Birth of Fall

Began the day with breakfast and The Muppet Show. Hard rock star Alice Cooper was the other guest associated with horror who appeared on the show, this time in the third season. The Muppets played on his ghoulish reputation with a story where he tries to sell the Muppets' souls, but Gonzo is the only taker. Meanwhile, teeth complain about a toothache, Pigs In Space are turned into ghostly outlines by a virus, and Robin sings "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."

Work was pretty much the same deal it had been on Wednesday. We were dead the entire morning. It got a little steady around 11:30, then went right back to being dead. Like I said, we're between holidays, the next major holiday isn't really food-oriented anyway, and the weather remains gorgeous. It was sunny and windy, but not quite as warm as it has been, likely in the lower 60's. 

Got my schedule here, too. In good news, I only work Sunday afternoon and Wednesday morning next week. I asked for Halloween off (we're never busy anyway), but I didn't expect to get Saturday! In bad news, that means a really bad paycheck the week after. 

Headed home after work, then changed and briefly went right back out. I bought a pepperoni-stuffed pretzel and two regular pretzels for lunch. Got them at the A&A Pretzel Shop, then rode home.

Had lunch while watching Paw Patrol. "Pups Save the Trick or Treaters" when Mayor Humdinger's giant spider costume steals all of the trick or treat candy. They make use of a marshmallow web Marshall inadvertently created to catch him. "Pups Save an Out of Control Mini Patrol" when Alex accidentally takes Daring Danny X's new rocket bike while delivering cow shampoo to Katie. Chase and Marshall keep him from ending up in the bay.

Rode to the Thomas Sharp School after the cartoon ended. Though the teacher did read a book about various kinds of tools and their uses after snack time, we were mainly outside. I had to settle a lot of arguments over the swings! They all really love them, but there's only two. I told them I'd choose who went next and would keep them from hitting each other. They love it when I push them! The girls say I push really high. We had a somewhat smaller group than usual that disappeared quicker than usual. The school was apparently holding a "trunk or treat" event on the blacktop in the back of the school later in the evening. It was just starting as I left.

At this point, I also got two big announcements. First of all, my fourth nephew was born this afternoon! Keefe's wife Julia had her son, Elijah Jackman, and mother and son are apparently doing just fine. Second, Jessa texted me to say Rose's husband Craig's father just passed away and asked me if I could come to his funeral tomorrow. (I can't. I'm working in the morning.) 

Made a quick stop at the Speedy Mart on Collings Street after I got out. They were really busy with teens from Collingswood High getting snacks and drinks. I just bought bagels and a Propel.

Watched Match Game '76 while eating dinner. Tom Poston and Laugh-In comedienne Barbara Sharma made their only appearances on the 1973-1982 run of the show this week. Neither played especially well, though Tom Poston at least had a sense of humor about it. 

Moved to YouTube after dinner for a rare Halloween special. Boo! is another attempt at a Halloween variety show, this one coming from Canada in 1982. It's even stranger than Paul Lynde's special. Monsters, including a rather adorable orange-haired Frankenstein, appear in a series of blackout sketches. The wolfman is hypnotized to not go crazy at the mention of the full moon, Dracula and his Countess sing "If Our Friends Could See Us Now," and truckers discuss the death of the variety show on regular TV. (Real variety shows had just gone out of fashion in the late 70's.) Dionne Warwick sings "Deja Vu" and "Just the Way You Are," the latter to Frankenstein's monster, and Rip Taylor appears as a prisoner with a few screws loose and sells his wares to aliens in a bar.

Jessica Fletcher recreates another Halloween favorite in Murder She Wrote. Dorian Beecher (Thom Bray), a nerdy young man who teaches poetry at a private school in Vermont, calls Jessica to act as his mother and impress the father (Doug McClure) of his sweetheart (Karlene Crockett). Dorian is at odds with bullying riding instructor Nate Findley (Barry Williams), until he's found dead with his head missing after witnessing "The Night of the Headless Horseman." Dorian is arrested for the crime, but Jessica doesn't think he's capable of murder. She realizes the obnoxious Findley had other enemies, including the town dentist (Charles Siebert) whose fiancee ran off with Findley.