Texted Jessa after breakfast. Yesterday, we arranged for her to come over. Got back to her today, and we settled on getting together at 3 PM.
Put on Match Game '79 while finishing my tea and doing the dishes. The first episode started off with Brianne Leary showing off her dexterity by doing a rather nice backflip. She did equally well later on helping the contestant with "__ Cement" on the Head-to-Head round.
There's a package of boneless chicken thighs I've had in the refrigerator forever. I could never figure out what to do with them. I finally tossed them in the Crock Pot with broccoli, chicken stock, lemon juice, and salt and pepper during the second episode of Match Game '79. Brianne shows that Tiger Beat Magazine used to be a thing by bringing in a copy, while Joyce Bulifant offers goofy 50's tough guy Jon "Bowser" Bauman her string of pearls. Things get really weird when Gene, annoyed that the cameramen aren't cutting fast enough to the commercials, shoves his face right in front of the camera for a very extreme close-up!
Worked on apartment hunting for an hour next. Called Kelly Ferrante, the agent in charge of the house in Collingswood. She'll be showing it on Thursday afternoon at 3. From what she says, the listing was extremely popular, and it got so many calls, she'll be doing a mass viewing. Not surprising, given the lovely little house and nice location near Knight Park. Tried to get a hold of Collings Ave Apartments next to say I was still interested; left a message with them.
Found an ad on Craigslist for a studio apartment on Park Drive in Collingswood, along the Cooper River. It turned out to be at the Marina Park Apartments, a small three-story complex I've passed a few times while yard sale hunting. E-mailed them and set up an appointment to see a studio apartment on Friday at 11 AM. It's kind of far from the major highways and I may not take it, but it's still worth seeing.
Broke at 1:30 to work on packing and watch The Dangerous Christmas of Red Riding Hood . I go into further into this campy fractured fairy tale at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Rose called ten minutes after Dangerous Christmas ended. Apparently, Jodie's lawyer says the amount of time I have to move has changed...but not whether it's been lengthened or shortened, or what's otherwise going on with the sale of the house. She says he's still being cagey about showing Rose the deed for the sale. I suspect he's being cagey because Jodie is. She's utterly terrified that the sale will fall through and she'll neither have the money for a house at the shore, nor enough cash to pay for the bills on this one.
I can understand her point of view on the house. It's huge. It must cost a fortune to heat and cool. I can also understand why she doesn't want to stay. She wants to get away from the memories, in the house and in the area. What I don't get is why she won't let her lawyer discuss the sale of the house with Rose or show her the deed. What's the fuss? The house is sold. We're not trying to stop that. We're just trying to give me more time to find an apartment.
Heard a knock on the door while I still talked to Rose. Let Jessa in while I finally got off with her. Jessa thought she would help me pack, but there really isn't much left to do. Most of what I haven't packed are things like clothes or pans I'll probably need in the next month or so. Besides, I hadn't been outside all day. I desperately wanted to get out, and it was a gorgeous sunny afternoon.
We ended up at what's now the Westmont Diner, formerly the Crystal Lake Diner, on the hill under the Haddon Township Library. I liked their simple, elegant remodeling, especially the nifty black-and-white photos of the old Westmont Theater on the walls. She had Salmon Florentine stuffed with crabmeat and spinach, along with yellow rice. I had a crispy waffle topped with bananas, strawberries, and blueberries. I paid with my credit card. I'm still trying to build up my credit, and she's certainly treated me to enough meals in the past. Tipped the waiter well, too. He was a real sweetheart.
We mainly talked about my troubles with the family and finding a place. She's been scarce lately because she wants to stay away from all the drama with the house and Rose and Jodie. I don't blame her. I wish I could. Well, that and she works two jobs and is perfectly happy doing it. She says she enjoys the constant motion.
When we got home, I went straight into writing. Just as everyone starts complaining about hiking in the heat, Richard points out the train that'll take them through the third square. They move away from it, which gets them right to it. Richard helps load everyone on the caboose before just managing to get in himself.
Broke for dinner at 6:30. Buzzr skipped an episode of Match Game '74 that got a little too political, going straight into Betty White helping the contestant with "Tinker __" and she and Brett tossing quips at each other. Later, we get a male contestant whose goofy answers are well-matched with his equally funny quips.
And that chicken and broccoli Crock Pot dish...ooh, that came out soooo well! It was delicious. The broccoli sort of fell apart - I probably should have put it in a bit later - but it all tasted wonderful, soft and savory.
Match Game PM kicked off with two single salespeople contestants, one with a considerable mustache, the other a very pretty lady Richard and Gene happily ogled. Maybe that's why Gene got so tongue-tied asking a question about tongues. Richard had more luck helping one of those contestants with "The Impossible __" on the Head-to-Head.
Finished out the night watching the CBS animated special The Story of Santa Claus on Paramount Plus after a shower. Nicholas Claus (Ed Asner) loves giving toys to all the children of his village, but especially to poor ones. When he and his wife Gretchen (Betty White) are lost in a storm, they end up stranded at the North Pole. After they rescue a young elf named Clement, his father Nostros (Tim Curry) has to give him his fondest wish. Nicholas wants to give toys to every child in the world. Nostros claims this is impossible, but Nicholas eventually gets every elf in the North Pole, including Clement and brilliant young know-it-all Aurora, involved in building a factory to make toys. If they don't make Nicholas' wish come true, every elf will lose their magic...and so will Christmas.
Sweet little special features some good performances, especially from Curry as the grouchy wizard elf who refuses to believe this fat old man could really deliver all those toys. Some good songs, too. I've had "We're Gonna Pull It Off" and "Give Every Child In the World a Toy" for years. (They're included on the end of the True Value Happy Holidays Vol. 32 CD. True Value was the sponsor of the special's original broadcast.)
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