Kicked off a cloudy and kind of cool morning with breakfast and three of the wartime Paramount Superman animated shorts. Given the tenor of the comic books of the time, it was probably inevitable that Superman would fight the Axis on the big screen as well. "Japoteurs" has him rescuing Lois and stopping a falling plane that was sabotaged by a Japanese spy. "The Eleventh Hour" is the unusual mature tale of Superman fighting the Japanese while he and Lois are captives in Tokyo. Superman helps a "Secret Agent" escape a group of Nazi spies who want the papers she stole from them that will reveal the names of their group.
Headed out after the last cartoon ended. Every year, Collingswood holds its huge May Fair on most of Haddon Avenue the Saturday before Memorial Day. The farm market is absorbed into the Fair for the week on a side street. I ducked through the crowds and made my way there first. There were hoards of people buying fresh produce and baked goods for their Memorial Day barbecues and parties. Peas and beets are out now; I bought spring peas, along with strawberries.
Strolled around a bit after I left the farm market. Most of the fair is a huge craft show, with people selling everything from doll clothes to knitted toys to beaded jewelry and local artwork. On one end of the craft show is a midway for young kids, with a mini-Scrambler, Ferris wheel, an area with a stage and hula hoops and balls to play with, and three bounce houses (one of them some very high slides). There was a train ride in a parking lot and sand and candle art at a booth.
On the other end is a huge blocks-spanning car show. It was so long, I got tired and turned around before I saw half of it. My favorites of the cars were both from the 50's. I loved the cute little red and white Chevolette and the mauve and cream car.
Rite Aid and WaWa are a few blocks from the car show. I hit Rite Aid to get a soda and pick up the new Vanity Fair that has Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker on the cover. I was able to get a Vanilla Coke, but it turns out that they just remodeled and eliminated the magazine section. Not to mention, I ended up paying 3 dollars for a $1.99 soda because my sale card automatically rounded up the price for a charity. I don't remember putting any such thing on my store card. It must have been randomly added without my knowledge. And the woman was annoying about the whole thing. I will not be going back in there, or to Rite Aid. They just lost themselves a customer.
The sun was coming out as I returned to the corner of Haddon and Collings. Took the long way down Newton Lake Park, dodging several other bike riders as well. Stopped at CVS and Dollar General on the way home, but neither had the magazine.
Made a strawberry-banana smoothie when I got home. Ran war shorts from the Walter Lanz Studio at Universal. Woody is an "Ace In the Hole" when he wants to fly, but ends up shaving horses. His sergeant seriously regrets it when he does make it in the air. "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B" has a black officer getting his regiment jumping with his swinging reverie. (While the black stereotypes fly thick and hard here, there's also a really swinging version of the title songs, and I don't know too many other cartoons that depict minorities in the military). "21 Dollars a Day (Once a Month)" also spoofs the peacetime draft, this time with toys in the army (and Woody Woodpecker and Andy Panda). "Pigeon Patrol" is a more typical wartime story. A skinny country pigeon has to get a message past a nasty (and stereotyped) Japanese vulture.
The Pink Panther is swayed by the power portrayed in the recruiting posters in "G.I Pink." Cranky seargents, land mine-filled fields, and angry mascots make him wish he'd stayed out of Vietnam. Mickey Mouse has more luck with "The Barnyard Battle." He may be a skinny rubber-hose mouse, but he still has no trouble getting rid of those Hun cats.
Puttered around for a bit, then did the laundry around 3. They were dead when I arrived. I forgot my laundry detergent, to my embarrassment. Good thing the manager was around and let me borrow some Tide. Not that I had a huge load anyway. I wanted to get the last load from vacation done before I went back to work, including my new jeans. By the time it started getting busier, my clothes were in the dryer.
Worked on writing after I got home and put everything away. Shara invites everyone to a party at her boyfriend Kes' coffee shop to celebrate. Leia says she'll be there later. She has to tell the White Queen...aka the former Senator Patricia Amidala, her mother...about her encounter with Vader.
Broke for dinner at 6:30. Did a few Popeye cartoons while adding tuna and steamed spring peas to the last of the pasta salad. Popeye thinks he's "The Mighty Ensign" when he joins the Navy, but he has a lot to learn about getting along in the Armed Services. It's a "Blunder Below" when he makes a mess of the cannons and ends up shoveling coal, but it turns out he's the only one who can really get rid of the enemy. He and Bluto are "Kicking the Conga Around" when they do the famous Latin dance to compete for the fair senorita Olive. They also compete for Olive when she visits their ship in "Olive Oyl and Water Don't Mix."
Played Lego Pirates of the Caribbean after dinner. Was able to get all the way through "Smuggler's Run" this time with no glitching, and I even found a piece I missed the first time. It took a while to figure out how to get all the light and wood in the right place. The last round of Curse of the Black Pearl has Will, Elizabeth, and Jack literally having to move the earth to fight Barbarossa and end the curse on them and the ship.
Finally got enough gold bricks to explore the Port hub area more thoroughly after the round ended. In later Lego games, the red Extra bricks are found in the hub, rather than in the rounds. I managed to find the first one for Disguises on one end of the Port.
Finished the night after a late shower with the original animated Disney Aladdin, in honor of the live-action version being released this weekend. I go into more details on one of Disney's most popular animated movies of the 90's at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Aladdin (1992)
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