Sunday, November 24, 2019

Sleepy Day In the Rain

Began a rainy morning with my second early work shift in a row. I started off doing carts as the rain slowed to a fine mist. Turned the carts over to another bagger when he came in and spent most of the rest of the morning and early afternoon shelving three full carts of loose items. Unlike yesterday, it did get really busy between 11 and 1...and this time, we didn't have enough help to deal with it. I ended up in the registers, including for almost an hour when I was supposed to go on break. As soon as the Eagles-Seahawks game started, the crowds left. I spent the last hour and a half cleaning up a spill, helping a nice older lady to her car, and taking a quick look at the bathrooms.

It poured at one point late in the morning, but thankfully, by the time I headed home, the rain was long gone and the sun was starting to emerge. I changed and had ginger cookies and almond milk while listening to the game. I'm glad I opted not to go to Dad's. Neither the Seahawks nor the Eagles played terribly well. The Eagles were down 10-3 at halftime. I tried laying on the loveseat in the living area to listen to the second half, but it just wasn't comfortable. Gave up around quarter of 3 and ended up in my bed for another nap.

(It's just as well. Though the Eagles got another field goal, it still wasn't enough to get around a ton of mistakes. The Seahawks won 17-9.)

A phone call from Charlie downstairs woke me up around 4. There was a package for me downstairs. That was a surprise. I hadn't ordered anything. Turned out this year's Kimberly-Clark box came really early. Lauren and her parents own stock in the paper products company and send me a box of samples every year. It normally comes in mid-December, but I'm actually kind glad they sent it now. I'll keep the small and large packs of tissues and the Viva paper towel roll and will give everything else - including the box - to Rose on Thanksgiving.

Worked on writing for a while after I got everything organized. While Donald shows his new friend the delights of the marketplace, Gene, Brett, and Charles ask if anyone has been reported lost in a shipwreck. No they haven't, says a dark-haired shopkeeper who admonishes his models not to wear furs, but would you like to put a bid on an icebox?

Broke for dinner at quarter of 7. Made scrambled eggs with cheese, spinach, and mushrooms, then finished the night with a couple of Christmas cast albums and soundtracks. Here's Love is a stage musical version of Miracle on 34th Street with songs by Meredith Wilson, of Music Man fame. It didn't do nearly as well as that show at the time, running only a few months. While it's no masterpiece, some of the songs aren't bad. Wilson's holiday hit from the 50's "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" is sung with the new "Pinecones and Holly Berries" in a charming number. I also like "My Wish" for little Susan and Fred Gaily the lawyer, "That Man Over There" for Mr. Macy at the trial when he declares Kris Kringle to be Santa, and the rousing title song.

Scrooge is one of many musical versions of A Christmas Carol, this one from 1970. Albert Finney is the world's most famous miser here, singing a great Leslie Bricusse score. "Thank You Very Much" was the Oscar-nominated hit. I also like the festive "December the 25th" for the Fezziwigs at their ball, "Christmas Children" as Bob Cratchit, and the Ghost of Christmas Present's manifesto "I Like Life."

Finished the night with the soundtrack from an 80's Christmas Carol tale, Scrooged. Most of the music in this Bill Murry black comedy retelling is generic 80's pop, but there's some decent songs here. The most famous would be the Annie Lennox-Al Green rendition of "Put a Little Love In Your Heart," which plays over the credits and occasionally turns up on the radio during the holidays.

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