Thursday, February 29, 2024

Windy Leap Year

Started off a quick Leap Year morning with breakfast and Charlie & Lola. "I'm Just Not Keen on Spiders," says Lola. She's so scared of them, she won't even brush her teeth when she finds one in the sink. She feels a lot better about them when Charlie captures the spider and tells her about all the wonderful things they can do.

Soon as the cartoon ended, I went outside and waited for Karen. And waited. And waited. I waited for 20 minutes. Finally called Karen. I don't know why we've been having problems for weeks getting our texts to go through, but it turns out she had to cancel. She definitely had the flu. She sounded awful on the phone. I'll text her my schedule tomorrow and we'll try again next week.

No matter. Since I was already awake, I figured I'd just run errands early. My wrist felt well enough to take the bike out. It was windy and cold, barely in the 40's, but it was also brilliantly sunny. Rode down to Collingswood first to make a quick stop at PNC Bank. Their outside ATM machines were busy, so I went inside. Used the ATM, got my money, got out.

Took the back roads through Collingswood and past Newton Lake Park to Westmont. Since I passed by it on my way, I stopped at Rite Aid. The one on the corner across from Westmont Plaza is in the midst of closing. Normally, I don't like how Rite Aid rounds up your orders for charity without asking if you want it done or their high prices, but they do sometimes have good DVDs. 

I didn't get DVDs, but I found a lot of other things I needed. I've been searching for panty hose ever since my last pair got runs on Halloween, but couldn't find them anywhere. Not only did I find them at Rite Aid, they were such a good price, I bought four pairs. I have a slight cold right now. My temperature is normal and I'm not nauseous, but I do have a sore throat and a stuffy nose. A box of basic Mucinex usually cost $21; with their big sales, it came to $8.50. Also grabbed honey for tea and a drink, both of which were more than half-price.

My next stop was Sprouts, since I was already over there. The Olyra breakfast cookies were on sale. I picked up the blueberry yogurt and chocolate hazelnut sandwich cookies. Though they had samples of yummy Irish soda bread and pistachio muffins, I ended up getting caramel chocolate chip cookies on clearance. Wanted more of those delicious Cara Cara oranges. Grabbed a bag for $4.49. Ran into a display with creamy root beer and ginger ale Zevia cans 4 for $1. They must have overstocked those flavors. I bought my four.

Made my way across Cuthbert Road, and then through Haddon Township and down to the White Horse Pike. Stopped at a very quiet pretzel shop for lunch. They didn't have the stuffed pretzels out, but the young man behind the counter said they were in the warmer. I picked up a stuffed Philly Cheeesteak pretzel and was on my way.

Got home in time for the second half of Press Your Luck. It was all about the ladies. The one guy couldn't get a word in edgewise as the ladies kept amassing big bucks, losing them, and passing spins. One of the ladies only had $700, but she still passed her spins to the other. That proved to be a wise decision when she hit a Whammy on her last turn. The lady only took home $700, but that was enough to win.

Things were a little less wild on Split Second. An adorable young man who had gotten into a car accident after barely having his license for a few hours played very well, dominating the game. He didn't get the car and opted to come back, but was beaten by a sweet dark-haired woman who just barely got by him on the final Countdown round. She too opted to come back and try for the car when she didn't get it.

Finally got around to signing Netflix up on my TV (and signing back into Disney Plus and Hulu) so I could watch Roxanne Roxanne while I vacuumed, dusted, and swept my rooms. I go further into the biography of pioneering female rap artist Roxanne Chante on my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.


Switched to WKRP after the movie ended. There's "Changes" afoot at WKRP. Jennifer tries dressing Herb in a suit that's not violent plaid in order to attract better clients, while Venus tries to be more stereotypically black for an African-American publication. Neither works out - the man they send to interview Venus is white, and Herb's regular clients are expecting someone who dresses less stylishly. 

Johnny needs $40,000 in donations to repair a mission that was burned out in a fire. Jennifer offers her rich friends to help. "Jennifer and Johnny's Charity" runs into class conflict when Johnny brings the homeless people from the mission to the party Jennifer holds for her older well-heeled friends, and no one can agree on how to rebuild the mission.

"I'll Take Romance" is the name of a computer dating service that's currently being advertised on WKRP. Herb encourages Les to make use of it in order to get a date for a big dinner. The lady he's assigned is gorgeous...but he wonders if it's him he's interested in when it turns out the dating service is a front for a prostitution ring. 

Made my bed, then went online. I applied for a secretarial job with a plumbing company in West Berlin. It's kind of far, but I am interested in moving. It's something. It has health insurance, anyway. 

Broke for dinner at 6:30. Watched Match Game '77 while I ate. For some reason, they skipped ahead several weeks to well into 1977. Nipsey Russell and Arlene Francis join in as an audience full of local high schoolers cheer very loudly for Rich and Arlene happily flirts with Gene. 

Took a shower after I ate, then worked on writing while watching Match Game Syndicated. The jokes about the stunningly gorgeous contestant continued in the first episode, especially after she won. Brett starts in on Elaine about her hair not being natural, before Charles reminds her that other people's hair on the show isn't either. The second episode began with cracks about the fancy embroidered patch on Gene's jacket. Even after the beautiful contestant finishes her round, we have a second contestant who is even perkier. Big George Kennedy is more nervous about dealing with "__ Glands" in the Head-to-Head.

Finished the night with something different on Kanopy. Matthew Bourne's Cinderella was a unique version of the ballet filmed in England. Set during the Blitz in World War II, here Cinderella has three obnoxious stepbrothers (one of whom has a crush on her) along with two sisters. Her father is a World War I vet in a wheelchair; her glamorous but drunk stepmother throws herself at anyone who will give her the chance to put herself and her boys in the spotlight. The "prince" is an RAF ace who is downed near Cinderella's home. She kindly gives him shelter when he's disoriented after his crash, but her stepmother throws him out. The "fairy godmother" is a male guardian angel who protects Cinderella and her flyer from the Blitz, helps her get to the big party at the Cafe Du Paris, and reunites them at the hospital after Cinderella is hurt during one of the bombings. 

Slightly darker than usual for a Cinderella tale, but very well done. The setting gives it an urgency and sense of danger not often seen in fairy tale adaptations, while still retaining some magic with the guardian angel who can bend time and appear as anyone, including a psychiatrist helping Cinderella at the hospital. I also really like the idea of Cinderella meeting the "prince" and treating him kindly. It gives them a connection that explains why they fall so hard for each other later. 

If you love ballet, fairy tales, or the Prokofiev Cinderella, you'll want to hop on a magical motorcycle and check this out. 

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