Family Assemble!

Began the morning with reading for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The Colliers Harvest of Holidays anthology debuted while King was still alive...but the material for the now rarely-celebrated United Nations Day equally represents the peace and equality that he and the United Nations both work for.

Had breakfast while watching Sale of the Century. In an episode apparently set the week before the "end of summer bash" (according to one segment selling a stereo), a lady and two gentlemen held a very tight game. The champion bought that stereo (he claimed to be a jazz connoisseur), but in the end, the other man just out-buzzed him in the fast round. Alas, that speed didn't help him in the bonus round, which he missed by one second.

Called the doctor Jodie recommended a while back after breakfast. To my surprise, not only were they open on a major holiday, but they'd be able to get me in this week. I'll get a regular check-up on Friday at 1:30.

I was half-way through Press Your Luck when Rose called. That was fast. I wasn't expecting to hear from her until 10:30. Turns out that they'd had some problems and were picking me up early. Sure, whatever. By that point, my bags were packed, I'd long finished breakfast, and I'd just gotten into my boots. I did have to run back and retrieve my cell phone when I almost left it behind, though.

Turns out Rose and Khai were originally going to drive to Dad and Jodie's to borrow their van and leave theirs, but Rose's car wouldn't start. They ended up walking there and getting me on the way back. We briefly headed to Rose's house to wait for Craig to bring Finley home from her gymnastics class and pack up the box of gifts for Lilah. As soon as they arrived, Finley changed, and the cats and Kelsey the miniature pincher were fed, we crowded into the van and headed out.

At least the ride down wasn't bad. It was a beautiful, if cold and windy, day. We encountered no traffic anywhere. Made a stop at the WaWa mid-way for snacks and so Khai could stretch his legs; he was not entirely happily stuck between Finley in her seat and me. Craig and Finley got gas while Rose picked up energy drinks for her and and her husband, Khai mixed various Icee flavors, and I grabbed a bottle of Peach Perrier and a soft pretzel.

The other trouble we had on the road was on Route 9, where a bridge is in the midst of repair. Rose and Craig took a detour that put them off-course. We ended up going through Cape May Court House and down the Garden State Parkway, which they were hoping to avoid. The Parkway is a toll road and can be busy (though it wasn't today).

We finally pulled in around quarter of 1. Anny's tribe was already there, watching The Secret Life of Pets 2 in the living room, surrounded by pink and multi-colored balloons. To my delight, Mom chatted with her in the kitchen. I guess they've mended their fences, if only temporarily. The boys migrated to Collyn's room to play Minecraft on the XBox and stayed there for pretty much the next few hours except for lunch. Everyone enjoyed pretzels (plain and covered in dark and white chocolate and sprinkles), Sun Chips, potato chips, cheese curls, and Anny's yummy chocolate chip squares and peanut butter cookies.

Lilah happily introduced me to her new My Life As WalMart doll Lilah 2 and the two huge puppies her family acquired in the last year. Nicklas is a massive, noble-looking husky who apparently considers himself to be  the alpha male in the family and protects all. Mr. "Red" Reddington is a yellowish dalmatian with golden spots. Unlike Nick, he's more skittish and is definitely a "mama's dog" - he adores Anny and cuddles with her whenever he gets the chance.

Anny called everyone to lunch around 2. She and Mom put out cold cuts, rolls, mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomato, and big, thick pickle slices. I had two small hoagies with roast beef, provolone cheese, tomato, and lettuce; the rolls were pretty small, so I kept the pickles on the side.

The cake rolled out around 3. Lilah apparently chose a shark-themed cake, with a giant shark on either side. Craig and Lilah's dad Jay, who also have January birthdays, shared the cake...which lead to the top of the cake being almost entirely covered in candles! They did blow them out, but the smoke was so bad, they had to crack open a window while we all ate cake, cupcakes, and ice cream.

Evidently, one of Lilah's favorite shows is Peppa Pig, a British cartoon about a girl pig and her family and friends. Anny and Jay gave Lilah Peppa's castle and her family's trailer, complete with slide and furniture in both. Rose and Craig gave her Toy Story 4-related items, including her own pull-back Forky and a kit to make her own Forky, as well as Hot Wheels. She loved the books I gave her; Mom was especially impressed with that put the sticker on the spot and create your own story book I found on Friday. Her brothers gave her a snowboarding outfit for her My Life As doll.

Finley got a few leftover Christmas gifts as well. She got her first Cabbage Patch Kid doll, a little girl named Mia with a silky gold ponytail wearing a ballerina outfit. Anny and Jay even gave her a mini backpack to carry her around in, just like real mommies have.

We headed out around 4:30. Lilah had ballet class at 5:30, and the moms wanted to get dinner together. Lilah and Khai didn't want to go. They were fussy through much of the ride home, with Khai constantly asking "are we there yet?" and he and Rose discussing the original, more gruesome versions of favorite fairy tales as we got closer to Oaklyn. They did briefly stop at WaWa again, but only Rose got out this time, picking up hot chocolate and hot dogs for the kids and more energy drinks for her and Craig. (I wasn't hungry or thirsty. Anny's spread was more than enough.)

When I finally got in, I ran the nighttime Match Game while eating the last of the leftover tuna and peas. Dancer Bobby Van, sweetheart Sarah Kennedy, and cheerful Ann Elder joined Gene and the regulars in two episodes from 1975. They always had so much fun in these shows, it's a delight to watch. Even folks I don't recognize like Elder or only vaguely recall like Kennedy are hilarious. And unlike most fans of this show, I'm rarely annoyed by their antics. I just like watching different "types" - fussy theater geek, crusty older character actress, blonde ingenue, suave Brit, goofy stand-up comedienne, lecherous host - interacting and joking with one another and helping people win money.

Finished the night with the three-hour marathon known as Avengers: Endgame. We pick up almost a month after Thanos (Josh Brolin) snapped half of all life off Earth. Thor is the one who finally does him in on an uninhabited planet...but he destroyed the stones, and it changes nothing. Five years later, the return of Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) from the quantum realm opens the possibility of time travel and going back to fix what happened with Thanos and the stones. Even though each change creates alternative realities instead of actually changing the present, they still send different groups to attempt to change things. Not every group is successful at retrieving their respective stone, and Thanos eventually catches on. In the end, every single Marvel character who had been in a movie come together to take on this menace from the cosmos...and allow the Avengers to truly assemble one last time.

This is a long and complex slog, but it's a fascinating one...if you're a Marvel fan. This is absolutely not the place for newcomers or casual viewers. You really need to know at least little bit about the majority of these folks' back stories to understand a lot of what goes on here, and seeing the first Avengers film and Infinity War before this is a must. If you've already caught most or all of these movies and have a spare three hours on your hands, it's an action-packed end to ten years of superheroic tales.