Sunday, December 10, 2023

Christmas Showers

Started off my morning with breakfast and the Very Special Christmas 3 CD. This one didn't make it out until 1997, by which time the world of pop music had changed considerably. This is reflected in the majority of the album being made up of rap, hard rock, and alternate rock artists. Sting's "I Saw Three Ships" is my far and away my favorite here. Other interesting contributions include Hootie & the Blowfish performing "The Christmas Song," "Christmastime" by The Smashing Pumpkins, "Oi to the World" by No Doubt, and a very peculiar "O Holy Night" by Patti Smith.

Switched to Happy Holidays Vol. 39 next. I've collected the True Value Happy Holidays albums for years. I found this one at a yard sale in Audubon, appropriately down the street from their True Value. I love Tony Bennett's sweet "Snowfall," the lovely version of "Christmastime Is Here" by Shawn Colwin, "Merry Christmas Baby" by B.B King, and Perry Como's jaunty "Christmas Dream."

Headed off to work before the CD even ended. Thankfully, it wasn't raining when I went to work or came home. Took me 4 minutes to find a ride both ways, and less than five to get where I was going. No trouble anywhere. I arrived early enough to buy a Coke Zero and get money for my nephew Collyn's birthday on Tuesday.

It was steady when I got into work. By the time it started showering harder, our customers had vanished. Most of them are probably doing their Christmas shopping in the malls. It helps that the Eagles didn't play until 8:10 tonight, too. I did have some trouble cleaning up a broken jar of spaghetti sauce outside. Otherwise, I mainly gathered carts and got wet. They had plenty of college kids around to sweep and do the trash.

(Oh, and I got lucky. It started pouring again shortly after I got home. It's been pouring off and on, often hard, ever since.)

Took a shower soon as I got home, then continued the writing - or re-writing - I started this morning. I originally had Harron attack Cora and Stephen with fire, but decided that using plant life went back to Stephen's love of flowers. Vines hug the stairwell and block Cora's way. Even after she hacks her way through them and feeds the dog as before. she finds more in the tower. Once she's freed Stephen, Harron directs the vines to attack them. Cora's able to cut the vines away.

Listened to Happy Holidays Vol. 28 as I worked. This was the first Happy Holidays album I ever bought. I picked it up from the Cape May True Value in 1993, mainly because it was the only Christmas music I could afford at the time. There's some unique songs I've never heard on any other anthology, including "A Candle In the Window" by Alabama, "Sleigh Ride" by Lorrie Morgan, "It Doesn't Have to Be That Way" by Jim Croce, "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" by Amy Grant, and "'Til Santa's Gone (I Just Can't Wait)" by Clint Black.

Finished the night on YouTube with the Match Game Sunday Classics marathon. Former Miss America and Catwoman Lee Merriweather started on the show in late 1973. She quickly became one of the best and most popular panelists in the fourth "ingenue" seat. She played very well, was easy on the eyes, and had no trouble fending off Richard Dawson and Gene Rayburn's advances. 

She saw Charles Nelson Reilly pretend to be a taxi driver in one episode, then rolled down Gene's pants legs after Betty White rolled them up in another. Lee wanted to give a towering contestant a kiss after she helped him get the Audience Match answer, but Gene would rather she kissed him. She last appeared during a week late in the syndicated run. She and Fannie Flagg did a kickline together to demonstrate the Rockettes to a panelist that was definitely the hit of the show!

You don't need to be a detective to check out this purrfect panelist! 


(Oh, and the Eagles couldn't get anything going against the Dallas Cowboys and lost 33-13.)

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