Ride In the Golden Afternoon

I was so tired and slept so late, it was almost noon by the time I had breakfast and watched the 2018 Muppet Babies. Kermit is so impatient for his tiny pumpkin to grow faster, he borrows Bunsen and Beaker's grow-in-ator to make it bigger. Trouble is, it also comes to life, and the kids are all saying "Oh My Gourd" when it wants all of them to play with it. Kermit learns that good things come to those who wait when he has to let the grow-in-ator recharge so he can shrink it again. Animal eats an entire bowl of candy before his lunch, unleashing "The Curse of the Wereanimal" and turning him into a sugar-fueled monster with a stomachache. The kids try to get Animal out of their haunted house and prove to him that it's better to eat food that's good for you before you start in on the sweet stuff.

Headed out for a nice ride around 12:30. It's been a long time since I went for a long ride to Westmont and Haddonfield. Stopped at WaWa first for money and a drink. I was hoping for Propel, but they were out. I picked up a Cherry Coke Zero. Couldn't resist going next-door to McMillan's Bakery and trying one of their famous donuts. Considered their amazing cream, but I ultimately went with the pumpkin. Yum. Doughy and spicy and just sweet enough.

Next stop was Samaritan Thrift, the reason I took out money in the first place. They don't accept cards of any kind. Didn't see any good records, but I did find a clothes gift for Lauren and two CDs for me:

The original cast of the 1966 revival of Annie Get Your Gun

Jimmy Buffett - Christmas Island

Crossed Haddon and headed into the back roads of Haddonfield after I got out. Many of the beautiful old houses in Haddonfield go as far back as the American Revolution. The weather was gorgeous and the trees were more so, all gold and scarlet and yellow as they waved over stone and wooden houses decorated with skeletons, pumpkins, graveyards, and mums.

Had lunch at the Bistro, my favorite restaurant in Haddonfield. That was really the reason I went up there in the first place. I hadn't eaten at the Bistro in ages. Enjoyed an enormous turkey and bacon sandwich and thick, delicious truffle-salted fries outside under their awning, watching the traffic on King's Highway go by.

Explored Haddonfield after lunch. Most of their stores are over-priced clothing boutiques, but there are a few of genuine interest. The biggest is Inkwood Books, the largest independent book store in the area. They have shelves filled with new releases and some older classic literature. Anything I saw that interested me I could pick up cheaper elsewhere or would get after the holidays, but I did get a really cool dollhouse pop-up book as a Christmas gift for Finley. I also peeked at two tea shops, the second of which sold spices, too, and a country-themed home store. I loved the quilts at the latter, but there was no way I could afford them or carry them home.

Picked up a drink at Starbucks on the corner of Haddon and King's Highway. The local kids had been out of school long enough at that point for the line to be tolerable. I tried an Apple Crisp Cream Chai. Very sweet, but it did really taste like apples and spices, with a bit of cinnamon on the top.

My last plan got a check even before I got to it. I looked up RAM Arcade on my phone to see when their hours were...and Yelp listed it as permanently closed. Going past the store confirmed this. It must have closed really recently. The awning and painted sign were still up, but the room inside was empty. I wonder what happened there? On one hand, their machines were frequently broken, and expensive Haddonfield always seemed like an odd place for an arcade anyway. Their website indicated they had big plans, though, with at least three vintage machines being restored. 

Went straight into The Monkees when I got home. "Here Comes the Monkees" is the show's pilot, and it's about as straightforward of a teen sitcom as you can imagine. The guys are hired to play at Vanessa Russell's sweet sixteen party, but their job may be on the line when Vanessa is dreaming so much about her new British sweetheart, she can't concentrates and does poorly on a big test. Davy and the others help out, then sneak in when Vanessa's dad initially fires them. We also get a glimpse into Davy and Mike's real-life cheeky and snarky personalities via their original audition tapes. (Incidentally, Peter and Micky's exist as well and can be found on the show's limited-edition Blu-Ray release and online.)

Switched to Murder at the Vanities after the show ended. I go further into this wild and barely-clad whodunnit at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Cult Flops - Murder at the Vanities

Watched Match Game '77 while eating a quick dinner. Copious fly jokes abounded in this episode. Orson referred to the 1931 Dracula film and how Renfield would eat flies after a question about what a Venus fly trap does before it eats if it's almost human. Later, we had the obvious answer to a question about how Betty White would try to save a fly. 

Finished the night with the two Santana records I picked up a few months ago. Festival and Inner Secrets debuted in the late 70's, during the tail end of the group's initial popularity. That doesn't mean they're without merit. Festival features "Let the Children Play" and "Let the Music Set You Free." Inner Secrets is more flat-out rock than Latin, but it still has their covers of "Well All Right" and "Stormy."