Sunny Autumn

Began my morning with breakfast and Tiny Toon Adventures. Montana Max gets a chance in the spotlight in "Citizen Max." In an attempt to find out why he said "Acme," Hampton interviews Buster, Plucky, and Elmyra about the recent school election. Monty had gone up against Buster and had him expelled, prompting Plucky and the rabbits to get even.

My first of two early work days in a row was blissfully quiet after all the trouble on Sunday and Monday. While I swept and rounded up the trash, I was mostly outside with the carts. It was too nice to be inside! It was sunny and breezy, chilly, but not too cold, probably in the upper 50's-lower 60's.

It was so nice, I took the long way home down Nicholson Road. They weren't busy, either. I ran into more cars in Oaklyn than I did down by the shopping center. Everyone was probably out enjoying the weather or at work.

Had a quick lunch when I got in, then did chores. I'm going to put off the heavy dusting until later in the month, but the kitchen and the bathroom needed to be done. The kitchen, sink and tub, were really grungy. I was home a lot last month. The sink in the kitchen was bad, too.

Watched The Sea Hawk while I worked. This Errol Flynn adventure has him as Geoffrey Thorpe, is a pirate and a member of Queen Elizabeth's privateers, "Sea Hawks." They stop a Spanish ship en route to England. It's none other than the vessel for Don Alverez (Claude Rains), the ambassador of Spain and his lovely niece Dona Maria (Brenda Marshall). Queen Elizabeth I (Flora Robson) is aware that Spain is up to something with its armada, but she's reluctant to create one of her own in the fear of overtaxing her people. She does allow Thorpe to seize a Spanish ship filled with gold. Lord Worthington (Henry Daniell), a collaborator with the Spanish, traps Thorpe and his men in Panama, driving them across the Isthmus before bringing them to Spain and arresting them. Thorpe and his men have to escape a Spanish galley and get back to England, before King Phillip's armada blows them out of the water.

Rousing action tale with some magnificently shot fight scenes on huge real ships built right on the lot. Marshall is dull as the love interest, but Robeson makes a tough Queen Elizabeth and Flynn's having a great time as the swashbuckling pirate. If you can handle that it has nothing in common with the Raphael Sabatini novel it's supposedly based on, you'll want to sign on with Captain Thorpe and his "Sea Hawks," too.

I finished the kitchen just as the movie ended. Did some writing after I put everything away. Queen Betty comes out to greet the others. Brett hugs her like a friend, but the others drop to their knees before her. She thanks the men for bringing Brett and Gene to her, then asks Gene about the whereabouts of her husband Allen. Gene and the guards have tried, but they can't find him anywhere in the castle. Gene's also worried about his own family. His daughter and wife are being used as servants in Malade's kitchen.

Made scrambled eggs with tomatoes, cheese, and mushrooms and roasted potatoes for dinner. Watched The American President while I ate. Andrew Shepard (Michael Douglas) is working towards re-election. His best friend and Chief of Staff AJ MacIrney (Martin Sheen) is pushing a crime bill that will raise his ratings, but both parties consider it to be kind of weak. Andrew is as surprised as anyone when he falls for liberal lobbyist Sydney Wade (Annette Benning) after taking her to a White House party for the President of France. With the approval of his teen daughter Lucy (Shawna Waldron), the two attempt a romantic relationship. Not only is he constantly having to take off or call off dates, but their dating is frowned on by the American public and is being used for fuel by his Republican rival Rumson (Richard Dreyfus) to claim he has no family values. Andrew has to decide what he really stands for...and whether he wants to put duty in front of love.

My stepfather used to love this movie in the mid-90's. For the most part, it still holds up pretty well. Benning and Douglas are fine as the lovers who discover how hard it can be to mix romance, politics, and jobs that are constantly in the public eye. Look for Michael J. Fox as Andrew's nervous assistant and Samantha Mathis as his sensible personal aide. Lovely score by Marc Shaiman, too. If you're a fan of the cast or romantic comedies, you'll want to take a trip to the White House for this one.