Sunday, December 06, 2015

The Eagles Turn the Patriots Over

It was a beautiful, sunny, perfectly lower 50's morning when I awoke. I had Cranberry Pancakes (made with the over-starched Cranberry Flummery) with the usual half of a grapefruit as I listened to the soundtrack from the 1969 version of Scrooge. Albert Finney is an unlikely choice for the title character in this musical  A Christmas Carol, but he's not really that bad. The score by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse is a lot of fun. "Thank You Very Much" was the sole hit, but I especially like the rollicking "December the 25th" at the Fezziwigs' party.

Work was surprisingly on-and-off steady. I thought it would be much busier, given the Eagles were playing the Patriots at 4:25 and we're still getting beginning-of-the-month people. This time, there was plenty of help and no major problems. They did need to send in the self-checkout person to relieve me and finish out a very long WIC check order, since I originally had no relief. I was almost out of skim milk. I grabbed some and hurried home.

As soon as I got home, I went into working on my story. After they help Maple Bo Peep get her sheep into their pen, Mr. Eldridge takes his grandchildren (they're being re-written as his grandchildren to give them more of a reason for being there) to Toyland's school. They see pretty teacher Little Betty Blue lead her students through their "I Can't Do the Sum" math lessons. Nasty Mr. Pruitt Barnaby disrupts the class to ask Betty on a date. When she refuses him, he reminds her that he owns the mortgage on her mother the Old Woman Who Lived In a Shoe's home. Mr. Eldridge and the kids tell him to leave her alone; he points out his love life is none of their business.

Fortunately, handsome Scott Piper, the head of the Toyland Toy Factory, also turns up at this point. He lacks Pruitt's riches and expensive clothing, but he's more charming and kinder to the kids. Betty still turns him down...but she's obviously more interested in him than in the oily Barnaby.

I listened to the Eagles game on and off through the evening. I had it on while I ate the leftover Merlin's Magic Chicken leg and the last of the mashed cauliflower for dinner with honey-glazed carrots. The Eagles trailed the Patriots during the first half, but by the third quarter, they were leading. I picked the right time to tune in. I heard two amazing touchdowns, including an 80-yard turnaround by Darren Sproles. They didn't play quite as well in the fourth quarter, letting Tom Brady throw two touchdowns. It was still enough to beat the faltering Patriots 35-28.

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