March On a Misty Day

I awoke to a steady shower. Not a good thing, since I did want to get some local errands done today. Cheered up the gloomy day with the first Thanksgiving special of the season. Garfield's Thanksgiving is going great...until Jon invites Liz the Veterinarian over for Thanksgiving dinner! Jon can't cook a turkey to save his life, and he's really more interested in impressing Liz than what's on the menu. Not to mention, Liz put Garfield on a strict diet. Good thing Grandma from the Christmas special knows how to make everything better, just in time for dinner.

Since I'd gotten up a early and the weather was still nasty, I decided to make this year's Christmas lists this morning. No, this isn't what I want for Christmas. It's what I'm giving. I wrote my lists for baking, cards, and shopping. The only people I give non-edible gifts to are Amanda, Lauren, and the kids. Amanda and Lauren come from small families and don't have a lot of people giving them stuff, and the kids will be getting cookies as part of their "family" gifts. (And they really don't need the extra sugar anyway.)

Ran The Care Bears Nutcracker as I worked on the lists. The first Christmas special of the year was originally intended as the fourth Care Bears movie, but was shortened to a syndicated hour special after Care Bears In Wonderland bombed at the box office. It actually has a little in common with the first film. Here, it's an older woman telling her ballet class the story of how the Care Bears helped a lonely young girl and an amnesiac nutcracker save the Kingdom of Sweets and the Sugar Plum Fairy from the evil Vizier.

Did the Max & Ruby'Thanksgiving episode as I got ready to leave. "Max's Thanksgiving" has Ruby setting the table for Grandma's big feast. Her brother is more interested in Grandma's nut stuffing. Ruby thinks "Max's Pretend Friend" wants to have a tea party with her imaginary playmate, but it may not be as pretend as she thinks. "Fireman Max" and his fire engines keep getting in the way of Ruby's attempts to practice jump rope...until they actually help her impress Bunny Scout Leader with her jumping skills.

The rain was down to a mist by the time I headed out around quarter after 11. I decided to give the bike a rest and go for a walk. While a few people on Manor had pumpkins and friendly scarecrows out for Thanksgiving, most settled for fall banners and wreaths or the colorful leaves in their yards. The trees do look much nicer than they did at this time last month, finally turning a rainbow of scarlets, golds, bright greens, and deep purples.

The Oaklyn Library wasn't busy at all when I arrived. It was just the librarian and one older woman on the computers keeping track of the rain on The Weather Channel. I organized DVDs and took a look at the kids' books. Decided to finish off three of the movie series I caught this year with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Mission Impossible III, and Men In Black 3.

Headed down the White Horse Pike to run in and out of a few stores. To my delight, Dollar General had my favorite Betty Crocker Limited Edition Gingerbread Cookie Mix. I love that mix, but the only other place I ever find it at around here is Target. I haven't seen it at the Acme in years. (They also had Salted Caramel. Maybe next month, when I hit one Target or the other.) I picked up birthday cards for Jodie and Anny, some small stationary items for Amanda, who is currently studying to be a veterinary technician, and more underwear and cooking spray (the latter is cheaper there) for me.

Didn't take as long at CVS. I just needed dishwashing liquid on a good sale. They also had those tasty Nature Valley oat sandwich cookies on a really good sale. Grabbed a pineapple-coconut sparkling water to drink on the way home.

Since it's only a few blocks from CVS anyway, I stopped at Dad and Jodie's house on the way home. Dad was watching endless Law & Order: Special Victims Unit reruns when I arrived. He made me shrimp salad from the leftover shrimp from Jodie's party on Saturday and told me he's going into the clinic for more treatment tomorrow. Jodie got home from work. just in time for me to give her birthday card to her in person. (It's tomorrow, but I have to work.)

Worked on writing when I got in. Shortly after Leia awakens from her nightmare, Finn comes down and reports that Master Harold is hurt and can't meet her in the library. She meets him in his room, tending to his heavy burns. She once again asks him about Han. The horned frog can only tell her that he's all right, and that she should stop looking for him. He's closer than she thinks.

Broke at 6 for dinner. Made Merlin's "Magic" (Baked) Chicken to go with leftover green salad from Jodie's party and a baked sweet potato. After I finished eating, I decided to try a variation on the hot fudge pudding cake, this one made with butter instead of vegetable oil. I don't know if I didn't cook it right or long enough or what. The sugar topping never melted and turned into a crust on top instead of pudding. It still tasted good, but it wasn't quite what I'd intended.

Did March of the Toy Soldiers while I ate and baked. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy headline the first sound version of Babes In Toyland, with Charlotte Henry (as Little Bo Peep) and Felix Knight (as Tom Tom the Piper's Son) as the lovers. Stan and Ollie live in Mother Peep's shoe and work for the grouchy toymaker. When they learn that nasty old Barnaby is going to turn them all out into the streets, they try to get the money for the mortgage from their boss. Their boss fires them instead after he learns that Stan botched an order for toy soldiers, making them a lot bigger than intended. Barnaby is obsessed with marrying Bo Peep, and he'll do anything to get her, including putting charges on Stan and Ollie for attempting to steal the mortgage and framing Tom for kidnapping one of the Three Little Pigs. Stan and Ollie have to prove Tom is innocent, then rescue him, Bo Peep, and all of Toyland from Barnaby and his Boogie Men.

Not my favorite version of this story, but Stan and Ollie have their moments, especially during the dunking, while trying to get the mortgage from Barnaby, and while waiting for him to call up from the Forbidden Forest. Cute if you have younger kids or are a big fan of theirs.

Ended the night online with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaits) is determined to free his father Will (Orlando Bloom) from the curse of the Flying Dutchman. He's spent years searching for the Trident of Poseidon, the only object that can break every curse in the sea. So has Katrina Smith (Kaya Scodelaro), an astronomer whose desire to study science has branded her a witch in the eyes of many in the Caribbean. Katrina has a map that'll lead to the Trident, but only she can read it. They seek out Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) to help them find it...but in the six or so years since the last film, Sparrow has become a lush and a failure (well, more than usual), and even his crew is starting to give up on him. Katrina insists that he's the only one who can help her...and Henry insists that he has to be wary. Salazar (Jarvier Bardem), a Spanish captain who had killed pirates, only to die at the hands of a young Jack, is desperate for revenge on Sparrow. Now they all have to find the trident and avoid both the British Navy and Salazar, before they end up joining him on the bottom of the briny deep.

On one hand, this was infinitely better than On Stranger Tides. The plot at least made some sense, Scodelaro and Thwaits were fine as the lovers, and Depp enjoyed one more turn as the Caribbean's daffiest buccaneer. Bardem in particular was having a ball as the zombie-like Spanish sailor desperate to return to life and stick it to Jack. The special effects continue to be some of the best anywhere, especially when they finally do find the Trident.

While I think most critics were a little harsh on this one, I also still don't consider this one to be better than the first movie. In fact, quite of bit of it did seem rehashed from the first couple of films, including the basic structure of "Jack helps young lovers while cracking drinking jokes in the background." Their attempt at creating a young Jack strayed a little too much into uncanny valley for my liking as well.

If you're a fan of this series, this is certainly a better continuation than the ridiculous Stranger Tides and is worth checking out. If you're new to Jack's barmy nautical world, back up and see the first three films before coming within miles of here.

On Really, Really Weird Tides

Spent most of a dark, gloomy late morning writing. The motorcyclists on the road are, indeed, the Imperial Gang, lead by one of Vader's top boys, Ozzie Ozzel. Han and Leia flee across the tennis courts. Luke and his friends manage to get some of them off their bikes with rope and surfboards, but the damage is done. The bikers have run roughshod over the party, knocking over tents and destroying tables and equipment. Luke and Wedge run to Chip and Arturro, who are hiding at the Tea Room. Luke's ready to head to Dagobah Bay to see Yoda Yamagachi. Arturro (translated by Chip) asks to come along - he has relatives in the area and no car.

Ran my Chip & Dale shorts DVD during breakfast and lunch. "Chicken In the Rough" has Dale mistaken for a chick by a mother hen. "Two Chips and a Miss" are the chipmunks and the nightclub singer they both pine for, Clarice. They try very hard to outdo each other, but their musical act works better when they all perform in harmony. Pluto's in the spotlight in "Food For Feudin'" when the chipmunks try to get their nuts back from his dog house. Their tree home is "Out of Scale" on Donald's model railroad. The duo take over a house instead, then the train it's on. They're all "On a Limb" when Donald attacks the chipmunks with his tree pruner and tar. He also teases them in "Dragon Around," making the two think his steam shovel is a dragon. But here, he has a real purpose - he wants to get rid of their castle-shaped tree for a freeway project. The two do whatever they can to defend their home.

Headed to work around 1. The weather was awful today, cloudy, hot, and thickly humid. Every time I went inside and out, my glasses fogged. I spent the first few hours doing returns. I should have been outside the whole day, humidity be damned. We were crazy-busy up until 5. Not only did I have no help after 3, but the bagger who was out there earlier shouldn't have been doing it all alone. The items that needed to be shelved could have waited. By 5, heavy dark clouds were gathering, and while it grew even more damp, it also got windier, which helped with the heat. At the very least, it cleared out the customers. I had a far easier time gathering carts than I had earlier.

I did get my schedule today. It's kind of odd. I mostly work fairly early, except for two afternoon-evening shifts on Monday and Friday. Tuesday and Saturday off, which is good. I'll actually make it to the Collingswood Farm Market next week.

By the time I got off at 6, it was thundering and lightning could be seen, though it hadn't yet rained. A manager said to wait until the storm had passed to go home, but I couldn't wait. I had no idea how long that would take. I did end up hurrying home. I was inside for ten minutes and had just started the next chapter of Double Fudge Brownie Murder when the rain finally arrived.

After my shower, I had a quick leftovers dinner while finishing out the cartoons and watching Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Well, the title's accurate, anyway. This is one weird pirate flick. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is ordered by none other than King George II (Richard Griffiths) to lead an expedition to find the Fountain of Youth in Florida. Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) is involved, too. They're not the only ones searching for it. None other than the infamous Blackbeard (Ian McShane) and his daughter Angelica (Penelope Cruz) are after the Fountain as well (to Jack's dismay, as he and Angelica had once had a relationship). He's even less happy to learn that Blackbeard has shrunk his ship the Black Pearl down and inserted it in a bottle. Meanwhile, a missionary who is a prisoner on Blackbeard's ship (Sam Clafin) has fallen in love with a mermaid (Astrid Berges-Frisbey) who was also captured by the ruthless pirate.

Uh...yeah. I didn't understand a lick of this. While I love the idea of them searching for the Fountain of Youth and thought Cruz was a perfect partner for Sparrow's goofiness, almost nothing else worked besides some neat special effects. The missionary/mermaid romance in particular seemed shoehorned in to give the teen girls something to moon at. It wasn't really horrible, just...too much.

And now that we've gotten to the end of this series (for now - I'll catch the one currently in theaters when it shows up on DVD), I can safely say that while At World's End tries hard, none of the follow-up movies have ever really recaptured the magic of Curse of the Black Pearl. Curse is highly recommended and a lot of fun. I'd only do the others if you really loved Curse or this series' cast or pirate tales.

(The next series will likely be either The Matrix or the Divergence trilogy. I'm also considering the Transformers Movieverse.)

A Pirate's Life for Me

I originally awoke at 7 to a gloomy, cloudy morning. Closed my eyes for five minutes...and when I opened them, it was 9:30, and the weather was still blah. Looked like it would rain any minute.

I ate breakfast, then did some things around the house. Went through my journals in the back room. Made the bed, which I hadn't done in over a month. Vacuumed the entire apartment.

Ran the last two episodes of Laverne & Shirley's third season I hadn't watched during breakfast and while making the bed. After overhearing her father worry that she'll never get married, Laverne has a nightmare that turns into "2001: A Comedy Odyssey." In the far future, she and Shirley are old women who still live together. She's desperate to marry anyone, even an elderly Lenny and Squiggy.

"Breakin' Up and Makin' Up" is the season finale. Mr. DeFazio is upset when Mrs. Babish's ex-husband arrives in town and she breaks up with him. The girls hold a big dinner at their apartment, complete with Shirley's attempt to sing Rogers and Hammerstein ballads, to try to bring them back together.

Switched to my Year of Your Life: 1982 Vol 2. CD by the time I was vacuuming as inspiration for my current story. I had been debating whether or not to run errands all morning. It wasn't raining when I put my rag rug and welcome mat outside to air. Figured I'd at least return the DVDs to the Oaklyn Library, even if the weather wasn't good enough to get anywhere else.

Indeed, it was lightly showering as I walked out the door. Walked and brought my umbrella instead of taking the bike. The neighborhood is just so green for this time of year. Grass that is usually brown only has a few little crispy spots. Flowers bloom in abundance, the only decoration anyone needed besides a few faded flower-print banners and wreaths. The leaves on the trees are shiny like green glass.

The Oaklyn Library was relatively busy for such a wet day, with a few families coming in to return items and a young teen girl looking for books in the kids' area. I organized DVDs and dodged the kid long enough to take a look at the picture and board books. Took out the remaining two Pirates of the Caribbean films, At World's End and On Stranger Tides. Also dug up a collection of three Tom Hanks comedies from the 80's. I have seen The 'Burbs and Dragnet, but not in a long time, and I don't think I've ever run into The Money Trap.

Hiked to WaWa to pick up lunch. I was delighted to learn that they still sell Crystal Pepsi. I always did like that when it was released in the early 90's, and the current version tastes exactly the same. Got a roasted chicken sandwich with lunch. (Which I couldn't use my food stamp card on. It hadn't even occurred to me that the chicken would be regarded as hot foods.)

It was still raining when I walked home. The rain was down to barely a shower when I got in. It would shower off and on for the remainder of the afternoon. I spent the day at home. This was no time to be lingering anywhere. In fact, it's just as well that Mrs. Stahl did change our appointment. This was definitely not a good day for a long bike ride to Haddonfield or anywhere else.

Put on an episode of She-Ra while eating my roast chicken sandwich. (Which was slathered with waaaayyy too much honey mustard. The chicken kept slipping out.) She-Ra, Madame Razz, and Castaspella have to rescue Bow and Sorrowful the Dragon when they're captured by the Horde. They're not the only captives there. "The Prisoners of Beast Island" are fellow-beasts who are behind bars. Sorrowful makes up for his cowardly behavior earlier by releasing the beasts and rescuing the rebels.

Worked on writing for a few hours after lunch. It rains for two days straight right before the block party is scheduled. Leia's worried that the rain won't stop, despite Hank's admonishments that the National Weather Service says sun for Saturday. Leia's even less happy when Hank announces that he and Charlie are leaving after the block party. She wants him to stay, but he doesn't want her to potentially be harmed by any other bounty hunters who are after him. Leia finally drags her brother away from an episode of The Dukes of Hazzard to talk to the other Cottage residents. Charlie doesn't like running out on the group, but Hank's determined to leave.

Broke at 5:30 to start dusting the living room. Started the fourth season of Moonlighting as I did. This is another season set I've mostly put off watching, mainly because...well, this is pretty much said to be the worst season of this series. Indeed, "A Trip to the Moon" was mainly Maddie and David discussing and arguing over their relationship after they slept together in the end of Season 3, with nary a mystery to be seen. There were some nifty fantasy sequences, though. Maddie gets love advice from Dr. Joyce Brothers; David gets it from Ray Charles. Maddie keeps dreaming their relationship into an episode of The Honeymooners.

The ground turkey I pulled out for dinner hadn't defrosted by 6:30, so I settled on scrambled eggs with cheese, tomatoes, and mushrooms for dinner. Made Peach Flummery for dessert. Enjoyed my meal while watching Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Captain Barbarossa (Geoffrey Rush), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), and Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) are determined to rescue Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from the clutches of Davy Jones' Locker. He's one of nine pirate lords who can take part in the Brethren Court and create an armada to stop the obnoxious Lord Beckett (Tom Hollander), who has taken control of Tortuga. Even after they rescue Jack, they still have to convince him and the rest of the Court, including the even more menacing Captain Teague (Keith Richards), to help out. There's also Calypso (Naomie Harris), who helped raise Barbarossa from the dead in the previous film and had once been Davy Jones' lover. They hope she'll help them if they unleash her power. But you know what they say about a woman scorned...

I was pleasantly surprised here. I hadn't heard good things about this or On Stranger Tides, but it actually turned out to be a lot of fun. I saw bits and pieces of it before when it was first released on DVD, but not the whole thing. While still not at the level of the first movie, it's a slight improvement over the second, with some great action set pieces, cinematography, makeup design, and special effects. (It was deservedly Oscar-nominated for the latter two.) Everyone's clearly having a marvelous time, including Richards in his brief but memorable cameo.

The big problem here is length. This is notoriously almost three hours, and the padding does show, especially in the convoluted middle half. I had a hard time following who was double-crossing whom after a while.

If you have a lot of time of your hands and are a fan of this series, pirate yarns, or the cast, hop on-board and join the Court. This is likely the second-best film in the series after Curse of the Black Pearl. If you're new to the series, back up to Curse and start there. Like Harry Potter, this is a series that you absolutely must start at the beginning with if the plot is going to make any sense.

In the Mysterious Fathoms Below

Began a cloudy morning with breakfast. After I ate, I moved on to cleaning the kitchen. It really needed it. I put it off way too long. The counters and sink were especially grungy. There's cobwebs all over the place, too. All the weird weather we've had this summer must have driven the spiders inside.

Ran more Laverne & Shirley third season episodes as I worked. "The Mortician" is Laverne's newest date. She lies and says Shirley is dying to get further along with him. He figures out the truth when she overdoes it.

"The Slow Child" is Mrs. Babish's daughter Amy, who is autistic. Her mother's letting her help the girls get ready for their St. Patrick's Day party. She really hits it off with the equally slow Lenny, who takes her out on her first date...which sends the others all over looking for them.. He actually attacks his best friend when Squiggy calls the girl retarded. It takes a lot of talking to her mother and to Lenny to point out that Amy is really a sweet girl who needs her mother to start treating her like an adult.

Laverne and Shirley are excited to be in charge of "The Second (Almost) Annual Shotz Talent Show." Their excitement fades when the boss says he wants them to find a place for his son Max. The show seems to be the only thing that interests him. Problem is, Max seemingly has no talents. Even Lenny and Squiggy can't figure out what to do with him. The girls have to confront their boss to find out where Max's talents really lay.

The phone rang just as I was starting to clean up the kitchen. It was Mrs. Stahl. Turns out she had a family emergency and rescheduled our appointment again. Hopefully, I'll actually make it to Haddonfield on September 5th.

Had a far easier time today than I did yesterday. Having late morning-early afternoon work this time probably helped. I mostly gathered carts and baskets, shelved items, and mopped the bathroom floors. Wasn't too happy to get stuck in the register twice, including for someone going on break...when I should have been going on break myself.

Spent the rest of a gloomy, humid day at home writing. In a riff on the scene between Wolfman Jack and Richard Dreyfuss in another George Lucas film, American Graffiti, Luke comes to WMBZ in Atlantic City to ask Ahsoka "Fulcrum" Tano if she'll perform at the block party. Not only does she agree to it, but she lets a delighted Luke announce it on the air.

Finished out the third Laverne & Shirley disc while eating leftovers for dinner. Shirley's cousin is "The Dentist," whom she wants to fix Laverne's broken tooth. Her cousin isn't a very good dentist, having failed dental school five times, but she convinces Laverne to go to him anyway and help him finally pass. If he can find her tooth after they've inhaled too much laughing gas...

The girls are stranded at a "Bus Stop" when two medical students leave them high and dry after they won't go out for drinks with them. Shirley desperately tries to get money to sleep anywhere else, then mourns her lost dream of marrying a doctor. Laverne's fine with sleeping on a bench.

Took a shower, then put on Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest while going online. Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is in a bit of a bind. He once bartered for the Black Pearl with Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), who is also holding Will Parker's (Orlando Bloom) father Bootstrap Bill Turner (Stellan Skarsgard) as part of his crew. Jack and his crew are on an island filled with cannibals, where Jack is worshiped as a god. Meanwhile, Elizabeth (Keira Knightly) and Will can't marry until they bring Lord Beckett (Tom Hollander) Jack's magic compass. After rescuing Jack and the others, they discover from voodoo priestess Tia Dalma (Naomie Harris) that Davy Jones' only weakness is in his heart, which is kept in Dead Man's Chest on Isla Cruces. Now they have to get the key from Bootstrap Bill and find that chest, or the monstrous creature known as the Kracken may drag them down to Davy Jones' Locker before Jones can!

While not as good as the first one, this does have its charms, including amazing, Oscar-winning special effects and the awesome three-way duel between Jack, Will, and Commodore Norrington (Jack Davenport) for possession of the chest.

I really wouldn't come here until after you've seen Curse of the Black Pearl. This is another series where you need to catch at least a couple of the movies for the plot to make any sense. If you're already a fan, or you really love pirate adventures or the cast, swing on ship and have fun.

Cloudy Day Dolls

Began a hazy late morning with more Laverne & Shirley. In "Shirley's Operation," the girls and their friends are rehearsing for a performance of Alice In Wonderland when Shirley faints. The others get her to the hospital, where they discover that her appendix is about to burst and she needs an operation. Shirley is having none of this and tries to run away.

After the show ended, I finally got around to changing the American Girl dolls into bathing suits and summer frocks. Molly's in her peach suit with the thick green towel. Whitney wears a navy blue and white polka-dot suit with a tiny red towel and white Swiss lace espadrilles, all from the Springfield Collection. Jessa's in the early 2000's American Girl modern line tropical-themed Island Luau suit, the adorable pineapple-shaped ukulele that came with it, and the purple jelly sandals from the 90's Birthday Outfit. Samantha's more covered in her dark blue 1904 Bathing Costume, black tights, and her ruffled cap with the polka-dot bow.

Felicity and Josefina represent time periods where swimming and bathing weren't considered ladylike. I put Felicity in her lavender-striped Traveling Gown (and her later meet outfit) and the hat with the pink and celery-green trim from (Elizabeth's) Summer Gown. Josefina sports her pretty floral Party Dress and the beige moccasins she came in with her rebozo.

Headed out as soon as I finished with the girls. I didn't have as much grocery shopping to do this week as I have the last couple of weeks, but I did need a few things. Ground turkey was on such a good sale, I bought two containers. The Acme had a good sale on Ben & Jerry's and an online coupon; thought I'd try their Strawberry Shortcake. Restocked skim milk, yogurt (had online coupons for the Oiko's and the Yoplait Custard), peaches, mandarin oranges, diced tomatoes, cereal (Quaker was on sale again and I had another online coupon - went with Cinnamon Life), and two cans of tuna.

My schedule is quite a bit different than it has been the past few weeks. The head bagger went on vacation (along with at least 8 or 9 other people), which means I have earlier and slightly more hours. Tuesday and Wednesday are the off days this time, Tuesday for counseling.

Ran more Laverne & Shirley as I got organized at home. Shirley sets them up in the plant selling business after they lose their jobs at Shotz Brewery. While they are somewhat better plant saleswomen than Fonzie was an encyclopedia salesman, they're still saying "Take My Plants, Please" when they can't make a sale at a big apartment building.

Went out again just as the episode was finishing. Had a slice of bacon-corn quiche, my favorite Deb's Spicy-Sweet Iced Tea, and a carrot cake pop for lunch at Common Grounds Coffee House down the street. Listened to the owner and some locals discuss the wars between the local food trucks at the Final Friday Festival and the Philadelphia vendors.

After a quick peek at Rite Aid to see if they had something I wanted (they didn't), headed over to Westmont for this week's volunteering session at the Haddon Township Library. Even the librarians were complaining about how quiet they were. There wasn't a lot for me to do, especially since they were saving the DVDs for other people. I organized the shelved DVDs and put away audio books, CDs, and new releases. Looked for new Star Wars books, but I guess the new items for The Last Jedi aren't ready for ordering yet.

As soon as I got home and went on the computer, I called my sister Rose. She called last night, but it was dinner time by the time I got in. Thought I'd wait until she was out of work to get back to her. Turns out she was taking the kids over to Dad and Jodie's house for dinner and a swim. Did I want to join them? Sure, why not? I worked on writing and rested for an hour before heading over.

Khai and Mary, one of the neighborhood kids, were swimming when I arrived. Not only was it too late for me to want to swim, it was a bit too chilly. The clouds and the wind had picked up by then, dropping it back into the 70's. I went inside and held tiny Finley Rose while Jodie put my stuffed pepper in a bowl. My new niece is such a little cutie, but I was nervous holding her. I really don't know much about babies. I did what her grandma told me to and rocked her a bit when she got fussy. When she fussed too much, I turned her back over to Jodie and ate my (delicious) dinner.

Sat outside at the pool with Rose, Dana, Jodie, and Emily's mom Sandy while Dana held Finley and Jesse swam with the kids. Rose and Dana were both talking about possible vacations. Dana and Jesse are leaving for a cabin in the Adirondack Mountains tomorrow. Dad and Jodie will be visiting friends down south next month. Rose mentioned wanting to go skiing in the winter with her family again.

When I got home, I finished out the writing I started before I left for Dad's. Hank gets Bodhi to show him and Leia out the back way. They dodge Bobby Fett in the parking lot, then take Hank's fishing boat the Millennium Falcon out for a cruise around the harbor and wetlands near Ord Mantell. Fett manages to catch up with them again, this time in his boat the Slave I. Hank loses him in the wetlands....but now he thinks it really is time for him to go, before Leia or someone else gets hurt because of him.

Finished off the night chatting with Lauren online while watching Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightly), the daughter of a Caribbean governor, finds herself up to her perfectly primped hair in pirates when she's captured by a reckless band of buccaneers. Turns out these rogues are actually cursed ghosts who need to return the treasure they stole to its final resting place...and she has the last piece. Meanwhile, her childhood sweetheart Will (Orlando Bloom) enlists wily (and perpetually drunk) Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) to help rescue her and get Jack his ship the Black Pearl back.

I love pirate tales, and this one is no exception. No wonder Sparrow proved so popular, most of the rest of the series was built around him. He's still the best part of this funny and action-packed adventure.

If you're also a fan of rousing sea tales, this will probably prove to be your mug of rum, too. (Watch out for some of the scarier sequences with the undead pirates and some of the darker action sequences, though. This is definitely for older elementary school pirates on up.)