Monday, February 24, 2014

Late Winter Fiesta

I spent most of the morning puttering around the apartment. I went online briefly. I worked on writing down more songs for the positive music list that my counselor wanted. I listened to Schoolhouse Rock. This classic series of educational shorts taught two generations of Saturday morning viewers about grammar, American history, math, and basic science concepts. (A later Disney series would add more numbers on environmental concerns.) I didn't actually grow up with them - by the time I was old enough to pay attention to cartoons, the series had been discontinued - but happily discovered them in college. Linda sent me her video of the original Schoolhouse Rock releases from the 80s (with Glenn Close and a passel of kids introducing the shorts), and I dubbed that a when I got my DVD recorder.

Headed to work around 11. Work was a little quieter than yesterday, on-and-off busy, until it started to pick up during the 4PM rush hour. It should be busier this week than last week. For one thing, we're supposed to get more snow and cold starting tomorrow (though not nearly as much as we have been getting). For another, it's almost the beginning of the month. I finally grabbed the bagged spinach that they were out of yesterday before heading home.

There was a package waiting for me when I got in. My last online order for a while had arrived! I won Josefina's Feast Day Finery - aka her birthday outfit - for about $26 with shipping, nearly six dollars cheaper than it is on AG's site. And if the maroon box was any indication, it was an older version, possibly the original one from the late 90s. It's a gorgeous outfit, with a white and turquoise print skirt trimmed with green ribbon, a ruffled camisa (shift), matching turquoise mules, a wide orange sash, and red ribbons. (You're supposed to weave her braids into a bun, but I can't even manage braids, so I put her hair in pigtails and tied the red ribbons around them.)

I ran The Pirate as I dressed her, and then as I made Pasta, Vegetables, and Beans for dinner. This 1948 MGM musical is an attempt to combine Gene Kelly's specialties, the musical and the swashbuckler, with interesting results. Kelly is a traveling player in the Caribbean in the 1840s. Garland is a young woman from a small village who is about to marry the wealthy middle-aged mayor (Walter Sleazak). Her family needs money; he craves her status and family name. Garland only wants romance and adventure and to see new places. When Kelly gets her to admit she's in love with "Maccoco," the legendary pirate Mack the Black, he follows her to the village and poses as the mysterious buccaneer to win her hand.

This enjoyable romp was a flop on first release; audience just couldn't cotton to all the playing with reality and fantasy. Nowadays, it's something of a cult classic. Cole Porter's score introduced "Be a Clown" and "Mack the Black" for a hotter-than-usual Garland. Kelly's high points are his "Clown" dance with the Nicholas Brothers and "The Pirate Ballet." Definitely seeking out for fans of Garland, Kelly, or unusual musicals.

Tossed on an episode of The Monkees that also revolved around pirates as I cleaned up from dinner. In the early second season show "Hitting the High Seas," Davy, Micky, and Peter find themselves up a mast without a paddle when they get shanghaied onto a ship with a crazy captain who wants to rob a ship carrying gold. The Monkees do their best to stop him from causing any harm.

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