I was up late last night and slept until almost 10. It's just as well. I awoke to what sounded like the tail end of a shower. Thankfully, from what the National Weather Service says, it may rain on Friday, but not tomorrow. Considering that we were being hit by Hurricane Sandy a year ago (and I was getting hit by a stomach virus), this is very much appreciated.
I finished out the spooky or Halloween-oriented episodes of Perfect Strangers while eating Halloween chocolate chip muffins and a grapefruit half for breakfast. The fourth season episode "Aliens" is the series' only Halloween show. Larry watches a 12-hour horror movie marathon on Halloween night, and then dreams that Balki is an alien bent on conquering the Earth. In the seventh season episode "Fright Night," Larry and Balki try to get rid of a ghost who lives in Balki's room in their new house. The third season story "The Horn Blows at Midnight" goes into superstition and prophecy when a clairvoyant prophecies that Larry will die at midnight. Balki's worried, but Larry laughs it off, until what she foretold seems to be coming true...
Thankfully, the rain was long gone by the time I headed out around 12:30. It was still damp and cloudy, but the clouds were just sitting there. It didn't stop people from being out and about. I passed dog walkers and men painting the train underpass on West Clinton Avenue as I headed for the Oaklyn Library.
The Oaklyn Library was very quiet today. It was just me, the librarian, and a college student on the computer. (An older woman arrived later.) I organized the adult and kids' DVDs and gave the kids' picture books a good going-over. The library closes at 2 - I was out by 1:30.
Strolled to WaWa next. They, on the other hand, were busy with late lunch orders. I just wanted a small snack. I opted for a fountain Diet Dr. Pepper with raspberry and vanilla syrups and a small braided pretzel topped with salt, garlic bits, and poppy seeds.
I spent the next 40 minutes or so walking around Oaklyn, looking at the Halloween and fall decorations. While few houses get as gory as the one a block away with the headless bride, quite a few people did have lovely autumn or Halloween displays. Beautifully carved pumpkins mingled with pots of brilliant mums and asters and smiling scarecrows in checked shirts and overalls (and even some girl scarecrows with straw pigtails and jean skirts). The gag decoration of the back part of a witch who flew into a house or tree seemed to be very popular.
When I got home, I had a ham sandwich for lunch and did some vacuuming while running the most famous of all the Bowery Boys horror-oriented movies. The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters takes Sach and Slip to the home of the Gravesends. The two main male heads of the family want the duo for their experiments involving a gorilla and a robot. The young woman vampiress just wants their blood. So does Granny....for her man-eating plant! It'll take all their wits (what little they have) to get out of their with their heads intact!
Did Mad Monster Party? while working online. This peculiar stop-motion animated film is one of the few feature-length projects done by Rankin-Bass. Baron Von Frankenstein (Boris Karloff, in voice and likeness) has gathered all of the most famous monsters of filmdom for a huge party, in which he'll reveal who his successor will be. While the monsters plot against each other (including Phyllis Diller as the Bride of Frankenstein), the Baron's nerdy nephew Felix arrives for the party. The Baron's assistant Francesca is determined to make sure Felix isn't the one who inherits.
Weird. Very, very weird. When Phyllis Diller is the least-strange thing on the screen, you know you're in for a bizarre movie. May actually be too weird for young kids who are expecting Rudolph, but older ones who love monsters and teens and young adults who are horror fans may have fun with this one.
Switched to Young Frankenstein while making baked flounder with roasted Brussels sprouts for dinner. Fredrick Frankenstein (pronounced "FRAUNK-en-steen") (Gene Wilder) is also having trouble dealing with the dubious family heritage. He's initially disbelieving of his grandfather's discoveries, until he inherits his castle and laboratory equipment and decides there might be something to the old boy's claims after all. When the monster doesn't come out as planned, thanks to a mistake with brains by his assistant Igor (Marty Feldman), he has to deal with the repercussions of his experiments and try to convince the townspeople that neither he nor the monster intend any harm.
A long-time favorite of mine. Thanks to the moody black-and-white cinematography and use of the original sets and equipment from the 1931 Frankenstein, this is probably the most atmospheric movie Mel Brooks ever did. It's genuinely spooky, even when the gags are piling up all over the place. Check out the famous "Puttin' On the Ritz" number where the monster tap dances.
Returned to TV shows while I turned a simple rolled sugar cookie recipe into Scary Spicy Sugar Cookies with the addition of whole wheat flour and cinnamon and allspice and replacing part of the sugar with agave nectar. Faerie Tale Theatre did several horror-oriented stories during it's run. One of the less well-known was "The Boy Who Left Home to Learn About the Shivers." Peter MacNichol is the title character, a simple lad who has never felt fear. He agrees to stay in a castle for three nights to learn about fear...but it's neither the ghouls partying nor the sorcerer who tries to kill him (Christopher Lee) that finally shows him the true meaning of being scared.
Life is a lazy river - no matter where you are. Movies, musicals, mysteries, pop culture, and lots of other great stuff.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Disney's Halloween Treats
Began a sunny, warm morning with two vintage Disney specials. My family taped these off was an independent local TV station in 1988. Halloween Hall of Fame has the late Johnathan Winters running afoul of a grouchy Jack-O'-Lantern who complains that the holiday has been too watered-down for his taste in recent years. Winters shows him the Donald Duck short "Trick or Treat" and most of "Pluto's Judgement Day" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" segment of The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad to prove otherwise. Scary Tales Halloween, taped the same night, is more of a random compilation of segments from various Disney movies that involve spooky stuff or villains, along with the Mickey/Donald/Goofy vehicle "Lonesome Ghosts" and another Donald tale, "Donald and the Gorilla."
(Incidentally, while I believe Scary Tales is on at least video in one form or another, I've never seen Halloween Hall of Fame anywhere else, including The Disney Channel. Channel 29 would convert to a Fox affiliate a year later and seldom ran anything Disney-related thereafter.)
I had a pleasant walk to the laundromat this morning. It was a gorgeous day for a walk. The trees here are finally starting to turn subdued but not unattractive shades of flame orange, gold, lime green, and russet. While most people here don't go quite as all-out for Halloween as they do for Christmas, there are some very nifty - and ghoulish - displays, including one a block or so down from here that has everything creepy you can imagine, from a headless bride to foam gravestones.
I wanted to get the laundry done a bit earlier this week than I have been. I'm tired of the rushing, and I had towels to do this week along with a slightly larger load than usual (thanks to last week's cold weather). It was pretty busy there when I got in around 10:30, but I did get a washer and a drier. I guess everyone wanted to get their chores done before Halloween kicks in later this week.
When I got home, I put the laundry away, then had lunch as I watched The Black Cauldron. This lesser-known Disney gem is one of their only movies that can be called out-and-out scary. Taran, a young pig-keeper, discovers that his charge Hen Wen is being pursued by the evil Horned King because her oracular ability can reveal where the fabled Black Cauldron is. Taran is supposed to take Hen to safety, but his daydreaming allows her to wander off instead....and into the hands of the Horned King himself. Taran also winds up a prisoner, but while in the castle, he does meet the spirited Princess Ellonwy and Fflewfldor the bard. They break out, and joined by ever-hungry Gurgi, set out to find the legendary cauldron and a way to defeat the freaky skeletal ruler.
Even just the outline could probably tell you that this is one of the few Disney "canon" animated films that isn't for young kids. Those "cauldron born" warriors and the Horned King are genuinely nightmare-inducing. There's a reason I usually watch this around Halloween. That said, if you have older kids who think they've seen every Disney movie and can handle the scares, try this one on them.
Work was busy for most of the night, not helped by my being fairly tired. It was busy right up until I left! We're getting close to the beginning of the month. Thankfully, people weren't quite as bad as they were the other night. I even had a nice chat with a kind customer. It did slow down enough by 9 that I was able to leave without a fuss.
(Incidentally, while I believe Scary Tales is on at least video in one form or another, I've never seen Halloween Hall of Fame anywhere else, including The Disney Channel. Channel 29 would convert to a Fox affiliate a year later and seldom ran anything Disney-related thereafter.)
I had a pleasant walk to the laundromat this morning. It was a gorgeous day for a walk. The trees here are finally starting to turn subdued but not unattractive shades of flame orange, gold, lime green, and russet. While most people here don't go quite as all-out for Halloween as they do for Christmas, there are some very nifty - and ghoulish - displays, including one a block or so down from here that has everything creepy you can imagine, from a headless bride to foam gravestones.
I wanted to get the laundry done a bit earlier this week than I have been. I'm tired of the rushing, and I had towels to do this week along with a slightly larger load than usual (thanks to last week's cold weather). It was pretty busy there when I got in around 10:30, but I did get a washer and a drier. I guess everyone wanted to get their chores done before Halloween kicks in later this week.
When I got home, I put the laundry away, then had lunch as I watched The Black Cauldron. This lesser-known Disney gem is one of their only movies that can be called out-and-out scary. Taran, a young pig-keeper, discovers that his charge Hen Wen is being pursued by the evil Horned King because her oracular ability can reveal where the fabled Black Cauldron is. Taran is supposed to take Hen to safety, but his daydreaming allows her to wander off instead....and into the hands of the Horned King himself. Taran also winds up a prisoner, but while in the castle, he does meet the spirited Princess Ellonwy and Fflewfldor the bard. They break out, and joined by ever-hungry Gurgi, set out to find the legendary cauldron and a way to defeat the freaky skeletal ruler.
Even just the outline could probably tell you that this is one of the few Disney "canon" animated films that isn't for young kids. Those "cauldron born" warriors and the Horned King are genuinely nightmare-inducing. There's a reason I usually watch this around Halloween. That said, if you have older kids who think they've seen every Disney movie and can handle the scares, try this one on them.
Work was busy for most of the night, not helped by my being fairly tired. It was busy right up until I left! We're getting close to the beginning of the month. Thankfully, people weren't quite as bad as they were the other night. I even had a nice chat with a kind customer. It did slow down enough by 9 that I was able to leave without a fuss.
Monday, October 28, 2013
There's Silver In Them Thar Teeth
Started off a sunny, somewhat warmer day with spooky or strange episodes of two of my favorite sitcoms. Max and 99 have to stop mad pharmacist Jarvis Pym (played by Vincent Price) from tainting Washington DC's water supply with a hallucinogenic drug in "Is This Trip Necessary?" from the fifth season of Get Smart. The already complicated third season of Remember WENN becomes a bit scarier when the cast puts on a horror broadcast and Hilary Booth seems to be stalked by a poltergeist with a fondness for cranberry jelly in "The Ghost of WENN."
One of Mickey Mouse's lesser-known shorts is also one of his most recent. Runaway Brain from 1995 pits Disney's top mouse and his favorite girl against another mad scientist (this one voiced by Kelsey Grammer) and an enormous monster who looks rather familiar. Things get hairy when Mickey and the monster switch minds, and Mickey has to convince Minnie that he's who he says he is. Mickey also tangled with a mad scientist in the 1932 black-and-white classic "The Mad Doctor." This one wants to experiment on Pluto, unless Mickey can rescue his canine friend.
I called Mom while the shows were on. I told her about my bad day yesterday and how much the customers are driving me crazy. She told me about the continuing work on converting their garage into a den and how much Dad and the contractors are driving her crazy. I found out what my nephews are being for Halloween this year. Khai is being a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle; evidently, he's a big fan of the new show. (And no, Mom didn't say which one.) Skylar is being a scientist. (No surprise there, given his fondness for all things scientific.) Collyn is a construction worker.
My dental appointment was at 11:30. I was there right on the dot, and the nurse took me in the moment I arrived. Making a crown proved to be a lot more complicated than just filling a cavity or drilling a hole. For one thing, there was only a little bit of needles on the gums, nothing like the last couple of times. There was less drilling and more biting down on soft stuff that felt like weird-tasting taffy. They also poked around in my gums a lot. That hurt more than any drilling or biting! They even put a wire in my gums at one point. Thankfully, the wire finally came out and the temporary crown went in. When I came out an hour later, I had a silvery temporary crown and an appointment for November 12th, the same day of my next counseling appointment.
Since I hadn't had any major Novocaine injections this time and could move my mouth just fine, I went to lunch right after I left the dentist's office. I figured I'd eat at the Westmont Bagel Shop, one of my favorite spots. I had a nice, simple, soft Grilled Cheese and Tomato Sandwich on whole wheat bread with fries and water. I enjoyed my meal while watching Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and The Chew on ABC. The place was surprisingly quiet for lunch hour. The only other diners were a father and his daughter having a family discussion.
Went straight to the Haddon Township Library next for this week's volunteering session there. They were even quieter than the Bagel Shop. There must have been a lot of people taking out Halloween specials for their kids, too. I had absolutely no problems fitting all of the kids' DVDs into the three spinning racks. The adult titles were another matter. They're still overloaded, especially M through Z. I gave up trying to get all of the S titles on the rack.
I ended up taking out a few things for Halloween this week - the newest Scooby Doo movie Stage Fright, the Miss Spider and Her Sunny Patch Friends Halloween set Bug-A-Boo Day Play, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, and six episodes of one of Disney's current hit animated series, the paranormal-based Gravity Falls. (I wanted to take Gravity Falls out last week, but a mother asked for it for her daughter, saying she was a big fan and would love it. I couldn't say no to that. From the sound of things, it'll be great for Halloween.)
I rode home through a busy park. It was a gorgeous afternoon, warmer than it was last week but not anything abnormal for late October in Southern New Jersey. The lake sparkled like fairy dust, reflecting the trees that are finally starting to turn dusky shades of gold, lime green, russet, and orange. I dodged lots of people out for a walk or a run, enjoying the weather.
Spent the rest of the afternoon at my apartment, cleaning the bathroom and the kitchen. I ran cartoons while I cleaned. Despite the Halloween-oriented cover, Bug-A-Boo Day Play doesn't really have a whole lot to do with anything scary. The title episode teaches Shimmer just how hard it is to put on a show when the kids abandon her Bug-A-Boo Revue for less difficult autumn pursuits. Spidercus and Spideretta babysit the kids in "Big Bad Buggysitter." Shimmer wants to have quiet fun like baking cookies, but her siblings would rather dance and make noise. She and Spidercus discover they have something in common - some bugs (and people) really do prefer less robust activities.
One of the few genuinely frightening episodes was "A Scary Scaly Tale." The kids discover an abandoned snake skin and use it to spook their neighbors. They think this is a great joke, until their parents discover a real snake in the grass! They learn that what seems funny today might not be so amusing after there's real danger.
Scooby Doo! Stage Fright takes us from Sunny Patch to Chicago, Illinois. Daphne and Fred are finalists in Talent Star, a big talent reality show. Daphne's delighted. Not only does she love the show, but she can finally tell Fred how she feels about him (after only waiting 40 years). Shaggy continually attempts to sneak Scooby in under the nose of the germ-phobic assistant director so they can show Talent Star's announcer their acts. Velma's more interested in the history of the theater where the show is filmed and the eclectic performers vying for the top prize, including a spoiled child diva, a kid violinist with real talent, a diminutive ventriloquist, and a stuffy magician. The show may not go on at all if the group can't stop the Phantom, a ghoul who seems to appear everywhere, setting fires and causing sabotage.
While I didn't like this as much as the Blue Falcon movie last spring, it was better than the last attempt at a musical Scooby story, Music of the Vampire. At the very least, there's a twist ending with whom turns out to be the Phantom, and how he can appear in many different places at once. Fine for fans of Scooby and kids who enjoy the franchise.
Put on Ghostbusters as I made leftover chicken tomato soup and Halloween Chocolate Chip Muffins for dinner. This beloved 1984 horror comedy features Bill Murray, Dan Ackroyd, and Harold Ramis as former Columbia University professors who go into business as professional spook chasers. Sigorney Weaver is their first client, a classical musician whose apartment may be a conductor to the spirit world; Rick Moranis is her nerdy neighbor. When Moranis and Weaver run headlong into a Sumerian god, it's the Ghostbusters to the rescue!
This classic 80s' hit is a longtime favorite of mine. My sisters and I used to run around our house on Maryland Avenue in Cape May with backpacks and Mom's vacuum cleaner hoses, pretending to be ghostbusters. It was a little more likely for us than for most kids, given how many ghost stories are floating around Cape May County. At any rate, if you're a fan of any of the cast, 80s movies, or comedies with just enough scares, this is highly recommended.
One of Mickey Mouse's lesser-known shorts is also one of his most recent. Runaway Brain from 1995 pits Disney's top mouse and his favorite girl against another mad scientist (this one voiced by Kelsey Grammer) and an enormous monster who looks rather familiar. Things get hairy when Mickey and the monster switch minds, and Mickey has to convince Minnie that he's who he says he is. Mickey also tangled with a mad scientist in the 1932 black-and-white classic "The Mad Doctor." This one wants to experiment on Pluto, unless Mickey can rescue his canine friend.
I called Mom while the shows were on. I told her about my bad day yesterday and how much the customers are driving me crazy. She told me about the continuing work on converting their garage into a den and how much Dad and the contractors are driving her crazy. I found out what my nephews are being for Halloween this year. Khai is being a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle; evidently, he's a big fan of the new show. (And no, Mom didn't say which one.) Skylar is being a scientist. (No surprise there, given his fondness for all things scientific.) Collyn is a construction worker.
My dental appointment was at 11:30. I was there right on the dot, and the nurse took me in the moment I arrived. Making a crown proved to be a lot more complicated than just filling a cavity or drilling a hole. For one thing, there was only a little bit of needles on the gums, nothing like the last couple of times. There was less drilling and more biting down on soft stuff that felt like weird-tasting taffy. They also poked around in my gums a lot. That hurt more than any drilling or biting! They even put a wire in my gums at one point. Thankfully, the wire finally came out and the temporary crown went in. When I came out an hour later, I had a silvery temporary crown and an appointment for November 12th, the same day of my next counseling appointment.
Since I hadn't had any major Novocaine injections this time and could move my mouth just fine, I went to lunch right after I left the dentist's office. I figured I'd eat at the Westmont Bagel Shop, one of my favorite spots. I had a nice, simple, soft Grilled Cheese and Tomato Sandwich on whole wheat bread with fries and water. I enjoyed my meal while watching Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and The Chew on ABC. The place was surprisingly quiet for lunch hour. The only other diners were a father and his daughter having a family discussion.
Went straight to the Haddon Township Library next for this week's volunteering session there. They were even quieter than the Bagel Shop. There must have been a lot of people taking out Halloween specials for their kids, too. I had absolutely no problems fitting all of the kids' DVDs into the three spinning racks. The adult titles were another matter. They're still overloaded, especially M through Z. I gave up trying to get all of the S titles on the rack.
I ended up taking out a few things for Halloween this week - the newest Scooby Doo movie Stage Fright, the Miss Spider and Her Sunny Patch Friends Halloween set Bug-A-Boo Day Play, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, and six episodes of one of Disney's current hit animated series, the paranormal-based Gravity Falls. (I wanted to take Gravity Falls out last week, but a mother asked for it for her daughter, saying she was a big fan and would love it. I couldn't say no to that. From the sound of things, it'll be great for Halloween.)
I rode home through a busy park. It was a gorgeous afternoon, warmer than it was last week but not anything abnormal for late October in Southern New Jersey. The lake sparkled like fairy dust, reflecting the trees that are finally starting to turn dusky shades of gold, lime green, russet, and orange. I dodged lots of people out for a walk or a run, enjoying the weather.
Spent the rest of the afternoon at my apartment, cleaning the bathroom and the kitchen. I ran cartoons while I cleaned. Despite the Halloween-oriented cover, Bug-A-Boo Day Play doesn't really have a whole lot to do with anything scary. The title episode teaches Shimmer just how hard it is to put on a show when the kids abandon her Bug-A-Boo Revue for less difficult autumn pursuits. Spidercus and Spideretta babysit the kids in "Big Bad Buggysitter." Shimmer wants to have quiet fun like baking cookies, but her siblings would rather dance and make noise. She and Spidercus discover they have something in common - some bugs (and people) really do prefer less robust activities.
One of the few genuinely frightening episodes was "A Scary Scaly Tale." The kids discover an abandoned snake skin and use it to spook their neighbors. They think this is a great joke, until their parents discover a real snake in the grass! They learn that what seems funny today might not be so amusing after there's real danger.
Scooby Doo! Stage Fright takes us from Sunny Patch to Chicago, Illinois. Daphne and Fred are finalists in Talent Star, a big talent reality show. Daphne's delighted. Not only does she love the show, but she can finally tell Fred how she feels about him (after only waiting 40 years). Shaggy continually attempts to sneak Scooby in under the nose of the germ-phobic assistant director so they can show Talent Star's announcer their acts. Velma's more interested in the history of the theater where the show is filmed and the eclectic performers vying for the top prize, including a spoiled child diva, a kid violinist with real talent, a diminutive ventriloquist, and a stuffy magician. The show may not go on at all if the group can't stop the Phantom, a ghoul who seems to appear everywhere, setting fires and causing sabotage.
While I didn't like this as much as the Blue Falcon movie last spring, it was better than the last attempt at a musical Scooby story, Music of the Vampire. At the very least, there's a twist ending with whom turns out to be the Phantom, and how he can appear in many different places at once. Fine for fans of Scooby and kids who enjoy the franchise.
Put on Ghostbusters as I made leftover chicken tomato soup and Halloween Chocolate Chip Muffins for dinner. This beloved 1984 horror comedy features Bill Murray, Dan Ackroyd, and Harold Ramis as former Columbia University professors who go into business as professional spook chasers. Sigorney Weaver is their first client, a classical musician whose apartment may be a conductor to the spirit world; Rick Moranis is her nerdy neighbor. When Moranis and Weaver run headlong into a Sumerian god, it's the Ghostbusters to the rescue!
This classic 80s' hit is a longtime favorite of mine. My sisters and I used to run around our house on Maryland Avenue in Cape May with backpacks and Mom's vacuum cleaner hoses, pretending to be ghostbusters. It was a little more likely for us than for most kids, given how many ghost stories are floating around Cape May County. At any rate, if you're a fan of any of the cast, 80s movies, or comedies with just enough scares, this is highly recommended.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
I Should Have Known Better
I was so tired last night, I slept until 10:30. It was 11:30 before I finally got started making Pear-Cinnamon Pancakes for breakfast. Today's Brunch With the Beatles theme was "Songs That Came Out In the Fall and Holiday Season." Beatles songs from the tail end of the year include "Come Together," "I Am the Walrus," "Penny Lane," and "Strawberry Fields Forever." I tried calling Mom, but got the answering machine. She probably went out to run errands before the Eagles game. I'd call her back tomorrow.
Everything went downhill from there. After the show ended, I tried to make a caramel icing for the Caramel Apple Cake I made last night. I used a recipe for caramel frosting from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook. Melting the butter went fine, but it was almost 12:30 at that point. I guess I should have let the butter cool more before I put the brown sugar in. No amount of stirring could turn the brown sugar into icing instead of candy. Putting in powdered sugar just made things worse. When I tried to solve the problem by chopping up the brown sugar bits in the food processor, I just jammed the food processor instead. Removing the blade to fix the problem just made a mess. I finally turned it into Caramel Apple Poke Cake with Brown Sugar Candy Bits and just brought it to Dad's football party anyway.
Of course, there was no party. It was just Dad, Jodie, our cousin Mark, and an old friend of Uncle Ken's, Al, and a salad and meatball or sausage sandwiches. Everyone else was busy with Halloween festivals or other parties going on this weekend. Rose and Craig dropped Khai off right before I left, but they couldn't stay. This is Restaurant Week, and Anthony's was very busy. The game wasn't going well, either. Michael Vick, the Eagles' quarterback, left early on, complaining about his hamstring bothering him again. The Giants got three field goals during the first half; at least the Eagles held them to not much more than that. The Giants finally won, 15-7.
I left my lunch box and cell phone at Dad's and had to go back for it, which meant I was almost late for work. I wish I'd never set foot in that store. Work was not only busy for most of the evening, it was a pain. People were obnoxious, cranky, and rude. One older woman kicked up a fuss about the Acme being out of the kosher turkeys for that free turkey coupon and not being able to use the coupon on a later order. (You have to use the coupon with your 100 dollar order, or no dice...and no saving gradually, either.) Another person put back a quarter of their order and held up a very long line. A third went on and on about how horrible the store was because she had to buy three items to get a certain sale, instead of the one she wanted. Several people gave me a hard time about bagging. It didn't help that I was still feeling bad about how the icing disaster and the party. My stomach is still in knots, even after eating a grapefruit and taking a shower when I got home.
Everything went downhill from there. After the show ended, I tried to make a caramel icing for the Caramel Apple Cake I made last night. I used a recipe for caramel frosting from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook. Melting the butter went fine, but it was almost 12:30 at that point. I guess I should have let the butter cool more before I put the brown sugar in. No amount of stirring could turn the brown sugar into icing instead of candy. Putting in powdered sugar just made things worse. When I tried to solve the problem by chopping up the brown sugar bits in the food processor, I just jammed the food processor instead. Removing the blade to fix the problem just made a mess. I finally turned it into Caramel Apple Poke Cake with Brown Sugar Candy Bits and just brought it to Dad's football party anyway.
Of course, there was no party. It was just Dad, Jodie, our cousin Mark, and an old friend of Uncle Ken's, Al, and a salad and meatball or sausage sandwiches. Everyone else was busy with Halloween festivals or other parties going on this weekend. Rose and Craig dropped Khai off right before I left, but they couldn't stay. This is Restaurant Week, and Anthony's was very busy. The game wasn't going well, either. Michael Vick, the Eagles' quarterback, left early on, complaining about his hamstring bothering him again. The Giants got three field goals during the first half; at least the Eagles held them to not much more than that. The Giants finally won, 15-7.
I left my lunch box and cell phone at Dad's and had to go back for it, which meant I was almost late for work. I wish I'd never set foot in that store. Work was not only busy for most of the evening, it was a pain. People were obnoxious, cranky, and rude. One older woman kicked up a fuss about the Acme being out of the kosher turkeys for that free turkey coupon and not being able to use the coupon on a later order. (You have to use the coupon with your 100 dollar order, or no dice...and no saving gradually, either.) Another person put back a quarter of their order and held up a very long line. A third went on and on about how horrible the store was because she had to buy three items to get a certain sale, instead of the one she wanted. Several people gave me a hard time about bagging. It didn't help that I was still feeling bad about how the icing disaster and the party. My stomach is still in knots, even after eating a grapefruit and taking a shower when I got home.
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Crazy Little Thing Called Fall
I began a chilly but sunny fall morning with this week's American Top 40 re-run. We moved back two years to 1980, as disco fizzled out and ballads, British super groups, R&B, and New Wave danced in. Hits the weekend before Halloween that year included "Love, Look What You've Done to Me" by Boz Scaggs (from the Urban Cowboy soundtrack), "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen, "Jesse" by Carly Simon, "I'm Comin' Out" and "Upside Down" by Diana Ross, "Lady" by Kenny Rogers, "Lost In Love" by Air Supply, "Never Knew Love Like This Before" by Stephanie Mills, and "I'm All Right" by Kenny Loggins (from the Caddyshack soundtrack). Barbara Streisand had her fifth #1 hit that week with one of her most popular ballads, "Woman In Love."
Unfortunately, I didn't have the time for the long errands run that I've enjoyed the past few weeks. I figured it would be too cold this morning for yard sales anyway, but I did see two in Oaklyn on my way to the farm market. Nothing interesting at one, and the other is the same family on Oaklawn who have been having sales for weeks. I rode on my way.
The farm market is on its last month. Several booths were gone, replaced by craft tables or an empty space, and it didn't seem quite as crowded as it has been. Pears, melons, and green peppers were done as well, but the rest of the fall harvest is still out in full force. I ended up with spinach, cute little Fuji apples, cranberries, and grapefruit, the last-named from the table selling tropical fruit from wholesalers. They had five grapefruit for 3 dollars. The Acme sells their grapefruit for a dollar each!
I had just enough time to put everything away and run a spooky episode of Get Smart before heading to work. 99 is mistaken for "Rebecca of Funny-Folk Farm" when she and Max go to a house to retrieve a top-secret package on the roof and 99 resembles the owner's dead sister. As the bodies pile up, Max has to figure out what's really going on.
Work wasn't too bad when I got in, but it picked up considerably as the afternoon went on, and was crazy for most of the day. I was tired and not really up to dealing with so many people at once. Thankfully, my relief, one of the college-age girls, was right on time. I was able to buy two of the dollar fruit spreads on clearance for 50 cents and head out.
When I got home, I had leftover ham and roasted Brussels sprouts for dinner while watching Suspicion. A romantic suspense drama set in England, this one has some parallels to Hitchcock's previous Oscar-winner Rebecca - plain British woman believes her handsome husband may be a killer (she's even played by Joan Fontaine). The husband in question here is Cary Grant, a loose-living playboy who seems to have married his wife for the money she's supposed to have inherited and wallows in a flood of lies and embezzlement. Did he really kill his best friend...and could she be next?
Not bad. Fontaine won an Oscar as the fragile Lina, who may or may not be entirely imagining what her husband really has in mind. Grant is also good as the gold-digger who will do anything to keep living the high life. A cop-out ending (apparently changed from the original book) keeps this from being as good as some of Hitchcock's later films, but it's still worth checking out for fans of the stars, the director, or a good suspense flick.
Put on one of the spookier episodes of Laverne and Shirley while I used that Caramel Apple Cake Mix to make Caramel Apple Spice Cake for Dad's football party tomorrow. The girls and Lenny and Squiggy find themselves trapped in a "Haunted House" when they come to the decrepit Ramsdale Manor to buy a cheap used couch. Shirley's certain that the house is home to the "Ramsdale Hairy Thing." Laverne's just as sure that a house is a house, and they need furniture. Which woman is right...especially when people start disappearing?
Unfortunately, I didn't have the time for the long errands run that I've enjoyed the past few weeks. I figured it would be too cold this morning for yard sales anyway, but I did see two in Oaklyn on my way to the farm market. Nothing interesting at one, and the other is the same family on Oaklawn who have been having sales for weeks. I rode on my way.
The farm market is on its last month. Several booths were gone, replaced by craft tables or an empty space, and it didn't seem quite as crowded as it has been. Pears, melons, and green peppers were done as well, but the rest of the fall harvest is still out in full force. I ended up with spinach, cute little Fuji apples, cranberries, and grapefruit, the last-named from the table selling tropical fruit from wholesalers. They had five grapefruit for 3 dollars. The Acme sells their grapefruit for a dollar each!
I had just enough time to put everything away and run a spooky episode of Get Smart before heading to work. 99 is mistaken for "Rebecca of Funny-Folk Farm" when she and Max go to a house to retrieve a top-secret package on the roof and 99 resembles the owner's dead sister. As the bodies pile up, Max has to figure out what's really going on.
Work wasn't too bad when I got in, but it picked up considerably as the afternoon went on, and was crazy for most of the day. I was tired and not really up to dealing with so many people at once. Thankfully, my relief, one of the college-age girls, was right on time. I was able to buy two of the dollar fruit spreads on clearance for 50 cents and head out.
When I got home, I had leftover ham and roasted Brussels sprouts for dinner while watching Suspicion. A romantic suspense drama set in England, this one has some parallels to Hitchcock's previous Oscar-winner Rebecca - plain British woman believes her handsome husband may be a killer (she's even played by Joan Fontaine). The husband in question here is Cary Grant, a loose-living playboy who seems to have married his wife for the money she's supposed to have inherited and wallows in a flood of lies and embezzlement. Did he really kill his best friend...and could she be next?
Not bad. Fontaine won an Oscar as the fragile Lina, who may or may not be entirely imagining what her husband really has in mind. Grant is also good as the gold-digger who will do anything to keep living the high life. A cop-out ending (apparently changed from the original book) keeps this from being as good as some of Hitchcock's later films, but it's still worth checking out for fans of the stars, the director, or a good suspense flick.
Put on one of the spookier episodes of Laverne and Shirley while I used that Caramel Apple Cake Mix to make Caramel Apple Spice Cake for Dad's football party tomorrow. The girls and Lenny and Squiggy find themselves trapped in a "Haunted House" when they come to the decrepit Ramsdale Manor to buy a cheap used couch. Shirley's certain that the house is home to the "Ramsdale Hairy Thing." Laverne's just as sure that a house is a house, and they need furniture. Which woman is right...especially when people start disappearing?
Friday, October 25, 2013
Princesses and Silver Linings
Began a chilly morning with the 1995 adaptation of A Little Princess that I picked up in a yard sale a few weeks ago, as I began re-reading the book today. Alfonso Cuaron directed this tale of Sara Crewe (Lisel Matthews), who attends a boarding school in New York in 1914 when her father goes off to war. She's the pampered but kind-hearted star pupil of the school, beloved by everyone except for one rather jealous fellow student and the bitter head mistress Miss Minchin (Eleanor Bron). When her father dies and leaves her a pauper, Sarah is taken from everything she's ever known and made a servant at the school. The intelligent girl uses the power of her imagination and her boundless storytelling ability to survive Miss Minchin's abuse and the loss of the only person she'd loved more than anything.
One of the loveliest films of the 90s, with gorgeous costumes and sets and some amazing CGI imagery during Sara's Indian-set stories. I can see why Cuaron went on to direct another tale of an unusual orphan in a boarding school, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. While I do wish they hadn't filled out the ending with a needless action sequence and preferred the book's original finale, that's really my only complaint. I like how we see more of how the girls in the school help Sara out, even after she's lost her money, by finding something that's important to her despite Miss Minchin's rules...and how this is the only Little Princess adaptation where Miss Minchin finally gets punished in the end. A must for girls of all ages, especially those who have read the book.
Work was a tad busier than it has been. We're less than a week from Halloween and the beginning of the month. It wasn't bad when I arrived, but it did pick up much later. A new turkey promotion is also causing some headaches. This week, there's a coupon in our flyer that will allow customers to buy a turkey after spending 100 dollars IN ONE ORDER. This isn't a "save 300 dollars all fall" deal. It's 100 in one transaction, and you need the coupon for the freebie. The majority of people just didn't seem to get it - they thought you had to save up for it, because every other store does that. Hopefully, they'll figure things out as the week goes on.
After I got out of work, I made this week's shopping trip. A lot of it was baking and cooking restocks - brown sugar, whole wheat flour, milk, sandwich bags, canned Great Northern Beans and diced low-salt tomatoes. The Acme's generic parchment paper is far cheaper than Reynolds Wrap, and it was on a good sale. The Smart Balance butter sticks were buy one, get one, and I had a coupon; Kashi cereals were three for $2.49 if you bought three, and I had a coupon for a dollar off two.
My schedule for this week is ok, not great. On one hand, I only work 12-5 on Halloween - I could help Dad with the tail end of trick-or-treating. I'm off Monday (for a dental appointment) and Wednesday. I'm not entirely happy with the late night Tuesday or the 8 hour day next Friday, but at least I have a lot more hours than I did at this time of year...which is to say, I have hours. This time last year, I would have been at home, about half-way through my two months off due to a fractured ankle.
When I got home, I ran The Penniless Princess as I put away my groceries and changed into regular clothes. This is a Veggitales version of A Little Princess, and other than making Sara's doll a teddy bear (it probably would have been a little awkward for a broccoli kid to be carrying around a doll) and the usual religious bent, this is actually fairly accurate. It's even one of the few versions I've seen use more-or-less the original ending from the book.
Switched to The Silver Linings Playbook after I finished leftover chicken soup for dinner and worked on a Christmas crocheting project for my friend Amanda. Pat (Bradley Cooper) has just returned to his parents' home in Philadelphia after an 8-month stint in a mental hospital. His wife has left him and taken his home and his cash, and he's lost his job. He's bi-polar and occasionally has violent mood swings, but he's determined to stay positive and get his wife back. His Eagles-obsessed parents (Jacki Weaver and Robert DeNiro) do what they can to support him. What really helps him out is meeting Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a newly widowed young woman who has just as many mental problems as he does. Tiffany agrees to help him get his wife back if he'll attend a dance competition with her. Against his better judgement, he does so, and learns that kindness is it's own reward, families can help you heal, and that sometimes real love with someone who is truly compatible can be right under your nose.
A surprisingly sweet and refreshingly gritty film in a genre that tends to wallow in cutesiness. Lawrence won an Oscar as the young woman who is has made a lot of mistakes but uses dance to turn her life around; Cooper's equally good as the troubled man who thinks he wants his wife, when what he really needs is a fresh start. This movie involves the Philadelphia Eagles and dance - how could I not love it? Language, violence, and frank discussions of mental illness makes this not for kiddies, but adults who are looking for something different in a romantic comedy or who just want to watch something uplifting and yet not to sweet will really enjoy it.
One of the loveliest films of the 90s, with gorgeous costumes and sets and some amazing CGI imagery during Sara's Indian-set stories. I can see why Cuaron went on to direct another tale of an unusual orphan in a boarding school, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. While I do wish they hadn't filled out the ending with a needless action sequence and preferred the book's original finale, that's really my only complaint. I like how we see more of how the girls in the school help Sara out, even after she's lost her money, by finding something that's important to her despite Miss Minchin's rules...and how this is the only Little Princess adaptation where Miss Minchin finally gets punished in the end. A must for girls of all ages, especially those who have read the book.
Work was a tad busier than it has been. We're less than a week from Halloween and the beginning of the month. It wasn't bad when I arrived, but it did pick up much later. A new turkey promotion is also causing some headaches. This week, there's a coupon in our flyer that will allow customers to buy a turkey after spending 100 dollars IN ONE ORDER. This isn't a "save 300 dollars all fall" deal. It's 100 in one transaction, and you need the coupon for the freebie. The majority of people just didn't seem to get it - they thought you had to save up for it, because every other store does that. Hopefully, they'll figure things out as the week goes on.
After I got out of work, I made this week's shopping trip. A lot of it was baking and cooking restocks - brown sugar, whole wheat flour, milk, sandwich bags, canned Great Northern Beans and diced low-salt tomatoes. The Acme's generic parchment paper is far cheaper than Reynolds Wrap, and it was on a good sale. The Smart Balance butter sticks were buy one, get one, and I had a coupon; Kashi cereals were three for $2.49 if you bought three, and I had a coupon for a dollar off two.
My schedule for this week is ok, not great. On one hand, I only work 12-5 on Halloween - I could help Dad with the tail end of trick-or-treating. I'm off Monday (for a dental appointment) and Wednesday. I'm not entirely happy with the late night Tuesday or the 8 hour day next Friday, but at least I have a lot more hours than I did at this time of year...which is to say, I have hours. This time last year, I would have been at home, about half-way through my two months off due to a fractured ankle.
When I got home, I ran The Penniless Princess as I put away my groceries and changed into regular clothes. This is a Veggitales version of A Little Princess, and other than making Sara's doll a teddy bear (it probably would have been a little awkward for a broccoli kid to be carrying around a doll) and the usual religious bent, this is actually fairly accurate. It's even one of the few versions I've seen use more-or-less the original ending from the book.
Switched to The Silver Linings Playbook after I finished leftover chicken soup for dinner and worked on a Christmas crocheting project for my friend Amanda. Pat (Bradley Cooper) has just returned to his parents' home in Philadelphia after an 8-month stint in a mental hospital. His wife has left him and taken his home and his cash, and he's lost his job. He's bi-polar and occasionally has violent mood swings, but he's determined to stay positive and get his wife back. His Eagles-obsessed parents (Jacki Weaver and Robert DeNiro) do what they can to support him. What really helps him out is meeting Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a newly widowed young woman who has just as many mental problems as he does. Tiffany agrees to help him get his wife back if he'll attend a dance competition with her. Against his better judgement, he does so, and learns that kindness is it's own reward, families can help you heal, and that sometimes real love with someone who is truly compatible can be right under your nose.
A surprisingly sweet and refreshingly gritty film in a genre that tends to wallow in cutesiness. Lawrence won an Oscar as the young woman who is has made a lot of mistakes but uses dance to turn her life around; Cooper's equally good as the troubled man who thinks he wants his wife, when what he really needs is a fresh start. This movie involves the Philadelphia Eagles and dance - how could I not love it? Language, violence, and frank discussions of mental illness makes this not for kiddies, but adults who are looking for something different in a romantic comedy or who just want to watch something uplifting and yet not to sweet will really enjoy it.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
It's Great to Be a Traveler
Brrr! It was chilly and very windy when I headed out today. I had a lot that I wanted to do, starting with a volunteering session at the Oaklyn Library. I got in around 10:30. They'd only been open a half-hour, and needless to say, there wasn't much going on. There weren't even many people on the computers. I mostly organized the DVDs. Gave the kids' books a cursory glance, but they seemed to be in order.
I next rode up to Barrington to catch the bus to Deptford. I learned my lesson on my last excursion to Deptford in April. I was just going to stick to browsing Target and AC Moore this time and not even bother with the mall. I really couldn't find anything in the mall that I couldn't pick up at those two stores or in the closer Cherry Hill Mall or Voorhees Town Center.
I just made it with barely three minutes to spare. I picked up the bus around quarter of noon. The lunch traffic hadn't picked up at that point, and the bus was barely half-full. There were no problems getting there.
Target wasn't busy when I arrived, either. I spent about an hour or so browsing. While I'm not a big fan of Target's cheap clothes (barely a step above Wal Mart's), I like their prices and selection on a lot of other items. I always get my underwear there - their prices are about the same as Wal Mart's, and with far more selection (and they actually keep them in stock). Also grabbed a Playtex undergarment on sale.
As Matt of Dinosaur Dracula could tell you, one of the best things about Target is their large and extensive seasonal aisles. From Valentine's Day to Christmas, I never fail to walk out of there without at least one really nifty seasonal item. This trip was no exception. I'd never seen Pillsbury's new Caramel Apple Cake Mix in any store near Oaklyn, including mine. They had a cookie mix too, but the cake mix was cheaper. Found one of the first season Backyardigans sets, It's Great to Be a Ghost, in with the Halloween DVDs. Also snagged a small bottle of canola oil for $1.87 - the Acme's is $2.99! I didn't have as much luck with Halloween costumes. It's too late in the season for those - everything was picked over.
(And for those of you who are Dinosaur Dracula regulars, yes, I found the retro Monster Cereal boxes, including Frute Brute and Fruity Yummy Mummy. They had quite a few of them, too. No, I didn't buy any. I don't eat sugary cereal, and I don't have the room to keep and preserve them. I was glad to have seen them in the flesh, so to speak, though. The older-style designs are pretty cool, especially for Boo Berry.)
Went across the parking lot for lunch. I was originally going to eat at Pizza Hut, but to my dismay, a sign on their front door stated that they no longer had their lunch buffet. Darn it! Disappointed, I went next-door to Applebee's instead. I had their $6.99 classic mix lunch combo meal. I ended up with a spinach salad with bacon and "Grilled Chicken Wonton Tacos," which turned out to be grilled chicken in wontons fried to be shaped like tacos, topped with cheese and slaw. Yow! The salad was delicious (especially the vinaigrette dressing), but the tacos were much too spicy for me. I don't know what sauce they used, but it wrecked havoc on my mouth. I gulped my whole glass of water.
I was starting across the parking lot to AC Moore when I heard a familiar voice. A neighbor in Oaklyn who also frequently shops at the Acme was running some errands in Deptford. Did I want a ride? Sure, why not? We talked about her dogs and my family on the very short trip over to AC Moore.
The AC Moore is in a shopping center that includes a Babies R Us and what I think was a K-Mart (like the one in Lawnside, it went under and the building is now empty). It turned out to be a really big store, three times the size of the former JoAnn's in Westmont. I spent another pleasant hour browsing around there. Much to my delight, they did have Springfield Collection doll things - not just the clothes (though they had tons of those), but shoes, dolls, accessories, and furniture, too. I just bought glasses for Molly - I'll save larger doll items for Christmas. I was a bit disappointed to see that they were already clearing their Halloween items, even as I was walking down the aisles. They did have a nice selection of Thanksgiving decorations (I seldom see much for Thanksgiving), and already plenty for Christmas. In addition to the glasses, I bought adhesive-backed foam and headbands to make adult-sized Winnie the Pooh ears for my Halloween costume.
I walked back to Target. It remained windy, but the sun was now hidden behind clouds that looked like they kind of didn't know what they were doing. I was hoping to go around the bridge over the freeway, but alas, there was only freeway on three sides. I just trooped over the bridge, ignoring the wind blasting across the sidewalk and enjoying the warmth of the sun when it finally emerged from the clouds.
I had to go to the bathroom anyway, so I went back in Target. Browsed around some more. Picked up peanut butter. I forgot it earlier, and their generic natural brand is far cheaper than Smucker's or Crazy Richard's. They even have chunky - the Acme doesn't carry Smucker's natural chunky, and they no longer have their own generic natural peanut butter brand.
I picked up the bus across the street from Target, in front of another empty building (it was a Bally's Gym a few years ago). Turns out that I could have just stayed at AC Moore and crossed the street there - there was a bus sign there. They even picked up someone. I'll remember that for my next trip into Deptford.
When I finally got back into Barrington, I grabbed my bike and went as straight home as I could. It wasn't easy. It was almost 5PM, right in the middle of rush hour. Both of the Pikes and Clements Bridge Road were busy, and even some back roads weren't easy to navigate. I didn't pull into the apartment until past 5:30.
I just had leftovers for dinner while watching It's Great to Be a Ghost. The first two episodes did have genuine horror themes (which is why this was included in the Halloween section). The title show had Uniqua, Pablo, and Tyrone as ghosts in a haunted house who hope to spook fearless Tasha. Uniqua and Pablo are enjoying their spooking, but the whole idea just makes Tyrone nervous. It takes a costume to get him "in the spirit" of things. "Monster Detectives" has Pablo as the title character, a monster who has stolen Uniqua's soccer ball. Uniqua and monster detective Tyrone are on the case. The pair search the "monster's" castle for the ball, but they have to be quiet - if they're caught by the "monster," he'll turn them into monsters, too!
I had seen the other two episodes on the disc, but not recently. Tasha is spoiled Princess CleoTasha, the ruler of Egypt, in "The Key to the Nile." Tasha's always been rather bossy, but here she's very rude, too. She never says "please" or "thank you" to her pages Austin, Tyrone, and Pablo, even when the boys retrieve the presents she needs to give to Sphinx Uniqua to find out why the Nile ran dry. Uniqua finally reminds her best friend of the importance of good manners and being kind to others. Uniqua and Austin and Pablo and Tyrone race to find "Pirate Treasure," then work together when they realize they have two halves of the same map.
I finished the night in the bath. Lauren got a job working at her local Macy's for a couple of nights a week, so I thought I'd get in later than usual and go for longer. It was a great idea. A hot bath felt so nice and soothing after my long trip.
I next rode up to Barrington to catch the bus to Deptford. I learned my lesson on my last excursion to Deptford in April. I was just going to stick to browsing Target and AC Moore this time and not even bother with the mall. I really couldn't find anything in the mall that I couldn't pick up at those two stores or in the closer Cherry Hill Mall or Voorhees Town Center.
I just made it with barely three minutes to spare. I picked up the bus around quarter of noon. The lunch traffic hadn't picked up at that point, and the bus was barely half-full. There were no problems getting there.
Target wasn't busy when I arrived, either. I spent about an hour or so browsing. While I'm not a big fan of Target's cheap clothes (barely a step above Wal Mart's), I like their prices and selection on a lot of other items. I always get my underwear there - their prices are about the same as Wal Mart's, and with far more selection (and they actually keep them in stock). Also grabbed a Playtex undergarment on sale.
As Matt of Dinosaur Dracula could tell you, one of the best things about Target is their large and extensive seasonal aisles. From Valentine's Day to Christmas, I never fail to walk out of there without at least one really nifty seasonal item. This trip was no exception. I'd never seen Pillsbury's new Caramel Apple Cake Mix in any store near Oaklyn, including mine. They had a cookie mix too, but the cake mix was cheaper. Found one of the first season Backyardigans sets, It's Great to Be a Ghost, in with the Halloween DVDs. Also snagged a small bottle of canola oil for $1.87 - the Acme's is $2.99! I didn't have as much luck with Halloween costumes. It's too late in the season for those - everything was picked over.
(And for those of you who are Dinosaur Dracula regulars, yes, I found the retro Monster Cereal boxes, including Frute Brute and Fruity Yummy Mummy. They had quite a few of them, too. No, I didn't buy any. I don't eat sugary cereal, and I don't have the room to keep and preserve them. I was glad to have seen them in the flesh, so to speak, though. The older-style designs are pretty cool, especially for Boo Berry.)
Went across the parking lot for lunch. I was originally going to eat at Pizza Hut, but to my dismay, a sign on their front door stated that they no longer had their lunch buffet. Darn it! Disappointed, I went next-door to Applebee's instead. I had their $6.99 classic mix lunch combo meal. I ended up with a spinach salad with bacon and "Grilled Chicken Wonton Tacos," which turned out to be grilled chicken in wontons fried to be shaped like tacos, topped with cheese and slaw. Yow! The salad was delicious (especially the vinaigrette dressing), but the tacos were much too spicy for me. I don't know what sauce they used, but it wrecked havoc on my mouth. I gulped my whole glass of water.
I was starting across the parking lot to AC Moore when I heard a familiar voice. A neighbor in Oaklyn who also frequently shops at the Acme was running some errands in Deptford. Did I want a ride? Sure, why not? We talked about her dogs and my family on the very short trip over to AC Moore.
The AC Moore is in a shopping center that includes a Babies R Us and what I think was a K-Mart (like the one in Lawnside, it went under and the building is now empty). It turned out to be a really big store, three times the size of the former JoAnn's in Westmont. I spent another pleasant hour browsing around there. Much to my delight, they did have Springfield Collection doll things - not just the clothes (though they had tons of those), but shoes, dolls, accessories, and furniture, too. I just bought glasses for Molly - I'll save larger doll items for Christmas. I was a bit disappointed to see that they were already clearing their Halloween items, even as I was walking down the aisles. They did have a nice selection of Thanksgiving decorations (I seldom see much for Thanksgiving), and already plenty for Christmas. In addition to the glasses, I bought adhesive-backed foam and headbands to make adult-sized Winnie the Pooh ears for my Halloween costume.
I walked back to Target. It remained windy, but the sun was now hidden behind clouds that looked like they kind of didn't know what they were doing. I was hoping to go around the bridge over the freeway, but alas, there was only freeway on three sides. I just trooped over the bridge, ignoring the wind blasting across the sidewalk and enjoying the warmth of the sun when it finally emerged from the clouds.
I had to go to the bathroom anyway, so I went back in Target. Browsed around some more. Picked up peanut butter. I forgot it earlier, and their generic natural brand is far cheaper than Smucker's or Crazy Richard's. They even have chunky - the Acme doesn't carry Smucker's natural chunky, and they no longer have their own generic natural peanut butter brand.
I picked up the bus across the street from Target, in front of another empty building (it was a Bally's Gym a few years ago). Turns out that I could have just stayed at AC Moore and crossed the street there - there was a bus sign there. They even picked up someone. I'll remember that for my next trip into Deptford.
When I finally got back into Barrington, I grabbed my bike and went as straight home as I could. It wasn't easy. It was almost 5PM, right in the middle of rush hour. Both of the Pikes and Clements Bridge Road were busy, and even some back roads weren't easy to navigate. I didn't pull into the apartment until past 5:30.
I just had leftovers for dinner while watching It's Great to Be a Ghost. The first two episodes did have genuine horror themes (which is why this was included in the Halloween section). The title show had Uniqua, Pablo, and Tyrone as ghosts in a haunted house who hope to spook fearless Tasha. Uniqua and Pablo are enjoying their spooking, but the whole idea just makes Tyrone nervous. It takes a costume to get him "in the spirit" of things. "Monster Detectives" has Pablo as the title character, a monster who has stolen Uniqua's soccer ball. Uniqua and monster detective Tyrone are on the case. The pair search the "monster's" castle for the ball, but they have to be quiet - if they're caught by the "monster," he'll turn them into monsters, too!
I had seen the other two episodes on the disc, but not recently. Tasha is spoiled Princess CleoTasha, the ruler of Egypt, in "The Key to the Nile." Tasha's always been rather bossy, but here she's very rude, too. She never says "please" or "thank you" to her pages Austin, Tyrone, and Pablo, even when the boys retrieve the presents she needs to give to Sphinx Uniqua to find out why the Nile ran dry. Uniqua finally reminds her best friend of the importance of good manners and being kind to others. Uniqua and Austin and Pablo and Tyrone race to find "Pirate Treasure," then work together when they realize they have two halves of the same map.
I finished the night in the bath. Lauren got a job working at her local Macy's for a couple of nights a week, so I thought I'd get in later than usual and go for longer. It was a great idea. A hot bath felt so nice and soothing after my long trip.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Too Late the Heroes
I slept in a lot later than I wanted to today. I didn't get out to the laundromat until 12:30! By the time I got there, it was almost 1. Thankfully, it wasn't busy. I didn't really have a huge load anyway. It was mostly couples and the afternoon manager doing clothes. I hurried out by quarter of 2...and I had to work at 3.
I did finish Young Justice during breakfast. Very interesting show, and a very hard-to-follow one. There were just too many darn characters here. I'm really going to have to go back and look up the rest of this. I really wish DC hadn't ended this one after the second season. I think they had something really awesome going on, and they could have done a lot more with it.
The "extras" on the second DVD turned out to be episodes of Static Shock, one of the characters who turned up in Young Justice. I have some fond memories of encountering this one occasionally on the KidsWB when I was in college. Virgil is a normal, slightly dorky young teen living in a normal city with his dad and older sister. When caught up in a gang war, Virgil and both gangs are accidentally doused by a gas that seems to give them super powers. While Virgil uses his newfound electrical powers for good causes (and to show off in front of the cute girls at school), the other gang members use them to commit crimes and do as much damage as possible. Virgil does his best to keep up at school, hide his new identity, and prove that not all "bang babies" are crazy criminals. I hope there's more of this show around somewhere - it always was fun, and it brings back some fond memories.
Work wasn't too bad when I got in, but it became a bit of a pain later. Someone in the meat department accidentally slapped the yellow and red labels for the 4 for $20 meat sale on the wrong packs of chicken. You have to buy four items to get the sale, which mean we had to add up the four packs to figure out what to take off. One woman gave me a very hard time about it, saying I didn't take enough off when I knew I did. Another woman gave me a hard time about us not needing cards for the sales. She insisted that it wasn't true and I should put her card through anyway, even though she only had two small packages of deli meat that wouldn't have needed the card for the sale under any circumstances.
I did finish Young Justice during breakfast. Very interesting show, and a very hard-to-follow one. There were just too many darn characters here. I'm really going to have to go back and look up the rest of this. I really wish DC hadn't ended this one after the second season. I think they had something really awesome going on, and they could have done a lot more with it.
The "extras" on the second DVD turned out to be episodes of Static Shock, one of the characters who turned up in Young Justice. I have some fond memories of encountering this one occasionally on the KidsWB when I was in college. Virgil is a normal, slightly dorky young teen living in a normal city with his dad and older sister. When caught up in a gang war, Virgil and both gangs are accidentally doused by a gas that seems to give them super powers. While Virgil uses his newfound electrical powers for good causes (and to show off in front of the cute girls at school), the other gang members use them to commit crimes and do as much damage as possible. Virgil does his best to keep up at school, hide his new identity, and prove that not all "bang babies" are crazy criminals. I hope there's more of this show around somewhere - it always was fun, and it brings back some fond memories.
Work wasn't too bad when I got in, but it became a bit of a pain later. Someone in the meat department accidentally slapped the yellow and red labels for the 4 for $20 meat sale on the wrong packs of chicken. You have to buy four items to get the sale, which mean we had to add up the four packs to figure out what to take off. One woman gave me a very hard time about it, saying I didn't take enough off when I knew I did. Another woman gave me a hard time about us not needing cards for the sales. She insisted that it wasn't true and I should put her card through anyway, even though she only had two small packages of deli meat that wouldn't have needed the card for the sale under any circumstances.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
So Complicated
Started off a late morning with more Young Justice as I had breakfast, then baked Honey Squares from my British baking book. I really with the libraries had more of this show. There's a lot of complex plots going on here, from an alien's attempt to use a huge moon-sized war machine to invade the Earth to four kids (including one I recognize as Static Shock from the KidsWB show that ran in the early 2000s, when I was in college) breaking out of a lab where they were used as test subjects and falling under the authority of Lex Luthor. The kids actually end up rescuing the rest of the Justice League...but it gets Arsenal (young Green Arrow) in trouble. And then there's the group who have infiltrated big bad guy team "The Rush" and "The Light" and are desperately trying to keep their cover.
I'm enjoying this...but I suspect I would have enjoyed it more if I'd come in a lot earlier. This is one of those shows where you really need to see all of the episodes to know exactly what's going on. I'll have to look it up online.
Work was really rather dull today. It was only busy during rush hour. Otherwise, it was quiet when I came in and quiet when I left. I had absolutely no problems getting out (with a bag of new uniform shirts - don't get excited, they look just like the old ones) whatsoever.
I'm enjoying this...but I suspect I would have enjoyed it more if I'd come in a lot earlier. This is one of those shows where you really need to see all of the episodes to know exactly what's going on. I'll have to look it up online.
Work was really rather dull today. It was only busy during rush hour. Otherwise, it was quiet when I came in and quiet when I left. I had absolutely no problems getting out (with a bag of new uniform shirts - don't get excited, they look just like the old ones) whatsoever.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Fall Fairy Tales
I slept in today, until past 10:30. Considering I didn't sleep well over the weekend and had no really huge plans for this morning, I needed it. I didn't head out until after 1. When I finally did, I encountered a gorgeous day. The sun was out, the breeze was blowing, and it was probably in the lower-mid 60s, perfectly normal for mid-October in Southern New Jersey.
Newton River Park was understandably busy. I dodged lots of dog-walkers and people out for a stroll. The park looks beautiful at this time of year. The trees are finally starting to turn colors. The water is clear and sparkling, with none of the algae that marred its surface during the summer.
The Haddon Township Library wasn't busy when I arrived. It was almost 1 - most people were probably returning to work after lunch. Since I had the time this week, I did a thorough organizing of the kids' DVDs, shelved the adult DVDs, and cleared out anything that didn't belong on the adult DVD shelves. Made quite a few good finds for myself, too. Among the kids' sets, I picked up the Disney Fairies short Pixie Hollow Games, the newest Barbie As special Barbie Mariposa and the Fairy Princess, and Volume 2 of the second season of the DC superhero series Young Justice. My adult movie choices were the Alfred Hitchcock film Suspicion and the Oscar-nominated romantic comedy-drama The Silver Linings Playbook.
It was 2:30 by the time I finally made it out. It was too late to go out to eat, but I did need to stop for a few things at Thriftway. They had a basket of what looked like large squares of pizza for a dollar from the deli sitting right near the door. I thought that would be a great quick lunch and grabbed a square, along with shredded mozzarella cheese on sale. Also restocked canned tomato sauce (theirs is cheaper than the Acme's), sugar (on a really good sale), and sponges (not on sale, but it would save me a trip to Dollar Tree).
When I finally got in, I ran Pixie Hollow Games as I topped my pizza with cheese, broccoli, and mushrooms and waited for it to cook. Pixie Hollow Games isn't a movie, but a short special that was probably intended to be run during the Summer Olympics. The Garden Fairies have never gotten close to winning the Pixie Hollow Games. Vain southern belle Rosetta is chosen by perky Chloe to be her partner in the Games. Chloe is determined to show that garden fairies can be more than pretty faces. Rosetta, who hates dirt and being dirty, doesn't want to play along at first. When she's insulted by the reigning champ storm fairies, she finally becomes determined to really show what a garden fairy can do.
The first Disney Fairies animated story to revolve around a character besides Tinker Bell (who does appear briefly to fix up Rosetta and Chloe's vehicle in the final race), this is really rather cute. I like how Rosetta goes from being afraid to touch a frog to insisting on being the driver in the last race and finally getting down and dirty. Look around for it if you or your daughter is a Disney Fairies fan (and you didn't get it on the Secret of the Wings Blu-Ray).
Stayed with fairies and switched to Barbie Mariposa and the Fairy Princess as I finished lunch and did chores around the apartment, including sweeping a leaves-laden porch. This is a continuation of the last episode in the Fairytopia series, which involved the adventures of a butterfly fairy named Mariposa. Mariposa loves to read and explore, but was discouraged from both pursuits by the other butterfly fairies...until she saved their queen and opened their eyes to the wider world.
Now a librarian and royal historian, Mariposa has been summoned by the queen as the ambassador to near-by Shimmervale. An ancient disagreement between the crystal fairies and the butterfly fairies had made the two bitter enemies, but the queen would like to mend old wounds. Mari's not sure she can. Both kingdoms are under the impression that the residents are horrible monsters, thanks to years of gossip and stories circulating. The king is more interested in amassing an army to protect his borders than in peace, but his shy daughter Catiana is also a huge reader and becomes instant friends with Mari. After Catiana tells the story of how she hurt her wings, thanks to a vengeful old fairy, Mariposa becomes determined to prove to the king and his kingdom that the best way to make a friend is to be a friend...and you can't be a friend by hiding and living in ignorance.
As with Pink Shoes in the spring, this was a big improvement over last year's so-so Princess and the Popstar. I didn't see the original Mariposa, but I did enjoy her second adventure. The colors are amazing - Shimmervale is so incredible, no wonder Mariposa was impressed. And as someone who loves to read and has run headlong into ignorance and malicious gossip more times than she cares to admit, I really appreciated the message of the importance of learning all the facts before you pass judgement on someone and on being a good friend, no matter what the circumstances.
Hopped in the bath after Mariposa ended. Ahhhh. That felt nice. I kicked back, read Something More, and listened to Lena Horne. I haven't really been happy since I left college. I've never felt like my life was quite complete. I'm just not sure what would be right to complete it. I want a real job, but I'm too scared to talk to offices or businesses. I start things, but I don't finish them. I get nervous around people. I want to be a friend, but I don't know what to say or how to start. I have no idea what women my age who aren't married do for fun or how they meet people.
After I got out of the tub, I put on Young Justice while turning the leftover Italian Chicken with Tomatoes into Italian Chicken Soup with the addition of farm market vegetables and more water. This seems to be a variation on Teen Titans, with the addition of Superboy and Nightwing and more obscure younger characters like Blue Beetle, Arsenal (young Green Arrow), and Miss Martian (young female Martian Manhunter). I wish the library had the rest of this series. The set up is certainly intriguing, especially the treatment of poor Blue Beetle, who had a scarab attach itself to him that has been telling him to do some very nasty things...and may lead him to cause a great deal of death.
Newton River Park was understandably busy. I dodged lots of dog-walkers and people out for a stroll. The park looks beautiful at this time of year. The trees are finally starting to turn colors. The water is clear and sparkling, with none of the algae that marred its surface during the summer.
The Haddon Township Library wasn't busy when I arrived. It was almost 1 - most people were probably returning to work after lunch. Since I had the time this week, I did a thorough organizing of the kids' DVDs, shelved the adult DVDs, and cleared out anything that didn't belong on the adult DVD shelves. Made quite a few good finds for myself, too. Among the kids' sets, I picked up the Disney Fairies short Pixie Hollow Games, the newest Barbie As special Barbie Mariposa and the Fairy Princess, and Volume 2 of the second season of the DC superhero series Young Justice. My adult movie choices were the Alfred Hitchcock film Suspicion and the Oscar-nominated romantic comedy-drama The Silver Linings Playbook.
It was 2:30 by the time I finally made it out. It was too late to go out to eat, but I did need to stop for a few things at Thriftway. They had a basket of what looked like large squares of pizza for a dollar from the deli sitting right near the door. I thought that would be a great quick lunch and grabbed a square, along with shredded mozzarella cheese on sale. Also restocked canned tomato sauce (theirs is cheaper than the Acme's), sugar (on a really good sale), and sponges (not on sale, but it would save me a trip to Dollar Tree).
When I finally got in, I ran Pixie Hollow Games as I topped my pizza with cheese, broccoli, and mushrooms and waited for it to cook. Pixie Hollow Games isn't a movie, but a short special that was probably intended to be run during the Summer Olympics. The Garden Fairies have never gotten close to winning the Pixie Hollow Games. Vain southern belle Rosetta is chosen by perky Chloe to be her partner in the Games. Chloe is determined to show that garden fairies can be more than pretty faces. Rosetta, who hates dirt and being dirty, doesn't want to play along at first. When she's insulted by the reigning champ storm fairies, she finally becomes determined to really show what a garden fairy can do.
The first Disney Fairies animated story to revolve around a character besides Tinker Bell (who does appear briefly to fix up Rosetta and Chloe's vehicle in the final race), this is really rather cute. I like how Rosetta goes from being afraid to touch a frog to insisting on being the driver in the last race and finally getting down and dirty. Look around for it if you or your daughter is a Disney Fairies fan (and you didn't get it on the Secret of the Wings Blu-Ray).
Stayed with fairies and switched to Barbie Mariposa and the Fairy Princess as I finished lunch and did chores around the apartment, including sweeping a leaves-laden porch. This is a continuation of the last episode in the Fairytopia series, which involved the adventures of a butterfly fairy named Mariposa. Mariposa loves to read and explore, but was discouraged from both pursuits by the other butterfly fairies...until she saved their queen and opened their eyes to the wider world.
Now a librarian and royal historian, Mariposa has been summoned by the queen as the ambassador to near-by Shimmervale. An ancient disagreement between the crystal fairies and the butterfly fairies had made the two bitter enemies, but the queen would like to mend old wounds. Mari's not sure she can. Both kingdoms are under the impression that the residents are horrible monsters, thanks to years of gossip and stories circulating. The king is more interested in amassing an army to protect his borders than in peace, but his shy daughter Catiana is also a huge reader and becomes instant friends with Mari. After Catiana tells the story of how she hurt her wings, thanks to a vengeful old fairy, Mariposa becomes determined to prove to the king and his kingdom that the best way to make a friend is to be a friend...and you can't be a friend by hiding and living in ignorance.
As with Pink Shoes in the spring, this was a big improvement over last year's so-so Princess and the Popstar. I didn't see the original Mariposa, but I did enjoy her second adventure. The colors are amazing - Shimmervale is so incredible, no wonder Mariposa was impressed. And as someone who loves to read and has run headlong into ignorance and malicious gossip more times than she cares to admit, I really appreciated the message of the importance of learning all the facts before you pass judgement on someone and on being a good friend, no matter what the circumstances.
Hopped in the bath after Mariposa ended. Ahhhh. That felt nice. I kicked back, read Something More, and listened to Lena Horne. I haven't really been happy since I left college. I've never felt like my life was quite complete. I'm just not sure what would be right to complete it. I want a real job, but I'm too scared to talk to offices or businesses. I start things, but I don't finish them. I get nervous around people. I want to be a friend, but I don't know what to say or how to start. I have no idea what women my age who aren't married do for fun or how they meet people.
After I got out of the tub, I put on Young Justice while turning the leftover Italian Chicken with Tomatoes into Italian Chicken Soup with the addition of farm market vegetables and more water. This seems to be a variation on Teen Titans, with the addition of Superboy and Nightwing and more obscure younger characters like Blue Beetle, Arsenal (young Green Arrow), and Miss Martian (young female Martian Manhunter). I wish the library had the rest of this series. The set up is certainly intriguing, especially the treatment of poor Blue Beetle, who had a scarab attach itself to him that has been telling him to do some very nasty things...and may lead him to cause a great deal of death.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
I'm Only Tired
I got up earlier than I usually do on a Sunday. I wish I hadn't. I was still tired when I put on Brunch With the Beatles. "The Beatles in 1970" was the theme today, which means mostly music from Let It Be and Abbey Road and John and Paul's earliest solo albums. I have a soft spot for Let It Be. Despite the chaos surrounding its creation, some of my favorite Beatles songs are on that album, including the title song, "Across the Universe," and "The Two of Us." I tried calling Mom after I finished my Gingerbread Pancakes, but she was busy running errands and getting ready for the big Eagles/Cowboys game. I'd call her back later.
Went to work even before the Beatles show was over. Work was busy when I arrived, and remained so, even after the game began. We were having a big promotion. Anyone who wore an Eagles jersey would get 10 % off their order. People are starting to turn in the stickers to get free dishware, too. The trouble was, I was so tired, I felt overwhelmed. I messed up a lot of orders, and there was too much going on for me to do anything else.
I hurried home as soon as I could. I saw a little of the game on the TV in the Acme's back room. The verdict wasn't good at all. Not only had the Eagles' young quarterback Nick Foles played badly, but he got hurt in the third quarter and had to be replaced by a rookie with no experience. The Eagles lost after an embarrassingly bad game, 17-3.
I made a short walk in the park next-door after the game ended. I was rather surprised to see a blacktop "walking path" leading up to and around the garden area. I don't like it. I always enjoyed how natural and unspoiled the park was. I don't mind the garden so much, but that "walking path" is a big blacktop road. Couldn't they have done some dirt walking road around the perimeter of the park that would have been less intrusive? What about the egg hunts for the kids at Easter? Or the Girl Scouts' Halloween games?
I was tired and not in a wonderful mood when I finally talked to Mom. She's not terribly happy, either, and not just because of the Eagles' game. She's been hearing things she doesn't like about Dad, who can have a terrible temper when he wants to. And they don't have the money to finish the remodeled downstairs area - they won't add heat or mud for sheet rock or outside work until spring. On the other hand, they did get a huge window to replace the garage door downstairs, and a beautiful new front door.
Mom said she was going to do some baking, including a pumpkin pie and chocolate chip cookies for her grandsons. I wasn't up for making pie crusts, but I thought something pumpkin might be nice. I made Baked Pumpkin Pudding, and then beans with pasta and vegetables for dinner while listening to children's records.
The Peter Pan Wonder Woman album I bought yesterday features two rather odd stories, one about Wonder Woman stopping the War God from allowing assassins to kill UN ambassadors, the other a rather awkward tale about a race of alien women who expect men to be subservient. The Story of Johnny Appleseed is Disney's take on the life of the kind-hearted pioneer who traveled the midwest planting apple seeds, with all the music and narration performed by Dennis Day. Mickey Mouse Disco is one of Disney's earliest "characters spoof the hip genre" albums from the late 70s and 80s. This one is naturally a dance song satire; my favorite numbers are "Welcome to Rio" for Jose Carioca and a well-done remake of "Zip-De-Doo-Dah." I continued with Disney, this time going to an LP of Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too that, other than one addition song and some more narration from Sebastian Cabot, sounded like it was lifted straight from the featurette.
Went to work even before the Beatles show was over. Work was busy when I arrived, and remained so, even after the game began. We were having a big promotion. Anyone who wore an Eagles jersey would get 10 % off their order. People are starting to turn in the stickers to get free dishware, too. The trouble was, I was so tired, I felt overwhelmed. I messed up a lot of orders, and there was too much going on for me to do anything else.
I hurried home as soon as I could. I saw a little of the game on the TV in the Acme's back room. The verdict wasn't good at all. Not only had the Eagles' young quarterback Nick Foles played badly, but he got hurt in the third quarter and had to be replaced by a rookie with no experience. The Eagles lost after an embarrassingly bad game, 17-3.
I made a short walk in the park next-door after the game ended. I was rather surprised to see a blacktop "walking path" leading up to and around the garden area. I don't like it. I always enjoyed how natural and unspoiled the park was. I don't mind the garden so much, but that "walking path" is a big blacktop road. Couldn't they have done some dirt walking road around the perimeter of the park that would have been less intrusive? What about the egg hunts for the kids at Easter? Or the Girl Scouts' Halloween games?
I was tired and not in a wonderful mood when I finally talked to Mom. She's not terribly happy, either, and not just because of the Eagles' game. She's been hearing things she doesn't like about Dad, who can have a terrible temper when he wants to. And they don't have the money to finish the remodeled downstairs area - they won't add heat or mud for sheet rock or outside work until spring. On the other hand, they did get a huge window to replace the garage door downstairs, and a beautiful new front door.
Mom said she was going to do some baking, including a pumpkin pie and chocolate chip cookies for her grandsons. I wasn't up for making pie crusts, but I thought something pumpkin might be nice. I made Baked Pumpkin Pudding, and then beans with pasta and vegetables for dinner while listening to children's records.
The Peter Pan Wonder Woman album I bought yesterday features two rather odd stories, one about Wonder Woman stopping the War God from allowing assassins to kill UN ambassadors, the other a rather awkward tale about a race of alien women who expect men to be subservient. The Story of Johnny Appleseed is Disney's take on the life of the kind-hearted pioneer who traveled the midwest planting apple seeds, with all the music and narration performed by Dennis Day. Mickey Mouse Disco is one of Disney's earliest "characters spoof the hip genre" albums from the late 70s and 80s. This one is naturally a dance song satire; my favorite numbers are "Welcome to Rio" for Jose Carioca and a well-done remake of "Zip-De-Doo-Dah." I continued with Disney, this time going to an LP of Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too that, other than one addition song and some more narration from Sebastian Cabot, sounded like it was lifted straight from the featurette.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)