Adventure Harts

Slept in, but that left me with time for reading and writing in my journal and not much else. Dressed, grabbed a very quick breakfast, and headed out the door. Karen was waiting when I got out there. I realized how lucky we got yesterday when she showed me photos of her daughter's home in Haddonfield surrounded by water and huge downed trees. All I saw today in Oaklyn were a few puddles and some downed limbs. 

Our session in Haddon Township went much better than it has the previous couple of times we got together. We actually applied to a library assistant job in Voorhees. I didn't realize until later that the jobs require having a car and a driver's license as a back-up delivery person, so I doubt I'll get this. I really wish I could find something I would get. There has to be something out there for me I'm just not seeing.

I didn't even go inside when I got home. Since I didn't have a big breakfast, I thought I'd have brunch at Somerdale before I went to the movies. The Starview Diner is four blocks from the movie theater. Basically the same idea as the Westmont, but slightly cheaper and with a less diverse menu. Their scrambled eggs were bland without cheese, but they did make a delicious, crisp waffle. I should have sprung for the fruit cup; the blueberry topping was gloppy stuff probably taken from a can. There was a basket of huge soft cookies on a display as you entered. I bought one for later.

Walked the four blocks back down to the WalMart/movie theater shopping center. It was sunny and hot as heck today, in the 90's, but not quite as humid. The only evidence on the White Horse Pike of yesterday's deluge were some downed branches and dirt eroded from weedy plots. That part of the White Horse Pike isn't especially pretty anyway. It's mainly old offices, 70's-era shopping centers and diners, new liquor stores and pharmacy chains, and trash-strewn lots. I made a quick stop at one of those new businesses, a big WaWa, for a Propel on my way there.

Arrived at the Cinemark and ducked into the theater for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny with literally no time to spare. The ads were starting just as I sat down an empty middle row. Of the ads I saw, Mission Impossible 7 was by far the most interesting. I'm debating seeing that in a theater, given how impressive the previous films in the series were...but it's also a two-parter. I had no idea they were releasing another Big Fat Greek Wedding movie. I thought the first one was cute, but really had no interest in the second. I can wait for that one on streaming. No idea what Oppenheimer is, other than something they're pushing as a must-be-seen on the big screen. 

I'm not going heavily into the plot because of spoilers, but I did enjoy it. I liked it much better than the previous Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and maybe even more than the badly dated Temple of Doom. Is it a masterpiece? Not at all. There's still the plot inconsistencies and wonky history that plague all of the Indy films, though at least the action set pieces seem somewhat more realistic than the ones in Crystal Skull. For all the excellent work in making Harrison Ford look younger early in the prologue, some of the green-screen effects are painfully obvious. Ford still makes a great Indy, no matter how battered he is, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge plays wonderfully off him as the daughter of an old friend who drags him into one last adventure.

That said, I can understand why this isn't doing what Disney had hoped for at the box office. While I loved it and have been a fan of this franchise since Temple of Doom came out, I wonder if this might have done better on streaming. There's no star names or obvious draws besides Ford, and though the Indy movies do have their fans, I don't think they're quite as popular as the Marvel or Star Wars franchises. 

On the other hand, I appreciate the chance to see an Indy movie in the theater. I was way too young when Raiders and Temple of Doom came out, saw Ghostbusters II instead in 1989, and had neither the money, nor the time for trips to the movies during the debut of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in 2008. Once again, I think the critics are being kind of harsh. It's not up to Crusades or Raiders, but it's miles ahead of Crystal Skull and Temple of Doom. I'm going to say your mileage may vary. If you really love Indy like I do, you'll have a fine time with his final adventure...but I do recommend seeing at least Raiders and Crystal Skull first to get an idea of the characters and situations. 

Hiked up the hill to the massive WalMart after the movie ended. I wanted to find the soundtrack for Dial of Destiny, but apparently, it's not going to come out on physical media until August. Ended up with the full Murder She Baked Hannah Swenson mysteries (I can tolerate Hallmark films if they focus on mysteries rather than teeth-itchingly sweet romance) and two cartoon sets, the infamous Gene Deistch Tom & Jerry shorts of the 60's and a collection of Looney Tunes spoofs of Warners films and other beloved movies and Hollywood figures. This is one of the few places I can find Sunbelt Granola Bars, so I grabbed two boxes of those on my way out, too.

Got out with plenty of time to catch the bus on the White Horse Pike. The bus was on time, and though there was traffic, it moved pretty well. Dark clouds gathered in the distance, but they weren't as ominous as the ones that dropped that deluge yesterday. I felt a few heavy raindrops as I hurried home, but I don't think it did anything worse than that.

Went straight into writing when I got home. Re-wrote the opening so Betty now joins Brett at a table in the Green Room rather than in the dressing room. Brett doesn't want to admit the idea of Jack seeing another woman upsets her, but Betty knows it does. It's the reason she threw him out. Betty reminds her that she's better than him, and he isn't worthy of her.

Broke for dinner and Match Game '79 at 7. In the first episode, there's several jokes about bosoms as they comment on how Barbara Rhodes and Fannie Flagg most certainly do not look like Twiggy. They opened the second show with Gene Rayburn giving Dick Martin a kiss and discussing the Love Boat episode he did with Fannie Flagg. Another question prompts a full performance of "You are My Sunshine" by the panelists. 

Took down the patriotic decorations after I ate. Put up a heart-shaped wooden plaque with a sunflower in the center on my door and a pretty card with artwork of sunflowers on the front. Sunflowers are my favorite flower, so that's my theme for summer decorations. I likely won't put up any holiday decorations again until October. 

Finished the night on The Roku Channel with Hart to Hart. It's a "Passport to Murder" when the Harts take a yacht trip down to South America, only to discover one of their guests has been using the yacht to smuggle drugs. The corrupt sheriff thinks they're in on it and has them arrested. They escape while handcuffed and make their way across the countryside, searching for the real mastermind behind the drug ring. 

Outrunning the Showers

Started off a hazy morning with breakfast and the second half of Blockbusters. I came in as the grandmother-grandson pair just won their next round. The grandmother completely dropped the bonus round, missing all but one question. They'd just brought in a woman who was returning after they changed how many days you can return from 10 to 20 when the game ended.

Switched to Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood as I did the dishes. Dan's excited when his family goes to the grocery store, then out to eat. He has to learn "Calm at the Restaurant" when he gets too excited at the store and knocks over a display, and then he and Jodie get too noisy while waiting for their tacos and accidentally block waiter Prince Tuesday. Miss Elaina has to be "Calm In Class" when she's excited because her dad Music Man Stan is going to teach them how to tell a story with music.

Did more Doc McStuffins as I rounded up my laundry and detergent. Went with an episode from season three, starting with "Slip n' Slide." Stuffy the dragon learns an important lesson about pool safety when he plays a rough game with Bronto the plastic dinosaur and ends up falling in the wading pool and getting soaked. Doc's brother Donnie loves his teddy bear Teddy B, but not when he has "A Big Pain In Teddy's Tummy" that pricks him. Doc has to figure out what's in Teddy's tummy that is causing the problem...and convince Teddy that he's not a danger to Donnie or anyone.

Headed out to do the laundry at around 11:30. Though it was a bit cloudier, it was also hot, humid, and hazy, in the upper 80's. That may be why I saw fewer people out and about, mainly kids on bikes and couples walking their dogs. Most folks were probably cooling off in their homes or backyards.

The laundromat was a lot bigger than it was last week. The former office in the back was now a mostly empty space, except for a big square laundry sink, the soap and dryer sheet dispenser on the back wall, and seats that had been moved from the front of the building to against one of the remaining pillars. They were still kind of busy when I arrived, so I dropped my laundry in the very last washer and headed out.

There were dark clouds sputtering on the horizon over the White Horse Pike, but I figured I had enough time to treat myself to a drink from WaWa. They were a little busy at lunchtime, but not as bad as it could have been. I ordered a Peach-Mango Smoothie and grabbed a cheese stick and darted out.

By the time I returned to the laundromat, the small crowds were clearing out. I worked on story notes and ignored the news blaring on Channel 6. At least I only had a fairly small load. It wasn't in the dryer for long. I was in and out in less than an hour.

Those clouds on the horizon continued to build as I walked home as fast as I could. Felt a few fat drops of rain on my nose as I dragged the laundry and detergent upstairs, but nothing came of it. Thankfully, I managed to get everything in with no trouble.

Switched to music while I put my clothes away and had lunch. Though the title song in the Nat King Cole record Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer was written for the album, most of the other songs are turn of the 20th century standards like "Bicycle Built for Two" and "The Sidewalks of New York." Some of those songs turn up on the Dorothy Provine album Oh You Kid!, which also covers the music of the first two decades of the 20th century.

Had a quick muffin and fruit lunch while watching Super Password. Elaine Joyce continues to help her contestants destroy the competition at the main game, but they didn't do quite as well at the bonus round this time. Folksy Orson Bean and his wife Carolyn were the big winners in Tattletales today, despite missing the first question.

It finally started raining, and raining hard, while Tattletales was on. Though I did hear some rumbling when it first started, for the most part, it was just a heavy shower. The showers would continue off and on for the rest of the evening.

Did some writing after I'd put aside the dish rag I'm crocheting. Richard is smitten with Fannie (to Charles' dismay) and wants to court her, but Fannie has no interest in him. She's more concerned about when her contact will arrive. She's a member of the evil Queen Malade's court and will be coming in with her...

Broke for dinner at 6. The lunacy continues on Match Game. In the first episode, a contestant didn't know what a delicatessen was (to the surprise of Gene and the panel) and couldn't give a good answer to one of the round one questions. In the second, Gary Burghoff took offense to a question that asked which celebrities were shorter than he was!

That young man just kept right on winning on Sale of the Century. This time, though, the other challengers gave him a real run for his money, especially early in the game. Even finding a money card on the Fame Game couldn't help the other guy. Once again, the young man bought two of the three Instant Bargains, blasted through the speed round, and decided he'd come back for more.

Rose called shortly after dinner. She did get my phone call about the letter, but has been focusing on trying to get back to work in Camden full-time. She says she'll send me her current e-mail and we'll take a look at the apartment to see where things can fit sometime this weekend.

Ended the night with Raiders of the Lost Ark. Watching the two Allan Quartermain films the other day put me in the mood for more adventure. In 1936, archaeologist Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is on the hunt for the Ark of the Covenant, the golden box that is said to hold the Ten Commandments. Indy first heads to Nepal to retrieve a golden medallion that tops a staff. His ex-girlfriend Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) has it and insists on coming along after he burns her bar down. Unfortunately, the Nazis are on the hunt for the Ark too, lead by Indy's French rival Beloq (Paul Freeman). They'll stop at nothing to get the sacred chest, from shutting Indy and Marion in a snake-filled tomb to testing it on a deserted island. Indy, however, knows better than to play with magic...and he realizes that there are some mysteries that are better left undisturbed...

The first, and probably still the most popular, of the Indiana Jones movies. Marion remains his most famous love interest, Ford is wonderfully laid-back and charming, and the action-packed script remains funny and even chilling, with a fair amount of blood and the scary, flesh-melting finale. It's probably too scary for most kids, but for adults, if you want to know about Indy, this is probably the best place to start.

A Morning With My Sister

Woke up a little bit early so I could have time to get ready to join Jessa for breakfast. She picked me up around 9 AM. We ended up at the Pop Shop. Jessa had only eaten there once, and I haven't had breakfast there for a while. I've never seen them so quiet. They must have opened right before we arrived. We were probably the first ones there. Jessa had Eggs Benedict; I had Blue Velvet Blueberry "Bettys" (pancakes). (And for once, they weren't the size of the plate and I was able to eat most of them.) We both had hot tea with lemon. (Jessa doesn't like coffee, either.) We chatted about Dad, Rose, movies, our schedules, and the things we both enjoy.

I'd mentioned Mom sending me my baby pictures back in the winter. I got to show them to Jessa for an hour when we went back to my place. She really seemed to enjoy them, especially seeing me as a teeny baby. She's in her mid-20's, so she wasn't around to see me grow up in the 80's. We had so much fun going through the photos, I realized how late it was and ended up having 10 minutes to get ready for work. Got there right on time.

Work was crazy when I first got in. I have no idea what happened, but for some reason, water had leaked into the main office in the back, next to the employee lounge. (I'm wondering if the air conditioning leaked. The store is at least 50 years old or more.) I was the only bagger there at the time and had to mop it up, despite there being no carts and also needing to sweep the store. Doesn't help that I got stuck in the register again when they wanted me to go in for somebody's break. Another guy came in half-way through, giving me the chance to round up the trash and recycling inside, shelve loose items, and return carts.

Went straight home and did some writing. Ahsoka leads Rudy and Luke to a ramshackle convenience store just outside of Dagobah. She doesn't want to lead them into town because she has to report to Vader and...call somebody. That "somebody" turns out to be the White Queen, who calls her Fulcrum and who asks her to keep an eye on Vader and on Luke.

Broke for dinner at quarter of 7. Finished out the second Goof Troop disc while I ate leftover beef stir fry. The "Leader of the Pack" is the head of the Pharoahs, a teenage gang who has taken over a local Sonic-esque drive in. PJ and Max love their burgers, but can't get past the Pharoahs. They recruit Max's cute older cousin Debbie to help them teach the bullying Pharoahs a lesson.

Worked on Lego Star Wars for a while after dinner. Got through the blue minikit challenges for "Darth Maul" and "Mos Espa Pod Race" tonight. Got very close on "Bounty Hunter Pursuit" and "Discovery at Kamino," but there was one piece in the former and three in the latter I just could not find.

As I was working on "Discovery at Kamino" the second time, the lights dimmed and blinked. They did come back on, but it was a bit of a surprise. It had been sunny, hot, and killer humid all day. I was shocked to turn around and hear crazy wind and see rain lashing at the windows. The storm had begun to pass as I was finishing up "Kamino," and to my knowledge, hasn't been heard from since.

Finished the night with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It's 1957. Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is still searching for lost artifacts, but now, it's the Russians who are after him. The nasty Irina Spaldko (Cate Blanchett) wants to find the Crystal Skulls, which could lead her to the ultimate fountains of knowledge. Indy's more interested in helping young Mutt Williams (Shia LaBouf) find his friend Oxley (John Hurt) and his mother, Indy's former flame Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen). What they find is an out-of-this-world adventure when it turns out that the Crystal Skull leads to an amazing treasure...and a race of beings that are not quite of this planet.

People still tend to be hard on this movie to this day. I think a lot of folks just had expectations that were much too high. While it's not as good as Raiders and Last Crusade, I actually like it better than Temple of Doom. There's some great action set pieces, like the motorcycle chase in the beginning, Blanchett is a terrific villain, and Marion and Indy are just as funny here as they were in Raiders. The sci-fi plot really isn't that much stranger than any other story in the franchise.

Casting is a big problem. Shia LaBouf is totally out of place as the tough guy Marlon Brando wannabe. The treacherous Mac is built up to be a close friend of Indy's, but since we've never seen him before this movie, it's hard to care about him like we're supposed to. There's also the obvious CGI that was common in action movies of the early 2000's through mid 2010's. It just looks fake a decade later and clashes with the mid-20th-century setting. And some of the gags with the monkeys and the ants are a bit much, even for this series.

If you're a fan of Indy, by all means, check this one out, too...but I'd recommend catching at least Raiders first to get to know Indy's character and his relationship with Marion better.

March Goes In Like a Lion

A lot of people mentioned yesterday that we were supposed to get snow early this morning. We did, about the same two inches we've been getting all winter. It was still cloudy when I was watching Frosty's Winter Wonderland and making oatmeal and mandarin oranges for breakfast. Frosty has returned, but he's lonely when the kids go home. To help him feel better, the kids create a "snow wife" to his specifications. Trouble is, she's not "all livin'" like he is. Meanwhile, a jealous Jack Frost wants to get his hands on Frosty's top had and eliminated the competition once and for all!

Went to work shortly after the cartoon ended. By the time I got in at 10:15, the snow was winding down. Only the grass was white; the snow never stuck to paved surfaces. The roads and parking lot were perfectly fine. I spent most of the morning finishing the candy and doing returns, and most of the afternoon doing carts. Other than getting briefly stuck in a register when we were crazy-busy around noon, there were no problems whatsoever. It snowed briefly again around 12:30, but otherwise was cloudy, damp, and chilly, but not as bad as yesterday.

My schedule next week is pretty darn good. I have Sunday, Thursday, and next Saturday off, two early days in a row, and the latest I work is 4 on Friday. Good. I'll get a lot done, including online job hunting and cleaning, and be able to avoid at least some of the nasty cold and rain we're supposed to get next week.

Did my grocery shopping as soon as I finished work. It was pretty dead by quarter after 4, which was a very good thing. I needed a lot of groceries this week! Two-pound containers of strawberries were on sale; pears are cheap, too. There was a really good coupon online for the Acme's generic frozen pizza. I picked up pepperoni for dinner. Also restocked brown sugar, peanut butter, jelly (actually, orange marmalade), ground turkey, shampoo, tomato sauce, skim milk, yogurt, butter, molasses, and canned mandarin oranges.

Headed straight home after work. Since it was already so late, I tossed the pizza in the oven for an early dinner, along with a baked apple. Ran Jack Frost while I baked and put everything away. Technically, this is a Groundhog's Day special, but it does involve winter. The title character falls in love with Elisa, romantic human girl. He convinces Father Winter to make him a human for one winter in order to woo her. He's not the only one interested in the girl, though. Elisa is far more interested in a handsome knight who's returned from the Crusades than a human Jack. There's also the Cossack King, a man so nasty, his army and household are all made of metal, to contend with. Jack commands a huge blizzard to keep the Cossack King and his army from causing trouble...but he needs a sign from a certain little groundhog to be able to continue...

Switched to a Backyardigans episode as I cleaned up from dinner. Uniqua, Tyrone, and Pablo are convinced that Tasha's "High Tea" will be boring. Not the way she does it! She leads the kids from the treetops of Borneo to the palace of the grumpy Chinese emperor Austin to the geysers of the Gobi Desert in the search for the perfect cup of tea.

Did a little bit of writing after the cartoon ended. Yoda offers to lead Han into the castle to find Luke and Leia. He sends Lando to use his horse Falcon and his cart to get around Prince Palpatine and aid the villagers.

Took a shower around quarter after 8. Finished the night with Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. After learning how Indy got his hat and whip and sought the Cross of Coronado in the opening sequence, we return to the college where he works. Indy turns the Cross over to his good friend, museum owner Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliot). Two men bring him to industrialist Walter Donovan (Julian Glover), who has clues to the whereabouts of the Holy Grail, the cup that belonged to Jesus. He's not that interested, until Donovan tells him that his father, Grail expert Professor Henry Jones Sr. (Sean Connery), has gone missing in Venice. Indy knows something's wrong when he finds his father's much-loved Grail diary, a record of his long search, in the mail.

He's met by Austrian professor Dr. Elsa Schinder (Allison Doody) in Venice. She not only helps him find the next clues in the catacombs under a church, but helps him deal with the Brotherhood, a group of men determined to keep the Grail safe. Even after Indy finds his father, he learns that several of his co-horts are not what they seem. He'll have to dive into the heart of Nazi Germany, and then to a temple filled with heart-stopping traps, to find the Grail and keep it out of the Nazis' hands.

This is my favorite of the Indiana Jones films, mainly for the byplay between Connery and Ford. They're so funny and natural together that they make the movie a treat to watch. There's also some of the best action sequences of the entire series, including the chase through the desert in the Middle East, the boat chase in Venice, and the motorcycle ride in Germany. Highly recommended, especially if you're new to the series - this and Raiders are good places to start.

And...it started to rain hard around the time I started writing, and has been pouring ever since. I didn't think the snow would last long again. Considering how cold it's supposed to get next week, maybe it's just as well.

When the Rains Came

Kicked off another sunny morning with the second Peanuts Valentine's Day special, A Charlie Brown Valentine. Charlie Brown wants to give the Little Red Haired Girl a valentine and ask her to the school dance. He's too shy to approach her, and when he calls her, he accidentally ends up asking Peppermint Patty and Marcie out instead. The other kids aren't doing much better. Sally insists on making valentines for her "Sweet Baboo" Linus, who loudly points out that he has no interest in her, while Lucy hangs around Schroder and his piano in the hope of getting Valentine's Day gifts.

Work was a pain in the rear end this morning. Today was my third early day of the week. Despite it being dead, I spent almost half the day in the register, including when I was the only bagger there. One manager would tell me to do one thing, then another would turn around a minute later and tell me to get in a register, there were lines. I was ready to scream by the end of my shift. I barely got outside to do carts, do the returns, and round up baskets and outside trash.

It had been cold this morning, but by the time I got out of work, it was a bit warmer. Not as warm as yesterday, probably in the upper 40's. It was also cloudier and very damp. I'd heard rumblings of rain later in the day. I went straight home this time.

Changed and had a snack when I got in. Watched more Cat In the Hat Knows a Lot About That while I ate. Nick wants to learn to ride a bike like Sally, but he doesn't seem to have a "Talent for Balance" yet. The Cat takes him to supposedly meet two people who will help him find  his balance...but first, they have to balance various objects to get through the gates on their way to them. (And I definitely know how Nick feels here. It took me several years to develop my "talent for balance" and learn how to ride a bike as well as Rose and some of the other kids in the neighborhood.)

They go on a "Search for String" when the kids need string to pull their cardboard train. The Thing-a-Ma-Doodle breaks down and shrinks them so small, they can fit in Nick and Sally's craft box and see their art supplies from a different point of view...including their string. "Who Can See the Wind?" The Cat and the kids can when they head to the Wind-naysium to learn how to see the wind and get Sally's kite in the air.

Spent the next few hours writing and doing a few things online. My tax return showed up yesterday. I was able to pay the electric and internet bill with no trouble. Also made one splurge on Amazon. One of my favorite shows during my early childhood was Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. Rose and I watched it constantly in re-runs throughout the early and mid-80's. Wilma Deerling was one of my earliest heroines. I've heard it's kind of cheesy now, but I like cheesy. Since I'm out of Star Wars live-action movies that are easily available until Episode 9 shows up in December, I thought I'd fill in the gap with some fond memories. I also picked up Carmen Jones and Oliver! for reviews on my Musical Dreams Reviews blog in honor of Black History Month and this year's Oscars respectively.

Got a little writing done. Han, Luke, Leia, and Yoda hear a carriage coming through the woods. Han and Leia compete to see who can land on it first, then stake out the occupants. Turns out it's one of the Sheriff's men attempting a trap. But Han knows how to evade that...

Broke for dinner at 5:30. Ate leftovers while finishing out Cat In the Hat. Nick's favorite airplane (and a stick) are stuck in a tree. The group goes to a low-lying valley between mountains and tall trees to see how a "Gravity Drop" will get the plane on the ground, and why we stay on the ground and don't fly away.

"Nick's Cricket" needs a better home than a glass jar with dollhouse toys. The Cat tries to take them to a model town to teach them about design, but they end up stranded on a deserted island when the Thing-a-Ma-Jigger literally runs out of juice. The kids come up with a little house to give them shade while they're there and learn how to constantly refine their designs. They learn to "Go With the Flow" when the Cat brings them to a huge water slide to show them how water flows and created a puddle on Nick's front walkway.

It's "Design Time" when Sally has trouble making a vase for her mother and the Cat takes them to the land of BluePrintia. Turns out they're in "Duck Amuck" territory as the whole background is just one big blue print for them to draw ideas on. When the robot Nick drew goes haywire and starts knocking over other designs, Sally learns to keep working on her designs until she has what she needs. They get "A Prize Surprise" in our second magnet-themed story. This time, they're at Arcade Island and shrunk inside a crane game that uses a magnet instead of a crane. They have to figure out what the magnet will attract and what it won't in order to get out.

The kids want to move a big rock, but it's hard doing it with even three sets of hands. The Cat shows them how another kind of simple machine, "Clever Levers," can help them. They're "Going, Going, Gong" when the Cat takes them to the land of gongs to figure out the last note Sally needs to finish her song played on glasses.

Switched to cleaning the kitchen while the cartoons ended. It needed to be done badly, especially the stove and counter top. When I ran out of Soft Scrub, I made my own cleaner out of Comet cleaner, vinegar, and dish washing liquid. Worked quite well, actually. I even scrubbed the inside of the stove.

Finished out the night with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Our story opens in Shanghai, about a year before Raiders. Indy (Harrison Ford) ends up outrunning gangsters who wanted an artifact, picking up Willie, a spoiled singer (Kate Capshaw) and his kid buddy Short Round (Key Hu Quan) on the way. They crash-land in India and find themselves in a starving village. The citizens believe that their magic rock and their children were stolen by the evil Thuggee cult. Indy and his two friends head to the mysterious Pankot Palace to find out more about the lost rocks, and maybe gain some "fortune and glory" in the process...if they can avoid their hearts being ripped out by the Kali-worshiping cult members!

While there's a lot that I like about Temple of Doom, it's not my favorite entry. Short Round makes for a fun sidekick, and there's some great set pieces and ideas, including the famous mine cart ride and the scene in the finale on the rope bridge. Willie, however, is annoying and useless as heck, and the entire backstory with the cult seems more than a little racist today.

If you love Indy, see this one too...but I'd start with Raiders or Last Crusade first if you're new to Indy's world.

Oh, and it did finally start raining while I was online. It wasn't hard at first, but it started to pick up around the time I was watching cartoons and has been coming down at a good clip ever since.

Raiders of the Lost Russians

Though it was sunny when I rolled out of bed this morning, it was also gale-force windy. It was no day to be going anywhere. I had breakfast and cleaned up while watching my first Valentine's Day special of the year. Bugs Bunny's Cupid Capers mashes bits and pieces of several shorts together in a thin story that has Bugs insisting that an Elmer-like Cupid is meddling. Also ran one of the two full shorts included as an extra, "Holiday Happenings," a spoof of holidays throughout the year.

Went right into trying something different next. I found a recipe for cinnamon rolls at the Acme on Monday. As it turned out, the recipe required microwaving, which I can't do. Found a simpler recipe for Basic Sweet Dough in one of my older cookbooks. I updated it with two cups of whole wheat flour in with the regular flour. Gave it a nice, nutty flavor.

After I put the dough to rise the first time, I cleaned the bathroom. Figured I might as well get to it. It wasn't terribly bad (except the sink), but it needed to be done sooner or later. Now was as good a time as any.

Checked on the dough at quarter of 3. It hadn't risen a lot, but I figured it was enough to proceed with rolling. I rolled it into as much of a square as I could, then brushed it with butter and sprinkled it with sugar. I guess I didn't make it big enough, because I had way too much butter and sugar. I added some of the addition sugar to the tops for a little crunch before letting them rise again.

Watched Doctor Zhivago while I worked. The title character is Yuri Zhivago (Omar Sharif), who is taken in by friends of his family after his mother dies. By 1913, he's studying medicine, but really prefers poetry. He's not the only one who can't follow his heart. Lovely teenager Lara (Julie Christie) is having an affair with older nobleman Komarovsky (Rod Steiger), but she really loves Pasha (Tom Courteney), a devoted revolutionary. She tries shooting him after he rapes her, but she only gets his hand. Zhivago treats him. Eventually, Yuri married his adopted sister Tonya (Geraldine Chaplin) and had a son with her, and Lara marries Pasha and bears a daughter with him. The two men end up in World War I with Yuri's half-brother Yevgraf (Sir Alec Guinness). Pasha goes missing in action; Lara takes up nursing to find him. She and Yuri work together and fall for each other, but he eventually returns to Tonya.

He comes back to a much-changed Moscow. The Communists have banned his poems and subdivided his adopted father's former home. They flee Moscow in a car filled with men intended for slave labor. Yuri runs across the mysterious Revolutionary "Streinkov"...who turns out to be a very-much-alive Pasha. Pasha does let him go back to his family. They move into a cottage on a former family estate...until Yuri discovers that Lara and her daughter live near-by. He has an affair with her that he ends when he learns that Tonya is pregnant. Unfortunately, just as he's about to return to his family, the Red Army comes by and forces him to join them. The moment he can, he deserts them and flees back to Lara. His family having been sent to Paris, he's able to stay there happily with her, until the government once again catches up with them over his "counter-revolutionary" poetry. He and Lara part again, this time for good...but he never forgets her and dies trying to get out to see his Lara one more time.

While I didn't enjoy this quite as much as the more over-the-top Cleopatra, it's still a big, beautiful movie. The grand cinematography (mostly filmed in Spain - as you can imagine, Soviet Russia wasn't too happy with the story), with many wide shots of devastation and very cold winters, won an Oscar, as did the adapted screenplay and the stunning costumes and set design. Julie Christie did win an Oscar that year, but not for this movie, despite her own touching performance here. Courteney was nominated as the earnest young man who goes from idealistic youth to ardent revolutionary. It definitely deserved Best Score for its sweeping music, including "Lara's Theme."

I liked this, but didn't love it. If you're more into doomed romances and heavy melodrama in a historical setting than I am, you may find much to swoon over in this tragic tale.

Worked on writing for a while after I drizzled the rolls with icing and got them in the oven. Han arrives just in time to save Luke from being slashed by Vader. Luke manages to kill Tarkin, while Han, Leia, and the others drive his men off. Han gives Vader's horse one last parting slap, saying it's from the mythical "Robin Hood." Leia insists that they make "Robin Hood" real. They're going to rob from rich Norman nobles to pay for the poor, for the ransom for King Bail, and to get the land back for former Saxon nobles.

It was almost 7:30 before I broke for dinner. Watched a quick winter-related special while making taco salad for dinner in honor of the tiny bit of snow I'd seen earlier. Frosty's Winter Wonderland brings back everyone's favorite talking snowman, but he's feeling a bit lonely when the kids go home. They make him a "snow wife," a snowwoman, to keep him company. Trouble is, she's not "all livin'" like him. Meanwhile, Jack Frost is jealous that the kids pay more attention to Frosty than him and will do anything he can to get rid of the snowman's magic.

Finished the night with a more upbeat epic, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is searching for the lost Ark of the Covenent in 1936. He's joined by his good friend Sallah (John Rhys-Davies) and ex-girlfriend Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen). The Nazis, including Indy's rival Belloq (Paul Freeman), are also after the Ark for the amazing power it's said to contain. Indy goes from Nepal to Egypt in search of the golden container, and though he does manage to get it first, the Nazis steal it from him. He and Marion go in pursuit, only to be captured by Belloq and his men. When Belloq insists on opening the Ark to see its power for himself, he, Indy, Marion, and everyone around them learn that some mysteries are better left undisturbed.

While not my favorite Indiana Jones movie (that's Last Crusade), this is the first and probably the most famous of them. My dad didn't buy the video for this until sometime in the early-mid 90's, and I didn't grow up with this one the way I did the other two. There's a lot of things I like about it, though, including Allen as the most feisty and interesting of Indy's love interests. If you're a fan of action, Ford, or director Steven Spielburg, this one is a no-brainer, and one of the best adventure movies of all time.

Oh, and while most of the sugar fell out of the dough when I tried to cut it, otherwise, my first try at cinnamon rolls were perfect. They tasted just sweet and moist enough and smelled incredible while baking. Though they didn't take long to bake, they did take a while to rise and put together, meaning this will be an only occasional treat.

And yes, I called Jodie for a ride to work tomorrow. I'm afraid I'm not going to avoid the 15 degree temperatures this time. And I got another bite on the American Girl bed and bedding that I'm still trying to sell. Hope it goes through this time.

Miss Redmer and the Cleaning Day

Began a partly cloudy morning by moving things around a little. I didn't know if Charlie was going to start putting in the new bedroom window in today or tomorrow, so I moved the two shelves and the bench with the American Girl dolls out of the way. I figured I'd hold off on moving the hanging shelf with the Star Wars action figures until the last minute. If anything on that shelf moves even an inch, all the figures end up on the floor.

Watched Cats Don't Dance while eating breakfast and making "The Vermont" maple (or maple and honey - I don't have pure maple syrup) cookies. Danny (Scott Bakula) is a cat who has come to Hollywood in 1939 to become a musical star. Hollywood isn't interested in animals doing anything but acting like, well, animals. He tries to upstage bratty child star Darla Dimple (Ashley Peldon), who just sends her intimidating butler Max (the film's director Mark Dindal) after him. Most of the animal community doesn't understand his optimism, especially secretary Sawyer (Jasmine Guy). Danny has a dream, and he's determined to make that dream come true...and to prove that singing and dancing is for everyone, whether they have two feet or four.

Underrated treat from Warners is another casualty of the late 90's glut of animated musicals. It actually reminds me a bit of a 30's-set Zootopia and covers some of the same themes. I highly recommend checking it out in widescreen at the Warner Archives, if only for Darla Dimple, one of the most bizarre villains in animation history. Her number "Big and Loud" must be seen to be believed.

Charlie came around as the cookies were going in the oven. First of all, the new window will be going in tomorrow. Second, the fire code inspector will apparently be around on Saturday. He put a new battery in the fire alarm in the hall and headed out. I followed him as soon as the cookies were cooling, making sure to leave him a sandwich bag of cookies for him and his men.

Went for a walk around Oaklyn, stopping first at the library to return the DVDs and volunteer. They were pretty busy for them. A dad played with his adorable baby daughter in the children's section. Several folks helped the librarian on duty organize materials for their book sale next week. There were boxes of books and DVDs everywhere, all ready for purchase. I organized DVDs and took a quick look at the children's section after the dad and his baby left.

It was still a little cloudy when I headed back out, but the breeze felt wonderful, and it was a perfect mid-70's. The neighborhood is looking more summer than spring now. The trees are filled with lush green leaves and velvety lawns covered in clover. Gardens burst at the seams with roses, lilies, and peonies. A few have flowery banners out, but most are fine with the color on their lawns.

Had lunch as soon as I got in while watching the first couple of episodes on the Minnie & Daisy Happy Hearts set. The duo are hired by Captain Peterson to be directors for his big Valentine's Day cruise in "The Happiest Helpers Cruise." They organize a disco dance-off, but their best male dancer loses his partner. Her replacement is a shy janitor with some great moves who has to be coaxed onto the floor. Daisy experiences "Adventures In Buddysitting" when she chases what she thinks is one of the kids they're taking care of all over town. "The Big Broadcast" has them doing the announcing while Billy Beagle joins the guys in the off-road race. It looks like he may lose, until Minnie points out he's overthinking. Daisy and Minnie are excited to be assistants to Daisy's favorite movie star in "Lights! Camera! Help!" Being in a musical has always been her dream, but she doesn't sing well in front of the camera until Minnie and Daisy find a way to calm her nerves.

Switched to scrubbing the kitchen and the bathroom while listening to my new Bob Seager Greatest Hits and Simon & Garfunkel: Concert In Central Park CDs. The latter in particular has long been a favorite of mine - in fact, this features my favorite versions of "America," "Me & Julio," "Still Crazy After All These Years," plus a fun medley of "Kodachrome" and "Maybellene."

Worked on writing for a while after I finished the kitchen. Leia and the others have to literally fight their way through monstrous fish men up the stairs to Palpatine's tower rooms. Meanwhile, Leia asks Amilyn if she has any feelings left for Han. The answer is 'no.' The marriage was pre-ordained by their parents in order to bring the resources of their kingdoms together. Girlish Amilyn found Han to be too awkward, rough, and ungentlemanly and was quite happy when he left and the engagement was called off.

Finished off the Minnie and Daisy shorts as I got organized. Billy Beagle hires the girls to keep an eye on his Grandpa Beagle and make sure he gets his rest. Grandpa proves that you can still have fun and compete in extreme sports no matter what your age in "Grandpa Beagle's Day Out." They're "Artful Helpers" when they're hired to keep a priceless painting from falling into the hands of famous thief Commander Heist. "Cuckoo La-La" is Cukoo-Loca's cousin, a fashion designer in Paris. Despite her own sense of style, Cukoo-Loca feels she's not anywhere near as creative as her famous relative. She has to discover her creativity in a hurry when they accidentally destroy Cukoo La-La's new spring line. The girls are hoping Pluto will be "Figaro's New Friend" when they have to babysit the energetic pooch, but Figaro won't share his toys. Pluto proves what a good friend he is when he saves Figaro after a mishap in the local dog water park.

Did some Lego Indiana Jones while eating dinner. Second time proved to be the charm for the Ancient City bonus round. This time, I finished it in 22 minutes, not bad considering it took me over an hour to almost finish it last night. Finally out-ran the boulder and got the last piece in "The Lost Temple," completing Raiders of the Lost Ark. Got True Adventurer and one more piece in "Escape the Mines." I'm still having problems getting the last piece in "Battle on the Bridge," but the studs I made from that round allowed me to buy the x4 Extra.

Speaking of Indiana Jones, I ended my evening with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It's now 1957. Indy (Harrison Ford) is still finding artifacts and fighting bad guys, only now it's the Russian Communists who are after him. General Irrina Spalko (Cate Blanchett) wants him to find a crystal skull suspected of having out-of-this-world powers. Spalko isn't the only one with an interest in the skull. Mechanic Mutt Williams (Shia LaBouf) wants Indy to find his family friend Harold Oxley (John Hurt) and his mother...who turns out to be Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), Indy's old girlfriend. Now these three have to piece together their relationship, even as they dodge Spalko and her troops and figure out the real mystery behind the crystal skull.

I don't understand all the negativity around this movie, either. Granted, LaBouf is totally out of place as the Marlon Brando wanna-be and some of the action set pieces are kind of weird (like the thing with the refrigerator and the nuclear blast). Indy's buddy Mac is introduced so suddenly, it's hard to care about him the way we're supposed to. This movie also has the same problem with an over-reliance on then-cutting-edge CGI effects as the latter two Star Wars prequels and many action and sci-fi films of the 90's and 2000's.

On the other hand, there's a lot of action that does work (like the motorcycle chase in Connecticut and the finding of the skull in Peru), Blanchett is a solid villain, and it's great to see Marion again. Some people complain that the sci-fi plot is a little too out-there for Indy, but I don't think it's stranger than any of the other stories in the series and actually works quite well with the 50's Cold War setting. For all the fussing, this actually ended up being the second-biggest hit of 2008, coming in behind only the wildly popular The Dark Knight.

If you're a fan of Indy, ignore the critics and carping and give this one a look. Those who are new to Indy's swashbuckling world will want to back up and check out at least Raiders first.

Anything Goes

I awoke to a heavy shower around 9:30. By the time I was finishing my journal entry at quarter of 11, the rain was gone, but it remained cloudy, damp, and cool. Made Banana Pancakes for breakfast while listening to patriotic-themed records. Yankee Doodle Mickey features a very young Molly Ringwauld and the Disney characters and chorus performing American standards. My favorites include the chorus' rousing rendition of "The Liberty Tree" from the Disney version of Johnny Tremain and the Armed Services Medley with Mickey representing the Air Force and Marines, Goofy the Army, and of course, Donald representing the Navy. Also did the first side of the two-disc Reader's Digest set America the Beautiful, a collection of all-American classical pieces and instrumental numbers put out in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty in 1986.

Worked on writing for an hour after breakfast. Wedge and his boys offer to give Leia a ride to Solo Castle while the others start a brawl to distract the soldiers and Unkar Plutt and his men. Wicket the Ewok tugs on Leia's trouser leg. He, his clan, and Cyril and Artello want to help, too. Wedge agrees to take Leia, the servants, and some of the Ewoks with them to help defend her in the castle.

Got off at 12:30, then dressed and headed to work. Work was surprisingly still not as busy as I thought it would be. It was steady, but not as bad as it usually is on a Sunday or a holiday weekend. Either everyone was avoiding the continually humid and dreary day, or they'd all gone to the Shore. (If they did, they faced even worse weather than we did here. The Shore got some nasty thunderstorms and pretty bad flooding.) I did get stuck in the registers at one point about 40 minutes before break. Otherwise, I was mostly gathering carts, cleaning the bathrooms, and doing returns.

Jodie called me when I was writing and invited me over for dinner tonight and tomorrow. I brought a t-shirt to work with me to change into, then rode right to Dad and Jodie's house from there. Apparently, most people were coming tomorrow night. It was just Dad, Jodie, Jesse, Dana, and me enjoying cheeseburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, and macaroni salad while watching Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade on the Paramount Network with Dad. (Evidently, Paramount is having a Memorial Day Weekend Indiana Jones marathon.)

Stayed with Indy, this time in Lego form, when I got home. "The Temple of Kali" and "Free the Slaves" were far easier in Free Play than they had been in Story Mode. Once again, it turns out I'd already gotten half the pieces in both. The only problem I had was getting the parcel in "Free the Slaves." You have to whip it across the ledges along with the lift piece. Doing the lift piece was enough of a pain, but you have to get the parcel onto the lift and then into the mailbox, too.

Oh, and Princess Leia can be found in "Free the Slaves." She's actually on a ledge under the slave pen, which has to be opened by one of the bazooka troopers or someone with explosives.

Moved to the live-action Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom as I went online. After he picks up spoiled singer Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw) and his kid buddy Short Round (Key Hu Quan) during a tussle in a nightclub in Shanghai, Indy (Harrison Ford) and the others end up in a destitute village in India. The villagers' children and their magical "Shankara Stone" were stolen by the Thuggee cult, who want to use them to drive out the village and take over the world. Indy and the others travel to Pangkok Palace, where a new young maharajah has taken control. There's a lot more going on underneath that palace than it seems...and Indy now has to find those stones and free the slave kids, before the evil cult tries to get their hands on their minds and hearts.

This was my first Indiana Jones movie. It was one of the first movies we ever recorded, I believe around 1986-1987. I loved it as a kid Short Round's age, but I have a lot more problems with it now. I actually like Shorty, but Willie is annoying, whiny, and a bit useless. There's also the Indian stereotypes, which were troublesome in the 80's and are probably just in bad taste nowadays. On the other hand, there's several iconic scenes, including the opening "Anything Goes" musical number, the mine train ride, and the finale on the bridge, that are as good as anything in the series.

If you love the Indiana Jones series, check this one out, too...but I recommend you come here after you've seen either Raiders or Last Crusade, both of which are better introductions to Indy than this one.

Good Day Sunshine

I stumbled out of bed around 5 to go to the bathroom, then went back to sleep. When I was finally up for good, it was quarter of 10. The sun was shining, my apartment was warmer, and there was a wonderful breeze drifting in through my window.

Lauren didn't get up until past 10:30. While she got organized and I had breakfast, I ran the rest of the Classic Cartoon Favorites: Starring Chip & Dale DVD. Chip is a "Chicken in the Rough" when he tries to take a hen's egg, thinking it's a big nut, and she thinks he's her chick. "Chip & Dale" gave the chipmunks their names in a tale that had them rescuing their log home from Donald, who wants to use it to warm his cabin. It's "Food for Feudin'" when the chipmunks have to retrieve their nuts from Pluto's doghouse. They're "Working for Peanuts" after they discover that Donald's charge Dolores the Elephant gets the tasty legume as part of her regular food in the zoo. Donald is "Out on a Limb" when he chases the chipmunks while pruning a tree. "Three for Breakfast" has the duo trying to steal Donald's pancakes. They have to save their home from Donald again, this time from being knocked down by his steam shovel, in "Dragon Around."

It was noon before we finally headed out to Collingswood. The weather was absolutely amazing, especially compared to yesterday. The view of Newton Lake Park as we passed over the bridge between Oaklyn and Collingswood was incredible. The lake sparkled; the green trees rustled in the breeze. We even ran into one of my co-workers, a nice lady who works in the deli department, and her husband on the bridge. She apparently had today off as well, and since it was so nice, talked her hubby into a walk in the park.

We had lunch at the Pop Shop. We were originally going to walk further up the White Horse Pike to Haddon Heights and Barrington, but first of all, after hiking around two malls in two days, we weren't up to that long of a stroll. Second, Lauren wanted to eat at the Pop Shop, and I like them, too. They were surprisingly quiet for them for lunch, with only a few families with young children enjoying their meal.

Lauren had a tuna wrap she said tasted a lot like a fish taco and a Creamsicle ice cream float (orange soda with vanilla ice cream). I had a Cherry Coke Float and a waffle with crushed pineapple and a mountain of whipped cream. Other than I wish the guy had added more pineapple, it was delicious. The waffle was much better than the one I had on New Year's Day 2015, just tender enough.

Strolled down Haddon Avenue to check out a few stores in Westmont we enjoyed visiting on Saturday. Phildelity Records was our first stop. Lauren grabbed three more CDs. I picked up the Peter Pan book-and-record version of Cinderella and the original 2006 Disney Movie Club release of Ducktales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp. She bought a Shirley Temple soda at Rocket Fizz (and later said it was delicious). I found a nice blue and yellow floral sleep shirt and a pizza-themed cozy mystery novel at Good Samaritan Thrift Shop. Lauren's finds included two shorts for her dad and a blue blouse for her.

We cut through Newton Lake Park on the way home, on Lauren's suggestion. It was hot, in the lower 80's, and the shady park was nice and cool. It was also surprisingly quiet. There wasn't a soul on the path between the lake and the houses on Bettlewood Avenue. The kids must have just been getting out of school. Steep stone steps took us up to East Clinton Avenue. We strolled down the street, right to the end of the block with The House of Fun and Comicrypt.

The House of Fun was still pretty quiet; the manager and his people were going through boxes of loose vintage action figures that were all over the floor. Lauren found another vintage Roddy Piper figure, this one painted wearing jeans, with far more articulation than the other Roddys she's found on this trip. Comicrypt was busier, with several collectors also looking around. She bought another stack of older titles on a really good sale. I settled for scratching the black and white kitty between his ears at Comicrypt.

It was almost 5 at that point, and the traffic was getting worse on the White Horse Pike. It was time to head home. When we got in, we put everything away, then went right into playing Lego Indiana Jones. Did the first three rounds in Last Crusade. The round that takes you through the library and the catacombs and ends with bashing the Brotherhood member in a boat wasn't too hard...but the second round in the castle and the third that had Indy and Professor Jones escaping across Germany involves a lot of blowing things up (including yourself) with a bazooka that takes a while to figure out.

Put on Ducktales the Movie while we ate leftovers and green salads with tomato wedges and turkey pepperoni for dinner. Scrooge McDuck (Alan Young), Launchpad McQuack (Terrance McGovern) and the kids are searching for the lost treasure of Kali Baba, but they lose it when they're attacked by evil sorcerer Merlock (Christopher Lloyd). He's searching for a lamp with a wish-granting genie (Rip Taylor) inside. Scrooge gave the lamp to little Webby (Russi Taylor) to play with. When the kids discover the genie, they treat him like one of the gang and mostly make goofy wishes, like making Webby's toys come to life or creating the world's biggest ice cream sundae. Scrooge still has treasure on the brain and orders Genie to make Kali Baba's fortune appear....which attracts not only Merlock, but the treacherous thief Dijon (Richard Libertini) as well. He wishes for Uncle Scrooge's fortune. Scrooge and his household fights back, even after Merlock figures out what Dijon is up to. Merlock may have magic, but Scrooge knows every inch of his money bin. It's up to him to prove that having someone to lean on is one of the most important things anyone can wish for.

If you're a fan of the original Ducktales show or the classic Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge comics the show was based on, this is worth checking out. Critics were hard on it at when it came out in the early 90's, and while it doesn't compare favorably to other Disney movies from the time and was a flop when it first came out, it's a fun ride in it's own right.

Ended the night with another treasure-hunting adventure, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. After a short opening segment that introduces Indy as a young boy (River Phoenix), we cut ahead to 1939. The adult Indy (Harrison Ford) is tasked with finding his missing father Professor Henry Jones (Sean Connery), a scholar of medieval literature who vanished while searching for the Holy Grail. The trip first takes him and museum owner Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliot) to Venice, where they meet the lovely Dr. Elsa Schinder (Alison Doody) and are chased by a secret society that protects the Grail from harm. After they win their trust, the two head to a castle in Austria where Professor Jones is supposed to be held. Indy does find his father...but he also learn that Dr. Schinder is not what she seems. Now the father and son have to outwit the Nazis and find the Grail's final resting place, all as they try to mend their long-fractured relationship.

This is by far my favorite of the four Indiana Jones movies. Sean Connery and Harrison Ford play off each other so beautifully as father and son, they make the film a treat to watch. Doody is good as the treacherous Elsa, too. I'm not the only one who loved this; it was the biggest hit of 1989, surpassing even the iconic Tim Burton Batman at the box office that year. I was dying to see it then, and was pretty upset when I never got to it. (Dad did buy the video as soon as it came out, though.)

Today was our last full day together. I called Dad and Jodie after we got in. Lauren will be heading to the train station at 11:30. I'll probably spend the rest of the day writing and running errands.

The Rain, the Mall, and Other Things

I was so excited about our first mall trip of the week, I couldn't sleep this morning. It was raining when I got up at quarter of 7, but not heavily. I finished Han Solo's Revenge, wrote in my journal, and messed around online until Lauren got up around 10.

Ran a couple of She-Ra episodes while I ate breakfast and we got organized. Adora and Bow find themselves in an "Enchanted Castle" when they're captured by an evil sorceress. They're rescued by an old woman they helped on the road, who teaches them a lesson in kindness and looking beyond appearances. Madame Razz, her broom, and Kowl are "Three Courageous Hearts" who must find the spell book that will release She-Ra from the Sixth Dimension.

We rushed out around 10:45 to catch the 11:12 bus to Cherry Hill. It was still raining when we left, a light shower that made everyone damp, but didn't do much else...and certainly not the torrential downpour everyone talked about for today. The bus was about five or so minutes late, nothing outrageous, and we had no trouble getting to the mall.

We took quick looks at Game Stop first, but neither of us picked up anything there. Lauren found t-shirts for her parents at the Disney Store and shirts for herself at work at Macy's. I didn't pick up anything from either store. They had Solo: A Star Wars Story merchandise, but not much, and nothing that exciting. (Too bad the giant Ewok honoring the 35th anniversary of Return of the Jedi was so expensive.)

Macy's is just a few doors down from The Disney Store. We walked around there for about a half-hour. I'm not the biggest fan of Macy's and didn't find anything interesting, but Lauren found several of her favorite style of blouses for work. We also ran into Jessa, who works at that Macy's, heading for another department. She was talking about her and Joe taking Lauren and me to see wrestling at Atlantic City...but Joe has a cold, and they may not be able to do it. That's ok. Most of our plans for tomorrow were in the morning.

By the time we headed across the pedestrian bridge to the Hillview Shopping Center, the rain was long gone. It was replaced by a cold, stiff wind that lingered for the rest of the day. Shivering, we ducked into the Silver Diner for lunch. They were very busy, not surprising for 1 PM. We both opted for their $9.99 lunch specials. I had the Tarragon Crabcake, cole slaw, and Old Bay fries. Lauren had a bowl of chicken soup and the half of a turkey club that I had a while back. Yum! The crab cake was even better than their fish and chips, perfectly cooked and seasoned just right. (The Silver Diner is a Maryland franchise - they know their seafood.) Lauren really seemed to love hers, too.

Hit Kohl's next. I picked up two much-needed bras. (Mine are very old and very worn.) Lauren found a couple of shirts she liked on a rack near the entrance at the last minute!

Target was just as busy. We explored the toy aisle, but neither of us found anything we couldn't live without. Lauren already had the "Rowdy" Roddy Piper figure on the shelves, and they didn't have the Kylo Ren/Rey doll set I've been looking for. She bought a bra; I picked up a box of Pillsbury Strawberry cake mix that was on a good sale. I'll make Lauren and me a berry cake later in the week.

Lauren and I headed back across the pedestrian bridge and though the mall. To our disappointment, Jay Street Video Games was gone. It must have just happened; I'm pretty sure they were there when I was at the mall for my birthday last month. Nothing either of us wanted at Build-a-Bear. We did better at JC Penney; we both picked up pretty blouses. I like the simple red print on the peach background on the shirt I found.

I met Lauren at the food court, which is almost right next to JC Penney. I had a wonderfully tart-sweet Orangeberry Julius. Lauren had a Cherry Coke and a huge chicken and cheese quesadilla, the latter of which she shared with me.

We finished our snack with just enough time to head upstairs and catch our bus home. The bus was once again five minutes late...and this time, it had a good reason. Traffic was pretty heavy around the Cooper River Bridge and the entrance to Haddon Township by Cooper River Park. A ride that should have been 20 minutes ended up being more like 40. Made a quick jump into WaWa for money on the way home.

After we got in and put everything away, we first played Wii Sports. Lauren killed me at everything we played; I got the closest to her in golf. Switched to Lego Indiana Jones around quarter after 7. We took Marion and Indy through the streets of Cairo and over its rooftops, smashing so many jars, we got our first True Adventurer. Didn't do nearly well on the very long and complicated "Well of Souls." We managed to get through it, and even get a few pieces, but we lost most of our money doing so.

Had leftover bean dip and hummus for dinner, then went online while watching the original, non Lego Raiders of the Lost Ark. Professor Henry "Indiana" Jones Jr. (Harrison Ford) has been hired by the US Government to find the Ark of the Covenant, a biblical artifact of indescribable power. The Nazis are also seeking the Ark, lead by Indy's old rival Bellaq (Paul Freeman). In order to find the Ark, he needs to get a priceless medallion from his ex-girlfriend Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen). She joins him and his friend Sallah (John Rhys-Davies) in Cario..but even when they do find the Ark, the Nazis are quickly on their tail. Indy, Marion, and the Ark are ultimately captured by the Nazis, who intend to use its power to take over the world. Indy's the only one who knows how to survive what comes out of the Ark...and why some mysteries are better left undiscovered.

First, and probably the most beloved, of the Indiana Jones films. This one introduced the character, Marion Ravenwood, and the premise of a globe-trotting archeologist/adventurer searching for artifacts in the 30's, 40's and 50's. A classic action adventure that's highly recommended.

From Winter to Spring

Slept so long this morning, I never got to the laundromat. I did get the Valentine's Day decorations down after breakfast. Ran a few episodes of The Backyardigans while I got the decoration bags sorted. "Robot Rampage" was the third and final hour-long episode. In this tale set around disco music, Austin is a robot repairman in a futuristic city with his Robot Roscoe. The robots in town never break...until one day when Tyrone, Uniqua, and Tasha's robots go haywire! Austin and Roscoe have to rescue the other kids, then stop the evil Dr. Pablo's bugs from taking over every robot in town.

"Catch that Train!" had Conductor Uniqua and devoted servant Pablo chasing after the train when it takes off with Czar Tyrone. They have to make sure it gets to the Winter Palace station intact...and that their ruler doesn't figure out what's going on.

It was past 1 when I finally headed out. The day was cloudy and cool, though not nearly as windy as yesterday. Cut through Newton Lake Park on my way to Westmont. The park was surprisingly busy for such a blah day, with several moms and their very young charges running around the playground and quite a few people out for a stroll.

Spent the next few hours at the Haddon Township Library. There wasn't a whole lot for me to do, volunteer-wise. They wanted to save the DVDs for a senior volunteer. I did organize the adult DVDs (the head librarian was right - they were in bad shape) and the CDs and shelved audio books.

Tried a couple of different movies this week. I enjoyed Cleopatra so much last week, I thought I'd try another lengthy historical epic, Reds. Returned to the cinema of the 60's and 70's with Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and Smokey and the Bandit. I remember seeing Dave when Dad rented it in the early 90's, but I haven't caught it since then; thought it might be fun for President's Day.

Also took out a couple of books for the first time in a while. Haddon Township finally got the visual guide for The Last Jedi in. Decided I was never going to get to the Hannah Swenson Christmas stories during the holidays and grabbed the first one, Sugar Cookie Murder. Found the last Amelia Peabody story Elizabeth Peters began before her death a few years ago, The Painted Queen. Cobalt Squadron tells the story of the lives of Rose Tico and her sister Paige before The Last Jedi begins. Continued with the Mercedes Lackey Elemental Masters fairy tale retellings with the Rapunzel story From a High Tower.

It was nearly 3:30 when I finally made it out. Stopped at Nick's Pizza for lunch. At that point, the only people there were the employees and a couple of teenagers on their way home from school looking for a snack. I had a grilled vegetable wrap with cheese and fries. The waitress forgot the cheese. The poor girl was so apologetic, but I wasn't mad at her. Accidents happen. I will admit, I was glad I held out for the provolone. The wrap tasted much better with the extra flavor.

By this point, the sun had come out, and it was much warmer. It was also 4 PM, too late to do much else. I dodged rush hour traffic on Cuthbert Road and the White Horse Pike and headed home.

Worked on writing for a few hours. Kylo Ren tells Rey that Luke is upstairs, in Snoke's room. He tells her he'll help her rescue Luke if she stays with him. She doesn't give him a direct answer, but gets him to take her upstairs instead. She hides under Snoke's bed again while Ren distracts Phasma and her troops. Rey does manage to free Luke from the sack Snoke had him in, but they're both caught before they can flee...

Broke for a very quick yogurt-and-fruit dinner at 6:30. Played a few rounds of Lego Star Wars while I ate. Moved to The Empire Strikes Back to do the Free Play on "Escape from Echo Base" and "Betrayal at Bespin." I did very well with both. Got more than half the pieces and almost got True Jedi on "Echo Base," all but one piece on "Betrayal" and the red brick in both.

Finished out the night with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It's 1957. Indy (Harrison Ford) is still searching for lost treasures, but now it's the Russians he's battling. Ukranian officer Irrina Spalko (Cate Blanchett) is determined to get Indy to help her find a crystal skull that could lead to a vast city where alien beings may dwell. Indy's turncoat friend Mac (Ray Winstone) is more interested in the gold the city holds. Indy is approached by a young man named Mutt (Shia LaBouf) to find his mom along with the skulls. He never dreams Mutt's mother would be his former flame Marion (Karen Allen), or that his friend Oxley (John Hurt) would be the key to Indy getting close to the boy...and finding out what the real "treasure" of the skulls is.

This isn't my favorite Indiana Jones movie, but I don't hate it like a lot of people do. The plot is creative, fun, and appropriate for the 50's Cold War setting. Indy and Marion's reunion was beautifully handled, and the two of them are just fun to watch. Cate Blanchett made a great evil Russian officer, too.

Other casting isn't as welcome. Shia LaBouf is totally out of place as a Marlon Brando-wannabe. Mac is given such little build-up, you don't really feel feel the supposed friendship between him and Indy. Some of the set pieces (like the monkeys and the man-eating ants) are over-the-top, even for this franchise. It also has the same problem with an over-reliance on then-cutting edge CGI as the later Star Wars prequels and many other action movies of the late 90's and 2000's.

If you're a fan of the series, this isn't anywhere near as bad as you might have heard. If you're new to Indy's swashbuckling world, back up and check out at least Raiders of the Lost Ark before coming here to get a better understanding of Indy and Marion's relationship and Indy's character.

Adventure Magic

Kicked off a sunny, breezy morning with breakfast and the first My Little Pony: Equestria Girls short. "Dance Magic" picks up a couple of weeks after the previous camp-themed film. The girls are raising money to repair the damage done to Camp Everfree during their stay. Rarity sees a music video contest at their local mall and signs up her and her friends. First of all, her friends may be good singers and musicians, but they're terrible dancers. Second, Rarity blabbed her ideas to their rivals from Crystal Prep Academy, who steal her ideas. Rarity finally calls them on it...but then comes up with a better idea to make everyone happy.

Spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon finishing Thumb-Leia. Chewie and Luke take Leia and Han down south, to the flower field that's the Kingdom of the Fairies. Luke shows Leia his flower home...which is the same flower Leia was birthed from. They figure out that their seeds came from the same flower. Han explains to her that she is, indeed, a fairy. They gain their power from the sun. Vader and the beetles kept Han in a dark cell to weaken him. Had Leia remained underground with Pellaeon and Thrawn, she would have been weakened as well.

Leia helps nurse Han back to health and gradually falls in love with him. Chewie brings letters to her parents to reassure them that she's fine and has found her place. The last letter has an invitation to a wedding...for Han has asked Leia to marry him.

So, Leia becomes queen of the fairies. Han gives her a crown of her own; Luke gives her beautiful wings. It ends with the three flying off together in a race, in search of adventure once more.

I'm pretty happy with how that came out. After doing two complicated novels and two only slightly less complex short chapter stories (one pretty dark), it actually feels good to be doing shorter, lighter stories again. (Having a lot more time to write in the past few weeks probably helped.)

I have a whole list of short Star Wars fairy tales that were put on the back burner when I was doing those two novels last year. Next up will be Brave Rey, a Sequel Trilogy take on the Scottish/British Isles folk tale "Molly Whuppie," and a Finn-centric version of another Hans Christian Anderson story, The Swineherd.

At any rate, here's Thumb-Leia:

Thumb-Leia - Archive of Our Own
Thumb-Leia - My Writing Blog
Thumb-Leia - Fanfiction.net

Broke for lunch at 1. Ate and got organized while watching the second Equestria Girls special. "Movie Magic" takes the girls behind the scenes on the new Daring Do film. Rainbow Dash in particular is thrilled to be there - she's a huge Daring Do fan - while Rarity wants an autograph from her favorite star. The movie's having a lot of problems, though, including falling sets and the star throwing fits over a lack of her favorite chocolate bars on-set. When two major props disappear and it looks like the movie may have to shut down all together, the girls are on the case!

Headed off to work as soon as I finished lunch. This wasn't easy. I'd heard sawing and chopping all morning, even as I finished my writing. I didn't figure out what was going on until I tried to leave. There was a big crane on the path to my apartment chopping down the trees that Charlie always complain make a mess...and it totally blocked it. I had to go around and through the dogs' yard to get to my bike.

Once I got to work, things mostly went fine. We're still having problems with people calling out due to illness. I spent the last hour of work gathering carts because the night bagger called out sick, and there would be no one to do them later. Good thing it was a nice day for it, sunny and windy but not too cold. Otherwise, we were pretty quiet. I did the bathrooms when I came in and shelved a full cart of returns.

Ducked around the crane well enough to get upstairs and in my door when I got in. Had leftovers for dinner while finishing out Equestria Girls. "Mirror Magic" kicks things up a notch. Juniper Essence, the villain from the previous story, discovers an enchanted mirror while working at a movie theater. The mirror shows her greatest wish...in her case, to be a beloved star. It can also make objects disappear. This proves to be a big problem when Juniper makes Sunset Shimmer and all of the Equestria Girls vanish into the world of the mirror! Good thing Starlight Glimmer from Friendship Is Magic came to visit and saw the whole thing...and knows exactly how Juniper feels after all the trouble she caused.

Returned to Lego Star Wars for about an hour and a half after dinner. Finally finished out the "story" portion of the game with the last round of Return of the Jedi. Once again, I kept bumping into the sides of the Death Star and couldn't keep any studs, but I did get several pieces and the red brick.

Tried some other rounds after I left Jedi. There's six "bonus rounds" just off the main hub. I built the doors and entered "Anakin's Flight," which was cut from The Phantom Menace. As  you can guess from the title, it's a flying round. Young Anakin has to fly and destroy a ship shaped like a doughnut with a bite taken out of it. It's pretty hard, and I'm not the best at flying rounds to begin with. I still couldn't get any studs (though I did get Anakin's fighter to use in Free Play).

Speaking of Free Play, I went into that next. Started with one of the easier levels, "Escape from Naboo." Got four more pieces and True Jedi...but more importantly, I actually managed to get a bunch of studs. I was finally able to buy Jango Fett. (The Fetts can use their jet packs to fly, as well as toss explosives that blow up metal objects like the other bounty hunters.)

Ended the night after a shower online with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. We jump back slightly to 1935. After an interlude in Shanghai, where Indy picks up an annoying singer (Kate Capshaw) and a kid sidekick (Key Huy Quan), the trio end up in India. The citizens of an impoverished village recruit the trio to rescue their sacred rocks...and return their children, both of whom were stolen by an evil force at a near-by palace. Turns out that the "evil force" is a cult that rips out hearts and forces children to mine for the remaining stones. Captured by the cult himself, Indy and his friends have to break out and free the kids and the stones, before the cult leader (Amrish Puri) gets his hands on their hearts!

Um, yeah. While there's a lot of things I like about this one (the Shanghai opening sequence, the mine train ride, the finale on the bridge), it's still my least-favorite of the Indiana Jones movies. I actually like Short Round and thought Quan did pretty well with him. Willie, with her annoying screaming and silly vanity, is a lot harder to take. I also have problems with the Indian stereotypes that were dated when this film came out and are probably just in poor taste today. The violence is strong in this one - there was so much blood for a PG movie, it helped to contribute to the creation of the PG-13 rating.

If you're into the Indiana Jones movies, by all means, see this one, too...but I'd recommend checking out the much better Raiders or even Last Crusade before coming here.

No Shadow for the Groundhog

The sun was trying to come out when I finally rolled out of bed this morning. Celebrated Groundhog's Day with Jack Frost, one of the most unusual of the Rankin-Bass holiday specials. The title character (Robert Morse) falls in love with a human girl after saving her from going over a waterfall. He begs Father Winter to make him human as well in order to win her heart. Father Winter tells him that he needs a bag of gold and a home as well as a wife to make his dream come true...but the nasty Cossack King owns the land, gold, and the only horse for miles around. Jack ultimately gives up his humanity to call up a blizzard around the Cossack's castle. He finally turns to Pardon-Me-Pete the Groundhog (Buddy Hackett) to help him make sure that the blizzard keeps going for six more weeks. Meanwhile, even if he can defeat the evil king, there's a kind-hearted knight who seems to have won the girl's affections far more than Jack ever did.

It was close to quarter of 1 when I made it out of the house. Stopped at the Oaklyn Library first. There were a couple of people talking politics at one of the tables. Otherwise, it was just me and the librarians. The adult DVDs had been organized by genre and weren't too bad. The kids' movies remained the same.

Headed out at 1:30 to get my grocery shopping done. Picked up icing and two bottles of soda to make marble cake tomorrow for the Super Bowl. Restocked skim milk, apples, grapefruit, bananas, ground turkey, yogurt, brown sugar, peanut butter, canned navy beans and diced tomatoes, mozzarella pull-apart snacks, chocolate chips, buttermilk, and honey. Picked up mangoes and avocados on a really good sale.

My schedule next week is somewhat similar to what I have been having. I still have three days off (Tuesday instead of Saturday along with Thursday and Friday) and one long day on Wednesday. Mixed feelings on working late afternoon-evening on Sunday. While that means I may avoid the worst of the crowds and will have time to write in the morning, I get off at 6:30...right when the game begins. It's also supposed to rain that day. I may bring the cake over to Dad and Jodie's house before I go to work, then go straight back to their house from the game. If they don't end up driving me there.

Ran a couple of romance-themed Peanuts specials when I got in and during lunch. Charlie Brown spies a beautiful little girl in the stands at a football game in the beginning of Someday You'll Find Her, Charlie Brown. He, Snoopy, Linus, and Woodstock spend the rest of the special searching everywhere from the stadium to the countryside for her. A Charlie Brown Valentine has Chuck hoping against hope that he'll somehow gather enough courage to ask The Little Red-Haired Girl to the school dance. Peppermint Patty and Marcie would rather he asked them.

Worked on writing for a while after I ate. Leia takes off into the early spring sunshine on Chewbacca's back, leaving the mouse and the obnoxious mole far behind. Chewie brings her back to the frog pond, where Luke fights off the frogs and toads who have Han. While Chewie helps him, Leia looks for the missing king. She does finally find him...in a deep sleep, frozen into a block of ice. The ice is melting, but not fast enough to restore him.

Broke at 6:30 to have leftovers for dinner. Did some Backyardigans while I ate. "Samurai Pie" has Tyrone as the master baker teaching Austin how to make the Great Pie for picky Empress Tasha. The Great Pie may be "really really hard to make," but what really takes all of Austin's skills is helping his mentor fend off pie-snitching ninjas Uniqua and Pablo!

Played video games for an hour after that. Neither "Escape from Bespin" nor "Rescue from Jabba's Palace" are that hard. They're both pretty standard build-and-run rounds. Just missed True Jedi on both, though I did find the red brick at Jabba's Palace.

Finished out the night with Raiders of the Lost Ark. Professor Henry "Indiana" Jones (Harrison Ford) goes off in search of the Ark of the Covenant, a fabled lost biblical treasure that could give its owner immense power. He first has to get a medallion that'll reveal its exact location from his former flame Marion Lockwood (Karen Allen), then find the Ark itself in the desert with the help of his friend Sallah (John Rhys-Davies). All the while, the Nazis and a rival of Indy's are on their tail, dogging their every move. Even after Indy does find the Ark, it ends up in their hands...and all involved learns why some mysteries are better left undiscovered.

I love the Indiana Jones series. This is another one that's a big part of my childhood. Marion's presence as the sassiest and most interesting of Indy's love interests and some really awesome action set pieces (including the famous opening sequence and the fight around the airplane) elevates the first of four (to date) Indy movies.

Chilled Adventure

Began a bitterly cold morning with my first early work day in months. It did not go well. I did do carts and gathered baskets and the indoor trash, but I was mostly cleaning either the bathrooms, or wiping down shelves after Christmas decorations and items were taken down. If one manager wasn't giving me an order, another was telling me to do something else.

I couldn't get out of there fast enough. There was a cute Christmas kitten gift bag on my front porch to cheer me up when I got home. It was a late Christmas gift from Miss Willa and Richard. They make the best Christmas candy bark. I was glad to see a bag of chocolate-covered biscotti and petit fours, too. I gave away all my Christmas goodies.

Put the cookies and candy away, changed, and headed out for what was likely my last laundry session of the year. The place was packed with families doing their loads from yesterday, but it couldn't be helped. I had to get it done. At least I didn't have a big load. I worked on story notes and ignored General Hospital and Action News.

Did a little bit of writing when I got home. Rey storms off into the Forest of No Return after the other kids take too long deciding who will go first. BB goes after her. They discover how the forest gained its name when they're lifted into the air by two living trees, who definitely don't want humans in their realm!

Did a snow-themed Backyardigans episode during my leftovers dinner in honor of the cold day. Pablo is pretending to be "The Yeti," who eats raisins and lives in igloos in the frozen north. Uniqua keeps insisting that the Yeti is real. Tasha claims that there's no such thing. Tyrone just wants to keep the bickering pair moving towards that strange sound.

Finished the night off after a shower with my favorite Indiana Jones movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. After a short opening segment depicting how the young Indy (River Phoenix) became a globe-trotter, we go into the main story. The adult Indiana (Harrison Ford) learns that his father Professor Henry Jones (Sean Connery) has disappeared while searching for the Holy Grail. Though he at first partners with a young scholar (Alison Doody) and a businessman who is interested in medieval lore (Julian Glover), they both turn out to be far less trustworthy than they seem. It's up to Indy, Professor Jones, Indy's good friend Sallah (John Rhys-Davis), and bumbling museum owner Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliot) to find the Grail and make sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands.

I love this movie mainly because Ford and Connery play off each other so beautifully as father and son. Indy has far more fun with him than he does with any of his female partners, including Marion. There's a lot of great moments, too, from the opening chase on the circus train to the "no ticket" incident on the zeppelin to the actual search for the Grail in the finale. Highly recommended.

Day of the Storm

It wasn't raining when I got up this morning. It was cloudy and very windy. I drowned out the wind with Schoolhouse Rock. Having enjoyed the Best of CD yesterday, I thought I'd run some of the actual cartoons. Multiplication Rock is the very first segment from 1973. It features one of the biggest hit numbers from the entire series, the ballad "Three Is a Magic Number." "Figure Eight," "Elementary" (times two), and "Ready or Not, Here I Come" (times five) are also fun.

Money Rock debuted much later, in the mid-90's. It's not generally that well-regarded, but some of the shorts are fairly catchy. Along with the pointed "Tyrannosaurus Debt," I like "Dollars and Sense" (on banks and loans) and "This for That" (on bartering and the history of money).

Went on the computer for a little while. I did sign up for taxi service Uber...but I should have read further on the site. First of all, you do have to pay a fee to get where you're going, sometimes as much as 10 dollars or more to get a half-hour. Second, you need an app to call them when you need them. I have a very old cell phone that doesn't support apps. They may be useful for short rides to work when all else fails, but when I want to go further than a few minutes, I think I'll stick to the bus and train.

I also did a little research on NJ services. I don't think I can get Social Security, but there are other programs I could look into, including Food Stamps. I may try applying online, though I do want to talk to the family first. I'll need a ride to get to Camden for interviews.

Broke around 2 for a late lunch. Made Cranberry Flummery while watching Good Eats. The storm was in full swing by this time, with gale-force winds and heavy showers. I thought "Going Dutch" was appropriate. While I don't have a grill, a Dutch oven, or the patience to bake on the grill, that didn't stop some of Alton's recipes from sounding delicious (especially the cherry clafouti). "Going Crackers" proves that yes, you can make your favorite cracker recipes, from graham to seeded, without ever opening a box.

Spent the rest of the afternoon working on stories. Leia asks Commander Kes Dameron and two of his men if he saw Han and his carriage on the road. Nope, all they saw was a dirty servant in an broken-down hay cart pulled by an old horse. Obi-Wan explains about the time limit on his magic. Leia and Luke want him to take them to Han right away, but the old magician insists that they wait for morning.

The next day, Han is on cloud nine. Even if he never sees Leia again, at least he got to spend one night with her. Unfortunately, his behavior has been noticed by a suspicious Boba Fett. He's even more suspicious when he overhears two of Jabba's men talking about holding Obi-Wan and Luke for ransom and forcing Leia to marry one of them. He takes off on Falcon, but Boba Fett and the bandits he attacked a few days before capture him.

He's brought back to Jabba's cellar bound and gagged. Jabba has no desire for him to win his princess, or for her to recognize him. Fett gleefully cuts his face and chops off his shaggy red-brown hair. They're going to coat him in metal and make him into a statue when the royal carriage arrives. Jabba has him locked in an empty wine barrel instead.

I made a quick "spinach pancake" (spinach, eggs, cheese, and mushrooms) for dinner while watching Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. We skip ahead to 1957. Indy is still searching for treasures and still fighting bad guys, but otherwise, many things have changed. It's the Russians who are after him now, especially Lieutenant Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett). She wants him to find a certain crystal skull that may lead to a lost temple where a vast treasure - including more skulls - is said to be hidden. Indy has to battle his way out of Russian jeeps, man-eating ants, and a temple that may be more out-of-this-world that he's ready for. Meanwhile, a greaser named Mutt (Shia LaBouf) is also after the skull...and he leads Indy to his long-lost former flame, Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen).

I don't hate this as much as a lot of people do, but it does have its problems. LaBouf does feel out of place as Mutt. I have no idea why they even had the character of Mac, Indy's friend. This was his first appearance, and it feels hard to care about what he does or what he means to Indy the way we're supposed to. And yes, some of the action is a little over the top, especially the whole thing with the monkeys. As with the Star Wars prequels, the obvious CGI in places tends to take one out of the serial atmosphere, rather than add to it.

On the other hand, I actually like the sci-fi oriented plot. It's creative, it suits the era, and it's no stranger than any of the other stories in the series. Indy's reunion with Marion is beautifully handled, too, and I thought Cate Blanchett made a nice, hissable villain.

Is it the worst of the series? No. (I still think that's Temple of Doom.)  Is it the best? In all honesty...not really. It is an enjoyable sci-fi action tale with some really nifty fight sequences. If you're a fan of the other Indiana Jones movies, swing on over...but I'd recommend at least seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark before coming here to understand Indy's relationship with Marion a bit better.

Finished out the night with another campy sci-fi tale, the 1980 Flash Gordon. This one is a tad bit more straightforward. New York Jets quarterback Flash (Sam Jones) finds himself thrust into space with the lovely travel agent Dale Arden (Melody Anderson) and the crazy scientist Zarkov (Topol). It seems the evil dictator Ming the Merciless (Max Von Sydrow) is using a ray that's causing the major weather disturbances on Earth. Flash will literally fight to the death in order to win his lady love and bring together the Prince Barin (Timothy Dalton) and his people of the forests and King Vultan and his hawk men (Brian Blessed).

Candy colored lunacy is now a cult favorite, with an awesome Queen score. If you love unabashedly wacky space opera that doesn't take itself seriously for a second, you'll want to look up this one.

And...yeah. The rain and wind has continued all day. I never left the house. I work until 4 tomorrow. I'll have to put off the laundry until Wednesday again.

Flight To Adventure

Ugh. It was cloudy and gray when I awoke this morning. I chased off the gloom with two Three Stooges shorts during breakfast. Even the Stooges get the Cinderella treatment in two shorts about their attempts to enter high society. "Hoi Polloi" from 1936 has two professors making a bet that they can't turn three garbage men into gentlemen. Needless to say, given we're talking about the Three Stooges here, their introduction into society is disastrous..and quite memorable. We get more-or-less the same story in "Half-Wits Holiday," Curly's final short from 1947, only this time, the boys are house painters, and it ends with a hilarious pie fight.

Didn't get to heading out for a laundry run until around noon. Thankfully, I picked the right time to do so. They were quiet as can be. I only saw two other people the entire time I was there. I worked on story notes and listened to talk shows. Didn't have a big load, anyway. I was in and out in an hour.

When I got home, I put my laundry away fast, then ran a random Garfield special while eating a quick lunch. Garfield's Feline Fantasies take us into the depths of the fat cat's vast imagination and includes spoofs of everything from submarine movies to western showdowns. The second half of the film focuses on a James Bond/Indiana Jones riff, as Garfield and Odie imagine themselves seeking the fabled Banana of Bombay while dodging some extremely shady characters. But don't worry, Jon will be there to get them out of it in the end...they hope.

Started out to run errands around 2. First stop was a quick one at the CVS on the border of Collingswood and Oaklyn. I've been meaning to pick up brush picks for a while, but they're expensive and don't turn up everywhere. I also bought dish washing liquid on sale.

Despite the chilly and gloomy weather, Newton River Park was bustling when I made my way across. I must have hit the kids coming home from school. I dodged a lot of people out for strolls, fellow bike riders, and fisher-folk. The park itself wasn't exactly inspiring. It's all brown now, with brown brush-stroke trees leaning over dried sepia grass. At least the river's no longer frozen over.

The Haddon Township Library wasn't busy at all. I was a bit surprised, given the weather. There wasn't even much to do. I shelved the few DVDs, one CD, and a few audio books. They had teenagers doing the holds. I didn't take out movies this week - I have other things I need to focus on - but I did take out three books on job hunting in the current market, and one on finding your passion. (In my case, I'm pretty sure I know what my passions are. I just need help expressing them off-line and figuring out how they can lead to a real job.)

I got out so late, I just went straight home. When I arrived, I spent the next hour or so working on writing. Leia's not happy to be at the ball. First of all, she had to get Ashoka to make over her ball gown to be fancier and less kid-ish. Second, she's sure all the boys only care about her money, not her. She also envies Luke, who is already engaged to - and very much in love with - Duke Wedge of Corellia. She wonders if she'll ever find someone whom she'll be able to fall in love with and consider her equal.

When I got off, I realized I was craving cake. After dinner, I went through many recipes for chocolate cake, but none seemed right...until I looked at the back of the Hershey's Extra Dark Cocoa container. I ran Airplane while working on Extra Dark Chocolate Cake. This wacky parody of disaster films has ex-pilot Ted Stryker (Robert Hayes) pursuing his girlfriend Elaine (Julie Haggarty) onto the plane where she works. Then the entire crew gets sick with food poisoning, and ex-pilot Stryker finds himself having to land it with only the help of Elaine and the advice of a very dubious doctor (Leslie Nielson). Meanwhile, Stryker's ex-boss (Robert Stack) is helping the extremely agitated Mission Control (including Lloyd Bridges) talk Stryker down. And of course, there's the always entertaining Johnny (Stephan Stucker) who is...er, quite unique.

I was inspired to do this one after seeing the spoof in Garfield's Feline Fantasies. I figured I needed the laughs, and I was right. This was the first real Zucker Brothers hit and solidified their laugh-a-minute style. It also gave Bridges and Nielson second careers as unlikely but much-loved deadpan comedians. I will add that a lot of the jokes are very much of their time, while others are scatological and don't always hit the mark, Also, a lot of people might not get the "comically serious" vibe this movie is going for.

I've always gotten a kick out of this one, even when I was a kid and didn't get three-fourths of the jokes. I don't know how kids would react to it nowadays, but for young teens on up (especially if they have any familiarity with disaster films or Nielson), this is one of the most popular spoofs ever and is still a lot of fun to watch.

Finished out the night with Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. We jump to the other half of the 80's for the last of the three original Indy films. After introducing Indy as a kid (River Phoenix), we skip ahead to 1939. The adult Indy (Harrison Ford) is convinced to pursue the Holy Grail after learning that his father (Sean Connery), a notable Grail scholar, has disappeared while seeking it. The Nazis are also now searching for the grail, as is the treacherous beauty Dr. Elsa Schnider (Alison Janney). Indy finds himself reconnecting with his father - and learning a bit about faith - when the duo pursue the Nazis into the Grail's final resting place.

This remains my personal favorite Indiana Jones film, if only because Connery and Ford play so beautifully off each other. They're so much fun to watch, they really make the movie. There's also some great action set pieces (including the tank chase and Indy and Professor Jones' escape from Germany) and an interesting, thoughtful plot.