Friday, October 26, 2018

Before the Rain Came Down

I went to bed too late, around 3:30...and got up too late, around 10:30. Decided to watch some Backyardigans to cheer me up while I made a late breakfast-brunch. Tasha is a mad scientist who orders her assistant Austin to invite other monsters to laboratory in "Scared of You." Austin has to deliver the messages to the "monsters," the Mummy King Tyrone, Werewolf Uniqua, and vampire Pablo. They're terrified of each other, until Austin points out that they're too cute to be scary. He's upset that it's his birthday and nobody's noticed, but perhaps that "secret" that Tasha's told the kids to keep will make him feel better.

"Samurai Pie" is one of the most unusual episodes in a series full of strange satire. Tyrone is a master pie maker in old Japan, and Austin is his eager young trainee. Empress Tasha wants them to make the Great Pie. Not only is it the most difficult pie to attempt, but they have to watch out for pie-stealing ninjas Uniqua and Pablo!

It was past 1:30 when I finally made it out to the Acme. I didn't really need much in the way of groceries this week, and wouldn't have, even if I had the money. I mostly ate out of the fridge this week. Grabbed the Grainberry version of Honey Nut Cheerios. Not only was it on a really good sale, but all Grainberry products come with coupons printed in the boxes. Restocked skim milk, mouthwash, yogurt, and butter. Grabbed bananas for cheap fruit this week.

I was mainly there for my schedule. Other than a very early day on Sunday, it's much better. Only minor complaint is having to miss the Collingswood Farm Market next Saturday. Otherwise, mostly late morning-early afternoon work, with Halloween and the day after off, and slightly increased hours.

Went straight home after I finished there. Put everything away, then made a Mocha-Banana Smoothie for lunch. This was just coffee yogurt, milk, peanut butter, a banana, honey, and dark cocoa. Oh, yum. Rich and sinfully chocolaty, if a little sweet. I may leave out the honey if I make this again later in the week.

Watched Danger Mouse horror-themed episodes while I ate and got organized. "The Strange Case of the Ghost Bus" is a short from the second half of the third season. DM and Penfold head to the China Seas to check out rumors of a ghostly bus sinking ships. Count Duckula makes his second appearance on the show in the fourth season episode "The Return of Count Duckula." He turns all the members of Parliament into performers to convince them to give him his own show. DM and Penfold have to track him down...and endure his bad acts. (Interestingly, when he actually did get his own show, it was a standard cartoon sitcom, not a variety program.) The next episode "Demons Aren't Dull" gives us a creature from the Fourth Dimension who challenges DM to stop him from trying to steal half the buildings in London. He does get to Danger Mouse's goat at first...until he and Penfold find a way to slam the dimensional doors on this odd being.

Got a call from Jodie while Danger Mouse was on. She and Dad will pay for the damages to the porch. I appreciate it...but now I feel horribly guilty. I should be making this money myself,  not borrowing it from them. They need it for other things. I told Jodie I won't be able to make the morning Eagles game on Sunday. She said come on over after work anyway. I'll consider it, depending on how work goes.

I went for a walk after I let her go. I needed to clear my head. Besides, I've been wanting to take a stroll around the neighborhood to check out the decorations, like I do at Christmas. Most Halloween displays don't involve "exterior illumination," making this walk more appropriate for the daytime. While flat-out spooky displays were actually pretty rare, I saw lots of beautifully carved jack-o'-lanterns sitting on porches and steps. Gardens overflowed with mums, asters, and late roses. Wreaths made from leaves far more colorful than the ones on the trees hung on doors. Scarecrows and grinning pumpkin faces greeted me as I strolled down Manor and around the streets in the back of the school, stopping briefly at the Tracy Connors Playground to run around there and sit on the benches for a while.

The weather matched my mood. We were really rather dreary today, a stark contrast to the beautiful sunshine we've had lately. While it felt slightly warmer, it was also humid, cloudy, and still a little bit windy.

Went directly into writing when I got back in. Leia says they'll talk to UCLA and Dr. Mothma about opening a museum of southwestern and Latin American artifacts in the name of Andrew and Padme Skylark, with the Swords and the items from Yoda's and Yasmin Hutt's private collections as part of the displays. Artie and Clarence agree to turn their shares from the dig and selling off Empire Industries over to them to fund the museum. Harry and Charel want to use most of their shares to repair the Falcon and start a legitimate cargo business. Laurence's share will go to expanding his hotel in the Rivera and aiding the rebel groups still stranded in war-torn Europe.

Had a very late dinner when I finally broke from writing around 7:30. Finally made the baked cornmeal-crusted chicken tenders, sweet potato fries, and salad with apple cider vinegar dressing I'd originally planned on having yesterday. Ran a bunch of (mostly) mildly spooky episodes of The Yogi Bear Show while I ate.

Fibber Fox thinks he's "The Most Ghost" when he covers himself in flour in order to scare off Chopper the dog so he can eat Yakky Doodle the duck. Yakky's scared, but Chopper isn't convinced. Snagglepuss finds himself in a "Fight Fright" when he has to fight a kangaroo at a fair and in a "Footlight Fright" when Major Minor uses his desire to become an actor to trick him into a cage. Yogi becomes a "Batty Bear" when he gets a Batman-style costume and uses it to swoop down and steal picnic baskets. A "Witch Duck-ter" thinks Yakky Doodle is the perfect ingredient for her birthday spell. Chopper tries to rescue him. Snagglepuss deals with a few ghosts of his own in an English castle in "Be My Ghost."

Finished the night with another ghost tale, the original 1984 Ghostbusters. Three scientists who were fired from Columbia University go into business for themselves as downtown Manhattan's only paranormal investigators. Their first customer is the lovely Dana (Signorney Weaver), a classical musician who insists she saw a monster in her refrigerator. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) is more interested in flirting with her than in checking out her case. Shortly after that, the trio find themselves suddenly popular after taking out a little green ghost in a hotel. They become so busy, they hire a fourth man (Ernie Hudson) to help them out. But there really is something strange going on at Dana's building. The building she and her nerdy neighbor Louis (Rick Moranis) live in is really a conduit for the spirit world...and before the night's through, the Ghostbusters will have to save them from a nasty god and a giant walking marshmallow man.

We've loved this movie ever since it came out. It was one of the first movies we rented when our parents bought a VCR in 1985. My sisters and I used to run around our house with backpacks, pretending that we were looking for ghosts. It still holds up really well today, with a hilarious script and surprisingly well-done effects for the time. While the sequel isn't bad and I think the remake is better than most people give it credit for, this is still the only Ghostbusters movie you need to see.

Oh, and the rain that had threatened all day finally started coming down while I was chatting with Lauren. It's been pouring ever since. It's supposed to continue into tomorrow. I hope it won't still be hard tomorrow morning. I want to get to the Collingswood Farm Market, especially since it doesn't look like I'll be able to next week.

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