Perfect Summer Day

Began a gorgeous morning with breakfast and What's New, Scooby Doo? I didn't realize I'd missed "Camp Comeoniwannascareya." Shaggy and Scooby are on their own as counselors at a kids' summer camp. They're having a great time, until one of the kids tells them the story of "The Toxic Terror" and the creature shows up in their cabin. But they may not be the real targets, as the camp is being hounded by an obnoxious businessman who wants to turn it into a resort for adults.

Hurried out as soon as the cartoon ended. Stopped at WaWa long enough to get money and grab their mocha cappuccino before dashing across the White Horse Pike to get my laundry done. There were a few people when I got in, including a mother with a son watching some cartoon on his iPad. I worked on story notes and half-listened to the talk shows on TV and whatever it was that the kid was watching.

Rushed home and put everything away, then watched more Scooby while having a really quick lunch. "Reef Grief" takes the gang to a beach in Australia, where Shaggy and Scooby have entered a sand sculpture contest. The show is put on hold when a strange creature made of coral attacks the beach-goers and the contestants disappear beneath the sand. The gang try to figure out what's going on, before their favorite beatnik and his dog vanish, too.

 After all that rushing around this morning, work was actually pretty quiet. Though I did sweep the story twice and return items, I was mainly outside, gathering carts and recycling. I wanted to be. It was much too nice to be inside! Not to mention, it was pretty dead for a Saturday. Everyone must have been on vacation or out for an outing, enjoying the mid-80's temperatures, cool winds, and lack of humidity.

Next week's schedule is actually pretty good. I work early all week, mainly because the head bagger is on vacation. The early Sunday is a little annoying, but that also means I'll get out early. Otherwise, I'm in at 9 every other day, Monday and next Saturday off.

It was so nice, I figured I might as well get my grocery shopping done today instead of tomorrow. Ground turkey was on a decent sale, so I also grabbed tortillas and salsa and decided to have tacos sometime this weekend. Took advantage of a big sale to pick up two boxes of Honey Maid graham crackers and Triscuits. Haagen Daas is on a weekend sale, and I had an online coupon for their new Trio Crispy Layers. Pepperidge Farm Goldfish were on a dollar sale; grabbed the pretzel variety. Fished buckwheat honey and a jar of Smuckers Fruit and Honey jam off the clearance shelves. Had a coupon for Blue Diamond Almonds. Restocked eggs, yogurt, turkey hot dogs, and pudding mix.

Went home and put away my groceries, then did some writing. Yoda insists on Luke running through the frozen swamp every day. When Luke stops to get his breath, he asks the old man about the differences between the darker and lighter powers. Yoda explains that the dark magic is corrupted light magic...like Vader's. Luke, having caught his breath, is about to head to his job at a comics shop when he sees something among the icicles and vines in the mire...

Broke for dinner at 6:30. Had leftovers while finishing out What's New, Scooby Doo? "E-scream" puts Velma in the spotlight as the gang heads to a video game convention. She's more interested in her books, until she runs into her old professor who created the popular "Osomons" game and is working on a virtual reality mystery game. As he shows Velma the virtual reality game, his new toy Osomons attack the convention! The gang leaps into action...but they're acting very out of character, and Velma suspects that the attack of the tiny critters aren't the real story here.

And that was that. I skipped a couple of episodes that I'd seen first-run or on other collections. I've always enjoyed this one. It's probably the best 21st century incarnation of Scooby Doo along with Mystery Incorporated. It's considerably lighter than that later show while still trying some different things with the formula. Particularly in the last season, the villain will often be someone who isn't who you expect, a child or young adult who is trying to scare someone into listening to them or promoting an idol, or just someone who is trying to scare someone without actually being a criminal.

My biggest problem is this hasn't always dated well. Some of the celebrities they refer to, either directly or as a thinly-veiled satire, are barely remembered almost twenty years later. This is particularly a problem with the music groups. I had to look up Lindsay Pagiano from "Riva Ros Regas" to confirm that yes, she was a mildly popular singer in the early 2000's. The animation is colorful but otherwise nothing special, especially compared to some of the CGI effects in Mystery Incorporated.

Which Scooby you prefer really depends on what you grew up with or what you're looking for in a cartoon. If you have grade school-age kids who'll enjoy the gang's antics or grew up when this was on Kids' WB in the early 2000's, this is worth checking out.

Finished the night with Lego Star Wars. I got soooo close on the Empire Strikes Back Super Story! I missed it in the last few minutes of "Betrayal at Bespin." I may give it one more shot tomorrow.