Spring Into Winter

Began a gorgeous morning with breakfast and Muppets Musicians of Bremen. I go further into this charming Muppet adaptation of "The Musicians of Bremen" at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Family Fun Saturday - Muppets Musicians of Bremen

(And reminder that this is the last Saturday review. Starting next week, I'll be doing one Musical Dreams Movie Review on Thursdays. It might be a live-action film, an animated film, an old movie, a new one, a special, or a streaming movie. You never know what you might see, so keep an eye out!) 

Called Uber after Muppet Musicians of Bremen finished. No trouble here. I did have to wait 13 minutes for the first one, but I called early enough that I got to work right on time.  Waited 11 minutes for the one going home at the height of rush hour.

First of all, yes, I was right. The head bagger took half of next week off, which is how I got all those hours. She was here today, though, which is why I focused entirely on pushing carts. At least it was a gorgeous day for it. It was in the upper 50's, sunny and blue as can be. Most of the snow that came down last Sunday and Monday has already vanished. Only the highest piles on the curbs and in shady corners remain, and those aren't nearly as high.

Did my grocery shopping after I finished. I restocked yogurt, apples, grapes, soda, granola, granola bars, and coconut milk. I bought three bags of cookies from the Girl Scouts who were having so much fun outside earlier (two of them danced together, laughing and enjoying the day), so I just got a slice of carrot cake for a special treat. 

Put everything away when I got home, then took a much-needed shower and had dinner. Finished the night watching tonight's YouTube Match Game marathon. With the Cold War in full swing during the entire run of the show, many episodes joked either about America's allies at the time or the Eastern Bloc countries like Russia and Poland. Having worked with Germans and Austrians for six years on Hogan's Heroes, Richard Dawson could never resist trotting out his (fairly realistic) German accent. 

Probably the most memorable episode to feature another country was when Gene decided to do what the German version of Match Game did and say "Snick Snack" instead of blank. Apparently, the Germans don't have a word for "blank" in their language. Other questions joked about states sliding into the ocean or where Hawaiian goods really came from. 

Go on a trip around the world without leaving home the Match Game way with this high-flying marathon!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Around the World Marathon (Part 1)

Fairy Tales for Children

Got a quick and late start today with breakfast and Paw Patrol. The "Pups Save a Frozen Flounder" when Cap'n Turbot's boat the Flounder is frozen solid in the Antarctic and winds up stranded. They have to cut it free, then navigate it around floating icebergs to safety. No one on Adventure Bay Beach can figure out what the strange swimming creature with the horn is. After some research, the "Pups Save a Narwhal" when it turns out the tusked whale is lost and looking for its family.

Worked on Legendary Tales of WENN while listening to the second disc of Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol 2. I had no idea he recorded versions of "The Mighty Quinn" or "All Along the Watchtower." I preferred quieter pieces like "If Not for You," "I Shall Be Released," and "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall." 

After Bob Dylan ended, I hurried out for a quick walk. I needed to get money from the ATM machines at WaWa. I grabbed a turkey bacon wrap and a tasty, sweet pineapple matcha smoothie, too. Not to mention, it was just plain too nice to sit inside all day. I didn't have the time for grocery shopping, but I could get this in. The sun was shining, there wasn't the hint of a breeze, and it was warm, in the lower 50's. The vast majority of the snow that impeded my progress on the White Horse Pike Monday had vanished. Family Dollar's parking lot was clear.

I ate quickly at home, then did a few chores before calling Uber. Unfortunately, I ran into the same trouble that I did yesterday...and this time, the weather wasn't the problem. Like I said, it was gorgeous today, the nicest it's been in a month and a half. The driver still didn't come for 15 minutes, and I was still five minutes late to the Thomas Sharp School.

And they did need the help today. There were about 20 kids, not that many, but more than yesterday. The ones that were there were rowdy, too. I had to talk to them about staring at each other in the bathrooms instead of actually going to the bathroom again. One of the girls tried to help her smaller friend, which was sweet of her, but I could handle it. I did better reading books to the kids sitting at the table with the books after lunch. 

They had some kind of after-school club going on in the library, so it was fairly late before we moved the younger kids there. I drew Lady Betty dreaming of Sir Scott and Maid Maple confronting the hypnotized Wizard Victor from my Legendary Tales of WENN fanfic, which fascinated the kids who would watch me draw and ask about the story. The head teacher did have to handle an older boy who got upset because he couldn't go out with the older kids, but she put on "Ghostbusters," "Pink Pony Club," and songs from KPop Demon Hunters and Moana when she got in.  

I decided when I finished that I wasn't waiting for the prices on Uber to go down again. I just walked home. On one hand, I did need to stop at the CVS on the border of West Collingswood and Oaklyn anyway. They're the only place I can find the brushes for my electric toothbrush. On the other hand, my bad knee was sore as heck when I got home. I put it under a heating pad right away.

Went straight into Match Game Syndicated when I got in. Most of the episodes finished out that week with Fred Travelena and his one-man White House and Elaine Joyce. The last one moved on to Vega$ week with Phyllis Davis and Bart Braverman sitting next to each other on the lower tier.

Oh, and I got my schedule at this point. In good news, more hours. In bad news, two 9 to 1 days in a row on Thursday and Friday means two double shifts that'll be hard on my knees in a row...and I somehow got an 8 1/2 hour shift next Friday. I do have three days off of the Acme, from Monday through Wednesday, but then I work three days in a row, two of them along with the school. I would give anything for consistent hours at both of my jobs!

Worked on Legendary Tales of WENN after dinner. Maid Maple LaMarsh and her wood pipe make all of the snakes dance. Betty uses her sentient "Heart Quill" as a flashlight to scare the snakes off. Hilary grabs one to ask what's going on. He only tells her that they were supposed to capture Hilary and bring her to the Snake King Pruitt. Mr. Eldridge appears, telling the ladies that Pruitt has taken over Pittsburghia. Sir Scott Sherwood and his powerful North Star Sword are gone, King Jeffery isn't what he was, and Lord Victor Comstock, the kingdom's trusted wizard, opened the gates and let Pruitt in. The ladies leap on their colorful mounts (Hilary has the alicorn, of course) and rush off to WENN Castle to make sure everything is all right.

Finished the night with more Shirley Temple Storybook Theater. "The Princess and the Goblins" is a retelling of that popular children's book. The Princess Irene (Temple) is a young woman here, though, rather than a child, but she's still not allowed outside of the castle. Her guy friend Curdie is in love with her, and he manages to save her from the Trolls who have never forgiven her father for banishing them. She in turn saves him when they capture him and try to keep him from telling her what's going on...and she saves herself later when the whiny son of the trolls (Arte Johnson) insists she's to be his bride.

I never heard of "The Magic Fishbone" until I found it in a fairy tale collection a few years ago. It's not hard to tell Charles Dickens wrote this story of a very poor king (Rex Evans) who gains a magic fishbone from an eccentric fairy (Estelle Winwood). The king works for a grouchy, miserly boss (Leo G. Carroll) who sounds like Scrooge...and acts like him too when he fires the King. The King wants to use the Fishbone, but his beloved daughter (Lisa Evans) keeps encouraging him to wait. As it turns out, the family is pretty good at making its own luck...but of course, the fairy lends a hand or two as well, including bringing back a handsome suitor for the daughter. 

Rainy Day Fantasy

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast and The Pirates of Dark Water. This unique sword-and-sorcery-on-the-water swashbuckler is one of two fantasy shows for older kids that debuted around 1991. Unlike Peter Pan and the Pirates, this one is a full original, and one of the most expensive productions Hanna-Barbara ever did. We kick off with "The Quest." Ren, a young lighthouse keeper (George Newburn), discovers when he rescues an old man from drowning that he's the true Prince of Octopon. He can restore its grandeur by finding 13 treasures and bringing them together. The evil pirate Bloth (Brock Peters) captures Ren and tries to force him to tell him where the treasures are, but he escapes with the help of the flying monkey Niddler (Roddy McDowell). He encounters thief Ioz (Hector Elizondo), who steals a ship, and the beautiful stowaway Tula (Jodi Benson), who knows a lot more about the sea than she's telling.

(And personal note - Rose, Anny, and I loved Peter Pan and the Pirates and Pirates of Dark Water in the early 90's.  We used to watch both shows all the time in the afternoon on Fox.)

Spent the rest of the morning working on my WENN fanfic. We begin the fantasy segment in the Misty Woods, on the road to WENN Castle in Pittsburghia. Queen Hilary Booth is attacked by half-snake, half-man creatures while on her way home from seeking the sorceress Pavla, who had forced her husband King Jeffery into an unwanted marriage. She uses the magic in her crown to enhance her sword. Her scribe, Lady Elizabeth (Betty) Roberts has a magic quill that can make anything appear, reveal objects, and acts as her conscience. 

Watched On the Come Up as I worked. I go further into this coming-of-age teen rap drama at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Musicals On Streaming - On the Come Up

Oh, and I changed my mind about ending Musical Dreams Reviews. I'm going to continue to update it, but I'll only post one review every Thursday. I don't have the time for three long reviews a week anymore. I'll do one last Saturday review this week before starting the new schedule.

Uber was a pain in the rear today. It took me almost 20 minutes to get a ride there, and I ended up being almost ten minutes late. The ride home took 13 minutes, and that was after waiting over 20 minutes for the prices to go down. It was raining by the time I finished, which didn't help. Before that, it was just cloudy and slightly chilly, nothing like what it's been lately.

As it turned out, things could have been a lot worse. I only had five kids at my table, and there were 16 all together. Thomas Sharp School had some kind of program today where parents could sit in on their children's classes. A lot of the kids must have gone home with their folks after that. The kids were slightly rowdy in the bathroom, nothing outrageous. The other two teachers were here today, so they had "Ghostbusters," the theme from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, "Pink Pony Club," and songs from Moana, Encanto, and Trolls to dance to in the library. I worked on art for my new Legends of WENN story with two of the boys who really got into their own fantasy stories and rocket artwork.

Went straight into dinner and Match Game Syndicated when I got home. After the week with Jonnelle Allen and Bill Anderson ended, we moved on to Fred Travelena and his hundreds of voices in the male ingenue seat, Elaine Joyce as the female ingenue, and Charles insisting again that they replace Brett with Bess Myerson.

Finished the night after a shower with two episodes of Shirley Temple's Storybook Theater. "The Terrible Clockman" is among the color episodes currently on Tubi. Temple herself plays the daughter of a clock maker (Sam Jaffe) who is very proud of having been able to create a mechanism that allows clocks to all run the same precise time. He even made a clock-faced robot for the king. He regrets his hubris when an evil sorcerer demands to marry his daughter, then makes the clocks stop or run in circles, so no one, not even the king, knows what time it is. He also makes the clockman run on his own and obey him...until the creature turns against him and aids the daughter. 

"The Sleeping Beauty" was a black-and-white first season episode recently posted on YouTube. This is a more-or-less straightforward retelling of the Charles Perrault version of the story...only here, the twist is, it's not a prince whom the Princess (Anne Helm) falls for, but a handsome gardener's son (Pernell Roberts). Only his ancestor can figure out how to use the magic sword to cut through the brush and kiss the princess 100 years after she falls asleep. 

A Little Bit of a Marshmallow World

Began the morning with breakfast and Little Bear. Poor Little Bear has "A Flu." He's supposed to stay in bed, but Duck, Hen, and Cat all come in with remedies. Mama Bear knows that the best remedy for any illness is rest. Mama tells Little Bear, Cat, and Duck about a certain tree with a rock in it that she and Father Bear carved their initials into. The trio goes "Exploring" to find it, but find a cave instead. "Fishing With Father Bear" proves to be a lot of fun for Little Bear, especially as it's his first time in a boat. They end up in the water with the fish before they make their first big catch!

Called Uber soon as the episode ended. Thankfully, the one going to the Acme got there in 7 minutes, and I got there right on time. I didn't have nearly as much luck the rest of the day. The guy who picked me up after lunch had to go to the bathroom, and I forgot to tell him they put locks on the Acme bathrooms and you have to get an associate to tap in the password to unlock it. I was five minutes late to Thomas Sharp School. Got one going  home in 10 minutes, not bad for rush hour.

No problems at the Acme today. In fact, we were dead quiet for almost the entire morning. It snowed a little bit last night. The streets were fine. It was just enough to put a little frosting on the cars and roofs.  In fact, by the time I finished and it started picking up, the sun had come out, and it was much warmer. Even the snow that came down this weekend was melting. Not to mention, it's the end of the month, and we're well away from any major holidays.

I had lunch at Applebee's. I wasn't up to a long walk anywhere else. I enjoyed a mug of nice, hot tea, a Bacon Ranch Grilled Chicken Sandwich, and crispy, salty fries. It was quiet there, with only a few people enjoying a late lunch. After that, I went back to the Acme to get a donut, get money, and pick up the Uber there.

It was a lot busier at the school today. On one hand, we had 25 kids, 7 of them at my table. On the other hand, the other two teachers were back. This time, the kids were fine in the bathroom, though I did have to help one little girl there. It was the library where they were crazy. I sat with a couple of the boys and drew scenes from Legends of WENN while most of the kids danced to "Ghostbusters," kid-ized versions of "I'm Still Standing" and "Pink Pony Club," and songs from Moana. They wanted to hold hands and dance, but that just ended up with them running into each other and flinging each other around. 

They kept making a mess with the magnetic tiles and Duplos, too. They build these tall, tall towers that get too tall for them to finish without standing on something and either letting them fall everywhere, or hurting themselves. It took us so long to clean up the mess, I left almost as soon as we got back to the cafeteria.

Watched Match Game Syndicated on Buzzr when I got home. This was the wild week with the episode where Gene and Charles argue over the merits of the original Shogun miniseries and Charles hits Gene with his card. Gene collapses onto ingenue Jonnelle Allen, prompting McLean to take over hosting for two questions. (And he didn't do badly, either.) Gene comes out in the next episode with his face wrapped in bandages, supposedly due to the paper cut on his lip from the episode before.

Let it continue into Card Sharks. They were running two episodes from that hilarious celebrity tournament they did in 1980. Vicki Lawrence had to deal with a squirrel-y Bill Daily in the first episode and goofy Avery Schriberer in the second. In both cases, she beat them handily and made big bucks at the Money Cards. When she wasn't wondering what was going on in those goofballs' heads, she was yelling at the audience for not being helpful. 

Finished the night at Tubi with the last two episodes of Good Times' first season. James won't take "The Checkup," even when his children suspect he has hypertension. In fact, he throws a fit (and a chair) when they even just mention their suspicions. Florida finally talks him into it when she points out how badly he's scaring them. Turns out, there isn't that much to fear, and James learns that being vulnerable and checking up on your health isn't a bad thing.

"My Son, the Lover" has J.J head over heels for Marcy, the prettiest girl in school, who asked him to paint her portrait. J.J is drooling all over and insisting they're practically engaged. James is equally smitten, but Thelma and Florida think there's something more to Marcy's request. 

And that's that. Good Times originally debuted as a mid-season replacement and was a hit right out of the gates. I can understand why. Everyone is hilarious (even annoying Jimmie Walker), but it's Esther Rolle and John Amos who get the lion's share of the good lines and great moments here. They're so warm and believable together! Jan'et DuBois as Florida's friend Willnona has a few great moments as well. 

(Incidentally, the next show I'll be watching will be the fourth season of Laverne and Shirley for Women's History Month.) 

Basmati Dreams

Began the morning with breakfast and Pac-Man. Pac-Man and Pepper dodge "The Abominable Pac-Man" on skis while rushing to beat the ghosts and Mezmeron to a wild Power Pellet forest. Mezmeron captures Pepper and makes "The Bionic Pac-Woman" to find out where the Power Pellet forest is, but Pac Man knows his wife better than that.

Called the DVR after breakfast...or tried to. The first number I attempted never went through at all. The second number just went to a box. I finally called Bryanna at Abilities Solutions, who originally gave me the first number. Thank heavens she was in the office. She said they just moved and changed numbers, and no one bothered updating the one online. She e-mailed my counselor at the DVR instead. I just hope he responds fast. I'm going to need help getting loans or help paying a mortgage. I can't stay where I am much longer, and certainly not for another two years. I don't care what the housing market is doing. I need a home of my own.

Spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon watching I Wanna Dance With Somebody. I go further into this biopic of Whitney Houston at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody

(And I'm going to repeat what I said at my musical blog here. Starting March 1st, I will be consolidating all reviews here. I no longer have the time or desire to write long reviews. I will keep the writing blog, which I only post when I've finished a story. Musical Dreams Movie Reviews will stay up as an archive, but as of February 28th, it will no longer be updated.)

Called Uber at 2:25. They came in 9 minutes. There was no traffic, but I still got there slightly late. I had fewer problems going home. It took 10 minutes for the driver to arrive, not surprising during the height of rush hour.

Actually, I had more trouble with the kids before they went to the library. I had 7 at my table (6 plus one boy who wasn't supposed to be there but wanted to play with the magnetic tiles). I let out quite a yell when I saw the boys peeking in on each other in the bathrooms! I did apologize to them for yelling, but I also pointed out to them when we were all out in the hall that people want privacy in the bathrooms, and that they should not be doing that.

Things went much better after that. It helps that there were only 19 all together today. We were missing teachers, too. Two teachers also called out, including the head teacher. We had an older teacher who usually helps with the older kids and a very sweet new recruit helping out. By the time we moved them to the library, we were down to 14 kids. There was no dancing - the head teacher has the dance music - but one of the teachers did show some of the kids a video on sharks. (The shark is Thomas Sharp School's mascot.) I worked on art for my new Legends of WENN story with some of the boys. We were down to five kids, all of them boys, when we finally cleaned everything up and went back to the cafeteria. Two of them went home at the same time I did.

I did a few chores, including taking out the trash, then waited for Jessa. After she picked me up, we headed to Cherry Hill. We ended up having lunch at IndeBlue, an Indian restaurant at the Barclay Shopping Center on Route 70. This was in West Collingswood, but it apparently moved to Philly for a while before coming back to South Jersey four years ago. It was all soft whites and gold, with an amazing crystal-trimmed gold wooden carving in the back. I ordered something called chicken biryani...but they didn't put the huge plate in front of me, and I ended up eating Jessa's spinach and cheese dish instead. At least it was all very spicy and filling!

Finished the night with Good Times. It's "Springtime In the Ghetto," and Florida is taking part in a cleanest apartment contest. She's sure she'll win, until Michael decides to do something nice for somebody. That "somebody" turns out to be Ned the Wino, the local drunk. He's such a dirty mess, Florida orders her menfolk to clean him up and sober him up, and fast! Good thing one of the women in charge of the judging committee knows him well.

Florida is excited when she comes home and reveals she's been offered a part in "The TV Commercial." Her family may be even more delighted than she is. Thelma tries to teach her voice projection, while J.J just wants money to buy barbells. Their mother isn't so thrilled with what the product she's supposed to be pushing actually contains, especially after she sees what it does to Michael.

Do You Want to Build a Snowman?

I went to sleep as the snow continued to come down heavily. When I awoke the next morning, it was...still coming down, though not as heavily. In fact, it was hard to tell if it was snowing, or just blowing around. I tried to figure it out while eating breakfast and watching Paw Patrol. "Pups Save a Tiny Penguin" when it's stranded with Alex and Everest on a bridge made of canoes and snowboards. They first have to save them from a whirlpool, then get them to shore. "Pups Save a Cat Show" when the robot kitty Mayor Humdinger made goes out of control and makes all of the real cats scatter.

Switched to Frozen: The Musical on Disney Plus next. This is a recording of the English cast of the stage version of the show. It's pretty much the same as the film with a new prologue showing Anna and Elsa as children with their parents at a summer festival ("Let the Sun Shine On"), a random Act Two chorus number for the owner of the trading post where Anna buys her winter clothes ("Hygge"), a duet after Kristoff first meets Anna where Kristoff points out that her engagement is pretty unrealistic ("What Do You Know About Love?"), a number for Kristoff where he finally admits his feelings about Anna ("Kristoff's Lullaby"), a second song for the sisters where Anna confronts Elsa at her ice castle ("I Can't Lose You"), and a second song for Elsa when she realizes she has to return to Arendelle ("Monster"). 

The adorable "What Do You Know About Love?" is probably the best of the new songs, but most of them aren't as good as the ones from the original film. Though there are some decent lead performances from Laura Dawkes as Anna and Samantha Banks as Elsa, the film isn't really enhanced by stage effects and light shows. The pandemic killed this after two years on Broadway, and Disney saw no reason to reopen it. It did a little better in London, running three years. Honestly, it's not bad, but I suspect it's mainly for stage musical nuts or those with little girls who can't get enough of Frozen and don't mind that it isn't the original.

Moved to Tubi for Good Times during lunch. James and Florida are worried that J.J won't make it his senior year of high school. He focuses entirely on art and girls and has never been seen to crack open a school book. They're surprised when "Junior the Senior" passes anyway. Turns out the principal just wanted to move him along because they're overcrowded and underfunded and can't afford to keep him there. Junior agrees to it at first...but then decides that if he's going to move to the next grade, maybe he'd actually start learning about something along the way.

"The Visitor" is a man from the Chicago Housing Commission who comes in response to an angry letter Michael wrote about conditions in the housing development to his local newspaper. The plump little fellow has obviously rarely left his office, and he gets an eye-opener when he's stranded at the apartment building and learns about the real-life conditions that the Evans and their neighbors live in.

After Good Times ended, I started my next Remember WENN fanfiction. It's over a year and a half after "All Noisy On the Pittsburgh Front." Betty Roberts is waiting for Scott Sherwood to come home from North Africa, even though she's still trying to convince herself that they're only friends. Hilary Booth is furious that Jeff Singer is walking out on her and their shows to seek a correspondent job in London. She was hoping they could remarry and become queen and king of Pittsburgh radio again now that she's gotten her divorce from Scott. Maple LaMarsh is frustrated that Victor Comstock has gone to Washington to deal with W.E.N.N business and has been constantly breaking dates again. 

Maple wonders why it's the men who always run off to war. Why can't the women be the ones who get to run off and leave the men behind? Betty thinks this is a brilliant idea, and the perfect catalyst for a story the head of the Pittsburgh Public School District, the new sponsors for A Book at Bedtime, asked for. They requested an original, slightly dark fairy tale to make the younger children shiver and the older ones cheer. Hilary suggests, of course, that she is the Queen of Pittsburghia, returning home with her scribe and music magician, to find all isn't well in WENN Castle...

Tentatively titled Legends of WENN, this is intended to be a much shorter 80's-style fantasy story than my ongoing Once Upon a Time In the Land of WENN, less Game of Thrones and more Willow or darker Princess Bride. I'm hoping I can actually finish this one. I love the idea, and not only is it not tied to a holiday, it's a fully-new idea, not something I came up with years ago. 

Listened to a couple of my recent record acquisitions while I worked. We Are was one of Quincy Jones' last collaborations, this one with jazz fusion artist Jon Batiste. The opening title song smacks of gospel. "Tell the Truth" and "Show Me the Way" get more into the rock, while "Whatchutalkinbout," "Boy Hood," and "Freedom" lean more on the soul side of things. Recommended if you love Batiste or are looking for something that moves out beyond the traditional jazz. 

Despite being listed as the soundtrack from A Boy Named Charlie Brown, what I picked up at Barnes and Noble last week is actually a reprint of the non-special Peanuts Vince Guaraldi album Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown. As such, there's some really good performances here. Along with "Linus and Lucy," we have "Oh Good Grief," "Blue Charlie Brown," "Baseball Theme," and "Happiness Theme (Happiness Is)." (I am going to keep looking for the real soundtrack to A Boy Named Charlie Brown, though.)

Moved to the first disc of that Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II set next. "Lay Lady Lay" is my favorite number here, and possibly the best-known number on this half of the set. "Watching the River Flow," "Maggie's Farm," and "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" are other stand-outs.

The snow had long vanished by 4:30, and the roads were largely clear. It wasn't even that windy anymore. I figured it was ok to run errands and use up the last WaWa gift card I got from the kids for Christmas. I had been right about the snow. There was a lot of it, true, at least 9 inches, but it was wet, heavy, and fluffy. In fact, most of it was melting even as I dodged unshoveled sidewalks and huge piles of icy slush. I did drop off two books in one of the library kiosks, but I decided the sidewalks on the back roads were too messy to take them home.

WaWa wasn't that busy, despite it being one of the few places open on a snowy Monday. I got money for a friend, then used the last of my gift card on a soft pretzel and a Chocolate Coconut Smoothie. I tasted more chocolate than coconut, but it was still sweet and wet, which was really all that mattered at that point. 

Maybe I should have done the back roads again instead. The sidewalks on the White Horse Pike were only slightly less messy than the ones in the neighborhood. No one had shoveled or plowed around Family Dollar at all, not even their parking lot. I hope they weren't open. At least it wasn't that cold, either, probably in the perfectly normal upper 30's-lower 40's. 

Put on Match Game Syndicated while I had dinner. Bob Donner, former beauty queen Marjorie Wallace, Bill Daily, and Marcia Wallace figured into this week. Marcia spent the week joking about how much she and Marjorie looked alike (they didn't) and trying to rein in Bill Daily's perpetual nervousness. Bob Donner spent it writing unique artwork for his cards.

Finished the night at YouTube with more Match Game, this time at YouTube, in honor of Black History Month. The second African-American panelist to appear on the new Match Game after Della Reece was comedian Stu Gilliam early in 1973. No wonder he never came back. He spent most of the week trying to meditate between Jack Klugman and Brett Somers and their perpetual battles. Mannix's secretary Gail Parker had more luck joining the panel in dealing with overly excited contestant Dorothy the day after New Year's 1974. Comedian and impressionist George Kirby appeared later that year, just in time to see Richard literally throw Brett's shoe out when she asked him to fix it. 

Isobel Sanford of The Jeffersons turned up on the show twice, most memorably early in 1976. She helped win big money for a very sweet contestant who was such a doll, Marvin Hamlisch and Charles Nelson Reilly wrote a song about her. 

Nipsey Russell and Scoey Mitchelll probably appeared the most of any black panelist and got the most out of their appearance on the show. Nipsey appeared off and on from 1973 through 1979. Scoey first turned up in 1974 and would appear through early in 1982. I have a typical episode with Nipsey and his famous poems from 1978, and Scoey's last appearance in 1982 (that also included a brief but memorable striptease from Betty White). 

Arsenio Hall was probably the most memorable of the black panelists to appear exclusively on The Match Game Hollywood Squares Hour. His quips and jokes really made that show, and he was frankly one of the best things about a wildly uneven format. Jimmie Walker of Good Times first turned up in 1974, when the show was just starting its five-year run. He became so associated with the show, he would appear throughout the original run and turn up on Match Game-Hollywood Squares and Match Game '90 as well. Like Marcia Wallace and Vicki Lawrence, Jimmie probably did his best work in the 90's show, where he was slightly more subdued and less obnoxious. I have his first episode (and Mary Wickes') here, where he ogles a very pretty contestant.

Celebrate Black History Month with some of the most memorable panelists ever on Match Game!

Stu Gilliam (1973)

Gail Parker (1974)

George Kirby (1974)

Isobel Sanford (1976)

Nipsey Russell (1978)

Scoey Mitchelll (1982)

Arsenio Hall (1983)

Jimmie Walker (1990)

Super Snow Day Matches

I woke up around 9:30 to see rain coming down in heavy buckets...but I knew the rain wouldn't last. I debated and debated for another half-hour, but I finally called out of the Acme. I didn't want to lose the money, but if it was going to snow later, I would never get a ride home at 6 PM. I had a hard enough time getting an Uber ride home at 6PM yesterday when the weather was perfectly normal. I called out reluctantly, then went back to sleep until past 1. 

It was still raining cats, dogs, and chickens when I did finally roll out of bed. I got up so late, the very early Match Game marathon was already on. This extra-long marathon was themed around superheroes and superhero questions. Superheros were on a downward spiral in the early 70's after the enormous popularity of Batman and other candy-colored pop art wonders of the 60's. They'd make a comeback later in the decade with the success of the TV versions of Wonder Woman and The Incredible Hulk and the first Superman movie. 

I came in for the second half of the hilarious Halloween episode from the 1990-1991 revival where Charles Nelson Reilly dressed as Superman, complete with inflatable muscles. ("No one picks Superman anymore!" he wailed later in the episode when he wasn't chosen for the Match-Up mini game.) No one else would dress the part, but questions about superheroes, especially Superman, abounded during the entire 1973-1979 run of the show. They were ironically less common in syndication, but they did still turn up occasionally. Usually, they came in the form of what Superman would do if he got old, what he did with Lois Lane and his X-Ray vision, what he ran into while he was flying, and whether he could really bend iron bars and leap tall buildings in a single bound.

There was a Superman question the week with Robert Morse in 1974 when the little red-headed male contestant kept winning and chasing all the female panelists. Sweet Janet Finn in 1974 and good-natured Carolyn in 1979 both had Superman questions on the day they won big money (with Charles and Brianne Leary respectively). The lady with the nifty pink butterfly-shaped glasses who was on in 1975 had a Superman question. So did the lady with 10 children who proudly said she'd spend the money on herself. There was one during the only week in 1973 that Gene's old boss and mentor Steve Allen appeared, and one during the only appearance of Oscar-winner Shelley Winters. 

Batman turned up more rarely, usually in questions that joked about his relationship with Robin. One such question in 1973 had such a sexually-charged answer - from the contestant and the panelists - that the episode is now banned from regular television. There was a similar question later in 1974, with slightly more delicate answers. 

It's up, up, and away with the Match Game panel as we celebrate Superman, Batman, and all kinds of superheroic matching!

Match Game Sunday Classics - Super Hero Marathon

Oh, and the snow finally started coming down around 3:15 and hasn't stopped since. If anything, I think it's even heavier now. The streets are only clear because Oaklyn is really good at cleaning up its streets, but most of the local towns aren't usually as on the ball. All local schools are closed tomorrow, the Collingswood School District included, and I was off of the Acme already anyway. I won't be going anywhere tomorrow but home. 

Match Game Mouse Club

Began the morning with breakfast and Pac-Man. Tired Pac-Man reads Pac-Baby the story of "Neander Pac-Man" and his discovery of Power Pellets in order to get him to sleep. He ends up being "Backpackin' Packy" when he has to take the Pac-Baby Scouts on a camping trip after the original leader stubbed his toe. He ends up teaching the kids more about chomping ghosts than setting up tents and marking trails.

Since I was already at Tubi, I moved to Murder She Wrote next. Jessica is initially delighted when the woman anchor of a local news show wants to interview her and see how she lives in Cabot Cove. The residents are thrilled, too...until another anchor with less interest in Jessica and small towns than in digging up big stories takes over the interview. It becomes an "Obituary for a Dead Anchor" when the boat the man rents blows to smithereens, and supposedly takes him with it. He's not as dead as he thinks, but the man who was killed removed him from a big story involving a drug-dealing art collector. Jessica has to save Cabot Cove's reputation, her own, and his when she tries to find out who really had it in for the producer.

Watched a quick Donald Duck short while eating lunch and getting ready for work. Donald lets Chip and Dale shovel his sidewalk in "Corn Chips." The duo retaliate by stealing his popcorn. His attempt to get it back just ends up making even more of a mess for him to shovel.

Called Uber a little early, after the cartoon ended. Thankfully, I was able to get one in 7 minutes going to work...because it took me 19 minutes going home at 6 PM. (And that was with normal weather.) At least there was no trouble or traffic either way.

Work was a madhouse today, with long lines for most of the afternoon. Everyone has seen the weather forecast. On one hand, even if we get a ton of snow, it'll likely be slushy or not really stick. It's been too warm lately for it to freeze up and linger like it did last month. It's the wind and colder temperatures later on Sunday and on Monday that concern me. Still not cold enough for it to freeze up or stick around, but cold enough for there to be some icy patches and the snow to get blown around and make visibility difficult. I was alone for most of the afternoon, too. The head bagger had a family emergency and went home early. They did get a college boy to help later, but he first had his break, then had to return to his original job handling self-checkout. At least it was sunny and warm, in the 50's, and I was able to buy my favorite Caramel Coconut Cookies from the Girl Scouts.

When I got home, I had dinner while watching Frosty Returns. I go further into this strange 1992 semi-sequel to the Rankin-Bass Frosty specials at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Animation Celebration Saturday - Frosty Returns

Finished the night making the bed while tonight's YouTube Match Game marathon was on. Though Mickey Mouse hadn't appeared in a theatrical short in over 20 years when the show started in 1973, he still occasionally turned up as the subject for questions. Most of them joked about his relationship with Minnie, what he really wanted more than anything, or him finally firing Donald Duck. 

Fannie Flagg had a sequined Mickey Mouse shirt she wore at least twice during the original 1973-1979 run of the show. There were Mickey questions on the only episode to feature two male contestants in early 1977 (both of them very cute), and the wild week in 1973 with McLean Stevenson and Nancy Dussault. The first Mickey question appeared during the first week with Brett, Charles, Bert Convy, and Betty White. There would be another in 1979 with Convy and Robert Walden, too. 

Celebrate Disney's big cheese with these hilarious episodes that will have you all ears!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Match Game Meets Mickey Mouse Marathon

My Foolish Heart

Began the morning with breakfast and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. Today is its last day on Netflix, so I wanted to watch as much as I could while I can still get it for free. "Taking Control" has Adora trying to reconnect with Catra, but she's still out of it after her rescue from Horde Prime. While Entraptra and Bow navigate an asteroid field, Catra warns Adora that the Rebellion is under attack by residents of a town that were fitted with hive mind chips. Adora turns into She-Ra and wards them off...but she hasn't succeeded in getting rid of every chip out there...

Called Uber after the episode ended. No trouble here today. The driver going to the Westmont Acme arrived in 7 minutes. The one going home came in 5 minutes. No traffic, either, not even on Cuthbert Road at quarter of 1.

Surprisingly, considering what the weather is supposed to be like this weekend, the Acme wasn't any busier than normal, either. I was just making an ordinary trip myself. Restocked granola, coconut milk, sliced chicken, granola bars, probiotic soda, apples, and yogurt. Opted to get cheaper and easier to store whole wheat tortillas for wraps instead of sandwich bread. Blood oranges are finally in season (my favorite citrus fruit), and those yummy sweet "Jam Grapes" and "Candy Snaps" red grapes I love were on good sales with an online coupon. Found strawberry thumbprint cookies on the bakery clearance rack, and treated myself to a slice of red velvet cake on sale. No Fresca, but they did have a display of the new Coke Cherry Float Zero, so I got two of those.

Looked up my schedule when I got home and put everything away. It's pretty much the same as this week with slightly more hours on Sunday and next Saturday. We'll see if I can actually go in on Sunday. I don't want to call out again (I've already called out three times in the past month, either because of my knee or the weather), but we are supposed to get snow this weekend. 

Watched Good Times while I put everything away and ate lunch. "Junior Has a Patron," wealthy Leroy Jackson (Ed Cambridge) who is willing to fund J.J's art. James is furious when he finds out. Leroy once bet on a horse with all his money and lost. He won't let J.J work with him, which leads to Junior moving out. J.J discovers, however, that he can't work without his family's constant noise...and his parents find that they miss him.

The Evans parents are up in arms when they discover an essay entitled "Sexual Behavior In the Ghetto." Florida thinks it's J.J's, but his only thought is of the ever-changing stream of luscious ladies he's been dating. James thinks it's Thelma, who has been gushing over a handsome college student beau (Phillip Michael Thomas). Turns out "Sex and the Evans Family" isn't as explicit as they think, nor does it come from the source they assume.

Headed for the school after Good Times ended. No trouble here, either. The Uber driver going to school arrived in 7 minutes. The one going home was originally supposed to come in 5, but he canceled, and the next took 10 minutes. At least there was no traffic either way.

Things started out pretty crazy. The cafeteria was still set up for a magic-themed assembly held there earlier, so the kids had to sit against the walls while we waited for the magicians to clean up their props and the custodians to pull out the tables. My kids barely had the chance to play before they went to the bathrooms. The girls were really wild in there, making a mess again and sliding all over the slippery floor when I told them not to.

We couldn't get into the library right away, either. They were holding a party for one of the school clubs there. The head teacher read stories to them after snack time before they cleared out and we could head in. Most of the kids danced to music from Bluey, KPop Demon Hunters, PJ Masks, and kid-ized versions of (relatively) recent hit songs. Two of the older boys ran around and played with Legos before they got a little too crazy and had to be separated. The kids loved seeing me draw Hilary, Betty, and Maple fighting a snake man and Snake-Man Jeff leading the trio out of the castle through an underground tunnel. 

It had been raining off and on all day, though it hadn't rained heavily since that morning. It was finally gone by 5:30, and most of the snow went with it. It remained cloudy, cold, and damp for the entire day, though.

Had dinner and watched Match Game Syndicated when I got home. Most of the episodes finished out the week with George Kennedy, Elaine Joyce, Dick Martin, and Betty White. In one episode, Gene talked for so long about the universe and the cosmos, the entire panel but a genuinely fascinated Dick Martin walked off the set, and then the lights went out! David Doyle and Susan Sullivan were in the last episode of the night.

Finished out the night with more She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. Mermista goes into film noir turf again as she seeks out "The Perils of Peekablue." She brings Perfuma, Scorpia, and Sea Hawk to help her find Prince Peekablue, who supposedly can see into the future, at a local club. Trouble is, not only do half the people at the club know Sea Hawk and don't like him, but the other half already have been fitted with the mind-control chips. Not to mention, Peekablue is far from what Mermista thinks he is...but they do manage to discover that there's a blockade around the planet that won't let Adora's ship through.

Adora is willing to make a "Shot In the Dark" when Wrong Hordak, the clone they saved from Horde Prime's ship, claims Horde Prime's weakness can be found at Krytis. Turns out that what they find there are First Ones ruins, a ton of magic, and a cat-like creature named Melog with magic of its own that bonds with Catra. They come to the conclusion that it's magic that can take down Horde Prime and make use of Melog's stealth magic to get them past the blockade.

Even when they land on Etheria, "An Ill Wind" has separated the Rebellion and terrified the planet. Adora leads her party to the nearest town, which has also been corrupted by the mind-control chips. The residents are utterly terrified, claiming princesses have been attacking them. Not all of them. Netossa saves them from her mind-controlled wife Spinnerella, and almost rescues her. When She-Ra joins them to help liberate the town, she says they'll do anything to save both Etheria and Netossa's beloved lady. 

Ladies of Fantasy

Began the morning with breakfast and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. I'm trying to get as much of this as I can in before it leaves Netflix tomorrow and I have to pay to access the last few episodes. (Seasons 4 and 5 aren't currently on DVD.) "Corridors" begins with Adora, Bow, and Entraptra stranded in space when their vehicle stalls. Entraptra, who always wanted to get into space, is the only one who is happy about this. Meanwhile, it's Catra who sacrifices her own freedom to get Glimmer past Horde Prime and to the others.

Headed out to run errands next. It was a dull, gray day, cloudy and chilly but not freezing like it has been the past month. I mainly just needed a new weekly planner. Mine is about to run out. I checked Dollar General, but I ended up getting the same one at Family Dollar. Since I was near-by, I kept going down the White Horse Pike to WaWa for a Coconut Cream Smoothie and a chicken, bacon, and cheddar sandwich on a pretzel roll. The snow is finally disappearing, too. More than three-fourths of it is gone. Most of what's left is collected around the curbs and in shady spots where sunlight has a harder time reaching.

Went back to She-Ra while I ate. The quartet are "Stranded" on a planet where they can find the pink crystals that will fuel their ship...but one that's also rocked by strong earthquakes. While Bow and Glimmer make up after she admits that she should have listened to him about setting off the Heart of Etheria weapon, Adora convinces three fugitive siblings from Horde Prime's tyranny to help them find crystals and join the Rebellion.

I also worked on a new Remember WENN story idea this morning. I originally came up with the general idea for this one last year, but I didn't know where to go with it until now. Betty, Maple, and Hilary are all lamenting their men leaving after "All Noisy On the Pittsburgh Front." Scott is at basic training, Victor went to Washington to deal with W.E.N.N business, and Jeff is trying to get a London correspondent job. Maple wonders why they can't be the ones to run off, for once...which prompts Betty's newest fantasy show, and the story.

Queen Hilary, Lady Elizabeth, and Maid Maple return to WENN Castle to discover it's now the stronghold of the wicked Snake King Pruitt. He hates music and love, the things that can most defeat him, and has stolen all of the sound and music in the kingdom. The Wizard Victor is fighting his control. King Jeffery has been turned into a half-snake, half-man slave for Pruitt. Victor put a sleeping spell on Sir Scott...and when he inserted a clause that would allow his true love to awaken him with a kiss, Pruitt sealed Scott in a crystal coffin and hid him where he would never be found. The ladies must free their menfolk and restore the sound and music to their beloved home.

I think I might actually start writing this next week, maybe Sunday or Monday. I want to work on a few more things before I start writing...but I really like this one. This is the most excited I've been about an idea since Maplepunzel back in September. 

Called Uber after the show ended. No trouble here. Took 7 minutes to arrive and 5 going home. I was slightly early arriving, but nothing outrageous.

The kids weren't bad, either. In fact, I only had six at my table today, and they weren't nearly as much of a problem in the bathrooms. There were just 20 younger kids all together. They did get a little wild in the cafeteria. I had at least five kids requesting stories all at once. I did manage to read a Golden Book version of Frozen and a Cars story before we went to the library. Once we got there, most of the kids danced to songs from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Moana, KPop Demon Hunters, and Bluey. One of the older boys wanted me to draw something for him, but I told him to use his own imagination...and boy, did he! His nifty stick-figures were worthy of a Marvel comic. His mom was proud of him when she picked him up later on. 

Watched Lost In Alaska when I got home. I go further into this wacky adventure in the Yukon with Abbott and Costello at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Lost In Alaska

Switched to Good Times next. "God's Business Is Good Business" for an old Korean War friend of James' who is now a smarmy televangelist. Everyone in the Evans family is moved by his spiel (and money) but Florida, who thinks he's slimy and what he does is blasphemous. James is ready to join him and earn big bucks, until he sees J.J imitating him and realizes that what he does isn't what he wants for his family.

"Michael Gets Suspended" when he tells his teacher that he thinks George Washington was racist for owning slaves. His parents are shocked and try to get him to apologize. After reading a book on black History from the library, James begins to wonder if the kid has a point, even if he should have been nicer to his teacher about disagreeing.

Switched to Match Game Syndicated during dinner. Big George Kennedy joined in next to Brett this time. Dick Martin found himself between two smarter and more sensible blondes, Elaine Joyce and Betty White. Charles spent most of the week fussing about replacements for Brett. 

Finished the night with more She-Ra. Adora buys the others time to rescue Catra while she distracts Horde Prime. They don't find Catra, but they are able to rescue one of Horde Prime's hive-mind clones. Entraptra dubs him "Wrong Hordak," and he actually ends up being kind of sweet when he's not attached to a planet-dominating Bond villain. Adora puts herself out to "Save the Cat" when she discovers Catra's being controlled, too, and only she can break his hive-mind. It would seem She-Ra isn't gone after all, and love, not First Ones tech, has everything to do with it. 

Oh, and it started raining while I was waiting for the Uber ride home. It's rained off and on, sometimes fairly hard, for the rest of the evening. 

Wild In the Library

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, and the first episode of season five. "Horde Prime" is the ultimate Bond villain, slick on the outside, the world's biggest jerk on the inside. He thinks he can force Glimmer to tell him what happened to She-Ra, but...er, there's a slight problem. Adora broke her sword in "Destiny" and can no longer become She-Ra. She's been fighting more on her own, feeling she has nothing to offer her friends anymore. The others save her and remind her that there's a lot more to her than just being She-Ra.

Soon as the episode ended, I called Uber. Unfortunately, the driver took 12 minutes, and I was just barely late to work. Thankfully, work wasn't terribly busy. The weather is improving - it was a bit misty and cloudy, but not too cold - and we're between holidays again. In fact, I spent an hour doing three online training courses. When I finished, one of the college boys was sweeping, so I focused on the carts.

After work, I bought water for later, then walked in the back to Tang Asian Buffet. Thought I'd do them in honor of Chinese New Year yesterday. They weren't that busy at 1:30. I think more people do dinner there. I watched the Olympic Women's Freestyle Skiing Aerials on TVs over the buffet counters while I ate salad, pineapple chunks, sweet and sour chicken, chilled mussels, green beans, rice noodles with vegetables, a spring roll, a cheese-filled wonton, two pork dumplings, seafood salad, spinach souffle, tiramisu (which was really more of a tiramisu pudding), and a tiny square of chocolate mousse cake. (Incidentally, I later found out one of the two Chinese ladies came in first, followed by the Australian woman. The highest the US got was fifth.)

Walked back to the Acme as the sun was peeking around the mists and read magazines until it was time to call Uber. This was the only time all day it didn't take forever to get one. They picked me up in 7 minutes and got me to the Thomas Sharp School right on time, with no traffic anywhere.

The kids were wild today. Somehow, I ended up taking the 7 kids at my table to the bathroom, plus four more who really needed to go. The girls were so nuts in the bathroom, they got water and soap all over the floor. One young lady valiantly tried to clean up the floor while the others skated on it. I finally told her that I appreciated the help, but we would leave it to the custodians. 

It didn't get much better after lunch. The head teacher was busy with a visiting inspector, which meant the other teacher and I were frequently on our own with 20 bored kids who hadn't been on their playground in over a month. I tried reading to them at the book table in the cafeteria, but they all swarmed around me, and I had to stand so they could see it. They were even crazier in the library, running around and standing on tables and hiding under tables when we'd specifically told them not to. At least three kids bonked their heads and ended up taking ice packs home with them. We were in the library for so long trying to get the kids settled down, I stayed slightly later to help them clean up and get back to the cafeteria.

Had more trouble getting an Uber home. They didn't arrive for 13 minutes, and there was a little traffic around Collings Avenue and the White Horse Pike. No trouble after that, though. 

Went straight into dinner and Match Game Syndicated when I got home. Jon "Bowser" Bauman and his big, wide mouth and sneaker-shaped bag returned this week. Small and sensible Arte Johnson was more frustrated about being caught between slightly dizzy blondes Joyce Bulifant and Eva Gabor. Eva just wished oil from the pipes over them wouldn't drip on her pretty blue dress. Gene eventually gave her an umbrella to keep the drips off.

Finished the night after a shower with more fifth season She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. While Glimmer tentatively bonds with a frustrated Catra, Entraptra and the others try to keep the Rebellion going. Adora, overworked and undernourished, takes a long nap...and follows a light figure who finally reminds her that they do have a way to save Glimmer that doesn't involve her sword. Entraptra may not be great with people, but she can "Launch" Adora and Bow into space in their stolen First Ones ship.