It was cloudy and humid when got up, but not raining. I figured I would be ok for a bike ride. That lasted less than 20 minutes. I was passing the Logan Presbyterian Church in Audubon when it started pouring. Taking refuge under two trees didn't keep me from getting soaked. I just ended up riding to WaWa, where I bought a Fudgy Brownie Smoothie (brownie bits with chocolate smoothie - not bad) and waited for the rain to slow up enough for me to go home.
I still wanted to go out, so as soon as I got home, I changed into dry pants, grabbed my umbrella, left the dripping rain coat to dry, and called Uber. The driver arrived in about seven minutes. The pleasant fellow from the Dominican Republic talked about the weather and the area with me all the way to the Moorestown Barnes and Noble.
The Moorestown Barnes and Noble is pretty much the same deal as the one in Deptford, only with almost the entire music section actually being used for music and DVDs. I didn't want to spend over 100 this time, but I did find a few things. Eventually found the soundtrack from Zootopia on a picture record in the music section and Wedding Bear Blues by Meg Macy, the first teddy bear-themed cozy mystery I've ever seen.
Headed off to the Moorestown Mall across the street next. The mall isn't as big as some of the other area malls, and the east wing near Five Below, Home Sense, and Sierra is nearly empty, but it's anchored by Boscov's and still has some lovely fountains. The FYE is so small and ancient, it still has the previous triangular logo and a decent DVD collection. I picked up the intriguing Studio Ghibli fantasy Castle In the Sky and the most recent James Bond film No Time to Die, the latter on sale for $12.
I wandered out back, passing the massive new Cooper University Health Care facility and the Firebirds Bar and Grill. My original plan for lunch was the Legacy Diner, and I still wasn't up for anything really huge. I noticed a restaurant perched on the edge of a parking lot for a shopping center that had mostly been abandoned except for Marshalls and HomeGoods. Headed across the street and through the lawn in front...and moved a lot faster when I realized the lawn was filled with burrs that got stuck on my shoes and socks!
Stacks on 38 is a breakfast place specializing in pancakes, eggs, and light lunch sandwiches. I slid in just about twenty minutes before they closed. Fortunately for them, I'm a fast eater. The strawberry-topped pancakes were delicious, big and fluffy and topped with big, sweet strawberries. The scrambled eggs were bland, but they made the bacon crispy, just the way I like them. And the waitress and the guy at the counter were really sweet to boot. I'll definitely be going back there the next time I get down to Moorestown.
Since the weather was holding out, I made my way down Route 38 after lunch. The Maple Shade Goodwill was just a five-minute walk from the Moorestown Mall area, across the highway from two car dealerships and an office building. It was almost as big as the one in Stratford. As one lady pointed out, they did have a huge selection of books, but I saw nothing that interested me. No good records, either. I did pick up a two-disc Dean Martin CD and all three season sets for Batman: The Animated Series.
It started pouring again just as I walked outside and called Uber. He was only supposed to take 5 minutes, but he wasn't there in 10. I had no idea why he hadn't showed and called someone else. She took 9 minutes...but she also turned out to be a Maple Shade native and knew the area. She called me and said she was at the Goodwill offices. Seems Goodwill owned the office building across the street. I had no idea. I hadn't even looked. I was so embarrassed when she finally picked me up at quarter of 4, though she was really great about it, and even better about driving home in a massive downpour.
After I finally got home and put everything away, I put on Match Game Syndicated. No way I was missing one of the best episodes of the syndicated run. The contestant Ginger did manage to make it to the Head-to-Head. Her answer to "Cuckoo ___" sent everyone onstage and in the audience falling over laughing and embarrassed her partner Robert Walden.
Switched to Woodstock after the episode ended. I go further into this Oscar-winning documentary about the famous 1969 concert festival at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Listened to Zootopia while I worked on the review. The upbeat and infectious "Try Everything" by Shakira was the big hit here, in the movie and in real-life, but the score has some good things too. "Ticket to Write" and "Jumbo Pop Hustle" are fun, and there's the bonus "Hill Street Zoos."
Finished the night after the Match Game/Password Plus chat on YouTube with that Rose-Marie Media Theater recording I found in Philadelphia. The 1924 Mounties operetta doesn't often turn up in full today, making this recording worth hearing even if some of the performances are less-than-stellar, particularly Lady Jane's overdone New York accent. There's also the evil Natives plot that may be part of the reason this is no longer often performed. On the other hand, the big hit duet "Indian Love Call" does come across well, and the chorus numbers "The Mounties" and "Pretty Things" are also well-done.
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