It's a Most Unusual Day

Kicked off a sunny, hot morning with a quick errand run. Needed to stop at the bank for money first. Headed down Cuthbert after I left, dodging the lunch rush hour traffic, then pushed up the hill past McDonald's (and their long take-out line) to the Haddon Township Library. Dropped off a pile of books, then headed home. Not only did I have too much to do today to linger, it was too hot. It jumped into the mid-90's, and though it was a bit breezy as well, it still wasn't a day to be doing much running around.

Had a quick lunch while watching Match Game '77. Switched to Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood while I resumed dusting. Daniel and O the Owl are disappointed when a shower disrupts their trip in the cardboard trolley they made. They take it inside, but can't figure out where they should go. X encourages them to plan "Daniel and O's Road Trip" together. "Daniel's Puppet Plan" is to set up a show for his mother and X at the library. With a lot of creative planning, he can get Miss Elaina and Prince Wednesday to join in, too.

Moved on to The Cat In the Hat Knows a Lot About That next. I thought "Be Cool" was certainly appropriate for our current weather! I'm not the only one sweating in the heat. Nick and Sally are playing badminton in the backyard, but now they're way too hot. The Cat takes the kids to the desert to show them how animals who live in constant heat cool off. They go on an "Elephant Walk" in the African savannah to see how an elephant uses its trunk. 

Had counseling at 2 PM. Not a whole lot to report, under any circumstances. I'm waiting to hear from the counselor who is supposed to help me job-hunt. My next appointment is my long-put-off dental cleaning, which I'll be doing next week. I'll try to get to the gynecologist sometime this summer, but I was hoping to find something closer to home. Rose still isn't speaking to me or Mom, and I still think she's being silly about the whole thing. She fusses at me about not behaving like an adult, and here she is, shutting people out just because they won't do what she wants. That's not adult behavior, either. 

I'm looking forward, not only to Lauren's visit, but to a nice, quiet summer. I may try to take a day trip to Atlantic City or maybe a weekend in the Poconos later in July or in August, but...like so many of my plans, I come up with ideas, then never end up doing them. I make lists, I do research, but in the end, I don't have the money or the time or just never get around to it. 

Returned to dusting after I got off the computer. Watched A Date With Judy while I worked, and later as I finally dragged the mattress I borrowed upstairs. I go further into this adorable teen comedy featuring Jane Powell and Elizabeth Taylor on my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

 

A Date With Judy

It took longer than expected to find an Uber driver who would take me into Philly at quarter of 5. In fact, it took nearly a half-hour for him to arrive, and then we hit traffic on the Schuylkill Expressway. Thankfully, I was only about ten minutes late arriving at 30th Street Station. Met Lauren at the departures sign. She was fine with my being late, too. It gave her a chance to use the bathroom.

Thankfully, it didn't take nearly as long to find a driver to take us home. It probably took longer for us to find her amid all the cars picking up passengers outside than for her to drive us into New Jersey. She went through South Philly and Camden, past Lincoln Financial Stadium, Citizens Bank Park, and XFinity Live, avoiding all the traffic on the highways. 

After Lauren took her stuff upstairs, we decided we wanted a walk and went down the street to Crown Gyro & Chicken, the same place I ate at on Sunday. Since it was past 6:30, they were a little busier with older men picking up their orders. We both had rice dishes. She had shrimp, vegetables, and rice; I had fish. The fish was good, anyway, perfectly fried and crispy, but the rice was far too spicy for me! I gulped down my Diet Coke in a hurry. 

Took a short stroll down the White Horse Pike and back around to Johnson to walk off our meals. Besides, by 7 PM, the sun wasn't nearly as strong, and the breeze felt wonderful. Everyone must have still been eating or avoiding the heat. We saw no one but a few people walking dogs out and about. 

I put on more Daniel Tiger when we got in. "Daniel's Bicycle" belonged to his father, but he repaired it just for him. Daniel's nervous about riding at first, but his father encourages him to keep trying. Likewise, "Katerina's Magic Trick" doesn't come out perfectly at first, but she keeps working at it until she gets it right. 

Finished the night online with more Match Game; went with nighttime episode this time. Started with the one I missed when we were having dinner. Two of the most hapless contestants to ever play the game turned out rotten answer after rotten answer. Once again, one only made it to the Super Match because Charles matched each of them once, then matched them again in a tie. Charles wasn't really happy when he didn't choose him for the Audience Match, though!

I wish Buzzr would show the earlier nighttime episodes. Some of my favorite shows from the entire series were made for prime time. There's the two incidents where Gene thought Richard had a crazy answer on the Audience Match, only to see them turn up on the board. The episode after the Admiral Television answer was just as wild, with Charles and Richard showing of "your basic big picture hat society." A question from an episode a few weeks later prompted lots of "Raid" jokes. There was also the time Orson got so excited after the contestant won the Head-to-Head, he ran down and kissed everybody, and the twinkly-eyed older man who kept flirting with Brett, to her delight. 

Harts On Vacation

Began the morning with material from the Colliers Harvest of Holidays anthology book. Memorial Day began as a holiday to honor the dead of the Civil War, so all the material revolved around that conflict. "Light Bread and Apple Butter" is the long story, the sweet tale of a young Union solider who helps a Missouri woman with her chores and is rewarded with a pile of apples. The rest consists of poems about the Civil War, including "Barbara Frietche" and "Sheridan's Ride."

Downed a very quick breakfast before making my way out to work. To my surprise, it was totally dead at 9:30 in the morning. Crossed the White Horse Pike and Nicholson without any trouble at all. There was no one on West Clinton, either, though the small park near the schools with the memorials to Oaklyn's fallen soldiers had chairs in front of them and looked like they were preparing for a ceremony. 

Work wasn't any busier. It did get a little busy during the noon rush hour, but otherwise, it wasn't bad at all, especially for a major holiday. I was pulled twice to do carts for a half-hour, which suited me fine. It was hot, breezy, and sunny, maybe a little warm for late May but not as bad as it's supposed to be tomorrow. By the time I finished, it was so dead, I think I had five people come through my line during the last hour. No problems other than a few grouchy people and another lady who couldn't figure out the WIC checks. (Thank goodness the cards are starting to come through!)

Went straight home after work. Changed, then dusted while Match Game '74 was on. A peppy lady with a gigantic hairdo got to hear some very funny answers to what Joshua used to knock down the walls of Jericho when he couldn't use a horn. There was also Amanda Blake trying to figure out what her character Miss Kitty bites on instead of a bullet when she has surgery and the others helping with "The Old __" in the Audience Match. 

Match Game PM was the first episode with the new set in 1978. Brett was the first person chosen by the Star Wheel on a nighttime episode, but she didn't have an easy time with "__ Alcohol," especially after the audience threw in their two cents! Meanwhile, Bonnie Franklin looks nervous to answer what nearsighted Farmer Brown attached his milking machine to, Marcia Wallace reveals she's a bowling champ, and Richard is just in a plain bad mood and won't play along.

Let it run into Sale of the Century while I ate dinner. They continue with "new" 1989 episodes I hadn't seen. It was mostly the champ and the one guy going back and forth the whole night. Everyone won or bought something, but in the end, the guy pulled ahead in the Speed Round. He didn't have as much luck with the Bonus Round, though...

Finished the night on The Roku Channel with Hart to Hart after a shower. Jennifer wonders "What Becomes a Murder Most?" when two high society friends of hers turn up dead after appearing in an ad campaign for a fake fur. Jennifer also appeared in that campaign, and Johnathan orders her photos destroyed before they're run. Someone, however, wants those ads to run...and wants Jennifer out of the picture for good. 

And...yay, I'm on vacation! Actually, to save vacation time, I took tomorrow as a regular day off. I'll mainly be running errands and cleaning before I pick up Lauren, and I have counseling. 

In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening

Began an absolutely gorgeous morning with a quick breakfast before heading out. The weather was perfect for a ride to work. Sunny, with a bright blue sky, soft breeze, and just warm enough. Had no trouble anywhere and got there just in time. 

Work could have been a lot worse, too, especially for a major holiday weekend. We were off-and-on steady all afternoon. It would get busy, only to suddenly die out, and I'd be standing around again. I suspect a lot of people may be waiting for their day off tomorrow or the beginning of the month next week to do their shopping. Plus, holiday or not, it was too nice to be shopping. In and out with no trouble besides a few customers who are still grumpy over having to remember their bags and bag their own groceries. 

It was so lovely, I took the long way home down Nicholson. It wasn't busy there, either. Everyone must have been out enjoying the bright roses blossoming in gardens as the sweet scent of honeysuckles drift in from backyards. The leaves are so big and green now, waving to me in the winds as I passed them.

Went straight upstairs and changed, then had a snack. Vacuumed and began the dusting while watching the Talk About marathon on Buzzr. It's debuting tomorrow at 8 PM, replacing Classic Concentration in their prime-time line-up. Got to see the last two two episodes of the marathon, as two young men defeated a pair of ladies to become retired champions. (To give you an idea of when this was filmed, one of the topics they had to describe was the notorious 1987 flop Ishtar.)

Switched to the remaining Looney Tunes wartime shorts as I did some quick dusting in the bedroom. Termite Terrace basically did three types of shorts during World War II along with their regular non-war programming. There were one-off character shorts and shorts featuring the regular characters, like "Herr Meets Hare" with Bugs Bunny tackling real-life German leader Hermann Goring and "Daffy the Commando" taking on the Nazis in Europe. There were also shorts with one-off characters like "The Draft Horse" and the gremlins from the Kremlin damaging Hitler's plane to a "Russian Rhapsody." 

Most of the shorts weren't quite so specific. Sketch comedy shorts depicted life at home and in the barracks during wartime; they included "Weakly Reporter" on life in the city and suburbs, "Wacky Blackout" happening in the country, and "Meet John Doughboy," which came out even before the US entered the war. Allegories like "Fifth Column Mouse" and "The Duckinators" revealed how we got involved in the war and how we hoped to finish it.

Worked on writing for a while as the cartoons wound down. Brett and Charles finally find the Jabberwock amid the smoke. It seems like a fearsome beast guarding its treasure, but Brett suspects there's something else wrong with it...

There was something going on at the house, so I figured I'd clear out and eat dinner elsewhere. Finally decided I wasn't up to much more than a lamb gyro at the Gyro & Chicken place two blocks down. They weren't busy either at almost 7 PM. The lamb gyro was salty and messy; the fries were especially crispy. Enjoyed them in a small, quiet storefront with exposed stone walls and a couple of plain chairs and tables. A couple of kids came in to chat with the Middle Eastern owners as I ate.

Went for a walk to enjoy that nice evening after I left. Thought of getting a treat at WaWa, but finally decided I was too full and just used the bathroom there instead. I wasn't the only person out and about, either. Kids played with an old wicker chair at the apartments over the Ritz Theater; adults chatted over their porches and gardens. 

Finished the night on YouTube with one of the Family Feud Armed Services Weeks in honor of Memorial Day. Went with the one from 1990 that showed on Buzzr the Sunday before Veteran's Day two years ago. Each branch of the Armed Services play each other; the top winners play for a trophy on the final day. The Army put in a good showing in the championship, but for the second year in a row, they were trounced by the Marines. They had the best answers, the funniest lines, and the most expert trash-talking. 

Here's the entire week, so you can see how the Armed Services did competing against each other for yourself!

Day 1 - Army Vs Navy

Day 2 - Air Force Vs Marines

Day 3 - Coast Guard Vs Army

Day 4 - Coast Guard Vs Air Force

Day 5 - Marines Vs Navy

Day 6 - Championship: Marines Vs Army

May Fair Harvest

Started off a gorgeous morning with a quick breakfast before heading off to Collingswood. Every year on the Saturday before Memorial Day, Collingswood holds a huge May Fair on Haddon Avenue. This is the first time in three years I've been able to get there. Not only did I work the Saturday before Memorial Day last year, but it rained too hard for anyone but ducks to be out and about.

My first stop was the Collingswood Bike Share, a fenced-in area filled with bikes for rent near the parking lot where the farm market is usually held. Yes, they were willing to fix my chain. All the guy did was pull back the wheel, tighten it a little, and oil it. Took less than five minutes. I was serenaded by the volunteers singing Weird Al Yankovitz's "Fat" to "Bad" on the radio as they worked.

Locked the bike at the rack across the parking lot as soon as they finished, then headed off to the May Fair. Even at quarter after 10, they were already elbow-to-elbow busy. I dodged families and elderly car enthusiasts as I headed down to the classic car show first. There were so many cars packed onto Haddon Avenue, I think I walked four or five blocks and still didn't see them all. My favorite were several cherry-red vehicles, including a beautiful red and white Chevy, and a scarlet Red Baron-themed roadster with Snoopy and the Red Baron merchandise in the hood.

The rest of the fair consists of a midway for kids with small rides and bounce houses on the other side of Haddon Avenue, a craft show in between them, and the regular Farm Market on a side street. I went there next before they closed. (They close at noon, earlier than the rest of the fair.) They were so packed, I could barely walk around. Was able to get blueberries from North Carolina, along with first-of-the-season strawberries, asparagus, and a zucchini. 

Next stop was the cute booth with the knitted stuffed animals I saw at the full craft show in Collingswood last August. Chose the most adorable peach pig with purple ears for myself, and found a gift for Lauren, too. Sipped a cool pina colada from a smoothie booth while strolling through the midway. It mostly consisted of a Ferris wheel and tilt-a-whirl sized for little kids, a rock climbing wall, and lots of bounce houses. My favorites was the detailed house based around Cars, with a giant Lightning McQueen in between the slides, the nifty candy-themed house, and the one with the castle theme and the dragons painted on it. 

Headed back to the other side of Haddon Avenue for lunch. Several trucks and booths created a designated "food court" between GrooveGround Coffee Shop and DiBartolo Bakery. All of the food was so darn expensive, but a cabbage roll stuffed with rice and beef from a Polish booth wasn't bad. I had it with bourbon-vanilla applesauce. Both were yummy, though the tomato sauce on top of the cabbage roll was extremely salty. It was so busy, I sat with a father and his two sons so I could eat. Made a quick stop a block down at WaWa for a water and a pretzel to complete my meal.

By this point, it was nearly 12:30. I tried to check out a new thrift store, but it was mobbed with kids looking for cheap vintage toys. The crowds were getting heavier and heavier...and so were the dark clouds that gathered overhead. At that point, there was still more sun than clouds, but I wasn't taking chances. I headed home, taking the long way across a sparkling Newton Lake Park to enjoy the sun that remained.

Went straight upstairs when I got home. Watched Match Game '77 as I got organized. This was one of the episodes from the hilarious week that Minnie Pearl appeared with Dick Smothers. Minnie even dressed up in her usual fancy outfit and flowered hat. 

Switched to Hit the Deck on Amazon Prime after the show ended. I go further into this tale of the adventures of three Navy officers on shore leave in San Francisco at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Happy Memorial Day! - Hit the Deck

Dressed the dolls for warmer June weather during the second half. Barbara Jean is in an orange and yellow geometric print sheath dress I found on eBay. Ariel wears Ivy's Rainbow Terrycloth Romper with the vinyl roller skates from an Our Generation Retro outfit. (And apparently isn't much of a skater, as she had a hard time standing up in them.) Whitney is also in an Our Generation Retro outfit, a purple sleeveless rose-print dress with shiny purple shoes Lauren bought her a few years ago. Josefina gets her Weaving Outfit. Molly's sleeveless ruffled Birthday Pinafore is more appropriate for summer than her actual birthday in April. Paired it with the white t-straps from her Polka Dot Outfit. Squeezed Samantha into her frilly pink-tiered Ice Cream Parlor dress. Jessa's in a gray t-shirt and her green culottes from the Girl Scouts outfit, along with green jelly shoes from one of Ariel's Our Generation outfits. Felicity sports a white gown with a bright blue cabbage rose print and ruffled sleeves I found at a doll clothes booth in the Deptford Mall over a decade ago.

Worked on writing for a little while after I finished with the girls. How does one know when they've found the Jabberwock? Follow the smoke trails, says Charles. Brett's not sure she wants to find this creature...but the do manage to find the Vorpal Sword...

Broke for dinner at 6:30. Watched a few Looney Tunes wartime shorts for Memorial Day. Bugs drives real-life Nazi leader Hermann Goring crazy when he tries to hunt him down in "Herr Meets Hare." Daffy does the same for an unnamed enemy when he becomes "Daffy the Commando." Gremlins from the Kremlin create a "Russian Rhapsody" when they attack Hitler's personal plane before he can bomb Moscow. "Bosco the Doughboy" fights a war from two decades before as he sings his way through the trenches during World War I.

Finished the night on YouTube with this week's marathon from YouTube channel owner Sam Mitchell. He started doing marathons of classic shows a few weeks ago, but I kept forgetting about them until tonight. This week, he posted episodes of the 2002 Family Feud with Richard Karn. While Karn and the show have problems (including an ugly set), they at least play more like the original show, and Karn at least tried to be decent. Check out Sam's marathon yourself and see how well you do against these fiercely competitive families! 

Game Show Saturday Night Marathon 5/28/2022

Stormy Weather

It was only cloudy when I got up this morning, but I could still see it was no day for bike riding. It was supposed to rain later. I called for a ride from Uber instead. Got it within five minutes; got my ride home within 8. In fact, the driver showed up earlier than expected.

Began work today as a bagger. Pushed carts and swept the store until the afternoon bagger arrived around noon. After that, I went in for a cashier so she could go home. We were busy during the lunch rush hour, but a storm later in the afternoon cleared out our customers. By the time a cashier came in for me a bit early, it was so dead, I spent my last half-hour doing returns.

Picked up a few snacks after work. Want to share those delicious fudge-topped shortbread cookies and blueberry scones with Lauren. Had a coupon for Larabars; went with the apple pie. Am almost out of peanut butter. The Jiff I usually use was recalled, so I went with Crazy Richard's, which is also low in salt. Made use of an online coupon and picked up Talenti's Southern Butter Pecan Ice Cream.

And yes, I do work the rest of the weekend after tomorrow. Long hours, too. Seven hours on Sunday, eight on Memorial Day. Thank goodness I'm off for vacation from the day after Memorial Day through the week after! Lauren will be visiting, and as always, I'm looking forward to it. We always have a great time together. 

Went straight upstairs to relax over Match Game '74 when I got home. Amanda Blake of Gunsmoke and Gene Wood, one of the most famous game show announcers of all time, joined Joyce Bulifant and the regulars this week. Gary Burghoff takes offense to short jokes in the opening, while Brett is thrilled when Gene says her current wig makes her look younger. A contestant asks Gene to roll down the steps again for her daughter...and despite his protests that it hurt, he did!

Gary was less pleased during the next episode when the judge matched "nurse" and "woman" and not "woman" and "girl cadaver" for a question about why Dr. Welby doesn't want anyone to look in his closet. (He did have a point that the matching was a little sexist.) Richard had the best answer, though! He was happier when they helped a very pretty young hopeful nurse with "Moving __" in the Audience Match.

Had dinner while watching Match Game PM. Bernie Koppel of The Love Boat and Get Smart joined in for what would be the last episode on the original orange set. It's also the last nighttime episode with the original Head-to-Head where the contestant got to choose the panelist they selected...so Richard ended up helping them with "__ Sitter." It's also one of those later episodes with hapless contestants who just can't match anyone. The only reason they had a tie was Charles matched each one once.

Finished the night after a shower with Mystery Science Theater 3000. Finally got around to "Master Ninja II," the second "film" made from two episodes of a failed 1984 action series about an older ninja (Lee Van Cleef) who takes a young mercenary (Timothy Van Patten) under his belt. This time, they help a young female motorcyclist (Crystal Bernard) organize her union and is getting opposition from the owner of the cannery where she works and rescue the daughter (Jennifer Runyon) of an industrialist (George Lazenby) from terrorists. 

Ehh, same deal. Joel and the robots keep complaining about how cheesy it is, but I think that's it's charm. It's still fun quasi-Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fare that doesn't take itself seriously for a second. 

(And the rain returned around 11-11:30...this time in full force and with thunder and lightning. It was really coming down for a while! It ended some time ago and isn't doing anything now, as far as I can tell.)

Wand'rin Star

Slept until past 9:30. It was closer to 11:30 when I finally got dressed and had breakfast. Watched the last new episode of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood while I ate. Daniel is "Disappointed at the Pool" when he finds out he can't take his new raft in, then the kids have to get out so the adults can swim alone. Dan's mother and Prince Tuesday the lifeguard encourage him to find something good in a frustrating situation. Likewise, he and Miss Elaina are "Disappointed at the Farm" when their duck friend isn't there, but they can play with other animals. They have to distract Margaret as well when she's upset that she's too little to ride Peaches the horse. 

Threw on a quick Bluey episode as I got organized. Bluey teaches Mum, Dad, and Bingo "Swim School" in their local pool, but isn't happy when Bingo tells tales. Mum and Dad try to show their daughters that telling on each other can do even more good than harm, helping to support each other and keep each other out of trouble.

Headed out after the cartoon ended. I can't wash big blankets and comforters at home, so I took my spring/fall comforter to the laundromat. Figured I might as well get the rest of the sheets done there, too. Thankfully, the laundromat was empty almost the entire afternoon. I had no trouble getting a washer or a dryer.

Went down to Dollar General while the laundry was in the washer. They didn't have date bars, but they did have packs of sugar-free electrolyte single mixes that were a heck of a lot cheaper than the ones at the Acme. Grabbed trash bags and gifts for Lauren...but I don't think I'll get the pecan roll again. They're just too sweet to eat all the time.

Sat outside after I dropped the laundry in the dryer and worked on story notes. It was cloudy, breezy, and a bit humid. Not a gorgeous day, but not too hot to be outside, either. It was actually rather pleasant. 

After I got home, I put the sheets and blanket away in my bedroom closet, then took the rest of the laundry downstairs to get that done. Spent the remainder of the afternoon reorganizing my musical DVD collection to get my new purchases in the boxes. Watched Paint Your Wagon while I worked. I go further into this epic 1969 western with a very peculiar cast at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Cult Flops - Paint Your Wagon

Got the other half of my laundry into the washer, then worked on writing after the movie ended. Brett and Charles move into the dark, dank cave. They find the Vorpal Sword stuck in the wall at the end...but the Jabberwock is there, too...

Broke for dinner, putting my laundry in the dryer, and Match Game '74 at quarter of 7. Gene's patchwork pants come in for some ribbing, but it's Fannie's hands-on sweater that really takes the cake. Richard's so amused by her sweater, he starts singing "She's Got the Whole World In Her Hands."

Young comedian Tom Dreesen joins in for Match Game PM. Richard cheered up long enough to help the others with "Jack __" and "__ Is Open" during the Audience Match. He had less luck when the contestant couldn't figure out "__ of Fools," though.

Finished the night with Murder She Wrote online after I put my laundry away. "Murder Takes a Curtain Call" when an former dancer friend of Jessica's takes her to the ballet in Boston. Two Russian dancers want to stay in the US like him and ask for her help. She takes them in, only to find that not only is the KGB keeping an eye on them, but one is found dead in their dressing room. Jessica stays in Boston while they remain at her house and she tries to figure out who really killed the Russian agent. 

Golden Slumbers

Began a cloudy morning with a quick breakfast and a ride to work from a neighbor. I got in with plenty of time...but as it turned out, I could have been infinitely late. It got a little busy around 12:30-1 PM. Other than that, we were dead almost the entire day. I spent the first couple of hours pushing the five carts outside that needed to be done and the rest of my shift filling spray bottles with cleaning liquid, returning cold items, and standing around bored. 

At least it wound up being a nice day to push carts. By the time I got off at 3, the sun was out, and it was a hot and windy day. Took me a little while to get Uber, 13 minutes, but they were on time when they did get there. No traffic either way; I was home within five minutes.

As soon as I got in, I went straight upstairs and into bed. I am still so wiped out. It's been a long couple of months. I'm definitely appreciating that I'm finally getting more chances to rest. Napped for almost two hours and felt a bit better afterwards.

Did some writing after that. Charles and Brett follow the Jabberwock to a cave in the side of a mountain. Neither especially want it to burn them to a crisp, but they also want to find the Vorpal Sword and get out of Limbo. Charles leads Brett in while Brett laments the state her clothes are in.

Broke for dinner at 6:30. Watched a very cute episode of Match Game '74 while eating leftovers. One of Allen Ludden's answers were so bad, Gene tore it up and handed it to Betty White and her mother Tess in the audience! Later, Allen proved to be a man way ahead of his time with his answer to "Walking __" in the Audience Match. It may have been a little obscure to audiences then, but nowadays, thanks to a certain hit show on AMC, would likely be the top answer...

Started to make my bed and strip the sheets during Match Game PM. I have no idea where they kept digging up these really tall contestants. In this case, we had a contestant who was 6'8. Gene quickly told him when he asked him if he wanted A or B, he could have anything he wanted! 

Finished putting the summer sheets and quilt on the bed while watching another new episode of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. The Neighborhood of Make Believe just got a pool, and Daniel's very excited! Queen Sarah, Mrs. Tiger, and lifeguard Prince Tuesday remind him and Prince Wednesday about how rules keep us safe and why "Daniel Follows the Rules of the Pool." He's also excited about joining Queen Sarah, Katerina, and Miss Elaina for "Daniel's First Swim Class," especially getting to blow bubbles in the water! Katerina's upset when a storm rolls in and they have to clear out before she can blow bubbles, but as Prince Tuesday reminds them, being in the water during a thunderstorm really isn't a good idea.

Another neighbor came over and got the chain back on my bike while the show was on. He wasn't able to tighten it, though. I probably will have figure out how to get to Cherry Hill for that. 

Finished the night online after a shower with The Love Boat. Gopher's singing "The Spider Serenade" when he falls for a lady (Jill St. John) who begged him to squish a spider in her cabin, before he realizes she's married. A young man (James MacArthur) wonders if having a "Next Door Wife" is such a bad thing when his ex (Joanna Pettet) gets the room next to him and his fiancée (Susan Buckner). Two cruise ship executives and former middleweight champs (Milton Berle and Alan Hale Jr.) fought each other years ago, but knocked out the referee. They want to settle things now...but learn that "The Harder They Fall" when Captain Steubing ends up in the middle of their feud. 

The Troubled Month of May

Barely had the time for breakfast and a little more research before my appointment with Vocational Rehabilitation. It sounds like the gentleman is going to recommend me to another counselor who can help me with my resumes and knows more about finding writing jobs. At this point, I just want out of retail, period. I don't belong there. It's not the right work for me. I've always known that. I just need to find what is. 

Rushed out after lunch on a sunny, breezy morning. Of course, the chain came off as I rode down Kendall when I was already running late. One of the residents took pity on me and gave me and my bike a ride to work. I felt bad, but he said he didn't mind, and even volunteered to come and attempt to fix it at work later.

Work was a little busier than it has been. Not only are we getting closer to Memorial Day Weekend, but today is our Senior Discount Day. I was supposed to be bagging, but they kept dumping me in a register or putting me in so people could go on break. I did finally manage to get to the carts during the second half of my shift, and rounded up the trash and recycling, too. Plus I had help from the morning bagger for almost the entire day. 

Alas, it turned out my neighbor didn't have the right tools needed to get the chain back on my bike. I ended up walking it home. I wasn't sure if any Uber driver would be able to carry it, and I didn't want to disrupt anyone's dinner. Another neighbor did say she might know someone who could fix bikes when I got back.

Finally got home just in time for dinner and the second half of Match Game '74. Allen Ludden turns up for the second time on the show, getting to witness Elaine Joyce in her goofy plaid bow tie and Richard Dawson starting a near-riot over his answer to what the first-class passengers get to cook in the cannibal airplane. Fannie Flagg tosses back a crack Brett Somers makes about the women on the lower desks having dark roots by reminding her that she doesn't wear her own hair. 

Richard wasn't much happier on Match Game PM, even when they got to help a single 19-year-old girl contestant. Charles teases Brett about the green silk Asian-style dress she's wearing. Brett is more amused by that kid's answer to who ends up in the same sleeping bag as Grizzly Adams!

Finished the night online with Camelot at HBO Max. I go further into this epic version of the Broadway musical version of the King Arthur legends at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Camelot (1967)

Found The Broadway of Lerner and Loewe while looking for more of their music on YouTube. This 1962 special features Julie Andrews, Richard Burton, and Robert Goulet (all of whom were appearing in the stage Camelot at that point), along with Maurice Chevalier and Stanley Holloway. Chevalier narrates this look at how Broadway musicals are cast and rehearsed; the second half gives us some very strange numbers, including Julie's "With a Little Bit of Luck" with the boys and Holloway and Chevalier doing "It's Almost Like Being In Love." At least Holloway gets to recreate his "Get Me to the Church On Time" from My Fair Lady, and Andrews gets "Show Me." Look for Charles Nelson Reilly in a short bit as a playwright who predicts Lady will fail. 

The Broadway of Lerner and Loewe

Springtime Angels

Couldn't believe how gorgeous it was when I got up this morning. The heat and clouds from yesterday were replaced with soft breezes, blue skies, and a warm but not overly hot sun. It made for an extremely pleasant ride to work. I wasn't the only one who thought so. I had to dodge a lot of people walking their dogs or going for strolls coming and going.

The beautiful day was also reflected in the Acme. While we weren't as dead as yesterday, it never got overwhelming or too crazy, either. It's too beautiful to be busy! Not to mention, we're at the end of the month and right before a major holiday. If people aren't waiting for Memorial Day Weekend to do their shopping, they're waiting to get their beginning of the month money next week. Plenty of help for once, too. I even got to shelve loose items for an hour or so again. Was in and out with no trouble whatsoever besides a few annoying customers.

Went into writing after I got home and changed. Charles and Brett follow the Jabberwock's smoke trail to a cave a few miles from the jub-jub bird's nest. Brett's not happy about hauling her rear two miles to the creature's cave, stumbling over roots and rocks. Charles insists it's the only way they'll get out - by rescuing the Vorpal Sword.

Broke for dinner at 7 PM. Watched Match Game PM while I ate. Mary Wickes, Gary Crosby, and Fannie Flagg witness Charles waiting (and waiting) for Brett to stop talking and let him give his answer about what a cowboy kissed that hurt his lip. Richard has less luck with "Lewis __" in the Head to Head.

Finished the night watching shows on the Roku Channel after a shower. Charlie's Angels are reluctant "Stuntwoman Angels" in Season 5 when a masked man in a Robin Hood costume keeps causing on-the-set accidents. The girls learn that they all revolve around the stunt coordinator for two female-oriented action movies. Someone doesn't want the show to go on, particularly the cheapened remake of an Errol Flynn movie, Marian and Her Merry Maidens...or two someones...

Jeannie from I Dream of Jeannie also has fun with show business in the 5th season opener "Jeannie at the Piano." She enchants a red piano so Tony looks like a virtuoso whenever he plays it. General Schaffer is so impressed with Tony's playing, he sends him on tour. Roger joins in as his agent and manager. They have to make sure the red piano is at every location...and that Jeannie is there to keep the magic going. 

Games of the Great White North

Began a nice, quiet morning with a quick breakfast. Though it remained hot, it wasn't quite as bad as yesterday. A strong breeze helped, too. I actually had a rather pleasant ride to work. No traffic anywhere, no one around. Everyone was probably at church, sleeping in, or at the Shore.

This extended to work, too. The Acme is normally busy on Sundays, but today, we never got more than mildly steady during the noon rush hour. Once again, most people either hid inside from the heat, are at the Shore, or are waiting for Memorial Day Weekend or the beginning of the month to do their big shopping. I actually spent a lot of the afternoon shelving loose items. Got in and out with no trouble whatsoever. 

Even Nicholson Road wasn't busy when I rode home. No one around the shopping center entrance or the Hispanic church. No one on Atlantic. Not even much traffic on the White Horse Pike. Too bad. They were missing a gorgeous day. Hot, yes, but also breezy, with a searing blue sky. Everything is so green now. The leaves are nearly at their full lengths. Gardens are thick with sweet-smelling roses and spicy purple irises. 

Went straight upstairs after I got home, changed, and did research on what jobs I could do. Truth of the matter is, I'm not sure. This is where I have trouble. I look up jobs, see that they require multi-tasking or more experience than I have, and I don't end up doing anything. Honestly, I wonder if I could write for a living...but if I can't, what job can I do? I really have no clue. 

Broke for a very quick dinner at 6:30, then went straight into game shows on YouTube. Talk About, which will be debuting on Buzzr Memorial Day, was a Canadian-made show, so I decided to investigate more game shows from our neighbors to the north. Talk About was a slightly bigger hit there than here, running two years and spawning a nighttime version with celebrities helping out players. Since it doesn't look like the celebrity version will be shown in the US as of this second, I went with an episode featuring game show hosts Marc Summers and Geoff Edwards helping the contestants figure out how words related to certain topics.

Talk About is far from the only Canadian game show to involve words and word association. Two of the most popular game shows in Canadian TV history were word games. Jim Perry oversaw Definition from 1972 to 1989 and remains one of the longest-running daytime shows in North America. Basically, it's "Hangman with puns." Perry reads a punny clue, and the contestants have to call for letters to guess the answer. No wonder this ran for so long. It's cute, funny, and very addictive. 

Perry was also in charge of Headline Hunters, which was on CTV from 1972 to 1983. Here, contestants had to guess an event or person in the news from a series of clues. Just learning about Canadian and American history from the early 80's was fascinating, given I was very young when this episode first ran. 

The Canucks seem to have a true nose for game shows about news. Front News Challenge ran so long, it was on CBC Television from 1957 to 1995! Basically a cross between Headline Hunters and I've Got a Secret. A panel of celebrity writers and journalists interview a guest to figure out what they're known for or what their achievements are. In the 60's and 70's, the show was apparently able to get a wide range of guests from around the globe; in this episode, they talk to Eleanor Roosevelt.

They continued to do history-based quizzes on cable into the 90's. TimeChase was on the Canadian version of The History Channel and was basically a history quiz. Contestants choose a decade and answer questions related to events in that decade. It's actually a lot more fun than it sounds, especially if you're a history buff like me. Dignified Sheldon Turncott was the host here. 

MuchMusic was the Canadian equivalent of MTV, and apparently followed a similar trajectory to its American counterpart (including eventually dropping most of its musical programming). Also like MTV, it debuted wacky game shows in the late 80's. Test Pattern mixed pop culture and music trivia with wacky, messy stunts, making it something like a wild fusion of Remote Control and Double Dare. 

Food For Thought was a late 80's blending of several food and shopping-related games. Host Don Ritchie asked a series of food-related quiz questions, then did their own version of hangman. Unlike Supermarket Sweep, instead of running around willy-nilly to see who can get the most, contestants have to figure out how to get a certain price limit in a certain amount of time. The food isn't priced, and everyone has to figure out what the prices would be, and if it would be under the limit.

Of course, not every game show reached the heights of Definition or Front News Challenge, even in Canada. They had their fair share of flops as well, such as Pitfall from 1981. Alex Trebek hosted this odd show that had contestants trying to predict how the other contestant and the audience would answer certain questions. Winner went on to the Pitfalls themselves, a moving bridge that could be lowered in sections if the contestant missed a question. Even the pitfalls couldn't make the survey questions in the first half exciting. Not to mention, that mechanical set cost so much, the company that made the show went bankrupt. Trebek and many of the contestants and staff were never paid or given their prizes. 

Take a trip to Canada to visit the wonders of definitions, wild stunts, and nutty pitfalls! (Look for the commercials on may of these, a second bonus Definition episode on the same post, and an interview with Trebek about being stiffed for his paycheck on Pitfall. And thanks to Wink Martindale and his channel for the Pitfall episode and interview!)

Front Page Challenge (1958)
Headline Hunters (1981)

Pitfall (1981)

Definition (1986)

Test Pattern (1989)

Celebrity Talk About (1989) 

Food For Thought (1989)

TimeChase (1997)

Hot Spring Harvest

Badly needed to sleep in this morning, but that also meant I got a late breakfast, and a late start to the Collingswood Farm Market. Not a good thing, as I had to stop at WaWa for money and a bottle of water, too. They were busy, but at least the line moved fast, and I already had my own bags and didn't need to buy one.

Headed back across the street for my first trip to the Farm Market of the year. It's still pretty early in the season, too early for them to be selling much besides asparagus and greens. Not to mention, it was already in the 80's at 11:30. They were still busy with people looking for vegetables to grill for barbecues and birthday parties. Grabbed bananas and asparagus, along with feta from the dairy farm tables for a snack.

Spent the next two hours riding around Haddon Township and Audubon, checking out yard sales despite the upper 90's-degree heat. There were a few leftover from the previously rained-out two weeks. The first in Westmont yielded nothing, but I did get two records from an estate sale a few streets down from the first one. It took me so long to find the third, I gave up and bought a too-sweet key lime water ice from Rita's in Westmont to cool off instead. Found two fantasy novels, Carval and Legendary, along with a pretty pink and gold swirl file holder, at a big yard sale in Audubon, a couple of streets down from the Westmont Plaza. 

Finally went home for luncharound 2 PM. Ate and then rested for a while in my darkened room while watching Buzzr's big Family Fun Day marathon. They've been advertising this one for weeks. The first two hours featured a week of Classic Concentration from the fall of 1989 (if the pumpkins and corn stalks scattered around the set are any indication) featuring sets of identical twins playing each other. They proved that two heads really are better than one. Of the four I saw play, only one set of twins failed to get the car in the end.

In 1993, Family Feud did a special week of syndicated episodes filmed at what was then Opryland USA. The Mandrel Sisters and their parents played the Statler Brothers and their "special guest" Brenda Lee in a battle of the country music stars. The Statlers won the first episode, but despite coming off as more than a little flaky, the Mandrels wiped the floor with them in the remaining three episodes, winning two Fast Money rounds. 

Worked on writing while the episodes were on. Charles tells Brett about the legendary Vorpal Sword, and how it was lost years before and is now in the possession of the Jabberwock. Defeating the creature may be their only way out of Limbo...

Broke for dinner at 6:30. By that point, Buzzr was on Password Plus. This was the week from 1981 with Jack Narz playing while his younger brother Tom Kennedy hosted. And yes, they did include the hilarious episode where Jack, who was upset after doing badly on the Alphabetics round, traded places with Tom to prove just how hard playing the game was. 

Finished the night online after a shower and the last episode with The Daydreamer at the Kanopy library site. I go further into this Rankin-Bass live-action/animated retelling of several Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Animation Celebration Saturday - The Daydreamer

Seeing Is Believing

Happily slept in this morning. It was past 11 when I had breakfast while watching one of the newest episodes of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Miss Elaina and Daniel are thrilled to help with "Jodi's Lemonade Stand," but not when it starts raining and they leave the sign they made outside. Lady Elaine encourages them to say all the things they need out loud in order to remember it all. Dan Sr. also tells his son that "Daniel Remembers What He Needs" for school when he says them to himself.

Went straight into a slightly older episode as I got organized. "Daniel and Miss Elaina Bake Pretzels" with Baker Aker. Elaina's upset when Daniel rolls his dough too close to her, and then Dan's not happy when Jodi tries to nose in and see his butterfly pretzel. Baker Aker reminds the kids to give them enough room to do what they need to do. "O Gives Daniel Space" when they play library at the treehouse. 

Switched to Match Game '77 on Buzzr before heading out around 12:30. I really needed to pick up my new glasses. I heard from Kresloff's earlier in the week, but I didn't have the time to get them then. I thought of going on Tuesday, but I was just too darn tired. I walked right in and sat down, and they had them for me within a minute. Got a new case, too, and a new fabric wipe along with cleaner. 

I love them! Everything is so much sharper and brighter than it used to be. I can see so much more detail, too. They're insanely thick, though, much thicker than the old ones. I didn't realize my eyes were that bad. I'm glad I chose the frames I did, though. The lenses are a bit more squarish than the old ones, and the earpieces have a lovely flowery design with little crystals on them. They're a metallic brown, and really pretty. 

On my way to the Station House office building, I saw a new comic book store next door in what used to be a gym that specialized in stationary bikes. They were a huge square room filled with boxes and shelves of comics, along with Funco Pops and other geeky toys. I didn't see much that interested me, but Lauren will probably love it when she visits after Memorial Day.

Did my grocery shopping next. Found inexpensive salt-free almonds and a container of celery and carrot sticks at the Westmont Acme, but they only had the more expensive 8-packs of Larabars. I ended up getting more of Target's apple and lemon date bars. Needed anti-itch cream there, too. Stopped at Family Dollar for a pack of underwear.

The dark clouds that gathered all afternoon finally burst as I walked out of Family Dollar. I was hoping to run a few more errands, but decided better dry than sorry. I rushed home in a downpour and a thunderstorm. Thank goodness I was only a few blocks from home, and the rain waited until I'd been at home for at least a half-hour to really start pouring.

Went straight upstairs and into a nap. I'm still really, really wiped out. I've been nodding off standing up everywhere, including at work. Went down around 3; didn't get up until 5.

Had an early dinner while watching Match Game '76. Saw the last episode of Brianne Leary's run as a contestant. She won about $9,000...enough for her to drop her day job and pursue acting. She'd become the only contestant who later appeared on the panel when she turned up in Match Game '79 after starring on Chips. For some reason, they skipped the next two episodes and went right into the week with Bob Barker, Patty Duke, and Fannie Flagg. They get to help a very pretty lady with "__ Nation" on the Audience Match...but it's the contestant who gets it right!

Worked on writing for a while next. Charles manages to get him and Brett down from the cliff by holding onto his hat...literally, which allows them to float down. Brett's just grateful they're back on the ground. They have to dodge the fearsome Jabberwock and find their way out and get Brett to jump to the next square.

I also got my schedule. Somewhat better schedule, only one 8 1/2 hour day and two days off. I also work late enough on Tuesday that I should be able to get my appointment with Vocational Rehabilitation in and not have to ask for that day off. 

Finished the night on HBO Max with Tootsie. Michael Dorsey (Dustin Hoffman) is a stage actor teaching classes and desperately searching for work in New York City. He hears about a job on soap opera Southwestern Hospital from his girlfriend Sandy (Terri Garr) and goes for it, despite it being for a woman. He dresses in drag and calls himself "Dorothy Michaels" to audition. 

Not only does he land the part, he's a sensation, playing the role as a tough, no-nonsense feminist, rather than the silly female the sexist director Ron (Dabney Coleman) originally wrote. He has a crush on his co-star Julie Nichols, but she's more interested in how to deal with her faltering relationship with Ron. Her father Les (Charles Durning) and his hammy co-star John Van Horn (George Gaynes) both have crushes on him. All he wanted was to make enough money to put on his best friend Jeff's (Bill Murray) play...but he's going to have to play the role of his life if he wants to talk his way out of this!

I vaguely remember seeing this as a young child and enjoying the familiar cast, but not really understanding much else. I like it a lot more now that I understand the soap opera conventions they're spoofing and how Michael learns about the differences between the sexes, and just how hard it is to be a woman out there. A great script and terrific supporting cast makes this highly recommended, especially for fans of 80's comedies or Hoffman. 

Make Someone Happy

Began the morning with a quick breakfast and writing. Brett's terrified of the creature, with its sharp teeth and feathers, but tries to distract it with Charles' tea-time snack anyway. She grabs him and they run off when the creature flies after his tea and bread and butter.

Broke for a quick lunch, then headed off for work. Work wasn't too bad early-on, but it picked up considerably in the afternoon...not because we were that busy, but because we had a call-out and only two people who could take a register. I spent the entire day in the express line, and I got some really obnoxious customers. 

One woman demanded she let me into the line, even though she had WIC Checks and we're not supposed to take checks of any kind in the express line. She went in anyway, then yelled at me when I tried to hold her book (we have to hold the WIC Check books - I've gotten into trouble for not holding it while doing the checks) and for trying to apologize when she was upset. I wouldn't have kept apologizing if she hadn't kept going on about how terrible I was and how I needed help and should have seen a doctor and oh, why did I have such a terrible attitude? I felt so horrible about making her angry and got so upset. We're not supposed to make the customers angry. We're supposed to make them happy. The other customers behind her said she was the one who behaved badly, but I still shouldn't have caused trouble.

Ironically, by the time I left, they had so much help, they shut down one of the cashers and sent her in for me so I could go home on time. Took the long way home again to calm down, despite it being rush hour and there still being a lot of traffic on Nicholson Road and the White Horse Pike. It was still sunny, warm, and a bit humid at that point, but clouds were already starting to move in. 

Went straight into dinner and Match Game '74 when I got home. The episode kicked off with Fannie Flagg showing off a shirt with a huge sequined "STOP" on her shirt and Gene and Gary Burghoff joking about their matching navy jackets. Later, we get some interesting answers to "__ Johnson." 

Richard Dawson has more problems on Match Game PM when Ira won't pass his answer of "innards" for "stomach." The others had more fun with "__ My Back" on the Audience Match. Richard tried to redeem himself on the Head to Head with "__ Camera."

Oh, and I finally heard back from Vocational Rehabilitation. They want to talk to me at 10 AM on Tuesday. Wish they'd give me more time to ask for work off. If I don't already have that day off, I'll have to call out. 

Finished the night after a shower with Glorifying the American Girl on Tubi. I go further into this dark early talkie melodrama with real Ziegfeld Follies sequences at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Cult Flops - Glorifying the American Girl

Runners and Sunshine

I couldn't believe how gorgeous it was this morning when I rolled out of bed. Sunny, breezy, warm but not humid. Couldn't have been a nicer day in late May. Even though I was late getting out, I still enjoyed my rides to work. In fact, I took the long way home to be able to spend a little more time in the sunshine. I wasn't the only one, either. There was traffic coming and going. In fact, the traffic on Nicholson was fairly heavy at 9 and at 5. 

And that was the worst that happened all day. It was just plain too nice for grocery shopping. We were dead almost the entire afternoon; only got slightly steady during the noon rush hour. Even the evening rush hour could have been a lot worse. I spent most of the afternoon shelving a full cart of loose items customers didn't want. Was in and out without any due fuss. 

After I got home, I changed and went straight into writing. Brett finds a giant nest on the cliff plateau. It's the home of the jub-jub bird, a monstrous creature with sharp feathers and a toothy beak. It's ready to use Charles as a meal for its children. Brett knows she has to get them out of there, but she's not sure how...

Broke for dinner at 6:30. For some reason, Buzzr skipped a few episodes of Match Game '74, beginning in the middle of Gary Burgoff's first week sitting in for Charles. Mike Evans of The Jeffersons and Good Times made his only appearance on the show as well, helping everyone figure out what Stanley had to teach his none-too-bright pooch to do. 

A handsome Naval officer livened up Match Game PM. Susan Sullivan and Nipsey Russell joined the others to figure out what the Snow White balloon looked like at the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. Later, Richard tried to help out with "Blunt __" in the Head-to-Head.

Speaking of Richard Dawson, I finished out the night with The Running Man on Amazon Prime. Cop Ben Richards (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is arrested for sparing innocents during a riot in a futuristic dystopic society. He escapes with two members of the underground, only to be caught when he finds a young composer named Amber (Maria Conchita Alonzo) living in his brother's apartment and takes her hostage. She alerts the security guards to his presence, and he winds up arrested. 

Ruthless but magnetic game show host and producer Damon Killian (Dawson) forces Richards and the underground members to appear on his huge show, The Running Man. "Runners" must flee from mercenary "stalkers"; those who survive are pardoned. When Amber sees the original footage of the massacre and realizes Killian lied about what really happened, she ends up on the show, too. Now all four must dodge the stalkers and reveal what Killian's been hiding...that this star-studded match is a  sham. 

My stepdad loved Schwarzenegger's vehicles when I was a kid, and this one was no exception. I remember watching it with him on cable in the late 1980's and not understanding a word of it...and I'm afraid my opinion is largely the same today. I'm just not a big fan of dark futures, whether it's a teen girl or an Austrian muscleman being stalked. It's too bad this is so ridiculously campy and over-the-top, because Dawson puts in one of his best performances as the nasty-yet-charismatic host who will do literally anything, including killing people, to get ratings. 

Harts on a Spring Day

Was very happy to see the return of the sun this morning. No problems taking my bike to or from work. In fact, it was so nice, I took the long way home. Warm but not humid, sunny, breezy, with a bright blue sky overhead. Just about as perfect of a day in mid-May as one could wish.

Which is probably why we were dead for most of the morning. It did pick up a little around 1, but even that could have been worse on our Senior Discount Day. I volunteered to refill the spray cleaning bottles in the back, just to have something to do in the morning. Needless to say, I was in and out with absolutely no trouble whatsoever. 

Went straight upstairs and changed when I got home. Had a snack and rested while watching Golden Dawn. I go further into this truly peculiar early talkie operetta, one of the worst movie musicals ever made, at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Cult Flops - Golden Dawn

Went down for a nap after the movie, then did some writing. Brett finally hauls her rear onto the plateau, to find Charles about to become food for a huge bird-monster in a nest. Brett has to find a way to distract it, and quickly, before Charles is fed to its hungry babies...

Grabbed dinner downstairs and threw my laundry in the wash, then came back up for Match Game '74. Michele Lee, Robert Morse's co-star in the film version of How to Succeed Without Really Trying, turned up on Charles' last week before he went to Broadway to direct a hit play. Poor Brett seemed especially upset that he'd be leaving, acting out even for her.

Match Game PM featured a very pregnant contestant who seemed to make Gene a little nervous and a nice old man who didn't seem to grasp the game very well. Betty White didn't seem overly happy about a question claiming her husband Allen Ludden is as funny as a case of blank. Richard had even more luck with "Nursery __" in the Head-to-Head.

Finished up the night with Hart to Hart on The Roku Channel after a shower and putting the laundry in the dryer. A case comes "Too Close to Hart" when a maid friend of Max's mentions the people supposedly sent by her employers to watch their home while they're on safari. Worried about a rash of art being stolen and replaced with forgeries in their area, the Harts invite the couple over for a party...and to find out what they're really up to at the house. 

Oh, and I finally checked the patient portal at Collingswood Family Practice. My bloodwork came in, and I have...absolutely nothing wrong with me, besides my weight and the stress and anxiety I've been under for the past few years. No prediabetes, no heart trouble, blood pressure close to normal, nothing out of the ordinary. I have the feeling my being tired is more due to stress, anxiety, and poor eating and sleeping habits than anything else. 

Lone Star State Tales

Got a late start this morning. I'm still pretty tired, but I did want to at least set up an appointment with the dentist for my regular check-up. I was hoping to do it on Friday, but they're booked solid through Memorial Day. Ended up making it for a few days after my vacation.

It wasn't raining when I had a quick lunch, but I didn't like the look of the dark clouds or how humid it was. Not to mention, I saw the weather reports when I was online. We were supposed to get storms later. I ended up calling Uber. The driver arrived in a quick three minutes. Left a little early to eat a fast lunch at work.

Work was off-and-on steady. We'd get busy, and then it would suddenly die and I'd be bored again. There were some grouchy people - folks are still complaining about the bags - and my first break was late, but nothing really horrible. By the time I finished, we were so dead, I shut down a tiny bit early to refill the reusable bags. 

Sun broke up the clouds around 2, but by 5:30, they moved in again. I walked out of the store and into heavy downpour and strong winds. There were even a few rumbles of thunder, though nothing deafening. The Uber driver was originally supposed to be there in three minutes, but it quickly upped to six once the weather started. She didn't take longer than that, though. The rain slowed and vanished, even as she pulled up to the house.

Rushed upstairs to change, then downstairs to wash out the air conditioner vent. There was no putting it off now. It was too hot not to run it. Also tried some of the Gatorade powder for the first time. Not bad. A little harsher than the Propel, and much bluer!

Finished the night online watching Giant on HBO Max. Jordan "Bick" Benedict Jr. (Rock Hudson) marries Maryland socialite Leslie Lynnton (Elizabeth Taylor) in the early 20's. He takes her to his sprawling Texas ranch, where his rough n' ready sister Luz (Mercedes McCambridge) holds sway.  Leslie doesn't do well there at first. She's too outspoken for the Texas belles, and rebellious ranch hand Jett Rink (James Dean) has a huge crush on her. 

Things change when Luz is killed in a horse-riding accident and bequeaths Jett a small patch of land. Turns out the land holds oil...and a lot of it. Jett becomes wildly wealth and respected, but he's never forgotten Leslie. Bick would rather raise cattle, until shortages during World War II and his rivalry with Jett forces him into oil production. 

Meanwhile, his family with Leslie is flourishing, but his children aren't quite as he hoped. He wanted them to take over the ranch, but Jordy (Dennis Hopper) hopes to be a doctor, Judy (Fran Bennett) wants to start her own life with her husband Bob (Earl Hollman), and Luz II (Carroll Baker) becomes enamored with dashing Jett and his fast-paced lifestyle. Things come to a head when Jordy marries sweet Mexican doctor's assistant Juana (Elsa Cardenas), and she's refused entrance at a big party honoring Jett's new airport...and Bick finally realizes what Leslie had said for years, that his family and championing the burgeoning civil rights movement is a more important legacy than any cattle or oil wells.

I've wanted to see this one for years. I love a good through-the-years story, and this one of the most unique in cinema history. It was also James Dean's last film, released after his untimely death, and he's mesmerizing as he goes from bad-boy hired hand to drunk billionaire who substitutes oil wells and material desires for real love. I'm surprised at the topics covered here too, including feminism in Leslie's desire to be respected and treated as well as the men to civil rights in the treatment of the Mexicans and Mexican-Americans in Texas. And while it does get soapy in the second half when the kids are older, it's never too hard to take.

If you love historical epics, tales of rough and ready Texas, or anyone in the cast and have a spare three hours on your hands, I can't recommend this one enough. 

Talking About Games

This time, I began a much nicer morning with breakfast and the By Jupiter off-Broadway cast album I bought last week. The Greek soldiers must get the girdle of Diana from Amazon Queen Hippolyta. They do this by falling in love with her warriors, including Theasus with Antiope. Meanwhile, Hippolyta's husband Sapiens, who stays home with their children, is forced by his wealthy mother to finance their campaign against the Greeks and use all of his charms (such as they are) to get her to give up the girdle.

It's a good thing there's some good Rogers and Hart songs in this one, because as you can tell from that plot description, the story is incredibly dated. Ray Bolger played Sapiens in the original 1942 cast, which should give you an idea of his character. The songs give more of a hint as to why this was Rogers and Hart's longest-running show on Broadway, with the lovely ballad of longing "Nobody's Heart" for the head Amazon warrior, "Wait 'Till You See Her" for a smitten Theseus and his "when the girls come home" spoof "At the Gateway of the Temple of Minerva," and Sapiens and Hippolyta's comic marriage squall "Everything I've Got."

Went straight to work after breakfast. Work didn't start out busy, but by lunch, we had long lines snaking down the aisles. I'm getting tired of people complaining about the bagging. I understand complaints about the situation with the baby formula, even if there's nothing we can do about it. Parents and those who can't eat food need it. The bags...not only is getting rid of them not life-threatening, but frankly, people don't need them. You use them for the trash? To carry your pet's litter? You can buy bags for that. Keep them around for a while. And the reusable bags hold so much more, and you don't have to lick your fingers to open them! 

I was very happy to hurry out and rush home. In fact, I celebrated a beautiful day by taking the long way down Nicholson Road. Needless to say, there were many people enjoying a leisurely Sunday ride. I ducked down Atlantic to avoid them, then went even longer, crossing at WaWa.

Went straight into writing when I got home. Brett sees a monstrous bird-creature carrying off a screaming human figure. She climbs to the top of a rugged cliff to find out what's going on, leaving her blue Victorian gown (and her knees and palms) in tatters. She's out of breath when she finally gets up there...but what she sees when she can think again makes her blood run cold...

Had a quick leftovers dinner while listening to an older soundtrack album I've had for years. I've had the soundtrack for Swing Time and Shall We Dance for so long, I forget where I got it from now. I think it's a bootleg album, but it does contain all the songs from both movies. Good thing, too, as they're two of the best scores from any Astaire-Rogers films. Jerome Kern standards from Swing Time include "A Fine Romance," "Pick Yourself Up" and the Oscar-winning "The Way You Look Tonight."  Shall We Dance gave us the Gershwins' "Nice Work If You Can Get It," "They Can't Take That Away From Me," and "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off."

Finished off the night with word association games in honor of the debut of the 1989 Canadian word game Talk About on Buzzr Memorial Day. Talk About lasted two years in its native Toronto; it also did two years here, in syndication (which is probably where I saw it), and later on USA.  Two teams, one of men, one women, were given two topics to choose from. They then had to describe the topic they chose. If they used words associated with the topic that were on the board, they'd win points. If they could get all ten words, they'd get a 500 dollar bonus. If not, the other team could steal the topic. 

The bonus round had one member of the winning team trying to guess the ten words. If they didn't get them, they could take their money and go home, or call out their partner and continue. If the latter, the partner had to guess all the words.

Fast-paced and fun, I can see why Buzzr opted to pick up this one. It's a lot like a TV version of the group game Outburst, which my family played quite a bit in the 90's and early 2000's. Host Wayne Cox is charming and never fails to keep things moving.

Word association games have been around long as game shows have. Password and Match Game are the long-runner word association champs. NBC announced a new Password starting later this summer; Match Game just ended its run on ABC.  I went with one of the earliest surviving Password episodes, a black and white nighttime episode from 1962 featuring Gary Moore playing against his star and protégé Carol Burnett, the show from the first week to feature Brett Somers, Charles Nelson Reilly, and Betty White on the panel in Match Game '73, and an episode from the week on Password Plus where Betty White hurt her ankle and had to be carried to the Alphabetics bonus round by her hubby Allen Ludden and Robert Pine.

The Pyramid franchise is another long-runner that's still with us today. I jumped way back to The $10,000 Pyramid in 1973 to showcase a big win for Barbara Feldon and her contestant. John Schuck doesn't have nearly as much luck with his.

Not every word game went over as well. The 1977 NBC show Shoot for the Stars is sort of a Bob Stewart cross between Pyramid, Whew!, and Talk About. The contestants and their celebrity partner would choose a numbered box and get and then try to figure out how the two words behind it were related. The bonus round was similar, only the dollar amount was chosen by a randomizer, and the accumulated money would increase with every attempt. Bill Cullen and Anita Gillette were the celebrities in the pilot. Originally titled Shoot the Works, it seems to be the only episode of this show available for viewing today. 

Another Bob Stewart show, Chain Reaction, has a long and complicated history. Two teams (contestants and celebrities in 1980) guess the next word in a word chain. The winners move on either guess the words or phrases the celebrities put out. The original 1980 Bill Cullen-hosted show fell victim to NBC wanting to give David Letterman his own morning showcase; there's only two episodes currently available for viewing online. The Canadian version without celebrities did better on USA Network in the late 80's-early 90's. Game Show Network revived it three times. It barely lasted a year each in 2007 and 2015; here's hoping the new version that launched last year does better.

Words a' Poppin' is probably the most unique word association game out there...because it was made for kids. A gentleman in a forest ranger's hat named Shotgun Tom Kelly asked a panel of six kids to unscramble words under a specific category. The second round had them guessing letters in a word. The bonus round was sort of a child's version of Now You See It - kids have to find words from connected letters on a board. Really cute syndicated show was a big hit in the late 70's, and I can see why. Too bad the episode I saw seems to be the only one currently online.

Let's talk about Talk About and other games requiring quick thinking to find the right words! (The rare Words a' Poppin' is in three parts, but like I said, it doesn't otherwise seem to be online.)

Password (1962)

Match Game (1973)

The $10,000 Pyramid (1973)

Words A' Poppin' (1976)

Shoot for the Stars Pilot (1977)

Password Plus (1979)

Talk About (1989)

Chain Reaction (2007)

Science Fiction Double Feature

Once again, I awoke to a cloudy morning. No rain, though, or even wind. Figured I was fine to ride the bike to work after breakfast. Of course, it started showering on my way there. I arrived more than a little damp.

Work wasn't nearly as exciting as yesterday. In fact, for a lot of the morning, it was pretty dull. Most people took advantage of the rain holding off to attend various local weekend events. They didn't start coming in until after lunch, by which time we had plenty of help. My relief was even right on time. I was in and out with no trouble.

Did some grocery shopping afterwards. I'm tired of hauling bottles of Propel home and tossing piles of them in the recycling. Decided to try Propel and sugar-free Gatorade powder instead. Had digital coupons for grapes, free organic nuts (went with almonds), and buy-one, get-one free containers of Haagen Daas. Small containers of Purex are on a good sale, too, and I needed to restock sanitizing wipes. Fished corn muffins for lunch and those yummy fudge-topped shortbread cookies off the bakery clearance racks again.

Went straight home afterwards. This time, it was raining at a good clip. Just hurried home as quickly as I could and got wet.

Put everything away when I got in, then changed and put on Make Mine Music. I go further into this rare Disney shorts anthology from the 1940's at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Animation Celebration Saturday - Make Mine Music

Worked on writing after the movie ended. Brett finds herself in a desolate landscape of gray cliffs, gray rocks, and scraggly trees. She hears what she think sounds like Charles in the cliffs above her and starts climbing the cliffs to find him.

Broke for dinner and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse at 7. "Goofy On Mars" has him crash-landing on the Red Planet. Mickey and the others suit up, make their own spaceship, and dodge a snoring baby moon to rescue him. 

Finished the night online with two science-fiction shows featuring Match Game regular panelists. Richard Dawson appeared on an episode of the original mid-60's Outer Limits. "The Invisibles" are crab-like beings that attach themselves to politicians and other important humans in order to take over the globe. One security agent infiltrates the Society of the Invisibles, humans devoted to aiding their cause, and poses as a chauffeur to the wife of one of the infected governors. Her British personal secretary (Dawson) suspects something is up, and he and his master will do anything to stop the agent before he can tell the authorities about their plan.

Brett Somers appeared on a somewhat lighter science fiction program, Battlestar Galaxia, over a decade later. She's Siress Bellaby, whose grain harvesting machine may help "The Magnificent Warriors" trade for food from a grain-rich planet. Trouble is, the human settlers aren't popular with two rival alien clans, who keep stealing their supplies. Siress falls hard for Commander Adama (Lorne Green), though he's not nearly as enamored of her. Meanwhile, Starbuck (Dirk Benedict)  turns sheriff to con the owner of the local farms out of a few extra shares of grain. 

Oh, and it's rained off and on, sometimes hard, for the rest of the night. 

Blackout On Friday the 13th

It was cloudy when I woke up this morning, but the sidewalks and streets were still a bit wet. It wasn't raining when I finished breakfast, so I rode to work. Of course, it started showering at a good clip half-way there, but I still only arrived damp.

Work was off-and-on steady for most of the morning. It picked up a little bit around noon, then died again. In addition to the nasty weather, it's the middle of the month, and there's nothing going on again until Memorial Day Weekend. 

I was on my last break and was just pulling out my pen to write down my schedule when suddenly, I couldn't see the pen, the schedule, or anything else. The entire store was plunged into darkness! For a few moments, everything was black and silent. Even our new TV system constantly running documentaries on food history in the employee's room blinked out. 

The lights flashed on after a minute or two, and then the TV about five minutes after that. It took everything up front longer to come back to life. Apparently, anyone who was there couldn't buy their orders because the computers went down, and many of the few customers we had left their orders behind because they wouldn't or couldn't wait. (I later found out that we weren't the only ones who lost power. I don't know what happened, but it went out in the entire area. It never rained again after this morning, and we never had any thunderstorms.)

I did take some customers...but by the time of my last hour, not only was it quiet, but we had plenty of help. We had full carts of returns before the lights went out, so I volunteered to put a dent in those. Got out with no trouble whatsoever. 

Oh, and I did get my schedule once the lights came back on. Not happy at all. Fewer hours, and my next day off isn't until Friday, though I do get Friday and Saturday off. I'm thinking of changing my availability to give me two regular days off. Apparently, some people have done it. I can't keep working 8 and 9 and 10 days in a row without a rest. 

Changed and put on Match Game '74 when I got home. These may have been some of the wildest episodes of the year! In the first, a besotted Kaye Stevens chased a handsome contestant when he lost and was being spun off and for some reason gives a very strange answer to "__ Fry." There's also the question about what anyone who kisses Brett today gets...and Brett isn't overly happy with the contestant's answer! Charles gives his own weird answer in the next show when he claims a fake medium will look into a cherry instead of a glass ball.

Had dinner while Match Game PM was on. This was the one with the very funny former Marine from the Bronx and the pretty lady with the long, elaborate braids. Gene was on the receiving end of a couple of jokes in the first question about what the waiter brought to someone's table when they ordered a ham sandwich. I'm surprised Brett's answer to a later question about what a baseball team was holding wasn't censored! 

Finished the night after a shower with spooky, schlocky fun on YouTube in honor of Friday the 13th. Mystery Science Theater 3000 frequently dipped into the cheesy horror genre...and they didn't come much cheesier than Bloodlust, a low-budget imitation of The Most Dangerous Game from 1961. Four teenagers (a young Robert Reed among them) find themselves stranded on a jungle island. The boys are hunted by a mad man who brings over convicts, shoots them, and stuffs them. For all the cheapness and bad dialogue, this does have a genuinely creepy atmosphere. It gets scarier in the second half, when the kids figure out what this hunting nut is up to. 

Spooks Run Wild is equally cheesy and cheap, even more atmospheric, and a lot more fun. The East Side Kids end up at a haunted house when one of them gets hurt. Another creepy gentleman (Bela Lugosi) takes them in and seems to have control over the injured one. The kids think he's "The Monster," the serial killer who has terrorized the area...but for once, Lugosi is no killer, and the real "Monster" is the last person anyone would suspect. 

Sunshine Surprise

Got a quick start today with breakfast and a glance out the window. It was supposed to rain, but while there were clouds outside, they were neither heavy, nor threatening. I was able to ride my bike to and from work normally.

No trouble at work for once, either. Today was my first bagging day in a while...which may be just as well, since we were dead for a lot of the day. They never even needed me in a register. Worst that happened was I kept having to take cardboard boxes to the back room when I was trying to do other things. It did pick up a bit later, to the point where I had a harder time keeping up with the carts...but the evening bagger arrived at 4, took over the sweeping, and helped me with the carts. 

At least it wound up being a nice day for pushing carts. It never rained, or even got close. We had off-and-on clouds all afternoon. The sun was actually coming out by the time I went home. 

Went straight home, changed, had a quick leftovers dinner, and watched Match Game '74. The first episode began with Gene literally pulling a leg his entrance. The others are more interested in figuring out "__ Nun" in the Audience Match and chuckling at Gene's actually pretty accurate Columbo imitation. Jimmie Walker made his first appearance on the show in the second episode, and yes, Gene gets him to say his signature "Dyn-o-mite!"

Another young sitcom actor, Helaine Lembeck from Welcome Back Kotter, joined Dick Martin and Betty White for the Match Game PM episode. Everyone had some pretty darn amusing answers to what a hapless honeymooner found between him and his wife in bed and how Betty White's __ hasn't been the same since it was washed in the goldfish bowl. The others didn't do much better with "__ My Heart" on the Audience Match.

Worked on writing for a bit after that. Instead of having Jack push Richard out the window, Jack hangs back when Brett tries to pull him away. The Red King finally shoots Richard with his magic. Brett tries to deflect it, only for it to hit him in the head, and Richard to trip and go out the window anyway. Brett does manage to help Marcia and Queen Helen escape, but the Red King sends her to Limbo before she can.

Finished the night with The Gay Divorcee on HBO Max. I go further into Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers' first starring vehicle at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

The Gay Divorcee 

In the Secret Garden

Slept in and finished re-reading The Secret Garden, which I do every spring. It was so late when I finally rolled out of bed, Match Game '77 was on by the time I had my fried egg with broccoli. Greg Morris of Mission Impossible and Roz Kelly of Happy Days join the crew and Joyce Bulifant for a few racy jokes about what what Sir Lancelot's bride says he does in bed during their honeymoon. I'm surprised Roz wasn't called on for "__ On It" in the first episode. The second had Richard recalling how his Hogan's Heroes co-star Werner Klemper brought his own uniform to the show for "Werner __." 

Headed out after the second episode ended. Despite the cloudy and blah day, I had a lot of errands to run, starting with finally dropping that Mother's Day car in the mail box. Since I was two blocks from the post office, went there next to buy pretty floral stamps. 

Cut through Newton Lake Park next. It was so busy with people enjoying the weather before the rain starts up again, I ended up riding on the street.  The ground that isn't flooded from our recent storms is greener than emeralds. The leaves on the trees grow fatter and wider every day. Soft purple and yellow irises and starry white clover perfume gardens and yards with their spicy and sweet scents. 

The Haddon Township Library, on the other hand, wasn't busy. Grabbed the next mystery in Laura Childs' Tea Shop series, Lavender Blue Murder. Also picked up two from series I hadn't read before, Scone Cold Dead and Bewitched, Bothered, and Biscotti. East of the Sun and West of the Moon is one of my favorite fairy tales; found a young adult version of the story called East that looked intriguing (and long). 

Made a fast stop at Target next. I can't find my headbands, so I just bought new ones. Picked up more of the Good & Gather lemon date bars, too. Target wasn't busy, either. I had no problems hitting self-checkout to get out fast.

Went straight home and took the laundry downstairs. Got organized and had a quick lunch while watching Buzzr. William Shatner and his then-wife Marcy and snarky Conny Van Dyne and her hubby Larry Coates beat Dick Gautier, his ego, and his then-wife Barbara Stuart on Tattletales. It came down to the ladies on Press Your Luck after the one guy Whammied out. One of the ladies should have passed at least twice while she was ahead. She got hit with Whammies, and the winner finished with $1,000 and one Whammy.

Worked on writing for a while after that and switched out laundry loads. Sir Richard, Brett, and his sons are all horrified when the Red King destroys Richard's sword. Brett's even more upset when she realizes how much control the Red King has over Jack when he obeys him and tries to shove Richard out the window! 

Broke for dinner and Match Game '74. Richard Deacon made his first appearance on the show this week, joining Gunilla Hutton of Petticoat Junction and comedienne Mitzi McCall. While Mitzi jokingly explained how one can tell if one needs undergarments, the others tried to figure out "Boot __" on the Audience Match. 

Had dessert and got the laundry out of the dryer while Match Game PM was on. Richard did his best to help a dapper out-of-work engineer from Liverpool (with the accent to match), while Gene made jokes about a stewardess-to-be squirming in her seat. Later, Richartd has a couple of then-topical answers for "__ Boone" on the Head-to-Head.

Finished the night after a shower with the 2020 version of The Secret Garden on Hulu. Mary Lennox (Dixie Everrickx) is still a sour child sent to live with her uncle Archibald Craven (Colin Firth) after her parents die, but they've upped the period from the early 1910's to 1947. This time, a dog leads Mary to the garden (though a robin still helps too), and the garden is in the woods rather than on the grounds of Misslewaithe Manor. Her cousin Colin (Eden Hayhurst) is far less receptive to her getting him outside. She and Dicken (Amir Wilson) practically have to kidnap him to get him to see it. Colin and Mary knew each other as young children; their mothers were dear friends. The old gardener Ben Weatherstaff was cut entirely, and the Magic that the kids talk about in later chapters is real Magic, rather than just the seasons doing their work. Colin's father is so stubborn about not sending Mary to boarding school, it takes a huge fire in the Manor for him to see the light.

For all that, there were moments that really worked, like when Mary first discovers the garden, or when she shows Colin the things that once belonged to their mothers. The kids all do splendidly, and Julie Walters isn't bad as the cold housekeeper Mrs. Medlock who can't see the magic that's changing her charges the way the kids can.

Not for purists who prefer their movies to be exactly like the books, but if you're willing to give it a chance, you might find a little bit of magic in this haunting retelling as well. 

Riding Down to Oaklyn

Began the morning after a quick breakfast with writing. Brett, Richard, and Queen Helen watch in horror as the Red King shoots a light at White King Gene that puts him into a deep slumber. He won't awaken unless Brett checkmates him and reverses his spells...and he pushes her towards Jack the Red Knight to keep her from doing that. Richard angrily retaliates, but Jack may have the upper hand...

Broke to have a quick lunch and get ready for work at quarter after 11. Watched Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood while I ate and changed. Jodi Platt is upset when "Jodi's Mama Travels for Work," while Daniel isn't happy that his mom will be away for the day. When Jodi reads paper rings her mother left for her to open every day and Dan sees his mother pick him up, they know that grown ups will always come back for you. Likewise, Jodi's twin toddler brothers Teddy and Leo cry when their Nana leaves them at the Tigers' house while running errands. "The Tiger Family Babysits" and distracts them until their nana returns.

Headed off to work even before the episode ended. Work was on-and-off steady, probably because this is the day seniors get an extra 5 percent discount. Otherwise, it was too nice for a lot of crowds. The sun was shining, the wind was blowing, and it was in the upper 60's-lower 70's, just where it should be in mid-May. Not to mention, we're now between holidays again. The next major holiday isn't until Memorial Day at the very end of the month. We didn't have anything resembling the trouble we did last Tuesday! I even did some returns early-on. I was in and out with no problems. 

Came home and had dinner while watching Flying Down to Rio. I go further into this South American extravaganza that was the first movie Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers stared into together at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Flying Down to Rio

Finished the night on Shout Factory TV with another Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode. Joel and the robots dive into the shadowy world of ninjas, masters, mentors, and Japanese gangsters with Master Ninja I. This was actually two episodes of the failed 1984 TV show The Master strung together. A former Army soldier who learned the ways of the ninja while in Japan (Lee Van Cleef) trains a young man (Timothy Van Patten) in the way of the ninja while searching for his lost daughter and being chased by gangsters and a shadowy ninja cult. 

Joel and the robots complained about how cheesy it all was and Demi Moore's character disappearing at the half-way point with no explanation, but that's kind of what I liked about it. It was an early, live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that didn't take itself seriously for a minute. I'm glad there's a sequel. I liked this so much, I may have to check it out. 

Trouble In the Spring

Started off my day with a very quick breakfast, then went online for counseling...and found out via e-mail that the counselor would be late and it had been pushed back to 11:30. Fine. I couldn't find the list of jobs I thought I wrote down, so I started looking them up again. The phone interrupted me around quarter of 11. Yes, he did come in earlier than expected, so we were able to have that meeting after all.

I wish it went better. I don't think he understood me when I tried to explain my predicament, or I didn't go about explaining it in the right way. I wouldn't mind a second job, but it would have to be at home. What I want is to become an archivist of some type, then do writing gigs at home. He said he'd find someone to help me get a second job to go with the Acme job. I do NOT want to keep the Acme job. I want a job I actually enjoy doing and am really, genuinely good at. I can't handle retail anymore. I keep trying to tell people that, and they keep not listening.

I was so wiped out after I got off, I just decided to take another nap. This time, I slept until almost 2 PM. It was pretty warm in my rooms when I finally rolled out of bed. Checking my phone revealed it to be almost in the 70's. It was too nice to hang around any longer, so I headed out for a ride.

Was originally going to eat at Amato Brothers or Aunt Berta's Soul Food on the White Horse Pike. Alas, like most local businesses, they're closed on Mondays. Ended up riding over to Applebee's in Audubon instead. Enjoyed a Bacon Cheddar Chicken Sandwich and half the huge portion of fries in a nearly-empty restaurant. Saw a former Acme employee who now works for the post office and a grandmother and mother treat a little girl to a late lunch.

Next stop was Great Cuts to get my hair done...or it would have been, if the wait wasn't 40 minutes! I prowled around The Shoe Depot and GameStop until they were ready (though I didn't buy anything). Frankly, I'm not entirely happy with how my hair came out, either. The layering makes it hard to clip back, and I should have gone a little shorter.

At least the weather was gorgeous today. I enjoyed it as I took the back roads through Audubon and over the train bridge going home. Sunny, no wind, in the upper 60's-lower 70's. Couldn't get much nicer for early May.

Worked on writing when I got home. The Red King takes Duchess Marcia and the boys hostage. He's about to turn Brett over to the Red Knight and get rid of the White King Gene when Richard intervenes. The Red King's had enough of his meddling and turns Jack the Red Knight on him...

It was 7 before I broke for Match Game PM. Sweathog Ron Pallilo and bombshell Elaine Joyce join in here for jokes about an LA cop and the only thing an old folk's home resident could get to rise on Old Man Periwinkle. They have even more fun with "__ Is Right" in the Audience Match, given the obvious answer for game show fans. 

Ended the night after dinner and a shower with sitcom episodes featuring Match Game panelists. Rose (Betty White) doesn't know what to do about "Rose's Big Adventure" on The Golden Girls when her latest boyfriend Al decides to spend his retirement buying a boat and sailing it around the world. Meanwhile, the other ladies want to make over their garage as a guest bedroom, but have a hard time getting through to the Italian architect in the wheelchair Sophia hired.

Eddie gets a shock of his own in the later-season Family Matters episode "Getting Buff" when he sees his girlfriend Greta posing nude in his art class. He breaks up with her, until his sister Laura tells him why she did it. Meanwhile, Carl deals with an obnoxious bullying neighbor who stole his son's football, and Laura's surprised when her eccentric sculpture teacher Mr. Vreeland (Charles Nelson Reilly) praises her work after it had an encounter with Urkel. 

Oh, and Match Game Productions at YouTube decided that, in addition to continuing the alternating premieres of Password Plus and Super Password, he's going to re-run Match Game for everyone's chatting enjoyment, starting with the 1973 episodes. While the early episodes were relatively subdued compared to the nuttiness that followed, the pilot did give us our first riot five minutes in when Betty White disagreed with the judge's not matching "friend" and "boyfriend." The very first episode showcased the first sexually-charged answer, via Laugh-In comedienne Anita Gillette. We also see Michael Landon's only week; he disliked the new rules for the game and declined to return. 

Look for Password Plus and Super Password alternating at 9:30, followed by "That 70's Hour" of a Match Game double-header at 10 and 10:30 Eastern!

Match Game '73 Pilot

Match Game '73 - First Episode