Headed out at 1 PM. I needed to pick up money at PNC and I couldn't put it off. Took Uber to Collingswood. They were there in five minutes and pulled into Collingswood in less than five. The inside ATM at PNC had a line, so I used one of the outside ones. No problems there, not even at the drive in. Got my money quickly and headed off.
I didn't really want to go home right away, but I wasn't in the mood for major shopping, either, and I wasn't sure how long my ankle would hold out. Ended up two blocks down at the Collingswood Library. Picked up Our Only May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm and Fairest by Gail Carson Levine off the free books cart outside and The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg for a dollar inside.
Limped back down a block to Cafe Antonio's across the street from PNC and Bank of America. This is another gourmet pizza place like Tu Se Bella's behind the Acme. It even sells its own brand of soda in glass bottles. I had a slice of square-shaped Sicilian pizza with a ton of cheese, a slice of tomato, spinach, and ricotta, and the glass bottled home brand diet root beer. Loved the pizza, especially the messy, cheesy Sicilian. The root beer didn't really taste all that different from regular diet brands.
Went down the street a few blocks after that. I thought it would be easier to pick up a ride at the PATCO station instead of on Haddon Avenue. Thought it was only 2:30, it took me forever to get a ride, and they took 11 minutes to get there. She got me home in less than 5 minutes, though.
I ordered two more DVD holders off Amazon. Using binders was a bad idea for the DVDs. I have too many. The one with the Christmas DVDs was already splitting down the sides. The red hard shell case that held 90 discs took care of those. (I do intend to retain some binders to hold the piles of folders I have laying around.)
Also decided to clear off the slanting shelf entirely. Leaving DVDs in cases takes up too much room. They're all better off in books. I'll move my adult novels to the slanting shelf and use the low wooden shelves in my bedroom for yarn items and the CDs. (I'll likely move the CDs to books eventually as well, but for now, those will stay in binders.)
Watched Belle Starr as I worked. Gene Tierney is the famous female wild west outlaw in this decidedly fanciful 1941 film. Belle Shirley is shocked to hear that the south lost the Civil War. Worse yet, Union soldiers killed her father and arrested her brother Ed (John Sheppherd). Despite Union soldier Major Thomas Crail's (Dana Andrews) being interested in her, the Union burns her plantation down anyway after she houses renegade Confederate soldier Sam Starr (Randolph Scott). She and Sam become outlaws, raiding Union banks and railroads and opportunistic carpetbaggers. They get married, but Belle questions Sam's loyalty to the south when he hires gunmen who are more interested in shooting people than fighting for the name of Dixie. When the Union army intends to ambush Sam and his men while they attempt to assassinate a pro-Reconstruction senator, Belle takes it on herself to warn them.
Wasn't crazy about this one. There's a lot more Gone With the Wind than How the West Was Won in this supposed tale of one of the west's most notorious female outlaws. Tierney isn't bad, and for Scott, this is familiar turf - he even gets to play slightly more of an anti-hero than usual. Andrews is more out of place - historical movies were never his forte. Some of the anti-Reconstruction talk, the treatment of the black actors, and Belle's behavior around her plantation may work for the movie's setting, but will likely make many people wince today. This is only for major fans of the cast, westerns, or southern-set epics.
Switched to job hunting after the movie ended. I'm wondering if I would be better off doing research on companies that interest me, instead of checking Indeed and other such job-hunting sites for random listings. Trouble is, most of those huge companies Mrs. Stahl mentioned are either retail, warehouses, medical corporations, or tech companies. Tech companies are laying people off right now, not hiring them. I'm trying to get away from retail and warehouses, and I'm not sure I could handle working in the medical offices. I know nothing about medicine or organizing medical records, I can't multi-task, and I'm trying to get stress out of my life, not add more.
Started writing around 5:30. Richard rents a sweet mare from Betty White, who runs the stables across the street from the boarding house. Betty agrees with Marcia about not trusting the railroad, and admits her husband, Mayor Allen Ludden, is worried that they may have something even more nefarious than a turn-off planned.
Broke for dinner at 7 PM. Watched Match Game Syndicated as I ate dinner. First of all, I noticed Brett's wearing the same orange and tan sunburst vest she's had since 197 3. Second, Bill Daily (who was a former jazz musician) and Gene Rayburn get so into doing their rhythm number at one point, Gene almost forgets to ask the question!
Finished the night at Paramount Plus with one of the many, many random B-westerns that can be found on streaming, the Roy Rogers Republic vehicle Robin Hood of the Pecos from 1941. Belle Starr turns up here, too, but she's the far wilder and more interesting Sally Payne. Ed Acuff is a much tougher Sam Starr. Cy Kendall is Ambrose Ballard, a wealthy man who declares martial law to drive the ranchers out of town. Colonel Davis hires Roy as Sheriff, but when Kendall's man Stacy (Jay Novello) shoots Davis and blames Gabby (George "Gabby" Hayes), Roy and a masked vigilante work together to bring Kendall to justice.
I've avoided most B-westerns because I suspect that if you've seen one, you've probably seen them all. At least this one was fun, with a hilarious cast of character actors. Payne is especially funny as the tough female outlaw who keeps getting out of jail. Too bad Marjorie Reynolds, on the verge of her breakout role in Holiday Inn, doesn't have much to do.
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