Freedom of Adventure

Began the morning with breakfast and Shirt Tales. "Bogey Goes Ape" takes us into the second season, with a new opening theme and a new Shirt Tale, spunky little Kip Kangaroo. Bogey's more interested in following a lovely lady orangutan about a cruise ship and saving her jeweled necklace than his friends, until he finds out she's not alone. Pammy proves to be a mechanical whiz in "The Rain, the Park, and the Robot" when she creates a robot to help them do their chores. Kip's not as impressed with him, until he saves her from a flooded ditch in a construction site. 

Switched to The Backyardigans on Paramount Plus while getting organized. "Race to the Tower of Power" is the first of six times the show parodied superhero tropes. Here, super heroes Weather Woman (Uniqua) and Captain Hammer (Austin) must beat villains Yucky Man (Pablo) and Dr. Shrinky (Tyrone) to the top of the Tower of Power. The pair that gets there first will be able to grab the key that will allow them to rule the world!

Briefly put on Buzzr as I wrote my grocery list. Double Dare is very different - and far more short-lived - than the familiar Nickelodeon stunt show. This one is a quiz where two contestants in isolation booths Dare each other to answer tough questions. I came in just as someone else went on for host Alex Trebek! Turns out it was the long-time champ, who figured he could get some air time. Alex was mildly amused.

Headed out to run errands next. Started at Target, since I had more time than usual. They didn't have the mouthwash I wanted, but I was able to get five individual pairs of underwear. Considering two pairs got holes in the tops when I pulled the tags off, I don't think they'll last all that long, but they look more comfortable (and breathable) than the ones I bought at Marshalls'. I also tried an Iced Blue Coconut Matcha Latte from Starbucks - a matcha latte with blue foam. Not bad. Really fruity. Tasted more like mango than coconut or green tea.

Sprouts was next on the list. They didn't have good soda sales, but their oat and nut milks are cheaper than the Acme's. I got my oat milk there, along with Annie's Homegrown chocolate chip granola bars on clearance and a box of oatmeal cranberry walnut cookies off the baker's rack. My best find here also came off clearance. Low-cost bags and plastic containers of bulk items were on clearance displays throughout the store. I found a small container of mixed dried berries and pineapple listed for $5.99...but it came up as 99 cents!

Had lunch at the Westmont Bagel Shop after I finished at Sprouts. I was surprised that they weren't too busy for 1 PM. I was able to sit down and enjoy my spinach and feta omelet, toasted multi-grain whole wheat bagel, hash browns, and Diet Coke in peace. As it turned out, the bagel and omelet were more than enough. I didn't have close to enough room to finish the hash browns. (Oh, and surprisingly, there were no bikes on the rack when I arrived. All of the kids must have been swimming at Roberts Pool or skateboarding elsewhere.)

Passed by the library, McDonald's, and the Haddon Township High School (which is now closed for the summer) before ending up at the Westmont Acme. Restocked granola, yogurt, low-salt canned tuna, and soda. Found no-salt canned organic black beans and chick peas. I need more protein, but there was no low-salt canned chicken, and the bagged chicken I've been buying is awfully salty. Finally found the Listerine Gum Protection mouthwash I use in the smaller size on sale with an online coupon. Grabbed olive oil and organic mayo (which was lower in salt than the light mayo) to use for tuna and bean salads. 

Took the long way home across a busy Newton Lake Park. It was a nice day, sunny, breezy, slightly humid, and much cooler than yesterday, in the lower 80's. A lot of people wanted to enjoy it before the weather turns nasty on Monday. I ended up riding uphill to avoid the folks out for walks and jogs (and to get around the work being done on the path near the stone steps going up to East Clinton). The park is in full flower now, green and shady, with a wonderful, earthy smell.

Switched to the only early Bowery Boys movie not currently on Tubi as I put away my groceries. The guys are saying Hold That Baby! when they discover an infant abandoned in their laundry service. Turns out he's the grandson of a recently deceased millionaire whose mother (Anabel Shaw) left him there when her aunts, who want his inheritance, have her committed to a sanitarium. The aunts hire thugs to keep the baby from the reading of the will, and they in turn hire the Boys to keep an eye on him. Sach and Slip manage to dodge the thugs and rescue the mother in the guise of having Sach committed. (Oh, and I suspect a brief blackface gag when Sach attempts to hide the baby from a cop is the reason this one can't be found on streaming.)

Spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening watching The Man Who Would Be King. Sach and Slip are hardly the only best-friend pair to cause mischief. British ex-soldiers Daniel Dravot (Sean Connery) and Peachy Carnehan (Michael Caine), after trying to rob author Rudyard Kipling (Christopher Plummer), take an expedition into Afghanistan in search of Kafiristan. There, they arm the locals with rifles, help them defeat their enemies, and take over the very wealthy country. When an arrow fails to pierce Dravot's chest, they think he's immortal and makes him their king. Peachy thinks they should grab the money and run, but Dravot has found he likes being a ruler and helping the people with their problems...until the princess Roxanne (Shakira Caine) inadvertently reveals that he's far from immortal.

John Huston apparently wanted to make this for 20 years, and it was worth the wait. It was Connery's favorite role and remains Caine's, and it's not surprising, given how much fun they have as the rogues who go looking for money and end up with a heck of a lot more than they bargained for. Stunning cinematography in Morocco and France, too. Maurice Jarre wrote the rousing Indian-style score. I'm also impressed with how relatively close this is to the book, which I have read. My only complaint is how long it is. It takes a while to actually set up - the first half in particular drags. Other than that, if you're a fan of two-fisted adventure tales, Kipling, or the leading men and have time on your hands, you'll want to grab your partner in crime and join the expedition. 

Returned to Buzzr for Match Game '74 next. We're getting close to the end of the year as they finished off Avery Schriberer's first week. Phyllis Newman also appeared but, to tell the truth, she was kind of annoying and took a lot of Brett's teasing personally. No wonder Avery became a semi-regular, but she never came back. James Darren and Juliet Mills had a lot more fun during New Year's week. 

Got my schedule at this point. It's pretty much what I expected and had hoped for. I'm back to weekend afternoons and early on Wednesday at the Acme. On one hand, that means I will be able to hit the Collingswood farm market next week. I'll just move the Cherry Hill trip to earlier in the week, maybe Tuesday or Thursday. 

Watched The Swamp Fox after dinner. The series gets mildly dark for "Day of Reckoning." Francis is determined to find his nephew Gabe's killer. His men not only don't share his obsession, they're sick, worn out, and want to start fighting Tories again. Mary Videux (Joy Page) manages to sweet-talk Colonel Peter Horry (Myron Healy) into giving her medicine for the men. Meanwhile, Francis not only finds Briggs (Robert Douglas), but learns there's someone else who has sworn vengeance against him - Gwynn (Hal Stalmaster), whose family was killed by a man in a mask who called himself the Swamp Fox.

Finished the night with more Zorro at Disney Plus. Don Diego is more than happy to spread the story of "The Ghost at the Mission" to scare Garcia and his men off. It works pretty well with Garcia, but Monastario isn't as impressed. 

Dreaming Under the Sun

Began the morning with a very small breakfast and PAW Patrol. "Pups Save an Ace" when Skye's heroine has to emergency land her plane in Adventure Bay. Skye is thrilled to rescue her, while Chase and Rocky rescue her plane from the bay and repair it. Farmer Yumi and Farmer Al are getting married in her barn, at least until a terrible storm blows the side and roof off. "Pups Save the Wedding" and repair the barn in time for the festivities.

Since I was already at Paramount Plus, I switched to The Backyardigans while getting ready to run errands. Sherlock Pablo is wondering "Whodunnit?" when he's called to Mystery Manor. Lady Tasha's jewels have been stolen, and everyone is a suspect, including Butler Tyrone, Miss Uniqua Underhood, and her neighbor Austin Frothingslosh. Who is the mysterious figure the kids keep seeing everywhere? Why did Uniqua suddenly turn up when she did? Pablo and Uniqua are on the case, but the thief winds up being far from what they expect.

Headed out after that for this week's grocery shopping session. Started with brunch at the Westmont Bagel Shop. I hadn't eaten there in a while. That's why I didn't go in for a big breakfast. Surprisingly for a summer Friday during the lunch hour, they weren't that busy. There were just two other ladies behind me chatting with the owner. I had my usual spinach and feta omelette, fried potatoes, and toasted bagel (cinnamon raisin this time). Picked up a few bagels for the week while I was there.

Went to Sprouts next. I mainly needed coconut milk and cookies here; found chocolate chip caramel with a manager's coupon. Picked up soda on sale and dried cranberries. Cherries and peaches were on good sales, too. 

Rode up the hill past the Haddon Township Library and Haddon Township High School to the Westmont Acme next. Mainly needed to restock yogurt and soda here. Made Good granola bars are still on sale with an online coupon; got two boxes. Treated myself to a slice of chocolate fudge cake. 

Watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse while I got organized when I got home. "Donald the Frog Prince" drank Professor Ludvig Von Drake's frog potion and now needs Princess Daisy to kiss him and change him back. Mickey, Pluto, and Donald have to find their way to the tallest tower and past Guard Pete to rescue her.

Finished out the first season of Remember WENN next. Scott's "Popping the Question" when he attempts to fix their new game show "Brainstorm" in favor of the sponsor's obnoxious son. Betty, Hilary, Jeff, and Mr. Eldridge teach him a lesson in honesty when they're the ones judging and answering the questions. Meanwhile, Doug Thompson, the station's sweet-natured lawyer, waits (and waits) for Betty to remember their date.

"World of Tomorrow" picks up with Scott and Betty's big Wizard of Oz-inspired show for the end of the New York World's Fair in 1940. Jeff's not taking part in it. Victor called him to broadcast in London. Hilary's missing Jeff something terrible, even more when Mackie has to take over so many of his roles. Despite his seeming disinterest, it's Scott who finally finds a way for Jeff's first broadcast during the London Blitz to be a part of their show. The episode ends with everyone gathered around their broadcast...just as it dissolves into static...

Though there are some episodes I like from before Victor leaves, notably "A Rock and a Soft Place" and "Armchair Detectives," I think the show really picks up with Scott's introduction in "A Capitol Idea." Scott's brashness gives the show a real shot in the arm, and he plays much better off Betty and the cast than the eternally detached Victor did. To tell the truth, this is one of those shows that I highly recommend you start at the beginning to understand the characters and their stories...but rest assured, it does pick up quite a bit after this...

Spent the next few hours working on Hilary and the Beasts. Hilary runs across Mrs. Fox (Gertie) in the hall, delivering food to Troll. She bluntly questions the older vixen about the curse and what's going on. Mrs. Fox mostly avoids the questions or says she can't answer them...but she does lay into Hilary when she complains about Bear (Scott) throwing himself at Betty. Mrs. Fox angrily tells her that Bear was unconscious for three days after someone attacked him, with only her and Eagle (Victor) looking after him. When he awoke, he realized how badly his circuits had been scrambled and cried into Mr. Fox's shoulder - Eagle didn't know what to do for him. Mrs. Fox bluntly tells Hilary that Bear is throwing himself at Betty because she's the only one showing him any kindness before storming off.

Hilary finally ends up in the library, where Betty is overseeing Puppy (Enid) writing stories. Teaching Bear to read proves to be more difficult. The mental blocks make his head pound badly when he tries to decipher words and letters. 

Being blunt with Bear about the curse goes even worse with him than it did with Mrs. Fox. He complains about his head hurting before finally stumbling out of the library. When the ladies catch up with him, he admits that he blames himself for making "her" angry, as he didn't like her pursuing his Troll master or what she was doing with "bad groups" in Europe, and causing their current state. Puppy angrily adds that "she" worked for certain groups in Europe that could get her deported if the truth were known. Puppy and Hilary finally leave Betty embracing the upset Bear in the hall.

Watched Evil Under the Sun while I worked. Since Hilary and the Beasts is giving me serious Agatha Christie vibes right now, I thought I'd do an adaptation of her work I hadn't seen yet. The second of six times Peter Ustinov played Hericule Poirot has the dapper Belgian detective following actress Arlena Marshall (Diana Rigg) to a hotel at a remote island in the Adriatic Sea in pursuit of a diamond a millionaire bought for her. 

Also at the hotel are Arlena's husband Kenneth (Denis Quilley), his young daughter Linda (Emily Hone), publisher Rex Brewster (Roddy McDowell) who wants to put out Arlena's tell-all biography but needs her permission, and producers Myra (Sylvia Miles) and Odell (James Mason) Gardener. Daphne Castle (Maggie Smith) is the brash owner of the hotel. Handsome young Patrick Redfern (Nicholas Clay) spends the first few days with Arlena, to the consternation of his mousy wife Christine (Jane Birkin). When Arlena turns up dead at the beach near a cave on the third day, everyone seems to have an alibi...until Poirot begins to wonder just how meek and mild put-upon Christine is, and whether what she told Linda about her alibi was true...

I was impressed. I really enjoyed this. Stunning scenery in the Adriatic and gorgeous costumes highlighted a twisty mystery with a delightfully adorable Ustiov as the Belgian private eye who believes in the power of his "little gray cells." Smith and Rigg are hilarious sparring with each other, and Rigg sparkles as the obnoxious actress. Very recommended for fans of Christie or historical all-star mysteries.

Oh, and I got my schedule for next week around this point. Pretty much the same as this week with later work on Saturday. That does mean I'll be able to get to the farm market next week. Otherwise, my plans are pretty much seeing Superman in the theater, making a few errand runs in the area, and continuing Hilary and the Beasts. 

Moved to Match Game '75 while eating dinner. I don't know what got into everyone that week, but the entire panel kept kissing and grabbing each other and the contestants every time anyone won the Head to Head. Bert Convy (who gave Brett huge kisses several times) and Gary Burghoff were repeat offenders here. Betty White and Mary Ann Mobley joined into observe the madness.

Finished the night at Shout!TV with Werewolf. One of the more recent movies Mystery Science Theater 3000 made fun of was this 1997 direct-to-home-video cheese fest. Scientists discover what looks like a werewolf skeleton in the Arizona desert. It only takes one of the workers being scratched by the skeleton for him to turn into a werewolf. One of the scientists (Jorge Rivero) attempts to find someone else to make into a werewolf. They first attack a security guard (film's director and author Tony Zarrindast), then scratch writer Paul Niles (Federico Cavelli) with the skeleton. He starts turning into one too, much to the consternation (or something) of his would-be girlfriend Natalie (Adriana Statsny). 

Oh boy, is this bad. Bad acting (especially from Statsny), bad makeup, horrible dialogue, ridiculous and condescending use of Native American mythology. Even Mike and the robots thought it was pretty ridiculous. Some not-bad makeup effects are mitigated by how cheesy everything else is, including the dull filming in Arizona. I wouldn't go anywhere near here without robot wisecracks unless you're a truly devoted fan of B-horror cheese. 

Night of the Storms and Beasts

Began the morning with breakfast and What's New, Scooby Doo? Velma wants to explore the House of the Future at the Omaha World's Fair, but they discover it closed after a tourist disappeared. The gang check it out anyway...and end up caught in a "Hi-Tech House of Horrors" with a Fear Factor-esque filmmaker and his cameraman and two boys trying to give each other crazier dares.

Spent the next few hours working on my story. Hilary and Troll emerge to find Betty dressing Bear's wound. Maple's sipping hot cocoa alone. Eagle went to lead the police to the robbers without them actually seeing him. Troll finally agrees that all the ladies can stay, telling Maple about the female organ in the music room and Betty that she can use the library for her work. Bear explains to Betty that he can neither read, nor write, but he's willing to try and help her anyway. Mr. Cat once again takes the ladies upstairs to their room...and once again will only say that they'll have to learn about the curse themselves.

Broke for lunch and The Backyardigans around 2 PM. Queen CleoTasha orders her three servants around, but even she can't order the Nile to refill during a drought. She has to learn a lesson in manners when Tyrone, Pablo, and Austin help her find the things she needs to give to Sphinx Uniqua and unlock "The Key to the Nile," but her demanding rudeness makes the boys more annoyed than pleased to serve her.

Went for a short walk after lunch. It was sunny and breezy, but also hot and once again killer, cut-the-air-with-a-knife humid. I just ended up walking to WaWa and picking up a Caramel Coconut Smoothie (not bad - tasted like caramel and coconut, anyway), a soft pretzel, and money for the Cherry Hill Library Book Sale on Thursday. 

Went straight home after that and into Remember WENN. "Sight Unseen" is the first of two episodes in a row to deal with slightly darker themes, in this case disabled rights. Angela Colton (Molly Ringwauld) is a blind girl who wants nothing more than to meet "The Vagabond," the suave voice she listens to on the radio every day. "The Vagabond" is actually slightly chubby, balding character actor Mackie Bloom (Christopher Murney). He's terrified that she'll see him as less than handsome, but she doesn't care what she looks like. She only knows how he sounds, a voice of beauty and mystery.

"The Emperor Smith" digs into race relations when waiter George Smith (Howard Rollins) takes over for Mackie in a big romantic role after he loses his voice. Trouble is, he's a black man among a white cast in early 1940. Betty has to figure out how to hide his real identity from the press without the help of Victor Comstock, who is called away by the government. (Pay attention to Victor's government work and his disappearance here. It's going to be a lot more important starting later in the first season.) 

Switched to Rock & Rule on YouTube after the shows ended. I go further into this truly bizarre adult animated sci-fi musical from 1983 at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Animation Celebration for Adults - Rock & Rule

Spent the rest of the afternoon resuming Hilary and the Beasts. Hilary, Betty, and Maple once again find themselves in much warmer version of the mansion's garden. This time, they're joined by a sweet, plump lady in lavender (Eugenia) playing the organ with a small, twitchy man in a tux (Mr. Foley). Jeff turns up to explain more of the curse. They were all enchanted for threatening to expose the truth about Pavla. His friends in the shadows had always spoke for him, which is why he now speaks for them. It ends the same, but this time, it's troll-like monsters who tear the men away from the women. Hilary ends up on a stone bench, the shadows swallowing her and the others. 

Watched The Wild Wild West as I worked. "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes" brings Artemis and Jim on the water as they investigate a series of ships wrecked and looted by blind river pirate Ansel Coffin (Jeff Corey). Coffin wants revenge for being thrown off after he was blinded, and he's willing to attack anyone - Jim included - to make sure people pay for his loss of sight. 

Put on Match Game '75 during dinner. Alex Karras wasn't that great of a player and didn't seem to be all that interested in the game, but he managed to appear in two memorable episodes anyway. In the first, everyone but Brett switched seats. Charles was just happy this allowed him the chance to play director. The second introduced Lola Kiss, the lady wrestler from Transylvania, who proceeded to trounce Alex at wrestling. Not only do I think Alex was in love, but Richard got to play referee.

Finished the night with Billy Joel: 2000 Years - The Millennium Concert. Yeah, this was the huge concert Joel did at Madison Square Garden on New Year's Eve 1999. I remember hearing about what a big deal this was at the time, and even Joel jokes about some of the ticket prices. Although not all of the songs from the concert made it on this two-disc set (and some were recorded elsewhere), there's enough that's good here to make this worth checking out. "Movin' Out," "Only the Good Die Young," "Big Man On Mulberry Street," and "This Night" are especially lovely. He also does a really rockin' cover of "Honky Tonk Woman" near the end. 

Oh, and the clouds started to build around 5, while I was still writing. It broke at 6 PM, and would continue going pretty hard, complete with thunder and pyrotechnics, for the next hour or so. 

The Secret of Snow

Began the morning with breakfast and the first holiday episode of The Backyardigans. Uniqua travels to the frozen north to learn "The Secret of Snow." Ice Lady Tasha has no time for her queries and first sends her to the desert, then the jungle. Her assistant Austin helps Uniqua, Cowboy Pablo, and Tarzan Tyrone out of jams, then gets them up north. They're happy together even after Tasha puts them to work. When they save Tasha, they learn to appreciate and have fun with their friends no matter what the weather.

It was just cloudy, chilly, and damp when I headed out late this morning. My first stop was Target. Needless to say, they had long lines, but there were a few things I couldn't avoid. Picked up pet gifts for Rose's dogs and cats and a friend's cat and the cherries with stems my friend wanted. (In fact, they turned out to be cheaper at Target anyway.) I also peeked in Dollar Tree, but only walked out with powdered sugar for the Cherry Coconut Bars crust. 

Dawn called while I was in Target and said she'd be slightly late arriving at the Haddon Township Library. That worked out very well. I saw a book on adults with the inattentive form of ADHD on the new releases shelf and was reading it when she arrived.

Frankly, we've had very little luck checking for jobs recently. I found one online in the past week. Dawn decided we needed a break and offered to take me out to lunch instead. I suggested the Westmont Diner on the hill under the Library after I checked out the book. It would require less driving than a trip to Collingswood, with easier parking. 

I'm glad we went. They were busy when we arrived, but we didn't have to wait too long for a table. They're having winter lunch specials that come with soup or salad, pudding or ice cream, and beverages. She had a giant plate of chicken stuffed with spinach and cheese surrounded by tons of buttery mashed potatoes. I had a turkey wrap with tasty fries. She apparently loves rice pudding. I had pumpkin pie ice cream. She had a diet Pepsi, I had iced tea. We both had a spicy seafood bisque with real crab pieces. (And we got the same gift certificates they gave last year to be opened by the waitress between January 1st and 31st. I'll have to eat there on New Year's Day again.)

Whomever does the painting on their windows is really creative. The pumpkins and squash from last month had been replaced with Christmas lights and garland. It looked pretty and colorful as we ate. 

(Oh, and this is likely the last time I'll be getting together with Dawn for the year. She's off for the next two weeks after this. I'll text her again with my schedule the Friday after New Year's.)

Dawn drove me back up the hill, and I dodged traffic and very light rain on Cuthbert riding home. When I got in, I went straight into making the truffles. Of course, first of all, it turns out the chips I bought were green mint white chocolate, not chocolate. Oh well. They'd just be green mint truffles. And then the candy wouldn't set after I'd boiled and whisked it. I left it in the fridge overnight to see if that made it more easy to handle.

Making the coconut cherry bars turned out to be much harder. I couldn't find the square cake pan...because it turned out that the owner saw the non-stick coating was coming off and threw it away. I used two cake pans instead. And I almost forgot to add the coconut. At least everything went fine once I did add it. The crust and topping baked fine and were easily cut.

And that means...yes, other than shaping the candy, everything I need to do for Christmas is now complete. The cookies are made and boxed. The gifts are wrapped and either sent to their intended destination or waiting to be given to their recipients. Now everything just needs to be given out.

As I made the coconut cherry bars, I happened to look up at the window overlooking the refrigerator...and saw snow. It actually snowed pretty heavily for a while. Nothing stuck to the ground and it turned into all rain later, but it still looked pretty, and we can still say we got snow for Christmas. 

Threw on two classic holiday sitcom episodes next. Finished out The Monkees with "The Christmas Show" from the second season. The guys get roped into babysitting for the nephew of a wealthy woman while she's on a holiday cruise. The boy is a grumpy human machine who resists all of the Monkees' attempts to show him the Christmas spirit...until Mike Nesmith figures out what he really needs.

Laverne and Shirley are devastated in "Oh Come All Ye Bums" when Laverne's Dad Frank is fired from his job as a department store Santa and declares he won't be able to have his annual Christmas dinner for the homeless in Milwaukee. The girls and Carmine try singing for the money first, but they just end up in trouble. The girls and the homeless are the ones who finally take it on themselves to bring Christmas dinner to Frank.

Checked my schedule online next. In good news, I did get my vacation days, which means I'll be off starting Christmas Day. On one hand, I'm also working from tomorrow through Christmas Eve. On the other hand, the only long shift is Sunday, and that's a normal six hours. My other shifts are all four hours and relatively early. I'll be able to finish the candy and deliver everything.

Switched to Match Game Syndicated next while rearranging the Seasonal inventory. McLean Stevenson joins the crew for the first time since 1978 here. He would stay on permanently starting in the next season. This time around, he had a lot of fun sitting between Jonnelle Allen and Debralee Scott and watching a smitten contestant flirt with the former.

Watched The Muppets Christmas Carol during dinner and Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol afterwards in honor of having started my annual reading of A Christmas Carol yesterday. I went further into these in 2018 and 2019 at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

The Muppets Christmas Carol

Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol

Moved to Disney Plus for Mickey's Christmas Carol. Here, Uncle Scrooge is his namesake miser who learns the holiday lesson. Mickey is Bob Cratchit, Donald is Nephew Fred, Daisy is Belle, Goofy is a hilarious Jacob Marley, and Big Pete puts in his scariest performance as a very dark Ghost of Christmas Future. Other than I never understood why Disney went for the fire and brimstone in the Future segment, this is far and away my favorite condensed half-hour version of this story.

Finished the night at YouTube for a holiday special that's so weird, I've watched it for a decade and still can't believe it exists. Amazingly enough, The She-Ra He-Man Christmas Special really is a thing. Orko is stranded on Earth after he crash-lands an experimental spaceship and befriends two human kids who teach him about Christmas. She-Ra and He-Man are having their own problems dealing with Hordak's rock monsters who are bullying a group of small but feisty locals. Orko accidentally brings the kids to Eternia after Man-at-Arms figures out how to get him home. Neither Skeletor nor Hordak want these shining beacons of goodness around. Skeletor tries to kidnap them, but (very) reluctantly ends up learning his own lesson in the holiday spirit when he defends them from Hordak and his boss.

Dolls and Games

Began the morning with breakfast and The Backyardigans. "Surf's Up" for Pablo when he hopes to discover Tiki Beach and ride the perfect wave. The mysterious lifeguard (Austin) first leads him to Tyrone, then Uniqua. They all have some really great dance moves, but it's not until they all get together that the lifeguard deems them ready for the big waves.

Headed out after that to run errands. It was hot and sweaty, even as I made my way the two blocks to the post office. I dropped off a sympathy card for my friends Linda and James Young, who lost their beloved budgie Oliver earlier in the month, then strolled down to Dollar General. They didn't have what I wanted, so I made my way another block down the White Horse Pike to CVS. I was able to find the toothbrush heads I wanted for my electric toothbrush there. Grabbed Propel, too.

Went for a long walk across Oaklyn next, from the White Horse Pike down to the neighborhood behind the school and the water tower. In addition to being hot, it was also very quiet. Everyone must have been at work or on vacation. I saw maybe one or two people out for walks or jogs, too. All that rain we've had this month has been a boon to everyone's gardens. The flowers were big and brilliant, and the vegetable gardens flourished behind wooden and wrought iron fences.

Stopped at Common Grounds Coffee Shop for a brief lunch. I was really more up to a spinach-bacon-gouda breakfast pastry and a chai tea latte. The breakfast pastry was nice and flaky. The chai tea latte was too sweet, but it was also wet, so I had it anyway.

Soon as I got home, I pulled out the dolls' things and got them ready for next month and back to school. Or back to lessons, in the case of Felicity and Josefiina. I finally found Felicity's yellow Tea Lesson Dress on eBay earlier this year. Josefina wears her orange and yellow Summer Dress and the boots (which need to be replaced - they're falling apart). Jessa goes simple with her tie-dye t-shirt, capris, and Springfield Collection denim sneakers. Samantha wears her current meet outfit, the pink Swiss-dotted dress with the big lace collar and black strap shoes. Ariel sports the periwinkle blue lace minidress and crocheted vest I found her in. 

Whitney will be the hippest kid in Wildwood in the "Sweet Memories" lavender and purple-checked dress, turquoise scarf, and shiny purple shoes. Molly looks great in Kit's School Suit Outfit with the pink and brown floral blouse, probably better than Kit herself would have. Kit's much happier in her original blue and white School Outfit with the jumper and Oxfords. Barbara Jean will start her first year at Cherry Hill High East in a pink and white minidress woven with gold threads and the heels and headband from her prom gown. 

Listened to Broadway cast albums set during the summer while I worked. The 1971 revival of No, No Nanette was the surprise hit of the season, thanks to a nostalgia-drenched production and a great cast that included Jack Gilford as the kindly bible salesman supporting three ladies, Ruby Keeler as his wife, Bobby Van as his lawyer, and Helen Gallagher as his wife who thinks he's the one supporting them. Susan Watson is the peppy title character Gilford gives money to. 

Though the score includes the standards "Tea For Two," "I've Confessed to the Breeze," and "I Want to Be Happy," my favorite song on the CD was either written for the production and dropped, or pulled out of the trunk and likewise dropped before opening. I'm glad they had Keeler and Gilford record "Only a Moment Ago" anyway. The sweet number as they recall a bygone New York says more about what nostalgia means to so many people than all the fancy productions in the world. 

Steel Pier debuted in 1997 and was a big deal on Broadway at the time, getting extensive coverage in The Press of Atlantic City and elsewhere. Alas, the story of a dancer and a pilot who take part in a big dance marathon in 1933 before his time on this earth expires was just way too complicated for a light comic fantasy. Too bad, as Kander and Ebb did have a few gems in the score, notably "Willing to Ride" for the dancer and "First You Dream" for the pilot. Kristen Chenoweth made one of her first big splashes on Broadway with "Two Little Words." 

By the Beautiful Sea debuted in 1954 as a vehicle for comedienne Shirley Booth. She's a vaudevillian in 1904 trying to help her roguish father earn enough to keep their boarding house. She's thrilled when a handsome singer (Wilbur Evans) falls for her, but he's dealing with his ex-wife and their daughter, Baby Betsy. Betsy's no baby, but her mother dresses her as a child to keep her in vaudeville, and she's upset that the waiter she has her eye on thinks she really is a kid. 

According to the extensive liner notes that came with my CD, the book for the show kept getting re-written pretty much up until it arrived on Broadway. I don't think they ever figured out what to do with Betsy. She doesn't even get a song. My favorite numbers here are Booth's comic lament "I'd Rather Wake Up By Myself" and her maid's (Mae Barns) ribauld cheer-up ditty "Happy Habit." Evans got the hit ballad "Alone Too Long." Not the most necessary show in the world, but a pleasant listen if you ever run into it. (I believe both the CD, which I bought back in 1996, and the original album are fairly rare now.)

Switched to job searching next. Put in applications for a secretarial assistant job in Philadelphia and a digital content manager and writer for an ad agency in Mount Laurel. I'm honestly beginning to think it's impossible for me to really find anything. I've been trying and trying, and no one seems to want me. I really need to improve my skills, or at least take those classes and figure out Microsoft Word and its components. 

Moved on to the inventory after about an hour. Added the original casts of Fiddler On the Roof, Finian's Rainbow, 42nd Street, Flower Drum Song, and Funny Girl, the odd E.Y Harburg fantasy flop Flahooley, and the political biography Fiorello! The majority of these were thrift shop or record store finds, except for Fiddler and Fiorello!, which I dug out of yard sales in 2010 and 2011. No idea where I got 42nd Street from. It might have been a thrift shop find, but I'm not sure anymore. 

I listened to more recent record acquisitions while working on the inventory. Sammy Davis Jr.'s Greatest Hits has an almost entirely different playlist than the greatest hits CD I picked up last year. I bought this mainly for his fast-paced "Talk to the Animals" that's how that song really should be sung and his lovely covers of the Broadway songs "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever," "Once In a Lifetime," and "What Kind of Fool Am I?"

Springtime In the Rockies and Sweet Rosie O'Grady are two typical Betty Grable musicals from the mid-40's, and that's pretty much all they have in common other than Betty herself and interpolated ballads. "I Had the Craziest Dream" is the big hit from Rockies, though Grable and Payne's "Run Little Raindrop Run" is also fun. Most of the songs from Sweet Rosie were written during the movie's 1890's setting, except for the ballad "My Heart Tells Me."

Broke at 7 PM for dinner and to take my laundry downstairs Watched Match Game Syndicated after I got back upstairs. This episode opened with Gene grabbing Stephanie Powers for a dance, and Bill Daily ending up with Fannie Flagg after Gene tries to fix Stephanie's chair. The others try to figure out "Cap'n __" in the Audience Match.

Finished the night after I put the laundry in the dryer and brought it upstairs with game shows featuring college and high school contestants. The grandfather of the many local high school quiz "bowls" is GE College Bowl. Allen Ludden originally hosted this quiz show competition between colleges. By the time of this 1966 color episode, Ludden had moved to Password and was replaced by Robert Earle. All-girls private college Agnes Scott shows the guys from Princeton what four very smart women can do in this rare color episode. 

Most of the high school and college quiz shows were more like High School Bowl, made locally for area schools to compete against each others, usually for the closest PBS station. Scholastic Scrimmage from Lehigh Valley started in 1975 and is still going strong on PBS 39 to this day. High School Bowl looks like it was intended for North Jersey Cablevision subscribers, as it was filmed at William Paterson. They're both pretty simple - local high schoolers go up against each other in a minimal set - but it's interesting to hear how these brilliant kids can come up with those answers. 

College Mad House from 1990 was a lot more fun. This spin off of Fun House had two teams from rival colleges - University of Maryland and University of Virginia in the episode I have here - playing far messier and more suggestive stunts for a chance to go up in the "college mad house," a revamped Fun House with college-themed obstacles. Greg Kinnear had one of his earliest TV appearances hosting this bit of lunacy.

WinTuition, a 2002 Game Show Network show, is more original. Three older contestants who want to return to school answer questions that run from 1st to 12th grade knowledge. The winner after the third round would go on to the "Final Exam" and answer 10 questions on one subject for $50,000. Interesting concept, nicely handled by host Marc Summers.

Boardwalk and Baseball's Super Bowl of Sports Trivia is another variation on the college quiz show. Here, obviously, the emphasis is on sports knowledge. This was one of the earliest game shows on ESPN, filmed at the long-defunct Boardwalk and Baseball amusement park in Orlando around 1989. 

As those who saw Buzzr's Back to School marathon last week knows, regular game shows also occasionally had college or high school contestants or used classroom themes, especially in the mid-late August right before school began. I went with two episodes from the Family Feud college tournament week. Major rivals USC and UCLA play each other in the first episode. USC made it to the finals with Stamford. Ray Combs is the rather bemused host here.

Go back to school, out-run the Mad House, and test your knowledge with some real quiz kids! (Oh, and warning that the High School Bowl episode is in bad shape and has barely-heard audio, but it was one of only two episodes I could find, and that wasn't in much better shape.)

GE College Bowl (1966)

Scholastic Scrimmage (1988)

Boardwalk and Baseball's Super Bowl of Sports Trivia (1988)

Family Feud College Week Tournament Day 1 (1989)

Family Feud College Week Tournament Day 5 (1989)

College Mad House (1990)

High School Bowl (1990)

WinTuition (2002)

Of Sunshine and Things

I slept so late, it was nearly noon before I finished my journal and got going. Ran The Backyardigans on Paramount Plus as I had brunch. "The Legend of the Volcano Sisters" has Legendary Luau Brothers Pablo the Swift, Tyrone the Strong, and Just Austin having to figure out how to appease the goddesses of the title (Uniqua and Tasha). If they can't figure out what they want, they'll make the volcano blow and destroy their luau! Pablo and Tyrone bring them large or lavish gifts, but they're not impressed until Austin figures out what it is they're really after.

Let it run into Press Your Luck as I got moving. Got to hear the questions and most of the Whammy-laden first round. I left as soon as the commercials came on.

Once again, it was too beautiful of a day to sit around and do nothing. The sun was out, the sky was blue, and it was even warmer, probably into the upper 60's-lower 70's. I decided to try another long bike ride. I had a bag of things I didn't want that I was originally going to drop off at the church in Audubon. I forgot to do it on Saturday, and since they won't be open again for another two weeks, I decided on Goodwill instead. 

Having already brought at least two bags of donations to the Audubon Goodwill this year alone, I thought I'd give the one in Pennsauken on Route 70 a try. Cut across Collingswood, hoping to avoid having to go over the Cooper River. Turned out there was no way around it. If I wanted to ride to Route 70, I'd have to cross the bridge.

Thankfully, I really only needed to cross the smaller one that went over the river, not the higher and more traffic-laden one that goes over the highway. I got turned around on the tiny streets in Collingswood looking for Cooper River Park. Finally rode to the end of a street and cut across what turned out to be a charming little park and playground. It even had thick modern versions of a merry-go-round and balance beam. I couldn't resist giving them a quick try before moving on.

I wasn't the only person who decided to walk or ride to Pennsauken today. I saw many joggers or people pushing strollers over the bridge and continuing into the park. I made the mistake of passing the park and walking on the narrow dirt path next to the exit ramp. That got me to Route 70, but it was nerve-wracking, and I kept running into low hanging branches. At any rate, I rode two blocks down from the ramp and found myself across from the Goodwill.

The Pennsauken Goodwill is twice the size of the one in Audubon. It even has a whole room for furniture. Unfortunately, the rest of the building is given over to racks and racks of clothes. There's some racks of housewares and toys as you come in and a wall of CDs, but barely any books, and one small pile of records. Despite that, I managed to walk out with three T-shirts in a pretty coral and blue flower print, a blue sea-print, and a pink Winnie the Pooh, two records, and four CDs. 

By the time I left, it was past 2:30. I did see a Dunkin' Donuts and a pizzeria about two blocks away in a small shopping center, but I ultimately decided I wanted to get back across Route 70 before the rush hour traffic started. This time, I cut through one of the modern apartment and townhouse communities bordering Cooper River Park and past the Park itself. It was really beautiful, almost glowing with the soft lime greens and cotton candy pinks of mid-spring. Needless to say, there were still a lot of people out walking the dogs, strolling with friends, or jogging as I rode past. 

Came out on Haddon Avenue across from the Genesis Counseling Center. I originally planned on eating at the Pop Shop, but not only was it 3:30 by then and too late for a big lunch, but they're a lot further down Haddon. I ended up at Grooveground Coffee Bar instead. Had a tasty egg sandwich on a bagel and a blueberry matcha, a slightly gritty blueberry green milk tea. They have a small selection of records there as well; ended up with two older Sinatra albums and one from Taylor Swift that was just released in October. 

Incidentally, between Grooveground and the Goodwill, I ended up with an awful lot of Sinatra:

Frank Sinatra - Sinatra and Swingin' Brass, Point of No Return, Sinatra Sings...Of Love and Things, and In the Wee Small Hours

Johnny Mathis - I Just Found Out About Love

Taylor Swift - 1989 (Taylor's Version)

The CDs are mainly collections in one way or another, along with a beloved jazz album:

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue

Malt Shop Memories: All I Have to Do Is Dream

This Is Jazz Sampler 21

Jump n' Jive (A swing and jazz collection made during the height of the late 90's neo-swing fad for, of all companies, Bed Bath and Beyond.) 

Ironically, my musical review for today also features Sinatra. He's one of three hopefuls looking for love and romance in post-war Brooklyn in this underrated MGM charmer, one of two lesser-known MGM musicals I'm covering this week in honor of TCM's 30th anniversary.

A Salute to TCM - It Happened In Brooklyn

Worked on the computer a bit, then had dinner while watching Match Game '74. The year ended with the second and last appearance of magic-loving Juliet Mills and the only week for Philadelphia singer and TV director James Darren. At one point early in the proceedings, Jack Narz literally popped up from under Darren's desk to promote his word-based show Now You See It, which was also on CBS at that point. 

Finished the night after a shower listening to more of the records I've acquired recently. Bing, Bing, Bing! is apparently the second album by jazz group The Charlie Hunter Trio, from all the way back in 1995. I wonder if I heard this then. Some of it seems familiar. Hunter lends his guitar to bluesy compositions with nifty titles like "Greasy Granny" and "Wornell's Yorkies." I liked some of the slightly darker songs on the second disc, especially the title number and "Elbo Room."

I was feeling too upbeat after my fun ride earlier for moody ballads, so I ended with Sinatra and Swingin' Brass. Cheerfully uptempo numbers like "Goody Goody," "At Long Last Love," and "Pick Yourself Up" were way more enjoyable on a lovely evening. My favorites were a nice "I'm Beginning to See the Light" and the sweet "Love Is Just Around the Corner." 

Love In a Home

Began the morning with breakfast and The Backyardigans. When Uniqua wants to know "The Secret of Snow," Austin directs her to Ice Lady Tasha. Busy Tasha has no time for her queries. She sends her to the desert, where she meets Cowboy Pablo, and the jungle, where Tyrone of the Jungle tries to rescue them on a vine. Even when they return, Tasha puts them to work. After they help her, they learn that there's no real secret of snow...but when you can make friends, the weather's not that important.

Headed out after that for a run to Dollar General. I needed wrapping paper. I used up the last of my previous roll on Lauren's presents. I found a pretty, simple gold paper with white reindeer and green and red garlands. Picked up something for my nephew Collyn, including a birthday card (it's next week), and gift holder cards for my oldest nephew Skylar and my brother Keefe and his wife Julia. They had a coupon for $2.50 off a cute stuffed snowman if you bought $3 worth of cards. I did get the cards, but the coupon didn't work. The snowman was too darling to leave behind, though. Picked up Kind bars on sale, too.

Stopped at the Mexican bakery on the way back. I have such a hard time deciding with all those goodies around! I finally chose a small plastic cup full of very thin peppermint-white chocolate-covered chocolate wafers. 

When I got home, I went straight into wrapping gifts. I'm hoping to get all the packages out by early next week and finish any shopping for out-of-town friends and family. The post office seems to be more on the ball lately, but I'm not willing to take chances.

Watched Buzzr first. Let Match Game '77 run, then Tattletales. I'd seen the Tattletales episodes before. Songwriter Sammy Cahn and his hilarious wife Tita, Hal Linden and his smart wife Fran, and Scoey and Claire Mitchilll were all on the ball today, but the Lindens seemed to do the best. They won both episodes, joined by Claire and Scoey in the second.

Switched to The Cat In the Hat Knows a Lot About Christmas next. Ralph the baby reindeer gets lost after the Cat's Christmas Eve party when he gets off at Sally's house instead of Freeze-Your-Knees Snowland. The Cat and the kids try to get him home, but the Thing-a-Ma-Jigger keeps breaking down in tropical climes and even the ocean. On the way, they learn about the migration patterns of reindeer, red crabs, elephants, and dolphins, and how each group finds food and stays together when they travel.

Returned to Paramount Plus for the first season of The Odd Couple while I cleaned up the wrapping mess. Oscar is feeling grouchy when his ex-wife Blanche demands alimony on Christmas Eve and throws Felix out. Felix thinks he'd be the perfect Scrooge for their Christmas play. He refuses...until Oscar dreams that "Scrooge Wins an Oscar" and that he's the mean miser who learns the true meaning of the holidays.

Worked on writing for the next couple of hours. The doll is, indeed, Stephen, but he's in terrible shape. His hair is hacked off, his cheeks are scarred, and he can barely stand upright without Cora's help. Cora and Stephen remind Harron that he could use his powers to help people instead of manipulating them. He says he tried to, but the rich men he offered them to wanted to use him...so he now intends to use them. Cora keeps pushing Stephen behind her, but Harron keeps advancing...

Broke for dinner and Match Game Syndicated at 7 PM. The episode begins with a nurse coming out to spray Gene with cold medicine. Bill Daily brings him a cup to spit in after he gargles. Meanwhile, Jon "Bowser" Bauman shows off his "Bowser Is Beautiful" shirt, pointing out that this is the first time he hasn't worn a plain black shirt on the show.

Finished out the night on YouTube with vintage TV specials and movies. Fred Astaire is The Man In the Santa Claus Suit who seems to be everywhere one cold Christmas Eve in New York, including selling Santa suits to three very different men. High school math teacher Bob Willis (Gary Burghoff) is too shy to tell gorgeous model Polly Primer (Tara Buckman) that he's crazy about her. He hopes the suit will give him confidence to finally get it out during her big Macy's fashion show that night. Stan Summerville (John Byner) was once a chef, but he's now a drunk on the run from the bank robbers after he found their gun. He tries to rob the home of two elderly former vaudevillains (Nanette Fabray and Harold Gould) and their spoiled grandchildren, but rethinks his life choices when they treat him kindly. Gil Travis (Bert Convy) is a political aide who wants to surprise his son between business meetings. His wife just wishes he'd spend more time with his son and remember how much happier they were when he was a struggling writer.

Fred Astaire's last appearance on the small screen is a charming three-part holiday tale. Astaire really is magical as the strange man who can seemingly be everywhere. Fabray and Gould steal the movie as the sweet older people who, unlike Travis or their bratty grandchildren, remember their days as struggling performers and don't look down on those who aren't as fortunate as they are. Burghoff and Buckman have their moments as the sweet teacher and the model who wishes her life wasn't so glamorous. Only Convy's segment is too cliched to really come off. Dig around for this on YouTube if you're feeling the need for a cozy holiday film that doesn't get too syrupy.

The Andy Williams Christmas Show from 1966 shares that same cozy holiday feeling. Though he starts off with a series of gags as he performs his hit "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year," most of the special is set at (supposedly) his home or his parents'. The Osmonds do get in a very odd "Heigh Ho" while dancing with giant toy soldiers after the opening. I'd rather hear Williams and his lovely French wife Claudine singing the hit ballad "Love In a Home" from the original 1956 Broadway version of Lil' Abner or Williams singing "Jingle Bells" with his brothers against a simple backdrop. 

Kids and Games

Began the morning with breakfast and The Backyardigans on Paramount Plus. Tyrone, Pablo, and Uniqua can't decide what to play, so they let Tasha decide. They're disappointed when she goes with a tea party, but Tasha's "High Tea" turn out to be anything but docile! She leads them through the jungles of Borneo, helps them cheer up the grumpy Emperor Austin of China, and takes them for a ride across the Gobi Desert in search of the perfect cup of tea. 

Headed out shortly after the cartoon ended. My 8 and 1/2 hour day was...mostly kind of boring. It was off and on busy, only getting bad when I'd have to jump into the express line so the cashier there could go on break and we'd be down to one or two lines open. Of course, things didn't get bad until she went home, and I had to go in for her during my last hour and a half. The people in the express line were often rude; many of them had far larger orders than should have been in the line, but either didn't or wouldn't hear when I told them they didn't belong in this register. After all, there was only one other line open. I couldn't get out of there fast enough.

Went straight into dinner and Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour soon as I got home. They were already into the Hollywood Squares second half by the time I changed and settled down with leftovers. I recognized Pat McCormick and Mark Russell, but the contestants were different. The winning contestant from the Match Game half was so small, very tall Jon Bauman got on his knees to talk to her! 

Finished the night after a shower with YouTube and more kid's shows, this time revolving around stunts. The long-runner champ for kid's stunt shows is, of course, Nickelodeon's Double Dare. Kids dare each other to answer trivia. Anyone who can't answer takes the "Physical Challenge," a messy stunt. If they get the challenge, they win the money. Otherwise, the other side gets the money. The winners take on the Obstacle Course, a series of difficult stunts for gradually larger prizes. Simple but addictive, this ran from 1986 to 1993 and saw revivals in 2000 and 2018. I went with an episode of one of its two spin-offs, Super Sloppy Double Dare, which was the same thing with slightly messier stunts.

The wild success of Double Dare spawned many imitations. My sisters and I were equally big fans of Fun House in the late 80's and early 90's. We looked forward to seeing it after school in syndication, and after 1991 on Fox. Same deal, only with no daring, and kids ran through a house filled with obstacles looking for prize tags instead of a linear course. The announcer Tiny was kind of annoying, but host JD Roth was really cute.

Dr. Fad, also from the late 80's-early 90's, was another favorite of ours. We looked forward to seeing it early on Saturday mornings, usually as the last show before the cartoons started. Real-life inventor Ken Hakuta (who merchandised the wildly popular Wacky Wall Walkers)  held two contests for kids to show off their best inventions. The winning kid got a trip to Epcot. In between, there would be segments detailing the history behind popular toys and games (here, we learn about the Superball) and the fads and fashions of a given year (1969 in this episode). Hakuta was an energetic and fun host, and we loved not only seeing what kids our age could come up with, but learning about fads and toys of the past, too. 

Kids played stunts for prizes as far back as the early 50's in shows like Choose Up Sides. Gene Rayburn was the unlikely host of this New York-based stunt show that had two teams of kids playing themed stunts against each other. Gene surprisingly did pretty well with the kids, and they all seemed to have a great time with the stunts. They even handled the rather creepy mechanical wall figure who announced the stunts well.

Shenanigans from 1964 has more in common with the later Family Game Night. Basically an advertisement for Milton Bradley games, here kids run around an oversized game board, playing mini-games inspired by Milton Bradley's products. (Some, like Operation, can still be found today!) Stubby Kaye was the genial "Mayor" of the board.

The syndicated Xuxa from 1993 replaced the trivia with music from its Brazilian pop star hostess. This was based on a popular Brazilian kids' show Xuxa also hosted that was more variety than straight game show. Between stunts, Xuxa leads the kids in several songs in her native Portuguese, shows off kids who have unusual hobbies or careers, and introduces celebrity guests. I don't know what the original show was like, but between her odd co-hosts in slightly creepy animal costumes and Xuxa herself being a bit bland, this came off as more than a little strange. 

Nickelodeon's Slime Time Live! from the early 2000's did more-or-less the same thing between weekday Nick shows. Here, though, the emphasis was firmly on the stunts (and hitting everyone with pies). Kids also got to call in and answer trivia about pop culture and the Nick shows airing that day. Energetic Dave Aizer hosted. They were filmed at what were then the Nickelodeon Studios at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida - in fact, they might have been some of the last things filmed in them before they closed.  

I remember occasionally catching these between Nick shows in college and largely enjoying them, and I know a lot of people who grew up during the early 2000's who have very fond memories of it. The "episode" I have here is an extra-long series of games from between new episodes of several Nick Toons (including Invader Zim and The Fairly Oddparents) strung together. 

See kids run wild and crazy and create the next big thing in these wacky games!

Choose Up Sides (1956)

Shenanigans (1964)

Super Sloppy Double Dare (1988)

Fun House (1989)

Dr. Fad (1990)

Xuxa (1993)

Slime Time Live! (2001)

Oh, and yes...thank heavens, I am now officially on vacation! I have a lot to do before Lauren comes tomorrow, though, including running errands. 

Books and Matches

Started off a cloudy morning with breakfast and The Backyardigans. Detective Pablo, in full-on Sherlock hat and cape, wonders "Whodunit?" when he's invited to Mystery Manor and Lady Tasha's jewels disappear. Who could have taken them? Was it Tyrone the Butler? Uniqua Underhood, who knew about the robbery before it occurred? Or Mr. Austin Frothingslosh, Lady Tasha's neighbor, who seems nervous about something.

While it wasn't raining, it was still very damp outside. I suspected there would be no town-wide yard sales or Audubon Day festivities, or any kind of outdoor activities today. Instead, I called Uber for a ride to the Mount Laurel Library. They advertised a big book sale on Facebook. On Saturday, you could get a bag of books for five dollars. That would more than make up for the outdoor festivals being washed out. The Uber driver arrived in less than 7 minutes and took about a half-hour to get to Mt. Laurel.

The Mount Laurel Library is a large, beautiful, and very modern building situated across the street from equally modern government buildings, surrounded by lovely forests. The book sale took place in a hot, stuffy, windowless room off to one side. The room was way too small for everyone who wanted to check out their wares. It was jam-packed with older people and families riffling through everything, often packed two or three at a table. It took me a long time to search the boxes of paperbacks, shelves laden with hardbacks, and tables groaning with picture books, DVDs, and CDs, but I finally came up with:

The Best of Muppet Babies (1986) (I suspect this is a bootleg, since the original Muppet Babies has never been on DVD, but it's a nice find anyway.)

Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Seasons 1 & 2 (I dropped HBO Max back in the fall. It was one streaming service too many.) 

Commercial copy of Bugs Bunny's Easter Funnies (My current copy was dubbed off the original video back in 2011; this one comes with an extra short and is still in its original plastic)

The New Pillsbury Family Cookbook (Binder-style cookbook probably from the 70's-early 80's, from the recipes and illustrations.)

Classic Fairy Stories (2 CD set with BBC radio actor Bernard Cribbins' readings of fairy tales; some, like "The Princess On the Glass Hill" and "Dick Whittington," don't often turn up on collections of this sort.) 

Compact Jazz: Best of Dixieland 

Three paperback cozy mysteries: Flour In the Attic by Winnie Archer, Caught Read-Handed by Terrie Farley Moran, and Sugar and Vice by Eve Calder

The hardback young adult fantasy novel The Princess and the Bear by Mette Ivie Harrison

The Hippopotamus Pool by Elizabeth Peters in hardback (one of the few Amelia Peabody books I didn't have)

The Case of the Stepdaughter's Secret by Earle Stanley Gardner/A Fine and Private Place by Ellery Queen (I've heard of these series on TV, but I'd never read the actual books. I found a bunch of Perry Mason Detective Book Club pairings from the early 70's, but took this one because I'd always wanted to know more about Queen, too.) 

(They also had two boxes of records right as you came in, but I found nothing interesting.) 

Hit the bathroom, then settled down on damp wooden benches outside to figure out what to do next. I thought I'd go to lunch in Mount Laurel, but the library and government buildings are almost literally in the middle of nowhere. They're certainly not within walking distance of any restaurants or shopping centers. Besides, that bag was getting heavy. I decided to call Uber and eat back in Camden County. Got a driver within three minutes, a cheerful fellow who chatted with me all the way to Oaklyn.

Soon as I got in, I put the bag upstairs, then went right back out. It was gloomy and cloudy but not raining, and it hadn't rained in hours. Might as well take advantage of Mother Nature's continuing generosity and get out while I could. Strolled down the White Horse Pike to Jalapeno's Bar and Grill for lunch. They were relatively busy for past 2:30, but cleared out even as I ate my delicious shrimp quesadillas. The service remains rather slow there, but I wasn't really in a hurry anyway and didn't mind waiting.

The reason I ate there is it's two blocks from our brand-new, just opened WaWa. Truth be told, we do not need another WaWa, even if it is the 1,000th store. We don't really need another gas station, either. There's two in Oaklyn alone. The older WaWa across from the Ritz moved across from the Arts Building. It is a somewhat larger building, with more room for counters, including self-checkout. I haven't had an Icee in ages, so I went with that. Glad I did; the Aqua Fresca Strawberry Hibiscus was sweet but very tasty. Surprisingly, given they've been open for two days, they weren't that busy. Everyone must have come on opening day or were getting gas.

Went right online and into The Puppetoon Movie on Tubi when I got home. I go further into this showcase for pioneering stop-motion animator George Pal at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Animation Celebration Saturday - The Puppetoon Movie

Worked on writing for a while after that. Richard modestly calls Gene the real genius behind their trap. Fannie doesn't like being bait, but she has no choice. No one else will take the gold.

Finished the night after a shower with dinner and tonight's Match Game Classics marathon. Jokes about stripping, strippers, and clothing removal abound on Match Game. Most of the time, it's questions about strippers and what they do, but occasionally, someone actually will take clothes off. Gene stripped off his jacket at least three times, the last to show off his new gold brocade vest from China, and there was the time he gave a lady his argyle socks. Bill Daily got so excited when he matched a contestant on a big Head to Head once in 1979, he nearly took off his sweater and shirt. Gary Burghoff went shirtless in 1974 when he missed an easy answer to a question. McLean Stevenson also went topless the year before, though he claimed it was because no one would lend him any clothes. Richard Dawson briefly showed off his still-muscular chest in '77. 

No one got more into stripping routines than Betty White. She would roll up Gene's pant legs to show off his knees. (That's how those argyle socks were exposed to begin with). She did her own version of stripper's routines at least three times, notably in a syndicated episode when the others teased her about her see-through ruffled blouse. 

Have a great time takin' it off with this hilarious marathon!

Match Game Saturday Night Classics - Strip Down and Take Your Clothes Off Night

Of Dolls and Superheroes

Started out the morning with breakfast and Match Game '75. Richard's delighted to show off a puppet one of their fans made that looks like him. He treated that thing as well as he did his own beloved sons. Meanwhile, Gene praises their young producer and scorekeeper Roger Dobowitz for actually spelling the words on their cue cards right for a change. (Poor Roger! He was such a sweetie, and Gene teased him so much.)

Switched to The Backyardigans at Paramount Plus as I got organized. Tasha, Pablo, and Uniqua are a biker gang who call themselves The Do Gooders and go around helping people out. Mail-moose Tyrone has a Valentine's Day "Special Delivery" for them, but he loses his bag. The other three try to return it to him, but he thinks they're a stereotypical "bad" biker gang and attempt to out-ride them.

Headed out to run errands after that. Not only was it sunny and bright, but starting tomorrow, it's going to be too cold for walks for the next few days. Headed to Dollar General first. I mainly needed thin pads. Grabbed Valentine's Day cards and a gift for a friend, too. 

Debated what to do about lunch. Truthfully, I wasn't up to even pizza. I opted to drop by the pretzel shop about a block down the street from me. They sell cheesesteak pretzels and hot dogs wrapped in a pretzel. The gluten-free pretzel dogs were the only one left, so that and a can of Diet Pepsi were what I bought. I also wanted to pick up one regular pretzel for later...but the lady said she had too many and gave me three! 

Had lunch while watching Frosty's Winter Wonderland in honor of the cold weather arriving tomorrow. In the Rankin-Bass sequel to their Frosty the Snowman, the local kids build Frosty a wife after he admits he's lonely. Trouble is, they have to figure out how to make her "all livin'" like him...and then Jack Frost decides  he's jealous of Frosty and goes after his magic hat.

Dressed the dolls for February next. Samantha's dusky pink Talent Show Dress is so authentic, it's based on a real little girl dress from 1904 that exists in a museum. Whitney gets a pink and white felt poodle skirt with a white Peter Pan collared blouse I found on eBay and a knitted pink sweater with pearl trim from a yard sale. The pretty pink and red flowered Empire waisted gown and lace wrap Josefina's wearing also came from eBay. Felicity's in her Laced Jacket and Petticoat (which I laced up with a velvet ribbon I've had for a while). Ivy's Chinese New Year Dress doesn't really fit Jessa that well, but I like it better for her than the current Lunar New Year dress at American Girl. She wears it with Josefina's black mules. Molly wishes she could wear something more glamorous than her plaid School Jumper and white blouse! 

Barbara Jean gets the gold and white Sweet Spring Dress with the pink flower and ribbon trim, which does look something like a minidress from the mid-late 60's. I struggled to get a pink ribbon to stay on her head, maybe because it's larger than average for dolls nowadays. Ariel's in Julie's Calico Dress with the red tights and boots and bandanna to wrap around her masses of copper hair.

Switched to job hunting after I finished, but I'm still not having much luck. I'm just so nervous. Can I really do any of this? What can I do? Would all these people who want experience take someone who's worked at a grocery store for 20 years? I need health insurance, but writing jobs don't have that. Can I write and have a job that'll provide health insurance and help me make enough money to buy a condo? 

Moved on to writing around 5:30. Betty admits she's seen Richard before, but he tries to hide his face from her. He's worried she may recognize him. Allen doesn't. He introduces Richard to Betty as a member of the group and says he's hired...as long as the boss approves...

Broke for dinner and Match Game '74. Jokes abounded about the sweater Fannie Flagg wore with hands in strategic places and Gene's monumentally ugly patchwork pants. (Richard got them all singing "She's Got the Whole World In Her Hands" in the opening.) 

Returned to writing during Match Game Syndicated. Baby-faced and busty Charlene Tilton of Dallas made her first appearance on the show...but I'm not sure it was the smartest idea to put her next to Bob Barker, who spent the week ogling her. Needless to say, Gene was thrilled to give a kiss to the "new kid on the block." There were jokes later in the episode about pairing her with announcer Johnny Olsen!

The second episode kicks off with Bob showing off his orange jacket advertising his "Bob Barker's Fun & Games" road show plugging The Price Is Right. Charles plays director and insists that they show off how smoothly the turntable and wheel drop in the transition between the regular games and the Audience Match.

Finished the night on Amazon Prime with the three-part PBS documentary Superheroes: A Never Ending Battle. This look at the history of superheroes details their rise during the later Depression years and World War II, when they were patriotic blues-chasers. The enormous success of Superman in 1938 inspired scores of imitations, from the powerless vigilante Batman and his kid sidekick Robin to ultra-patriotic Captain America to kid-turned-hero Shazam (originally Captain Marvel) and the first major female superhero, Wonder Woman. 

They fell out of favor after the war in favor of darker horror, romance, and crime comics...but all comics became suspect in the 1950's after intellectuals denounced them for their violence and lack of morals. By the early 60's, all but the most popular titles had vanished, the crime and horror was gone, and comics were  considered kids' stuff. That changed thanks to Marvel hiring artists like Stan Lee, who created Spider Man, the Fantastic Four, Nick Fury, and the Incredible Hulk. Whether they were born with their powers, or gained them on accident, they were far more human and relatable than the gods and aliens at DC. This era also saw the first flowering of diversity in comics with the creation of Black Panther and the amoral mercenary Luke Cage.

DC responded by bringing Wonder Woman back to her roots, sending Batman and Robin off on campy pop art TV adventures, and throwing Green Arrow and Green Lantern together for a revealing trip across a changing American landscape. Other notable creations from this era include Black Cat, Valkyrie, Iron Fist, and the original Ms. (now Captain) Marvel. Marvel even brought Captain America back after being frozen in ice to join their own superhero team, The Avengers. 

I was born just four months after the release of the first Superman movie in December 1978. Christopher Reeve was one of my first crushes, and I loved seeing his first three movies and Supergirl on cable as a kid. My sisters and I were big fans of Wonder Woman, Spider Man, and the Incredible Hulk on TV, too, and we never missed the Spider Man and His Amazing Friends and Legendary Powers Super Friends cartoons on Saturday mornings. 

The darker characters and movies of the late 80's and 90's didn't do much for me, though. Ultra-violent titles like The Watchmen, The Crow, Spawn, Lobo, Hellboy, and Blade delighted my guy friends who went in for blood and gore, but disgusted and bored the heck out of me. The only superheroes I was interested in during the 90's were The Rocketeer, Captain Planet and the Planeteers, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. 

That finally started changing as superheroes reemerged in the early 2000's. The X-Men movies were such huge hits, even I had to check them out. (My crush on Hugh Jackman at that point may have helped slightly.) As the world reeled from terrorist attacks and new wars, superheroes once again reemerged, this time on a larger scale. I saw movies and TV shows for characters I'd never heard of before like Iron Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Harley Quinn, Deadpool, the Teen Titans, and Pakistani teen Ms. Marvel. Others, like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Captain America, The Flash, and Nick Fury, got total rehauls to make them far more relevant to modern audiences. Even during the worst of the pandemic, local mothers told me they got their kids through binging on superhero movies on Disney Plus and HBO Max. (Which reminds me, I need to catch up on the newest ones.)

Springtime Sunshine

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast upstairs, then headed out. It was still blustery and cold at 8:30, though not quite to the degree of yesterday. At least it was sunny, too, without a cloud in the sky. I made it to work just in time.

Once again, work was quiet in the morning...but when the noon rush hour came, we really didn't have enough help to deal with them. Our vacation cycle starts over in May. People with vacation time left are using it now, including the cashier who normally works in the morning. Didn't help that there were a lot of people who had trouble reading signs. One lady fussed when I tried to explain she had the wrong cereal for a sale. Even the manager shelving them tried to tell her. She later called to complain about me arguing with her. I was just trying to get her to listen! And later, someone else read the price on bags of Lifesavers wrong and wasn't happy. 

And if I hear one more complaint about New Jersey outlawing paper and plastic bags next month, I will scream. People usually complain that we use the darn things. Now they're complaining because we won't be? So you have to buy a few bags. Tote bags can be found everywhere, often for under a dollar. You can make bags from pretty much anything, for crying out loud. I don't know why everyone's making such a fuss over it. I guess because they expect things to be free, and now they won't be. 

Hurried straight home after work. Watched Tattletales while changing and having a snack, but it was too nice to be sitting inside all day. With everything going on, I haven't been spending nearly enough time outside lately.

My first stop was Dollar General. I was hoping to find more Propel, but no luck there. Ended up getting a two-pack of Secret Deodorant. Didn't see any snacks I could get away with, either. I was in and out quickly. 

It was too nice to go home right away. I headed down the White Horse Pike to Newton Lake Park. It was just glorious down at the lake today, windy but a bit warmer, in the lower 60's. Probably just about right for mid-April in South Jersey. Sunlight sparkled on the water and on the newly-blooming pink and white blossoms on the trees. Everyone was out and about today, from little kids riding bikes ahead of their folks to other people taking solo strolls.

Went straight into writing when I got home. Richard leads everyone through a bookcase and into the hall of White Castle. He and his sons are horrified when they see Richard's Card Guards (Larry Hovis, Bert Convy, Greg Morris) marching with the Red Knights as if under a trance. Richard, who was last told they were in the dungeon at Red Castle, insists on following them.

Broke for dinner at 6:30. Watched Match Game '77 while I ate. The junk man was pretty funny, but he was finally defeated mid-way through the episode. Richard was happier to help the female contestant with "Susan __."

Rested in my new chair during Match Game PM. Gary Crosby and Mary Wickes joined in for a very competitive game that came down to a sudden death tiebreaker. They got to help the winner with "Barbara __" on the Audience Match. For once, it was Charles who got to figure out "Amateur __" on the Head-to-Head.

I was so worn out, I didn't even move for The Backyardigans. Tyrone hits the high seas as the great fabled explorer Sinbad to find the end of the rainbow. Thing is, "Sinbad Sails Alone" and isn't crazy about Pablo sneaking aboard and trying to help out. 

Ended the night on Disney Plus with Turning Red. Meilin "Mei" Lee (Rosalie Chiang) is a peppy 13-year-old living in Toronto in 2002. She mostly loves her life, hanging around with her friends, figuring out complex math equations, and drooling over boy bands. She's also expected to be a dutiful daughter who helps her demanding mother Ming (Sandra Oh) and her chef father Jin (Orion Lee) at their Chinese temple. 

After her mother finds out she has a crush on the boy behind the counter at her local connivence store (Addie Chandler), she throws a fit and practically threatens the boy. Mei is beyond embarrassed...and after a nightmare about red pandas, she wakes up the next day in the body of a giant red panda. Turns out her ancestor in China asked for the ability to turn into a red panda to protect her daughters. That ability is now considered to be a curse by her frosty grandmother Wu (Wai Ching Ho) that needs to be eliminated in a special ritual. Thing is, the ritual takes place the night of the big concert for wildly popular boy band 4*Town, which Mei and her friends absolutely must see. Not to mention, Mei's red panda form is actually getting pretty popular. She has to decide whether she wants to continue to suppress her wild side...or if it's worth hurting her mother to let out her inner beast.

Wow. The last thing I expected from Pixar was the coming-of-age tale about a normal Chinese-Canadian kid with some pretty extraordinary family history. I was just out of college by 2002, and more interested in getting my apartment in Wildwood going than boy bands...but I do remember what a big deal groups like The Backstreet Boys were among kids a decade younger than me. Remember having to watch my younger siblings' Tamagotchis a few times, too. And I was a fan of Sailor Moon by this point, one of the anime whose pastel aesthetic definitely inspired this film. 

I'm not entirely sure what the controversy is all about. Apparently, there's some complaints about representation and talking about mensuration. As someone who hit puberty when she was 9, I say you can't discuss these things too early. As for Mei Ling not being relatable...I may have been 13 a decade before Mei, but I know what it's like to feel like an outsider and like you're not good enough for anyone in your family...and what it's like to have strong female relatives. 

I loved this one, but due to the controversy and some mature themes, I'm going to say I highly recommend this for real 13-year-olds and their parents, along with anyone who remembers this era or loves Pixar. For anyone else, your mileage may vary.. 

Welcome to the Sunshine

I was so worn out and stayed up so late chatting with Lauren, it was 11:30 before I awoke, and nearly 1 before I got going. Watched The Backyardigans as I had a quick peanut butter and jam wrap and banana for breakfast. Uniqua and Pablo want to convince skeptical tourists Tasha and Austin to go on their cruise through the swamps, so they tell them "The Swamp Creature" is lurking in the reeds. Little do they know that Tyrone the Swamp Creature actually is lurking around and keeps trying to follow them when he hears they're looking for him.

Went for a walk around 1:30. It was too nice of a day not to! The wind finally blew itself out last night, leaving blue skies and warm upper 50-lower 60 degree temperatures in its wake. Spring is really hitting South Jersey now. Shiny buttercups and dandelions grow in yellow starbursts along the lake, and the trees are starting to show the first signs of green leaves. Other trees are laden with tiny white flowers that shower petals overhead like the snow squall from last week. White and purple hyacinths and golden daffodils bloom in every garden. 

Ended up at the Haddon Township Library. Wanted to find books on prediabetes, one of the many conditions I seem to have right now. There were piles of books on that, and at least one on hypothyroidism, another condition I may have on the list Dr. Jessica printed out. I'd love to get my health together without having to take a ton of pills or constantly monitoring my blood sugar levels. 

Most of it may have to do with all the stress I've been under for the past few years. I haven't been out and about as often, either. I haven't had the time to volunteer, and I push carts a lot less than I used to. Haven't been able to get out for a lot of walks or bike rides, either. I was too busy trying to find a place and get my life together. Stopped doing yoga classes when I got tired of riding to Collingswood and paying for the classes. I'd like to do them again, maybe finding cheaper classes closer to home. 

Had a very quick lunch when I got home while watching Scooby Doo and Scrappy Doo on Tubi. "When You Wish Upon a Star Creature" brings the gang to the Green Hills Observatory to see a huge telescope. Professor Spaulding used it to find what he thinks is a new star. It turns out that "new star" is a star creature, and alien that's scaring everyone away from their light shows. Shaggy and Scooby are ready to join them, but Scrappy and the others think there's something very down-to-earth about this so-called alien. 

Went straight online when I finished. Did a few things online, including working on my Blank In Wonderland fanfic. Brett follows a white shawl fluttering on the wind to Queen Helen Rayburn, Gene's real-life wife. Helen's normally a very put-together woman, but she's so worried about her husband and their home being under siege, she's a mess. She tries to recruit Brett as a lady's maid, but she has no interest in jam tomorrow and yesterday. 

Put on Doc McStuffins while having leftovers for dinner. "Joni the Pony" is a beautiful purple horse with a flashy long mane that can be raised or lowered by a knob. She loves to show it off, but it gets in the way when she's doing a horse and lamb show with Lambie. Doc finally convinces her that's it's time to raise her hair and get a hair cut. Doc and her crew are "Sleepless In Stuffyland" when Stuffy can't sleep the night before Doc has a big presentation at school and keeps everyone awake.

Finished the night online with The Little Mermaid Live! at Disney Plus. I go further into this hybrid of the live stage show and animated film at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Musicals On TV - The Little Mermaid Live!

Rainy Afternoon In Oaklyn

Began a cloudy, humid morning with an episode of The Backyardigans as I ate breakfast and got ready for work. Pablo, the World's Greatest Detective, is asking "Whodunnit?" when Lady Tasha's jewels go missing. Could the thief be her butler Tyrone? Or Miss Uniqua Underhood, who knew about the theft before it took place? Or her neighbor Austin Frothingslosh, who rushed out for a rather shady reason? Or maybe the mysterious figure that the kids saw wandering around in the garden...

Headed to work just as the sun was coming out. Thankfully, it wasn't nearly as much trouble as yesterday. I was the only bagger when I arrived, but two (including a new recruit) arrived by the afternoon. It was so quiet, I barely needed to do carts or shelve items. I mainly did inside trash and outside recycling, gathered baskets, and bagged for a few folks.

This time, I rushed out as soon as I finished around 1 PM. Dark clouds had begun to gather again, but they weren't quite as threatening as yesterday yet. Charlie was working on replacing the wooden steps that lead up to my apartment, so I went inside through the door that leads into his side of the house. He wasn't inside, but I could still hear him cursing his brains out, even over his power tools. I changed, grabbed Chocolate Cream Pie Murder and the DVDs, and headed back out.

Had a far better lunch at Phillies Phatties. Even with soap operas going in the background, it was still a lot quieter. I enjoyed my slice of tomato basil, slice of tomato basil and fresh mozzarella, and can of Cherry Vanilla Pepsi in peace.

Took the long way across Newton Lake Park to Westmont. Despite the clouds, there were quite a few people out and about, mainly fisher folk and dog walkers. It's looking more and more like summer here. The grass and the trees are full and thick and very green. Clover and buttercups dot the banks of the lake.

The Haddon Township Library wasn't too busy when I got in. At any rate, there wasn't much to do. I tried shelving the kids' titles, but most of them still don't fit. A teen volunteer did the remaining DVDs. I just took out a few titles. Decided to give the two recent Amazing Spider Man movies a shot, along with last year's version of Robin Hood. The library finally got the rest of the Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes cartoon in. I took out the last two volumes. Found a book called The Girl Stays In the Picture, on the friendship between silent screen star Mary Pickford and screenwriter Frances Marion, that I thought might be promising.

The clouds had just been getting darker and darker all afternoon, and it was growing more humid by the minute. I figured I'd be safer going straight home. Went online and on the computer as soon as I got in. Rudy and Charlie are eager to join their group. Rudy can make gadgets (and chats with Harris about several designs); Charlie can translate and understand almost any language. Even Chewbacca can bite people in the leg. Wedge not only adds that he and his friends would be willing to help, but offers to help Luke run Ben MacKenner's comics shop as well.

It started raining somewhere around 5:30. While the storms weren't as heavy as they were last night, they were still pretty noisy, with at least one major downpour. Charlie continued to work (and curse) until the rain got to be too heavy.

It was nearly 7 before I finally broke for dinner. Watched the first episode of the final season of Earth's Mightiest Heroes as I enjoyed a quick meal of leftovers. The Fantastic Four join the Avengers to help them take down one of the Four's regular villains, Doctor Doom. But Doom has something more sinister in mind when he kidnaps Sue Storm, the Invisible Woman, and Janet Van Dyne the Wasp...

Moved on to Lego Pirates of the Caribbean after I ate. I had problems with "Norrington's Choice." While the puzzles weren't that hard to figure out, one of them glitched. I was supposed to be able to choose the tatooed sumo wrestler pirate, but for some reason, he just stood in a corner and did nothing. I ended up resetting the round and doing it over again, this time with no trouble.

Finished the night with The Big Broadcast of 1938. I go more into Bob Hope's first feature film at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

The Big Broadcast of 1938

Wishin' and Hopin'

I was never so happy to see sunshine streaming through my windows when I awoke this morning. In honor of the start of my vacation, I read a few stories about vacations. In the last two chapters of Samantha Saves the Day, Samantha and the twins Agnes and Agatha have taken a canoe to Teardrop Island to see the beautiful places Samantha's late mother drew in her sketchbook. Their trip turns treacherous when a storm strands them on the island. The Admiral, a friend of Sam's family, comes after them and gets hurt. It's up to the girls to row their boat through sharp rocks to safety.

Kit Kitteredge has an even scarier adventure in Kit Saves the Day. After visiting a hobo jungle, she, her friend Sterling, and real hobo Will join another hobo riding the rails. They're caught at the first station and end up in jail. Only Kit can escape and go get help...but to do so, she has to walk over the train bridge and avoid a moving train!

Also did a few short stories from the Disney Storybookland anthology. "Donald Duck, Explorer" wants to see the South Pole and catch a penguin. He loses interest pretty fast when the penguins end up catching him! "Pluto Pup Goes to Sea" on a yacht after he hears about a dog who was pampered on a cruise liner. He becomes a hero when he inadvertently stops Peg Leg Pete from stealing jewels in the Captain's cabin.

Did The Backyardigans while eating a quick breakfast. Pablo is "Le Master of Disguise," a quick little fellow who can disguise himself as anything...but he can't disguise his unique laugh. Inspector Austin follows him onto the Orient Express. With suspects like Conductor Uniqua, Cowboy Tyrone, and Circus Performer Tasha on board, it won't be easy to find the little blue penguin!

First thing on the list today was getting the laundry done. Thankfully, while they were a little busier than last week, they still weren't that busy. I still didn't have a huge load, anyway. I worked on story notes and half-listened to the Today show and NBC news.

When I got home, I put everything away, then had a quick smoothie lunch while watching the last episode of Smallville on the disc. Clark is a "Witness" to three young men with incredible strength stealing refined Kryptonite from a LuthorCorp van. One of them is the school's biggest baseball star, Eric Marsh (Zachary Ty Brian). The boys are sniffing liquid kryptonite to give them strength to rival Clark's. He's not sure how to deal with this, until Mr. Kent reminds him that, while the young men are strong, they don't have any of his other powers. Meanwhile, Lionel offers a despondent Chloe a job after someone destroys the Torch offices.

After lunch, did some quick cleaning before Lauren arrives. I swept the porch before I ate, then washed the windows and dusted around anything that showed after lunch. Ran the vintage 80's special Strawberry Shortcake In Big Apple City while I finished. Strawberry is off to the title city to take part in the Big Bake Off. The Peculiar Purple Pie Man is the other contestant, and he'll do anything he can to make sure that Strawberry's shortcake doesn't make it on the air. Good thing she has a lot of new friends helping her out, including eventual series regulars Orange Blossom and Lemon Meringue.

Headed out again after I finished the cleaning. First stop was the Oaklyn Library. Given how nice it was outside, they were totally dead. It was just the librarian, one other woman on the computer, and me. Not to mention, they were close to closing for the afternoon. I went over the DVDs and moved on.

Went straight to the Haddon Township Library next. They weren't much busier. The children's DVDs were overflowing on the return rack...and no wonder. Half of them didn't fit on the shelves. I put away what I could get in, then did the far fewer adult titles. Left the remaining DVDs and audio books to the teen volunteers and headed out after an hour.

Took the long way across Newton Lake Park going back to Oaklyn. It was a gorgeous day for a ride. The sun was out, the breeze was fresh, and it was far warmer, probably into the lower 70's. I wasn't the only one taking advantage of Mother Nature's generosity. I dodged many dog-walkers, families playing at the playground, joggers, fisher folk, and even a pair of Canadian geese leading their adorable trio of goslings to the grass for a snack. I had to go slow through several very deep puddles that were nearly mini-lakes themselves.

Stopped at Dollar General really quick next. Lauren likes Pepsi; their six-pack of bottles is relatively cheap. I picked it up, got in, got out. The line wasn't even long.

Worked on writing for a while after I got home. Vader takes out the veteran leader of Luke's squadron, then Biggs. Shara drops behind to cover them, and Wedge has to land due to a busted fuel line. It's up to Luke to take down the Death Ray...but he might have some unexpected help...

It was the moment of truth. I checked the NJ jury website at 5 PM...and thankfully, I wasn't called. They only wanted 279 and over. I was 47. I'd been on pins and needles all day over possibly being stuck with jury duty tomorrow.

Vacuumed and wiped down the refrigerator quickly while watching One Crazy Summer. Hoops McCann (John Cusack) joins his buddy George (Joel Murray) to spend the summer on Nantucket Island with his grandmother (Billie Bird) and little sister. On the way there, they encounter Cassandra (Demi Moore), a singer who is trying to save her grandfather's boarding house from a nasty developer (Mark Metcalf) and his spoiled son (Matt Mulhern). Hoops his hoping to learn about love in order to illustrate a comic and win an art scholarship....and he gets more than he bargained for when he and his friends the twins Egg (Bobcat Goldthwait) and Clay (Tom Villard) and Ack Ack (Curtis Armstrong) promote her act, then join the local regatta to win the top prize.

Strange but fun "slobs vs snobs" comedy benefits from the fun cast and director Savage Steve Holland's wacky sense of humor. Worth checking out if you're a fan of this or other similar comedies from the time.

Jodie picked me up around 7:25. We got in just in time. Lauren's train was slightly early. She reported that she'd had no problems whatsoever anywhere. We ran into no traffic going home and got in by 8.

After I showed Lauren how the new windows and porch light worked, we spent the next couple of hours playing Angry Birds Star Wars. Turns out you can't start a second game, so we just continued mine to see how well we could do together.

Tomorrow, we're going to sleep in, then go for a nice walk around Oaklyn and Audubon, enjoying all the little shops and big box stores in the area.