Sunday, September 25, 2016

Magic To Do In the Keystone State

There couldn't have been a nicer day for a football face-off. It was beautiful, sunny, and actually chilly for the first time in ages when I got up this morning. I celebrated with Pineapple Pancakes and the original cast album of Pippin. The story of the son of Charlemagne, who is desperately seeking his purpose in life, may not sound very exciting on paper...but the show is usually staged as a kind of vaudeville circus, with death-defying "acts" and a narrator (Ben Vereen in the original) who goads everyone on.

The music by Stephan Schwartz (who also did Wicked) is much better than most people give it credit for. In addition to the dynamic opening number "Magic To Do," I'm also fond of Pippin's "Corner of the Sky" and "Extraordinary," "No Time at All" for Pippin's grandmother (apparently a sing-along number in the actual show),  and the lovely "I Guess I'll Miss the Man" for Pippin's love interest Catherine. This show was successfully revived on Broadway in 2013, and in fact won Best Revival that season. I can hear why in this recording - the music's well-written and, for all the simplicity of the plot, just darn fun.

Headed off to work at 10. I started the day doing returns, but that barely lasted a half-hour. It was a beautiful blue and gold Sunday, and if people weren't getting ready for the Eagles-Steelers game at 4:25. It was windy and cool, no more than the lower 70's, absolutely perfect for this time of year. I wouldn't have minded doing the carts the whole day if I'd had more help. They did bring in one of the college boys later in the afternoon, but I was alone for most of the morning.

It was too nice to rush home. I took the long way down Nicholson Road, past Wal Mart and the senior center. They were busy, but it was worth dodging the traffic to enjoy the weather. The sun was out and felt nice and warm, despite the cool air. The air smelled of wildflowers and dried leaves. There couldn't have been a nicer first weekend of fall. 

Spent the next couple of hours working on my story. Luke is worried about his sister, too worried to enjoy the Rogues' party. A very upset Arturro and Chip show up and confirm Luke's worst fears. Leia has been kidnapped by the Imperial Gang and taken to Organa Island, where their boss is currently holding court. Luke plies them with soda to get them to calm down, then tells his Uncle what's going on. They'll need a way to get to the island...

Went back out around 4:30. I was originally going to just see if Dad and Jodie were home, then pick up a hoagie at WaWa and listen to the Eagles for the rest of the night. As it turned out, not only were they home, but they'd just walked in the door from their vacation an hour and a half before the game. I got to see many of their photos and souvenirs from their trip down to Savannah and St. Augustine, including a slate and thick pencils (colored and regular) made from real unshaven wood for Khai and two beautiful capes (one in gray, one in white) for Jodie. 

Rose and Khai showed up not long after I did. Rose is working at Anthony's in Haddon Heights again, but she's currently looking for a law job and already has an interview. Khai's just happy to be in first grade. He's a goalie on his soccer team. Even though his team lost yesterday, his mother said he did very well and even made a few amazing saves.

The Eagles were pretty darn amazing today, too. Unlike the Browns and the Bears, the Steelers are one of the best teams in the NFL. Many sports writers consider them to be Super Bowl contenders. And yet, the Eagles dominated them today. They ran circles around their top quarterback Ben Roethilsberger, including an amazing 73-yard touchdown return by Darren Sproles. As Rose pointed out, Roethilsberger's head just didn't seem to be in the game - he was sacked at least three or four times. The Eagles proved they're much better than most people thought with their huge 34-3 win.

I'm glad I ended up over there. Jodie bought Khai and his friend Chloe (who just came back from cheerleading practice and had the cutest little gold, white, and navy blue uniform) chicken fingers and everyone else hoagies. I cheered on the Eagles over a roast beef hoagie with a ton of tomatoes and onions. (I wish I'd remembered to tell Jodie provolone cheese instead of American, please.) 

(And Dad has another reason to be happy. The Dolphins finally got their first win of the season in overtime over the wayward Cleveland Browns.)

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