Saturday, January 02, 2021

The Next Right Thing

Began a bright and sunny morning with Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Daniel's excited because "The Baby Is Here!" He stays with Grandpere while his parents go to Doctor Anna to have his new sibling. They read a board book called "Margaret's Music" that eventually inspires the name of his new little sister. Daniel can't wait to show the newest member of the household off to his friends! Even as he introduces her to the neighborhood, he learns how important his role as a big brother is when he's the only one who can quiet her.

Switched to Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures while doing the dishes and making the bed. "There Goes Our Fun!" wails Millie and Melody when an evil mad scientist steals all the rides at the local amusement park. Mickey and the others make their own rides, proving that you don't need a lot of stuff to have a great time. Minnie and Daisy also learn how to take care of a little one when they babysit the Matisses' new baby boy Ollie, and Cucko-Loca has to remind them "Don't Wake the Baby!"

It was so warm when I went outside, I switched my heavy winter coat for my jean jacket...and of course, five minutes later, the clouds came out and it became much colder. Good thing I was just strolling to Dollar General. I was able to buy peanut butter, dust cleaner, the Mountain Dew Merry Mix-Up soda, and cooking spray, among other things...but not the new calendar I was looking for. 

Headed straight home after that, shivering in the half-clouds. As soon as I got home, I immediately pulled out the container for the Christmas bears. On one hand, my holidays were pretty decent, given everything that's going on. However, I have way too much going on right now to let them linger for long. Put on my favorite Aerosmith album Permanent Vacation to keep me moving as I undressed the bears and returned the ones that belonged on my bed, then put the holidays-only stuffed toys away. 

Was working on taking the ornaments off the tree when I heard a knock on the door into the main house. Jodie was finally home, and she carried two small packages. I went ahead and ordered the final two Varese Sarabande musical collection CDs I didn't have, Unsung Musicals III and The Musical Adventures of Peter Pan, off eBay. 

Unsung Musicals III is in the same vein as the first two CDs in the series, a collection of songs cut from flops or from flop musicals that were in one way or another never recorded. Favorites here include the sweet title song from a stage musical version of It's a Wonderful Life and "At the Same Time" from a musical retelling of Freaky Friday. The unqualified winner from Peter Pan was the gorgeous "Once Upon a Bedtime Story," from an otherwise poorly-received 1976 TV version with Mia Farrow and Danny Kaye. I also rather liked the touching ballad "When You're Alone," the lone survivor from an attempt to make the 1993 action movie Hook into a film musical. 

Returned to the living room after the tree and its ornaments were all back in their boxes for a quick Bananas-Orange Smoothie lunch and Match Game '75. Did one episode I missed early in the week. The show began with Fannie joked about the new film she appeared in about an amateur theatrical troupe "not unlike this panel," while the others tried to figure out an answer to "Horace ___" in the audience match and what Fannie did to her training bra as a child. 

Finished out the Peter Pan CD while taking down the knick-knack decorations. By the time I'd gotten to the garlands, I'd switched to DC Super Hero Girls on the Cartoon Network app. Diana Prince is thrilled with the baby griffin she got from her mother in Themyscura. Her friend Jessica reminds her that wild animals shouldn't be pets, but Diana is so happy with her new buddy, she insists on handling him herself. Trouble is, he grows at a rapid rate, eating all the ice cream in sight and getting into nothing but trouble until a hydra appears in the city. Diana and the griffin have to work together to figure out where this menace came from...and then get him to a place where he can live with his own kind.

As I began writing, I heard familiar voices outside. Rose and her kids were next-door, introducing Cider to my next-door neighbors and the kids in the neighborhood. While the kids ran up and down the street and Rose and the mothers chatted, big fluffy Onyx sniffed around little Cider and probably wondered how this squirt got here...and Cider probably wondered what a bear was doing living in the neighborhood!  

Talked to one of the moms as Rose took the kids and animals in back of the house next-door. I have no idea what to do next. There's so much I need. I need a new cell phone. I need a new bike. I need a printer. I really need to find an apartment. While it'll likely take Jodie a lot longer to sell the house than she thinks, she will eventually. The main house is too big for her, and the apartment is too small for me. I have no idea what I'll do. I don't want to return to Cape May County, and I have no friends around here I can crash with. My neighbor insisted I ask around about local apartments, including at work, and that I not give up hope.

Got to writing when I went back in. Brett flirts shamelessly with Goodson, insisting that she's glad to be away from those barbaric pirates. Gene can tell she's lying, though, and Goodson is about to get a big surprise when he makes his move on her...

Broke for dinner at quarter of 7. Watched an episode of Fantasy Island on Crackle while making Cincinatti Chili for dinner. Went with "Reprisal/High Off the Hog" from the fourth season. Meek orphaned gymnast Trudy Brown (Maureen McCormick) is tired of letting her Aunt Mabel (Janis Page) and cousin Janet (Holly Gagnier) ignore her. Roarke gives her the power to see herself as beautiful and confident, to make things happen...but she misuses the power and ends up seeing herself as ugly. Meanwhile, a young man (Stephan Sturbridge) whose Ozark family sacrificed heavily for him to attend college wishes for them to be rich. His father and sister enjoy it, but his mother would rather do things for herself, and they're preyed on by a con-man who sells his father a worthless island in Florida.

Finished the night online with Frozen II. I go further into the follow-up to Disney's most popular animated movie to date at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

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