Called Uber around quarter of 1. I needed to get some grocery shopping done, but wasn't up to walking. Not to mention, it's gotten cold, cloudy, and windy. No trouble either way. The car going there picked me up in 8 minutes; the one going home in 4. No traffic or trouble on Cuthbert.
No trouble at the Westmont Plaza, either. Target and Sprouts were having good granola bar sales. I picked up the Olympus breakfast cookies from Sprouts 2 for $6 and the Kind bars buy one, get one half off. Grabbed a container of yogurt for breakfast tomorrow at Target and my favorite unsweetened vanilla coconut milk at Sprouts. Grapes were on a good sale at Sprouts too, and I never find the black ones at the Acme. Also grabbed pumpkin madelines and a small slice of pumpkin cake off the bakery clearance racks for 99 cents each.
Called Karen when I got home. I hadn't heard from her. Turns out that no, she hadn't been able to get a voucher so we could continue to job hunt together. In fact, her boss called a second counselor to help her and bring in more suggestions. The lady wants to meet me on a Zoom chat; I'll e-mail her when I find out what my schedule is.
Spent the next hour and a half taking down the Christmas tree. This isn't nearly as complicated as decorating it. Even on my own, it only took a little over an hour and a half to get everything organized. The wreath and the vintage Santa cardboard hanging go in the same container. It's the only place they fit. Watched Second Fiddle while I worked. I go further into this Sonja Henie vehicle with her as a school teacher brought to Hollywood by publicity agent Tyrone Power for a big role at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
After the movie ended, I had lunch, then took down the remaining Christmas items. The nativity went into this container, along with smaller items that are taken out first and put away last like the crocheted red and green coasters I made a few years ago, the hooked poinsettia magnet, the poinsettia placemats, the huge bows, and the feather-style small tree and its decorations.
I then brought out the few general winter decorations I hadn't put out with the Christmas things. Two snowmen, one a folk-style snow angel, the other tall with wooden spool legs and a red-striped scarf, were too large to go out earlier. I already have a Christmas bell, which is why I didn't use the little winter wren bell. Rearranged the bins so the ones for winter and spring were where I could get to them easily.
Listened to Sophisticated Ladies while I finished with the decorations. This revue is basically an elaborate Duke Ellington concert, but what a cast! Gregory Hines, Phyllis Hyman, and Hinton Battle were all nominated as the trio singing Ellington's best-known songs in an idealized Cotton Club, and Battle won. Ellington's songs shine in great numbers like "It Don't Mean a Thing," "Take the A Train," "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," "Something to Live For," and "Mood Indigo." Definitely worth hearing if you love big band music, Ellington, or the singers.
Did some writing next. The lion tries to attack Charles next. He finally decides hay doesn't taste good for a lion and turns to Rover the dog. Joyce gets so angry, she slaps his nose...which causes him to break down bawling. He wasn't really going to eat Charles or Rover! Joyce accuses him of being a coward, and he admits that she's right. He's too scared to catch his breakfast or confront the other animals.
Switched to Match Game '79 during dinner. In the first episode, Gene held the hands of an Air Force dentist assistant to help him calm down. It didn't really do much for his answers. The others helped the contestant with "It Ain't __" in the Audience Match. The second show was that one with the overly excited contestant who got so into winning, she dragged Gene around the studio! Gene ducked behind his question holder while Nipsey Russell ran down to give her a squeeze.
Stayed at YouTube to finish the night with three action and mystery show episodes revolving around game shows and hosts who were a lot less goofy than Gene. Former car thief Mark McCormick of Hardcastle and McCormick finds himself on a game show suddenly offering a million-dollar prize to winners. The show has struggled in the ratings, and the producers added the prize out of desperation in order to boost the show. Their assistant learns they really can't afford it and have been feeding the answers...right before she dies in a seeming accident. The "Games People Play" are a lot less fun when it seems that host Bruce Bryson (Tom Kennedy) will do anything to keep his job and the show on the air, including murder.
Gung-ho spoof cop Sledge Hammer is not exactly the first person you'd think of on a game show. He ends up on The Million Dollar Question in "To Live and Die On TV" anyway after its latest big winner dies in a freak car accident. Turns out the host of this show (Peter Marshall) is also determined to make ratings at any cost, including bumping off the champs.
Marshall turns up again in "Who Killed Mr. Game Show?" on the 1994 version of Burke's Law. This time, he's a venomous game show producer who is strangled behind the scenes during an episode of the hit Hangman. Burke and his son have to dig through a whole studio filled with suspects. There's the champion whom he tried to force into a relationship, the hostess he was blackmailing, the host he had told to stop chasing female contestants, the writer who resented him stealing his ideas, and his hard-nosed wife, who didn't appreciate his messing around and wanted to run the show her way. When someone takes a shot at Burke's son and the champ, the duo has to figure out just who had a big enough grudge against "Mr. Game Show" to kill him on the air.
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