Walking In Woodcrest

Started off the morning with breakfast and Little Bear. Little Bear, Duck, and Emily accidentally go "Rafting On the River" when their raft breaks free and heads downstream. Cat, Duck, and Owl race them to see whether land or water are the fastest ways to travel. "Little Bear's Kite" was made by him and Grandfather Bear on a fine windy day. Little Bear has fun imagining all the places it can fly too, until it runs into another kite...one that happens to be attached to a familiar friend. It's the "Night of the Full Moon." After Father tells Little Bear the story of monsters that appear during the full moon, they pretend to be monsters and try to scare Mother Bear. Mother, however, knows what the full moon can do to people and bears...

Headed out after the cartoon ended. Rode straight to the Collingswood PATCO. Fortunately, the train to Woodcrest arrived not more than 8 minutes after I sat down. The train wasn't busy at all. I think there were two other people going there with me. 

I got a very big shock when I got off. The Woodcrest PATCO station is twice the size of the ones further up the line. There was ample seating inside and out, a long row of ticketed swing doors, and someone was even in the ticket booth. I have never once in the 20 years I've lived here seen someone actually selling tickets in the Collingswood booth. It was even nice outside...at least until you turned towards the street, where they seemed to be doing exterior and track work. I had a hard time just finding my way out of the sprawling parking lot. 

As it turned out, the bridge over the train tracks did have sidewalks. I was easily able to walk over them, passing corporate buildings and towering luxury apartment buildings. I was surprised to see sponge manufacturer Scrub Daddy's offices in another building. I had no idea they were a local business. They're sold pretty much everywhere around here, from Dollar General to Target to the Acme. Passed them, then went by tall pine trees and a leaning sidewalk that went around the Cherry Hill Fire Hall. Thank heavens Haddonfield-Berlin Road was the only traffic-laden street I encountered on this trip. I tried to be careful crossing, especially given it was past noon by the time I did. 

Passed by a green-roofed shopping center for the time being, continuing down Browning Lane. Fortunately, the Centura Condominium complex wasn't even a block from the shopping center. Centura is a gated community, so I couldn't walk around the outside like I did elsewhere. I did see two kinds of buildings through the wrought-iron fences. One half the complex buildings were more like generic 70's townhouses. The other half were older, probably from the 50's, with a Spanish theme complete with cream-colored stucco walls. There was a sunken-in brick area with a charming fountain in front of the guard house. 

As far as I could tell, everything was very clean and well-maintained. The balconies sported either porch furniture and small grills or potted plants, no junk. I did hear there's a pool and tennis courts. Couldn't get around to the back to see what the trash areas were like. The lawns were spacious and velvety green, except for under the towering pine trees near the front. The rest of the neighborhood were the 60's and 70's tract houses that seem to be typical construction through most of Cherry Hill. I was a little annoyed that only the house side of the street had sidewalks. While Browning Lane wasn't mega-busy, it wasn't a quiet country road, either.

Backtracked to the Woodcrest Shopping Center after I saw all I could of Centura. This looks almost identical to the Plaza at Cherry Hill before it's recent makeover, a 70's-era outdoor mall with a green roof. Dunkin' Donuts was one out parcel. The other was an escape room that was definitely housed in a former Rite Aid/Eckards. I was so hot, I grabbed a tasty and sweet SunCloud Coconut Limeade at Dunkin's before deciding I was hungry enough for lunch.

I ate at Asad's Hot Chicken. They looked like a more colorful Crown Chicken and Gyro with an all-chicken menu. I went with two sliders with Cole slaw and pickles, fries, and a Sprite Zero. The girl said she gave me mild, but...yow! It wasn't mild at all! It was way too spicy for me! I did manage to eat one slider, but I couldn't finish the other. Too bad the fries were covered in spices, too. The ones I dug around for without them were really good. They were nice, but I don't think I'll be eating there again. Next time I'm in the area, I'll go to the pizza place across the street.

Explored a few other stores in the mall. Bought a gift card for my nephew Skylar's birthday and a box of Orange Cream cheap hydration mix at Dollar Tree. Wandered around an Asian Indian market, admiring the unique fruits, vegetables, candies, and baked goods. Peeked at Top Deck Games, a card and board game store. Most of their stock was overpriced, which was a shame. They had some nifty stuffed Pokemon. I saw a Strawberry Shortcake Candy Land game that I may see if I can pick up somewhere cheaper along the line.

After I left Top Deck Games, I started back...but I was thirsty again, and I really had to go to the bathroom. It was windy, cool, and cloudy, but also thickly humid. I asked two nice ladies sitting at a picnic table where the coffee shop in one of the corporate buildings was. I'm just glad no one called me on not belonging there. I bought a very tasty matcha latte from the dark and tan wood Terry's Cafe. Found the bathrooms not far from the nifty modern lounge area, with its soft dark blue velvet seats and weird chairs made of blue cloth straps and blue and orange wire flowers on the walls. 

Thankfully, I had no trouble after that. I ducked out of the bathroom and returned to the bridge. Spotted a set of concrete steps with yellow railings that went down to the parking lot. Once again, I got lucky and didn't have to wait long for a train. Took an only slightly busier train to Collingswood, then took my bike home.

Listened to the soundtrack from Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter as I got organized. I reviewed the movie two years ago, and found that it's a charming British MGM musical wrapped up in a vehicle for Peter Noone and Herman's Hermits. You get that sense here as well. In addition to the hit title song and "There's a Kind of Hush," we have the sales pitch "Lemon and Lime" and "The World Is For the Young" as Stanley Holloway, Sheila White, and Marjorie Rhoades discuss how the youth think they know everything about love. 

Switched to Descendants: Wicked Wonderland next. I go further into the latest movie in the Disney Channel fantasy crossover series at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Musicals On TV - Descendants: Wicked Wonderland

Watched Match Game '76 during dinner and after a much-needed shower. Lee Merriweather spent a lot of the week sporting a wig with luscious auburn locks. The others spent it answering questions about what beauty queens do when they get older.

Finished the night at the Roku Channel for The Rockford Files. "The Dark and Bloody Ground" is the first time lawyer Beth (Gretchen Corbett) hires Jim for a case. Here, she convinces him to help a woman accused of her husband's death in a fire accident. Turns out not only was her husband not who he claimed to be, he was the writer of a best-selling book that's being made into a movie. Jim and Beth have to dodge killers taking pot shots and trying to run them off the road when she discovers a loop hole that will allow a company to own the rights to a book if the author's dead. 

Harvests and History

Began the morning with breakfast and Shirt Tales. "Pleasure Valley" seems to be the ideal amusement park to all of the Shirt Tales but Pammy. Turns out she's right to question this seemingly innocent carnival when she learns that the barker has a far more sinister plan than feeding them too many hot dogs. "The Ghost Out West" is trying to drive the group from an abandoned ghost town. They decided to turn things around and get to the bottom of the mystery by playing ghosts themselves.

Headed out to the Collingswood Farm Market as soon as the cartoon ended. It was late by the time I got there, almost 11:30. There wasn't much left out. The summer produce is out in full now. Berries and peas are gone, replaced by enormous purple eggplants, Chinese beans, red plums, grapes, corn, melons, and every kind of summer squash that ever existed. I bought fat peaches and small, tart red plums, and picked up a cold, minty Chocolate Mint Cream Bar from the Bubba's Creamery cart. Surprisingly, while the Farm Market was busy, it wasn't jammed like usual. The cloudy, thickly humid day and threat of storms might have scared some folks off, plus there was how late it was. They were starting to close as I finished my chocolate mint bar.

Headed down Atlantic Avenue to the PATCO station. Parked the bike there, bought my ticket, and headed up to the tracks. I was surprised to see one of the kids from Thomas Sharp and her family on the platform. They were going in the opposite direction to Philadelphia for a walk around the Independence Hall area. I told them I was going to Haddonfield. I wanted to take another look at the actual Cherry Parke Condos. Her mother asked if I would be staying at the school. For now, yes. I like working with the kids, even if sometimes they overwhelm me when they're all together.

They left before I did. I had to wait another 12 minutes for the train. When it came, there were no problems, and it was fairly empty. It pulled into Haddonfield less than 5 minutes later. 

I got turned around when I got off. Ended up wandering down one of Haddonfield's tree-lined streets past many lovely old Victorian and Edwardian homes. Finally found my way to Haddon Avenue, then down to Tanner Ave to the Bistro for lunch.

The Bistro is my favorite restaurant in Haddonfield. Their breakfasts are amazing! I sat in the nice, chilly, dark-paneled main room and ate thick multi-grain French toast topped with fresh strawberries and whipped butter. Had bacon with that and washed it down with unsweetened peach ginger iced tea. Yum! I'm glad they were able to get me a seat. It was pretty busy in there, mainly with what looked like families and groups of friends out on the town for lunch.

Peeked around in Happy Hippo Toys next. They were even busier than the Bistro with kids and their parents looking for gifts or new toys. Good thing I saw something I wanted right when I walked in. There was a bin of 9-inch Care Bears. I was surprised to see Bedtime Bear and Birthday Bear, whom I've never run into anywhere else. They were a bit expensive, but I ended up with Bedtime Bear. I'd save Birthday Bear for my actual birthday in the spring, but Bedtime will be out all year. (And probably sleeping through most of it.)

Walked down King's Highway next, reading signs about Indian King Tavern, where the Council of Safety met during the Revolutionary War, and Greenfield Hall, the home of the Haddonfield Historical Society. (Both are currently closed and under heavy remodeling.) Found a mid-90's edition of Betsy and the Great World by Maud Hart Lovelace in a book kiosk. Passed the enormous Haddonfield High School and the lovely yellow Victorian building I hope they are remodeling. Turned left at Clements Bridge Road, across from the lovely Wallworth Park. This time, I went down a block to the Cherry Parke Condo buildings.

The condo buildings are pretty identical to the rental apartment buildings further down, with no shutters or balconies. (Though I did see fire escapes on some condos in the back.) It does have what looks like a well-maintained pool. I'm guessing they were all built in the early 50's. They have a charming two-story Colonial design, but they're all showing their age (though Cherry Parke seemed to be in slightly better-shape than the apartment buildings) with junk and old furniture piled against the dumpsters and no landscaping besides patchy green lawns surrounding narrow sidewalks. 

This probably wasn't the ideal day for exploring condos. It wasn't that hot, but it was cloudy, breezy, and thickly, murderously humid. I was soaked as I hurried back down King's Highway, desperate for a drink...and despite the clouds, it hadn't started to rain yet. I finally rested at the smaller Haddon Culinary two blocks from the PATCO Station. I grabbed a Coke Zero and a soft pretzel, then saw that they had coffee and tea drinks and got a very milky chai latte. After I finished, I hurried down to the PATCO and caught the train back to Collingswood, then rode my bike home.

Took a much-much needed shower, then finished up with dinner and tonight's Match Game marathon. In honor of the World Cup ending this weekend, the theme were "countries around the world." Usually, it was jokes about Richard Dawson being from England or Fannie Flagg dressed as Swedish Greta Garbo. Gene attempted fake Japanese with real Japanese character actor Pat Moriata, who just looked at him weird. There would be an Audience Match question like "Made In __." Another time, Gene spent an episode substituting the "blank" in the questions with "Schnick Schnack," which apparently they do in the German Match Game. This led to a round of German accent jokes, especially from Richard, who worked with real Germans and Austrians in Hogan's Heroes. 

One of the most notorious episodes of Password Plus also snuck in. Dick Martin wasn't too happy when he used "France" for "French" and was called on it. He complained so much, Tom Kennedy almost walked off the set twice. The episode went completely off the rails from there. Dick got so goofy, it felt more like an episode of Laugh-In than of Password Plus, and Betty White ran with the lunacy. 

Celebrate matching around the world in the spirit of competition (and learning the difference between "France" and "French") with these wacky episodes!

Match Game/Password Plus Saturday Classics - World Cup Edition (Celebrating Our Countries Finale) 

(Oh, we finally got that thunderstorm about 20 minutes after I got out of the shower. It was noisy, but it didn't linger for long. It returned about two hours later and didn't linger for long then either.) 

Life Is a Highway

Started off today early as I had breakfast and Lauren finished packing to go home. We had some nervous moments when the first Uber driver canceled and the second took 8 minutes to arrive, then we ran into traffic in Pennsauken. Thankfully, the cars vanished long before the gentleman pulled up to the 30th Street Station. They were just lining up for Lauren's train when we arrived. I gave her a hug, told her to text me when she got to New York and to home, and left her to board the train.

(Oh, and other than her bus from Albany to Pittsfield being a bit late, Lauren apparently had no trouble whatsoever today on the road. She's now long at home, having had dinner out with her parents when she got in.)

After I let Lauren go, I went to the NJ Transit ticket kiosk I spied there when Lauren arrived and bought tickets, then got a donut and a matcha latte from Dunkin' Donuts. I have never heard of an ice cream cake-flavored donut. It...wasn't bad. A little dry. It was filled with very sweet chocolate cream. I walked around a little bit after I finished my treat until they announced the 9:14 NJ Transit train to Atlantic City.

Thank heavens, the train actually made it out of the station this time. It was busy with mostly people going to Atlantic City on a day that remained hazy, if not as hot. Other than going a bit slow after leaving 30th Street, I had no trouble on the train whatsoever this time. I got off at the Cherry Hill Train Pavilion around quarter of 10.

Since the train station is behind the big Shop Rite, I thought I'd save myself a trip and do my shopping there. That store is enormous, twice the size of even the Audubon Acme. It took me a while to find everything I needed. Restocked yogurt, soda, deodorant (they had Secret for a good price), and granola. I couldn't decide which cookies to get, so I got a variety pack with M&M, chocolate chip, brownie, and sugar. They had the Nature's Valley wafer bars on a decent sale, too. 

The reason I took the train to Cherry Hill is I figured it would be a lot easier (and cheaper) to catch an Uber home from there. The last three times I called for a ride home from 30th Street Station, the driver missed me or almost missed me. I was right. The driver arrived in 9 minutes and got me home in less than 10. 

Once I got home, I put everything away, changed shoes, made up a check for a bill, grabbed a book I wanted to drop in a kiosk, and headed out again on my bike. I had a lot of errands to run. Dropped the bill in the mail box outside of the post office and the book in a kiosk. It was much sunnier by the time I was out and about and slightly less hazy. At least it didn't smell like smoke anymore.

I had lunch at the Legacy Diner in Audubon. I needed pineapple coconut pancakes and a bowl of melon chunks and grapes. Yum! The pancakes were so huge and fluffy, I couldn't finish them. Surprisingly, given it was past noon by then, it wasn't really that busy. Maybe everyone was avoiding the haze.

Stopped at WaWa on the way home. I wanted to pick up money for the Collingswood Farm Market tomorrow. Tried a small banana bread smoothie. Yum! Brown sugar syrup, graham cracker crumbs, and real banana. It really did taste like banana bread milk. 

Soon as I got home, I went down for a nap. I've had a long couple of weeks! I went down at quarter of 1 and slept until past 2:30.

After I got up and got moving, I made the bed, then pulled out more things I didn't want or need or had replaced over the last two weeks for another bag that'll go to Goodwill. Listened to some of the many records I bought over the past two weeks while I worked. Although the jaunty Rascal Flatts version of "Life Is a Highway" was the hit from the original Cars, my favorite number is the sadder and more downbeat "Our Town" by James Taylor on the rise and fall of Radiator Springs. I also like "Find Yourself" by Brad Paisley and the Chuck Berry version of "Route 66." 

Thank heavens that chip on the High Anxiety soundtrack from when I bought the disc didn't impede it being able to play. We not only get the theme song and "If You Love Me, Baby, Tell Me Loud" from High Anxiety, but songs from every Mel Brooks movie made up until 1978. Which means, yes, we also get "Springtime for Hitler" and "Prisoner of Love" from the original Producers, "Hope for the Best, Expect the Worst" from the rarely-seen The Twelve Chairs, "The Ballad of Blazing Saddles," "I'm Tired," and the brief "The French Mistake" from Blazing Saddles, and "Puttin' On the Ritz" from Young Frankenstein. There's even a bit of the score from Silent Movie.

Radio Active and Images are K-Tel collections from the early 1980's. Radio Active from 1982 leans on harder rock like "You Better You Bet" by the Who, "Take It On the Run" by REO Speedwagon, and "Super Freak" by Rick James. Ballads are the theme on the quieter Images from 1980, including "Should've Never Let You Go" by the late Neil Sedaka and his daughter Dara, "Do That To Me One More Time" by the Captain & Tenille, and "Too Hot" by Kool & the Gang.

Switched to Match Game '75 next. The first hour was the second half of the week featuring Barbara McNair and Alex Karras. I think Alex had a bit of a crush on Lola Kiss, the lady wrestler from Transylvania, after she managed to pin him! He sure turned red when she kissed him for giving her a right answer on the Audience Match. The second hour brought in Scoey Mitchelll and a pair of goofy Pattys, Duke and Deustch.

I also got my schedule at this point. Good news, more hours. Bad news, they're all early. I was hoping they'd ease me back into work, but the head bagger and Sunday bagger must have taken time off again. 

Finished the night at YouTube with Mystery Science Theater 3000. Wizards of the Lost Kingdom is a more recent episode from 2017 diving into another low-budget 80's sword-and-sorcery fantasy. Young wizard Simon (Vidal Peterson) must find his way back to the castle to rescue the princess from the evil sorcerer Shurka (Thom Christopher) with the help of lone wolf warrior Kor (Bo Svenson). Ok, yeah, it's pretty obvious this one is a Roger Corman cheapie from his "made in Argentina" phase. There's ample stock footage from his other 80's fantasy films, the special effects are just light shows, Simon is an obnoxious little jerk, and most of the "monsters" are off-the-rack puppet suits. There are a few effective moments, though, notably when Simon is lured by a beautiful woman who turns into a genuinely scary giant insect! Otherwise, this one is for true lovers of cheesy 80's fantasy only. 

Ain't No Stopping Us Now

Had breakfast around 11, then Lauren and I strolled down to the Collingswood PATCO. It wasn't a bad day for a walk around Old City Philadelphia. It remains sunny, breezy, and bright blue, if warmer and slightly more humid than yesterday. The PATCO is a far more efficient beast than the NJ Transit. The train to Philly arrived within two minutes of us buying tickets and hurrying upstairs. (Oh, and the remodeling is now focused outside. They've long finished the escalator and elevator.)

We got off at the Franklin Square station and went straight around the corner to Franklin Square. I've been wanting to show Lauren this beautiful park since I visited here last August. The Chinese Lantern Festival was even more beautiful this year than it was last year! Flowers were the theme. We were greeted by towering daisies, sunflowers, lily pads, and gorgeous purple fabric blooms. I saw a soccer and baseball-themed "Philly" display near one of the entrances, and fabric horses who looked real enough to jump over the fence.

The fountain wasn't running and none of the food booths were open at quarter of 12, but everything else was ready to go. We played the mini-golf course. It was a lot of fun! The obstacles are all based on Philadelphia landmarks, like Elfreth's Alley, the Ben Franklin Bridge, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art (they even have Rocky's footprints next to the course). Lauren got two holes in one, one of them right through the Chinatown Friendship Arch. There's even one with "records" representing hits from Philadelphia International Records, like "Me and Mrs. Jones" and "Ain't No Stopping Us Now." The last course has the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Lauren won, but only by a few points. We were flanked on one side by two middle-aged gentlemen who gallantly allowed us to go on ahead of them, and three college students who laughed a lot and seemed to really enjoy themselves.

After we finished, we headed down Race Street to the Race Street Cafe for lunch. Despite its name, this small brick-and-wood-paneling watering hole is really more of a local bar. Lauren had tilapia tacos she said were delicious. I tried them when I ate there last year and found them to be too spicy for me. I went with a nice, simple grilled chicken sandwich and slender, salty fries.

The Race Street Cafe is just steps away from 2nd Street. Our first stop here was A Four Foot Prune, which specializes in Muppet memorabilia, character toys and media from the 50's through the 90's, and anything Liza Minnelli ever did. Lauren found two cute bags - one with Snoopy, one with a scene from The Monster at the End of This Book that matches a shirt she has - and some pins and patches. I found a small Dakin Bear dressed as a pilgrim girl, with a turkey on a ribbon, for only $2. I think the kids will love Jim Henson's Muppet Babies Big Book of Nursery Rhymes and Fairy Tales, with its adorable illustrations depicting Rolf as Humpty Dumpty, Skeeter and Scooter as Jack and Jill, Kermit as Wee Willie Winkie, and Piggy as Little Red Riding Hood and Cinderella. I only dug up one record, but it was one of the Tale Spinners for Children series from England, Sinbad the Sailor.

We crossed 2nd Street to check out Brave New Worlds, a popular local comics book shop. This is a lot more organized than the book stores, a long, dark room with shelves and shelves of comic books, manga, and toys. I didn't get anything here. Lauren got a figure for a friend and Marvel Meow, with Marvel characters hilariously interacting with cats and other pets.

The Book Trader is two blocks down from Brave New Worlds. It's a wonderful used book store, with rickety shelves filled from floor to ceiling with books, records, CDs, DVDs, and videos. This time, Lauren didn't find anything. She spent the time relaxing by the fiction and foreign language sections on the second floor. I did dig out two cast album LPs:

The original Broadway cast of Little Me with Sid Caesar playing the seven loves of a Hollywood starlet

The original London cast of Salad Days...which I was kind of shocked to find. Though this charming small-scale musical was a huge hit on the West End in 1954, it played off-Broadway in 1958, didn't do well, and hasn't tried the US since. 

And four books:

Standing In the Rainbow and The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop by Fannie Flagg

Everything Was Possible: The Birth of the Musical Follies by Ted Chapin

The Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey (I did take this one out of the Haddon Township Library about 15 years ago, but that copy is long gone.) 

Last year, I wandered around in Old City until I found my way back to Franklin Square...but that wasn't going to fly this time. For one thing, we were both carrying heavy bags with books, records, toys, and other items. For another, Lauren wanted to hit up Fashion District Mall. Not to mention, while not killer humid like it's supposed to be later in the week, it was much hotter than yesterday. I called an Uber driver, who arrived within 7 minutes and got us to Primark in less than 5.

Lauren briefly explored Primark, an Irish department store, when we arrived. They don't really carry my size, so I just waited in the main mall until she came out and admitted she didn't find anything she wanted. We walked around a bit and got sodas before going upstairs to Round 1 on the third floor. Even newer spaces in Philly can be deceptively small on the outside. Though this doesn't have some of the games seen at other arcades in South Jersey - no skee ball, no ring toss - it does have pinball. I ran from Star Wars pinball to The Munsters pinball (did really well with that one) to Bust-a-Move to Space Invaders. Came in second with a sweet cherry-red Lamborghini on Crusin' Blast. I earned over 2,500, but just decided to save most of it for when we go to Deptford tomorrow. I went with a darling white Beanie Baby kitten named Amelia. 

By that point, we were tired, hungry, and sore. Time to take the PATCO home. I got us turned around a bit, but we did manage to make it to the 8th Street Station by 5:30. We took a jammed-full rush hour train back to South Jersey, getting off at Westmont.

I thought we'd try something different for dinner. The Haddon Diner is just two blocks from the Westmont PATCO Station. I figured it would be less busy and closer to the station than the Collingswood restaurants. (Not to mention, a lot of them aren't open on Mondays.) They were busy, but not so much that we didn't quickly get one of the sweet stenciled wooden booths. Lauren had a BLT and a Yankee Bean Soup she loved. I had banana and pecan pancakes that were so fluffy and tasty and fat turkey sausages. 

I also thought it would be easier to pick up Uber here than in Collingswood...and I was right. It took me a while, but I finally got a driver who came in 15 minutes and got us home in less than 5. No traffic here or, thank heavens, in Philadelphia.

I took the recycling out and we put our laundry in the washing machine, then put on Match Game '75. I came in time for the first day of Carol Bartos' run. Dr. Joyce Brothers and Bill Daily got to match one of her more peculiar answers, one that had Gene wanting to drag Dr. Brothers to her own couch! The next week was Game Show Host Week, with Bob Barker, Arlene Francis, and (ironically) Fannie Flagg. 

Moved to Tubi for Hard Boiled Mahoney. Slip and Sach are at a private eye's office, trying to get the money he owes Sach, when Salina Webster (Betty Compson) comes in and mistakes them for the detective. She offers them $50 to find her lost sister. Slip trails the sister, only to see a man shot. Turns out the two women in question aren't related. Phony medium Armand (Dan Seymour) has incriminating letters that are blackmailing them. Slip, Sach, and their buddies have to dodge the police (who think Slip did it) to bring Armand to justice...but first, they have to get off Professor Quizard's (Bryan Foulger) radio show by driving him crazy!

Finished the night with more of Daredevils of the Red Circle. By the time of chapter 5, "The Ray of Death," former prisoner Harry Crowel (Charles Middleton) has gotten the idea that there's someone tipping off the trio of Daredevils. He intends to kill off anyone in the household he talks to regularly, starting with Granville's granddaughter Blanche (Carole Landis). The boys have to restore the electricity on an old mine and get Blanche and several workers out of there before it's flooded...and before Crowel's goons electrocute the entire lot of them. 

Summer Breeze

We got a really quick start this morning because we were leaving a bit earlier than we have. I called Uber at 9:50. It picked us up within 8 minutes. Even with hitting every red light from here to Lindenwald, we still made it to the train station there by 10:15. That left us plenty of time to buy tickets for the 10:34 NJ Transit train to Atlantic City. 

Thank heavens the train was right on time, because it was also full. We managed to get a seat in the back of the first car, near the door. At least the ride is only a little over an hour. I spent the time listening to music on my YouTube account. We pulled in on time, too, around 11:30.

We absolutely picked the right day to walk on the boardwalk in Atlantic City. The weather couldn't have been more perfect. It was sunny and breezy, but not hot or humid at all, probably in the upper 70's. The boardwalk was busy at quarter of 12, but not overwhelming. We headed straight down, passing Bally's and the Central Pier. (I also noticed that part of Peanut World, most of which burned down last winter, was opened, but not all of it. Several of the stores next to Peanut World were closed too, including the one Lauren bought her Atlantic City shirt from last year.)

Landshark Bar and Grill is on the beach near Steel Pier and across from Resorts and the Hard Rock Casino. I got to see what they were building on the beach when I visited Atlantic City on my own last August. It was a new Tiki bar intended to be an extension of Margaritaville across the way at Resorts. We had an absolutely wonderful lunch outside, watching the people on the beach under blue and yellow umbrellas. Lauren had a massive bacon barbecue burger. I had a basic cheeseburger. We both had salads - I had a house salad, she had Caesar. We were surprised when someone brought us a plate of fried pickles. We forgot to order them! Turns out the waiter was new and brought it to the wrong place...but we'd already started in on them. He got more for the other people, and we got free fried pickles.

Lauren and I split up briefly after lunch. She checked out the small arcade next to Steel Pier and bought a lemonade. I had to ride the giant Ferris Wheel on Steel Pier. That's my favorite ride in Atlantic City. I love seeing the world through those air-conditioned gondolas. It's like seeing a Little People version of Atlantic City. The beaches were so busy today! I'm surprised I saw a lot of people swimming. After all the storms, I would have thought the undertow was too strong for swimming. 

After I got back on the ground and found Lauren, we headed back towards the Central Pier Arcade. The main interest here is their two long rows of cranes. Lauren had no luck with the cranes whatsoever. I didn't, either, but I did better with the other games. I hit big jackpots on the Monopoly spin-the-dice game and the pirate wheel that netted me over 820 tickets, plus I had 140 tickets leftover from my solo trip last August. I finally chose a really cute small Funshine Bear dressed as a bee with glittery wings and a paper fan with a pretty yellow and red rose and bluebird print. 

By the time we left Central Pier, it was past 3 PM. The boardwalk was getting a lot more crowded and hot. Not to mention, we wanted to explore the Outlet Mall a bit before we caught our train home. We headed back down Michigan Avenue, past Bally's and the AtlantiCare Hospital to Arctic Avenue. We started at the Toy Company, a jammed full shop with stuffed animals, knock-off toys, and Atlantic City sweatshirts. After we got nothing there, I got a drink at Starbucks...but the line was so long and the three baristas were so busy (the girl who was supposed to be taking customers had to run and get ice), the iced blue coconut matcha latte wasn't worth it.

I met Lauren across the street at Old Navy and a small leggings-and-shorts store called Cozy. We poked around American Eagle next-door, then decided we'd try something different. Bambu specializes in dessert drinks with odd Asian ingredients. Lauren tried one with ice cream and said it was delicious. I stuck to tart passion fruit iced tea and three macarons (vanilla, strawberry shortcake, and mixed berry). 

It was time to head back to the train station. We had plenty of time to use the bathroom, buy tickets, and get in line. And then...we waited. And waited. And waited. The train didn't leave at 5:21. It still hadn't left at 6 PM. I was frantic and in tears when they finally canceled it. There was no way we were taking the bus back to Lindenwauld. It takes forever and runs through some really sketchy territory. We just waited at the station for the 7:13 to arrive. Thankfully, that was right on time. Other than slowing down for a train coming in the opposite direction, we had no problems. We were back in Lindenwald by quarter after 8. 

We were going to eat at the Stratford Diner, but it was closed by then. Tim Horton's was opened until 10, so we tried them. It was such a lovely evening, we even ate outside on their patio. I wish there were more of these in South Jersey! This Canadian franchise specializes in donuts, coffee and lemonade drinks, and sandwiches. I had a strawberry drink with coconut water and a turkey club sandwich. Lauren had a beef and cheese panini and a Diet Coke. Yum! They were so good with thick potato chips that tasted like movie popcorn. It was so nice to talk to Lauren while watching the sun set on the White Horse Pike!

When we finally got home, I took a shower, then watched the second Family Feud 50th anniversary marathon on YouTube. I came in just as the show's producer Mark Goodson crowned Richard King of daytime game shows. The show was at its height of popularity as the number-one daytime show in the late 70's. It was so popular, it not only moved into syndication, ABC also did a series of nighttime specials with some of the most popular shows of the time playing each other. This made for some strange bedfellows, like when the cops of Barney Miller played the wholesome Eight Is Enough cast, or nighttime soaps Knots Landing and Dynasty and daytime soaps All My Children and General Hospital played each other. Some of the celebrities could be even more nervous than regular contestants, even when they were right, like Connie Francis and Michelle Lee. Richard was happier when the Dallas Cowboys played their cheerleaders, and former Miss USA winners played former Miss Universes.

Let's keep playing the Feud with these classic looks back at some of its best moments!

Family Feud Sunday Classics - 50 Years Celebration Marathon Part 2 (Including Pilot and Final Episode)

Going Mobile

The day began very well, with a drive through the upstate New York countryside to Denny's for one final breakfast today. Lauren had the French Toast Slam this time. I made my own slam. Went with buttermilk pancakes, scrambled egg whites, turkey bacon, and since I didn't eat most of the hash browns on Friday, a cute little crock of strawberries, bananas, and grapes. Yum! Just as good this time around. Denny's makes really good pancakes. They must make good French toast, too. Lauren's vanished just as quickly.

We started out early and didn't want to spend all morning sitting around at the train station, so Lauren drove us over to Crossgates for one last go at Dave & Buster's instead. I ran around a surprisingly busy arcade for a little under 50 minutes. Got Peach on Mario Kart again; this time, I came in first. I had over 3,200 points...and was also totally out of room in my luggage. I had to struggle to fit everything in! I'll save it for the next time I hit the Dave & Buster's in my area, which will likely be during my Christmas vacation week.

Lauren finally pulled into the parking lot at the Albany-Renesslauer Train Station around quarter after 12. Even then, there was still plenty of time for me to pick up a turkey club wrap for lunch and to chat with Lauren before they started boarding the train. I gave Lauren a big hug and joined the line. I had a lot of fun this week, and I always miss Lauren badly afterwards. She's my best friend, no matter how many guys she falls for. 

The only other thing that went right today was the trains all ran on time. Everything left on time and arrived on time. Even the Keystone train was on time. They were also both very, very full. I was next to a college student going to New York who spent most of the trip sleeping. An older woman who spoke a language I didn't recognize sat next to me on the train to Philadelphia...and held me up when she didn't realize I wanted to get off there and wouldn't move. 

At least the weather continues to be nice. It remains sunny, warm, and breezy. The view going to New York was absolutely gorgeous. It looked like a fairyland of bobbing sail boats, shining white mansions, crumbling factories, and squat protective Victorian lighthouses. Honestly, that train ride is one of the best parts of the trip.

Moynihan Train Hall was busy with weekend travelers on their way home when I arrived. After a bathroom trip, I spent most of the time there just walking around. I did buy a bagel tuna sandwich from the bagel shop for dinner, since I figured it would be fairly late when I got in and I'd just want to get home.

That's where I ran into trouble. First of all, when I got in, I went to the wrong side of 30th Street again. Second, I couldn't find any of the drivers in the dark! I had no idea where the first one ended up, and they canceled. The second and third ones were for some reason directed to the Edgewater Apartments near-by, and then I couldn't find the black vehicle on the third one in the dark and missed him. I was frantic by the time I called the fourth one. Some nice people suggested how to use the Uber app. I already knew, but at least they were kind, and they praised my Pokemon backpacks. This time, I stayed put and did catch the fourth one...who got caught in traffic. I didn't get home until well after 8:30, more than two hours after I got in.

(The Eagles didn't even do well. They somehow lost to the Broncos 21-17 after being ahead for most of the game. No idea what happened there.)

Checked my schedule after I got organized and took a shower. As I'd suspected, I don't work at the Acme again until Wednesday, and it's the usual 9 to 1. I do have a 10 to 5 on Saturday that I'm dreading. And yes, I'm back to Thomas Sharp School tomorrow. I did miss the kids. 

Finished the night with the second half of tonight's Match Game marathon. Comedy writer and comedienne Ann Elder was one of the earliest semi-regulars in the 6th "comedienne" seat. She appeared fairly frequently from 1973 through 1975. Like Fannie Flagg, she was inclined towards wearing elaborate t-shirts to show off her decolletage, including one covered in sequins that said "Hollywood" a friend made for her. Another time, she wanted to show everyone the Emmy-shaped charm Richard Dawson got for her charm bracelet...which turned out to likely be her actual Emmy. She was around that crazy week where McLean Stevenson kept running out and kissing Gene or Richard, too. 

See how one of Laugh-In's best writers handled things on the other side of the divide in this hilarious marathon!

Match Game Sunday Classics - Ann Elder - Best Episodes on Match Game (w/Awards Trophy)

Ramblin' Woman

Since I already packed the novel I was reading, I started the morning with two American Girl books about vacations. Samantha Saves the Day when the boat she and the twins Agnes and Agatha took to Teardrop Island floats away. She has to navigate the twins and the kindly Admiral through the Sharp rocks around the island during a storm. Felicity Saves the Day reunites her with her beloved horse Penny. Her equine friend proves to be instrumental in helping her find her father's runaway apprentice Benjamin and convincing him to return to her father's service.

Lissie and Sam are far from the only ones to have eventful vacations! Paddington Takes the Road when he repairs a tricycle and joins the Tour De France. Of course, Paddington being Paddington, he goes down a steep hill, only to realize he forgot to add brakes. Donald Duck has an even worse time in The Grand Canyon. He falls off his burro, and Mickey has to take a raft though the rapids to rescue him.

Switched to the 2002 Strawberry Shortcake during breakfast. "Strawberry's Big Journey" takes her, Orange Blossom, Angel Cake, and a worried Ginger Snap on the road to see a certain flower at Tangerine Torta's home. Angel Cake and Ginger Snap complain about getting lost, and they encounter a young mechanic named Banana Twirl who wants them to stay in her little town. Even though things don't work out the way they planned, Strawberry reminds them that the important thing is they had fun on the way.

Mickey and Minnie go on their own adventure "Around the Clubhouse World" in Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Professor Ludvig Von Drake has them get stamps on a passport from each country they visit. They encounter artist Donald and flapper Daisy in France, Goofy as a gondolier in Italy, Chip and Dale ready for the Dragon Dance in China, and Big Pete reveling in Egypt, a land where cats are gods.

After Mickey ended and I finished making the bed, I figured it was time to go. Soon as I had my bags downstairs, I called Uber. No trouble there whatsoever. He picked me up in 6 minutes and got me there in a little over 20. There wasn't even much traffic on the Schuylkill Expressway for once. 

Normally, I love walking around in 30th Street Station. It's a huge old barn that looks more like the lobby of an expensive hotel and makes me feel more elegant just being there. It's also in the midst of a years-long remodeling. The stained glass windows are blocked by scaffolding, and the stores are replaced by narrow booths. I got a pumpkin spice donut and a matcha latte at Dunkin Donuts, then sat down to read. After I got tired of sitting, I used the bathroom, then walked around until it was time to get in line.

No trouble whatsoever with either train. The train going to New York was full, but I did manage to get a seat to myself. I ate lunch and did crosswords. It got in about 15 minutes late, but that could have been worse. Bought a big soft pretzel outside of Moynihan Train Hall. Used the bathroom inside, then had a snack in the main hall and walked around until I saw a line for the train to Albany. The train was actually going to Chicago. I got to see the outside of the sleeper car and dining car. 

The train stopping at Albany left on time and arrived on time. It was full until we left Poughkeepsie, then most everyone got off, and I finally got the seat to myself. Before that, the lady who sat next to me spent the two and a half hours we were on the train reading. I colored Cheer Bear and Funshine Bear in the ancient Care Bears coloring book that goes so far back, it's based on Adventures In Care-a-Lot from the late 2000's. 

I love the view going to Albany. All you see in New Jersey are train tracks and suburbs. Upstate New York is a fairy land of shining lakes, beautiful old mansions, forbidding factories, bobbing boats with crisp sails billowing in the breeze, and lacy suspension bridges. No wonder Washington Irving thought there were Headless Horsemen running around in the area. 

Lauren was there right when I got in. She had her own adventures to talk about as we drove to Outback Steakhouse on Wolf Road about 20 minutes from the train station. She did a "buddy walk" with some of her co-workers that was really a long hike. Needless to say, between her hike and my long travel day, we were both famished. Neither of us are the biggest steak fans, but Outback does have other meats. She had seared ahi ahi tuna on a bed of vegetables, with green beans and mashed potatoes. I had grilled chicken with green beans (they were out of any other vegetables) and a baked sweet potato. We shared a Bloomin' Onion and brown bread. Oh yuumm! It was all so good, the only things left after we finished was half of the bread and a quarter of the Bloomin' Onion.

Finished the night after we got home and I took a shower with the Match Game Saturday Classics marathon. The classic cop show CHIPs was just getting started when Match Game was finishing its run on CBS. Brianne Leary, who appeared as a cop in its first year, actually turned up on Match Game before the show was even conceived. She was a contestant in 1976, and won quite a bit of money, too. She became the only contestant to later appear on the panel when she turned up for several weeks in 1979. Robert Pine (later the father of actor Chris Pine) was actually a semi-regular who appeared fairly frequently from 1979 through 1981. Randi Oakes did a few weeks during the syndicated run in 1980, and she and Pine would both later turn up on The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour. 

Let's hit the highway with the members of the highway patrol and keep the streets of LA safe for matching in these hilarious episodes!

Match Game Saturday Classics - CHIPs Actors on Match Game Marathon

On the Boardwalk In Atlantic City

Started the morning with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Mickey tells "Pluto's Tale." Pluto pulls a golden ball out of a tree. Good Fairy Clarabelle declares him to be the prince who can rescue her beloved puppy Princess Bella from the sneaky Wizard Pete's castle. Pluto has to help King Donald and Queen Daisy in their orchard and get help from Woods-mouse Minnie to find his way to Pete, who wants to trade Bella for the Golden Ball.

Called Uber after that. This time, I came out at around 11 to give myself more time. The driver took 7 minutes to get there. Thankfully, there was also no traffic on the White Horse Pike. We arrived at Lindenwauld with 15-20 minutes, and I still had 15 minutes to buy train tickets. No trouble with the train to Atlantic City this time, either. It was right on time both ways, going to and from Atlantic City. Surprisingly, considering we're coming up on Labor Day Weekend, it wasn't full going there. The train going home was a bit more full, likely with communters on their way home before the holiday weekend.

The moment I got off, I headed straight for the boardwalk and down to the Landshark Bar and Grill (after a brief bathroom break). This blonde wooden structure about a block from Steel Pier is right on the beach. Normally, it offers splendid views of the beach, but today, it was partially blocked by construction workers building some kind of light wooden structures near the boardwalk. From what I could see, I suspected they may have been smaller beach-front bars for Hard Rock Hotel guests or beach-side extensions of the Landshark.

Oh, well, at least my fried cod sandwich was really yummy. I think the chips were house-made, too. Like the ones from Haddon Culinary in Collingswood, they were thick and crunchy, but not too greasy or flimsy like the ones in bags. And actually, it was fascinating to watch the men put together what I presumed to be the wooden deck or patio for the new bars, wooden piece by wooden piece.

Headed a few doors down to Steel Pier after lunch. Steel Pier isn't really the "Showplace of the Nation" anymore, but it is the only major outdoor amusement park in Atlantic City. I debated buying tickets for the rides, then passed. I'll be doing a better amusement park and a huge multi-states fair on vacation next month. My only real interest in Steel Pier was the Observation Wheel. It's a huge Ferris wheel that looms over the Pier and beaches like a massive steering wheel. 

I love the Ferris Wheel. The view from the gondola was spectacular. It was cloudy when I left Oaklyn, but it started clearing up during lunch at the Landshark. By the time I was gazing out the windows of the gondola, it was a perfect, clear, dry afternoon, without a cloud in sight. The bright green Atlantic matched the burnished gold of the Borgota in its shine and sparkle. It was too windy for the beach to be really busy, but there were quite a lot of people around and umbrellas dotting the sand for a day that wasn't even in the 80's. It was like looking down on a Lego version of an amusement park. Everything was so tiny from above, even the people. 

Several small food booths hug the entrance to Steel Pier, along with six games. I ignored the games in favor of getting a milkshake. They were out of my first choice, Nutella and Banana, so I went with Mint Chocolate Chip. Ooooh, sooo minty, with lots of big chocolate pieces. Expensive, but very sweet and tasty.

Doubled back down the boardwalk to Central Pier. Not only was the arcade fully operational after their big fire last year, but the go-karts were open, too. I was mainly interest in the arcade. It's smaller than Dave and Buster's downtown, but it does have two long rows of cranes with every type of cool stuffed animal available. Alas, I had no luck with the cranes this time, so I focused on skee ball, catch-the-ball games, and something called Doodle Bug, where you made a little doodle guy jump upwards onto sketched platforms. 

I did even better than in June, earning 629 tickets. That was enough for a really cute Atlantic City metal tray with a red "peace" van on the beach, another paper fan (red with a rose print this time), and red ear buds. I was hoping they would be wireless and fit my new phone, but alas, they weren't. Oh well, I'll donate them the next time I bring a bag to Goodwill.

Made my way further back down the boardwalk to my favorite souvenir store on the boardwalk. Peanut World has every bit of junk you can imagine, and probably a lot you can't. I don't think a lot of their inventory in the back has likely been refreshed since the 90's, maybe earlier. More to the point, they're also the only store in Atlantic City that carries my favorite fruit jel slices. They're really good, too, sweet and thick. I got two slices of each flavor they had, plus a Diet Dr. Pepper and, since I had no luck with the cranes, a cute stuffed brown bear on all fours whom I named Cinnamon.

By that point, it was past 4 PM. Time to start back down Michigan Avenue and head towards the Atlantic City Convention Center. Stopped at the Starbucks about two blocks down from the train station for a quick drink before I left. They were busy with college students taking a break with shopping, but I did get to try a sweet iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Latte. Even with waiting in a long line for a drink, I still got to the train station next to the convention center with more than 20 minutes to buy tickets and wait for the train. Once again, the train was on time, and there was no problem with either the bus or getting the Uber home.

When I got in, I went straight into dinner and Match Game Syndicated. Came in to see Jon "Bowser" Bauman pull plastic chains and a comb out of a giant high-top sneaker-shaped bag. Arte Johnson had more problems being the smart guy between two decidedly unique blondes, Eva Gabor and Joyce Bulifant. 

Finished the night after a shower with When the Boys Meet the Girls. I go further into this strange MGM attempt to meld the Beach Party series with the Gershwin musical Girl Crazy at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Cult Flops - When the Boys Meet the Girls

Adventures In Old City

Began the morning with breakfast and Alice's Wonderland Bakery. "Hats and Hares" brings in the Mad Hatter and March Hare to design a hat for the Hearts Family portrait. Hattie worries that their design might be too over-the-top, but in Wonderland, over-the-top is more than enough. After Alice hears a flower sing a "Forget-Me-Now" song, she can't remember her recipes! The other kids, and eventually, everyone in Wonderland, do their best to help her remember.

Hurried out around 11:20. I thought that would be more than enough time to catch the 11:46 to Atlantic City, especially since the Uber driver took less than a minute to arrive. I forgot today is Friday, and everyone would be going to the Shore. Traffic was terrible on the White Horse Pike. It was 11:45 when he let me out at Lindenwauld...and just as I dashed for the train platform, a very disgruntled older woman told me the train had been canceled.

Well, that changed things. Now I didn't have to rush quite so much. I'd originally planned on going to Atlantic City this week and going into Philly next week. Since I was at Lindenwauld and the PATCO was also there, I'd just reverse the plan and do Philly today. Besides, it was too nice of a day to go right home. It was sunny, breezy, and blue, lower 80's without the slightest hint of humidity. It would have been a crime not to do something special in such glorious weather!

I originally wanted to check out some record stores in the northern Philly suburbs, but I came to the conclusion the trip would have been too long for the time I had. Got off at the new, very clean Franklin Square station. I've been gazing into the tiled hole that is the Franklin Square station since I moved here and wondered what it was like. Well, it's...cool, really. Maybe they should install tiles on all the underground train stations. It gives Franklin Square a retro vibe that's really neat. The entrance is glassed-in and huge, a far cry from the red wrought-iron entrances or 8th Street being buried under the Fashion District Mall.

Since the entrance was less than a block from the station, I decided to check out Franklin Square itself. It was awesome. The sparkling, merrily leaping fountain and gorgeous old carousel more than made up for not getting to Atlantic City. Everything was surrounded by enormous Technicolor Chinese lantern-statues in brilliant sky blue, vibrant grass green, and sun yellow. The Square's website says you need a ticket to get in at night, but apparently during the day, you can just walk right in. I felt like I'd climbed into the Kingdom of the Clouds in C.J and the Beanstalk. Passed by a mini-golf course, a stage, and a full playground.

The carousel is really cool. In addition to the usual horses trimmed with flowers, there's two racehorses named for famous race horses from Philly and all sorts of animals. I saw a little boy near me riding a dragon, and inspecting the carousel later revealed a cat holding a fish in its mouth, a seal, a zebra, a lion, and a bald eagle. I could only get on a horse, but the ride was still really fun. There were even pictures of Philly's skyline painted on the tent.

Considered eating lunch there, but ultimately decided to move on. Followed Race Street into the heart of Old City, past the offices and studios for the Philly PBS station WHYY and the African American Museum. Stopped and had lunch at the Race Street Cafe. They're actually more of a local bar, with brick walls and windows opening to the sidewalk and street. I had a delicious, if spicy, fried tilapia wrap with ketchup, Chipolte mayo, and guacamole, along with long, slender, salty fries. Crunchy, spicy and very yummy.

Turned the corner to 2nd Street, heading to the Book Trader...but I couldn't resist a window with giant paper-mache Muppets. The creatively named A Four Foot Prune was an antique store specializing in toy collectibles and housewares, and yes, that includes Muppet collectibles. I didn't have the money or room for more toys, but I did find two records.

Merry Christmas From Sesame Street (Includes "Keep Christmas With You")

Judy Garland - Collector's Items (1936 - 1945)

My next stop was just a few blocks down 2nd Avenue on Quarry Street. The Book Trader is one of two used book store in downtown Philly that I absolutely adore. Like Mostly Books on Bainbridge Street, it looks deceptively small from the outside...but the inside is nothing but rows and more narrow rows of books on every topic imaginable. CDs, DVDs, and videos are displayed up front, but records have their own room upstairs. Despite them being incredibly busy, I actually did much better here than I did in mid-March. Found nine records: 

Joan Morris and William Bolcom - Vaudeville: Songs of the Great Ladies of the Musical Stage (I believe the Stockton College Media Center had this for some reason in the late 90's-early 2000's. Used to listen to it all the time there.)

British cast albums for Pickwick and The Prince and the Pauper

Soundtrack for The Night They Raided Minksy's

Off-Broadway revival cast for Leave It to Jane

Original Broadway cast for High Button Shoes (I have this, but the copy I found at Goodwill two years ago is in dreadful shape, heavily scratched and with a disintegrating cover.) 

Dennis King - Selections from Rudolf Friml's The Three Musketeers (There's songs from The Vagabond King and Rose Marie here, too, but...while those two do turn up from time to time, I have never, ever seen a recording of anything from Friml's Three Musketeers anywhere.) 

One CD:

Bette Midler - It's the Girls

And four books: 

Mercedes Lackey - Phoenix and Ashes (In hardcover!) I've looked for this one for ages, but the only place I ever saw it was the Haddon Township Library and Amazon.

Nekesa Afria - Harlem Sunset

Angela M. Sanders - Seven Year Witch and Bait and Witch

After I left the Book Trader, I headed down 2nd Street and turned down an alley. I saw a sign for a coffee shop. Found it just a few doors down. They were whitewashed and more modern, but their oat milk matcha latte wasn't bad. Actually, I was really there to use the bathroom (the Race Street Cafe didn't have a public one). Explored the outside of the Christ Church too. Their bell dates back to 1704, before even the Liberty Bell.

I'd been checking Google Maps all day to keep on track. I did get turned around here...but unlike when I got lost in March, I ended up in an attractive neighborhood of lovely old brick homes, more square parks, and newer apartment buildings shaded by sun-dappled trees. By the time I finally got back to Race Street, I was tired and carrying heavy records. Besides, I couldn't have gone back to Franklin Square, even if I wanted to. There were now security guards at the door, and I didn't have tickets for the Lantern Festival. I headed for the station instead and took a surprisingly empty train back to Collingswood.

I was so tired when I got in, I decided I wasn't up to walking home and called Uber. Unfortunately, I didn't read the app right about where to pick up my ride. I thought they'd see me on the corner across from the station. They picked up in front of it, and I totally missed the first driver. Thankfully, the second came in four minutes, and I got the idea this time. Ran over to catch him and got home in less than five.

Got my schedule when I came in. It's...pretty much the same as this week, with earlier hours on Sunday. The only surprise is I didn't get more hours next Saturday. In fact, I work later again, which means I'll be able to go to the Collingswood Farm Market again.

Worked on Hilary and the Beasts next. The day after Christmas, Doug Thompson arrives with gifts. His present to Hilary? Tickets to The Rivals. Not only is Pavla laying claim to the mansion, but she's about to blow town. She got a role in New York and is leaving the show. It's now or never if Hilary wants to confront her about Jeff vanishing. C.J will be backstage with her. Betty and Doug will be in the audience; Maple will stay home to take care of Mackie. Mackie's worried about his daughter, but Hilary assures him she can take care of herself.

Listened to The Night They Raided Minsky's while I worked. This goofy comedy about the invention of the striptease is a semi-musical with songs by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams. Although Rudy Vallee has fun with "Take 10 Terrific Girls," the real highlight is Norman Wisdom and Jason Robards attempting to be "Perfect Gentlemen." 

Switched to Match Game Syndicated during dinner. Comedienne Louise Sorrel joined in for a truncated week (one episode is missing). They had more trouble dealing with contestants who just couldn't match and Bill Daily's strange answers.

Finished the night after a shower with Vaudeville: Songs of the Great Ladies of the Musical Stage. Morris performs songs from some of the earliest female vaudeville headliners. The oldest was "In the Baggage Coach Ahead," one of the earliest hits by a black composer. The most recent was "Smiles," a signature song of Elsie Janis, the Sweetheart of the RAF, during World War I. Others included "I Don't Care," "Shine On Harvest Moon," "The Yama Yama Man," and "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now." 

Teach Your Children

Began our last morning together with an Uber ride to 30th Street Station. This was a bit of a problem. Traffic was backed up in Cherry Hill and Philly. Thankfully, it thinned out before we got to the station. Lauren went to use the bathroom when we arrived, and I got breakfast. Picked up a mini-spinach quiche, a bottle of grapefruit juice, and a bowl of cantaloupe and blueberries from Pret, and then a cream donut and a chai tea from Dunkin' Donuts.

Found Lauren waiting for the train across from the food area. I gave her a hug before staring to the exit. She has a long journey ahead of her. In addition to the usual train rides, she'll need at least one bus ride in Albany too...but that will get her straight to Pittsfield. We always have a great time on vacation together, and this one was no exception. I'm going to miss her until September.

I tried to call Uber at this point, now that the prices had gone down, but...for some reason, the driver ended up clear on the other side from where Uber drivers usually pick up and drop off. I couldn't find him. He ended up canceling. Not only was the lady who picked me up cheaper and went to the right place, but she got me home pretty fast. I was back in Oaklyn within 15 minutes.

Spent the rest of the morning working on new Remember WENN fanfic ideas. One of the ideas I came up with when I started watching the show again in 2015 was a series of short to mid-length fairy tales revolving around each character. I got Scott's "Snow White," Betty's "Little Mermaid," and the ensemble Christmas comedy "Babes In Toyland" out before I lost interest. Now that I'm watching the show again, I'd like to give that idea another shot. Mackie's story will be my favorite Shakespearean play The Tempest. I initially listed "Little Red Riding Hood" for Maple, then decided that "Rapunzel" for her and Victor in the 4th season after their date would be more romantic and moved "Red Riding Hood" to Ceila. Here's the list: 

Hilary - Beauty and the Beast

Maple - Rapunzel

Victor - King Arthur

Mr. Eldridge and Gertie - The Man Who Minded the House

Mackie - The Tempest

Jeff - Aladdin

C.J - Jack and the Beanstalk

Ceila - Little Red Riding Hood

Eugenia & Mr. Foley (They're the only ones without a story yet. I'll keep looking.)

My other story ideas is actually re-writes. Two of my WENN action spoofs wound up being kind of rushed, the fairy tale satire Miss Roberts In WENNland and the Christmas fantasy The WENN Nutcracker Suite. I want to greatly expand the second halves of both stories and keep the Nutcracker a doll for longer in the latter. Don't know when I'll get to WENNland, but WENN Nutcracker Suite will likely be this year's November-December-January project. 

After I got off with the WENN writing, I took down the general spring decorations and put up what I have for summer and the 4th of July. I have no idea where the "A" in my "USA" folk Angel trio went. I did find the two Beanie Baby patriotic bears and the Care Bear America Cares Bear (whom I call Americana Bear), along with the red, white, and blue tinsel Garland and the two bows for my doors. General summer decorations include three stuffed flamingos, a sunflower-themed vine wreath, and a cute beaded fish I hang on the door. 

Left for work a little early to have lunch. Enjoyed a slice of cheese and a slice of tomato-basil-mozzarella at Crust n' Cravings. They were delicious, and rather quiet, given it was past 2 when I was eating. Washed it down with a can of Coke Zero. Stopped in at Speedy Mart fast after lunch to get bagels for work tomorrow and Sunday. 

Though there were fewer kids today, they were still pretty rowdy through snack time. This time, it took coloring Pokemon pages to calm them down. I read a Scooby Doo book, a Hot Wheels book, and an Elephant and Piggie book while they worked. They finally settled down before they left with a teacher showing them episodes of The Wild Kratts. Stopped at the CVS really quick when I left to use the bathroom.

Moved on to Here Comes the Groom. I'll go further into that Bing Crosby vehicle on my Musical Dreams Reviews blog tomorrow for Father's Day.

Finished the night with the Bowery Boys horror spoof Master Minds on Tubi. Slip makes use of his friend Sach's toothache that allows him to predict the future to tell fortunes to customers on the midway. Unfortunately, one of those fortunes includes that he's going to be kidnapped and taken away. Mad Scientists want to put his brain into their monster...and they actually succeed for once. Now Slip, Gabe, and the others have to figure out where the real Sach is and restore the duo. 

Oh, and first of all, Lauren got home just fine, with no trouble on the train or bus. She was eating with her parents in Pittsfield by the time I was finishing with the kids. Second, this is also the end of my vacation. I'll be working at the Acme again tomorrow. 

On the Boardwalk In Atlantic City

Got a quick start this morning. We had just enough time for breakfast and two cartoons. The Disney characters are on a "Hawaiian Holiday" that has Donald and Pluto tangling with a crab and Goofy attempting to hit the surf, only for it to hit back. Donald's "Beach Picnic" also gets out of hand when he first tries to ride an inflatable horse, then chases off the ants who have invaded his meal.

Called Uber to get us to Lindenwald. The last time I took two trains to Atlantic City, I almost missed the second one. I wasn't taking chances this time. The driver arrived in 7 minutes. We were there in 15, with 15 minutes left to buy tickets. 

Ironically, for all the rushing, the train to Atlantic City wound up being 7 minutes late. Thankfully, we encountered no other trouble. The train wasn't anywhere near full. We slid into one of the two-person seats near the middle. Lauren spent most of the trip sleeping. I watched the scenery, mainly pine trees and houses, fly by. We got into Atlantic City by quarter of 1.

I took Lauren straight down Michigan Avenue, past the Outlet Mall, AtlantiCare Hospital, and Bally's, right up to the boardwalk. It wasn't a bad day to explore the boards. Though it was cloudy, cool, and windy, that's not necessarily a bad thing in largely shade-less Atlantic City. The sun was even starting to come out a bit as we strolled past Bally's, Peanut World, the gray Korean War Memorial, and many seedy-looking souvenir shops. The boardwalk was busy, but not overwhelmingly so, nothing like Cape May and Wildwood on Saturday. 

My original thought for lunch was the little gyro place I ate at last year, but Lauren wanted a real lunch that amounted to something more than pizza. She was the one who spotted the Landshark Bar and Grill, a blonde wooden structure hugging the beach and dunes. It was a brilliant idea. We got to sit outside, right along the beachfront. She had an Asian chicken, noodle, and vegetable bowl. I had a fried cod sandwich with zesty jalapeno tartar sauce that melted in your mouth. We shared a plate of fried pickles that were even better than the ones at Friendly's yesterday.

Our plans got a check when we made it to the Hard Rock Hotel. Alas, it would seem that Steel Pier is currently open only on weekends, and the observation Ferris Wheel only after 4 on weekdays. Lauren's not really all that fond of heights anyway and gets motion sickness. We ended up turning back.

Good thing I found out online that Central Pier had been remodeled and reopened after its devastating fire last year. I wonder if the fire mainly effected the back area with the raceway. That was closed, and I saw carpenters working there. The front rooms with the arcade seemed largely the same. 

Central Pier's real main attraction is its long rows of cranes, all of them with good stuffed animals. Lauren still didn't have any luck, but I won Hello Kitty dressed as an alligator for my niece Finley. It doesn't have a lot of other games, but it does feature ski ball, along with the usual mainstays like coin push games, ball drop machines, and ball throws. To my surprise, Central Pier seems to be the only arcade in the area that still uses tickets (though they also have cards you can tap). You feed the blue tickets through a machine, then bring the receipt up front. I had 621, not enough for anything really cool. I did get one of those cute folded paper fans with pretty flowered prints that you open. 

Next up, we returned to Peanut World and the dilapidated shops between Bally's and Resorts to get our own souvenirs. Lauren didn't see anything she wanted at Peanut World besides a Coke Zero. I got a Coke Zero, a red Atlantic City tank top, and larger versions of my favorite fruit gel slices. Lauren finally found a purple and green tie-dye tank a couple of doors down, next-door to Ilene's. 

By that point, it was almost 4. We were going to get ice cream and smoothies, but not only was the booth we found ridiculously expensive (the cones were $9 each!), they were out of the smoothies Lauren wanted. We finally decided we were better off leaving the boardwalk, especially after witnessing seagulls noisily attack a teen girl's fried Oreos. (They stole food that had been left on plates by the beachfront at the Landshark Bar and Grill, too. We also saw a squirrel who seemed very out of place wandering around near the booth.)

Though we did peek at Aeorpostale, it was getting late. The train to Lindenwald leaves at 4:59. There isn't another one until almost 7. We hurried to the Atlantic City Convention Center and bought our tickets with ten minutes to spare. The train left less than five minutes after we got on and settled down on a seat in the very back of the car. Once again, there was no trouble on the trip. In fact, I passed out shortly after leaving Atlantic City and didn't wake up until about 10 minutes before we arrived at the Lindenwald Station.

I spotted the Stratford Diner during our Uber trip to Lindenwald. Lauren checked it online when we were on the train and confirmed that it would be open when we were there. The diner is a bit more like a typical chrome-and-tile eatery than the wood-paneled Legacy, including an eclectic song selection that ran the gamut from rap to "Freddy My Love" from the Grease soundtrack. 

Since we had sandwiches and and entrees for lunch, we opted to have breakfast for dinner. She had eggs Benedict. I had a perfectly crispy golden waffle topped with bananas, strawberries, blueberries, and whipped cream. We decided we even had room for dessert. I had a very sweet, individually wrapped mini pineapple upside-down cake. She had a small two-layer strawberry shortcake, a decadent confection wrapped in whipped cream, with layers of strawberries, cake, and more cream, topped by a gigantic glazed strawberry. 

Surprisingly, despite it being nearly 7 PM, we got an Uber driver in less than a minute. She was a cheerful young college student who asked us about our vacation and Atlantic City trip and mentioned goings-on in Philadelphia. She got us home within 20 minutes, with no traffic or fuss.

After we got in, I rounded up our laundry and took it downstairs, then took out the recycling. Jumped in the shower after that, then put the laundry in the dryer. After I got back upstairs. I spent the rest of the night watching more game shows with lost episodes or that are mostly lost in honor of Buzzr's month-long Lost and Found marathon.

In the early days of TV, most broadcasts were aired live and either weren't recorded, or were preserved by kinetoscopes that could be easily ditched for their silver content. Thanks to that, much of 50's TV, especially from early in the decade, is gone forever. This charming children's game show, Chopsticks from 1958, is one of the survivors. Kids play pianos and answer musical-themed questions in the hope of winning an encyclopedia. Cute show, and the kids honestly played quite well. 

Even after game shows began to be recorded on tape, rather than broadcast live, they still were rarely preserved. Tapes were expensive, and they were frequently erased and used again. Even popular shows, like Match Game and Family Feud, were hit with this. The original 60's version of Match Game is largely gone for good, with only a handful of shows remaining. Though the vast majority of the 70's-80's Match Game survives, even that has some episodes missing, damaged, or unable to be run due to offensive answers or rights clearances. Buzzr themselves recently unearthed the previously-missing episodes 31, 32, and 33, claiming they had been badly damaged and that they repaired them to the best of their ability.

Though the first run of Family Feud with Richard Dawson is largely said to survive, most of it isn't online. ABC was still erasing tapes through the early years of its run. Buzzr usually runs the episodes made after 1983, and then only the nighttime syndicated shows. I have a rare early episode of the daytime run here.

Most of the daytime run of Tattletales does exist, but its syndicated nighttime run isn't so lucky. Rights clearances are the big problem here. Bob Newhart's estate insists on his game show episodes not being re-run, including him and his wife Ginny's appearances on Tattletales...and they apparently turned up on the syndicated series the most. Buzzr did use two episodes for its Valentine's Day marathon in 2020; I have the earlier one here, featuring glamorous Joan Collins and her then-husband, businessman Ron Kass, Dan Rowan and his wife Joanna Young, and Dick Smothers and his sweet wife Linda. 

Short-lived flops have an even worse survival rate. Wedding Party from 1968 was likely ABC's attempt to capture that Newlywed Game magic. One member of an engaged couple would be taken offstage. The other would choose three prizes from three different groups. Their fiancee would try to guess which were chosen. If they win, they get all of them and a honeymoon package. Yeah, not the most exciting game. I can see why ABC didn't want to hang on to this one. Over-eager host Alan Hamel had more fun discussing the lady's job as an astrologer than actually playing the game.

Even now, some short-lived flops are still hard to find. BrainRush was one of the shows on Cartoon Network's CN Real, their attempt to create a live-action program block. Host Lamone Morris asks kids questions on a roller coaster at Knott's Berry Farm in California. Each correct answer earns $25. The player with the most money moves on. Round 2 has them playing mini-games on the coasters, while Round 3 has them answering multiple-choice questions. The winner can then double their earnings or lose it all.

Um, yeah. This one is kind of dumb. The whole premise is just plain weird. It worked better with adults in taxis. I think this one would have tanked even if CN Real hadn't been monumentally panned by pretty much everyone. It barely lasted a month, with the last two episodes burned off on Wednesdays. The sixth episode remains missing other than brief clips to this day.

We Built This City

Began the morning with breakfast and My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. I wanted to introduce Lauren to the show after she bought that Rainbow Dash toy yesterday. Rainbow Applejack compete to see who is the most athletic pony in Equestria, but it comes out a tie. They take part in the "Running of the Leaves," the Ponies' big fall race to see who can knock down the most leaves, but spend the race trying to take out each other. When even Twilight, who has never raced before, comes in before them, they realize that the most important thing is having fun, not who comes in first.

We headed out after that. It was a gorgeous day for a walk to the PATCO. It was hot, hazy, and sunny, more humid than yesterday, but not as bad as it could be. Maybe that's why the train wasn't terribly full when we arrived. (That, and it was quarter of 11. We likely just missed the lunch rush.) We got off at 8th Street and Market at 11 PM.

(Oh, and while we didn't get off there, I must mention that they FINALLY finished the Franklin Square PATCO entrance. The train stopped there, and it's now listed as a stop on the ticket kiosks. And they're now working on the other side of the Collingswood station, which means the escalator is working, but not the elevator.)

I wanted to show Lauren all the great places I found in South Philly last summer and early fall, starting with checking out the vibes at that anarchist bookstore. Repo Records was pretty busy. She didn't get anything here, but I found two records and a CD I'd been looking for. The records were:

Wings - London Town

Peggy Lee and George Shearing - Beauty and the Beat! 

The one CD was:

Jimmy Buffet - Ballads (The missing CD from that 3-disc set Jodie gave me that used to belong to Dad.) 

On our way down 6th Street to the Italian Market, we ran into Philly AIDS Thrift Shop. This is one of those stores that looks small on the outside, but the inside is room after room after room of clothes, books, musical instruments, toys, and furniture. There was some great stuff...that we'd have to carry back with us on the train. I just ended up with two CDs:

1993 London concert recording of On the Town with Tyne Daly and Cleo Laine

A double soundtrack (that I suspect might be a bootleg) of Holiday In Mexico and Weekend In Havana

We did better when we made it to the bustling Italian Market. There was no way we were going to leave Philly without having cheese steaks for lunch. I took her to Lorenzo's Pizza, the place I ate at when I went to the Market last summer. She had just a plain old cheese steak. I had a chicken cheese steak with spinach. Oh, yum! Mine was so good, just the right salty and earthy. We washed them down with Diet Cokes.

Molly's Books and Records proved to be an even bigger hit. This time, there were no interviews being recorded, and we were easily able to check out the stacks of books in the narrow back area. Molly's specialty is cookbooks and classic literature. The last thing I need is more of the former, but we both found something from the latter we wanted. Lauren bought a copy of the Sherlock Holmes novel The Hound of the Baskervilles. I bought two of Andrew Lang's color fairy tale collections, The Blue Fairy Book and The Gray Fairy Book, along with the soundtrack from Ghostbusters II. I've had the soundtrack album from the original film for over a decade, but could never find any of the sequels.

Our last stop in South Philly was another book store that looked deceptively small from the outside. Mostly Books is situated in a slightly dilapidated bright blue row house, but that doesn't stop it from being floor-to-ceiling books, CDs, DVDs, and records inside. At least the records were in bins this time, rather than dropped in an alcove in the very back of the store. Lauren didn't get anything, but I ended up with three records and two books. The records were:

The 1985 studio cast recording for Richard Rodgers' last musical, I Remember Mama (still sealed!), and the original cast for the 1952 revival of Of Thee I Sing.

Secret Love, a 4-disc collection of soft ballads from the 70s and 80s

The books were: 

Spindle's End, by Robin McKinley 

Scarmouche, by Rafael Sabatini 

By this point, it was 4 PM. Not only was rush hour beginning, but we'd done enough walking. I called Uber. The driver arrived in 4 minutes, not bad for the start of rush hour in downtown Philly, and got us to the Primark entrance at the Fashion District Mall in less than 10. 

Lauren loves Primark, the Irish department store, but I'm not as big of a fan. They don't have much in the way of plus sizes, and a lot of their clothes are kind of on the cheap side. She got packs of underwear and pajama bottoms. I headed out early and went to the bathroom.

Our plans got a check when we made it to the top floor. The Round 1 next-door to the AMC Theater was closed. In fact, if the sign on the door from the health inspector was any indication, it had just been forced to close yesterday. Rather suddenly, if the gaggle of disappointed boys who didn't know either were any indication.

Good thing I spotted a mini-golf course downstairs on our way to the PATCO station inside. The theme on this black-lit indoor course was ancient history, from day-glow orange pyramids and tall brown camels to resin columns covered in real grape vines and surrounded by potted olive trees. I think Lauren won (after she took a call from her parents, who wanted to know about a package they just got in the mail), but not by much.

After that, we tried the smallest of the billiards tables in the game room next-door. Lauren's guy buddy has taught her to play. She's probably no pool shark, but at least she could figure out how to hold the stick. I think I got one ball in. She got all the others. At least I can say I tried.

We dashed downstairs to the PATCO concourse just in time to catch the 5:30 train home. Maybe that wasn't such a great idea. The 5:30 was literally elbow-to-elbow with commuters on their way home from work. Even when I found a seat, it was jammed next to a big, huge guy. I was so grateful when we finally got off at Collingswood. Called Uber here, too. They arrived in 9 minutes, and barely needed five to get us home.

As soon as we got in, we put everything upstairs, then went right back out. By 6 PM, it was cloudy and hazy, but also windy and much cooler and more humid. It was too cool to hang out inside. Besides, Lauren wanted to eat at Jalapeno's Bar and Grill, the Mexican restaurant a block from the WaWa. They were surprisingly quiet for the dinner hour when we got in. She had fish tacos that looked amazing. I went with my favorite shrimp quesadilla. 

Since she treated me to Mexican, I treated her to Hispanic ice cream at the Mexican Ice Cream parlor two blocks from Jalapeno's. La Moretense Plus was also busy with people getting a cool respite from the earlier heat, but we did manage to find a seat. She had intensely pink strawberry ice cream with sprinkles. I had a cherry nut milkshake that was also very pink...and very, very cherry!

Finished the night back at my rooms after a shower with The Singing Fool. I go further into the massive hit Al Jolson vehicle that introduced audiences to "Sonny Boy" and truly pushed sound as a viable medium for film at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

The Singing Fool

Matching With the Mummers

Began 2025 with a quick breakfast and two shorts on Disney Plus, starting with Minnie's Bow-Toons: Party Palace Pals. Clarabelle, Daisy, and Minnie get into "Snow Day Shenanigans" when they first can't even get Daisy in her many sweaters out of the van, then sled down the wrong hill. Chip n' Dale's Nutty Tales have them constantly after an acorn. The acorn lands in Donald's popcorn during "Nutty Movie Madness." The chipmunks try to figure out how to get it while Don is distracted by a parody of Jurassic Park. 

Rushed to Collingswood after the cartoons ended. I got up way later than I planned. Didn't make it to the PATCO station until quarter of 11. Evidently, I wasn't the only person who wanted to sleep in. The PATCO station was busy with families and couples going into the city for the Mummers' Parade, despite the escalator and a lot of the back of the building still being blocked off. At least the train wasn't so full I couldn't get a seat to myself. I was climbing up the steps to 13th Street, two blocks from the parade route, within 20 minutes.

I arrived just in time for the comic "wench" brigades, the ones in the ruffly dresses with ruffled caps and parasols. One group and red and gold had gladiator helmets. Another had shark-shaped visors and wore red and silver. Red, white, and blue wenches had Phillies and Phanatics caps. A group in white and red sported medieval knights' helmets and parasol shields. A gold and black group had musical notes on their dresses and focused on the songs and dancing. I saw a group with frog parasols sporting green and black stripes and a ghoulish group in neon purple and green gowns with wild neon hair. There was a Pac Man dad with neon ghosts and a Jester group in rainbow print dresses. 

The wench groups gave way to comic groups as I strolled up and down Broad Street, from the DoubleTree Hotel to the former University of the Arts building. Aliens wandered in bright feelers, costumes with huge eyes, spaceships, and a couple of guys in silver riding bikes who were supposed to be satellites. An Alice In Wonderland mom was joined by a male Queen of Hearts in a lavish gown and various citizens of Wonderland. Woodland animals led by Swoop, the Eagles' mascot, rode skateboards. They were followed by a Christmas tree riding a bike. 

The crowds were nearly as crazy. They thinned out as I made my way down Broad Street. Mummers handed older kids metallic beads in bright colors, while adults taught their younger siblings to do the Mummers' strut. Families pushing huge strollers pushed past drunk college students who climbed onto ledges and yelled into the crowd. Some of the Mummers even tried to throw beads up to crowds watching them on higher floors, but most of those ended up with the crowds below them.

The weather wasn't bad, either. It was windy, semi-cloudy, and chilly but not overly cold for this time of year. The wild wind was more of a problem than anything. It made those little parasols hard to control and blew people on skates and bikes further along faster than the riders intended.

Finally got tired of the crowd and noise around quarter of 1 and headed back towards the 13th Street PATCO entrance. A few college students turned up right before the train left, but I mostly waited alone. The train itself was once again steady but not too full. No trouble getting off at Collingswood or grabbing my bike once got back in. Made a short stop at one of the outdoors PNC ATMs for money, then rode down Cuthbert to the Westmont Diner.

The Westmont Diner was just as busy with people eating their first lunches out of 2025 as it was last New Year's Day, but I was there for a reason. Last month, when I ate there with Dawn, they gave us red envelopes to be opened in front of our waiter. I ripped it open while eating blueberry pancakes and very crispy melt-in-your-mouth bacon. As I did last year, I got a coupon for a free dessert or appetizer. I knew exactly what I wanted. There was a pink cake in the bakery display with white frosting and cheesecake and strawberries between the layers. It looked amazing, and I was dying to try it.

Put on Rudolph's Shiny New Year when I got home. I went further into this bizarre but enjoyable 1976 follow-up to the original Rankin-Bass Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog back in 2019. 

Happy New Year's Eve! - Rudolph's Shiny New Year

Laverne and Shirley have their own New Year's excitement. "New Year's Eve - 1960" seems to be coming up roses for the ladies. Shirley's New Year's party is a huge success, and Laverne managed to snare a date with an old guy friend she'd wanted for years. Things don't go as well once midnight comes around. Shirley catches a cold, and Laverne's date ends up with his original girlfriend. At least they can look forward to Lenny dropping Squiggy at midnight instead of the ball.

Finished the night with more New Year's Match Game and game show episodes at YouTube. The first episode of 1974 introduced Dorothy Zinni, an overly excited contestant who bounced around so much, she accidentally hit the laid-back guy next to her. Even Richard Dawson was too scared of her for a kiss! A funny older man had even stranger answers on the first day of 1975. Dick Martin finally got an answer right on the first day of 1976. Fannie Flagg took over Brett's seat on the first day of 1978. (Brett was out doing a play, not in jail like everyone kept joking that week.) Gene stumbled into the first day of 1979 draped in streamers from the previous episode and looking more than a little bleary-eyed. Jon "Bowser" Bauman brought rubber chains for the first episode of 1980, while McLean Stevenson had become a permanent fixture by the time the first episode of 1981 rolled around.

Dick Martin stuck around for the first Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour of 1984. Allison Arngrin shows off her elegant black suit and hat, while comedian Vic Dunlop dodges fat jokes, Arsenio Hall tosses out quips, and we have a young David Ruprecht when he was one of the hosts of Real People. Vicki Lawrence does the best at the Match-Up mini game during the first episode of 1991, which ends with Brad Garrett channeling Charles again.

Wait, there's more! We also have Bill Cullen, Sharon Richardson, and Tom Kennedy celebrating the second Password Plus episode of 1980, plus encore showings of the first two episodes of 1976 and 1977. Party on with Match Game and Password Plus in these hilarious episodes!

Match Game New Year's Celebration Party - Ring In 2025

Match Game (1976)

Match Game (1977)

Password Plus (1980)