Rain In the Morning

Got a really quick start this morning when I overslept again. I had enough time to write in my journal, change, have breakfast, and call Uber. Alas, they couldn't come for 12 minutes. I arrived one minute late.

As it turned out, I could have been infinitely late. We were quiet all morning. It started raining around 11, getting pretty heavy at one point. The rain and cooler temperatures scared off our customers. It got mildly busy around 11:30-12, then went right back to being quiet again. Other than having to put away a few cold items, there were no problems whatsoever.

Once I changed, I went across the Black Horse Pike to Rexy's Bar. Thought I'd try their flatbread or pizza. Went with "The Italian Job" pizza - mozzarella, tomato sauce, ricotta, peppers, thick sweet sausage slices. I ordered the individual pie. I expected something more like Pizza Hut's individual pan pizza, a little pie that came in a pan. What I got was what would be called a "small" at most pizzerias. It was delicious, especially the sausage, but I ended up taking half of it home.

After lunch, I went back over to the Acme. Got a treat so I could take out money for the Cherry Hill Library book sale tomorrow. Called Uber early. I didn't want to be late this time. They arrived in 8 minutes...too early, as it turned out. I went for a walk around the two blocks nearest to the school until it was time for work. West Collingswood is such a lovely little town, with so many nice older houses and charming gardens, I really should check out more of it.

Good thing I did arrive early. We had 26 kids today, 9 of them at my table. The kids at my table cleaned up well enough and were fine in the bathrooms. Once they all finished snack time, though, they were a mess. The boys playing with magnetic tiles in particular threw so many of them around, there were barely any left on the table by the time we were getting ready to go outside, and everyone who had sat at the table were kept inside for 10 minutes. (Though one girl did sneak out anyway.) The ones coloring weren't much better. They ripped the white paper we taped down for them to stencil on, to the point where I finally threw it away and gave them regular paper.

Things were still crazy, even when we got outside. At least all of the teachers were here this time. I had to meditate between the two squabbling best friends again. Another girl threw an absolute fit when she tried to climb up the slides (which she's not supposed to do anyway) and some of the other kids blocked her. It calmed down a little by 4:30 when more kids started to go home. That's when they were allowed on the swings, too. Everyone wanted me to push them, even the kids who are perfectly capable of swinging on their own.

Thank heavens the weather had much improved by quarter of 5. If there weren't a few fat drops of water left on the slides, you'd never know it rained this morning. The streets weren't even wet anymore. It was sunny, breezy, and much warmer, likely in the lower-mid 60's. It was so nice, the kids never went back inside. The head teacher took the four remaining younger kids to the blacktop in the back to play ball games with the five remaining older kids as I called Uber. It took me two tries, but I did get one that came in 7 minutes, not bad for the height of the dinner rush hour.

Put on Buzzr when I got home. The Price Is Right was already into the Showcases. I think I might have seen this episode before, actually. The first one was a generic "every room in the house" that ended with a piano. The second saluted the then-popular CBS soap Capitol with a trip to Washington DC, a sports car, and an appearance on the show. Two of the hunky leading men even appeared in some segments. Alas, the lady going for the soap went over. The other lady got her piano.

Things went better on Match Game '90. The entire night was devoted to the week with Vicki Lawrence sitting in the second "character actress" seat next to Charles for the first time. She was joined by Jimmie Walker, slightly ditzy soap star Jacklyn Zeman, and stand-up comedian and voice actor Roger Behr. Honestly, Roger was the funniest this week, tossing out a few good quips. No wonder he'd been doing voices on Hanna-Barbara shows since the 70's, and would continue doing them up until his death in 2018. 

Moved to Disney Plus for two animated episodes about respecting plant life, the birth-death cycle, and helping our planet next. In Muppet Babies, Summer Penguin learns why "It's Not Easy Being Greeny" when her beloved daisy Greeny McPlant Plant starts to wilt. The Muppets do everything they can to revive it, but to no avail. Nanny gently explains about the birth-death cycle to them and that it's ok to miss their friend. "Dueling Harmonicas" is a little less dark. Rizzo the Rat stubs his toe and decides to play harmonica in the Muppet Talent Show instead of dance. Fozzie, who is also playing harmonica, tries to get him to do something else.

Usagi and the Guardians also learn a lesson about the importance of plant life and preserving it during the first season of Sailor Moon. Usagi isn't thrilled when Rei manages to snag a date with an unimpressed Mamoru in "Usagi's Panic: Rei's First Date." She grabs nerdy Umino and uses him to keep an eye on the two. Ami is more concerned about the kindly old park manager who is upset that the park may get torn down for an office building. Nephrite of the Dark Kingdom has used his black energy to possess him and the animals in the park, who attack anyone who seemingly abuse nature. It takes the combined effort of all three girls and Tuxedo Mask to get rid of the flowery monster who took over his body.

Finished the night with the first disc from my last birthday/Easter present to myself. The deluxe 4-disc CD edition of Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, and Jones LTD that I ordered from Rhino Records finally turned up today. It's the same as the previous CD box sets, two discs of the original songs on the album with remixes and rarities, another of backing tracks and rarities, a 45 featuring two of those rarities as singles (in this case "Goin' Down" and "Love Is Only Sleeping" in alternate mixes), and a book on how it all went down. Considering there's far fewer rarities here and more remixes of songs already available, I wonder if the well is really going dry here. Actually, the stand-out on the first disc that hadn't already been heard in one form or another is a lovely alternate version of "Riu Chiu," which the Monkees performed on the Christmas episode of their TV show. 

Night of the Kids and Guardians

Began the morning with breakfast and Sailor Moon. "Returning Memories: Usagi and Mamoru's Past" starts just as the Guardians have discovered Sailor Moon is the "Moon Princess" they're looking for. Unfortunately, this coincides with Tuxedo Mask being captured and brainwashed by the Dark Kingdom and Sailor Moon being knocked out. The Guardians defend their friend and leader from a furious Kunzite...and Sailor Moon saves them with the Silver Crystal after Kunzite hurts the others. 

Rushed out to work again and made it just in time. That was the worst thing that happened all day. I did have to put away a pile of cold items. It was also a little bit busy around 11 and harder to keep up with the carts then. Otherwise, I spent the morning sweeping and pushing carts...and enjoying the glorious weather. It was breezy, sunny, and warm, but not overly so for early September, probably in the lower 80's. No real problems whatsoever.

Got my schedule when they posted it. In good news, not nearly as many hours. I'm off on the weekdays again except Wednesday, which means a lot less running around. I do have another 8 1/2 hour day next Saturday, which I'm totally dreading.

Changed when I got home, then had lunch while watching What's New, Scooby Doo? Daphne's "Ready to Scare" when she visits her cousin Dannica in Paris, only to discover she's been kidnapped by a giant moving gargoyle right before a big sportswear fashion show. Fred investigates the sewers of Paris, while Velma falls for a French movie star and Shaggy and Scooby befriend a modern Hunchback of Notre Dame who thinks the gargoyles come to life.

Switched to The Scooby Doo Show for "The Ghost That Sacked the Quarterback" in honor of the start of football season. Mystery Inc ends up on the gridiron when they investigate the mysterious disappearance of a star player from the football field. Seems the Rambling Ghost, a star football player from years below who disappeared, doesn't want the players on the field...or for his record to be broken.

Hurried to Thomas Sharp School soon as the cartoon ended. It was pretty much the same as it has been, with even more kids. I drew Maple at the hearth with Hilary and Betty the deer on her leash with the artists when I arrived, when we weren't trying to keep the enormous fans in the cafeteria from blowing our papers away!

We've been taking the younger kids to their tiny library to hear a story or two after they arrive and have played for a while and before they all use the bathrooms and have snacks. There were a lot of kids who had to go to the bathroom right when they arrived, which meant there were fewer that went later, and I had no trouble with them. We all ran around in the playground again after snack time. The kids all had a marvelous time, dancing and chasing each other to the tune of "The Floor Is Lava" and several Disney songs. 

I stayed a little longer this time to help wipe down tables. The younger kids enjoyed playing with those magnetic colored tiles and wooden blocks, but the older kids had more trouble with the Legos. They made such a mess with them getting all over the floor, it took 20 minutes for everyone to clean it up working together. 

Went straight into writing Maplepunzel when I got home. Maple spends the next month tending to the aging Hilary. She cooks and cleans for her, with the help of Walter the bear and Foley the rabbit, and listens to her stories of Hope Springs in its glory days. Hilary even trims and brushes Maple's hair to even it out and get it to look better.

Scott uses Maple's distraction to spend time with Betty. Even as a deer, Betty is still angry with Scott for stealing from businesses in Hope Springs to fund their escape to another kingdom. He keeps bringing her food and trying to pet her, and she keeps not eating and pulling it away...until one day, she's so hungry, she ends up eating. Scott explains what he did, and though she only leans into his touch for a minute, it's enough for Scott to end up sobbing on Maple's shoulder in heartbreak.

Watched Match Game PM while I worked. I came in during the episode with the sweet little old man contestant "Tiger" who looked and sounded a great deal like Wally Cox. We also got the very funny show where Charles tears his name off the Star Wheel after his answer fails to be on the Audience Match. There's also the man in blue who hopes Joyce doesn't give a strange answer to "Mill__" in the Head-to-Head.

Finished the night with The Wild Wild West at Pluto TV. In "The Night of the Firebrand," Jim West travels to a fort in order to stop Irish revolutionary Sean O'Reilly (Pernell Roberts) from blowing up Indian ground and inciting a revolution in Canada. Unfortunately, he arrives too late, as O'Reilly and his confederate Sheila O'Shaungnessy (Lana Wood) has already taken the fort and captured its major and his men. While West rescues the men, Artemis Gordon infiltrates O'Reilly's gang as a French confederate to keep him from doing any more harm. 

Picnics and Games

Began the morning with breakfast and What's New, Scooby Doo? Mystery Inc is in San Francisco to check out the Grind Games, a major skateboarding competition, and meet their friend and real-life skateboarder Ryan Sheckler. Turns out, there may not be a competition at all, if "The San Franpsycho," a legendary Alcatraz prisoner who vanished during his escape, keeps kidnapping skateboarders. The kids have to find out what's going on with this seaweed-covered creep, including getting stranded on Alcatraz Island.

Switched to The Roku Channel for Hello Kitty Furry Tale Theater. "Kittylocks and the Three Bears" learns a lesson about entering strangers' homes when she wanders into a house in the woods...that turns out to be owned by three very peculiar bears. The reason I did this episode was for "Paws: The Great White Dog Shark" in honor of the 50th anniversary of Jaws. Kitty and Lifeguard Sam's insistence that there's a shark out there terrorizing the town costs Sam his job, so the two of them and Chip the Scientist head out to the ocean to find out why Paws is attacking.

Headed out after Hello Kitty ended. I had my appointment with PNC Bank today. Though we did look at my finances, I mainly wanted to discuss the possibility of my buying a condo. I badly want a place of my own, but I really don't know what I can reasonably afford, or even where would be a good place for me to live in South Jersey. I have looked at condos online, but after having such a hard time finding and affording a place in 2021 - 2022, I'm not rushing into anything. I want to make sure I buy a home really love, not just one I take because I have to or there's nothing else. He later said their manager in charge of loans and housing would call me and discuss this further with me on Wednesday.

It was such a gorgeous day, sunny and still humid but also a bit cooler, in the lower 80's, I decided to go on a picnic. Stopped at Shamrock Deli for a turkey hoagie, popcorn, and a Coke Zero, then rode across Westmont and Audubon to the Audubon Recreation Center. They were a lot busier than usual! I must have arrived in the middle of their summer camp program. Kids played soccer and basketball at the courts, and ran around inflatable games next to the Recreation Center. I enjoyed my soda, popcorn, and sandwich at a picnic table, chuckling at their antics, and later enjoying the quiet sunshine when their leaders took them inside.

After sitting in the sun and heat, I thought I'd stop and get a drink somewhere. My original thought was the Brown Dog Cafe, but apparently, they're closed on Mondays. I ended up at Common Grounds in Oaklyn by default. They're open all week. They were pretty busy when I arrived. I just barely got my much-needed chai latte with almond milk ahead of the crowd. I took it outside to enjoy that soft, earthy sunlight.

Finished out the second season of Remember WENN when I got home. "Like a Brother" throws the spotlight on Scott, silent sound effects man Mr. Foley (Tom Beckett), and kindly old go-fer Mr. Eldridge (George Hall). The latter is excited when his old friend, former vaudevillian Pepper Carnasie (Eddie Bracken) visits the station. Unfortunately, Pepper's new boss is Blair Foley (Michael Patrick McGrath), a loudmouth salesman for a hearing aid company who uses Carnasie as a shill and never lets his little brother get a word in edgewise. Scott, Foley, Hilary, and Jeff finally use the new laugh track machine Foley developed for Mackie's comedy act to prove that the real joke is Blair's puffed up opinion of himself.

There's "Magic" all over the station when Hilary and Jeff show off their code act for several important Pittsburgh officials, including sponsor Kurt Holstrom (David Leary). Turns out that Pittsburgh's most beloved acting duo aren't the only ones speaking in code. Scott discovers that the strange messages in the Amazon Andy codes are real codes, which piques Holstrom's interest. Mackie's more worried when Hilary claims "someone at this station will pass through the doorways between life and death." She's not wrong...for after a night of revelations, excitement, and danger, Betty discovers that a certain "grandeloquent" deceased former station manager isn't as dead as everyone thinks he is...

The second season is where the show really starts to flourish. Maple's vivacity adds warmth and sparkle to the ensemble, and while Amanda Naughton and Kevin O'Rourke have the most fun playing off Scott and Betty's growing relationship, everyone gets a chance to shine. The sweet hour-long holiday extravaganza "Christmas In the Airwaves" is by far my favorite episode from this season. I'm also fond of "Close Quarters," "Scott Sherwood of the FBI," and "Magic." And if you thought "Magic" got crazy, things get even more complicated from here on in...

Switched to "The Mirror Crack'd" after WENN ended. In this 1980 British adaptation, Miss Jane Marple (Angela Lansbury) is as excited as anybody when a movie production company sets up shop to film a big costume drama about Mary, Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I. Delight turns to horror when local matron and devoted fan of star Marina Rudd (Elizabeth Taylor) Heather Babcock (Maureen Bennett) recalls how she went to see Marina perform while sick, then dies of poisoning. Marina insists it was intended for her, but Miss Marple disagrees, especially after Marina's secretary Ella (Geraldine Chaplin) also turns up dead by poisoning. Miss Marple suspects it all goes back to Marina's rivalry with campy Lola Brewster (Kim Novak) and her brain damaged child with her husband and director Jason (Rock Hudson).

All-star cast and lovely shots of small-town England in the 50's anchors this charming and supremely sad mystery. Lansbury is a lovely Miss Marple, sweet and only slightly pushy, while Elizabeth Taylor plays her wounded grande dame to the hilt. Hudson and Chaplin are also excellent as the concerned, loving husband and secretary with her own secrets. 

Spent most of the afternoon working on Hilary and the Beasts. Maple celebrates the 4th of July by teaching Eagle to dance, while Betty and Bear read The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere under the shade of a peach tree. Hilary spends it planting rose bushes with Troll. She admires how well he handles them. He does come with his own gardening equipment in his long, sharp claws. He calls himself stupid and a freak, but she protests, pointing out that he's neither. Troll says Mackie thought he was, which gets them bickering about how he got her there. He finally claimed he was an admirer and it was the only way he could think of to get her to come. They end up making a date to meet under the later fireworks...and his boyish smile, even without lips, leaves Hilary feeling like she's weak in the knees...

Moved to YouTube for Sailor Moon R: Promise of the Rose next. Usagi, Mamoru, and the girls are at a nursery admiring roses when a young man appears, claiming he knew Mamoru when they were children. When Mamoru doesn't remember him, he throws roses in their faces. Turns out he's an alien who befriended Mamoru as a child. He left to find a perfect blossom for him...and came back with the Kisseniem Blossom, a flower that drains the life energy from any planet or being it touches. It has Mamoru's friend under its power, to the point where he kidnaps Mamoru and takes him to a asteroid covered in Kisseniem Blossoms. Sailor Moon and the Guardians have to rescue Mamoru and stop the asteroid, before it hits Earth and the Blossoms absorb everything.

Watched Match Game '76 during dinner. Jimmie Walker and Elaine Joyce joined in here. Marcia Wallace protests Ugly Edna jokes rather vehemently. Brett spends most of the episodes complaining that she doesn't like the questions.

Finished the night after a shower with children's game shows from England. I enjoyed watching Knightmare and The Raven so much a few months ago, I thought I'd look for more shows for kids. The Adventure Game is a forerunner of The Crystal Maze and other shows involving a group solving puzzles in fantasy worlds. Here, five adults solve space-themed puzzles from a group of "dragon" aliens, some who pose as humans. This second series episode also features a contestant from the previous season who acts as a mole and confuses the group. A little slow and low-tech compared to the slightly higher-budget stunt and puzzle shows that came later, but the world-building involving the aliens makes this worth checking out.

Jungle Run from 2005 is basically a cross between this and Legends of the Hidden Temple with a jungle theme. Three kids in "survival gear" have to solve slightly more complicated puzzles in a more lavish jungle set while searching for gold, silver, and ruby monkey statues that will give them more time in the bonus round. Slower-moving than Legends, with less story but equally-interesting puzzles and stunts, and just as much fun to watch. 

Runaround is less fantastic but more colorful. This circus-themed quiz show had two teams of kids answering questions by running to spots on the set. Those still moving or not on the right answer by the end of the time are eliminated. Cute and fast-paced, I can see this was a hit that ran until Southern Television was disbanded. (Apparently, an American version with Paul Winchell didn't do nearly as well in 1972-1973.)

Fun House is another American import that did better in England. This one pretty much plays the same as the American version, with an even more lavish "Fun House" in the end and fewer questions...and the host, Pat Sharp, was just as cute as J.D Roth. Apparently, this was one of the more popular kids' shows on ITV and remains a touchstone with British folks who grew up in the 90's in particular. (And I'm seriously jealous that the British got to watch this show pretty much for the entirety of the 90's, since my sisters and I loved the US version.)

Most English game shows for kids were more like Screen Test or Finders Keepers. Screen Test is pretty dry, but it ran from 1970 through 1984. By the time of the 1984 episode seen here, it was two groups of kids from schools throughout England answering questions about clips from movies. Finders Keepers is a tad more interesting. Basically a cross between Battleship and Junior Jeopardy, the kids have to answer questions or take a hit on their computerized "battleships."

Take a trip to jolly old England and check out the world of children's programming in the 80's and 90's with these unique and adorable shows!

Runaround (1980)

The Adventure Game (1981)

Finders Keepers (1982)

Screen Test (1984)

Fun House (1997)

Jungle Run (2005)

Oh, and I heard from Healthy Kids. Turns out they do have room in their summer program for me after all. I'll be starting with them at the Oaklyn School on Thursday at 2. On one hand, I was hoping for a quiet summer...but to tell the truth, I was also getting bored, and I could use the extra money. It's 2 to 5 again, so I can write in the mornings. 

Walking Downtown

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast and "Aquamania." Goofy takes his son Junior into the great outdoors to teach him boating. Things get out of hand quickly when Goofy finds himself inadvertently joining a water skiing competition with the help of a very shocked octopus!

It was so late when I finally finished, I called Uber so I could get to work on time. That may not have been a bad idea. The morning driver came in 3 minutes, the afternoon driver in 2. Both took Nicholson Road and the White Horse Pike to dodge electrical wires being repaired on the Black Horse Pike that backed up traffic.

Work was even quieter than yesterday. The weather was gorgeous, sunny, humid, breezy, and in the mid-70's. It was too nice to be shopping. Most people were either doing trash clean-ups for Earth Day, still on vacation, or waiting for their money to come next week. I had no trouble whatsoever.

Put on the first season of Sailor Moon when I got home. Usagi is determined to stick by Rei when she goes out with Mamoru in "Usagi's Panic: Rei's First Date." She even grabs nerdy Umino and uses him as cover. Meanwhile, Ami is more concerned about the kindly old caretaker of a park that's about to be demolished. Seems Nephrite of the Dark Kingdom has gotten hold him and turned his energy, and that of the animals in the park, against anyone who seemingly abuses nature. Sailor Moon and the Guardians learn a lesson in the importance of nature - and what happens when it fights back - when they attack the flowery monster who had possessed him.

Went for a walk after the cartoon ended to celebrate Earth Day and enjoy the weather. I wasn't the only person who thought it was a perfect day to buy a treat from Yummies Palace on West Clinton. The guy near the door picked up his vanilla milkshake a few minutes after I arrived. One little girl got what looked like cherry water ice with worm gummies. The other went with cookie dough ice cream. I had orange cream water ice. Oh yum. Smooth, sweet, and cool on a day that was getting  hotter by the moment. I enjoyed it while sitting on the rock ledge around the war memorial across from the Oaklyn School. Stopped at the little convenience store on the way back and got a Poland Spring Berry sparkling water, which I haven't seen anywhere in ages. 

Put on Mr. Imperium after I got home. I go further into this tepid MGM musical romance with Lana Turner and Enzio Pinza at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Cult Flops - Mr. Imperium

Did chores while the movie was on. Took down the Easter decorations, then did some rearranging. I'd wanted to move the CD player and folders of CDs to the top of the book shelves since I moved here, but the CD player was too tall for the slanted roof. The new one, on the other hand, is the perfect size. I swapped the rag dolls, Beanie Babies, and smaller stuffed animals who were on top of the shelf to the shelf behind my bed, and the CD books and folders to the top of the book shelf. The CDs work where they are, but I'm going to need more room for hardback books. I may move the books that are under the CDs to the shelf behind my bed tomorrow.

Switched to Adam Adamant Lives! during dinner. The murder of a financier leads Adam and Georgina to "The Terribly Happy Embalmers," an undertaker who sells the men coffins, then has them killed for real. It turns out they've all seen the same psychiatrist who specializes in hypnotism. Adam thinks this is absurd, but when the hypnotist reveals a lot more about his past than he ever wanted to let out in public, he goes to the spa himself to find out what they're really up to.

Took a shower, then watched Match Game '77. Orson Bean, Fannie Flagg, and in her first week, Connie Stevens joins in to celebrate Thanksgiving. Orson discusses his role in the animated Hobbit that came out around the same time, while everyone else went with turkey jokes.

Finished the night listening to jazz and R&B records and CDs I've acquired recently. Julie London was one of the most beloved jazz singers of the 50's and 60's. Her throaty voice and distinctive dark touch is well represented in The Best of Julie. It kicks off with her biggest hit, the sensual ballad "Cry Me a River," then moves on to other darker standards like "Hot Toddy," "June In January," "Ain't I Good to You?" and "The Nearness of You."

R&B and soul singer Barry White equally dominated the mid-70's with hits like "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little Bit More, Baby," "Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up," "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe," and "You're the First, the Last, My Everything." The Ultimate Collection also includes his instrumental jazz and disco songs with the Love's Unlimited Orchestra. In fact, my favorite song in the set may be the jazzy "Love's Theme" that provided the backdrop to many a summer's day in my early childhood. 

Guardians On Ice

I was getting dressed when I checked my phone and saw a message from Dawn to call her immediately. Turns out, not only was she unable to get together today, she was leaving her job. Apparently, she had a scare riding over black ice coming back from that job fair last Friday and was worried that her car insurance wouldn't cover constantly taking people to job fairs and interviews. Her boss Sue would take my case until they could find another counselor. 

That left me rather at loose ends, and very disappointed. I had intended to do my grocery shopping and run errands today anyway, since it's supposed to rain tomorrow. I'd just have more time for them now.

I had breakfast and made my grocery list while watching Sailor Moon. Usagi and the girls are thrilled when an English gentleman who is friends with Mamoru invites them to a genuine ball. Usagi dreams of "Usagi Dancing the Waltz," until she realizes she'll have to speak English to all his friends there. Nervous, she grabs the wrong drink at the party and ends up drunk. She'll have to sober up in a hurry when Eudial crashes the party with a tone-deaf phonograph monster whose music is a lot less sweet than a waltz!

Let Supermarket Sweep run while getting organized. I came in for the "Snack Attack Movie Game." The contestants answer three trivia about movies of the time. The one who gets the third question also taste-tests a popular snack and has to guess what it is. (In this case, Snackwell Sandwich Cookies.) That team also had a clear advantage in the Big Sweep, starting well before the other contestants and amassing more in bonus items than the second team did in their whole sweep. They didn't do quite so well with the bonus round, though.

Headed out after that. I first stopped at PNC to get money from their ATM machine. Ran in, got the cash, and got out in five minutes with no lines and no trouble.

Took the back roads in Collingswood to avoid traffic as I headed to the Westmont Acme to begin my big shopping. Found bagels on the bakery clearance racks, picked up parchment paper, Kind kids breakfast bars and Fuji apples with online coupons, and restocked yogurt and soda. 

The last thing I expected to find among the probiotic sodas in the big coolers in the front of the store was Slice Ginger Ale! I haven't seen Slice in at least 20 years. I thought Pepsi dropped it in favor of Sierra Mist. Apparently, someone bought the name and started it up again as a type of low-sugar probiotic soda not far removed from Olipop. The can even looked the same as it did when I was a kid. I bought it, though I haven't tried it yet. Their web site indicates that there's at least four more flavors available, including lower-sugar versions of the original orange and lemon-lime. I want to try the grapefruit - that's not a flavor other probiotic soda companies have gotten to yet.

Made a brief stop at the Haddon Township Library to drop off An Appetite For Murder before heading across the street to Sprouts. Picked up tiny mandarin oranges 2 for $1, Zevia and Nixie diet sodas, granola bars buy one, get one free, and chocolate peanut butter cookies on clearance. Decided to try the bulk "European cereal," which was really oats and chopped dates. Had a hard time with the oranges at the self-checkout. They didn't have numbers. I had to wait for the lady in charge to take the wrong ones off, then find the right number.

At least it was a gorgeous day for all the running around, especially compared to the weather we're supposed to have tomorrow! Sunny, bright, breezy, chilly but not overly so like it was last week. By the time I dodged the traffic on Cuthbert and headed home, the snow we got last Sunday had vanished from all but the thickest piles and the shadiest areas. 

Put everything away, then had eggs and an orange for lunch while watching Archie's Weird Mysteries on Tubi. Archie's lamenting nothing interesting going on, until Reggie turns up in shock, clutching an overdue library slip. Turns out "The Haunting of Riverdale" all stems from the library, where the recently-deceased librarian who worked there for decades has been turning up again. Everyone says she was sweet and dedicated to her job but Jughead, who was afraid of her. He'll have to face his fears and explain why she intimidated him in order for her to finally be able to go home.

Watched Shinbone Alley on YouTube while doing some job hunting on my own, including putting in an application for a receptionist job at YourOffice, a shared office space company. I go further into this odd 1970 adult animated musical featuring Eddie Bracken as a cockroach poet and Carol Channing as the alley cat he admires at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Animation Celebration Extra - Shinbone Alley

Watched Match Game Syndicated while getting ready to head out. Gene Rayburn burst through his doors today, smashing them to bits! That led to a round of macho jokes, especially after Gene handed a contestant a piece of the door. Joyce Bulifant did unusually well too, getting almost every answer right. 

Jessa picked me up at 5:30 to go skating and out to dinner. We were originally going to go out tomorrow night, but the nearest skating park is outdoors, and like I said earlier, it's supposed to rain. She parked along the road behind the Doubletree Hotel in Cherry Hill, across from Cooper River Park. The former mini golf course across from the hotel had been made over into a temporary ice skating rink. She bought the time and rented our skates, which we changed into in a large white tent.

I haven't skated since there was briefly a rink just outside of Wildwood in the mid-90's. I did well then...but tonight, I just couldn't keep my balance. I moved slower than a snail. My right foot kept threatening to go out from under me. I'd skate out to the ice with Jessa and the kids, only to return to the sides a few minutes later. At one point, I took a very nasty fall on my left arm and wrist and had to be helped up by Jess and the guy in charge. I was so embarrassed, though Jess said I was doing fine. It's not like all the little kids skating around us weren't falling over themselves and each other, too. 

After an hour, my wrist and left arm were really sore, and my thighs burned. Jess kept saying "one more round," but I'd had enough. Besides, it was getting busy. More kids had showed up in the hour since we arrived, and it was starting to get crowded. We stopped to take selfies on the side, then took off our skates back in the tent. She took a few more photos of us at the wooden boards set up to look like a snowman, a reindeer, and Santa Claus, and we warmed our hands over nifty little fire pits. I wish we'd brought marshmallows to roast over those little pits!

Jess drove further down Route 70 to a small old shopping center that seemed to consist mainly of various Asian restaurants and one massage parlor and spa. We had dinner at the Japanese restaurant Rayaki Ramen. They were small, but darn cool, with black-and-white anime artwork on the wall, dark wood booths, and episodes of InuYasha playing on the TV over the counter. 

She had spicy edamame and miso ramen. I had a spiral fried potato with really spicy mayo and tasty shrimp ramen. (Which I ate with a ladle-like spoon. I never could figure out chopsticks.) We shared crispy fried squid. I tried mochi green tea ice cream. This was ice cream wrapped in some kind of weird squishy dough. The ice cream was good, but I didn't like the texture of the dough and probably won't be trying it again.

Jessa had called an older guy friend to join us tonight. He couldn't find us and didn't turn up until well after we'd already eaten and were ready to go home. Turns out he lives in Pennsylvania and had a hard time getting away from  his job as a security guard as a prison. We discussed his drive and his job before we all finally headed home.

I finished the night listening to the Classic Fairy Stories CD set I picked up last year while working on the Shinbone Alley review. British comedian Cribbins reads eight fairy tales, including one, The Princess of the Glass Hill, that you don't often see on children's albums. Glass Hill is something of a male Cinderella story, with Cinderlad taming three horses who are raving his father's crops, then using them to bring the gold apple to the princess in the title three times. Other stories on this set include a very cute Goldilocks and the Three Bears and an expanded Three Little Pigs that shows how the Wolf didn't give up and kept trying to get that last pig. 

Oh, and American Girl just re-released Samantha in her original checked dress and black stockings, with her original accessories. Unlike the re-released dolls from last year, she comes with, not her original book, but a book that explains her time period and character. I'm happy with my Samantha and aren't in the market for another one, but I am glad they put out Sam in her first outfit again for those who want it. Now, if only they'd make more outfits for her... 

Night of the Sailor Guardians

Began my day with breakfast and a quick Disney short. Goofy wants to learn "How to Fish," but he's more likely to catch a tree than anything aquatic. His bait has more luck than he does.

Rushed off to work after the cartoon ended. Work was totally dead. I spent the morning sweeping, putting cold items away, taking the trash in the back, and gathering carts. One of the teen baggers arrived at 1 to take over sweeping. I focused totally on the few carts that needed to be returned. No problems whatsoever. The weather remains sunny but cold, with gale-force winds. 

It took me forever to decide on something to watch after I got home. Finally went with The Wild Wild West. "The Night of the Lord of the Limbo" has Jim pursuing crippled former Confederate captain Noel Vautrain (Ricardo Montalban) to his home in Vicksburg, Mississippi after Artemis disappears during his show. Vautrain is also a magician who has found a way to go back in time at his Vickburg plantation. He intends to take four of his former men and not only regain his legs, but murder Ulysses S. Grant and let the south win the war. 

Switched to doing the Seasonal inventory after the episode ended. Finished the collections with The Perfect Christmas: Holiday Music 2006, then added the CDs of colonial, Dixieland, and early American Christmas music and the Christmas bell and chime music. The Dixieland set goes the furthest back here. I think that was a Christmas present from Mom in the 2000's. I believe the others were all yard sale and thrift shop finds.

Watched Match Game while I worked. It started in 1973, with Lee Merriweather, Bert Convy, and comedienne Gail Fisher. For some reason, about half-way through the night, Buzzr jumped back to the syndicated episodes from 1980. Holly Halstrom and Dick Martin joined in as everyone felt Charles' shirt to see how soft it is. (This episode is also the source of Charles holding up the "boring" sign that's so often used in memes.)

Switched to Sailor Moon S: The Movie after the shows ended. Usagi and her friends have to stop Princess Snow Kaygula from freezing the Earth into one of her ornaments! Meanwhile, Usagi's cat Luna falls for a handsome, if sickly, scientist who has discovered the comet that Princess Kaygula sent. Luna's initially upset because he's already deeply in love with a woman astronaut. Sailor Moon finally finds a way to make both their dreams come true.

Finished the night at YouTube with the original Three Wishes for Cinderella from 1973. This charming Czech-German retelling follows the Grimm's version. Three hazelnuts that Cinderella cracks open to find outfits and gowns replace the fairy godmother. She also meets the prince well before the ball when she stops him and his friends from harming a doe in the woods. One of the outfits is a hunter's costume that allows her to see the prince and his friends again. The second is the famous ball gown. The third holds a wedding costume, so the prince can see his true bride. 

I love European fairy tale movies, and this one was no exception. No wonder this apparently remains popular in Eastern Europe as a Christmas movie. Cinderella was sweet and feisty, and there's some lovely medieval costumes. Well worth checking out for fans of fair tale variations like me who don't mind subtitles. 

Angels and Matches

Began the morning with breakfast and The Hunchback of Notre Dame II. I go further into this lukewarm follow-up to one of Disney's more underrated movies at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Animation Celebration Saturday - The Hunchback of Notre Dame II

Stayed at Disney Plus for Sailor Moon Crystal as I got ready for work. "Moon" encompasses the episode where a hologram of Queen Serenity explains about the Silver Millennium and how it was destroyed. Though most of the episode is pretty similar to the original version, it diverges significantly at the end. The Guardians fight the Four Dark Knights (all of whom are still alive), and though they don't sway them to their side, they don't kill them, either. It does end the same, though, with evil Queen Beryl brainwashing Tuxedo Mask...

Headed off to work after the show ended. Thanks to it being the beginning of a holiday-heavy month, we were crazy all day. I spent most of the time sweeping and pushing carts. One of the managers did help me with the carts at one point, but I was largely alone. Had a hard time keeping up with them. I was still having a hard time when I finally finished. Grabbed a vanilla-glazed donut too, since they're doing free donuts this weekend. 

When I got home, I put on Charlie's Angels while I got organized. The girls are recruited to keep an eye on a bodybuilder who is competing for the title of "Mr. Galaxy," but has been plagued by suspicious accidents. There's a long list of suspects who would want him out of the competition, from the gangster he used to box for to the man who has won Mr. Galaxy six years running and has gambling debts to deal with. Julie and Bosley join the country club where his competition works, while Kris trains with him and Kelly snoops around as a reporter for a health magazine.

Finished the night on YouTube with today's Match Game Saturday Classics marathon. Match Game has always been popular with the LGBTQ community, thanks to its many gay panelists and references to sexuality. Some early episodes tossed out a few references that weren't so pleasant. Dick Gautier and Brett Somers give now-offensive answers in two 1973 episodes that have those two shows banned from the airwaves. Likewise, Dear Abby's answer is the reason her PM episode can't be found anywhere but YouTube. Elaine Joyce and Bobby Van use similar language in reference to a question about what Batman and Robin do together.

Other references have dated far better. Many episodes bash anti-gay country singer and star of orange juice commercials Anita Bryant, especially ones where Charles Nelson Reilly was involved. Goes without saying that he wasn't a fan of questions involving her. Other gay panelists who turned up on the show included Richard Deacon, Fannie Flagg, Nancy Kulp, Tab Hunter, and Wesley Eure. 

Have a "gay ol' time" with some of the most famous LGBTQ panelists in the show's history...and some of its most infamous moments.

Match Game Saturday Night Classics - A Gay Ol' Time

Night of the Pricing Games

Began a gloomy morning with breakfast and Sailor Moon Crystal. It's been a while since I visited Sailor Moon's world. Picked up where I left off with the arrival of "Minako - Sailor V." Unlike in the dub, Sailor Venus isn't eager for the girls to help her out at first. She also claims to be the Moon Princess. Most of the episode plays pretty much the same as in the original, only Usagi and Mamoru offer to trade her handkerchief for his watch, Kunzite attacks Venus first, and the others join her together. Tuxedo Mask suddenly appears to save Sailor Moon...just as the episode ends...

Messed around online a bit until around 1:30. I wanted to get a walk in and needed to run an errand. My first stop was CVS. They did have the gum therapy mouthwash I wanted, but not for a decent price. I checked the shelves and moved on quickly.

Had lunch at a busy Common Grounds Coffee House. Despite it being past 2 PM at that point, they were very busy with college students and adults chatting or doing online work or checking their phones. Common Grounds is one of two businesses on West Clinton that's open on Mondays. (Phillies Phatties is the other.) I had a big, moist Pineapple Coconut Muffin, the last small slice of bacon-cheddar-spinach quiche, and Pineapple Matcha Drink. The last-named was pineapple, pineapple juice, coconut milk, and matcha. It was another one I had to mix. Tart and earthy once I finally mixed it, but the pineapple pieces kept getting stuck in the straw.

Headed down West Clinton and Kendall and into the neighborhood bordering the school. Other than the men doing lawn work at several houses, it was a quiet afternoon. I saw a few summer banners and leftover 4th of July decorations, but it was mainly gardens lined with carpets of bushy green grass and Technicolor summer flowers. Stopped to play briefly at the playground in the Tracy Connors Memorial Park. I had a hard time ducking all of me through the big tube that connected the two halves of the equipment. I couldn't slide too well in my short-shorts, either.

At least the weather could have been worse, and has been worse lately. It was cloudy, humid, and cool, in the mid-80'. I felt it spit every now and then, but other than that, it hasn't rained. It actually felt nice to go on a walk in the middle of the day and not be overheated by the time I got home.

Took the laundry downstairs, then put on The Wild Wild West and wrapped a birthday gift for a friend when I got in. "The Night of the Golden Cobra" gets seemingly deadly when Jim West and the military officer in charge of Native affairs Colonel Mayo (Simon Scott) are attacked by a cobra and three men in Asian Indian dress. The trio are the sons of Mr. Singh (Bela Lugosi), whom he wants West to train. West thinks Singh is keeping Mayo hostage, but it turns out Mayo has his own plans, not only for Jim, but for the Native tribal land they're on that turns out to be a lot more valuable than first thought.

Gave my friend her gift during the show. She absolutely loved the box with the soup bowls and tureen I found at Goodwill a few weeks ago and was so pleased. I know she told me she had wanted soup bowls a while back. 

Worked on the music collections inventory for a while after I put the laundry in the dryer. Listed the CDs I have from the series AM Gold and Billboard Top Hits, along with the individual sets British Invasion Gold, Flashback 80's, Freedom Rock, and 20th Century Rocks: The 60's Bands - Wild Thing. Most of these go so far back, I don't remember when or where I got them anymore. I'm pretty sure I bought the Billboard Top Hits CDs from the FYE and Borders at the Hamilton Mall in college because they were among the only CDs I could afford then. I think Flashback 80's came from what was then the Super Fresh in the late 2000's, and I know the Freedom Rock set was from a thrift shop a block from me in Wildwood when I first moved there in 2002. 

Broke for dinner and to bring the laundry upstairs at quarter after 7 PM. For some reason, Buzzr jumped way ahead to the second week of Match Game '90. Game show host Johnathan Prince and Joe Alasky of Tiny Toon Adventures joined Charles Nelson Reilly, Vicki Lawrence, and Betty White in these episodes. At one point at the very end of the show, Joe couldn't resist running up to the big orange circle in the back where host Ross Shafer comes in and giving us an excellent "That's all, folks!" 

(And speaking of Buzzr, the commercials during Match Game indicate that their next marathon will be back to school themed. Looks like the college weeks from Sale of the Century and the early 90's Family Feud and Card Sharks episodes with college students being questioned. Even if there's nothing new, the Feud college episodes in particular are hilarious, and I wouldn't mind seeing them again.) 

Finished the night on YouTube with something a little bit different. The Price Is Right started out as a half-hour show in 1956. The first run with Bill Cullen from 1956 through 1965 simply had people bidding for high-priced prizes like cars, homes, and large pieces of furniture. It was even more successful when revived in 1972, with Bob Barker hosting. Now three mini-games were played, each giving the contestant the chance to win a larger prize. The two biggest winners went on to bid on the Showcases, lavish prize packages of everything from whole rooms of furniture to a car and a trip to Greece. 

Attempts at a night time version of Price go as far back as the original late 50's-early 60's show. They tried again in 1972, with first choice daytime host Dennis James in charge. Bob Barker took over in 1977 after they didn't renew James' contract. Unlike the daytime version, the nighttime show kept the original half-hour format until the end of its run in 1980. 

Goodson attempted syndication again in 1985, this time with Tom Kennedy hosting. Once again, the format remained identical to the original half-hour show. However, by the mid-80's, syndication had been flooded with game shows trying in vain to become the next Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy. Most of them ended up shoved to early morning or late nights. Even Price, which continued to be a hit in the daytime, suffered this fate. The Kennedy version barely lasted eight months.

Price made one last stab at syndication in 1994. Doug Davidson, formerly a star on The Young and the Restless, took over the hosting here. This made many changes from the previous half-hour format. Contestants now just come onstage to play games when called and don't bid before it. The top winner plays what amounts to The Range Game in order to win the Showcase. Very 90's, with its bright, boxy aesthetic, and kind of strange. I wasn't the only one who thought so. Game shows were out of style by the time, and this was competing not only with Fortune and Jeopardy, but a slew of newly-popular talk shows as well. This one lasted four months. 

That seems to have ended any attempt at doing a regular syndicated Price. It has been seen at night periodically since then, usually during the summer or when CBS has a hole in the schedule they need to plug, but always in the hour format the daytime show has run in since 1975. And honestly...I think I like it better that way. This show needs the room for all of the pricing games and the Showcases and the wheel. 

Of the three non-Barker nighttime hosts, warm and funny Kennedy was my favorite. I really do wish his version lasted longer. Davidson tried too hard (and as mentioned, his version made a lot of odd and unnecessary changes), and James behaved more like a racetrack tout in Brooklyn than a game show host. 

At any rate, dig deep into the history of Price Is Right with these shorter but no less enjoyable episodes!

The Price Is Right (1959)

The New Price Is Right (1973)

The Price Is Right Syndicated (1975)

The Price Is Right Syndicated Finale (1980)

The Price Is Right Syndicated Premiere (1985)

The Price Is Right Syndicated (1994) 

Dolls and Interviews

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast and Charlie and Lola. "I am Going to Save a Panda" says Lola when her brother explains that they're in danger of going extinct. The kids in their school are going to do stunts to earn money. Lola wants to do it, too, but then she comes down with the chicken pox and can't go. She's badly disappointed, until Charlie comes up with a brilliant idea to use her spots to earn money.

Rushed out with my laptop the second the cartoon ended. Since Karen and I had a session this morning today anyway, we decided to do that online job interview with Camden Housing Authority together, or at least, that she would be there when I did it. The Haddon Township Library opens at 10, and then I had to get online with my laptop. That meant we signed in nearly 10 minutes late. 

At least they were really understanding when we did get there. It was pretty much your standard interview. The gentleman and lady asked me a few questions about my background, why I wanted to work there, and if I'd be willing to brush up my computer skills. I mainly asked them how you got to Camden Housing Authority and what it was like to work there. Karen said I did very well and was extremely calm and focused, considering how agitated I was when we were late. We spent the second half-hour checking Indeed, but there really hasn't been much there lately.

(And even if I don't get the job, at least I know how to use Microsoft Teams, and that I can do well in interviews when people actually give me a chance to get to them.)

When I got home, I messed around on the laptop after I got it set up again, then dressed the dolls for May. Samantha's birthday is in May, so she's in her pink striped birthday dress and white lace pinafore. Kit is in her Photographer Outfit, with its coral, white, and turquoise print skirt, yellow top, and cute crocheted cardigan. Josefina looks lovely in her Dress and Vest for Cinco Del Mayo. It pairs well with her gold wrap from the Feast Day Finery outfit. Molly's in a hand-made recreation of her hard-to-find Victory Garden Dress I found on eBay. Ariel gets to wear her new Julie outfit, Julie's second meet outfit with the "Flower Power" tank top and yellow crocheted vest. 

Felicity is ready to help me clean in her green-striped Work Gown. Her apron is actually the lower half of a pinafore I bought Samantha years ago, but rarely had her wear. Jessa mixes and matches in the magenta T-shirt and white long-sleeved shirt from the original 1995 modern doll meet outfit with Springfield Collection jean capris and the turquoise sneakers and striped socks from the 2003 meet outfits. Whitney loves her pretty purple and white Our Generation Retro rose-print dress and shiny purple shoes. Barbara Jean is the queen of Cherry Hill High East's first prom in the pink fringe-and-sequin dress and fur stole originally intended to be a play outfit for Melody and a pink princess headband "crown." 

Let Buzzr run in the background while I worked on the dolls. Press Your Luck was wild with Whammies today, particularly in the first episode. One of the guys Whammied out early in the second round, leaving the other guy and the one lady to battle it out. The guy just barely won a trip to Japan and cash. A lady hit the big time in the second.

Split Second was even more exciting, especially in the first episode. One of the women came from behind in the Countdown Round to win. I suspected she didn't want to go through that again and went home with cash and a fur coat. The next episode wasn't quite so wild. One woman dominated the entire show through the Countdown Round and opted to return for the car when she didn't choose the right numbers in the Bonus Round.

Continued into Let's Make a Deal as I cleaned up the doll mess and had lunch. I believe I'd seen both of these episodes before. The second one was familiar, at least. A lady dressed as a tourist in mixed plaids and florals and a bucket hat won a trip, then lost $1,000 on the Door 4 Wheel. She and a couple dressed as (and in) garbage bags gave up a fur for the Big Deal of the Day. The couple got gorgeous living room furniture and a TV that I'm sure he appreciated a lot more than a fur coat, and I don't think the tourist was complaining over a refrigerator and a trip to the Caribbean.

I'd seen the Super Password episodes recently, so I headed out next to run errands. I was hoping Dollar General would have Propel mixes, but they haven't in two years. I did get new hair bands, though, and bottles of Coke Zero and Cherry Coke Zero for later. 

It was such a beautiful day, I pretty much had to go for a walk in the park. Took the back paths to avoid kids coming out of school. Thankfully, they've long since dried. Someone put planks over the really muddy parts, too. The weather couldn't have been nicer here, lower 60's, warm, breezy, and sunny as can be. I was disappointed to notice someone cleared trees and brush from a short section in front of the lake. It wasn't in the main part of the park, but still. People come here to enjoy nature. They'd better have done that because the trees were in bad shape. Not the best find on Earth Day.

Speaking of Earth Day, I watched a few cartoons on being kind to our planet when I got in. "Usagi's Panic: Rei's First Date" in the first season of Sailor Moon has the Fire Guardian setting her sights on Mamoru and convincing him to take her on an outing to a local park. Jealous and annoyed, Usagi grabs Umino and follows them. Ami's more worried about the old gardener who is upset over the park being closed and paved over for a new office building. She has every right to be concerned. Nephrite intends to use the old man and every creature in the park to gather energy for his dark mistress.

Switched to YouTube for the original 80's-early 90's Muppet Babies. Gonzo insists that the future will be like something out of Star Wars, with battles and monsters. Piggy thinks it'll be more everyday, like The Jetsons. Rolf's not happy with having to play Astro in the latter, or with Nanny insisting on him taking a bath. He dodges his impending washing to learn that the future may be more like "Muppet Babies: The Next Generation" because he and the others took care of the Earth and its creatures...until the others, and at least three or four other action franchises, inadvertently end up on the Enterprise as well. 

Worked on writing for a while after that. Kathleen is shocked when Lady Jacqueline point-blank states that spring won't be coming this year. Why even bother with spring when everything is fine the way it is? Kathleen tries to stammer that they need the warm weather before the carriage moves along, leaving her sputtering and staring after it.

Broke for dinner and Match Game '74 at 7 PM. For some reason, we skipped way ahead into the next year. The first episode was from after Gary Burghoff took over Charles Nelson Reilly's seat while he directed a show in New York. Poor Gary is so embarrassed when he blurts an answer and they have to start the question over, he goes shirtless for the next question. Avery Schreiber and Phyllis Newman join in for the second episode. Avery is the only one who has to answer the first question, and surprises everyone by doing very well at it.

Finished the night at YouTube with kids' game shows from the 80's and 90's. By the time I was growing up, Saturday mornings were increasingly given over to cartoons or, more rarely, live-action shows. Game shows for kids now mostly showed up in syndication or cable, like The Disney Channel's first game show Contraption. Two teams of young kids, some as young as 5 or 6, watch a clip from a Disney movie revolving around a subject, like "Animals" or "Magic." The one who answers the most questions earns the most "Contrapt-Tiles." After answering questions, the kids ride little cars or hamster wheels in a mini-race. The kids who have the most tiles after the last round wins. 

My sisters and I loved this show when we were little. I'm surprised Disney has never tried anything like this again with updated clips and vehicles. If you're a Disney fan, it's still pretty cute to watch.

The premiere kids' game show of the 1980's also came from cable. Nickelodeon's messy stunt show Double Dare was a massive success, spawning two spin-offs and two revivals to date and providing the basis for almost every other game show on the network. My sisters and I were big fans of this one too, partially because it was filmed for its first four years at WHYY Studios in Philly and kids from South Jersey would frequently appear.

Think Fast is a less-messy variation on Double Dare. The stunts here revolve less around throwing slime and gunk at people and more about using your head and figuring out patterns. The questions would lead to removing pieces of a rebus puzzle, almost making this Junior Concentration. For the bonus round, the winners are given a crazy character popping out of a locker and having to find the identical person or object in another locker. 

Double Dare was so huge, almost every kids' game show from the mid-80's through the late 90's pretty much copied it. My favorite of the imitators was Fun House. It's basically a cross between Double Dare and Contraption, with the Disney trivia replaced by general knowledge questions and no daring. The stunts frequently followed a theme - it's all things related to the sea in the episode I chose from 1988. I actually liked the run through the Fun House better than the Double Dare obstacle course. The obstacle course was so difficult, kids frequently couldn't get more than three or four prizes out of it. Here, kids could roam wherever they wanted, and all but the slowest would walk out with cash or a few good prizes.

I never heard of Treasure Mall, another syndicated Double Dare imitator from the late 80's, until tonight. Here, the kids answer questions, then run through the store in a "mall" with stunts based around the store's theme. The Bonus Round had them going through boxes to collect as many keys to open the big treasure chest as they could. Other than it being the first shopping show for kids, there's nothing really outstanding about this one. In fact, the treasure chest bonus round seems kind of chintzy.

Kids' game shows could be educational, too, and not just from trivia questions. Where In the World Is Carmen Sandiego, a PBS show from the early 90's, taught geography and world history at a time when they were changing daily, sometimes seemingly overnight. Lynne "The Chief" Thigpen had a more personal connection to Double Trouble stealing the Tony Awards in "Bad Day On Broadway." She had been nominated for a Tony in the early 80's and would actually win one five years after this. (We even got to see a clip of her in the short-lived revue Tintypes. Host Greg Lee immediately made fun of the feathered hat she wore.) 

Every kids' channel got in on the games in the early-mid 90's. J.D Roth hosted the first season of Masters of the Maze on what was then The Family Channel. Three kids answer questions. The two who do the best gets to lead their partner through a twisty maze that includes a hall of mirrors and honeycombs and a room where the Guardians of the Maze asks them questions. The Bonus Round consists of the kids laser "shooting" TVs; get three prize TVs, and they win a shopping spree. The maze itself is honestly pretty nifty, though the bonus round is lame. (Apparently, Roth and the bonus round were replaced by Mario Lopez and more time in the maze in the second season.)

Nickelodeon did away with the questions all together for Guts. The 90's extreme sports fad is seen here as kids run through huge obstacle courses and tug their way across strong jets of water in a pool on a surfboard. I kind of wish I could have seen this as a young teen. No wonder this was one of Nick's bigger game show hits and would be revived in 2008 as a family competition. The kids are fun to watch, and the stunts are genuinely challenging.

Teenagers got in on the action in the 1997 show Click. This internet-based program was the last game show developed by Merv Griffin. Three pairs of teens run to answer different questions based on sections of the internet - "E- Mail" has them guessing which famous character or person wrote it, "Click Pix" and "Click Video" were photo and video questions, "Sound Bytes" was an audio clue, and "Home Page" had them guessing a topic. The Speed Round had one of each team member running to a board to answer questions. If they couldn't, someone from an opposing team had the chance to try. The Bonus Round was the Speed Round with an even shorter time limit.

The pre-social media internet theme does date this show a bit, but it's still fun to watch the kids run to all those stations and answer trivia, and for those who remember when the internet was just beginning, it's a major blast of nostalgia. 

If you grew up when I did, you'll want to relieve some fond childhood memories too with these enjoyable blasts from the past!

Contraption (1983)

Double Dare (1986)

Treasure Mall (1988)

Fun House (1988)

Think Fast (1989)

Where In the World Is Carmen Sandiego? (1992)

Nickelodeon Guts (1992)

Masters of the Maze (1994)

Click (1998)

Celebrate the Quiet Times

Began a gloomy, rainy morning with breakfast and "Yogi's Birthday Party." In the series finale of The Yogi Bear Show, Ranger Smith tells Yogi he's going to appear on a TV special. Yogi takes singing and dancing lessons from thinly-veiled spoofs of then-popular entertainers. He tries to run away when he realizes he really doesn't have any musical talent, but he's brought back. Turns out the "variety special" is really a birthday party with Smith, Cindy, Boo Boo, and most of the Hanna-Barbara funny animal characters created up to that point. 

After I finally re-signed in (again), I switched to Disney Plus for two birthday-themed episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. It's "Minnie's Birthday," and Mickey wants to hold a surprise party for her. The others help bake a cake and set up the decorations while sending Minnie off to do other things. When she gets frustrated that no one remembers her birthday and starts leaving, they have to bring her back.

"Happy Birthday Toodles!" celebrates the day Professor Ludwig Von Drake built the flying computer thing that holds the mouseketools. It's also the episode where Toodles gets the big smiling face and the (slightly annoying) voice he'll retain for the remaining two seasons. Once again, the others hold a surprise party and have to figure out how to keep Toodles from finding out. There's more emphasis on the party this time and seeing how a flying computer thing pulls off pinning the tail on the paper elephant and doing limbos.

Moved to Press Your Luck next. The lady never had a chance against the two men. She only got one spin in the first round and hit a Whammy and didn't get much money in the second. It was all about the guys. The younger man came up with over $17,000 in cash and prizes before he decided he'd had enough and passed his spins to the champ. That proved to be a wise decision. The champ hit two Whammies, and though he did make some money, it wasn't anywhere near $17,000.

Split Second was even more exciting. A young man who worked on music videos barely beat two smart ladies in the first episode, then hit the car on his first try. The gentleman in the second one had a lovely Scottish accent and less trouble with the two ladies. Though he beat them easily in the regular rounds, he just got past them in the countdown round and ultimately decided a trip to Bermuda sounded way more fun than a car.

By 2 PM, the rain had taken a temporary leave of absence, and the sun was barely out. I was tired of sitting around inside doing nothing and opted for a quick walk to the newly-remodeled Dollar General. It was windy and chilly, or at least cooler than it has been, barely in the 60's. The rain has really helped the local plant life, though. The daffodils are largely done, but the tulips and hyacinths are out now, and the irises are coming up. The trees have pale green leaves under their creamy white and pink flowers. 

The biggest change at Dollar General was the addition of a produce section. Oranges, apples, onions, and bananas lined the wall next to the coolers as you come in. The prices aren't really all that much better than the Acme, but that might be useful in a pinch. Only the seasonal aisles remained largely the same. The food was now scrunched into two aisles instead of three, and everything else had been moved and/or reorganized. I did manage to find two pillows to replace my old, flat ones I've been using for a couple of years.

Put on the second half of Let's Make a Deal as I got organized. I came in just as one man turned down appliances for $800. Two ladies were smarter. One turned down the money and got living room furniture. The other turned down the box on the floor for the money and missed a zonk. Two ladies, a bunny and a jester, traded in prizes for the Big Deal of the Day. The bunny ended up with kitchen appliances that were a slight comedown from her earlier furniture. The Big Deal went to the joker, who laughed all the way to the bank with an upright piano and a trip to the Bahamas.

I also got my birthday presents from Lauren at this point. She sent me the first and third season sets for the original The Odd Couple, since those were the ones I couldn't find around here. I'll be taking a better look at them next week.

Went online to do job searching and get my schedule. I have even fewer hours than I did this week. In good news, I put in for Sunday and Monday as vacation days to celebrate my birthday, so once again, I'll still get something of a paycheck. Friday is my first floral department day in probably over a month, since well before Easter. 

Put on Care Bears Family as I looked at my schedule and did some job research. The Bears and Cousins are so intent on celebrating their defeat of No Heart, it looks like they may have forgotten Birthday Bear's big day. He's not the only one with "Birthday Bear's Blues." Birthday Bear is sent to Earth to help a wealthy little boy who is celebrating his birthday alone. His boasting about his big party and toys drove away his classmates and nearly does the same to the Bears and Cousins. It's not until No Heart gets everyone lost in a maze of thorns that the little boy realizes his reliance on his toys made his friends think he was bragging. He finally asks for help, just as Birthday Bear begins to understand how truly important his friends are to him.

I thought of making myself a cake, but I was too tired. After the Bears ended and I got offline, I just went down for a nap instead. Slept for a blissful hour and a half on my fluffy new pillows, with the window open to catch those cool winds.

Went straight into writing next. Handsome but arrogant young Lord Jerrick's sister is Lady Jacqueline, an elegant middle-aged woman in white who looks like an older version of him, with her gold hair and translucent complexion. Kathleen is so flustered by her beauty and her intimidating airs, she can barely stammer out directions to town. She also notices that the air drops nearly ten degrees when they're around...

Broke for a late dinner and Match Game '73 at 7:30. Bert Convy, Mary Ann Mobley, and Ann Elder join in, while Nipsey Russell sits in for Charles. Gene starts the show by bringing out Johnny Olsen, who announced the show from the 60's through the end of the syndicated run to praise the job he was doing. The others have a harder time with "__ Booth" in the Audience Match.

Moved to Dailymotion for the last of the three epic historical road race movies of the 1960's. Monte Carlo or Bust, or Those Daring Young Men and Their Jaunty Jalopies, was a direct sequel to Magnificent Men and Their Flying Machines that debuted in 1969. This time, we've skipped ahead a decade to 1922 and the real-life Monte Carlo Rally. The eccentric British inventor (Peter Cook) just back from India and his lackey (Dudley Moore) want to show off their gadget-laden vehicle. Two German thieves (Gert Frobe and Peer Schmidt) use the rally to escape with the jewels they purloined. A pair of horny Italian cops (Lando Buzzanca and Walter Chiari) spend most of the race chasing three attractive French doctors (Mireille Darc, Marie Dubois, and Nicholetta Machiavelli). 

Sir Cuthbert Ware-Armitage (Terry-Thomas), the son of the villain from the first film, wants to avenge his father, who lost half of the family car factory to nerdy American Chester Schofield (Tony Curtis) in a poker game. Like his father in the air race, he lies and cheats his way across Europe. Schofield eventually picks up a pretty British lass (Susan Hampshire) who is supposed to distract him, but falls for him instead. It's a wild race to the finish to see who will be the winner of the silver cup...if Schofield can stay awake after being drugged to drive!

Just as much fun as previous entries, with a cast that's even better. Curtis trades his white-clad Douglas Fairbanks type for something quieter and a lot dorkier, but just as much fun. Hampshire makes for a funny and spirited love interest. Some of the Italian guys/French girls subplot gets into slightly racy territory, including Darc running around topless briefly. Cook and Moore get the top honors here as the strange English twits whose creations are more likely to blow up in their faces than actually work.

While the previous film and The Great Race are a bit better, all three are worth checking out for fans of 60's comedy, historical comedies, or epic race films. 

Sailor Moon has an even more action-packed birthday. "Usagi In Tears: A Glass Slipper for My Birthday" has her upset because she thought Mamoru forgot her big day. Turns out she never told him to begin with. Even when they make up, the glass slipper she badly wanted turns out to be cursed into a monster by nasty witch Kaorinite, who steals Usagi's broach in order to get her pure heart and captures Tuxedo Mask.

Usagi is determined to rescue him in "The Stolen Pure Heart: Usagi's Crisis." Older teens Haruka and Michiru pick her up while she's on her way to the TV tower where he's being held. They're generally sympathetic towards Usagi's insisting that she would rather save everyone than sacrifice lives, but they have their own secret...one that may involve the pure heart crystal Usagi holds and Kaiorinte wants. 

Rainy Day Matches

Got a quick start with breakfast and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. "Daniel Explores Nature" on a walk with his family. Katerina joins in to watch birds build their nests, then get Dan Sr. to help when the wind blows the nest down. "Daniel's Nature Walk" with O and X the Owls gets even more exciting when they're caught in a light shower and see things that only come out on rainy days, like rainbows.

It was pouring when I went to sleep last night, and it was still pouring late this morning. I pretty much had to call Uber. I had to re-add the locations of my home and Acme Markets due to Uber completely redoing its interface, but at least they worked faster. That didn't mean the drivers came faster. The one coming took 11 minutes; I was almost late to work. The one going home took 9 minutes.

As it turned out, I spent most of the afternoon in the rain. The head bagger did the sweeping. I pushed carts, and when I got too soaked to push carts, I came inside and returned loose items. At the least, there were no real problems other than the weather. We were busy when I arrived, but cleared out as the afternoon went on. Thankfully, the rain also started slowing down around 3 PM. It was still misting when the Uber driver finally arrived.

Since I was already wet, I went straight into the shower when I got home. After I got out, I had a snack while watching more Sailor Moon Crystal. We learn more about "Mamoru Chiba - Tuxedo Mask" in this episode. Mamoru's backstory with him losing his parents is pretty identical to the original...but this time, Usagi figures out who he is well before they tangle with the Dark Moon Kingdom. The rest of the episode gets closer to the original show, with a plot that involves using a DVD shop to brainwash the citizens of Tokyo into finding Sailor Moon. Usagi is not only able to save them from the programming, she has her first encounter with her favorite superheroine Sailor V.

Switched to Pixel Perfect at Disney Plus next. I go further into this surprisingly touching story of a boy who creates the perfect rock star at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Family Fun Saturday - Pixel Perfect

Finished at YouTube with tonight's Match Game marathon. Psychiatrist Dr. Joyce Brothers goes way back with game shows. She won the money to start her practice on The $64,000 Question in 1955, answering questions about boxing. By the time she made her first appearance on Match Game in 1974, she was an old hand at game shows. 

Dr. Brothers was a semi-regular from 1974 through 1978, always sitting in the fourth "ingenue" seat. She was there to greet two big winners in their first episodes, Janet Finn in '74 and Carol Bartos in '75. She took notes when Richard and Betty grabbed and kissed each other after a contestant won an Audience Match and agreed to join Charles and Brett in the parking lot when they all said Match Game would be used as torture. She also saw the poor girl who took nearly ten minutes to figure out how they would call Ugly Edna person to __. She barely got an answer in at the last possible second.

The doctor is in for laughs with this wild marathon! 

Match Game Saturday Classics - Featuring Dr. Joyce Brothers On the Panel 

Oaklyn On My Mind

Started off with breakfast and Sailor Moon Crystal on Hulu. They finally start to deviate from the original show with the episode revolving around "Tuxedo Mask." Usagi is upset when he announces he's committed crimes in an attempt to find the Legendary Silver Crystal. The girls are even less thrilled when Zoicite, one of Queen Beryl's guards, uses their favorite Sailor V game to brainwash ordinary humans into finding the Crystal for him. Usagi runs off, but she's the only one who can save them when Queen Beryl herself attacks and tries to force the Earth to join her Dark Kingdom.

No trouble anywhere today. Uber picked me up this morning in 4 minutes. They took 7 this afternoon. We did have marble cake in the back room for Acme's Associate's Day, but I mainly spent the morning and early afternoon sweeping and pushing carts. It was lovely when I came to work earlier, sunny and relatively warm for this time of year, in the upper 40's. By the time I picked up the Uber going home, clouds had moved in and it was slightly cooler and far more humid.

Changed when I got home, then went straight into a nap. After I got out, I put on Ray for review while doing job hunting. I go further into this biography of soul musician Ray Charles featuring Jamie Foxx in an Oscar-winning performance as Charles at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Ray (2004)

(Oh, and it finally started raining shortly after I started Ray. It's rained off and on since then.) 

Worked on writing towards the end of the movie. Joyce and her friends do finally make it to the gates surrounding Televisia City...but they're shut tight. Charles' knock finally brings out a cheerful little fellow who looks distinctly like Bill Cullen...

It was 7:30 before I broke for dinner and Match Game '79. We get the finale of the original CBS run in this episode. Towards the end, Gene gives Bill Daily his jacket to try on so he can wear it at his wedding. (He must have really liked it. He's seen wearing it throughout the syndicated show's run.)

Finished the night as I worked on my review with the first episodes of the fourth and final season of WKRP In Cincinnati. The season begins with the two-part "An Explosive Affair" as WKRP receives its first serious bomb threat. Andy sends Johnny and Venus to their transmitter to broadcast, but it turns out that may not be the wisest decision. Meanwhile, Arthur is worried that his former secretary (Rosemary Forsyth) may have more than just business and talking old times on her mind.

Mr. Carson is horrified when the staff of WKRP consider joining "The Union." He considers it a betrayal. Les thinks it's a communist plot. Andy has to placate him and his mother while convincing the rest of the staff that there's other ways to get upgrades to their pay and the station.

Bailey's innocent offer of letting Johnny stay at her apartment while his is being fumigated leads to a lot of "Rumors" about what they're doing there. Nowadays, I doubt anyone would care what they did on their own time, but in the early 80's, Bailey in particular gets a lot of flack for it. She's upset when they give her Les' interview show because of it, but finally decides to do the best she can...and that there's no shame in letting the others believe what they want.

Isn't It Romantic

Began Valentine's Day with the Colliers Harvest of Holidays anthology. They only have one long piece for Valentine's Day, but it's "The Valentine Box" by Maud Hart Lovelace. Julia is new in town and fears she won't get any valentines at her school party. She ends up befriending Margaret when her valentine's blow away, and then she leaves her bag with her best friend's valentine in the snow.

Watched Winnie the Pooh: A Valentine for You during dinner. I went further into this sweet tale of Pooh and the gang trying to save Christopher Robin from "the Smitten" bug at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog last year.

Valentine's Short Subject Special - Winnie the Pooh: A Valentine for You

Hurried off to work soon as the special ended. I had a far harder time getting there. Some Uber drivers went on strike today to protest their working conditions. Thankfully, they were only those who had to haul people to airports. Got a driver in 11 minutes this morning and 7 in the afternoon. No traffic either way.

All the traffic ended up at the Acme. We were busy the entire morning and early afternoon. In addition to people buying flowers, candy, and fancy dinners for Valentine's Day, it's also Ash Wednesday. They had their traditional 1-day seafood sale for Lent, which is extremely popular. I swept and pushed carts and didn't have the time to do much else. At least it was a gorgeous day for it. Chilly, yes, in the upper 30's, and windy, but not too chilly for mid-February. It was actually quite nice in the sun.

The lines were still long when I finished at 2. I was able to buy a drink and a lovely bouquet of carnations and mums for a friend, but I decided not to wait for a cashier to do a gift card for Jessa. I'll pick it up when I go grocery shopping on Friday instead. 

Soon as I got home, I changed while watching Happy Days. They did their lone Valentine's Day episode, "Be My Valentine," in the fifth season. Joanie, who is enjoying her first real relationship, imagines all of her friends and families in musical vignettes depicting their own romances. Scott Baio did a really cute "Thank Heavens for Little Girls" chorus girl spoof, Donny Most crooned a surprisingly good "My Funny Valentine," and Ron Howard and Linda Goodhead had an even better apache dance, but Marion Ross and Tom Bosley stole the show with their sweet and absolutely spot-on "I Remember It Well." (And no, Henry Winkler did not attempt to sing. Fonzie did a romantic recitation for a group of ecstatic college co-eds instead.)

Headed back out after the episode ended. I had Valentine's Day bags and cookies for Rose and her family, and I never did deliver Jessa's Christmas presents. Besides, it really was too nice of a day to be hanging out inside. I strolled to the other side of town, and seeing they weren't at home, dropped both bags on their front stoop. 

Stopped at Common Grounds Coffee House for a Valentine's Day treat. Their Red Velvet Chai was likely just chai, cocoa, and foam, but it was amazing, spicy and warm and oh so chocolatey. Had it with a small red velvet cake pop. They were busy with high schoolers and college kids just out of class, so I drank my chai on the walk home.

Put on Bugs Bunny's Cupid Capers when I got in. A distinctly Elmer Fudd-like Cupid tries to spread love among the Toons. Bugs thinks he's a meddler, but Cupid knows how to get to him, too. This is another collection of random bits and pieces of shorts, but there are some funny moments, including Bugs marrying the Tasmanian Devil to a female devil, Detective Daffy trying to prove a dame is guilty of being something besides crazy about him, and Pepe LePew chasing Penelope around the Foreign Legion.

The Pink Panther has an even tougher holiday in Pink at First Sight. He's so desperate for a pink panthress to love, he ends up squeezing a child's teddy bear. He finally gets a job as a singing delivery boy, thanks to cassettes and a cassette player. That goes even less well when he ends up dealing with everything from a jealous husband who thinks he's after his wife to a group of gangsters who are convinced he sent them a bomb. 

Switched to Sailor Moon Super S: The Movie while job hunting. The Sailor Guardians are excited to make their own cookies for Valentine's Day. Chibi-Usa is delighted when her cookies turn out better than Usagi's, but she ends up giving them to an odd little boy with a flute that can make candies dance. Usagi realizes how precious her daughter - and all children - are when an evil witch steals children to harness their dream energy and open a black hole that can swallow the earth. The Guardians join Chibi-Usa's new friend and head into the Black Dream Hole to make sure their sweet Valentine's Day dreams don't end on a sour note.

I got a very nice surprise at this point. I gave my friend, her daughter, and the neighbor's daughter bags of strawberry white chocolate chip cookies. The kids also got heart-shaped bubble wands and small Valentine's-themed bead craft kits, while the lady got the mums and carnations I picked up earlier. They gave me a smaller rose arrangement in a slim vase, a box of dark-chocolate-covered cherries, and a card. 

Called Mom around this point as well to thank her for the Valentine's card she sent me. I didn't get to talk to her for very long. She was sitting for my one-year-old niece Aurora. All she mentioned is no, she hasn't heard from Rose and her family in a while, either. I presume they're either busy with school and work activities or sick or both.

Worked on writing for a little bit next. Patti admits that yes, the poppies were the Warlock of the West's doing. The bees that attacked them in the woods were, too. Plus, Televisia City may not be friendly to strangers at the moment. They were attacked by the Warlock's army and are skittish about visitors.

Broke for dinner at 7 PM. Watched Match Game '79 as I ate. Fred Grandy made his first appearance during its second-to-last week on CBS. Charles spent the week teasing Brett about her drooling over another younger man sitting next to her. The first episode also featured an appearance by a contestant named Carolyn who would be far more important to the show during the next week...

Finished the night with more Valentine's specials, starting with a Peanuts triple feature. Charlie Brown is nervous about escorting The Little Red Haired Girl to the Homecoming Dance, especially after he doesn't do very well at the game thanks to Lucy pulling the ball away. He proves to be far better at being the life of the party than expected when It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown leaves him in another world. 

Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown explores the various Peanuts romances. Linus is hoping to impress his teacher Miss Othmar with a huge box of candy, which Sally thinks is for her. Lucy destroys Schroeder's piano when he ignores her ranting about not giving her a valentine. Meanwhile, Charlie Brown waits for someone, anyone, to give him a valentine, and Snoopy is putting on melodramatic and messy puppet shows.

A Charlie Brown Valentine was created to fill an hour with Be My Valentine, but it has some entertaining vignettes of its own. Chuck wants to ask the Little Red Haired Girl to the Valentine's Day dance, but Marcie and Peppermint Patty think he's taking them. Meanwhile, Sally wants to make a card for her "Sweet Baboo," but Linus would rather be anywhere on the planet but near her.

Smurfette is also feeling less than lovey-dovey in My Smurfy Valentine. She goes to a wishing well to ask for a Smurf Charming to sweep her off her white heels. Unfortunately, a witch and Gargamel had the same idea. Gargamel wants to use his cat Azreal to wish the Smurfs away, while the witch wants to eliminate all love. Smurfette ends up working with Cupid to foil their plans before the end of an eclipse. 

And I hope you all had a Valentine's Day that was equally sweet! 

Harts and Guardians

Began a quick, late morning with breakfast and the Christmas episodes of The Busy World of Richard Scarry. Kittens Abe and Babe are behaving so badly on Christmas Eve, their mother scolds them and claims they'll get coal from Santa. When they see bags of coal outside and believe this is the truth, they learn "Abe and Babe's Christmas Lesson" and use them to help people of Busytown who lost their electricity. "Sally Cat's Christmas Dream" takes her to the North Pole, where she has to help a familiar Santa and his elves when he can't find the key to the toy workshop. Sally, Huckle, and Lowly wake up to "The Best Christmas Present Ever" when they learn why their tree is gone and their parents are in the hospital.

Rushed out shortly after that. I had fewer problems getting to work than home. The Uber driver picked me up in 4 minutes going to the Acme. I was going home at 4 PM, the height of rush hour. It took 9 minutes for a drive to arrive, and there was traffic on the White Horse Pike, too. I got to the Acme with enough time to buy something for Jessa and finish my Christmas shopping. 

Work was far less of a problem. I did run into trouble early-on when I misunderstood the head bagger and thought she said she'd already swept the store when she didn't. I had to rush around and sweep in a hurry. Spent the rest of the day helping the floral manager water plants, sort and organize unfilled occasion balloons, and dust shelves filled with vases and stuffed animals. I even took a course to learn how to make corsages and boutonnieres for winter formals.

At least the weather was lovely. Cold and windy, yes, but not really that out of line for mid-December. It was also sunny, and not that bad when you could get out of the wind. 

When I got home, I changed and sat down to watch Say One for Me. I go further into this 1959 musical with Bing Crosby as a priest in a New York Theater District church and Debbie Reynolds and Robert Wagner as the chorus girl and ambitious singer who are among those he helps, at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Say One for Me

Worked on writing for a while after the movie. Florrie and Stephen explain the curse to Cora as Florrie settles Stephen down in her bed to rest. Angry that his cousin wouldn't take his suggestions or let him rule the kingdom with an iron fist like he wanted, Harron used his hypnotic magic to convince Stephen's people that Stephen was the impostor. He manipulated Stephen's own army into throwing their real ruler into the dungeon and beating him. Harron scarred Stephan's face and hacked off his hair to keep him from being recognized. When Stephen threatened to break loose, his cousin sealed his mind in a hideous, hunched-over body and took his voice so he couldn't give away his true identity.

Broke for dinner at 6:30. Watched Match Game PM while I ate dinner. The Dick Smothers/Minnie Pearl episode brought in a handsome cowboy who called himself Buck Rogers. After a round of cowboy jokes, the others come up with some rather amusing answers to what the baseball player brought along on his honeymoon. Richard Dawson does better with "Veal __" in the Head-to-Head.

Returned to Match Game Syndicated after a shower. Charles Nelson Reilly celebrated his birthday just as I came back upstairs. Gene brought him a little brown and yellow cake, and everyone sang "Happy Anniversary" ("Happy Birthday" being copyrighted at the time). 

Lauren sent me my first Christmas presents from her tonight via Amazon. We're both big fans of Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley. She sent me the fifth season of the former and the sixth of the latter. I have a hard time finding the ladies in particular around here, so these were welcome. 

Moved to The Roku Channel for Hart to Hart, which also featured Robert Wagner. "Tis the Season to Be Murdered" when a Johnathan finds a private detective dead after the man claimed there were industrial spies in his toy company. Johnathan and Jennifer try to root out the spies themselves at first. When the spies catch on, they send Max in to help them find out who's after the plans for a toy robot that could become a big seller.

Finished the night at YouTube with Sailor Moon S: The Movie. The Guardians are enjoying their winter break when they're attacked by women made of snow who freeze everything in their path. Turns out they're the minions of Princess Kaguya, who wants to freeze the Earth and make it into an ornament for her collection. Meanwhile, Usagi's cat Luna falls for a handsome scientist who was the first to discover Kaguya's crystals...but not only are the crystals taking energy from him and making him sick, but to Luna's dismay, he's already in love with a female astronaut. While the Guardians stop the evil Princess from destroying life on Earth, Luna tries to figure out her feelings and help her crush get well.