Friday, September 12, 2014

The Most Beautiful Day In the World

I couldn't believe how gorgeous it was when I got up this morning. The sun was shining, the breeze was blowing, and it was warm, but not hot, and not humid at all. It was the perfect day to run tons of errands, starting with quick stops at WaWa to use the ATM machine and Rite Aid for contact lens solution. Rite Aid was so quiet, I believe the woman behind the front desk and I were the only people in the main store.

My next stop was the Haddon Township Library, which was also quiet. I hadn't seen it so dead in ages. I mainly just organized and shelved DVDs and CDs. The S titles are still overstocked. I have no idea why they need soooo many Scooby Doo titles! Some of the three-episode sets really need to go. I ended up with a new Sofia the First title, The Enchanted Feast, the musical High Society, and the Disney drama Saving Mr. Banks, about how Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) finally persuaded author P.L Travers (Emma Thompson) to let him adapt her Mary Poppins book series.

I had lunch at Friendly's. They're still doing that lunch deal that allows you to buy certain items, plus ice cream and drinks, for fixed prices. I tried a Turkey Avocado Burger for the main meal. The burger itself was tasty but....well, the avocados were a nice idea on paper, but maybe they should have been made into a sauce instead of just sliced and placed on top. They made the burger slippery and hard to hold. I had an easier time with my "Celebration" (vanilla ice cream with icing ribbons and cake pieces)  sundae topped with whipped cream and marshmallow sauce.

I was originally going to do my grocery shopping at the Westmont Acme. It was such a nice day, I decided I wanted a longer ride. I cut across Audubon and down Market Street to the Audubon Crossing Shopping Center instead. Bought a much-needed new shower curtain at Marburn Curtain (they were on a 20% off sale) before heading to the Audubon Acme to do this week's grocery shopping.

Actually, I didn't need all that much. Restocked butter, brown and powdered sugar, and yogurt. The Hormel canned meats are still on sale; thought I'd try their turkey. Grabbed the Acme's generic Cranberry-White Chocolate trail mix on sale to eventually make into granola bars. I had no problems getting anything. The Acme was only slightly busier than Rite Aid was earlier in the day, and far quieter than almost-rush-hour on a Friday usually is.

Since I was there, I got my schedule. I'm only working Sunday (another early shift) and Monday. Tuesday's a normal day off, and then...I start my second vacation week! As I mentioned, I'm going to be doing what Lauren and I do on my spring vacation - take day trips. No one in Cape May County is up to visitors, and I don't know if I could deal with or afford hotels on my own. I may see if I can get at least one long bike ride in, too. The weather is supposed to be even nicer next week.

When I got home, I finished Deep In My Heart as I unloaded my groceries. One of the last of the composer "biography" semi-revues of the 40s and 50s takes a different tack by covering the works of operetta master Sigmund Romberg (Mel Ferrer). Romberg wants to write romantic light operas, but his need for money keeps pushing him back to J.J Shubert (Walter Pidgeon) and his empty-headed-but-popular Al Jolson vehicles. A sensible debutante (Doe Avedon) finally gives him the inspiration to write some of his most famous shows in the 20s, including The Student Prince, The Desert Song, and New Moon.

Overlong but lovely salute to one of the grand musical masters of the late teens through the 50s. Though Romberg's greatest successes came in the 20s, he continued writing music through the early 50s, and actually had a major hit in the mid-40s, Up In Central Park. Though this movie stops with his Broadway flops in the early 30s, it does touch on some of his biggest hits, and even references more obscure titles. Ann Miller shows that she has "It," a comedy number from The Desert Song that's not often heard today. Ferrer's big tour-de-force has him playing all the characters from one of Al Jolson's fluffy shows, Jazz-a-Doo. My favorite numbers are two very different duets. James Mitchell and Cyd Charisse dance an amazingly sexy "One Alone" pas de dux from Desert Song, and Jane Powell and Vic Damone's do a touching "Will You Remember?" from Maytime.

It was too nice to be inside for too long. I swept the acorn pieces and crunchy leaves off the porch, then went for a short walk in the park next-door. The park garden is in full bloom. There's unusually-shaped gourds as long as a 6-year-old child, huge, ripe tomatoes drooping on vines, and the first plump pumpkins of the year. Brilliant scarlet and orange marigolds and twisty snapdragons brightened fences. A path had been made between the two main garden plots. The wicker couch I saw last year was replaced by a metal patio table and umbrella and a couple of folding chairs.

I spent the rest of the evening working on cupcakes and frosting for the Acme's football party tomorrow and making  while running Sofia the First. The nasty Miss Nettles returns in "The Enchanted Feast," disguised as an exotic sorceress. When she puts a hex on Cedric the Wizard's wand, it causes his spells to go even more wrong than usual. Sofia thinks there's something not quite right about this newcomer, but no one else seems to notice. Sofia isn't sure what to do...until the first Disney princess, Snow White, appears to remind the child of what happened one time when she didn't follow her instincts regarding an old woman and a poisoned apple.

The other episodes are less dire. Cedric's backfiring magic also figures into "Two Princesses and a Baby." Amber is tired of sharing her birthday with James and wishes she were older, so she could have their party all to herself. She wants Cedric to turn James two months younger, but he accidentally makes him into a two-year-old. While Cedric and Clover chase the dog who stole Cedric's spell book, Sofia and Amber take care of little James, and Amber is reminded of why she loves her twin brother.

Sofia has a day to remember with her Aunt Tilly in "Great Aunt-Venture." James and Amber complains their Aunt Tilly is an old lady who pinches cheeks and makes them sit in the kitchen all day, baking pies. Turns out Tilly is hardly old, and the ingredients for her apple pie requires a lot more than a trip to the market! Sofia finally learns that adventure is where you find it, and no matter how bad something may seem, there's always a way through.

No comments: