The Heat Is On

Started off a bright, sunny morning by finishing Corpse at the Crystal Palace, then going straight into breakfast while finishing the first season of Clone Wars. Mace Windu fights for "Liberty at Ryloth" when he convinces heroic Twi'lek freedom fighter Chaim Syllendula to join them in taking down Separatist leader Wat Tambor.

Anakin is involved in a "Hostage Crisis" when he goes to visit his secret wife Padme at the Senate Building and she and her fellow senators, including Bail Organa, are held by bounty hunters in order to force Palpatine to release gangster Ziro the Hutt. Anakin has to figure out how to save him without his lightsaber, which he loaned to Padme.

Between this and Rebels, I'm wondering if the Prequels should have been a TV series all along. Both are largely better-written than the majority of the films, and the characters are far more fleshed-out. You really get a sense of Obi-Wan and Anakin's friendship here, and I adore feisty Ahsoka. The animation is far more detailed and attractive than the slightly stiff CGI seen in the Clone Wars movie.

While you can see this without having seen the Clone Wars animated film, a working knowledge of the Star Wars Universe, especially Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, is necessary to understand most of what goes on here. If you're already a fan of the Prequels in particular or Star Wars in general and you want more, you'll want to see if you can track this show down. (There will apparently be one last season coming out this fall on Disney's new streaming service.)

Called Mom as "Hostage Crisis" was winding down. Rose mentioning her on Sunday made me realize I hadn't talked to her in ages. She's not very happy about moving to Anny's old house. The yard is too big for her to take care of on her own, and like every other house in Cape May County, it's overpriced and too expensive. What she really wants to do is move down to Virginia with my brother Keefe in a few years after he gets married and buys a house. It doesn't help that she's not getting along with my sister Anny again and doesn't have her support in moving. Like me, Mom is an extreme introvert who lacks a wide group of friends to help her out when things go wrong.

Made my way out the door as soon as Mom went to tackle her current yard. First stop was the Oaklyn Library. They were a little busier than usual, with a few people on the computer dodging the heat. I gave the DVDs in both areas a look and shelved a few children's books.

Made a quick stop at WaWa for money, then went to Genova Pizza on Cuthbert Road for lunch. They now have the cheapest pizza in the area. A slice of broccoli, a slice of cheese, and a can of Coke only cost me a little over $4. I enjoyed my meal outside on their shaded patio, enjoying the soft breeze and listening to two older men chat with the cooks.

Next stop was the Haddon Township Library. While a magic show in one of the conference rooms kept kids amused, there wasn't a whole lot to do with shelving items. For once, I had no trouble putting away the kids' DVDs. Everyone must have taken out movies to amuse their kids once they got out of school. The adults' titles were the opposite. I could barely fit them on the shelves and only got half of them. I had even less luck with the TV shows. They really need to put them somewhere else, or get more spinning racks. They don't begin to fit in what they currently have. I considered taking out books, but couldn't find anything I liked and eventually moved on. (No DVDs, either. I have no idea when I'll be in next to return them.)

Stopped at Tuesday Morning and Target after leaving the library. Mom mentioned that Finley is really into playing dress-up now. I was hoping to find her a boa or little play ballet slippers or a tutu. No luck at either place. The tutu play outfits at Tuesday Morning and princess costumes at Target were way too big for Finley, and she's still too young for the kids' costume jewelry. I did finally manage to be bandage wraps I could afford at Target, though.

Today was lovely, sunny and dry,  not a cloud in the sky...and in the lower 90's and climbing. I was so hot, I stopped at Cabana's on the way home and bought a black cherry/vanilla gelati. Enjoyed on their patio, where they sell mums in the fall, Christmas trees in December, and football merchandise during their season.

As soon as I finally got home, I went straight into writing. Luke remembers nothing after passing out until he awakens in the room he shares with Han, Leia, and Chewbacca the dog at the ski lodge. Everyone's there, including Chewie, who lavishes Luke with slurpy doggie kisses. Charlie and Rudy praise how well he's recovered. Harris is more interested in needling Leia about their non-existent relationship. He finally annoys her enough to kiss Luke before she takes off.

Broke for dinner at 6:30. Had leftovers while watching one of the more recent episodes of Rick Steves' Europe Linda sent me for my birthday. Rick spends his early summer exploring Italy's rugged Cinq Terre area on the Italian Riviera. It's a line of five towns, four of them on the Mediterranean, that are touristy but less glamorous and fancy than their French counterparts. I think I prefer these, with their laid-back atmosphere and lovely little fishing towns.

Played a little Lego Pirates of the Caribbean after dinner.  I'm getting closer to being done. Finished "The Bretheren Court," "The Kraken, and "Singapore." I have all the extras and True Pirate statuses. I just need to get the minikits and compass points.

Finished the night with Meatballs after a shower. The counselors-in-training of Camp North Star is gearing up for a fun summer of stealing air conditioners, playing pranks on the camp's owners, and occasionally playing against their snobbish rich rivals across the lake at Camp Mohawk. Tripper (Bill Murray) is the head counselor who lives to wisecrack, break rules, and chase the head female counselor (Kate Lynch). He makes friends with a camper named Rudy who feels neglected (Chris Makepeace) and spends his mornings jogging with him and his evenings playing cards. The jogging comes in handy when they play Camp Mohawk in a three-day Olympiad, and Rudy is the only one who can run the all-important marathon.

This is extremely 1979 (check out the tube socks, short-shorts, and Afros on everyone) and hasn't always dated well (Tripper's assault on the female counselor early-on would probably be considered harassment today), but is still pretty funny, especially if you're a fan of Murray or went to summer camp yourself.