Flash In the Rain

Kicked off the morning with breakfast and an episode of The Backyardigans. It's a case of "Cops and Robots" when space police officers Uniqua and Tyrone pursue bad bots Tasha and Pablo. The evil duo have stolen the key to the intergalactic robot factory. If they get into the factory, they'll turn all the robots bad! (The song "Can't Stop the Cops" is one of the catchiest in the entire series. It'll be in your head for days.)

Hurried off to the laundromat to get this week's load done. I really needed clean work clothes. Picked the right day to do it. It was dead when I arrived. By the time it started to pick up, my clothes were almost out of the dryer. I didn't have a huge load, anyway. I was in and out in less than an hour.

Good thing, too. I had just enough time when I got home to put everything away, then have a lightning-fast yogurt and banana lunch. Relived some fond memories and listened to the Billy Joel album An Innocent Man while I ate. This is one of the first records I remember listening to constantly as a child. I can still sing every song on on my CD copy. Mom and Dad were huge Billy Joel fans, and their enthusiasm carried over to us. "Uptown Girl" and "Leave the Tender Moment Alone" are still two of my all-time favorite pop songs.

Hurried off to work around noon. Turns out the rush was unnecessary. We were only slightly busier this afternoon than we were yesterday. Got some returns done early in the day, but I was mostly outside, doing carts and the outside trash, even after it started to rain around 1:30. The rain picked up a bit later, which slowed down the crowds and made me damp.

It was just starting to slow down when I headed home, enough that I was still wet when I got in. I dried off while working on my story. Luke and Charlie head to Jutland, the poorer side of town. They manage to track down Rudy in an alley, but also have a close encounter with the gang the Tusken Raiders. They're about to seriously hurt Luke and Rudy when they hear a police siren and what they think is a police officer. It's enough to scare them off, but Luke's too dazed to run...

Didn't break for dinner until 7:30. Had leftovers, then made a quick pan of Fudgy Brownies while watching an episode of The Flash. Couldn't remember where I left off, so I picked up with the second disc. "The Flash Is Born" after an encounter with a car thief with metal skin leaves him battered, bruised, and embarrassed. Turns out the thief was Tony Woodward, aka Girder, who bullied Barry frequently as a child. While his friends try to beef up Barry's speed to deal with this iron-fisted menace, Joe, the father of his friend Iris West, questions head of STAR Labs Harrison Wells about his possible involvement in the murder of Barry's mother.

Finished the night with Ocean's 8. Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock), the sister of Danny Ocean, is back on the street after her ex-boyfriend, art dealer Claude (Richard Armitage), sent her up the river. She hopes to get him back by pulling one big heist - lifting a priceless necklace off Daphne, a famous actress (Anne Hathaway) at the Met Gala. Her best friend Lou (Cate Blanchett) helps her round up a motley assortment of ladies to help them out - pickpocket and hustler Constance (Awkwafina), hacker Nine Ball (Rhianna), debt-ridden fashion designer Rose Weil (Helena Bonham Carter), mother and stolen goods fence Tammy (Sarah Paulson), and jewelry maker Amita (Mindy Kaling). In addition to pulling off the jewelry heist of the decade, they also have to deal with a bumbling detective (James Corden) with connections to Debbie.

2018 was a good year for female thieves. While Widows explored the serious side of heist movies, this one is just about the ladies having a good time in fabulous clothes. Carter was especially funny as the ditzy designer; also liked Rhianna's tough computer whiz and Hathaway as the brighter-than-she-looks actress. If you're looking for a lighter heist caper that's closer to the original Ocean's movies than Widows, you'll want to join in and check this one out.