite buying the second Instant Bargain, Chou Chou just kept blowing everyone away in the second half...but she still couldn't get through the bonus round. The dealers on Let's Make a Deal didn't have much better luck. A woman in a princess costume who claimed to have been on the show 20 years before and Zonked out and a young man and his buddies in 80's rock-star wigs and Members Only jackets went for the Deal of the Day. The young men ended up with kitchen appliances they'd probably never use, while that poor lady got a check for less money than she started off with.
Finished the night with Descendants 2. I go further into the first sequel to the massive hit Disney Channel fantasy musical at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Musicals On TV - Descendants 2
Wednesday, February 05, 2020
Of Angels and Genies
I awoke to the soft patter of rain on the roof. It started to slow down as I ate my breakfast and watched To Tell the Truth. Three men claimed to be a cat burglar who swiped millions of dollars from Hollywood's elite, then taught people how to avoid burglars after getting out of jail. Everyone chose number 2, with his roguish little mustache that screamed "gentleman thief"...and they all turned out to be right. (As Gene Rayburn put it, "he looks like a thug.")
The guests on What's My Line weren't quite as exciting. Critic Gene Shalit of the massive mustache guessed that the first gentleman was an expert in bird calls. He demonstrated his uncanny talent for the audience and panel. They didn't catch on about the young lady who worked in the city dump in Miami. She claimed she actually enjoyed her job and only left to focus on college.
Work was a bit of a pain. It wasn't bad when I came in. In fact, the rain ended even as I rode to work. I rounded up carts and the trash and did returns for most of the morning. Things started picking up after lunch, which proved to be a problem. I kept ending up in the register, and stayed an hour on the register because they just didn't have enough help scheduled to deal with customers. Thankfully, by the time I rushed home, the rain was long gone. It remained cloudy, cold, and damp for the rest of the day.
Had a snack when I got in while watching Tattletales on Buzzr. This celebrity panel show from the 70's has three famous couples winning money for three color-coded sections - red, banana (yellow), and blue. Bert Convy keeps the game going and cracks jokes as the men answer a question about how they think their wives will act or see them, and the ladies come on a monitor in massive orange headphones to give their answers. The winners split $150. Married comedians Charlie Brill (who also had an admirable mustache) and Mitzi McCall got every question right and won the most money by far (and were adorable, to boot).
Did the vacuuming while the late 70's-early 80's Card Sharks ran. Wanted to get it done yesterday, but I just ran out of time. It was pretty bad; there's still strands of Mylar and tinsel garland leftover from Christmas.
Went into writing after I finished. A rose bush rustles in the now all-Summer Garden and disgorgeous a short, slightly nervous dark-haired man in a blue prince's uniform. Marcia asks him his name, but he doesn't answer. He just keeps rambling about his timing and entrance. It's Gene who finally gets him to stop and reveal why he's there...
Broke for dinner at 6:30. Had leftovers and banana-orange whirl (frozen banana and orange sorbet) while watching Match Game. Allen Ludden gets a look at the panel's usual lunacy when his wife Betty White rolls up host Gene Rayburn's pant legs while he talks to the upper desks. Chou Chou continued to kick rear on Sale of the Century. Even with buying the two Instant Bargains, no one could touch her. She still couldn't get that bonus round, though...
Finished the night with two vintage TV favorites on Crackle. They currently have season 4 of the original Charlie's Angels. Guys may see this as "jiggle TV," but I see it as three ladies kicking rear and solving mysteries. Given my musical bent and love of old movies, "Dancin' Angels" was a natural. The ladies - by this point, Kelly (Jacklyn Smith), Kris (Cheryl Ladd), and Tiffany (Shelly Hack) - and Bosley (David Doyle) join a ballroom dancing marathon at a new dance club after one of the dancer's partner goes missing. Kris deals with the two owners who have seen a few too many James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart gangster films, while Kelly befriends the aging orchestra leader (Caesar Romero) and Bosley and Tiffany hit the dance floor to keep an eye on a young couple who will do anything to win.
In the season 1 I Dream of Jeannie episode "Bigger Than a Bread Box and Better Than a Genie," Major Roger Healy (Bill Daily) claims he has a new friend who's "better than a genie" - a fortune teller named Madame Zolta. His buddy Tony (Larry Hagman) smells a phony and attends a session with her. He convinces her to hold a seance that will reveal her to be a fraud...but Jeannie (Barbara Eden) wants to check this out, too.
(And incidentally, the rain returned late this evening while I watched Buzzr and has stuck around ever since. I hope it's not really going to rain as hard as it's supposed to tomorrow. I don't know if I could get a ride to work.)
The guests on What's My Line weren't quite as exciting. Critic Gene Shalit of the massive mustache guessed that the first gentleman was an expert in bird calls. He demonstrated his uncanny talent for the audience and panel. They didn't catch on about the young lady who worked in the city dump in Miami. She claimed she actually enjoyed her job and only left to focus on college.
Work was a bit of a pain. It wasn't bad when I came in. In fact, the rain ended even as I rode to work. I rounded up carts and the trash and did returns for most of the morning. Things started picking up after lunch, which proved to be a problem. I kept ending up in the register, and stayed an hour on the register because they just didn't have enough help scheduled to deal with customers. Thankfully, by the time I rushed home, the rain was long gone. It remained cloudy, cold, and damp for the rest of the day.
Had a snack when I got in while watching Tattletales on Buzzr. This celebrity panel show from the 70's has three famous couples winning money for three color-coded sections - red, banana (yellow), and blue. Bert Convy keeps the game going and cracks jokes as the men answer a question about how they think their wives will act or see them, and the ladies come on a monitor in massive orange headphones to give their answers. The winners split $150. Married comedians Charlie Brill (who also had an admirable mustache) and Mitzi McCall got every question right and won the most money by far (and were adorable, to boot).
Did the vacuuming while the late 70's-early 80's Card Sharks ran. Wanted to get it done yesterday, but I just ran out of time. It was pretty bad; there's still strands of Mylar and tinsel garland leftover from Christmas.
Went into writing after I finished. A rose bush rustles in the now all-Summer Garden and disgorgeous a short, slightly nervous dark-haired man in a blue prince's uniform. Marcia asks him his name, but he doesn't answer. He just keeps rambling about his timing and entrance. It's Gene who finally gets him to stop and reveal why he's there...
Broke for dinner at 6:30. Had leftovers and banana-orange whirl (frozen banana and orange sorbet) while watching Match Game. Allen Ludden gets a look at the panel's usual lunacy when his wife Betty White rolls up host Gene Rayburn's pant legs while he talks to the upper desks. Chou Chou continued to kick rear on Sale of the Century. Even with buying the two Instant Bargains, no one could touch her. She still couldn't get that bonus round, though...
Finished the night with two vintage TV favorites on Crackle. They currently have season 4 of the original Charlie's Angels. Guys may see this as "jiggle TV," but I see it as three ladies kicking rear and solving mysteries. Given my musical bent and love of old movies, "Dancin' Angels" was a natural. The ladies - by this point, Kelly (Jacklyn Smith), Kris (Cheryl Ladd), and Tiffany (Shelly Hack) - and Bosley (David Doyle) join a ballroom dancing marathon at a new dance club after one of the dancer's partner goes missing. Kris deals with the two owners who have seen a few too many James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart gangster films, while Kelly befriends the aging orchestra leader (Caesar Romero) and Bosley and Tiffany hit the dance floor to keep an eye on a young couple who will do anything to win.
In the season 1 I Dream of Jeannie episode "Bigger Than a Bread Box and Better Than a Genie," Major Roger Healy (Bill Daily) claims he has a new friend who's "better than a genie" - a fortune teller named Madame Zolta. His buddy Tony (Larry Hagman) smells a phony and attends a session with her. He convinces her to hold a seance that will reveal her to be a fraud...but Jeannie (Barbara Eden) wants to check this out, too.
(And incidentally, the rain returned late this evening while I watched Buzzr and has stuck around ever since. I hope it's not really going to rain as hard as it's supposed to tomorrow. I don't know if I could get a ride to work.)
Tuesday, February 04, 2020
After the Rain Was Gone
I awoke to a rainy, gloomy morning. Thankfully, the rain had already begun to clear out as I ate my breakfast and watched Press Your Luck. This may be the most exciting episode I've seen yet! Everyone kept getting Whammies in the first round, leaving no contestant with any money. The one woman got four Whammies straight off in the second half and was knocked out, but the guys kept passing their spins back and forth as they earned more money and prizes. In the end, the slightly older man finally got one last Whammy that knocked him out and let the other man win a Caribbean vacation and wide-screen TV, among other prizes. It got so crazy, host Peter Tomarken flopped over his podium in sheer exhaustion when they finished!
After all that, I was more than happy when Buzzr moved on to Blockbusters and I moved on to making the bed. An older woman went up against a mother-daughter team. It was neck-and-neck for a while, but the daughter finally came up with the last hexagon that won them the game.
Continued on with Match Game while cleaning the bathroom and going over old journals in the back room. Robert Mandan of the sitcom Soap joins Brett, Gene, Charles, and semi-regulars Lee "Catwoman" Merriweather, impressionist Richard Paul, and Betty White. I used to love Soap when I was a kid, though I'm pretty sure I didn't understand any of what went on in it. Mandan did pretty well for his first time, too, including winning a Head-To-Head bonus round for a contestant.
Moved on to cleaning the kitchen and running Downton Abbey next. Season 2 ends with a run of marriages. Lavinia (Zoe Boyle) is set to wed Abbey heir Matthew (Dan Stevens), while valet Bates (Brendan Coyle) secretly marries head housemaid Anna (Joanne Froggett). Lord Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) tries to figure out what to do with his feelings about maid Jane (Clare Calbraith), but he knows how he feels about his daughter Sybil (Jessica Brown Findlay) becoming engaged to chauffeur Branson (Allen Leech). His Lordship attempts to buy Branson off before he realizes how determined the young people are. Everything changes when Cora, Lavinia, and butler Carson (Jim Carter) are all hit with the Spanish flu during the infamous flu epidemic of 1918 and Bates is accused of killing his wife.
Switched to more Peanuts specials while eating lunch and writing out the rent. Charlie Brown would do anything to ask the Little Red Haired Girl to the school dance in A Charlie Brown Valentine, but he ends up taking Peppermint Patty and Marcie. Meanwhile, Sally and Lucy would be happy if their crushes would give them the time of day, and Snoopy is recruited to write everyone's valentines.
Chuck finds another girl to drool over in Someday You'll Find Her, Charlie Brown. He somehow manages to fall for a beautiful girl he sees for two seconds in the crowd at a football game on TV and drags Linus, Snoopy, and Woodstock across town and into the country to find her. Even when he does, he still can't talk to her and hopes Linus will act as his second.
As I prepared to leave, I found an envelope stuck in my door. It turned out to be the new rental agreement...which had been raised almost a 100 dollars to 850. I don't know what I'm going to do, or why she keeps raising the rent this high. They can fix all the windows and porches they want, but in the end, it's still a small three-room apartment with bad carpeting, a teeny kitchen, and an unheated room in the back. Unfortunately, as I discovered last year when I looked for apartments, I can't afford to go anywhere else. No one will take me with my lack of finances. I need to talk to Rose and try to convince her to lower that rent.
(At least the rain was long gone. It remained cloudy and in the 60's for the rest of the day, but it never rained again.)
For the time being, I needed another check. I messed up on the other rent check. PNC in Collingswood was dead when I arrived. I went in, bought my check, and went out.
Dodged traffic coming out of Haddon Township High School and headed down Cuthbert to the library. They were just as busy with kids coming out of class and into the library and children's activities. They were holding the adult DVDs for one of the teen volunteers, but I did shelve the kid titles. Once again, didn't take anything out. I'm still exploring Roku and working on Downton Abbey.
Stopped really quick at Target for sugar. It's cheaper there than at Dollar General or the Acme. I grabbed the sugar, rang it up in self-checkout, and headed out.
Went into writing to cheer myself up when I got in. Revised the previous sequence. Charles is enjoying his time at the Summer-Winter Castle. Bill spends time trying to court Marcia, while Brett and Gene attempt to teach him about magic and Richard teaches him to use a sword, or tries to. The only fly in the ointment is the dream the entire crowd has every night that lands them in the garden in fine clothes. Brett suspect something is up, but they don't know what, until they hear something rustling in the bushes...
Broke for leftovers at 6:30. Match Game went backwards to 1975 for one of their best weeks. Husband-and-wife Password king and queen Allen Ludden and Betty White joined Gene, the regulars, and adorable Brit Dolly Martin as two lovely lady contestants did their best matching. That sweet girl was finally defeated on Sale of the Century by a contestant named Chou Chou whom had also turned up a decade earlier in Password Plus (and won big there, too). She didn't have as much luck at the bonus round, though.
Finished the night with Descendants. I go further into this wildly popular Disney Channel musical about the children of Disney villains going to school with the "good" kids at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Musicals On TV - Descendants (2015)
After all that, I was more than happy when Buzzr moved on to Blockbusters and I moved on to making the bed. An older woman went up against a mother-daughter team. It was neck-and-neck for a while, but the daughter finally came up with the last hexagon that won them the game.
Continued on with Match Game while cleaning the bathroom and going over old journals in the back room. Robert Mandan of the sitcom Soap joins Brett, Gene, Charles, and semi-regulars Lee "Catwoman" Merriweather, impressionist Richard Paul, and Betty White. I used to love Soap when I was a kid, though I'm pretty sure I didn't understand any of what went on in it. Mandan did pretty well for his first time, too, including winning a Head-To-Head bonus round for a contestant.
Moved on to cleaning the kitchen and running Downton Abbey next. Season 2 ends with a run of marriages. Lavinia (Zoe Boyle) is set to wed Abbey heir Matthew (Dan Stevens), while valet Bates (Brendan Coyle) secretly marries head housemaid Anna (Joanne Froggett). Lord Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) tries to figure out what to do with his feelings about maid Jane (Clare Calbraith), but he knows how he feels about his daughter Sybil (Jessica Brown Findlay) becoming engaged to chauffeur Branson (Allen Leech). His Lordship attempts to buy Branson off before he realizes how determined the young people are. Everything changes when Cora, Lavinia, and butler Carson (Jim Carter) are all hit with the Spanish flu during the infamous flu epidemic of 1918 and Bates is accused of killing his wife.
Switched to more Peanuts specials while eating lunch and writing out the rent. Charlie Brown would do anything to ask the Little Red Haired Girl to the school dance in A Charlie Brown Valentine, but he ends up taking Peppermint Patty and Marcie. Meanwhile, Sally and Lucy would be happy if their crushes would give them the time of day, and Snoopy is recruited to write everyone's valentines.
Chuck finds another girl to drool over in Someday You'll Find Her, Charlie Brown. He somehow manages to fall for a beautiful girl he sees for two seconds in the crowd at a football game on TV and drags Linus, Snoopy, and Woodstock across town and into the country to find her. Even when he does, he still can't talk to her and hopes Linus will act as his second.
As I prepared to leave, I found an envelope stuck in my door. It turned out to be the new rental agreement...which had been raised almost a 100 dollars to 850. I don't know what I'm going to do, or why she keeps raising the rent this high. They can fix all the windows and porches they want, but in the end, it's still a small three-room apartment with bad carpeting, a teeny kitchen, and an unheated room in the back. Unfortunately, as I discovered last year when I looked for apartments, I can't afford to go anywhere else. No one will take me with my lack of finances. I need to talk to Rose and try to convince her to lower that rent.
(At least the rain was long gone. It remained cloudy and in the 60's for the rest of the day, but it never rained again.)
For the time being, I needed another check. I messed up on the other rent check. PNC in Collingswood was dead when I arrived. I went in, bought my check, and went out.
Dodged traffic coming out of Haddon Township High School and headed down Cuthbert to the library. They were just as busy with kids coming out of class and into the library and children's activities. They were holding the adult DVDs for one of the teen volunteers, but I did shelve the kid titles. Once again, didn't take anything out. I'm still exploring Roku and working on Downton Abbey.
Stopped really quick at Target for sugar. It's cheaper there than at Dollar General or the Acme. I grabbed the sugar, rang it up in self-checkout, and headed out.
Went into writing to cheer myself up when I got in. Revised the previous sequence. Charles is enjoying his time at the Summer-Winter Castle. Bill spends time trying to court Marcia, while Brett and Gene attempt to teach him about magic and Richard teaches him to use a sword, or tries to. The only fly in the ointment is the dream the entire crowd has every night that lands them in the garden in fine clothes. Brett suspect something is up, but they don't know what, until they hear something rustling in the bushes...
Broke for leftovers at 6:30. Match Game went backwards to 1975 for one of their best weeks. Husband-and-wife Password king and queen Allen Ludden and Betty White joined Gene, the regulars, and adorable Brit Dolly Martin as two lovely lady contestants did their best matching. That sweet girl was finally defeated on Sale of the Century by a contestant named Chou Chou whom had also turned up a decade earlier in Password Plus (and won big there, too). She didn't have as much luck at the bonus round, though.
Finished the night with Descendants. I go further into this wildly popular Disney Channel musical about the children of Disney villains going to school with the "good" kids at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Musicals On TV - Descendants (2015)
Monday, February 03, 2020
Springtime In Winter
Kicked off the morning with breakfast and Buzzr. Three teen girl claimed to be a magician on To Tell the Truth. None of the panelists guessed number two...and the one in the fancy costume was the teen magic queen. Though she did drop an item when the girls introduced themselves, she easily moved through a series of fairly complex tricks to the tune of a cute version of "This Old Man." An unusual teen performer also turned up on What's My Line? Allen Ludden almost stumbled onto the boy's occupation as a unicyclist on the high wire. He even showed off a little of his act on a lower wire.
A manager called me over shortly after I arrived at work. Seems we'd been entered in a district-wide contest around the holidays to see who had the best-organized gift cards and the most out for sale...and we won. They gave me a 100 dollar Acme gift card for a job well-done. I could really use that. It'll pay for anything my food stamps don't for at least a month or more.
The rest of the day went pretty well, too. It got mildly steady around 11 AM-noon. Otherwise, we were dead. I did get outside with the carts and outside trash and recycling early-on, but ended up spending the majority of the day shelving loose items. I spent the last hour wiping down the bakery displays and cleaning all the icing and sprinkles off them.
I've been meaning to pick up new hair clips. The ones I've used for years are starting to break. I grabbed a couple of packs off the discontinued shelves, then treated myself to chocolate "everything" cookies (chocolate cookies with peanut butter chips and pretzel bits) and a grapefruit soda.
The weather was absolutely glorious today. It was more like mid-spring than mid-winter. It felt so nice, I took the long way home down Nicholson Road. Had to dodge a few cars, especially around the entrance to the mall and on Nicholson, but it was worth it. The sky was blue, the breeze was soft, and it had to be in the 60's.
Worked on writing when I got home. Two weeks pass. Every night, Bill asks Marcia to marry him at dinner, and every night, Marcia respectfully turns him down. Towards the end of those two weeks, Richard is trying to train Charles in swordsmanship in the garden. Charles is supposed to be one of the Legendary Princesses' champions, but he laments that he's hardly a typical warrior. Richard points out that there's more to being a warrior than fighting. Charles is about to argue when they hear the women talking...
Broke for dinner at 6. The beef strips and some of the vegetables Jodie gave me last night, along with two carrots and home-made vegetable stock, went into a pot for beef and vegetable soup. I think I should have added tomatoes - it might have really increased the flavor - but it still came out pretty well.
Watched Match Game while I ate. Future Charlie's Angel Kate Jackson and Avery Schriber of the wild hair and mustache joined Gene, Gary Burgoff, and the regulars for two goofy episodes in 1975. The young lady continued to win big in Sale of the Century. She killed the other contestants for most of the game, even after buying both instant sales and a chance at Instant Cash, then got 6,000 in the bonus round.
Finished the night after a shower with Armed and Dangerous on Crackle. John Candy and Eugene Levy headline this 1986 action-comedy as cop Frank Dooley and lawyer Norman Kane who join a security guard company after being fired. They're first forced to join a security officer's union, then get angry when a burglary occurs on their watch and the mistake is taken out of their pay. Frank tries to point out to the head of the union Michael Carlino (Robert Loggia) that they're making millions of dollars in dues and have no idea where it goes. When they're assigned to a junk yard, they find out from two other guards that they're not the only ones who have dealt with fishy robberies on the job. They and their friend Maggie (Meg Ryan), the daughter of the head of the company, go undercover to find out what Carlino and his cronies are really up to.
Fairy typical comedy of the time boasts decent performances by Candy as the eager cop and Levy as the nebbish lawyer and some nifty car chases, but not a whole lot else that stands out. Mildly amusing time-waster if you're a fan of car chases or either leading man.
A manager called me over shortly after I arrived at work. Seems we'd been entered in a district-wide contest around the holidays to see who had the best-organized gift cards and the most out for sale...and we won. They gave me a 100 dollar Acme gift card for a job well-done. I could really use that. It'll pay for anything my food stamps don't for at least a month or more.
The rest of the day went pretty well, too. It got mildly steady around 11 AM-noon. Otherwise, we were dead. I did get outside with the carts and outside trash and recycling early-on, but ended up spending the majority of the day shelving loose items. I spent the last hour wiping down the bakery displays and cleaning all the icing and sprinkles off them.
I've been meaning to pick up new hair clips. The ones I've used for years are starting to break. I grabbed a couple of packs off the discontinued shelves, then treated myself to chocolate "everything" cookies (chocolate cookies with peanut butter chips and pretzel bits) and a grapefruit soda.
The weather was absolutely glorious today. It was more like mid-spring than mid-winter. It felt so nice, I took the long way home down Nicholson Road. Had to dodge a few cars, especially around the entrance to the mall and on Nicholson, but it was worth it. The sky was blue, the breeze was soft, and it had to be in the 60's.
Worked on writing when I got home. Two weeks pass. Every night, Bill asks Marcia to marry him at dinner, and every night, Marcia respectfully turns him down. Towards the end of those two weeks, Richard is trying to train Charles in swordsmanship in the garden. Charles is supposed to be one of the Legendary Princesses' champions, but he laments that he's hardly a typical warrior. Richard points out that there's more to being a warrior than fighting. Charles is about to argue when they hear the women talking...
Broke for dinner at 6. The beef strips and some of the vegetables Jodie gave me last night, along with two carrots and home-made vegetable stock, went into a pot for beef and vegetable soup. I think I should have added tomatoes - it might have really increased the flavor - but it still came out pretty well.
Watched Match Game while I ate. Future Charlie's Angel Kate Jackson and Avery Schriber of the wild hair and mustache joined Gene, Gary Burgoff, and the regulars for two goofy episodes in 1975. The young lady continued to win big in Sale of the Century. She killed the other contestants for most of the game, even after buying both instant sales and a chance at Instant Cash, then got 6,000 in the bonus round.
Finished the night after a shower with Armed and Dangerous on Crackle. John Candy and Eugene Levy headline this 1986 action-comedy as cop Frank Dooley and lawyer Norman Kane who join a security guard company after being fired. They're first forced to join a security officer's union, then get angry when a burglary occurs on their watch and the mistake is taken out of their pay. Frank tries to point out to the head of the union Michael Carlino (Robert Loggia) that they're making millions of dollars in dues and have no idea where it goes. When they're assigned to a junk yard, they find out from two other guards that they're not the only ones who have dealt with fishy robberies on the job. They and their friend Maggie (Meg Ryan), the daughter of the head of the company, go undercover to find out what Carlino and his cronies are really up to.
Fairy typical comedy of the time boasts decent performances by Candy as the eager cop and Levy as the nebbish lawyer and some nifty car chases, but not a whole lot else that stands out. Mildly amusing time-waster if you're a fan of car chases or either leading man.
Sunday, February 02, 2020
Wild Night In Miami
Began a gray morning with whole-wheat buttermilk pancakes for breakfast and the Broadway original cast of Beauty and the Beast. I really enjoy some of the additional songs by Alan Menken and Tim Rice. "No Matter What" for Belle and Maurice, "Home" for Belle after she's been forced to stay at the Beast's castle, and "If I Can't Love Her" for the Beast are especially nice.
Work wasn't too bad when I got in, but it turned into an absolutely madhouse around noon. I kept ending up in a register for the first half of my shift. As it turns out, it may have been just as well. When I did finally make it outside, the street was wet, and it was humid. It would shower lightly on and off until shortly before I left. I went outside at the right time. At one point around 3:30, an ambulance and a paramedics van pulled up at the main entrance of the store. I have no idea what happened or whom they took away, and given how crazy it was inside, I'm not sure I want to know. It slowed down enough by then for me to round up the overflowing trash outside and sweep inside.
Rushed off as soon as I finished. Dad and Jodie held a small pre-Super Bowl family party at their house. They were just about finishing off the cheese fondue when I arrived. There was enough for me to enjoy chunks of beef, chicken, and bread, baby carrots, slices of peppers, small sliced potatoes, and broccoli and cauliflower florets. Jodie even let me take most of the leftovers home - I'll turn them into soup and stir-fry this week.
Joined Khai, Craig, and Finley in the den after I ate. Rose pulled out a huge plastic bin of tons of Beanie Babies that have belonged to Jessa since the 1990's. There's so many, Khai even buried his sister in them at one point. The kids seemed to be happier hiding under the plastic box. Finley just liked throwing them around. I watched a stirring "salute to America" on the Super Bowl pre-show and the NFL's listing of the 100 greatest players ever in honor of this being their 100th season.
Shortly before the game began, Jodie cleared the cheese fondue and brought out some of the most delicious melted milk chocolate I'd ever tasted. Evidently, a friend of hers who owns a winery has a daughter who runs a chocolate shop and gave it to her. Oh, yum! So perfectly sweet and rich. It tasted even better swirled around strawberries, pretzel sticks, sliced bananas and apples, and chunks of pineapple.
The chocolate finally brought Dana, Jessa, and Jessa's puppy Midnight in. Finley loves Midnight and chased the little black fluffball all over the kitchen. Finley grabbed Jessa's old stuffed snake and used it to play tug with Midnight, to both their amusement.
Unlike last year, the game was as good as the company. One team would score, then another would run back and score again. It was 10-10 at halftime, when I followed almost everyone else out the door. Thankfully, Fox does stream live online, and I was able to finish watching the game at home. And I'm glad I did! The 49ers pulled ahead after halftime 13-10, then got a touchdown shortly after, making it 20-10. That finally woke up the Chiefs. They really kicked it in the 4th quarter, including two close-call touchdowns. In the end, the Chiefs got one last touchdown that won them the game, 31-20.
And in the other major event of the day, Phil the Groundhog didn't see his shadow, and considering how warm we've been this winter, I'll believe that early spring prediction.
Work wasn't too bad when I got in, but it turned into an absolutely madhouse around noon. I kept ending up in a register for the first half of my shift. As it turns out, it may have been just as well. When I did finally make it outside, the street was wet, and it was humid. It would shower lightly on and off until shortly before I left. I went outside at the right time. At one point around 3:30, an ambulance and a paramedics van pulled up at the main entrance of the store. I have no idea what happened or whom they took away, and given how crazy it was inside, I'm not sure I want to know. It slowed down enough by then for me to round up the overflowing trash outside and sweep inside.
Rushed off as soon as I finished. Dad and Jodie held a small pre-Super Bowl family party at their house. They were just about finishing off the cheese fondue when I arrived. There was enough for me to enjoy chunks of beef, chicken, and bread, baby carrots, slices of peppers, small sliced potatoes, and broccoli and cauliflower florets. Jodie even let me take most of the leftovers home - I'll turn them into soup and stir-fry this week.
Joined Khai, Craig, and Finley in the den after I ate. Rose pulled out a huge plastic bin of tons of Beanie Babies that have belonged to Jessa since the 1990's. There's so many, Khai even buried his sister in them at one point. The kids seemed to be happier hiding under the plastic box. Finley just liked throwing them around. I watched a stirring "salute to America" on the Super Bowl pre-show and the NFL's listing of the 100 greatest players ever in honor of this being their 100th season.
Shortly before the game began, Jodie cleared the cheese fondue and brought out some of the most delicious melted milk chocolate I'd ever tasted. Evidently, a friend of hers who owns a winery has a daughter who runs a chocolate shop and gave it to her. Oh, yum! So perfectly sweet and rich. It tasted even better swirled around strawberries, pretzel sticks, sliced bananas and apples, and chunks of pineapple.
The chocolate finally brought Dana, Jessa, and Jessa's puppy Midnight in. Finley loves Midnight and chased the little black fluffball all over the kitchen. Finley grabbed Jessa's old stuffed snake and used it to play tug with Midnight, to both their amusement.
Unlike last year, the game was as good as the company. One team would score, then another would run back and score again. It was 10-10 at halftime, when I followed almost everyone else out the door. Thankfully, Fox does stream live online, and I was able to finish watching the game at home. And I'm glad I did! The 49ers pulled ahead after halftime 13-10, then got a touchdown shortly after, making it 20-10. That finally woke up the Chiefs. They really kicked it in the 4th quarter, including two close-call touchdowns. In the end, the Chiefs got one last touchdown that won them the game, 31-20.
And in the other major event of the day, Phil the Groundhog didn't see his shadow, and considering how warm we've been this winter, I'll believe that early spring prediction.
Saturday, February 01, 2020
A Foggy Morning In Oaklyn Town
When I awoke this morning, I thought I was in San Francisco for a minute. A heavy white fog swallowed the backyard. I could barely see the trees. It mostly burned off by the time I rolled out of bed and had breakfast, but would remain cloudy and chilly for the rest of the day.
Ran Split Second as I ate. The champ on the first episode won four times in a row in previous episodes; five times, and he'd get the car outright. Two young woman put up more than a good fight and were neck-in-neck with him for the entire episode. In fact, he barely pulled ahead and won in the speed round. I have to agree with Monty Hall that it was likely the most exiting episode of the show I'd ever seen. The second one wasn't quite as exciting. The one lady dominated most of the show and went on to the bonus round, though she didn't get the car.
Watched Tiny Toon Adventures as I began making snickerdoodles. "The Acme Bowl" has the football squad from Acme Looniversity taking on the cheaters at Perfecto Prep. New quarterback Buster claims he has some great moves that could win them the game, but Plucky's defection to Perfecto may set them up for a fumble.
Switched to The Three Stooges while rolling the cookie dough in cinnamon sugar. "Three Little Pigskins" is one of their earliest shorts. Gangsters who want to place a bet on a big game mistake them for the trio of football stars they've convinced to go pro. Their girlfriends, including a sarcastic Lucille Ball, think they're the football players, but they don't know anything about the game.
Switched to shorts while pulling the cookies out of the oven. The Fleischer Brothers did two football shorts with Popeye in two years. "You Gotta Be a Football Hero" is the earlier one. Popeye's frustrated when Olive pays more attention to quarterback Bluto than to him and eventually ends up playing the whole game against Bluto's team himself. He tells Swee' Pea the story of how he became "The Football Toucher Downer" by consuming spinach in order to win a game.
Mickey Mouse is "Touchdown Mickey" in one of his black-and-white shorts. He may not exactly be your typical Patrick Mahomes material, but that doesn't stop him from making plays and showing off for Minnie and Clarabelle on the sidelines. An overly enthusiastic Goofy is an even less-likely Howard Cosell in the radio booth.
Watched a little bit of Match Game before finally heading out. The Oaklyn Library's been rearranging their DVDs again. The adult titles were shifted from shelves in the center of the main room to the ones on the side that used to hold books. I have no idea where they intend to put the books that were there, though. Did more in the kids' area, organizing DVDs and the picture books.
Part of the reason I wanted to do my grocery shopping today was to bring my cookies to the Acme's annual employee Chili Cook-Off. They always hold this the day before the Super Bowl. I had tasty peppers and sausage, the same baked ziti I ate at Christmas, macaroni salad, a hot turkey sandwich, spinach dip that was so rich, I ate it with a fork, brownies, and soft bakery peanut butter and oatmeal cookies. I also saw roast beef, the last of what had been macaroni and cheese, meatballs in sauce, a "zesty sausage and cheese" soup, Buffalo chicken dip, a yellow cake from the bakery with white icing, and an empty plate that looked like it held cheesecake.
I would have come to the store under any circumstances. I needed to get my schedule and do a little grocery shopping. Grabbed two boxes of Bigalow black tea off the discontinued shelves. Decided I'd try a brand of low-fat premium ice cream, Steve's, that also seems to be discontinued; went with their blackberry crumble. Tangerines were on sale, too. Restocked cranberries, bananas, vanilla, canned diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, butter, milk, cheese, and yogurt.
My schedule next week is an improvement over the past month or so. Same amount of hours, but I have Tuesday off along with Friday and Saturday and a later day on Sunday. Seems the head bagger wanted Monday off, but that's ok. I'll work longer hours if it means my days off are more spread out.
Got home, put everything away while watching Let's Make a Deal, then went into writing. At the end of the dinner, Bill the wolf proposes to Marcia. She tells him that she thinks he's very sweet, but she's in love with someone else - the man who wrote the letters. Bill's heartbroken, but the others encourage him to keep trying.
Broke for dinner at 6:30. Ate yogurt and cranberry sauce while watching two football-related Peanuts specials. It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown when he's tapped to escort Heather, the Little Red Haired Girl and Homecoming Queen, to the big homecoming dance and kiss her. He's a lot more interested in being her escort than in trying to keep Lucy from pulling the ball away from him during the big game.
Chuck and Linus are the ones in love in You're In the Super Bowl, Charlie Brown. They fall for a little girl named Melody who watches them practicing for the Punt and Pass Contest during their local football game. The prize is a bike and a trip to the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, Snoopy coaches his Woodstock Eagles past three teams of animals larger than them to victory.
Finished the night after a shower with Jack Frost. I go into more detail on this bittersweet Rankin-Bass Groundhog's Day fairy tale at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Happy Groundhog's Day! - Jack Frost
Ran Split Second as I ate. The champ on the first episode won four times in a row in previous episodes; five times, and he'd get the car outright. Two young woman put up more than a good fight and were neck-in-neck with him for the entire episode. In fact, he barely pulled ahead and won in the speed round. I have to agree with Monty Hall that it was likely the most exiting episode of the show I'd ever seen. The second one wasn't quite as exciting. The one lady dominated most of the show and went on to the bonus round, though she didn't get the car.
Watched Tiny Toon Adventures as I began making snickerdoodles. "The Acme Bowl" has the football squad from Acme Looniversity taking on the cheaters at Perfecto Prep. New quarterback Buster claims he has some great moves that could win them the game, but Plucky's defection to Perfecto may set them up for a fumble.
Switched to The Three Stooges while rolling the cookie dough in cinnamon sugar. "Three Little Pigskins" is one of their earliest shorts. Gangsters who want to place a bet on a big game mistake them for the trio of football stars they've convinced to go pro. Their girlfriends, including a sarcastic Lucille Ball, think they're the football players, but they don't know anything about the game.
Switched to shorts while pulling the cookies out of the oven. The Fleischer Brothers did two football shorts with Popeye in two years. "You Gotta Be a Football Hero" is the earlier one. Popeye's frustrated when Olive pays more attention to quarterback Bluto than to him and eventually ends up playing the whole game against Bluto's team himself. He tells Swee' Pea the story of how he became "The Football Toucher Downer" by consuming spinach in order to win a game.
Mickey Mouse is "Touchdown Mickey" in one of his black-and-white shorts. He may not exactly be your typical Patrick Mahomes material, but that doesn't stop him from making plays and showing off for Minnie and Clarabelle on the sidelines. An overly enthusiastic Goofy is an even less-likely Howard Cosell in the radio booth.
Watched a little bit of Match Game before finally heading out. The Oaklyn Library's been rearranging their DVDs again. The adult titles were shifted from shelves in the center of the main room to the ones on the side that used to hold books. I have no idea where they intend to put the books that were there, though. Did more in the kids' area, organizing DVDs and the picture books.
Part of the reason I wanted to do my grocery shopping today was to bring my cookies to the Acme's annual employee Chili Cook-Off. They always hold this the day before the Super Bowl. I had tasty peppers and sausage, the same baked ziti I ate at Christmas, macaroni salad, a hot turkey sandwich, spinach dip that was so rich, I ate it with a fork, brownies, and soft bakery peanut butter and oatmeal cookies. I also saw roast beef, the last of what had been macaroni and cheese, meatballs in sauce, a "zesty sausage and cheese" soup, Buffalo chicken dip, a yellow cake from the bakery with white icing, and an empty plate that looked like it held cheesecake.
I would have come to the store under any circumstances. I needed to get my schedule and do a little grocery shopping. Grabbed two boxes of Bigalow black tea off the discontinued shelves. Decided I'd try a brand of low-fat premium ice cream, Steve's, that also seems to be discontinued; went with their blackberry crumble. Tangerines were on sale, too. Restocked cranberries, bananas, vanilla, canned diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, butter, milk, cheese, and yogurt.
My schedule next week is an improvement over the past month or so. Same amount of hours, but I have Tuesday off along with Friday and Saturday and a later day on Sunday. Seems the head bagger wanted Monday off, but that's ok. I'll work longer hours if it means my days off are more spread out.
Got home, put everything away while watching Let's Make a Deal, then went into writing. At the end of the dinner, Bill the wolf proposes to Marcia. She tells him that she thinks he's very sweet, but she's in love with someone else - the man who wrote the letters. Bill's heartbroken, but the others encourage him to keep trying.
Broke for dinner at 6:30. Ate yogurt and cranberry sauce while watching two football-related Peanuts specials. It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown when he's tapped to escort Heather, the Little Red Haired Girl and Homecoming Queen, to the big homecoming dance and kiss her. He's a lot more interested in being her escort than in trying to keep Lucy from pulling the ball away from him during the big game.
Chuck and Linus are the ones in love in You're In the Super Bowl, Charlie Brown. They fall for a little girl named Melody who watches them practicing for the Punt and Pass Contest during their local football game. The prize is a bike and a trip to the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, Snoopy coaches his Woodstock Eagles past three teams of animals larger than them to victory.
Finished the night after a shower with Jack Frost. I go into more detail on this bittersweet Rankin-Bass Groundhog's Day fairy tale at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Happy Groundhog's Day! - Jack Frost
Friday, January 31, 2020
Bank On Matches
Slept in this morning and started off the day with Match Game. Comedian Orson Bean and comedienne and writer Fannie Flag join Richard, Gene, Brett, and Charles for a cute episode in 1974. Also along is a sweet blonde woman named Abby Dalton; I didn't recognize her, but research reveals that soap opera fans will know her from her stint on the 80's prime time soap Falcon Crest. I didn't recognize adorable Jackie Joseph in her pink cap in the next episode, either. I'm more familiar with poem-loving comedian Nipsey Russell and Jo Ann Worley, one of my favorite performers from Laugh-In.
Made dinner while the shows were on. I thought I'd try a recipe from the low-fat Crock Pot cookbook Lauren sent me for my birthday a while back. I eliminated the black beans because my little pot didn't have the room for them, and the can of kidney beans was about to expire anyway. Added ground turkey, a little chopped celery, carrot, and onion, and cumin and chili powder (but not the red pepper - I'm not that crazy).
Made a quick lunch and got organized while watching Olym-pinks. The Pink Panther competes in skiing in the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics. His fellow team member wishes the audiences would pay more attention to him, but no matter what he does, he always ends up in the ice and getting sick, or flying off the side of a cliff. Meanwhile, the Pink has to out-ski a piano that seems determined to follow him around.
Headed out around 1:30 after adjusting my seat pole again. I had an appointment with the PNC Bank in Collingswood to check up on my three accounts there. There really isn't much to tell. I'm still broke. Every time I try to save money, I end up spending it on my rent. The lady I talked to, Trish, was a real sweetheart. She admitted that she also comes from a big family and could understand why I wanted to live independently. I wish I could buy a small house of my own, but I just can't afford it right now. She also suggested talking to the Acme about my retirement money. I should have a retirement fund, but I really have very little idea of how any of that works.
Made a quick stop at Frugli Consignment a couple of blocks down Haddon Avenue after I left. I was hoping to find new pants for work. My khaki pants finally got holes in them. No luck. No pants in my size there that were appropriate for work.
Went straight home, grabbed my laundry, and ducked right back out again. I needed to get clothes done. Given it was 3:30 by the time I got in, I shouldn't have been surprised that it was really busy. I got one of the last cheap washers. At least the crowds cleared out really quick. By the time my laundry was in the dryer, it was down to me and two women, the older of whom did nothing but complain about how slow the front-loading washer she used was moving. (Uh, they're a different brand than the top-loaders. Of course they move and work differently.)
Went into writing after I finished putting the laundry away. Charles and invisible musicians play the music for Bill and Marcia's "date," mainly so Charles can listen in on their conversation. Gene provides entertainment with fire and illusions, and Brett and the maids bring dish after spectacular dish. Bill rambles as he tries to talk to Marcia without telling her what's really going on, but Marcia's starting to wonder what his place here is...
Broke for that savory rich Crock Pot turkey chili at 6:30. The Match Game episode was one of the ones with Jack Albertson Buzzr ran not long ago. A bubbly young lady who apparently befriends teens in need finally beat the guy on Sale of the Century. She got a beautiful, if rather large for my taste, ruby ring, along with 5,000 for winning the bonus round. Dealers on Let's Make a Deal included an aerobics instructor in a striped leotard (so 80's!), a young man in prison stripes and his fiancee, and a football player. The girl in the leotard got the big deal of the day with a stunning red car.
Finished the night making Double Chocolate Mint Truffle Cookies for the annual Chili Cook Off the Acme always has the Saturday before the Super Bowl. I can't bring a crock pot or big pot of chili on my bike, so I usually bring a dessert. Figured cookies would be the easiest to carry...and those peppermint truffle "chips" are so sweet and delicious, they deserve to be shared.
Continued Downton Abbey while I worked. Everyone in the household is over the moon when Matthew can not only feel his legs, but is able to stand again. Now that he can move, he finally proposes to his girl Lavinia (Zoe Boyle). Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) is incensed when her husband Sir Richard Carlisle (Ian Glen) asks maid Anna (Joanne Frogatt) and butler Carson (Jim Carter) to spy on her in their new home. She's more successful keeping her sister Sybil (Jessica Brown Findley) from running off with the chauffeur Branson (Allen Leech). Meanwhile, former housemaid Edith (Amy Nuttall) is nervous about meeting the parents of the soldier she had her baby with, and valet Bates (Brendan Coyle) is worried that he might be accused of killing his wife, who just committed suicide.
Made dinner while the shows were on. I thought I'd try a recipe from the low-fat Crock Pot cookbook Lauren sent me for my birthday a while back. I eliminated the black beans because my little pot didn't have the room for them, and the can of kidney beans was about to expire anyway. Added ground turkey, a little chopped celery, carrot, and onion, and cumin and chili powder (but not the red pepper - I'm not that crazy).
Made a quick lunch and got organized while watching Olym-pinks. The Pink Panther competes in skiing in the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics. His fellow team member wishes the audiences would pay more attention to him, but no matter what he does, he always ends up in the ice and getting sick, or flying off the side of a cliff. Meanwhile, the Pink has to out-ski a piano that seems determined to follow him around.
Headed out around 1:30 after adjusting my seat pole again. I had an appointment with the PNC Bank in Collingswood to check up on my three accounts there. There really isn't much to tell. I'm still broke. Every time I try to save money, I end up spending it on my rent. The lady I talked to, Trish, was a real sweetheart. She admitted that she also comes from a big family and could understand why I wanted to live independently. I wish I could buy a small house of my own, but I just can't afford it right now. She also suggested talking to the Acme about my retirement money. I should have a retirement fund, but I really have very little idea of how any of that works.
Made a quick stop at Frugli Consignment a couple of blocks down Haddon Avenue after I left. I was hoping to find new pants for work. My khaki pants finally got holes in them. No luck. No pants in my size there that were appropriate for work.
Went straight home, grabbed my laundry, and ducked right back out again. I needed to get clothes done. Given it was 3:30 by the time I got in, I shouldn't have been surprised that it was really busy. I got one of the last cheap washers. At least the crowds cleared out really quick. By the time my laundry was in the dryer, it was down to me and two women, the older of whom did nothing but complain about how slow the front-loading washer she used was moving. (Uh, they're a different brand than the top-loaders. Of course they move and work differently.)
Went into writing after I finished putting the laundry away. Charles and invisible musicians play the music for Bill and Marcia's "date," mainly so Charles can listen in on their conversation. Gene provides entertainment with fire and illusions, and Brett and the maids bring dish after spectacular dish. Bill rambles as he tries to talk to Marcia without telling her what's really going on, but Marcia's starting to wonder what his place here is...
Broke for that savory rich Crock Pot turkey chili at 6:30. The Match Game episode was one of the ones with Jack Albertson Buzzr ran not long ago. A bubbly young lady who apparently befriends teens in need finally beat the guy on Sale of the Century. She got a beautiful, if rather large for my taste, ruby ring, along with 5,000 for winning the bonus round. Dealers on Let's Make a Deal included an aerobics instructor in a striped leotard (so 80's!), a young man in prison stripes and his fiancee, and a football player. The girl in the leotard got the big deal of the day with a stunning red car.
Finished the night making Double Chocolate Mint Truffle Cookies for the annual Chili Cook Off the Acme always has the Saturday before the Super Bowl. I can't bring a crock pot or big pot of chili on my bike, so I usually bring a dessert. Figured cookies would be the easiest to carry...and those peppermint truffle "chips" are so sweet and delicious, they deserve to be shared.
Continued Downton Abbey while I worked. Everyone in the household is over the moon when Matthew can not only feel his legs, but is able to stand again. Now that he can move, he finally proposes to his girl Lavinia (Zoe Boyle). Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) is incensed when her husband Sir Richard Carlisle (Ian Glen) asks maid Anna (Joanne Frogatt) and butler Carson (Jim Carter) to spy on her in their new home. She's more successful keeping her sister Sybil (Jessica Brown Findley) from running off with the chauffeur Branson (Allen Leech). Meanwhile, former housemaid Edith (Amy Nuttall) is nervous about meeting the parents of the soldier she had her baby with, and valet Bates (Brendan Coyle) is worried that he might be accused of killing his wife, who just committed suicide.
Thursday, January 30, 2020
Tax Woman
Kicked off the day with a quick breakfast and What's My Line? The panel really rolled today. Soupy Sales guessed that a woman was a flag man on a construction crew almost immediately. (And bless her! I hope she did well there.) It took them a little longer with the second man, but Arlene Francis finally figured out that the gentleman created a clam opening that could cut open a clam and get the meat out without switching utensils.
Work was absolutely dead this morning. I did do carts, but I also had plenty of time to clean up a spilled flower container, rounded up the outside trash and recycling, and sweep the store. At least it was nice when I was outside, breezy and chilly, but also sunny, with a lovely blue sky.
Went straight home after I finished. Read The Whole Town's Talking, then put on the first Valentine's Day special of the season while eating yogurt and celery with peanut butter for lunch. Bugs Bunny's Cupid Capers is a series of bits from various shorts tied together in a story that has Bugs insisting that an Elmer-like Cupid is meddling with the Toons' affairs. The DVD also includes two full shorts. "Holiday Highlights" is a spoof of popular holidays in the calendar, including Valentine's Day. "Past Perfumance" has Pepe La Pew pursuing a disguised cat at a movie studio after his scent clears out the director and crew.
Pulled up the seat on my bike, then headed out. Took the long way across Newton Lake Park. It was an absolutely glorious day for it, with the sun shining on the deep green waters and the wind blowing through the dried reeds and plants on the shore. I dodged plenty of people taking themselves or their dogs out for a stroll and kids on their way home from school.
The Haddon Township Library was fairly busy when I arrived, too. A lot of people must have taken out DVDs earlier this week, because the return carts were overflowing. I shelved more than half the adult titles and couldn't fit in more. I was only there for about 45 minutes, not long enough to finish the cart, though I did get to most of it. The library only had two of Fannie's books in. I grabbed the non-holiday one, Can't Wait to Get to Heaven. Didn't take any movies out. I still haven't gotten through Downton Abbey, and there's other movies and shows I haven't watched yet at home, online and on disc.
Made a quick stop at Target on the way home. All I needed was conditioner. Went in, grabbed Pantene's curl formula, and went out.
My W2 arrived today, allowing me to finally finish my taxes. It takes me less than an hour. I own no property, have no dependents, only have one part-time job, and do it online. It went out and was accepted by the end of the night. I should have 900 dollars coming within the next few weeks.
Worked on writing for a little while after I finished. Marcia loves the dress Jo Ann (Worley) gave her that had been the Queen's. Bill is literally speechless. For once, it takes Charles and Richard's prompting to even get him to talk to her. Of course, once they get him going, he has a tendency to not stop...
Broke for dinner at 6:30. Had leftovers while watching Match Game. Jo Ann Pflug, Betty White, and Bert Convy finished out their run with two episodes where Richard gave "hand" as an answer to the Audience Match "trench ___," leading everyone to spend the remaining show joking about the dangers of "trench hand." The young man on Sale of the Century continued his excellent run, winning the money on the bonus round with one minute to spare.
Finished the night with The Pirate. I go further into this cult swashbuckler, my second Judy Garland-Gene Kelly musical of the week, at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Cult Flops - The Pirate
Work was absolutely dead this morning. I did do carts, but I also had plenty of time to clean up a spilled flower container, rounded up the outside trash and recycling, and sweep the store. At least it was nice when I was outside, breezy and chilly, but also sunny, with a lovely blue sky.
Went straight home after I finished. Read The Whole Town's Talking, then put on the first Valentine's Day special of the season while eating yogurt and celery with peanut butter for lunch. Bugs Bunny's Cupid Capers is a series of bits from various shorts tied together in a story that has Bugs insisting that an Elmer-like Cupid is meddling with the Toons' affairs. The DVD also includes two full shorts. "Holiday Highlights" is a spoof of popular holidays in the calendar, including Valentine's Day. "Past Perfumance" has Pepe La Pew pursuing a disguised cat at a movie studio after his scent clears out the director and crew.
Pulled up the seat on my bike, then headed out. Took the long way across Newton Lake Park. It was an absolutely glorious day for it, with the sun shining on the deep green waters and the wind blowing through the dried reeds and plants on the shore. I dodged plenty of people taking themselves or their dogs out for a stroll and kids on their way home from school.
The Haddon Township Library was fairly busy when I arrived, too. A lot of people must have taken out DVDs earlier this week, because the return carts were overflowing. I shelved more than half the adult titles and couldn't fit in more. I was only there for about 45 minutes, not long enough to finish the cart, though I did get to most of it. The library only had two of Fannie's books in. I grabbed the non-holiday one, Can't Wait to Get to Heaven. Didn't take any movies out. I still haven't gotten through Downton Abbey, and there's other movies and shows I haven't watched yet at home, online and on disc.
Made a quick stop at Target on the way home. All I needed was conditioner. Went in, grabbed Pantene's curl formula, and went out.
My W2 arrived today, allowing me to finally finish my taxes. It takes me less than an hour. I own no property, have no dependents, only have one part-time job, and do it online. It went out and was accepted by the end of the night. I should have 900 dollars coming within the next few weeks.
Worked on writing for a little while after I finished. Marcia loves the dress Jo Ann (Worley) gave her that had been the Queen's. Bill is literally speechless. For once, it takes Charles and Richard's prompting to even get him to talk to her. Of course, once they get him going, he has a tendency to not stop...
Broke for dinner at 6:30. Had leftovers while watching Match Game. Jo Ann Pflug, Betty White, and Bert Convy finished out their run with two episodes where Richard gave "hand" as an answer to the Audience Match "trench ___," leading everyone to spend the remaining show joking about the dangers of "trench hand." The young man on Sale of the Century continued his excellent run, winning the money on the bonus round with one minute to spare.
Finished the night with The Pirate. I go further into this cult swashbuckler, my second Judy Garland-Gene Kelly musical of the week, at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Cult Flops - The Pirate
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