Workin' For a Livin'
It was raining hard when I got up this morning. Thankfully, by the time I headed to work, the weather had calmed down to fog and mist. I worked at 11, probably the earliest I have in months. Surprisingly, it was on-and-off busy all day, but never as crazy as over the weekend. I guess a lot of people got their groceries when they thought we were going to get a significant snowfall. I had no problems getting in or out; one of the college boys went in for me.
When I got home, I had leftovers for dinner, then made Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies and moved on to the third and last Popeye set. World War II debuted during the time covered in this set, and it proved a breath of fresh air for the series. Prior to the wartime shorts, Popeye was barely even using his spinach anymore. While some later shorts like "Quiet, Please!" (Popeye knocks out every noise in Miami so Pappy can nurse his hangover in silence) were fun, they lacked the excitement of earlier entries. When the war hit, Popeye and Bluto found themselves in the real Navy, with a new cause to fight for along with who gets to take Olive out. (In fact, the Fleischers put Popeye in a Navy short a few months before America even got involved with the war.)
Also debuting around this time were Popeye's four nephews, who are basically around to drive him crazy...and because the Fleischers and Famous Studios were Disney's most formidable rivals in the 30s and early 40s. While some of the cartoons they turned up in were pretty cute (like "Me Musical Nephews,") it's notable that they had never appeared in the comic strips and wouldn't turn up in any other Popeye cartoons after Famous Studios shut down in the late 50s.
But the biggest problems with the shorts from this era have to do with the era itself. Popeye's naval exploits unfortunately lent themselves to cartoons filled with what we now see as some extremely nasty Japanese caricatures, more so than Disney or even some Looney Tunes. A couple of these cartoons are so offensive, they were banned from TV and probably hadn't been seen in decades before this release.
Life is a lazy river - no matter where you are. Movies, musicals, mysteries, pop culture, and lots of other great stuff.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Winter Interlude
I slept in so late, it was nearly 11:30 before I began Chocolate Chip Pancakes for brunch! I skipped the Beatles and opted to finish The Phantom and run more Popeye instead. By 1940, when the second set ends, the Fleischers were on a roll. They'd settled into their new, larger studio in Miami and were churning out not only more Popeye and the Superman shorts, but two feature-length films to compete with Disney, the fantasy Gulliver's Travels and the modern-set Mr. Bug Goes to Town.
Alas, the failure of Mr. Bug and a rift between the Fleischer brothers ended with Paramount forcing them out...but not before they released some fun Popeye tales. The episodes had lost some of the grit of earlier stories but were still pretty tough compared to the competition from Disney or MGM's Harmon and Ising. "Fightin' Pals" explores the contentious but somewhat friendly relationship between Bluto and Popeye. When Bluto disappears in the South Seas, Popeye is determined to rescue him..if only to give him someone to fight with! The Fleischers' show business aspirations come to the fore in "Shakespearean Spinach," in which Popeye and Bluto fight for the role of Romeo, with Olive as their Juliet. I surprisingly remember "Puttin' On An Act," in which Olive and Popeye enact their old stage routine for a delighted Sweet Pea, from occasional showings on TNT during my childhood. (Only I remember it being in color - it was probably colorized.) That short was the first time I'd ever heard of vaudeville.
I called Mom while the shorts were on. As it turned out, Cape May County got the wind from Friday's storm, but no snow, or even rain. Mom could turn her mind to other happenings. My brother Keefe got his orders; he's being relocated to a Naval base in upstate New York, along with two friends of his from his unit. His girlfriend Vicki is probably going to join them there. She and Keefe are crazy about each other, and she's apparently tired of living with her mother.
Dad also celebrated his birthday yesterday. His family took him out to dinner at the Rio Station, his long-time favorite restaurant, and gave him several good gifts. He told his wife it was the best birthday he'd had in years.
After I got off the phone, I put on the soundtrack for the 1980 Popeye musical and did chores around the apartment. I made my bed, which I only do every once in a while. Who's gonna see it? I changed my Cabbage Patch Kids dolls Carrie and Dulcie into overalls with a plaid shirt and a cute red and white Swiss-dotted dress with an embroidered strawberry on it. I vacuumed the entire apartment. The bedroom in particular was a pain. There was tons of hair all over the place; you can tell how long my hair was until last week.
The cleaning took so long, I was almost late to work! When I finally did get in, work was steady but not overwhelming, unusual for a Sunday. A lot of people must have done their shopping over the weekend. It was quiet enough when I finished to leave without a relief.
I slept in so late, it was nearly 11:30 before I began Chocolate Chip Pancakes for brunch! I skipped the Beatles and opted to finish The Phantom and run more Popeye instead. By 1940, when the second set ends, the Fleischers were on a roll. They'd settled into their new, larger studio in Miami and were churning out not only more Popeye and the Superman shorts, but two feature-length films to compete with Disney, the fantasy Gulliver's Travels and the modern-set Mr. Bug Goes to Town.
Alas, the failure of Mr. Bug and a rift between the Fleischer brothers ended with Paramount forcing them out...but not before they released some fun Popeye tales. The episodes had lost some of the grit of earlier stories but were still pretty tough compared to the competition from Disney or MGM's Harmon and Ising. "Fightin' Pals" explores the contentious but somewhat friendly relationship between Bluto and Popeye. When Bluto disappears in the South Seas, Popeye is determined to rescue him..if only to give him someone to fight with! The Fleischers' show business aspirations come to the fore in "Shakespearean Spinach," in which Popeye and Bluto fight for the role of Romeo, with Olive as their Juliet. I surprisingly remember "Puttin' On An Act," in which Olive and Popeye enact their old stage routine for a delighted Sweet Pea, from occasional showings on TNT during my childhood. (Only I remember it being in color - it was probably colorized.) That short was the first time I'd ever heard of vaudeville.
I called Mom while the shorts were on. As it turned out, Cape May County got the wind from Friday's storm, but no snow, or even rain. Mom could turn her mind to other happenings. My brother Keefe got his orders; he's being relocated to a Naval base in upstate New York, along with two friends of his from his unit. His girlfriend Vicki is probably going to join them there. She and Keefe are crazy about each other, and she's apparently tired of living with her mother.
Dad also celebrated his birthday yesterday. His family took him out to dinner at the Rio Station, his long-time favorite restaurant, and gave him several good gifts. He told his wife it was the best birthday he'd had in years.
After I got off the phone, I put on the soundtrack for the 1980 Popeye musical and did chores around the apartment. I made my bed, which I only do every once in a while. Who's gonna see it? I changed my Cabbage Patch Kids dolls Carrie and Dulcie into overalls with a plaid shirt and a cute red and white Swiss-dotted dress with an embroidered strawberry on it. I vacuumed the entire apartment. The bedroom in particular was a pain. There was tons of hair all over the place; you can tell how long my hair was until last week.
The cleaning took so long, I was almost late to work! When I finally did get in, work was steady but not overwhelming, unusual for a Sunday. A lot of people must have done their shopping over the weekend. It was quiet enough when I finished to leave without a relief.
Saturday, February 09, 2013
The Ghost Walks...Into Oaklyn
Started out the morning with more Popeye shorts. Some of the supporting cast from the comic strip joined in for the next round of shorts as the Fleischers moved their studio from grimy New York to sunny Miami. Some of the characters, like Eugene the Jeep (a dog-like critter that can disappear and reappear at will) and the Goons, were pretty bizarre. Others, like Popeye's rough old father Poopdeck Pappy, made slightly more sense. Pappy's introductory short, "Goonland," looks a lot like the 1980 movie - Popeye is in search of his very old father, who doesn't recognize him when he does find him.
Others played with the "Popeye and Bluto fight over Olive" formula. All three try to make themselves more "refined," as per their fan club's orders, in "It's the Natural Thing to Do"...with predictable results. Popeye's fondness for animals helps to show a bull that he doesn't have to fight in the ring in "Bulldozing the Bull." He has less luck freeing pets from Olive's shop in "Leave Well Enough Alone." The third two-reeler also showed up at this point. Olive beats Warner's "The Scarlet Pumpernickel" by a decade by "penning" Popeye's next featurette, a more straightforward adaptation of "Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp" than Disney's version.
Finally headed out to run some errands around 11:30. Much to my surprise, despite all the fuss, we once again only got about 2 inches of snow. The day was sunny and bright, with only a few cottony clouds in the sky. Even as I strolled to the bank, the warm sun was melting a lot of the snow. Anything that was in the shade was icy, though, and the wind was fierce.
I deposited my paycheck, then decided to take a lot at the House of Fun a few doors down on the same block. I hadn't been there since Lauren visited last May. I had such a hard time choosing between the many, many items stuffed on shelves and laying on the floor. I considered a leathery Felix the Cat doll, an original Atari 2600 console (the games were really cheap), or a book on 80s toys. I had such a hard time deciding, I ultimately just walked out with a DVD copy of the 1996 movie The Phantom.
(The other thing is, I'm going to save some money for a new laptop. I've had the Compaq I'm using now for 4 years, since 2009...and my best friend Lauren owned it for 3 years before that. I don't want anything fancy. I just want something I can download music, use the internet, and write on.)
I stopped at Capitol Pizza, which is a block from The House of Fun, for lunch. I had a slice of cheese pizza and a slice of mushroom pizza with a can of Fresca. For once, they had something interesting on their widescreen TV. The usual CNN had been replaced by Comcast Sport Network's showing of today's Flyers home game. I joined them just as they scored against the Carolina Hurricanes and pulled ahead 2-1. The Hurricanes evened up the score as I was leaving. (Apparently, it went into overtime after I left; the Flyers just pulled off a 4-3 win.)
Spent the rest of the afternoon at home. For one thing, I really needed to clean. The bathroom and kitchen weren't quite as bad as when I did them last month, but they had to be done. I never did get to vacuuming I'll have to do that tomorrow.
I ran Popeye while doing the kitchen, then switched to The Phantom while making White Chocolate Chip-Strawberry Cake and Chicken Stir-Fry for dinner. As with The Shadow and John Carter, this is a cult adaptation of a seminal, prototypical sci-fi franchise. "The Phantom" was one of the earliest superhero comics. Kit Walker is a young man who is the 21st in a line of superheroic do-gooding characters whose ancestors befriended an Asian Indian tribe. Kit (Billy Zane) has to foil the plot of the evil tycoon Xander Drax (Treat Williams), who wants to find three skulls that will grant him ultimate power. Diana (Kristy Swanson), the feisty niece of a newspaper owner who is doing a series of articles on Drax's underhanded business deals, wants to find the skulls first. Both she and the deadly female pilot Sala (Catherine Zeta-Jones) want to find out more about this mystery man in the purple suit...
Ultimately succumbs to the same problems as The Shadow, another 90s movie version of a 30s character - poor casting choices weaken a nifty, Indiana Jones-esque story. Zane is a bland leading man; Swanson and Jones are slightly better as the strong-willed woman Walker has fallen for and the vampy aviatrix.
Started out the morning with more Popeye shorts. Some of the supporting cast from the comic strip joined in for the next round of shorts as the Fleischers moved their studio from grimy New York to sunny Miami. Some of the characters, like Eugene the Jeep (a dog-like critter that can disappear and reappear at will) and the Goons, were pretty bizarre. Others, like Popeye's rough old father Poopdeck Pappy, made slightly more sense. Pappy's introductory short, "Goonland," looks a lot like the 1980 movie - Popeye is in search of his very old father, who doesn't recognize him when he does find him.
Others played with the "Popeye and Bluto fight over Olive" formula. All three try to make themselves more "refined," as per their fan club's orders, in "It's the Natural Thing to Do"...with predictable results. Popeye's fondness for animals helps to show a bull that he doesn't have to fight in the ring in "Bulldozing the Bull." He has less luck freeing pets from Olive's shop in "Leave Well Enough Alone." The third two-reeler also showed up at this point. Olive beats Warner's "The Scarlet Pumpernickel" by a decade by "penning" Popeye's next featurette, a more straightforward adaptation of "Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp" than Disney's version.
Finally headed out to run some errands around 11:30. Much to my surprise, despite all the fuss, we once again only got about 2 inches of snow. The day was sunny and bright, with only a few cottony clouds in the sky. Even as I strolled to the bank, the warm sun was melting a lot of the snow. Anything that was in the shade was icy, though, and the wind was fierce.
I deposited my paycheck, then decided to take a lot at the House of Fun a few doors down on the same block. I hadn't been there since Lauren visited last May. I had such a hard time choosing between the many, many items stuffed on shelves and laying on the floor. I considered a leathery Felix the Cat doll, an original Atari 2600 console (the games were really cheap), or a book on 80s toys. I had such a hard time deciding, I ultimately just walked out with a DVD copy of the 1996 movie The Phantom.
(The other thing is, I'm going to save some money for a new laptop. I've had the Compaq I'm using now for 4 years, since 2009...and my best friend Lauren owned it for 3 years before that. I don't want anything fancy. I just want something I can download music, use the internet, and write on.)
I stopped at Capitol Pizza, which is a block from The House of Fun, for lunch. I had a slice of cheese pizza and a slice of mushroom pizza with a can of Fresca. For once, they had something interesting on their widescreen TV. The usual CNN had been replaced by Comcast Sport Network's showing of today's Flyers home game. I joined them just as they scored against the Carolina Hurricanes and pulled ahead 2-1. The Hurricanes evened up the score as I was leaving. (Apparently, it went into overtime after I left; the Flyers just pulled off a 4-3 win.)
Spent the rest of the afternoon at home. For one thing, I really needed to clean. The bathroom and kitchen weren't quite as bad as when I did them last month, but they had to be done. I never did get to vacuuming I'll have to do that tomorrow.
I ran Popeye while doing the kitchen, then switched to The Phantom while making White Chocolate Chip-Strawberry Cake and Chicken Stir-Fry for dinner. As with The Shadow and John Carter, this is a cult adaptation of a seminal, prototypical sci-fi franchise. "The Phantom" was one of the earliest superhero comics. Kit Walker is a young man who is the 21st in a line of superheroic do-gooding characters whose ancestors befriended an Asian Indian tribe. Kit (Billy Zane) has to foil the plot of the evil tycoon Xander Drax (Treat Williams), who wants to find three skulls that will grant him ultimate power. Diana (Kristy Swanson), the feisty niece of a newspaper owner who is doing a series of articles on Drax's underhanded business deals, wants to find the skulls first. Both she and the deadly female pilot Sala (Catherine Zeta-Jones) want to find out more about this mystery man in the purple suit...
Ultimately succumbs to the same problems as The Shadow, another 90s movie version of a 30s character - poor casting choices weaken a nifty, Indiana Jones-esque story. Zane is a bland leading man; Swanson and Jones are slightly better as the strong-willed woman Walker has fallen for and the vampy aviatrix.
Friday, February 08, 2013
Rain Into Snow
All it was doing when I got up this morning was raining hard. That didn't stop the Acme from calling me in early. They wanted me in by 10, but I hadn't had breakfast or gotten ready yet. I was in by 11:15. Surprisingly, we weren't busy all day long. In fact, the crowds were only massive during the lunch and evening rush hours. Between about 1:30 and 3:30, we were mildly steady, no more so than usual. Customers were telling me we could get anything from rain all night to 6 inches of snow, nothing like the 20 inches or so New England was supposed to get.
It was still so busy by the time I was done at 6, one of the stock people went in for me. Thankfully, it was already beginning to taper off. Weather or no weather, I had grocery shopping to do. While there were still plenty of eggs, chicken and milk had been decimated, and I bought some of the last bananas on the shelf. I stuck to carrots and escarole for fresh vegetables; they've gotten expensive, thanks to a frost in the western US. There was a good sale on strawberries and on Green Giant frozen vegetables. Needed to restock flour, cooking spray, diced tomatoes, kidney beans, vinegar, peanut butter, and chocolate chips.
Oh, and my schedule is about what I figured it would be - really busy. On one hand, my only day off is Tuesday, and that's because I asked for it for counseling. On the other hand, my only late work day this week is Sunday. The latest I work after that is 7.
By the time I was on my way home, the rain was down to barely a mist. All remained quiet as I put everything away, then made leftover chili for dinner and ran more Popeye shorts. I'd run Popeye in the morning before work, too.
Popeye was a bona-fide phenomenon by the time these cartoons came out between 1935 and 1937. Only Mickey Mouse was a bigger animated star in the 30s. Like Mickey, Popeye found his cast expanding as he grew more popular. Sweet Pea, the mischievous foundling whom Popeye and Olive took in, was introduced around this time. He saved Olive and Popeye from a factory in "Lost and Foundry," and took Popeye on a wild chase across the zoo in "Little Swee' Pea."
Some of the variations on the formula here were really fun. Wimpy and Popeye try to build Olive a house in the "The Builder-Upper"...with less-than-habitable results, even after eating spinach. Popeye isn't thrilled when he has to take Olive's pampered puppy for a walk and gets into a fight with Bluto and his bulldog. Fluffy shows him that even pooches can benefit from a can of leafy greens in "Proteck the Weakerest." Olive's elderly grandmother also benefits from spinach when she and Popeye join a New Year's Eve dance contest in "Let's Celebrake." Olive herself gets a taste of the green stuff - and learns what it's like to be on the short end of a love triangle - when a Mae West-like female boxer flirts with Popeye in "Never Kick a Woman."
By far the most famous shorts on this set were actually a pair of "two reelers" that we would probably call "featurettes" today. The Fleischers put Popeye into color and a bigger budget in the elaborate Arabian Knights tale "Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad." The results were amazing. The backgrounds are full of life, and the animation far outstrips anything in the shorts. The featurette was so successful, they did a second similar one, this time with Bluto as Ali Baba, a year later.
If most people know the Fleischer Popeye at all, it's probably through these shorts. All three of the color two-reelers are in the public domain. They can be found easily online and in dozens of cheap public domain animation videos and DVD sets (including the one Jessa gave me for Christmas).
The snow didn't finally arrive until I was already out of the shower and long online. It was light at first, but now it's coming down really hard. At press time, the National Weather Service is still saying about 2 to 4 inches for us.
All it was doing when I got up this morning was raining hard. That didn't stop the Acme from calling me in early. They wanted me in by 10, but I hadn't had breakfast or gotten ready yet. I was in by 11:15. Surprisingly, we weren't busy all day long. In fact, the crowds were only massive during the lunch and evening rush hours. Between about 1:30 and 3:30, we were mildly steady, no more so than usual. Customers were telling me we could get anything from rain all night to 6 inches of snow, nothing like the 20 inches or so New England was supposed to get.
It was still so busy by the time I was done at 6, one of the stock people went in for me. Thankfully, it was already beginning to taper off. Weather or no weather, I had grocery shopping to do. While there were still plenty of eggs, chicken and milk had been decimated, and I bought some of the last bananas on the shelf. I stuck to carrots and escarole for fresh vegetables; they've gotten expensive, thanks to a frost in the western US. There was a good sale on strawberries and on Green Giant frozen vegetables. Needed to restock flour, cooking spray, diced tomatoes, kidney beans, vinegar, peanut butter, and chocolate chips.
Oh, and my schedule is about what I figured it would be - really busy. On one hand, my only day off is Tuesday, and that's because I asked for it for counseling. On the other hand, my only late work day this week is Sunday. The latest I work after that is 7.
By the time I was on my way home, the rain was down to barely a mist. All remained quiet as I put everything away, then made leftover chili for dinner and ran more Popeye shorts. I'd run Popeye in the morning before work, too.
Popeye was a bona-fide phenomenon by the time these cartoons came out between 1935 and 1937. Only Mickey Mouse was a bigger animated star in the 30s. Like Mickey, Popeye found his cast expanding as he grew more popular. Sweet Pea, the mischievous foundling whom Popeye and Olive took in, was introduced around this time. He saved Olive and Popeye from a factory in "Lost and Foundry," and took Popeye on a wild chase across the zoo in "Little Swee' Pea."
Some of the variations on the formula here were really fun. Wimpy and Popeye try to build Olive a house in the "The Builder-Upper"...with less-than-habitable results, even after eating spinach. Popeye isn't thrilled when he has to take Olive's pampered puppy for a walk and gets into a fight with Bluto and his bulldog. Fluffy shows him that even pooches can benefit from a can of leafy greens in "Proteck the Weakerest." Olive's elderly grandmother also benefits from spinach when she and Popeye join a New Year's Eve dance contest in "Let's Celebrake." Olive herself gets a taste of the green stuff - and learns what it's like to be on the short end of a love triangle - when a Mae West-like female boxer flirts with Popeye in "Never Kick a Woman."
By far the most famous shorts on this set were actually a pair of "two reelers" that we would probably call "featurettes" today. The Fleischers put Popeye into color and a bigger budget in the elaborate Arabian Knights tale "Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad." The results were amazing. The backgrounds are full of life, and the animation far outstrips anything in the shorts. The featurette was so successful, they did a second similar one, this time with Bluto as Ali Baba, a year later.
If most people know the Fleischer Popeye at all, it's probably through these shorts. All three of the color two-reelers are in the public domain. They can be found easily online and in dozens of cheap public domain animation videos and DVD sets (including the one Jessa gave me for Christmas).
The snow didn't finally arrive until I was already out of the shower and long online. It was light at first, but now it's coming down really hard. At press time, the National Weather Service is still saying about 2 to 4 inches for us.
Thursday, February 07, 2013
Balance and the Sailor Man
Started out a sunny morning with my first yoga class in a couple of weeks. Perhaps because of the storm that's been threatened for tomorrow, the class was incredibly busy. I just barely squeezed in on the end. We mainly worked on balance and warrior poses. I wish I could balance better. I need to do some kind of strength training, too. I just can't lean on my shoulders for very long.
Since Yogawood is on the same block as the Hair Cuttery, I decided to get my hair done after class. They weren't nearly as busy at quarter of 11. There was only one other person there. A lovely young woman named Danielle did my hair. I got it cut shorter than I did last time, or for a while. I think I got it done too short; I can barely put it in a ponytail. That's ok. I sometimes miss just tossing it back in a headband when it gets really long, and it's cute when it's all curly. I just wanted to de-frizz it.
Considering what happened the last time I got my hair done, I figured I'd be safer just going straight home. When I got in, I made an omelet for lunch and watched more Popeye shorts. I love how many of these shorts don't always stick to the usual "Popeye rescues Olive from Bluto" routine. In "Brotherly Love," Olive's the one who helps out when Popeye tries to break up a mob, and almost gets broken himself. Popeye and Bluto trade horseplay for competing in magic tricks in "King of the Mardi Gras." "Bridge Ahoy!" has Olive, Wimpy, and Popeye working together to build a bridge when Bluto's ferry proves too expensive. Olive and Popeye also work together in "Be Kind to 'Aminals'" when they defend a horse Bluto's abusing.
Spent the rest of the afternoon doing things on the computer before heading out to the Acme. It was getting cloudy even as I rode there, and the clouds did have the pearly sheen of snow...but it wasn't really that cold. It was probably in the upper 30s-lower 40s, normal for this time of year.
I wish someone had pointed that out to my customers. We were busy for most of the night. Everyone's convinced that we're going to get hit. No, we're not. At press time, New England is supposed to get hit - Lauren said northwestern Massachusetts could get 20 inches or more. We're supposed to get 2 to 5 inches by late tomorrow night, maybe. That's not all that much more than what we've been getting on and off all winter. Thankfully, things slowed down considerably after rush hour.
Started out a sunny morning with my first yoga class in a couple of weeks. Perhaps because of the storm that's been threatened for tomorrow, the class was incredibly busy. I just barely squeezed in on the end. We mainly worked on balance and warrior poses. I wish I could balance better. I need to do some kind of strength training, too. I just can't lean on my shoulders for very long.
Since Yogawood is on the same block as the Hair Cuttery, I decided to get my hair done after class. They weren't nearly as busy at quarter of 11. There was only one other person there. A lovely young woman named Danielle did my hair. I got it cut shorter than I did last time, or for a while. I think I got it done too short; I can barely put it in a ponytail. That's ok. I sometimes miss just tossing it back in a headband when it gets really long, and it's cute when it's all curly. I just wanted to de-frizz it.
Considering what happened the last time I got my hair done, I figured I'd be safer just going straight home. When I got in, I made an omelet for lunch and watched more Popeye shorts. I love how many of these shorts don't always stick to the usual "Popeye rescues Olive from Bluto" routine. In "Brotherly Love," Olive's the one who helps out when Popeye tries to break up a mob, and almost gets broken himself. Popeye and Bluto trade horseplay for competing in magic tricks in "King of the Mardi Gras." "Bridge Ahoy!" has Olive, Wimpy, and Popeye working together to build a bridge when Bluto's ferry proves too expensive. Olive and Popeye also work together in "Be Kind to 'Aminals'" when they defend a horse Bluto's abusing.
Spent the rest of the afternoon doing things on the computer before heading out to the Acme. It was getting cloudy even as I rode there, and the clouds did have the pearly sheen of snow...but it wasn't really that cold. It was probably in the upper 30s-lower 40s, normal for this time of year.
I wish someone had pointed that out to my customers. We were busy for most of the night. Everyone's convinced that we're going to get hit. No, we're not. At press time, New England is supposed to get hit - Lauren said northwestern Massachusetts could get 20 inches or more. We're supposed to get 2 to 5 inches by late tomorrow night, maybe. That's not all that much more than what we've been getting on and off all winter. Thankfully, things slowed down considerably after rush hour.
Wednesday, February 06, 2013
Hooray For Captain Spaulding and Assembling Avengers
Yup, I finally got to The Avengers today. Government agent Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) brings together six of the greatest superheroes in Marvel comics history - eternally snarking Tony Stark, aka Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), sweet scientist Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) whose alter-ego is the massively destructive Incredible Hulk (also Ruffalo), fish-out-of-time Captain America (Chris Evans), tough-minded assassin Black Widow (Scarlet Johassen), her partner Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and god of thunder Thor (Chris Helmsworth). Fury wants them all to stop Thor's half-brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) who has stolen the Tessaract, an object that can open a door to space and bring in an army of aliens. It's going to take a lot more than even super heroics to get this disparate group working together as a team, especially when Loki starts getting to them.
Director Joss Whedon is known for writing and directing much-loved sci-fi and horror TV shows like Firefly and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as the popular horror film Cabin In the Woods, and his experience in dealing with the world of fantasy comes to the fore in this many-layered action flick. Not only does everyone manage to get screen time, but they all fight and bicker believably - the Captain gets annoyed with Stark's deadpan snarking, Banner just wants to be alone, Thor pretty much thinks he's above everyone, Hawkeye and Black Widow are dealing with their destructive pasts, and Fury tries to keep the entire group from killing each other before they get to Loki.
Naturally, the special effects are amazing. Special kudos to Ruffalo for being the first man to play both the Hulk and Bruce Banner, thanks to current motion capture technology. The final fight in downtown New York is a stunner. Love them aboard their invisible flying fortress, too, which is just cool.
If you're a fan of superhero groups, the stars in question, Whedon's other horror and sci-fi projects, or any of the previous Marvel Universe movies, this is an absolute must-see. While I probably will get around to the Iron Man and Thor sequels that are supposed to come out this summer...I'm more interested in next year's Captain America sequel, The Winter Soldier. I hope they find something for Ruffalo's Incredible Hulk to do on his own soon, too. Evans and Ruffalo were by far my favorites here.
I went for a short walk after The Avengers ended. Once again, it was chilly and gray, but not quite as chilly as it has been, and there was no hint of snow in the air. Though the world is getting warmer, it wasn't warm enough to melt the thick ice on the river. When I arrived at the boat launch on the end of Goff Avenue, I saw several flocks of ducks who were walking on the heavy ice.
When I got back in, I made Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Bars and ran Animal Crackers. The Marx Brothers' second film was adopted from their Broadway vehicle of the same name. (They were appearing in this show while filming their first movie, The Coconuts). Groucho is renown explorer Captain Spaulding, who is visiting the home of wealthy Mrs. Rittenhouse (Margaret Dumont) with his secretary Jamesion (Zeppo). Chico and Harpo are musicians who arrive in time to be involved with an art-theft plot and to help Mrs. Rittenhouse's vivacious daughter Arabella (Lillian Roth) get her boyfriend's painting noticed.
One of my favorite Marx Brothers movies has a lot of references you probably won't get unless you're a fan of 20s theater and film (like Groucho's Strange Interlude asides) and is hampered by the limits of early sound technology. (The thunder at one point sounds distinctly like someone rattling aluminum foil.) On the other hand, some of the Brothers' funniest bits are here, including the card game with Dumont and Groucho's entrance to "Hooray For Captain Spaulding," which later became his theme song. Casual fans and newcomers may want to start with some of the later films, but for those familiar with the boys' brand of comedy, this is still a riot.
Work was pretty busy for most of the night. It's the beginning of a month that's jam-packed with events. We were busy until about an hour before I left. I spent a lot of that last hour doing candy. Other than a few annoying customers, there were no major problems, and I was in and out.
Yup, I finally got to The Avengers today. Government agent Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) brings together six of the greatest superheroes in Marvel comics history - eternally snarking Tony Stark, aka Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), sweet scientist Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) whose alter-ego is the massively destructive Incredible Hulk (also Ruffalo), fish-out-of-time Captain America (Chris Evans), tough-minded assassin Black Widow (Scarlet Johassen), her partner Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and god of thunder Thor (Chris Helmsworth). Fury wants them all to stop Thor's half-brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) who has stolen the Tessaract, an object that can open a door to space and bring in an army of aliens. It's going to take a lot more than even super heroics to get this disparate group working together as a team, especially when Loki starts getting to them.
Director Joss Whedon is known for writing and directing much-loved sci-fi and horror TV shows like Firefly and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as the popular horror film Cabin In the Woods, and his experience in dealing with the world of fantasy comes to the fore in this many-layered action flick. Not only does everyone manage to get screen time, but they all fight and bicker believably - the Captain gets annoyed with Stark's deadpan snarking, Banner just wants to be alone, Thor pretty much thinks he's above everyone, Hawkeye and Black Widow are dealing with their destructive pasts, and Fury tries to keep the entire group from killing each other before they get to Loki.
Naturally, the special effects are amazing. Special kudos to Ruffalo for being the first man to play both the Hulk and Bruce Banner, thanks to current motion capture technology. The final fight in downtown New York is a stunner. Love them aboard their invisible flying fortress, too, which is just cool.
If you're a fan of superhero groups, the stars in question, Whedon's other horror and sci-fi projects, or any of the previous Marvel Universe movies, this is an absolute must-see. While I probably will get around to the Iron Man and Thor sequels that are supposed to come out this summer...I'm more interested in next year's Captain America sequel, The Winter Soldier. I hope they find something for Ruffalo's Incredible Hulk to do on his own soon, too. Evans and Ruffalo were by far my favorites here.
I went for a short walk after The Avengers ended. Once again, it was chilly and gray, but not quite as chilly as it has been, and there was no hint of snow in the air. Though the world is getting warmer, it wasn't warm enough to melt the thick ice on the river. When I arrived at the boat launch on the end of Goff Avenue, I saw several flocks of ducks who were walking on the heavy ice.
When I got back in, I made Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Bars and ran Animal Crackers. The Marx Brothers' second film was adopted from their Broadway vehicle of the same name. (They were appearing in this show while filming their first movie, The Coconuts). Groucho is renown explorer Captain Spaulding, who is visiting the home of wealthy Mrs. Rittenhouse (Margaret Dumont) with his secretary Jamesion (Zeppo). Chico and Harpo are musicians who arrive in time to be involved with an art-theft plot and to help Mrs. Rittenhouse's vivacious daughter Arabella (Lillian Roth) get her boyfriend's painting noticed.
One of my favorite Marx Brothers movies has a lot of references you probably won't get unless you're a fan of 20s theater and film (like Groucho's Strange Interlude asides) and is hampered by the limits of early sound technology. (The thunder at one point sounds distinctly like someone rattling aluminum foil.) On the other hand, some of the Brothers' funniest bits are here, including the card game with Dumont and Groucho's entrance to "Hooray For Captain Spaulding," which later became his theme song. Casual fans and newcomers may want to start with some of the later films, but for those familiar with the boys' brand of comedy, this is still a riot.
Work was pretty busy for most of the night. It's the beginning of a month that's jam-packed with events. We were busy until about an hour before I left. I spent a lot of that last hour doing candy. Other than a few annoying customers, there were no major problems, and I was in and out.
Tuesday, February 05, 2013
Well, Blow Me Down!
Started out today with more Popeye shorts. Wow. I don't remember Olive Oyl being quite this tough before. In the second short "I Yam What I Yam," she's knocking non-PC Indians here, there, and everywhere, and then holds off a whole lot of them on her own...and that's before Popeye appears. There are times when I'm amazed Bluto can get near her, never mind how many pounds he has on her.
I opted to do the laundry at the laundromat today. I'm tired of how long Dad's drier takes, even on it's highest setting. It was cloudy and cold when I headed out, but not nearly as cold or as windy as it has been. The laundromat was fairly quiet except for two guys working on their own loads. I had a fairly large load of my own. I wanted to wash the new jeans I bought yesterday. I read one of the Larry Fine biographies Lauren gave me for Christmas while listening to the news, The Bold and the Beautiful, and The Young and the Restless.
Finished out disc one of the Popeye the Sailor: 1933-1938 set when I got in. Popeye's world here is strange and gritty, filled with unusual characters and urban adventures. I wish I could have seen them like this when I was a kid. My stepfather is the one who introduced my sisters and me to Popeye. Popeye was one of the few cartoon characters he ever seemed to want to watch with us. The two have a lot in common - Dad is a sailor, loves spinach, and frequently mangles the English language (his wife has spent 25 years correcting his vocabulary). (My other introduction to Popeye's world was the underrated 1980 musical with Robin Williams and Shelley Duvall as Popeye and Olive. I actually found the soundtrack LP at a yard sale a few years ago and will probably pick up the DVD eventually.)
Unlike the Disney and Looney Toons crew, I never really knew much about Popeye beyond Dad's interest, so I went right into the special features after the shorts ended. Unlike Mickey or the Toons, Popeye was actually a refugee from the comics. And in fact, Olive Oyl pre-dates him by a decade. He was introduced as a one-off character in 1929, when Olive and her family were appearing in a comic strip called Thimble Theater that spoofed melodramas. Popeye proved to be so popular, Olive became his girl, and the strip was reworked around his increasingly bizarre adventures.
Work was pretty much the same as it has been - busy during rush hour, quiet thereafter. Mother Nature did her part. It got very dark and started snowing yet again somewhere around 5. The snow had stopped by the time I finished at 8. Once again, there was only about an inch on the ground; this time, the street was too warm for ice and slush. I got home with no problems.
Monday, February 04, 2013
A Visit to Philadelphia
Started off a chilly, sunny morning with The Secret World of Arrietty. In this sweet animated film from Japan, a family of tiny people called "Borrowers" live under the floorboards of an old house. They live on bits and pieces of things that are "borrowed" from the main house, like sugar cubes and sheets of paper. Feisty Arrietty (Bridgit Mendler) first encounters a human boy named Shawn (David Henrie) in the meadow outside the house. Her mother (Amy Poehler) is worried that he'll hurt her. She couldn't be more wrong. Delicate Shawn has a heart condition and can barely run, much less hurt anyone. He's at the house to rest for a heart operation. The elderly housekeeper Hara (Carol Burnett) is supposed to be watching him, but she may be more interested in the stories of the little people who live under the floorboards and steal things when no one's looking. The small girl and the sickly boy develop an unlikely friendship that takes an adventurous turn when Hara gets too close to Arrietty's family for comfort.
I have a mixed track record with feature-length anime. I loved Ponyo, found Kiki's Delivery Service cute but underwhelming, and didn't get into Spirited Away. I'm now 2 for 4; this was a really sweet movie. Burnett, Poehler, and Will Arnett (as Arrietty's taciturn father) were the stand-outs of the English-language cast. Some of the animation was lovely, too, especially in the meadow and all the details of the Borrowers' diminutive home.
Headed out after Arrietty ended for this week's Haddon Township Library run. It was around 11 when I arrived, and there wasn't a whole lot going on and almost nothing to shelve. I organized the kids' DVDs (and had a much easier time of it than I have in previous weeks) and put away the few adult DVDs and picture books that were there.
Dodged the noon traffic on Cuthbert Road after leaving the library and made my way to Cafe Antonio's in Collingswood for lunch. By the time I arrived, it was 12:30, and they were very busy. Two sets of men were getting their pizza even as I came in. A family with young kids arrived shortly after I did. I ate my slice of square-shaped Sicilian Pizza and Diet Pepsi as quickly as I could.
Cafe Antonio's is only a few blocks from the PATCO train station. I hopped a fairly full car into Philadelphia for my annual February trip into the city to do some shopping. I got off just a half a block from Russakoff's Used Book Store in Washington Square. There were a couple of men replacing a burnt-out florescent light bulb in the back of the tiny room, so I really didn't get a chance to look at much of the romance or travel books. I ended up with Half-Full: Meditations on Hope, Optimism, and the Things that Matter, a hardback book on having a positive outlook.
I got lost a little bit as I made my way across Washington Square, but I finally did make it to the Avenue of the Arts and FYE. They're still having that "Buy 2 Used, Get 1 for $1" sale. It took me a long time to choose, but I finally ended up with the "4 Movie Collection" set of the Christopher Reeve Superman movies, two Paramount Marx Brothers movies (Horse Feathers and Animal Crackers), and Brave. (Horse Feathers was the dollar movie.) I also splurged and bought The Avengers. I've been dying to see this since it came out last summer, and I'm tired of waiting for it to turn up at the libraries. I grabbed that WebKinz Rockerz Hippie Cow that I passed up in December, too. How could I resist when FYE dropped the price to $1.22?
It was getting late as I made my way through City Hall to Market Street. I wanted to hit Macy's and check out their jeans. My older pair of jeans is too tight for me and is starting to get holes in the back. It figures that the pair I liked was on the wrong rack and wasn't the price I thought they were; I bought them anyway. They were the only jeans in the color blue I wanted. Most of the jeans were black.
I made my way down a busy Market Street to the Gallery Mall. I couldn't resist stopping in Books-a-Million. I found an American Girl historical character mystery there that I haven't seen anywhere else offline, Kirsten Larson's one and only mystery, The Runaway Friend.
It was 5:30 when I finally squeezed into a tightly-packed PATCO car. I was very lucky to find a seat! It was like sardines in there. I'd meant to go home earlier, but I got so caught up in FYE. When the train rolled into Collingswood, I bundled up and rode home.
A box with another DVD set greeted me at the house's front porch. I won the three Warner Brothers Popeye cartoon sets in a fancy Walt Disney Treasures-style tin on eBay last week. Popeye is one of the last major theatrical characters I have any interest in. I was thrilled to get all 3 sets for about $30...especially as I've seen the first, 4-disc set go for as much as $64 at FYE. The back of the tin was really dented, but that was a bonus item. The sets themselves were just fine.
I had just enough time to make chili for dinner and watch Horse Feathers when I got in. As with Hold That Line!, this also deals with nutty comics who make a mockery of college football. Groucho is Professor Wagenstaff, who has just been made the head of Huxtley University. Zeppo is his crooning son, who would rather chase the college widow (Thelma Todd) than pay attention to academics. Chico works in a speakeasy (where the password is "Swordfish," by the way), Harpo is a dog catcher, and somehow, both end up as students. Todd tries to get the Marxes to throw Huxtley's big game, but the boys have more than one way to chase and outwit her at the same time.
Not the boys' best at Paramount, but there's some classic bits - the "swordfish" routine, Groucho singing "Whatever It Is, I'm Against It," the boys all serenading Todd with their own versions of "Everyone Says I Love You," and the hilarious football finale.
Oh, and meet Melanie, the gentle and totally groovy folk-singing bovine! I created her own eclectic room next-door to Cyndi the Punk Cat's. She'll probably be one of the last WebKinz I buy for a while; I have a ton of them.
And even as I write this, it's snowing lightly yet again. The clouds must have come in after I got home. When I was riding from Collingswood, there were not only few clouds in the sky, but a beautiful sunset.
Started off a chilly, sunny morning with The Secret World of Arrietty. In this sweet animated film from Japan, a family of tiny people called "Borrowers" live under the floorboards of an old house. They live on bits and pieces of things that are "borrowed" from the main house, like sugar cubes and sheets of paper. Feisty Arrietty (Bridgit Mendler) first encounters a human boy named Shawn (David Henrie) in the meadow outside the house. Her mother (Amy Poehler) is worried that he'll hurt her. She couldn't be more wrong. Delicate Shawn has a heart condition and can barely run, much less hurt anyone. He's at the house to rest for a heart operation. The elderly housekeeper Hara (Carol Burnett) is supposed to be watching him, but she may be more interested in the stories of the little people who live under the floorboards and steal things when no one's looking. The small girl and the sickly boy develop an unlikely friendship that takes an adventurous turn when Hara gets too close to Arrietty's family for comfort.
I have a mixed track record with feature-length anime. I loved Ponyo, found Kiki's Delivery Service cute but underwhelming, and didn't get into Spirited Away. I'm now 2 for 4; this was a really sweet movie. Burnett, Poehler, and Will Arnett (as Arrietty's taciturn father) were the stand-outs of the English-language cast. Some of the animation was lovely, too, especially in the meadow and all the details of the Borrowers' diminutive home.
Headed out after Arrietty ended for this week's Haddon Township Library run. It was around 11 when I arrived, and there wasn't a whole lot going on and almost nothing to shelve. I organized the kids' DVDs (and had a much easier time of it than I have in previous weeks) and put away the few adult DVDs and picture books that were there.
Dodged the noon traffic on Cuthbert Road after leaving the library and made my way to Cafe Antonio's in Collingswood for lunch. By the time I arrived, it was 12:30, and they were very busy. Two sets of men were getting their pizza even as I came in. A family with young kids arrived shortly after I did. I ate my slice of square-shaped Sicilian Pizza and Diet Pepsi as quickly as I could.
Cafe Antonio's is only a few blocks from the PATCO train station. I hopped a fairly full car into Philadelphia for my annual February trip into the city to do some shopping. I got off just a half a block from Russakoff's Used Book Store in Washington Square. There were a couple of men replacing a burnt-out florescent light bulb in the back of the tiny room, so I really didn't get a chance to look at much of the romance or travel books. I ended up with Half-Full: Meditations on Hope, Optimism, and the Things that Matter, a hardback book on having a positive outlook.
I got lost a little bit as I made my way across Washington Square, but I finally did make it to the Avenue of the Arts and FYE. They're still having that "Buy 2 Used, Get 1 for $1" sale. It took me a long time to choose, but I finally ended up with the "4 Movie Collection" set of the Christopher Reeve Superman movies, two Paramount Marx Brothers movies (Horse Feathers and Animal Crackers), and Brave. (Horse Feathers was the dollar movie.) I also splurged and bought The Avengers. I've been dying to see this since it came out last summer, and I'm tired of waiting for it to turn up at the libraries. I grabbed that WebKinz Rockerz Hippie Cow that I passed up in December, too. How could I resist when FYE dropped the price to $1.22?
It was getting late as I made my way through City Hall to Market Street. I wanted to hit Macy's and check out their jeans. My older pair of jeans is too tight for me and is starting to get holes in the back. It figures that the pair I liked was on the wrong rack and wasn't the price I thought they were; I bought them anyway. They were the only jeans in the color blue I wanted. Most of the jeans were black.
I made my way down a busy Market Street to the Gallery Mall. I couldn't resist stopping in Books-a-Million. I found an American Girl historical character mystery there that I haven't seen anywhere else offline, Kirsten Larson's one and only mystery, The Runaway Friend.
It was 5:30 when I finally squeezed into a tightly-packed PATCO car. I was very lucky to find a seat! It was like sardines in there. I'd meant to go home earlier, but I got so caught up in FYE. When the train rolled into Collingswood, I bundled up and rode home.
A box with another DVD set greeted me at the house's front porch. I won the three Warner Brothers Popeye cartoon sets in a fancy Walt Disney Treasures-style tin on eBay last week. Popeye is one of the last major theatrical characters I have any interest in. I was thrilled to get all 3 sets for about $30...especially as I've seen the first, 4-disc set go for as much as $64 at FYE. The back of the tin was really dented, but that was a bonus item. The sets themselves were just fine.
I had just enough time to make chili for dinner and watch Horse Feathers when I got in. As with Hold That Line!, this also deals with nutty comics who make a mockery of college football. Groucho is Professor Wagenstaff, who has just been made the head of Huxtley University. Zeppo is his crooning son, who would rather chase the college widow (Thelma Todd) than pay attention to academics. Chico works in a speakeasy (where the password is "Swordfish," by the way), Harpo is a dog catcher, and somehow, both end up as students. Todd tries to get the Marxes to throw Huxtley's big game, but the boys have more than one way to chase and outwit her at the same time.
Not the boys' best at Paramount, but there's some classic bits - the "swordfish" routine, Groucho singing "Whatever It Is, I'm Against It," the boys all serenading Todd with their own versions of "Everyone Says I Love You," and the hilarious football finale.
Oh, and meet Melanie, the gentle and totally groovy folk-singing bovine! I created her own eclectic room next-door to Cyndi the Punk Cat's. She'll probably be one of the last WebKinz I buy for a while; I have a ton of them.
And even as I write this, it's snowing lightly yet again. The clouds must have come in after I got home. When I was riding from Collingswood, there were not only few clouds in the sky, but a beautiful sunset.
Sunday, February 03, 2013
Big Showdown In the Big Easy
Started off a sunny, snowy Super Bowl Sunday with Brunch With the Beatles. I picked it up around 10:30, when I finally awoke. The theme today was "Beatles Live Performances," including their stints on the Ed Sullivan Show. It was past 11:30 when I finally started working on Chocolate Pudding Pancakes topped with Apple-Pomegranate Flummery for breakfast. The pancakes didn't come out all that well - the batter was sticky, and they didn't cook as well as I would have liked.
I called Mom around 12:30. We mostly discussed this week's wild weather. Cape May County got a little more snow than we did, 4 inches compared to our 1-2. It was very light and fluffy snow, though, light enough for Mom to sweep it off of her wide driveway. The snow was already vanishing from my porch and steps, even as I talked to Mom. During the winter, my steps and most of my porch are in direct sunlight. Light snow vanishes quickly.
Spent the rest of the afternoon puttering around, listening to hard rock albums by the Doors, Bon Jovi, the Who, Queen, and Pink Floyd. I changed the American Girl dolls into slightly fancier winter clothes for Valentine's Day. Samantha is back in her pink and black Talent Show Dress. Jessa wears a red, white, and black Springfield Collection dress and black bolero jacket that doesn't really fit her all that well, but is the only good winter outfit she owns. I put Molly in the AG Revue Jitterbug dress, her red Hula Costume sweater, and those sparkly red tap shoes. Felicity is wearing her Laced Jacket and Brocade Petticoat again.
Work was busy for about the first hour-hour and a half after I arrived. Needless to say, once the Super Bowl started, the crowds ended. I spent two hours at the end of my shift shelving big carts stuffed full of returned items from the last two days. I did get to see a little of the game, including the 49ers' field goal that ended the first half, and the goofy Taco Bell commercial with the elderly people partying.
The Ravens were up 21-6 by the beginning of the second half. When I went in the back to retrieve my bike and coat after the store had closed, they were just barely winning, 31-29...much to my surprise, as it was 10PM, and I'd expected the game to be a lot closer to over than 9 minutes and 58 seconds.
I didn't find out why the game had run so late until I got home. It was flurrying when I got out; this time, there wasn't even enough to do much more than look pretty coming down. I switched on the radio to hear the last few minutes of the game. One of the radio announcers mentioned a black out. Seems the lights went off in the Super Dome during the third quarter, delaying the game by a half-hour...which ended up working to my advantage. The 49ers looked like they might make a comeback, but the Ravens got a hold of the ball in the last minutes, pushing them ahead to win the game 34-31.
Everyone is going to be going absolutely insane around here for the next few weeks. Joe Flacco, the Ravens' star quarterback, is a native of Audubon. He played on their high school football team. The Acme was awash in purple and black this weekend. He ended up being the game's MVP and making some big plays.
Started off a sunny, snowy Super Bowl Sunday with Brunch With the Beatles. I picked it up around 10:30, when I finally awoke. The theme today was "Beatles Live Performances," including their stints on the Ed Sullivan Show. It was past 11:30 when I finally started working on Chocolate Pudding Pancakes topped with Apple-Pomegranate Flummery for breakfast. The pancakes didn't come out all that well - the batter was sticky, and they didn't cook as well as I would have liked.
I called Mom around 12:30. We mostly discussed this week's wild weather. Cape May County got a little more snow than we did, 4 inches compared to our 1-2. It was very light and fluffy snow, though, light enough for Mom to sweep it off of her wide driveway. The snow was already vanishing from my porch and steps, even as I talked to Mom. During the winter, my steps and most of my porch are in direct sunlight. Light snow vanishes quickly.
Spent the rest of the afternoon puttering around, listening to hard rock albums by the Doors, Bon Jovi, the Who, Queen, and Pink Floyd. I changed the American Girl dolls into slightly fancier winter clothes for Valentine's Day. Samantha is back in her pink and black Talent Show Dress. Jessa wears a red, white, and black Springfield Collection dress and black bolero jacket that doesn't really fit her all that well, but is the only good winter outfit she owns. I put Molly in the AG Revue Jitterbug dress, her red Hula Costume sweater, and those sparkly red tap shoes. Felicity is wearing her Laced Jacket and Brocade Petticoat again.
Work was busy for about the first hour-hour and a half after I arrived. Needless to say, once the Super Bowl started, the crowds ended. I spent two hours at the end of my shift shelving big carts stuffed full of returned items from the last two days. I did get to see a little of the game, including the 49ers' field goal that ended the first half, and the goofy Taco Bell commercial with the elderly people partying.
The Ravens were up 21-6 by the beginning of the second half. When I went in the back to retrieve my bike and coat after the store had closed, they were just barely winning, 31-29...much to my surprise, as it was 10PM, and I'd expected the game to be a lot closer to over than 9 minutes and 58 seconds.
I didn't find out why the game had run so late until I got home. It was flurrying when I got out; this time, there wasn't even enough to do much more than look pretty coming down. I switched on the radio to hear the last few minutes of the game. One of the radio announcers mentioned a black out. Seems the lights went off in the Super Dome during the third quarter, delaying the game by a half-hour...which ended up working to my advantage. The 49ers looked like they might make a comeback, but the Ravens got a hold of the ball in the last minutes, pushing them ahead to win the game 34-31.
Everyone is going to be going absolutely insane around here for the next few weeks. Joe Flacco, the Ravens' star quarterback, is a native of Audubon. He played on their high school football team. The Acme was awash in purple and black this weekend. He ended up being the game's MVP and making some big plays.
Saturday, February 02, 2013
It's (Almost) the Super Bowl, Charlie Brown
Started the day...with a phone call. Apparently, Acme's night crew neglected to leave a note for the day crew that I was working at 4. One of the managers wanted me in at 9:30...and she called me at 8:30! I was still in bed! I told her she was too late; the night crew got there first, and I had things to do in the morning anyway.
Switched on the American Top 40 as I worked on today's journal entry. I caught the last half-hour of the program for early February 1984. The 80s were in full swing, as we saw in such hits as "Owner of a Lonely Heart" by Yes, "Talking In Your Sleep" by the Romantics, "Joanna" by Kool & the Gang, and the bouncy "Break My Stride" by Matthew Wilder. The energetic "Kharma Chameleon," by Culture Club, was that week's #1 song.
Spent an hour or so having multi-grain square cereal and a blood orange for breakfast and crocheting while running various football-themed cartoons and shorts. The Three Stooges are mistaken for college football heroes by three gangsters' girlfriends (including a very blond Lucile Ball) in Three Little Pigskins. Hello Kitty proves that a girl can play football, be a cheerleader, and catch the eye of the penguin prince in the Furry Tale Theater episode "Cinderkitty." Charlie Brown doesn't have nearly as much luck with the big homecoming game in It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown. While Peppermint Patty tries to rally her team and Lucy is determined that Chuck will miss every kick, Chuck's more worried about being the escort for the Little Red Haired Girl at the homecoming dance than the score of the game. Mickey Mouse is one of the world's most unlikely star quarterbacks in the black and white short "Touchdown Mickey"; Goofy is the team's announcer who does more laughing than relaying plays.
I headed out to run errands after Mickey ended. The morning was very cold, just barely in the 30s, and windy again, but sunny and bright. I strolled down to Dad's to tell him that Lauren and I have decided on a week for our shared vacation (mid-June) and to pick up my laundry detergent, which I left there on Monday. Jodie was at home; Dad was out running his own errands. I said "hi" and gave her the news. She mentioned that they may be having a college graduation party for my stepsister Jessa during that time. That's ok; we'll swing by for a little while.
My next stop was the bank. I was delighted to discover that my checking account was far fuller than I had expected. My tax return must have gone through! I promised myself I'd check it online when I got home.
Celebrated the good news with a trip to the Oaklyn Library. It was surprisingly busy for a cold day, with several families with children looking for books and DVDs to amuse them and a couple of people online. I was able to do the adult DVDs, but there were too many kids in the children's area to get much done there. Made a quick stop at WaWa for milk, a pretzel, and more of that Winter Spice Cappuccino after leaving the library.
I continued my football theme as I made a leftover chicken leg with sauteed winter vegetables for lunch. In Hold That Line, a bet between patrons of a blue-blooded university pushes the decidedly academia-challenged Bowery Boys into the world of college football. Sach becomes a sensation when his "vitamin" concoction brewed in the school labs gives him super strength and makes him unbeatable on the football field. His heroics makes the school's former star quarterback very jealous...and attracts the attention of gangsters who have bet on the big game between Ivy and State College. When Sach disappears, Slip and the others have to find him, then win the game, with or without chemistry.
A school rivalry is also at the heart of the Tiny Toon Adventures episode "The Acme Bowl." Though Acme Looniversity's football team hasn't won a game all season, they still intend to come out on top over the unbeaten (and perpetually cheating) Perfecto Prep. Plucky adds to their troubles when he gives Perfecto Buster's playbook in exchange for becoming a student there. Buster has more than one surprise in store for the snobs from Perfecto, including what Plucky's really up to.
I did go online briefly during the afternoon, long enough to check my account. My tax return had just gone through last night. It must have been deposited into my account this morning, right before I arrived at the bank! I had enough to transfer my paycheck into my savings account and pay my rent and my Comcast bill with plenty left over.
For all the fussing earlier, when I arrived, work was pretty much the same as yesterday - very busy in the afternoon, dead by the time I left at 9. I'm glad I did get called in. Beyond adding to my paycheck, the Acme was having its annual Chili Cook-Off in the back room. Five different people brought in crock pots of chili recipes for the other employees to try and vote on. There were other goodies, too, like pretzels and tortilla chips and butter pound cake and corn bread. The voting had ended by the time I made it in, but there was enough chili and goodies left for me to have a nice dinner on the Acme.
A few of my customers mentioned towards the end of the night that it had started snowing again. It was still coming down when I finished my shift. The snow was finer and more powdery than earlier in the week. It was like walking into someone sprinkling sugar on the ground. It was so pretty riding home. There was a about an inch on the ground at that point; most roads were clear, and there wasn't enough to impede progress. As far as I can tell, an inch or so more has fallen since then, though I think it's stopped now.
It's funny. They said this morning that the Groundhog saw his shadow, which is supposed to mean spring is coming soon. Maybe Phil needs glasses.
Started the day...with a phone call. Apparently, Acme's night crew neglected to leave a note for the day crew that I was working at 4. One of the managers wanted me in at 9:30...and she called me at 8:30! I was still in bed! I told her she was too late; the night crew got there first, and I had things to do in the morning anyway.
Switched on the American Top 40 as I worked on today's journal entry. I caught the last half-hour of the program for early February 1984. The 80s were in full swing, as we saw in such hits as "Owner of a Lonely Heart" by Yes, "Talking In Your Sleep" by the Romantics, "Joanna" by Kool & the Gang, and the bouncy "Break My Stride" by Matthew Wilder. The energetic "Kharma Chameleon," by Culture Club, was that week's #1 song.
Spent an hour or so having multi-grain square cereal and a blood orange for breakfast and crocheting while running various football-themed cartoons and shorts. The Three Stooges are mistaken for college football heroes by three gangsters' girlfriends (including a very blond Lucile Ball) in Three Little Pigskins. Hello Kitty proves that a girl can play football, be a cheerleader, and catch the eye of the penguin prince in the Furry Tale Theater episode "Cinderkitty." Charlie Brown doesn't have nearly as much luck with the big homecoming game in It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown. While Peppermint Patty tries to rally her team and Lucy is determined that Chuck will miss every kick, Chuck's more worried about being the escort for the Little Red Haired Girl at the homecoming dance than the score of the game. Mickey Mouse is one of the world's most unlikely star quarterbacks in the black and white short "Touchdown Mickey"; Goofy is the team's announcer who does more laughing than relaying plays.
I headed out to run errands after Mickey ended. The morning was very cold, just barely in the 30s, and windy again, but sunny and bright. I strolled down to Dad's to tell him that Lauren and I have decided on a week for our shared vacation (mid-June) and to pick up my laundry detergent, which I left there on Monday. Jodie was at home; Dad was out running his own errands. I said "hi" and gave her the news. She mentioned that they may be having a college graduation party for my stepsister Jessa during that time. That's ok; we'll swing by for a little while.
My next stop was the bank. I was delighted to discover that my checking account was far fuller than I had expected. My tax return must have gone through! I promised myself I'd check it online when I got home.
Celebrated the good news with a trip to the Oaklyn Library. It was surprisingly busy for a cold day, with several families with children looking for books and DVDs to amuse them and a couple of people online. I was able to do the adult DVDs, but there were too many kids in the children's area to get much done there. Made a quick stop at WaWa for milk, a pretzel, and more of that Winter Spice Cappuccino after leaving the library.
I continued my football theme as I made a leftover chicken leg with sauteed winter vegetables for lunch. In Hold That Line, a bet between patrons of a blue-blooded university pushes the decidedly academia-challenged Bowery Boys into the world of college football. Sach becomes a sensation when his "vitamin" concoction brewed in the school labs gives him super strength and makes him unbeatable on the football field. His heroics makes the school's former star quarterback very jealous...and attracts the attention of gangsters who have bet on the big game between Ivy and State College. When Sach disappears, Slip and the others have to find him, then win the game, with or without chemistry.
A school rivalry is also at the heart of the Tiny Toon Adventures episode "The Acme Bowl." Though Acme Looniversity's football team hasn't won a game all season, they still intend to come out on top over the unbeaten (and perpetually cheating) Perfecto Prep. Plucky adds to their troubles when he gives Perfecto Buster's playbook in exchange for becoming a student there. Buster has more than one surprise in store for the snobs from Perfecto, including what Plucky's really up to.
I did go online briefly during the afternoon, long enough to check my account. My tax return had just gone through last night. It must have been deposited into my account this morning, right before I arrived at the bank! I had enough to transfer my paycheck into my savings account and pay my rent and my Comcast bill with plenty left over.
For all the fussing earlier, when I arrived, work was pretty much the same as yesterday - very busy in the afternoon, dead by the time I left at 9. I'm glad I did get called in. Beyond adding to my paycheck, the Acme was having its annual Chili Cook-Off in the back room. Five different people brought in crock pots of chili recipes for the other employees to try and vote on. There were other goodies, too, like pretzels and tortilla chips and butter pound cake and corn bread. The voting had ended by the time I made it in, but there was enough chili and goodies left for me to have a nice dinner on the Acme.
A few of my customers mentioned towards the end of the night that it had started snowing again. It was still coming down when I finished my shift. The snow was finer and more powdery than earlier in the week. It was like walking into someone sprinkling sugar on the ground. It was so pretty riding home. There was a about an inch on the ground at that point; most roads were clear, and there wasn't enough to impede progress. As far as I can tell, an inch or so more has fallen since then, though I think it's stopped now.
It's funny. They said this morning that the Groundhog saw his shadow, which is supposed to mean spring is coming soon. Maybe Phil needs glasses.
Friday, February 01, 2013
Surprise Blizzard
I was watching the MacDonald/Eddy movie I Married An Angel this morning when I first saw it. It was supposed to flurry this morning, but not blizzard! It was really coming down. (Making the fact that it was coming down while Jeanette and Nelson were singing "Spring Is Here" rather ironic.) It was sticking to the porch and grass, too. I was originally going to run out to the grocery store early, but I held off a little while until the snow died down.
The Acme was very busy when I got in. It was 11:30, almost lunch time, and the noon rush hour was just beginning. Thankfully, by that point, the blizzard was long gone - in fact, it was sunny, cold, and very windy! I picked up my paycheck and did my weekly grocery shopping. Jello mix was on sale and I had a coupon. The ground chicken was finally on sale, too. Needed to restock white cake mix, canned soup, mouthwash, frozen juice, whole wheat tortillas, bananas, and apples. Blood oranges are in season; I bought a bag, despite it being expensive, after I loved last year's crop.
When I got in, I put everything away, and made leftovers for lunch while running more Faerie Tale Theatre. Peter MacNicol is "The Boy Who Left Home To Learn About the Shivers", a lesser-known Grimm's Tale. Martin is an innocent young man who has never felt fear in his life. In order to find out what fear is, he spends three nights in an enchanted castle that belongs to a wicked sorcerer (Christopher Lee). The inkeeper's cute daughter (Dana Hill) tries to warn him away, but he's determined to be scared for the first time in his life, no matter how much the ghouls want to go bowling.
Definitely one of the strangest episodes of the entire series. Despite the spooky trappings and genuinely frightening sets, it's mostly played for laughs...especially the sequence where zombie-like creatures come out to frighten Martin and end up partying with him.
Ran some spooky Three Stooges while experimenting with club soda, a box of Cookies n' Cream Pudding Mix, and that box of hot chocolate cake mix I bought a while back. In "If a Body Meets a Body," Curly is the heir to a fortune...but he and his brother and friend may not survive long enough to see their inheritance! "Shivering Sherlocks" brings Shemp in as he, Moe, and Larry rescue Christine MacEntyre from thieves and their strange goon who are living in the house she's supposed to inherit. And in "The Hot Scots," the trio find themselves trying to help the owner of a spooky Scottish castle find out what's happening to his valuables.
The cake was just barely out of the oven when I hurried off to work! The snow that had been such a shock t this morning was completely gone by quarter of 3, melted or blown away in the gale-force winds. No matter. It was still busy tonight, right until about 8:30. It's not only the beginning of the month, but the beginning of the single busiest month of the entire year in Camden County. You have Groundhog Day, then the Super Bowl, then Valentine's Day, then President's Day Weekend...and don't forget the years when the Winter Olympics and Chinese New Year are in February. February is the height of the winter high school varsity sports season, and a big month for birthdays, too. Not to mention, there's the weather to consider.
I wasn't surprised when I picked up a 4-9 shift tomorrow. I was surprised they gave me the Saturday before the Super Bowl off to begin with. Given we're coming up on a very busy season, I'm also not surprised I have far more hours and, other than a late day on Sunday (I'll have to miss the Super Bowl - darn!), I'm working at least somewhat earlier than I was this week.
I was watching the MacDonald/Eddy movie I Married An Angel this morning when I first saw it. It was supposed to flurry this morning, but not blizzard! It was really coming down. (Making the fact that it was coming down while Jeanette and Nelson were singing "Spring Is Here" rather ironic.) It was sticking to the porch and grass, too. I was originally going to run out to the grocery store early, but I held off a little while until the snow died down.
The Acme was very busy when I got in. It was 11:30, almost lunch time, and the noon rush hour was just beginning. Thankfully, by that point, the blizzard was long gone - in fact, it was sunny, cold, and very windy! I picked up my paycheck and did my weekly grocery shopping. Jello mix was on sale and I had a coupon. The ground chicken was finally on sale, too. Needed to restock white cake mix, canned soup, mouthwash, frozen juice, whole wheat tortillas, bananas, and apples. Blood oranges are in season; I bought a bag, despite it being expensive, after I loved last year's crop.
When I got in, I put everything away, and made leftovers for lunch while running more Faerie Tale Theatre. Peter MacNicol is "The Boy Who Left Home To Learn About the Shivers", a lesser-known Grimm's Tale. Martin is an innocent young man who has never felt fear in his life. In order to find out what fear is, he spends three nights in an enchanted castle that belongs to a wicked sorcerer (Christopher Lee). The inkeeper's cute daughter (Dana Hill) tries to warn him away, but he's determined to be scared for the first time in his life, no matter how much the ghouls want to go bowling.
Definitely one of the strangest episodes of the entire series. Despite the spooky trappings and genuinely frightening sets, it's mostly played for laughs...especially the sequence where zombie-like creatures come out to frighten Martin and end up partying with him.
Ran some spooky Three Stooges while experimenting with club soda, a box of Cookies n' Cream Pudding Mix, and that box of hot chocolate cake mix I bought a while back. In "If a Body Meets a Body," Curly is the heir to a fortune...but he and his brother and friend may not survive long enough to see their inheritance! "Shivering Sherlocks" brings Shemp in as he, Moe, and Larry rescue Christine MacEntyre from thieves and their strange goon who are living in the house she's supposed to inherit. And in "The Hot Scots," the trio find themselves trying to help the owner of a spooky Scottish castle find out what's happening to his valuables.
The cake was just barely out of the oven when I hurried off to work! The snow that had been such a shock t this morning was completely gone by quarter of 3, melted or blown away in the gale-force winds. No matter. It was still busy tonight, right until about 8:30. It's not only the beginning of the month, but the beginning of the single busiest month of the entire year in Camden County. You have Groundhog Day, then the Super Bowl, then Valentine's Day, then President's Day Weekend...and don't forget the years when the Winter Olympics and Chinese New Year are in February. February is the height of the winter high school varsity sports season, and a big month for birthdays, too. Not to mention, there's the weather to consider.
I wasn't surprised when I picked up a 4-9 shift tomorrow. I was surprised they gave me the Saturday before the Super Bowl off to begin with. Given we're coming up on a very busy season, I'm also not surprised I have far more hours and, other than a late day on Sunday (I'll have to miss the Super Bowl - darn!), I'm working at least somewhat earlier than I was this week.
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