Sunshine Boogie

Began the morning with breakfast and Paw Patrol. I've heard "Pup Pup Boogie" so often at the Thomas Sharp School, I had to check out the episode where the song originated. It's actually a dance video game that the pups (and Mayor Goodway) love. The much-anticipated second version is coming by train, but a car went off the tracks. Rubble gets hurt trying to fix them, and a nervous Chase tries to figure out how to run his construction vehicle. Ryder sends "Pups In a Fog" to fix the lighthouse when he sees the light go out just as heavy fog is about to roll in. Cap'n Turnbot is lost in the fog, and they have to divert a cruise ship from running around on Seal Island, too.

Worked on the computer for a while before doing this week's grocery shopping. Started at Starbucks for a much-needed treat. Tried an iced Mango Cream Chai Latte. Oooh, very sweet, but nice and cool, with lots of mango flavor and a hint of spice. (Maybe a little more spice would have been nice!) Headed down to Sprouts next. I didn't really need a ton there anyway. Coconut milk is cheaper there. Grabbed golden raisins from the bulk bins. Found white chocolate-macadamia nut cookies with clearance stickers on the bakery racks. Grabbed three sodas that were on clearance for 99 cents each. Blackberries were buy one, get one free. 

Quickly rode past the Haddon Township Library, McDonald's and Burger King, and the high school to the Westmont Acme next. Apples were on sale, as was Choboni yogurt. Bare Naked Granola was buy two, get them for $3.50 each again. Restocked soda, whole wheat tortillas, and Swiss cheese slices. Found birthday cupcakes on the bakery clearance rack. I didn't have a cake on my birthday, so I got those. 

Took the long way home across Newton Lake Park. It's definitely spring now. The trees are glowing with soft yellow-green leaves, while sunny yellow wbuttercups line the banks of the lake. I didn't see too many other people around, but did hear some kayaking or canoeing on the river.

Put everything away when I got home and had a very quick lunch while watching Pac Man. Mezmeron has the Ghosts pass his synthetic power pellets off as chocolate-covered ones and give them to Pac Man. The turn him into "Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Pac-Man." He keeps turning into a werewolf, until he ends up at Mezmeron's home and finds a way to turn the tables. Pac-Man goes "Around the World In 80 Chomps" when he follows Mezmeron and the Ghosts around the world on a hot-air balloon to stop him from finding a power pellet tree in another country.

The cartoon hadn't even finished when I hurried to the Thomas Sharp School on my bike. I was slightly late. At least we weren't quite as busy as we have been this week. We had 23 kids, 7 at my table. The two boys at my table were fine, but the girls were a bit giggly in the hallways. It got really wild in the cafeteria. Two kids bumped their head and a girl bumped her elbow with all the running around. 

There were far fewer kids when we finally made it outside. They even got to swing during the second half of our outdoor session, and I had a blast pushing them. No one else got hurt, either. It was too nice to be upset for long anyhow. The weather was gorgeous, sunny, breezy, and warm but not to the degree of the last few days. They chased each other, went down the slides, and danced to "Zoo" from Zootopia 2, "The Floor is Quicksand," "The Big Pink Tiger Hunt," "You've Got a Friend In Me" from Toy Story, the theme from PJ Masks, and songs from Moana 2, Trolls, and KPop Demon Hunters. 

We took the remaining six kids inside around 5 PM, but it was too nice for anyone to be inside for very long. We were down to 4 little kids and 3 older ones when we took them back out on the blacktop to play ball games. I went straight home the moment I finished. I was tired, I'd had a very long week, and I didn't like the look of the dark clouds building on the horizon. (Thankfully, they haven't amounted to anything yet but cooling things off a bit.)

Came home just in time for a hilarious Ghostbusters-themed Showcase on The Price Is Right. The models were the "Prizebusters," turning prospector ghost Johnny Olsen's dilapidated vehicles into prizes. I was impressed with the ladies who did the bidding. They both came incredibly close, but one who bid on the Ghostbusters package got slightly closer and won her car.

Got my Acme schedule for next week at this point. In good news, same days off, with only Wednesday as a double-shift day. The weekends are both early this time, and I'll have a 7-hour day next Saturday. More people must be using up vacation days before they start over. 

They skipped the Veteran's Day week on Match Game '90 (once again likely saving it for the holidays) and went straight into General Hospital week. Most people my age probably remember Stuart Damon best as Prince Charming in the Leslie Ann Warren version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. He certainly was charming (and not a bad player) as he was joined by Bill Kirkenbauer, Charles Nelson Reilly, sarcastic Pam Stone, and his then-onscreen wife Lynn Herring. 

Finished the night with Murder She Wrote. It's a "Broadway Malady" when Jessica joins her nephew to see the stage comeback of a popular musical movie star (Vivian Blaine), being joined for the first time by her talented daughter (Lorna Luft). Her daughter is shot during a botched mugging incident. She'll survive, but she won't be in the show for weeks. Jessica spends time trying to prove to the police that this was more than a bad mugging, and the girl was the target...and her case because clearer when the mother almost dies in a gas poisoning. This turns Jessica's eye towards her resentful son (Patrick O'Neal) and the demanding director (Robert Morse) in charge of the show. 

Too Hot for April

Began the morning with breakfast and The Pirates of Dark Water. Ren is tricked into thinking unleashing "The Beat and the Bell" will get rid of the Dark Water. What it does is release the Beast, a massive monster, from the bell. Ren had to set things right and remind everyone that he is a real prince, and he does keep his promises.

Switched to Tin Pan Alley after breakfast. I go further into this "through the years" musical chronicle with Betty Grable, Alice Faye, and John Payne at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Tin Pan Alley

Listened to Stars while working on yesterday's blog entry. This K-Tel entry is one of their better records from the late 70's, with smashes like "The Things We Do for Love" by 10 CC, "Rich Girl," by Hall and Oates, and the dynamic "Devil Woman" by British superstar Cliff Richard. Other favorites here that still frequently turn up on oldies stations and playlists include "Year of the Cat" by Al Stewart, "Torn Between Two Lovers" by Mary MacGregor, "A Little Bit More" by Dr. Hook, "I'm Your Boogie Man" by K.C and the Sunshine Band, "Slow Dancin' Don't Turn Me On" by the Addrisi Brothers, "Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel" by Tavares, and "Don't Leave Me This Way" by Thelma Houston. "Theme from Roots" by Quincy Jones is the darker instrumental title number from the epic TV miniseries that was huge in 1977.

Got bored after Stars ended and left a little bit early for the Thomas Sharp School. Stopped at the Crust N' Cravings pizzeria on Collings Avenue on my way. It was too hot to do anything like cooking. I quickly enjoyed a slice of sausage, a slice of tomato-broccoli, and a bottle of Coke Cherry Float Zero while ABC News droned in the background. I wasn't quick enough. I ended up being five minutes late.

That wasn't the worst problem we had this afternoon. Thankfully, the 8 kids at my table generally behaved themselves. They weren't even too bad when I had to line them up in a different place in the bathroom hall to keep them from bothering the custodians while they worked in the boiler room. It was after snack time when things got ridiculous. The kids ran around, screamed, threw pencils, kept tattling on each other, and were frankly an absolute mess.

They weren't much better once we got them outside. One little boy got his knee stuck between the bars of the slide equipment. We had to use Dawn dishwashing liquid to get it out. Thankfully, he was more scared than hurt. When his mother arrived, he was cheerfully pestering one of the older boys to see his Pokemon cards. I had a harder time keeping kids off the swings and talking to two girls who had a fight and had been pinching and yelling at each other. I assured them that yes, best friends do fight, but they also make up, and they would be better once they talked things out.

It was still way too hot to have them outside for long. It remains sunny and breezy but dry, in the lower 90's. We took them inside around 4:30, where they danced to "Zoo" from Zootopia 2 and songs from Moana, Moana 2, and Trolls. I had to talk to another best-friend pair when one young lady was upset when her best friend wouldn't let her be the crab while they danced to "Shiny" from Moana. (Her friend hadn't been behaving all day, including inside before we went out and trying to swing outside when she wasn't supposed to.) 

Once again, we ended the afternoon by taking most of the remaining kids outside to the blacktop to play ball games. I left from there, with five younger kids and four older kids remaining. Stopped at CVS on the way home to use the bathroom and get a drink, Crest gum toothpaste on a good sale, and more of those electric toothbrush heads that I can't seem to find anywhere else. 

Watched Match Game '90 when I got home. The next week was devoted to stars from the then-popular ABC series Loving. Gorgeous Perry Stephans and very funny Lauren-Marie Taylor were a lot more fun than most soap stars and made me understand why my stepfather loved the ABC soaps so much in the late 80's and early 90's. Fred Travelena tossed in a few dozen of his multitude of voices, while Betty White joked with Charles Nelson Reilly.

Finished the night in the California sunshine with one classic Beach Boys album and one that would take almost 50 years to get anything like a release. Smile was meant to be Brian Wilson's magnum opus, but its creation was so fraught with tension and Wilson's paranoia and perfectionism, it was never completed. They would salvage the smash "Good Vibrations" and my favorite Beach Boys song "Heroes and Villains" for other albums. Most of the other songs are more strange than they are songs. I think this is a bootleg release; I'm going to keep it, but I think I'll look around for The Smile Sessions 2-disc vinyl set later this summer for more of the full story.

Part of the reason Wilson wanted so badly to have that "magnum opus" was as a response to the relative success of their Pet Sounds. This is still considered to be by far their best album that actually made it out to the market in its original form. Wilson experimented with everything from orchestral music to exotica in music with darker themes than the norm for their songs. Though the hit was the bouncy "Wouldn't It Be Nice," my favorite songs are the thoughtful ballad "God Only Knows" and the traditional ode to the "Sloop John B." 

Hot In Springtime

Began the morning with breakfast and Little Bear. Father Bear wants to take "A Family Portrait," with Little Bear in a suit like his. It becomes a lot harder when Little Bear messes around with the photos and his friends want to join in. "Little Bear's Friend" is a little lost girl named Emily, who can't find her parents' campsite. Little Bear helps her and her doll Lucy get back to her parents. "Emily's Visit" brings her and Lucy over to play. They pretend to be Father Bear and Mother Bear, and Owl "marries" them.

Called Uber after the cartoon ended. I had always intended to use Uber today. This is my double-shift day. It's just easier to take cars than bikes. To my pleasant surprise, the driver going to work arrived in 4 minutes. The one going to Thomas Sharp came in 8 minutes. I got there just in time. The one going home rather surprisingly came in 5 minutes. No trouble anywhere on the road.

The Acme was more of a problem. They just changed how you sign in the sweeping that you're supposed to do every hour, on the hour, no exception. I totally forgot to type it in when I arrived and got scolded, then had to figure out that you only type once now, not three. The rest of the day went fine. It got a little busier around noon, but other than that, I had no trouble with the carts or the sweeping.

After work ended and I changed into regular clothes, I walked up to Market Street in Audubon. Even though it was sunny and hot as heck, in the upper 80's, I wanted something different for lunch. I ate at the Brown Dog Cafe, a coffee shop on Market. They were quiet for 1:30, with one person doing laptop work outside. I had a chicken salad sandwich on a huge, crusty croissant with thick wavy potato chips, a chocolate-banana-peanut butter-almond milk smoothie, and a slice of crumb cake. The chicken salad was delicious, with huge chicken pieces and sweet-tart grapes. The crumb cake wasn't bad, but it was a little more dry than the one at Common Grounds in Oaklyn. I sat on a leather chair at the counter surrounding the windows and watched cars go by.

After lunch, I finally took a brief look at Peak Secondhand two doors down. Their walls are painted in bright neon colors, and the shopkeeper was sweet and friendly, but their wares are mainly clothes, shoes, jewelry, and books. I don't need clothes right now, and I have an enormous pile of books from the last year I'm still trying to put a dent in. I thanks the kind shopkeeper, but moved on with nothing.

Went across the street to Desserts by Design to buy a treat and talk to the baker there. I told her how frustrated I was about not being able to get a loan. She said I would, eventually. It would just take time. Next year would be my year. I just wish it was sooner. 

It was busy when I arrived (on time) at Thomas Sharp School. We had 24 kids today, 10 at my table. They did clean up well when we went to the bathroom first, but they were pretty noisy in the hall. They were even worse in the cafeteria, arguing, tearing paper taped to a table for coloring and stenciling, and running all over. It did get better once we got them outside. We weren't in the playground for long. It was hot and sunny, really too hot for games and dancing. Most of the kids either crowded under the trees around the chain-link fence, looking for ants and new leaves on the ground, or under the roof of the slide equipment. We did have to argue them into their shoes again. (I'm just glad it was too hot for anyone to even consider a jacket!)

It was also too hot for them to stay outside. We took them back inside to the library around 4:30. The ten remaining kids colored on regular paper this time, looked at books, and danced to "Try Everything" from Zootopia, "Zoo" from Zootopia 2, "Pink Pony Club," "The Big Pink Tiger," "The Checkout Song," "The Gummi Bear Song," "Candy Cane Crush," the themes from Hannah Montana and PJ Masks, and songs from Moana 2 and KPop Demon Hunters. After we were down to six kids, we moved them to the cafeteria to play with the remaining nine older kids. 

By the time it clouded over and cooled off enough to take them all out to the blacktop, there were four younger kids and three older kids left. I left just after the last older kid did. There were still four younger kids left as I called Uber.

Watched The Price Is Right after I got in. Came right in time for the last game of the episode, "Cliffhangers." The lady did really well. I think the little man on the incline went ten steps. Usually, people way over-guess on that game. The first Showcase was a generic Department Store that ended with a lovely organ. It reminded me of the organ Uncle Ken had in the 80's and 90's, where the bar ended up from the 2000's onward. The second was summer-themed, ending with a trip to Palm Springs, a small desert car, and a speedboat. Alas, the lady with the speedboat went way over. The other lady got her organ, and likely her own fond family memories. 

Had dinner while watching Match Game '90. Most of today's episodes revolved around the hilarious Halloween week with Vicki Lawrence, Ronn Lucas and Scorch, Brett Somers, and One Life to Live cast members Wally Willey and Jill Larson. Jill wasn't much of a player, but Wally wasn't bad, and was a looker besides. No wonder Brett complained when he didn't sit next to her early in the week. Alas, they didn't show the Halloween episode (they must be saving that for October), but the rest of the week is just as cute, especially once Wally did move next to Brett.

Finished the night after a shower with four of the best episodes of the underrated Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour from 1983-1984. I never even heard of this until Buzzr started showing it; it's been a staple on their channel since 2019. The few things I did hear about it before that were never nice. The panels weren't great, Jon Bauman wasn't suited to be a host, the Hollywood Squares segments were mucked up and not played the same way as the usual show. 

While there are no regulars, the celebrities are still the best thing about this. For one thing, this attracted a lot of comedians who otherwise never appeared on either show, like Arsenio Hall, Michael Winslow of Spaceballs and Police Academy, Jay Leno, Ted Knight, and a young Howie Mandell. A young Brian Stokes Mitchell was hilarious in his two weeks, especially the week he kept wearing increasingly huge boutonnieres on his jacket. Adorable older character actress Nedra Voltz probably got more out of the show than anyone else and became a fan favorite, as did erudite stage and sitcom actor Leonard Frey. 

Along with the now-rare premiere episode, I chose three of my favorite episodes of the entire series. There was the week in December 1983 where McLean Stevenson spent the entire hour complaining about getting ink on his pants. The replacements they give him are way too big, causing him to show the camera way more than anyone needed to see when he goes to hug the contestant after the Super Match! 

The episode with Mitchell and his flower shop also featured one of the funniest technical glitches in game show history. The huge tic-tac-toe board stopped working half-way through Hollywood Squares. Everyone who had been called on had to hold their hands in an X or O position. As you can imagine, no one was happy. Gene Rayburn made "I'm a Little Teapot" jokes, and Jay Leno spent ten minutes whining about calling his lawyer.

A few weeks after the board malfunction incident, Nipsey Russell and his poems made their last appearance on a Match Game episode. He was joined by Tom Poston for the first of two weeks, the hilariously sarcastic Fern Fitzgerald, Alan Thicke when he was doing his own talk show, Thicke's then-wife singer and soap star Gloria Loring, comedian Marty Cohen, and elegant soap star Constant McCashlin. One of the last weeks dove into game show history, featuring Arlene Francis in one of her last appearances and Chuck Woolery to promote the then-upcoming Scrabble, plus McLean joined Jamie Farr for a MASH reunion. 

(Oh, and incidentally, if the theme music sounds familiar to Price Is Right fans, Goodson Productions, and later Freemantle, would use the music as underscoring for the showing of car prizes on Price for years.) 

You won't be square if you match the weirdos of the 80's in this hilarious and underrated delight!

Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour Premiere (1983)

Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour (1983)

Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour (1984)

Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour (1984)

Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour (1984)

Birthday Lady's Blues

Began my birthday with breakfast and The Yogi Bear Show. Kellogg's wants "Yogi's Birthday Party" to be a huge TV special with all his friends. Ranger Smith tells Yogi it's going to be one of the variety specials that were popular in the 60's and 70's. Yogi takes lessons (from thinly veiled spoofs of then-popular entertainers), but takes off when he discovers he's not more talented than the average bear. It takes a picnic basket to lure him back and reveal it's a show with all the Hanna-Barbara funny animals who had been created up to the early 60's.

Switched to Paw Patrol while making the bed (and removing several blankets it's now too hot for). "The Pups' Great Race" will be all around Adventure Bay. They're sure one of them will win...but when they're called to rescue Mayor Goodway after her hot air balloon flies away, it's Alex on his trike who proves slow and steady does win the race. "The Pups Take the Cake" when they help Mr. Porter replace the cake he burned and make the perfect edible recreation of their Lookout Tower that will beat Mayor Humdinger's entry in the Tall Cake Contest.

Headed out after the cartoon ended. Originally, my first stop was Peak Secondhand, a new thrift shop in Audubon, but I forgot they don't open until noon on Tuesdays. I was there a little after 11. I didn't want to hang around, so I dodged traffic going across Audubon and down Nicholson and Cuthbert to Westmont. At least it was a nice day for a ride. It was sunny, breezy, and humid even at 11:30, already in the upper 70's-lower 80's. 

When I got into Westmont, I first went across the street to Samaritan Thrift, but they didn't have anything that interested me. Stopped at Koupa Espresso Bar for an iced drink when I went back across Haddon Avenue. Had a Chai Cherry Latte. Oooh, spicy and very sweet...and very cherry! I downed that pretty fast. They were pretty busy for almost noon, mainly with people getting drinks and reading their phones.

Phidelity Records down the block had a lot more of interest. In fact, I found two out of four of what I picked up right away in the New Arrivals bins. The others came out of the $2 bins or were in CDs and DVDs: 

Bette Midler - Broken Blossoms (Which it turns out I already have - I'll donate it to Goodwill.)

The 1977 K-Tel collection Stars

A Peter Pan Superman book and record set from 1978 with the stories "The Myzptlk-Up Menace" and "Alien Creatures"

The Who - Hooligans (2-disc greatest hits collection)

The one CD was Carole King's Greatest Hits. (Which I also already have and will also be donated.)

The DVD was the 1959 Lil' Abner, which means yes, I'll be reviewing that on the Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog sometime in the next few months. I've had the original cast album since college, but I haven't seen the movie.

Rode down to Collingwood for lunch. Made up for the line at Sabrina's Cafe on Easter by having them for my birthday...and boy, am I glad I did! The lemon-raspberry poppyseed pancakes off their seasonal menu were incredible, soft and swirled with raspberry lemon cream. The turkey bacon was a little more limp than the Westmont's thick bacon...but probably a lot better for me. I washed it down with a tart (and much-needed) lemonade. They were busy, but not so much that I couldn't get a table in the back.

Walked around in Collingswood for a little while after I ate. I didn't linger too long here. Not only was it past 1 PM, but a lot of Collingswood stores are closed on Tuesday. Collingswood is holding their big Green Festival on Saturday, too, and it's also Record Store Day. I'll hold off on Innergroove until Saturday, but I did pick up a few things from Collingswood Music:

Two vintage children's albums, Strawberry Shortcake's Exercise and Fun Album and Sesame Street Happy Birthday! (Not only did the Sesame Street album have the wrong record in it, but it was badly scratched. It goes in the donation bags.)

Beach Boys - Smile (I think it's a bootleg, but it has two of the Beach Boys' best songs, "Heroes and Villains" and "Good Vibrations.")

I heard my phone go off when I was in Collingswood Music. I called it back when I got outside. It was Allyssa from Camden County, telling me she was having trouble getting me through that loan. They don't count the Healthy Kids job because I've been there slightly less than a year, and I don't make enough at the Acme job to pay for a loan. That really hurt. I assumed that getting a second job, and one that I loved, would be enough. I feel like nothing I do will ever be enough for these people. She said she'd keep trying, but I was bitterly disappointed when I headed across the street and back to my bike. It was late, and I had to dodge kids coming out of Collingswood High School. I ended up being five minutes late to Thomas Sharp.

I felt much better when I arrived and got settled in with the kids. I had many happy birthday greetings, from kids and adults. One cherubic little miss gave me a bag with candy, a fruit bar (which I appreciated - I forgot a snack), rubber bracelets, and a card she drew herself of her and me together. (I think her parents wrote "Happy Birthday." They have very nice printing.) Later on, one of the boys gave me his own artwork. 

We started off in the library due to the music class taking place in the cafeteria. I'm glad I took my 10 kids to the bathroom first. They were all antsy, though they generally weren't that rowdy. They were better once they had their snacks and a lot of water. We waited a little while until the big kids were outside before we took the little ones out. It was beautiful, but so hot! Most of them either looked for ants or people walking dogs under the big shady trees or hung out in the shade of the slide equipment. Those who ventured into the sun danced to "Sharks In the Water," "The Big Pink Tiger," the theme from Bluey, "Try Everything" from Zootopia, "Zoo" from Zootopia 2, "Pink Pony Club," and songs from Moana 2 and KPop Demon Hunters.

Jessa's car has a bike rack, so she said she would pick me and my bike up at the school. What she didn't add was Mike was with her again. I was once again very disappointed. I was hoping we could spend time together on my birthday. Don't get me wrong, Mike is a nice guy. He's funny and he tells good stories...but I was hoping it could be just the two of us. He did pay for dinner at Carraba's Italian Grill in Maple Shade, which was pretty pricey. I had ravioli stuffed with chicken, spinach, and cheese. Jessa had grilled chicken in a wine sauce with broccoli and mashed potatoes. Mike had chicken Parmesan with mashed potatoes. We all had salads. They had Caesar. I had the "house," lettuce, carrots, and red cabbage in a creamy dressing (with olives and banana peppers that I picked out). I had a tasty peach-blackberry fold over tart for dessert.

Finished the night listening to old favorites from my childhood and teen years. I've had The Wild, the Innocent, and the E-Street Shuffle on CD for so long, I forget when I got it now. I think Mom may have had the LP when I was a kid. This and Greetings from Asbury Park always hit the hardest of Bruce Springsteen's albums because...what he's describing was my world, from the time I was born through my college years. "The E-Street Shuffle," "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)," "Incident on 57th Street," "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)"...that's the Jersey Shore I remember. There's a reason Springsteen is called "the Boss" in his native New Jersey. Even though he's from further north (and I believe still lives up there) and Cape May and Wildwood were in largely better shape than Asbury Park in the 70's and 80's, it still sounds and practically smells like my childhood and adolescent memories.

Elton John's Greatest Hits Vol. III features the John songs I grew up with. "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" and "Little Jeannie" used to play constantly on the jukebox at the Ugly Mug in Cape May during the 80's. "Mama Can't Buy You Love," "Sad Song (Say So Much)," "Empty Garden," and "Blue Eyes" were heard constantly on the radio. I think it's hilarious that the kids seem to have fallen in love with Taran Egerton's recording of "I'm Still Standing," given that came out around the time I was their age and I loved it just as much. 

With a Little Help From My Kid Friends

Began the morning with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. "Happy Birthday, Toodles" gives the mouse-eared flying computer that brings the tools of the day a face and a (slightly annoying) voice. The others want to throw a surprise party for him, but it's not easy to keep something a surprise when you have to call on him constantly!

I did a few things online after breakfast, then called Alyssa at NJ Mortgage and Finance. She was supposed to hear from a woman who could help with the loan, but she went on vacation last week. Now that she was back, she was going to call her. She said she'd call me back later, but I never heard from her. Hopefully, I'll hear from her tomorrow.

Listened to the Beatles while I worked on the computer. The Blue Album and The Red Album were among the records I got in the box of 65 albums my biological father Bruce gave me for my birthday in 2006. They used to belong to my first stepmother Kaye before she died of cancer in 1997. I had enough time to listen to the first disc of The Blue Album. These were collections of the Beatles' greatest hits and any singles that hadn't been released on a regular album by 1973. My first Beatles album was the CD I got for my birthday in 1993 of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. I still have that CD. This includes the title song, "With a Little Help From My Friends," "A Day In the Life," and "Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds." Other numbers from the late 60's I love heard here include "Hey Jude," "Magical Mystery Tour," and "All You Need Is Love."

Frankly, by that point, I'd gotten bored with sitting inside and feeling a little down. I wish I could get a condo now! Not to mention, Lauren and her parents sent me 20 dollars for my birthday tomorrow. I went for a walk to Dollar General instead. It was warm, into the upper 70's, but the strong wind was still chilly. It spit a tiny bit as I headed down East Bettlewood Avenue. The rain stopped as I arrived at Dollar General, and it didn't really amount to much. It didn't even make anything wet. To my knowledge, it hasn't rained since. 

I didn't need much at Dollar General, either. Replaced my old hair bands, which I've had for a while, and got a card for my nephew Khai's birthday on Sunday. It wasn't that busy, and I was in and out with no trouble.

Went across the street to Sakura Japanese Steak House for lunch. For once, their dining area was open. In fact, there was a group eating lunch at a booth when I arrived. I had tasty teriyaki shrimp and vegetables with brown rice. Yum! The vegetables were perfectly cooked, and I'm so glad they used brown rice. It's much better for you. I washed it all down with a Diet Coke.

I wasn't at home for more than 20 minutes before I headed right back out again to the Thomas Sharp School. We had 25 younger kids to start, 9 at my table...which wasn't a good thing. We're short-handed. The older woman who usually helps with the elementary school kids got badly hurt in an accident over spring break. The head teacher took her place, and the sweet young woman and nice older lady went in for her couldn't arrive until 3:30. My group was fine cleaning up and only a little rowdy in the bathrooms. 

Once again, the trouble was in the cafeteria after snack time. One little girl pulled out the books her parents ordered from their book catalogs. I ended up reading Moana 2 by request, even though it belonged to her. The kids at the table with the rubber food kept throwing it around. Most of it ended up under the table. The ones at the table with the magnetic tiles wouldn't share them with their friends, even though there were plenty for all.

Things went much better after we got them outside. Though we did have to remind them not to play tag (the boys tend to turn it into a contact sport), they otherwise had a pretty darn good time. The head teacher brought them chalk to draw on the concrete walkway leading from the school to the steps leading down to the sidewalk. They had a merry, messy time tracing each other's outlines and coloring them in, or drawing hearts or houses. The others all chased each other to the tune of "Sharks In the Water" and songs from Trolls and KPop Demon Hunters. There were six left when we took them inside at 5, and four left when I headed out 15 minutes later.

Stopped briefly for a Propel and a treat at Speedy Mart on the way home. Went straight into dinner and Match Game '90 when I got in. Most of the night finished the week with Ronn Lucas and Fred Travalena and his one-man White House. Though Scorch was around for most of the week, Ronn did bring Chuck Roast for a day, who was only slightly less abrasive than he was on his first appearance. Beverly Garland made her first appearance on Match Game this week since 1973. Brad Garrett and Joe Alaskey (the latter then of Tiny Toon Adventures) appeared on the last episode of the night. 

Finished the night with more animated TV show episodes revolving around birthdays. Returned to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for their second birthday episode. This time, it's "Mickey's Happy Mouske-day!" The others have planned all kinds of fun things to do on his big day, like riding bikes and throwing balls with Pluto. Nothing works out like they planned, but Mickey reminds them that the important thing is he got to have fun with his friends on his big day.

"Birthday Bear's Blues" is the only Care Bears Family episode to revolve around the Bears' party-hearty holiday lover. Birthday's upset that the other Care Bears and Cousins are holding a party to celebrate their defeat of No Heart rather than his birthday. He heads down below to help a wealthy little boy who brags about his toys to his classmates, then wonders why they won't come to his party. Birthday teaches him that you don't need fancy toys to have fun when they help rescue the others from a thorny maze No Heart set up as a trap.

We Have All the Time In the World

Began the morning with a quick breakfast and The Best of James Bond. This is an older CD collection of Bond themes up to License to Kill, plus instrumental music from the films and "We Have All the Time In the World" by Louis Armstrong on a second disc. I only had time for the Sean Connery Bond films - the iconic "Goldfinger," the title ballads from From Russia With Love and Thunderball, the lovely title song from You Only Live Twice by Nancy Sinatra, the searing Shirley Bassey title song from Diamonds are Forever - and the first two Roger Moore movies. The dark hard rock title song from Live and Let Die is one of Wings' best songs, but Lulu's title number for The Man With the Golden Gun is as bland as that movie is strange. 

I got such a late start, I ended up taking Uber to work. I think I made the right choice. It took less than 3 minutes for the morning driver to arrive. The afternoon driver came in 8 minutes. No trouble either way, absolutely no traffic - it was all going in the opposite direction. I got to work with time to spare.

No trouble at work, either. It was off-and-on busy all day again. I did have to shelve some cold items, but I was mostly sweeping or outside pushing carts. I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else. Once again, the weather was absolutely gorgeous and perfect for April, mid-60's and sunny and breezy as can be. They did send one of the college boys who had been cashiering to help out later. Otherwise, there were no major problems, and I was in and out.

Soon as I got home, I changed and went down for a nap. I'm sooo tired. I'm not used to working five days in a row at the Acme anymore. Passed out a little after 2:30 and didn't get up until 4:30.

Listened to More of the Monkees after I rolled out of bed. I found a double-disc vinyl version of the Monkees' second album at the FYE in Deptford two years ago. The Monkees may not have been fans of their second album, especially the bland cover they had no input in, but you can't argue with the results. Their biggest hit song, "I'm a Believer," came from this album, along with "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone" and "Look Out, Here Comes Tomorrow." I'm more partial to one of the group's best ballads, the lovely "Sometime In the Morning." The second vinyl disc features rarities that were recorded around the same time like "Apples, Peaches, Bananas, and Pears," "I Never Thought It Peculiar," "I'll Spend My Life With You," and the early versions of "Words" and "Valleri." 

Finished the night with the Sunday Match Game marathon. Plaid seemed to have been extremely popular for suits in the 1970's, especially early in the decade. Richard Dawson made plaid work in two jackets, one purple plaid, one brown, that he wore into 1977. He also seemed fond of a black and white houndstooth jacket. 

Gene Rayburn never seemed to quite figure out plaid. Probably the most infamous suit he ever wore was that green and red plaid monstrosity from late 1973. The panelists wouldn't even look at him when he came out. Jack Carter said he looked like a station break in Poland. (And given what Jack's shirt looked like, he wasn't one to talk.) Brett Somers and Pat Harrington teased him about his gray and white check with the pink shirt and bow-tie later in 1973, too, saying he looked like half of a vaudeville team. Richard thought he looked like a used car salesman.

Check out the checks and plaids in this hilarious and well-dressed marathon!

Match Game Sunday Classics - Best Plaid Suits & Fashions On Match Game

The Beginning of Matches

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast and Pac Man. Pac-Man finds "The Genie of Pacdad" on the beach and throws the bottle away. The ghosts find it and make wishes...but things get really out of hand when the bottle keeps passing hands, and Super Pac gets involved. "P.J Goes Pac-Hollywood" when he stars in what appears to be a version of Raiders of the Lost Ark, which was still huge in 1983. Pac-Man ends up as his much-abused stand in.

I had already planned on calling Uber today. I worked 8 1/2 hours. I would not be up to riding my bike home after that. The one going to work picked me up in 7 minutes. I got there just in time. The one going home took 13 minutes. No traffic either way.

On one hand, work could have been a lot worse. It was off-and-on busy. There were long lines around 11 AM and 3 PM. They sent out a college boy to help with the carts around noon, but I was mostly sweeping and pushing carts alone. I did have to put away a few cold items. Otherwise, I was surprised we were even mildly busy. People must be restocking after Spring Break Week. I'm glad I did take Uber. By the time I finished, I was beyond tired, and my left knee was killing me.

At least the weather was perfect. Sunny, windy, bright blue, in the mid-60's. It was just about the nicest weather in early April one could wish for. I'm surprised more people weren't out enjoying it. Some folks may still be down at the Shore or on their Easter vacations.

When I got home, I listened to The Commitments Vol. 2 CD while eating dinner. The soundtrack from The Commitments was such a massive hit, MCA put out a shorter album with more of the same in 1992. "Grits Ain't Groceries" and "Too Many Fish In the Sea" were the stand-outs. I also liked "Show Me," "Land of a Thousand Dances," and "Nowhere to Run."

After I took a shower, I finished the night with the Saturday Match Game marathon. Match Game as most people know it began in 1973. Richard Dawson was there from the start. He was joined that first week by Jack Klugman, Vicki Lawrence, Anita Gilette, Jo Ann Pflug, and Michael Landon. Landon was the only one who didn't return at one point or another. The CBS run ended in 1979 with Bill Daily borrowing Gene Rayburn's navy blue jacket for his wedding. The nighttime shows began in 1975 and ended in 1981. Charles Nelson Reilly made his own return to the show in 1975 via wires and a stuffed bird.

The first revival of Match Game after the syndicated show's demise was the bizarre hour-long hybrid Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour. This one ended in 1984 with stage and TV character actor Leonard Frey showing off his tap dancing skills. Match Game '90-91 ended with the entire panel wearing hats, including Charles, Brad Garrett, Nell Carter, and Jacklyn Zemen. Host Ross Schafer said during the show's final seconds that they would be moving to another network. Alas, that fell through. Match Game wouldn't be seen again until the rather strange 1998 version with Carter, Vicki Lawrence, and Judy Tenuta. 

The syndicated series couldn't have ended on a better - or funnier - note. Charles started off by flirting with the dummy used to test the color levels. A contestant said she came to kiss McLean Stevenson. She kissed him, all right. He turned the color of his red sweater. Skip Stephenson took advantage of this to run over and kiss the other contestant!

See how Match Game started, and how it finished in these hilarious episodes!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Firsts and Lasts Marathon

The Kids and the Pea

Once again, I overslept...but I learned my lesson yesterday. I just called Uber this time. Thankfully, that worked fine. The one going to the Acme arrived in 9 minutes. I got there just in time. The one going home was supposed to arrive in 8, but it took slightly longer. At any rate, there was no traffic, and I got where I was going with no trouble.

No trouble at work, either. It was quiet almost the entire morning. Even when it picked up a little later, it still wasn't that bad. The weather helped. It was too nice to be grocery shopping. In fact, the weather couldn't be better, sunny, breezy, and in the lower-mid 60's. 

I got my schedule around noon. With spring break over, I'm back to a normal weekend-Wednesday schedule. Fewer hours, yes, but better for my sanity and with the after-school program. I asked for Tuesday off. That's my birthday. I don't mind spending the afternoon with the kids, but I'd rather have the morning to myself.

Did my grocery shopping after work. I needed so little, I consolidated shopping to just the Acme this week. I had online coupons for coconut milk, yogurt, eggs, strawberries, and bakery coconut macaroons. Restocked granola and soda. I found "brookies" - chocolate chip bars on top, brownie on the bottom - on the bakery clearance rack.

Put everything away when I got home while listening to Windsong. One of John Denver's biggest hit albums features my favorites of his songs, the lovely "Fly Away" and rollicking "Calypso." The latter is about - and dedicated to - oceanographer and explorer Jacques Cousteau and his famous ship the Calypso. Other good songs here include the other hit "I'm Sorry," the title song, and one I can relate to given how much of this I've listened to over the years, "Late Nite Radio."

Went for a quick walk after I changed. Treated myself to a cheesesteak-stuffed pretzel and two regular ones. Watched The Price Is Right when I got home. Started with the end of a Drew Carey episode from the late 2000's, from the look of the set. The guy who wanted a car did get to bid on a showcase with a spa and a tiny electric car...but the winner was the girl who voted on the hockey-themed Showcase. The mascots of the Los Angeles Kings, Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals, and Florida Panthers introduced prize packages with trips to their respective home towns and luggage and jerseys for their respective teams.

The Bob Barker episode likely came from the late 80's, from his white hair and Rod Roddy announcing. We got a rare late glimpse of the Phone Home Game before it was retired for being too expensive and cumbersome as everyone proceeded to win their games, or at least get some money. One Showcase had a marina theme, ending with a ski boat. The other was your basic "around the house," but it did have a spa. The lady got her big spa. 

I was so tired, I went down for another nap after the episode ended. I've just been doing so much running around lately and getting so much done! I couldn't sleep all night this time, though. I got up at quarter of 6, just in time for a quick dinner and to watch Match Game '90 before dashing out.

This time, I hurried down the White Horse Pike to the historic Ritz Theater. Oaklyn's vintage movie house is now it's local theater troupe. They also hold drama classes for kids and teens, and my niece Finley is one of those kids. Their show this weekend is Once Upon a Mattress. Finley was one of the ladies in the chorus. Rose was disappointed that the chorus didn't have more to do, but Finley said she was just happy that she got to dress up in a fancy medieval gown and look like a princess. Not only were Rose and Khai in the audience, but Jessa came too - she drove me home after the show ended. 

The kids were hilarious in a streamlined, hour-long version of this The Princess and the Pea spoof from 1959. I especially loved the tall, strong girl who played Winifred. She was an absolute riot. Carol Burnett would have been proud. Sir Harry wasn't much of a singer, but his tiny Larkin made up for it by being the best singer in the show. (Incidentally, the extraneous "Normandy" and "Very Soft Shoes" are deleted here...and you can probably guess that they also cut the subplot with Larkin being pregnant.) 

Finished the night with The Love Boat. "Doc Takes the Fifth" - wife, that is. He falls for a Russian cellist (Irena Ferris), but her interest in him is hardly romantic. It's "Safety Last" when an overly cautious safety inspector (Don Adams) falls for a Scandinavian beauty (Britt Eckland) and finally decides there are some risks worth taking. A workaholic business executive (Robert Fuller) tries to bring back his vice president (Judy Norton-Taylor), who is worried people are saying they're having "A Business Affair." 

Fiddlers In the Sunshine

Overslept and got too into reading The Daughter of the Pirate King, barely leaving me enough time to eat, get dressed, and rush off to work! Yes, I was late again. No, it didn't really matter. Once again, they barely noticed. We were quiet until noon, when people started turning up from work. I had to clean up some water leaking in the produce department, and this time, I had no extra help. Other than that, there were no problems, and I was in and out. At least the weather remains gorgeous for pushing carts. It was still sunny, breezy, and a little chilly for this time of year, into the upper 50's-lower 60's. 

Changed, had lunch, and watched The Pirates of Dark Water when I got home. All it takes is "A Drop of Darkness" that Ren and the others gather for elderly alchemist Cray to transform herself into a young beauty again. She uses Tula to force Ren to do her bidding and then to marry her...until Bloth turns up with his men, and Cray's potion doesn't turn out to be as full-proof as she thought.

After lunch, I went downstairs to go through my pots, pans, and everything else still in bins. All of my frying pans are a scratched mess and need to be replaced. I've had my largest pot since I lived in Wildwood, and it has burns I can't get off on the bottom. The Crock Pot has a broken top, and I've been meaning to get a better one anyway. I'm debating the blender. There's nothing wrong with the glass pouring vessel, but I've had it for almost 30 years, since college, and I doubt the motor is going to last much longer. 

Cleared out a bunch of cheap cups I picked up from various job fairs, along with the Phillies cup from the game I went to see with Jessa two years ago. Brought my other cereal bowls and one heavy Fiesta bowl for hot cereal upstairs, along with my only remaining silverware. I can't seem to find the container with the silverware, the Tupperware, and the toaster. It must have gotten lost or misplaced during the move. All of that will have to be replaced.

Went back upstairs, put away the dishes, and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening watching Fiddler On the Roof in honor of the last day of Passover. I go further into this touching 1971 epic about a Russian Jewish milkman and his changing family in the early 20th century at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Happy Passover! - Fiddler on the Roof

It was so late when the movie finally ended, I switched to Match Game '90 while eating dinner. They're still on the week with Phyllis Diller. Chuck Roast turned up on her fourth episode and almost seemed to like her, insomuch as he ever really liked anybody.

Finished the night with two of my recent record and CD acquisitions. The MGM Treasury of Bedtime Stories children's record features short but charming retellings of "The Pied Piper of Hamlin," "The Shoemaker and the Elves," "Rapunzel," and "Puss N' Boots." These are honestly pretty accurate for the time they had, other than the Shoemaker is able to hire help and get better glasses after the elves leave and the Pied Piper brings the children back after a year to parents who are much wiser and more appreciative.

(The back of the cover indicates that MGM did a lot more fairy-tale recordings, including ones with Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and Goldilocks, along with story records featuring Tom & Jerry and Mighty Mouse and a story record for The Wizard of Oz, all of which might be worth looking for.)

Bed of Roses was Bette Midler's hit CD from the mid-90's. Most of these songs are touching ballads, like "In This Life," "To Comfort You," "As Dreams Go By," and the title song. "Bottomless" and "It's Too Late" are slightly livelier, but these are mostly Bette in soft balladeer mode. 

Fifty Years of Angels

Began the morning with breakfast and Little Bear. While his parents and friends nap on the shore, "Little Bear's Mermaid" swims with him. The others don't believe she exists, but Little Bear knows better. "Father's Flying Flapjacks" will be a surprise for Mother Bear. Little Bear wants to help, if he can catch those flapjacks before Mother Bear sees them! Father Bear tells his son that his "Maracas" from Mexico are his favorite treasures. Little Bear's friends somehow turn them into pirate treasures and are convinced Father Bear defeated a pirate.

Hurried out the door after Little Bear ended. It's supposed to be nice for the rest of the week, so I took the bike. I'm still getting used to riding it again. I was one minute late. 

That was the worst thing that happened all day. In fact, the Acme was quiet almost the entire morning. It didn't pick up until I was just about ready to leave. They even pulled a college boy from stocking to help me later. I had no major problems, and I was in and out.

It was such a nice day, I took the long way home down Nicholson Road. Though it was chilly, in the mid-50's, it was also sunny and relatively warm when you could get out of the wind. It's really spring here now. Flowers and tiny yellow green leaves are sprouting on the trees. Gardens are carpeted with rainbows of tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths. There was only mild traffic near the Wal Mart entrance to Audubon Crossings. Otherwise, it was pretty quiet everywhere.

Had lunch when I got home while watching Paw Patrol. "Pups and the Beanstalk" is Rubble dreaming that Alex is a giant who comes down a huge beanstalk and wrecks havoc on Adventure Bay! The Paw Patrol has to figure out what will get him back up the beanstalk. "Pups Save the Turbots" introduces Cap'n Turbot's French cousin Francois. Skye thinks he's so sophisticated, but he's not much help when his cousin first falls off his boat while trying to take photographs of the elusive Blue-Footed Booby, then needs to take that photo.

Spent the next few hours vacuuming and dusting the rooms. Listened to the soundtrack from Sing 2 while I worked. There's some sensational covers here, including the chorus versions of "Let's Go Crazy" and "Where the Streets Have No Name." Some of the songs that were covers in the film have their original versions here, notably "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and "Could Have Been Me." Other good numbers include Scarlet Johanssen's "Heads Will Roll," Taron Egerton and Tori Kelly enjoying their duet on "There's Nothing Holding Me Back," and Johanssen and Bono's lovely "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." (Look for the cast singing "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" as a bonus track.)

After the record ended and I wiped the windows and electronics, I went down for a long nap. Fell asleep at 4:30 and didn't get up until almost 7! I've been so tired the last few weeks. I've had a lot going on, from the bad knee to the bad tooth to my trying to get a loan. I'm really wiped out. This week's schedule doesn't help, either. I'll likely be working five days in a row, Saturday 8 1/2 hours.

Watched Match Game '90 when I rolled out of bed. Dolly Martin returned to the show in the first episode, joined by Charles, Fred Travelena, Pam Stone, Sally Struthers, and an overly energetic and noisy Richard Simmmons. Phyllis Diller turned up for the first time in the next episode and happily flirted with Ronn Lucas and Scorch.

Finished the night with the pilot movie for Charlie's Angels in honor of their 50th anniversary this year. The "Angels" are three beautiful private detectives, tough blonde Jill (Farrah Fawcett), sensible Sabrina (Kate Jackson), and sensual Kelly (Jaclyn Smith) who work for wealthy Charlie (voice of John Forsythe), a man they've never met. Their current assignment is to prove that a vineyard owner was murdered by his second wife (Diana Muldur) and his foreman (Bo Hopkins). His daughter is supposed to inherit the estate, but vanished years before. Kelly first poses as her, then infiltrates the gang to find out what they have in mind. Sabrina takes over posing as the daughter, while Jill plays her secretary and a moonshiner's daughter who agrees to sell the seemingly worthless swampland where the millionaire may have met his demise. Look for a very young Tommy Lee Jones as a family friend who catches on that there's more than meets the eye to these ladies. 

Night of the Mario Galaxy

I overslept and had just enough time this morning before my dental appointment to eat a quick breakfast, dress, and take a call from Alyssa at Camden County. I wasn't able to get the First Time Buyers loan. You need two lines of credit, and though my credit is about as good as you can get, I only have one credit card. I've also only had the second Healthy Kids job for almost a year. Even though I've been at the Acme for 27 years, they don't count Healthy Kids. She said she'll apply me to a less-stringent loan and see if I can get that. 

By the time I finally called Uber, it was too late. They arrived in 10 minutes, which made me slightly late to my dental appointment. I did better later in the day. It took 9 minutes for the driver going to the Cinemark to arrive, and 8 for the one going home.

My dental appointment did not go well. My back lower left tooth, the one behind where the other one was pulled, has been sore and a little wobbly for weeks. My gums have been a little sore, too. I thought I took care of that problem five years ago! I haven't had so much as a cavity since that last tooth was pulled in June 2023. It was fine the last time I went for a dental appointment in early January. At least they won't be pulling it for another two weeks, and I was able to get the usual cleaning, but it's still scary and frustrating.

I tried to cheer myself up with a spinach and feta omelet and multi grain bagel at the Westmont Bagel Shop. I spent most of the time listening to a group of older women behind me chattering. Bought water and "puffcorn" (popcorn with no hulls) for the movies at Dollar Tree and tried to get money at Target.

After I gave up on the money and decided to just take Uber, I headed to the Cinemark in Somerdale to see The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. I missed the showing I originally planned on seeing...but there was another one just 20 minutes after that. I got into that one with five minutes to spare.

For once, almost every commercial before the movie was for something I really wanted to see, or at least thought looked interesting. I'm so glad they're finally putting out the Michael Jackson biography after pushing back the release date at least three times. I will absolutely be catching that at the end of the month to review it for my Musical Dreams blog. Supergirl is a definite yes after I loved Superman last summer. (And it'll give me something to look forward to between the end of the school year and Lauren visiting.) Masters of the Universe looks like they're at least trying to get closer to the original cartoon than the first time MGM attempted to go live-action with that franchise in 1987. We'll see about the unique animated buddy action fantasy Forbidden Island in late September. I may wait for that and the Paw Patrol dinosaur movie to debut online. The only one I likely won't bother with is Minions & Monsters. The commercial was cute, but I never really got into the Minions/Despicable Me franchise. 

I won't go heavily into The Super Mario Galaxy Movie because of spoilers, but...I loved it. I don't have a clue as to what the critics are complaining about. They whined about the last one, too. Maybe they don't like movies being based on video games. Chris Pratt was much better as Mario, Donald Glover was a surprisingly perfect Yoshi, and Benny Safdie was hilarious and even touching as Bowser's devoted son Junior. In fact, I love how they handled the relationship between Bowser and Junior. Bowser may be a lousy emperor, but he is a great single dad. If anything, Princess Peach (Anya Joy-Taylor) was even more awesome here than in the first movie, reminding me of why she's been my first-choice character whenever she was playable for 40 years. 

It's still no masterpiece. Some sequences, like the short bit with the Bee Queen and the one with Yoshi and the babies on the dinosaur planet, don't really move the plot along and seem shoehorned in to add more references to other Nintendo games. They crowd out characters like Fox McCloud of Star Fox and Rosalina whom you wish got more screen time. Some of the action set pieces go on for way too long, and a lot of the references may only land if you've been a hard-core Nintendo nut for the past 40 years. 

All in all, I say completely disregard whatever you've heard about this and go check it out, especially if you or your kids are Mario fans. It may not be a perfect galaxy, but it's still a lot of fun to explore.

Headed up the hill to Wal Mart after the movie ended, if only to enjoy the gorgeous day. It was windy, but sunny and relatively warm when you could get out of that cold wind, probably in the mid-upper 50's. I was hoping to find The Super Mario Galaxy Movie soundtrack there, but though they have restocked their record collection since last year, the soundtrack won't be out on physical media until later this year. I just picked up a few bits and pieces I needed instead, including a new dry erase board, granola bars, the Shirley Temple flavor of Olipop that I've seen nowhere else, and their soft and tasty breakfast cookies. 

I got home with just enough time to take out the trash and check something online before Jessa arrived. We ended up back at a surprisingly busy Ponzio's. Their back dining area was closed. I wonder if they were having a party later that evening? Some seats at the counter were closed, too. At any rate, we still had a wonderful dinner. Jessa's Double Decker Turkey Club was so huge, it was more like an 18-Decker. My chicken wrap was delicious, with lettuce, roasted bell peppers, fresh mozzarella, and lots of pesto mayonnaise. She took a slice of chocolate fudge cake home to Mike, but I did eat the vanilla buttercream cake slice right there. Oh yummy. Perfectly sweet, moist, and buttery. The waitress said they were out of a lot of desserts. I'm guessing the cheesecakes and pies and tarts were the first to go, because they seemed to have plenty of cakes and cookies.

Took a shower, then finished the night with The Wild Wild West. James West and Artemis Gordon investigate "The Night of the Beast" (aka "The Night of the Simian Terror") when they hear about a giant ape wrecking havoc on Senator Seth Buckley's (Dabbs Greer) plantation. His terrified ward Naomi (Grace Gaynor) and son Benjamin (Felice Orlandi) are more concerned about being the last of the Buckleys...and that someone has been picking off the Buckleys one by one. The ape had once been controlled by a scientist, but someone else, someone connected to Buckley, seems to be in charge of "the beast" now...and is using him to extract his revenge on the entire Buckley clan. 

Oh, and American Girl just re-released the first 8 historical dolls - Molly, Samantha, Kirsten, Felicity, Addy, Josefina, and Kit - in limited edition versions, with their original meet outfits, accessories, and books. The only one of those dolls I don't have who interests me is Addy, and I could probably adopt one cheaper on eBay, but they're still available if you want them and don't have any of them. (Now if only they'd re-release more of their outfits...or even make new ones...)