Sweet End of Summer

Slept in again today. I had a quick snack for breakfast while watching the 2003 version of Strawberry Shortcake. Strawberry's boat-loving friend Rainbow Sherbet is "A Princess Named Rap. " Rapunzel is a tomboy who would rather be sailing on the ocean or climbing trees than learning to be a proper princess. Her teacher Sour Grapes keeps locking her away in higher and higher towers, trying to keep her focused on her studies and away from her friends Strawberry and Huckleberry Pie. It's not until she uses her nautical knowledge to save Sour Grapes and her boat from a storm that her teacher understands that being a princess is about a lot more than fancy hairstyles or perfect manners, and that each girl has their own way of being a princess.

Headed out after I finished writing last night's entry. I had just enough time to treat myself to lunch out in honor of the summer program coming to an end. The Legacy Diner was surprisingly not that busy, despite it being quarter after 1 when I arrived. I had huge, tasty blueberry pancakes with lots of butter and syrup and enjoyed every bit of them.

Went straight back to Oaklyn after that and to the school for the last day of the summer program. I sat with the kids during snack time, listening to the girls chatter while I ate a granola bar. I was pleased with how kind they were to the head teacher's autistic nephew, whom she had brought with her, as well. I had more trouble getting all of the kids to sit down and draw. They kept running around. It was even worse over with the Legos. One of the boys threw a fit, kicking Legos around until the teachers scolded him and got him to pick them up and bring them back to the table.

We ended up calling free play time almost 40 minutes early and moving everything, including the art supplies, to the cafeteria where the pre-schoolers played. I guess they needed to clean the gym. Half of the kids resumed drawing there with me, while the other half played with the magnetic tiles or the giant life-sized Connect Four board. 

I drew me walking around on the Atlantic City boardwalk to illustrate what I plan on doing for the rest of the summer. Finished the scene from the first dream sequence in Hilary and the Beasts, with Pavla attacking Hilary, Jeff, Scott, Betty, and Maple (I ran out of room for Victor) at the cafeteria, then did Maple with the blinded Victor from Maplepunzel before the session ended and we had to clean up for good this time. I even got a couple of donuts. Apparently, the pre-school teachers bought donuts to share and weren't able to bring them all home.

One of the parents gave the teachers $5 gift cards to WaWa. I had already planned on getting some kind of a treat after I finished, so that was my next stop. Considering it was well past 5 by that point, they too weren't that busy. Everyone must be on vacation. I got a rich, tasty Chocolate Banana Smoothie (made with real bananas). 

Listened to The Story of Who Framed Roger Rabbit when I got home. Yes, it's what the title says...but instead of the usual syrupy woman or stoic man heard in these retellings, we have a hilarious, perfectly deadpan tough-guy narrator. Not only do they include all of the major story beats, but the narrator actually suits the story and the time period depicted (post-World War II Los Angeles) really well, and even gets a few good lines in their own right. Honestly, if you're a fan of Roger Rabbit, I highly recommend tracking this down, even if books-and-records aren't normally your thing. It's hilarious.

Worked on Hilary and the Beasts while the record was on. Music literally helps soothe the savage beast...or at least, tames the bad magic in his head. Maple's Christmas carols and Betty's gentle presence helps Bear through his pain long enough to break several pages of code. Meanwhile, Troll is still trying to get Hilary to marry him...and she's seriously considering saying yes. There's just something about him that is so...familiar, even if she doesn't want to admit it...

Watched Match Game Syndicated during dinner. The first episode featured Phyllis Diller (in a wild purple cloche hat) and Fred Grandy, but the remaining shows switched to the week with Robert Walden and Judy Landers. This prompted quite a few jokes about Judy's...er, assets...along with Charles' attempts at macho jokes when he wore a football jersey.

Got my schedule at this point as well. As it turns out, I barely have any hours next week...which is fine by me. Work has been nothing short of a royal pain lately. I even work late enough next Saturday to have plenty of time for the Farm Market in the morning. 

Finished the night with the last of my recent record acquisitions. The Jungle Book is actually a vintage Golden Records retelling of the original Jungle Book, Letting In the Jungle, and Rikki-Tikki-Tavi. As such, all three stories are extremely truncated, especially Jungle Book - the record is barely a half-hour. Rikki-Tikki-Tavi comes off best, maybe because it's a short story to begin with.

The Best of Bachman Turner Overdrive says So Far on the cover, but it does feature what would be their two biggest hits, "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet" and "Takin' Care of Business." There's a couple others that are still pretty well-known now. I like "Let It Ride" and "Take It Like a Man."