Hot Times Under the Sun

Began a late morning with breakfast and more Scooby Doo Show. It's a "High Rise Hair Raiser" when Shaggy, Scooby, and Fred get a job constructing a new skyscraper, only to be chased by what appears to be a ghost. Turns out the building that used to be on that spot was the home of an old man who was said to practice the black arts and could make himself younger. The girls do research on the site, while the boys dodge the ghost on the girders and talk to his ancient ancestor to find out what's going on.

Went online to check my schedule next. In good news, not as many hours as this week, but more than I've had lately. Early work on Sunday and Wednesday. Late work on Saturday, which does mean I'll be able to hit the farm market that day. Having Thursday and Friday off means I'll be able to hit the Cherry Hill Library for their summer book sale one of those two days.

Did a few things online, then headed out. Had lunch at Geneva Pizza on Cuthbert Road. It's been a while since I've eaten there. Kept things simple with a slice of cheese, a square slice of tomato-basil, and a bottle of Diet Coke. Watched Wimbledon while a dad ordered milkshakes for him and his son. 

I needed to run some errands next, starting at Target. I didn't find the vitamins I wanted there, but I did pick up wet wipes for my purse and stronger suntan lotion for work. I thought one of the granola bars I bought at Sprouts were on sale, but it turns out they weren't. I had more luck with the Bob's granola bars and finding cherry granola cookies on clearance. Found Poppi soda on sale as well. Decided to try cherry limeade and raspberry rose, the latter of which I've never seen before.

Made my way past the Haddon Township Library and a quiet high school to the Westmont Acme next. Restocked my yogurt and popcorn, the latter of which is still on clearance. Kind oat and honey bars are still on clearance, too. Got two Ollipops, two bagels, a bag of blue corn chips, those Made Good soft bars, and a slice of white cake with buttercream icing for a treat. (And no wonder I got off this weekend. None of the stores were busy, not even the Target.) 

Everyone who didn't go away for the holiday weekend may have been scared off by the heat. It was sunny and bright, but killer hot and humid. I cut through the park for some shade, then pushed my bike up the hill. It did feel a little cooler under the bright green canopy, but that didn't really help the humidity. I was sweating like crazy when I finally got home.

Put everything away, then took down the patriotic decorations while watching the first season finale of Vega$. "The Visitor" is Princess Zara (Kim Cattrall), who fled with her father to Vegas after a revolution in their Middle Eastern country. Dan is hired to be her bodyguard when her life is threatened by terrorists. After a woman tries to kidnap the princess and is shot by revolutionaries, Dan and his friend Harlan Twoleaf show her the good life in Sin City, and Dan ends up falling for her...but she wants to see her father, and those revolutionaries aren't about to give up...

Listened to the soundtrack from Thank God It's Friday while working on my rock record inventory. Added p through the first half of s today, including Pink Floyd, the Pointer Sisters, Prince, the Platters, Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones, Linda Ronstadt, Helen Reddy, Paul Simon, and Bob Seger. I'm hoping to finish with the rock records by tomorrow or Monday, then start adding the rock CDs. Next up will be rock collections and cast albums.

Thank God It's Friday is about as disco as you can get. Donna Summer's "Last Dance" won the Oscar, but there's other good things here if you want to get your groove on. Other favorites include "Love Masterpiece" by Thelma Houston, Sunshine's "Take It to the Zoo," and "Disco Queen" by Paul Jabara.

Watched Match Game Syndicated while eating dinner and putting away records. Rita Moreno got to read a question in the first episode. In the second, Joyce Bulifant and Gary Crosby take up from where Betty White left off by messing around with Gene's trousers cuffs and socks. Gary's not too happy when someone pulls out a poster of the 60's movie Two Tickets to Paris that he starred in. (And I really need to review that.) 

Finished the night on Tubi with two unique retellings of famous fairy tales from the 1990's. Willa: An American Snow White resets the story in the rural Midwest in 1911. The wicked stepmother is an actress who desperately wants to stay young and is jealous of her stepdaughter's budding beauty. She orders her manservant to kill her, but he sends her away instead. She falls in with a trio of performers who put on shows and sell tonics that can supposedly keep one young. Willa eventually falls for the handsome young man who is putting on "moving pictures" in the same towns they play...but not before her stepmother comes back for revenge when those so-called tonics have the reverse effect on her.

Ashpet: An American Cinderella is a bit shorter and a little less scary. We jump ahead to the deep south in 1942, just as World War II began. Ashpet is Lily, who is bullied and treated like a servant by her two hateful and shrill stepsisters and her spoiled stepmother. Her only friend is Aunt Sally, a kindly older black woman whom her stepsisters regard as a witch and beg love charms off of. When they refuse to answer her riddles and go back on their promise to let Lily attend the Victory Ball, Aunt Sally takes matters into her own hands. She gives Lily her mother's dress and shoes and sends her off on a white horse. Lily falls for handsome soldier William, to her stepsisters' dismay. They try to waylay him when he turns up with her shoe, but Aunt Sally knows that love has a way of coming out in the end.

I enjoyed the shorter and sweeter Ashpet slightly more than the spooky Willa, Aunt Sally in particular is an awesome character, and the stepsisters have some good moments, too. Despite their obvious low budgets, they're both worth seeing for those like me who are looking for unusual versions of familiar stories.