Friday, June 14, 2024

The Good Life

Got up early this morning to drop Lauren off. Her train left at 8:30 AM. She was watching The Price Is Right when I was finally ready to go. I called Uber...and considering it was 7:30, I was surprised to get one in three minutes. Lauren wasn't quite ready herself, but we finally got her luggage loaded and off to Philly within a few minutes. We did hit traffic on the Schuylkill River, but arrived at 30th Street Station by ten after 8.

Shortly after we got in, they started lining up for Lauren's train. I gave her a hug and let her go there. We always have fun together, and this extra-long trip was no exception. I bought a drink from the Dunkin Donuts' counter, waved good-bye to her as she boarded the train, and headed out myself. 

Once again, I had no trouble getting a driver, despite it being 8:30. He arrived in four minutes. This time, we hit no traffic anywhere, not even on the bridge going past an empty Citizen's Bank Park. I was back in Oaklyn within 20 minutes.

Went inside, grabbed a bag and my bike, and went back out. I had grocery shopping to do and errands to run. First, however, I wanted breakfast. Since I had to hit Target and Sprouts, I ate at the Westmont Bagel Shop. Had a tasty egg white and vegetable omelet with provolone cheese, hash browns, and a blueberry bagel. I ate the bagel and the omelet, but had no room left for most of the potatoes. 

Hit Target next. They still didn't have the vitamins I wanted. I ended up buying a larger bottle of Target's generic women's gummy vitamins that was only slightly more expensive.

Didn't need a whole lot at Sprouts, either. Took advantage of clearance sales to pick up Annie's Organic granola bars on a good sale.  Decided to try their new cherry granola cookies. Got my coconut milk here, too.

Rode down the hill and past the fast food restaurants and Haddon Township High School to the Westmont Acme. I mainly needed to restock yogurt. Ollipop was 4 for 10, 50 cents off one with an online coupon. The Jiff peanut butter was finally on sale, too. Grabbed apple butter and more Kind bars on clearance. None of the stores were remotely busy. I was in and out of each in 20 minutes.

Took Newton Lake Park going home. By this point, it was almost noon. I saw kids lining up for Mr. Softee and considered joining them. The line was so long and daunting that I decided I'd wait and get ice cream later. Pushed my bike on the trail over the hill and past the Haddon Township Environmental and Historical Society building, passing another guy coming down with his bike on my way.

Watched the 1986 Card Sharks when I got home. They were in the midst of their Young People's Week. I got to see a boy just barely beat a slightly older girl, then pick up good cash and a trip to Hawaii. Two more kids were working their way thought the board as they ended.

Switched to Peanuts by Schultz as I had lunch and checked my schedule. Though this was technically supposed to be set in spring, most of it either revolves around Snoopy's eccentricities or the infamous kite Charlie Brown can't fly. In "No Strings Attached," Lucy gives Snoopy Charlie's kite when he's fed it up with it not flying. Lucy comes to blows with Snoopy, whom she sees as a "Crazy Mutt." 

We see what happened when Lucy learned she had a new baby brother and why Re-Run hates outings with his mother in "The Last of the Bunch." Lucy tells Charlie to make his own "Philosophy," which Sally is much better at. Charlie has to remind her that "Being Nice" is more important when he writes her letter to Grandma.

Incidentally, I barely have a schedule next week. I don't work again until Wednesday at the usual 9:30. I don't even work on Father's Day. I suspected this would be the case. It's probably the reason I got two weeks off with no fuss. I'll bet I made more money on vacation this week than I would have actually working. At least I do have a floral department day next Friday, probably to help with graduation bouquets.

Put on The Garfield Movie soundtrack while I put up the patriotic decorations. I would have done it before Lauren arrived, but I thought it would be a little much with all of her stuff, too. Spangle and Glory were joined by America Cares Bear, a mini-Spangle, and another mini Beanie Baby, Liberty. Three folk-art angels with u, s, and a on them went on the entertainment center next to the TV. The big folk art Uncle Sam is on the coffee table. Taped the big cardboard flag on the door to the bedroom. The smaller flags are on top of a record crate, the larger ones behind my collectible bears.

The hit on the Garfield soundtrack is the one heard throughout the film, "It's the Good Life" by Jon Batiste. Hannah Waddington's "I'm Back" number, with its comically scary lyrics and demands to her mooks throughout the song, is the other favorite here. Callum Scott also does a nice "Then There Was You."

Vacuumed and dusted the floor while listening to the Jane Powell triple-soundtrack. Royal Wedding is by far the best of the three movies highlighted here. We have two standards, Fred Astaire's "You're All the World to Me" (which he sings while literally dancing on the ceiling in the film) and Powell's "Too Late Now." Their comic tough-guy routine "How Could You Believe Me When I Said I've Been a Liar All My Life," is funny too. Carmen Miranda gets the best songs from Nancy Goes to Rio, "Love Is Like This" and "Magic Is In the Moonlight." The dull songs from Rich, Young, and Pretty aren't nearly at that level, though "Wonder Why?" isn't bad. 

I tried to go online, but I kept nodding off. I finally went down for a nap around 5:30, despite the heavy wind and continuing sticky heat. At least it was a bit cloudier by that point, and not as hot.

Awoke to heavy rain. I think I caught the tail end of a thunder storm. It was slowing down, even as I rolled out of bed. By the time I put on Match Game Syndicated and was trying to find something for dinner, it was long gone, though the heavy wind remained. Debralee Scott, Gary Collins, and Dick Martin join in to make fun of Gene's ugly tweed green and brown plaid suit in the beginning. North Jersey native Debralee later shows off a better New York accent than the contestant from Queens. Brett's delighted to be sitting between Bart Braverman and Robert Walden in the second episode.

Since it had cooled off considerably by 6:30, I went out for a walk. It must have dropped 20 degrees since I'd gone down for a nap. I've been wanting to try the new Hispanic ice cream parlor on the corner of Cuthbert and the White Horse Pike since it opened, but it's only open after 5, and I never felt like going out then. Even with the heavy wind and cooler weather, they were still busy with kids getting sundaes and Mexican street corn. I went home with a large, tasty, and rather expensive coconut milkshake. At least it was sweet, cooling, and filled with actual coconut shreds.

Took a shower, then finished the night with Mystery Science Theater 3000. Future War was one of the most-recent movies they covered, having only debuted in 1997. A human from the past being used as a slave by cyborgs (Daniel Bernhardt) dodges the dinosaurs they use to track him by staying with a nun (Travis Brooks Stewart). They ultimately get help from a local gang she's had dealings with in the past.

Oooh boy. Ripe cheese of the cheapest sort. For one thing, as Crow points out, the title is a misnomer. They're not in the future, and there's no war. The acting is terrible. The dinosaurs move well enough, but they're totally out of place. The vast majority of the film involves people talking in dull warehouses. The whole thing is just flat out ridiculous. I wouldn't go anywhere near here without the robot wisecracks unless you really, really like cheesy sci-fi action from the 80's and the 90's. 

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