Kicked off the morning with breakfast and Garfield's Feline Fantasies. Garfield and Odie spend their morning daydreaming themselves into everything from Airport to a western and a magician's act. Jon's always there to rescue them when things get hairy, leading Garfield to believe they're invincible. To test his theory, he concocts their wildest adventure yet, a James Bond spoof with Garfield as a suave spy and Odie as his sidekick outrunning a woman agent and two grotesque bad guys out to find the original banana used in the slip on the banana peel gag.
Rushed off to the laundromat as soon as I finished breakfast. Had a huge load, including towels, and I desperately needed clean work clothes. Though they were busy when I arrived, I was able to grab one of the front-loading washers. They're only slightly more expensive than the top-loaders, and it's fun to watch everything go around. Half-listened to Good Morning America and kids' nature shows while working on story notes. It started to empty out just as I dashed out the door. I raced home, put everything away, changed as quickly as possible, and raced back out.
Work was a bit of a pain. We were off-and-on busy, and we still don't have enough help. I kept getting tossed into the register, including for most of the second half of my day. At least everyone seemed to be understanding about my frustration. One of the moms with two sweet teenagers was especially helpful, telling me I did well and that I shouldn't worry so much. I wish I could have spent more time outside with the carts. Though it continues to be windy, it was also gloriously sunny, with a warm sun that held more than a hint of spring.
Needless to say, I went straight home after all that. Tried to work on writing, but I was too tired to really concentrate. Charles awakens to see Arlene Francis bandaging his burned hand while Gene and Orson (the latter still in troll form) look on in concern. Gene took them to Arlene's shop in Holly Woods to make use of her many potions. She's a friendly witch who specializes in healing and medicines, but she's not sure what she can do for Richard...
Broke for dinner at 6:30. Watched The Pebble and the Penguin while enjoying the last of the black bean dip and tortilla chips for dinner. I go more into this Don Blue Antarctic romance at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Animation Celebration Saturday - The Pebble and the Penguin
Oh, and don't forget to set your clocks ahead an hour tonight for Daylight Savings!
Life is a lazy river - no matter where you are. Movies, musicals, mysteries, pop culture, and lots of other great stuff.
Saturday, March 07, 2020
Friday, March 06, 2020
Matched Caped Crusaders
Brightened a gray and gloomy morning with breakfast and one of my favorite episodes of Match Game PM from 1975. The first question in the Audience Match was "Admiral ___." Brett chose "Byrd." Richard, when goaded, went with "Admiral Color Television." Gene didn't think much of his choice. Rich made a bet that it would be the top answer...and lo and behold (and to Gene's annoyance), it was! Rich gave the money to Earl, the guy who opened the slots for the Audience Match. Or as he put it "Bless you, my boy!"
Headed straight to work as soon as the episode ended. I wasn't originally supposed to work today. They called me in because they put the head bagger on the registers. As it turned out, they didn't really need me. It got busy once, when I had to take two customers. Otherwise, we were mildly steady for most of the afternoon. After another bagger came in, I spent the morning sweeping, cleaning messes, and shelving items.
Ignored the steady shower after work and strolled to Audubon Crossings for lunch. Grabbed a slice of cheese, a slice of vegetable and ricotta, and a bottle of Cherry Pepsi at Tu Se Bella's. They were busy when I arrived. I took a small table next to the counter and watched the pizza servers hand slices to hungry shoppers. By the time I finished, the only people left were one other solo diner and a man and woman.
Had a lot of shopping to do this week. Got free 18-count eggs again from the Acme's rewards program. Grabbed whole wheat pasta in a slightly torn box, cinnamon Christmas tea, and boxes of their cranberry muffin and gingerbread mixes off the clearance shelves. Had online coupons for Jif peanut butter, yogurt, canned tomato sauce, and canned tuna. Found a small package of salad shrimp that will be great for dinner tomorrow. Restocked diced tomatoes, canned black beans, skim milk, oranges, bananas, cranberries, turkey hot dogs, sugar (liked the golden so much, I got that again), and strawberry preserves. Found magnetic note pads in the Value dollar section; grabbed the one with the watermelon background.
Not entirely happy with my schedule this week. Three days off will allow me to get a lot done and organized, including looking into writing projects and talking to Dad and Jodie. They also cut my hours, and I'm working early on Sunday again. While we've had trouble finding help in the morning, we're also past the beginning of the month. Not much going on this month besides March Madness and St. Patrick's Day, which aren't celebrated by everybody.
Moved on to another classic Match Game episode from 1975 while putting everything away. Charles Nelson Reilly took a six-month hiatus to direct a Broadway play. He came back in the grandest and wackiest way possible - he was "flown" in via flying harness and a stuffed bird he named Harry. "Well, I figured if they could fly me in," he quipped after he landed, "he could fly Brett out!"
Worked on writing for the rest of the afternoon. Malade joins Charles in the circle of fire that terrifies him. She taunts him, calling him cowardly and saying he could never be his best friend's champion. Ignoring his protests that it's his livelihood, she throws his lute into the fire. Unthinkingly, Charles goes after it, badly burning his hand. Gene finally gets him, Orson, and Richard out as Charles faints from fear and pain.
I got so into writing, I didn't break for dinner until 7. Thought I'd give Pluto TV another shot...and lo and behold, they seem to have fallen back to the older interface. It worked. I saw the second half of Sale of the Century and all of Let's Make a Deal while having turkey meatballs, pasta, and green beans and almonds for dinner. Deal was especially fun. Monty had the devil of a time with a woman in red who gave up a Mexican vacation and a man dressed as a moneybag who went for the big prize of the day. The man got nice kitchen appliances...but they really rewarded the lady, who traded in her trip for the big deal. I would have been happy with the gorgeous piano alone, but they also had a fine painting, a fur, and a big check.
Finished the night after a shower with the first episode of Batman between Match Game syndicated premieres on YouTube. The Roku Channel is currently running the infamously campy 1966 Batman for free. I never did get as crazy about this show as Rose did when we were kids, but I thought I'd give it another chance as an adult.
"Hi Diddle Riddle" has the Dynamic Duo caught in quite a pickle when the Riddler (Frank Gorshin) lures them into thinking he's committing a crime, then photographs them catching him and sues them when it turns out he isn't. They got to a nightclub to find out what he's up to, but an attractive barfly (Jill St. John) leads Batman into danger.
Headed straight to work as soon as the episode ended. I wasn't originally supposed to work today. They called me in because they put the head bagger on the registers. As it turned out, they didn't really need me. It got busy once, when I had to take two customers. Otherwise, we were mildly steady for most of the afternoon. After another bagger came in, I spent the morning sweeping, cleaning messes, and shelving items.
Ignored the steady shower after work and strolled to Audubon Crossings for lunch. Grabbed a slice of cheese, a slice of vegetable and ricotta, and a bottle of Cherry Pepsi at Tu Se Bella's. They were busy when I arrived. I took a small table next to the counter and watched the pizza servers hand slices to hungry shoppers. By the time I finished, the only people left were one other solo diner and a man and woman.
Had a lot of shopping to do this week. Got free 18-count eggs again from the Acme's rewards program. Grabbed whole wheat pasta in a slightly torn box, cinnamon Christmas tea, and boxes of their cranberry muffin and gingerbread mixes off the clearance shelves. Had online coupons for Jif peanut butter, yogurt, canned tomato sauce, and canned tuna. Found a small package of salad shrimp that will be great for dinner tomorrow. Restocked diced tomatoes, canned black beans, skim milk, oranges, bananas, cranberries, turkey hot dogs, sugar (liked the golden so much, I got that again), and strawberry preserves. Found magnetic note pads in the Value dollar section; grabbed the one with the watermelon background.
Not entirely happy with my schedule this week. Three days off will allow me to get a lot done and organized, including looking into writing projects and talking to Dad and Jodie. They also cut my hours, and I'm working early on Sunday again. While we've had trouble finding help in the morning, we're also past the beginning of the month. Not much going on this month besides March Madness and St. Patrick's Day, which aren't celebrated by everybody.
Moved on to another classic Match Game episode from 1975 while putting everything away. Charles Nelson Reilly took a six-month hiatus to direct a Broadway play. He came back in the grandest and wackiest way possible - he was "flown" in via flying harness and a stuffed bird he named Harry. "Well, I figured if they could fly me in," he quipped after he landed, "he could fly Brett out!"
Worked on writing for the rest of the afternoon. Malade joins Charles in the circle of fire that terrifies him. She taunts him, calling him cowardly and saying he could never be his best friend's champion. Ignoring his protests that it's his livelihood, she throws his lute into the fire. Unthinkingly, Charles goes after it, badly burning his hand. Gene finally gets him, Orson, and Richard out as Charles faints from fear and pain.
I got so into writing, I didn't break for dinner until 7. Thought I'd give Pluto TV another shot...and lo and behold, they seem to have fallen back to the older interface. It worked. I saw the second half of Sale of the Century and all of Let's Make a Deal while having turkey meatballs, pasta, and green beans and almonds for dinner. Deal was especially fun. Monty had the devil of a time with a woman in red who gave up a Mexican vacation and a man dressed as a moneybag who went for the big prize of the day. The man got nice kitchen appliances...but they really rewarded the lady, who traded in her trip for the big deal. I would have been happy with the gorgeous piano alone, but they also had a fine painting, a fur, and a big check.
Finished the night after a shower with the first episode of Batman between Match Game syndicated premieres on YouTube. The Roku Channel is currently running the infamously campy 1966 Batman for free. I never did get as crazy about this show as Rose did when we were kids, but I thought I'd give it another chance as an adult.
"Hi Diddle Riddle" has the Dynamic Duo caught in quite a pickle when the Riddler (Frank Gorshin) lures them into thinking he's committing a crime, then photographs them catching him and sues them when it turns out he isn't. They got to a nightclub to find out what he's up to, but an attractive barfly (Jill St. John) leads Batman into danger.
Thursday, March 05, 2020
Springtime In the Neighborhood
Awoke to a sunny day and a phone call. The Acme wanted to know if I could come in tomorrow for four hours in the morning. They didn't have enough cashiers and needed the head bagger to take a register. I said yes. I didn't want to give up my day off, but I need the money.
Cheered myself up with breakfast and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Dan and Prince Wednesday are playing in "The Royal Sandbox" when they use Prince Tuesday's crown to top a mud pie. Tuesday's understandably upset and insist they apologize, then do something about it. At school, Dan, Katerina, and Miss Elaina are playing in their own cardboard vehicles. He first complains about Elania beeping in his ear and disrespecting his personal space, but then "Daniel Says He's Sorry" when he accidentally rips Katerina's paper trolley.
Though I did gather trash and recycling early on, I spent the vast majority of the day outside rounding up carts. With sunlight, blue skies, and upper 50-degree weather, I saw no reason to be anywhere else. Neither did anyone else. We weren't nearly as busy today as we were earlier in the week. Most people were likely out enjoying the warmth before rain returns tomorrow.
Went straight home after work. Did an episode of Match Game as I changed and had a snack. Blind contestant Glenn and his service dog Princess made history as one of the first disabled contestants to appear on a game show on the 1980 syndicated Match Game. Glenn made it to the Super Match on his second try, but not before the panel pointed out that one of his competitor's answers to a question about a nasty child offended poor Princess!
Worked on writing a list for the next few hours. I needed to get everything I wanted to ask Dad, Jodie, Jesse, and Dana about the apartment and what I need to do before I move. I need to ask about the apartment itself, for starters. Is it central heating, or will I need my air conditioner? I imagine it has Wifi, since the main house does. What's the rent? Did they work on it before Dana and Jesse moved in? I also made a quick survey of all the furniture I have in the house. I need to do something about the wardrobes. They won't fit in the new place, and I probably won't need them.
Went into writing after I finished the list. Malade grabs Bill the wolf and threatens to drain his energy. Marcia agrees to marry Sheriff Ira and let the wicked witch drain her magic if she'll release him. She does strip Marcia's magic...but binds Bill in rope and a collar, muzzles him, and turns him over to her trolls to take away. Gene and Charles watch in horror as she casts a spell of eternal sleep over the tall redhead. Ira tries to kiss her awake, but she doesn't stir. He's not her true love.
Finished the night eating leftovers for dinner and making Peanut Butter Cookies while watching The Perils of Pauline. I go into more detail on this 1947 biography of early 20th century serial queen Pearl White at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
The Perils of Pauline (1947)
Cheered myself up with breakfast and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Dan and Prince Wednesday are playing in "The Royal Sandbox" when they use Prince Tuesday's crown to top a mud pie. Tuesday's understandably upset and insist they apologize, then do something about it. At school, Dan, Katerina, and Miss Elaina are playing in their own cardboard vehicles. He first complains about Elania beeping in his ear and disrespecting his personal space, but then "Daniel Says He's Sorry" when he accidentally rips Katerina's paper trolley.
Though I did gather trash and recycling early on, I spent the vast majority of the day outside rounding up carts. With sunlight, blue skies, and upper 50-degree weather, I saw no reason to be anywhere else. Neither did anyone else. We weren't nearly as busy today as we were earlier in the week. Most people were likely out enjoying the warmth before rain returns tomorrow.
Went straight home after work. Did an episode of Match Game as I changed and had a snack. Blind contestant Glenn and his service dog Princess made history as one of the first disabled contestants to appear on a game show on the 1980 syndicated Match Game. Glenn made it to the Super Match on his second try, but not before the panel pointed out that one of his competitor's answers to a question about a nasty child offended poor Princess!
Worked on writing a list for the next few hours. I needed to get everything I wanted to ask Dad, Jodie, Jesse, and Dana about the apartment and what I need to do before I move. I need to ask about the apartment itself, for starters. Is it central heating, or will I need my air conditioner? I imagine it has Wifi, since the main house does. What's the rent? Did they work on it before Dana and Jesse moved in? I also made a quick survey of all the furniture I have in the house. I need to do something about the wardrobes. They won't fit in the new place, and I probably won't need them.
Went into writing after I finished the list. Malade grabs Bill the wolf and threatens to drain his energy. Marcia agrees to marry Sheriff Ira and let the wicked witch drain her magic if she'll release him. She does strip Marcia's magic...but binds Bill in rope and a collar, muzzles him, and turns him over to her trolls to take away. Gene and Charles watch in horror as she casts a spell of eternal sleep over the tall redhead. Ira tries to kiss her awake, but she doesn't stir. He's not her true love.
Finished the night eating leftovers for dinner and making Peanut Butter Cookies while watching The Perils of Pauline. I go into more detail on this 1947 biography of early 20th century serial queen Pearl White at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
The Perils of Pauline (1947)
Wednesday, March 04, 2020
Matches and Hedgehogs
Began a sunny morning with breakfast and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood on PBS Kids. The Tiger family takes their youngest member to the clock factory for "Margaret's First Chime Time." On the way, they encounter Katerina Kittycat and her mother Henrietta, who share a tea party and dance together. "Tiger Family Fun" takes them to the Enchanted Garden to pick strawberries. After they encounter Music Man Stan, Lady Elaine, and Miss Elaina picking blueberries, they opt to put their fruit together and have blueberry-banana pancakes for dinner with fruit skewers for dessert.
Work got really crazy for a Wednesday. It's the beginning of the month, and many of our customers are taking advantage of big sales while they can. I did manage to round up carts and baskets and the inside trash, but not much else. They kept calling me into the register.
Hurried out as soon as possible. Though it remained windy, the rain disappeared overnight, and the sun felt wonderful. Took the long way down Nicholson Road to enjoy the warmth a little more, given it's supposed to drop back into the 40's by the weekend. Dodged some late-lunch traffic until I got into Oaklyn; most people there were likely still in work or school.
Changed and had lunch, then switched to scrubbing the kitchen. Watched more Hart to Hart on the Roku Channel while I worked. They have to "Cruise at Your Own Risk" when they learn Johnathan's cruise line's been hit by jewelry thieves. The duo pose as a Southern bigwig and his diamond-toting mistress to ferret out the thieves. Meanwhile their housekeeper Max, who is pretending to be a rich Italian, romances a sweet widow from Brooklyn.
Ran a bunch of Match Game episodes while finishing the kitchen and vacuuming. Started off with the last episode of 1975 as Gene, his regulars, Dick Martin, Fannie Flagg, and Richard Dawson's then-girlfriend Jody Donovan celebrated with fancy hats and a slightly inebriated Charles dragging in a giant "Match Game 75" balloon. New Year's Day 1976 saw the first jokes about that year's Bicentennial. Broadway songwriter Marvin Hamlisch and Isobel Sanford from The Jeffersons joined in for the next episode. A strange answer on an Audience Match inspired Hamlisch to write a song called "Fog Cloud."
Rose called as I vacuumed the bedroom. I texted her earlier about the new rent agreement. Frankly, I want out. I'm not living over a nice little old lady and raking her yard anymore. I should have moved out ages ago. Turns out the rent is for month-to-month, rather than a full year. My landlady can ask me to leave at any time, but I can also leave on my own at any time. I didn't even see anything in the rambling 8-page rental agreement about giving her notice. The agreement mostly boiled down to variations on "don't make noise, don't hurt the apartment, and we're not responsible if you do." It also claims she's going to convert the heat and stove to electric, which I'll have to pay for...but she claimed that on last year's lease, and it never happened. Supposedly, it'll happen this month.
(It also claimed that the apartment was rented unfurnished. It was furnished when I moved in. I like the sturdy little vintage table that holds my TV, VCR, and Wii and would have asked if I could keep it anyway and am willing to keep the dresser until I can find something better. I don't need the rack in the back or the two huge wardrobes. I need to figure out what to do about those.)
Did some more research after I got the cleaning done, then worked on writing. Malade orders Sir Gautier to carry Brett off. She's hold his fellow trolls, including his protege Sir Walden, hostage in the dungeon. Angry, Marcia runs over to bargain with her before Gene can stop her...
Finished out the night during dinner with two episodes of the 1993 cartoon The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog in honor of the movie currently in theaters. The plot here is pretty simple, as per the original Sega Genesis games. Sonic (Jaleel White) and his fox buddy Tails (Christopher Welch) spend most of their time outrunning evil mad scientist Dr. Robotnik (Long John Baldry) and his hench-bots Scratch (Phil Hayes), Grounder (Garry Chalk), and Coconuts (Ian James Corlett).
We learn how Robotnik came to make his mooks for the "Super Special Sonic Search & Smash Squad." He needed better bounty hunters to catch freedom fighters Sonic and Tails, so he made them himself...but all they do is fight with each other and with fellow robotic bounty hunter Coconuts. Sonic and Tails go underground in "Subterranean Sonic" when they inadvertently invade the caves made by selfish mole Spleunk. Not only do they have to convince him that they care nothing about his diamonds, but Robotnik's robots are on their trail, too.
I thought most cartoons stopped using the "moral of the day" segments by the 90's, but this show ends with "Sonic Says." In the first episode, he admonishes Tails to save calling 911 for real emergencies. "Subterranean Sonic" ends with Sonic admonishing Spelunk and Tails to share their lunches.
My memories of this show go back to the mid-90's, when Grandma Ann gave Keefe a big stuffed Sonic for his birthday one year. Since we didn't have Sega at the time, the one Adventures video at our local mom and pop video store gave him his only chance to see the lightning-fast hedgehog in action. We rented that video constantly through the late 90's. Keefe was devastated when they finally sold that video (and not to us). This is the first time I've seen it since then.
Work got really crazy for a Wednesday. It's the beginning of the month, and many of our customers are taking advantage of big sales while they can. I did manage to round up carts and baskets and the inside trash, but not much else. They kept calling me into the register.
Hurried out as soon as possible. Though it remained windy, the rain disappeared overnight, and the sun felt wonderful. Took the long way down Nicholson Road to enjoy the warmth a little more, given it's supposed to drop back into the 40's by the weekend. Dodged some late-lunch traffic until I got into Oaklyn; most people there were likely still in work or school.
Changed and had lunch, then switched to scrubbing the kitchen. Watched more Hart to Hart on the Roku Channel while I worked. They have to "Cruise at Your Own Risk" when they learn Johnathan's cruise line's been hit by jewelry thieves. The duo pose as a Southern bigwig and his diamond-toting mistress to ferret out the thieves. Meanwhile their housekeeper Max, who is pretending to be a rich Italian, romances a sweet widow from Brooklyn.
Ran a bunch of Match Game episodes while finishing the kitchen and vacuuming. Started off with the last episode of 1975 as Gene, his regulars, Dick Martin, Fannie Flagg, and Richard Dawson's then-girlfriend Jody Donovan celebrated with fancy hats and a slightly inebriated Charles dragging in a giant "Match Game 75" balloon. New Year's Day 1976 saw the first jokes about that year's Bicentennial. Broadway songwriter Marvin Hamlisch and Isobel Sanford from The Jeffersons joined in for the next episode. A strange answer on an Audience Match inspired Hamlisch to write a song called "Fog Cloud."
Rose called as I vacuumed the bedroom. I texted her earlier about the new rent agreement. Frankly, I want out. I'm not living over a nice little old lady and raking her yard anymore. I should have moved out ages ago. Turns out the rent is for month-to-month, rather than a full year. My landlady can ask me to leave at any time, but I can also leave on my own at any time. I didn't even see anything in the rambling 8-page rental agreement about giving her notice. The agreement mostly boiled down to variations on "don't make noise, don't hurt the apartment, and we're not responsible if you do." It also claims she's going to convert the heat and stove to electric, which I'll have to pay for...but she claimed that on last year's lease, and it never happened. Supposedly, it'll happen this month.
(It also claimed that the apartment was rented unfurnished. It was furnished when I moved in. I like the sturdy little vintage table that holds my TV, VCR, and Wii and would have asked if I could keep it anyway and am willing to keep the dresser until I can find something better. I don't need the rack in the back or the two huge wardrobes. I need to figure out what to do about those.)
Did some more research after I got the cleaning done, then worked on writing. Malade orders Sir Gautier to carry Brett off. She's hold his fellow trolls, including his protege Sir Walden, hostage in the dungeon. Angry, Marcia runs over to bargain with her before Gene can stop her...
Finished out the night during dinner with two episodes of the 1993 cartoon The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog in honor of the movie currently in theaters. The plot here is pretty simple, as per the original Sega Genesis games. Sonic (Jaleel White) and his fox buddy Tails (Christopher Welch) spend most of their time outrunning evil mad scientist Dr. Robotnik (Long John Baldry) and his hench-bots Scratch (Phil Hayes), Grounder (Garry Chalk), and Coconuts (Ian James Corlett).
We learn how Robotnik came to make his mooks for the "Super Special Sonic Search & Smash Squad." He needed better bounty hunters to catch freedom fighters Sonic and Tails, so he made them himself...but all they do is fight with each other and with fellow robotic bounty hunter Coconuts. Sonic and Tails go underground in "Subterranean Sonic" when they inadvertently invade the caves made by selfish mole Spleunk. Not only do they have to convince him that they care nothing about his diamonds, but Robotnik's robots are on their trail, too.
I thought most cartoons stopped using the "moral of the day" segments by the 90's, but this show ends with "Sonic Says." In the first episode, he admonishes Tails to save calling 911 for real emergencies. "Subterranean Sonic" ends with Sonic admonishing Spelunk and Tails to share their lunches.
My memories of this show go back to the mid-90's, when Grandma Ann gave Keefe a big stuffed Sonic for his birthday one year. Since we didn't have Sega at the time, the one Adventures video at our local mom and pop video store gave him his only chance to see the lightning-fast hedgehog in action. We rented that video constantly through the late 90's. Keefe was devastated when they finally sold that video (and not to us). This is the first time I've seen it since then.
Tuesday, March 03, 2020
The Ballad of the Cowboy and the Yeti
Started a gloomy but dry morning with breakfast before going into chores. Made the bed and got the bathroom cleaned. The bathtub really needed scrubbing. It's not usually this damp in the winter! We've had a lot more rainy weather than we normally would in February.
Watched Toy Story 4 while I worked. We find out how Bo Peep (Annie Potts) left Andy's room - she ended up in a box for the thrift shop. Woody (Tom Hanks) is devastated, but she says she's fine with moving along to another child. Years later, Woody is beginning to wonder about his own relationship with his new owner Bonnie (Madeline McGraw). She prefers using cowgirl Jessie (Joan Cusack) in play over him. Even so, he still tries to stop Forky (Tony Hale), a toy she made from a fork and pipe cleaners, from throwing himself away.
While on a family trip, he chases the agile spork and finally convinces him he's a toy...just as he sees Bo Peep's lamp in an antique shop. Turns out she and a group of loose toys who live at a local playground help other playthings find new humans. Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks) would love to find her previous owner, but her voice box is broken. She captures Forky and holds him ransom for Woody's voice box. While Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) enlists the aid of a pair of carnival toys to find Woody, Woody and Bo Peep are joined by lost toys Duke Caboom (Keanu Reeves) and Giggles McDimples (Ally Maki) to rescue him.
I wasn't sure how Pixar could do another Toy Story film after the previous one ended beautifully, but they pulled it off. I can understand why it won Best Animated Film at this year's Oscars. Forky's existential crisis, Woody's loyalty to Bonnie, and Bo Peep's wish to help other toys are all handled with a great deal of sensitivity. There's some amazing animation too, especially at the carnival and antique shop. It was great to see Bo Peep again, and Hendricks and Reeves were great additions as the spiteful broken doll and the Evel Knevel-esque Canadian daredevil.
I do advise Pixar to leave the franchise here, at least as far as movies are concerned. They were lucky it worked out, but this is all the end the story needs. I kind of wish we could have seen more of the other characters, especially my favorite Jessie; not much of Buzz, either. At any rate, this is a wonderful ending (I hope) to a franchise that holds a lot of fond memories for me.
Went into Abominable as I finished cleaning and had lunch. Yi (Chloe Bennet) is a Chinese teenager living in Shanghai with her mother (Michelle Wong) and grandmother (Tsai Chin) in a small apartment. She's trying to make enough money to fulfill her late father's dream of traveling across China, but her many jobs mean she's never at home. One night, she find a young Yeti hiding in her favorite spot on the roof. She feeds it steamed buns, which it loves, and makes friends with it, naming him Everest. The helicopters pursuing him aren't nearly so friendly. The Yeti is owned by Mr. Burnish (Eddie Izzard), an animal lover who wants to prove the existence of Yetis. Despite her claims, Dr. Zola (Sarah Paulsen) is more interested in selling the creature than keeping it. Yi and Everest flee, joined by basketball-loving Peng (Albert Tsai) and his ultra-cool cousin Jin (Tenzing Norgay Trainor). Turns out Everest loves the violin Yi plays that connects her with her father...and it's that music and their road trip that helps to ultimately connect her with the boys and her new furry friend.
I'm surprised this one wasn't nominated for an Oscar, too. The road trip story and the villains are a bit cliched, but the relationship between the kids and their giant pal is truly touching. The animation is fabulous, too, especially when they're in the valleys of Tibet and flying through the clouds to the Himalayas. Violence and frank discussions of death and loss makes this for older kids and young teens interested in road trip stories or Asian cultures.
Headed out shortly after Abominable ended. It started to shower hard shortly after I left, and I arrived at PNC Bank quite damp. They were having problems with their internet, backing up a long line. I only wanted to pick up checks for the rent anyway. Stood in line twice, the second time to ask if I messed up checks too badly to use. (I didn't.)
The rain took a temporary leave of absence as I dodged traffic on Cuthbert and headed to Westmont. The Haddon Towship Library wasn't as busy as the bank had been. I once again shelved DVDs...and once again couldn't fit all the DVDs in the adult shelves again. I didn't take out anything. I still had With a Song In My Heart for review, and have really enjoyed exploring all the options on Roku.
Made a brief stop at Target on the way home. Their peanut butter is far cheaper than the Acme's, and I wanted to see if my food stamps came in yet. (They did.) Grabbed tortilla chips for dinner tonight and sponges, too.
It showered again as I headed into Oaklyn, and has continued on and off, sometimes heavily, for the rest of the night. Dropped the rent next-door, then spent the next hour doing research on other possible writing opportunities. Despite Mrs. Stahl's claims that the writing market is tapped out and no one's hiring, I found lots of general and movie and book review blogs who hire new writers. I'll do even more research this week. She must mean no one offline is hiring.
Did a little bit of fanfic writing after that. Marcia demands that Malade release Charles and Brett, but she has the upper hand. Charles is devastated when she orders her trolls to destroy his lute, and Bill's even more so when they go after his rose garden.
Broke for dinner at 7. Made Southwestern Black Bean Dip to go with those chips while watching With a Song In My Heart. I go further into this biography of courageous radio singer Jane Froman at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
With a Song In My Heart
And I heard from Willa tonight. She did get the rent, but now she wants the new rent agreement to be signed, too. I need to text or call Rose tomorrow and see what we should do and if she can deal with her.
Watched Toy Story 4 while I worked. We find out how Bo Peep (Annie Potts) left Andy's room - she ended up in a box for the thrift shop. Woody (Tom Hanks) is devastated, but she says she's fine with moving along to another child. Years later, Woody is beginning to wonder about his own relationship with his new owner Bonnie (Madeline McGraw). She prefers using cowgirl Jessie (Joan Cusack) in play over him. Even so, he still tries to stop Forky (Tony Hale), a toy she made from a fork and pipe cleaners, from throwing himself away.
While on a family trip, he chases the agile spork and finally convinces him he's a toy...just as he sees Bo Peep's lamp in an antique shop. Turns out she and a group of loose toys who live at a local playground help other playthings find new humans. Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks) would love to find her previous owner, but her voice box is broken. She captures Forky and holds him ransom for Woody's voice box. While Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) enlists the aid of a pair of carnival toys to find Woody, Woody and Bo Peep are joined by lost toys Duke Caboom (Keanu Reeves) and Giggles McDimples (Ally Maki) to rescue him.
I wasn't sure how Pixar could do another Toy Story film after the previous one ended beautifully, but they pulled it off. I can understand why it won Best Animated Film at this year's Oscars. Forky's existential crisis, Woody's loyalty to Bonnie, and Bo Peep's wish to help other toys are all handled with a great deal of sensitivity. There's some amazing animation too, especially at the carnival and antique shop. It was great to see Bo Peep again, and Hendricks and Reeves were great additions as the spiteful broken doll and the Evel Knevel-esque Canadian daredevil.
I do advise Pixar to leave the franchise here, at least as far as movies are concerned. They were lucky it worked out, but this is all the end the story needs. I kind of wish we could have seen more of the other characters, especially my favorite Jessie; not much of Buzz, either. At any rate, this is a wonderful ending (I hope) to a franchise that holds a lot of fond memories for me.
Went into Abominable as I finished cleaning and had lunch. Yi (Chloe Bennet) is a Chinese teenager living in Shanghai with her mother (Michelle Wong) and grandmother (Tsai Chin) in a small apartment. She's trying to make enough money to fulfill her late father's dream of traveling across China, but her many jobs mean she's never at home. One night, she find a young Yeti hiding in her favorite spot on the roof. She feeds it steamed buns, which it loves, and makes friends with it, naming him Everest. The helicopters pursuing him aren't nearly so friendly. The Yeti is owned by Mr. Burnish (Eddie Izzard), an animal lover who wants to prove the existence of Yetis. Despite her claims, Dr. Zola (Sarah Paulsen) is more interested in selling the creature than keeping it. Yi and Everest flee, joined by basketball-loving Peng (Albert Tsai) and his ultra-cool cousin Jin (Tenzing Norgay Trainor). Turns out Everest loves the violin Yi plays that connects her with her father...and it's that music and their road trip that helps to ultimately connect her with the boys and her new furry friend.
I'm surprised this one wasn't nominated for an Oscar, too. The road trip story and the villains are a bit cliched, but the relationship between the kids and their giant pal is truly touching. The animation is fabulous, too, especially when they're in the valleys of Tibet and flying through the clouds to the Himalayas. Violence and frank discussions of death and loss makes this for older kids and young teens interested in road trip stories or Asian cultures.
Headed out shortly after Abominable ended. It started to shower hard shortly after I left, and I arrived at PNC Bank quite damp. They were having problems with their internet, backing up a long line. I only wanted to pick up checks for the rent anyway. Stood in line twice, the second time to ask if I messed up checks too badly to use. (I didn't.)
The rain took a temporary leave of absence as I dodged traffic on Cuthbert and headed to Westmont. The Haddon Towship Library wasn't as busy as the bank had been. I once again shelved DVDs...and once again couldn't fit all the DVDs in the adult shelves again. I didn't take out anything. I still had With a Song In My Heart for review, and have really enjoyed exploring all the options on Roku.
Made a brief stop at Target on the way home. Their peanut butter is far cheaper than the Acme's, and I wanted to see if my food stamps came in yet. (They did.) Grabbed tortilla chips for dinner tonight and sponges, too.
It showered again as I headed into Oaklyn, and has continued on and off, sometimes heavily, for the rest of the night. Dropped the rent next-door, then spent the next hour doing research on other possible writing opportunities. Despite Mrs. Stahl's claims that the writing market is tapped out and no one's hiring, I found lots of general and movie and book review blogs who hire new writers. I'll do even more research this week. She must mean no one offline is hiring.
Did a little bit of fanfic writing after that. Marcia demands that Malade release Charles and Brett, but she has the upper hand. Charles is devastated when she orders her trolls to destroy his lute, and Bill's even more so when they go after his rose garden.
Broke for dinner at 7. Made Southwestern Black Bean Dip to go with those chips while watching With a Song In My Heart. I go further into this biography of courageous radio singer Jane Froman at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
With a Song In My Heart
And I heard from Willa tonight. She did get the rent, but now she wants the new rent agreement to be signed, too. I need to text or call Rose tomorrow and see what we should do and if she can deal with her.
Monday, March 02, 2020
Very Warm for Winter
Kicked off a sunny morning with breakfast and Match Game PM on YouTube. Robert Pine of ChiPs, Dick Martin of Laugh In, and a young Jamie Lee Curtis joined Gene, Charles, and Brett for this episode from 1979. While the contestant did manage to get through the main show, he had no luck in either of the Audience Matches, to the frustration of the panel and the audience.
Went into some online research after breakfast. I wanted to check out ListVerse, a site of lists that pays 100 dollars per list. Sounds great...but they're mostly for general knowledge. Everything I know is so specific! I still want to do it. I need the money and the boost. Just have to figure out what exactly to make a list about.
Broke for lunch at quarter of noon. Switched over to Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood at PBS Kids while I had coconut yogurt and oranges for lunch. I had seen "Daniel's Birthday" before. In fact, it's the very first episode of the series. Dan's thrilled when he, his mom, O the Owl, and Katerina Kittycat pick up a tiger-shaped cake for his party...but his delight diminishes when he discovers it got smushed on the ride home. His parents help him find something good about the mess. Miss Elaina and Prince Wednesday join little and big Dan for "Daniel's Picnic." The kids are upset when they pop their ball and the picnic gets rained out. Daniel Sr. helps them find the good in a bad situation.
Work didn't get too busy early-on. The head manager did as me to mop the bathrooms at one point, but I otherwise spent the rest of the evening alternating between sweeping the floors, gathering carts, and returning cold items. By the time it picked up, I'd opted to stick to outside. Perfect weather for it, too, with lots of sunshine, fresh breezes, and 60-degree temperatures. I'm surprised the store got as busy as it did. I suspect it had more to do with the beginning of the month than anything else going on.
When I got home, I had leftovers for dinner while checking out an episode of I Dream of Jeannie. It's "Jeannie for the Defense" in the fourth season when Tony is thrown into jail after he slightly bumps a car and the occupants sue him. Roger and Jeannie have to figure out how to prove that the man is lying while bringing Dr. Bellows to court as quickly as possible.
Finished the night before a shower and a Match Game syndicated premiere with two classic color shorts from the Fleischer Brothers. Two poor children imagine themselves "Somewhere In Dreamland," where they pull donut rings on the animal cracker cake-go-round, shake new clothes from trees, and catch popcorn in the popcorn fields. It's all fantasy, but the surprise several townspeople have for them in the end is very real. A spoiled colt teases Spunky the donkey in "Snubbed By a Snob," but it's Spunky who rescues them from an angry bull.
Went into some online research after breakfast. I wanted to check out ListVerse, a site of lists that pays 100 dollars per list. Sounds great...but they're mostly for general knowledge. Everything I know is so specific! I still want to do it. I need the money and the boost. Just have to figure out what exactly to make a list about.
Broke for lunch at quarter of noon. Switched over to Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood at PBS Kids while I had coconut yogurt and oranges for lunch. I had seen "Daniel's Birthday" before. In fact, it's the very first episode of the series. Dan's thrilled when he, his mom, O the Owl, and Katerina Kittycat pick up a tiger-shaped cake for his party...but his delight diminishes when he discovers it got smushed on the ride home. His parents help him find something good about the mess. Miss Elaina and Prince Wednesday join little and big Dan for "Daniel's Picnic." The kids are upset when they pop their ball and the picnic gets rained out. Daniel Sr. helps them find the good in a bad situation.
Work didn't get too busy early-on. The head manager did as me to mop the bathrooms at one point, but I otherwise spent the rest of the evening alternating between sweeping the floors, gathering carts, and returning cold items. By the time it picked up, I'd opted to stick to outside. Perfect weather for it, too, with lots of sunshine, fresh breezes, and 60-degree temperatures. I'm surprised the store got as busy as it did. I suspect it had more to do with the beginning of the month than anything else going on.
When I got home, I had leftovers for dinner while checking out an episode of I Dream of Jeannie. It's "Jeannie for the Defense" in the fourth season when Tony is thrown into jail after he slightly bumps a car and the occupants sue him. Roger and Jeannie have to figure out how to prove that the man is lying while bringing Dr. Bellows to court as quickly as possible.
Finished the night before a shower and a Match Game syndicated premiere with two classic color shorts from the Fleischer Brothers. Two poor children imagine themselves "Somewhere In Dreamland," where they pull donut rings on the animal cracker cake-go-round, shake new clothes from trees, and catch popcorn in the popcorn fields. It's all fantasy, but the surprise several townspeople have for them in the end is very real. A spoiled colt teases Spunky the donkey in "Snubbed By a Snob," but it's Spunky who rescues them from an angry bull.
Sunday, March 01, 2020
March Goes In Like a Lion
Got a rare chance to sleep in on a Sunday. When I did roll out of bed, I made quick buttermilk whole wheat pancakes while listening to the 1961 musical Carnival. This full-musical version of the film Lili features Anna Maria Alberghetti as Lili, the naive French girl who performs with the puppets in a carnival and thinks they're real. She has a crush on Marcus (James Mitchell), the dashing magician, but he's really romancing his assistant Rosalie (Kaye Ballard). The puppeteer is Paul (Jerry Orbach), a bitter former dancer who lost his career to an injury in World War II. He's grouchy to most people, including Lili, and only shows his kinder nature through his puppets. When Lili realizes what a cad Marcus is, she claims she's going to leave the show...but the puppets manage to remind her of how much they and their friend loves her.
This is a lovely and charming show, with some sweet music by Bob Merrill. The most famous number is Lili's hit solo "Love Makes the World Goes Round," which is one of the four song she performs with the puppets. Paul also gets three excellent solos, "Everybody Likes You" as he admits how he can really only be kind through the puppets, "I've Got to Find a Reason" in the beginning, and "Her Face" as he admits he's falling for Lili. It's too bad this is another one that doesn't often get revived. There was talk for a while of an Encores! concert with Anne Hathaway moving to Broadway, but it never happened.
Headed off to work shortly after the record ended. It started off well. I spent almost the entire morning and early afternoon outside, enjoying the beautiful sunshine. While it remained windy, it had also gotten a bit warmer, probably into the mid-upper 40's. I did briefly end up in the registers at least twice when we needed help, but I mainly bagged for the rest of the day. We were busy, but never overwhelmingly so, especially for the first of the month. People likely either took advantage of the nice weather, or will get their money during the week. I grabbed scrubbing cleaner and baking powder before rushing home.
When I got in, I went online, but I didn't write. I found tons of lists on Pinterest with sites you could check out for part time online jobs or quick writing jobs. Some have changed names and/or goals since the lists were released, but I did get some interesting leads, The sites that pay for random lists looks especially interesting.
I texted Jodie and Dad during my break at work about the raise in rent. Dad's text when I got home said that Dana and Jesse are currently looking for a house and may be moving out in 3 to 4 months. He and Jodie would be willing to help pay my rent until I can move into the apartment attached to their house. I really need to talk to them face to face about the whole thing - I'll see if I can get around there sometime this week.
Unfortunately, I also heard from my landlady Willa. She wants the rent tomorrow and to know whether or not I'm going to sign the rent. Dad's text indicated that he'd be willing to help me with the rent until I can move. Frankly, I intend to text or call Rose tomorrow and let her deal with Willa. I wish she'd at least try to understand that I don't have much money. She doesn't have to raise it 100 dollars. Yes, Charlie did fix the windows and the porch, and I appreciate it...but he hasn't done anything since then, nor will he be able to. I saw him hobbling on crutches outside about a week or two ago. It'll be a long time before he can do anything for anybody.
Finished the night with leftovers for dinner, three Match Game syndicated "premieres" on YouTube, and another Broadway cast album. Applause, a musical version of All About Eve, debuted in 1970 as a vehicle for Lauren Bacall. Bacall played Margo Channing, an aging stage star hoping to make a comeback in a play. She takes on an assistant, Eve (Penny Fuller), who claims to be her biggest fan. Eve, however, is more devious than she appears, but Margo doesn't want to believe it...until the young woman attempts to take over her roles and her life.
Like Carnival, this is a show that doesn't turn up often today. I suspect it's too associated with Bacall, who apparently appeared in a TV version with Larry Hagman in 1973. Like Carnival, it turned up as an Encores concert (this time in 2008) and hasn't been seen since. Too bad. The show may be very much of it's time, but there's some good songs. Bacall can't sing, but she does no harm to the showstoppers "But Alive" with Fuller (in a gay bar) and "Welcome to the Theater." Bonnie Franklin of the sitcom One Day at a Time gets to belt out the title song and "She's No Longer a Gypsy" when Eve snubs the other struggling actors at a local watering hole.
This is a lovely and charming show, with some sweet music by Bob Merrill. The most famous number is Lili's hit solo "Love Makes the World Goes Round," which is one of the four song she performs with the puppets. Paul also gets three excellent solos, "Everybody Likes You" as he admits how he can really only be kind through the puppets, "I've Got to Find a Reason" in the beginning, and "Her Face" as he admits he's falling for Lili. It's too bad this is another one that doesn't often get revived. There was talk for a while of an Encores! concert with Anne Hathaway moving to Broadway, but it never happened.
Headed off to work shortly after the record ended. It started off well. I spent almost the entire morning and early afternoon outside, enjoying the beautiful sunshine. While it remained windy, it had also gotten a bit warmer, probably into the mid-upper 40's. I did briefly end up in the registers at least twice when we needed help, but I mainly bagged for the rest of the day. We were busy, but never overwhelmingly so, especially for the first of the month. People likely either took advantage of the nice weather, or will get their money during the week. I grabbed scrubbing cleaner and baking powder before rushing home.
When I got in, I went online, but I didn't write. I found tons of lists on Pinterest with sites you could check out for part time online jobs or quick writing jobs. Some have changed names and/or goals since the lists were released, but I did get some interesting leads, The sites that pay for random lists looks especially interesting.
I texted Jodie and Dad during my break at work about the raise in rent. Dad's text when I got home said that Dana and Jesse are currently looking for a house and may be moving out in 3 to 4 months. He and Jodie would be willing to help pay my rent until I can move into the apartment attached to their house. I really need to talk to them face to face about the whole thing - I'll see if I can get around there sometime this week.
Unfortunately, I also heard from my landlady Willa. She wants the rent tomorrow and to know whether or not I'm going to sign the rent. Dad's text indicated that he'd be willing to help me with the rent until I can move. Frankly, I intend to text or call Rose tomorrow and let her deal with Willa. I wish she'd at least try to understand that I don't have much money. She doesn't have to raise it 100 dollars. Yes, Charlie did fix the windows and the porch, and I appreciate it...but he hasn't done anything since then, nor will he be able to. I saw him hobbling on crutches outside about a week or two ago. It'll be a long time before he can do anything for anybody.
Finished the night with leftovers for dinner, three Match Game syndicated "premieres" on YouTube, and another Broadway cast album. Applause, a musical version of All About Eve, debuted in 1970 as a vehicle for Lauren Bacall. Bacall played Margo Channing, an aging stage star hoping to make a comeback in a play. She takes on an assistant, Eve (Penny Fuller), who claims to be her biggest fan. Eve, however, is more devious than she appears, but Margo doesn't want to believe it...until the young woman attempts to take over her roles and her life.
Like Carnival, this is a show that doesn't turn up often today. I suspect it's too associated with Bacall, who apparently appeared in a TV version with Larry Hagman in 1973. Like Carnival, it turned up as an Encores concert (this time in 2008) and hasn't been seen since. Too bad. The show may be very much of it's time, but there's some good songs. Bacall can't sing, but she does no harm to the showstoppers "But Alive" with Fuller (in a gay bar) and "Welcome to the Theater." Bonnie Franklin of the sitcom One Day at a Time gets to belt out the title song and "She's No Longer a Gypsy" when Eve snubs the other struggling actors at a local watering hole.
Saturday, February 29, 2020
Leaping Into Leap Year
Began my Leap Year day with breakfast and two quick episodes of Match Game from 1977 on YouTube. In the first, Brett has to do some explaining to tell Gene that Jane doesn't talk the way Tarzan did in the 30's movies, and everyone comes up with some interesting answers to "Put __." Gene has trouble with his shoelaces in the next episode, Charles gives his opinion on a question involving a man trading his wife in, and Elaine Joyce is even noisier about where Gene puts his hands.
Headed to work even before the episode ended. Work went pretty quickly for a relatively long day. I did go in for a cashier early in the morning, shelved candy, and swept the store once, but I spent the majority of the day outside with the carts. Not a bad day for it. While it remained windy and cold, it at the very least was also sunny and dry.
Ran into Rose loading up her car in the parking lot while doing the carts later in the morning. I finally told her about the landlady raising the rent next month. She's not terribly happy with her or me and insisted I call Jodie and Dad for help.
Picked up my schedule when I arrived. It's one of the better ones I've had in a while. Mostly afternoon and early evening hours, except on Wednesday and Thursday when the head manager is off and comes in late respectively. Same days off, Tuesday and Friday. I'll have plenty of time to talk to the family, work on writing and job ideas, and do my monthly cleaning.
Went straight into grocery shopping after I finished. Took advantage of more online coupons to get deals on Belvita cookies, a pint of Baskin Robbins ice cream, cranberries, honey, milk, cheese, and yogurt. My vegetable crisper is just about empty. Grabbed bags of green beans, carrots, and spinach to have with dinner this week. Since bagged Green Giant frozen vegetables were also on sale, I thought I'd give the butternut squash Riced Veggies a try to get more vegetables in my diet. Restocked canned pineapple, bananas, tangerines, cereal, and canola oil.
Returned to Match Game on YouTube while I unpacked everything. Jumped back to 1975 for two of the earliest nighttime games. Richard Dawson and Clifton Davis made a few racial jokes that you'd never get away with today in the first episode. William "Captain Kirk" Shatner and Lee "Catwoman" Merriweather helped liven up the second.
Worked on writing after I finished. Marcia and Gene attempt to attack Malade, who sends spiny rose vines after Gene and knocks Marcia back. Bill's terrified the witch will muzzle him and try to force him to work for her again, and Charles is still surrounded by fire...and even more scared.
Broke for dinner at 6:30. Had leftovers and made Chocolate Chip Muffins from Alton Brown's Old School Muffin recipe while watching the Cannon Movie Tales version of Beauty and the Beast from 1987. I go further into this surprisingly charming retelling at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Family Fun Saturday - Beauty and the Beast (1987)
Finished the night after a shower with two Match Game "premieres" on YouTube and Charlie's Angels on The Roku Channel. "Angels On Wheels" take the women into competitive roller derby after a star skater dies in what seems to be an accident. Her sister believes otherwise, despite what the police say. Jill gets into the sport and becomes a skater herself, Sabrina poses as an insurance agent looking into phony claims, and Kelly claims she's a woman reporter while searching the deceased's apartment. Someone, however, doesn't want the Angels finding out what's really going on with those phony claims and are willing to blow them out of the ring (and Kelly's car) for good.
Headed to work even before the episode ended. Work went pretty quickly for a relatively long day. I did go in for a cashier early in the morning, shelved candy, and swept the store once, but I spent the majority of the day outside with the carts. Not a bad day for it. While it remained windy and cold, it at the very least was also sunny and dry.
Ran into Rose loading up her car in the parking lot while doing the carts later in the morning. I finally told her about the landlady raising the rent next month. She's not terribly happy with her or me and insisted I call Jodie and Dad for help.
Picked up my schedule when I arrived. It's one of the better ones I've had in a while. Mostly afternoon and early evening hours, except on Wednesday and Thursday when the head manager is off and comes in late respectively. Same days off, Tuesday and Friday. I'll have plenty of time to talk to the family, work on writing and job ideas, and do my monthly cleaning.
Went straight into grocery shopping after I finished. Took advantage of more online coupons to get deals on Belvita cookies, a pint of Baskin Robbins ice cream, cranberries, honey, milk, cheese, and yogurt. My vegetable crisper is just about empty. Grabbed bags of green beans, carrots, and spinach to have with dinner this week. Since bagged Green Giant frozen vegetables were also on sale, I thought I'd give the butternut squash Riced Veggies a try to get more vegetables in my diet. Restocked canned pineapple, bananas, tangerines, cereal, and canola oil.
Returned to Match Game on YouTube while I unpacked everything. Jumped back to 1975 for two of the earliest nighttime games. Richard Dawson and Clifton Davis made a few racial jokes that you'd never get away with today in the first episode. William "Captain Kirk" Shatner and Lee "Catwoman" Merriweather helped liven up the second.
Worked on writing after I finished. Marcia and Gene attempt to attack Malade, who sends spiny rose vines after Gene and knocks Marcia back. Bill's terrified the witch will muzzle him and try to force him to work for her again, and Charles is still surrounded by fire...and even more scared.
Broke for dinner at 6:30. Had leftovers and made Chocolate Chip Muffins from Alton Brown's Old School Muffin recipe while watching the Cannon Movie Tales version of Beauty and the Beast from 1987. I go further into this surprisingly charming retelling at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Family Fun Saturday - Beauty and the Beast (1987)
Finished the night after a shower with two Match Game "premieres" on YouTube and Charlie's Angels on The Roku Channel. "Angels On Wheels" take the women into competitive roller derby after a star skater dies in what seems to be an accident. Her sister believes otherwise, despite what the police say. Jill gets into the sport and becomes a skater herself, Sabrina poses as an insurance agent looking into phony claims, and Kelly claims she's a woman reporter while searching the deceased's apartment. Someone, however, doesn't want the Angels finding out what's really going on with those phony claims and are willing to blow them out of the ring (and Kelly's car) for good.
Friday, February 28, 2020
A Windy Day In the Neighborhood
Kicked off the morning with breakfast and a couple of PBS Kids cartoons. Happiness and being happy was the theme of the day on Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. He teaches "Daniel's Happy Song" to Katrina and Miss Elaina when they visit and play stuffed animals with him. "Prince Wednesday's Happy Birthday" has the kids celebrating his big day with "Pin the Tail On the Bunny" and a treasure hunt to find the cake.
Molly of Denali wants to show off for her cousin by insisting she knows how to do "Snowboarding, Qyah Style." There's one problem - she's never snowboarded before in her life. She tries to learn how from her friend Tooey, until their neighbors give them ideas for their own kind of tricks. Nadia, the daughter of a friend of Molly's mother, is supposed to do the "Seal Dance" for a local festival, but she can't get the moves right. Molly, a historic statue of a seal dancer, a group of real seals swimming by the shore, and Grandpa Nat's stories all inspire her to keep practicing until she figures it out.
I intended to return to Pluto TV for Match Game on Buzzr...but Pluto TV just would not work. They updated their interface yesterday, and now it decided it didn't like my Roku anymore. I'd reset the Roku and put the app on. It would show the main screen, load...then return to the home screen. The Roku itself played everything else fine, and Buzzr and Pluto TV played normally on my laptop. I did e-mail Pluto about the problem, but haven't heard from them yet.
Gave up on it briefly around 11:30 and decided to head out for a walk. I wanted to volunteer at the Oaklyn Library before it closed. The windy and party cloudy day looked as gloomy as I felt. There's almost no color in the neighborhood. I saw patches of daffodils coming up in other parts of town, but they aren't here. Gardens were brown and yellow and lifeless, and the few banners were faded Valentine's Day or winter flags. I saw only a few people outside, heading into cars on a day that remained cold and blustery.
The Oaklyn Library wasn't much busier. They're still going through their books and DVDs and clearing out older or less-used titles. I didn't see much to do in the adult DVD area, but the kids' books were a mess. Had to shelve quite a few titles they'd left laying on shelves or between stacks. It being lunchtime, I saw one other man there reading the newspaper. Went to the bathroom and headed back out.
I wasn't really in the mood to go home. Had enough money left on my food stamps for a chilled mocha cappuccino drink. WaWa's coffee drink is sweet and creamy enough to mask the bitter flavor. Tossed in a soft pretzel for a snack.
After I got home, I watched I Dream of Jeannie on The Roku Channel to test the box; opted for "Everybody's a Movie Star" from the third season. Big shot movie directer Allen Kerr (Paul Lynde) wants to film a documentary at NASA and chooses Tony and Roger as his stars. Roger gets a big head when he thinks Allen called him a "natural talent"...but he really thinks Roger's a nuisance.
Got the laundry done after lunch. I picked the perfect time to do it. The laundromat was empty when I arrived, and I think I saw one other person the whole 40 minutes or so I was there. Maybe the brief flurry I ran into on my way to the White Horse Pike scared everyone off. At any rate, I worked on story notes and ignored Rachel Ray and General Hospital on ABC.
When I got in, I put everything away, then went on the computer to work on writing. Angry after Richard kicks her, Malade drains his energy. She surrounds Charles with fire, the one thing he's most terrified of. She's just thrown Richard away as Gene smashes the front door in. Accidentally - he'd been hoping to get it open, not destroy it. Marcia has to drag Bill over to do it, but they do manage to attack Malade before she can use her magic on anyone else.
Broke for dinner at 6:30...or so I thought. I spent another hour fruitlessly messing with Pluto TV. It worked once, briefly showing bigger and easier to read interface before crashing again. Tried to upload Stirr TV, but they would also play for a few minutes before crashing.
Finally gave up and added my Roku to my YouTube account instead. It did allow me to watch some Match Game. The nighttime Match Game had an Audience Match question in 1975 that went "___ Olsen." Surprisingly, the top answer was not the show's announcer Johnny Olsen! In an episode from 1976, poor Gene had a bad cold...which no one wanted him to spread around. The others kept avoiding him as much as possible. Brett teased Gene about his brown suede shoes in a 1978 show.
Wasn't really up to anything but Charlie's Angels on The Roku Channel after all that. "I Will Be Remembered" is a spooky first season episode. Former movie star Gloria Gibson (Ida Lupino) believes someone is trying to drive her insane, recreating death scenes from her previous films. She's hoping to make a comeback with a remake of one of her big hits. Kate poses as her secretary and takes care of her at home, Kelly lands a job as an extra, and Jill is supposed to be a reporter. Someone, however, doesn't appreciate the women snooping and is determined to get them and Gloria out of the way.
Molly of Denali wants to show off for her cousin by insisting she knows how to do "Snowboarding, Qyah Style." There's one problem - she's never snowboarded before in her life. She tries to learn how from her friend Tooey, until their neighbors give them ideas for their own kind of tricks. Nadia, the daughter of a friend of Molly's mother, is supposed to do the "Seal Dance" for a local festival, but she can't get the moves right. Molly, a historic statue of a seal dancer, a group of real seals swimming by the shore, and Grandpa Nat's stories all inspire her to keep practicing until she figures it out.
I intended to return to Pluto TV for Match Game on Buzzr...but Pluto TV just would not work. They updated their interface yesterday, and now it decided it didn't like my Roku anymore. I'd reset the Roku and put the app on. It would show the main screen, load...then return to the home screen. The Roku itself played everything else fine, and Buzzr and Pluto TV played normally on my laptop. I did e-mail Pluto about the problem, but haven't heard from them yet.
Gave up on it briefly around 11:30 and decided to head out for a walk. I wanted to volunteer at the Oaklyn Library before it closed. The windy and party cloudy day looked as gloomy as I felt. There's almost no color in the neighborhood. I saw patches of daffodils coming up in other parts of town, but they aren't here. Gardens were brown and yellow and lifeless, and the few banners were faded Valentine's Day or winter flags. I saw only a few people outside, heading into cars on a day that remained cold and blustery.
The Oaklyn Library wasn't much busier. They're still going through their books and DVDs and clearing out older or less-used titles. I didn't see much to do in the adult DVD area, but the kids' books were a mess. Had to shelve quite a few titles they'd left laying on shelves or between stacks. It being lunchtime, I saw one other man there reading the newspaper. Went to the bathroom and headed back out.
I wasn't really in the mood to go home. Had enough money left on my food stamps for a chilled mocha cappuccino drink. WaWa's coffee drink is sweet and creamy enough to mask the bitter flavor. Tossed in a soft pretzel for a snack.
After I got home, I watched I Dream of Jeannie on The Roku Channel to test the box; opted for "Everybody's a Movie Star" from the third season. Big shot movie directer Allen Kerr (Paul Lynde) wants to film a documentary at NASA and chooses Tony and Roger as his stars. Roger gets a big head when he thinks Allen called him a "natural talent"...but he really thinks Roger's a nuisance.
Got the laundry done after lunch. I picked the perfect time to do it. The laundromat was empty when I arrived, and I think I saw one other person the whole 40 minutes or so I was there. Maybe the brief flurry I ran into on my way to the White Horse Pike scared everyone off. At any rate, I worked on story notes and ignored Rachel Ray and General Hospital on ABC.
When I got in, I put everything away, then went on the computer to work on writing. Angry after Richard kicks her, Malade drains his energy. She surrounds Charles with fire, the one thing he's most terrified of. She's just thrown Richard away as Gene smashes the front door in. Accidentally - he'd been hoping to get it open, not destroy it. Marcia has to drag Bill over to do it, but they do manage to attack Malade before she can use her magic on anyone else.
Broke for dinner at 6:30...or so I thought. I spent another hour fruitlessly messing with Pluto TV. It worked once, briefly showing bigger and easier to read interface before crashing again. Tried to upload Stirr TV, but they would also play for a few minutes before crashing.
Finally gave up and added my Roku to my YouTube account instead. It did allow me to watch some Match Game. The nighttime Match Game had an Audience Match question in 1975 that went "___ Olsen." Surprisingly, the top answer was not the show's announcer Johnny Olsen! In an episode from 1976, poor Gene had a bad cold...which no one wanted him to spread around. The others kept avoiding him as much as possible. Brett teased Gene about his brown suede shoes in a 1978 show.
Wasn't really up to anything but Charlie's Angels on The Roku Channel after all that. "I Will Be Remembered" is a spooky first season episode. Former movie star Gloria Gibson (Ida Lupino) believes someone is trying to drive her insane, recreating death scenes from her previous films. She's hoping to make a comeback with a remake of one of her big hits. Kate poses as her secretary and takes care of her at home, Kelly lands a job as an extra, and Jill is supposed to be a reporter. Someone, however, doesn't appreciate the women snooping and is determined to get them and Gloria out of the way.
Thursday, February 27, 2020
Daydream Believers
Began a thankfully sunny morning with breakfast and To Tell the Truth. The contestants on the second half of the show were three women who wrote a book on a subject near and dear to my heart - conservation of our oceans. Everyone said the lady was the gentle-but-firm #2...and they were all right. She may have been tiny, but she apparently managed to organize a 51-country summit to discuss regulating water pollution and cleaning up our oceans. Growing up next to the beach, with both my father and stepfather working on the ocean, keeping our seas clean were a major concern during my childhood. (Especially after medical waste did wash up on the Jersey Shore in the late 80's-early 90's.)
What's My Line? featured the youngest contestant I'd ever seen on a game show - the little fellow was only four. The panel didn't get close to guessing what he did. He and his 9 and 10-year-old brothers were stunt drivers in mini-cars. Poor kid looked too terrified to say much besides "yes" or "no." His brothers proved to be far chattier, discussing their act and their dreams for the future.
Work went far better than it did yesterday. We were dead all morning. I did have to take registers briefly, but other than that, I spent the day doing returns or outside with the carts. It may have been just as well. The day was cold and gusty, but it was also much sunnier than it has been, and the sun felt nice when you could get into it.
Changed and had a quick lunch as soon as I got home. Finished out Sailor Moon Super S as I ate. The Guardians finally make it to Nehelania in "When the Crystal Shines: The Beautiful Power of Dreams." They don't do well against her dark magic, until the Amazoness Quartet replace the Golden Crystal with a pineapple. That gives Sailor Chibi-Moon the chance to call on all dreamers to save their planet and the power to keep on dreamin'.
We get Nehelania's backstory in "Dreams Forever: Fill the Heavens With Light." Sailor Moon pursues the evil dark queen as she flees with Chibi-Moon back to her shattered mirror. She'd once been the queen of an asteroid, adored for her beauty by her fawning servants. One day, when she looked into her mirror, it showed her what she would become - a broken down, wrinkled crone like Zirconia. Horrified, she consumed all of her subjects' dream mirrors to stay young, turning them into her monsters. Hoping to destroy Sailor Moon's dreams for the future, she throws Chibi-Usa off the crumbling circus tent...but nothing can stop a pair of beautifully dreaming Guardians.
(Incidentally, this is my second-favorite season of the original show. A lot of fans prefer the third season because of Sailor Neptune and Uranus, but this one is a lot of fun, has some interesting discussions on the importance of dreams in our lives, and I frankly like Nehelania and the creepy members of the Dead Moon Circus better as villains than the bickering Doombusters. I will add, however, that this isn't for those who are new to Sailor Moon's world. Newcomers and casual viewers will want to start with the first or second seasons to get a better idea of the characters and their relationships. For those of you who have seen the rest of the series, this season is one of the better ones.)
Headed out to run errands right after the cartoon ended. The park remains bleak, all yellow and mud-brown, even as gardens begin to show signs of spring. The wind must have blown most people home. I saw a couple of folks out for a walk and a few ducks and Canadian Geese by the entrance and not much else.
It got a little busier at the Haddon Township Library. Their adult DVD shelves continue to overflow. I could only get about half the titles in. I did take out movies this week for the first time in a while. I've wanted to see Toy Story 4 and Abominable for a while now. The biopic With a Song In My Heart is for review on my Musical Dreams blog next week.
Stopped at Target first on the way home. I badly needed laundry detergent, but their containers were too large and expensive. I ended up grabbing a tiny bottle of Tide from Dollar Tree. I'll pick up a larger bottle on Saturday or next week.
Went straight into writing as soon as I got home. Malade grabs Richard and begins to drain his energy. Charles plays his lute to distract her again, but she orders her trolls to destroy it and end the music. Brett tries to escape the guard-turned-troll, but her stepmother blasts her, too.
Broke at 6:30 for dinner. Nothing seemed to go right on Match Game tonight. They aired stars in the wrong places during the intro, and the "magic toaster" that holds Gene's questions refused to stay upright. Charles helped him retrieve the questions for round 1, but one of the contestants had to hold onto it to keep it from falling back down. The lady champion didn't do much better on Sale of the Century. Even with buying no bargains, she still got her rear end handed to her by a younger man who bought two out of three of them. He too opted to return for that London trip.
Finished the night after a shower with the 2007 theatrical version of Hairspray. I go further into this bubbly take on the John Waters comedy at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Hairspray (2007)
What's My Line? featured the youngest contestant I'd ever seen on a game show - the little fellow was only four. The panel didn't get close to guessing what he did. He and his 9 and 10-year-old brothers were stunt drivers in mini-cars. Poor kid looked too terrified to say much besides "yes" or "no." His brothers proved to be far chattier, discussing their act and their dreams for the future.
Work went far better than it did yesterday. We were dead all morning. I did have to take registers briefly, but other than that, I spent the day doing returns or outside with the carts. It may have been just as well. The day was cold and gusty, but it was also much sunnier than it has been, and the sun felt nice when you could get into it.
Changed and had a quick lunch as soon as I got home. Finished out Sailor Moon Super S as I ate. The Guardians finally make it to Nehelania in "When the Crystal Shines: The Beautiful Power of Dreams." They don't do well against her dark magic, until the Amazoness Quartet replace the Golden Crystal with a pineapple. That gives Sailor Chibi-Moon the chance to call on all dreamers to save their planet and the power to keep on dreamin'.
We get Nehelania's backstory in "Dreams Forever: Fill the Heavens With Light." Sailor Moon pursues the evil dark queen as she flees with Chibi-Moon back to her shattered mirror. She'd once been the queen of an asteroid, adored for her beauty by her fawning servants. One day, when she looked into her mirror, it showed her what she would become - a broken down, wrinkled crone like Zirconia. Horrified, she consumed all of her subjects' dream mirrors to stay young, turning them into her monsters. Hoping to destroy Sailor Moon's dreams for the future, she throws Chibi-Usa off the crumbling circus tent...but nothing can stop a pair of beautifully dreaming Guardians.
(Incidentally, this is my second-favorite season of the original show. A lot of fans prefer the third season because of Sailor Neptune and Uranus, but this one is a lot of fun, has some interesting discussions on the importance of dreams in our lives, and I frankly like Nehelania and the creepy members of the Dead Moon Circus better as villains than the bickering Doombusters. I will add, however, that this isn't for those who are new to Sailor Moon's world. Newcomers and casual viewers will want to start with the first or second seasons to get a better idea of the characters and their relationships. For those of you who have seen the rest of the series, this season is one of the better ones.)
Headed out to run errands right after the cartoon ended. The park remains bleak, all yellow and mud-brown, even as gardens begin to show signs of spring. The wind must have blown most people home. I saw a couple of folks out for a walk and a few ducks and Canadian Geese by the entrance and not much else.
It got a little busier at the Haddon Township Library. Their adult DVD shelves continue to overflow. I could only get about half the titles in. I did take out movies this week for the first time in a while. I've wanted to see Toy Story 4 and Abominable for a while now. The biopic With a Song In My Heart is for review on my Musical Dreams blog next week.
Stopped at Target first on the way home. I badly needed laundry detergent, but their containers were too large and expensive. I ended up grabbing a tiny bottle of Tide from Dollar Tree. I'll pick up a larger bottle on Saturday or next week.
Went straight into writing as soon as I got home. Malade grabs Richard and begins to drain his energy. Charles plays his lute to distract her again, but she orders her trolls to destroy it and end the music. Brett tries to escape the guard-turned-troll, but her stepmother blasts her, too.
Broke at 6:30 for dinner. Nothing seemed to go right on Match Game tonight. They aired stars in the wrong places during the intro, and the "magic toaster" that holds Gene's questions refused to stay upright. Charles helped him retrieve the questions for round 1, but one of the contestants had to hold onto it to keep it from falling back down. The lady champion didn't do much better on Sale of the Century. Even with buying no bargains, she still got her rear end handed to her by a younger man who bought two out of three of them. He too opted to return for that London trip.
Finished the night after a shower with the 2007 theatrical version of Hairspray. I go further into this bubbly take on the John Waters comedy at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Hairspray (2007)
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Fairy Tale Guardians
Began a cloudy but thankfully dry morning with breakfast and To Tell the Truth. I came in at the same time as three mycologists - aka professors who studied mushrooms. The panel split their votes between all three men; in the end, number 1, the blandest of the trio, was revealed to be the fungi scholar and author of a book on mushrooms. They showed many pictures from his book...and I'm inclined to agree with Bill Cullen that most of the mushrooms didn't look like anything I'd want to eat (or the ones seen in stores).
They didn't have as much luck on What's My Line? No one got close to guessing a showgirl also moonlights as a gambling lecturer. She proceeded to give the panel and the audience pointers on the dice game craps.
Work was incredibly hectic for a Wednesday. They started a big three-day seafood sale for Lent today, and we were off-and-on busy the whole morning. I did manage to get sweeping in and round up trash, but every time I tried to get to something else, someone would call me to gather trash up front or take registers. We just didn't have enough help to handle the crowds. Not to mention, they had trouble with the bathrooms and shut them down. I used the bathroom in the former doctor's office the store now uses as a storage area. My last customer was a very sweet older woman I helped to her car; her praise cheered me up immensely.
Headed straight home after work. Changed and ate chocolate-chip banana bread while watching Sailor Moon Super S. The Guardians search for Chibi-Moon in the "Labrynth of Mirrors: Chibi-Moon Captured." While the Amazons try to ride Pegasus, Zirconia tempts the Guardians to give up their quest and follow their own dreams. The girls know better - saving their friends and the Earth is their shared dream.
Nehelania finally gets what she wants in "The Golden Crystal Appears: Nehelania's Magic." She attacks Chibi-Moon, forcing Helios' spirit to return his body and him to give up the Golden Crystal in his horn. Meanwhile, she's mad as heck at the Amazons for the incident with them stealing Pegasus and sent them to a nowhere zone, then ordered Zirconia to zap their energy. Sailor Moon encourages them to destroy the balls that allows Nehelania to control them and join their group.
Searched around the web for job ideas after I ate. Once again, the job boards had nothing of interest. So many of the boards want people with experience of two years or more! That's why I haven't responded to anything. I think my next move will be to do research online about blogs for things I'm interested in and see if they need writers.
Worked on writing around 5. Malade's fireballs distract Orson enough for him to run into a tree, spilling Charles and Brett onto the ground. Charles gathers enough courage to play music and send Malade screaming, but Brett's not feeling well enough to work her nature magic. Richard fights Ira, who wants to arrest him, not see his boss marry a thief. Malade screams for him to bring him over...and Ira finally manages to get Richard down and stab his arm, sending his sword flying.
Broke for dinner at 6:30. Had leftovers while watching Match Game. For some reason, they jumped ahead to Orson Bean and a pair of wacky Pattys, supremely sarcastic Miracle Worker Patty Duke and the ever-creative Patti Deustch. The ladies admired the newly-repainted sets and repaired microphones and gave answers on "Trial ___" for the new champ. The lady champ on Sale of the Century bought none of the Instant Bargains, just barely won the speed round, and came back when she heard that they're switching out the prizes and the next one up is a London vacation.
Finished the night exploring YouTube. I've enjoyed the few episodes of Shirley Temple's Storybook that's currently available. Finally found one of the older black-and-white stories, "Rapunzel." Agnes Moorehead is the witch in this spooky and atmospheric rendition of the original Grimm's Fairy Tale with the father trading his daughter for rampion (a leafy green) and the prince getting blinded after falling out the window. There's also the insinuation that Rapunzel and the witch can hypnotize each other.
Shirley Temple Storybook - Rapunzel
Defunctland is a series of short 20 to 40 minute documentaries on aspects of amusement park history made by Kevin Perjurer. He mainly focused on closed or abandoned parks or rides in the first two seasons, but his third discusses Walt Disney's inspirations for Disneyland and how he came to create "The Happiest Place On Earth." Each episode has a comical theme - from film noir to country - and often, as in tonight's episode, original music that relates to the theme and is usually quite good. Tonight, Kevin and his team explored Beverly Park Kiddieland, a small children's amusement park in Southern California popular in the 50's and 60's that Walt used to visit frequently with his daughters. He actually chatted up the owner, a designer of theme park rides, for ideas for his own park, and even invited him to help him with his revolutionary new theme park idea...
If you have any interest in amusement park history like me, this is wonderfully narrated and edited and is highly recommended.
Defunctland: The History of Beverly Park Kiddieland
One of my co-workers mentioned a possible thunderstorm for this evening several times at work. The rain didn't finally arrive until I'd long gone online. To my knowledge, it hasn't thundered yet, but it has showered, sometimes heavily, since then.
They didn't have as much luck on What's My Line? No one got close to guessing a showgirl also moonlights as a gambling lecturer. She proceeded to give the panel and the audience pointers on the dice game craps.
Work was incredibly hectic for a Wednesday. They started a big three-day seafood sale for Lent today, and we were off-and-on busy the whole morning. I did manage to get sweeping in and round up trash, but every time I tried to get to something else, someone would call me to gather trash up front or take registers. We just didn't have enough help to handle the crowds. Not to mention, they had trouble with the bathrooms and shut them down. I used the bathroom in the former doctor's office the store now uses as a storage area. My last customer was a very sweet older woman I helped to her car; her praise cheered me up immensely.
Headed straight home after work. Changed and ate chocolate-chip banana bread while watching Sailor Moon Super S. The Guardians search for Chibi-Moon in the "Labrynth of Mirrors: Chibi-Moon Captured." While the Amazons try to ride Pegasus, Zirconia tempts the Guardians to give up their quest and follow their own dreams. The girls know better - saving their friends and the Earth is their shared dream.
Nehelania finally gets what she wants in "The Golden Crystal Appears: Nehelania's Magic." She attacks Chibi-Moon, forcing Helios' spirit to return his body and him to give up the Golden Crystal in his horn. Meanwhile, she's mad as heck at the Amazons for the incident with them stealing Pegasus and sent them to a nowhere zone, then ordered Zirconia to zap their energy. Sailor Moon encourages them to destroy the balls that allows Nehelania to control them and join their group.
Searched around the web for job ideas after I ate. Once again, the job boards had nothing of interest. So many of the boards want people with experience of two years or more! That's why I haven't responded to anything. I think my next move will be to do research online about blogs for things I'm interested in and see if they need writers.
Worked on writing around 5. Malade's fireballs distract Orson enough for him to run into a tree, spilling Charles and Brett onto the ground. Charles gathers enough courage to play music and send Malade screaming, but Brett's not feeling well enough to work her nature magic. Richard fights Ira, who wants to arrest him, not see his boss marry a thief. Malade screams for him to bring him over...and Ira finally manages to get Richard down and stab his arm, sending his sword flying.
Broke for dinner at 6:30. Had leftovers while watching Match Game. For some reason, they jumped ahead to Orson Bean and a pair of wacky Pattys, supremely sarcastic Miracle Worker Patty Duke and the ever-creative Patti Deustch. The ladies admired the newly-repainted sets and repaired microphones and gave answers on "Trial ___" for the new champ. The lady champ on Sale of the Century bought none of the Instant Bargains, just barely won the speed round, and came back when she heard that they're switching out the prizes and the next one up is a London vacation.
Finished the night exploring YouTube. I've enjoyed the few episodes of Shirley Temple's Storybook that's currently available. Finally found one of the older black-and-white stories, "Rapunzel." Agnes Moorehead is the witch in this spooky and atmospheric rendition of the original Grimm's Fairy Tale with the father trading his daughter for rampion (a leafy green) and the prince getting blinded after falling out the window. There's also the insinuation that Rapunzel and the witch can hypnotize each other.
Shirley Temple Storybook - Rapunzel
Defunctland is a series of short 20 to 40 minute documentaries on aspects of amusement park history made by Kevin Perjurer. He mainly focused on closed or abandoned parks or rides in the first two seasons, but his third discusses Walt Disney's inspirations for Disneyland and how he came to create "The Happiest Place On Earth." Each episode has a comical theme - from film noir to country - and often, as in tonight's episode, original music that relates to the theme and is usually quite good. Tonight, Kevin and his team explored Beverly Park Kiddieland, a small children's amusement park in Southern California popular in the 50's and 60's that Walt used to visit frequently with his daughters. He actually chatted up the owner, a designer of theme park rides, for ideas for his own park, and even invited him to help him with his revolutionary new theme park idea...
If you have any interest in amusement park history like me, this is wonderfully narrated and edited and is highly recommended.
Defunctland: The History of Beverly Park Kiddieland
One of my co-workers mentioned a possible thunderstorm for this evening several times at work. The rain didn't finally arrive until I'd long gone online. To my knowledge, it hasn't thundered yet, but it has showered, sometimes heavily, since then.
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