I'd only been up for about twenty minutes when the phone rang. It was Jessa. She was off today, as was I. Did I want to go out for breakfast or brunch? Sure, why not? I did have a few things to do, but they didn't need to be done right away. I had the time to read, write in my journal, and change quickly before she picked me up around quarter of 11.
It was still cloudy and windy when we drove over the Cooper River and into Cherry Hill. Ann's Omelette House was just beyond the Courier-Post building and the Camden Catholic High School. It was a small diner situated on the highway, and even at 11, it was packed when we arrived. They were a cozy little place, with vinyl booths and tables, old South Jersey and Jersey Shore postcards around the tables, and larger vintage photos and sports equipment and ads on the walls.
There were so many omelettes! The first two pages of the menu were nothing but omelettes. They had literally everything in them, from fruit to seafood, from egg whites to omelettes topped with potato pancake. Jessa went for the Beach Bum, a spinach-cheese omelette with two potato pancakes. I had Pizza With the Works, pepperoni, sausage, peppers, onions, and mozzarella cheese topped with tomato sauce. We both got some really delicious home fries. My omelette was overstuffed and amazing, with lots of big pieces of everything. I also had hot tea, since I hadn't had the time to make any at home.
When we got back to my apartment, I showed Jessa two episodes of Match Game on my DVD set. We kicked things off with the infamous "School Riot" show, where Richard Dawson and Debralee Scott vehemently protested a decision from the judge to not accept their answers. Jessa is a big horror fan, and I thought she'd enjoy seeing a syndicated episode from 1979 with a young Jamie Lee Curtis, less than a year after her success in the original Halloween.
Jess needed to grocery shop too, so we went together. The Acme's having it's occasional "buck a bag" produce sale. I grabbed celery and the baked pea snacks. Also had an online coupon for Nutri-Grain Fruit Bars and a Grocery Rewards coupon for free eggs. Otherwise, I was mostly restocking. Grabbed yogurt, milk, canola oil, oatmeal, ground chicken, honey, and canned pineapple.
Mixed feelings on my hours next week. Slightly more hours, and slightly more days off, too, including Tuesday for counseling. Long hours when I do work, though, including on Sunday. Having Thursday and Saturday off will give me the chance to hit up the Voorhees Library Book Sale one of those days.
Went straight home and put everything away while watching a spooky episode of Get Smart. A "Weekend Vampire" has been killing off CONTROL agents with a flute that leaves vampire-like puncture wounds. Max and 99 have to figure out who's doing the deed and follow him to his spooky mansion.
Headed back out after everything was put away. I really needed to get my laundry done. Thankfully after all the fuss last week, there were no problems. The laundromat was quiet when I arrived, and never really got that busy. I didn't really have a huge load anyway. Worked on story notes and ignored silly talk shows on TV.
Did some writing after I got in. The next morning, the group splits up, with Brett, Charles, Gary, and Richard heading into town while the others go to the near-by church to give away the large bag. On the road, the quartet encounter a pretty blond girl, Little Red Sarah (Kennedy) Hood, picking wildflowers. Gary is smitten and offers to help. She claims a wolf suggested getting off the path to pick flowers. Richard and Brett immediately suspect that the wolf is an enchanted creature that may be after her, but she says it seemed more interested in the cakes in her basket than her. Gary offers their cart to drive her to her granny's house.
Broke for dinner at 6:30. After I ate, I refilled my cookie canister with Ally's "Snappy" Ginger Snaps. They're a simple recipe from The Beanie Baby Cookbook, and they may be the best thing to come out of the Beanie Baby craze of the late 90's. They always come out beautifully and smell amazing in the oven.
Finished the night with Aquaman. Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) is the product of a marriage between a human lighthouse keeper (Temeura Morrison) and an Atlantean princess (Nicole Kidman). He has his mother's water-based powers, which he uses to track down pirates like Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen). He learns from the current Atlantean princess Mera (Amber Herd) that his half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) has attacked the surface world. He's bringing together the four kingdoms of the sea in order to become the Ocean Master. Arthur's former mentor Nuidis (William Dafoe) tells him of the Trident of Atlan, the first ruler of Atlantis, which is hidden somewhere in the desert. After he attempts to challenge Orm for control of the seas, he takes off with Mera to find that trident...and prove who is the true king of the oceans.
Pure, unadulterated fun, lighter than Captain Marvel and less wacky than the teen-oriented Shazam! and Spider Man: Far from Home. Some terrific performances by Dafoe, Herd, Momoa, and Wilson, gorgeous music, and awesome special effects (especially in the Trenches) almost make up for the stiff dialogue and a story that's basically a cross between Black Panther and the Indiana Jones films. One of the biggest hits of last winter, and deservedly so. If you love the character, the cast, or underwater fantasies, you'll want to dive right into this one.
Life is a lazy river - no matter where you are. Movies, musicals, mysteries, pop culture, and lots of other great stuff.
Showing posts with label Get Smart tv show. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Get Smart tv show. Show all posts
Friday, October 18, 2019
Monday, September 30, 2019
A Good Day for Baking
Began a cloudy morning with breakfast, then decided I'd try making those Raspberry Oatmeal Bars that came out so well back in May. This time, I used the Smuckers' Fruit and Honey jam as the topping. They came out very crumbly, too much to really handle, but also very sweet and decadent.
Watched episodes of Star Wars: Resistance while I baked. Kaz takes the Fireball to rendezvous with Poe and General Leia Organa. Tam hadn't finished fixing it, and he's lucky the Resistance is able to keep him from crashing. He, Poe, and their droids are sent to follow a First Order flight path. They end up on "Station Theta Black," a mining facility, but end up fighting Phasma and Major Vonreg when they give the orders to destroy the facility and the evidence.
"Bibo" is a slimy little sea critter that Neeku has become attached to. The rest of the crew isn't nearly as fond of him. He eats everything metal, including their tools and parts, smells terrible, and makes a mess. He runs away, but is found by Kel and Eila, the kids from "The Children from Tehar." Eila is upset, predicting that a big "something" is coming after Bibo. When a sea monster attacks the Colossus, the Ace Squadron fights them off...but Kaz and his crush Synara knows what it's really after.
It's "Dangerous Business" when Kaz keeps an eye on Orka and Flix's Acquisitions Shop for the day. Things get ugly when an alien named Teroj Kee comes looking for a certain part. Kaz says he can't have it, but he tricks Kaz into a locked storage container and steals it anyway. It'll take help from BB-8 and Orka and Flix's pet Gorg Bitey to stop the pirate and help Kaz figure out his involvement with the First Order.
"The Doza Dillemma" happens when the Captain's daughter Torra is kidnapped by pirates. Doza has to accept the First Order's protection if he wants to see her again. The First Order seemingly "rescues" the girl, but Kaz is suspicious of their intentions.
Trouble with the First Order boils over when "The First Order Occupation" comes to the Colossus. Kaz gets nervous when the stormtroopers ask him and Yeager a few too many questions. Despite his worries, he still helps pirate spy Synara escape the ship and return to her clan.
The kids are the ones who come across "The New Trooper" and knock him out. Kaz steals his armor and discovers to his horror that the First Order intends to take over the Colossus and use it for a resupply station. He has to get the information to Yeager, then get the armor back to its real owner without getting caught.
Poe and Kaz discover that "The Core Problem" is the First Order has somehow made a sun vanish, destroyed several planetoids, and drilled through another planet. The two and their droids land on an abandoned moon, whose population was destroyed...except one probe droid, who reveals the boys' location. They just barely manage to escape TIE fighters before Poe heads off to Jakku. Kaz returns to the Colossus with a different droid. He has a lame excuse as to where BB-8 is, but Tam is starting to get suspicious...
Headed out for a walk after the bars were out of the oven and I'd gone through my journals in the back room. It was gray, cloudy, and cool, but that was certainly an improvement over the heat we've had recently. The gardens are blossoming with mums, marigolds, and late roses, but the lawns are showing the relative lack of rain of late with dry, yellow grasses.
I was mainly out for a stroll to the Oaklyn Library. At 1 PM, they were quite empty. It was just the librarians and me, listening to reports on the hot weather elsewhere on the Weather Channel. I organized the DVDs, looked over the children's books, and moved on.
After a short stroll around the neighborhood, I returned to my apartment for a quick lunch. After I ate, I went into cleaning the bathroom. It really needed to be done, despite my having not been around for a week this month. The tub was especially grungy, probably from those couple of baths I took a few weeks ago.
Ran Johnny English Reborn for the rest of the afternoon. Johnny English (Rowan Atikson) has been training in Tibet after the newly-elected president of Mozambique died on his watch. He's joined by young, eager assistant Colin Tucker (Daniel Kaluuya) as they search for Vortex, a group of spies-turned-assassins who destroyed English's previous mission. English keeps finding the spies and their three keys that open a weapon, only to see them murdered by a little Asian cleaning woman (Pik-Sem Lim). The second spy lives long enough to reveal that there's a third turncoat spy...within MI7 itself. English doesn't believe who it is at first, allowing the mole to escape. With the help of psychologist Kate Sumner (Rosamund Pike) and footage of the Mozambique incident, he discovers how Vortex is controlling the killers. Now he has to evade the turncoat spy and that Killer Cleaner long enough to prove to everyone what Vortex is really after.
Wacky spy spoof benefits from Atikson's antics as the impossibly naive spy, even if the story isn't the most inspired. If you love Bond satire or Atikson, you'll want to give this one a look.
Did some writing after I finished the bathroom and the movie ended. To Brett's horror, the producer turns into a devil before her very eyes. Other devils run out and attack the others, grabbing the other two women and dragging Charles from Richard. Brett demands that Ira release them, but he has other plans...
Broke for dinner at 6:30. With the cool weather continuing, I figured I could get away with baked chicken legs. Tried a recipe for "deluxe" red cabbage and apples from the Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook. Didn't add the gingersnap pieces called for, but it otherwise came out absolutely delicious, nice and sweet and very purple-red. Had it with roasted broccoli. Yum! It all came out very well, with juicy chicken and sweet cabbage and apples.
Finished the night with three episodes of Get Smart. 99 and Max end up on the "Island of the Darned" when they hit a jungle island in search of the hunter who killed and stuffed a CONTROL agent. The hunter decides to turn things around and hunt them. They try to evade him, but it takes a puff from a very lethal cigarette to really get rid of him. "Bronzefinger" is an art thief who could be one of three art restorers at a local museum...if someone wasn't knocking them off one by one. A beautiful debutante wants to give Max the "Kiss of Death" for killing her father, but she's prepared for her intoxicating charms.
Watched episodes of Star Wars: Resistance while I baked. Kaz takes the Fireball to rendezvous with Poe and General Leia Organa. Tam hadn't finished fixing it, and he's lucky the Resistance is able to keep him from crashing. He, Poe, and their droids are sent to follow a First Order flight path. They end up on "Station Theta Black," a mining facility, but end up fighting Phasma and Major Vonreg when they give the orders to destroy the facility and the evidence.
"Bibo" is a slimy little sea critter that Neeku has become attached to. The rest of the crew isn't nearly as fond of him. He eats everything metal, including their tools and parts, smells terrible, and makes a mess. He runs away, but is found by Kel and Eila, the kids from "The Children from Tehar." Eila is upset, predicting that a big "something" is coming after Bibo. When a sea monster attacks the Colossus, the Ace Squadron fights them off...but Kaz and his crush Synara knows what it's really after.
It's "Dangerous Business" when Kaz keeps an eye on Orka and Flix's Acquisitions Shop for the day. Things get ugly when an alien named Teroj Kee comes looking for a certain part. Kaz says he can't have it, but he tricks Kaz into a locked storage container and steals it anyway. It'll take help from BB-8 and Orka and Flix's pet Gorg Bitey to stop the pirate and help Kaz figure out his involvement with the First Order.
"The Doza Dillemma" happens when the Captain's daughter Torra is kidnapped by pirates. Doza has to accept the First Order's protection if he wants to see her again. The First Order seemingly "rescues" the girl, but Kaz is suspicious of their intentions.
Trouble with the First Order boils over when "The First Order Occupation" comes to the Colossus. Kaz gets nervous when the stormtroopers ask him and Yeager a few too many questions. Despite his worries, he still helps pirate spy Synara escape the ship and return to her clan.
The kids are the ones who come across "The New Trooper" and knock him out. Kaz steals his armor and discovers to his horror that the First Order intends to take over the Colossus and use it for a resupply station. He has to get the information to Yeager, then get the armor back to its real owner without getting caught.
Poe and Kaz discover that "The Core Problem" is the First Order has somehow made a sun vanish, destroyed several planetoids, and drilled through another planet. The two and their droids land on an abandoned moon, whose population was destroyed...except one probe droid, who reveals the boys' location. They just barely manage to escape TIE fighters before Poe heads off to Jakku. Kaz returns to the Colossus with a different droid. He has a lame excuse as to where BB-8 is, but Tam is starting to get suspicious...
Headed out for a walk after the bars were out of the oven and I'd gone through my journals in the back room. It was gray, cloudy, and cool, but that was certainly an improvement over the heat we've had recently. The gardens are blossoming with mums, marigolds, and late roses, but the lawns are showing the relative lack of rain of late with dry, yellow grasses.
I was mainly out for a stroll to the Oaklyn Library. At 1 PM, they were quite empty. It was just the librarians and me, listening to reports on the hot weather elsewhere on the Weather Channel. I organized the DVDs, looked over the children's books, and moved on.
After a short stroll around the neighborhood, I returned to my apartment for a quick lunch. After I ate, I went into cleaning the bathroom. It really needed to be done, despite my having not been around for a week this month. The tub was especially grungy, probably from those couple of baths I took a few weeks ago.
Ran Johnny English Reborn for the rest of the afternoon. Johnny English (Rowan Atikson) has been training in Tibet after the newly-elected president of Mozambique died on his watch. He's joined by young, eager assistant Colin Tucker (Daniel Kaluuya) as they search for Vortex, a group of spies-turned-assassins who destroyed English's previous mission. English keeps finding the spies and their three keys that open a weapon, only to see them murdered by a little Asian cleaning woman (Pik-Sem Lim). The second spy lives long enough to reveal that there's a third turncoat spy...within MI7 itself. English doesn't believe who it is at first, allowing the mole to escape. With the help of psychologist Kate Sumner (Rosamund Pike) and footage of the Mozambique incident, he discovers how Vortex is controlling the killers. Now he has to evade the turncoat spy and that Killer Cleaner long enough to prove to everyone what Vortex is really after.
Wacky spy spoof benefits from Atikson's antics as the impossibly naive spy, even if the story isn't the most inspired. If you love Bond satire or Atikson, you'll want to give this one a look.
Did some writing after I finished the bathroom and the movie ended. To Brett's horror, the producer turns into a devil before her very eyes. Other devils run out and attack the others, grabbing the other two women and dragging Charles from Richard. Brett demands that Ira release them, but he has other plans...
Broke for dinner at 6:30. With the cool weather continuing, I figured I could get away with baked chicken legs. Tried a recipe for "deluxe" red cabbage and apples from the Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook. Didn't add the gingersnap pieces called for, but it otherwise came out absolutely delicious, nice and sweet and very purple-red. Had it with roasted broccoli. Yum! It all came out very well, with juicy chicken and sweet cabbage and apples.
Finished the night with three episodes of Get Smart. 99 and Max end up on the "Island of the Darned" when they hit a jungle island in search of the hunter who killed and stuffed a CONTROL agent. The hunter decides to turn things around and hunt them. They try to evade him, but it takes a puff from a very lethal cigarette to really get rid of him. "Bronzefinger" is an art thief who could be one of three art restorers at a local museum...if someone wasn't knocking them off one by one. A beautiful debutante wants to give Max the "Kiss of Death" for killing her father, but she's prepared for her intoxicating charms.
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
Isn't It Kinda Fun
Began the morning with breakfast and a first season episode of Get Smart. Max and 99 are "Aboard the Orient Express" when Max has to get a briefcase filled with payroll money to agents in the Iron Curtain. Four agents had previously tried and been killed. Max and 99 have to figure out who their contact is, and then who murdered those other agents...and how to evade him.
Thank heavens work went far better today than it has the past two Wednesdays. We were dead the entire morning. I spent the morning gathering carts and trash and cleaning the bathrooms and the afternoon shelving candy. Not only that, but I actually had help this time. A second bagger arrived at noon and took over the carts. While it was killer humid and much hotter than it has been, it was also at least sunny and breezy. No problems whatsoever.
Went straight home as soon as I was done. Changed, and then did as much packing as I could get away with. Some things need to be washed, and others can't be packed until the morning I leave. I was able to get the majority of the smaller toiletries in, some shirts and shorts, my walking sandals, and a book, coloring book, and crossword puzzle book to do on the train.
Did some writing after I'd done what I could. The group finds themselves in a dark radio station, filled with old-time microphones and sound effects equipment. Turns out it's also filled with zombies who try to attack them. Brett shoots them, but Fannie and Joyce have a better idea - drive them off with noise.
Bill and Charles see someone in the smoke-filled control room. Charlie tries to yank the door open, covering the hot knob with his hat. Brett knows another way. She unlocks it with another bobby pin from her wig.
Broke for dinner at 6:30. Had the leftover tacos Jodie gave me on Sunday for dinner while watching the 1962 version of State Fair. I go into more detail on this remake at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
State Fair (1962)
I was worried. My train tickets still hadn't arrived. I searched everywhere, thinking I might have mislaid them, and I upset Lauren, too. I finally called Amtrak late tonight. Turns out they were e-tickets, and not only had they gotten my e-mail wrong, but they don't sell online tickets for Cherry Hill. I have no problems buying the Transit tickets at Cherry Hill. I reordered them, and this time, they came through just fine.
And...yes, I do remember the events of September 11th, 2001. I was just beginning the first day of my last semester of Richard Stockton College then. I discuss my memories further at this entry from 2015.
Memories On a Busy Day
Thank heavens work went far better today than it has the past two Wednesdays. We were dead the entire morning. I spent the morning gathering carts and trash and cleaning the bathrooms and the afternoon shelving candy. Not only that, but I actually had help this time. A second bagger arrived at noon and took over the carts. While it was killer humid and much hotter than it has been, it was also at least sunny and breezy. No problems whatsoever.
Went straight home as soon as I was done. Changed, and then did as much packing as I could get away with. Some things need to be washed, and others can't be packed until the morning I leave. I was able to get the majority of the smaller toiletries in, some shirts and shorts, my walking sandals, and a book, coloring book, and crossword puzzle book to do on the train.
Did some writing after I'd done what I could. The group finds themselves in a dark radio station, filled with old-time microphones and sound effects equipment. Turns out it's also filled with zombies who try to attack them. Brett shoots them, but Fannie and Joyce have a better idea - drive them off with noise.
Bill and Charles see someone in the smoke-filled control room. Charlie tries to yank the door open, covering the hot knob with his hat. Brett knows another way. She unlocks it with another bobby pin from her wig.
Broke for dinner at 6:30. Had the leftover tacos Jodie gave me on Sunday for dinner while watching the 1962 version of State Fair. I go into more detail on this remake at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
State Fair (1962)
I was worried. My train tickets still hadn't arrived. I searched everywhere, thinking I might have mislaid them, and I upset Lauren, too. I finally called Amtrak late tonight. Turns out they were e-tickets, and not only had they gotten my e-mail wrong, but they don't sell online tickets for Cherry Hill. I have no problems buying the Transit tickets at Cherry Hill. I reordered them, and this time, they came through just fine.
And...yes, I do remember the events of September 11th, 2001. I was just beginning the first day of my last semester of Richard Stockton College then. I discuss my memories further at this entry from 2015.
Memories On a Busy Day
Friday, December 14, 2018
A Very Green Christmas
Began a cloudy, damp day with breakfast and a couple of slightly holiday-themed TV show episodes. The closest thing Get Smart had to a Christmas episode was the first season show "Our Man In Toyland." Max investigates a department store that he suspects to be a front for CHAOS. Someone has been passing information about a major government project. Max, 99, and Fang the dog have to figure out how to dodge the sinister Herr Bunny and find out how they're getting the information out, then escape themselves.
Ran some quick Good Eats while I got organized. Though the show did have several Christmas episodes, I'm afraid I don't own any of them. Alton Brown did do an episode on cranberries, a fruit frequently consumed during the holidays, in his original series. They were just being recognized as a "super food" and a nutritional powerhouse when this episode debuted. Alton discusses this as he makes cranberry sauce, cranberry granita, and cosmopolitans.
First thing on a busy agenda today was the laundry. I didn't have a huge load, but I want to focus on other things this weekend. I couldn't have picked a better time to do it. The laundromat was empty when I arrived. I think I saw maybe two or three other people the entire time I was there. I didn't have a huge load, anyway. I half-listened to the news and the last half-hour or so of Today and worked on story notes.
Went straight home and put everything away, then went right back out. Now that I had a little bit of money, there were things I wanted to do, starting with lunch at Sonic. It was gloomy and breezy, but nothing resembling as cold as it has been, probably in the lower-mid 50's. I enjoyed a nice, hot burger and tater tots with a cherry limeade on the patio. Despite it being 12:30 and the height of lunch hour, I got my food in less than five minutes.
Walked around in the shopping center after lunch. The Goodwill was crowded with lunch-hour shoppers. They'd moved the media shelves further in the back. I had to lean over a record collector looking for good finds to check out the DVDs. I made several good finds of my own. They had several out-of-print Disney DVDs. I grabbed Fantasia and Fantasia 2000. Once the guy left, I was free to go through the pile of records on the bottom shelves myself. Came up with:
Bette Midler - Broken Blossoms
Al Goodman and His Orchestra - New Moon (studio cast recording)
Explored the rest of the store to see what their Christmas offerings were like. While there were Christmas items mixed in on the shelves with other holiday decorations and every other knick-knack on the planet, there were tables in the front of the store that were just devoted to Christmas decorations. I picked up a box of really pretty Hallmark Christmas cards featuring a tree with metallic balls on the front. I have maybe three cards left after doing them earlier in the week.
My next few stops were faster. I just picked up a card for my nephew Collyn's birthday (which was on Wednesday) at Five Below. (There was a Star Wars calendar there that I may go back for next week.) Wal Mart surprisingly wasn't that busy, maybe because lunch hour was over by then. Grabbed cheaper cooking spray and coconut here, along with something that Lauren had requested a while back.
Strolled back to the Acme to do this week's grocery shopping. The Acme's Christmas Employee Luncheon is a week from today, and I needed to buy things to make cookies along with regular restocking. Found more of those breaded tilapia fillets with manager's coupons, this time Parmesan-crusted. Restocked apples, bananas, Mandarin oranges, cereal (went with Acme's generic Honey Nut Cheerios), skim milk, cheese (there was a good sale on Cracker Barrel), parchment paper, yogurt, butter, batteries, cake mix, brown and white sugar, and peanut butter (buy one-get one Skippy). Got free eggs from their new grocery rewards program.
Picked up my schedule for next week while I was there. It's the best schedule I've had in a while. All afternoon and early evening work this time, nothing earlier than 10 or later than 5:15. Three days off on Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday will give me plenty of time to get cracking on everything I need to do for the holidays. (Good thing the Eagles play Sunday night this week. I work in the afternoon that day.)
Went straight home and put everything away when I got home. Watched A Pink Christmas while I organized things. In this special inspired by the O.Henry short story The Cop and the Anthem, the Pink Panther is desperate for any work that will allow him to earn money for food. He tries shoveling walks, but eats the carrot nose off a kid's snowman. He's chased out of his Santa job after trying to take a child's snack. His attempt to get a hot meal in jail only ends up with him foiling a robbery. Even when he does find food, he gives it to a hungry dog. Someone out there has seen Pink's good deed, though...and gives him and his new canine friend a wonderful surprise.
Spent the rest of the afternoon finishing my current story. Hank and Rey go into the wilderness a third time to find a tree, but Leia deems this one too short and dry. She's finally pleased with the last one they bring back to Skywalker Manor. Hank and Rey agree that she never has to know that the last tree came from a lot in the city.
This was based after a similar incident in 1985 with my stepfather and my (much younger) sister. I remember playing among the rejected trees on the porch for the rest of that December. This story is my second one that's dedicated to Dad. I hope wherever he is, he's finally found the perfect Christmas tree.
At any rate, if you need a good laugh, here's The Resistance Kids and the Christmas Tree Caper.
Archive of Our Own
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Went onto to the next Pink Panther special on the disc as I made a quick Chocolate Mocha Banana Smoothie for dinner. (The coffee yogurt cup got a hole in it and made a mess in my backpack. I had to use it.) He competes in the Winter Olym-pinks as a skiier at Lake Placid. Pink keeps besting his long-nosed rival at every turn, to the little fellow's consternation...except for when he's being chased half-way across Lake Placid by a piano!
Finished the night with the live-action How the Grinch Stole Christmas from 2000. All the Whos down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot...too much, if you ask Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen). She wishes her father Lou Who (Bill Irwin) would pay more attention to her and less to all the gift-buying and tree-decorating. She's especially fascinated by the stories of the Grinch (Jim Carrey), a nasty green creature who has lived at the top of Mount Crumpet since he was bullied out of town as a child. The Grinch does occasionally come down to the town to play tricks, and actually saves Cindy from the shredders at the post office on one occasion. She tries to invite him to the Who's big Christmas celebration, but the pompous Mayor Augustus May Who (Jeffrey Tambor) just ends up humiliating him and scolding Cindy. Angry and fed up with the Whos and their holiday noise, the Grinch dresses as Santa and decides to steal their Christmas goodies. It's the Whos, however, who finally teach the Grinch that "Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more."
I think they tried to do way too much with this movie. On one hand, the design is spot-on, a near-perfect recreation of the original artwork from the Seuss book and the special. The incredible makeup work on the Grinch and the Whos won a deserved Oscar. Jim Carrey actually gives one of his best performances as the infamously mean Grinch, especially when things pick up in the second half. Irwin, Tambor, and Christine Baranski have fun as the residents of Whoville, too. I also have a soft spot for Cindy's touching song "Where are You Christmas?"
The problem is that first half. Like Willy Wonka, the Grinch did not need the full tragic backstory. The entire sequence with the "Whobilation" is more mean-spirited, even for the Grinch, than funny. Pretty much everything in the first half is filler, and it drags like crazy. The commentary on the commercialization of Christmas and how caught up people (and Whos) get during the holidays has been done before and dates the film rather badly.
This is another one that I enjoyed enough that I didn't mind the rental, but not enough to make it a permanent part of my own holiday celebrations. If you're a huge fan of Carrey or director Ron Howard or have fond memories of growing up with it on cable, it runs constantly on many channels during December, including as part of Freeform's 25 Days of Christmas marathon.
Ran some quick Good Eats while I got organized. Though the show did have several Christmas episodes, I'm afraid I don't own any of them. Alton Brown did do an episode on cranberries, a fruit frequently consumed during the holidays, in his original series. They were just being recognized as a "super food" and a nutritional powerhouse when this episode debuted. Alton discusses this as he makes cranberry sauce, cranberry granita, and cosmopolitans.
First thing on a busy agenda today was the laundry. I didn't have a huge load, but I want to focus on other things this weekend. I couldn't have picked a better time to do it. The laundromat was empty when I arrived. I think I saw maybe two or three other people the entire time I was there. I didn't have a huge load, anyway. I half-listened to the news and the last half-hour or so of Today and worked on story notes.
Went straight home and put everything away, then went right back out. Now that I had a little bit of money, there were things I wanted to do, starting with lunch at Sonic. It was gloomy and breezy, but nothing resembling as cold as it has been, probably in the lower-mid 50's. I enjoyed a nice, hot burger and tater tots with a cherry limeade on the patio. Despite it being 12:30 and the height of lunch hour, I got my food in less than five minutes.
Walked around in the shopping center after lunch. The Goodwill was crowded with lunch-hour shoppers. They'd moved the media shelves further in the back. I had to lean over a record collector looking for good finds to check out the DVDs. I made several good finds of my own. They had several out-of-print Disney DVDs. I grabbed Fantasia and Fantasia 2000. Once the guy left, I was free to go through the pile of records on the bottom shelves myself. Came up with:
Bette Midler - Broken Blossoms
Al Goodman and His Orchestra - New Moon (studio cast recording)
Explored the rest of the store to see what their Christmas offerings were like. While there were Christmas items mixed in on the shelves with other holiday decorations and every other knick-knack on the planet, there were tables in the front of the store that were just devoted to Christmas decorations. I picked up a box of really pretty Hallmark Christmas cards featuring a tree with metallic balls on the front. I have maybe three cards left after doing them earlier in the week.
My next few stops were faster. I just picked up a card for my nephew Collyn's birthday (which was on Wednesday) at Five Below. (There was a Star Wars calendar there that I may go back for next week.) Wal Mart surprisingly wasn't that busy, maybe because lunch hour was over by then. Grabbed cheaper cooking spray and coconut here, along with something that Lauren had requested a while back.
Strolled back to the Acme to do this week's grocery shopping. The Acme's Christmas Employee Luncheon is a week from today, and I needed to buy things to make cookies along with regular restocking. Found more of those breaded tilapia fillets with manager's coupons, this time Parmesan-crusted. Restocked apples, bananas, Mandarin oranges, cereal (went with Acme's generic Honey Nut Cheerios), skim milk, cheese (there was a good sale on Cracker Barrel), parchment paper, yogurt, butter, batteries, cake mix, brown and white sugar, and peanut butter (buy one-get one Skippy). Got free eggs from their new grocery rewards program.
Picked up my schedule for next week while I was there. It's the best schedule I've had in a while. All afternoon and early evening work this time, nothing earlier than 10 or later than 5:15. Three days off on Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday will give me plenty of time to get cracking on everything I need to do for the holidays. (Good thing the Eagles play Sunday night this week. I work in the afternoon that day.)
Went straight home and put everything away when I got home. Watched A Pink Christmas while I organized things. In this special inspired by the O.Henry short story The Cop and the Anthem, the Pink Panther is desperate for any work that will allow him to earn money for food. He tries shoveling walks, but eats the carrot nose off a kid's snowman. He's chased out of his Santa job after trying to take a child's snack. His attempt to get a hot meal in jail only ends up with him foiling a robbery. Even when he does find food, he gives it to a hungry dog. Someone out there has seen Pink's good deed, though...and gives him and his new canine friend a wonderful surprise.
Spent the rest of the afternoon finishing my current story. Hank and Rey go into the wilderness a third time to find a tree, but Leia deems this one too short and dry. She's finally pleased with the last one they bring back to Skywalker Manor. Hank and Rey agree that she never has to know that the last tree came from a lot in the city.
This was based after a similar incident in 1985 with my stepfather and my (much younger) sister. I remember playing among the rejected trees on the porch for the rest of that December. This story is my second one that's dedicated to Dad. I hope wherever he is, he's finally found the perfect Christmas tree.
At any rate, if you need a good laugh, here's The Resistance Kids and the Christmas Tree Caper.
Archive of Our Own
My Writing Blog
Fanfiction. net
Went onto to the next Pink Panther special on the disc as I made a quick Chocolate Mocha Banana Smoothie for dinner. (The coffee yogurt cup got a hole in it and made a mess in my backpack. I had to use it.) He competes in the Winter Olym-pinks as a skiier at Lake Placid. Pink keeps besting his long-nosed rival at every turn, to the little fellow's consternation...except for when he's being chased half-way across Lake Placid by a piano!
Finished the night with the live-action How the Grinch Stole Christmas from 2000. All the Whos down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot...too much, if you ask Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen). She wishes her father Lou Who (Bill Irwin) would pay more attention to her and less to all the gift-buying and tree-decorating. She's especially fascinated by the stories of the Grinch (Jim Carrey), a nasty green creature who has lived at the top of Mount Crumpet since he was bullied out of town as a child. The Grinch does occasionally come down to the town to play tricks, and actually saves Cindy from the shredders at the post office on one occasion. She tries to invite him to the Who's big Christmas celebration, but the pompous Mayor Augustus May Who (Jeffrey Tambor) just ends up humiliating him and scolding Cindy. Angry and fed up with the Whos and their holiday noise, the Grinch dresses as Santa and decides to steal their Christmas goodies. It's the Whos, however, who finally teach the Grinch that "Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more."
I think they tried to do way too much with this movie. On one hand, the design is spot-on, a near-perfect recreation of the original artwork from the Seuss book and the special. The incredible makeup work on the Grinch and the Whos won a deserved Oscar. Jim Carrey actually gives one of his best performances as the infamously mean Grinch, especially when things pick up in the second half. Irwin, Tambor, and Christine Baranski have fun as the residents of Whoville, too. I also have a soft spot for Cindy's touching song "Where are You Christmas?"
The problem is that first half. Like Willy Wonka, the Grinch did not need the full tragic backstory. The entire sequence with the "Whobilation" is more mean-spirited, even for the Grinch, than funny. Pretty much everything in the first half is filler, and it drags like crazy. The commentary on the commercialization of Christmas and how caught up people (and Whos) get during the holidays has been done before and dates the film rather badly.
This is another one that I enjoyed enough that I didn't mind the rental, but not enough to make it a permanent part of my own holiday celebrations. If you're a huge fan of Carrey or director Ron Howard or have fond memories of growing up with it on cable, it runs constantly on many channels during December, including as part of Freeform's 25 Days of Christmas marathon.
Thursday, October 18, 2018
The Music of the Night
Began a cloudy day with breakfast and another horror-themed episode of The Monkees. "I Was a Teenage Monster" from later in the first season has the groovy quartet hired to teach a hulking android (Richard Kiel) how to sing. What the monster's mad scientist creator really has in mind is to put the boys' musical abilities into the monster! When they figure out what's going on, science-loving Micky has to try to switch them back.
Did a quick Three Stooges short while I got ready to head out. They're hired by an inventor who wants them to keep an eye on his new ray gun. A group of spies are determined to "Spook Louder" and scare the trio out of the house...and away from the machine. Meanwhile, someone is going around, throwing pies randomly.
First stop of the day was the Oaklyn Library. I wanted to squeeze some volunteering in and see if they had any horror musicals to review. Not a whole lot going on over there. It was pretty much just the librarian and me. I mainly organized the DVDs. Fished the 2004 version of The Phantom of the Opera out of the horror section for the blog.
Work wasn't much busier. There wasn't even much traffic on Nicholson Road when I headed down that way. By mid-afternoon, it was sunny, chilly, and windy, too beautiful to be grocery shopping! I got quite a bit done today, despite the quiet. In addition to gathering carts and baskets and doing the outside trash and recycling, one of the managers asked me to sweep the patio and water the potted marigolds for sale in the front of the store.
Sweeping the patio proved to be a lot easier than watering the plants. It wasn't really bad on the patio and took me less than an hour. Using the hose is more complicated. I've watered the flowers before, but not in a long time. You have to pull the hose out of a closet on the side of the building, attach it to the nozzle, drag the sprayer all the way over to the plants in the front of the store, and retrieve a key from the floral department to turn the water on. I totally forgot about the key. One of the produce managers had to help me there. I did manage to get them watered when it was turned on and I figured out how to work the sprayer.
As soon as I finished, I grabbed skim milk (I ran out yesterday) and hurried home. Did some writing when I got in. Leia finds her way to the top of the Jedi Temple. She's learning more than she ever thought possible about the Jedi, their ways, and why they created their huge doomsday weapon. At the very top of the temple, Luke and Harry are tied together, swinging from a thick vine over a pit of bubbling molten metal! Palpatine and Vader are holding them hostage. Their lives for her sword, they say. Leia won't do it, but the guys are scared, and the vine won't hold much longer...
Had dinner at 6:30. Watched another popular comedy show from the mid-60's as I ate. Get Smart made it's first venture into horror with "Weekend Vampire" in the first season. Someone has murdered three CONTROL agents, and always during the weekends. The victims have two puncture marks in their necks that look like vampire bites, and Max hears a strange melody before the third murder. He and 99 go undercover as stranded newlyweds to find out of the owner of the flute is a real vampire, and what he has against other agents.
Finished the night after a shower with The Phantom of the Opera. I go into more detail on this dark operetta at my Musical Dreams Reviews blog.
The Phantom of the Opera
Did a quick Three Stooges short while I got ready to head out. They're hired by an inventor who wants them to keep an eye on his new ray gun. A group of spies are determined to "Spook Louder" and scare the trio out of the house...and away from the machine. Meanwhile, someone is going around, throwing pies randomly.
First stop of the day was the Oaklyn Library. I wanted to squeeze some volunteering in and see if they had any horror musicals to review. Not a whole lot going on over there. It was pretty much just the librarian and me. I mainly organized the DVDs. Fished the 2004 version of The Phantom of the Opera out of the horror section for the blog.
Work wasn't much busier. There wasn't even much traffic on Nicholson Road when I headed down that way. By mid-afternoon, it was sunny, chilly, and windy, too beautiful to be grocery shopping! I got quite a bit done today, despite the quiet. In addition to gathering carts and baskets and doing the outside trash and recycling, one of the managers asked me to sweep the patio and water the potted marigolds for sale in the front of the store.
Sweeping the patio proved to be a lot easier than watering the plants. It wasn't really bad on the patio and took me less than an hour. Using the hose is more complicated. I've watered the flowers before, but not in a long time. You have to pull the hose out of a closet on the side of the building, attach it to the nozzle, drag the sprayer all the way over to the plants in the front of the store, and retrieve a key from the floral department to turn the water on. I totally forgot about the key. One of the produce managers had to help me there. I did manage to get them watered when it was turned on and I figured out how to work the sprayer.
As soon as I finished, I grabbed skim milk (I ran out yesterday) and hurried home. Did some writing when I got in. Leia finds her way to the top of the Jedi Temple. She's learning more than she ever thought possible about the Jedi, their ways, and why they created their huge doomsday weapon. At the very top of the temple, Luke and Harry are tied together, swinging from a thick vine over a pit of bubbling molten metal! Palpatine and Vader are holding them hostage. Their lives for her sword, they say. Leia won't do it, but the guys are scared, and the vine won't hold much longer...
Had dinner at 6:30. Watched another popular comedy show from the mid-60's as I ate. Get Smart made it's first venture into horror with "Weekend Vampire" in the first season. Someone has murdered three CONTROL agents, and always during the weekends. The victims have two puncture marks in their necks that look like vampire bites, and Max hears a strange melody before the third murder. He and 99 go undercover as stranded newlyweds to find out of the owner of the flute is a real vampire, and what he has against other agents.
Finished the night after a shower with The Phantom of the Opera. I go into more detail on this dark operetta at my Musical Dreams Reviews blog.
The Phantom of the Opera
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
The Road to Vacation
Began another gloomy and humid morning with Garfield In the Rough while eating breakfast. Garfield is thrilled to be going on vacation, until Jon announces they're going camping. He'd rather be anywhere else but sleeping outside, especially after they learn that there's a bloodthirsty panther loose in the area!
Switched to the first season of Get Smart while getting my laundry together. Max finds himself "Aboard the Orient Express" with 99 after he accidentally handcuffs his wrist to a briefcase filled with money. All of the previous agents who tried to get the money to their people in Eastern Europe were gassed to death. Max has to figure out who's the double agent who has been killing off their men, before he's the next victim.
It wasn't raining when I headed to the laundromat, just cloudy. You'd never know that from the way Channel 10's newscast was carrying on. It sounds like Hurricane Florence will mostly impact the Carolinas and the south and not do a whole lot here besides a little rain and wind. The weather must have scared folks off. The laundromat wasn't busy except for a few older men messing around with their cell phones. Good thing. I had a fair-sized load to do, including the summer sheets. I worked on story notes and ignored most everything else.
Put everything away when I got home, then began packing. Loaded up anything I won't need for the next two days, including shirts, shorts, underthings, travel toiletries, a sweater for cool nights, hair clips and rubber bands, my walking sandals, socks, and pajamas. I finished most of the packing, but not all of it. Some things, like my brush and comb, laptop, cell phone, and journal, won't be packed until tomorrow night or Friday morning.
Put on a first season episode of Moonlighting set on a train while I had leftovers for lunch. In "Next Stop Murder," Agnes DiPesto is ecstatic when she wins a big essay contest for her favorite mystery writer and gets to spend 24 hours on a private train solving a mystery. Her bosses Maddie Hayes and David Addison board to see her off, but get accidentally stuck on board with Agnes and the writer's sarcastic entourage. When the writer ends up being the one who's murdered, Maddie and David have to figure out who did it, before the train stops...and Agnes is blamed.
It was still pretty early at that point, only around 2. I'm tired of sitting around all day. Since it still wasn't raining (and in fact, the sun tried to peek out at one point), I decided to head out for a short walk around Oaklyn. My first stop was the House of Fun. I browsed there briefly, but they were a disaster area, especially in the main room. There were so many boxes of action figures and toys scattered on the floor, I couldn't get anywhere near the wrestling figures. I eventually moved on to WaWa to use the bathroom and try their Pumpkin Maple Smoothie. Not bad. I can taste the pumpkin in this one, though the maple syrup is a tad too sweet.
It started to rain hard as I rushed home. I'd just gotten in the doorway when it started to pick up a bit. It rained for at least an hour or so, but as far as I can tell, it hasn't rained since.
Worked on writing when I got in. Harry agrees to drive the truck that will take them all to the digging site, to Leia's delight. He admits that he now needs a real job...but besides that, he is genuinely curious about all this Latin American history everyone's been talking about. Besides, he can't bring himself to leave Leia now. Charel and a reluctant Clarence also agree to join them, as do Luke, Yoda, and Artie when they arrive from the Los Angeles Star offices. Luke wants the rights to the full story on the finding of the Sword of Strength. Yoda will help translate the ancient Alderaanian maps and texts.
Broke for dinner around quarter of 6. I had leftovers while watching the 1997 animated musical Anastasia. I go into more detail on this old favorite of mine at my Musical Dreams Reviews blog.
Anastasia
Moved on to something a tad more comic after that ended. Bing Crosby and Bob Hope are off on The Road to Zanzibar, this time as entertainers Chuck Reardon (Crosby) and Hubert "Fearless" Fraiser (Hope). Chuck is perpetually coming up with wacky get-rich-quick schemes that has Fearless performing a crazy stunt that occasionally burns down a circus or lands him in the hospital. Fearless is ready to go home when Chuck buys a diamond mine from an eccentric millionaire (Eric Blore). The mine turns out to be worthless, and they hop a boat for Africa after Fearless sells it to a local. Even after they do arrive on the Dark Continent, they're easily duped by con-women Julia (Una Merkel) and Donna (Dorothy Lamour) into taking them to see Donna's "trader father"...actually, her rich boyfriend, whom Julia is determined she'll marry. Donna is having second thoughts after getting serenaded by Chuck. When they find out what's really going on, both guys take off in a huff, only to land with a group of natives who want Fearless to wrestle a gorilla!
I love most of the Road movies, and this one is no exception. Hilarious spoof of jungle capers, with Hope especially in fine form as Crosby keeps tossing him into increasingly more dangerous acts. My only complaint is it ends a tad abruptly after the guys leave the natives, and the girls suddenly turning up feels more like it had to happen for a happy ending than anything. Othewise, if you love the rest of the Road series, you'll want to give this one a look as well.
Ended the night with a third season episode of the original 70's Wonder Woman. Diana Prince visits a friend who lives in a small Southern California town, hoping for a nice, quiet vacation. She's called into action when it turns out that several property owners in town are being threatened by a gangster who wants to turn it into the next Las Vegas. A "Skateboard Whiz" teen girl with a photographic memory accidentally sees one of their hidden casinos. They move it, but the kid is still in danger. Diana will have to grab a board and a helmet and pull of a few gnarly moves herself to save her and keep the gangsters from causing more damage.
Switched to the first season of Get Smart while getting my laundry together. Max finds himself "Aboard the Orient Express" with 99 after he accidentally handcuffs his wrist to a briefcase filled with money. All of the previous agents who tried to get the money to their people in Eastern Europe were gassed to death. Max has to figure out who's the double agent who has been killing off their men, before he's the next victim.
It wasn't raining when I headed to the laundromat, just cloudy. You'd never know that from the way Channel 10's newscast was carrying on. It sounds like Hurricane Florence will mostly impact the Carolinas and the south and not do a whole lot here besides a little rain and wind. The weather must have scared folks off. The laundromat wasn't busy except for a few older men messing around with their cell phones. Good thing. I had a fair-sized load to do, including the summer sheets. I worked on story notes and ignored most everything else.
Put everything away when I got home, then began packing. Loaded up anything I won't need for the next two days, including shirts, shorts, underthings, travel toiletries, a sweater for cool nights, hair clips and rubber bands, my walking sandals, socks, and pajamas. I finished most of the packing, but not all of it. Some things, like my brush and comb, laptop, cell phone, and journal, won't be packed until tomorrow night or Friday morning.
Put on a first season episode of Moonlighting set on a train while I had leftovers for lunch. In "Next Stop Murder," Agnes DiPesto is ecstatic when she wins a big essay contest for her favorite mystery writer and gets to spend 24 hours on a private train solving a mystery. Her bosses Maddie Hayes and David Addison board to see her off, but get accidentally stuck on board with Agnes and the writer's sarcastic entourage. When the writer ends up being the one who's murdered, Maddie and David have to figure out who did it, before the train stops...and Agnes is blamed.
It was still pretty early at that point, only around 2. I'm tired of sitting around all day. Since it still wasn't raining (and in fact, the sun tried to peek out at one point), I decided to head out for a short walk around Oaklyn. My first stop was the House of Fun. I browsed there briefly, but they were a disaster area, especially in the main room. There were so many boxes of action figures and toys scattered on the floor, I couldn't get anywhere near the wrestling figures. I eventually moved on to WaWa to use the bathroom and try their Pumpkin Maple Smoothie. Not bad. I can taste the pumpkin in this one, though the maple syrup is a tad too sweet.
It started to rain hard as I rushed home. I'd just gotten in the doorway when it started to pick up a bit. It rained for at least an hour or so, but as far as I can tell, it hasn't rained since.
Worked on writing when I got in. Harry agrees to drive the truck that will take them all to the digging site, to Leia's delight. He admits that he now needs a real job...but besides that, he is genuinely curious about all this Latin American history everyone's been talking about. Besides, he can't bring himself to leave Leia now. Charel and a reluctant Clarence also agree to join them, as do Luke, Yoda, and Artie when they arrive from the Los Angeles Star offices. Luke wants the rights to the full story on the finding of the Sword of Strength. Yoda will help translate the ancient Alderaanian maps and texts.
Broke for dinner around quarter of 6. I had leftovers while watching the 1997 animated musical Anastasia. I go into more detail on this old favorite of mine at my Musical Dreams Reviews blog.
Anastasia
Moved on to something a tad more comic after that ended. Bing Crosby and Bob Hope are off on The Road to Zanzibar, this time as entertainers Chuck Reardon (Crosby) and Hubert "Fearless" Fraiser (Hope). Chuck is perpetually coming up with wacky get-rich-quick schemes that has Fearless performing a crazy stunt that occasionally burns down a circus or lands him in the hospital. Fearless is ready to go home when Chuck buys a diamond mine from an eccentric millionaire (Eric Blore). The mine turns out to be worthless, and they hop a boat for Africa after Fearless sells it to a local. Even after they do arrive on the Dark Continent, they're easily duped by con-women Julia (Una Merkel) and Donna (Dorothy Lamour) into taking them to see Donna's "trader father"...actually, her rich boyfriend, whom Julia is determined she'll marry. Donna is having second thoughts after getting serenaded by Chuck. When they find out what's really going on, both guys take off in a huff, only to land with a group of natives who want Fearless to wrestle a gorilla!
I love most of the Road movies, and this one is no exception. Hilarious spoof of jungle capers, with Hope especially in fine form as Crosby keeps tossing him into increasingly more dangerous acts. My only complaint is it ends a tad abruptly after the guys leave the natives, and the girls suddenly turning up feels more like it had to happen for a happy ending than anything. Othewise, if you love the rest of the Road series, you'll want to give this one a look as well.
Ended the night with a third season episode of the original 70's Wonder Woman. Diana Prince visits a friend who lives in a small Southern California town, hoping for a nice, quiet vacation. She's called into action when it turns out that several property owners in town are being threatened by a gangster who wants to turn it into the next Las Vegas. A "Skateboard Whiz" teen girl with a photographic memory accidentally sees one of their hidden casinos. They move it, but the kid is still in danger. Diana will have to grab a board and a helmet and pull of a few gnarly moves herself to save her and keep the gangsters from causing more damage.
Wednesday, August 15, 2018
It's a Dog's Life
I was up so late this morning, I didn't get moving and having breakfast until around 10:30, and I didn't make it to the laundromat until past noon. They were incredibly busy by that point; almost all of the dryers were taken. It's just as well that, even with my summer quilt added to the mix, I still didn't have a very big load. I won't have another day off until Saturday, and I have other things I want to do that day. I had to get it done today. I ignored soap operas, worked on story notes, and chatted with an adorable little girl who was enjoying a Rice Krispies treat.
Went straight home afterwards. Put away the laundry, had a quick lunch of a smoothie and a plum, then went right back out again. Rode by Target on my way across the Westmont Plaza. Jodie said yesterday that they were only open for friends and family of the employees, and that the actual opening would be Sunday...but there was an awful lot of people going in and out for a "soft" opening.
One of the librarians at the Haddon Township Library confirmed this when I arrived. It was still a "soft" opening...but people were going in anyway. Too many people around here have wanted this place to open for them to bother stopping them!
The DVDs were a mess. I left the loose ones to be shelved by others, but I did organize the shelves and removed TV series and foreign films that belonged elsewhere. I also shelved a couple of audio books.
Found a new cozy mystery about a waitress at a Greek restaurant in a fictional Jersey Shore town (I can never resist anything about the Jersey Shore) and DVDs, all comedies. I'm not up to anything heavier than that right now. Houseboat is the other movie where Cary Grant romances a European lady in an exotic setting while kids play matchmaker - the lady here is Sophia Loren. Also grabbed City Slickers and Best In Show.
I finally decided I couldn't resist anymore and stopped by Target on my way home. On one hand, yes, they were smaller than the stores in Cherry Hill and Deptford, with a small Our Generation area in the toy section and barely any DVDs. The fitting rooms were dropped kind of awkwardly in the center of the building, and I wish there had been two doors, instead of everyone going in through one main door.
On the other hand, it was certainly much nicer than the Cherry Hill store for the size it was, with a decent grocery area. Starbucks replaced Thrifway's failed "cafe" on your right as you enter. Not only did I notice that they had the Nature's Valley fig bars I love in boxes (they were only sold individually in the Acme), but they were on sale. I had to have the raspberry.
Worked on some writing when I finally got home. Leia is escorted to the Twin Suns Club in Hollywood by Charel. She's dazzled by the opulent Mexican/Southwestern/Aztec-themed rooms, with their sunburst lamps and fake warrior armor. Mrs. Yasmin Hutt proves to be even more dazzling. Unlike her recently deceased husband, who was notoriously fat and ugly, Yasmin is model-gorgeous...but is said to be even more ruthless. Leia feels dowdy alongside her stunning beauty.
Ran an episode of Get Smart while I had leftovers for dinner. "I'm Only Human" from the first season has Max and his dog Fang undercover in a kennel when they learn that several CONTROL dogs who went there recently attacked their agent masters. Fang is fitted for a TV collar...but when it goes fuzzy, Max and 99 go after him. It turns out to be a CHAOS trap to catch the chief and get all three out of the way, unless Max can get through to Fang and get him to destroy a bomb.
Max isn't the only one having problems with his pooch. Best In Show is the third Christopher Guest mocumentary, this time about five entries in a prestigious dog show. Normal middle-class couple Cookie (Catherine O'Hara) and Garry (Eugene Levy) dote on their terrier, to the point where they write songs about him. Gay couple Scott (John Michael Higgins) and Stefan (Michael McKean) regard their Shizu Tzu as their child. Tackle and bait store owner Harlan (Guest) is a goofball who is following the family tradition by raising bloodhounds. Meg (Parker Posey) and Hamilton (Michael Hitchcock) are neurotic yuppies whose fighting is probably freaking their Weinmaraner out more than anything. Spoiled trophy wife Sharri Ann (Jennifer Coolidge) is more interested in her poodle's trainer Christy (Jane Lynch) than in the dog. There will be much bonding, dog grooming, fighting, and discussions of pistachios taking place over the course of three days, but only one dog can come out victorious...
Another fun improv-style mocumentary from Guest, including the aforementioned pistachio monologue, the arguments between Posey and Hitchcock about their dog being bothered by what they do in the bedroom, and O'Hara and Levy's sweetly silly terrier tunes. If you're a fan of Guest's other movies or of other improv comedies or you love dogs, you may find this one to be a blue-ribbon winner, too.
(And I'm sorry this is late. My internet went down last night right as I was posting it, and I didn't have the time to wait for it to come back to life.)
Went straight home afterwards. Put away the laundry, had a quick lunch of a smoothie and a plum, then went right back out again. Rode by Target on my way across the Westmont Plaza. Jodie said yesterday that they were only open for friends and family of the employees, and that the actual opening would be Sunday...but there was an awful lot of people going in and out for a "soft" opening.
One of the librarians at the Haddon Township Library confirmed this when I arrived. It was still a "soft" opening...but people were going in anyway. Too many people around here have wanted this place to open for them to bother stopping them!
The DVDs were a mess. I left the loose ones to be shelved by others, but I did organize the shelves and removed TV series and foreign films that belonged elsewhere. I also shelved a couple of audio books.
Found a new cozy mystery about a waitress at a Greek restaurant in a fictional Jersey Shore town (I can never resist anything about the Jersey Shore) and DVDs, all comedies. I'm not up to anything heavier than that right now. Houseboat is the other movie where Cary Grant romances a European lady in an exotic setting while kids play matchmaker - the lady here is Sophia Loren. Also grabbed City Slickers and Best In Show.
I finally decided I couldn't resist anymore and stopped by Target on my way home. On one hand, yes, they were smaller than the stores in Cherry Hill and Deptford, with a small Our Generation area in the toy section and barely any DVDs. The fitting rooms were dropped kind of awkwardly in the center of the building, and I wish there had been two doors, instead of everyone going in through one main door.
On the other hand, it was certainly much nicer than the Cherry Hill store for the size it was, with a decent grocery area. Starbucks replaced Thrifway's failed "cafe" on your right as you enter. Not only did I notice that they had the Nature's Valley fig bars I love in boxes (they were only sold individually in the Acme), but they were on sale. I had to have the raspberry.
Worked on some writing when I finally got home. Leia is escorted to the Twin Suns Club in Hollywood by Charel. She's dazzled by the opulent Mexican/Southwestern/Aztec-themed rooms, with their sunburst lamps and fake warrior armor. Mrs. Yasmin Hutt proves to be even more dazzling. Unlike her recently deceased husband, who was notoriously fat and ugly, Yasmin is model-gorgeous...but is said to be even more ruthless. Leia feels dowdy alongside her stunning beauty.
Ran an episode of Get Smart while I had leftovers for dinner. "I'm Only Human" from the first season has Max and his dog Fang undercover in a kennel when they learn that several CONTROL dogs who went there recently attacked their agent masters. Fang is fitted for a TV collar...but when it goes fuzzy, Max and 99 go after him. It turns out to be a CHAOS trap to catch the chief and get all three out of the way, unless Max can get through to Fang and get him to destroy a bomb.
Max isn't the only one having problems with his pooch. Best In Show is the third Christopher Guest mocumentary, this time about five entries in a prestigious dog show. Normal middle-class couple Cookie (Catherine O'Hara) and Garry (Eugene Levy) dote on their terrier, to the point where they write songs about him. Gay couple Scott (John Michael Higgins) and Stefan (Michael McKean) regard their Shizu Tzu as their child. Tackle and bait store owner Harlan (Guest) is a goofball who is following the family tradition by raising bloodhounds. Meg (Parker Posey) and Hamilton (Michael Hitchcock) are neurotic yuppies whose fighting is probably freaking their Weinmaraner out more than anything. Spoiled trophy wife Sharri Ann (Jennifer Coolidge) is more interested in her poodle's trainer Christy (Jane Lynch) than in the dog. There will be much bonding, dog grooming, fighting, and discussions of pistachios taking place over the course of three days, but only one dog can come out victorious...
Another fun improv-style mocumentary from Guest, including the aforementioned pistachio monologue, the arguments between Posey and Hitchcock about their dog being bothered by what they do in the bedroom, and O'Hara and Levy's sweetly silly terrier tunes. If you're a fan of Guest's other movies or of other improv comedies or you love dogs, you may find this one to be a blue-ribbon winner, too.
(And I'm sorry this is late. My internet went down last night right as I was posting it, and I didn't have the time to wait for it to come back to life.)
Saturday, May 05, 2018
Spring Harvest Dolls
Began a sunny, busy morning with Speedy Gonzales shorts in honor of Cinco Del Mayo. "Speedy Gonzales" debuted the character as he's usually seen today and won the Academy Award in 1955. Speedy has to bring cheese to his village from a factory over the border that's guarded by Sylvester. In "Tabasco Road," he has to save two drunk buddies who keep picking a fight with an alley cat. Sylvester is "The Pied Piper of Guadeloupe" who can charm any mouse into a bottle...except for Speedy. Sylvester encounters some "Chili Weather" while guarding a chili processing plant from Speedy and his friends.
Headed out around 10 to run errands. Checked out a yard sale on Kendall, then headed to WaWa to take out money. In between, I rode past a small fair on the block of West Clinton between the school and the main downtown district. Considering all the beer for sale, it seemed to be an expanded version of the beer-making block party they held there last fall. Rode down East Clinton to look at their street-wide yard sale, but didn't see anything interesting.
The Collingswood Farm Market opened for the season this morning. They were already packed when I arrived around quarter after 10. The crowds were elbow-to-elbow, despite most of the booths only selling seedlings and flowers at this time of year. No fruit yet, but I did see spinach, asparagus, greens, carrots, mushrooms, onions, and hot-house tomatoes. The orchard booth was selling firewood. I ended up just buying the asparagus and spinach and moved on.
Stopped at the Oaklyn Library on the way back for this week's volunteering session. Needless to say on a decent day in the lower 70's, they were totally empty. It was just me and the librarian. Too bad. Today was apparently Free Comics Day. Thin magazines were stacked on a table in the kids' area. I grabbed DC Superhero Girls and Star Wars Adventures (the latter is promoting Solo: A Star Wars Story) for me and another title for Lauren.
Headed home after that. Made Peanut Butter Frosting for the chocolate cupcakes I made last night while watching more Speedy Gonzales. Speedy's buddies are feeling "Cannery Woe" when they're caught by Sylvester. Speedy goes after them. He has to get a "Message to Gracias" past the vigilante cat. Speedy saves his cousin Slowpoke Rodriguez from two hungry cats in "Mexican Shmoes" and Sylvester in "Mexican Borders." He goes "West of the Pesos" to once again rescue his buddies, this time from being experiments in a laboratory guarded by Sylvester. A crow chases him in "Tortilla Flaps."
The Acme was holding it's Spring Fling Employee Luncheon today to celebrate the Kentucky Derby, Cinco Del Mayo, and the Sixers' current playoff run. The only other dessert around were mini cookies n' cream cheesecakes, but there was plenty of other food! Along with a fruit tray, I saw soft pretzel bits, deviled eggs, sausage, buffalo chicken dip, two types of pasta salad, potato salad, macaroni and cheese, baked ziti, shredded chicken, and meatballs. I settled for the ziti, the macaroni salad (the other one had olives in it - I don't like olives), a cheesecake, fruit, two deviled eggs, and a meatball sandwich.
Had a lot of shopping to do today. Grabbed peanut butter, mayonnaise, Yoplait and Choboni yogurt, ground turkey, butter, turkey bacon, tortillas, Bryers' new pint ice creams, and a big container of strawberries on good sales. Had an online coupon for Crest toothpaste. They had at least two that were specifically made to target gums; I went with the larger, slightly less expensive one. Restocked chocolate pudding mix, brown and powdered sugar, honey, grapefruit, and bananas. Quaker items were still on sale; thought I'd try their "Breakfast Flats" bars.
When I got home, I put everything away, then made my way to the back room to start getting the 18-inch dolls dressed for the current warmer weather. According to Samantha's books, her birthday is in May. She gets to wear her pink striped Birthday Dress and lace-trimmed pinafore. Molly is in a hand-made version of her hard-to-find Victory Garden Dress. Went 90's with Jessa, who got the tie dye "Earth Day" t-shirt and shortalls from the original mid-90's modern collection. Whitney and Ariel both wear OG outfits. Whitney gets a purple floral retro dress with a net petticoat and shiny purple shoes. Ariel is one of my only dolls who can fit into the purple sundress with the hot-pink pineapple print. Josefina sports her Dress and Vest with the lovely red-print skirt and black velvet vest. (Left Felicity in her pink birthday dress. I don't have that much to change her into.)
Ran the Donald Duck in South America movies as I worked. Saludos Amigos is a series of shorts based around the Disney animators' trip to South America and the local color they soaked up there. Most of the segments (Goofy as a gaucho, Donald at Lake Titicaca, the tale of a baby plane delivering mail over the Andes) are pretty typical, but the last one does introduce smooth-talking parrot Jose Carioca.
All bets are off with The Three Caballeros. After a few more shorts in the first 20 minutes (including one about a penguin who sails northward to get warmer and a boy and a flying donkey), we get Donald dancing in live action with a pretty cookie seller...and go into some seriously weird turf once Mexican rooster Panchito shows up and introduces Donald to his home country. After he chases pretty girls at Acapulco, Donald's libido lands him in some of the most surreal animation to ever grace the silver screen.
While I prefer the more creative Caballeros, Amigos might be better for families with younger children who will enjoy the mail plane story and the more familiar faces. Either way, both are a lot of fun for fans of Donald, the anthology movies Disney put out in the 40's, or our neighbors south of of the border.
Worked on writing for a little while after Caballeros ended. Han confronts Palpatine after his mother dies. He knows he had something to do with her death and how frail she looked beforehand. Palpatine did, indeed, drain her so thoroughly, she looked like an old woman. He indicates that he may have been involved with the death of King Josiah as well. When Han threatens to have him arrested, he snares the young man with his magic and drags him to a pedestal, insisting that Sultan Du Hutt wanted him as a "decoration."
Leia's vision ends after that. She jumps up, upset and shocked at what she saw. Ahsoka agrees that they have to get to Coruscant to rescue Henry and stop the Mid-Summer Festival. They finally all say they'll go as a gypsy troupe when Kanan pops in, telling Leia that her new hand is ready.
I didn't break for dinner until quarter of 7. Made Spinach Salad with Turkey Bacon and yogurt dressing while watching two 60's sitcoms with Mexican-themed episodes. Max and 99 aren't exactly saying "Viva Smart" in a third season Get Smart episode when they pose as flamenco dancers in a corrupt South American country and end up in jail. The Monkees don't have much better luck in their second season opener "It's a Nice Place to Visit." They find themselves having to rescue Davy after he eyes the girlfriend of a bandit by posing as bandits themselves, then taking part in a showdown to save the town.
Went for a short walk after dinner. It was chilly but pleasant, with a stiff wind blowing around Veteran's Park next-door. It was too late to do anything but explore around back there. I noticed tents set up at a house across the river - a Kentucky Derby party, perhaps?
Put on The Three Amigos after I got in. Three former silent movie stars (Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, and Martin Short) find themselves in a real version of one of their "Robin Hood in Mexico" films when they're called on to save a small town from bandits. They not only have to learn to be real heroes, but teach the town how to call on their own talents to drive the bandits off.
Underrated 80's comedy benefits from hilarious performances by all three leads and some really funny gags involving western and Mexican cliches. I also love the three songs by Randy Newman. Rose and Anny used to love imitating the "My Little Buttercup" number, up to and including them landing on each other's backs.
Ended the night with the Marx Brothers movie A Day at the Races in honor of the Kentucky Derby today. Judy (Maureen O'Sullivan) faces losing her sanitarium if rich Mrs. Upjohn (Margaret Dumont) leaves. She brings in Dr. Hugo Hackenbush (Groucho) to keep her happy. Sanitarium employee Tony (Chico) and jockey Stuffy (Harpo) discover that Hackenbush is far from what he claims - he's really an animal doctor. They ultimately pin all their hopes on the horse that belongs to singer Gil (Allan Jones) winning the steeplechase. Morgan (Douglas Dumbrile) is after the sanitarium and will do anything to get it, including keep the horse from the track. Now the Marxes have to stall the race...and then make sure the right horse comes in first.
While not quite as funny as the previous Marx film A Night at the Opera, this movie still has its share of classic bits - Groucho and Chico's "Tootsie Frootsie Ice Cream," them trying to hide a woman in Groucho's room, and the finale at the race among them. Unfortunately, the musical numbers aren't nearly as successful. A ballet mid-way through the film stops it cold, and while the "All God's Chillun Got Rhythm" number features some truly amazing jitterbugging, it's also awash in stereotypes. (Including the Marxes ending up in blackface.)
Fine for fans of the Marxes, or even just those who want to give their brand of lunacy a try if they can get around the dull and dated songs.
Headed out around 10 to run errands. Checked out a yard sale on Kendall, then headed to WaWa to take out money. In between, I rode past a small fair on the block of West Clinton between the school and the main downtown district. Considering all the beer for sale, it seemed to be an expanded version of the beer-making block party they held there last fall. Rode down East Clinton to look at their street-wide yard sale, but didn't see anything interesting.
The Collingswood Farm Market opened for the season this morning. They were already packed when I arrived around quarter after 10. The crowds were elbow-to-elbow, despite most of the booths only selling seedlings and flowers at this time of year. No fruit yet, but I did see spinach, asparagus, greens, carrots, mushrooms, onions, and hot-house tomatoes. The orchard booth was selling firewood. I ended up just buying the asparagus and spinach and moved on.
Stopped at the Oaklyn Library on the way back for this week's volunteering session. Needless to say on a decent day in the lower 70's, they were totally empty. It was just me and the librarian. Too bad. Today was apparently Free Comics Day. Thin magazines were stacked on a table in the kids' area. I grabbed DC Superhero Girls and Star Wars Adventures (the latter is promoting Solo: A Star Wars Story) for me and another title for Lauren.
Headed home after that. Made Peanut Butter Frosting for the chocolate cupcakes I made last night while watching more Speedy Gonzales. Speedy's buddies are feeling "Cannery Woe" when they're caught by Sylvester. Speedy goes after them. He has to get a "Message to Gracias" past the vigilante cat. Speedy saves his cousin Slowpoke Rodriguez from two hungry cats in "Mexican Shmoes" and Sylvester in "Mexican Borders." He goes "West of the Pesos" to once again rescue his buddies, this time from being experiments in a laboratory guarded by Sylvester. A crow chases him in "Tortilla Flaps."
The Acme was holding it's Spring Fling Employee Luncheon today to celebrate the Kentucky Derby, Cinco Del Mayo, and the Sixers' current playoff run. The only other dessert around were mini cookies n' cream cheesecakes, but there was plenty of other food! Along with a fruit tray, I saw soft pretzel bits, deviled eggs, sausage, buffalo chicken dip, two types of pasta salad, potato salad, macaroni and cheese, baked ziti, shredded chicken, and meatballs. I settled for the ziti, the macaroni salad (the other one had olives in it - I don't like olives), a cheesecake, fruit, two deviled eggs, and a meatball sandwich.
Had a lot of shopping to do today. Grabbed peanut butter, mayonnaise, Yoplait and Choboni yogurt, ground turkey, butter, turkey bacon, tortillas, Bryers' new pint ice creams, and a big container of strawberries on good sales. Had an online coupon for Crest toothpaste. They had at least two that were specifically made to target gums; I went with the larger, slightly less expensive one. Restocked chocolate pudding mix, brown and powdered sugar, honey, grapefruit, and bananas. Quaker items were still on sale; thought I'd try their "Breakfast Flats" bars.
When I got home, I put everything away, then made my way to the back room to start getting the 18-inch dolls dressed for the current warmer weather. According to Samantha's books, her birthday is in May. She gets to wear her pink striped Birthday Dress and lace-trimmed pinafore. Molly is in a hand-made version of her hard-to-find Victory Garden Dress. Went 90's with Jessa, who got the tie dye "Earth Day" t-shirt and shortalls from the original mid-90's modern collection. Whitney and Ariel both wear OG outfits. Whitney gets a purple floral retro dress with a net petticoat and shiny purple shoes. Ariel is one of my only dolls who can fit into the purple sundress with the hot-pink pineapple print. Josefina sports her Dress and Vest with the lovely red-print skirt and black velvet vest. (Left Felicity in her pink birthday dress. I don't have that much to change her into.)
Ran the Donald Duck in South America movies as I worked. Saludos Amigos is a series of shorts based around the Disney animators' trip to South America and the local color they soaked up there. Most of the segments (Goofy as a gaucho, Donald at Lake Titicaca, the tale of a baby plane delivering mail over the Andes) are pretty typical, but the last one does introduce smooth-talking parrot Jose Carioca.
All bets are off with The Three Caballeros. After a few more shorts in the first 20 minutes (including one about a penguin who sails northward to get warmer and a boy and a flying donkey), we get Donald dancing in live action with a pretty cookie seller...and go into some seriously weird turf once Mexican rooster Panchito shows up and introduces Donald to his home country. After he chases pretty girls at Acapulco, Donald's libido lands him in some of the most surreal animation to ever grace the silver screen.
While I prefer the more creative Caballeros, Amigos might be better for families with younger children who will enjoy the mail plane story and the more familiar faces. Either way, both are a lot of fun for fans of Donald, the anthology movies Disney put out in the 40's, or our neighbors south of of the border.
Worked on writing for a little while after Caballeros ended. Han confronts Palpatine after his mother dies. He knows he had something to do with her death and how frail she looked beforehand. Palpatine did, indeed, drain her so thoroughly, she looked like an old woman. He indicates that he may have been involved with the death of King Josiah as well. When Han threatens to have him arrested, he snares the young man with his magic and drags him to a pedestal, insisting that Sultan Du Hutt wanted him as a "decoration."
Leia's vision ends after that. She jumps up, upset and shocked at what she saw. Ahsoka agrees that they have to get to Coruscant to rescue Henry and stop the Mid-Summer Festival. They finally all say they'll go as a gypsy troupe when Kanan pops in, telling Leia that her new hand is ready.
I didn't break for dinner until quarter of 7. Made Spinach Salad with Turkey Bacon and yogurt dressing while watching two 60's sitcoms with Mexican-themed episodes. Max and 99 aren't exactly saying "Viva Smart" in a third season Get Smart episode when they pose as flamenco dancers in a corrupt South American country and end up in jail. The Monkees don't have much better luck in their second season opener "It's a Nice Place to Visit." They find themselves having to rescue Davy after he eyes the girlfriend of a bandit by posing as bandits themselves, then taking part in a showdown to save the town.
Went for a short walk after dinner. It was chilly but pleasant, with a stiff wind blowing around Veteran's Park next-door. It was too late to do anything but explore around back there. I noticed tents set up at a house across the river - a Kentucky Derby party, perhaps?
Put on The Three Amigos after I got in. Three former silent movie stars (Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, and Martin Short) find themselves in a real version of one of their "Robin Hood in Mexico" films when they're called on to save a small town from bandits. They not only have to learn to be real heroes, but teach the town how to call on their own talents to drive the bandits off.
Underrated 80's comedy benefits from hilarious performances by all three leads and some really funny gags involving western and Mexican cliches. I also love the three songs by Randy Newman. Rose and Anny used to love imitating the "My Little Buttercup" number, up to and including them landing on each other's backs.
Ended the night with the Marx Brothers movie A Day at the Races in honor of the Kentucky Derby today. Judy (Maureen O'Sullivan) faces losing her sanitarium if rich Mrs. Upjohn (Margaret Dumont) leaves. She brings in Dr. Hugo Hackenbush (Groucho) to keep her happy. Sanitarium employee Tony (Chico) and jockey Stuffy (Harpo) discover that Hackenbush is far from what he claims - he's really an animal doctor. They ultimately pin all their hopes on the horse that belongs to singer Gil (Allan Jones) winning the steeplechase. Morgan (Douglas Dumbrile) is after the sanitarium and will do anything to get it, including keep the horse from the track. Now the Marxes have to stall the race...and then make sure the right horse comes in first.
While not quite as funny as the previous Marx film A Night at the Opera, this movie still has its share of classic bits - Groucho and Chico's "Tootsie Frootsie Ice Cream," them trying to hide a woman in Groucho's room, and the finale at the race among them. Unfortunately, the musical numbers aren't nearly as successful. A ballet mid-way through the film stops it cold, and while the "All God's Chillun Got Rhythm" number features some truly amazing jitterbugging, it's also awash in stereotypes. (Including the Marxes ending up in blackface.)
Fine for fans of the Marxes, or even just those who want to give their brand of lunacy a try if they can get around the dull and dated songs.
Labels:
cartoons,
Cinco Del Mayo,
cooking,
Disney,
doll clothes,
dolls,
Donald Duck,
errands,
fanfiction,
farm market,
Get Smart tv show,
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holidays,
Looney Tunes,
Monkees,
movies,
TV shows,
writing
Friday, April 27, 2018
An Orchard of Love
It was still raining and gloomy when I got up this morning. After reading several short stories on Arbor Day in the Harvest of Holidays anthology book, I did It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown during breakfast. Sally's studying Arbor Day in school and talks Linus and the other kids into helping her plant trees and a garden for her project. Trouble is, they pick the worst possible spot to plant in - Charlie Brown's baseball field. Chuck's understandably upset, until it looks like the plants may actually help them win a game...
Worked on writing for the next few hours. Leia awakens in the cottage of Ahsoka Tano, a woman whom most of the City of the Clouds believes to be a witch. She's actually a former Jedi who trained under Anakin and Obi-Wan before she left the order due to an altercation with another member. Lando and Luke found her unconscious on the mountainside and brought her there. Kanan, Hera, and their family have taken refuge there as well. Ahsoka has stopped Leia's hand from bleeding and healed most of her external wounds, and Kanan is making the girl a new hand. Ahsoka knows that Leia needs to heal internally, too...and thinks the best way to do this would be to construct a new sword. Seems the mountain is full of the crystals the Jedi used for their blades. She just needs one that calls to her.
Broke a little early around quarter after noon. I went through things in the back, grabbing clothes to dump in the DARE boxes in back of the Acme and other things to bring to the church thrift shop tomorrow. After I brought those out, I had a quick muffin-and-yogurt lunch.
Ran two wedding-themed episodes of Get Smart as I worked and ate. Max thinks that "Diamonds are a Spy's Best Friend" when he goes shopping for a wedding ring for 99. Turns out the ring is part of a CHAOS plot to smuggle diamonds out of the US via the bald members of a bowling alley.
Max and 99 finally get married in "With Love and Twitches." Max meets up with a former CHAOS scientist who has him drink a formula that makes a map to a uranium mine appear on his chest. He can't sit down or scratch it for 48 hours, or it won't appear. He tries to explain to 99 and the Chief why he can't sit at his own wedding, but they think he's getting cold feet...until CHAOS agents grab Max, and he's almost late for the ceremony.
I headed off to work a little early to print out the payroll stubs I needed for my food stamp renewal application. It took me 20 minutes alone to find someone to help me print them out. In the end, one of the college students who work produce ended up helping me with it on the computer in the back lounge room.
Things didn't get much better from there. I spent almost an hour in the register, right before I went on break. We got insanely busy around rush hour, and we're still short on help. Thankfully, I spent the rest of the time after my break outside gathering carts and doing trash.
Not entirely happy with my schedule next week, either. While I'm back to having three days off (one of them for a dental appointment on Tuesday), I'm also back to an 8 and 1/2 hour day on Wednesday, and I lost hours. I'd rather keep the extra hours and keep them spread out.
Dodged more heavy traffic in the shopping center behind the Acme as I headed to the post office. Of course, it had been closed for an hour. I dumped the application in the mail box in the back of the building and hoped Camden County didn't mind it being a day or two late.
Cheered myself up with dinner at Sonic. It was a little chilly and damp by 6:30, though the rain was long gone at that point. I had a tasty grilled chicken sandwich with tater tots and my favorite cherry-limeade. I was the only one eating outside on a day that was still rather dark and gray.
Headed back to the Acme to get my grocery shopping done. Took advantage of coupons and sales to pick up Honey Bunches of Oats cereal, canned pineapple, buy-one-get-one-free eggs, Pillsbury cake mix, and a card for Dana and Jesse's wedding tomorrow. Restocked bananas, grapefruit, mandarin orange cups, cooking oil, ground turkey, and yogurt. Found a seasoned tilapia fillet and a lobster cake with manager's coupons.
I didn't roll in until almost 8. I never did get to working out tonight, but I did get to watch Father of the Bride. I have the original 1950 version of the tale of doting dad Stanley (Spencer Tracy) who, despite his reservations about the groom Buckley (Don Taylor), gives his daughter Kay (Elizabeth Taylor) the most lavish ceremony and reception he possibly can. Of course, this involves having to remove almost every stick of furniture in his house to make the guests fit, hiring a snooty British wedding organizer (Leo G. Carroll) to see to the details, and even talking the bride back into the wedding when she almost calls it off when she and the groom fight over their honeymoon spot. In the end, Stanley finally realizes that his little girl is now a woman...and that growing up means making your own choices, for better or for worse.
If you're a fan of the cast or the sitcoms of the 50's and 60's, you may find a great deal to enjoy in this domestic charmer. Tracy was Oscar-nominated as the bemused father of the title; Elizabeth Taylor is equally good as the glowing bride. Director Vincent Minnelli keeps everything sparkling and fun. (The Steve Martin remake from the 90's is also really cute if you ever run into it on cable or online.)
Worked on writing for the next few hours. Leia awakens in the cottage of Ahsoka Tano, a woman whom most of the City of the Clouds believes to be a witch. She's actually a former Jedi who trained under Anakin and Obi-Wan before she left the order due to an altercation with another member. Lando and Luke found her unconscious on the mountainside and brought her there. Kanan, Hera, and their family have taken refuge there as well. Ahsoka has stopped Leia's hand from bleeding and healed most of her external wounds, and Kanan is making the girl a new hand. Ahsoka knows that Leia needs to heal internally, too...and thinks the best way to do this would be to construct a new sword. Seems the mountain is full of the crystals the Jedi used for their blades. She just needs one that calls to her.
Broke a little early around quarter after noon. I went through things in the back, grabbing clothes to dump in the DARE boxes in back of the Acme and other things to bring to the church thrift shop tomorrow. After I brought those out, I had a quick muffin-and-yogurt lunch.
Ran two wedding-themed episodes of Get Smart as I worked and ate. Max thinks that "Diamonds are a Spy's Best Friend" when he goes shopping for a wedding ring for 99. Turns out the ring is part of a CHAOS plot to smuggle diamonds out of the US via the bald members of a bowling alley.
Max and 99 finally get married in "With Love and Twitches." Max meets up with a former CHAOS scientist who has him drink a formula that makes a map to a uranium mine appear on his chest. He can't sit down or scratch it for 48 hours, or it won't appear. He tries to explain to 99 and the Chief why he can't sit at his own wedding, but they think he's getting cold feet...until CHAOS agents grab Max, and he's almost late for the ceremony.
I headed off to work a little early to print out the payroll stubs I needed for my food stamp renewal application. It took me 20 minutes alone to find someone to help me print them out. In the end, one of the college students who work produce ended up helping me with it on the computer in the back lounge room.
Things didn't get much better from there. I spent almost an hour in the register, right before I went on break. We got insanely busy around rush hour, and we're still short on help. Thankfully, I spent the rest of the time after my break outside gathering carts and doing trash.
Not entirely happy with my schedule next week, either. While I'm back to having three days off (one of them for a dental appointment on Tuesday), I'm also back to an 8 and 1/2 hour day on Wednesday, and I lost hours. I'd rather keep the extra hours and keep them spread out.
Dodged more heavy traffic in the shopping center behind the Acme as I headed to the post office. Of course, it had been closed for an hour. I dumped the application in the mail box in the back of the building and hoped Camden County didn't mind it being a day or two late.
Cheered myself up with dinner at Sonic. It was a little chilly and damp by 6:30, though the rain was long gone at that point. I had a tasty grilled chicken sandwich with tater tots and my favorite cherry-limeade. I was the only one eating outside on a day that was still rather dark and gray.
Headed back to the Acme to get my grocery shopping done. Took advantage of coupons and sales to pick up Honey Bunches of Oats cereal, canned pineapple, buy-one-get-one-free eggs, Pillsbury cake mix, and a card for Dana and Jesse's wedding tomorrow. Restocked bananas, grapefruit, mandarin orange cups, cooking oil, ground turkey, and yogurt. Found a seasoned tilapia fillet and a lobster cake with manager's coupons.
I didn't roll in until almost 8. I never did get to working out tonight, but I did get to watch Father of the Bride. I have the original 1950 version of the tale of doting dad Stanley (Spencer Tracy) who, despite his reservations about the groom Buckley (Don Taylor), gives his daughter Kay (Elizabeth Taylor) the most lavish ceremony and reception he possibly can. Of course, this involves having to remove almost every stick of furniture in his house to make the guests fit, hiring a snooty British wedding organizer (Leo G. Carroll) to see to the details, and even talking the bride back into the wedding when she almost calls it off when she and the groom fight over their honeymoon spot. In the end, Stanley finally realizes that his little girl is now a woman...and that growing up means making your own choices, for better or for worse.
If you're a fan of the cast or the sitcoms of the 50's and 60's, you may find a great deal to enjoy in this domestic charmer. Tracy was Oscar-nominated as the bemused father of the title; Elizabeth Taylor is equally good as the glowing bride. Director Vincent Minnelli keeps everything sparkling and fun. (The Steve Martin remake from the 90's is also really cute if you ever run into it on cable or online.)
Friday, April 20, 2018
Let Them Eat Banana Cake
Began a sunny spring morning with baking a cake. I had three bananas that were a little too ripe, so I mashed them and made Banana Cake from Kit's Cooking Studio. Experimented with halving the recipe to make one layer instead of two. I really don't need a two-layer cake! Yuuumm. It came out beautifully, perfectly moist and sweet, and it smelled amazing baking. I added nutmeg and cinnamon for even more flavor.
Watched Yogi's Great Escape while baking. Yogi, Boo Boo, and three perpetually hungry cubs go on the run after Ranger Smith reveals that Jellystone Park is being closed and they're all going to be shipped off to the zoo. The bears take off across the US in Yogi's cobbled-together vehicle. Stops on their journey include a small town in the west where Quick Draw McGraw mistakes them for outlaws, a treehouse in the woods where the local kids see them and think they're aliens, and a spooky abandoned paddle wheeler in the bayou, the home of Wally Gator. Ranger Smith's hot on their tale, with the dubious assistance of a none-too-bright tracker and his hound. The bears have their own aid in the form of groups of kids across the country who are their biggest fans.
Headed out as soon as the cake was out of the oven. First stop of the day was the Oaklyn Library. It was just me, the librarian, and one other guy sitting at a table reading. I took a quick look at the DVDs and shelved a few kids' books and left.
Nicholson Road is closer to the Library than the Black Horse Pike, so I took that way to the Acme, dodging rush hour traffic. Wanted to get my grocery shopping done today, so I can focus on Audubon's town-wide yard sale tomorrow. Found a container of cooked shrimp on sale; grabbed asparagus and cherry tomatoes and decided to have Shrimp Pasta Salad for dinner. Restocked skim milk, yogurt, tea (had a coupon for Lipton; went with English breakfast tea), grapefruit, jam, bananas, sponges, butter, and brown sugar.
My schedule next week is probably the best I've had in weeks, if not in months. Not only do I keep the increased hours from this week, but they're finally more spread out - no 7 or 8-hour days. I do wish my first day off after tomorrow wasn't Thursday, but I have that and next Saturday off (the latter for Dana and Jesse's wedding).
Put everything away after I got home, then had a quick lunch while watching Rick Steves. The French Riviera is one of the most impossibly beautiful - and impossibly glamorous - spots on Earth. While large cities like Nice and Cannes may have the celebrities and tiny Monaco has the casino and expensive living, I most liked the smaller, laid-back fishing towns. This is where artists like Pablo Picasso did some of their best work while enjoying bouillabaisse and commanding views of the Mediterranean.
As soon as the episode ended, I went back out. Took the bike across Newton Lake Park, just enjoying the sunshine. While the wind was still chilly, the sun felt warm on my back. The park was busy with runners from the high school, other bikers, parents taking their kids for a stroll, fisher-folks, and people just out for a walk on a beautiful day. The park is looking more and more springlike every day. The banks of the lake are a carpet of buttercups, scattered like little yellow jewels across green velvet. Delicate buds frame the black wire trees; the bottle-green lake sparkled against the warm sunshine.
It was late when I arrived at the Haddon Township Library, past 3:30. Most of the kids were out of school by then, which meant they were a lot busier than Oaklyn had been. Despite that, there wasn't much for me to do. I looked for items to be put on hold and shelved audio books, CDs, and the few DVDs.
Took out a few items quickly before the library closed at 5. Returned to the 60's for the romantic melodrama This Property Is Condemned, with Natalie Wood and Robert Redford. Their Finest is about a British movie studio in the 40's that hopes to make a major epic that will convince Hollywood to join the war effort. I don't normally do romantic comedies, but that at least sounds like it'll be unique. Twister was one of a wave of disaster movies that came out in the 90's. I never got around to seeing it then; after having enjoyed The Poseidon Adventure and (to a lesser degree) Earthquake, I thought I'd try this one. Also grabbed a Reader's Digest book on saving money.
Peeked at Rite Aid and Family Dollar on the way home, looking for something. Couldn't find it in either place and just hurried home, dodging rush-hour traffic. Did some writing when I got in. Maz shoos Han and Leia out as soon as they're done breakfast. Palpatine is still looking for them. Han flirts with Leia, ultimately ending with them kissing in the back door of Maz's kitchen. The sounds of stormtroopers crashing through the main tavern is enough to send them on their way and back on the main road.
Broke at quarter of 7 to make that Shrimp-Pasta Salad. Steamed asparagus and broccoli; added it to tri-color spiral pasta and cooked shrimp with off-price Old Bay. Tossed it in olive oil, apple cider vinegar, more Old Bay, and Parmesan cheese. Oooh, that was a good idea. It was a nice, savory melding of spring flavors. When I finished dinner, I whipped up a dark chocolate buttercream frosting for the banana cake.
Watched two episodes of Get Smart as I worked and ate. "The Greatest Spy on Earth" takes Max and 99 to a circus that CONTROL suspects is the front for a diamond smuggling operation. They pose as reporters to figure who is in charge of the operation and killed the midget who was going to go to them with information - the circus owner, the strongman, the half-man-half-woman, or the knife thrower. "Bronzefinger" is an art forger who has been stealing priceless art works and replacing it with his own copies. Max and 99 go undercover as an art restorer and museum guide to figure out who Bronzefinger is and what he's done with the missing art works.
Finished the night on the Wii. I'm getting much better at some of the games on Wii Sports. Won my tennis match, got a silver medal in returning balls in tennis and hitting fast balls in baseball and a bronze at controlling the ball in baseball. I've gotten better at hitting home runs, too - I can actually hit home runs.
My second go-around on Lego Star Wars is winding down. Tried something different tonight and did the bonus mini-games that involve rounding up studs. Each round has two mini-games, one character-based, one based around the minikit vehicles you built with all those pieces. The Kashyyak flying round on Revenge of the Sith was so easy, I did it in well under a minute. Got Mufasar in a little over two minutes. Had a harder time with Attack of the Clones. I had to do the Geonosis character round three times before I got it under five minutes (more like two and a half). Just barely got the Coruscant flying round under five.
Watched Yogi's Great Escape while baking. Yogi, Boo Boo, and three perpetually hungry cubs go on the run after Ranger Smith reveals that Jellystone Park is being closed and they're all going to be shipped off to the zoo. The bears take off across the US in Yogi's cobbled-together vehicle. Stops on their journey include a small town in the west where Quick Draw McGraw mistakes them for outlaws, a treehouse in the woods where the local kids see them and think they're aliens, and a spooky abandoned paddle wheeler in the bayou, the home of Wally Gator. Ranger Smith's hot on their tale, with the dubious assistance of a none-too-bright tracker and his hound. The bears have their own aid in the form of groups of kids across the country who are their biggest fans.
Headed out as soon as the cake was out of the oven. First stop of the day was the Oaklyn Library. It was just me, the librarian, and one other guy sitting at a table reading. I took a quick look at the DVDs and shelved a few kids' books and left.
Nicholson Road is closer to the Library than the Black Horse Pike, so I took that way to the Acme, dodging rush hour traffic. Wanted to get my grocery shopping done today, so I can focus on Audubon's town-wide yard sale tomorrow. Found a container of cooked shrimp on sale; grabbed asparagus and cherry tomatoes and decided to have Shrimp Pasta Salad for dinner. Restocked skim milk, yogurt, tea (had a coupon for Lipton; went with English breakfast tea), grapefruit, jam, bananas, sponges, butter, and brown sugar.
My schedule next week is probably the best I've had in weeks, if not in months. Not only do I keep the increased hours from this week, but they're finally more spread out - no 7 or 8-hour days. I do wish my first day off after tomorrow wasn't Thursday, but I have that and next Saturday off (the latter for Dana and Jesse's wedding).
Put everything away after I got home, then had a quick lunch while watching Rick Steves. The French Riviera is one of the most impossibly beautiful - and impossibly glamorous - spots on Earth. While large cities like Nice and Cannes may have the celebrities and tiny Monaco has the casino and expensive living, I most liked the smaller, laid-back fishing towns. This is where artists like Pablo Picasso did some of their best work while enjoying bouillabaisse and commanding views of the Mediterranean.
As soon as the episode ended, I went back out. Took the bike across Newton Lake Park, just enjoying the sunshine. While the wind was still chilly, the sun felt warm on my back. The park was busy with runners from the high school, other bikers, parents taking their kids for a stroll, fisher-folks, and people just out for a walk on a beautiful day. The park is looking more and more springlike every day. The banks of the lake are a carpet of buttercups, scattered like little yellow jewels across green velvet. Delicate buds frame the black wire trees; the bottle-green lake sparkled against the warm sunshine.
It was late when I arrived at the Haddon Township Library, past 3:30. Most of the kids were out of school by then, which meant they were a lot busier than Oaklyn had been. Despite that, there wasn't much for me to do. I looked for items to be put on hold and shelved audio books, CDs, and the few DVDs.
Took out a few items quickly before the library closed at 5. Returned to the 60's for the romantic melodrama This Property Is Condemned, with Natalie Wood and Robert Redford. Their Finest is about a British movie studio in the 40's that hopes to make a major epic that will convince Hollywood to join the war effort. I don't normally do romantic comedies, but that at least sounds like it'll be unique. Twister was one of a wave of disaster movies that came out in the 90's. I never got around to seeing it then; after having enjoyed The Poseidon Adventure and (to a lesser degree) Earthquake, I thought I'd try this one. Also grabbed a Reader's Digest book on saving money.
Peeked at Rite Aid and Family Dollar on the way home, looking for something. Couldn't find it in either place and just hurried home, dodging rush-hour traffic. Did some writing when I got in. Maz shoos Han and Leia out as soon as they're done breakfast. Palpatine is still looking for them. Han flirts with Leia, ultimately ending with them kissing in the back door of Maz's kitchen. The sounds of stormtroopers crashing through the main tavern is enough to send them on their way and back on the main road.
Broke at quarter of 7 to make that Shrimp-Pasta Salad. Steamed asparagus and broccoli; added it to tri-color spiral pasta and cooked shrimp with off-price Old Bay. Tossed it in olive oil, apple cider vinegar, more Old Bay, and Parmesan cheese. Oooh, that was a good idea. It was a nice, savory melding of spring flavors. When I finished dinner, I whipped up a dark chocolate buttercream frosting for the banana cake.
Watched two episodes of Get Smart as I worked and ate. "The Greatest Spy on Earth" takes Max and 99 to a circus that CONTROL suspects is the front for a diamond smuggling operation. They pose as reporters to figure who is in charge of the operation and killed the midget who was going to go to them with information - the circus owner, the strongman, the half-man-half-woman, or the knife thrower. "Bronzefinger" is an art forger who has been stealing priceless art works and replacing it with his own copies. Max and 99 go undercover as an art restorer and museum guide to figure out who Bronzefinger is and what he's done with the missing art works.
Finished the night on the Wii. I'm getting much better at some of the games on Wii Sports. Won my tennis match, got a silver medal in returning balls in tennis and hitting fast balls in baseball and a bronze at controlling the ball in baseball. I've gotten better at hitting home runs, too - I can actually hit home runs.
My second go-around on Lego Star Wars is winding down. Tried something different tonight and did the bonus mini-games that involve rounding up studs. Each round has two mini-games, one character-based, one based around the minikit vehicles you built with all those pieces. The Kashyyak flying round on Revenge of the Sith was so easy, I did it in well under a minute. Got Mufasar in a little over two minutes. Had a harder time with Attack of the Clones. I had to do the Geonosis character round three times before I got it under five minutes (more like two and a half). Just barely got the Coruscant flying round under five.
Friday, March 09, 2018
Spartacus and the Stooges
Celebrated a sunny, if windy, morning with oatmeal and diced peaches for breakfast while watching more Good Eats. Since I was planning on having pasta and meatballs for dinner, I thought it was the perfect time for the first "Pantry Raids" episode on pasta. Alton shows you how to cook your favorite pasta, what to cook it with, and what to put on it.
Worked on writing for the rest of the morning. Leia and Obi-Wan spend the next few days traveling. Leia's having constant nightmares about her parents' death and Luke's wherabouts. She awakens hearing a dog whimpering in one and thinking it sounded all-too-real. The girl follows the sound into the woods, where she finds a brown wolf with a very thick, shaggy coat caught in a trap. She manages to free it, while Obi-Wan heals its leg with his herbs. They bring the wolf along with them while he recovers.
The Imperial Road takes them to Death Star Fortress, on the Salt Cliffs of Crait. Obi-Wan uses his Force mind magic to convince the soldiers guarding the entrance to open the drawbridge. He and Leia pass themselves off as a man and his niece making a delivery to the kitchen, then put on cloaks as disguises to get inside.
Broke for lunch around 1:30. Continued with Good Eats pantry-themed episodes while I ate. I'm a big fan of honey on pancakes - it's cheaper than maple syrup and better for you than that sugary "pancake syrup" glop - but it has other uses as well. I've made Alton's honey mustard dressing many times, and may have to try the fruit dip sometime, too.
Ran to the grocery store after I ate. Bought a packet of spaghetti sauce mix and Parmesan cheese for my dinner. Took advantage of good sales and coupons on frozen vegetables, packs of breaded fish, clementines, another bag of the rice-pea snacks, and buy one-get-one-free sponge packs. Restocked crushed pineapple, brown sugar, whole wheat and unbleached flour, yogurt, skim milk, eggs, ground turkey, brown rice, and an onion.
My schedule for next week is...exactly the same as this week, with the exception of an additional hour on Sunday. Other than I wish they'd spread out that 8 1/2 hour day, that actually works to my advantage. I can get to the gynecologist's before going to the Haddon Township Library on Tuesday, then put in some serious writing and research next Friday and Saturday (and enjoy St. Patrick's Day next Saturday as well).
It was so late by the time I got home, I just opted to stay there and start cleaning. Did the bathroom first, then the kitchen. The bathroom in particular was kind of grungy, but the kitchen was messy, too. I was still finding uncooked rice on the stove from dinner the other night.
Watched Spartacus as I cleaned, and later as I began dinner. Kirk Douglas plays the title character, a slave who is brought to the gladitorial school of Lentulus (Peter Ustinov) after he's found to be too proud and strong-minded for regular work. Angered after he's forced to perform before ambitious senator Crassus (Laurence Olivier), he kills the trainer (Charles McGraw) and helps the other gladiators to escape. Among those joining in their crusade is Varinia (Jean Simmons), a slave of Crassus who had fallen for Spartacus after he refused to hurt her when she was sent to seduce him. They start their own army of former slaves, all of whom are ready to fight for the right to be free. The Roman Senate is far less happy with this uprising and sends Crassus with an army after young Caeser (John Gavin), the protege of the older senator Gracchus (Charles Laughton) tries to get them out of Rome. Crassus may win the battle, but he'll never win the war for the people's hearts and minds. Spartacus commands far more love from his men than the senator ever did, even after he and his men are threatened with slow death.
This used to be a favorite of Dad-Bill, who watched it quite often during my childhood. It didn't make much of an impression on me, but then I was never a big fan of the sword-and-sandals genre. I like it much better now. Stanley Kubrick may have thought Spartacus was too perfect of a character, but he did some fine work in this sprawling film. I was especially impressed with the rugged cinematography and production design. This is a very different Rome from the colorful, massive world of Cleopatra, released three years later, slightly more earthy and less soap-opera-ish. Ustinov won a Supporting Actor Oscar as the wily Lentulus. I also loved the Alex North score.
This is another movie that we're lucky got made at all. The author of the screenplay and of the original book were both blacklisted. It took John F. Kennedy crossing picket lines to see this movie and its subsequent success to end the blacklisting and bring screenwriter Dalton Trumbo back into the limelight.
If you're a fan of the cast or a good sword-and-sandals drama and have time on your hands, you may find much to like in this one.
My dinner went really, really well. Had turkey meatballs and pasta with home-made tomato sauce, pearl onions in white sauce, and broccoli. Other than I overcooked the broccoli and forgot the egg in the meatballs, my meal was absolutely amazing. I'll have to make my own tomato sauce more often.
Finished the night with The Three Stooges Meet Hercules as I had Hummingbird Cake with coffee gelato for dessert and cleaned up afterwards. Moe, Larry, and Curly Joe are druggists who accidentally end up on a time machine with a nerdy inventor and his crush and find themselves in ancient Rome. Their arrival winds up putting the nasty Odeuous on the throne of Ithaca, rather than the good Odysseus. When the boys try to rescue the right man, they end up as galley slaves. All the rowing gives the inventor muscles that rivals the legendary Hercules. Once they get their freedom, the Stooges promote their friend as Hercules...which doesn't amuse the real warrior one bit!
Amusing later-day Stooges film is buoyed by some fun bits, especially the trio with the cyclops and in the finale. Fun if you're a fan of the Stooges or the sword-and-sandal genre.
Worked on writing for the rest of the morning. Leia and Obi-Wan spend the next few days traveling. Leia's having constant nightmares about her parents' death and Luke's wherabouts. She awakens hearing a dog whimpering in one and thinking it sounded all-too-real. The girl follows the sound into the woods, where she finds a brown wolf with a very thick, shaggy coat caught in a trap. She manages to free it, while Obi-Wan heals its leg with his herbs. They bring the wolf along with them while he recovers.
The Imperial Road takes them to Death Star Fortress, on the Salt Cliffs of Crait. Obi-Wan uses his Force mind magic to convince the soldiers guarding the entrance to open the drawbridge. He and Leia pass themselves off as a man and his niece making a delivery to the kitchen, then put on cloaks as disguises to get inside.
Broke for lunch around 1:30. Continued with Good Eats pantry-themed episodes while I ate. I'm a big fan of honey on pancakes - it's cheaper than maple syrup and better for you than that sugary "pancake syrup" glop - but it has other uses as well. I've made Alton's honey mustard dressing many times, and may have to try the fruit dip sometime, too.
Ran to the grocery store after I ate. Bought a packet of spaghetti sauce mix and Parmesan cheese for my dinner. Took advantage of good sales and coupons on frozen vegetables, packs of breaded fish, clementines, another bag of the rice-pea snacks, and buy one-get-one-free sponge packs. Restocked crushed pineapple, brown sugar, whole wheat and unbleached flour, yogurt, skim milk, eggs, ground turkey, brown rice, and an onion.
My schedule for next week is...exactly the same as this week, with the exception of an additional hour on Sunday. Other than I wish they'd spread out that 8 1/2 hour day, that actually works to my advantage. I can get to the gynecologist's before going to the Haddon Township Library on Tuesday, then put in some serious writing and research next Friday and Saturday (and enjoy St. Patrick's Day next Saturday as well).
It was so late by the time I got home, I just opted to stay there and start cleaning. Did the bathroom first, then the kitchen. The bathroom in particular was kind of grungy, but the kitchen was messy, too. I was still finding uncooked rice on the stove from dinner the other night.
Watched Spartacus as I cleaned, and later as I began dinner. Kirk Douglas plays the title character, a slave who is brought to the gladitorial school of Lentulus (Peter Ustinov) after he's found to be too proud and strong-minded for regular work. Angered after he's forced to perform before ambitious senator Crassus (Laurence Olivier), he kills the trainer (Charles McGraw) and helps the other gladiators to escape. Among those joining in their crusade is Varinia (Jean Simmons), a slave of Crassus who had fallen for Spartacus after he refused to hurt her when she was sent to seduce him. They start their own army of former slaves, all of whom are ready to fight for the right to be free. The Roman Senate is far less happy with this uprising and sends Crassus with an army after young Caeser (John Gavin), the protege of the older senator Gracchus (Charles Laughton) tries to get them out of Rome. Crassus may win the battle, but he'll never win the war for the people's hearts and minds. Spartacus commands far more love from his men than the senator ever did, even after he and his men are threatened with slow death.
This used to be a favorite of Dad-Bill, who watched it quite often during my childhood. It didn't make much of an impression on me, but then I was never a big fan of the sword-and-sandals genre. I like it much better now. Stanley Kubrick may have thought Spartacus was too perfect of a character, but he did some fine work in this sprawling film. I was especially impressed with the rugged cinematography and production design. This is a very different Rome from the colorful, massive world of Cleopatra, released three years later, slightly more earthy and less soap-opera-ish. Ustinov won a Supporting Actor Oscar as the wily Lentulus. I also loved the Alex North score.
This is another movie that we're lucky got made at all. The author of the screenplay and of the original book were both blacklisted. It took John F. Kennedy crossing picket lines to see this movie and its subsequent success to end the blacklisting and bring screenwriter Dalton Trumbo back into the limelight.
If you're a fan of the cast or a good sword-and-sandals drama and have time on your hands, you may find much to like in this one.
My dinner went really, really well. Had turkey meatballs and pasta with home-made tomato sauce, pearl onions in white sauce, and broccoli. Other than I overcooked the broccoli and forgot the egg in the meatballs, my meal was absolutely amazing. I'll have to make my own tomato sauce more often.
Finished the night with The Three Stooges Meet Hercules as I had Hummingbird Cake with coffee gelato for dessert and cleaned up afterwards. Moe, Larry, and Curly Joe are druggists who accidentally end up on a time machine with a nerdy inventor and his crush and find themselves in ancient Rome. Their arrival winds up putting the nasty Odeuous on the throne of Ithaca, rather than the good Odysseus. When the boys try to rescue the right man, they end up as galley slaves. All the rowing gives the inventor muscles that rivals the legendary Hercules. Once they get their freedom, the Stooges promote their friend as Hercules...which doesn't amuse the real warrior one bit!
Amusing later-day Stooges film is buoyed by some fun bits, especially the trio with the cyclops and in the finale. Fun if you're a fan of the Stooges or the sword-and-sandal genre.
Monday, October 16, 2017
Return of the Fall
Began a wonderfully cool morning with a quick breakfast before finally dusting the living area. I put it off last month to work on writing, but I just couldn't ignore it anymore. It was really bad, especially around where the records, record player, and CDs are.
Did a few horror-themed sitcom and dramady episodes while I worked. "I See England, I See France, I See Maddie's Netherworld" from the fifth season of Moonlighting starts with Maddie, David, and Agnes discovering a man who has died in their office. The next day, another fellow claims his late friend had the other half of a lottery ticket worth millions. Hoping to cash in, Dave takes Maddie around town to find the ticket. But someone else is after the ticket, too...and it turns out that this corpse had a lot more up his sleeve than winning the lottery. While the duo dig in a cemetery and dodge the creeps who are after this very popular corpse, they argue over death and the possibility of there being something on "the other side."
"Weekend Vampire," from the first season of Get Smart, is only slightly less spooky. Someone's been killing Control agents during weekend shifts, leaving puncture marks like vampire teeth in their victim's necks. Max and 99 head to a creepy old manor disguised as newlyweds to investigate a former Control scientist who was fired for his unauthorized experiments.
Headed off to work shortly after Get Smart ended. It was on and off busy...but when it was on, the lines snaked around the store. We simply weren't prepared for how popular this 4-day sale was. While I did manage to clean the bathrooms and gather trash, recycling, and baskets, I mostly got stuck in the registers again. At least by this point, the sun had finally emerged and the clouds were gone. It wasn't warmer, but at least it wasn't damp and blahh anymore.
Worked on writing as soon as I got home. Hank leads Jyn, Leia, Cassian, and Bodhi back onto the pier to keep an eye out for trouble. Jyn sniffs out gasoline that isn't powering a ride, leading them to the Imperials attempting to set the pier's top roller coaster, the Kamakazi Star, on fire. They try to stop them, but there's too many there, and they're simply overpowered.
Did two Scooby Doo, Where are You? episodes while eating roasted Brussels sprouts and the last of the shrimp for dinner and making Cranberry Flummery for dessert. It's a "Hassle at the Castle" when the kids are stranded on a deserted island. They end up in a creepy castle haunted by a ghost that can walk through walls! "What a Knight for a Knight" is the pilot episode. The gang runs around a museum at night, trying to figure out why the Black Knight armor is moving, and what happened to the man who originally brought it to the US.
Ended the night after a shower with The French Connection. Detectives Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) and Buddy "Cloudy" Russo (Roy Schinder), members of New York City's narcotics squad, are after a charismatic French smuggler (Fernando Rey) who has brought millions of dollars of heroin into the US via his friend Henri Bordeaux (Frederique De Pascale), who has no idea what's going on. Popeye and Cloudy follow the Frenchman's trail from fashionable New York clubs to the elevated subways to grimy warehouses in Brooklyn, hoping to shut down the trail from its source. But this is one crafty Frenchman, and it'll take all of Popeye's determination and resources to track him down and dodge his hitman (Marcel Bozzuffi).
I'm not normally the biggest fan of cops and robbers tales, but this thriller about a devoted cop and the crafty criminal he chases is really enjoyable, sagging only in the middle when exposition takes over. No wonder this won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1971. (Hackman, director William Friedkin, and the screenplay also won.) Hackman owns the role of the cop who will take down this drug ring, no matter what; Rey is also excellent as the charismatic French drug dealer. This also features one of the most famous and well-directed car chase scenes in cinema history under New York's elevated railway. Awesome cinematography shows off New York and Marseilles in all their early 70's grittiness.
If you're a fan of Hackman or love police procedurals, thrillers, or true-crime tales, this is a classic cop story absolutely worth checking out.
Friday, May 05, 2017
Of Caballeros and Amigos
I awoke to rain. It was pouring like mad when I got up, and would continue pouring for the entire morning. Since I was stuck inside, I did chores and spring cleaning. I made the bed. Vacuumed everything, around all the floorboards, under as many pieces of furniture as I could move or fit the attachment into. Washed the windows and the floor-length mirror in my bedroom. Continued to re-organize my medicine cabinet and the back room.
Ran the two "Donald Duck In Latin America" movies as I worked in honor of Cinco Del Mayo. Saludos Amigos is the earlier and tamer of the two. Four shorts depict the Disney Animators' trip south of the border. Donald visits Lake Titicaca, Goofy learns about Argentinian gauchos, and we're introduced to Pedro the mail plane and his family and Brazilian parrot Jose Carioca.
Things pick up in The Three Caballeros. After three shorts about a penguin who wants to live in warmer climes, a flying donkey from Uruguay, and the wacky Aracuan bird, Donald receives presents from - and is introduced to - noisy Mexican rooster Panchito. The two and Jose sing the famous title song, dance with real-life South American beauties, learn about Mexican folk dances and Las Posadas, and check out some of the most surreal animation ever to grace the silver screen.
I prefer the more creative Caballeros, but those of you with younger kids may want to try them on the less-weird Amigos first. Either way, these underrated treats are great fun for fans of Donald, the Disney anthology films of the 40's, unusual animation, or our neighbors in South America.
Did two quick Donald shorts that come with the set as I put cleaning products away. "Don Donald" is an earlier short that introduced Daisy (as Donna Duck). Donald is a gaucho out to woo his fickle girl. His burro proves to be too much to handle, but a snazzy new car might do the trick. "Contrary Condor" is from the later 40's. Donald's an egg collector in South America, trying to grab an egg from a condor. Not only does the condor think he's her baby, but the real baby condor gets jealous and tries to eliminate Donald.
Ran a Monkees episode while I got ready to run errands. "It's a Nice Place to Visit" in the season two opener as the groovy rockers find themselves stranded in Mexico. When Davy's kidnapped by bandits who don't appreciate him flirting with the head man's girlfriend, the other three pass themselves off as bandits and go after him.
The rain had finally subsided by around 1. It was safe for me to head out for lunch and to run errands. I really couldn't have stuck around for much longer, anyway. One of Charlie's men yelled up to me and told me that the water was being turned off for a few hours. They were working on a pipe a few blocks away.
Stopped quickly at WaWa for money, then hurried across the White Horse Pike to Jalapeno's Grill for lunch. Needless to say on a Mexican holiday, they were the busiest I ever saw them. The main dining room was decorated to the nines with streamers and "Cinco Del Mayo" signs. The waitresses even sported colorful, ruffly peasant blouses. For once, my food was on time, even if it took them a while to bring me the check. The chicken quesadillas were slightly charred on the outside, but otherwise very tasty, with lots of sweet peppers and melted cheese.
My next stop was Dollar Tree. I wanted to finish reorganizing the back room. I needed containers for the towels - all of them, the older striped ones Linda Young gave me and the ones I use in the bathroom - and for placemats and cookie mats. Picked up box-like fabric containers, one in red, one in green, and a smaller one in tweed-like tan. Also bought Mother's Day cards and a colorful new tray for the kitchen. The old one I'd had since I moved to Wildwood had finally started cracking after 15 years.
I was mainly at the Haddon Township Library to return DVDs and a few books. They had plenty of kids there just getting off of school and not much going on. I shelved audio books, CDs, and new releases. Didn't take anything out this week. I want to concentrate on writing and getting ready for Lauren's visit in a week and a half.
Made a quick stop at CVS to use the last of my birthday gift card on conditioner and dish washing liquid. Since the Westmont Acme is next-door, I figured I'd get as much of my shopping done as I could. I couldn't find the grapefruit, so I ended up with blood oranges. Restocked brown sugar, bananas, baby spinach, apples, skim milk, eggs, canned apricots, shredded Mexican-blend cheese, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, and Choboni "Flip" yogurts.
Headed home across Newton Lake Park. Surprisingly for a warm, humid, and gloomy afternoon, I noticed a few fisherfolk leaning over railings, trying to catch an elusive lake-dweller. Passed several other bikers, too. The park's gorgeous now, as green as emeralds. The leaves get bigger every time I see them.
Ran a Latin-themed episode of Get Smart as I put away the groceries and organized the towels and wraps for my ankles and wrists. The third season episode "Viva Smart" has Max and 99 undercover in a South American country run by a cruel dictator, where people are shot for petty reasons every other second. They have to pass themselves off as a flamenco dancing team or face the firing squad themselves.
(Incidentally, while the water wasn't on when I got home, it was working by the time I was making dinner.)
Squeezed in a little writing before dinner. An angry Leia joins Ahsoka, Jyn, and Cassian down at the harbor. Leia and Ahsoka both felt Vader use the Force to mentally attack the men on Luke's ship. Leia knows Vader has something planned. She's just not sure what.
Broke around 6:30 to make my favorite Tex-Mex Black Bean Dip, smothered in half the bag of that Mexican cheese I bought earlier. Put on a Backyardigans episode as I ate. Uniqua and Tasha run "Chichen-Itza Pizza," the best (and likely only) pizza parlor in the ancient Mexican jungles. Uniqua wants to get a pie to the King of Mexico (Tyrone) in his Golden Pyramid. Tasha's ready to quit, thanks to her fear of heights and the long distance.
Finished out the night after a shower with The Three Amigos. A trio of out-of-work silent movie actors (Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short) travel to Mexico at the request of a young woman and her brother. They think their Robin Hood-like movie characters are real and think they can help them defeat the bandit who is terrorizing their village. Although the Amigos aren't terribly happy about all this when they figure it out, they finally decide they don't have a choice, pursuing the bandit into the desert.
Long-time family favorite was one of those smaller comedies that used to run a lot on cable in the late 80's and early 90's. Great work by all three leads, with an appropriately sweeping score by Elmer Bernstein and three fun songs by Randy Newman. (Including "My Little Buttercup," the Amigos' number in the bar. We watched this movie so often in the late 80's, Rose and Anny had their whole routine memorized, up to and including them ending up on each other's backs.)
Ran the two "Donald Duck In Latin America" movies as I worked in honor of Cinco Del Mayo. Saludos Amigos is the earlier and tamer of the two. Four shorts depict the Disney Animators' trip south of the border. Donald visits Lake Titicaca, Goofy learns about Argentinian gauchos, and we're introduced to Pedro the mail plane and his family and Brazilian parrot Jose Carioca.
Things pick up in The Three Caballeros. After three shorts about a penguin who wants to live in warmer climes, a flying donkey from Uruguay, and the wacky Aracuan bird, Donald receives presents from - and is introduced to - noisy Mexican rooster Panchito. The two and Jose sing the famous title song, dance with real-life South American beauties, learn about Mexican folk dances and Las Posadas, and check out some of the most surreal animation ever to grace the silver screen.
I prefer the more creative Caballeros, but those of you with younger kids may want to try them on the less-weird Amigos first. Either way, these underrated treats are great fun for fans of Donald, the Disney anthology films of the 40's, unusual animation, or our neighbors in South America.
Did two quick Donald shorts that come with the set as I put cleaning products away. "Don Donald" is an earlier short that introduced Daisy (as Donna Duck). Donald is a gaucho out to woo his fickle girl. His burro proves to be too much to handle, but a snazzy new car might do the trick. "Contrary Condor" is from the later 40's. Donald's an egg collector in South America, trying to grab an egg from a condor. Not only does the condor think he's her baby, but the real baby condor gets jealous and tries to eliminate Donald.
Ran a Monkees episode while I got ready to run errands. "It's a Nice Place to Visit" in the season two opener as the groovy rockers find themselves stranded in Mexico. When Davy's kidnapped by bandits who don't appreciate him flirting with the head man's girlfriend, the other three pass themselves off as bandits and go after him.
The rain had finally subsided by around 1. It was safe for me to head out for lunch and to run errands. I really couldn't have stuck around for much longer, anyway. One of Charlie's men yelled up to me and told me that the water was being turned off for a few hours. They were working on a pipe a few blocks away.
Stopped quickly at WaWa for money, then hurried across the White Horse Pike to Jalapeno's Grill for lunch. Needless to say on a Mexican holiday, they were the busiest I ever saw them. The main dining room was decorated to the nines with streamers and "Cinco Del Mayo" signs. The waitresses even sported colorful, ruffly peasant blouses. For once, my food was on time, even if it took them a while to bring me the check. The chicken quesadillas were slightly charred on the outside, but otherwise very tasty, with lots of sweet peppers and melted cheese.
My next stop was Dollar Tree. I wanted to finish reorganizing the back room. I needed containers for the towels - all of them, the older striped ones Linda Young gave me and the ones I use in the bathroom - and for placemats and cookie mats. Picked up box-like fabric containers, one in red, one in green, and a smaller one in tweed-like tan. Also bought Mother's Day cards and a colorful new tray for the kitchen. The old one I'd had since I moved to Wildwood had finally started cracking after 15 years.
I was mainly at the Haddon Township Library to return DVDs and a few books. They had plenty of kids there just getting off of school and not much going on. I shelved audio books, CDs, and new releases. Didn't take anything out this week. I want to concentrate on writing and getting ready for Lauren's visit in a week and a half.
Made a quick stop at CVS to use the last of my birthday gift card on conditioner and dish washing liquid. Since the Westmont Acme is next-door, I figured I'd get as much of my shopping done as I could. I couldn't find the grapefruit, so I ended up with blood oranges. Restocked brown sugar, bananas, baby spinach, apples, skim milk, eggs, canned apricots, shredded Mexican-blend cheese, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, and Choboni "Flip" yogurts.
Headed home across Newton Lake Park. Surprisingly for a warm, humid, and gloomy afternoon, I noticed a few fisherfolk leaning over railings, trying to catch an elusive lake-dweller. Passed several other bikers, too. The park's gorgeous now, as green as emeralds. The leaves get bigger every time I see them.
Ran a Latin-themed episode of Get Smart as I put away the groceries and organized the towels and wraps for my ankles and wrists. The third season episode "Viva Smart" has Max and 99 undercover in a South American country run by a cruel dictator, where people are shot for petty reasons every other second. They have to pass themselves off as a flamenco dancing team or face the firing squad themselves.
(Incidentally, while the water wasn't on when I got home, it was working by the time I was making dinner.)
Squeezed in a little writing before dinner. An angry Leia joins Ahsoka, Jyn, and Cassian down at the harbor. Leia and Ahsoka both felt Vader use the Force to mentally attack the men on Luke's ship. Leia knows Vader has something planned. She's just not sure what.
Broke around 6:30 to make my favorite Tex-Mex Black Bean Dip, smothered in half the bag of that Mexican cheese I bought earlier. Put on a Backyardigans episode as I ate. Uniqua and Tasha run "Chichen-Itza Pizza," the best (and likely only) pizza parlor in the ancient Mexican jungles. Uniqua wants to get a pie to the King of Mexico (Tyrone) in his Golden Pyramid. Tasha's ready to quit, thanks to her fear of heights and the long distance.
Finished out the night after a shower with The Three Amigos. A trio of out-of-work silent movie actors (Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short) travel to Mexico at the request of a young woman and her brother. They think their Robin Hood-like movie characters are real and think they can help them defeat the bandit who is terrorizing their village. Although the Amigos aren't terribly happy about all this when they figure it out, they finally decide they don't have a choice, pursuing the bandit into the desert.
Long-time family favorite was one of those smaller comedies that used to run a lot on cable in the late 80's and early 90's. Great work by all three leads, with an appropriately sweeping score by Elmer Bernstein and three fun songs by Randy Newman. (Including "My Little Buttercup," the Amigos' number in the bar. We watched this movie so often in the late 80's, Rose and Anny had their whole routine memorized, up to and including them ending up on each other's backs.)
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Monday, February 06, 2017
Comic Book Heroes and Heroines
Got a quick start today with Gingerbread Pancakes and Sailor Moon. In an episode from the later first season, the girls are all enamored with a popular pair of gold-medal figure skaters. They're elated when a new skating rink offers lessons with them. Turns out the only one who's any good is the very athletic Makoto. Her natural ability catches the eye of the male skater...which doesn't delight his partner. Makoto may feel like an ice princess, but the fun melts quickly when it turns out the Negaverse might be involved.
Work was so quiet this morning when I arrived, I had very little to do. They didn't even need me to round up carts. By 1 PM, the crowds emerged...and with them came a problem. Once again, we didn't have enough cashiers. The lines got long, even though the store itself wasn't that busy. I ended up spending most of the second half of my shift panicking in a register.
Went straight home after I got in. After I finally took my overflowing recycling bin out, I finished The Resistance Kids Go Camping. Leia takes the girls outside, in search of whatever it is that's making the noise. They at first think they see a real deer-man and the mad scientist who butchered him...until Rey sees the seams in their costume. Turns out it's Han, Poe, Snap, and Finn in a fuzzy suit, deer mask, and red-spattered white coat. The boys were disappointed they couldn't go, so Han took them on their own adventure in an RV. Han knew about the urban legend and how much Leia liked it, so he and the boys thought they'd play a little prank.
This is the last of the backlogged short stories from the summer and fall. I'm more than likely going to finish the 30's adventure story next, then either do The Snow Queen or the swashbuckler. I want to concentrate on Original and Sequel Trilogy-based stories until publicity for The Last Jedi starts and we learn more about it.
The Resistance Kids Go Camping at Archive of Our Own
The Resistance Kids Go Camping at Fanfiction.net
The Resistance Kids Go Camping at My Writing Blog
Watched an episode of Get Smart that also involved some pretty interesting scares while eating leftovers for dinner. Max and 99 find themselves on the run from a hunter who thinks they're his prey in "Island of the Darned" from the second season. They have to dodge his bullets, dogs, and poison darts using only a knife and their wits (such as they are).
Finished out the evening with a sleeker 30's style adventure. The Rocketeer takes us to California in the late 30's. Down-on-his-luck pilot Cliff (Bill Campbell) finds a jet pack that allows him to appear as The Rocketeer, flying pulp fiction hero. Turns out the jet pack means a lot more to people than as a means to rescue people and impress crowds. Howard Hughes, who built it, wants it back. The Nazis are after it, too, as are a group of ruthless gangsters (lead by Paul Sorvino). Cliff just wants his girlfriend Jenny (Jennifer Connolly) to notice him and get her mind off her job as an extra in the newest movie featuring action star Neville Sinclair (Timothy Dalton). Sinclair, however, isn't what he seems...and when Jenny is kidnapped, the Rocketeer has to blaze into action one more time.
I'm so glad this one has picked up a cult following. It's become a favorite of mine. It's just so much fun. No wonder director Joe Johnson would go on to helm Captain America: The First Avenger. If you love old-fashioned action and adventure or pulp fiction, this is a personal favorite of mine and is very highly recommended.
Work was so quiet this morning when I arrived, I had very little to do. They didn't even need me to round up carts. By 1 PM, the crowds emerged...and with them came a problem. Once again, we didn't have enough cashiers. The lines got long, even though the store itself wasn't that busy. I ended up spending most of the second half of my shift panicking in a register.
Went straight home after I got in. After I finally took my overflowing recycling bin out, I finished The Resistance Kids Go Camping. Leia takes the girls outside, in search of whatever it is that's making the noise. They at first think they see a real deer-man and the mad scientist who butchered him...until Rey sees the seams in their costume. Turns out it's Han, Poe, Snap, and Finn in a fuzzy suit, deer mask, and red-spattered white coat. The boys were disappointed they couldn't go, so Han took them on their own adventure in an RV. Han knew about the urban legend and how much Leia liked it, so he and the boys thought they'd play a little prank.
This is the last of the backlogged short stories from the summer and fall. I'm more than likely going to finish the 30's adventure story next, then either do The Snow Queen or the swashbuckler. I want to concentrate on Original and Sequel Trilogy-based stories until publicity for The Last Jedi starts and we learn more about it.
The Resistance Kids Go Camping at Archive of Our Own
The Resistance Kids Go Camping at Fanfiction.net
The Resistance Kids Go Camping at My Writing Blog
Watched an episode of Get Smart that also involved some pretty interesting scares while eating leftovers for dinner. Max and 99 find themselves on the run from a hunter who thinks they're his prey in "Island of the Darned" from the second season. They have to dodge his bullets, dogs, and poison darts using only a knife and their wits (such as they are).
Finished out the evening with a sleeker 30's style adventure. The Rocketeer takes us to California in the late 30's. Down-on-his-luck pilot Cliff (Bill Campbell) finds a jet pack that allows him to appear as The Rocketeer, flying pulp fiction hero. Turns out the jet pack means a lot more to people than as a means to rescue people and impress crowds. Howard Hughes, who built it, wants it back. The Nazis are after it, too, as are a group of ruthless gangsters (lead by Paul Sorvino). Cliff just wants his girlfriend Jenny (Jennifer Connolly) to notice him and get her mind off her job as an extra in the newest movie featuring action star Neville Sinclair (Timothy Dalton). Sinclair, however, isn't what he seems...and when Jenny is kidnapped, the Rocketeer has to blaze into action one more time.
I'm so glad this one has picked up a cult following. It's become a favorite of mine. It's just so much fun. No wonder director Joe Johnson would go on to helm Captain America: The First Avenger. If you love old-fashioned action and adventure or pulp fiction, this is a personal favorite of mine and is very highly recommended.
Wednesday, February 01, 2017
The Hunt for Bike Repair
I got a quick, late start. Finished The Penderwicks at Point Mouette, then wrote in my journal and moved on to breakfast. Did a Good Eats episode as I ate. Winter greens have become a lot more popular since Alton made an episode around them in the mid-2000's. People have since discovered their many vitamins and minerals...and that as Alton says here, if you cook them properly, they can be quite delicious. The mustard green casserole sounds especially tasty.
Hurried out around 1 to do a few errands. My first stop was the Oaklyn Library, mainly to return the Star Wars reference book I took out last week. There was nothing going on over there whatsoever, other than one guy riffling through the racks and one or two people on computers. I looked over the DVDs and shelved board books until the librarian said they were getting ready to close at 2.
I didn't want to hike all the way over to Haddonfield to have my bike checked out, so I headed to that little auto shop in Audubon. There was someone there who was able to look at my wheels. Apparently, the valves on the inner tubes shouldn't have been bending over. He filled them both with air, fixed the flat one, and I was on my way...
For five minutes, until I felt it going flat again. Arrrgh! I just ended up walking to WaWa for a turkey hoagie. Despite the gray cloud cover, it was warm enough for me to eat my lunch at the wooden benches on West Clinton Avenue. Watched the kids laugh and chase each other as they headed home from school.
Left the bike at Richard's and Willa's when I got in, then went upstairs. I did manage to get some writing in. Leia helps the girls clean the cabin from top to bottom. Rey thinks she hears voices while she's sweeping the porch, but she finally decides it's the wind. Leia gets the girls settled down with marshmallows and lots of blankets to combat the chill before they start telling their spooky tales.
Made turkey hot dogs and braised celery for dinner while doing a two part episode from the fourth season of Get Smart. The title monarch of "The King Lives?" returns in "To Sire, With Love." Max has to hide him and the royal scepter from his mortal enemy Rupert of Rathskiller (James Caan). When Rupert gets wind of the plot, he first sends a tarantula to kill them all, then kidnaps the king. Meanwhile, 99 keeps mixing the king and Max, and her husband is getting very jealous.
Finished the night with the far less florid The Hunt for Red October. CIA analyst Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin) finds himself in the midst of serious Cold War drama when a sub carrying an experimental nuclear device is found heading for the US, with a crew that wants to defect. Captain Marko Ramius (Sean Connery) is determined to get it back by any means...including defecting himself...
I remember seeing this movie when it debuted on cable with my dad. I liked it then, and though the Cold War politics haven't dated well, I still like it. Connery and Baldwin play well off each other in this tight, well-plotted action tale.
Oh, and Richard was able to fix my bike. The "new" inner tube I had was defective. He swiped a good one off another bike. Good. I never did get to doing the laundry today. It MUST be done tomorrow after work.
And to give you an idea of who my favorite Star Wars characters are, I rearranged my Han and Leia Pinterest pages, plus added two more about my teen years and other retro stuff.
Han & Leia - Original Trilogy
Han & Leia - Sequel Trilogy
Han & Leia - Solo Shots, Original Trilogy
Han & Leia - Solo Shots, Sequel Trilogy
My 90's Teen Years
Writing Careers
Going Retro - Memories of Yesteryear
Hurried out around 1 to do a few errands. My first stop was the Oaklyn Library, mainly to return the Star Wars reference book I took out last week. There was nothing going on over there whatsoever, other than one guy riffling through the racks and one or two people on computers. I looked over the DVDs and shelved board books until the librarian said they were getting ready to close at 2.
I didn't want to hike all the way over to Haddonfield to have my bike checked out, so I headed to that little auto shop in Audubon. There was someone there who was able to look at my wheels. Apparently, the valves on the inner tubes shouldn't have been bending over. He filled them both with air, fixed the flat one, and I was on my way...
For five minutes, until I felt it going flat again. Arrrgh! I just ended up walking to WaWa for a turkey hoagie. Despite the gray cloud cover, it was warm enough for me to eat my lunch at the wooden benches on West Clinton Avenue. Watched the kids laugh and chase each other as they headed home from school.
Left the bike at Richard's and Willa's when I got in, then went upstairs. I did manage to get some writing in. Leia helps the girls clean the cabin from top to bottom. Rey thinks she hears voices while she's sweeping the porch, but she finally decides it's the wind. Leia gets the girls settled down with marshmallows and lots of blankets to combat the chill before they start telling their spooky tales.
Made turkey hot dogs and braised celery for dinner while doing a two part episode from the fourth season of Get Smart. The title monarch of "The King Lives?" returns in "To Sire, With Love." Max has to hide him and the royal scepter from his mortal enemy Rupert of Rathskiller (James Caan). When Rupert gets wind of the plot, he first sends a tarantula to kill them all, then kidnaps the king. Meanwhile, 99 keeps mixing the king and Max, and her husband is getting very jealous.
Finished the night with the far less florid The Hunt for Red October. CIA analyst Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin) finds himself in the midst of serious Cold War drama when a sub carrying an experimental nuclear device is found heading for the US, with a crew that wants to defect. Captain Marko Ramius (Sean Connery) is determined to get it back by any means...including defecting himself...
I remember seeing this movie when it debuted on cable with my dad. I liked it then, and though the Cold War politics haven't dated well, I still like it. Connery and Baldwin play well off each other in this tight, well-plotted action tale.
Oh, and Richard was able to fix my bike. The "new" inner tube I had was defective. He swiped a good one off another bike. Good. I never did get to doing the laundry today. It MUST be done tomorrow after work.
And to give you an idea of who my favorite Star Wars characters are, I rearranged my Han and Leia Pinterest pages, plus added two more about my teen years and other retro stuff.
Han & Leia - Original Trilogy
Han & Leia - Sequel Trilogy
Han & Leia - Solo Shots, Original Trilogy
Han & Leia - Solo Shots, Sequel Trilogy
My 90's Teen Years
Writing Careers
Going Retro - Memories of Yesteryear
Friday, January 20, 2017
Magic In the Rain
It was raining when I awoke this morning...and that rain would continue in some capacity for most of the day. I cheered myself up with more Bowery Boys while I made the bed and did a few small chores around the apartment. Jungle Gents is one of the goofy mid-50's movies with Sach and Slip. Here, a larger-than-usual sinus pill somehow gives Sach the ability to smell diamonds. Slip senses an opportunity when a man offers to take them to a fabulous diamond mind in Africa. Things don't go well from there. Sach loses the map, they have a run-in with a lion and a hostile tribe, and there some members of their group are plotting sabotage. Meanwhile, Sach is more thrilled with the jungle maiden who has fallen in love with him.
Headed out to run a few errands around 12:30. The rain and the inauguration must have scared off most folks. The librarian was the only person at the Oaklyn Library the entire time I was there besides me. She didn't even have the TV on. I organized DVDs, shelved kids' books, and moved on.
Oh, and I took out a few movies. While the Oaklyn Library doesn't have the selection of indies and British movies that Haddon Township does, they not only get more new releases, they get them faster and usually have them around longer. I took out Captain America: Civil War and last year's all-female Ghostbusters, neither of which have turned up at Haddon Township yet. They also have the first Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, which I haven't seen in years. (For some reason, Haddon Township has every Harry Potter movie but the first one.) Grabbed a Star Wars reference book as well.
Had a quick lunch at Phillies Phatties while I figured out my next move. I wanted to go to the grocery store, but not only was it coming down a bit harder, but the zipper had broken off my green L.L Bean jacket. Ordered my usual slice of mushroom and slice of cheese pizza with a can of Mountain Dew Pitch Black. The inauguration was just ending on PBS as I arrived. I heard part of it at home. I don't have cable and didn't technically watch it, but Charlie had it turned up so damn loud, they probably heard it half-way across Oaklyn.
The rain was not abating. I finally gave up and just headed home. Finished an episode of Get Smart I started before I left while I got organized. I ran "Run, Robot, Run" from the third season in honor of Dick Gautier, aka Hymie the Robot, who just recently passed away. Hymie is recruited to replace the "Free World" team in a major track meet when CHAOS drugs all the regular athletes.
Spent the rest of the evening writing. Han can't dance and keeps stepping on Leia's feet, but that doesn't matter to either of them. Han's happy to be there, with a girl who doesn't see him as a servant. Leia's happy to have met a man who doesn't see her as a prize. She even introduces him to her parents and her Aunt Ashoka. Han, in turn, introduces her to Lando. Jabba tries to interfere, but Ashoka and Obi-Wan head him off.
Han and Leia are kissing on a moonlit balcony when the clock tower strikes midnight. To Leia's surprise, Han leaps over the balcony railing and takes off, vanishing into the night. Unlike the original story, Obi-Wan does know where he lives. He promises to take the twins there the next morning. For one thing, Leia still has Han's navy jacket, the only clue he left behind to his real identity. He draped it on her shoulders when she got cold and forgot to take it with him.
Moved to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone while eating fish cakes and leftover green beans for dinner, and later while making Chocolate Chip Muffins. (Which I forgot the eggs for.) Harry Potter (Daniel Ratcliffe) is a fairly normal kid, living with his resentful and unloving aunt, uncle, and cousin...until one day, he gets a letter, and then another. It seems he's a wizard, the last remaining member of a beloved wizard family. Hagrid, a friendly giant (Robbie Coultrane), takes Harry to Hogwarts, a school of magic where young wizards train for their futures. Harry and his new friends Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) inadvertently stumble onto a mystery when they find a huge three-headed dog guarding something major on the forbidden third floor. The trio have to navigate through the mystery...and figure out their first year at Hogwarts...before they find themselves in major trouble.
On one hand, it's the details that's the thing here. Harry's colorful world, even while not being as detailed as the books, still stands out with little things like the floating candles or Ron's wizard chess. The kids had great chemistry from the get-go, and they're working with an outstanding cast of British character actors. Richard Harris is beloved old headmaster Dumbledore. Maggie Smith and Alan Rickman are among the professors.
However, this is not one of the series' better entries. The CGI hasn't dated well in spots (especially in the troll sequence), and the story had plot hole problems, even in the book. Those of you who are new to the series will want to see it anyway. This is one series you really have to watch in progression to understand anything about what's going on...but rest assured, it does get better later, as the kids get older and the stories become more complex.
Ended the night with The Naked Gun. Having enjoyed Airplane! the other day, I decided to hit the other half of the 80's and stick with the Zucker Brothers. Nielson is back, this time playing cop Lieutenant Frank Drebin. Drebin returns from a major case to discover that his partner (O.J Simpson) was brutally assaulted while checking out a major narcotics ring. Meanwhile, the mayor would prefer Drebin devoted his time to the visit of Queen Elizabeth to LA. Drebin finds himself falling in love with the secretary (Priscilla Prestley) of an industrialist (Ricardo Montalban) who may have connections with both the drug ring and a plot to eliminate the queen at a California Angels game.
A hilarious parody of cop movies and thrillers. My favorite sequence is at the ball game. You've never lived until you've heard Leslie Nielson (try to) sing. If you love spoofs, Nielson, or the Zuckers' joke-a-minute style, this one is a no-brainer. (And the two sequels, both of which I have, aren't bad either.)
(And the rain did finally end...around 5:30, too late for me to go anywhere else. I'll have to hold off on grocery shopping until tomorrow after work.)
Headed out to run a few errands around 12:30. The rain and the inauguration must have scared off most folks. The librarian was the only person at the Oaklyn Library the entire time I was there besides me. She didn't even have the TV on. I organized DVDs, shelved kids' books, and moved on.
Oh, and I took out a few movies. While the Oaklyn Library doesn't have the selection of indies and British movies that Haddon Township does, they not only get more new releases, they get them faster and usually have them around longer. I took out Captain America: Civil War and last year's all-female Ghostbusters, neither of which have turned up at Haddon Township yet. They also have the first Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, which I haven't seen in years. (For some reason, Haddon Township has every Harry Potter movie but the first one.) Grabbed a Star Wars reference book as well.
Had a quick lunch at Phillies Phatties while I figured out my next move. I wanted to go to the grocery store, but not only was it coming down a bit harder, but the zipper had broken off my green L.L Bean jacket. Ordered my usual slice of mushroom and slice of cheese pizza with a can of Mountain Dew Pitch Black. The inauguration was just ending on PBS as I arrived. I heard part of it at home. I don't have cable and didn't technically watch it, but Charlie had it turned up so damn loud, they probably heard it half-way across Oaklyn.
The rain was not abating. I finally gave up and just headed home. Finished an episode of Get Smart I started before I left while I got organized. I ran "Run, Robot, Run" from the third season in honor of Dick Gautier, aka Hymie the Robot, who just recently passed away. Hymie is recruited to replace the "Free World" team in a major track meet when CHAOS drugs all the regular athletes.
Spent the rest of the evening writing. Han can't dance and keeps stepping on Leia's feet, but that doesn't matter to either of them. Han's happy to be there, with a girl who doesn't see him as a servant. Leia's happy to have met a man who doesn't see her as a prize. She even introduces him to her parents and her Aunt Ashoka. Han, in turn, introduces her to Lando. Jabba tries to interfere, but Ashoka and Obi-Wan head him off.
Han and Leia are kissing on a moonlit balcony when the clock tower strikes midnight. To Leia's surprise, Han leaps over the balcony railing and takes off, vanishing into the night. Unlike the original story, Obi-Wan does know where he lives. He promises to take the twins there the next morning. For one thing, Leia still has Han's navy jacket, the only clue he left behind to his real identity. He draped it on her shoulders when she got cold and forgot to take it with him.
Moved to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone while eating fish cakes and leftover green beans for dinner, and later while making Chocolate Chip Muffins. (Which I forgot the eggs for.) Harry Potter (Daniel Ratcliffe) is a fairly normal kid, living with his resentful and unloving aunt, uncle, and cousin...until one day, he gets a letter, and then another. It seems he's a wizard, the last remaining member of a beloved wizard family. Hagrid, a friendly giant (Robbie Coultrane), takes Harry to Hogwarts, a school of magic where young wizards train for their futures. Harry and his new friends Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) inadvertently stumble onto a mystery when they find a huge three-headed dog guarding something major on the forbidden third floor. The trio have to navigate through the mystery...and figure out their first year at Hogwarts...before they find themselves in major trouble.
On one hand, it's the details that's the thing here. Harry's colorful world, even while not being as detailed as the books, still stands out with little things like the floating candles or Ron's wizard chess. The kids had great chemistry from the get-go, and they're working with an outstanding cast of British character actors. Richard Harris is beloved old headmaster Dumbledore. Maggie Smith and Alan Rickman are among the professors.
However, this is not one of the series' better entries. The CGI hasn't dated well in spots (especially in the troll sequence), and the story had plot hole problems, even in the book. Those of you who are new to the series will want to see it anyway. This is one series you really have to watch in progression to understand anything about what's going on...but rest assured, it does get better later, as the kids get older and the stories become more complex.
Ended the night with The Naked Gun. Having enjoyed Airplane! the other day, I decided to hit the other half of the 80's and stick with the Zucker Brothers. Nielson is back, this time playing cop Lieutenant Frank Drebin. Drebin returns from a major case to discover that his partner (O.J Simpson) was brutally assaulted while checking out a major narcotics ring. Meanwhile, the mayor would prefer Drebin devoted his time to the visit of Queen Elizabeth to LA. Drebin finds himself falling in love with the secretary (Priscilla Prestley) of an industrialist (Ricardo Montalban) who may have connections with both the drug ring and a plot to eliminate the queen at a California Angels game.
A hilarious parody of cop movies and thrillers. My favorite sequence is at the ball game. You've never lived until you've heard Leslie Nielson (try to) sing. If you love spoofs, Nielson, or the Zuckers' joke-a-minute style, this one is a no-brainer. (And the two sequels, both of which I have, aren't bad either.)
(And the rain did finally end...around 5:30, too late for me to go anywhere else. I'll have to hold off on grocery shopping until tomorrow after work.)
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
What's Wrong With Me?
I overslept this morning and didn't get going until nearly 10:30. Ran a Bowery Boys movie while I finally got around to cleaning the bathroom. The Boys are Loose In London when Sach finds out he may be one of the heirs to a dying earl's fortune. The rest of his relatives aren't as happy to see the guys. When they're attempts at making the Boys look foolish in front of the earl fail, they make an attempt at the earl's life instead after he declares Sach his heir.
Had a very quick lunch while watching an episode of Get Smart. "The King Lives?" from the third season takes us to Europe, where Maxwell Smart discovers that he's the spitting image of the king of a small country. When the king is wounded, Max has to take his place...then rescues 99 from the king's dastardly brother. (And considering how clumsy he is at everything else, Max is one heck of a fencer!)
Dashed out to do the laundry around 12:30 - 1PM. This is something else I've put off that badly needed to be done. I had a huge load, including towels. I picked the right time. They were mostly dead the entire time I was there. I listened to talk shows and worked on story notes.
There was a message waiting for me when I got home. Willa was back. The rent was overdue...again. I gave her what was in my account now, plus most of my paycheck when it direct deposits on Friday.
I still had to get to the Haddon Township Library. It was nearly 3 by the time I headed out. Still not much going on there. I mostly shelved DVDs. I did take out a couple of movies - Batman Vs Superman, Winter's Tale, The Hunt For Red October, and for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Selma. A librarian helped me use the copy machine, so I could make copies of my rent and other papers for Rose.
I didn't expect Rose to be home when I dropped off her papers. I saw Craig chatting with a neighbor when I arrived. Rose and Khai were inside with the dogs, eating Chinese food and watching Ice Age: Collision Course. We talked while she ate and got Khai to at least consider rice and sweet and sour chicken.
Ok, first of all, she's right and they can't raise my rent that high. $50, yes, but not $100. They really need to actually get back here and start working on what needs to be fixed, too. I don't want to fight them. I don't want to make trouble, and I genuinely have nowhere else to go.
I tried to tell Rose this, but I don't think I said it right. I'm scared. I'm really scared. I'm scared, and angry and disgusted with myself. What's wrong with me that I can't do anything right? People keep telling me I'm so smart. If I'm so smart, why do I keep getting into trouble? Why can't I manage my money right? Why can't I find a real job? What's wrong with me?
All I want is to be a real adult. I want to be a real, true, independent adult. I want to walk, talk, think, and act like every other adult. Every time I try, I make a mess out of everything. I think everything is going well, and it isn't. I ruin it all. I'm just not smart enough. I try so hard, and I just make things worse. What's wrong with me? Is it introversion, or something else? I don't know what I am.
I did leave the papers with her. She's going to give them to a friend who will be able to help her understand them better. We still have until April.
I didn't feel any better when I got home. I made a chicken salad with broccoli and watched The Prisoner of Zenda to cheer myself up while I ate. This is the 1937 version of the story "The King Lives?" was parodying. Ronald Colman is Rudolf Rassendyl, a British nobleman who discovers he's the exact double of the King of Ruritania (also Colman). When the king's evil brother Michael (Raymond Massey) drugs, then kidnaps the king, Rudolf has to take his place until he can be found. Meanwhile, he finds himself falling for the king's beautiful fiancee, Princess Flavia (Madeline Carroll). Michael's henchman Rupert of Hentzau (Douglas Fairbanks, Jr) is a cheeky fellow who seems to be willing to play both sides.
This is probably the most famous filming of the beloved swashbuckler novel. Colman's performance is still parodied to this day (including in Get Smart). There's some pretty decent action too, especially towards the end.
If you love duels and Ruritanian romance as much as I do, this is a classic tale of derring-do that's highly recommended.
Had a very quick lunch while watching an episode of Get Smart. "The King Lives?" from the third season takes us to Europe, where Maxwell Smart discovers that he's the spitting image of the king of a small country. When the king is wounded, Max has to take his place...then rescues 99 from the king's dastardly brother. (And considering how clumsy he is at everything else, Max is one heck of a fencer!)
Dashed out to do the laundry around 12:30 - 1PM. This is something else I've put off that badly needed to be done. I had a huge load, including towels. I picked the right time. They were mostly dead the entire time I was there. I listened to talk shows and worked on story notes.
There was a message waiting for me when I got home. Willa was back. The rent was overdue...again. I gave her what was in my account now, plus most of my paycheck when it direct deposits on Friday.
I still had to get to the Haddon Township Library. It was nearly 3 by the time I headed out. Still not much going on there. I mostly shelved DVDs. I did take out a couple of movies - Batman Vs Superman, Winter's Tale, The Hunt For Red October, and for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Selma. A librarian helped me use the copy machine, so I could make copies of my rent and other papers for Rose.
I didn't expect Rose to be home when I dropped off her papers. I saw Craig chatting with a neighbor when I arrived. Rose and Khai were inside with the dogs, eating Chinese food and watching Ice Age: Collision Course. We talked while she ate and got Khai to at least consider rice and sweet and sour chicken.
Ok, first of all, she's right and they can't raise my rent that high. $50, yes, but not $100. They really need to actually get back here and start working on what needs to be fixed, too. I don't want to fight them. I don't want to make trouble, and I genuinely have nowhere else to go.
I tried to tell Rose this, but I don't think I said it right. I'm scared. I'm really scared. I'm scared, and angry and disgusted with myself. What's wrong with me that I can't do anything right? People keep telling me I'm so smart. If I'm so smart, why do I keep getting into trouble? Why can't I manage my money right? Why can't I find a real job? What's wrong with me?
All I want is to be a real adult. I want to be a real, true, independent adult. I want to walk, talk, think, and act like every other adult. Every time I try, I make a mess out of everything. I think everything is going well, and it isn't. I ruin it all. I'm just not smart enough. I try so hard, and I just make things worse. What's wrong with me? Is it introversion, or something else? I don't know what I am.
I did leave the papers with her. She's going to give them to a friend who will be able to help her understand them better. We still have until April.
I didn't feel any better when I got home. I made a chicken salad with broccoli and watched The Prisoner of Zenda to cheer myself up while I ate. This is the 1937 version of the story "The King Lives?" was parodying. Ronald Colman is Rudolf Rassendyl, a British nobleman who discovers he's the exact double of the King of Ruritania (also Colman). When the king's evil brother Michael (Raymond Massey) drugs, then kidnaps the king, Rudolf has to take his place until he can be found. Meanwhile, he finds himself falling for the king's beautiful fiancee, Princess Flavia (Madeline Carroll). Michael's henchman Rupert of Hentzau (Douglas Fairbanks, Jr) is a cheeky fellow who seems to be willing to play both sides.
This is probably the most famous filming of the beloved swashbuckler novel. Colman's performance is still parodied to this day (including in Get Smart). There's some pretty decent action too, especially towards the end.
If you love duels and Ruritanian romance as much as I do, this is a classic tale of derring-do that's highly recommended.
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