Monday, July 27, 2020

Hot Times On Manor Avenue

Kicked off a clear, sunny morning with breakfast and Split Second. The ladies came close, but in the end, that young gentleman with the glasses got a decisive win in the Countdown Round. He missed the car right off the bat, though, and opted to return tomorrow.

Blockbusters pitted a young college student against a former vaudevillian and his daughter-in-law. It was a close match with hexagons lit up all over the board, but in the end, the young man won. It took him longer, but he did manage to get the Gold Rush round, too. He was just starting to play a father and son-in-law team when the show ended.

Went into writing after that. The group separates after Ira's trolls go after them. Charles returns to the alcove where he hid Brett to find her gone. While searching for her, he catches sight of Fannie on the balcony...kissing a woman. She says she was looking for her Princess Charming, not her prince. That's why she kept resisting Richard. Charles gently says he understands.

Broke for a quick lunch at 1:30 while watching Classic Concentration. Two new contestants figured out rebuses today. The young woman just won three prizes and solved the puzzle surprisingly fast as I finished eating.

I had a problem getting to and from Manor Avenue. Oaklyn's been repairing the street for at least three weeks now. They just laid new blacktop on the road in front of the apartment this morning. I darted across, hoping that it would hold and not get all over me. (A tiny bit got stuck in my shoe. Otherwise, yes, it held.)

Finished up what I could in the apartment. Recycling goes out today, so I dragged the remaining bins, boxes, and bags into the living room and went through them, then took the boxes downstairs. The only things left in the back room are the clothes rack that'll go in the trash, the older air conditioner I can't move on my own, and the box the other air conditioner goes in. Managed to move the bed well enough on my own to vacuum under it. Tried to scrub the mildew from around the faucet in the kitchen, but that just doesn't seem to be going anywhere.

Discovered two big problems as I finished with the vacuum. First of all, the drying carpet in the kitchen smells badly of mildew. I opened as many windows as I could to air it out, but it doesn't seem to do a lot. Second, I forgot there's a big hole in the wood paneled wall in the back room. It's been there for ages, and I know I didn't make it. I need to corral Charlie to fix it, before his mother sees it.

At the very least, the weather was pleasant. While it's still in the 90's, the humidity vanished in the night, leaving cool breezes and much drier (and slightly more tolerable) heat. It was actually kind of nice walking home. Took the slightly longer way down Manheim to avoid the just-ending road repairs.

I was so tired, as soon as I got home, I put away the one coffee table book on musicals I opted to keep, took out the recycling here, grabbed leftovers for dinner, and settled down on the futon for an hour and a half with Italian casserole, crocheting, and Buzzr. The first Match Game episode brought in Don Adams and Mitzi McCall for one of the funniest weeks of 1974...and questions as to whether "necking" matches "kissing."

The 6 PM episodes jumped ahead to 1977 as a contestant announced her twin was in the audience. For some reason, the episode after that was skipped (don't know why - it's on YouTube), and they went right into towering-yet-boyish Peter Isackson pointing out his mother in the audience.

Sale of the Century celebrated "True Romance" tonight with three single contestants who brought interesting stories and prizes themed around love, from a Florida spa trip for two to a bright red car. Two women were neck-and-neck all day, with the guy not far behind. In the end, one of the women won in the speed round by one question...but she didn't have much luck in the bonus round.

(Four episodes from this theme turned up the weekend before Valentine's Day as part of Buzzr's "Love Is On the Air" marathon. I hope they show the full two weeks this time. We never did get to see who won the car.)

Finished the night online after a much-needed shower with Shipwrecked at Disney Plus. Haakon (Stian Smestad) is a Norwegian farm boy who signs on as a cabin boy after his sailor father is injured. His family friend and shipmate Jens (Trond Peter Stamso Munch) helps him learn the ropes, so to speak, and earn the respect of the captain and crew alike. The trouble starts after ship leaven in London, when they pick up British officer Howell (Gabriel Byrne) to help them avoid pirates. Turns out Howell is a pirate, and he poisons the captain in order to take over the ship and bring his own men aboard.

He's about to punish Haakon for helping the young stowaway Mary (Louisa Milwood-Haigh) when a storm wrecks the ship and leaves the boy stranded on a tropical island. Thankfully for Haakon, the island is teaming with fresh fruit, debris from the ruined ship, and even old chests of pirate weapons. He and his friends end up having to rescue the other sailors from Howell and his band of notorious pirates, who are hoping to retrieve the treasure they buried on the island.

This ran on the Disney Channel a lot in the early 90's. As a lover of pirate stories and swashbucklers, I always wanted to see it, but never quite got around to it then. I'm glad Disney Plus has it. Based after a popular Norwegian children's novel, it's the enjoyable story of one young man who goes from bullied farm kid to confident sailor and survivor. There is a very brief sequence that involves Haakon trying to "save" Jens and Mary from natives, but they're friendly and not really played for menace.

In the end, if you or your kids are fans of pirate tales, survival stories like Swiss Family Robinson, or historical coming-of-age novels, you'll get a big kick out of this one.

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