Dragon Match

Began a hazy morning with breakfast and a second season episode of The Monkees. They think they're going to be singing at a dusty resort, but they end up working there as regular employees. Four pretty girl motorcyclists make them feel better about being stuck there...until their boyfriends show up and threaten to hurt them. "The Wild Monkees" have to figure out how to accept their challenge of a motorcycle race without ending up killed.

Thankfully after all the chaos yesterday, work went just fine. Though I did gather trash and recycling, shelve items, and sweep the store later, I spent most of the day outside with the carts. It was still hot and humid, but a nice wind kept it from feeling quite as bad as it has for the past few days. I did briefly end up in a register to take someone's break for 15 minutes. Other than that, we weren't busy and there were no problems.

After I got in, I changed and went right into yogurt and grapes for lunch. Watched a couple of Woody Woodpecker shorts while I ate. Woody's niece and nephew Splinter and Knothead have to deal with a "Red Riding Hoodlum," a wolf who is after their granny. The kids are savvy enough to know how the story works, but Granny has a surprise of her own. Splinter and Knothead also figure into "International Woodpecker" as Woody tells them the history of their family. "To Catch a Woodpecker" has a telephone tycoon dressing as a woodpecker to lure Woody away from his poles.

I'd been getting up early all week, and I was dead tired. With no one home downstairs or next door and the weather still quiet, I decided it was the perfect time for a nap. I needed it. I went down at 2 and got up at quarter of 4, feeling a little groggy but mostly better.

Worked on writing for a while. Fettman throws passes at an angry Leia, even as she throws fireballs at him. Harris uses the guns on the Falcon to stick Bob's men to the ground. Fettman has his own weapon...and it could do even more damage than Leia's fireballs.

Broke for dinner at 6. Did a few more Woody shorts while I dug leftovers out of the fridge. "Fodder and Son" are a father bear and his boy cub who try to look pathetic to snitch food. Woody keeps luring the dad bear to the Old Faithful Geyser to get him off his back. "Everglade Raid" is a southern-fried variant on the earlier Woody short "Pantry Panic." This time Woody chases an alligator to make luggage from his skin, even as the alligator decides he's the perfect meal.

Clouds had gathered as early as my ride home from work, but they didn't burst until I was writing. At that point, it was only rain, nothing more. We didn't get the pyrotechnics until late at night, completely with noisy rumbles of thunder and pouring rain.

Moved to Lego Star Wars after I finished. Tried the Return of the Jedi Super Story again, but only got slightly farther than last time, about mid-way through "Battle of Endor," before running out of time. I did finally finish "The Great Pit of Carkoon" blue minikit challenge, though. I'm now up to 99.2 %! I'm getting so close. I now have two rounds and the Super Story left.

Finished the night with How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. The dragon riders of the Viking town of Berk are still rescuing dragons from poachers, but their little town is now overcrowded. Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) is determined to find the "Hidden World" his late father spoke of that'll be the perfect place for the dragons to hide. Meanwhile, Grimmel the Grisly (F. Murray Abraham), an infamous dragon hunter, has captured a white female Fury that he hopes to use to lure other dragons. Toothless finds the Fury and falls for her, but she's still shy around humans. Hiccup, Astrid, and the Berk residents do manage to stop Grimmel's traps, but they burn down most of their town in the process. Hiccup rallies them to find a new home. They discover a clearing that might be perfect, if Grimmel wasn't following them. Hiccup finally follows Toothless and his new mate to that Hidden World...but it won't stay hidden if Grimmel gets to it. Hiccup, Astrid (America Ferrera), and all the people of Berk defend their dragon friends...and finally discover that home is where you find it, and sometimes, it's easier to let go than trying to keep someone where they don't belong.

A gorgeous finale to one of Dreamworks' best franchises. The animation is stunning, the score is moving, and it's satisfying to see the characters - especially Toothless and Hiccup - grow and change in a way that seldom happens in animation. If you're a fan of this franchise, this is a must see...but I definitely recommend that you catch at least the first two films to have any understanding of what's going on here.

I've discovered a channel on YouTube that's been restoring all of the 70's Match Game episodes, including ones that can no longer be shown on television due to non-PC answers. From Joyce Bullifant jitterbugging with a contestant to Richard Dawson starting a riot when his reasonable answer wasn't accepted by the judges, anything can happen on this show...and usually does! If like me, what you catch on Buzzr or Game Show Network isn't enough, here's even more orange-hued lunacy to whet your appetite.

Match Game '73 (Betty White has a lot of fun here; Robert Vaughn joins in)
Match Game '74 (For once, the contestant is as funny as the panelists! Morey Amsterdam takes Charles' "fussy guy" seat here.)
Match Game '75 (Game show fans get a rare chance to see announcer Johnny Olson on camera when he sits in for a late Gary Burgoff.)
Match Game '75 (Charles Nelson Reilly returns after being away to direct a Broadway show...and does it in a very unique way.)
Match Game '76 (Fed up with the doors never opening right, Gene tears through them!)
Match Game '77 (Upset over his reasonable answer not being accepted, a frustrated Richard Dawson starts a riot that eventually consumes the entire panel.)
Match Game '78 (Charles heckles Gene one too many times, and he briefly hands the microphone over to him.)
Match Game '78 (The new Star Wheel debuts...and guess who it lands on?)
Match Game '79 (Joyce Bullifant joins a contestant for some totally awesome jitterbugging.)
Match Game PM '75 (Gene can't believe it when Richard's odd answer comes up on the Super Match...but Richard knows why.)