Very Good Friday

Began the morning with breakfast and Peter and the Magic Egg on YouTube. I went further into this charming and unique 1983 special at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog in 2024.

Spring Short Subject Special - Peter and the Magic Egg

Did a few things online, then headed out to run errands in Westmont. My first stop was the Great Clips at the Westmont Plaza...but the wait there was over 75 minutes! I wasn't hanging around there. I left my name with the young lady and headed back out.

By default, I ended up getting brunch at the Westmont first instead. This time, I had a waffle, a small cup of cantaloupe and fresh pineapple chunks, Pepsi Zero, and bacon. Oh, yum! The waffle was a huge brick, the approximate size of a life raft, crunchy on the outside, moist on the inside. It was topped with spicy honey butter and real syrup. The bacon was melt in your mouth crispy. It was even tastier than last time, even if that enormous waffle was too big to finish.

I got the 15-minute warning text for Great Clips just as I was heading back up the hill to the Westmont Plaza. This time, it only took 10 minutes to get a stylist. I just needed it cut a bit shorter. My hair gets so frizzy when it's too long! Considering the young woman who helped me had her own considerable curls, she knew how to handle them. I now have blunt-cut, very cute chin-length curls framing my face. They're still a little frizzy and dry, but nothing to the degree that they were.

The other reason I was in Westmont was to go grocery shopping. I didn't really need a ton of food at any rate. I got coconut milk, white chocolate-macadamia nut cookies, dried raspberry lemon mango slices from the bulk bins, and two cans of sparkling water at Sprouts. The cookies and Hint sparkling water were on clearance. The coconut milk is just cheaper at Sprouts. 

Rode past the Haddon Township Library, the Burger King and McDonald's, and the high school to the Westmont Acme next. They were surprisingly not that busy. Sprouts was actually a bit busier. Everyone must have come earlier - the carts were empty. I restocked blood oranges, apples, soda, yogurt, granola, and granola bars. Picked up lemon cake mix and white chocolate chips to make cookies later.

Took the long way home across Newton Lake Park. It was cloudy at this point, but not too chilly, probably in the mid-60's. It certainly looks like spring in the park now. Buds and new bright green leaves swell on the trees. Thick green grass and sunny buttercups carpet the shore of the lake. I pushed my bike on the path that goes over the hill to the Haddon Township Environmental Center, and it was thickly padded with green undergrowth and dusky pink and white flowers on the trees.

Made the Lemon White Chocolate Yum Yums when I got home. This is based on that Chocolate Yum Yums recipe from Christmas Is Coming 1987, with lemon cake mix replacing the devil's food mix, white chocolate chips replacing the nuts, and no sprinkles or chocolate bar topping. Yum! I tried one that fell apart, and they came out perfectly, light, sweet, and zesty. I'm going to give them to Jessa, Rose and her kids, and friends for Easter.

Checked my schedule when I got upstairs. In good news, I have Easter off, along with Monday and Tuesday. I took Tuesday off for a dental appointment. I work straight through the rest of the week from Wednesday onwards, including an 8 1/2 hour day on Saturday. I have no idea why the 8 1/2 hour day. I know the head bagger probably went on vacation this week, but couldn't they have gotten one of the college students or high schoolers who are on vacation this week to take at least part of the time? 

Watched Match Game '90 after I finished the cookies. Most of the episodes finished the run with Fred Travelena and Brett Somers. It's always good to see Brett again. She was technically retired by this point, but Charles had talked her into being on the show, and his instincts were solid. They were just as funny as they were in the 70's. Edie McClurg makes her debut on the show in the next week, joined by game show host Jonathan Prince, Ronn Lucas and Scorch, and Khrystyne Haje from Head of the Class. 

Finished the night with The Easter Bunny Is Coming to Town. I went further into my favorite Rankin-Bass Easter special at the first Easter review for my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog in 2019. 

The Easter Bunny Is Coming to Town

Kids and Games

Began the morning with breakfast and Paw Patrol. "Pups Save a City Kitty" when Katie's cat Cali gets bored at a cabin in the woods and runs away. Trouble is, it's night, it's cold, and Cali doesn't know the area. Katie and Everett call the Paw Patrol to help bring her back. "Pups Save a Cloud Surfer" when Daring Danny's attempt to wind surf on a really windy day ends with him surfing in the air, to his delight and the frustration of the Paw Patrol.

Headed out to run errands. Started with getting my hair cut at the Westmont Plaza Great Cuts. They had just washed my hair and were about to actually cut it when the lights went out! It was a perfectly nice, sunny day, so they figured someone hit a pole somewhere. The entire block was out, including the Wells Fargo building on the end of the mall. Even when the lights came back up, their internet was still down, and the ATM machine at Wells Fargo wasn't up, either. I ended up getting a free hair cut. 

(At least, for all the trouble, my hair cut came out fine. I was at the closest hair cut station to the front anyway, so she used natural light. I went shorter again. It just gets too thick and frizzy when I let it get too long.)

Made a brief peek at Target next. They were up and running, but they didn't have the conditioner I wanted. Rode down a busy Cuthbert to Kresloff's Eye Associates instead to pick up my new glasses. They fitted them on me, gave me a really cool new orange, brown, and black glasses case in a nifty modern design, and I went back out.

Montegrillo Pizza and Grill opened in Collingswood a few months ago. I've been meaning to try them out! Fortunately, they're closed on Tuesdays instead of Mondays. I followed the long entrance to the front order counter. Got a slice of cheese, a slice of broccoli-ricotta-tomato, and a Diet Pepsi. Sat down with it at one of the big, heavy wood tables. Not bad. Slightly thinner, but still chewy enough.

Made two more stops on the way home. Dollar General didn't have the conditioner I wanted, but CVS did.  I didn't realize it was there either at first. Tresemme now has their conditioner in pumps and makes it black like the shampoo bottle.

Went home for an hour to relax and watch Snoopy-themed episodes of the newer Peanuts show set I picked up a while back. In "A Day With Snoopy," Snoopy's happy dance mystifies Chuck, while Lucy is mystified as to why she should want to support National Dog Week. Snoopy is a "Crazy Mutt" who fights with Lucy and learns driving from Chuck. Chuck tries to "Train Your Dog," but it ends with Snoopy making his dinner more elegant. Snoopy celebrates the holidays with the kids in "Too Cold" and "Winter Wonderland."

Went back out to Thomas Sharp School for work. One poor young lady dropped her Teddy Grahams snacks and had no snack. She was so upset! Good thing we have a box of emergency granola bars. I helped take the older kids to the bathroom as well as the younger ones before I joined the younger kids outside. The kids really like it when I push them on the swings. I haul 35 packs of water for a living. I'm pretty strong.

Watched Match Game Syndicated when I got home. Diana Sorvino became the first and only opera singer to appear on the show in 1980. She flirted with handsome young men and praised Charles' beautiful singing voice.

Worked on Maplepunzel after I ate and took a shower. Prince Jeffery shows us the beautiful, shining chateau Bedside Manor, with its lush gardens and vast grounds. Queen Hilary finds Scott and Betty sitting together under a plum tree. He wants to help her flee Hope Springs, but she's reluctant to leave her guardian Hilary, who has been kind to her, even though she's not interested in running the country and really does love Scott. Pruitt, Hilary's financial advisor, told Hilary that Scott skimmed money from local businesses. Furious, and hoping to keep him from Betty and restore Hope Springs' sparkling reputation, she banishes him from the country. He's angry and disappointed, but that won't stop him from seeing Betty one last time...

Finished the night with game shows featuring stunts. Stunt shows go way far back. They started on radio with Beat the Clock...but if ever a genre of game show was meant for TV, it was this one. It was even better when you could see people spraying goop at each other and organizing magnetic words to form phrases. Bud Collyer was the host of the original 50's version. I have one of the earliest surviving episodes here.

Let's Make a Deal does involve stunts to a degree. They also go far back. Though the show started in 1963, they contestants wouldn't begin appearing in costume until a few years later. By 1968, the contestants and their outfits were as wild as the gameplay, as in this rare black and white episode.

50 Grand Slam attempted to get more creative in 1976. Half of the show was a traditional question and answer game. The other half had golf experts playing versions of the game. Tom Kennedy was the energetic host. Despite a glittering set that seemed to use every light bulb in Hollywood, neither game was terribly interesting or really managed to catch on. Allen Ludden appears in the premiere episode to push his show Stumpers (which also failed and is now mostly lost). 

Nitro! got even weirder in 1995. Greg Lee leads contestants across a board-game like board to various mini-games. This was one of the few bits of original programming on something called the "tv! Network," which apparently was just made up of programming blocks intended as samplers for bigger cable channels. 

Many stunt games for adults nowadays originated in Japan, where they get weird and occasionally brutal. Hole In the Wall was one of the stranger ones. A team of three people attempt to fit through cut-outs in a large yellow wall coming at them. If the break the wall or get pushed in the pool under them, they lose points. This did slightly better on Cartoon Network than it would on Fox. This is one of the episodes left unaired when Fox gave up on the show in 2008. 

Play along with some truly unique stunts in these wild shows!

Beat the Clock (1951)

Let's Make a Deal (1968)

50 Grand Slam (1976)

Nitro! (1995)

Hole In the Wall (2008)

Dolls and Harts

Began the morning with breakfast and The Adventures of Flash Gordon. "The Monsters of Mongo" include a giant dinosaur-like creature, sea serpents, and trees that reach out and grab victims. Flash, Dale, Zarkov, and King Thun manage to dodge the first, but they're caught by Ming the Merciless' daughter Aura. Ming keeps Dale for himself and wants to make use of Zarkov, but sends Thun and Flash to the mines as slaves. Aura frees them, but they run headlong into the sea serpents and trees before Prince Barin and his men catch them.

I was supposed to have an interview with Healthy Kids Programs, the after-school and summer programs for Collingswood and Oaklyn's elementary schools, at 9:30. I had a hard time figuring out how to get the audio and video working on the first app they wanted to use. I do have an account on Zoom, so I switched to that.

Thankfully, it went very well after that. I explained why I was interested in their program. I may not be a teacher or have worked with kids on a regular basis, but I don't have any problems with them, either.  They only need someone early in the morning or late in the afternoon to help with their before and after school programs, and that would be perfect for my off days at the Acme. I remembered how, in fifth grade, I got so into reading The Lion and the Mouse for my class, the teacher had me repeat the performance for the kindergartners. I spent the rest of the school year helping the teacher out with them, making up stories based after whatever I was into at the time, during what would have been my lunch hour.

(Of course, they partially let me do this to dodge the bullying that had gotten even worse by the late 80's. I would be pulled from Cape May Elementary after that school year and placed in the special ed middle school.)

Went over the Healthy Kids website after I got off with them, then headed to my dental appointment. Got there with five minutes to spare. The waiting room was nearly full to capacity when I arrived. It took almost ten minutes for the dental technician to call me back.

No trouble after that, though. I was just getting a cleaning today. I did admit to the technician that my lower right teeth have been a little sensitive. They chew fine, but I can feel hot and cold with them. She gave me two toothpastes to help with it.

Had lunch at the Westmont Bagel Shop after I got out of my appointment. It was past 12:30, and they were pretty busy, too. I had a tasty avocado, tomato, and mozzarella omelet with fried potatoes (that I didn't finish) and a whole-wheat bagel. Grabbed two more bagels for lunch this week on the way out.

Since Great Clips is right next door to the Bagel Shop, I got my hair cut next. There was only one other person sitting in the salon chairs and no wait. They were able to take me right away. I only got a trim this time, since I went so short last time. It looks cute, but given we're coming up on summer, I kind of wish I'd gotten another inch off.

Went home after that and right into dressing the dolls for May and warmer weather. Samantha's birthday is in May, so she gets to wear her pink striped birthday dress with the frilly pinafore. I bought her new white shoes with pink bows and snaps on eBay a few months ago. Molly's trying on her rainbow striped Tennis Outfit. Josefina is in her lovely Dress and Vest and the gold fringed shawl from her Feast Day Outfit for Cinco Del Mayo next week. Jessa's just in a tye-dye flower print T-shirt and capris. 

Whitney celebrates Memorial Day (or Decoration Day, as it would have been in 1959 when her backstory is set) in Maryellen's red, white, and blue bow-print School Outfit with the blue cardigan and cute red bow-trimmed shoes. Felicity is ready to help me clean the rooms in her green-striped Work Gown. I bought the hand-made pinafore for Samantha to wear in the early 90's, but I never did put it on her that often. It works better as an apron. Kit's ready to get that scoop in her pink, green, and yellow Reporter Outfit with the coral knit cardigan. Ariel gets Julie's current meet outfit with the floral peace sign tank top, yellow crocheted vest, and hip flared floral jeans. Barbara Jean is the queen of Cherry Hill High's prom in her pink fringed dress and stole that were originally a play outfit for Melody.

Listened to The Essential Michael Jackson while I worked. You can't get much more essential than just about every big song Jackson ever had, from his time with the Jackson 5 until his final hit "You Rock My World" from 2001. The majority of Jackson's best-known solo output came out between 1979 and 1991...pretty much the entirety of my childhood. 

Jackson was one of the biggest superstars on the planet for my first ten years of existence. We had his Thriller album and I think Bad on cassette. So many wonderful songs that were such a part of my life then - "Rock With You," "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," "Billie Jean," "Beat It," "Thriller," "The Way You Make Me Feel," "Man In the Mirror," "Smooth Criminal," "Black or White," "Heal the World," "Will You Be There." Now I'm even more looking forward to the Michael Jackson film musical biography that's at this writing scheduled to open in October. 

I checked my email when I got home...and to my delight and shock, Healthy Kids offered me the job. I figured they'd want someone who has more experience with kids, but I guess I really impressed them. I did have to tell them about my vacation with Lauren (I was able to get all but two days - they were going to need help the last two days with the kids getting out of school), and I'll need to change my availability at work. Even if this is only for the late spring and summer, I'll be making two paychecks, and more to the point, will have something to do this summer besides wander around South Jersey buying records and books.

Put on Hart to Hart while I got the deal with the vacation hashed out. "Max In Love" is delighted with the pretty lady (Madelyn Rue) he's dating...at least until he and the Harts come home from an auction house to find their home empty. Max's new sweetheart is helping a crooked auctioneer (Rene Auberjoinis) and his thugs rip off wealthy homes. After Max gets hurt catching the thieves killing one of their own, the Harts take it on themselves to keep the men from making off with the rest of their things. 

Switched to Match Game '78 during dinner. Avery Schriberer and Barbara Rhodes joined in as Richard admitted that for once, his answer to "Whip __" in the Audience Match wasn't very good. Gene spent the next episode trying to figure out who Dayton Anderson was.

Finished the night after a shower with game shows based around numbers or statistics.  The Audience Match on Match Game deals with statistics and surveys to a degree. The most famous survey-based show, of course, is Family Feud. Richard Dawson asks the survey questions in this 1978 episode from the height of the original run's success.

Most other numbers-based shows didn't get anywhere near the long run of Feud. Alex Trebek's first hosting gig in America was The Wizard of Odds in 1974. "The Wizard" asks questions with three answers based on averages. In the second game, they had to guess which phrase or person didn't match with the others. The contestant with the most correct answers got the chance to choose which prizes to play, under locked or open windows. Winners had their names added to Alex's Wheel of Fortune, which he would spin to give a contestant even more prizes.

On one hand, I'm glad this finally turned up in 2022. Until this episode was uploaded, there was nothing of this online but the opening. On the other hand, I can see why it only made a year. The game play is kind of complicated, and the statistics are a bit dry. Alex, however, is charming out of the gate. No wonder NBC would call him back for this show's much-improved replacement High Rollers. 

While most of Trebek's two versions of High Rollers were wiped by NBC, the Wink Martindale syndicated revival from 1987 is still very much around. I loved watching this show on Channel 17 as a kid. It was fun to watch contestants try to roll the right numbers for those big prize packages!

Play the Percentages was somewhat similar to The Wizard of Odds. In this early episode I have here, two couples try to guess a percentage-based question. Whomever got the closest to the answer would earn the number in the question. The original bonus round had the couple choosing a percentage-based answer to a question. Once again, they get the number in question, but getting 0% would end the round. They kept revising this and revising this during the seven months it was on the air in 1980, eventually dropping the couples in favor of solo players and switching the bonus round to being survey-based, more like Feud. Nothing worked, or frankly, made this show a whole lot more interesting. It was gone by fall 1980.

Nipsey Russell had no more luck with Your Number's Up back at NBC in 1985. Here, after Nipsey gives us his poem for the day, three contestants spin a number wheel and try to earn more diamonds. The contestants would select one of two phrases, while Nipsey read the other half. If a car symbol appeared, they'd have to guess the numbers on a car's license plate. Personally, I thought all the spinning and diamonds got to be a bit much. Bringing in audience members to earn money along with the contestants and doing a home game just made things even more complicated. No wonder this didn't last three months.

The British do much better with numbers in their long-running Countdown. The first half has contestants rearranging letters to make words. During the second half, they solve math problems. Admittedly, it is fun to play along with the first half and see what words you can make from the letters yourself. The second half is a little less exciting...but overall I can see why this has been going since 1982 and is one of the longest-running game shows in England. 

Learn about numbers, odds, and statistics with these rare delights!

The Wizard of Odds (1974)

Family Feud (1978)

Play the Percentages (1980)

Your Number's Up (1985)

High Rollers (1987)

Countdown (1991)

Dolls On a Busy Day

Began the day with breakfast and The Scooby Doo Show. The gang's saying "Hang In There, Scooby Doo" when he gets caught on a hang glider before a tournament and ends up in a cave. The tournament and cave are being harassed by a half-man, half-pterodactyl who is seen flying into the caves. The gang follows him and some familiar music in order to figure out this high-above mystery.

Headed out to run errands next. It was the perfect day for it, too. The weather couldn't have been nicer for early October, sunny, breezy, and warm, into the upper 70's. No wonder the Westmont Plaza was so busy when I arrived. There were tons of kids everywhere, girls gossiping and boys riding around on bikes and getting in everyone's way. I forgot today is the start of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. They must have been out for the holiday or gotten out early. 

Thankfully, despite their screen saying the wait was almost an hour, Great Clips wasn't busy and had no wait. The tall, slender girl with the long face and cute bob style was a sweetheart and did a nice job on my hair. It's a lot shorter than I wanted, half-way up my neck, but maybe that's not a bad thing. We are coming up on the holidays. Might be nice to just put a headband on and go during the busy season. It does look very curly, layered, and darling.

Everyone must have been at Dollar Tree. They were mobbed, with lines down the aisles. My toddler niece Aurora and good friend Amanda had birthdays October first. I got them greeting cards and was able to get Aurora a gift card to Carter's and OshKosh, but the pet store cards I wanted for Amanda wouldn't work. I hated holding up that long line! I just got another card instead.

Target was busy, but when I couldn't find the mouthwash I wanted in a smaller size, I just moved on. Had more luck at Sprouts. Grabbed coconut milk for cheaper than the Acme has it and more of those dried raspberry-lemon mango slices in a bin. Found peanut butter bakery cookies and a brand of probiotic soda I'd never heard of before on clearance. Thankfully, they were not busy and I was able to get in and out.

Had lunch at the Westmont Diner, a block down on the hill under the Haddon Township Library. They were also busy with high schoolers and families having lunch together when I arrived around 1:30. I opted for one of their lunch specials...and boy, am I glad I did! The salmon burger was incredible, a perfectly cooked salmon patty with fresh lettuce and tomato and tasty Old Bay seasoned skin-on fries. Even the house salad that came with it was good.

Made one last quick stop at the PNC Bank in Collingswood for the rent and money for the Collingswood Farm Market and Book Festival on Saturday. Rode up to one of the outside ATMs, got my money, and rode home (dropping books at the East Clinton kiosk as I went). 

Went straight into dressing the dolls for October when I got in. Samantha is in her blue windowpane check Play Dress and Pinafore with the black and white boots from her Flower Picking Dress. Josefina gets her current meet outfit with the lovely red, blue, and orange flower-print skirt. Molly and Whitney sport hand-made dresses from local seamstresses. Molly's in blue gingham, while Whitney sports pink polka dots with a smocked bodice and pearl trim. Barbara Jean goes mod for Halloween in an orange, coral, and black chevron-print knit skirt with a white bodice and wide orange collar, with the flats from Josefina's Christmas dress and stockings from her Christmas dress. 

Jessa gets to try on one of the outfits I bought from Cottage Resale back in August, the rare late-90's Artist's Outfit. She looks adorable in the rainbow-blotched shirt, matching high-tops, and rolled-up overalls. Ariel looks very hip in her white satin blouse, pink tie scarf, orange knit vest, and plaid pleated miniskirt. Felicity and Kit are in their original meet outfits. Felicity's orange, red and brown print Rose Garden Dress is very appropriate for fall. Kit wears her lavender twin set with the floral skirt. 

Listened to more of my recent CD purchases while I worked. Little Richard was one of the great pioneers of early rock, bringing his flamboyant and dynamic personality to dance-a-thons like "Rip It Up" and "All Around the World." "Tutti Frutti," "Long Tall Sally," and "Good Golly, Miss Molly" are probably his most famous hits today, and the songs most associated with him, He also did two numbers in the 1956 rock comedy The Girl Can't Help It, it's raucous title song and "She's Got It." 

Avenue Q debuted on Broadway in 2003 as an adult-oriented Sesame Street parody. At the time, the idea of children's entertainment being used to comment on grown-up matters was a novelty. In this case, a group of Muppet-like puppets and three humans co-exist together in a dilapidated neighborhood in one of New York's outer boroughs. They're all parodies of the typical post-college slackers of the 90's and 2000's, from mismatched layabout and Republican roommates Nicky (John Tartaglia and Rick Lyon) to TV-obsessed Trekkie Monster (Lyon) to sweet teacher Kate Monster (Stephanie D'Abruzzo), who wants to open her own school for monsters. For all the goofy and potty-mouthed satire, my favorite number from this is the mature and pointed ballad "There's a Fine, Fine Line." Kate wistfully wonders where her relationship with Princeton (Tartaglia) is heading and why things work out the way they do.

The film and soundtrack of That Thing You Do! were surprise hits in 1996. This comedy about a rock band in 1964 who land a hit single, but find it hard to maintain their fame afterwards, remains a lot of fun today thanks to its energetic young cast and realistic music. Unlike the soundtrack from Eddie and the Cruisers, which sounds like the 80's version of early 60's numbers, the songs on this CD could pass for real hits from the early-mid 60's. The title song was so catchy, it ended up being the choice dance jam on real radio stations throughout the fall and early winter of 1996-1997.

Switched to Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter after I finished with the dolls. I go further into this adorable vehicle for English band Herman's Hermits at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter

Did a little bit with the inventories next. Added That Thing You Do! to the soundtracks and Avenue Q and Flora the Red Menace to the cast albums. After I did those, I had a quick dinner while watching Match Game '77. Charles tossed out jokes about Orson Bean's earring, then tried to make one himself with one of his blue cards.

Finished the night listening to that double disc Johnny Mathis set while working on my Mrs. Brown review. Warm and Open Fire, Two Guitars are different names for what amounts to the same idea - intimate standard ballads performed in quiet settings that are perfect for running on chilly nights by a roaring fire. Warm does feature Percy Faith and His Orchestra, but I like the later Open Fire better, especially "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face," "I'm Glad There Is You," and "There Goes My Heart." 

On the Sunny Side of the Mall

I slept so late, Press Your Luck was on by the time I got moving. Watched that while I had a quick breakfast and rounded up everything I wanted to drop off at Goodwill and elsewhere. It was a battle between the female champ and the other lady today. The young man kept hitting Whammies. The older lady finally came out on top with cash and a motorboat she said she intended to give to her husband for their anniversary to fish in. They were just starting the second episode when I headed out on my loaded bike.

First up were a few very quick stops. Dropped a bag of clothes into the bin behind Dollar General. Two books went into a children's kiosk in front of the Lutheran church and another one near the end of Kendall Boulevard.

When I got to Audubon Crossings, I locked my bike at the rack on the Acme's patio, then hauled the larger bag to the back of the Goodwill. After I dropped that off, I went around front to check out Ross and Marshalls. No luck at Ross, but I did find a few things at Marshalls. They always have a great selection of unusual snacks and goodies in the back. I chose a bag of confetti coconut macaroons and a small container of honey. They had big colorful microfiber cloths I thought would make a nice replacement for using up paper towels. Grabbed a strawberry-themed journal for when the one I got from Linda Young runs out.

Headed to Goodwill next. Didn't do as well here as I have the last couple of times I hit them, but I did come up with a few things. Grabbed a green LL Bean sleeveless polo shirt off the sleeveless shirt rack that was practically new. Dug a two-disc DVD set for It's a Wonderful Life off the shelf with the DVDs and CDs and the original cast of the off-Broadway rock adaptation of Twelfth Night, Your Own Thing, from under a pile of records.  Found a recent American Girl cookbook with recipes from around the world with the books. 

Went across the parking lot to Tu Se Bella's Pizza next for a late lunch. Given it was past 3 by this point, they were totally empty except for the employees. The TV wasn't even on. I enjoyed my two slices of broccoli, shrimp, and cheese pizza and a bottle of Diet Pepsi in total peace and quiet.

The main reason I wanted to do this today was to get my hair cut. Great Cuts is a few doors down from Tu Se Bella's. I picked the right time to do it, too. There was only one guy in front of me, and he was just getting his buzz cut trimmed. I got it cut and layered much shorter this time, to chin length. I absolutely love it. My curls are so bouncy and cute now, and a lot less frizzy. I can't let my hair get too long. It frizzes badly even just at shoulder length.

My last stop at Audubon Crossings was Lane Bryant. Having had good luck with their bras, I wanted to see what their underwear was like. I wasn't paying $35 for five pairs, but $3 per pair was more reasonable. I dug through a $3 bin and walked out with six. 

Made my way down Nicholson and over to Merchant Street and downtown Audubon next. I needed a cupcake from Desserts By Design. They were busy with people picking up treats after work, but I did manage to order a "whipped brownie cupcake" from the sweet young woman behind the counter. It turned out to be a moist, rich dark chocolate cupcake with whipped topping mixed with brownie bits and a chunk of brownie on top. Oh, yum. Sweet and fudgey and super-chocolatey. 

Besides, it was too gorgeous to head home right away. The weather was even nicer today than yesterday. Sunny, windless, and very warm, into the mid-70's. I wore shorts for the first time since early last October. 

Rode by Family Dollar and saw they were opened, so I figured I'd stop in this time. Finally got the pack of underwear I'd wanted all along. Also grabbed two packs of hydrated electrolyte drink mix in berry blue and lemon lime. They too were busy with people on their way home from work, but I managed to get out by quarter of 5.

Went straight into Rhythm on the Range when I got home. I go further into Bing Crosby's only western vehicle that also introduced Martha Raye to movie audiences at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Rhythm on the Range

Did some job searching for a while, then watched Match Game '73 while eating leftovers for dinner. Jack Klugman was nervous as heck when he was called on to do "Baked __" for the Head-to-Head...then proceeds to surprise himself and Brett by doing much better than expected. This is from around when the questions were getting slightly racier, leading to some interesting answers from the panel.

Took a much-needed shower, then finished the night with Johnny Mathis: The First 25 Years. Sadly, this two-disc set proved to be disappointing in more than one way. While it did include hits like "Misty" and "Chances Are," it also had more recent songs like "It Doesn't Have to Hurt Every Time" and a remix of "The Way You Look Tonight" that were made to sound more like the disco music just going out of fashion in 1980. They're glaringly out-of-place among songs like "Wonderful Wonderful," "When Sunny Gets Blue," and even the more traditional hit duet "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" with Denise Williams. 

If you're a fan of him like I am, you'll want this for some of the more unusual tracks, but casual fans and newcomers might be better off looking for earlier or later greatest hits collection with a more traditional sound.

Into the Sunshine

Slept in this morning. It was noon before I got rolling with breakfast and Match Game '77. In the middle of the first episode, Scoey Mitchilll leaves the stage to go to the bathroom...and comes back riding the stage for the Audience Match. The second episode featured a question about who would give Richard an obscene phone call, and some very amusing answers. 

Headed out after the second episode. I had a lot I wanted to do today, this time behind the Acme at the Audubon Crossings Shopping Center. Started off at Goodwill. After I dropped a small donation in the back, I rode around front and checked out the main store. I found a copy of the first three Wallace & Gromit shorts, a folksy and heavy wooden pumpkin, flat cat in a pumpkin and skeleton wood stand-ups with cartoony artwork, and a long-sleeved blouse with a pretty brown floral print. (The last-named was half-price, which is really the only reason I bought it.) 

Peeked around Five Below next, but they didn't have much for Halloween. They mainly seem to specialize in candy, makeup palates, and wigs. I tend to do better there at Christmas when I'm shopping for the kids.

Hiked across the parking lot next to Great Cuts. I badly needed my hair done. It gets frizzy and hard to deal with when it's too long. 2:30 was the perfect time to go, too. There was only one other person there, and I had no wait. Got it cut and layered to my shoulders. It looks so much better! Much curlier and bouncier. Paid and tipped the lady and was in and out in 20 minutes.

Tu Se Bella's Pizza is a few doors down from Great Cuts. They weren't busy at almost 3, either. In fact, the only people I saw at the tables were the employees taking a break. I got my slice of cheese, slice of spinach, tomato, and shrimp, and bottle of Diet Pepsi in no time. Enjoyed the area's best pizza while people watching at the table near the window.

Went to Lane Bryant on the other side of the shopping center after lunch. I needed new non-wired bras. The ones I picked up from Blackwood last year were starting to get discolored. They were totally dead when I came in. Fortunately, it turns out they were buy one, get one seventy-five percent off, which brought them to $23 each. I walked in, found the same kinds I already had, bought them, and walked out. 

Normally, I try to avoid our tiny Walmart like the plague, but they do have a decent seasonal section. In addition to picking up apricot spread on clearance and boxes of Black Cherry and Orange Raspberry Propel mix, I found an adult red velvet cape for $10. I was debating whether to be a fairy or Little Red Riding Hood this year. I finally decided Little Red's cape would be easier to deal with if the weather turns bad than fairy wings.

Took the long way there and back past the soccer and baseball fields in Audubon, down Market Street, and over the train bridge into Oaklyn. It was too nice of a day not to. Slightly warmer, but nothing out of line for mid-October, in the mid-60's, sunny and breezy. I must have just missed the rush hour traffic. The White Horse Pike wasn't bad when I crossed where the WaWa used to be. I just missed the train coming here, too.

Went straight upstairs when I got home and into job hunting. I need to figure out what industries I can actually work for. Every time I think of something, like book publishing or editing, people leave comments or write or tell me "don't do that, you'll never get that, that's too hard to get into, you're not good enough for that." Would someone tell me what jobs I could do that aren't too competitive? I don't think there are any jobs that aren't too competitive. Everyone wants a decent job. 

Tried to work on writing after that. Richard explains that he was driven out of Televisia City by the Warlock of the West after he invaded. He'd been a guard to Queen Bretta, but beyond that, he knows very little. His memory was largely erased when he was rebuilt as a tin man.

Broke for dinner at 7. Ate leftovers while watching Match Game '79. Started out with some noisy answers to "Cheer __" in the Audience Match. A later answer prompts arguments from Bob Barker and Joyce Bulifant on whether or not "cannon" has three ns or two. The second one kicks off with Brianne doing a rather impressive cartwheel.

Moved on Kanopy after that for Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter. I'm not the biggest horror fan in the world, but I couldn't resist a horror swashbuckler. Kronos (Horst Janson) is a former Army soldier who now travels around the British countryside with his humpbacked companion Professor Hieronymus Grost (John Cater) tracking down vampires. One such town has been plagued by the death of young girls who are found severely aged before they die. Grost explains that this is the work of a vampire who drains youth from its victims. They're joined by the beautiful gypsy wench Carla (Caroline Munro), whom Kronos rescues from the stocks on his way to town. 

Kronos is initially called to town by his friend Dr. Marcus (John Carson) to figure out what's going on with the vampires. A witness whose sweetheart was drained claims he saw someone very old attacking her. Kronos has a lot more to deal with than Grost's theory being questioned. Marcus introduces his friends Paul (Shane Bryant) and Sara (Lois Daine) Durwood and their aged and ill mother Lady Durwood (Wanda Ventham). The Durwoods are mourning the loss of their father and husband 7 years before, but Kronos suspects there may be more to them than meets the eye. Especially after Marcus is attacked and turned into a vampire, and the villagers blame him for it. Now he has to find a way to deal with the Durwoods and their chain of brutal killings, before they attack another innocent girl.

Too bad this was one of the last Hammer horror movies and they were never able to continue the series as planned. While it's slow-moving, violent, bloody, and a bit on the cheap side, it's also fascinating. The vampire-elimination rituals are cool to watch, and you just don't often see sword fights and duels in a historical horror film. Some decent performances, too, especially from Carson as the infected Marcus and Cater as Grost. I found this a bit too bloody for my taste to repeat, but it was interesting enough that I'm glad I gave it a try.

Finished the night at Tubi with the Halloween episode of Silver Spoons. It's "A Dark and Stormy Night," and the power went out as Ricky and his friends Freddy and Alfonso were watching a horror movie. Ricky's dad Edward encourages them to tell a round-robin ghost story instead and use their own imaginations. The quartet comes up with the bizarre tale of four boys trapped in the mansion by a beautiful lady (Kate), a mad scientist (Edward), his super-polite creation Franken-Stuffins (Dexter), and a giant frog. 

Day In the Sunshine

I got a later start than I would have wanted this morning. Barely had enough time for reading one chapter of Maple Sugar for Windy Foot, writing in my journal, changing, grabbing breakfast, and rushing out. And of course, it turns out I read my schedule wrong. I thought I was supposed to be in at 9:30, but I was really due at 9 AM.

Fortunately, that was the worst thing that happened all day. I spent the whole morning sweeping and pushing carts. I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else. It was far too gorgeous to be inside. The sun was shining. There was a nice, cool breeze that wasn't rough like the wind we had over the weekend. The sky was a searing baby blue, and it was warm, already in the lower 70's at noon. I suspect the only reason we were busy at all was because it's the first Tuesday of the month, and Tuesday is our Senior Discount Day.

We're also in the midst of remodeling again. Our cramped customer service desk is being greatly expanded, finally making use of the empty space with the kiosks on its left and the long room left when the bank, and then the health office, shut down. They're also going to move the self checkout lanes forward in order to expand the floral department, which we also need badly. They're already almost done with the new office space. It's a bit messy now, but I'm guessing it'll probably be finished by the end of this week-next week.

Changed into a regular shirt when I finished, then headed out to run a few errands in the shopping center behind the Acme. Had lunch at Tu Se Bella's, the best pizzeria in the area. Picked up a slice of mushroom, a slice of broccoli and shrimp, and a Diet Pepsi. It was just past 2 by that point, and other than a mother buying snacks for her kids, they weren't very busy.

Went a couple of doors down to Great Cuts for my hair cut next. There was only one woman ahead of me, and it took less than 10 minutes for them to finish. My hair has been annoyingly frizzy for months now. It gets really frizzy if it's too long. The sweet young woman trimmed it to just above my shoulders. I love it. It's layered and bouncy and looks terrific. 

Headed across the parking lot to Goodwill. I hadn't been in there since before Christmas. They were pretty busy, but I dodged customers long enough to make some great finds. 

The original Broadway cast album for Dear World, a vehicle for Angela Lansbury based on The Madwoman of Challot I've been trying to find for years. 

Johnny O'Toole and His Naughty Naughty Band - The Gay '90's

Two Wyndam Hill Winter Solstice CDs, II and IV

Two books, both on silent film greats. I took The Girls In the Picture by Melanie Benjamin, on silent movie star Mary Pickford and her relationship with screenwriter Frances Marion, out of the Haddon Township Library a while back and did enjoy it. I found a paperback copy for 99 cents. Read Silent Stars by Jeanine Basinger in college, but hadn't seen it since. 

A pair of khaki shorts. I thought they were 20, but they were 18, and tight-fitting 18, at that. I think I'll drop them in the clothes collection bin behind Dollar General.

The hair dresser told me she wanted to stop at Sonic and get a milkshake in honor of the day after work. I decided to do just that. By past 3 PM, they were busy at the drive-in, but not on the patio. I ordered a sweet, creamy mini banana milkshake made with fresh bananas. It was incredible, fresh and banana-y, with just the right amount of banana pieces.

After I got home, I changed into capris, put everything away, and did a few more chores. It's going to be in the 70's for most of the week - and even when it gets cooler this weekend and early next week, it'll still be in the upper 50's and 60's. Time to pull out the warm-weather clothes. I need jean shorts - I only have one pair that actually fits - and plain t-shirts. I have lots of print and flowered blouses, but not plain ones. I could probably use a good short-sleeved button-down shirt in case I actually manage to get an interview, too. 

Finally settled down to looking up jobs around 5 PM. I still want out of the Acme. It's driving me crazy. I can't handle it anymore. However, if I'm going to get a decent job, I need more schooling. I'm thinking I'll find a part-time data entry job or something similar at about the same pay as the Acme that'll give me time to do school work after I get home. 

Worked on writing next. Gene finally decides they're not going to get anything out of the Wild Rider Gang member. He leaves Gary with the guy and takes Richard and Bill across the street to The Peacock Saloon. Owner Fannie Flagg isn't happy about stashing the gold there, but with the bank being repaired, they have nowhere else they can keep it. 

Had dinner at 7 PM. Watched Match Game Syndicated while I ate. We pick up at the end of the next week, with Nipsey Russell's last episode. Charles was more nervous about answering "__ and Milk" for a pretty lady from Hawaii. 

Moved online for The Passion: New Orleans at Tubi. I go further into this concert retelling of the death and rebirth of Jesus at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Movies On TV - The Passion: New Orleans

Finished the night with the first Rankin-Bass Easter special, Here Comes Peter Cottontail. I covered this one at my Musical Dreams blog back in April 2019. Peter Cottontail is the first review on the page. 

Animation Celebration Double Feature - Here Comes Peter Cottontail & The Easter Bunny Is Coming to Town

Autumn Blue and Gold

Started the morning with breakfast and Bugs Bunny's Howl-oween Special. Bugs goes up against Witch Hazel in this collection of bits and pieces from various classic Looney Tunes horror shorts. At least, unlike Bugs' Easter special, they used shorts that actually involved horror or Halloween, and the filler between them has a few funny moments with Bugs and Hazel.

Headed out shortly after it ended. My first stop of a long and busy day was PNC Bank. Thankfully, their financial advisor changed their mind about talking to me today. We mostly discussed my other account, the one with the rest of my inheritance. It's losing money. I want to change it so I can earn money on it before I take it out, not lose it. He says he can do that, but he'll need Dad's death certificate. Trouble is...the only people who would know where that is are Jodie, whose number I deleted from my phone, and Rose, who isn't speaking to me. He's going on vacation this weekend, which will give me more time to figure it out.

Wanted to check out Collingswood Music, but they don't open until 1, and it was noon. Went next-door to check out their neighbor DiBartolo's Bakery instead. Their beloved specialty is cakes, but I can't bring one home on my bike. Chose of box of Italian cookies instead that included their amazing coconut macaroons. 

Made a quick stop at Dollar General on the way home. I forgot to pick up a new set of dry erase markers for my schedule yesterday. Went in, bought those, then went out. 

Dropped off my blue hoodie sweater, the folder with the bank information, and the markers at home, then went back out. Took the long way down Nicholson Road. The weather is now too nice to rush things. What a difference from the last few days! Today was blue as could be, sunny, windy, and much warmer, in the lower 70's. Couldn't have been a nicer ride.

Had lunch at Tu Se Bella's Pizza after I parked my bike at the bike rack next to the Acme. I must have just missed the lunch crowd. They were totally dead. Had no trouble getting a seat up front to eat my slices of mushroom and broccoli and shrimp and sip my Diet Pepsi.

Next on the list was a hair cut. Mine had gotten too long and frizzy again. Unlike the last time I got my hair done in early May, they were dead as can be, with no wait and no line. The only people there when I arrived were two hair dressers. Went shorter this time, to just above my shoulders, and still layered. I love it. It looks great. My hair gets too unmanageable when it's long. 

Had far less luck with T-Mobile. They told me that in order to keep my cell phone number, Jess would have to let me off her line. I'd text her later, after I got home. 

My last stop was the Acme. If you buy two boxes of Nature's Valley granola bars, you get them for $2.50 each. I picked up regular Trail Mix and Cranberry Pomegranate. Grabbed muffins for lunch next week, new hair bands, and a gift card for my friend Amanda's birthday last weekend. No wonder I got today off. They were dead, too. Even the line went fast.

Heard from the dentist's office while I was there. They called early this morning to tell me their hygienist got sick and they had to cancel. Once again, I won't be able to get a cleaning for months, this time not until early December.

Went home after that to contact Jessa. Heard from her minutes after I texted her. She did take my phone off her line, but told me I'd have to contact Jodie about the death certificate on Facebook. 

Finally heard from Vanessa via e-mail, too. They're just about ready to send my information in, but she said she needed the dates for when I began Stockton and graduated. I sent them to her right after talking to Jess; she was pleased I got them back so quickly.

Spent the rest of the afternoon watching On the Riviera. I go further into another Danny Kaye vehicle that has him playing two roles at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

On the Riviera

Finished up Wedding Blank after the movie ended. Jack offers to take Brett and their son Adam to dinner. Brett's not sure that's a good idea, with their divorce and all. She takes off to join the others for a drink, with him watching and wishing things could be different before going to the men's dressing room to call his bookie.

Not bad, though kind of meandering. This is intended to be part of a series of short stories revolving around various Match Game members at different times during the various shows. Next up, I'll skip ahead a bit to directly after syndicated episode 481 from 1981. After Gene Rayburn shows up wearing an old man wig and calling himself Mr. Perriwinkle, he mentions the wig was for his role as Scrooge in a local Christmas Carol. Bill Cullen apparently played his Bob Cratchit. 

It's mentioned in their biographies that Gene wanted to do more acting and was frustrated that he didn't have the opportunity...while Bill never really liked acting and was happiest chatting with contestants. In Acting Blank, they discuss their differing philosophies on acting, why Gene loves diving into characters and Bill prefers just being himself. 

At any rate, here's Wedding Blank, for your enjoyment!

Wedding Blank - A Match Game Short Story

Had dinner while watching the tail end of Let's Make a Deal. Got in just in time for a couple dressed as contractors and an especially pretty Wonder Woman joined Monty for the Big Deal of the Day. The lady half of the contractors couldn't have been more delighted with her fur jacket. Wonder Woman got the Big Deal - a recliner, a TV, and a trip to Paris. (That Paris trip sounded awesome, and I hope she had a wonderful time.)

Went straight into Match Game '77 during dessert. Charles returns for the second episode, joining comedian Tom Smothers and soap star Meg Bennett. Gene's delighted to give her a kiss in welcome! The others have a harder time with "Liver __" in the Audience Match. 

Mom called during the second show. In good news, baby Aurora is doing better. She'll be in the hospital until next week, but she should be able to come home after that. Mom's more worried about how Keefe and Julia's frisky, adoring dogs will handle a baby, especially one who needs special care. 

Things aren't going as well for my other siblings. My oldest nephew Skylar was in a horrible bike accident. He so badly mangled his foot, he needed several operations and will take a year or more to recover. Anny's more concerned with her 13-year-old son Collyn being kicked out of school and going into rehab. If he doesn't shape up, he's going to end up in a reformatory. And while Mom has briefly heard from Rose during Aurora's surgery, she's still not speaking to most of the family. 

Finished the night on Paramount Plus with The Love Boat. The crew go on a cruise around the Greek isles in a two-part episode during season 6. Captain Steubing offered the cruise to the graduating class of his college for their graduation ceremony. The snobbish valedictorian (Parker Stevenson) gets a major eye-opener when the aunt who helps him through college is a poor peasant (Eva Marie Saint). He tries to hide her from his fiancee (Lisa Whelchel) when he feels like a "Poor Rich Man." 

The dean (Eddie Albert) is annoyed when the young man he flunked (Leigh McCloskey) keeps trying to talk him into a make-up test. He says no, but the teacher he's engaged to (Shirley Jones) wishes "The Dean and the Flunkee" would change his mind. "Issac's Aegean Affair" with a beautiful lady (Debbie Allen) has him considering giving up the sea, while Vicki falls for a young genius (Jimmy MacNichol) and considers marriage with him in "The Captain and the Kid." 

Trouble In the Spring

Started off my day with a very quick breakfast, then went online for counseling...and found out via e-mail that the counselor would be late and it had been pushed back to 11:30. Fine. I couldn't find the list of jobs I thought I wrote down, so I started looking them up again. The phone interrupted me around quarter of 11. Yes, he did come in earlier than expected, so we were able to have that meeting after all.

I wish it went better. I don't think he understood me when I tried to explain my predicament, or I didn't go about explaining it in the right way. I wouldn't mind a second job, but it would have to be at home. What I want is to become an archivist of some type, then do writing gigs at home. He said he'd find someone to help me get a second job to go with the Acme job. I do NOT want to keep the Acme job. I want a job I actually enjoy doing and am really, genuinely good at. I can't handle retail anymore. I keep trying to tell people that, and they keep not listening.

I was so wiped out after I got off, I just decided to take another nap. This time, I slept until almost 2 PM. It was pretty warm in my rooms when I finally rolled out of bed. Checking my phone revealed it to be almost in the 70's. It was too nice to hang around any longer, so I headed out for a ride.

Was originally going to eat at Amato Brothers or Aunt Berta's Soul Food on the White Horse Pike. Alas, like most local businesses, they're closed on Mondays. Ended up riding over to Applebee's in Audubon instead. Enjoyed a Bacon Cheddar Chicken Sandwich and half the huge portion of fries in a nearly-empty restaurant. Saw a former Acme employee who now works for the post office and a grandmother and mother treat a little girl to a late lunch.

Next stop was Great Cuts to get my hair done...or it would have been, if the wait wasn't 40 minutes! I prowled around The Shoe Depot and GameStop until they were ready (though I didn't buy anything). Frankly, I'm not entirely happy with how my hair came out, either. The layering makes it hard to clip back, and I should have gone a little shorter.

At least the weather was gorgeous today. I enjoyed it as I took the back roads through Audubon and over the train bridge going home. Sunny, no wind, in the upper 60's-lower 70's. Couldn't get much nicer for early May.

Worked on writing when I got home. The Red King takes Duchess Marcia and the boys hostage. He's about to turn Brett over to the Red Knight and get rid of the White King Gene when Richard intervenes. The Red King's had enough of his meddling and turns Jack the Red Knight on him...

It was 7 before I broke for Match Game PM. Sweathog Ron Pallilo and bombshell Elaine Joyce join in here for jokes about an LA cop and the only thing an old folk's home resident could get to rise on Old Man Periwinkle. They have even more fun with "__ Is Right" in the Audience Match, given the obvious answer for game show fans. 

Ended the night after dinner and a shower with sitcom episodes featuring Match Game panelists. Rose (Betty White) doesn't know what to do about "Rose's Big Adventure" on The Golden Girls when her latest boyfriend Al decides to spend his retirement buying a boat and sailing it around the world. Meanwhile, the other ladies want to make over their garage as a guest bedroom, but have a hard time getting through to the Italian architect in the wheelchair Sophia hired.

Eddie gets a shock of his own in the later-season Family Matters episode "Getting Buff" when he sees his girlfriend Greta posing nude in his art class. He breaks up with her, until his sister Laura tells him why she did it. Meanwhile, Carl deals with an obnoxious bullying neighbor who stole his son's football, and Laura's surprised when her eccentric sculpture teacher Mr. Vreeland (Charles Nelson Reilly) praises her work after it had an encounter with Urkel. 

Oh, and Match Game Productions at YouTube decided that, in addition to continuing the alternating premieres of Password Plus and Super Password, he's going to re-run Match Game for everyone's chatting enjoyment, starting with the 1973 episodes. While the early episodes were relatively subdued compared to the nuttiness that followed, the pilot did give us our first riot five minutes in when Betty White disagreed with the judge's not matching "friend" and "boyfriend." The very first episode showcased the first sexually-charged answer, via Laugh-In comedienne Anita Gillette. We also see Michael Landon's only week; he disliked the new rules for the game and declined to return. 

Look for Password Plus and Super Password alternating at 9:30, followed by "That 70's Hour" of a Match Game double-header at 10 and 10:30 Eastern!

Match Game '73 Pilot

Match Game '73 - First Episode

Trouble In the Sunshine

Started off the morning with breakfast and Hogan's Heroes. "The Merry Widow" is a lovely German lady whom Hogan has described to Klink as a great temptress. What she's really doing is helping the guys deliver information on a new type of landmine.

Did the dishes while watching "Crittendon's Commandos." Annoying British officer Crittendon returns, this time leading his own shady and not-very-good underground unit. They're supposed to be kidnapping a Nazi, but that's a bit of a problem when Crittendon's men are also taken prisoner. Too bad Crittendon wasn't taken with them and insists on helping Hogan and the guys finish the job.

Headed out to run errands after the dishes were on the rack. First on the list was dropping off Agony of the Leaves and In the Heights at the Oaklyn Library; the latter was two days late. Darn it, I forgot they're only open from Monday through Wednesday. Left them in the book drop and moved on. 

Since Nicholson Road's closer to the library, I took that way to Audubon Crossings. It was a gorgeous day for a ride. The sun was out, the sky was a radiant blue, and there were no clouds in the sky like yesterday. Cool winds blew over my back as I passed waving green-gold trees and gardens bursting with lovely late roses and mums.

Next stop was Great Cuts. I badly needed to get my hair done. It was too long and frizzy. They were busy when I arrived; at least three people sat ahead of me. Though the lady said it would be a half-hour, thankfully, it was more like 20 before they called me back. 

My hair came out beautifully. This time, I got it layered and a bit shorter, over my shoulders. It looks wonderful, nice and bouncy, and it feels terrific. The lady did a wonderful job.

Went back to the Acme after they finished my hair to do my grocery shopping and pick up my schedule. Had some good coupons, including for butter, canned organic pumpkin, and already-on-sale Bryers ice cream. Found Oikos yogurts with an attached paper coupon, two shelf-stable coconut milk quarts on the clearance racks, and a container of shrimp with a manager's coupon. Acme brand aspirin is buy one, get one. Restocked white flour, canola oil, plain yogurt, pads, and bananas. Thankfully, they weren't terribly busy. I got in and out of the express lane pretty fast. 

I am not happy with my schedule next week at all. In good news, some days with shorter hours, including Sunday. I'll be home in time for most of the Eagles-Chiefs game. Trouble is, I only have one day off, and that day off is Tuesday. I'll likely be working another seven days in a row after that. One of the morning cashiers went on vacation, and there's still a lot of people on leave due to non-virus health reasons or returning to school. Not only am I exhausted, but how am I supposed to get anything done? I'm always working when I could be calling about apartments. And when will I have time to clean my apartment or pack for my visit to Lauren's in two weeks?

Cheered myself up with putting my groceries away while watching the fifth season finale of Hogan's Heroes, "Klink's Escape." Klink's determined to show Buckhalter he can find that underground escape processing station. The guys decided to take him for a ride and help him prove it, while helping local escapees to freedom.

Switched to Muppet Babies at Disney Now while having a smoothie for lunch. It's a "Kitchen Catastrophe" when Gonzo helps the Swedish Chef whip up delicacies at Piggy's Diner. He thinks Gonzo's pineapple, pickle, and sauerkraut sandwich is gross, but then has to figure out how to please picky eater Sam the Eagle. "Kermit Gets a Case of the Grumpies," and the others try to figure out how to get him out of it. Bunsen and Beaker loan him their latest invention, which separates unwanted things from wanted...but it pulls out Kermit's grumpy side. Kermit tries to avoid it, but it really just wants to talk.

Went out to do the laundry next. Everything went fine at first. Picked up cards for my friends Amanda and Lauren's October birthdays at Family Dollar, then went back and stuck my laundry in the dryer. The laundromat was crowded with a couple of women and an older man. I dodged them all and went down to WaWa for a pumpkin spice smoothie instead.

Heard an ambulance while strolling down the White Horse Pike. Didn't think anything of it, until I saw it pulled up at the laundromat. Went in to see what happened...and the dryer with my laundry was empty. The ladies told me the older man had a heart attack, and they decided to fold his laundry and take it to his car. Unfortunately, he hadn't told them his laundry was only in the upper dryer, not the lower. They assumed it was all his, despite the fact my clothes do not look anything like those belonging to an old man.

I was upset and very angry when I called the manager. His wife picked up; he was out, but would be back shortly. He did call the police about fifteen minutes later to find out what happened with the man and where the clothes went. The clothes were in his car, but the cops needed his permission to get into it. I left when they gave me their reassurance they'd bring it over as soon as possible. 

Jodie heard my angry tears when I got home. Every time something goes right, things just keep getting worse and worse. I wasn't going to have time to call the realtors again. I'm never going to find an apartment. Jodie assured me she found three in the area, though I'm not sure about the one next to WaWa. Sounds loud to me. 

The cops called me back a few minutes later. I rode over while one of the cops and the manager struggled to open the man's van. (Despite them claiming it would be easy just a few minutes before.) We pulled his bags and clothes hamper into the laundromat and went through everything, letting me grab my things. I appreciate what the manager and the police did for me, and they were all very nice. I'm sorry the old man had that heart attack. But I do hope the next time the ladies want to be good Samaritans, they consider asking people who's laundry that is and maybe waiting a few minutes, instead of assuming.

After I got things organized at home, it was too late for any kind of phone calls. I barely had time for writing. Charles the Mad Hatter is the first witness at Sir Richard's trial. He's nervous as heck, chattering on about when he, Orson the March Hare, and Gary (Burghoff) the Doormouse started teatime. 

Jodie brought me her leftover crab cake, rice, and julienned root vegetables from her dinner with TJ last night. I had them with the shrimp while watching Match Game '74. They skipped the final episode of that week and went right into one with George Kirby, Betty White, Jo Ann Pflug, and a hilarious Morey Amsterdam. While George discussed his extremely bubblegum pink jacket, the ladies straightened Gene's bow tie.

Foster Brooks came over to Match Game PM for a round of drunk jokes. Gene tries showing off his body for the contestant, while Charles nudges Brett over a couple of racy answers. Foster's more nervous about helping the winner with "Goof __."

Moved online after a shower for more Mystery Science Theater 3000. Took me a long time to decide, but I went with the Joel episode Operation Double 007, aka Operation Kid Brother, or O.K Connery. Neil Connery, the younger brother of Sean, joins Adolpho Celli, Lois Maxwell, and Bernard Lee in the story of a surgeon who is searching for his Japanese girlfriend, who holds valuable information leading to the creation of a super-magnet that'll disrupt machinery across the globe. 

Uh, yeah. This 1967 Italian superspy caper is absolute late-60's cheese in its ripest form. Joel and the robots have a great time tearing the silly dialogue and obvious similarities to shreds. 

Finished the night at YouTube for the episode of Match Game '74 Buzzr skipped. I suspect it has to do with Gene Rayburn undoing the strings of Elaine Joyce's halter tops and his and Richard's attempt to "help" her fix it. There were also the obvious responses to "__ Maniac," and Richard and Brett sniping at each other in a question that asked who gave the worst answers. 

Summer In the Fall

This time, I slept in and didn't roll out of bed until past 10:30. Started off my morning with breakfast and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Daniel, Miss Elaina, and Katerina are at the Museum-Go-Round, working on their costumes for Dress-Up Day. Daniel wants to be Tigey the Adventure Tiger, while Elaina makes her robot outfit. "Katarina's Costume" ends up being more creative - she can't decide what she wants to be! O the Owl is excited to be dressed as a traffic light for the school parade on "Dress Up Day" and help people. He's upset when his costume rips, but Mrs. Tiger and the people in the town encourage him to figure out what else he wants to be.

Switched to DVD for a spooky episode of the rousing early 2000's swashbuckler spoof Jack of All Trades. Jack's alter-ego The Daring Dragoon is accused of desecrating sacred cemeteries and destroying monuments. Inventor Emilia takes a potion that makes her a "Dead Woman Walking" and will allow her to be in the tombs when they're attacked. Jack joins her and gets really hot under the collar when they're almost creamated!

Jumped over to Match Game '77 just in time for one of my favorite episodes of the entire series. In the first question of the day, Gene laments that the upper tier already matched, so the lower tier panelists play the ones on the upper tier. As funny as Richard Dawson was as Brett, Jo Ann Pflug made a hilarious Dick Gautier with a big white smile, and Fannie Flagg borrowed the appropriate hat and pipe to be a perfect Charles Nelson Reilly!

Headed out shortly after the show ended. It was cloud when I got up, but by 12:30, the clouds and mists vanished, leaving an utterly perfect sunny afternoon. Took the long way across Audubon to the Crossings shopping center. First stop was a brief one at GameStop to get ideas for Lauren and Skylar for Christmas. Next, went to The Shoe Depot. My poor errand-running sneakers were literally falling apart. Found a pair of nifty Reebox with reflective strips on either sides and rubber soles. I love them! They're sooo comfortable. Didn't see any winter boots I liked, though. I may end up ordering those online.

I've wanted to get my hair cut for months now. Thank goodness I last got it done in February, about a month before everything started shutting down. I meant to get my hair done in August, after I returned to work, but I discovered that the Hair Cuttery I was going to in Collingswood shut down. I've looked at places to get my hair done...but I ultimately just stepped into Great Cuts at the shopping center. The lady was sweet, trimming my hair to just above shoulder length. It looks really cute!

There's three cell phone stores in the shopping center. I talked to Metro by T-Mobile and Cricket Wireless. Cricket had slightly cheaper 1-line plans and let me keep my old phone number, but Metro's phone price was cheaper. Not only do I desperately need a new phone, I need an actual phone plan. I'm currently using a free line on Jessa's plan...which is in Dad's name. They're not going to keep a line for a man who is not among the living much longer. Didn't do anything today; I need to do more research.

Hit the Acme next for this week's grocery shopping. Made use of my accumulated rewards points to get free eggs and a chicken sale to pick up two packs of chicken cutlets. Acme's generic sandwich bags are buy one, get one. They're in the midst of their annual "buck a bag" produce sale. I bought most of my vegetables last week, but I did pick up a bag of spinach. The Acme may be one of the only places with plenty of disinfectant wipes. I grabbed a container to use on my hands when I come home from work and errand runs. Restocked bananas, apples, yogurt, milk, trash bags, toilet paper, tomato sauce, crushed pineapple, and brown rice. 

Not nearly as happy with my schedule next week. In good news, I did get Halloween off, as I asked for...but I don't have my next day off until next Friday! And except for Sunday, I work in the afternoon all week. It's starting to get dark earlier. Going home is going to be kind of scary. 

Headed home after that. Got in just in time for Tattletales. Comedian Max Adrian and his gorgeous wife Vonnetta were by far the big winners today, getting a double-money question in the end right. Press Your Luck was really exciting today. Everyone picked up money in the first round. They also did well in the second...until they kept hitting Whammies. The champ hit a Whammy and couldn't pass the one guy, who picked up a car and a trip to New Orleans.

Worked on writing for a while after that. Dick Martin comes over, looking for his cufflinks. Richard pops his hand out to give them to him. Dick just wishes Rich would get over himself a little. He's not nearly as much fun as when they worked together on Laugh-In. Richard angrily tells them he's doing what's best for him and Family Feud. Gene turns down his offer of appearing in the show, saying he'll never speak to him again. 

Broke for Asian Chicken Salad at 6:30. Pan-fried chicken fillets, then sliced them into strips. Put the strips on top of greens, shaved carrots, and tomato wedges, and topped it with sesame seeds and my own home-made Asian dressing. Oh, yum! Came out very well. Good and good for you.

Match Game '74 got almost as wild as the earlier episode. Gene introduced a comedy record Patti Deustch and several other comic actors made, and Richard complained about his chair breaking. A contestant who worked in a psychiatric hospital prompted several jokes on Match Game PM about who on the panel needed to attend one. 

No clue why Sale of the Century skipped ahead to 1988. The champ went back and forth with a young Asian man the entire game. The guy picked up at least one Instant Bargain and the Instant Cash and eventually jumped ahead in the Speed Round. He just missed the "guess the puzzle" Bonus Round, though.

Moved on to Mystery at the Wax Museum when I went online. In this spooky Technicolor thriller, reporter Florence Dempsey (Glenda Farrell) is almost fired on New Year's Day by her editor Jim (Frank McHugh) for not being able to find any news. She runs across a real scoop when she learns that the body of a model thought to be a suicide has disappeared. The model's not the only one. Many bodies have gone missing from the morgue. Florence's roommate Charlotte (Faye Wray) has a boyfriend who works at a brand-new wax museum, overseen by former sculptor Ivan Igor (Lionel Atwill) who was crippled and disfigured in the conflagration that destroyed his previous museum. Florence notices that the wax figure of Joan of Arc closely resembles the dead model. She's not the only one. Igor and his freaky lackeys may be hiding more than just wax under those statues...and Charlotte could be the next one who gets the statue treatment.

Two-strip Technicolor horror mystery proves that the pinks and greens can be as good dressing up spooky stories as they are musicals. This movie was one of the last major films made in the then-dated Two-Strip process. It was lost for years and only very recently restored to as close to its original glory as UCLA can get it. Determined Farrell, genuinely creepy Atwill, and some scary sets and special effects are the thing here. It was remade in the 1950's as House of Wax with Vincent Price, but this earlier movie is worth checking out, too. 

Finished out the night with The Facts of Life at the Roku Channel. Their "Halloween Show" was in the fifth season, after the girls and Miss Edna (Charlotte Rae) started Edna's Edibles. They're getting ready for their Halloween party when an elderly customer stumbles in with a spooky story about four sisters who were involved in a massacre at the building where their store's housed. Things get even creepier when sausages turn up with no explanation, and then Miss Edna walks around with knives and appear to be possessed. The girls try to get to the bottom of this mystery...but Natalie (Mindy Cohn) may know more than she's telling. 

The Guardians and the Duke

The clouds were still out when I rolled out of bed this morning. Had breakfast while watching Press Your Luck. The one woman playing did do well and avoided Whammies...but not well enough. She made the mistake of giving her spins to one of the two guys, both of whom outpaced her. It came down to the two of them; in the end, the champ only won because the other guy hit a Whammy.

Spent the rest of the morning making collages. I finally picked up enough catalogs during the holiday season to put them together, but I didn't have the time until today. I had so many, I ended up making four. The Vermont Country Store catalogs alone provided enough to do collages for Halloween and Christmas. I also did one for Thanksgiving from the Bed Bath and Beyond flyers and a winter one I have hanging up now on the refrigerator.

Ran the remaining episodes on the first disc of Sailor Moon Super S while I worked. The Amazon Trio finally ran out of time in "Mirror of Dreams: The Amazon Trio's Last Stage." Usagi takes Fish Eye home and tries to make friends with him, but he ends up figuring out who Usagi and Chibi-Usa really are. Hawk's Eye is ordered to look into Usagi's dream mirror, but an unknown clown monster breaks it. Now it's up to the Amazon Trio to restore Sailor Moon and learn what it truly means to be real, dreaming humans.

Their replacements, the Amazoness Quartet, make their first full appearances in the next episode, "The Amazoness: Nightmare From Beyond the Mirrors." Unlike the adult Trio, the Quartet are little girls who have no desire to ever become adults. They're convinced that if they grow up, they'll lose their childhood dreams. Indeed, they make fun of Chibi-Usa's friend Momoko because she insists she can't wait to have a boyfriend. They invite her and the others to the Dead Moon Circus...but it's really a trap to steal her dream mirror.

The remaining episodes on the disc mainly involved either upgrading the other Sailor Guardians' powers or the Amazons driving a none-too-amused Zirconia up the wall. Babyish Amazon Palla Palla turns her play dentist office into "Dentist of Horrors? Palla Palla's House" and tries to steal the dream mirrors from her unsuspecting patients, including Usagi and Chibi-Usa. Ami's too shy to show a composer she met online her lyrics to his lovely melody in "True Power Explodes: Ami's Melody of the Heart," but she discovers the power within her when she has to help break the others out of his computer. Rei also gets to upgrade her power in "Flames of Passion: Mars' Raging Super Attack." A young girl imitates her when she thinks she wants to be a shrine maiden. It takes a mimicking monkey monster to make both her and Rei understand that we need to lead our own dreams.

Returned to Buzzr as I rounded up the paper mess and got organized. Jack Cassidy and Richard Dawson worked together to ham it up on a pirate-themed question in a 1975 episode of Match Game. Classic Concentration allowed a college-age girl and an older man to win prizes and try to match for a car. Alas, neither of them matched enough spaces to earn a vehicle.

Headed out as Concentration wound down. My original plan for today involved just hanging around...but the sun emerged around noon, and it became an unusually warm, off-and-on sunny day. It was just too nice to be inside. I took a ride into Collingswood to get my hair done. My hair is very thick, and it gets frizzy and unmanageable when it's too long. A blonde lady at Hair Cuttery trimmed it to above my shoulders, layered longer in the front and shorter in the back. It's actually a little shorter than I wanted, but that's not a horrible thing, and it does look pretty cute. I tend to throw it back when it's long anyway and not do much with it.

Went for a stroll on Haddon Avenue after she finished my cut. I hadn't browsed the dollar bins at InnerGroove Records in ages...mainly because I'm running out of room for them and don't really need to be spending money on a ton of junk. I did find a few interesting titles, two of which I've been looking for:

Rupert Holmes - Partners In Crime

Meco - Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk

Hooked On Classics & Turned-On Broadway 2

Made a brief stop at Frugli Consignment next. I hoped to find a pair of trousers for work. No luck. I couldn't even find a pair of trousers in my size, let alone ones appropriate for working in. Got in and out of there quickly.

Besides, by that point, it was rush hour. I had problems with the wonky bike seat, but I did manage to get to Newton Lake Park. It would have been a crime not to ride through there. The day was warm for winter, in the upper 50's. The waning afternoon sun sparkled on the river as I dodged many other bikers and people out for a stroll.

Went into writing when I got in. Charles isn't entirely sure about Gene turning them all invisible. Richard thinks it's the only way to really surprise Malade and her trolls. Brett insists on joining them, even though she hasn't fully recovered from the poisoned comb. Marcia's annoyed with Bill, who claims he's guarding the inside. Even as she complains, they hear the buzzing of Malade's trolls and hooves of the Sheriff of Nottingham's army arriving at the gate...

Broke for dinner at quarter of 7. Had leftovers while watching more Match Game. This time, it's Patti Deustch who rolls up Gene's pants leg while he talks to Charles, to the amusement of Richard, Dr. Joyce Brothers, and the audience. Sale of the Century crowned a new contestant, a woman who came back during the speed round to pass both men in the very last minutes. Despite being tempted by a lovely double-strand gold necklace and a beautiful fur coat, she opted to come back tomorrow to try to earn more money.

Finished the night baking Chocolate Chip-Oatmeal Cookies and going online while watching The Duke Is Tops. I go further into this B-movie that introduced Lena Horne to movie audiences at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

The Duke Is Tops

Summer Hair Day Adventures

Began a sunny morning with breakfast, then finishing this month's cleaning. The dust wasn't really that bad, but I wanted to get everything done. I only went around the parts that showed. I won't be doing any heavy dusting again until the fall and we get closer to the holidays.

Ran San Francisco while I worked. I just read "The Scarlet O'Hara War" segment of Moviola this morning, about the search for a southern belle to play the main character of Gone With the Wind and how crazy it got. This is the only movie I own that stars Rhett Butler himself, Clark Gable. He's Blackie Norton, the owner of a Barbary Coast nightspot who want to enter politics and push for more fire regulations. He falls for Mary Blake (Jeanette MacDonald), the new singer at his club, but she's looking for an operatic career. Wealthy Jack Burley (Jack Holt) hires her for his opera company, but Blackie manages to get her back with promises of marriage. She leaves him after he has an argument over her dance costume with his best friend, priest Father Tim Mullin (Spencer Tracy). After his performers are arrested, she steps up and sings for him in a local contest. He turns her and the prize money away...then majorly regrets it when the world shakes, San Francisco starts coming apart around his ears, and all he wants amdi the devastation is his Mary.

The granddaddy of all disaster films, from In Old Chicago to 2012. The melodrama can get to be a bit much at times, but the effects for the earthquake remain incredible and effective to this day. Tracy was nominated for an Oscar as the pugnacious priest; Gable and MacDonald aren't bad as the lovers.

Headed out a little earlier for my errands today, around quarter of noon. I really needed to get my hair cut. I'm not letting it go again. It just gets too frizzy and unmanageable when it's long. Once again went to the Hair Cuttery in Collingswood. I had to wait a half-hour while two boys got theirs finished, but I didn't mind. This time, a young lady named Kia did my hair. She did very well, too, taking off a few inches to bring it up to just over my shoulders. That's all I wanted. She also suggested a leave-in conditioner to help with the frizz, and gave me free small packages of shampoo and conditioner that would help with my dry scalp too without being too harsh like the dandruff shampoos in stores.

Had lunch at the Pop Shop. They were still pretty busy when I got there, despite it being past 1:30. I ended up at the counter. Just ordered a grilled chicken sandwich with lettuce, tomato, provolone cheese, and dijon mustard on a ciabatta bun. It was huge and messy, but very tasty.

Rode over to the Haddon Township Library next for this week's volunteering session. It was even busier over there when I arrived, mostly with programs for kids out of school. The DVDs were so overflowing, even with lots of teenagers helping, there was still plenty for me to return.

I took out movies for the first time in weeks after I finished. I'll be reviewing Mamma Mia!, it's sequel Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again, and the TV special Anything Goes for my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog this week. Though Gone With the Wind isn't a huge favorite of mine, I figured, since I just read about it, I'd give it another try. Also grabbed Collette, the film biography last year on the French writer who eventually takes credit for her own work from her husband, and the first Goof Troop set.

Stopped at Wawa for a quick drink on another hot, humid day. WaWa always has the new and limited edition soda flavors before anyone else. This time, I tried Sprite's "lymonade," presumably lemon Sprite. It's...ok. Doesn't taste all that different from regular Sprite. It's just yellower.

Went into writing as soon as I got home. Luke does manage to blow up one of the monster tanks, but almost blows himself up in the process. Rudy manages to get him away to his car before they can both be flattened. Likewise, Harris gets Leia and Charlie out of town when he's one of the few people left to drive her. But Vader may not be far behind...

Broke for dinner at 6. Had leftovers while watching a quick episode of the original She-Ra. Even "Horde Prime Takes a Holiday," leaving his underling Hordak in charge of his newest spaceship. Hordak proceeds to use it to try to freeze the Whispering Woods. She-Ra can't hold off this menace from the stars alone...which is why she's very glad to see her brother He-Man come around to help her out. His regular villain Skeletor fights with Hordak, giving She-Ra and He-Man the chance to stop Horde Prime's new toy for good.

Did Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga after dinner. Completed "Escape From Echo Base," "Betrayal at Bespin," and "Cloud City Trap." I only needed one in "Betrayal," but the other two were a lot more complicated. There's one in "Cloud City Trap" that you have to throw a thermal detonator in just the right spot to get, and it always takes forever. In "Echo Base," there's one part where you have to jump on black bricks over a slippery slope. If you misjudge your jump even a little bit, you slide back down. At any rate, all three rounds are finished, and I got the x6 and Fast Build extras.

Finished the night with Mamma Mia! I go more into this energetic ABBA jukebox musical at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Mamma Mia: The Movie

Hair Day Adventures

Got an earlier start today, around 10:30 - quarter of 11. There was quite a bit that I wanted to get done, starting with getting my hair cut. I needed it badly. It was a mass of split ends that were frizzing like crazy. It always gets crazy when it gets too long. A young woman, likely college-age, washed and styled my hair. I told her it shoulder-length and in a style that would control the frizz. Drying my hair took about three times longer than actually cutting it! She said she would smooth it down, which seemed to involve a lot of brushing and drying very close to the head with a furnace-hot hair drier.

It turned out that she straightened it, which I wasn't sure I liked. It was much smoother, and the actual cut was cute. It even had a little flip on the ends, like Marlo Thomas in That Girl!. At any rate, it felt a lot better and the frizz was gone, which was a major improvement. Besides, I've never gone straight before. I figured it wouldn't hurt to try it for a day.

Next stop was a quick lunch at Cafe Antonio on the other side of Haddon Avenue. Like most of the other local pizza parlors, they seem to have remodeled in the last few months. The main counter was done in a different style, and they were down to only one seat in the room with the counter. I had a slice of cheese and a slice of spinach, ricotta, and tomatoes, along with a self-service 15-oz cup of Pepsi. Sat by the window and enjoyed my meal while watching the antics of a dad and his adorable toddler daughter, who quite enjoyed tearing into her own cheese slice.

Since I had a little extra time, I thought I'd check out Phidelity Records in Westmont. I hadn't been there since the day of the Collingswood Christmas Parade in late November. They still had that 5 items from the dollar bins for three dollars deal. I ended up with another WFIL classic rock collection, a two-disc Lena Horne set, the original Broadway cast of Bye Bye Birdie with Chita Rivera and Dick Van Dyke (which I came very close to buying the last time I was there), and the original soundtrack album for the Judy Garland Wizard of Oz. Picked up High School Musical to review eventually - the Haddon Township Library has the second and third movie, but not the first one.

I dodged the traffic on Haddon Avenue quick enough to make to to counseling just in time. I had a lot to relate to Mrs. Stahl. On one hand, my holidays were a lot of fun, and while New Year's wasn't perfect, it did largely go better than it did last year. Work is also going better. My current head managers are generally easier to get along with, and I don't see enough of the night managers anymore for them to be a huge problem. The weather being a lot better than it was this time last year - cold but not overwhelmingly so, with only a little snow - has also helped. (Oh, and she seemed to like my new, straighter haircut. She said it made me look younger.)

I'm still pretty broke, however. I also have no idea what I'm going to do about the apartment. I can't stay where I am, but I can't afford to go anywhere else. Truth be told, I don't really want to stay where I am, and Mrs. Stahl agreed with me that, no matter what Rose thinks, returning to Cape May County wouldn't be practical. I don't care if Rose is convinced that it's safer. The public transportation is impossible, there's even less low-cost housing, the internet hook-ups are archaic, it would take me forever to get anywhere on my bike, I'd need two buses to get to a mall, and Lauren would need an extra train and bus ride just to get down there. Not to mention, transferring my job from there to here was a pain in 2006 because the Shore Acmes have a different union. Yes, I can live anywhere...provided it's near decent transportation, internet, and services. I lived in Wildwood for four years and hated it. Rose hasn't actually lived down there since 2002.

Mrs. Stahl is probably right that I am going to have to look further afield, but not to the Shore. There are other parts of Camden County, as well as the eastern and western portions of Gloucester and Burlington Counties, that might be worth exploring. I know Jessa and Joe live in Deptford in Gloucester County. I could talk to them, to my customers and co-workers at the Acme and the libraries, and to Dana and Jesse, whom Jodie has mentioned are also in the hunt for a new apartment. I'll let Rose deal with Willa and see if she can fight that increased rent long enough for me to move.

Although it was in the lower 40's by 3 PM (according to the digital sign outside the Westmont Fire Department), that was still too cold for a water ice. I opted for a hot chocolate at Starbucks about a block from Mrs. Stahl's office instead. I literally just missed the crowd. Less than a minute after I ordered my drink, there was a long line of high school and middle school students getting warm drinks of their own after classes.

Went straight home after that, taking the back roads in Haddonfield, Westmont, and Oaklyn to avoid the rush hour traffic. Watched the first episode of Fancy Nancy while getting organized after got in. As someone who also loved being "fancy" as a child, I've always enjoyed the book series and decided I'd give the show a try, too. In the first episode, "Chez Nancy," Nancy's (Mia Sinclair Jenness) new playhouse, is too plain for her taste, especially since she just bragged to obnoxious Grace that it had niceties like a chandelier and butterfly doors. She and her equally fancy best friend Bree (Dana Heath) fix it up to suit their rarified taste. When Grace arrives and insists Nancy's little sister JoJo (Spencer Moss) is too little to play with them, Nancy has to decide if it's worth pleasing Grace...or spending time with her sister. She opens the "School de Fancy" to teach her friends how to be fancy like her. She's frustrated when they goof off, but they eventually show her that everyone has their own way of being fancy.

Worked on writing for a while after the episode ended. Han ends up having to out-run Sheriff Vader's men. He manages to lose them in Sherwood Forest, which he knows quite well. He's the only one who's impressed. Luke is more concerned about learning about Friar Kenobi's order and how it was destroyed by the Sheriff and Prince Palpatine.

Did more Fancy Nancy during dinner and before and right after I took a shower. Nancy has "Tea Party Trouble" when she borrows a tea pot that's a family heirloom from her mom Claire (Allyson Hannigan) and breaks it, then tries to hide what she did. She's thrilled to say "Bonjour Butterfly" when she and Bree nurse a butterfly with a hurt wing back to health, but not so much when it tries to fly away.

"Nancy's Ooh La La Spa" is her big Mother's Day present for Claire, but nothing seems to go right. First she knocks the beauty products she was originally going to use into the toilet, then her father Doug (Rob Riggle) and JoJo eat their naturally-made replacements. Claire reassures her that she appreciates the gesture anyway, inspiring her daughter to find another way to give her mother a relaxing spa day. "Nancy Goes to Work" with her father when he's at home. She even offers him her playhouse to work out of. He's not as happy with her when she uses her fancy play stickers for stamps instead of real ones to mail his tax forms...but she manages to find a stealthy (that's fancy for "sneaky") way to get them back. (And I love her little fuchsia suit here! She makes an adorable secretary.)

Nancy needs JoJo's help to keep her Eiffel Tower upright, but JoJo seems more interested in her new imaginary friend Dudley. It's "Nancy Versus Dudley" to see who can get her attention. "Nancy Makes Her Mark" when Doug fixes a crack in the sidewalk and she insists on everyone putting hand and footprints in the wet concrete...and she just has to fix hers when they aren't "parfait" (perfect)...

Oh, and the curls returned in my hair after I washed it again. On one hand, it was nice to have smooth hair, and I always wanted to try one of those 60's flips. I was so tempted to find a headband with a bow in the middle, just like women in the mid-60's wore in their flip dos. On the other hand, it took forever to dry it enough to straighten it...and I like my curls.

Nancy's not the only one who learned something about being fancy today. It's kind of fun to experiment with your look once in a while. I may not want to straighten it all the time, but I now know it works and looks good if I do ever want to try it again. The actual cut itself still looks pretty good, too, whether it's straight or curly. I may try experimenting with cuts and styles more often. (As long as it's something I can grow out or easily change.)

Finished the night with The Toast of New Orleans. I go into further detail on this 1950 operetta vehicle for Mario Lanza and Kathryn Grayson at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

The Toast of New Orleans