Super Snow Day Matches

I woke up around 9:30 to see rain coming down in heavy buckets...but I knew the rain wouldn't last. I debated and debated for another half-hour, but I finally called out of the Acme. I didn't want to lose the money, but if it was going to snow later, I would never get a ride home at 6 PM. I had a hard enough time getting an Uber ride home at 6PM yesterday when the weather was perfectly normal. I called out reluctantly, then went back to sleep until past 1. 

It was still raining cats, dogs, and chickens when I did finally roll out of bed. I got up so late, the very early Match Game marathon was already on. This extra-long marathon was themed around superheroes and superhero questions. Superheros were on a downward spiral in the early 70's after the enormous popularity of Batman and other candy-colored pop art wonders of the 60's. They'd make a comeback later in the decade with the success of the TV versions of Wonder Woman and The Incredible Hulk and the first Superman movie. 

I came in for the second half of the hilarious Halloween episode from the 1990-1991 revival where Charles Nelson Reilly dressed as Superman, complete with inflatable muscles. ("No one picks Superman anymore!" he wailed later in the episode when he wasn't chosen for the Match-Up mini game.) No one else would dress the part, but questions about superheroes, especially Superman, abounded during the entire 1973-1979 run of the show. They were ironically less common in syndication, but they did still turn up occasionally. Usually, they came in the form of what Superman would do if he got old, what he did with Lois Lane and his X-Ray vision, what he ran into while he was flying, and whether he could really bend iron bars and leap tall buildings in a single bound.

There was a Superman question the week with Robert Morse in 1974 when the little red-headed male contestant kept winning and chasing all the female panelists. Sweet Janet Finn in 1974 and good-natured Carolyn in 1979 both had Superman questions on the day they won big money (with Charles and Brianne Leary respectively). The lady with the nifty pink butterfly-shaped glasses who was on in 1975 had a Superman question. So did the lady with 10 children who proudly said she'd spend the money on herself. There was one during the only week in 1973 that Gene's old boss and mentor Steve Allen appeared, and one during the only appearance of Oscar-winner Shelley Winters. 

Batman turned up more rarely, usually in questions that joked about his relationship with Robin. One such question in 1973 had such a sexually-charged answer - from the contestant and the panelists - that the episode is now banned from regular television. There was a similar question later in 1974, with slightly more delicate answers. 

It's up, up, and away with the Match Game panel as we celebrate Superman, Batman, and all kinds of superheroic matching!

Match Game Sunday Classics - Super Hero Marathon

Oh, and the snow finally started coming down around 3:15 and hasn't stopped since. If anything, I think it's even heavier now. The streets are only clear because Oaklyn is really good at cleaning up its streets, but most of the local towns aren't usually as on the ball. All local schools are closed tomorrow, the Collingswood School District included, and I was off of the Acme already anyway. I won't be going anywhere tomorrow but home. 

Dolls On a Stormy Day

Began the morning with breakfast and Alice's Wonderland Bakery. "Hattie Wishes Upon a Star" during their Japanese tea festival, and is upset when the stars are covered with clouds and the wishes blow away. Alice, Rosa, and Fergie chase the slips of paper that hold their wishes, and get help from a very unlikely source! It's "Season's Eatings" when the Queen of Hearts insists that Alice's "pumpkin pizzels" should be a year-round treat. Everyone keeps buying them and buying them, until they're not popular anymore, and Alice and her friends have to think of another way to entice eaters to the store.

I gathered clothes to donate at the bin in the back of Dollar General while watching the 2003 Strawberry Shortcake. They did two fairy tales late in the series that weren't plays or dream sequences. "Sleeping Beauty" was the first. Strawberry is the Sleeping Beauty, cursed by Brambleberry Fairy because she thought they forgot to invite her to the christening. She's jealous of how all of the other fairies work together to try to lift the curse, until Prince Huckleberry reminds her that her thorns - both around her house and her heart - are keeping her from seeing the truth or accepting apologies. 

Went for a walk after the cartoon ended. I dumped the clothes bag in the bin, and then went in Dollar General for a drink...only to dash back out when I heard a loud argument between a customer who wanted her coupon back and two cashiers who couldn't give it to her. I bought 2 for $5 Gatorade at CVS instead before heading into Newton Lake Park. At least they've finally finished the playground, a green and orange melange of spiral slides and twisty monkey bars. The swing set is now yellow, and the baby swing is basically a baby seat with a restraining bolt on metal links.

I originally planned on going for a longer walk, but it was hot and killer humid, and there were dark clouds rumbling on the horizon. I dodged Canadian geese hogging the road and finally got off at the stone staircase leading up to Clinton Avenue. Rushed home as quickly as I possibly could.

(Thankfully, the clouds didn't finally burst until over an hour after I got in. We had a pretty good thunderstorm going too, with loud pyrotechnics and buckets of water. Even after the thunder finally passed, it would continue showering off and on for the rest of the afternoon.)

Had lunch after I got in while watching Care Bears Family. Cheer is excited about the "Care Bear Town Parade," even buying a fancy new outfit for it...and neglecting to help Bright Heart, Treat Heart, and Champ with their float. She spends her money on a barrette instead of giving the others her share for a new car. When a certain strange car seller (Beastly) turns up with a snazzy pink and purple limo for all the money they have, she thinks she's found the perfect vehicle for them...until it turns out it's a trap by Beastly to destroy the parade and Care Bear Town. 

Spent the next few hours dressing the dolls for the 4th of July. Whitney's ready to show her new dance moves in the 4th of July Parade in the AG Dance Dress and tap shoes borrowed from Molly. (The red shoes that go with the dress are coming apart.) Samantha is ship-shape in her Middy Dress and black and white boots. Jessa sports a more laid-back red t-shirt from the original Blue Jean Basics and the shortalls from the Earth Day Outfit. Molly's ready for camp in her Camp Gowanigan uniform and saddle shoes. 

Josefina's in her Indigo Skirt and Camisa, while Ariel gets a patriotic peasant shirt Lauren sent a while ago and red satin shorts from Julie's original Skating Outfit. Felicity is light and airy in her white cotton Summer Gown with the wide blue and white sash. Barbara Jean is the only one old enough to pull of a brief pink and blue Terry cloth romper with her own white shoes.

Listened to Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cinderella while I worked. Known as Bad Cinderella when it played Broadway, Cinderella is "bad" because she's a realistically unattractive and spunky young woman in a kingdom that is completely obsessed with appearances. Her friend Sebastian is the prince whose mother insists on him having a ball to find a bride after his brother dies. Cinderella insists on changing herself to attend, but learns a lesson in being yourself when it's her...the dirty, spunky her...that Sebastian really wants. 

This is...ok. It plays its parodies of cultures obsessed with conformity and superficial beauty as broadly as possible...which, to be honest, gets kind of annoying. Cinderella is less "bad" than she is "generic misunderstood." Though her "I Know I Have a Heart" isn't bad, Sebastian gets the lion's share of the the decent material, including "Man's Man" and "I Know You." Ok if you love Webber's other work or Cinderella stories like me, but nothing you need to go out of your way for.

Switched to writing after I finished the dolls. The ladies all wake up the next morning to discover massive headaches...and that they all had the same dream. Hilary is more worried about Jeff and what Pavla did to him than she'll admit. Betty wonders about the protective larger man, why she recognized him, and why they were attacked first. Maple's mind is mostly still tied up in ribbons, roses, and cute intellectuals with lovely whiskey eyes, but even she'll admit she was afraid when she couldn't rescue the guy or Betty.

Betty is only slightly surprised to see a kindly old cat-man (Mr. Eldridge) turn up at their door to fetch them for breakfast. They try to question him, but he either dodges them, or doesn't seem to understand. He'll only tell them that they have to figure it out for themselves.

Watched Our Town as I worked. I go further into this poignant musical version of the play where Frank Sinatra introduced the standard "Love and Marriage" at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Musicals On TV - Our Town (1955)

Watched Match Game '73 as I ate dinner. Yes, they jumped back to the beginning again, but this time, they're at some of the most delightful episodes of the first year. Jim Backus made his only appearance and Patti Desuch her first in the first week. "Mama" Cass Elliott became one of only two rock stars to appear on the 70's-80's Match Game in the second. 

Finished the night with game shows for the whole family. Families go way back in game shows. The Parents Game from 1972 was a Chuck Barris attempt to recapture that Newywed Game magic. Here, couples who either have children or are expecting them answer questions about how to raise them. Yeah, pretty generic. It wasn't enough to keep it around for more than a year.

The undisputed family game show champ was and remains Family Feud. The episode I have here is from early in Richard Dawon's run, right after he gave up on Match Game. Watching the two groups of families work together to get the answer and some of their funner mishaps can be a lot of fun.

Nowadays, families are more likely to be competing in stunt shows. Family Game Night and The Game of Life are two early game shows on the Hub before it became Discovery Kids. I can see why Family Game Night was the bigger hit of the two. Watching two families playing games based on beloved Habro board games is delightful. The Game of Life asks its questions on a CGI playing field that hasn't dated well. The stunts played at the end are a little to perfunctory, too.

Family Double Dare did far better with stunts in 1990. It's the same Double Dare, with daring and Physical Challenges, but here, we have families playing, rather than just kids. The big prize at the end of the Obstacle Course isn't a trip, but a car. This would be just as popular as it's other spin-offs, and remains just as much fun to watch.

Celebrate the 4th of July with your family in these hilarious showcases of family dynamics and parenting!

The Parents Game (1972)

Family Feud (1979)

Family Double Dare (1990)

Family Game Night (2010)

The Game of Life (2012) 

Sunshine After the Storm

I overslept so badly this morning, I didn't have the time for much of anything besides grabbing a quick breakfast and dashing out the door on the bike. Thank heavens I made it to work just in time. It was cloudy and humid when I hurried down the Black Horse Pike, but it looked like it hadn't rained in a while. The storm finally arrived around 11:30-12 PM. It was a big one, too, with thunder, lightning, and so much water, my phone blared flash flood warnings all afternoon. We were surprisingly busy for all the bad weather. I guess people didn't have much else to do. 

My schedule next week isn't much of a schedule. I work 4 hours on Sunday and 4 on Wednesday, and that's it. I asked for Saturday off to enjoy the May Fair. Good thing I should be getting my first paycheck from Healthy Kids on the 30th, 'cause I won't have much of one from the Acme. 

Had some quick grocery shopping to do after work. Thankfully had online coupons and good sales for yogurt, Popwell soda, strawberries, and brownie cookies. The Made Good granola bars are still on sale, too. Grabbed the generic Acme low sugar and salt peanut butter and maple pecan granola.

Rushed straight home, put everything away, then called Uber. The one coming to Oaklyn took 9 minutes, and I was almost late getting there. The one going home only took 6 minutes. No traffic either way. By the time I was stepping out at Thomas Sharp School, the storm had long vanished. It was sunny but thickly humid for the rest of the day.

On one hand, we had far fewer kids today, only about 15. Many of the older ones went on a field trip to the Franklin Institute (lucky kids!) and went straight home after that. On the other hand, they were all really fidgety and noisy. They got so crazy during lunch, we all had to sit and be quiet for 10 minutes before the kids could go outside and play. Once they got to the playground, they all ran, blew bubbles, and danced to the rap and kids' cartoon themes on the Bluetooth speaker one of the teachers brought. I did have to settle a dispute between three of the kids. One of the boys wanted to be a king with two girl queens, but the girls said girls only. I explained that maybe two queens would want a knight bodyguard, and knights could be boys or girls.

After I got home, I had dinner while watching Remember WENN. Dusty Foxx (Rue McClanahan), the wife of the head of Midas Soaps, wants Hilary to host a gossip show called "From Hilary's Booth." That would be great, if Hilary had any gossip to present that didn't have to do with her. What Dusty really wants is to get Hilary off the soap opera "The Hands of Time." Hilary becomes "The Diva Who Wouldn't Die" when she does everything she can think of to keep her character Elizabeth Marlowe from ending up six feet under!

Hilary's also at the forefront of "Behind Every Great Woman." She claims she can sing, then clams up on the air. Betty, who really can sing, steps in for her. Scott's so impressed, he wants her to keep singing for Hilary, including when Broadway star Ruth Getty (real-life Broadway star Donna Murphy) appears at the station. After Ruth acts condescending to just about everyone (including Hilary), the others have no trouble revealing who's really doing the singing.

Finished the night at PBS Kids with the other new Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood episode. "Daniel Prentends at the Pool" with his friends Juan Carlos and Katarina. He's upset when the other two have different ways of being a whale or an explorer, until his father explains that everyone has their own method of playing pretend. Likewise, "Chrissie Pretends at the Library" has her frustrated because he makes his horse fly, while she keeps hers grounded. X the Owl tells them that both their ways are ok, as long as they're using their imaginations.

The Good Life

Got up early this morning to drop Lauren off. Her train left at 8:30 AM. She was watching The Price Is Right when I was finally ready to go. I called Uber...and considering it was 7:30, I was surprised to get one in three minutes. Lauren wasn't quite ready herself, but we finally got her luggage loaded and off to Philly within a few minutes. We did hit traffic on the Schuylkill River, but arrived at 30th Street Station by ten after 8.

Shortly after we got in, they started lining up for Lauren's train. I gave her a hug and let her go there. We always have fun together, and this extra-long trip was no exception. I bought a drink from the Dunkin Donuts' counter, waved good-bye to her as she boarded the train, and headed out myself. 

Once again, I had no trouble getting a driver, despite it being 8:30. He arrived in four minutes. This time, we hit no traffic anywhere, not even on the bridge going past an empty Citizen's Bank Park. I was back in Oaklyn within 20 minutes.

Went inside, grabbed a bag and my bike, and went back out. I had grocery shopping to do and errands to run. First, however, I wanted breakfast. Since I had to hit Target and Sprouts, I ate at the Westmont Bagel Shop. Had a tasty egg white and vegetable omelet with provolone cheese, hash browns, and a blueberry bagel. I ate the bagel and the omelet, but had no room left for most of the potatoes. 

Hit Target next. They still didn't have the vitamins I wanted. I ended up buying a larger bottle of Target's generic women's gummy vitamins that was only slightly more expensive.

Didn't need a whole lot at Sprouts, either. Took advantage of clearance sales to pick up Annie's Organic granola bars on a good sale.  Decided to try their new cherry granola cookies. Got my coconut milk here, too.

Rode down the hill and past the fast food restaurants and Haddon Township High School to the Westmont Acme. I mainly needed to restock yogurt. Ollipop was 4 for 10, 50 cents off one with an online coupon. The Jiff peanut butter was finally on sale, too. Grabbed apple butter and more Kind bars on clearance. None of the stores were remotely busy. I was in and out of each in 20 minutes.

Took Newton Lake Park going home. By this point, it was almost noon. I saw kids lining up for Mr. Softee and considered joining them. The line was so long and daunting that I decided I'd wait and get ice cream later. Pushed my bike on the trail over the hill and past the Haddon Township Environmental and Historical Society building, passing another guy coming down with his bike on my way.

Watched the 1986 Card Sharks when I got home. They were in the midst of their Young People's Week. I got to see a boy just barely beat a slightly older girl, then pick up good cash and a trip to Hawaii. Two more kids were working their way thought the board as they ended.

Switched to Peanuts by Schultz as I had lunch and checked my schedule. Though this was technically supposed to be set in spring, most of it either revolves around Snoopy's eccentricities or the infamous kite Charlie Brown can't fly. In "No Strings Attached," Lucy gives Snoopy Charlie's kite when he's fed it up with it not flying. Lucy comes to blows with Snoopy, whom she sees as a "Crazy Mutt." 

We see what happened when Lucy learned she had a new baby brother and why Re-Run hates outings with his mother in "The Last of the Bunch." Lucy tells Charlie to make his own "Philosophy," which Sally is much better at. Charlie has to remind her that "Being Nice" is more important when he writes her letter to Grandma.

Incidentally, I barely have a schedule next week. I don't work again until Wednesday at the usual 9:30. I don't even work on Father's Day. I suspected this would be the case. It's probably the reason I got two weeks off with no fuss. I'll bet I made more money on vacation this week than I would have actually working. At least I do have a floral department day next Friday, probably to help with graduation bouquets.

Put on The Garfield Movie soundtrack while I put up the patriotic decorations. I would have done it before Lauren arrived, but I thought it would be a little much with all of her stuff, too. Spangle and Glory were joined by America Cares Bear, a mini-Spangle, and another mini Beanie Baby, Liberty. Three folk-art angels with u, s, and a on them went on the entertainment center next to the TV. The big folk art Uncle Sam is on the coffee table. Taped the big cardboard flag on the door to the bedroom. The smaller flags are on top of a record crate, the larger ones behind my collectible bears.

The hit on the Garfield soundtrack is the one heard throughout the film, "It's the Good Life" by Jon Batiste. Hannah Waddington's "I'm Back" number, with its comically scary lyrics and demands to her mooks throughout the song, is the other favorite here. Callum Scott also does a nice "Then There Was You."

Vacuumed and dusted the floor while listening to the Jane Powell triple-soundtrack. Royal Wedding is by far the best of the three movies highlighted here. We have two standards, Fred Astaire's "You're All the World to Me" (which he sings while literally dancing on the ceiling in the film) and Powell's "Too Late Now." Their comic tough-guy routine "How Could You Believe Me When I Said I've Been a Liar All My Life," is funny too. Carmen Miranda gets the best songs from Nancy Goes to Rio, "Love Is Like This" and "Magic Is In the Moonlight." The dull songs from Rich, Young, and Pretty aren't nearly at that level, though "Wonder Why?" isn't bad. 

I tried to go online, but I kept nodding off. I finally went down for a nap around 5:30, despite the heavy wind and continuing sticky heat. At least it was a bit cloudier by that point, and not as hot.

Awoke to heavy rain. I think I caught the tail end of a thunder storm. It was slowing down, even as I rolled out of bed. By the time I put on Match Game Syndicated and was trying to find something for dinner, it was long gone, though the heavy wind remained. Debralee Scott, Gary Collins, and Dick Martin join in to make fun of Gene's ugly tweed green and brown plaid suit in the beginning. North Jersey native Debralee later shows off a better New York accent than the contestant from Queens. Brett's delighted to be sitting between Bart Braverman and Robert Walden in the second episode.

Since it had cooled off considerably by 6:30, I went out for a walk. It must have dropped 20 degrees since I'd gone down for a nap. I've been wanting to try the new Hispanic ice cream parlor on the corner of Cuthbert and the White Horse Pike since it opened, but it's only open after 5, and I never felt like going out then. Even with the heavy wind and cooler weather, they were still busy with kids getting sundaes and Mexican street corn. I went home with a large, tasty, and rather expensive coconut milkshake. At least it was sweet, cooling, and filled with actual coconut shreds.

Took a shower, then finished the night with Mystery Science Theater 3000. Future War was one of the most-recent movies they covered, having only debuted in 1997. A human from the past being used as a slave by cyborgs (Daniel Bernhardt) dodges the dinosaurs they use to track him by staying with a nun (Travis Brooks Stewart). They ultimately get help from a local gang she's had dealings with in the past.

Oooh boy. Ripe cheese of the cheapest sort. For one thing, as Crow points out, the title is a misnomer. They're not in the future, and there's no war. The acting is terrible. The dinosaurs move well enough, but they're totally out of place. The vast majority of the film involves people talking in dull warehouses. The whole thing is just flat out ridiculous. I wouldn't go anywhere near here without the robot wisecracks unless you really, really like cheesy sci-fi action from the 80's and the 90's. 

The Music and the Peanuts Go 'Round and 'Round

I awoke to a huge, noisy thunderstorm and a phone call. It was Karen. Another client had a sudden interview out of town that was going to run over. She wouldn't make it for our appointment, and she'll be on vacation next week and won't be able to do it then. We just won't be able to get together until next month after my vacation, then. I haven't really been doing all that great with finding anything on Indeed anyway.

Finished Treasure Island, then got moving around 10 AM. Watched Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood while I had breakfast and got organized. Daniel draws a picture and writes "I love you" for "Something Special for Dad." His mother takes him to the post office to see how it's delivered. Dan and Dan Sr. knows that Mrs. Tiger loves banana bread. They go to Baker Aker to help them say "I Love You, Mom" with her favorite treat.

Headed out for a short errand run after that. By 10:30, it was cloudy, humid, breezy, and slightly cooler than yesterday, but not raining. Headed to Family Dollar first. Didn't find what I was looking for there, but I did pick up a bag of red, white, and blue tortilla chips and Peanuts by Schultz: School Days, the latter of which was half-off. (The chips proved to be excellent, thick, crunchy, and just salty enough. I don't think they were real blue chips - they looked dyed - but they still tasted good.) 

Found what I was looking for at Dollar General. I wanted their cheaper generic brand Propel-style hydration drink mix. The seasonal aisle had it in grape and a new Sonic Limeade. Picked up that and a pecan log, which I haven't had in ages, and was off again. I checked out mouthwash at CVS, but their prices weren't very good.

Stopped at the pretzel shop on the way home. Yes, they had the stuffed cheesesteak pretzels in. I bought one of those, two regular pretzels for later, and a can of Diet Pepsi while two other people waited for their larger order.

Put on Press Your Luck when I got home. They finished up their Back to School week for teen contestants with four young women totally dominating the game. In the first show, the one boy (who didn't look more than 13) Whammied out early in the second round. The girls played well and kept switching turns, until the one with braces finally hit a Whammy. The other girl won a speedboat and a Windjammer Caribbean cruise. 

The second show was almost identical. Though the boy lasted a little longer this time, he still was out by mid-way through the second round. The sophisticated senior girl who won picked up limonene rides to a fine restaurant in Los Angeles' Chinatown and Knott's Berry Farm. 

Let it run into Split Second while I made the bed and did chores. The women dominated here, too. The four-time champ got a run for her money from a young student who also did photography and calligraphy, but she easily made it through the Countdown Round. She finally managed to guess the right number for the car, too. The women absolutely killed in the second game as well. This time, one lady just managed to get through the Countdown Round...and to her shock and mine, she guessed the right number for the car on her very first try!

Switched to The Five Pennies after Split Second ended. I go further into another big band biography, this time with Danny Kaye playing early band leader Red Nichols, at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

The Five Pennies

Moved on to the Peanuts after the movie ended. This is another collection of super-short episodes taken from a French-made Peanuts series released in 2014. Most of them repeated gags seen in the specials, but there were some unique plots and titles. Peppermint Patty likes numbers well enough, but not math "Problems," gets really into her "True or False" test, and asks Charlie Brown if she's good enough for a beauty pageant in "Eye of the Beholder." Curly-locked "Frieda" gets her chance at the spotlight when she begs the gang to look after her cat and encourages Snoopy to chase rabbits. Snoopy gets criticism from Linus and Lucy on "A Novel Idea." We see how Linus and Lucy reacted to "The Last of the Bunch" being born, and how they helped Re-Run out as he grew older.

Worked on writing next. I went back and added a scene where Kathleen gained the rabbit's trust by helping its foot out of a snare. Later, Mother Nature explains that snow sorceress Lady Jacqueline's spell will only allow him to change into his human self at night.

Watched Match Game Syndicated during dinner. Big George Kennedy was the one who did really well with "__ Movies" in the Head-to-Head. Later on, Richard Paul defends Judy Landers' answer. Near the end of the episode, Charles gets to play "__ Too Late" with the audience.

Finished the night listening to more big band music on one of my recently-acquired CD sets. Best Loved Bands of All Time is a 4-disc Readers Digest collection. In the Mood featured beloved bands in general, with songs like "Tangerine" by Jimmy Dorsey, "I'm In the Mood for Love" by Louis Armstrong, "Ballerina" by Vaughn Monroe, and the title song by The Glenn Miller Orchestra. Soft Lights and Sweet Music specifically covers bands from the 1930's. Favorites here include "I Can't Get Started" by Bunny Berigan, "Three Little Fishes" by Kay Kyser, "Moonglow" by Cab Calloway, and "Whispers In the Dark" by Bob Crosby.

(Oh, and while it showered lightly on my way home and early in the afternoon, it hasn't done anything since then. In fact, the sun came out around 5 PM.) 

Welcoming the Rain

Awoke to the sound of rain pattering on the roof. In fact, it was pouring...and I couldn't be happier. We badly need the rain. It's been so long since we had a really good storm like this. It provided a cozy backdrop to writing in my journal and finishing off Jolene.  

Watched more new Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood while I ate breakfast. "Daniel Feels Worried About Mom" when she hurts her arm and her family takes her to the hospital. He talks to his parents, who reassure him that his mother will be fine, and later that her arm is in a sling and she'll only need it for a while. "Jodi Loses Benji," her favorite stuffed hedgehog, while taking him to the library. She joins the others for craft time while her mother looks for Benji.

Worked on writing briefly after the show ended. Brett's delighted to learn that the Red Knights are hers to command. She orders them to release the others and bring her Richard's men. Jack the Red Knight, however, remains at large...

Though the rain let up a bit by 12:30, I still called Uber. Alas, I probably called them a bit late. Not to mention, it took me three tries to actually get a driver in that weather, and they took almost 8 minutes to arrive. At least we didn't hit any traffic on the White Horse Pike or Nicholson Road.

Ended up spending most of the afternoon pushing carts. The head bagger wanted to be in a register. Fine by me. I did get stuck in a register during the last hour when the night bagger arrived and rush hour hit. Had to wait for a college boy to get off break so I could leave, which meant I barely got out on time.

Oh, and the rain finally stopped just as I arrived at work. It's showered lightly off and on since then and is insanely humid, but it's never poured like it did this morning. It's not even hot. I think it's in the mid-70's, actually kind of chilly for this time of year. 

Despite the long lines when I finished, I needed to grab a few things. Fished two more bags of Famous Amos chocolate-coconut cookies out of the clearance cart. Restocked granola bars (Nature's Valley is on a good sale this week) and bought salad bowls to have for lunch at the Collingswood Senior Center tomorrow and Thursday.

Thankfully, I didn't have nearly as much trouble getting a ride home. It showered slightly by 7 PM, but nothing like the gullywasher we had this morning. In fact, I got a pleasant driver in less than 3 minutes and was home in less than 5. 

Went straight upstairs and into dinner and Match Game '75 when I got in. Gene nearly falls asleep over one of Mary Ann Mobley's rambling answers, and they argue over whether or not he can choose an answer for her. Meanwhile, the others try to figure out "Up A __" in the Audience Match.

Finished the night after a shower with College Swing. I go further into this wacky look at higher education in the 30's with Gracie Allen and Bob Hope at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

College Swing

(Oh, and while Musical Dreams Movie Reviews will be on hiatus while I'm on vacation from the 22nd through the 28th, I'll continue to update this blog at Lauren's house.) 

Wind Storm

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast and Jem on Tubi. It's a "Culture Clash" when the Holograms' agent hires an eccentric creator of wacky modern sculptures to be the art director on their new video. The Holograms don't think much of his creations or his avant-garde ideas, especially when they get in the way of their performing. For once, it's the Misfits who cause trouble when they find out that the owner of the art gallery who sells his sculptures is using them for criminal activity. The Misfits' manager Eric Raymond inadvertently helps Jem and the artist prove their innocence - he's a genuine fan of the man's work. 

Headed off to work shortly after the cartoon ended. It was sunny and relatively warm when I rode to the Acme this morning, and it remained so...until around 1:30. Clouds built up on the horizon, and the wind picked up from a gentle breeze to a howling, thrashing gale that send carts and flower petals spinning everywhere. I hurried all over the parking lot, gathering as many carts as I could before the storm began. 

The storm never came. Customers reported a shower for about 10 minutes around 2:30-3, when I was on break and sweeping the store. Other than that, it remained gale-force windy and cold for the rest of the day. No thunder, no lightning, no more rain. It got cloudy, but that never resulted in anything more than it being a little darker than usual around dinner. 

Hurried straight home after work, hoping to beat the weather. When I got in, I changed and turned on my new TV. Added it to the accounts for most of the apps I stream regularly, including Disney Plus, Hulu, Amazon Video, YouTube, and Peacock. I'll get the cable-based apps moving when I have more time on Friday.

Did a little bit of writing next. Richard admires the well-appointed City Hall. Gene admits that, though the town's doing relatively well, it's mostly due to the man who owns half the businesses in town, Mark Goodson the railroad magnate. His representative, Ira Scutch, is with Mayor Allen Ludden as they speak.

Broke for dinner at 6:30. Got a surprise when I opened the refrigerator and saw a plate covered in foil. Turns out Jodie left me a tasty dinner of chicken and rice in (likely jarred) gravy and steamed asparagus. 

Ate while watching Match Game '79. This took place later in the week of the infamous excited contestant who attacked Gene. By this point, she'd been defeated by players who were a lot calmer. Meanwhile, the panel has fun with figuring out what an Eskimo cheerleader likes to rub and the answer to "__ Tender" in the Audience Match.  

Made Chocolate Chip Muffins while Match Game PM was on. As goofy as he can be, Jon "Bowser" Bauman can occasionally be a pretty decent player, as he is here and on Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour. He's the one who has to help a contestant get 10,000 on "Benjamin __." 

Slid the muffins in the oven towards the end of Sale of the Century. The champ and the one guy started out pretty close, but she jumped ahead towards the middle of the show, even after buying an Instant Bargain. She won the Speed Round by a wide margin, but continues to have trouble with the Bonus Round.

Tested Disney Plus with an earlier episode of Muppet Babies. Gonzo is so into winning, he creates "The Great Gonzo's Desert Grand Prix" so he can compete with the others. The race isn't as much fun when he uses Mario Kart-style obstacles to ensure he wins. Statler and Waldorf, who were acting as commentators and referees, remind him that it's more important to enjoy a race with your friends than to win. Animal becomes "Animal Kong" when he can't get his drumsticks during quiet time and gets so angry, he grows to ten times his size. The others do everything they can to calm him down.

Finished the night online after a shower with Charlie's Angels. "Angel Flight" lets Kelly and Kris fly the not-so-friendly skies as they investigate who's sending black roses and making threatening phone calls to a friend of Sabrina's. She runs a school to train stewardesses...but someone is determined to spook her into obeying them. After one of the stewardesses is killed, Sabrina's friend is a lot less willing to discuss the matter. Now Kelly and Kris need to figure out who's making those phone calls, before the experimental plane they're taking their test run in has a very bumpy flight. 

Stormy Weather

Awoke to pouring rain and a dark, gloomy morning that felt more like evening. Began the day with breakfast and Body Language. In fact, I came in just as Jim J. Bullock was gyrating wildly for his contestant. They ended up winning the main game and got 900 in the second round, but just missed the bonus round by one word.

Blockbusters returned to the episodes featuring that amazing mother-daughter team who won pretty much everything for weeks. Started the dishes as they defeated a young woman. The daughter only missed two questions in the Gold Run bonus round. They were half-way through their game with a male contestant when the show ended.

Switched to DVD for a couple of holiday and winter-themed Scooby Doo episodes as I made the bed. "A Nutcracker Scoob" is from the early 80's Daphne/Shaggy series. Fred joined the duo, Scooby, and Scrappy to save an orphanage from a cranky miser and stop The Ghost of Christmas from stealing a precious jewel. "That's Snow Ghost" is one of my favorite episodes from the original series. Mystery Inc has to solve the mystery of a strange ski lodge and the spectral Yeti who appears there to scare off customers.

Moved to Match Game as I scrubbed the kitchen. After I finished that, I moved on to doing the floors. I swept the hardwood floors first, then vacuumed the floors, rug, and futon. Moved on to dusting the floors as the episodes ended.

Went to Tubi for An American Christmas Carol as I made lunch. Benedict Slade (Henry Winkler) is a grouchy old miser who owns a repossession business in a New England town during the Great Depression. He was once a bright young furniture apprentice with many ideas for the future, but first his boss refused to change, then a loan shark took him up on his new refinancing idea. Alas, in taking his idea, he turned down his boss' request for a loan to rebuild his chair-building business. The present is only a bit happier, as he sees that the son of his employee Thatcher, whom he just fired, is very sick. It may take a vision of a bleak future where neither he nor the boy survive to prove that we help ourselves when we help each other, and that the best charity is giving new ideas and new hope a chance.

Despite Winkler playing older Slade under a ton of makeup, he does well enough as the selfish skinflint who eventually learns to see the light. Though it's a low-budget production, it still reflects the holidays of long-ago nicely (other than a few misplaced hairstyles on the ladies). Not the most necessary Christmas movie, but worth a look if you love Winkler or Christmas Carol adaptations.

Moved to The Roku Channel for a winter episode of The Cat In the Hat Knows a Lot About That. Nick and Sally are having trouble finding her sled in the snow. The Cat takes them to Jingly Bell Forest, where Magnus the Reindeer teaches them how "Reindeer Games" and a great deal of digging with his antlers can help them find things lost in the snow. "Along Came a Spider" named Mabel who helped teach the Cat and the kids how to make webs, so the kids can fix their net.

Returned to Buzzr for Tattletales as I started dusting the living room and kitchen. I was a bit surprised to see one of my favorite childhood singers, Dionne Warwick, as a contestant today with her then-husband Bill Elliott. They were joined by Gary Burghoff and his then-wife Janet and the ultimate winners, Lynn Redgrave and her then-husband Jack Clark. At one point, Gary showed what he learned on MASH by actually dropping to the floor and demonstrating pushups for a question!

Press Your Luck went even better - no pushups required. The first half hit no Whammies...but that was mainly because they'd done terrible with the first-round questions and barely got any turns to begin with. They did much better in the second round. The ultimate winner avoided Whammies and picked up a motorcycle for his trouble.

Did some writing after that. To the horror of Brett, Charles, and Richard, Governor Goodson forces Gene onto the plank. He swears he'll come back to haunt him, but Goodson laughs at that. They eventually force him over the side as he stumbles into the choppy waters of the Atlantic.

The rain vanished sometime around 2 PM. It almost looked like the sun was trying to come out. It disappeared again around the time I started writing. By 5:30, we were in the middle of a torrential thunderstorm, complete with sheets of rain, wild winds, and noisy thunder and lightning. It was very loud and very crazy! I couldn't believe how dark it got. It looked like midnight when it was only 5 o'clock. 

Jodie sent me a text earlier asking if I wanted any dishes. I said "sure." I tossed out all of my dishes but my Fiestaware set when I moved in July. Turns out she was giving me a very full set. Not only were there six dishes, but there were six saucers, six mugs, a serving plate, six bowls, a gravy boat, a creamer, a sugar bowl, and a larger rectangular bowl likely intended for roasts. It's a very pretty blue flower stoneware pattern...but I'm not sure I'll keep it. It's just too much. I don't need all of that, and Jodie mentioned she has Fiestaware she wants to get rid of, too.

(She also brought me the inner tubes I ordered on Amazon. I'll put them on tomorrow. This was no day for messing with the bike.)

Watched Match Game '75 as I organized the dishes and had leftover turkey soup for dinner. Handsome high school teacher Ron Valenti continued his run as champion, to the delight of a smitten Fannie Flagg and Betty White. The contestants simply didn't seem to get the idea on Match Game PM. It took them until the third round to really match anyone. 

The contestants did far better on Sale of the Century. The two men dominated the game - I think the one woman answered a question in the Speed Round and that was it. The younger of the two bought two of the three Instant Bargains, dominated the Speed Round, and won a piano on the Match the Prizes board he said his wife would love.

Finished the night online after a shower with two rare Disney Christmas shows on YouTube. Disney's Christmas Fantasy On Ice was a popular figure skating special repeated annually on ABC from 1991 through 1994. A man (Bronson Pinchot) whose young niece drags him around Disneyland tells her a story to distract her while they rest. The story has the Disney characters searching for five points of a magic snowflake that'll make it snow in California. Yeah, it's that goofy. The "search" is really just a framework for some of the most famous figure skaters of the time to do their thing. The showing I watched was from '94, which replaced Brian Boittano's solo "Beast" routine with one from Kurt Browning (whom I had a bit of a crush on in the mid-90's). 

The Magic of Christmas at Walt Disney World is a promotional video from 1992. It's what it says on the tin. A little girl writes Santa to tell him she'll be in Disney World for the holidays, and he tells her what it's like there. The real magic of this nowadays isn't so much the elaborate Christmas decorations, but seeing all the shows and rides that no longer exist, including the Maelstrom and parts of The Land in Epcot and several Christmas-themed stores in the Magic Kingdom and the Disney Village Marketplace (now Disney Springs) shopping area. There's a reference to the long-gone Pleasure Island and their "every night is New Year's Eve" party, too. 

Here's both specials, so you can enjoy a little Disney magic of your own for the holidays!

Disney's Christmas Fantasy On Ice (1994 broadcast, despite being listed as 1991)

The Magic of Christmas at Walt Disney World

Oh, and the Eagles did a little better tonight...but they still couldn't get past the Seahawks and lost 23-17. 

Smilin' Through the Rain

Awoke to a sunny, humid morning. Had Farina for breakfast while watching To Tell the Truth. The first contestants got into Indiana Jones territory with their translucent skull and its fantastic story. Alan Alda and I said number 2, who seemed to be the most interested and knowledgeable, and we were both right. Next up was a woman who had apparently gone to China with her husband, the then-head of the New York Times, and wrote a diary about her trip that was eventually published. Kitty Carlisle dropped out early; evidently, she and the woman were good friends. Everyone, including me, said 1 or 2; turns out it was sweet 3.

I caught the What's My Line episode before, so I switched over to the Disney Now app for Muppet Babies. Miss Nanny takes the Babies to the museum to check out the Egyptian artwork. Animal can't resist touching a sarcophagus that holds a magic mummy. When the mummy touches the artwork, he brings them to life, but he also makes a mess. The other kids remind them that it's not right to touch things that aren't yours. Gonzo is such a huge fan of the Zorna sci-fi book series, he's created "The Friends of Zorma Club." The other kids want to come to his galactic dance party, but he makes it too hard to join the club. The kids decide to hold their own dance party, which makes him feel equally left-out.

I got up early this morning so I'd have time for writing. Gene gently reminds Charles that friendship is just as important as love. Brett's husband isn't the only one who loves her. Charles sings gently to his friend, just as Malade comes up with the frog struggling in her hand....

Broke to get ready for work around 10:15. Yesterday's champ from Split Second had tough competition from the other lady, but eventually won the Countdown round decisively. She missed the car and once again opted to return.

Went to work shortly after Split Second ended. The sun was still out when I headed down the Black Horse Pike, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. It wasn't quite as hot as it has been, but I've never felt such smothering humidity! It was terrible. I was still dripping when I got in.

We were steady for most of the morning. Not overwhelming, but still pretty busy for the middle of the week and the middle of a month that doesn't normally have a lot going on. I didn't pay much attention to the high windows in the front of the store...until I heard thunder and rain on the roof during my break, around quarter after 2. When I returned to my register, the sky was pitch-black, and our customers were gone. I spent most of the next two and a half hours writing story notes. By the time the rain stopped and it started to pick up again, I was done.

Wanted to get my grocery shopping done today, before the weather gets worse. Found boxes of Twinings tea and bags of Kind oat and nut clusters on the clearance rack. Picked up a crab cake for dinner. Little "Rocket" apples in a bag were $2.99. Red leaf lettuce was on sale, too. Restocked butter, buttermilk, bananas, blueberries, grapes, yogurt, milk, and peanut butter. Had to dodge long lines because my replacement was late and they just didn't have enough help.

Thankfully, the sun was just emerging as I headed home, waving "hi" to Jodie on my way. There was a small box on Jodie's side of the house with my name on it. Linda Young mentioned a while back that she sent me a homecoming gift. Yay, it arrived! I brought it inside and opened it after I changed into regular clothes.

Linda and her husband James are so sweet. Along with more bookmarks and a bicycle key chain, they gave me a lovely framed artwork of a wreath of colorful wildflowers surrounding the words "Home Sweet Home." Linda does crafts - she may have painted it herself. Until I can get more of those Velcro strips to hang things, I set it up on the kitchen table.

I also noticed when I was in my bedroom that Craig finally got around to putting up the white print gel clings on that big front window. They're on four windows around the main one and are a white-ish with a diamond pattern. They look very elegant. I can still see everything out the middle windows, and they'll help with keeping it from getting too warm in here.

Watched Match Game while putting everything away. Tough comedian Scoey Mitchlll made his first appearance on a memorable 1974 episode that also featured Bert Convy in a cameo kissing a contestant as the turntable entered. It was his way of advertising the just-debuted Tattletales and Gene taking over hosting it for a week, so he and his own wife could appear. (Wonder if Buzzr ever ran that week?)

Had a very quick dinner of PB and SJ (strawberry jam) and salad while watching Sale of the Century. Pretty much the same deal as yesterday's episode here. The other female contestant started strong, and even bought something, but the champ pulled ahead in the end. She hit the 25 dollar card on the Fame Game, then came on strong in the speed round. She still couldn't get the money in the bonus round, though.

Finished the night online with the 1932 melodrama Smilin' Through on TCM's on-demand website. John Carteret (Leslie Howard) was to have married the sweet and beautiful Moonyean Clare (Norman Shearer) in 1868, but lost her when she took the bullet at their wedding that his rival Jeremy Wayne (Frendric March) intended for him. He spent 30 years mourning her and the memory of that terrible day, until her orphaned niece Kathleen (Shearer) came into his life. He's horrified when the grown Kathleen falls for the late Jeremy's charming son Kenneth (March) and forbids her from seeing him. She continues to go out with him anyway, vowing to marry him when he returns from World War I. John would rather live in anger and bitterness over what Jeremy did to his beloved Moonyean...until Kenneth returns from battle wounded and turns Kathleen away. Now he realizes that unless he can bring the two together, he will never heal the wounds in his heart and be with his lost bride again.

I guess I'm just in the mood for romantic fantasies right now. The story is pure melodrama, but a spirited Shearer and especially Howard really make it work. You do believe Howard is an old man weighed down by years of grief and anger. A lovely production, with gorgeous gowns by Adrian for both Shearer's roles, add greatly to the bittersweet tone. If you're a fan of any of the stars or love slightly sad romances, you'll want to check this one out.

Stormy Weather

Began a sunny, hazy morning with breakfast and Blockbusters. The teacher finally met her match in that brother pair. They beat her in the regular round, but only managed two questions in the Gold Rush bonus round. They'd just started playing a young woman when the show ended.

Switched to Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood as I cleaned up from breakfast. Everyone in class tells O "You are Special" when he tries to imitate what the other kids can do. Daniel Sr. reminds his son that "Daniel Is Special" while they're on a walk together.

Went online after the cartoon ended. Now that my arm is almost healed and I'm as settled into my new apartment as I'm going to be for the moment, I need to start looking for online gigs again. More to the point, I need to find the courage and figure out how to write proposals and get online writing gigs. I'm just so nervous! I can write fiction and essay, but when it comes to really talking about myself, I can't do it.

Broke for lunch at 1:30. Went to the Roku Channel for the original My Little Pony while I ate. It's snowing all over Ponyland in the middle of summer! The ponies enjoy it, but they start saying "Baby, It's Cold Outside" when they realize that the cold isn't just fun to play in - it's freezing over the Sea Ponies' home and is damaging plants. They travel through a twisty maze to a remote ice kingdom whose penguin ruler uses his magic to make the planet fit for only those who live in the snow.

Went out for a walk around 2. While the sun was shining and the heat wasn't anywhere near the levels it hit a few weeks ago, it remained killer humid. Between that and my current lack of funds, I limited my trip to a stop at Dollar General. They got more of the 2-dollar sugar, and their eggs are a dollar. Grabbed them both, and treated myself to my favorite pecan roll.

Went into Muppet Babies at the Disney Now app while putting everything away. "Animal Gets the Sneezies," but refuses to see a doctor. The other kids try to prove that doctors aren't so scary. Kermit's little nephew Robin plays "Library Leapfrog" with the girls when they accidentally take his video game. He and the boys follow them through several library books to get it back...and show Robin how much fun reading can be.

Spent the next hour or so after that working on a project. I had extra pieces of yarn leftover from my (uneven) pillow case, so I used them to crochet tie back chains for the windows on the back wall. They looked so nice, I decided to make more for all the curtains in the apartment.

For the second day in a row, "dyn-o-mite" Jimmie Walker and his lady Samantha were the big winners on Tattletales. The contestants on Press Your Luck weren't quiet as ear-challenging as yesterday's bunch! A young man badly wanted a trip to Australia; a woman wanted to see Hawaii. In the end, she got her vacation and the win.

Worked on writing for a while. Charles finds Betty's frog friend leaping over trolls and letting them fall into each other. He's all for finding Betty and getting control of the mess in the ballroom. Charles agrees. He's getting cold, and he still can't find Brett...

Checked my schedule while I was online. In good news, afternoon-early evening work straight through (except for Saturday morning) and good hours. In bad news...they put me on cashiering again. I know they likely did it to spare my arm, but I HATE cashiering! I don't care how nice people say I am or how well-balanced my till is. I've told them a million times I am absolutely no good at dealing with people! They make me nervous. I don't know what to say to them or how to handle them.

Clouds began gathering as I hurried home from Dollar General. By 6:30, it was pouring pitchforks, darker than midnight, and thundering louder than the Press Your Luck winners. It was cool enough for me to julienne eggplant, zucchini, and a carrot, sprinkle it with vegetable grilled seasoning and Parmesan cheese, and have Parmesan veggie fries with my leftover poached chicken leg.

The rain made a spooky background to Match Game on Buzzr. Richard showed off the blue carnation on his lapel a few people in the audience gave him while the demolitions expert finished his game. (Brett later got a very pretty orange carnation.) There was a new champion on Sale of the Century. She bought no instant bargains, was ahead the whole game, blew everyone away at the speed round, and won the bonus round money with 2 seconds to spare.

Did some reorganizing before I took my shower. Moved my work clothes to the shelf in the bathroom. If it's going to be there, I might as well do something with it. The brown curtain from the other house and the old tablecloth were switched to the top shelf of the bathroom closet. The yarn bags were moved to the shelf my work clothes were on, and the smallest and lightest bin of American Girl clothing went on the top shelf of my bedroom closet.

Finished the night after my shower at the library site Kanopy with Blancanieves. This unique Spanish film is a silent, black-and-white retelling of Snow White. Snow White is the neglected daughter of a former bullfighter in 1920's Spain. The wicked stepmother is a vain and spoiled flapper who only cares about herself, her affairs, and her rich lifestyle, and the seven dwarfs are six little bullfighters and their mother who take Carmen in. Carmen's father taught her bullfighting, and she becomes one of the greatest bullfighters in Spain. Her stepmother, however, is still determined to get rid of her...even if she has to use a poisoned apple to do it...

Bizarre yet breathtaking, this is one of the most unusual versions of a fairy tale I've ever seen. I kind of wish it didn't spend so much time on Snow White's childhood before she becomes a bullfighter, and the end is really a little too bizarre, but it's worth checking out if you love silent cinema, unusual fairy-tale retellings, or Spanish films.

Adventures In the Rain

I didn't sleep well this morning. Thunder, lighting, and a massive downpour jolted me out of my slumber around 7:30. I dozed for another hour, then finally gave up and read in bed.

Supermarket Sweep ended as I came in for breakfast. Alas, the ladies just missed the 5,000 when they couldn't find the last clue. One of the ladies on Split Second did better, just pulling ahead in the Countdown round in a close race. She opted to return when she didn't turn the board for the car over in the bonus round. 

The teacher keeps rolling on Blockbusters. She beat the brother-sister pair and only missed one question on the Gold Rush bonus round. She was playing a pair of look-alike brothers when the show ended.

Took my laundry down to the basement, then returned to my apartment to activate TCM on my Roku box. One of the movies they had listed was the 1953 MGM musical Small Town Girl. I go further into this city mouse-country mouse story featuring Jane Powell, Farley Granger, and Ann Miller at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Cult Flops - Small Town Girl

(The TCM app on the Roku kept buffering throughout the movie. It would work just fine on my laptop later, so either there were remnants of the storm, or the TCM app has problems with my old Roku box.)

Since the rain once again cooled things off, I made a Honey Oatmeal Cake between putting the laundry in the washer and dryer. It's one of the simplest cake recipes out there, with everything being mixed in the pan you cook the oatmeal in. I forget where I found this one. I think it might have been stuck in a book at a thrift shop. It always comes out moist and just sweet enough, and is perfect for when you want a cake quickly and with a minimum of fuss. 

Switched to Cobra Woman on the TV Time Action app while having lunch and doing the dishes. I needed to turn up the heat, and this Universal 40's pot boiler more than filled the bill. I've read about the exotic B movies of Maria Montez and Jon Hall, but I never saw one until today. South Seas islander Ramu (Hall) and his goofy friend Kado (Sabu) goes after Ramu's lover Tollea (Montez) when she's kidnapped and taken to a remote island. Turns out Tollea has a ruthless twin sister named Naja (Montez) who is the ruler of the island, practicing human sacrifice with her greedy chancellor Martok (Edgar Barrier). The twins' mother (Mary Nash) reveals that Tollea is the true queen, and she brought her there to revolt against her evil sibling. Ramu and Kado will have to dodge Naja's affections and Martok's whip if they want to escape the island and help Tollea regain her rightful throne.

Pure hokum, but unbelievably fun. No wonder these movies were big money-makers for Universal in the mid-late 40's. The dialogue is terrible and no one can act, but the special effects are darn good for the time (especially when the sisters are together in the climax), and there's enough action to keep even modern action-lovers entertained. 

Activated Disney Now to get the second-season episodes of the Disney Junior Muppet Babies while bringing in the laundry. Skeeter and Scooter are reintroduced in "Win a Twin." Scooter is disappointed when his sister goes off to do something without him. Kermit puts on a game show to help Scooter find the perfect replacement for her. Skeeter leaves her glasses off to look more heroic in "Skeeter and the Super Girls." She joins Captain Icecube (Summer) and Super Fabulous (Piggy) as Top Speed, the lightning-fast heroine...but she keeps running into trash cans. She learns how important it is to see straight when The Meanzo (Gonzo) kidnaps her friends and the guard at the cookie vault (Scooter).

Switched to Tattletales as I finally hung the Jaq/Gus storyboard print and my grandfather's artwork in the living room, on either side of the smaller window. We had three young couples today, two of whom were never on the show before. Jimmie Walker and his lady Samantha were the big winners, with him coming off a tad less annoying than he tends to in Match Game. 

Peter Tomarken may have had to check his ears after dealing with extra-loud contestants on today's Press Your Luck. The blonde woman was soft-spoken but prone to high-pitched squealing during the Big Board rounds. One of the guys may have screamed hard enough to drown out even the Whammies. In the end, he out-screamed her and the other man to win tons of money and a trip to Ireland.

Worked on writing for a while after Luck ended. Ira tries to cozy up to Betty, but she orders him arrested for turning against her and staying with Malade. While Bobby and Elaine have fun with throwing pies, Charles tries to round up the others. Malade could be there any minute! So will their secret weapon, says Betty. Gene especially knows that more help is on its way...

Broke for dinner at 6:30. Had poached chicken legs with mashed garden-fresh potatoes and the last of the Chinese green beans and tomatoes while watching Match Game. This one ended with everyone joking about a contestant who says he runs a construction business and is a "home wrecker." Sale of the Century returned to the regular game with adult contestants. The woman champ dominated, picking up a trip to Aruba. She missed the bonus round money by a few seconds, though. 

Finished the night online with The Flame and the Arrow at TCM's on-demand app. Dardo (Burt Lancaster), a skilled peasant archer, is determined to rescue his young son Rudi (Gordon Gebert) after the boy is taken away by his mother Francesca (Lynn Baggett) and her current lover, Count Ulrich, aka "The Hawk." He, his mute friend Piccolo (Nick Cravat), and his friends turn outlaw. He tries to rescue his son, but they end up kidnapping the lovely and feisty Lady Anne (Virginia Mayo) instead. Ulrich threatens to hang Dardo's uncle Papa Bartoli (Frances Pierlot) if he doesn't return Anne. He thinks he's able to hang Dardo...but the rebel has more than one trick up his acrobatic sleeve!

I've seen Lancaster's second swashbuckler The Crimson Pirate many times, but never the first one until today. I like that he's a father rescuing his son, instead of a sweetheart or a flat-out rebel. It's rare you encounter devoted single fathers in swashbucklers, and it makes the story a little more meaningful. Mayo and Robert Douglas are having a great time as the damsel in distress and the slimy Marchese who joins the outlaws, only to betray them in the end. If you love robust action stories or The Crimson Pirate, you'll want to give this one a look, too. 

Dolls on a Stormy Morning

Awoke late in the morning to the tail end of that tropical storm. It was raining every animal on the farm, with enough wind to blow a cow half-way across the country. Half-listened to Blockbusters while the wind howled and I ate breakfast. The young woman champ finally beat the brother-sister team, then handily won the Gold Rush round. She was giving the more of the same to a mother-daughter pair when the show ended.

Spent the next hour and a half organizing my journals while the rain continued to fall. I threw them onto one of the long shelves in my bedroom with no rhyme or reason two weeks ago, just to get them out of their bags. Moved the 2007-2008 volumes to the box with my pre-2007 journals and diaries, leaving plenty of room for the rest. (I'm hoping to eventually buy similar plastic containers for all my journals. It'll make more room.)

I discovered while taking out the trash that the rain cooled down things considerably. It was so cool, I decided I could get away with baking in my new stove. Made Blueberry Muffins while watching Summer Stock with Judy Garland and Gene Kelly. I go into more detail on the movie at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Summer Stock

As for the muffins, they came out perfectly. I hadn't had such sweet and moist muffins in months. They browned nicely and were cooked just right in the middle.

After I had my blueberry muffins, I dressed my dolls for the first time since mid-May. I wasn't sure if I could pull it off with my broken elbow, and then I didn't have the time before I packed them. Samantha, Molly, Whitney, and Jessa all wear bathing suits. Samantha's is a navy-blue romper with a skirt, black tights, and soft polka-dot slippers. Molly's is peach tropical knit with matching striped espadrilles. Jessa's is the modern American Girl Hula Outfit, and Whitney's is a purple Popsicle print from Our Generation.

I haven't had the chance to find Ariel a bathing suit yet, so she wears a tank top and shorts in a matching tropical fish print. Felicity and Josefina come from time periods when swimming wasn't considered ladylike. Felicity's in her lavender-striped Traveling (and later Meet) Gown with the matching cap and the satin-covered straw hat from Elizabeth's Summer Gown. I put Josefina in the pretty beige floral Party Dress and moccasins I found her in at a yard sale in 2013.

The sun came out while I was eating lunch. By the time I finished with the dolls, it was a gorgeous, clear, sunny afternoon. It also remained windy and cool, allowing me to open all my windows. The crank windows in the bedroom and bathroom and the one push-open window in the bedroom worked fine. One of the windows in the living room/kitchen almost fell out when I tried opening it, and neither had screens. I left the working one open anyway, just to keep air circulating.

Returned to baking while Tattletales, Press Your Luck, and Card Sharks were on. This time, I tried my favorite Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies recipe. They tasted fine, but I burned part of the first batch. Jodie told me in June that she cleaned the stove with the rest of the apartment. She not only put the grates back in the wrong way, but the bottom one was too low. I fixed them when I could handle them.

Once again, feisty Gary Burghoff and his sweet wife Janet were the big winners on Tattletales. All of the contestants on Press Your Luck did very well in the first half...only to get slammed with Whammies during the second round. Friday's champion ended with $750, but her opponents lost so much money on their final turns, it was enough for her to win again. The 1986 Card Sharks celebrated their "Young People's Week" as a smart 12-year-old girl (with her father's help) won $3,300 on the Money Cards.

Worked on writing for a while after the cookies were out of the oven. Helen Rayburn runs right into her husband's waiting arms. She's one of the servants Betty freed and brought upstairs. Even though she's annoyed as heck with Gene for disappearing, she still loves him and missed him, and he missed her dearly.

Broke for dinner at 6:30. The Match Game episode I watched apparently hadn't been seen since it's original airing until Buzzr ran it last year; it didn't even show up on Game Show Network. I wonder if the tape quality was bad until Freemantle restored it, or someone was offended by some of the racier answers to the "Rip Van Winkle" question towards the end.

Varsity Week continues on Sale of the Century. This time, we had a cheerful girl swimmer, a perky male cheerleader with a very 80's mullet, and a sweet girl cheerleader. No one dominated the game and all the kids won something, but in the end, the girl cheerleader pushed past the other two in the speed round and got the money in the bonus round with time to spare.

Went for a walk after cleaning up from dinner. The rain was long gone, replaced by clear skies and a strong, fresh wind. I'm surprised there weren't more people out and about as I strolled down Manheim and around to Newton Avenue. I saw a dad throwing basketballs with his son and a couple of folks on their porches or walking dogs. Everyone must have been eating late dinners. Thanks to that rain, gardens glowed with late summer flowers and green trees.

Finished the night on The Roku Channel with the next first season episode of Charlie's Angels. It's "Terror In Ward One" when someone at a local hospitals attacks female interns. Kelly and Jill pose as student nurses to get close to the staff, while Sabrina claims she's a reporter doing a story on interns and Bosley is a reluctant patient.

Rainy Labor Day

Began a cloudy Labor Day with work. Work wasn't bad when I got in, but it picked up after lunch when the clouds got thicker. Every time I tried to get carts done, they'd throw me in the register. Thankfully, another bagger had arrived by that point to help out. The on-and-off showers at this point didn't help, either. I'd no sooner gather carts than it would start raining, sometimes heavily (but never for very long).

The main reason I went to work was actually to buy cold supplies. The Acme was having a buy 2, get 2 free sale on a lot of their generic medical products. I stocked up on cough drops; also grabbed Tylenol cold medicine and more of that Acme nut milk ice cream. While my fever's gone, my head is still achy, and my throat remains sore.

Thankfully, it wasn't raining when I went home and put everything away. The clouds had begun to build up again as I started to work on a new story idea. Yes...I've enjoyed Match Game so much, I've started fanfiction for it. Brett has a nightmare where a scuzzy producer spirits away Charles, Richard, and Gene. She has to rescue her fellow regulars from a sadistic game that's a lot scarier than fill-in-the-blank with the help of several of the semi-regulars.

I don't know if I'll go into a lot of detail on this one as I'm writing it, since it falls into the "mature" category. Currently, the only place I've found 70's Match Game fanfiction is on Wattpad, and I'm not a big fan of them. This and any other Match Game fanfics I write will be exclusive to my Writer's Desk at the Riverside blog.

It continued raining off and on the rest of the day, sometimes wrecking havoc with the Internet. A big thunderstorm rolled through around 5:30, though like most of the rain we've had today, it didn't last long. It was gone long before I broke for dinner at 6:30.

Had a quick leftovers meal while watching a Three Stooges short about working and school. "Violent Is the Word for Curly" when they're three gas station owners who end up at a girls' school after they destroy three professors' car. They teach the girls about "Swinging the Alphabet" and try to show them how to play football.

Went on to Lego Star Wars after dinner. Once again, I got barely got to "Into the Death Star" but couldn't finish. I'll keep trying until I go on vacation.

Finished the night with How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. I go into more detail about this office satire at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying

Goofs In the Rain

Kicked off a cloudy morning with breakfast and Goof Troop. Pete convinces the mayor to hire "Inspector Goofy" so his car lot will pass inspection. Goofy, however, really takes his advice on giving citations and gives Pete so many infractions, he ends up shutting him down. Now Pete has to find a new job, while getting Goofy away from his.

Tried to focus on looking up website designers this morning, but as usual, I just got distracted and looked up Hollywood history instead. Jessa gave me an interesting idea yesterday - put my reviews on YouTube. YouTube is saturated with reviews, but it might work to advertise my blog and the movies I discuss. I could do previews early in the month of the movies I intend to review, or videos of the musicals used for a theme or week. There's one big problem with this one at the moment - I don't have and can't afford the editing equipment, nor do I know how to use it. Once again, this will require more research.

Broke for a quick yogurt-and-tomato and cucumber-salad lunch around 11. Ate and got ready for work while continuing Goof Troop. Max and PJ are obsessed with becoming hard rock stars in "Shake, Rattle, and Goof." Goofy and the boys are having fun playing in the garage, while Pete takes over as their manager. Even he thinks he's out of their league when a slimy agent changes their image and music. Goof and Pete have to figure out a way to get the boys out of their contracts when they realize the grasping agent is squeezing all the fun out of playing.

The clouds were growing increasingly dark, and it was still hot and murderously humid. I rushed to work as fast as I could. I did gather carts when I got in, but I was long inside by the time the storm rolled in around quarter of 2. Work was a lot less fun after that. I tried to get some returns done and return to the carts, but I kept ending up in the registers. Spent my last hour and a half mopping up two huge puddles that formed after a freezer broke and overflowed. (The manager of the frozen food department wasn't happy, either. Evidently, all the novelty ice creams he had in that freezer defrosted, stuck to the shelves, and had to be thrown away.)

Thankfully, the rain was long gone by the time I hurried home (and to my knowledge, hasn't returned since). I had a snack and worked on writing when I got in. Ahsoka calls her boss Chief Darren Vedder in her squad car and tells him that she didn't see anyone on the road...and then calls her other boss, Patricia "White Queen" Amidala. Patricia wants her to keep an eye on Luke and Rudy and make sure they get to Yoda. Patricia knows who Luke really is and is hoping he'll be the savior of the Rebel League. Ahsoka knows she's also aware of who Vedder is, but she's not sure even the White Queen can override Palpatine's hold on the Father of Death.

Had leftovers for dinner while watching more Goof Troop. Pete is "Terminal Pete" after a collision with a familiar gopher leaves him believing he only has days left to live. Peg, Goofy, and the kids have to save him from himself when he rushes off to Hollywood to be a stuntman.

Didn't have much luck with Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga tonight. I played six rounds, and the only blue minkit challenge I completed was the very short "Jedi Battle," and that literally just as the clock switched to zero. I'd find 8 or 9 pieces, but would pass or not be able to find the last one. I'll probably have to look most of them up online or on YouTube.

Finished the night after a shower with We're Not Dressing. I go into more detail on this tropical-set vehicle for Bing Crosby and Carole Lombard at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

We're Not Dressing

A Morning With My Sister

Woke up a little bit early so I could have time to get ready to join Jessa for breakfast. She picked me up around 9 AM. We ended up at the Pop Shop. Jessa had only eaten there once, and I haven't had breakfast there for a while. I've never seen them so quiet. They must have opened right before we arrived. We were probably the first ones there. Jessa had Eggs Benedict; I had Blue Velvet Blueberry "Bettys" (pancakes). (And for once, they weren't the size of the plate and I was able to eat most of them.) We both had hot tea with lemon. (Jessa doesn't like coffee, either.) We chatted about Dad, Rose, movies, our schedules, and the things we both enjoy.

I'd mentioned Mom sending me my baby pictures back in the winter. I got to show them to Jessa for an hour when we went back to my place. She really seemed to enjoy them, especially seeing me as a teeny baby. She's in her mid-20's, so she wasn't around to see me grow up in the 80's. We had so much fun going through the photos, I realized how late it was and ended up having 10 minutes to get ready for work. Got there right on time.

Work was crazy when I first got in. I have no idea what happened, but for some reason, water had leaked into the main office in the back, next to the employee lounge. (I'm wondering if the air conditioning leaked. The store is at least 50 years old or more.) I was the only bagger there at the time and had to mop it up, despite there being no carts and also needing to sweep the store. Doesn't help that I got stuck in the register again when they wanted me to go in for somebody's break. Another guy came in half-way through, giving me the chance to round up the trash and recycling inside, shelve loose items, and return carts.

Went straight home and did some writing. Ahsoka leads Rudy and Luke to a ramshackle convenience store just outside of Dagobah. She doesn't want to lead them into town because she has to report to Vader and...call somebody. That "somebody" turns out to be the White Queen, who calls her Fulcrum and who asks her to keep an eye on Vader and on Luke.

Broke for dinner at quarter of 7. Finished out the second Goof Troop disc while I ate leftover beef stir fry. The "Leader of the Pack" is the head of the Pharoahs, a teenage gang who has taken over a local Sonic-esque drive in. PJ and Max love their burgers, but can't get past the Pharoahs. They recruit Max's cute older cousin Debbie to help them teach the bullying Pharoahs a lesson.

Worked on Lego Star Wars for a while after dinner. Got through the blue minikit challenges for "Darth Maul" and "Mos Espa Pod Race" tonight. Got very close on "Bounty Hunter Pursuit" and "Discovery at Kamino," but there was one piece in the former and three in the latter I just could not find.

As I was working on "Discovery at Kamino" the second time, the lights dimmed and blinked. They did come back on, but it was a bit of a surprise. It had been sunny, hot, and killer humid all day. I was shocked to turn around and hear crazy wind and see rain lashing at the windows. The storm had begun to pass as I was finishing up "Kamino," and to my knowledge, hasn't been heard from since.

Finished the night with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It's 1957. Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is still searching for lost artifacts, but now, it's the Russians who are after him. The nasty Irina Spaldko (Cate Blanchett) wants to find the Crystal Skulls, which could lead her to the ultimate fountains of knowledge. Indy's more interested in helping young Mutt Williams (Shia LaBouf) find his friend Oxley (John Hurt) and his mother, Indy's former flame Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen). What they find is an out-of-this-world adventure when it turns out that the Crystal Skull leads to an amazing treasure...and a race of beings that are not quite of this planet.

People still tend to be hard on this movie to this day. I think a lot of folks just had expectations that were much too high. While it's not as good as Raiders and Last Crusade, I actually like it better than Temple of Doom. There's some great action set pieces, like the motorcycle chase in the beginning, Blanchett is a terrific villain, and Marion and Indy are just as funny here as they were in Raiders. The sci-fi plot really isn't that much stranger than any other story in the franchise.

Casting is a big problem. Shia LaBouf is totally out of place as the tough guy Marlon Brando wannabe. The treacherous Mac is built up to be a close friend of Indy's, but since we've never seen him before this movie, it's hard to care about him like we're supposed to. There's also the obvious CGI that was common in action movies of the early 2000's through mid 2010's. It just looks fake a decade later and clashes with the mid-20th-century setting. And some of the gags with the monkeys and the ants are a bit much, even for this series.

If you're a fan of Indy, by all means, check this one out, too...but I'd recommend catching at least Raiders first to get to know Indy's character and his relationship with Marion better.

American and Galactic Patrol

Kicked off the morning with breakfast and the "America Rock" shorts from Schoolhouse Rock. "No More Kings" and "The Shot Heard 'Round the World" covers the American Revolution. "Fireworks" is a jaunty ragtime tune about the creation of the Declaration of Independence. "The Preamble" explains the Constitution. "Elbow Room" shows how Americans expanded westward in the latter half of the 19th century. "Mother Necessity" reveals how scientists and inventors turned the wheels of the Industrial Revolution, and "The Great American Melting Pot" salutes the immigrants who filled the factories. The dynamic "Sufferin' 'Till Suffrage" discusses how women won the vote in the US after over a century of protests. "Three Ring Government" compares the US government to a typical circus. "I'm Just a Bill," which has an actual bill explaining just how long it takes for a bill to become a law, is probably the best-known of these.

"Tyrannosaurus Debt," a pointed commentary on the US debt and how it keeps growing, is from the much later "Money Rock" in the 90's but fits in with the "America Rock" shorts as well. "I'm Gonna Send Your Vote to College," which uses a spoof of college fight songs to discuss the Electoral College, was made for the DVD set I have.

Headed out for work shortly after the cartoons ended. Work was very busy for most of the day. I spent three hours outside in the heat and high humidity, rounding up carts and gathering the trash and recycling, because I was the only bagger there in the morning. Dodged the men filling pot holes in the parking lot as well as I could. Other baggers started to arrive by around quarter of 2, allowing me to switch to sweeping and doing returns. I picked the right time to go inside. Dark clouds had started gathering as early as noon. By 3 PM, we were in the middle of a noisy thunderstorm, complete with torrential rains. Thankfully, it had long finished by the time I was done.

Saw Jodie while I was doing returns. Thanks to the weather, it looks like their 4th of July party is now combined with the birthday dinner for Finley, whose birthday is today. It also sounds like they're inviting a few more people. (That doesn't surprise me.) I'll be over their house around 4:30-5 PM tomorrow.

I did need to pick up a few things after work. After the ice box cake I made two years ago was more of a mess than anything, I wasn't going to take any chances. I bought ladyfingers for the "crust" and cream cheese, strawberries, and Cool Whip for the filling. (No messing with home-made whipped cream this time.)

Charlie had a new deck leading to my apartment half-finished when I arrived. I put my bike against the fence, left him to his work, and went upstairs to change and do some writing. Leia wishes Luke would stay with her and Harris instead of rushing off to Dagobah. Luke tells her he'll learn more from a great master like Yoda. She helps him get ready to take off with the Jet Pack squad.

Broke for a quick leftovers dinner at 6:30. After I ate, I made the icebox cake. Added lemon juice to the cream cheese, Cool Whip, strawberries, and powdered sugar, then layered them over the ladyfingers to make a strawberry lemonade icebox cake. Decorated the top with blueberries and sliced strawberries in a flag pattern.

Finished out the second season of Clone Wars as I worked. Anakin is saying "R2 Come Home" when he and Mace Windu are trapped in the debris from a crashed spaceship and only his little droid can get the word out to the others. Artoo not only has to get around droid-eating gundarks, but avoid Boba Fett and Aura Sing and their crowd, who are holding the downed crew members for ransom. Ahsoka and Plo Koon find themselves on a "Lethal Trackdown" as they pursue Boba and Aura and their prisoners from the lower levels of planet-wide city Coruscant to desert planet Florrum.

I can definitely understand why this still has a huge fandom that was thrilled to hear about its return later this year. This is well-written and exciting in a way the first two Prequel films mostly weren't, with enjoyable and interesting stories, decent animation, and engaging characters. Between this and Rebels (and the mixed response to the Sequels), I'm starting to think Star Wars makes an even better TV series than a movie series. The serial format gives it more time to develop characters and bring its world to life. If  you're a fan of the Prequels or Rebels, you'll absolutely want to give this earlier series a look as well.

Moved on to Lego Pirates of the Caribbean after the cartoon ended. Finally completed "Isla Del Muerta." There was a cave just to the left of the underwater statue in the secret cave that was practically invisible. It brought me to a hidden bay, where I shot ducks and slid onto a ridge to pick up the last three pieces and finish that round...but not the game. As it turned out, I missed three of Jack's compass points. Easily found the one in "Norrington's Choice," but I'm having a harder time with the ones in "Port Royal." I'll try again tomorrow or Friday.

Charlie called while I was playing, claiming that there was a package for me around front. He'd drop it at my steps when he took his dogs for a walk. That was a surprise. I hadn't ordered anything. It was from Lauren. She and her parents apparently had an overabundance of tea, so they sent me every tea under the sun - Bentley's in a tin, Twinings, Celestial Seasonings, and various brands in a plastic container. They'd also thrown in a set of three Hershey's Kisses-themed lip glosses. I really appreciated it, especially the Bentley tin. My identical tin is scratched and dented from years of being shoved on the top shelf of my cabinets.

Finished the night with honey ginseng green tea and America the Beautiful, a 2-disc LP set of patriotic music compiled by Reader's Digest in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty in 1986. I always listen to at least the first disc of this set on or around patriotic holidays. Favorites here include "This Land Is Your Land," "God Bless America," "American Patrol," the clip-clops of "The Grand Canyon Suite," and a Boston Pops concert of George M. Cohan songs that's so much fun, you can hear people singing along in the background.

Dolls on a Summer Day

Began a hazy gold morning with breakfast and Clone Wars. Duchess Satine isn't the only senator to be targeted by assassins. In "Senate Murders," Padme's dear friend Onaconda Farr of Rodia is killed by a poisoned drink after he advocates a bill in the senate that would end the creation of clones and slow the war. She and Bail Organa make their own inquiries to find out who wanted him gone.

Dressed the dolls for summer and the 4th of July after the cartoon ended. Samantha wears her sailor's middy and tam with the black stockings and black-and-white boots from her Flower-Picking Outfit. Josefina is in her original school outfit, the Indigo Skirt and Camisa. Jessa wears the red t-shirt from the original Blue Jeans Basics with a pair of shorts I bought from a craft show and Springfield collection socks and sneakers. Molly also wears a sailor-style blouse with her Camp Gowanigan shorts and baseball hat and saddle shoes. Whitney's ready to dance in the 4th of July Parade in her white dance dress with the red and blue sequins and bright red tap shoes that was originally sold at American Girl store shows. Ariel got the patriotic-themed peasant blouse Lauren sent a few years ago and Springfield Collection capris and white Swiss lace espadrilles. I left Felicity in her white and blue dress and cap. I really don't have much to change her into, and it works for the holiday.

I was going to have yogurt and a peach for lunch, but almost every peach in the bag I bought on Friday but one had begun to get too soft. I sliced them and make Peach Flummery instead. Returned to Clone Wars while I ate. Anakin plays a "Cat and Mouse" game with a notorious Separatist leader who was thought to be dead in a new ship that can turn invisible. He's supposed to be getting past the Separtist blockade and bringing supplies to the troops, but he would really rather use their new toy to break up that blockade.

"Bounty Hunters" honors Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, whose work inspired George Lucas as well as The Magnificent Seven films. Anakin, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan crash on the Seuss-like planet of Felucia after they discover that drone droids destroyed their hospital base. They end up helping a group of bounty hunters help farmers fend off pirates lead by Hondo Ohnaka.

Headed out to run errands around 1:30. First stop was the Haddon Township Library. I mainly wanted to return The Jazz Palace, which I finished this morning. Spent an hour shelving kids and adults DVDs. Both were overloaded - several didn't fit. I once again didn't take anything out. Don't know when I'll be in next week, and I still have movies I haven't watched at home.

Needed to make a few stops on my way home. Craft stores carry feather boas in all sizes. I found a sparkly purple boa at AC Moore that was just the right size for a toddler girl. Picked up a few items at Target that were cheaper there than at the Acme, including mouthwash and bandages. Realized I'd forgotten a card for Finley; ended up at a busy Dollar Tree, where I also picked up party cake ice cream sandwich for a treat.

Went into writing as soon as I got home. Rudy insists on going with Luke to Dagobah. He has a better idea of where it is than Luke and knows Yoda. He's not entirely happy that Luke is leaving the others, but Luke insists he has to complete his training, and Yoda is the only one who can do it.

Broke for dinner and more Clone Wars at 6:30. Made ground turkey and vegetable stovetop casserole for a quick dinner. We move from The Magnificent Seven to Godzilla with "The Zillo Beast." The Republic has awoken the beast from its underground slumber with a droid-destroying bomb. They have to figure out how to get past its near-indestructible skin. "The Zillo Beast Strikes Back" when they take it to Coruscant and it gets loose and ends up destroying part of the city.

The young Boba Fett is reintroduced in "Death Trap" when he joins a group of young clone cadets who are visiting the Jedi ship. Fett just wants to kill off Mace Windu, who killed his father...but he puts half the ship and the other young clones in danger when he destroys the controls.

It had been humid, hot, and sunny for most of the day. The clouds didn't move in until around dinner, and the thunder didn't arrive until I was online. The storm was brief, but it was big, very noisy and with buckets and buckets of rain. Thankfully, it doesn't seem to have done anything since.

Finished the night after a shower with 1776. I go further into this musical retelling of the creation of the Declaration of Independence at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

1776

Hot Day In the Sun

Kicked off the morning with breakfast and the Clone Wars second season opener, "Holocron Heist." Ahsoka is upset when she's taken off the front lines and is ordered to guard the Jedi Library. Her new job is a lot more exciting than she thought when she finds a shapeshifting alien who can turn himself into a Jedi. He's working with notorious bounty hunter Cad Bane to steal a certain "holocron," a crystal helix holding Jedi secrets. Ahsoka and Anakin try to stop him from selling it to the Imperials in "Cargo of Doom."

I had to get my laundry done today, especially my work clothes. I picked the right day. There were a few people there when I arrived, but it wasn't too busy. The TV wasn't even on. Worked on my story notes in peace. I didn't have a really huge load; I was in and out in less than an hour.

Put everything away, then had a quick smoothie lunch while continuing Clone Wars. Cad Bane wanted the holocron to find "Children of the Force" and bring them to the Sith. Ankin and Ahsoka go after the kids, while Mace Windu and Obi-Wan try to find Bane and the holocron.

Headed out to work quickly after I finished eating. I did get stuck in the register for the first 40 minutes; there was a call-out. Everything went fine after that. Gathered outside trash and recycling and helped a woman to her car, then spent the rest of the hazy, sunny, killer hot day alternating between rounding up carts outside and shelving items inside when I got too hot. We had plenty of help and no problems whatsoever.

I'm actually pretty happy with my schedule next week. I do work on the 4th of July this time, but it's 8 to 2. I'll live with missing Oaklyn's parade if I can go to Dad and Jodie's party and the fireworks. And the 4th is the only early day next week; I work 11:30 and 10 the rest of the time. Tuesday and next Friday and Saturday off.

I didn't need a lot of groceries, but I did pick up some expensive things that were on sale. I won't be getting to the Collingswood Farm Market tomorrow, so I bought peaches, cherries, and blueberries. Domino's Dark Agave Nectar was on clearance; I might be able to use that. It's too hot to bake, so I bought breakfast cookies and graham crackers (the latter were on a really good sale). A new probiotic pint ice cream was on sale and had a coupon. Restocked skim milk, butter, yogurt, peanut butter, apple sausage, aluminum foil, parchment paper, and a bag (I forgot mine at home).

Finished out "Senate Spy" when I got home and started putting everything away. Padme offers to spy on her fellow senator Rush Clovis, who is suspected of aiding the Separatists. She'd once dated him, but though she's no longer interested, Anakin is still jealous and goes along as a bodyguard. When Padme is poisoned, he has to press a reluctant Clovis to get him the antidote.

"Landing at Point Rain" lands us in the thick of war as Ahsoka, Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Jedi master Ki-Adi-Mundi follow the information from Clovis to Geonosis, where they discover a huge droid factory. Luminara Unduli and her padawan Bariss Offee joins in for "Weapons Factory." Ahsoka begs for more responsibility. Anakin sends her and Bariss to take down the factory while they distract the Separatist army.

Decided I was too tired to work on stories and played Lego Pirates of the Caribbean instead. I'm almost 90 percent done now. Completing "The Maelstrom" finished off At World's End and got me a gold brick for that round. Also finished "A Touch of Destiny," "The Fountain of Youth," and "A Spanish Legacy" and got all but one piece on "The Black Pearl Attacks." Tried "Queen Anne's Revenge," but it glitched and I had to start over.

Finished the night after a shower with Radioland Murders. A thunderstorm moved in while I was playing video games, so I thought it was the perfect night for a mystery. It's 1940, and radio station WBN from Chicago is launching coast-to-coast. The audience may love the mix of soap operas, action shows, and Rick Rochester (Michael McKean) and his Orchestra's numbers, but what's going on behind the scenes isn't as amusing. Writer Roger Henderson (Brian Benben) is trying to convince his wife Penny (Mary Stuart Masterson) that he wants her back, despite having an affair with the manager's sexy Mae West-esque wife Claudette (Anita Morris).

Throughout the night, someone broadcasts messages insisting that a member of the staff is going to die...and Roger somehow manages to be there every time another person dies, to the annoyance of Chicago cop Lieutenant Cross (Michael Lerner). Roger has to dodge Cross, figure who whodunnit, and still somehow manage to get his scripts on the air...if he can keep from falling out windows and down stairs long enough to make it to the end of the broadcast day!

Comic mystery from the early 90's has a poor reputation, but it's not really that bad. The first half, when the emphasis is on the music and the shows, is fast and funny. The emphasis on farce and slapstick in the second half really drags things down and makes the plot harder to follow. The music is great, and a cast of familiar faces (including Christopher Lloyd as the German special effects man, Ned Beatty as the militant owner, and Corbin Bernson as the announcer who is constantly smoking) makes the most of the material.

This has been a favorite of mine since I first found the video in the early 2000's. If you love the movies of this era or are a fan of the cast or real-life old time radio, you'll want to give WGN another hearing.