Wednesday, August 15, 2018

It's a Dog's Life

I was up so late this morning, I didn't get moving and having breakfast until around 10:30, and I didn't make it to the laundromat until past noon. They were incredibly busy by that point; almost all of the dryers were taken. It's just as well that, even with my summer quilt added to the mix, I still didn't have a very big load. I won't have another day off until Saturday, and I have other things I want to do that day. I had to get it done today. I ignored soap operas, worked on story notes, and chatted with an adorable little girl who was enjoying a Rice Krispies treat.

Went straight home afterwards. Put away the laundry, had a quick lunch of a smoothie and a plum, then went right back out again. Rode by Target on my way across the Westmont Plaza. Jodie said yesterday that they were only open for friends and family of the employees, and that the actual opening would be Sunday...but there was an awful lot of people going in and out for a "soft" opening.

One of the librarians at the Haddon Township Library confirmed this when I arrived. It was still a "soft" opening...but people were going in anyway. Too many people around here have wanted this place to open for them to bother stopping them!

The DVDs were a mess. I left the loose ones to be shelved by others, but I did organize the shelves and removed TV series and foreign films that belonged elsewhere. I also shelved a couple of audio books.

Found a new cozy mystery about a waitress at a Greek restaurant in a fictional Jersey Shore town (I can never resist anything about the Jersey Shore) and DVDs, all comedies. I'm not up to anything heavier than that right now. Houseboat is the other movie where Cary Grant romances a European lady in an exotic setting while kids play matchmaker - the lady here is Sophia Loren. Also grabbed City Slickers and Best In Show.

I finally decided I couldn't resist anymore and stopped by Target on my way home. On one hand, yes, they were smaller than the stores in Cherry Hill and Deptford, with a small Our Generation area in the toy section and barely any DVDs. The fitting rooms were dropped kind of awkwardly in the center of the building, and I wish there had been two doors, instead of everyone going in through one main door.

On the other hand, it was certainly much nicer than the Cherry Hill store for the size it was, with a decent grocery area. Starbucks replaced Thrifway's failed "cafe" on your right as you enter. Not only did I notice that they had the Nature's Valley fig bars I love in boxes (they were only sold individually in the Acme), but they were on sale. I had to have the raspberry.

Worked on some writing when I finally got home. Leia is escorted to the Twin Suns Club in Hollywood by Charel. She's dazzled by the opulent Mexican/Southwestern/Aztec-themed rooms, with their sunburst lamps and fake warrior armor. Mrs. Yasmin Hutt proves to be even more dazzling. Unlike her recently deceased husband, who was notoriously fat and ugly, Yasmin is model-gorgeous...but is said to be even more ruthless. Leia feels dowdy alongside her stunning beauty.

Ran an episode of Get Smart while I had leftovers for dinner. "I'm Only Human" from the first season has Max and his dog Fang undercover in a kennel when they learn that several CONTROL dogs who went there recently attacked their agent masters. Fang is fitted for a TV collar...but when it goes fuzzy, Max and 99 go after him. It turns out to be a CHAOS trap to catch the chief and get all three out of the way, unless Max can get through to Fang and get him to destroy a bomb.

Max isn't the only one having problems with his pooch. Best In Show is the third Christopher Guest mocumentary, this time about five entries in a prestigious dog show. Normal middle-class couple Cookie (Catherine O'Hara) and Garry (Eugene Levy) dote on their terrier, to the point where they write songs about him. Gay couple Scott (John Michael Higgins) and Stefan (Michael McKean) regard their Shizu Tzu as their child. Tackle and bait store owner Harlan (Guest) is a goofball who is following the family tradition by raising bloodhounds. Meg (Parker Posey) and Hamilton (Michael Hitchcock) are neurotic yuppies whose fighting is probably freaking their Weinmaraner out more than anything. Spoiled trophy wife Sharri Ann (Jennifer Coolidge) is more interested in her poodle's trainer Christy (Jane Lynch) than in the dog. There will be much bonding, dog grooming, fighting, and discussions of pistachios taking place over the course of three days, but only one dog can come out victorious...

Another fun improv-style mocumentary from Guest, including the aforementioned pistachio monologue, the arguments between Posey and Hitchcock about their dog being bothered by what they do in the bedroom, and O'Hara and Levy's sweetly silly terrier tunes. If you're a fan of Guest's other movies or of other improv comedies or you love dogs, you may find this one to be a blue-ribbon winner, too.

(And I'm sorry this is late. My internet went down last night right as I was posting it, and I didn't have the time to wait for it to come back to life.)

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