A Quiet Summer

It was cloudy and cool when I awoke this morning...and I couldn't have been happier. I was able to put together a blueberry-peach grunt from Alton Brown's Blackberry Grunt recipe in his I'm Just Here For More Food. I rarely get to use the fruits of summer in baking. It came out perfectly, too, sweet, tart, and flaky.

I hadn't done a Bowery Boys movie in a while. The gloomy morning felt right for Spook Busters. Slip and his gang are exterminators who have been hired to clear out a spooky house that was once owned by a magician. Strange things are happening there, from threatening messages appearing on mirrors to an organ that turns around to reveal a secret passage. Slip and Sach discover a mad scientist behind that organ who is determined to switch their brains with that of a gorilla. The guys have to dodge the quack in order to save their friends and what little brains they have!

Did a quick Three Stooges short while getting ready to leave. The Boys aren't the only ones who had trouble with gorillas and mad scientists. Another quack wants Curly's tiny brain for his gorilla in "A Bird In the Hand," but the gorilla ends up making friends with Curly instead.

Work was perfectly fine. It was quiet pretty much the entire afternoon. It's the week before a major holiday and the beginning of the month. Not to mention, by mid-afternoon, the sun had come out, and other than it was a tad humid, it had turned into a stunningly gorgeous day. I shelved candy early-on, then alternated between gathering carts and sweeping for the rest of my shift.

It was so nice out, I took the long way home down Nicholson Road. They weren't any busier than the Acme had been, not even around the entrance to the shopping center. Gardens glowed with sweet-smelling blossoms, and the shiny green leaves waved in the breeze. Kids raced down the streets on their bikes, passing adults walking their dogs or chatting with friends.

Tried to work on writing for a while when I got in. Leia confronts Bob Fettman in the air. She manages to get his jet pack, but his boys have the upper hand when they aim their ice guns at her...

Broke for dinner at 6:30. Finished "Bird In the Hand," then did a Disney cartoon that also revolved around a gorilla. Mickey has to solve "The Gorilla Mystery" when a killer ape kidnaps Minnie and holds her hostage in her own house.

Moved to Lego Star Wars after dinner. It took three tries, but I finally finished "Into the Death Star." That completes the blue minikit challenges and brings the game up to 99.6 percent. The only thing left is to work on that Return of the Jedi Super Story.

I've enjoyed watching Match Game on YouTube so much, I finished the night with more episodes, mainly focusing on 1975. I'm having so much fun with these. This is basically a Saturday Night Live skit with game elements, and it's a total blast to watch. Here's even more craziness for your viewing enjoyment!

Match Game '74 (Ace player Richard Dawson doesn't often put out a wrong answer...but when he does, the audience has no problems letting him know it.)
Match Game '75 (Richard discusses the dangers of "trench hand.")
Match Game '75 (When Gene's microphone isn't working, most of the panel helps him find his spare.)
Match Game '75 (The panelists change seats for an episode.)
Match Game '75 (Football player and future sitcom star Alex Karras takes on a female wrestler, with Richard acting as referee.)
Match Game '76 (Gene complains about his microphone cable not being wrapped up properly.)