Headed off to the Acme after that. No trouble whatsoever today. I arrived on time. The Acme was quiet as can be. It's the end of a month that's not known for being busy to begin with. If people weren't at work, they were on vacation or getting kids ready for school. Once a college boy came in to handle the carts, there was even less for me to do. I spent the last half-hour putting away unwanted items. No trouble whatsoever.
Changed my shirt after my shift ended, then headed out. It was too nice of a day to sit inside. The sun was out, the sky was blue, and the breeze felt great. I rode across Audubon to Simply Soups and More. I hadn't eaten there in ages. This small cash-only hole in the wall features different soups every day of the week. I went with sweet potato. Oh yum, that was good. It tasted like a liquid sweet potato, thick and sweet and earthy, with caramelized pecan bits and bits of ham. Sat at one of the chrome-trimmed tables in the window, daydreaming as I ate.
I kept getting turned around, so it took me a few minutes to arrive at the Audubon Library after lunch. This tiny 50's-era building is only slightly bigger than the Oaklyn Library before they closed. Their adult non-fiction selection isn't great, but they do have a rather nice children's section. I ended up settling down to read The Secret Garden On 81st Street, a graphic novel modern retelling of The Secret Garden.
I've seen this around, but had never read the full book until now. Here, Mary Lennox is a video game fan who basically lives online. Her parents work all the time and are too busy for her, until they die in an accident and she's sent to live with her uncle in New York. The unwanted garden is on the roof, there's a cat leading her to it instead of a bird, Molly is her babysitter and she and Dickon are neighbors, the gruff old man is a garden store owner instead of a gardener, and Colin can walk just fine but has horrible panic attacks following the death of his other father. The anime-esque artwork was lovely and colorful, and the entire story was well-done and very charming. (I saw a modern Little Women graphic novel that I might have to take a look at someday as well. Later research revealed a modern Anne of Green Gables set in Philly, and there's apparently a modern Little Princess coming out next spring.)
After I left, I went down the street to the Audubon WaWa. Thought I'd do something I hadn't in a while and mess around with the Coke Freestyle machine. Mixed Tropical, Lime, and Cream Coke Zero. Not bad. I think the cream really came across more than anything tropical or citrus. Returned briefly to the Library after I left when I realized I left the bag with my work shirt there.
Since the Child Safety and Development certificate hadn't gone through, I just did the entire class over. Listened to the soundtrack from Working Girl while I did the class. Movie and soundtrack are long-time favorites of mine, one of the few romantic comedies I ever liked (and one of the first R-rated movies I watched as a kid). Carly Simon's Oscar-winning "Let the River Run" and Chris de Burgh's "Lady In Red" were the hits here. We also have the Pointer Sisters' "I'm So Excited" and a few more numbers from Simom, notably the instrumental "In Love."
Watched Steel Magnolias next in honor of Dolly Pardon, who passed away yesterday. Pardon plays Truvy, a "glamour technician" whose beauty shop is the epicenter of their small Louisiana town. Her best friend is M'Lynn Eatenton (Sally Field), whose adored daughter Shelby (Julia Roberts) is about to get married when the movie starts. Truvy hires shy Annelle Dupuy (Darryl Hannah), who just arrived in town to escape her criminal husband, to work in her store. There's also Clariee Belcher (Olympia Dukakis), wife of the former mayor, and grumpy Ouiser Bourdreux (Shirley MacLaine), who are both regulars at the shop. Delicate Shelby has Type 1 Diabetes, but she and her husband Jackson (Dylan McDermott) desperately want to have a baby. M'Lynn thinks this is a bad idea...and proves to be right when Jackson Jr. comes out ok, but she has to donate a kidney to Shelby afterwards. When even that doesn't help, M'Lynn's friends are there to comfort her and let her know that she isn't alone in her grief.
This is one of my mother's favorite movies. Sally Field is her favorite actress. Mom grew up in Virginia and West Virginia around women very much like the ones in this movie. Honestly, the best thing about this are MacLaine and Dukaukis. They steal the show as two of the coolest and funniest older southern ladies you'll ever meet. Roberts got an Oscar nomination and early exposure as the youngest of the women who literally gives her life to have a child. The melodrama in the second half can be a little much now, especially for those who have lost a grown child, but for the most part, this remains a lovely and charming look at one small southern town and how six women grow together in the course of a few years.
Switched to Match Game '76 during dinner. They're on to the Joey Bishop-Mary Wickes week that was on the Joey Bishop YouTube marathon a few weeks ago. Mary and Brett had a bit of a crush on a handsome contestant that looked a lot like Allen Ludden. Joey actually gave the guy a kiss at one point, saying he was tired of not getting to kiss somebody.
Watched more Remember WENN next. Betty lets Mackie manage WENN while she's at a convention. It goes to his head, until gangster Palermo Racine (Phillip Bosco) turns up at the station. He was once Racine's driver, until he got him into trouble after he robbed a warehouse and Racine in turn claimed he was in on it. He thinks he'll have to be "A Star In Stripes Forever" and go on the lam after Racine starts asking for favors, but the others know how to expose Racine's ruse without revealing Mackie's secret.
Former stripper Maple LaMarsh is tired of being regarded as "A Girl Like Maple," the station's tomboy and loose woman. She's thrilled when a handsome congressman (Broadway star Boyd Gaines) flirts with her when she takes over temporarily for Hilary on Men In the Headlines. Trouble is, she used a much different voice from her normal Brooklyn accent, and now he thinks she's a cultured lady. The others try to help her preserve the illusion (Hilary reluctantly), until she realizes that the guy is far from what he claims, and she's fine just being herself.
Finished the night with the CD All My Tomorrows. Grover Washington Jr. was "the most popular saxophonist in jazz" when he made this album in 1994. No wonder, with his gorgeous renditions of "When I Fall In Love," "For Heaven's Sake," and the title song. We also gets some nice vocals on "I'm Glad There Is You" and "Overjoyed."
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