Hot In Autumn

Slept in and spent most of the morning reading and writing. It was almost noon before I got going with a very small breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. "Minnie-rella" is tired of her friends giving her tons of chores to do. She dreams that Fairy Godmother Clarabelle and Goofy give her a gown, glass slippers, and a tomato carriage so she can attend Prince Mickey's ball. They fall in love, but after Minnie flees, Goofy is the one who has to help Mickey find whose foot fits that glass shoe.

Headed out next. My first stop was brief. I dropped off that huge collection of F. Scott Fitzgerald short stories and his novels This Side of Paradise and The Beautiful and the Damned at the book kiosk on Johnson Avenue. Not only do I not have the room for it anywhere, but I suspect I could probably find most of Fitzgerald's short stories online, and I didn't like the novels enough to keep them.

Headed down to Collingswood next for lunch. The Stardust Cafe was still pretty busy when I arrived. They gradually cleared out as I enjoyed my three massive pancakes topped with strawberries, syrup, and butter. The "strawberry sauce" I also ordered was so thick and full of huge strawberry pieces, I ate it with a spoon. Tried an Arnold Palmer Slushie, lemonade iced tea with lemon foam on top. Not bad. Tart and not too sweet...and cooling, which is really what I cared about.

It was too nice of a day off to spend it wandering around in stores. Besides, I want to save what little shopping I need to do for vacation next week. I rode around in Collingswood and Westmont for a while, enjoying the warm sunshine. It was a bit humid, more than it has been, but not to the killer degree that it was last summer. 

Made my way down to La Morense Plus on the corner of Cuthbert and the White Horse Pike. It was too hot to not get some kind of cooling treat! Decided to try horschata water ice. It did indeed taste like rice and cinnamon drink water ice, almost like rice pudding water ice. Very sweet and very needed on that hot afternoon. I wasn't the only one there. A dad and his son enjoyed treats next to me.

I did make a stop at Family Dollar on the way home. My friend Amanda and my niece Aurora's birthdays will be while I'm on vacation. I wanted to get their cards and gift cards out now. Got Lauren and Amanda gift cards and Amanda a card here. Lauren's birthday isn't until the 19th, but I wanted to celebrate it with her early next week. Also grabbed a much-needed Propel.

Headed home and put on The Price Is Right while I took down the summer decorations and put up what I have for fall. It may not have felt like fall today, but today is the first full day of the season. I put out a stuffed squirrel holding a nut, an orange owl in glasses reading a book, and patchwork apples and pumpkins. There were tiny baskets of foliage and short Indian corn for my shelves, two small pillows from Jo Ann's and a yard sale respectively to hang on doors, and a lovely beaded wreath from another yard sale on my walls. The huge straw and fall foliage bow-shaped wreath is from a yard sale, too. The thick wooden standing rustic wood pumpkin is from Goodwill. 

Watched one episode of Match Game Syndicated while I put everything away. I wasn't going to miss McLean trying on Gene's jackets. He ends up in a pale blue one for most of the episode. He even does an imitation of a lounge singer near the end of the show. As Brett constantly said, he had no flair for fashion (though his comedy sense was pretty sound).

Switched to It's a Great Life after that. I go further into this 1929 backstage melodrama featuring genuine vaudeville headliners the Duncan Sisters at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Cult Flops - It's a Great Life

Worked on Maplepunzel while the movie was on. Maple and Scott settle into their roles as maid and gardener at the castle. Maple proves to be excellent at her job, enough for the king and queen to commend her. She most loves to hear the butler Mackie Bloom tell stories of his days as an actor and his beautiful late wife, Penelope, and the daughter they lost...

Went back to Match Game Syndicated after the movie ended. This time, McLean found himself caught between the considerable assets of glamorous blondes Eva Gabor and Elaine Joyce. Eva, Elaine, and Brett helped Gene show off the gorgeous bird-based artwork one of the contestants had done.

Finished the night with the original cast album for On the Twentieth Century. Madeline Kahn was movie star Lily Garland, arguing with her director ex-husband Oscar Jaffee (John Cullum) on this original cast album. Imogene Coca has a hilarious number near the end, "Repent!", as a religious nut who annoys everyone on board. Kahn wasn't in the show all that long (and was said to be difficult when she was), but she sounds great singing "Veronique" and joining Cullum for "Our Private World" and "I've Got It All."

Autumn In New York

I decided to save the usual mystery novels for reading on my trip and read American Girl and short stories about vacations this morning. Felicity Merriman loves visiting her grandfather's plantation during the summer. She's even happier when her beloved horse Penny, whom she helped escape a brutal owner, turns up for sale. Penny proves to be instrumental in helping Felicity reach the hiding spot where her father's apprentice Ben has fled. Ben's hoping to join the Continental Army, but he has to break his apprenticeship to do so. Felicity Saves the Day when she reminds Ben that it's even more cowardly to break a promise than to not join the army.

Samantha Parkington is equally happy to be at her family's cabins in the Adirondacks. She and her cousins Agnes and Agatha discover the artwork Samantha's late mother drew of Teardrop Island in the lake where their cabins are situated in their cabin's attic during a rainy afternoon. They visit the island and discover it truly is beautiful, but their trip is a lot less romantic when their boat floats away and they end up stranded during a storm. When the Admiral, a friend of Samantha's grandmother, gets hurt coming for them, Samantha Saves the Day by directing the twins through sharp rocks blocking the island from the rest of the lake.

Donald Duck never seemed to have much luck on vacation. "Donald Duck In Disneyland" loses the boys when they arrive at the park, then sees them on rides out the window of the Disneyland Railroad. He ultimately decides what was then known as Rocket to the Moon is safer. He does even worse when he falls off his burro and into "The Grand Canyon." Mickey braves the rapids to go after him.

Put on The Rolling Stones while eating breakfast and making the bed. I mainly bought Sticky Fingers for one of my favorite Stones songs, the smash hit "Brown Sugar," but their first album without Brian Jones has a lot more to recommend it. "Sway," "Wild Horses," and "I Got the Blues" are other good ones here. 

Switched to Dave Brubeck as I finished packing. Jazz: Red Hot and Cool is an aptly-named live album, apparently recorded in the smoky confines of a night club. Most of the songs are standards, but "The Duke" is his swinging tribute to Duke Ellington.

Called Uber at 10:30; got a car in 8 minutes. The pleasant young man chatted with me about my vacation all the way into Philly. I left early just in case we hit traffic on the Schuylkill Expressway. Thankfully, the roads were clear all the way to 30th Street Station. 

Normally, I love walking around 30th Street Station. It's a gorgeous Art Deco monument that makes me feel more elegant just being there. It's also in the midst of a multi-year remodeling project. The food court and news stand are closed and boarded, replaced with Au Bon Pain and Dunkin' Donuts stands and a much smaller news stand. The entrances are being repaired, too. I read the first two chapters of Wedding Bear Blues, then walked around again after the bench got too crowded. 

The Northeast Regional lined up a little after noon...but the train was late. We were supposed to be on our way by 12:19. The train hadn't even arrived by 12:19. It finally rolled out of the station 10 minutes later, stuffed to capacity. I spent the trip eating my turkey sandwich and two white chocolate macadamia nut cookies next to an older lady. The train pulled into Penn Station around 2 PM, more than 13 minutes late.

I emerged from Penn Station into an absolutely stunning first day of fall. The sky I could see between towering skyscrapers was a searing cerulean. The breeze coming off the Hudson felt fresh and cool. I lingered for a few moments outside of Moynihan Train Hall, just enjoying the soft, warm sunshine.

New York and Moynihan were very busy with people on their way home from weekend trips. I walked around for a bit. Considered getting a treat, but I packed plenty of food. I ended up eating a squeeze pack of applesauce and a granola bar sitting in a corner of the train hall. Tried to sit down and read in the waiting area after using the bathroom, but I was too excited. 

Thankfully, I had far less trouble on the New York-Albany train. It left on time, arrived early, and wasn't full until it picked up hikers and commuters in the New York suburbs. The Adirondacks were incredible today. Bottle-green waters glimmered like stardust along emerald green mountains lined with waving pines and oaks. Sail boats bobbed along on the waves; suspension bridges floated overhead. I could readily believe this area was filled with ghosts, princesses, kings, fat old burgomasters, spooky ghosts, and headless horsemen. I admired the view while working on the Care Bears coloring book I've had for over 15 years now.

Lauren was waiting for me when I arrived more than 10 minutes early. We had dinner about 20 minutes or so away at the Cracker Barrel. The southern-themed restaurant wasn't busy at 6:30, despite it being the dinner hour. They must have been much busier earlier in the day. They were out of everything from chicken fingers to meatloaf. Lauren finally ended up with rainbow trout. I opted for grilled chicken. We shared home-style cheesy tots and corn muffins. Yum! My chicken was nice and moist, much better than grilled chicken usually is at chain restaurants. The green beans and bacon were a bit overcooked and the fried apples were more like apple glop, but the apple iced tea was sweet and very fruity.

We stopped in the gift shop on the way out. Lauren bought a candy bar, two Christmas Peanuts-themed pajama pants, and a Snoopy long-sleeved t-shirt. I just picked up a box of dark chocolate orange jell sticks (that were so good, I put them downstairs in Lauren's refrigerator so I wouldn't eat the whole box in one sitting). 

(Oh, and I checked the score for the afternoon Eagles game on the way home. I didn't get to watch the game, but apparently, the Eagles just barely got past the New Orleans Saints 15-13.)

Finished the night after a shower with the Match Game Sunday marathon. Comedian Jack Carter turned up on Match Game almost from the beginning in early 1973, on a week with Lucie Arnaz and Nanette Fabray that's now partially lost. His wiseguy remarks added a great deal to some of the best episodes of the entire series. 

He was the one who made the infamous "Looks like a station break in Poland" crack at Gene's ugly plaid suit later in 1973. He was a gentleman who helped Trish Stuart back onto her seat after Gene accidentally yanked her off a year later. Everyone made jokes about Gene's more stylish gray leisure suit with the turtleneck. He and Gene sang "It'll Be a Hot Time In the Old Town" for a funny and dear older woman from outside of Paterson in North Jersey during a syndicated episode, then Bill Daily danced with her. 

Let's dance on with one of the show's funniest quipsters in this wacky marathon!

Match Game Sunday Classics - Best of Jack Carter on Match Game

Autumn In New York

To my surprise, I awoke to sunshine. We were supposed to have rain all day. Celebrated the weather and the first day of autumn while I ate breakfast with the Charlie & Lola fall special, "Everything Is Different and Not the Same." Lola isn't a fan of changes. Everything around her is changing. She has new tights that sag, a new teacher she's not used to, a new desk with her friend Lotta, and her favorite tree is losing all its leaves. She and Lotta are ready to hibernate after they ruin the big tree artwork with real leaves they made for class, but Charlie coaxes them out to see how important fall and changes are. 

Switched to The Cat and the Hat Knows a Lot About That as I made my bed and packed anything else I'd need. Nick and Sally can't decide which season is their favorite, so the Cat takes them to the Garden of Seasons. They meet three young animals - a Canadian goose, a frog, and a rabbit - during "Spring and Summer" and follow them as they grow and change through "Fall and Winter."

Headed out after the show ended. To my surprise, I got an Uber driver willing to take me in a minute or two, and it didn't even take him three to arrive. We had a lot more trouble on the road. Not only were there heavy dark clouds on the horizon, but the traffic leading to and going over the Ben Franklin Bridge was awful. It barely moved. The clouds finally burst as we got over the bridge and pulled away from the road work that caused the trouble. Fortunately, there was no traffic anywhere after that, and we arrived at the 30th Street Station within ten minutes. 

30th Street Station is a gorgeous Art Deco treasure that more closely resembles one of the hotels in downtown Philly than a train station. I always feel a little more elegant just walking through there. I didn't really need much, so I mostly just walked around and read Key Lime Pie Murder.

I really got lucky today. It did start raining while I was at the station, though not heavily. I suspect the originally advertised thunderstorms either arrived later in the afternoon or blew south. The Northeast Regional rolled in ten minutes late, not bad considering the trains coming from Washington and Miami were nearly a half-hour late or more. 

When I did get on, the train wasn't busy at all, especially surprising for the lunch hour. I ate my Caesar salad from WaWa and listened to music on my phone. It showered a little bit off and on during the trip, but if it ever thundered, I didn't hear it. We made it into New York slightly late, but not too bad, given the weather. By the time I crossed a noisy and heavily trafficked 8th Avenue from Penn Station to Moynihan Train Hall, the precipitation had died down to spitting.

The food court, newsstand, and downstairs bathrooms finally opened at Moynihan last spring. I first stopped at a lovely little Italian bakery stand next-door to Starbucks. Their prices were surprisingly reasonable for downtown Manhattan, and their wares looked divine. Tried "pignoli cookies," little almond-flavored cookies topped with pine nuts that were only $1.50 each. Oooh, they were perfectly sweet and soft, and very almond-y. Very yummy. 

Found the bathrooms next to the new food court. All of the restaurants were upscale pizza and salad eateries I'd never heard of before. No fast-food joints for a former post office! The dining area had soft dark-red vinyl seating and wooden trim that looked more like a nicer version of the bars in Cape May during my childhood. 

I couldn't settle down. Tried reading in the waiting area for a while after I finished in the bathroom. Not only was it pretty full in there, but I was too jumpy. Walked around the main concourse for a while until I spied the very long line for the train going to Albany.

The Lake Shore Limited lives up to its name. The view from New York to Albany is stunning, all shining rivers, bobbing sailboats, crumbling factories, and sprawling summer mansions, with the majestic Adirondacks rising above it all. It kept my mind off the full train. A young businesswoman worked on her laptop while I listened to music and watched two Match Game PM episodes from 1977. In the first one, Richard and Betty do hilarious impersonations of Brett and Charles when Gene reads a question to the lower tier. Marcia Wallace's salty mouth gets her into trouble in the second when her answer to a question about where a guy loses a few inches is censored! 

Though the train arrived at the Albany-Rensselaer Station ten minutes early, Lauren kept track of it on Amtrak's website and knew to come early as well. I stopped to use the bathroom really fast before we headed for Mario's Restaurant, a fancy Italian eatery in New Lebanon on the border of New York and Massachusetts. They remind me of many of the more upscale restaurants in Cape May, with a large porch, stone fireplace, and a real purple-red carnation and candle-holder on the table.

Lauren had eggplant Parmesan. I ordered soft round cavatelli pasta with tomatoes, shrimp, and homemade crumbled fennel sausage. Mine was spicy, but otherwise a tasty mix of earthy flavors. Lauren certainly seemed to enjoy hers. She ate the whole huge roll and half the spaghetti that came with it. She had her favorite Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Cake for dessert. I opted for a simpler Parfait with vanilla ice cream, fresh brownie rounds, thick, rich hot fudge sauce, and what I believe to be real whipped cream. We shared amazing mushroom beignets - savory fried donuts filled with small portabella mushrooms and topped with cream sauce - sourdough bread, and a dish of navy beans with vinegar and olive oil.

We finally pulled in at Lauren's house around nine. I'm now downstairs in her bedroom, writing this at the vintage scarlet chrome-and-Formica table she uses as a desk. Tomorrow, we'll be driving into Manchester, Vermont to check out their outlet mall and a pinball museum Lauren discovered online. 

(And I really got lucky with the weather today. The clouds broke up as the train left Moynihan, and it was sunny and windy in Albany. The streets were wet when we got out of Mario's, but to my knowledge, it hasn't rained since then.)

Beautiful Day In Fall

Began the morning with breakfast and a couple of Disney shorts in honor of the first day of fall. "Autumn" is one of the early Silly Symphonies, following beavers, crows, and other animals of the field and woods as they prepare for winter. "The Cat's Out" and is chasing birds in the yard...but when he falls, he has a frightening nightmare about the birds, spiders, and trees all growing to twice their size and attacking him.

Donald Duck had two encounters with Chip and Dale set during the fall. "Donald Applecore" wants those two little pests away from his orchards, but the explosives he concocts to get rid of them may do more harm than good. They steal Donald's model boat in "Chips Ahoy," hoping to make it to an island with a tree filled with nuts and restock their own stores for the winter. 

Headed out shortly after "Chips Ahoy" ended. Work was exactly the same as yesterday - steady during rush hour, otherwise dead the entire day. We're in the middle of a month that doesn't normally have much going on after Labor Day, and the weather is just too beautiful for a lot of shopping right now. 

Went straight home when I got in, then back out again after I changed and had a quick snack. I had a few errands to run, starting with a trip to Dollar General. Sugar and peanut butter are cheaper there. Grabbed what I needed as fast as I could and got out.

I didn't linger there because I wanted to get the laundry done. I really don't want to wait for my one day off on Saturday. I'm glad I didn't. They weren't very busy when I arrived at 3:30. It's too nice to do laundry, too. Treated myself to a Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Smoothie and a pretzel at WaWa while they were in the washer, then worked on story notes on the concrete curb after I dropped them in the dryer. The smoothie was very sweet and creamy, more like eggnog than pumpkin. I enjoyed it while basking in the warm fall sunshine, a fresh wind blowing on my nose.

Took out the trash and put everything away when I got home, then did some writing. Nipsey recites a poem and kisses Della awake, partially restoring her magic. Richard's more skeptical. He's not Fannie's true love. Lee points out that they are her friend...which is why they're able to hug her back to health. (At least until she protests them squishing her.)

Broke for Match Game and scrambled eggs with mushrooms and spinach at 6:30. For some reason, Buzzr skipped almost a whole week - including Charles' last episode of 1974 - moving ahead to Gary Burghoff's introduction as a regular. He was joined by Mike Evans of The Jeffersons, Fannie Flagg, and Joyce Bulifant to try to figure out the answer to "Mack ___." (Hint, Gary, it's not your MASH co-star McLean Stevenson.)

Today's Sale of the Century episode started slow, but ended up almost as exciting as Friday's. This time, the one woman and the champ were neck-and-neck for the whole second half. They both killed in the Speed Round. He won by one question and picked up a reproduction of an antique Italian dining room set on the "match the prizes" board.

Finished the night on the Watch TCM app with Call of the Flesh. I go further into this Latin-set early talkie operetta featuring Mexican star Ramon Novarro at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Call of the Flesh

Not Quite Like Fall

I had afternoon work today, which allowed me to begin the first day of fall with breakfast and several seasonal black and white Silly Symphony shorts. "Autumn" is what it sounds like, animals gathering food for the winter to the tune of classical music. A fly and his friends take on a cunning arachnid in "The Spider and the Fly." "The Cat's Out" turns a cat's evening into a nightmare when he dreams that the very creatures he once chased are now attacking him.

After breakfast, I started taking down the summer decorations. Despite the heat and humidity today, it was still the first day of fall. Put up some of the fall stuff after I put what little I have for summer away. I'm not going to hang any garlands over the living room and bedroom windows this year. I don't want to ruin the new walls, and it's too hard to tack them to the wooden paneled walls. I was able to put out the tiny baskets filled with fake fall foliage, the pillow from Jo Ann's with the felt leaves, the two scarecrows, the stuffed squirrel and candy corn (the latter made by my mother), and all the stuffed pumpkins and apples.

Watched the Bowery Boys while I worked, and later as I had a quick lunch. They're Spy Chasers when the Princess and King of Louie's former home Truvania ask for his and the Boys' help. Truvania is in the midst of a revolution, and the king needs a coin from a certain courier to know if it's safe to return to the country. His head general and the princess' lady-in-waiting are in cahoots with the people who want the king deposed and make several attempts to get the coin, including kidnapping the princess and hypnotizing Sach.

Did two unusual Pink Panther shorts while getting ready for work. "Pinkfinger" has a narrator relating how Pink can become a spy and track down bad guys. He's trying to mine "Pink Ice" in Africa, but the two South African miners across the way keep stealing from him in the only short where he has a voice. (Interestingly, the same as the narrator from "Pinkfinger.")

Work was fairly quiet when I arrived, and it didn't get much busier for most of the day. I spent most of the first three hours outside with the carts...except for when they wanted me to clean the men's bathroom. I accidentally spilled the water I was intending to use for the bathroom near the lockers in the back storage area and had to clean up that. Organized gift cards for the last hour and helped a manager dispose of a broken jar of hot peppers.

Came home and worked on writing for a while. While the demonic marionettes in the contestant desks attack the others, Brett finally pulls Charles back from the wall. She ends up shooting Richard down, breaking the wires that hold him to the ceiling. Charles catches him before he hits the ground. Brett is amused by his loving expression, but not by the demon doll that swoops down from the ceiling, trying to grab them. Gene, who has climbed onto one of the desks, might have a way to get rid of them...

Broke for dinner at quarter of 7. Made a modernization of "Saucy Franks" from the Better Homes and Gardens Jiffy Cooking cookbook. Replaced the tomato soup with tomato sauce and lemons (didn't have them) with lemon juice. They came out quite nicely, just sweet-sour enough. Had them accompanied by mashed potatoes.

Finished the night with The Hollywood Revue of 1929. I go further into MGM's first attempt at a variety show at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

The Hollywood Revue of 1929

Welcome to Fall

I awoke to a blustery, slightly cloudy first day of fall. No wonder the air conditioner was off, and hadn't run all night. It was cool, probably in the 60's by 10. I celebrated with breakfast and a couple of black-and-white Silly Symphonies. "Autumn" is the simplest, just animals putting away food for the coming winter. "The Cat's Out" takes us into the nightmare of a naughty feline in which every bird he ever picked on attacks him. "Hell's Bells" is even spookier, giving us a look at devils dancing in the underworld.

Since I work early tomorrow, I had my pancakes today. Inspired by that tasty gingerbread we had at the Bryant House last week, I made Gingerbread Pancakes. Other than I burned the side of the second one, they came out very well, moist and flavorful.

Did a couple of mildly spooky episodes of Hello Kitty Furry Tale Theater as I cleaned up from breakfast and got organized. "The Phantom of the Theater" has stolen My Melody's teddy and Catnip's candy stash and chewed a rope on the curtain. The rest of the cast head under the stage to investigate. Catnip's not happy when she's playing the creator of "Frankencat," a robot created from spare parts who befriends Melody. She prefers the more glamorous "Catula," a milk-sucking vampire who terrorizes Kitty and the others at her castle in Transylvania.

Finally headed out around 11. After making quick stops at a yard sale in Oaklyn and at WaWa to get money, I headed for Collingswood. Due to checking more yard sales on the way, I didn't get to the Farm Market until 11:30. They were still mobbed with people buying produce for fall parties and barbecues, despite it being close to closing. The fall produce is slowly rolling out. I saw the first winter squash, decorative gourds, and pumpkins of the season. I just opted for small apples, juicy purple grapes, and a head of organic red-leaf lettuce.

I was hoping to find a new record needle offline, but I had no luck. I went to a busy GrooveGround in Collingswood and bought a Limonade (Lemon-Lime) cooler in order to wait for Collingswood Music to open. I got three records there, a K-Tel 80's set, a Motown collection, and a set of old-time radio shows, but no needle. Walked around in a new local grocery store that just opened today, but their wares were way too pricey. Didn't do any better at InnerGroove Records down the street. He says he doesn't sell needles.

(That makes no sense whatsoever. If you sell records, you should sell a way to play them. Needles break. It happens. And these store owners wonder why more and more people prefer to shop online?)

Rode over to Haddon Township next. Their big fall Block Party is just off Crystal Lake Road near Westmont. No car show this year, but they did have many bounce houses, a mini-Ferris wheel, food trucks and booths, a ring toss game to win a goldfish, and lots of tables showcasing local businesses or crafts. The food was too expensive, and there really wasn't much else for me to see there, so I moved on.

Made another quick stop at Target to see if they had any record needles. Nope, nothing like them. Not even a CD player. Headed a few blocks down for a fast pizza and Coke lunch at Genova's.

Since I was already out and about, I figured I'd head to Audubon and get my Acme shopping done. As I was cutting through the mall parking lot, I noticed two more stores that will be opening soon. One is the discounter Five Below. The other is a small Goodwill branch. I'm so thrilled with the Goodwill in particular. The closest branches are in Cherry Hill and Bellmawr; the former is on a major highway, while the latter is a long slog by bike.

I didn't really need much at work. I was mostly there to buy skim milk and use online coupons for butter and organic fruit spread. I also restocked canned pineapple, granola bars (there as a good sale on the Kashi bars), cereal (went with the store's generic Honey Bunches of Oats and Almonds again), tomato sauce, two jars of peanut butter (a good sale on Skippy coupled with a coupon on the jar lids), yogurt, and cooking oil.

My schedule is pretty typical of the time of year and what I have been getting. I mostly work in the mornings and early afternoon, with Monday, Tuesday, and Friday off. In good news, that means I'll have time for writing, doing the laundry, and to figure out what to do next. However, I won't be able to get to the farm market next week, and I really could have used more hours.

Ran the remaining Hello Kitty episodes on the set as I got home and got organized. Tuxedo Sam is "The Pawed Piper," leader of a rock band whose music leads fleas away. Mayor Catnip hires him to eliminate these pests, but won't give him his reward...but you know what they say about paying the Piper. Grinder is "Rumpledogskin," who offers to spin straw into gold for Kitty if she gives up her first-born child (My Melody). She comes to regret her rash decision and desperately tries to find a way to keep her baby.

Put on an episode of Good Eats while I cleaned up from breakfast. Two cowboys show how to make a real bowl of "big red" in "The Big Chili." Ehh, I prefer Kit's Cincinatti Chili. I like the added cocoa, and there's no need to mess around with a pressure cooker or Dutch oven.

Worked on writing for a little bit. Yoda wants Luke and Leia to confront Vader. Neither relishes the idea. Luke wants to reform him, not kill him. Leia wants nothing to do with him and wishes he'd vanish off the face of the planet.

Had leftovers for a fast dinner while watching shorts from The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Piglet is "A Knight to Remember" when he dreams that his friends are a king, wizard, and bishop who want him to fight a fierce dragon. Piglet's also having strange dreams in "Rock-a-Bye Pooh." He has a nightmare that his friends all vanish, and now he won't go to sleep. The others show him that dreams aren't real. Piglet wants "The Monster Frankenpooh" to be a not-so-scary story, but Tigger can't resist upping the scare quotient. He's also scared in "Piglet That Goes Bump In the Night" when he thinks the noise he hears is a ghost...and the others think he's the spookable. He and Pooh think they've gone to the "Pooh Moon" during a camp out, while the others are convinced they were snatched by the Grab-Me Gotcha.

Took advantage of the real maple syrup I brought home to make "The Vermont" maple-flavored sugar cookies from the recipe book Lauren gave me for my birthday last year. Watched Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin and the original half-hour version of Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day while I baked, and later while I was online. I discuss the former in more detail at my Musical Dreams Reviews blog.

Animation Celebration Saturday - Pooh's Grand Adventure

Trouble In the Fall

Got up earlier than I have been of late. Started the morning with breakfast and two black-and-white Silly Symphony shorts to celebrate the first day of fall. "Autumn" is one of the early music video shorts, depicting animals gathering food for the winter. "The Cat's Out" has a lot in common with the later "Pluto's Judgement Day," including some nightmarish imagery. Here, it's the feline who gets judgement from the trees, birds, and insects in the backyard after chasing a bird onto the roof.

Worked on writing through 12:30. Went back and added a scene between Leia being drugged and Leia awakening in the Royal Suite that has Hank ending up in a storage room. Charlie's tossed in with him and ends up holding him while he unloads the drugs - and whatever he last ate - from his stomach.

The next day, Arturro and Chip bring Luke the message from Leia. Chip gives Luke an invitation to a private tea luncheon at the Oasis Bar and Grill on the beach, where Jasper intends to show off Leia to his mobster buddies. Clad in his new black leather jacket with the Jedi Knights patch on the back, Luke tells the duo that he intends to crash the party.

Broke at 12:30 to do some decorating. With this being the first day of fall, it was finally time for the summer decorations to come down and the general fall items to go up. I only had enough time to put out the fabric leaf garlands, metal and wood garlands, the little "nuts and seeds" beaded wreath, the big bow wreath, and a few odds and ends like the embroidered pillow from JoAnn's and the dangling scarecrow Mom made for me when I was in college. (But the scarecrow bell broke. Boo! I'll have to fix him when I can.)

Ran an episode of Wonder Woman from the third season while I worked and had a really quick lunch. "The Deadly Sting" has been turning sure-thing football teams into losers and underdogs into winners. Diana's sent to discover just what it is that's causing this..and finds herself flung headfirst into the world of illegal sports betting and organized crime.

I was slightly late heading out, but I didn't think that would be a problem...until I realized the chain was off the bike. There was no one around to fix it, and it was too late to call for a ride or a cab. I just walked to work and got in ten minutes late.

After all that, work wasn't too bad. I did get stuck in the register for 20 minutes when we were a little busy. In fact, that was the only time we were really busy all day. I did trash and the few return that were there and helped the head bagger with baskets and carts, then did them on my own after she went home.

Not too bad of a schedule this week. Wednesday and next Saturday off and more morning hours than I have been getting lately, including an early day Thursday. Still wish I had more hours; otherwise pretty par for the course.

It's probably just as well that I didn't have a lot of grocery shopping to do this week, considering I couldn't carry as much while walking as on the bike. Took advantage of sales and online coupons to restock yogurt, skim milk, cake mix (Duncan Hines was on sale), mandarin oranges, toilet paper, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, and cereal. Didn't need the dark chocolate chips or peanut butter, but they were both on really good sales.

It took me so long to get home and get everything put away, I didn't get to dinner until past 7:30. Watched an episode of The Backyardigans to cheer me up after all the trouble this afternoon. Tyrone and Pablo think their fields of exceptional corn is a "News Flash." TV reporters Tasha and Uniqua and cameraman Austin disagree. At least, until they mistake the boys' corn "decorations" for crop circles and think aliens are coming! Now the boys have to keep up the deception if they want their corn to continue to be the best thing around.

The Perfect Start to Fall

Kicked off the first morning of the fall with my second early work day in a row. I did round up a few carts when I first got in and shelved most of a cart of groceries. Spent the second half of my shift trying to haul the soaked sandbags from the leaking freezers outside. This would have been easier if the keys to the back door hadn't mysteriously vanished right before my last round. I was lucky a manager was in the back and was able to unlock the door. They were still looking for the keys when I finished for the day. Good thing it was dead as a doornail all day. The sandbags were really saturated and made a mess when I loaded them into a bag.

It was absolutely gorgeous out when I finished work. I took the long way home down Nicholson Road to enjoy the weather a little longer. They weren't much busier than the Acme had been. I dodged a few cars on Nicholson, but otherwise, I had no problems.

As soon as I got home, I changed into regular shorts and my turquoise tank top. Had the last of the zucchini-carrot muffins for lunch watching more Star Wars: Rebels. Sabine, Ezra, and Chopper are sent to meet a Rebel data carrier...who turns out to be an old droid. The droid is coveted by a bounty hunter who had once been a friend of Sabine's. The two find themselves having to work together (with Chopper's help) when the Imperials attack.

It was way too nice to stay inside all day. I headed out for a walk around 2. I hadn't seen such a nice day in ages. It was still hot, probably in the mid-80's, but not humid at all. The sky was a rich blue. A soft breeze rustled the dry, crackling leaves on the trees. Gardens are bursting with the brilliant fall colors of marigolds, asters, sunflowers, and impatiens. The grass, though, remains a straw-like beige. Most people won't be decorating for Halloween until next month - the only decorations out were a few fall, summer, Eagles, or Phillies-related banners.

I was originally going to volunteer at Studio LuLoo, but they weren't open again. I just haven't been able to catch them lately. I ended up at WaWa instead. I got a flyer in the mail a few days ago with a stack of coupons in honor of the remodeling. WaWa can now do hand-made milkshakes behind the deli counter. One of the coupons was for a $1.99 milkshake. I took advantage of that coupon to try the Pumpkin Spice shake. Oooh, that was yummy, very flavorful and spicy. Not very ice-creamy, though. It tasted more like a cold pumpkin spice eggnog, which was cool too. I like eggnog, but it's usually too expensive for me to buy often.

Spent the rest of the afternoon working on my fanfic. I may end up re-writing this part. Originally, Jyn and Cassian give Leia a recording of Palapatine's plans to tear down the Cottages, the part of the boardwalk near-by, and most of the surrounding area and build a huge Empire Star Resort and Amusement Park. I think I might return to the source material and have them just give Leia the actual plans to get to Senator Mothma instead.

I wanted a real sit-down dinner tonight. I've had a package of boneless chicken thighs in the freezer forever. I finally defrosted them, rubbed them with Brown Sugar Bourbon spices, and wrapped them around thin slices of cheese. They were cooked in a molasses-chicken stock sauce. Added corn-on-the-cob and Cucumber-Tomato Salad for vegetables. Yummm. The chicken came out so moist and flavorful! I had to have two.

Continued Rebels as I ate. Rex and Kanan have to work together in one episode to rescue Ezra and the Rebel Commander Sato after they're attacked by an Imperial ship that can pull other ships out of hyperspace. Another has the entire group coming to the aid of a ship filled with Force-sensitive infants. Another episode has Ezra following a Force-vision he had about his parents to Lothal, where a former Imperial prisoner finally reveals their whereabouts.

A young Princess Leia helps them out in another story when her home planet of Alderaan gives the Rebels ships...but at this point, no one knows Alderaan is involved, and Leia and the guys have to make it look like a kidnapping. Meanwhile, Leia, who is also taking on massive responsibility at a young age, helps Ezra with the fall-out from finding out about his parents.

Rebel Hearts

Slept in this morning. Began the day with breakfast, then went right into cleaning. I really needed to get the dusting in the bedroom done. It wasn't that bad, probably because I had the windows closed for most of August and only just opened them again a week or so ago, but it still needed to be done. The bookshelves get especially bad. It's getting to be a bit of a pain to dust under the Ever After High dolls, too. I really need to find them a shelf of their own.

Ran Summer Magic while I worked. Based after the book Mother Carey's Chickens, this Disney live-action musical takes us to the early part of the 20th century in New England. Nancy Carey's (Haley Mills) mother (Dorothy MacGuire) was just left widowed. Nancy sees this is a great opportunity to start over in the country. It turns out that a large yellow house in rural Maine is available for rent. The rich owners don't seem to be around, and the owner of the general store, Ossium Poppem (Burl Ives) doesn't mind if they stay. Nancy and her little brother Peter are thrilled. Her older brother's less happy, but he comes around eventually. They settle into the house, eventually joined by a rather snobby cousin from the city, and by Peter's oversized dog Sam. Nancy loves her new life, but the owner is ready to come back...and he may not be happy with the Careys living there...

Charming musical coming-of-age tale is a favorite of mine. If it sounds like Meet Me In St. Louis in rural New England, the same woman who wrote that, Sally Benson, also adapted this. I'm fond of the folksy Sherman Brothers score, too. Most of the Disney live-action musicals deserve more love, and this one is no exception. Check it out if you're a fan of the cast or musical coming-of-age tales.

Switched to the Pointer Sisters as I put up the fall decorations. I've been meaning to get around to this for ages, and just hadn't gotten there until today. This is the right time for it - the fall equinox is Wednesday, and it's supposed to cool off starting later this week.

I mostly have little things I've picked up here and there, from yard sales and craft stores - a pillow embroidered with fall leaf and acorn cut outs, a really pretty little wreath with fruit and seed-shaped glass beads in fall colors, tiny baskets of fall foliage, calico print pumpkins and apples, a big green stuffed apple, a red Beanie Baby squirrel. Mom gave me the metal and wood crow/leaf/pumpkin garlands from when she worked at Michael's. The plastic and fabric orange leaf garlands were freebies. For some reason, the Wildwood Acme had them, unused, in their storage room when they shut down to be remodeled in 2005. I volunteered to take them home (along with a wooden rack I now use for CDs).

Headed out to run errands around quarter after 1. I wasn't at the Oaklyn Library for very long. There was barely anything to do, and I'm tired of the endless bleating about political candidates no one likes on CNN. I did stick around to hear one of the customers mention her father had gotten stuck in really bad traffic on Cuthbert Road. Something about road repair and a major mess.

I took advantage of the information as I made my way over to the Westmont Plaza. I crossed at Cuthbert and the White Horse Pike instead of by Rite Aid. I could see something going on, lots of trucks, and a police car blocking the way by Wells Fargo. I had to walk the bike around the police car.

I had lunch at Westmont Bagel Shop. Either because of the traffic or because it was almost 2 by then, they weren't that busy. A group of elderly people arrived right before I did, and I saw a family with the most adorable baby girl. I enjoyed today's lunch special, a vegetable and cheese quesadilla with a bottle of water and chips, while watching the toddler's antics.

There was even less going on at the Haddon Township Library. I had a small pile of kids' DVDs to shelve and two audio CDs. I decided I'd leave the new releases and adult titles to the kids. I just took out two kids' sets. The second season of Star Wars: Rebels had arrived. I've been waiting for this one ever since I really enjoyed the first season set back in February. I think the third season premiere is this week. They have a few more Shirley Temple movies I either haven't seen at all or in years; went with Susannah of the Mounties.

Made a very quick stop at Thriftway next. I needed whole wheat flour. Unlike Acme, they still have a cheap generic brand. I also grabbed their 75 cent toilet paper since I was there. They were dead as a doornail, with no lines and barely anyone around.

Thankfully, by the time I headed home, the police cars and road blocks were gone. Good thing, too. It was rush hour. I had to dodge quite a bit of traffic, especially on Cuthbert.

Spent the rest of the afternoon on the computer, working on stories. I revised things a bit. Instead of getting the information themselves, Jyn's dad and "Fulcrum," the mysterious local DJ, got the info from an Empire Industries meeting. Trouble is, the only people who have the right equipment to run the tapes are the nerds, Arturro and Chip. Jyn and Leia convince them to come over and help them figure out what they're saying. Luke doesn't like it, but Leia's adamant. This information could save the Cottages.

I had a lot of veggies going bad in the crisper, so I threw together Ratatouille with my canned chicken for dinner. Watched a couple of episodes of Star Wars: Rebels as I ate. The crew of the Ghost are now officially part of the Rebellion...but some of them aren't too sure about giving up their independence. Darth Vader is now on their trail as well. When the Imperial head of Lothal tells them she wants to defect, they jump to help her. She's murdered before they get a chance...and the rap is pinned on them. Lando Calarissian helps them off Lothal.

After they escape the Imperials, they realize they can't go back to Lothal. They need a new base. Fulcrum - once Ashoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker's pupil - suggests her old friend, who knows where everything is in the galaxy, can help. Turns out her old friends are elderly clone soldiers, who were decommissioned after the Empire started building their Stormtrooper army. Kanan, who still remembers how the clones betrayed the Jedi, doesn't trust them, but Ezra wants to give them a chance.

First Day of Fall

I awoke to a glorious, sunny day. Spent most of the morning working on my fanfiction. Scott tells Mr. Eldridge about their encounter with the boars in armor as they eat dinner and explains his curse to Mackie. Mackie's scared silly, especially of Betty's healing magic. He doesn't like or trust magic. Mr. Eldridge explains that light magic won't hurt you unless you attack it. He tells Mackie, Scott, and Betty about how the Shadow Realm had taken over Wennaria almost 40 years before, until the Comstock family was able to drive them off. The Guardians had represented a facet of nature - light and dark, water and fire, air and Earth - each keeping the other, and their magic, in check. When the Shadow Realm and its evil magic takes over, they eliminate or corrupt the other elements and destroy the balance.

It was too nice to stay inside the entire morning. I headed out around quarter of 12 for a walk. I was going to volunteer at Studio LuLoo, but with the kids in school, they were closing early. I opted for a short stroll down to the end of Goff Avenue instead. The day was warm and sunny, with a brilliant blue sky overhead, but there was a stout, chilly wind that reminded one that this is the first day of fall. It was so clear, I could see all the way to the Ben Franklin Bridge when I arrived at the boat landing.

I did Alice at the Palace as I ate leftovers for lunch. This unusual musical version of Alice In Wonderland from the early 80's turns the story of Alice traveling across her dreams into a wacky music hall, with a showgirl Queen of Hearts, a Cheshire Cat who brings on a dance routine, a waltzing Russian Mock Turtle, a mime White Knight, and a mad tea party magic act. Meryl Streep is Alice; Debbie Allen and Mark-Lynn Baker are among Wonderland's citizens.

Work was on-and-off busy, not as bad as Sunday but more than it has been lately. We had some long lines and not enough people to deal with them. Otherwise, there were no really major problems, and my relief was right on time. I picked up skim milk (ran out this morning) and headed home.

Had steamed shrimp and zucchini as I finished Alice and watched an episode of The Backyardigans. Tyrone is determined to "Follow the Feather" when he, Tasha, and Pablo go on an adventure in the mountains of Tibet to find the fabled Polka-Dot Pony. He's guided on his journey by the Mysterious Lady (Uniqua), who seems to know more about the feather and the Pony than she'll let on.

Haddonfield Trek

Since I got off early last night when the battery died, I ended up finishing Star Trek. James T. Kirk (Christopher Pine) has been a rebel and a troublemaker all his life. When he joins the Starfleet Academy, he's still getting into trouble, and running afoul of the ultra-logical Vulcan Spock (Zachary Quinto). Jim's new buddy Dr. McCoy (Karl Urban) sneaks him aboard a major mission to stop a Romulan vessel from the future from wrecking major havoc. Spock gets fed up with Kirk and dumps him on a freezing-cold planet, where he encounters someone very familiar...someone who can explains why the Romulans are there and what they're after.

I'm never going to be a huge Trekkie, and to be honest, this was still a little complicated for my taste. You probably need to at least know something about the original show and movies to have some idea of what was really going on here. That said, it was still a pretty fun ride - Urban was my favorite as the snarky doctor who befriends Kirk.

I finished out the night with two items I picked up on video last week. Santa Bear's First Christmas is the same as my audio cassette version, only with attractive illustrations under the narration. It's not the most necessary Christmas special around, but sweet enough if you ever run into it and love bears like I do.

The 1954 version of A Christmas Carol is genuine TV history. It was the full original broadcast, up to and including the commercials for Chrysler cars. Fredrick March was Scrooge in this musical version of the famous Dickens novella. Basil Rathbone was Jacob Marley. (Interestingly, Rathbone would move up to Scrooge in another musical Christmas Carol on TV released two years later, The Stingiest Man In Town.) This wasn't really much of a musical, but it was apparently extremely popular, according to Musicals 101, enough to be re-ran twice and have a popular soundtrack album. I don't know if it's on DVD (Stingiest Man In Town was just released a few years ago), but it's an interesting curiosity if you love early TV musicals.

The next morning, I ate my breakfast quickly while watching Disney cartoons related to the beginning of fall and fall activities. "Autumn" is a pretty basic early Silly Symphony. Animals dance in time to the music as they out-run the weather and gather the food they'll need for the winter. Mickey Mouse proves Nick Foles has nothing on outlasting the opposition when he plays some pretty tough cats in the black and white short "Touchdown Mickey." Donald has his own problems keeping Chip and Dale off his apple crop in "Donald Applecore."

Ran a few quick errands before heading to Haddonfield. As you can guess, yes, I did get to Staples and bought an adapter. It was $49, but I needed it. After I got it set up, I hurried out to the Haddon Township Library for this week's volunteering session there. I had a lot to shelve, and not a lot of room to get it all in. Even the CD and audio books were overloaded. I didn't have a lot of time for it, either. I rushed out at 1:30 to get to Haddonfield for counseling. I didn't even have the time for lunch! (And no, I didn't take anything out this week. I don't think I'll have time for it, and I do still have a couple of videos to dub.)

I got to Mrs. Stahl's office right on time...which turned out to be a moot point. She was late. Her previous client ran overtime. When I did get in, I revealed how frustrated I was with how my day had gone and how my vacation had gone in general. I was hoping to get on more of a trip than just going to the King of Prussia Mall. Mrs. Stahl reminded me that I did do some fun things - I went on two fun bike rides, I found Hoppo and the videos, I got to see a very crazy Eagles game in full with my family.

It's hard for me to think of myself as an adult....but as Mrs. Stahl reminded me, I live alone. I'm very independent, and very proud of it. I pay my own bills. I provide my own transportation, or use public transportation. I makmy own budget and take care of my own household. I don't have people telling me how to do these things. Normally, I prefer it that way...but there are times when, like last night, I wish I had more people around who could help me when something goes wrong.

On one hand, I would like to meet a few more people like me in this area. On the other hand, as a very shy introvert, I'm not sure how to do this. I'm not really good in groups, and I don't know what really interests me. Most of the group events listed at the libraries either don't interest me, make me nervous, or are too late in the day to get to.

Basically, Mrs. Stahl said to try to work on staying positive....and get out and enjoy fall. I have Saturday off again. I'm really looking forward to it. There's going to be a street fair by the pool area in Westmont, a few blocks down from what used to be the Thriftway. I enjoyed that the last time I went there, and it should be fun this time.

Mrs. Stahl mentioned a new Mexican place had opened around the corner from her on Haddon Avenue, a few doors down from Starbucks'. Turns out it was the second location of the same restaurant that opened in Oaklyn across from WaWa, Jalapeno's Grill. This one was in a slightly nicer, if not much larger, location. It was 3 PM by the time I got there. The place was deserted. I ate a tasty (and larger than in Oaklyn) Chicken Quesadilla in silence.

I wanted to find the Haddonfield Goodwill, but I must have missed it. I rode out to Grove Avenue, and kept going, and going. Much to my surprise, I finally ended up in Cherry Hill, right across from the Christmas Tree Shops and Dick's Sports! I hadn't meant to go that far! I did finally make my way home, dodging the traffic on the highway and on the bridge over the Cooper River. past Parkway (Mini) Golf. The view from the bridge was absolutely gorgeous. The beautiful, sunny day was reflected in a placid river. Only the deft strokes of a few rowers from Rutgers on the other side marred the smooth bottle-green surface. If I had to get lost, this was a good day to do it.

Since I was in the area anyway, I stopped at the Pop Shop on my way home to treat myself to a milkshake. I wasn't the only one. A couple of families had taken their kids out for an early dinner. I enjoyed my Very Cherry Milkshake in the cute mason jar while watching the kids' antics.

I cut through an equally lovely Newton River Park going home, then across CVS. By this point, it was past 5. The traffic had gotten bad, which is why I cut through Collingswood and the park in the first place.

I finally made it home around 5:30. After I got settled in, I had leftovers for dinner while watching Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin, which is set on the first day of fall. Pooh can't find Christopher Robin one lovely day in early fall. Owl misinterprets a honey-covered letter as being a call for help, so he sends the others after the boy. While Pooh's friends discover they are indeed up to the rigors of the journey, Pooh discovers that even when friends are far away, they're never far from our heart.

A surprisingly touching and bittersweet tale I watch ever late summer/early fall. This has a lot in common with the 2011 Winnie the Pooh - if you have very young kids, you might want to try them on that one before coming here. There's a few scary or sad moments that will require some hand-holding, especially Pooh's heartbreaking song "Wherever You Are."

The Duke and the Diva on the High Seas

Started a sunny, windy morning with more Bowery Boys. Sach and Slip are in High Society when Sach is stated to be the heir to the Terwilliger Jones estate, one of the richest tycoons in the country. Jones' scheming relatives really just want to get young Terwilliger Jones III out of the picture so they can have his part of the fortune for themselves. When Slip and Sach realize Sach isn't the real heir, they do everything they can to make sure the kid gets the money that's rightfully his.

I spent most of the late morning and early afternoon changing my sheets and putting my comforter on my bed, then putting up my general fall decorations. Fall is my favorite time of year, so I do have a lot to do. I accidentally broke my leaf garland when I was untying the rope around it. No matter. One half went on top of the baker's rack. The other half went on the narrow shelf that holds comic books and young adult paperbacks in my bedroom. The two wire garlands with the wooden leaves an pumpkins hanging off of them that Mom gave me last year went on the windows overlooking the park and the path to my apartment. One mini-scarecrow went on my dining area table. The other went on the table in the music area next to the big red vase.

Ran The Sea Chase while putting everything where it belonged. John Wayne is Karl, the German captain of a dilapidated freighter in Australia who does love Germany...but not Hitler or the people who rule Germany during the early 40s. When war breaks out, they flee Australia with a British ship in hot pursuit and not enough fuel to get to the next port. Also on the boat is Elsa (Lana Turner), a German spy who needs to get out of the country fast, and Kirchner (Lyle Bettner), a former murderer who has taken a job as Karl's chief officer. The tension continues to mount, even after they stop at a tropical island to pick up fuel, ending up in a literally explosive conclusion during a storm at sea.

This surprisingly thoughtful survival tale is at the very least an improvement over the somewhat similar Blood Alley. While no one is believable as a German (or even makes a rough attempt at an accent), hot-blooded Lana Turner is clearly having a lot more fun than the frosty Lauren Bacall with her role as the lone woman on a ship full of tough men. Like Mister Roberts and Operation: Petticoat, it's not a typical war film - you'll find no major battles until the end, and even then it's one-sided. Interesting sea tale for fans of John Wayne or unusual war films or survival tales.

I called Mom after the movie was over. She had just finished working in the yard and was on her way into the shower. Not much seems to have changed in her neck of the woods. She's still tired from lots of work at the Ferry. I told her about my week, the arrival of the AG dolls' clothing, the start of football season, and my decision to stay in this area for my vacation.

I just made it in time to work. As it turned out, I could have been indefinitely late. We were steady for most of the day, and never more than mildly busy during rush hour. It died around 7:30 and never picked up again. I was able to shut down at 9 with no relief and no need for one.

Surprise Street Fair

I awoke to sunshine, blue skies, and this week's American Top 40. Casey jumped forward to 1984 as pop, divas, New Wave, and R&B dominated the air waves. Hits the week before Thanksgiving included "Good to Me" by Tina Turner, "Penny Lover" by Lionel Richie, "I Feel for You" by Chaka Khan, "All Through the Night" by Cyndi Lauper, "Struck" by Sheena Easton, and the title song from the movie Purple Rain by Prince and the Revolution. The number one hit that week had America and the UK dancing through the holidays - "Wake Me Up Before I Go-Go" by British duo Wham!

Took the advantage of a quiet morning to change the American Girl and Sailor Moon dolls into their holiday outfits. Samantha wears her deep red Cranberry Christmas Dress. Molly sports her green velvet dress, Felicity her blue Christmas Gown. Jessa wears the scarlet and gold brocade Chinese New Year Outfit that came out in the late 90s. (The human Jessa apparently bought it to use for a school project on Asian holidays around the time it came out.) The Sailor Soldiers all wears vintage Barbie evening gowns from yard sales and thrift shops and cheap ones from dollar stores. (Disney doesn't really make clothes for the Animator's Collection Toddlers. I may end up crocheting them good holiday outfits when my skills improve.)

Spent the rest of the morning watching cartoons and working on my crocheting. The Sailor Moon "movie" Hearts In Ice inspired me to watch snow and winter-themed episodes as we work towards Thanksgiving and Christmas. Max and Ruby spent a cold day inside, made snow angels and chased the Abominable Snow Bunny, and got mixed up when Max wants to continue sledding and switches his hat and mittens with his best friend Morris'. The Backyardigans protect a giant snowball in "The Snow Fort" and follow "The Yeti" across the frozen north. Garfield and Odie are stranded in a cabin without food while Jon tries to get through the snow to them in the Garfield and Friends episode "Cabin Fever."

Finished out the morning with the original 1969 Frosty the Snowman. This is one of the simpler 60s Rankin-Bass specials. A group of kids find a magic hat that makes a snowman come to life. The magician who had thrown away the hat wants it back now that appears to actually be enchanted. One of the girls, Karen, offers to take Frosty up to the North Pole so he won't melt. The magician follows them, but the North Pole's most famous resident comes to their rescue when they're cornered in a greenhouse.

Short, sweet, and fun. Not a bad "first Rankin Bass" to start off young kids with, since Professor Hinkle is one of their least-menacing villains and any damage done is fixed quickly, due to Frosty being made of snow. While the 70s follow-up Frosty's Winter Wonderland and a much later Frosty story, Frosty Returns, are pretty good in their own right, this is the one you really need to see. (It's also one of the few 60s Rankin-Bass specials that isn't an out-and-out musical. The only music heard is the title song.)

Switched to the Bowery Boys while eating lunch and making Peanut Butter Cookies. In Bowery Bombshell, Sach is inadvertently framed for a bank robbery by a photograph taken by a female photographer who is a friend of Slip Mahoney. The boys and the lady dress as gangsters to get the goods on the real robbers and clear Sach.

(Incidentally, the first volume of Bowery Boys movies released by the Warner Archive is now in pre-order and will be released on Tuesday. About time. I have all the copies Lauren sent me and won't be buying them, but for those of you who have wanted them, here's your chance.)

(The cookies came out pretty well, by the way. I tried the Red Hot Peanut Butter Cookies recipe from my sugar free and sugar alternatives baking book. They had no oil, eggs, or dairy, just peanut butter, flour, salt, baking soda, vanilla, and fruit concentrate. I added some honey for flavor and extra sweetness. They were tasty, just rich and sweet enough. I may have to use this recipe at Christmas.)

After the Boys ended, I finally decided that I couldn't put it off any longer. I had to put some money in my regular bank account. I tried to transfer funds from the Disability account on Thursday, but it turns out you have to wait a week for them to approve the account to transfer to. I don't have a week. Since it was a nice day anyway, I decided to test my bad ankle and walk to the bank.

I'm glad I did. It was just gorgeous outside. In fact, it was warmer than I expected it to be, probably in the mid to upper 50s. There was a sweet, lovely breeze. The trees all over the neighborhood are stunning shades of copper, rust, scarlet, brilliant gold, bright green, and burnt sienna. There were lots of people out and about, and I saw several cars heading towards the shopping area of West Clinton Avenue, though I couldn't figure out why at the time.

It took me a few minutes to take money out of my Bank of America account and get it in my PNC account. Apparently, sometime since last summer, they redid some of the questions on their ATM. I finally got it figured all out, moved the money to the right place, and headed back towards Manor.

I had enough money left for a soda at Doria's Deli. I was disappointed when I remembered that they close at 2 on Saturdays...but then I saw something going on a few doors down. Studio LuLu, Oaklyn's arts and music center, was having a small street fair to raise funds for their classes. There were a couple of tables of local craftspeople who worked out of LuLu's selling their wares. Local musicians played small concerts in the studio. There was a bake sale and a table of magnets made with recycled bottlecaps covered in glitter, beads, and paper that were being sold for a dollar. I bought a magnet and a can of Pepsi Next from Phillies Phatties.

While I did enjoy my outing, my ankle ultimately didn't. It was a little sore when I finally made it home around 2:30. I was inside for the rest of the day. I worked on a short story and a flash fiction story for Helium. I did crocheting while watching the Disney animated anthology movie Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas, then put on Barbie and the Magic of the Pegasus during dinner to finish out the winter theme.

Nutty Night Courts and Daffy Duos

I decided to take a break from computer work for the morning and do some things around the apartment instead. The big one was getting my Christmas lists worked out. Given my current financial situation, I obviously won't be doing a lot of shopping this year. As I mentioned, I'll still be buying things for my nephews (and I already have something for one of them) and my sister Jessa and Secret Santa on the Cape May side of the family. My friends Lauren and Amanda are going to get home-made items. Everyone else will get the usual baked goods, and I have plenty of cards leftover from previous years.

Ran the first disc of Night Court Season 1 as I worked on my lists. The inaugural episodes were quite different from what came in later years, and not just because there were only 13 of them. (The show was a mid-season replacement.) Karen Austin was the original court clerk and Harry Stone's intended love interest; Paula Kelly was the second attorney after the pilot. Selma Diamond started her first of two seasons as the senior bailiff. The humor was also a bit drier and more realistic than in later seasons, though there were still quite a few unusual cases. It reminded me a lot of Barney Miller (which makes sense - the creator of Night Court was a writer on that show).

My favorite episode of the first 7 was "Santa Goes Downtown," a variation on Miracle On 34th Street. An elderly derelict who may or may not be the jolly old man in red helps Harry and the others deal with a pair of runaway teenagers who refuse to give their real names. (The boy was Michael J Fox, just before his own career took off in Family Ties.) I also liked "Once In Love With Harry." Harry has to fend off a prostitute who has a crush on him, while Dan is running for a City Council seat against a dead man...who is winning.

After lunch was over and the disc ended, I went outside to check the mail and sweep the porch. The porch really needed it badly. The leaves tend to build up in the fall, sometimes getting as high as my ankles. Thank goodness that last storm we had a few weeks ago seems to have taken the wind with it. It hasn't been nearly as windy this past week or so, allowing me to clear off the porch before the next round of winter weather.

Besides, it was absolutely gorgeous out today. The sun was shining, and the sky was a radiant blue. The trees around me have turned amazing shades of molten gold, flaming orange, lime green, and deep scarlet. It's like living in a paint pallet. The air was crisp and cool and had the wood burning smell of fall.

Spent the rest of the afternoon doing work on the computer, mainly writing and some research. When I finished up with that, I worked on the scarf I'm crocheting and watched March of the Wooden Soldiers. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are the stars of this 1933 version of Babes In Toyland. As in the Disney version, the evil Barnaby threatens the home of a lovely ingenue, here Little Bo Peep (Charlotte Henry). Tom Piper (Felix Knight) is once again her swain. This time, the comic duo are on the right side of the law as Stan and Ollie do their level best to rescue Bo Peep and Tom get away from Barnaby and save Toyland from his hairy, ugly minions.

Though I like the more colorful Disney version better, this is also pretty cute. Naturally, the boys have the lion's share of good moments, including the dunking, messing around with the "pee wees" in the beginning, and how Stan somehow managed to mistake an order for small wooden soldiers for large ones. Knight also gets to sing a lovely, slower rendition of "Castle In Spain."

Who Ya Gonna Call?

I mostly had chores planned for today. The apartment needed to be dusted as well as it could be given my current condition. Some parts were worse than others. Anything that's in a windowless corner tends to be bad. The corner where the TV and VCR sit always attracts dust like crazy. The cobwebs are still pretty bad, too. Jodie said she'd had problems with spiders and mosquitoes at her house as well, and she'd also battled ants. Thank goodness I haven't had problems with ants in at least two or three years.

Swept the porch after lunch. I know I just did it a few days ago, but first of all, I don't want it to pile up again. Second, I have to keep it constantly swept in the fall, or I end up ankle-deep in leaves. And third, Hurricane Sandy is supposed to hit here on Sunday, and leaves tend to get slippery. The storm's going to add enough as it is.

Hung out online for a while after finishing my dusting, then made Broiled Golden Salmon (a salmon steak placed in the broiler and rubbed with grated onion, butter, lemon juice, and marjoram) and roasted Brussels sprouts and green beans, with the last of the CranApple Fold Over Pie for dessert. Ran the first Ghostbusters while I ate. Three scientists (Dan Ackroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis) recently fired from Columbia University go into business for themselves as paranormal investigators...aka, ghost catchers. Their first customer is an attractive musician (Sigorney Weaver) who has heard voices and seen things breaking and moving around in her apartment.

They don't buy her stories at first, until their business suddenly takes off. They find themselves trapping so many spooks and specters, they even have to hire another guy to help out (Ernie Hudson). Everything seems to lead back to Weaver and her spooky building, especially after Murray arrives to find her and her nerdy neighbor (Rick Moranis) possessed by demons. The demons want to open the gate for an evil god from a prehistoric world. Can the Ghostbusters dodge smarmy government officials and giant marshmallow men to save the day?

One of the seminal comedies of the 80s, the biggest hit of 1984 is a longtime favorite of mine. Overflowing with great lines, hilarious gags, and special effects that still wow today, this is still a no-brainer must-have. My favorite lines will always be this supposed ad-lib between Murray and Ramis:

Peter: Egon, this reminds me of the time you tried to drill a hole through your head.
Egon: That would have worked if you hadn't stopped me.

The Beauty of Fall

I'm not used to getting up at 7AM. Jodie wanted to be at Haddon Imaging by 8 so I could get my x-rays right away. When we arrived, the receptionist told us they do research on Wednesday mornings and don't do x-rays until noon! I was embarrassed, especially since Jodie had to babysit my nephew Khai later. Jodie said she'd get Dad to take me back for the x-ray.

I was in front of the computer for the rest of the morning, updating the nonfiction books inventory and having a quick lunch. I was more than halfway done when I heard my phone go off. It was 11:45; Dad was downstairs. Where had the time gone? I just left the last couple of books and headed downstairs to Dad's van.

The place was hopping when we arrived. I guess Wednesday is a popular day to come in for x-rays. Too popular. It took them almost 40 minutes to call me in. The x-rays took less than 10 minutes. The technician was nice enough to burn them on a CD for me so I can give them to the Foot and Ankle Center tomorrow.

Passed the rest of the day quietly at home. I finished the nonfiction inventory, then cleaned the kitchen and dubbed The Quiet Man. I've been meaning to dub this video since I grabbed it from the Oaklyn Library's Book Sale in the spring, but one way or another, I never got around to it. John Wayne plays former fighter Sean Thorton, who has returned to where he was born in Ireland to get away from it all after he accidentally kills a man in the ring. He falls for feisty Mary Kate Danher (Maureen O'Hara), but her stubborn brother (Victor McLaughlan) refuses to give Mary Kate her dowry. Sean tries to explain that he won't fight without losing Mary Kate. When she tries to leave, it leads to one of the longest, wildest knock-down, drag out fights on film!

After The Quiet Man was over and the kitchen was scrubbed as well as it could be, I decided to do some reading outside. It was too nice to be inside all day. The sky was brilliant blue. The trees are turning amazing shades of rust, scarlet, orange, and gold. The air was warm, and the breeze was soft. I didn't really read so much as pay attention to nature. I could hear the birds call, the chipmunks squeak, and the squirrels chase each other. The world was as perfect as it was ever going to be.

The chilly evening came all too soon. I went inside to make blondies and watch the 1966 version of Rogers' and Hammerstein's Cinderella. This time, Leslie Ann Warren, still in her ingenue phase, is the title servant girl, Celeste Holm is the fairy godmother, Stuart Damon the prince, and Ginger Rogers and Walter Pidgeon the king and queen. There's a few additions and changes from the 1957 live Julie Andrews version that I have, including an additional song for Damon, "Loneliness of Evening," that had apparently been intended for South Pacific but was cut.

Really, all three versions of Cinderella (including the Brandy one from 1997) have something to recommend them. The one you look for depends on which one you remember seeing as a kid, which cast you prefer, and whether video quality is a factor. (The Julie Andrews one is a fuzzy black-and-white print, but it was filmed live and taped on Kinetoscope; we're lucky they were able to dig it up at all. It was considered lost for years.)

Switched to Moonlighting as I finished dinner. In the fifth season episode "I See London, I See France, I See Maddie's Netherworld," Maddie and David have a tough time with a corpse they find in their office that proves to be very popular. A man comes to their office, claiming that he wants the other half of the lottery ticket his friend had. Maddie's not thrilled when she and David find themselves digging up dead mean and being chased by live goons. She's even less thrilled with the nightmare she has that involves dancing with corpses, wacky burials, and skeletons in the office!

I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles

I was up late doing research on vintage Barbie clothes that might be appropriate for my Sailor Moon dolls. I had been up for about ten minutes when the phone rang. I looked over on the crate I used for a nightstand and saw that it was 10AM. It was Mom, finally calling me back after yesterday.

First of all, it sounds like we'll be doing the Secret Santa this year. It was Rose's idea. Us four adult kids, plus Mike and Keefe's girlfriend Vicki, will have a name sent to us via phone or e-mail. We have to buy a present for that person. The limit is 50 dollars. This is perfect for me. I don't have money to be buying things for everyone this year. Rose and Keefe aren't fans of shopping in general. Rose doesn't really have the time for it, either. Keefe and Vicki are living on the salaries of a Navy student and a part-time cashier at Michael's, too. Three out of six of us are also buying things for young kids. Anny and Dad were the hold-outs. Mom said she talked Anny into it by reminding her that it would save money for Christmas shopping for her kids. Dad said he'd compromise by giving everyone a little money instead of gifts.

Speaking of Keefe, he seems to be doing just fine at school. He's passed everything, which is good. Mom says if he keeps passing everything, he'll have two weeks off for Christmas. I really need to write him. I hope his address is still the same.

I'd just finished getting dressed when Jodie called me. I could go over to Dad's house and get my laundry done, and we could go to the grocery store, too. I had a quick breakfast and ran a few spooky cartoons for Halloween. Runaway Brain is a rare theatrical Mickey Mouse short from the 90s that spoofs horror movies. Mickey needs to earn money for a vacation with Minnie...but he didn't realize that it would lead him straight into the den of a mad scientist and his oddly familiar monster!

Jodie picked me up and, after a quick stop at CVS, took me to Dad's to do my laundry. It was such a gorgeous day. The leaves are finally beginning to turn colors. The trees around Dad's house are lit up with brilliant golds, crimsons, and flame oranges. It still drives me crazy that I should be out riding my bike, renting movies, strolling through local towns or in Philadelphia...and I can't, because of my stupid ankle.

There was a bright yellow bottle of bubble solution sitting on the side of the huge closed gas grill on the porch. When I got bored with reading Don't Worry, Make Money, I grabbed the bottle, pulled out the ridged orange wand, and blew some bubbles. I spent a half-hour blowing bubbles. I watched the fragile baubles dance in the soft wind. Some of them looked like the clear glass ornaments made during World War II, when rationing encouraged cheaper alternatives to traditional German creations. Bubbles stuck together looked like atoms bobbing towards the green grass and spiky foliage in the front yard.

Dad was having his own troubles. A Verizon truck pulled up shortly after I'd returned to reading. Seems they were giving him a hard time about switching the house's phone and cable lines from Uncle Ken's name to his. There must have been something else going on, too. The cable was out when my laundry finished and Jodie and I headed out to the Acme for our shopping.

Good thing the Acme wasn't busy. We both had decent-sized orders. I didn't want to wait two weeks again, but I still needed a bit. The Acme's having a "buck a bag" sale on bagged vegetables. I bought scallions, mushrooms, broccoli, and cherry tomatoes. Restocked my apples, pears, baking cocoa, single packs of fish, milk, white vinegar, fruit concentrate, and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter.

It was so nice, after I finally got home and put everything away, I spent the next few hours outside. I swept the porch, which badly needed it. It needs to be swept at least once a week in the fall, thanks to the trees all around my apartment. I read outside for a while, enjoying the last rays of the setting fall sun, the increasingly cool air, and the patter of little squirrel feet on my roof.

Ran Hot Shots Part Deux while making leftovers for dinner. I watched the first one last week; figured I might as well do this one, too. This time, the pot shots are at the First Gulf War, Saddam Hussein (and dictatorships in general), Star Wars, romantic melodramas, and the bloody war films of the 80s and early 90s. I actually like this one better, if only for Lloyd Bridges' increased role as the president of the US (and some amusing Sea Hunt gags).

Anything Can Happen If You Let It

The storm finally blew out late last night and took the last of the summer heat with it. The chilly, sunny morning said "fall" all over, and I loved it. It sure beats the Indian summer that's lingered the past few falls. Brunch With the Beatles celebrated the coming of fall by highlighting songs from each of the 12 original British albums, from "Please Please Me" to "The Long and Winding Road." I exchanged my usual tea for a more warming cup of home-made Hot Cocoa (with real cocoa) and Dark Chocolate Chip Pancakes.

Went through my cookbooks for baking ideas, then worked on Apple-Lemon Bars while listening to my new Disney cast albums. Ironically, the one that was the most changed from its source material, Mary Poppins, ended up being my favorite of the three. Naturally, Disney couldn't get singing penguins and flying, laughing uncles onstage. The "I Love to Laugh" number was dropped all together, as was any reference to Mrs. Banks' suffragette activities. "Supercalafragilisticexpealidotious," which was just sort of dropped into the animated sequence as a celebratory song for Mary, is now part of a fun number set in a shop where words are bought and sold. The "Jolly Holiday" park fantasy romp now animates statues instead of penguins and buskers. "Let's Go Fly a Kite" is performed by Bert and the kids instead of the Banks family in the finale.

The biggest change is that the musical has something the movie didn't bother with -  a traditional villain. Miss Andrew is a nasty old crone who was once Mr. Banks' nanny and is hired after a frustrated Mary takes off. Mary believes that Jane and Michael need to figure out some things on their own...but Miss Andrew's "Brimstone and Treacle" isn't going to help change their ways. There's also "Temper, Temper," a rather dark number where Jane and Michael's toys come to life and put them on trial for mistreating them. (This song proved to be too dark - it has apparently been replaced with a somewhat less frightening version of the same idea, "Playing the Game.")

The other two shows are less successful in transforming their stories for a different medium. Little Mermaid was just ok. It pretty much stuck to the movie up through the last 20 minutes or so; Eric's near-marriage to Ursula was replaced by a "princess contest," not unlike the "Princesses on Parade" number from The Swan Princess. Ursula also had an Ethel Merman-style number, "I Want the Good Times Back," that didn't really match the tone of the rest of the show or film score.

Beauty and the Beast is the darkest, in tone and material. It also seems to have had the least added to it for the stage. One of the new songs is actually my favorite of any of the "added material" for the three musicals. Tim Rice wrote the lyrics for a searing ballad to deepen the character of the Beast, "If I Can't Love Her." Frequent stage villain Terrance Mann (he sings Chauvelain in my original Broadway cast CD of The Scarlet Pimpernel) performs it with incredible intensity.

I went for a really quick walk after pulling the cookies out of the oven. It was an absolutely amazing early fall day. The sun was shining, and it was much cooler than yesterday, without any humidity. I'm so glad it feels like fall. The trees are just starting to show the barest hint of changing colors. There's asters and mums in every garden. Tomato vines are laden with the last fruit of the season; late summer roses show off their soft glow in ornamental bushes. I went down to the boat landing on Goff Avenue and back. The view was amazing. You could see the Ben Franklin Bridge as clear as you could through a telescope.

Had a quick chat with Mom when I got in. She has no problems with me staying up here for my vacation. For one thing, the nice weather seems to have encouraged people to head south. She went into Cape May today for a walk around...and found it was so busy, she could only remain for 45 minutes before wanting to go home and avoid the crowd. She's happily preparing surprises for her grandsons and CARE packages for my brother in the Navy.

The Eagles game was in full swing by the time I made it to work. It was steady when I got in, but it died very quickly, and in fact was dead as a doornail for most of the night. Ironic, considering the game was terrible. The Eagles played badly and lost to the Cardinals 27-6. 

Girls Rule!

I awoke to another absolutely gorgeous day. It was just 69 degrees in my apartment this morning when I checked the thermometer. Good thing I pulled out the heavier comforter yesterday! It felt so wonderfully pleasant, seeing sunshine and blue skies out my window and feeling nice and comfortable in my room, especially after the hot and humid summer.

Spent the remaining morning putting my my general fall decorations. I've cleared a lot of decorations out in the past year or so and don't have as many as I used to, but that's not entirely a bad thing. I've debated dropping the old cardboard leaves for the windows in the recycling for several years. I bought them from the Acme the first year I lived here. While I do like them, they're up from September through Thanksgiving. Not only do they get a beating, but they attract the condensation that tends to run on the windows on chilly fall mornings. It's time I went to Party Fair or looked around for something similar, maybe even a bit smaller.

Didn't get to the Haddon Township Library until around 1. It was a perfect day for a ride across Newton River Park. Everything is so much greener and prettier than it was this time last month, before the storms came. I passed another woman on a bike, an elderly couple out for a stroll, another enjoying a picnic lunch on a bench, and a man with his cute German Shepard puppy.

The library was surprisingly busy for such a nice day. I had a lot of DVDs to shelve and organize, both in the children's and adult's sections. There were far fewer children's books. I only had maybe ten of those to shelve. Older kids are back in school; the parents of younger ones are probably encouraging them to play outside more often, now that Mother Nature is behaving herself.

I did find three DVDs of interest. It's supposed to be too nice all week to be sitting around, watching long melodramas and action films, but they had a few new girl-oriented animated shows I couldn't resist. Found two sets of the 2009 CGI revamp of Angelina Ballerina and the most recent Veggietales episode The Penniless Princess, their take on one of my favorite childhood stories, A Little Princess.

Last week, I received a menu in the mail from Pizza Villa, a pizzeria on the White Horse Pike across from WaWa on the border of Haddon Township and Oaklyn. I thought I'd try them out. While the business itself is new, the location is not. There's been at least four or five pizza parlors in that building in the seven years since I moved here, but I never actually tried any of them. It was about 2PM when I arrived, and other than one elderly woman watching America's Funniest Home Videos on Comedy Central and the man who runs the place, the small, maple-colored room was deserted. I had two huge slices of cheese and mushroom pizza. They were delicious, with nice, crispy crust and lots of cheese. The price was good too, no more expensive than Capitol Pizza down the street. I'll have to return there whenever I'm in the area and feel like pizza.

I made a quick stop at WaWa for milk after lunch, then headed home. I've been wanting to get the raking done for a while, especially after my next-door-neighbor Richard did his lawn. The front yard was still fairly covered with gray leaves leftover from summer. I could see the first golden leaves of the fall as well. For once, the side path leading up to my apartment was actually messier than the front yard, which had been done by Andrew and his family in early July. Despite the mosquitoes eating me alive, I managed to get the entire yard done in an hour and a half. The weather was perfect for yard work. Richard agreed with me - I saw him washing his van as I did the side path.

My cookie tin has been empty for a while. I made Whole Wheat-Carrot-Chocolate Chip Cookies while running The Penniless Princess. I've had an off-and-on affiliation with Veggietales over the years. They're a long-running series of CGI animated cartoons featuring fruit and vegetables retelling biblical stories, often while parodying a famous book or popular film. Some of their spoofs are creative and hilarious...but they can just as often lapse into preachiness.

While not exactly a spoof, Penniless Princess isn't too bad moral-wise. In fact, it's one of the more accurate adaptations of A Little Princess I've see on-screen, more than many live-action versions. Wealthy Sara Crewe (a broccoli stalk?) is determined to stay a princess no matter what, just like her gentle father (Larry the Cucumber) wanted her to. When her father dies and she loses her money, she struggles to stay kind to everyone around her, even nasty Miss Minchin. Thanks to a pair of French peas and their poodle puppy and a kindly asparagus stalk (Archibald Asparagus), Sara and her friends Becky (Laura Carrot) and Ermengarde (Libby Asparagus) learn that a person's worth isn't in what they own, but what's in their heart.

Very sweet. I like how they included segments from the book that other versions often overlook, such as Sara giving the street urchin (Junior Asparagus) the buns from the bakery, or the three vegetable-girls' attempts to conjure up "magic" in the attic with their imaginations. Boys may want to wait for the next Veggietales episode coming out in October (the DVD's previews indicate that it'll be a spoof of The Avengers); for girls, this delightful musical is a lot of fun, especially if they're familiar with Veggietales and/or the source material.

Switched to Angelina Ballerina: Making Our Dreams Come True The Movie while making Salmon with Chinese beans, tomatoes, and peppers in Lemon Sauce and deliciously sweet corn-on-the-cob for dinner. Everybody's favorite British rodent dancer is now enrolled in the Camembert Academy, a much larger general arts school in her home town of Chipping Cheddar. She and her best friend Alice have been joined by French dancer Gracie, jazzy Americans Vicki and JZ, and Hispanic pianist Marco, along with their teacher Miss Mimi. Angelina hasn't changed much, though. She's still determined to become a star, no matter what. When she wins a chance to join a prestigious ballet academy and become a prima ballerina, she's excited at first...until she realizes she'll have to leave her family, friends, and especially her beloved little sister Polly.

On one hand, this was pretty much just a clip-show special, with scenes from other episodes tied into a rather obvious plot. If you've seen the other episodes, this one probably isn't necessary unless your little girl is a big Angelina fan. This was my introduction to the new series, so it was less of a problem for me.

I was especially delighted with the depiction of the charming relationship between Angelina and Polly. Polly is now about five-ish, and she adores Angelina and looks up to her in every way possible. Angelina, for her part, enjoys her little sister's company and loves teaching her new dance steps. Those two have come very far from the days of Polly's birth, when Angelina threw a fit over Polly getting more attention. I almost never see such a positive depiction of sisterhood in animation, and I really loved it.

No Black Friday for Me

I got up at the normal hour of 8:30 this morning. I had absolutely no desire to join the Black Friday mobs. For one thing, I worked at 11AM today. For another, I have some pretty basic rules about holiday shopping. I don't do fancy electronics or video games, and all of the kids in the family know it. I try to stick to a budget limit as much as possible. I did buy a few things on Black Friday last year, but it was a couple of non-sale titles from the FYE in the Audubon Crossings Shopping Center that I picked up late in the afternoon at work. With that store gone, I have neither the reason nor desire to venture into the mall. You couldn't pay me to go into a Walmart today, especially one as small as the store in the mall!

I started taking down the Thanksgiving and fall decorations, but I didn't have a chance to finish before work. Work was surprisingly on-and-off busy all day. I figured it would be dead, like it was last year on Black Friday. A lot of people must have gotten their government money early. We were short on help, too, due to many people asking for today off to get their own shopping done. I was just barely out on time.

I did have to do some grocery shopping of my own today, but it was my usual Friday shopping. I needed to restock some baking items. Bought ground chicken and small beef steaks that had manager's coupons. Needed toiletries and contact lens cases, cranberries, celery, and to restock peanut butter and powdered sugar.

When I got home, I finished taking down the Thanksgiving and fall decorations, then ran With a Song In My Heart while I had leftovers for dinner. This is a fairly intimate 20th Century Fox musical drama about real-life radio singer Jane Froman, who was a major star when she was badly injured in a horrible crash during a World War II USO tour. Despite needing 39 operations on her legs and arm during her lifetime, she would continue to perform for troops and radio, TV, and nightclub audiences for another decade and a half, including several years after the movie came out in 1952. Susan Hayward, herself no stranger to playing tough women, was marvelous as Froman (who did all the singing). I also liked Thelma Ritter as her sensible nurse who becomes her most supportive friend.

Oh, and I have a pretty good schedule this week, probably the best I've had since September. Tuesday and Thursday off, no days later than 8PM.