Quiet at Work

Began the morning with breakfast and more new Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood episodes. Daniel and Miss Elaina want to finish setting up their train track, but it's "Quiet Time at School." They have to settle down for naps or reading, and then they'll be ready to play. It's "Naptime In Blanket City," the blanket fort Jodie and Daniel set up at her house. Jodie's toddler twin brothers are ready for their naps...and then Daniel goes home for his.

Rose called as I was finishing. Yes, we do need to sign the papers, but it's a lot more complicated than just signing. I need to name my beneficiaries, who will get the money if I pass away. It'll probably be her, Jessa, and Anny. Rose and Anny have children, and Jessa could certainly use the extra cash.

Worked on writing for a while after I got off with her. Malade taunts Bill Cullen, reminding him that he, Gene, and Bert Convy are the last of their kind. She killed the other wizards or turned them into part of her elite demon guard. Gene's ready to defend his friend, but Bill knows how to fight this menace...

Broke for a very quick lunch and Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour at quarter after 11. Caught a couple of familiar faces during the beginning of the Hollywood Squares segment, including Erin Moran of Happy Days, Fred Travalena and his 600 voices, Bob Eubanks two years before the Card Sharks revival, and a salty-as-ever Charles Nelson Reilly. Bob was just finishing his answer to a question when I dashed out.

Really, I needn't have rushed. The Acme was dead almost the entire afternoon. It got slightly steady around 1:30, and again during the evening rush hour, but I otherwise spent most of the day shelving candy and helping a teen cashier who just moved to the area with where things are in the store. Other than a bobble with putting in the store's online coupon program for a customer towards the end, there were no major problems. The weather was sunny, bright, and much drier than yesterday. It was just too nice for most people to be shopping.

Including me. I didn't need much in the way of groceries this week. Found bottled water and a box of oat bran on the clearance rack and a bag of Brownie Cookies (soft, fudgy chocolate cookies with chocolate chips) among the bags of cookies on the bakery manager's special shelves. Fished packs of breaded flounder out of the seafood section for dinner. Picked up a floppy turquoise binder on clearance I intend to use for my old time radio CDs. Restocked yogurt, blueberries, peaches, bananas, mushrooms, cereal (went with Kashi's Island Vanilla shredded wheat), and apple cider vinegar.

Match Game was half-way through its first 1974 episode when I got home. Alejandro Rey and Juliet Mills finish their week on the show with Brett walking out in protest to Jo Anne Worley's obscure answer to the Audience Match and she and Charles making jokes about their answers to what a lady bullfighter would shake at a bull. The next episode brought in Orson Bean and Betty White and introduced psychiatrist Dr. Joyce Brothers to the panel. Dr. Brothers got to witness Gene sleeping in his intro and Brett trying to be on her best behavior to avoid the doctor's couch.

Finished out the breaded flounder with a salad for dinner while watching Sale of the Century. No one really dominated the proceedings tonight...but the one man bought one Instant Bargain, won the Instant Cash, and just beat the ladies in the speed round. He won the bonus round money with time to spare.

Ended the night with Sinbad the Sailor from 1947 on the Watch TCM app.  Sinbad (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) tells the rousing story of his eighth voyage to a group of disbelieving adventurers. He and his friend Abbu (George Tobias) find the map that leads to the treasure of Alexander the Great on a ship whose crew died. He doesn't get to keep the ship for long after he sails to the nearest port. Local custom decrees that the ship must be put to auction. He manages to buy it, but nearly loses it to Shireen (Maureen O'Hara), the spirited head of the harem of the Emir of Daibul (Anthony Quinn). Shireen tells Sinbad that a mysterious and evil person named Jamal (Walter Sleazak) is also after the treasure. Sinbad passes himself off as the Prince of the unknown island of Darybar in order to grab Shireen, but the Emir tracks them down, imprisons his crew, and tries to steal the map. It'll take all of Sinbad's cunning and intelligence to convince the aged head of the island (Alan Napier) that he's the Prince...and even more to turn Jamal and the Emir against each other.

Delightful bit of Technicolor Arabian Knights tomfoolery is lifted by terrific performances by feisty O'Hara and energetic Fairbanks, who play off each other nicely. If you love other Arabian Nights tales and can get past the Arabic and Asian stereotypes and the fact that all of the actors are playing Arabs and Asians in bad makeup, you'll enjoy this seafaring swashbuckler.