"Rock N' Roll Fantasy" by Bad Company jolted me awake on a beautiful, sunny morning. This week's American Top 40 re-run took us to May 1979. Disco reigned supreme when I was a month old, joined by country, R&B, soul, and power ballads. Hits in late spring of that year included "Rock N' Roll Fantasy," "Just When I Needed You Most" by Randy Vanwarmer, "The Logical Song" by Supertramp, "Deeper Than the Night" by Olivia Newton-John, "Disco Nights" by GQ, "In the Navy" by the Village People, "She Believes In Me" by Kenny Rogers, "Heart of Glass" by Blondie, "Chuck E's In Love" by Rickie Lee Jones, "Love You Inside Out" by the Bee Gees, "We are Family" by Sister Sledge, "Goodnight Tonight" by Wings, and "Reunited" by Peaches and Herb.
That week's number one song - and the number one song for the next two weeks - was one of my favorites when I was really little. Dad loves disco. Rose and I used to dance around the house to Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff" all the time.
It was an absolutely glorious day. Windy, but warmer than earlier in the week, with only a few clouds in the bright blue sky. There were a bunch of people painting the outlines of trees in the four seasons on the train bridge as I passed under it.
My first stop was a yard sale on Newton Avenue in Oaklyn, a few blocks from the library. He had four boxes of records amid the dusty cartons of mostly junk. Too bad the majority of them were either singles or so wet and moldy, they were stuck together. I did finally pry three out:
John Denver - Windsong
The Temptations - Greatest Hits Vol II
Pure Gold - Another collection of mid-late 70s hits, this one on two discs.
Next headed to the Collingswood Farm Market. They were busy, though not as packed as last week, since they were now back in their usual space in the parking lot under the PATCO tracks. I didn't really need a ton. Picked up strawberries, North Caroline blueberries (it'll be a few weeks before New Jersey's blueberries debut), mushrooms, and some amazingly long organic scallions.
Made two yard sale stops in Collingwood. I found The Marx Brothers Scrapbook at one sale on Crescent Terrace for 50 cents. Rode across Collings Avenue and the White Horse Pike to one a block from Sorrento's Pizza, but all they had was clothes and designer handbags, nothing interesting.
My mouth was so dry by then, I needed something to drink badly. Since I was in the area, I hit the CVS on the border of Collingswood and Oaklyn and bought one of those tall, thin sparkling waters in grapefruit. It was really tasty, like a pink Fresca. I also took advantage of a buy one, get one 50% off sale on Oral B toothbrushes to stock up on those. I didn't desperately need honey, but it was $2, which is really cheap for honey.
When I got home, I ran three Garfield cartoons on traveling while making an omelet with scallions, mushrooms, and mozzarella cheese for lunch. Garfield would rather being doing anything but camping with Jon and Odie in Garfield In the Rough. Things get really hairy when the trio hear that that there may be a deadly black panther in the area and Garfield finds himself having to save his human and dog friend. The trio visit a tropical island in Garfield In Paradise. Jon's cheap vacation doesn't work out as he'd hoped....until they find themselves in the village of a group of 1950s-worshiping natives with a volcano about to go off! Garfield and Odie have a chance to be stars when they enter a pet talent contest in Garfield In Hollywood, but Jon's worried that winning may mean leaving him behind.
I next scrubbed the kitchen. This time, I focused on the refrigerator. Ugh! That mason jar beverage holder I bought a while back leaked something horrible. I think I didn't put the spigot on right...and by the time I did, there was iced tea everywhere. It was especially bad on the bottom of the fridge, until the vegetable crisper. It took me forever to clean up that tea mess. Good thing nothing else was anywhere near as bad, including the sink.
Cheered myself up with Pollyanna as I cleaned. One of Disney's best live-action films is this adaptation of the famous book about the title orphan (Hayley Mills) who goes to live with her stern Aunt Polly (Jane Wyman), a wealthy woman who practically owns a small town. Polly's proud of being able to pay for anything the town needs, but the crabby townspeople are tired of having to rely on her charity. Cheerful Pollyanna befriends everyone she meets, including a reclusive old hermit (Adolph Menjou, in his last role), a crabby woman who thinks she's dying (Agnes Moorehead), a mischievous orphan boy (Kevin Corocan), and the town's priest (Karl Malden) who can't figure out how to get in touch with his congregation. Pollyanna believes in playing "The Glad Game," or finding something to be happy about, no matter what. Her beliefs are tested after an accident sends her into depression...and she learns just how much of a mark she's left on the town.
This may sound too sticky-sweet or sentimental, but David Swift's direction and screenplay surprisingly steer clear of some of the worst of the treacle. A great cast of character actors help immensely. In addtion to those mentioned, we have Ed Platt of Get Smart as a henpecked husband and Richard Egan of A Summer Place as the kindly doctor who was once Polly's sweetheart. Mills won a special Oscar as the enthusiastic young lady who teaches everyone around her that you can find happiness in the worst of situations. A lovely film that's very much recommended for anyone, but especially for families. Give it a try; you'll be surprised how much Pollyanna can cheer you up, too.
Moved to The Rescuers as I continued cleaning the kitchen. We stayed with Disney, but went to one of my favorites of their animated films. Since I'm currently reading the original book, I thought I'd run the movie. Bernard (Bob Newhart) and Bianca (Eva Gabor) are mice delegates for "The Rescue Aid Society," a kind of mouse UN based in New York. They travel by albatross (Jim Jordan) to the bayous to save Penny, an orphan who was kidnapped by greedy pawnbroker Madame Medusa (Geraldine Page) to find the Devil's Eye, the world's largest diamond. One of Disney's most fun pure action films, with great characters and one of their most underrated villains in the truly nasty Madame Medusa.
It was a tad bit cloudier by 5, but still so nice, I had to get out of the house and do something. First on the list was sweeping a bit of debris off the porch, then raking up the leaves I couldn't get off the path last week when they were wet. Andrew's sister and mother were cleaning up the yard and clipping the forsythia hedge in the front yard as you enter when I headed out for a walk.
I ended up at Leo's Yum Yums, which finally seems to be open for the season. Leo's is a local ice cream parlor around the corner from me on West Clinton Avenue. Though they also have hot dogs, hard and soft ice cream, and water ice, their specialty is "Yum Yums," a creamy, slightly gritty water ice. Even at 5PM, there were mothers with several children and two teenagers ordering treats. I got my first Cotton Candy Yum Yum of the year and watched people go back and forth from the train bridge, which was still in the midst of being painted.
When I got home, I had shrimp and salad for dinner while starting Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, which I'll finish tomorrow or Monday.
Life is a lazy river - no matter where you are. Movies, musicals, mysteries, pop culture, and lots of other great stuff.
Showing posts with label raking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label raking. Show all posts
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Friday, May 23, 2014
Sunshine On a Cloudy Day
Started the morning with more wartime shorts, including the remaining three Looney Tunes military revues. "Fifth Column Mouse" depicts how the war began when a group of mice first try to pacify a cat who threatens them, then fight back. "Meet John Doughboy" spoofs the military's then-current weapons and vehicles. "Hollywood Canine Canteen" is what it sounds like - dog caricatures of popular entertainers of the time, ranging from those still familiar today (Jimmy Durante, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Laurel & Hardy) to ones only fans of the time will remember (bandleader Kay Kyser, radio comedian Ish Kabbible).
Switched to the first Woody Woodpecker set as I did the dishes and got ready to run errands. Walter Lanz only did a few war-oriented shorts, including one for Woody. "Ace In the Hole" takes Woody to an Air Force base. He shaves horses, but what he really wants to do is fly. His commanding officer is less than thrilled when he finally does make it into the air! "$21 A Day (Once A Month)" and "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B" have fun with the pre-war peacetime draft. "$21 A Day" gives us an all-toy army. "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" depicts the musician of the title, who has to get his company moving with his horn...or else! Though the African-American stereotypes run thick and heavy, there's a nice version of the title song, and this is one of the few cartoons of the time to show minorities in the military. "Pigeon Patrol" is the more typical tale of a country bumpkin pigeon who gets his chance to be a hero when he has to fly important papers and get around an evil vulture.
Headed out to the Haddon Township Library around 11. The clouds were in and out and it was windy, but the wind kept it from being too warm. It was probably in the lower 70s. All that snow we had did have some positive results. I've never seen it look so green here. The trees are already filled with soft green leaves. The grass is deep and thick. The buttercups were satiny yellow, and the dandelions were sunbursts. I wasn't surprised to dodge many joggers, walkers, and fishermen who were enjoying the beautiful day and surroundings, too.
(And I noticed that it looks like they're demolishing the round stone pavilion in front of the playground on Lakeside. I always thought that looked pretty solid. I wonder what's going to replace it, if anything?)
The Haddon Township Library was also busy with people on their lunch breaks or amusing younger children. I organized both the adult and children's DVDs. The kids' shelves weren't nearly as overflowing as usual, which means yes, I did manage to get everything on, even the S discs. Took out four movies and two books. Two of the movies were war comedies for Memorial Day Weekend - Mister Roberts and Operation Petticoat. I renewed the live Sound of Music, since I never got to it last week. I generally avoid the Disney Channel live-action TV movies, which are mostly kiddie comedies, but I liked the premise of Teen Beach Movie - two kids are knocked into a classic 60s beach flick and the leads fall for them. It sounds a little like Back To the Future at the beach, and it could be cute.
I've been eyeing the Dear America series at Haddon Township for months. They have quite a few of them (though ironically not any of the ones Linda sent me or I've found at yard sales). I ended up with two stories on the experiences of African-American girls in the early and mid 20th century, Color Me Dark and With the Might of Angels. I also found a book from American Girl's defunct Girls of Many Lands series, Minuk: Ashes In the Pathway, about an Inuit girl in 1890 Alaska whose village is visited by missionaries, in the sale racks.
I was riding across Audubon when I heard my cell phone go off. I pulled over to the side of the road to take the call. (One of the wonderful things about bikes - it's a lot easier to pull over and take a cell phone call.) It was Jodie, inviting me to hers and Dad's Memorial Day party. I told them I'd go later if I wasn't working.
My next stop was Simply Soups in Audubon. It was about the only place I could afford, given I didn't have much money left. Though it was 1PM, the only other people there were two middle-aged men finishing their soups, and they left shortly after I arrived. I had a delicious small cup of Chicken Orzo (rice-shaped noodle) Soup, a huge slab of cornbread that was so big, it came with a fork, and a can of Diet A&W. I read Color Me Dark and enjoyed the view of Pine Street and the railroad tracks.
I rode across Audubon to the Acme after lunch. I didn't need much for groceries. I was out of cheese (went with part-skim mozzarella), mandarin oranges, bananas, and honey. I had a coupon for Silk's almond or coconut milk. Went with the almond milk, which was lower in calories and on a good sale - the coupon brought it down to $1.99. Found more Acme generic cough drops on clearance for 69 cents and grabbed those. I use cough drops to keep my throat dry leaning over the registers at work.
The Acme did put out glass tea jars again this year. They had three patterns. I went with the sunflower pattern with the red lid. Sunflowers are my very favorite flowers.
I had to wait in the back for my schedule, since it wasn't finished when I arrived. In good news, my hours have gone up, though not to an unmanageable extent, and I have Thursday and next Saturday off. I do work Memorial Day, but only 12:30 to 4:30. I'm from Cape May County; most people work literally all day Memorial Day. My only minor complaints are late days on Wednesday and Friday, but that'll allow me to get some more cleaning done here.
Spent the rest of the evening at home. I've been meaning to rake the side path to my apartment for months, but the weather's either been bad, or I plain haven't had the time. I shouldn't have put it off. There were huge, heavy branches that I had to fish out and drop in a pile in the backyard. The layers of leaves were so heavy, the bottom ones were still wet! It took me a lot longer to do than usual. A job that normally takes 20 minutes to a half-hour took almost an hour. I got attacked by mosquitoes something horrible, too.
Made sauteed leeks and mushrooms with pasta and leftover chicken legs for dinner while continuing my wartime cartoon marathon. The Fleischer Brothers put Popeye in the Navy several months before America actually entered the war in "The Mighty Ensign." Although Popeye seems to have spent a lot of the war fighting Bluto over Olive in shorts like "Kicking the Conga Around," he did see some action. Unfortunately, his action tended to involve nasty Japanese stereotypes, as in "Blunder Below" and the infamous "You're a Sap, Mr. Jap" and "Scrap the Japs" that are so offensive, they've been banned from TV for decades. Shorts with Bluto ("Many Tanks") and Swee'pea ("Baby Wants a Bottleship") are a little easier to take today.
Oh, and I finished Color Me Dark. Nellie Lee Love lives in Tennessee with her family and her beloved sister Erma Jean in 1919. They're thrilled that World War I just ended, but their happiness is dashed when an uncle dies on the way home, and their older brother won't come home at all, and then Erma Jean stops speaking after their uncle relates a secret to her. When Mr. Love takes Erma Jean to Chicago for treatment, he becomes enamored of the city and its opportunities and moves the rest of the family there. While there are many opportunities in the north, there's just as much prejudice, not only against race, but against all of the new immigrants - black and white - who are moving up to the cities. When an incident at a beach sparks a huge riot, Nellie leans on her family for comfort...and her sister finally reveals her secret.
I really enjoyed this. Nellie and Erma Jean reminded me a lot of Rose and me, right down to their preferences for numbers and writing, Nellie defending Erma Jean from bullies, and them being born so close together. (Rose and I are the same age for a week every April. I was born a year before her, but she was born a week before me.) While the prejudice they encounter in Chicago isn't quite as bad as in Tennessee, where lynchings and Klu Klux Klan activities were common, they run into an equally difficult form of elitism. Even wealthy blacks tended to look down on newcomers from the south, who were often poor and uneducated, as well as on white immigrants. I love how close she is to her family, and her description of both life in rural Tennessee and her first views of the big city.
Switched to the first Woody Woodpecker set as I did the dishes and got ready to run errands. Walter Lanz only did a few war-oriented shorts, including one for Woody. "Ace In the Hole" takes Woody to an Air Force base. He shaves horses, but what he really wants to do is fly. His commanding officer is less than thrilled when he finally does make it into the air! "$21 A Day (Once A Month)" and "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B" have fun with the pre-war peacetime draft. "$21 A Day" gives us an all-toy army. "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" depicts the musician of the title, who has to get his company moving with his horn...or else! Though the African-American stereotypes run thick and heavy, there's a nice version of the title song, and this is one of the few cartoons of the time to show minorities in the military. "Pigeon Patrol" is the more typical tale of a country bumpkin pigeon who gets his chance to be a hero when he has to fly important papers and get around an evil vulture.
Headed out to the Haddon Township Library around 11. The clouds were in and out and it was windy, but the wind kept it from being too warm. It was probably in the lower 70s. All that snow we had did have some positive results. I've never seen it look so green here. The trees are already filled with soft green leaves. The grass is deep and thick. The buttercups were satiny yellow, and the dandelions were sunbursts. I wasn't surprised to dodge many joggers, walkers, and fishermen who were enjoying the beautiful day and surroundings, too.
(And I noticed that it looks like they're demolishing the round stone pavilion in front of the playground on Lakeside. I always thought that looked pretty solid. I wonder what's going to replace it, if anything?)
The Haddon Township Library was also busy with people on their lunch breaks or amusing younger children. I organized both the adult and children's DVDs. The kids' shelves weren't nearly as overflowing as usual, which means yes, I did manage to get everything on, even the S discs. Took out four movies and two books. Two of the movies were war comedies for Memorial Day Weekend - Mister Roberts and Operation Petticoat. I renewed the live Sound of Music, since I never got to it last week. I generally avoid the Disney Channel live-action TV movies, which are mostly kiddie comedies, but I liked the premise of Teen Beach Movie - two kids are knocked into a classic 60s beach flick and the leads fall for them. It sounds a little like Back To the Future at the beach, and it could be cute.
I've been eyeing the Dear America series at Haddon Township for months. They have quite a few of them (though ironically not any of the ones Linda sent me or I've found at yard sales). I ended up with two stories on the experiences of African-American girls in the early and mid 20th century, Color Me Dark and With the Might of Angels. I also found a book from American Girl's defunct Girls of Many Lands series, Minuk: Ashes In the Pathway, about an Inuit girl in 1890 Alaska whose village is visited by missionaries, in the sale racks.
I was riding across Audubon when I heard my cell phone go off. I pulled over to the side of the road to take the call. (One of the wonderful things about bikes - it's a lot easier to pull over and take a cell phone call.) It was Jodie, inviting me to hers and Dad's Memorial Day party. I told them I'd go later if I wasn't working.
My next stop was Simply Soups in Audubon. It was about the only place I could afford, given I didn't have much money left. Though it was 1PM, the only other people there were two middle-aged men finishing their soups, and they left shortly after I arrived. I had a delicious small cup of Chicken Orzo (rice-shaped noodle) Soup, a huge slab of cornbread that was so big, it came with a fork, and a can of Diet A&W. I read Color Me Dark and enjoyed the view of Pine Street and the railroad tracks.
I rode across Audubon to the Acme after lunch. I didn't need much for groceries. I was out of cheese (went with part-skim mozzarella), mandarin oranges, bananas, and honey. I had a coupon for Silk's almond or coconut milk. Went with the almond milk, which was lower in calories and on a good sale - the coupon brought it down to $1.99. Found more Acme generic cough drops on clearance for 69 cents and grabbed those. I use cough drops to keep my throat dry leaning over the registers at work.
The Acme did put out glass tea jars again this year. They had three patterns. I went with the sunflower pattern with the red lid. Sunflowers are my very favorite flowers.
I had to wait in the back for my schedule, since it wasn't finished when I arrived. In good news, my hours have gone up, though not to an unmanageable extent, and I have Thursday and next Saturday off. I do work Memorial Day, but only 12:30 to 4:30. I'm from Cape May County; most people work literally all day Memorial Day. My only minor complaints are late days on Wednesday and Friday, but that'll allow me to get some more cleaning done here.
Spent the rest of the evening at home. I've been meaning to rake the side path to my apartment for months, but the weather's either been bad, or I plain haven't had the time. I shouldn't have put it off. There were huge, heavy branches that I had to fish out and drop in a pile in the backyard. The layers of leaves were so heavy, the bottom ones were still wet! It took me a lot longer to do than usual. A job that normally takes 20 minutes to a half-hour took almost an hour. I got attacked by mosquitoes something horrible, too.
Made sauteed leeks and mushrooms with pasta and leftover chicken legs for dinner while continuing my wartime cartoon marathon. The Fleischer Brothers put Popeye in the Navy several months before America actually entered the war in "The Mighty Ensign." Although Popeye seems to have spent a lot of the war fighting Bluto over Olive in shorts like "Kicking the Conga Around," he did see some action. Unfortunately, his action tended to involve nasty Japanese stereotypes, as in "Blunder Below" and the infamous "You're a Sap, Mr. Jap" and "Scrap the Japs" that are so offensive, they've been banned from TV for decades. Shorts with Bluto ("Many Tanks") and Swee'pea ("Baby Wants a Bottleship") are a little easier to take today.
Oh, and I finished Color Me Dark. Nellie Lee Love lives in Tennessee with her family and her beloved sister Erma Jean in 1919. They're thrilled that World War I just ended, but their happiness is dashed when an uncle dies on the way home, and their older brother won't come home at all, and then Erma Jean stops speaking after their uncle relates a secret to her. When Mr. Love takes Erma Jean to Chicago for treatment, he becomes enamored of the city and its opportunities and moves the rest of the family there. While there are many opportunities in the north, there's just as much prejudice, not only against race, but against all of the new immigrants - black and white - who are moving up to the cities. When an incident at a beach sparks a huge riot, Nellie leans on her family for comfort...and her sister finally reveals her secret.
I really enjoyed this. Nellie and Erma Jean reminded me a lot of Rose and me, right down to their preferences for numbers and writing, Nellie defending Erma Jean from bullies, and them being born so close together. (Rose and I are the same age for a week every April. I was born a year before her, but she was born a week before me.) While the prejudice they encounter in Chicago isn't quite as bad as in Tennessee, where lynchings and Klu Klux Klan activities were common, they run into an equally difficult form of elitism. Even wealthy blacks tended to look down on newcomers from the south, who were often poor and uneducated, as well as on white immigrants. I love how close she is to her family, and her description of both life in rural Tennessee and her first views of the big city.
Friday, November 22, 2013
Turtle and Christmas Ghost Power
First of all, I'm going to mention the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's death in passing. I was born sixteen years after it happened, but I've heard stories of that fateful day all my life, especially from my mom and my friend Linda Young. Linda has a wonderful essay about her memories of that day on her nostalgia essays page. Where Were You?
It was raining when I got up this morning, but by the time I was finishing breakfast, the rain had long stopped. It was just cloudy and humid when I went outside with my broom to sweep the porch. The porch was wet, though not soaked. Good thing the pile of leaves wasn't anywhere near as massive as it was last week.
After I finished there, I put the broom away, then went downstairs to do some raking. The shower we had this morning didn't seem to have penetrated the piles of leaves on the side path and in the front yard. Andrew had family members raking out there last week, but it hadn't seemed to do much. I started with the side path going up to my apartment, then kept going around to the front when I noticed Andrew finally bought a nice, new tarp. (The old one was incredibly shredded.) I got the whole thing done in about an hour and a half. It's not perfect - leaves kept coming down even as I raked them, and there's still tons of acorns out there - but it's as good as it'll get for now. We'll see if I need to squeeze one more raking session in before the trees are completely bare.
I went upstairs to a leftovers lunch after I finished, then went back out to run errands. My first stop was the Oaklyn Library. I mostly organized DVDs there. Somehow, a couple of kids' DVDs had landed in the adult section, despite the kids' titles clearly being labeled with translucent orange stickers over their call letters. (Although the titles being the teen-oriented Raise Your Voice and the first two Spy Kids movies did make the confusion a little more understandable.) I took out my favorite Thanksgiving story, Cranberry Thanksgiving.
It started showering again while I was in the library. Thankfully, it had ended by the time I made it to the Audubon Crossings Shopping Center. I needed to drop off some Thanksgiving cards at the Audubon Post Office and order contacts from America's Best. (Which went fine - I just got paid today, and the debit card went through perfectly.)
Dodged the endless traffic going to Wal Mart and the clothing stores as I made my way back to the Acme. I didn't have a huge order today. In fact, I was mainly at the Acme to get my schedule for Thanksgiving week. I mostly restocked baking items I'll need for holiday cooking - Smart Balance butter (buy one, get one, and I had a coupon), frozen orange juice, eggs, peanut butter, canola oil. I bought cough drops to keep my throat wet at work (working over the heat-spewing registers and constant talking can dry them out), more of those lightly breaded chicken breasts for quick dinners this week, and treated myself to a $5.99 copy of Arthur's Perfect Christmas from the bin with the budget DVDs in the front of the store.
(Oh, and my schedule is surprisingly good for Thanksgiving week. I have Thanksgiving itself and Black Friday off - they must have been able to corral enough college and high school kids off from school to work those days. I do work late Monday and Tuesday and long on Tuesday and Wednesday, but that's to be expected a few days before the biggest food day of the holiday. I actually expected much worse. The Eagles being off this week should help lighten the load slightly, especially on Sunday.)
Though it wasn't raining when I headed home, it was cloudy, humid, and relatively warm for this time of the year. I decided I wasn't going to take chances. I spent the rest of the day at home. Ran Arthur's Perfect Christmas as I put my groceries away and got organized. Arthur Read is an aardvark kid who is looking forward to a perfect Christmas of snow, presents, fabulous food, and a glittering tree. His best friend Buster is worn out by his frazzled mother waking him everyday, thinking it's Christmas and she has to make it great. Inspired by his buddy The Brain explaining about how Kwanzaa was created, he tries to get her to relax on the holiday instead. Muffy, the richest girl in school, holds a huge Christmas party, and is upset when her best friend Francine opts to attend her family's Hanukkah party instead. In the end, Arthur and all of the kids discover that perfection is in the eye of the beholder, and the holidays are what we make of them, whether they're the "storybook" ideal or not.
Arthur was a favorite of mine when I was in college. I caught this special on PBS towards the end of my college years, but I haven't seen it since. I'm glad I found this again. It's really sweet, especially if you do live in a town or come from a family where many different holidays are celebrated.
Moved to An American Christmas Carol while working on Cereal Spice Bars for myself and Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies for the Acme's Thanksgiving Luncheon tomorrow. I hadn't heard a lot that was good about this one, starting with a thirty-ish Henry Winkler at the height of his Happy Days fame playing the Scrooge character under ten pounds of makeup. While that is pretty jarring, the rest of it is surprisingly well done. The "Scrooge" here is Benedict Slade (Winkler), a nasty old man who repossesses out-of-work tenants' furnishings, then fires his assistant Thatcher on Christmas Eve. Naturally, he gets a visit from three "spirits" who look rather like his tenants that teach him just how important charity and looking to the future can be.
Much to my surprise, this was actually quite good. Winkler did better than you might expect as the old codger who started off with a bright future that went perilously astray thanks to a lot of wrong choices. The makeup was distracting, but the setting, New England in the 1910s and the Great Depression, was well-done. Oh, and look for Gerry Parkes (Doc of Fraggle Rock) as the Ghost of Christmas Present. Not something you need to go out of your way for, but if you're a fan of Winkler or like seeing different interpretations of A Christmas Carol, give this one a spin (it was released on Blu-Ray last year).
I switched to an entirely different kind of fantasy as I made tilapia in honey-wine sauce with carrots and spinach for dinner. The first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film from 1990 was a surprise hit in my family. Even Mom enjoyed the story of four turtles who are raised as ninjas by their gentle rat mentor and encounter a reporter named April O'Neal on the track of a mysterious crime wave in New York. While time has sanded down some of this one's darker edges (the Foot's hide-out looks ridiculously early 90s), it still remains the definitive version of the Turtles on film. Tougher than the subsequent two live-action movies, more fun than the animated one from later in the 2000s, this has not only great action, but a great deal of heart. Little guys will want to go to the current or 80s/90s show first, as there's quite a bit of violence here that isn't glossed over. For older kids and teens who are Turtles fans, start them on this one, then move to their choice of cartoon or later film.
It was raining when I got up this morning, but by the time I was finishing breakfast, the rain had long stopped. It was just cloudy and humid when I went outside with my broom to sweep the porch. The porch was wet, though not soaked. Good thing the pile of leaves wasn't anywhere near as massive as it was last week.
After I finished there, I put the broom away, then went downstairs to do some raking. The shower we had this morning didn't seem to have penetrated the piles of leaves on the side path and in the front yard. Andrew had family members raking out there last week, but it hadn't seemed to do much. I started with the side path going up to my apartment, then kept going around to the front when I noticed Andrew finally bought a nice, new tarp. (The old one was incredibly shredded.) I got the whole thing done in about an hour and a half. It's not perfect - leaves kept coming down even as I raked them, and there's still tons of acorns out there - but it's as good as it'll get for now. We'll see if I need to squeeze one more raking session in before the trees are completely bare.
I went upstairs to a leftovers lunch after I finished, then went back out to run errands. My first stop was the Oaklyn Library. I mostly organized DVDs there. Somehow, a couple of kids' DVDs had landed in the adult section, despite the kids' titles clearly being labeled with translucent orange stickers over their call letters. (Although the titles being the teen-oriented Raise Your Voice and the first two Spy Kids movies did make the confusion a little more understandable.) I took out my favorite Thanksgiving story, Cranberry Thanksgiving.
It started showering again while I was in the library. Thankfully, it had ended by the time I made it to the Audubon Crossings Shopping Center. I needed to drop off some Thanksgiving cards at the Audubon Post Office and order contacts from America's Best. (Which went fine - I just got paid today, and the debit card went through perfectly.)
Dodged the endless traffic going to Wal Mart and the clothing stores as I made my way back to the Acme. I didn't have a huge order today. In fact, I was mainly at the Acme to get my schedule for Thanksgiving week. I mostly restocked baking items I'll need for holiday cooking - Smart Balance butter (buy one, get one, and I had a coupon), frozen orange juice, eggs, peanut butter, canola oil. I bought cough drops to keep my throat wet at work (working over the heat-spewing registers and constant talking can dry them out), more of those lightly breaded chicken breasts for quick dinners this week, and treated myself to a $5.99 copy of Arthur's Perfect Christmas from the bin with the budget DVDs in the front of the store.
(Oh, and my schedule is surprisingly good for Thanksgiving week. I have Thanksgiving itself and Black Friday off - they must have been able to corral enough college and high school kids off from school to work those days. I do work late Monday and Tuesday and long on Tuesday and Wednesday, but that's to be expected a few days before the biggest food day of the holiday. I actually expected much worse. The Eagles being off this week should help lighten the load slightly, especially on Sunday.)
Though it wasn't raining when I headed home, it was cloudy, humid, and relatively warm for this time of the year. I decided I wasn't going to take chances. I spent the rest of the day at home. Ran Arthur's Perfect Christmas as I put my groceries away and got organized. Arthur Read is an aardvark kid who is looking forward to a perfect Christmas of snow, presents, fabulous food, and a glittering tree. His best friend Buster is worn out by his frazzled mother waking him everyday, thinking it's Christmas and she has to make it great. Inspired by his buddy The Brain explaining about how Kwanzaa was created, he tries to get her to relax on the holiday instead. Muffy, the richest girl in school, holds a huge Christmas party, and is upset when her best friend Francine opts to attend her family's Hanukkah party instead. In the end, Arthur and all of the kids discover that perfection is in the eye of the beholder, and the holidays are what we make of them, whether they're the "storybook" ideal or not.
Arthur was a favorite of mine when I was in college. I caught this special on PBS towards the end of my college years, but I haven't seen it since. I'm glad I found this again. It's really sweet, especially if you do live in a town or come from a family where many different holidays are celebrated.
Moved to An American Christmas Carol while working on Cereal Spice Bars for myself and Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies for the Acme's Thanksgiving Luncheon tomorrow. I hadn't heard a lot that was good about this one, starting with a thirty-ish Henry Winkler at the height of his Happy Days fame playing the Scrooge character under ten pounds of makeup. While that is pretty jarring, the rest of it is surprisingly well done. The "Scrooge" here is Benedict Slade (Winkler), a nasty old man who repossesses out-of-work tenants' furnishings, then fires his assistant Thatcher on Christmas Eve. Naturally, he gets a visit from three "spirits" who look rather like his tenants that teach him just how important charity and looking to the future can be.
Much to my surprise, this was actually quite good. Winkler did better than you might expect as the old codger who started off with a bright future that went perilously astray thanks to a lot of wrong choices. The makeup was distracting, but the setting, New England in the 1910s and the Great Depression, was well-done. Oh, and look for Gerry Parkes (Doc of Fraggle Rock) as the Ghost of Christmas Present. Not something you need to go out of your way for, but if you're a fan of Winkler or like seeing different interpretations of A Christmas Carol, give this one a spin (it was released on Blu-Ray last year).
I switched to an entirely different kind of fantasy as I made tilapia in honey-wine sauce with carrots and spinach for dinner. The first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film from 1990 was a surprise hit in my family. Even Mom enjoyed the story of four turtles who are raised as ninjas by their gentle rat mentor and encounter a reporter named April O'Neal on the track of a mysterious crime wave in New York. While time has sanded down some of this one's darker edges (the Foot's hide-out looks ridiculously early 90s), it still remains the definitive version of the Turtles on film. Tougher than the subsequent two live-action movies, more fun than the animated one from later in the 2000s, this has not only great action, but a great deal of heart. Little guys will want to go to the current or 80s/90s show first, as there's quite a bit of violence here that isn't glossed over. For older kids and teens who are Turtles fans, start them on this one, then move to their choice of cartoon or later film.
Thursday, June 06, 2013
Busy at Home
I spent most of the day at home, doing a lot of spring cleaning before Lauren visits next week. Started with two Rick Steves episodes that visit parts of France scarred by the World Wars of the 20th Century. In Alsace, Steves visits Verdun, the site of one of the biggest and most costly battles of World War I. The episode on Normandy and the D-Day beach invasion turned out to be especially timely, as today is the anniversary of that history-making World War II Allied battle.
After I left Rick and France, I started the cleaning. Made the bed first. I don't often make the bed. Besides the mountain of stuffed animals I have on it, who's gonna see it? It's really a habit leftover from when I slept on a mattress and most of the stuffed animals ended up on the floor.
Andrew finally mowed the lawn sometime between yesterday afternoon and this morning. He didn't do that good of a job - I could see places where it was still fairly high - but it does look much better than it did before he mowed. While the mower seemed to have mulched most of the leaves, I did rake the ivy bed in front of the main house and the path leading to my apartment. Got really bitten up by mosquitoes doing so. I felt like one big bite.
Scrubbed the bike and the porch furniture next. While the bike was more dusty and pollen-coated than anything, the porch furniture was a mess. It's old to begin with. I've had the two plastic chairs since Wildwood, and they've seen every kind of weather possible. I'm surprised they aren't cracked and broken yet - I only bought them from Family Dollar! They were coated with dirt, spider webbing, leaves, and dust. I did most of the chairs, but I finally gave up on the blue milk-crate table.
Ran two episodes of Get Smart during a quick peanut-butter lunch. Max and 99 find themselves "Aboard the Orient Express" when they have to get a briefcase filled with pay money for undercover agents behind enemy lines and get around a KAOS assassin. In "Stakeout on Blue Mist Mountain," the trio are joined by the Chief and head invention expert Parker when they discover that a series of KAOS agents have been bringing the parts to an atomic bomb that could destroy the east coast to a cabin on the mountains of the title.
I stuck to goofy law enforcement officials as I scrubbed the refrigerator and cleaned the kitchen. The Naked Gun is a spin-off of the series Police Squad! and the first in a series of three movies about the ongoing adventures of very dedicated LA cop Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielson). In this first movie, he finds himself having to clear the name of his partner Nordberg (O.J Simpson) after he's accused of being involved with narcotics, while proving that the seemingly above suspicion Ludwig (Ricardo Montalban) is really an evil mastermind who wants to assassinate Queen Elizabeth on a trip to the US.
Nonsensical? Oh yeah. Funny as heck? Absolutely. All three films are recommended, but please start here, as Drebin meets the love of his life (Priscilla Prestley) and we see how badly Nordberg can get used for a chew toy.
After Drebin finished, I did a quick vacuuming session. I really need to do around the walls, but it was past 5 at that point. I had neither the time, nor the energy. I'll do it next week. At least I got it done. I really want to get rid of the pollen in particular.
Went straight into a much-needed bath after I finished. Boy, did that feel goooooood. I wish I could have spent more time in there, but I did need to eat. After I got out, I made Pan-Seared Turkey Cutlets, Italian zucchini, and a farm market-fresh salad for dinner while watching Recess: School's Out! T.J Detwiler is ready for a fun-filled summer vacation, until he learns that all of his friends are going to camp. While they're away, he discovers a plot being hatched in the school that involves a laser and their principal disappearing before his eyes. The others think he's crazy when he brings them back, until they see the laser. Now it'll take all their smarts and know-how, and that of the other kids at the Third Street School, to save vacation time for the whole country.
One of my favorite unsung Disney animated films. You don't have to know anything about Recess to enjoy this hilarious ode to how important summer is to kids...and those who remember being kids. Classic rock fans will get a kick out of the 60s soundtrack, including the psychedelic video in the credits to "Green Tambourine."
Oh, and it was cloudy off and on all day here, but never really humid or warm. In fact, it was probably in the mid-to-lower 70s, pleasantly cool for this time of year here. Thankfully, the deluge we're supposed to get held off until I was long online chatting with Lauren.
I spent most of the day at home, doing a lot of spring cleaning before Lauren visits next week. Started with two Rick Steves episodes that visit parts of France scarred by the World Wars of the 20th Century. In Alsace, Steves visits Verdun, the site of one of the biggest and most costly battles of World War I. The episode on Normandy and the D-Day beach invasion turned out to be especially timely, as today is the anniversary of that history-making World War II Allied battle.
After I left Rick and France, I started the cleaning. Made the bed first. I don't often make the bed. Besides the mountain of stuffed animals I have on it, who's gonna see it? It's really a habit leftover from when I slept on a mattress and most of the stuffed animals ended up on the floor.
Andrew finally mowed the lawn sometime between yesterday afternoon and this morning. He didn't do that good of a job - I could see places where it was still fairly high - but it does look much better than it did before he mowed. While the mower seemed to have mulched most of the leaves, I did rake the ivy bed in front of the main house and the path leading to my apartment. Got really bitten up by mosquitoes doing so. I felt like one big bite.
Scrubbed the bike and the porch furniture next. While the bike was more dusty and pollen-coated than anything, the porch furniture was a mess. It's old to begin with. I've had the two plastic chairs since Wildwood, and they've seen every kind of weather possible. I'm surprised they aren't cracked and broken yet - I only bought them from Family Dollar! They were coated with dirt, spider webbing, leaves, and dust. I did most of the chairs, but I finally gave up on the blue milk-crate table.
Ran two episodes of Get Smart during a quick peanut-butter lunch. Max and 99 find themselves "Aboard the Orient Express" when they have to get a briefcase filled with pay money for undercover agents behind enemy lines and get around a KAOS assassin. In "Stakeout on Blue Mist Mountain," the trio are joined by the Chief and head invention expert Parker when they discover that a series of KAOS agents have been bringing the parts to an atomic bomb that could destroy the east coast to a cabin on the mountains of the title.
I stuck to goofy law enforcement officials as I scrubbed the refrigerator and cleaned the kitchen. The Naked Gun is a spin-off of the series Police Squad! and the first in a series of three movies about the ongoing adventures of very dedicated LA cop Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielson). In this first movie, he finds himself having to clear the name of his partner Nordberg (O.J Simpson) after he's accused of being involved with narcotics, while proving that the seemingly above suspicion Ludwig (Ricardo Montalban) is really an evil mastermind who wants to assassinate Queen Elizabeth on a trip to the US.
Nonsensical? Oh yeah. Funny as heck? Absolutely. All three films are recommended, but please start here, as Drebin meets the love of his life (Priscilla Prestley) and we see how badly Nordberg can get used for a chew toy.
After Drebin finished, I did a quick vacuuming session. I really need to do around the walls, but it was past 5 at that point. I had neither the time, nor the energy. I'll do it next week. At least I got it done. I really want to get rid of the pollen in particular.
Went straight into a much-needed bath after I finished. Boy, did that feel goooooood. I wish I could have spent more time in there, but I did need to eat. After I got out, I made Pan-Seared Turkey Cutlets, Italian zucchini, and a farm market-fresh salad for dinner while watching Recess: School's Out! T.J Detwiler is ready for a fun-filled summer vacation, until he learns that all of his friends are going to camp. While they're away, he discovers a plot being hatched in the school that involves a laser and their principal disappearing before his eyes. The others think he's crazy when he brings them back, until they see the laser. Now it'll take all their smarts and know-how, and that of the other kids at the Third Street School, to save vacation time for the whole country.
One of my favorite unsung Disney animated films. You don't have to know anything about Recess to enjoy this hilarious ode to how important summer is to kids...and those who remember being kids. Classic rock fans will get a kick out of the 60s soundtrack, including the psychedelic video in the credits to "Green Tambourine."
Oh, and it was cloudy off and on all day here, but never really humid or warm. In fact, it was probably in the mid-to-lower 70s, pleasantly cool for this time of year here. Thankfully, the deluge we're supposed to get held off until I was long online chatting with Lauren.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Yes, Ernest, There Is a Santa Claus
It was a gloriously sunny day, but I had things to do in the apartment this morning. Started with baking Cranberry-Orange Bread for my neighbors and running through several movies, beginning with The Muppets' Christmas Carol. The first Muppet movie made after Jim Henson's death is this hilarious and touching version of the famous novel. Michael Caine is a fine Scrooge. Kermit the Frog is Bob Cratchit; Miss Piggy is his outspoken wife. Fozzie is Fezziwig; Statler and Waldorf are the Marley brothers. Gonzo and Rizzo are narrating the story and around for comic relief. Not a bad "first Christmas Carol" for younger kids, and a delight for Muppet fans.
As I finished the bread, I went into two movies on the the existence of Santa Claus. In the original 1947 Miracle on 34th Street, Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwen) is a kindly old man who happens to be in the right place at the right time when Macy's executive Doris Walker (Maureen O'Hara) needs to replace the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Santa. He's such a sensation, she hires him to be the department store Santa for Macy's as well. Kris insists that he really IS Santa, which doesn't sit well with Doris. Bitter over a recent divorce, she's raised her young daughter Susan (Natalie Wood) to not believe in any kind of fantasy, and is resisting falling for a sweet lawyer (John Payne). When Kris is put on trial for lunacy, the lawyer defends him...and manages to prove to Doris, Susan, and all of New York that "faith is believing when common sense tells you not to."
Ernest Saves Christmas moves from chilly New York City to the unlikely location of Orlando, Florida. Here, Santa is choosing his replacement. If he can't convince former kids' show host Joe Carruthers to take over his job, the magic of Christmas will die out forever! Meanwhile, Ernest (Jim Varney) has his hands full dealing with a selfish runaway and Joe's sleazy manager who wants him to do a B-horror movie. And then, there's those flying reindeer on the ceiling of the airport stock room....
Miracle is required Christmas viewing. It won several Oscars, including Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for Edmund Gwen. If you've ever wanted to see Jim Varney's Ernest vehicles, Ernest Saves Christmas is one of the better ones, and not a bad place to start.
After the bread was out of the oven, I went outside to rake. I did get the side path done. It wasn't that bad, but I don't think Andrew did it, and I hadn't done it in a while. I wanted to do the front too, but I couldn't find the tarp I normally use to haul the leaves to the front stoop. It's been getting shredded for a while. Andrew must have tossed it. He didn't seem to have replaced it, though. I couldn't find another tarp.
I finally gave up and went upstairs to briefly sweep my porch. There wasn't much. The wind and storms have blown most of it away. Some of it did land against the house, and the sticker balls are just starting to come down.
Headed to work just a half-hour after I finished the porch. Work was steady for most of the night, after which it died so quickly, I spent the last two hours being very bored. I was in and out with no problems.
It was a gloriously sunny day, but I had things to do in the apartment this morning. Started with baking Cranberry-Orange Bread for my neighbors and running through several movies, beginning with The Muppets' Christmas Carol. The first Muppet movie made after Jim Henson's death is this hilarious and touching version of the famous novel. Michael Caine is a fine Scrooge. Kermit the Frog is Bob Cratchit; Miss Piggy is his outspoken wife. Fozzie is Fezziwig; Statler and Waldorf are the Marley brothers. Gonzo and Rizzo are narrating the story and around for comic relief. Not a bad "first Christmas Carol" for younger kids, and a delight for Muppet fans.
As I finished the bread, I went into two movies on the the existence of Santa Claus. In the original 1947 Miracle on 34th Street, Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwen) is a kindly old man who happens to be in the right place at the right time when Macy's executive Doris Walker (Maureen O'Hara) needs to replace the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Santa. He's such a sensation, she hires him to be the department store Santa for Macy's as well. Kris insists that he really IS Santa, which doesn't sit well with Doris. Bitter over a recent divorce, she's raised her young daughter Susan (Natalie Wood) to not believe in any kind of fantasy, and is resisting falling for a sweet lawyer (John Payne). When Kris is put on trial for lunacy, the lawyer defends him...and manages to prove to Doris, Susan, and all of New York that "faith is believing when common sense tells you not to."
Ernest Saves Christmas moves from chilly New York City to the unlikely location of Orlando, Florida. Here, Santa is choosing his replacement. If he can't convince former kids' show host Joe Carruthers to take over his job, the magic of Christmas will die out forever! Meanwhile, Ernest (Jim Varney) has his hands full dealing with a selfish runaway and Joe's sleazy manager who wants him to do a B-horror movie. And then, there's those flying reindeer on the ceiling of the airport stock room....
Miracle is required Christmas viewing. It won several Oscars, including Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for Edmund Gwen. If you've ever wanted to see Jim Varney's Ernest vehicles, Ernest Saves Christmas is one of the better ones, and not a bad place to start.
After the bread was out of the oven, I went outside to rake. I did get the side path done. It wasn't that bad, but I don't think Andrew did it, and I hadn't done it in a while. I wanted to do the front too, but I couldn't find the tarp I normally use to haul the leaves to the front stoop. It's been getting shredded for a while. Andrew must have tossed it. He didn't seem to have replaced it, though. I couldn't find another tarp.
I finally gave up and went upstairs to briefly sweep my porch. There wasn't much. The wind and storms have blown most of it away. Some of it did land against the house, and the sticker balls are just starting to come down.
Headed to work just a half-hour after I finished the porch. Work was steady for most of the night, after which it died so quickly, I spent the last two hours being very bored. I was in and out with no problems.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Girls Rule!
I awoke to another absolutely gorgeous day. It was just 69 degrees in my apartment this morning when I checked the thermometer. Good thing I pulled out the heavier comforter yesterday! It felt so wonderfully pleasant, seeing sunshine and blue skies out my window and feeling nice and comfortable in my room, especially after the hot and humid summer.
Spent the remaining morning putting my my general fall decorations. I've cleared a lot of decorations out in the past year or so and don't have as many as I used to, but that's not entirely a bad thing. I've debated dropping the old cardboard leaves for the windows in the recycling for several years. I bought them from the Acme the first year I lived here. While I do like them, they're up from September through Thanksgiving. Not only do they get a beating, but they attract the condensation that tends to run on the windows on chilly fall mornings. It's time I went to Party Fair or looked around for something similar, maybe even a bit smaller.
Didn't get to the Haddon Township Library until around 1. It was a perfect day for a ride across Newton River Park. Everything is so much greener and prettier than it was this time last month, before the storms came. I passed another woman on a bike, an elderly couple out for a stroll, another enjoying a picnic lunch on a bench, and a man with his cute German Shepard puppy.
The library was surprisingly busy for such a nice day. I had a lot of DVDs to shelve and organize, both in the children's and adult's sections. There were far fewer children's books. I only had maybe ten of those to shelve. Older kids are back in school; the parents of younger ones are probably encouraging them to play outside more often, now that Mother Nature is behaving herself.
I did find three DVDs of interest. It's supposed to be too nice all week to be sitting around, watching long melodramas and action films, but they had a few new girl-oriented animated shows I couldn't resist. Found two sets of the 2009 CGI revamp of Angelina Ballerina and the most recent Veggietales episode The Penniless Princess, their take on one of my favorite childhood stories, A Little Princess.
Last week, I received a menu in the mail from Pizza Villa, a pizzeria on the White Horse Pike across from WaWa on the border of Haddon Township and Oaklyn. I thought I'd try them out. While the business itself is new, the location is not. There's been at least four or five pizza parlors in that building in the seven years since I moved here, but I never actually tried any of them. It was about 2PM when I arrived, and other than one elderly woman watching America's Funniest Home Videos on Comedy Central and the man who runs the place, the small, maple-colored room was deserted. I had two huge slices of cheese and mushroom pizza. They were delicious, with nice, crispy crust and lots of cheese. The price was good too, no more expensive than Capitol Pizza down the street. I'll have to return there whenever I'm in the area and feel like pizza.
I made a quick stop at WaWa for milk after lunch, then headed home. I've been wanting to get the raking done for a while, especially after my next-door-neighbor Richard did his lawn. The front yard was still fairly covered with gray leaves leftover from summer. I could see the first golden leaves of the fall as well. For once, the side path leading up to my apartment was actually messier than the front yard, which had been done by Andrew and his family in early July. Despite the mosquitoes eating me alive, I managed to get the entire yard done in an hour and a half. The weather was perfect for yard work. Richard agreed with me - I saw him washing his van as I did the side path.
My cookie tin has been empty for a while. I made Whole Wheat-Carrot-Chocolate Chip Cookies while running The Penniless Princess. I've had an off-and-on affiliation with Veggietales over the years. They're a long-running series of CGI animated cartoons featuring fruit and vegetables retelling biblical stories, often while parodying a famous book or popular film. Some of their spoofs are creative and hilarious...but they can just as often lapse into preachiness.
While not exactly a spoof, Penniless Princess isn't too bad moral-wise. In fact, it's one of the more accurate adaptations of A Little Princess I've see on-screen, more than many live-action versions. Wealthy Sara Crewe (a broccoli stalk?) is determined to stay a princess no matter what, just like her gentle father (Larry the Cucumber) wanted her to. When her father dies and she loses her money, she struggles to stay kind to everyone around her, even nasty Miss Minchin. Thanks to a pair of French peas and their poodle puppy and a kindly asparagus stalk (Archibald Asparagus), Sara and her friends Becky (Laura Carrot) and Ermengarde (Libby Asparagus) learn that a person's worth isn't in what they own, but what's in their heart.
Very sweet. I like how they included segments from the book that other versions often overlook, such as Sara giving the street urchin (Junior Asparagus) the buns from the bakery, or the three vegetable-girls' attempts to conjure up "magic" in the attic with their imaginations. Boys may want to wait for the next Veggietales episode coming out in October (the DVD's previews indicate that it'll be a spoof of The Avengers); for girls, this delightful musical is a lot of fun, especially if they're familiar with Veggietales and/or the source material.
Switched to Angelina Ballerina: Making Our Dreams Come True The Movie while making Salmon with Chinese beans, tomatoes, and peppers in Lemon Sauce and deliciously sweet corn-on-the-cob for dinner. Everybody's favorite British rodent dancer is now enrolled in the Camembert Academy, a much larger general arts school in her home town of Chipping Cheddar. She and her best friend Alice have been joined by French dancer Gracie, jazzy Americans Vicki and JZ, and Hispanic pianist Marco, along with their teacher Miss Mimi. Angelina hasn't changed much, though. She's still determined to become a star, no matter what. When she wins a chance to join a prestigious ballet academy and become a prima ballerina, she's excited at first...until she realizes she'll have to leave her family, friends, and especially her beloved little sister Polly.
On one hand, this was pretty much just a clip-show special, with scenes from other episodes tied into a rather obvious plot. If you've seen the other episodes, this one probably isn't necessary unless your little girl is a big Angelina fan. This was my introduction to the new series, so it was less of a problem for me.
I was especially delighted with the depiction of the charming relationship between Angelina and Polly. Polly is now about five-ish, and she adores Angelina and looks up to her in every way possible. Angelina, for her part, enjoys her little sister's company and loves teaching her new dance steps. Those two have come very far from the days of Polly's birth, when Angelina threw a fit over Polly getting more attention. I almost never see such a positive depiction of sisterhood in animation, and I really loved it.
I awoke to another absolutely gorgeous day. It was just 69 degrees in my apartment this morning when I checked the thermometer. Good thing I pulled out the heavier comforter yesterday! It felt so wonderfully pleasant, seeing sunshine and blue skies out my window and feeling nice and comfortable in my room, especially after the hot and humid summer.
Spent the remaining morning putting my my general fall decorations. I've cleared a lot of decorations out in the past year or so and don't have as many as I used to, but that's not entirely a bad thing. I've debated dropping the old cardboard leaves for the windows in the recycling for several years. I bought them from the Acme the first year I lived here. While I do like them, they're up from September through Thanksgiving. Not only do they get a beating, but they attract the condensation that tends to run on the windows on chilly fall mornings. It's time I went to Party Fair or looked around for something similar, maybe even a bit smaller.
Didn't get to the Haddon Township Library until around 1. It was a perfect day for a ride across Newton River Park. Everything is so much greener and prettier than it was this time last month, before the storms came. I passed another woman on a bike, an elderly couple out for a stroll, another enjoying a picnic lunch on a bench, and a man with his cute German Shepard puppy.
The library was surprisingly busy for such a nice day. I had a lot of DVDs to shelve and organize, both in the children's and adult's sections. There were far fewer children's books. I only had maybe ten of those to shelve. Older kids are back in school; the parents of younger ones are probably encouraging them to play outside more often, now that Mother Nature is behaving herself.
I did find three DVDs of interest. It's supposed to be too nice all week to be sitting around, watching long melodramas and action films, but they had a few new girl-oriented animated shows I couldn't resist. Found two sets of the 2009 CGI revamp of Angelina Ballerina and the most recent Veggietales episode The Penniless Princess, their take on one of my favorite childhood stories, A Little Princess.
Last week, I received a menu in the mail from Pizza Villa, a pizzeria on the White Horse Pike across from WaWa on the border of Haddon Township and Oaklyn. I thought I'd try them out. While the business itself is new, the location is not. There's been at least four or five pizza parlors in that building in the seven years since I moved here, but I never actually tried any of them. It was about 2PM when I arrived, and other than one elderly woman watching America's Funniest Home Videos on Comedy Central and the man who runs the place, the small, maple-colored room was deserted. I had two huge slices of cheese and mushroom pizza. They were delicious, with nice, crispy crust and lots of cheese. The price was good too, no more expensive than Capitol Pizza down the street. I'll have to return there whenever I'm in the area and feel like pizza.
I made a quick stop at WaWa for milk after lunch, then headed home. I've been wanting to get the raking done for a while, especially after my next-door-neighbor Richard did his lawn. The front yard was still fairly covered with gray leaves leftover from summer. I could see the first golden leaves of the fall as well. For once, the side path leading up to my apartment was actually messier than the front yard, which had been done by Andrew and his family in early July. Despite the mosquitoes eating me alive, I managed to get the entire yard done in an hour and a half. The weather was perfect for yard work. Richard agreed with me - I saw him washing his van as I did the side path.
My cookie tin has been empty for a while. I made Whole Wheat-Carrot-Chocolate Chip Cookies while running The Penniless Princess. I've had an off-and-on affiliation with Veggietales over the years. They're a long-running series of CGI animated cartoons featuring fruit and vegetables retelling biblical stories, often while parodying a famous book or popular film. Some of their spoofs are creative and hilarious...but they can just as often lapse into preachiness.
While not exactly a spoof, Penniless Princess isn't too bad moral-wise. In fact, it's one of the more accurate adaptations of A Little Princess I've see on-screen, more than many live-action versions. Wealthy Sara Crewe (a broccoli stalk?) is determined to stay a princess no matter what, just like her gentle father (Larry the Cucumber) wanted her to. When her father dies and she loses her money, she struggles to stay kind to everyone around her, even nasty Miss Minchin. Thanks to a pair of French peas and their poodle puppy and a kindly asparagus stalk (Archibald Asparagus), Sara and her friends Becky (Laura Carrot) and Ermengarde (Libby Asparagus) learn that a person's worth isn't in what they own, but what's in their heart.
Very sweet. I like how they included segments from the book that other versions often overlook, such as Sara giving the street urchin (Junior Asparagus) the buns from the bakery, or the three vegetable-girls' attempts to conjure up "magic" in the attic with their imaginations. Boys may want to wait for the next Veggietales episode coming out in October (the DVD's previews indicate that it'll be a spoof of The Avengers); for girls, this delightful musical is a lot of fun, especially if they're familiar with Veggietales and/or the source material.
Switched to Angelina Ballerina: Making Our Dreams Come True The Movie while making Salmon with Chinese beans, tomatoes, and peppers in Lemon Sauce and deliciously sweet corn-on-the-cob for dinner. Everybody's favorite British rodent dancer is now enrolled in the Camembert Academy, a much larger general arts school in her home town of Chipping Cheddar. She and her best friend Alice have been joined by French dancer Gracie, jazzy Americans Vicki and JZ, and Hispanic pianist Marco, along with their teacher Miss Mimi. Angelina hasn't changed much, though. She's still determined to become a star, no matter what. When she wins a chance to join a prestigious ballet academy and become a prima ballerina, she's excited at first...until she realizes she'll have to leave her family, friends, and especially her beloved little sister Polly.
On one hand, this was pretty much just a clip-show special, with scenes from other episodes tied into a rather obvious plot. If you've seen the other episodes, this one probably isn't necessary unless your little girl is a big Angelina fan. This was my introduction to the new series, so it was less of a problem for me.
I was especially delighted with the depiction of the charming relationship between Angelina and Polly. Polly is now about five-ish, and she adores Angelina and looks up to her in every way possible. Angelina, for her part, enjoys her little sister's company and loves teaching her new dance steps. Those two have come very far from the days of Polly's birth, when Angelina threw a fit over Polly getting more attention. I almost never see such a positive depiction of sisterhood in animation, and I really loved it.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
A Beautiful Day for Mothers
It remained gorgeous, bright, and warm when I finally got up around 10AM. While many women were having Chocolate-Covered Strawberries in honor of Mother's Day, I opted for Dark Chocolate Chip-Strawberry Multi-Grain Pancakes and a half of a grapefruit. Ran Brunch With the Beatles as I ate. The theme today was "The Beatles and Other British Invasion Groups." We heard early Beatles music, along with hits from other British bands who followed in their wake. Songs included "Wishin' an' Hopin'" and "I Only Want to Be With You" by Dusty Springfield, "Ferry Cross the Mersey" by Garry and the Pacemakers, "Time On My Side" by the Rolling Stones, and "I'm Into Something Good" by Herman's Hermits. I tried to get a hold of my own mother twice, but she was out. I figured she was either working in her garden or out to brunch with Dad.
After the Beatles finished, I went to the side yard to finish up the raking. The path leading to my apartment was pretty bad. Even at its worst, though, it never takes me very long to do. It was clear in less than 20 minutes. As I worked, I saw Richard and another man pull something huge out their side door. It seemed to be a very large entertainment center. Richard's wife said they got a big new TV; did I want their old one? Sorry, no. I love the 15-inch TV I bought last year. Nice to know I'm not the only one getting new furniture, though.
It was such a nice day, I went for a walk to CVS after I was done raking. The breeze felt fresh and cool as I made my way down to Newton Avenue. The gardens look so lovely. The roses, like everything else, are early this year. They're blooming in huge bunches of deep red, coral, dusky pink, and creamy white, twining up houses like thorny rainbows.
CVS wasn't too busy when I arrived. I needed contact solution. My current bottle is almost empty. The large container was on sale for $8.99; not great, but better than the 9 or 10 dollars it usually costs. I picked up Herbal Essences on sale as well, along with milk. I chatted briefly with Jodie's son TJ and a friend of his on my way back. They were riding bikes over to Jodie's house to wish her a happy Mother's Day. They wondered why I was on foot instead. I decided to give the bike a rest; I'd be taking it to work.
When I got in, I put my purchases away and had a simple, fast lunch of shrimp, spinach salad, and leftover steamed asparagus from yesterday. I had plenty of time for once to make dinner, change into my uniform, and head to work.
Work was really busy for most of the night. In addition to this being a holiday, there's lots of birthdays and barbecues this weekend. Many colleges are having their graduation ceremonies this week or next week, too. I ended up having to stay an extra hour because a college student called out, but given I only work two days this week and could use the money, maybe it's just as well.
I did finally get a hold of Mom when I got home. I guessed right; Dad did treat her to a Mother's Day breakfast at their favorite diner in Rio Grande this morning. She loved the card I sent her, too. We had a great chat about our favorite movies. (She can't wait for the new Sherlock Holmes movie with Robert Downey Jr. to come out on DVD next month. She saw it in the theaters, lucky duck!)
It remained gorgeous, bright, and warm when I finally got up around 10AM. While many women were having Chocolate-Covered Strawberries in honor of Mother's Day, I opted for Dark Chocolate Chip-Strawberry Multi-Grain Pancakes and a half of a grapefruit. Ran Brunch With the Beatles as I ate. The theme today was "The Beatles and Other British Invasion Groups." We heard early Beatles music, along with hits from other British bands who followed in their wake. Songs included "Wishin' an' Hopin'" and "I Only Want to Be With You" by Dusty Springfield, "Ferry Cross the Mersey" by Garry and the Pacemakers, "Time On My Side" by the Rolling Stones, and "I'm Into Something Good" by Herman's Hermits. I tried to get a hold of my own mother twice, but she was out. I figured she was either working in her garden or out to brunch with Dad.
After the Beatles finished, I went to the side yard to finish up the raking. The path leading to my apartment was pretty bad. Even at its worst, though, it never takes me very long to do. It was clear in less than 20 minutes. As I worked, I saw Richard and another man pull something huge out their side door. It seemed to be a very large entertainment center. Richard's wife said they got a big new TV; did I want their old one? Sorry, no. I love the 15-inch TV I bought last year. Nice to know I'm not the only one getting new furniture, though.
It was such a nice day, I went for a walk to CVS after I was done raking. The breeze felt fresh and cool as I made my way down to Newton Avenue. The gardens look so lovely. The roses, like everything else, are early this year. They're blooming in huge bunches of deep red, coral, dusky pink, and creamy white, twining up houses like thorny rainbows.
CVS wasn't too busy when I arrived. I needed contact solution. My current bottle is almost empty. The large container was on sale for $8.99; not great, but better than the 9 or 10 dollars it usually costs. I picked up Herbal Essences on sale as well, along with milk. I chatted briefly with Jodie's son TJ and a friend of his on my way back. They were riding bikes over to Jodie's house to wish her a happy Mother's Day. They wondered why I was on foot instead. I decided to give the bike a rest; I'd be taking it to work.
When I got in, I put my purchases away and had a simple, fast lunch of shrimp, spinach salad, and leftover steamed asparagus from yesterday. I had plenty of time for once to make dinner, change into my uniform, and head to work.
Work was really busy for most of the night. In addition to this being a holiday, there's lots of birthdays and barbecues this weekend. Many colleges are having their graduation ceremonies this week or next week, too. I ended up having to stay an extra hour because a college student called out, but given I only work two days this week and could use the money, maybe it's just as well.
I did finally get a hold of Mom when I got home. I guessed right; Dad did treat her to a Mother's Day breakfast at their favorite diner in Rio Grande this morning. She loved the card I sent her, too. We had a great chat about our favorite movies. (She can't wait for the new Sherlock Holmes movie with Robert Downey Jr. to come out on DVD next month. She saw it in the theaters, lucky duck!)
Saturday, May 12, 2012
"Life Is Like a Box of Chocolates..."
I awoke to an absolutely gorgeous morning. It was sunny, breezy but not as windy as the last few days, and already in the 60s at 7:30. I ran the American Top 40 as I had fried eggs and a grapefruit half for breakfast. Casey moved back a decade to 1974 with a round of folk music, R&B, bubblegum pop, and hard rock. Hits included "Bennie and the Jets" by Elton John, "I Won't Last a Day Without You" by the Carpenters, "Dancin' Machine" by the Jackson Five, "The Entertainer" from the Oscar-winning comedy The Sting, "Tubular Bells" from the horror blockbuster The Exorcist, "Band on the Run" by Wings, "You Make Me Feel Brand New" by the Stylistics, and "Oh My My" by Ringo Starr. That week's number one hit got the whole country up and dancing - again: "The Locomotion."
My front tire has been deflating again, so when the Top 40 ended, I went downstairs and pumped it up, just as I did last week. I pushed it around front to put the copy of the New York Times on the porch. The moment I started back towards the bike, I heard a huge POP! I thought something had fallen off a train or someone shot at me. Then I saw the air ruffled around my front bike tire and how flat it seemed.
Yes, the tire was flat. I overinflated it, and it blew. I couldn't believe my rotten luck. It was my own fault for not changing the darn thing ages ago. That tire is five years old. I bought it from Ace Hardware in 2008 when the one I had before that blew on me. Now I had to waste a morning changing a tire instead of going to yard sales.
My luck improved when I saw my neighbor Richard next-door. He heard the shot and my yelling at the bike. I ended up borrowing the front tire from his (barely-used, according to him) bike so I could run my errands.
I did finally make it out to the Collingswood Farm Market and Haddon Township's Town-Wide Yard Sale around 10:30. It was very busy at the farm market when I got there with people buying food for barbecues, Sixers parties, and Mother's Day brunches. All I needed was asparagus, strawberries, green Swiss chard, radishes, and small white potatoes for Lauren's visit (she doesn't like sweet potatoes).
The Haddon Township Town-Wide Yard Sale is really more like an area-wide yard sale. Haddon Township includes Westmont,West Collingswood Heights, the streets around the Ritz Theatre on the White Horse Pike, and the neighborhoods between Westmont and Cooper River Park. I stopped at a yard sale on East Holly near the Ritz Theatre first and picked up four CDs:
Don Henley - The End of the Innocence (cassette replacement)
Billy Joel - Storm Front (cassette replacement), Piano Man (turns out I already have this one - I'll donate it to a library)
R.E.M - Out of Time
After I left the Farm Market, I checked out some yard sales on either side of Cuthbert Road, near Walgreens. My only find here was a really interesting book, Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype. I feel like there's a wild woman in me that I keep having to tame in order to earn a paycheck and keep my apartment. I want to let her out and still make a living. Maybe this will help understand why I've been so restless lately.
Made a quick stop at Ace Hardware while I was in Westmont. A sales clerk helped me retrieve the right size tire from a high shelf and showed me the aisle for the bike items, including tubes. I looked at some porch furniture, but it was too expensive. I saw some I liked at a yard sale, but the owners weren't able to deliver it, and I don't know anyone who can. Rode a few streets down to a sale near the train tracks and picked up a much-needed bottle of water and a Powerpuff Girls DVD, The Mane Event.
I picked up four videos from two yard sales in the development behind Haddon Township High School - Roman Holiday, the original The 39 Steps with Robert Donat, Quadrophina, and Blazing Saddles. Found a pack of two round lights for closets at a sale a few streets down. Only one worked, but that's fine. I also found the rare America Cares Care Bear who was sold in the early 2000s. I spent a lot of quarters trying to win him when I lived at Wildwood, but he was always at the bottom of the crane. (There must have been something big going on at Haddon Township High School, too, maybe some kind of track meet or sports event. There were tons of people milling around on their grounds and lots of colorful striped tents.)
Haddon Township High wasn't the only school holding a major event today. I was looking for an estate sale in Oaklyn when I ran across something far more interesting. The Oaklyn (Elementary/Middle) School was having it's annual Spring Fling this morning and early afternoon. The Fling is the PTA's big festival for the kids; it usually consists of a couple of game booths, a bake sale, and a bounce house or two.
This year, the PTA had grander ideas. In addition to the usual game and bake sale booths and bounce house, there were craft tables, fire trucks to explore, three midway-style rides, carts selling non-baked-goods, a booth selling Chick Fil' A sandwiches, and a mini-car show on West Clinton. I grabbed two sugar cookies and a Chick Fil' A sandwich and chatted briefly with Mrs. Doria, who was selling sodas and hoagies outside their store with her family. My Uncle Ken had brought his beloved pale-blue Corvette, and there were other cars there as well. My favorite was the gorgeous turquoise 50s car with the white fins.
I finally got home around 1:30. Turned my bike over to Richard to get the new tire and tube on (and so he could have his back), then went inside for my sandwich and some slightly mushed strawberries. Went right back out after that; I still had a lot to do. I scrubbed the porch furniture. I went under the porch to wash out the indoor trash can and recycling canisters. (It's easier to do this with the hose.) I picked up branches and sticks and took them out back. I raked the front lawn. The grass is still pretty long, but Andrew's been too busy to do it, and I don't know how. (And Andrew says Miss Ellie's lawn mower doesn't work anyway - he'd have to bring his own or borrow Richard's.) The only thing outside I didn't get to was raking the side path going to my apartment. It doesn't take that long. I'll do it tomorrow.
When I got in, I made Cornmeal-Coated Chicken Thigh Nuggets with Spinach-Pear Salad, steamed asparagus, and Banana Honey Muffins for dinner. I tried dubbing Roman Holiday, but it didn't work. Ended up doing Forrest Gump, which I picked up last week and never got to, instead.
Tom Hanks won an Oscar as the title character, a simpleton growing up in Alabama with his strong-willed mother (Sally Field) and troubled best friend Jenny (Robin Wright). He and Jenny find themselves scattered pel-mel by the tumultuous events of the mid-late 20th century. Through it all, from football stardom to Vietnam, from shrimping in the Louisiana Gulf to running across the country, Forrest's only thoughts are to the women he holds dear - Jenny and his mother. Jenny, however, is a flighty creature who runs from fad to fad - from early 60s folk to late 60s protests to 70s glam to early 80s single motherhood. Forrest and Jenny's paths intersect, but life always seems to pull them apart...until Jenny's hedonistic lifestyle catches up with her, and they both admit that there are some things you just can't run from, like life and death.
A lot of people have complained that Forrest's views of life are overly optimistic and that a lot of the events of this time period have been simplified. Not to mention, self-abusive Jenny doesn't seem to have ever noticed Women's Lib happened. I agree with the ladies of the Cinematherapy books that she seriously needed to talk to some kind of therapist, or at least grabbed a copy of Ms. Magazine somewhere along the line.
I think the simplicity is the point. Yes, these were rough times for a lot of people. My biological father and uncle lived through everything here; my mother and stepfather were born around the time Forrest was showing a certain young Memphis rocker his dance moves. I would have been a kid in the mid-80s, presumably when the movie ends. Ok, so some of it, like the thing with "Have a nice day!" towards the end, is a little too much. Most of it is very moving - Jenny and Forrest running towards one another on the Mall in Washington DC is the best-known moment, but I've always loved the touching sequence where an angry Jenny throws stones at the home where she was abused as a child, until she collapses in the dust in tears and frustration. Forrest sits down with her, commenting that "Sometimes, there just aren't enough rocks."
"And that's all I'm gonna say 'bout that..."
I awoke to an absolutely gorgeous morning. It was sunny, breezy but not as windy as the last few days, and already in the 60s at 7:30. I ran the American Top 40 as I had fried eggs and a grapefruit half for breakfast. Casey moved back a decade to 1974 with a round of folk music, R&B, bubblegum pop, and hard rock. Hits included "Bennie and the Jets" by Elton John, "I Won't Last a Day Without You" by the Carpenters, "Dancin' Machine" by the Jackson Five, "The Entertainer" from the Oscar-winning comedy The Sting, "Tubular Bells" from the horror blockbuster The Exorcist, "Band on the Run" by Wings, "You Make Me Feel Brand New" by the Stylistics, and "Oh My My" by Ringo Starr. That week's number one hit got the whole country up and dancing - again: "The Locomotion."
My front tire has been deflating again, so when the Top 40 ended, I went downstairs and pumped it up, just as I did last week. I pushed it around front to put the copy of the New York Times on the porch. The moment I started back towards the bike, I heard a huge POP! I thought something had fallen off a train or someone shot at me. Then I saw the air ruffled around my front bike tire and how flat it seemed.
Yes, the tire was flat. I overinflated it, and it blew. I couldn't believe my rotten luck. It was my own fault for not changing the darn thing ages ago. That tire is five years old. I bought it from Ace Hardware in 2008 when the one I had before that blew on me. Now I had to waste a morning changing a tire instead of going to yard sales.
My luck improved when I saw my neighbor Richard next-door. He heard the shot and my yelling at the bike. I ended up borrowing the front tire from his (barely-used, according to him) bike so I could run my errands.
I did finally make it out to the Collingswood Farm Market and Haddon Township's Town-Wide Yard Sale around 10:30. It was very busy at the farm market when I got there with people buying food for barbecues, Sixers parties, and Mother's Day brunches. All I needed was asparagus, strawberries, green Swiss chard, radishes, and small white potatoes for Lauren's visit (she doesn't like sweet potatoes).
The Haddon Township Town-Wide Yard Sale is really more like an area-wide yard sale. Haddon Township includes Westmont,West Collingswood Heights, the streets around the Ritz Theatre on the White Horse Pike, and the neighborhoods between Westmont and Cooper River Park. I stopped at a yard sale on East Holly near the Ritz Theatre first and picked up four CDs:
Don Henley - The End of the Innocence (cassette replacement)
Billy Joel - Storm Front (cassette replacement), Piano Man (turns out I already have this one - I'll donate it to a library)
R.E.M - Out of Time
After I left the Farm Market, I checked out some yard sales on either side of Cuthbert Road, near Walgreens. My only find here was a really interesting book, Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype. I feel like there's a wild woman in me that I keep having to tame in order to earn a paycheck and keep my apartment. I want to let her out and still make a living. Maybe this will help understand why I've been so restless lately.
Made a quick stop at Ace Hardware while I was in Westmont. A sales clerk helped me retrieve the right size tire from a high shelf and showed me the aisle for the bike items, including tubes. I looked at some porch furniture, but it was too expensive. I saw some I liked at a yard sale, but the owners weren't able to deliver it, and I don't know anyone who can. Rode a few streets down to a sale near the train tracks and picked up a much-needed bottle of water and a Powerpuff Girls DVD, The Mane Event.
I picked up four videos from two yard sales in the development behind Haddon Township High School - Roman Holiday, the original The 39 Steps with Robert Donat, Quadrophina, and Blazing Saddles. Found a pack of two round lights for closets at a sale a few streets down. Only one worked, but that's fine. I also found the rare America Cares Care Bear who was sold in the early 2000s. I spent a lot of quarters trying to win him when I lived at Wildwood, but he was always at the bottom of the crane. (There must have been something big going on at Haddon Township High School, too, maybe some kind of track meet or sports event. There were tons of people milling around on their grounds and lots of colorful striped tents.)
Haddon Township High wasn't the only school holding a major event today. I was looking for an estate sale in Oaklyn when I ran across something far more interesting. The Oaklyn (Elementary/Middle) School was having it's annual Spring Fling this morning and early afternoon. The Fling is the PTA's big festival for the kids; it usually consists of a couple of game booths, a bake sale, and a bounce house or two.
This year, the PTA had grander ideas. In addition to the usual game and bake sale booths and bounce house, there were craft tables, fire trucks to explore, three midway-style rides, carts selling non-baked-goods, a booth selling Chick Fil' A sandwiches, and a mini-car show on West Clinton. I grabbed two sugar cookies and a Chick Fil' A sandwich and chatted briefly with Mrs. Doria, who was selling sodas and hoagies outside their store with her family. My Uncle Ken had brought his beloved pale-blue Corvette, and there were other cars there as well. My favorite was the gorgeous turquoise 50s car with the white fins.
I finally got home around 1:30. Turned my bike over to Richard to get the new tire and tube on (and so he could have his back), then went inside for my sandwich and some slightly mushed strawberries. Went right back out after that; I still had a lot to do. I scrubbed the porch furniture. I went under the porch to wash out the indoor trash can and recycling canisters. (It's easier to do this with the hose.) I picked up branches and sticks and took them out back. I raked the front lawn. The grass is still pretty long, but Andrew's been too busy to do it, and I don't know how. (And Andrew says Miss Ellie's lawn mower doesn't work anyway - he'd have to bring his own or borrow Richard's.) The only thing outside I didn't get to was raking the side path going to my apartment. It doesn't take that long. I'll do it tomorrow.
When I got in, I made Cornmeal-Coated Chicken Thigh Nuggets with Spinach-Pear Salad, steamed asparagus, and Banana Honey Muffins for dinner. I tried dubbing Roman Holiday, but it didn't work. Ended up doing Forrest Gump, which I picked up last week and never got to, instead.
Tom Hanks won an Oscar as the title character, a simpleton growing up in Alabama with his strong-willed mother (Sally Field) and troubled best friend Jenny (Robin Wright). He and Jenny find themselves scattered pel-mel by the tumultuous events of the mid-late 20th century. Through it all, from football stardom to Vietnam, from shrimping in the Louisiana Gulf to running across the country, Forrest's only thoughts are to the women he holds dear - Jenny and his mother. Jenny, however, is a flighty creature who runs from fad to fad - from early 60s folk to late 60s protests to 70s glam to early 80s single motherhood. Forrest and Jenny's paths intersect, but life always seems to pull them apart...until Jenny's hedonistic lifestyle catches up with her, and they both admit that there are some things you just can't run from, like life and death.
A lot of people have complained that Forrest's views of life are overly optimistic and that a lot of the events of this time period have been simplified. Not to mention, self-abusive Jenny doesn't seem to have ever noticed Women's Lib happened. I agree with the ladies of the Cinematherapy books that she seriously needed to talk to some kind of therapist, or at least grabbed a copy of Ms. Magazine somewhere along the line.
I think the simplicity is the point. Yes, these were rough times for a lot of people. My biological father and uncle lived through everything here; my mother and stepfather were born around the time Forrest was showing a certain young Memphis rocker his dance moves. I would have been a kid in the mid-80s, presumably when the movie ends. Ok, so some of it, like the thing with "Have a nice day!" towards the end, is a little too much. Most of it is very moving - Jenny and Forrest running towards one another on the Mall in Washington DC is the best-known moment, but I've always loved the touching sequence where an angry Jenny throws stones at the home where she was abused as a child, until she collapses in the dust in tears and frustration. Forrest sits down with her, commenting that "Sometimes, there just aren't enough rocks."
"And that's all I'm gonna say 'bout that..."
Sunday, December 11, 2011
The Holiday Rush
Started this morning with Pear Pancakes and Brunch With the Beatles. The spotlight was on the album Rubber Soul today as the boys began to experiment more in the studio. Songs from this album include "Michelle," "Nowhere Man," "If I Needed Someone," "Girl," "In My Life," "Drive My Car," and "Think For Yourself." "We Can Work It Out" and "Paperback Writer" were written around this time but ultimately released as non-album singles. I tried calling Mom during the show, but I first got a busy signal, then got her while my sister Anny and her son Skylar were visiting. I'd call later.
I dawdled too long over reading this morning and didn't get out to raking the side path until a half-hour before I left. I thought Miss Ellie's nephew was going to do it, but I guess not. It's still covered in piles and piles of leaves past my ankles. I couldn't put it off any longer. The piles were so high, I didn't finish it before had to leave for work!
Work was a total pain in the rear. Everyone must have decided to put off their shopping until today. We had very long lines all afternoon and not enough help. At one point, someone spilled a bottle of juice while I was trying to deal with a woman who didn't speak English well. It was just crazy. Thank goodness a manager came in for me, because the girl who was originally my relief couldn't come in.
When I got home, I finished the raking in the dark. After that was done, I went upstairs, worked on a batch of cookies for my friends Linda and James, made salad, roasted broccoli, and cubed steak for dinner, and ran McCabe and Mrs. Miller. Robert Altman, who also did Nashville, made this classic western tale, and it's full of his special touches, from overlapping dialogue to emphasis on a group of characters. The title people are McCabe, a cowardly gambler (Warren Beatty) and Mr. Miller, a tough madam (Julie Christie), who start a bordello and saloon in a small mining town in the Pacific Northwest. When it becomes wildly successful, it attracts the attention of local landowners who want to buy it. After a drunk McCabe turns them down, they send hit men after him, leading to a final gunfight around the bordello while the local church burns.
I was surprised at how much I loved it. Actually, it makes a nice compliment to Johnny Guitar, another non-traditional western with strong female characters. This isn't the west you see in B-pics and John Wayne's earlier films. McCabe's northwest is gritty, dark, and filled with people who want to either make money or get laid. Beatty and Christie are wonderful as the gambler who just wants to make a living and the smart madam who wants to turn the bordello into something special. This isn't for people who prefer traditional good guys in white-bad guys in black stories, but if you enjoy unusual westerns, Altman's style, or Beatty or Christie, this is absolutely worth looking into.
Called Mom after I finished the cookies. She spent the day with her daughter and grandson, then watching the Eagles-Dolphins game. For once, there was plenty to cheer about - the Eagles slaughtered the Dolphins 26-10.
She had a great suggestion for a way to make the holidays easier for my sisters and brother and me next year. Instead of buying each other and Anny and Rose's sons and our parents and their significant others presents, we should have a Secret Santa. We'd set a limit as to how much we should all spend, then pick names out of a hat or something similar. I think it's a brilliant idea. None of us have much money, and two of us have kids and three of us have sweethearts to shop for, too.
Apparently, Rose and Keefe are all for it. Neither of them are really crazy about shopping. Anny's the one who needs to be convinced. She not only loves shopping, but enjoys doing it for as many people as she can.
Started this morning with Pear Pancakes and Brunch With the Beatles. The spotlight was on the album Rubber Soul today as the boys began to experiment more in the studio. Songs from this album include "Michelle," "Nowhere Man," "If I Needed Someone," "Girl," "In My Life," "Drive My Car," and "Think For Yourself." "We Can Work It Out" and "Paperback Writer" were written around this time but ultimately released as non-album singles. I tried calling Mom during the show, but I first got a busy signal, then got her while my sister Anny and her son Skylar were visiting. I'd call later.
I dawdled too long over reading this morning and didn't get out to raking the side path until a half-hour before I left. I thought Miss Ellie's nephew was going to do it, but I guess not. It's still covered in piles and piles of leaves past my ankles. I couldn't put it off any longer. The piles were so high, I didn't finish it before had to leave for work!
Work was a total pain in the rear. Everyone must have decided to put off their shopping until today. We had very long lines all afternoon and not enough help. At one point, someone spilled a bottle of juice while I was trying to deal with a woman who didn't speak English well. It was just crazy. Thank goodness a manager came in for me, because the girl who was originally my relief couldn't come in.
When I got home, I finished the raking in the dark. After that was done, I went upstairs, worked on a batch of cookies for my friends Linda and James, made salad, roasted broccoli, and cubed steak for dinner, and ran McCabe and Mrs. Miller. Robert Altman, who also did Nashville, made this classic western tale, and it's full of his special touches, from overlapping dialogue to emphasis on a group of characters. The title people are McCabe, a cowardly gambler (Warren Beatty) and Mr. Miller, a tough madam (Julie Christie), who start a bordello and saloon in a small mining town in the Pacific Northwest. When it becomes wildly successful, it attracts the attention of local landowners who want to buy it. After a drunk McCabe turns them down, they send hit men after him, leading to a final gunfight around the bordello while the local church burns.
I was surprised at how much I loved it. Actually, it makes a nice compliment to Johnny Guitar, another non-traditional western with strong female characters. This isn't the west you see in B-pics and John Wayne's earlier films. McCabe's northwest is gritty, dark, and filled with people who want to either make money or get laid. Beatty and Christie are wonderful as the gambler who just wants to make a living and the smart madam who wants to turn the bordello into something special. This isn't for people who prefer traditional good guys in white-bad guys in black stories, but if you enjoy unusual westerns, Altman's style, or Beatty or Christie, this is absolutely worth looking into.
Called Mom after I finished the cookies. She spent the day with her daughter and grandson, then watching the Eagles-Dolphins game. For once, there was plenty to cheer about - the Eagles slaughtered the Dolphins 26-10.
She had a great suggestion for a way to make the holidays easier for my sisters and brother and me next year. Instead of buying each other and Anny and Rose's sons and our parents and their significant others presents, we should have a Secret Santa. We'd set a limit as to how much we should all spend, then pick names out of a hat or something similar. I think it's a brilliant idea. None of us have much money, and two of us have kids and three of us have sweethearts to shop for, too.
Apparently, Rose and Keefe are all for it. Neither of them are really crazy about shopping. Anny's the one who needs to be convinced. She not only loves shopping, but enjoys doing it for as many people as she can.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Balance and the Holidays
Started off a sunny, clear, windy day with yoga class. I normally prefer the Thursday class, but I work at 12:30 tomorrow and won't really have the time. Erik is in charge of the Wednesday class, and while he's a very sweet man, he's also a yoga whiz. He's amazingly flexible. His classes tend to be fast-paced and difficult. We worked on hip-openers and joint flexibility today, including several ying poses and shoulder stands. I didn't really have a problem with anything but the shoulder stands (which I still can't do) - it was just a matter of keeping up with him!
Went straight to the Collingswood Library after class. Once again, there wasn't a lot to do there. I put two DVDs away, organized the DVDs, and shelved one non-fiction book upstairs.
It's just as well that there was nothing going on at the Library. I wanted to get home and do some raking for Miss Ellie. While we don't have nearly as many leaves on the ground as we did at this time last month, there's still more than there was last December. I wanted to get them up before the winter weather really sets in. Not to mention, this is the last week for leaf pick-up in Oaklyn. I also found another package from Lauren on the porch and a card from Meggan and Jason, married friends in Washington State.
I had a leisurely lunch of leftover chili and an apple before heading to work. Work was on-and-off steady all night, busier than it has been but not as bad as I figured it would be. Everyone must be waiting for Christmas Eve. There were no major problems, and my relief was on-time.
I opened my last present from Lauren when I got home. She gave me the adorable new WebKinz Gray Wolf. I'm going to name him Gabe, as in Dell, one of the original Dead End Kids who would later play the frequently-employed friend of the Bowery Boys. Gabe will move in with Frostina in her Winter Holidays Room.
Started off a sunny, clear, windy day with yoga class. I normally prefer the Thursday class, but I work at 12:30 tomorrow and won't really have the time. Erik is in charge of the Wednesday class, and while he's a very sweet man, he's also a yoga whiz. He's amazingly flexible. His classes tend to be fast-paced and difficult. We worked on hip-openers and joint flexibility today, including several ying poses and shoulder stands. I didn't really have a problem with anything but the shoulder stands (which I still can't do) - it was just a matter of keeping up with him!
Went straight to the Collingswood Library after class. Once again, there wasn't a lot to do there. I put two DVDs away, organized the DVDs, and shelved one non-fiction book upstairs.
It's just as well that there was nothing going on at the Library. I wanted to get home and do some raking for Miss Ellie. While we don't have nearly as many leaves on the ground as we did at this time last month, there's still more than there was last December. I wanted to get them up before the winter weather really sets in. Not to mention, this is the last week for leaf pick-up in Oaklyn. I also found another package from Lauren on the porch and a card from Meggan and Jason, married friends in Washington State.
I had a leisurely lunch of leftover chili and an apple before heading to work. Work was on-and-off steady all night, busier than it has been but not as bad as I figured it would be. Everyone must be waiting for Christmas Eve. There were no major problems, and my relief was on-time.
I opened my last present from Lauren when I got home. She gave me the adorable new WebKinz Gray Wolf. I'm going to name him Gabe, as in Dell, one of the original Dead End Kids who would later play the frequently-employed friend of the Bowery Boys. Gabe will move in with Frostina in her Winter Holidays Room.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
This Time of the Year
I slept in this morning, likely the only time I'll be able to do so this week. Read The Great Santa Search and my new Bowery Boys books in bed, then wrote in my journal. When I finally got out, I put on my clothes, had a quick breakfast of muffins and a half of a grapefruit, and watched Barbie In A Christmas Carol again before I had to take it back. I didn't get out to the Haddon Township Library until past 11.
I had a hard ride. Though it was sunny and a little less chilly than it has been, it was also very windy. The wind whipped across my face as I rode across Newton River Park. This time, I didn't see any wildlife, but I did see some older ladies walking dogs. The ladies were bundled up like Randy in A Christmas Carol.
The Library was quite busy when I got in. It was busy in the back, too. The librarians were showered with cookies and treats from various people. I got to sample some, too. The chocolate-covered cookies were especially good, and I liked the creative green marshmallow wreaths made from corn flakes and green-tinted Jet-Puffs.
I didn't want to linger at the Library for very long, since I had a lot of things to do today. I just shelved and organized DVDs. Found three kids' DVDs I wanted to take out. I grabbed the last episodes of the 2003 Strawberry Shortcake series Berrywood, Here We Come!, Volume Eleven of Charlie and Lola, and another Max and Ruby holiday collection, A Very Bunny Christmas.
My next stops were short runs to Super Fresh and the Dollar Tree. The Super Fresh carries carrots in bunches, which I prefer to the tasteless orange clubs Acme sells in bags. They also have better prices on maple syrup (one of the very few items with a price that's better than Acme's), and I forgot the mushrooms on Saturday. Also stopped at Dollar Tree for another Christmas bag.
Had lunch at Geneva Pizza on Cuthbert Road, a few blocks down from the Westmont Plaza. It was 1:30 when I got in, and the place was quiet. My only companions for a slice of cheese and broccoli pizza and a can of Diet Coke was Judge Alex on the big-screen TV across from me.
Headed home after lunch. I told Miss Ellie I'd rake under the bushes in the front of the house for her. After I finished that, I went for a walk around the neighborhood. Went to the end of Goff Avenue to check out how frozen the river's gotten. I had a wonderful, clear view all the way to the Ben Franklin Bridge.
Spent the rest of the evening at the apartment. Worked on the last baked item I need to make while watching Berrywood!. As you can guess from the title, these two stories are both movie-based. In the first, Strawberry's old friend Limelight is now a star...but like Eden Starling, Limelight has a serious me-first complex that alienates her old friends. The second story shows what happens when the girls try to make a movie to save an old theater and the Pie Man and Sour Grapes interfere.
To be honest, these aren't Strawberry's best by a long-shot. Neither made much sense, and Limelight changes her mind about her ways much too quickly and arruptly. It is nice to see the 2003 series come to at least some conclusion, though. However, mothers looking to introduce their daughters to the second world of Strawberry might want to start with the 2003-2005 entries.
Max and Ruby had a lot more fun. My favorites in this collection were "Grandma's Present" (Ruby shops for something special for Grandma, but the boa she picks is more appropriate for her than her rather tomboyish grandparent) and "Ruby's Snow Angel" (Ruby teaches Max to make snow angels, but he would rather search for the Abominable Snow Bunny).
Two stories show a rare spirit of cooperation among this pair. "Max's Christmas Tree" has the duo decorating their own tree. Ruby, as usual, wants it to be conventionally beautiful...but Max has his own definition of "beauty" that can work just as well. (I loved his pinwheel for a tree topper.) "Ruby's Sing-Along" has Ruby trying to decide on a song to perform for a talent show. She has no idea what to sing and play...until Max and his noisy animal toys give her a very creative answer.
Ran White Christmas while having chicken chili, spinach salad, and leftover mashed sweet potatoes for dinner. White Christmas tends to drag in spots (especially once the rom-com contrivances take over in the second half), but some of the numbers are sensational. I love both the girls and the guys' versions of "Sisters," the bizarre "Mandy" number, and the touching performance of the title song in the opening sequence.
I slept in this morning, likely the only time I'll be able to do so this week. Read The Great Santa Search and my new Bowery Boys books in bed, then wrote in my journal. When I finally got out, I put on my clothes, had a quick breakfast of muffins and a half of a grapefruit, and watched Barbie In A Christmas Carol again before I had to take it back. I didn't get out to the Haddon Township Library until past 11.
I had a hard ride. Though it was sunny and a little less chilly than it has been, it was also very windy. The wind whipped across my face as I rode across Newton River Park. This time, I didn't see any wildlife, but I did see some older ladies walking dogs. The ladies were bundled up like Randy in A Christmas Carol.
The Library was quite busy when I got in. It was busy in the back, too. The librarians were showered with cookies and treats from various people. I got to sample some, too. The chocolate-covered cookies were especially good, and I liked the creative green marshmallow wreaths made from corn flakes and green-tinted Jet-Puffs.
I didn't want to linger at the Library for very long, since I had a lot of things to do today. I just shelved and organized DVDs. Found three kids' DVDs I wanted to take out. I grabbed the last episodes of the 2003 Strawberry Shortcake series Berrywood, Here We Come!, Volume Eleven of Charlie and Lola, and another Max and Ruby holiday collection, A Very Bunny Christmas.
My next stops were short runs to Super Fresh and the Dollar Tree. The Super Fresh carries carrots in bunches, which I prefer to the tasteless orange clubs Acme sells in bags. They also have better prices on maple syrup (one of the very few items with a price that's better than Acme's), and I forgot the mushrooms on Saturday. Also stopped at Dollar Tree for another Christmas bag.
Had lunch at Geneva Pizza on Cuthbert Road, a few blocks down from the Westmont Plaza. It was 1:30 when I got in, and the place was quiet. My only companions for a slice of cheese and broccoli pizza and a can of Diet Coke was Judge Alex on the big-screen TV across from me.
Headed home after lunch. I told Miss Ellie I'd rake under the bushes in the front of the house for her. After I finished that, I went for a walk around the neighborhood. Went to the end of Goff Avenue to check out how frozen the river's gotten. I had a wonderful, clear view all the way to the Ben Franklin Bridge.
Spent the rest of the evening at the apartment. Worked on the last baked item I need to make while watching Berrywood!. As you can guess from the title, these two stories are both movie-based. In the first, Strawberry's old friend Limelight is now a star...but like Eden Starling, Limelight has a serious me-first complex that alienates her old friends. The second story shows what happens when the girls try to make a movie to save an old theater and the Pie Man and Sour Grapes interfere.
To be honest, these aren't Strawberry's best by a long-shot. Neither made much sense, and Limelight changes her mind about her ways much too quickly and arruptly. It is nice to see the 2003 series come to at least some conclusion, though. However, mothers looking to introduce their daughters to the second world of Strawberry might want to start with the 2003-2005 entries.
Max and Ruby had a lot more fun. My favorites in this collection were "Grandma's Present" (Ruby shops for something special for Grandma, but the boa she picks is more appropriate for her than her rather tomboyish grandparent) and "Ruby's Snow Angel" (Ruby teaches Max to make snow angels, but he would rather search for the Abominable Snow Bunny).
Two stories show a rare spirit of cooperation among this pair. "Max's Christmas Tree" has the duo decorating their own tree. Ruby, as usual, wants it to be conventionally beautiful...but Max has his own definition of "beauty" that can work just as well. (I loved his pinwheel for a tree topper.) "Ruby's Sing-Along" has Ruby trying to decide on a song to perform for a talent show. She has no idea what to sing and play...until Max and his noisy animal toys give her a very creative answer.
Ran White Christmas while having chicken chili, spinach salad, and leftover mashed sweet potatoes for dinner. White Christmas tends to drag in spots (especially once the rom-com contrivances take over in the second half), but some of the numbers are sensational. I love both the girls and the guys' versions of "Sisters," the bizarre "Mandy" number, and the touching performance of the title song in the opening sequence.
Saturday, December 04, 2010
Before the Parade Passes By
I got a LOT done today. Started off a lovely day in late fall with a walk to the bank. The sky was blue. The air was chilly, but not bitter cold. It was windy, but the houses blocked the worst of it. I deposited my very large check in the bank, then headed home.
My original plan was to go to the Acme first, then rake the side path. I decided when I got back that I really wanted to get the side path done. I'm glad I changed my mind. I think there were even more leaves on the side path than in the front yard, thanks to the wind between the neighbors' house and ours. It only took about 20 minutes, but there was still a lot of struggling.
Collected my pay from Miss Ellie next. Poor darling! She sounded terrible. Apparently, she had a bad cold. I saw her nephew later - he said he was going to spend the day with her.
Next on my list was grocery shopping. Had to restock the fruit today - I picked up grapefruit, bananas, apples, and the pears that were on sale. Had a coupon for toothpaste and for Teriyaki sauce, and flour is on a really big sale for the holidays. They finally had the Nestle Dark Chocolate and Mint Chips bags again, too. I intend to use the first bag to make cookies for a friend, but I bought two more bags for myself for after the holidays. I love mint anything.
Rose had called right before I left. Kelsey the dog was ok - she'd gotten some medicine for her leg at the vet's that morning. We were on for the West Cape May Christmas Parade! She picked me up around 2. I spent the time before that having leftover meatloaf for lunch and sweeping the porch.
Rose and I drove down there with Khai, stopping at WaWa for hot drinks. We met Mom, Dad, Anny, and Skylar at Mom and Dad's house. (Keefe had already gone on ahead to West Cape May - he's in Lower Cape May Regional High School's marching band in the drum section.) We chatted there for a bit while Dad and Sky played Mario Galaxy 2 and Rose fed Khai and got him dressed in warmer clothes.
We finally headed for Cape May around quarter after 4. It might have been better to leave earlier. We hit traffic at least a mile before the West Cape May Bridge. We ended up going over the Cape May Bridge instead...and we still hit traffic near the Lobster House on Schellinger's Landing. We finally went down Texas Avenue and up to the beachfront instead.
(And a sad note - it would appear they finally demolished the old Cape May Convention Center. I know the place wasn't in great shape even when we were kids, but so many events used to happen there. We used to go roller skating there on weekend afternoons in the winter and spring. We went to birthday parties there. The summer parades were judged there. They held craft fairs there. Lots of fond memories. I wonder what's going to replace it? Another convention center, or maybe a new restaurant or a group of shops?)
We parked on Grant Street in West Cape May and walked down to Broadway, where the Parade passes through. It was well past 5 by the time we finally found Anny, Sky, and Anny's friend Jeff in front of the 7-11 on Broadway, across from the park where the Lima Bean Festival is held every fall. We got very lucky. The parade was almost a half-hour late. It started just ten minutes after we arrived. Mom and Dad joined us 20 minutes later after doing some shopping at the Washington Street Mall.
The West Cape May Christmas Parade is a huge deal. Towns as far away as the Philly area compete for cash prizes. Every town in Cape May County, some of them barely large enough for one fire truck, submits at least one fire-fighting apparatus. There's beauty queens. There's dance groups. We got to see one, JoAnne Regan's, do a number to "All I Want For Christmas Is You" dressed in sparkling white-and-silver flapper costumes. There's floats for churches and local businesses. There's Mummers, which they never had when I was a kid. (I saw the same farmer group who were in the Collingswood Parade, complete with cow and very yellow chicken.) There's string bands.
Skylar was having the time of his life, chasing candy and blowing on the long blue plastic horn his mother bought him. Khai just seemed dazed, even after Rose gave him a juice bottle. It was very cold and cloudy by then, too, though the park blocked the worst of the wind. Needless to say, we didn't stay for the whole parade. I don't think we were even there for an hour. That's ok. Khai's still little. There will be other years, and I did get to see the full Collingswood Parade. I'm just glad we were able to get down there at all.
We stopped at the big WaWa in the Villas to use the bathroom and get warm drinks and snacks, then head home. This time, we only hit traffic by the Deptford Mall. We spent the ride home talking about Christmas presents and the parade and our family while Khai slept the whole way home.
I got a LOT done today. Started off a lovely day in late fall with a walk to the bank. The sky was blue. The air was chilly, but not bitter cold. It was windy, but the houses blocked the worst of it. I deposited my very large check in the bank, then headed home.
My original plan was to go to the Acme first, then rake the side path. I decided when I got back that I really wanted to get the side path done. I'm glad I changed my mind. I think there were even more leaves on the side path than in the front yard, thanks to the wind between the neighbors' house and ours. It only took about 20 minutes, but there was still a lot of struggling.
Collected my pay from Miss Ellie next. Poor darling! She sounded terrible. Apparently, she had a bad cold. I saw her nephew later - he said he was going to spend the day with her.
Next on my list was grocery shopping. Had to restock the fruit today - I picked up grapefruit, bananas, apples, and the pears that were on sale. Had a coupon for toothpaste and for Teriyaki sauce, and flour is on a really big sale for the holidays. They finally had the Nestle Dark Chocolate and Mint Chips bags again, too. I intend to use the first bag to make cookies for a friend, but I bought two more bags for myself for after the holidays. I love mint anything.
Rose had called right before I left. Kelsey the dog was ok - she'd gotten some medicine for her leg at the vet's that morning. We were on for the West Cape May Christmas Parade! She picked me up around 2. I spent the time before that having leftover meatloaf for lunch and sweeping the porch.
Rose and I drove down there with Khai, stopping at WaWa for hot drinks. We met Mom, Dad, Anny, and Skylar at Mom and Dad's house. (Keefe had already gone on ahead to West Cape May - he's in Lower Cape May Regional High School's marching band in the drum section.) We chatted there for a bit while Dad and Sky played Mario Galaxy 2 and Rose fed Khai and got him dressed in warmer clothes.
We finally headed for Cape May around quarter after 4. It might have been better to leave earlier. We hit traffic at least a mile before the West Cape May Bridge. We ended up going over the Cape May Bridge instead...and we still hit traffic near the Lobster House on Schellinger's Landing. We finally went down Texas Avenue and up to the beachfront instead.
(And a sad note - it would appear they finally demolished the old Cape May Convention Center. I know the place wasn't in great shape even when we were kids, but so many events used to happen there. We used to go roller skating there on weekend afternoons in the winter and spring. We went to birthday parties there. The summer parades were judged there. They held craft fairs there. Lots of fond memories. I wonder what's going to replace it? Another convention center, or maybe a new restaurant or a group of shops?)
We parked on Grant Street in West Cape May and walked down to Broadway, where the Parade passes through. It was well past 5 by the time we finally found Anny, Sky, and Anny's friend Jeff in front of the 7-11 on Broadway, across from the park where the Lima Bean Festival is held every fall. We got very lucky. The parade was almost a half-hour late. It started just ten minutes after we arrived. Mom and Dad joined us 20 minutes later after doing some shopping at the Washington Street Mall.
The West Cape May Christmas Parade is a huge deal. Towns as far away as the Philly area compete for cash prizes. Every town in Cape May County, some of them barely large enough for one fire truck, submits at least one fire-fighting apparatus. There's beauty queens. There's dance groups. We got to see one, JoAnne Regan's, do a number to "All I Want For Christmas Is You" dressed in sparkling white-and-silver flapper costumes. There's floats for churches and local businesses. There's Mummers, which they never had when I was a kid. (I saw the same farmer group who were in the Collingswood Parade, complete with cow and very yellow chicken.) There's string bands.
Skylar was having the time of his life, chasing candy and blowing on the long blue plastic horn his mother bought him. Khai just seemed dazed, even after Rose gave him a juice bottle. It was very cold and cloudy by then, too, though the park blocked the worst of the wind. Needless to say, we didn't stay for the whole parade. I don't think we were even there for an hour. That's ok. Khai's still little. There will be other years, and I did get to see the full Collingswood Parade. I'm just glad we were able to get down there at all.
We stopped at the big WaWa in the Villas to use the bathroom and get warm drinks and snacks, then head home. This time, we only hit traffic by the Deptford Mall. We spent the ride home talking about Christmas presents and the parade and our family while Khai slept the whole way home.
Friday, December 03, 2010
"Never Jump In a Pile Of Leaves With a Wet Sucker."
Yup, today was raking day...but before I started the leaves, I went for a walk around the neighborhood. The weather was sunny, chilly, and windy, but not out of line with early December in New Jersey, and my walk was quite pleasant. There's leaves all over the place now. Thanks to the storm on Wednesday, most trees are bare, though a few do continue to cling to the last few leaves. The neighborhood is in something of a transitional state. Some people have their Christmas decorations out. Some still have Thanksgiving decorations. Most don't have anything, but that usually changes by the end of the weekend.
When I got home, I went right into raking. It was a LOT harder to rake today than it was two weeks ago! For one thing, there seemed to be three times as many leaves as usual, some as large as dinner plates. For another thing, a lot of them were still wet from the Wednesday monsoon. I started at 11:30 and didn't get done until 1...and then Miss Ellie asked me to put the pruned branches from the bush we did last month in a bag (after leaving them in a recycling canister since then). I never did get to the side path - I'll do that tomorrow.
After I finally finished, I went upstairs and had a hot turkey, spinach, and cheese sandwich for lunch while watching The Little Drummer Boy. An elegant, sweet tale of an orphan boy who hates people who is redeemed by faith, this is one of Rankin-Bass' best and classiest productions. No kitsch here - renown British actress Greer Garson narrates the story, and actor/director Mel Ferrer plays two roles, Aaron's father and Ali Hakim, the wily desert impresario.
Work didn't go quite as well. There were a lot of obnoxious and just plain annoying people tonight, including several of those older ladies who like to give out 500 orders for how to bag without lifting a finger to help themselves, and at least one family who put back half their order because they didn't have enough money. Since when did 120 dollars worth of food look like 80?
And now, I find out that Rose and I might not be going to the West Cape May Christmas Parade tomorrow after all. One of her dogs seem to have hurt its leg, and she wants to stay with it at the vet and doesn't know how long she'll be. I understand how she feels about her dogs, and I have a lot of other things I want to get done tomorrow, too...but I really wish she could have told me this earlier.
Yup, today was raking day...but before I started the leaves, I went for a walk around the neighborhood. The weather was sunny, chilly, and windy, but not out of line with early December in New Jersey, and my walk was quite pleasant. There's leaves all over the place now. Thanks to the storm on Wednesday, most trees are bare, though a few do continue to cling to the last few leaves. The neighborhood is in something of a transitional state. Some people have their Christmas decorations out. Some still have Thanksgiving decorations. Most don't have anything, but that usually changes by the end of the weekend.
When I got home, I went right into raking. It was a LOT harder to rake today than it was two weeks ago! For one thing, there seemed to be three times as many leaves as usual, some as large as dinner plates. For another thing, a lot of them were still wet from the Wednesday monsoon. I started at 11:30 and didn't get done until 1...and then Miss Ellie asked me to put the pruned branches from the bush we did last month in a bag (after leaving them in a recycling canister since then). I never did get to the side path - I'll do that tomorrow.
After I finally finished, I went upstairs and had a hot turkey, spinach, and cheese sandwich for lunch while watching The Little Drummer Boy. An elegant, sweet tale of an orphan boy who hates people who is redeemed by faith, this is one of Rankin-Bass' best and classiest productions. No kitsch here - renown British actress Greer Garson narrates the story, and actor/director Mel Ferrer plays two roles, Aaron's father and Ali Hakim, the wily desert impresario.
Work didn't go quite as well. There were a lot of obnoxious and just plain annoying people tonight, including several of those older ladies who like to give out 500 orders for how to bag without lifting a finger to help themselves, and at least one family who put back half their order because they didn't have enough money. Since when did 120 dollars worth of food look like 80?
And now, I find out that Rose and I might not be going to the West Cape May Christmas Parade tomorrow after all. One of her dogs seem to have hurt its leg, and she wants to stay with it at the vet and doesn't know how long she'll be. I understand how she feels about her dogs, and I have a lot of other things I want to get done tomorrow, too...but I really wish she could have told me this earlier.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Balance Is a Mystery
Began a sunny, windy morning with this week's yoga class. With far fewer people in the class this week than last week, we had plenty of room to work on balancing poses and flexibility. I'm still trying to do a full wheel. Karin helped a lot.
Next stop was the Collingswood Library for this week's volunteering session there. Collingswood's Storybook Hour ended about ten minutes after I arrived, and I found myself swamped with kids looking for Go Diego Go! and Shark's Tale. After they left, I organized the DVDs. There wasn't much there, so I spent some time upstairs after that.
Instead of going straight home after I left the Library, I rode to Oaklyn's City Hall. I figured the best way to find out information on what was going on with the Oaklyn Library was to go right to the top. A secretary in the front of City Hall told me the Library closing was a police matter and to talk to them.
I went downstairs and under City Hall to Oaklyn's only police station. The operator in the front room wasn't much more helpful. All she could tell me was that the police had closed the Library and that it would be closed while they conducted their investigation.
Made a brief stop at Dad and Uncle Ken's next. First of all, I did want to see Dad, who just got home from a long work trip last week. He was blowing leaves out of the driveway when I passed by.
Second, yes, I wanted to ask Uncle Ken about the library. He knows everyone and everything in Oaklyn. Alas, he's been busy with his roof and hadn't been paying attention to much else. I didn't get anything new from him.
Finally headed home after that. Dad wasn't the only one who wanted to get the leaves out of his yard today. I had a turkey sandwich for lunch, then went outside and did the raking. The wild wind we had over the weekend had left ankle-deep piles of leaves in the front yard and side path. It was still windy, but not as bad as earlier in the week. The wind was only a problem when I was doing the side path, as that's when I was raking into it.
I rested for about 40 minutes or so after I finished the yard. Watched the Bowery Boys movie Hard Boiled Mahoney and looked through the vintage Better Homes and Gardens cookbook I found the other day.
Hard Boiled Mahoney is the first of two Bowery Boys film noir spoofs, and is an oddity in their cannon for several reasons. First of all, it's the only time Gabriel Dell is seen as part of the gang in the Bowery Boys series, and he's a glasses-wearing nerd that's a far cry from his usual smooth, job-changing charmer. I believe this may be one of the first times we see Louie, the little sweet shop owner, as well. It's also the first of two times the boys tangle with phony mediums.
Work was on-and-off busy for most of the night, though it did die down a bit later. Other than some annoying customers, there were no major problems.
Began a sunny, windy morning with this week's yoga class. With far fewer people in the class this week than last week, we had plenty of room to work on balancing poses and flexibility. I'm still trying to do a full wheel. Karin helped a lot.
Next stop was the Collingswood Library for this week's volunteering session there. Collingswood's Storybook Hour ended about ten minutes after I arrived, and I found myself swamped with kids looking for Go Diego Go! and Shark's Tale. After they left, I organized the DVDs. There wasn't much there, so I spent some time upstairs after that.
Instead of going straight home after I left the Library, I rode to Oaklyn's City Hall. I figured the best way to find out information on what was going on with the Oaklyn Library was to go right to the top. A secretary in the front of City Hall told me the Library closing was a police matter and to talk to them.
I went downstairs and under City Hall to Oaklyn's only police station. The operator in the front room wasn't much more helpful. All she could tell me was that the police had closed the Library and that it would be closed while they conducted their investigation.
Made a brief stop at Dad and Uncle Ken's next. First of all, I did want to see Dad, who just got home from a long work trip last week. He was blowing leaves out of the driveway when I passed by.
Second, yes, I wanted to ask Uncle Ken about the library. He knows everyone and everything in Oaklyn. Alas, he's been busy with his roof and hadn't been paying attention to much else. I didn't get anything new from him.
Finally headed home after that. Dad wasn't the only one who wanted to get the leaves out of his yard today. I had a turkey sandwich for lunch, then went outside and did the raking. The wild wind we had over the weekend had left ankle-deep piles of leaves in the front yard and side path. It was still windy, but not as bad as earlier in the week. The wind was only a problem when I was doing the side path, as that's when I was raking into it.
I rested for about 40 minutes or so after I finished the yard. Watched the Bowery Boys movie Hard Boiled Mahoney and looked through the vintage Better Homes and Gardens cookbook I found the other day.
Hard Boiled Mahoney is the first of two Bowery Boys film noir spoofs, and is an oddity in their cannon for several reasons. First of all, it's the only time Gabriel Dell is seen as part of the gang in the Bowery Boys series, and he's a glasses-wearing nerd that's a far cry from his usual smooth, job-changing charmer. I believe this may be one of the first times we see Louie, the little sweet shop owner, as well. It's also the first of two times the boys tangle with phony mediums.
Work was on-and-off busy for most of the night, though it did die down a bit later. Other than some annoying customers, there were no major problems.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Hail, Hail, the Leaves are All Here
It was a gorgeous, sunny, 60-degree day when I awoke this morning. I read The Lost Temple for a while and wrote in my journal. After I got out of bed and got dressed, I had yogurt and an apple for breakfast while watching some Armed Services-themed Bowery Boys. Here Comes the Marines is the only movie where the Boys plausibly join the Services; they're all drafted. Sach proves particularly incompetent...until he gets buddy-buddy with the head of the base, who knew his father. He's made a sergeant and proceeds to flagrantly abuse his power and his whistle. His fellow Bowery Boys, including best friend Slip Mahoney, do their best to try to bring Sach back down to Earth. They finally end up using him as bait to trap a smuggling ring.
Headed for the Haddon Township Library next. It was fairly late by then, almost 11, and I had a lot I wanted to do today. I wasn't at the library for very long. Mostly organized DVDs. There were quite a few today, including a large pile of kids' DVDs. I didn't really feel like dealing with check-out, though, so I didn't take anything out today.
Next on the list was shopping for my sister and brother's birthdays. My sister Anny turns 26 today; my brother Keefe will be 18 next week. I stopped at JoAnn's and got some bath lotion, lip gloss, and a cute necklace with a bell for Anny to wear to her job at Big Lots for Christmas. Stopped at Super Fresh for those cheaper grits. Had a quick slice of broccoli and mushroom pizza at Capitol Pizza on the White Horse Pike.
When I got home, I put everything away and went right back out again to rake leaves. It was the perfect day for it, too. Clouds rolled in briefly while I was running errands, but nothing came of it. By the time I was raking, it was sunny and gorgeous again. It's still windy, but not so bad that I had trouble raking. Once again, I got the entire yard done and my porch swept, not to mention earned 20 dollars. And once again, it felt good to really DO something, instead of just standing behind a register.
Went inside after I finished the sweeping. I made dinner while running the last of the four Bowery Boys Armed Services comedies, Clipped Wings. By 1953, when this one was made, the emphasis was fully on comedy, and the Boys were down to four and soda shop owner Louie. In fact, it's just Slip and Sach who end up soldiers this time. They inadvertently join the Air Force when they visit the base to ask about a friend who was arrested for spying. The highlight is Sach ending up in a barracks filled with women, including an older female sergeant who doesn't appreciate his wandering eyes.
Dinner came out very well, too. I made Baked Chicken Legs in Marsala Sauce and steamed Brussels sprouts. For dessert, I used up the home-made whole wheat bread that didn't quite bake right and made it into a delicious bread pudding from the Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book, with skim milk and egg whites substituting for whole milk and whole eggs. Still came out very sweet and creamy.
It was a gorgeous, sunny, 60-degree day when I awoke this morning. I read The Lost Temple for a while and wrote in my journal. After I got out of bed and got dressed, I had yogurt and an apple for breakfast while watching some Armed Services-themed Bowery Boys. Here Comes the Marines is the only movie where the Boys plausibly join the Services; they're all drafted. Sach proves particularly incompetent...until he gets buddy-buddy with the head of the base, who knew his father. He's made a sergeant and proceeds to flagrantly abuse his power and his whistle. His fellow Bowery Boys, including best friend Slip Mahoney, do their best to try to bring Sach back down to Earth. They finally end up using him as bait to trap a smuggling ring.
Headed for the Haddon Township Library next. It was fairly late by then, almost 11, and I had a lot I wanted to do today. I wasn't at the library for very long. Mostly organized DVDs. There were quite a few today, including a large pile of kids' DVDs. I didn't really feel like dealing with check-out, though, so I didn't take anything out today.
Next on the list was shopping for my sister and brother's birthdays. My sister Anny turns 26 today; my brother Keefe will be 18 next week. I stopped at JoAnn's and got some bath lotion, lip gloss, and a cute necklace with a bell for Anny to wear to her job at Big Lots for Christmas. Stopped at Super Fresh for those cheaper grits. Had a quick slice of broccoli and mushroom pizza at Capitol Pizza on the White Horse Pike.
When I got home, I put everything away and went right back out again to rake leaves. It was the perfect day for it, too. Clouds rolled in briefly while I was running errands, but nothing came of it. By the time I was raking, it was sunny and gorgeous again. It's still windy, but not so bad that I had trouble raking. Once again, I got the entire yard done and my porch swept, not to mention earned 20 dollars. And once again, it felt good to really DO something, instead of just standing behind a register.
Went inside after I finished the sweeping. I made dinner while running the last of the four Bowery Boys Armed Services comedies, Clipped Wings. By 1953, when this one was made, the emphasis was fully on comedy, and the Boys were down to four and soda shop owner Louie. In fact, it's just Slip and Sach who end up soldiers this time. They inadvertently join the Air Force when they visit the base to ask about a friend who was arrested for spying. The highlight is Sach ending up in a barracks filled with women, including an older female sergeant who doesn't appreciate his wandering eyes.
Dinner came out very well, too. I made Baked Chicken Legs in Marsala Sauce and steamed Brussels sprouts. For dessert, I used up the home-made whole wheat bread that didn't quite bake right and made it into a delicious bread pudding from the Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book, with skim milk and egg whites substituting for whole milk and whole eggs. Still came out very sweet and creamy.
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Do You Hear the People Sing?
First of all, James, whomever you are, let's make one thing quite clear. I don't like being insulted. If you continue to send nasty messages to this blog, you will be marked as spam and reported to Blogger. I've been tolerating bullies like you since childhood. I am not tolerating them anymore. Not here. Not anywhere.
It makes me so mad when people do things like this. I'm tired of dealing with bullies. Why can't people just be pleasant? I've been bullied my whole life. By parents and teachers who meant well. By kids who didn't know the difference between "unique" and "weird." Why do people think they can hold power over others this way? It doesn't just happen to kids, either. Adults bully each other, too. Do people think that's really the only way to get anyone to do anything? I'm going to write what I want, thank you, not what some bully thinks I should write. If he doesn't like that, he can read someone else's blog.
Beyond that, I had a good day. I started it with this week's volunteering session at the Haddon Township Library. It was gorgeous, upper 50s-lower 60s, sunny, a nice breeze but none of the wind that made earlier this week so chilly. It was so nice, I rode to the Library via Newton River Park.
There were plenty of DVDs to return and organize. I was happily occupied for an hour. After I finished, I found three books and three DVDs to take out. I skipped reading Joanna Fluke's Plum Pudding Murder when it came out last year; I decided to make up for that now. I also took out a kids' crochet book and a book of Thanksgiving recipes, ideas, and stories. Found three DVDs as well - the Angelina Ballerina Christmas special, a set of Max and Ruby fall and winter-themed shorts, and the newest Barbie As special, Barbie In a Fashion Fairy Tale.
Next stop was Super Fresh. They have better prices on real maple syrup than the Acme does. I also found the Laurel and Hardy March of the Toy Soldiers there for $4.99. I've been wanting to replace that since I got rid of the video with it and Christmas In Connecticut after I bought the latter on DVD in 2008.
Headed to the Bagel Shop for lunch. I had a little more than half of a tasty Vegetable Quesedilla for lunch. It filled me up so much, I couldn't close to finish it. Couldn't finish my pickles, either.
Went straight home via Cuthbert Road after lunch. The Wachovia Bank they were building was finished a few weeks ago. It's a pretty simple building, but they did a good job, and at least it's not a fast food place. In fact, they did such a good job, it looks like they want the rest of the mall to match. There were people on a crane painting the half of the mall next to Wachovia in soft shades of white and brown when I was riding by. I actually like it better than the gray and white it was. Looks much warmer and more inviting.
Rode straight home after that. It was after 2 by the time I got in. There was a blinking light on my answering machine. The Acme had tried to call me in. By that point, it was too late and they'd already gotten someone else anyway.
I spent the next few hours raking leaves instead. I thought this week was our week for leaf pick-up. Miss Ellie told me later that it isn't...but I'm glad I got it done anyway. It's supposed to rain tomorrow. Neither she nor I need to be tripping over wet leaves and sticks.
I love raking. It's such good exercise. It gets you outside and into the fresh air. It's just so much fun! Best of all, it's something that gets things done. You get instant results. You rake the leaves, put them in piles, and take them to the curb...and you don't have leaves. It's something you really do. It's real work.
After I finished with the leaves, I swept my porch. It badly needed it. The storms last week brought down piles of leaves. I think there were more leaves on my porch than in the yard! I was wading through piles of leaves literally up to my ankles as I swept them off the sides.
Still feeling vigorous, I went for a quick walk when the porch was clear. I needed to return those Winnie the Pooh Halloween videos anyway. It was still a nice day, windless but a bit colder than earlier.
Spent the rest of the evening at home. I made chicken meatloaf, steamed cauliflower, and roasted Brussels sprouts while watching Fashion Fairytale and Max and Ruby.
Fashion Fairytale pulls Barbie out of her perpetual princess stories and into the here and now. Fired from her latest movie for mouthing off at the director, Barbie decides to head for Paris to visit her Aunt Millicent, who runs a fashion house. When she arrives, she discovers that her aunt has been run out of business by a trashy designer who steals her ideas. Barbie and Alice, a young woman who works for her aunt and secretly wishes to design clothes, find three "flaries" who add glitter to Alice's new gowns...but can they do enough "glitterizing" to save Aunt Millicent's business? And what about Ken, who is having enough trouble with transportation to Paris to fill a second Planes, Trains, and Automobiles?
I thought it was cute...but I think I like it better when Barbie isn't being herself. The "be yourself" lesson was laid on with a trowel the size of the Eiffel Tower. Ken's attempt to join her was actually a lot funnier. (And didn't she break up with him a while back?) The best part may have been the almost Pirandellian "Princess and the Pea" opening, in which we see what looks like a typical Barbie As special (even used the same character seen in a few of the princess stories as a villainous mother-type for the evil queen). It quickly gets surreal when a pack of disco-dancing zombie peas suddenly appear. Even Barbie couldn't handle that one.
The Max and Ruby episodes were a lot of fun. "Max's Christmas Passed," in which Max finds a way to cheer him and Ruby up after the Christmas decorations come down, was very sweet. So was "Max's New Year." Grandma, Max, and Ruby have a three-rabbit New Year's party...and teach Max about patience and about time when he has to wait until midnight to blow his noisemaker and have Grandma's clock-shaped cookies.
First of all, James, whomever you are, let's make one thing quite clear. I don't like being insulted. If you continue to send nasty messages to this blog, you will be marked as spam and reported to Blogger. I've been tolerating bullies like you since childhood. I am not tolerating them anymore. Not here. Not anywhere.
It makes me so mad when people do things like this. I'm tired of dealing with bullies. Why can't people just be pleasant? I've been bullied my whole life. By parents and teachers who meant well. By kids who didn't know the difference between "unique" and "weird." Why do people think they can hold power over others this way? It doesn't just happen to kids, either. Adults bully each other, too. Do people think that's really the only way to get anyone to do anything? I'm going to write what I want, thank you, not what some bully thinks I should write. If he doesn't like that, he can read someone else's blog.
Beyond that, I had a good day. I started it with this week's volunteering session at the Haddon Township Library. It was gorgeous, upper 50s-lower 60s, sunny, a nice breeze but none of the wind that made earlier this week so chilly. It was so nice, I rode to the Library via Newton River Park.
There were plenty of DVDs to return and organize. I was happily occupied for an hour. After I finished, I found three books and three DVDs to take out. I skipped reading Joanna Fluke's Plum Pudding Murder when it came out last year; I decided to make up for that now. I also took out a kids' crochet book and a book of Thanksgiving recipes, ideas, and stories. Found three DVDs as well - the Angelina Ballerina Christmas special, a set of Max and Ruby fall and winter-themed shorts, and the newest Barbie As special, Barbie In a Fashion Fairy Tale.
Next stop was Super Fresh. They have better prices on real maple syrup than the Acme does. I also found the Laurel and Hardy March of the Toy Soldiers there for $4.99. I've been wanting to replace that since I got rid of the video with it and Christmas In Connecticut after I bought the latter on DVD in 2008.
Headed to the Bagel Shop for lunch. I had a little more than half of a tasty Vegetable Quesedilla for lunch. It filled me up so much, I couldn't close to finish it. Couldn't finish my pickles, either.
Went straight home via Cuthbert Road after lunch. The Wachovia Bank they were building was finished a few weeks ago. It's a pretty simple building, but they did a good job, and at least it's not a fast food place. In fact, they did such a good job, it looks like they want the rest of the mall to match. There were people on a crane painting the half of the mall next to Wachovia in soft shades of white and brown when I was riding by. I actually like it better than the gray and white it was. Looks much warmer and more inviting.
Rode straight home after that. It was after 2 by the time I got in. There was a blinking light on my answering machine. The Acme had tried to call me in. By that point, it was too late and they'd already gotten someone else anyway.
I spent the next few hours raking leaves instead. I thought this week was our week for leaf pick-up. Miss Ellie told me later that it isn't...but I'm glad I got it done anyway. It's supposed to rain tomorrow. Neither she nor I need to be tripping over wet leaves and sticks.
I love raking. It's such good exercise. It gets you outside and into the fresh air. It's just so much fun! Best of all, it's something that gets things done. You get instant results. You rake the leaves, put them in piles, and take them to the curb...and you don't have leaves. It's something you really do. It's real work.
After I finished with the leaves, I swept my porch. It badly needed it. The storms last week brought down piles of leaves. I think there were more leaves on my porch than in the yard! I was wading through piles of leaves literally up to my ankles as I swept them off the sides.
Still feeling vigorous, I went for a quick walk when the porch was clear. I needed to return those Winnie the Pooh Halloween videos anyway. It was still a nice day, windless but a bit colder than earlier.
Spent the rest of the evening at home. I made chicken meatloaf, steamed cauliflower, and roasted Brussels sprouts while watching Fashion Fairytale and Max and Ruby.
Fashion Fairytale pulls Barbie out of her perpetual princess stories and into the here and now. Fired from her latest movie for mouthing off at the director, Barbie decides to head for Paris to visit her Aunt Millicent, who runs a fashion house. When she arrives, she discovers that her aunt has been run out of business by a trashy designer who steals her ideas. Barbie and Alice, a young woman who works for her aunt and secretly wishes to design clothes, find three "flaries" who add glitter to Alice's new gowns...but can they do enough "glitterizing" to save Aunt Millicent's business? And what about Ken, who is having enough trouble with transportation to Paris to fill a second Planes, Trains, and Automobiles?
I thought it was cute...but I think I like it better when Barbie isn't being herself. The "be yourself" lesson was laid on with a trowel the size of the Eiffel Tower. Ken's attempt to join her was actually a lot funnier. (And didn't she break up with him a while back?) The best part may have been the almost Pirandellian "Princess and the Pea" opening, in which we see what looks like a typical Barbie As special (even used the same character seen in a few of the princess stories as a villainous mother-type for the evil queen). It quickly gets surreal when a pack of disco-dancing zombie peas suddenly appear. Even Barbie couldn't handle that one.
The Max and Ruby episodes were a lot of fun. "Max's Christmas Passed," in which Max finds a way to cheer him and Ruby up after the Christmas decorations come down, was very sweet. So was "Max's New Year." Grandma, Max, and Ruby have a three-rabbit New Year's party...and teach Max about patience and about time when he has to wait until midnight to blow his noisemaker and have Grandma's clock-shaped cookies.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
When Autumn Leaves Start To Fall
I was going to rake tomorrow, but since we're supposed to get massive storms tomorrow, I decided to get the yard done today. Leaf-pick up is this week. I got the whole front yard done in less than two hours, including the side path leading to my apartment. (I did it last week, so there wasn't really much to rake there, but still.)
After I finished the yard, I edited the last of the Bowery Boys story Lauren and I have been working on for the past few nights. Look for Bowery Boys Will Be Girls at the Basement Clubhouse later tonight!
I had just enough time after I finished the editing to have lunch, grab my stuff, and barely make it to work. This wasn't a day I could be late, either. We were surprisingly busy for a Tuesday. We must be having really good sales. It's the end of the month, and the weather, which had been cloudy, warm, and humid all morning, had just gotten even cloudier after I arrived at work. I heard reports of scattered sprinkling, but it hasn't out-and-out rained here yet, as far as I know.
Unfortunately, I discovered at work that I forgot to bring my keys with me. Good thing Miss Ellie got home ten minutes after I arrived and I was able to get the spare keys from her.
I had a leftover chicken thigh, steamed cauliflower with melted farm market cheddar cheese, and spinach salad for dinner while watching Sixteen Candles. Samantha Baker (Molly Ringwauld) is a fairly typical 80s high-schooler. She wishes the hot guy in school would notice her...and that goofy geek (Anthony Michael Hall) who rides the same bus would STOP noticing her. Her problems come to a head when her parents forget her sixteenth birthday, thanks to her sister getting married the next day. Her luck finally changes for the better when the Geek turns out to be a pretty good friend, and that guy might be more interested in her than she thinks...
This was my favorite John Hughes movie as a kid. I'm not as crazy about it today. A lot of Samantha's problems would have ended if she'd talked to her dad or someone in her family a lot sooner and not just assumed they'd remember her birthday. Ok, so forgetting it was rude. She could have helped.
And then there's Long Duck Dong, a variation on 80s Stereotype #15 - the goofy foreigner, in this case, the goofy Asian kid. The whole plot revolving around him and the huge girl he ends up going to the party with just has not dated well at all.
On the other hand, there's still some very sweet scenes here. I completely understand how Samantha feels when she tries to talk to the boy she has a crush on and ends up backing out. I'd probably do the same thing today, much less at her age. I had a lot of guy friends like "Farmer" Ted in high school and in college, and I'm glad he ended up being a really nice guy. I liked the scene where he and Jake, Sam's crush, talk after the party. It just seems natural.
But my favorite scene is still where Sam's dad comes in to apologize about forgetting her birthday and she spills her troubles to him. I don't know if I would have been able to do that with my dad at her age. She was lucky to have him.
I was going to rake tomorrow, but since we're supposed to get massive storms tomorrow, I decided to get the yard done today. Leaf-pick up is this week. I got the whole front yard done in less than two hours, including the side path leading to my apartment. (I did it last week, so there wasn't really much to rake there, but still.)
After I finished the yard, I edited the last of the Bowery Boys story Lauren and I have been working on for the past few nights. Look for Bowery Boys Will Be Girls at the Basement Clubhouse later tonight!
I had just enough time after I finished the editing to have lunch, grab my stuff, and barely make it to work. This wasn't a day I could be late, either. We were surprisingly busy for a Tuesday. We must be having really good sales. It's the end of the month, and the weather, which had been cloudy, warm, and humid all morning, had just gotten even cloudier after I arrived at work. I heard reports of scattered sprinkling, but it hasn't out-and-out rained here yet, as far as I know.
Unfortunately, I discovered at work that I forgot to bring my keys with me. Good thing Miss Ellie got home ten minutes after I arrived and I was able to get the spare keys from her.
I had a leftover chicken thigh, steamed cauliflower with melted farm market cheddar cheese, and spinach salad for dinner while watching Sixteen Candles. Samantha Baker (Molly Ringwauld) is a fairly typical 80s high-schooler. She wishes the hot guy in school would notice her...and that goofy geek (Anthony Michael Hall) who rides the same bus would STOP noticing her. Her problems come to a head when her parents forget her sixteenth birthday, thanks to her sister getting married the next day. Her luck finally changes for the better when the Geek turns out to be a pretty good friend, and that guy might be more interested in her than she thinks...
This was my favorite John Hughes movie as a kid. I'm not as crazy about it today. A lot of Samantha's problems would have ended if she'd talked to her dad or someone in her family a lot sooner and not just assumed they'd remember her birthday. Ok, so forgetting it was rude. She could have helped.
And then there's Long Duck Dong, a variation on 80s Stereotype #15 - the goofy foreigner, in this case, the goofy Asian kid. The whole plot revolving around him and the huge girl he ends up going to the party with just has not dated well at all.
On the other hand, there's still some very sweet scenes here. I completely understand how Samantha feels when she tries to talk to the boy she has a crush on and ends up backing out. I'd probably do the same thing today, much less at her age. I had a lot of guy friends like "Farmer" Ted in high school and in college, and I'm glad he ended up being a really nice guy. I liked the scene where he and Jake, Sam's crush, talk after the party. It just seems natural.
But my favorite scene is still where Sam's dad comes in to apologize about forgetting her birthday and she spills her troubles to him. I don't know if I would have been able to do that with my dad at her age. She was lucky to have him.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Balance and the Sudden Storm
It was still cloudy and cool when I rode to Yogawood this morning for this week's yoga class. The focus today was on "shavassana"...i.e, the corpse pose, or leading up to relaxing. Most of it wasn't hard, just standing poses and easy balancing. Nothing I couldn't do.
Went straight to the Collingswood Library next, but there wasn't much to do there. I put one DVD away and organized the DVD shelves. I left barely an hour later. Stopped at the thrift shop and bought brown Mary-Jane shoes for my Velma costume and at WaWa for a turkey hoagie, water, and a pretzel.
Twenty minutes after I got home, I heard a tremendous BANG! It had gotten sunny when I was at the library, but clouds had built up in the horizon on my way home. Or at least, on part of the horizon. It was a rather noisy, wet thunderstorm...that lasted all of ten minutes. The Bowery Boys movie I was watching online hadn't even finished when the storm passed and it was sunny again, and remained sunny for the rest of the day.
Spent the rest of the afternoon alternating between helping Miss Ellie in the yard and doing things inside. I piled sticks into bags and took them to the bush next to the road. (They'll go out next week.) I paid my college bill. I helped Miss Ellie pull away grape vines that were choking the holly and lilac trees on the edge of her property. I raked.
When I finished raking, I had just enough time to run inside, change into my uniform, pack dinner, grab a jacket, and head to work. The clouds were gone by now and it was sunny, but windy. It wasn't even that when I rode home.
Work was on-and-off steady, no major problems besides some annoying customers early in the evening, including one woman who kept screaming curses at her family where everyone could hear her.
It died fairly quickly later, and that could have had to do with the Phillies game that started around 7. They were losing when I was at work, but at press time, the Phillies are beating the Giants, 3-2.
It was still cloudy and cool when I rode to Yogawood this morning for this week's yoga class. The focus today was on "shavassana"...i.e, the corpse pose, or leading up to relaxing. Most of it wasn't hard, just standing poses and easy balancing. Nothing I couldn't do.
Went straight to the Collingswood Library next, but there wasn't much to do there. I put one DVD away and organized the DVD shelves. I left barely an hour later. Stopped at the thrift shop and bought brown Mary-Jane shoes for my Velma costume and at WaWa for a turkey hoagie, water, and a pretzel.
Twenty minutes after I got home, I heard a tremendous BANG! It had gotten sunny when I was at the library, but clouds had built up in the horizon on my way home. Or at least, on part of the horizon. It was a rather noisy, wet thunderstorm...that lasted all of ten minutes. The Bowery Boys movie I was watching online hadn't even finished when the storm passed and it was sunny again, and remained sunny for the rest of the day.
Spent the rest of the afternoon alternating between helping Miss Ellie in the yard and doing things inside. I piled sticks into bags and took them to the bush next to the road. (They'll go out next week.) I paid my college bill. I helped Miss Ellie pull away grape vines that were choking the holly and lilac trees on the edge of her property. I raked.
When I finished raking, I had just enough time to run inside, change into my uniform, pack dinner, grab a jacket, and head to work. The clouds were gone by now and it was sunny, but windy. It wasn't even that when I rode home.
Work was on-and-off steady, no major problems besides some annoying customers early in the evening, including one woman who kept screaming curses at her family where everyone could hear her.
It died fairly quickly later, and that could have had to do with the Phillies game that started around 7. They were losing when I was at work, but at press time, the Phillies are beating the Giants, 3-2.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
All the Delights of Fall
I slept in a bit and didn't start out to the Haddon Township Library until around 11. Stopped at the Westmont Plaza first. I needed soap from Dollar Tree. I'm glad to see they're almost done with the new Wachovia building, too. The fence is gone. I can ride across the sidewalk and parking lot with no trouble. The building is fairly plain brick, but it's certainly better than a fast food place. They even fixed wall at the end of the main building where GNC is.
The library wasn't too busy. There weren't even many children's books to put away. I mostly organized DVDs for adults and children. I ended up taking out the next book in the Molly Murphy series Death of Riley, an Indiana Jones-style action thriller The Lost Temple, a Pilsbury Bake-Off cookbook, and three DVDs - volume 10 of Charlie and Lola, Sixteen Candles, and a French musical, Paris '36.
I had debated going out to lunch, but I finally decided that the chili I had sitting in my refrigerator was fine. I rode home via Newton River Park, dodging dog walkers with very big, handsome, fluffy dogs (including a lovely brown and tan collie) and people strolling together.
After lunch, I headed outside to rake the side path leading to my place. Though it was chilly, cloudy, and damp, it hadn't rained since yesterday. Even so, the leaves were still wet and muddy, and it took longer than I thought it would to get it done.
Miss Ellie arrived home from work just as I finished sweeping the debris off the path. I said "hi" to her and confirmed when we're pruning the bushes tomorrow. She said she'd leave a Vermont Country Store catalog she'd picked up by accident in the mailbox for me.
I went upstairs to sweep the porch after she went inside. It's not as bad yet as it will be in a few weeks, but I wanted to get it all off so the porch can really dry. There's still some wet spots from the rain we had earlier this week.
Went for a walk next. It was still cloudy and chilly, but I enjoyed it. The trees haven't hit their peak here yet, but many are starting to turn brilliant shades of gold, fire-red, rust, chestnut, and copper. There were many people out in their yards. Kids played kickball (and were scolded by their father when their ball went into their next-door neighbor's yard). A man worked on his lawn while his two dogs sniffed around the trees. Kids rode by on their bikes.
Spent the rest of the evening at home, watching DVDs, baking, and making dinner. I ran Volume 10 of Charlie and Lola first while my Baked Acorn Squash and Baked Chicken Thighs were in the oven. My favorite here was "I Aboslutely Must Have Glasses." Most kids wouldn't be thrilled to need glasses...but Lola thinks a pair that belongs to one of her friends is cool and wishes to have her own pair. When it turns out that Lola's eyes are just fine, Charlie helps her and Lotta come up with a way to still have some awesome shades.
Another episode I could relate to was "But I Have Nobody To Play With." Lola is left on her own one afternoon when Charlie goes out with his friend Marv and all of her other friends her age are busy. She's very lonely...until she and her imaginary friend Soren Lorenson turn hers and Charlie's bedroom into a magical forest!
Ran Fantastic Mr. Fox while I worked on British "Wholemeal" (Whole Wheat) Bread and Oatmeal Apple Crisp. I saw bits and pieces of this when I was at FYE for my birthday shopping spree and have wanted to see the whole thing for ages. The "Fantastic Mr. Fox" of the title is a former chicken thief who is now a newspaper columnist with a wife, moody teenage son, and odd visiting nephew. He's also...well, a fox. A fox wearing clothes, who has a badger for a lawyer and a mole for a fishing buddy, but a fox. It's hard to go against your nature, though, and when he hears about three nasty local farmers, it's hard for Mr. Fox to resist the call of the wild...
This stop-motion animated caper was a lot of fun once you got over the slight creepiness of the animation style. George Clooney was a perfect "Mr. Fox," a character not unlike an animal version of his cool "Oceans" series persona. Meryl Streep was his smart, worried wife, who just wants him to forget stealing chickens. Bill Murray was his badger lawyer. Great soundtrack of random Beach Boys songs and 50s and 60s ballads, including my favorite Beach Boys song playing over the opening, "Heroes and Villains."
I slept in a bit and didn't start out to the Haddon Township Library until around 11. Stopped at the Westmont Plaza first. I needed soap from Dollar Tree. I'm glad to see they're almost done with the new Wachovia building, too. The fence is gone. I can ride across the sidewalk and parking lot with no trouble. The building is fairly plain brick, but it's certainly better than a fast food place. They even fixed wall at the end of the main building where GNC is.
The library wasn't too busy. There weren't even many children's books to put away. I mostly organized DVDs for adults and children. I ended up taking out the next book in the Molly Murphy series Death of Riley, an Indiana Jones-style action thriller The Lost Temple, a Pilsbury Bake-Off cookbook, and three DVDs - volume 10 of Charlie and Lola, Sixteen Candles, and a French musical, Paris '36.
I had debated going out to lunch, but I finally decided that the chili I had sitting in my refrigerator was fine. I rode home via Newton River Park, dodging dog walkers with very big, handsome, fluffy dogs (including a lovely brown and tan collie) and people strolling together.
After lunch, I headed outside to rake the side path leading to my place. Though it was chilly, cloudy, and damp, it hadn't rained since yesterday. Even so, the leaves were still wet and muddy, and it took longer than I thought it would to get it done.
Miss Ellie arrived home from work just as I finished sweeping the debris off the path. I said "hi" to her and confirmed when we're pruning the bushes tomorrow. She said she'd leave a Vermont Country Store catalog she'd picked up by accident in the mailbox for me.
I went upstairs to sweep the porch after she went inside. It's not as bad yet as it will be in a few weeks, but I wanted to get it all off so the porch can really dry. There's still some wet spots from the rain we had earlier this week.
Went for a walk next. It was still cloudy and chilly, but I enjoyed it. The trees haven't hit their peak here yet, but many are starting to turn brilliant shades of gold, fire-red, rust, chestnut, and copper. There were many people out in their yards. Kids played kickball (and were scolded by their father when their ball went into their next-door neighbor's yard). A man worked on his lawn while his two dogs sniffed around the trees. Kids rode by on their bikes.
Spent the rest of the evening at home, watching DVDs, baking, and making dinner. I ran Volume 10 of Charlie and Lola first while my Baked Acorn Squash and Baked Chicken Thighs were in the oven. My favorite here was "I Aboslutely Must Have Glasses." Most kids wouldn't be thrilled to need glasses...but Lola thinks a pair that belongs to one of her friends is cool and wishes to have her own pair. When it turns out that Lola's eyes are just fine, Charlie helps her and Lotta come up with a way to still have some awesome shades.
Another episode I could relate to was "But I Have Nobody To Play With." Lola is left on her own one afternoon when Charlie goes out with his friend Marv and all of her other friends her age are busy. She's very lonely...until she and her imaginary friend Soren Lorenson turn hers and Charlie's bedroom into a magical forest!
Ran Fantastic Mr. Fox while I worked on British "Wholemeal" (Whole Wheat) Bread and Oatmeal Apple Crisp. I saw bits and pieces of this when I was at FYE for my birthday shopping spree and have wanted to see the whole thing for ages. The "Fantastic Mr. Fox" of the title is a former chicken thief who is now a newspaper columnist with a wife, moody teenage son, and odd visiting nephew. He's also...well, a fox. A fox wearing clothes, who has a badger for a lawyer and a mole for a fishing buddy, but a fox. It's hard to go against your nature, though, and when he hears about three nasty local farmers, it's hard for Mr. Fox to resist the call of the wild...
This stop-motion animated caper was a lot of fun once you got over the slight creepiness of the animation style. George Clooney was a perfect "Mr. Fox," a character not unlike an animal version of his cool "Oceans" series persona. Meryl Streep was his smart, worried wife, who just wants him to forget stealing chickens. Bill Murray was his badger lawyer. Great soundtrack of random Beach Boys songs and 50s and 60s ballads, including my favorite Beach Boys song playing over the opening, "Heroes and Villains."
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
I am Absolutely and Extremely Glad It Is Fall
It was perfect fall weather when I awoke around 8:30. I opened my windows to sunshine, soft breeze, and mid-60s temperatures. It was such a lovely day, I couldn't wait to head out on today's errand-and-library run. I got out at quarter after 10, fairly early.
I made my first stop at JoAnn's. I heard on the AGPLaythings Message Board that JoAnn's now carries the Springfield Collection line of modern clothes for 18 inch dolls. If they do, they haven't reached all stores yet. The tiny JoAnn's next to the Super Fresh didn't seem to have them.
Headed for the Library next. There weren't many DVDs to put away, but the kids' picture books were overflowing, so I concentrated on those. I didn't take out as many DVDs as I have in previous weeks. My hours at work went up this week and will probably just continue going up as we get more into sports events and the holidays. Not to mention, I have plenty of things to watch at home. I took out Halloween-oriented DVD sets for the cartoons Little Bear and Charlie and Lola. I also took out one of the few Shirley Temple films I hadn't seen, Little Miss Broadway. I liked the premise - Shirley is the darling of a theatrical boarding house - and it sounds a bit less cutesy than some of her other movies.
I also took out several books. I found a book on facing fears, On Becoming Fearless, plus another book on crocheting and another one on basic sewing. They'd just gotten the newest Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter mystery, The Tale of Oat Cake Crag, in, and I was able to grab that too.
Went to the Bagel Shop for lunch. It was around 1 by then. I must have hit them at the right time. For once, they weren't mobbed with high school kids eating something better than their cafeteria lunches on a school day. (There were plenty of kids outside, but they seemed more interested in Friendly's ice cream.) I had a turkey and Swiss sandwich on a flaxseed bagel, fries, and pickles.
Rode straight home after finishing lunch. I went upstairs, put everything away, and watched Charlie and Lola for a little while. It was about 2:30 when I went back downstairs to work on raking the front yard and clearing the sticks out.
First of all, the front yard looked terrible. The storms over the past few weeks have left the yard covered in piles of leaves and tons of sticks. While it isn't as bad as it will be later this month and in November, it's still a pain.
Second, the leaves are driving my nose crazy. I spent a lot of the afternoon sneezing all over trees. Mom says I might be allergic to leaf mold, and I'm starting to wonder if she's right. I've had really nasty sinus headaches for the past few weeks, too.
Third, I needed the money. I ended up earning $25 dollars, and Miss Ellie asked me when she came home if I'd help her prune the trees and small bushes around her side of the house. No problem! The sooner, the better. The branches on the small trees around her side of the house keep getting caught in my clothes and hair. Honestly, I think those trees are dead and really need to be removed all together, but Miss Ellie probably can't afford that.
I did finally finish the entire front yard but my side path, which I'll do later this week or early next week...or whenever Mother Nature cooperates next. That's another reason I wanted to get the raking done today. It's supposed to rain hard tomorrow, and I wanted to get it done before the storm makes an even bigger mess.
After I finished, I went upstairs and baked Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins while finishing Charlie and Lola. I really loved that. Charlie and Lola has some similarities to Max and Ruby. There's an older sibling and a younger sibling who seem to raise each other. Adults are mentioned but are never seen, including parents. The younger sibling is creative and a bit goofy - they make mistakes but always come out in the end.
The difference is in the older sibling. Here, we have an older brother and a younger sister. Unlike bossy and (sometimes overly) assertive Ruby, Charlie is patient and rather sweet. He and Lola are practically best friends, though they do have best friends of the same ages and genders as well.
There's other differences. Charlie and Lola is a BBC cartoon, based after the Laura Child picture book series of the same name, and there's the use of British-isms like "term" for "school year" and "biscuit" for "cookie." The animation style matches the books, with sketchy people against backgrounds often made from real objects, like cotton balls and bits of fabric. And of course, everyone here is human, rather than bunnies.
The stand-out episode was "Everything Is Completely Different and Not the Same." Lola and her best friend Lotta learn a lesson in autumn and seasons and how change can be good...even when they're not popular, like a new school teacher or tights that sag or leaves falling off your favorite tree. Other good ones included Lola's determined attempt to ride a two-wheel bike, and the story of how she and Charlie started a sandcastle that turned into a sand city when several local kids get involved. (My sisters and I used to do that when we were little in Cape May - we'd start a sandcastle, and one way or another, we'd get half the kids on the beach working on it, whether we knew them or not.)
I have fond memories of watching Little Bear in college. I ran that while making small shoulder steaks with peppers and mushrooms and a cucumber salad for dinner. Little Bear is the tale of the imaginative title character, his family, and his friends, and their gentle adventures. "Goblin Night" is the closest Little Bear and his buddies get to an actual Halloween story. He and his friends dress up as noisy monsters to scare goblins away...but end up scaring each other more.
Most of the other stories concerned Little Bear alone or with his parents. "Thunder Monster" was my favorite. When a noisy storm frightens Little Bear, he and his parents first chant the old "raining, it's pouring" poem to awaken the moon and end the thunder. When that fails to work, they resort to banging pots and pans and making lots of noise.
It was perfect fall weather when I awoke around 8:30. I opened my windows to sunshine, soft breeze, and mid-60s temperatures. It was such a lovely day, I couldn't wait to head out on today's errand-and-library run. I got out at quarter after 10, fairly early.
I made my first stop at JoAnn's. I heard on the AGPLaythings Message Board that JoAnn's now carries the Springfield Collection line of modern clothes for 18 inch dolls. If they do, they haven't reached all stores yet. The tiny JoAnn's next to the Super Fresh didn't seem to have them.
Headed for the Library next. There weren't many DVDs to put away, but the kids' picture books were overflowing, so I concentrated on those. I didn't take out as many DVDs as I have in previous weeks. My hours at work went up this week and will probably just continue going up as we get more into sports events and the holidays. Not to mention, I have plenty of things to watch at home. I took out Halloween-oriented DVD sets for the cartoons Little Bear and Charlie and Lola. I also took out one of the few Shirley Temple films I hadn't seen, Little Miss Broadway. I liked the premise - Shirley is the darling of a theatrical boarding house - and it sounds a bit less cutesy than some of her other movies.
I also took out several books. I found a book on facing fears, On Becoming Fearless, plus another book on crocheting and another one on basic sewing. They'd just gotten the newest Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter mystery, The Tale of Oat Cake Crag, in, and I was able to grab that too.
Went to the Bagel Shop for lunch. It was around 1 by then. I must have hit them at the right time. For once, they weren't mobbed with high school kids eating something better than their cafeteria lunches on a school day. (There were plenty of kids outside, but they seemed more interested in Friendly's ice cream.) I had a turkey and Swiss sandwich on a flaxseed bagel, fries, and pickles.
Rode straight home after finishing lunch. I went upstairs, put everything away, and watched Charlie and Lola for a little while. It was about 2:30 when I went back downstairs to work on raking the front yard and clearing the sticks out.
First of all, the front yard looked terrible. The storms over the past few weeks have left the yard covered in piles of leaves and tons of sticks. While it isn't as bad as it will be later this month and in November, it's still a pain.
Second, the leaves are driving my nose crazy. I spent a lot of the afternoon sneezing all over trees. Mom says I might be allergic to leaf mold, and I'm starting to wonder if she's right. I've had really nasty sinus headaches for the past few weeks, too.
Third, I needed the money. I ended up earning $25 dollars, and Miss Ellie asked me when she came home if I'd help her prune the trees and small bushes around her side of the house. No problem! The sooner, the better. The branches on the small trees around her side of the house keep getting caught in my clothes and hair. Honestly, I think those trees are dead and really need to be removed all together, but Miss Ellie probably can't afford that.
I did finally finish the entire front yard but my side path, which I'll do later this week or early next week...or whenever Mother Nature cooperates next. That's another reason I wanted to get the raking done today. It's supposed to rain hard tomorrow, and I wanted to get it done before the storm makes an even bigger mess.
After I finished, I went upstairs and baked Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins while finishing Charlie and Lola. I really loved that. Charlie and Lola has some similarities to Max and Ruby. There's an older sibling and a younger sibling who seem to raise each other. Adults are mentioned but are never seen, including parents. The younger sibling is creative and a bit goofy - they make mistakes but always come out in the end.
The difference is in the older sibling. Here, we have an older brother and a younger sister. Unlike bossy and (sometimes overly) assertive Ruby, Charlie is patient and rather sweet. He and Lola are practically best friends, though they do have best friends of the same ages and genders as well.
There's other differences. Charlie and Lola is a BBC cartoon, based after the Laura Child picture book series of the same name, and there's the use of British-isms like "term" for "school year" and "biscuit" for "cookie." The animation style matches the books, with sketchy people against backgrounds often made from real objects, like cotton balls and bits of fabric. And of course, everyone here is human, rather than bunnies.
The stand-out episode was "Everything Is Completely Different and Not the Same." Lola and her best friend Lotta learn a lesson in autumn and seasons and how change can be good...even when they're not popular, like a new school teacher or tights that sag or leaves falling off your favorite tree. Other good ones included Lola's determined attempt to ride a two-wheel bike, and the story of how she and Charlie started a sandcastle that turned into a sand city when several local kids get involved. (My sisters and I used to do that when we were little in Cape May - we'd start a sandcastle, and one way or another, we'd get half the kids on the beach working on it, whether we knew them or not.)
I have fond memories of watching Little Bear in college. I ran that while making small shoulder steaks with peppers and mushrooms and a cucumber salad for dinner. Little Bear is the tale of the imaginative title character, his family, and his friends, and their gentle adventures. "Goblin Night" is the closest Little Bear and his buddies get to an actual Halloween story. He and his friends dress up as noisy monsters to scare goblins away...but end up scaring each other more.
Most of the other stories concerned Little Bear alone or with his parents. "Thunder Monster" was my favorite. When a noisy storm frightens Little Bear, he and his parents first chant the old "raining, it's pouring" poem to awaken the moon and end the thunder. When that fails to work, they resort to banging pots and pans and making lots of noise.
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