I was going to take my bike to work...but the back tire felt low when I started to roll it out. Sure enough, it was flat. Not only is the back tire harder to fix, but there was no time to replace it before work. I had to call Uber...and of course, the driver didn't show up for 15 minutes. Which meant I was a few minutes late to work.
Thankfully, that was the worst thing that happened the entire morning. We were even less busy than we have been the past few days. In addition to people being on vacation or waiting for their money next week, the weather was too gorgeous for shopping. It was sunny, hot, breezy, and clear, in the upper 70's, without a cloud in the sky. I was able to clean the bathrooms, gather the trash, and do cold returns with plenty of time for the carts, too. No really major problems. I didn't even have trouble getting an Uber going home. They arrived in 5 minutes.
When I got in, I watched Alice's Wonderland Bakery while changing and having a snack. Princess Rosa laments that she hasn't seen enough of Wonderland to finish her mural depicting the entire land. Alice and the guys take her on a "Roamin' Holiday" to visit Wonderland's more hidden attractions, including the rarely-seen bubble-blowing caterpillar. "The Proof Is In the Pudding" when the Queen of Hearts puts the kids and their entries in a bake-off on trial for having jumbleberries. She overate them once and has now banned them from the court. Alice eventually figures out how to remind her of why she loves them and should give them a second chance.
I asked a friend of mine if she knew of any bike repair shops closer than the ones in Cherry Hill and Deptford. I can change the front tire, but it's harder to do the back one. She recommended Gradient Bike Repair in Audubon, which apparently has been mentioned on an Oaklyn community Facebook board we both frequent. They also have a van filled with supplies that allows them to make house calls. Alas, I wasn't able to get an appointment with them until Friday at 4:10. It'll have to do. I'll just take Uber or walk for the next day and a half.
I was immensely cheered by the arrival of my last two birthday/Easter presents to myself from eBay. I've had the Beach Boys album Still Crusin' in one form or another since it debuted in 1989. Lauren compared it to the Monkees' album Pool It! from two years earlier (with a better cover), and she's not far off. This was the Beach Boys' attempt to get 80's hip, but frankly, most of the songs are far better than those on Pool It. "Kokomo" was the iconic hit from the movie Cocktail, but my favorites are the catchy title song from Lethal Weapon 2, the adorable "Make It Big" from Troop Beverly Hills, and the romantic fantasy "Somewhere Near Japan."
Yes, I know this has never been regarded as the Beach Boys' best album. It's so low on new material, the album finishes with "Wouldn't It Be Nice," "California Girls," and "I Get Around," which had all turned up in 80's movies. "In My Car" and "Island Girl" aren't great, and the version of "Wipe Out" with the Fat Boys is almost too cheesy to be true. I have too many fond memories of listening to my cassette constantly in the early 90's to be harsh on this one.
I enjoyed that so much, I put on a far better-regarded Beach Boys album after Still Crusin' ended. Pet Sounds was a game-changer for them and the industry in general. You get everything from classical to jazz to the Boys' group harmonies here. It did well enough in 1966, but ran up against too much strong competition, including the Beatles' Revolver. Nowadays, it's seen by most music critics as one of the greatest rock albums of all time. One of my favorite ballads, "God Only Knows," debuted here, along with the afore-mentioned "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and their iconic version of the folk song "Sloop John B."
Switched to The Love Boat next. In fact, I went with the second episode of the series. Dale Reilly (John Ritter) is so desperate to be near the girl he's obsessed with, he dresses as a woman in order to share the only available cabin with another woman. Turns out the poor girl (Tovah Feldshuh) was left at the alter by her fiancee. "Oh Dale!" becomes her emotional support while dodging an amorous Captain Steubing. A constantly quarreling couple (Sherman Helmsley and LaWanda Page) rekindle their marriage after they're stuck in an elevator during "The Main Event." A wealthy man thinks his wife (Jacklyn Smith) is having "A Tasteful Affair" and hires a private detective (Dennis Cole) to follow her, but he falls for her instead.
Watched Match Game '77 during dinner. Character actor David Lansburg joined Marcia Wallace and Lee Merriweather this week. Brett came in for some ribbing when "Portland __" came up in the Audience Match and she brought up her home state of Maine.
Finished the night at YouTube checking out something else I remembered well from my childhood. Disney doing stage versions of its shows goes back far further than the Aladdin that's currently on Broadway. In 1981, it produced a lavish version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs for Radio City Music Hall. The Disney Channel showed this from time to time in the 80's. I think we may even have taped it at one point. There's a few additions to the movie here. Snow White sings "I'm Wishing" with all of the girls in town by the well, her father is alive and kept in the dark by the wicked queen, and we find out where the queen came from and how she came to marry the king.
In good news, as appropriate for a big Radio City production, there's some awesome sets. I like that well and the multi-level dwarfs' cottage that splits open to reveal the inside. The humans costumes are accurate to the movie, and the animals actually look pretty cute (despite being upright and walking)...but the dwarfs' costumes are downright terrifying. You can see the opening for the eyes on Dopey in particular, and it's really creepy. The dwarfs in the live-action film look like masterworks of CGI compared to those frightening get-ups.
Yeah, that alone makes this just for those who remember watching it on cable in the 80's like I do or are intrigued by a stage Snow White. Everyone else is fine with the original animated film or seeing the current live-action film in the theater.
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