First of all, I salute all veterans on this Veteran's Day, including my biological dad Bruce (Vietnam), my late uncle Ken (World War II), and two who are currently serving in the Navy, my friend Jen Waters and my brother Keefe Jackman.
I started off the day with the last of my wartime shorts. The controversy surrounding the Vietnam War and the younger audiences for animation in the 50s and 60s (not to mention the memory of the overload of World War II shorts) made many directors shy away from war as a subject for cartoons. One exception was featured in the Pink Panther series. Lured by a glamorous recruiting poster, Pink finds himself in the Vietnam-era Army, dodging land mines and cranky drill sergeants in "G.I Pink."
Superheroes were all the rage during World War II, but none were bigger than one who debuted a few years before the war - Superman! Also debuting just months before the war began was the Paramount Superman cartoon series. It was probably inevitable that Superman would fight the Axis in the cartoons, given the tenor of the comics of the day. Unfortunately, while the caricatures in "Japoteurs" and "The Eleventh Hour" are a bit less comic and obvious than the ones in the Popeye/Famous Studios shorts, that doesn't make them any less creepy or obnoxious. "Eleventh Hour" does have some really interesting, shadowy animation as Superman works to sabotage the enemy. "Secret Agent," the final short (and the only one to not feature Lois Lane), is better. Superman has to rescue a double agent who has flushed out a spy ring and is trying to get a list of their names to Washington DC.
Popeye and Bluto did one Army-themed short in the mid-30s. "I'm In the Army Now" was supposed to be the two of them explaining to the Army recruiter how qualified they are to join the ranks when Olive insists she loves men in uniform. It's really an excuse for a clip show of of segments from earlier shorts. Tom and Jerry's only wartime short was far more creative. In fact, "The Yankee Doodle Mouse" won the series' first Oscar for best animated short subject. Tom and Jerry start a war of their own when they take their cat-and-mouse antics to a stockpile of munitions and fireworks!
Headed to the laundromat after Tom and Jerry ended. It was a lovely day for a walk, blue and blustery, with just a few feathery clouds in the sky at that point. The laundromat was very busy, not surprising for noon on a major holiday. It was just as well that I didn't have a huge load. I was in and out in less than an hour.
I ran Care Bears Nutcracker when I got back in and organized my clothes and made a spinach-mushroom omelet for lunch. This was the only holiday special done for the late 80s Care Bears Family show. This variation on the beloved ballet takes the Bears and Cousins to a small town at Christmas. A young girl named Anna is upset because her only friend moved away. Her younger brother Peter only cares about having adventures. When a confused Nutcracker appears in their house with nasty rats hot on his heels, they both get more friendship and adventure than they bargained for.
Work was about what I figured it would be, which is to say, insanely busy until about 5PM or so, mildly steady thereafter. Today is a major holiday, and it's the last major holiday before Thanksgiving really kicks in the Christmas season. A lot of people are stocking up for the next few weeks and starting their Thanksgiving shopping. It had slowed down enough by 9 that I was able to leave without a relief.
Life is a lazy river - no matter where you are. Movies, musicals, mysteries, pop culture, and lots of other great stuff.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Sunday, November 10, 2013
The Eagles Pack In the Packers
Began a cloudy, windy fall day with the end of the novelization of Grease and the beginning of Brunch With the Beatles. It's appropriate that "Rock and Roll Music" was the theme on Brunch today, with covers like "Roll Over Beethoven" and "Twist and Shout." Though Grease was written as a tie-in to the film (complete with stills and John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John on the cover), it has more in common with the original, somewhat grittier stage musical and with American Graffiti, and feels far more authentically "50s" than any of them. It's pretty much an expanded version of the same plot - a group of cool-yet-lovable "greasers" navigate the ins and outs of their senior year of high school in 1959. The head of the T-Birds falls for a sweet, virginal girl from the other side of town that the others don't approve of, especially the head of the local female greasers the Pink Ladies. (My only complaint about this book is the musical numbers are integrated rather awkwardly. My kid novelization of Annie from a year earlier did much better with making the music seem right in a literary context.)
I called Mom just as I was starting to make my Dark Chocolate Chip Pancakes. I didn't think I'd be able to get her later, and I was right. I barely got her then. She was just finishing the icing on my sister Anny's birthday cake and on her way into the shower. Anny's birthday's today, and she was bringing over her sons for a celebratory dinner. We barely had time to discuss my frustrating week and how much Mom misses Keefe, who will be shipping out soon and won't be home for the holidays this year.
Switched to cartoons as I finished out breakfast. When Paramount's new Famous Studios took over from the Fleischer Brothers, the world was now deeply into war. Famous Studios threw Popeye into the war even more than he had been before. Unfortunately, many of the results are rather uncomfortable to watch today. "You're a Sap, Mr. Jap," "Scrap the Japs," and "Seein' Red, White, and Blue" have such nasty racial caricatures, they've been banned from TV for decades. "Spinach Fer Britain" (Popeye fights his way past the Nazis in order to deliver food to a bombed London) and "Aloama of the South Seas" (Popeye and Bluto fight over an exotic Olive again, this time in the South Pacific) are a bit easier to swallow in the 21st century.
Donald Duck had less luck with joining the Army. Already an up-and-coming star in the 30s, the brash war years made him Disney's number one short-subject bread winner, a title he would retain through the 50s and early 60s. He made more cartoons in those years than any other Disney character, including Mickey Mouse, and it was only natural he'd turn up in the barracks. "Fall Out, Fall In" is fairly typical of Donald's war exploits. All Donald wants is dinner after a very long march. He's not allowed to have dinner until he sets up his tent...and when that fails, he can't sleep, thanks to the snoring racket his fellow soldiers make!
I listened to the Eagles-Packers game for about a half-hour before I went to work. Work, thankfully, was busy only for the first half-hour I was there. Otherwise, it was steady but not overwhelming the entire night, helped by another great game for Nick Foles. The Packers were coming off a tough game against the Bears last Monday that cost them their star quarterback Aaron Rogers, and they lost their secondary quarterback within minutes of this game. Foles was on fire again (though not quite as much as he was last week), with two huge touchdowns and one that was deflected right into DeSean Jackson's waiting arms. The Eagles eventually walloped the ailing Packers 27-13.
When I got home, I had leftovers for dinner while doing a couple more war cartoons. One of Mickey Mouse's earliest shorts tossed him into "The Barnyard Battle." Mickey may be small, but that doesn't mean he can't whip the rears of the Hun-like cats who are attacking all the mice on the farm!
Walter Lantz did a few war-related one-shots in addition to Woody's "Ace In the Hole." "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy From Company B" shows what happens when an African-American trumpet player is drafted and gets his barracks swinging with his jazzed-up reveille. While the stereotypes in this short come thick and fast, there's a really nifty version of the title song, and it's one of the few wartime cartoons to depict minorities in the military. "Pigeon Patrol" also runs afoul of nasty caricature (pun intended). Homer is a country pigeon who wants to become a carrier to impress his girl back home. He's a skinny little fellow who can barely pick up the message to deliver...but pick it up he must when a carrier is hurt and he ends up delivering an important message while dodging a stereotyped Japanese buzzard.
Three of the most famous Looney Tunes of the 40s were also war-oriented. Bugs spoofs the superheroes in vogue in the 1940s when a scientist gives him a chemical-enhanced carrot that turns him into "Super Rabbit." When a rabbit-hating cowboy and his horse finally give him a run for his carrot juice, it's time for the appearance of a real hero...an Armed Services officer. Daffy, on the other hand, just wants to dodge the very persistant "Little Man From the Draft Board" in "Draftee Daffy."
My favorite of the Looney Tunes wartime shorts is "Falling Hare." It's also one of the very few shorts where Bugs goes up against a character who gives as good as they get. Bugs finds a tiny Gremlin sabotaging planes. Bugs does his best to keep the Gremlin from causing trouble. The Gremlin is a lot smarter than Bugs' usual protagonists and almost manages to knock Bugs out of a moving plane...until the two end up in a free fall...
Went right into the bath after Bugs ended. It was late and I wasn't in there for very long, but it felt so nice. I'm just hoping this week is a lot quieter than last week. I'd like to start working towards the holidays this week, including making my Christmas card, baking, and shopping lists. I have dental and counseling appointments on Tuesday, too.
I called Mom just as I was starting to make my Dark Chocolate Chip Pancakes. I didn't think I'd be able to get her later, and I was right. I barely got her then. She was just finishing the icing on my sister Anny's birthday cake and on her way into the shower. Anny's birthday's today, and she was bringing over her sons for a celebratory dinner. We barely had time to discuss my frustrating week and how much Mom misses Keefe, who will be shipping out soon and won't be home for the holidays this year.
Switched to cartoons as I finished out breakfast. When Paramount's new Famous Studios took over from the Fleischer Brothers, the world was now deeply into war. Famous Studios threw Popeye into the war even more than he had been before. Unfortunately, many of the results are rather uncomfortable to watch today. "You're a Sap, Mr. Jap," "Scrap the Japs," and "Seein' Red, White, and Blue" have such nasty racial caricatures, they've been banned from TV for decades. "Spinach Fer Britain" (Popeye fights his way past the Nazis in order to deliver food to a bombed London) and "Aloama of the South Seas" (Popeye and Bluto fight over an exotic Olive again, this time in the South Pacific) are a bit easier to swallow in the 21st century.
Donald Duck had less luck with joining the Army. Already an up-and-coming star in the 30s, the brash war years made him Disney's number one short-subject bread winner, a title he would retain through the 50s and early 60s. He made more cartoons in those years than any other Disney character, including Mickey Mouse, and it was only natural he'd turn up in the barracks. "Fall Out, Fall In" is fairly typical of Donald's war exploits. All Donald wants is dinner after a very long march. He's not allowed to have dinner until he sets up his tent...and when that fails, he can't sleep, thanks to the snoring racket his fellow soldiers make!
I listened to the Eagles-Packers game for about a half-hour before I went to work. Work, thankfully, was busy only for the first half-hour I was there. Otherwise, it was steady but not overwhelming the entire night, helped by another great game for Nick Foles. The Packers were coming off a tough game against the Bears last Monday that cost them their star quarterback Aaron Rogers, and they lost their secondary quarterback within minutes of this game. Foles was on fire again (though not quite as much as he was last week), with two huge touchdowns and one that was deflected right into DeSean Jackson's waiting arms. The Eagles eventually walloped the ailing Packers 27-13.
When I got home, I had leftovers for dinner while doing a couple more war cartoons. One of Mickey Mouse's earliest shorts tossed him into "The Barnyard Battle." Mickey may be small, but that doesn't mean he can't whip the rears of the Hun-like cats who are attacking all the mice on the farm!
Walter Lantz did a few war-related one-shots in addition to Woody's "Ace In the Hole." "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy From Company B" shows what happens when an African-American trumpet player is drafted and gets his barracks swinging with his jazzed-up reveille. While the stereotypes in this short come thick and fast, there's a really nifty version of the title song, and it's one of the few wartime cartoons to depict minorities in the military. "Pigeon Patrol" also runs afoul of nasty caricature (pun intended). Homer is a country pigeon who wants to become a carrier to impress his girl back home. He's a skinny little fellow who can barely pick up the message to deliver...but pick it up he must when a carrier is hurt and he ends up delivering an important message while dodging a stereotyped Japanese buzzard.
Three of the most famous Looney Tunes of the 40s were also war-oriented. Bugs spoofs the superheroes in vogue in the 1940s when a scientist gives him a chemical-enhanced carrot that turns him into "Super Rabbit." When a rabbit-hating cowboy and his horse finally give him a run for his carrot juice, it's time for the appearance of a real hero...an Armed Services officer. Daffy, on the other hand, just wants to dodge the very persistant "Little Man From the Draft Board" in "Draftee Daffy."
My favorite of the Looney Tunes wartime shorts is "Falling Hare." It's also one of the very few shorts where Bugs goes up against a character who gives as good as they get. Bugs finds a tiny Gremlin sabotaging planes. Bugs does his best to keep the Gremlin from causing trouble. The Gremlin is a lot smarter than Bugs' usual protagonists and almost manages to knock Bugs out of a moving plane...until the two end up in a free fall...
Went right into the bath after Bugs ended. It was late and I wasn't in there for very long, but it felt so nice. I'm just hoping this week is a lot quieter than last week. I'd like to start working towards the holidays this week, including making my Christmas card, baking, and shopping lists. I have dental and counseling appointments on Tuesday, too.
Saturday, November 09, 2013
Animation Celebrates the Troops
Started out a sunny but cold Saturday with this week's American Top 40 re-run. We leaped back to Veteran's Day Weekend 1979, as disco, ballads, country tunes, and R&B dominated the charts during the first fall of my life. Hits that weekend included "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" by Michael Jackson, "I'll Never Love This Way Again" by Dionne Warwick, "Good Girls Don't" by The Knack, "You Decorated My Life" by Kenny Rogers, "Please Don't Go" by KC and the Sunshine Band, "Dim All the Lights" by Donna Summer, and "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" by Summer and Barbara Streisand.
One of my favorite bands of the 70s hit #1 that week with one of their most iconic tunes, "Heartache Tonight" by the Eagles.
I headed out as soon as Casey signed off. I had a lot to do, and now only had a short time to do it! My first stop was the Logan Presbyterian Church on Merchant Street in Audubon to drop off some donations for their thrift shop. They were really busy when I arrived. I could barely squeeze through the main room with the clothes. I gave the ladies my two bags of items and took a quick look around, but didn't see anything I wanted.
Rode across the White Horse Pike and into the other side of Audubon to check out a yard sale on South Haviland Avenue. No luck there, nor at a smaller sale in Collingswood on Lees Avenue. Yard sale season is winding down here. I probably won't be seeing too many more this year. They usually end when it starts getting cold, or when we get closer to Thanksgiving and people don't have the time to go through their closets for things to sell, whichever comes first.
Went to the farm market after leaving Lees Avenue. The Collingswood Farm Market is winding down for the year, too. They only have two or three weeks left. There were far more craft booths than vegetable booths for the first time today, including the wool yarn booth that always brings live alpacas in the fall. The remaining food booths were far from empty. The fall harvest is at its height. Tables groaned with broccoli, carrots, sweet potatoes, apples, turnips, radishes, leeks, cauliflower, spinach, greens, Brussels sprouts, and cranberries. The carrots were a bit small, probably because of the weather, but I bought them anyway, along with small Empire apples, brown mushrooms, a bag of spinach, three nice little sweet potatoes, cranberries, and a cauliflower that was a far more manageable size than the monsters the Acme's been selling.
When I got home, I had leftovers for an early lunch and watched my annual marathon of wartime cartoon shorts. I started off with the second disc of Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 6, which is almost entirely devoted to war-themed cartoons. While most of the shorts were goofy gag-a-thons, like "Wacky Blackout" and "Meet John Doughboy," the main characters got their licks in, too. Bugs takes down Gobbels in "Herr Meets Hare." Daffy goes up against the entire German Army in "Daffy the Commando." Ducks, geese, and doves recreate how the Axis rose to power in "The Duckinators." Bosko the Talk-Ink Kid gives the Kaiser a lickin' during World War I in "Bosko the Doughboy." A group of mice get wise to a dictatorial cat and find a way to chase him out of the house in "Fifth Column Mouse."
Work wasn't as bad as it could have been. We were busy all day long, but not quite as bad as earlier in the week. Many people may have gone away for the weekend, or had other things going on today. I was in and out with no problems, and even got to shelve some chips and soda.
When I got home, I was too tired and it was too late for the ground turkey meatloaf I'd originally planned for dinner tonight. I opted to make Salisbury Turkey Steaks with roasted turnips and Brussels sprouts instead.
I finished out the Looney Tunes as I ate, then switched to Popeye. Everyone's favorite brawling sailor (and his original animators, the Fleischer Brothers) was so eager to enter World War II, he joined the Armed Services a month before the US even got involved in "The Mighty Navy." Most of his early Fleischer wartime shorts just had him and Bluto fighting for Olive while on leave in "Kicking the Conga Around" and on board ship in "Olive Oyl and Water Don't Mix." A few did get him involved with actual fighting, notably
"Mighty Navy" (done so early, the enemy isn't even named), and "Blunder Below," where he takes out a submarine after being sentenced to work in the boiler room.
One of my favorite bands of the 70s hit #1 that week with one of their most iconic tunes, "Heartache Tonight" by the Eagles.
I headed out as soon as Casey signed off. I had a lot to do, and now only had a short time to do it! My first stop was the Logan Presbyterian Church on Merchant Street in Audubon to drop off some donations for their thrift shop. They were really busy when I arrived. I could barely squeeze through the main room with the clothes. I gave the ladies my two bags of items and took a quick look around, but didn't see anything I wanted.
Rode across the White Horse Pike and into the other side of Audubon to check out a yard sale on South Haviland Avenue. No luck there, nor at a smaller sale in Collingswood on Lees Avenue. Yard sale season is winding down here. I probably won't be seeing too many more this year. They usually end when it starts getting cold, or when we get closer to Thanksgiving and people don't have the time to go through their closets for things to sell, whichever comes first.
Went to the farm market after leaving Lees Avenue. The Collingswood Farm Market is winding down for the year, too. They only have two or three weeks left. There were far more craft booths than vegetable booths for the first time today, including the wool yarn booth that always brings live alpacas in the fall. The remaining food booths were far from empty. The fall harvest is at its height. Tables groaned with broccoli, carrots, sweet potatoes, apples, turnips, radishes, leeks, cauliflower, spinach, greens, Brussels sprouts, and cranberries. The carrots were a bit small, probably because of the weather, but I bought them anyway, along with small Empire apples, brown mushrooms, a bag of spinach, three nice little sweet potatoes, cranberries, and a cauliflower that was a far more manageable size than the monsters the Acme's been selling.
When I got home, I had leftovers for an early lunch and watched my annual marathon of wartime cartoon shorts. I started off with the second disc of Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 6, which is almost entirely devoted to war-themed cartoons. While most of the shorts were goofy gag-a-thons, like "Wacky Blackout" and "Meet John Doughboy," the main characters got their licks in, too. Bugs takes down Gobbels in "Herr Meets Hare." Daffy goes up against the entire German Army in "Daffy the Commando." Ducks, geese, and doves recreate how the Axis rose to power in "The Duckinators." Bosko the Talk-Ink Kid gives the Kaiser a lickin' during World War I in "Bosko the Doughboy." A group of mice get wise to a dictatorial cat and find a way to chase him out of the house in "Fifth Column Mouse."
Work wasn't as bad as it could have been. We were busy all day long, but not quite as bad as earlier in the week. Many people may have gone away for the weekend, or had other things going on today. I was in and out with no problems, and even got to shelve some chips and soda.
When I got home, I was too tired and it was too late for the ground turkey meatloaf I'd originally planned for dinner tonight. I opted to make Salisbury Turkey Steaks with roasted turnips and Brussels sprouts instead.
I finished out the Looney Tunes as I ate, then switched to Popeye. Everyone's favorite brawling sailor (and his original animators, the Fleischer Brothers) was so eager to enter World War II, he joined the Armed Services a month before the US even got involved in "The Mighty Navy." Most of his early Fleischer wartime shorts just had him and Bluto fighting for Olive while on leave in "Kicking the Conga Around" and on board ship in "Olive Oyl and Water Don't Mix." A few did get him involved with actual fighting, notably
"Mighty Navy" (done so early, the enemy isn't even named), and "Blunder Below," where he takes out a submarine after being sentenced to work in the boiler room.
Friday, November 08, 2013
Chilled Fall
Brrrr! The storm's passing yesterday left some nicely cold and blustery weather throughout the South Jersey area. I celebrated by running Rick Steve's European Christmas as I ate breakfast. It's a merry holiday everywhere on the continent as Steves goes from a quiet English country holiday to ice skating on the Eiffel Tower to children meeting the beautiful Christkind Angel in Germany to a traditional Swiss family celebration to a living nativity in Tuscany.
Headed out to the Acme after Rick Steves ended. I didn't have a really huge order. I was mostly restocking and taking advantage of a few sales. They're having a 40% off all Purdue meats sale; I ended up with ground chicken for $2.69. I also grabbed the dollar salmon and tilapia packs. Needed grapefruit, canned tomato sauce and blackeyed peas, tea (the Acme's generic organic green chai was on sale), crushed pineapple, and muffin papers. They also got this year's holiday bags in. I had a hard time choosing between a beautiful bluish winter landscape and a cute chickadee on a snow-covered holly branch. I went with the chickadee because I liked the red and tan colors better.
When I got home, I put on one of the Bowery Boys movies set in the Armed Services as I made a spinach and cheese omelet for lunch. Here Comes the Marines is the only Bowery Boys Armed Services comedy where the Boys join normally - they're all drafted. Sach becomes the favorite of the head of the base and lets the constant promotions go to his head, much to the annoyance of Slip and the others. Meanwhile, Slip is trying to figure out the mystery of a brutally beaten Marine who was found with a playing card nearby - a card that belongs to a local crooked gambling establishment.
Ran a quick cartoon before I headed to work. Though he became a star during World War II, Woody Woodpecker's only out-and-out war-oriented short was "Ace In the Hole." He wants to be a brave flyer, but the sergeant has him shaving horses. He gets stuck in a flight suit, then ends up on a plane! The sergeant may not be entirely happy with what he does when he gets up there.
Work actually wasn't bad, especially for the beginning of the holiday weekend. I actually had the time to do a nearly full basket of returns. It didn't really pick up until later, when people started to get off of work. I guess everyone's waiting for Sunday and Monday. I ended up picking up hours tomorrow, 12-6. I wasn't entirely happy with it, but the head manager asked, and I would have felt bad saying no.
Otherwise, I have a fairly normal schedule next week. I do work late two days early on, but I have Tuesday and Saturday off, and nothing as long as this week. Hopefully, things will settle down a little once we get away from the weekend.
I was frustrated when I got home. I want to appreciate the extra hours and the money I'm earning. I keep telling myself I should be happy that I'm earning money, especially given how broke I was at this time last year...so why aren't I? What's wrong with me? I was happier at home than I was working at the Acme. I haven't heard from Stockton. They probably lost interest in me.
After a quick dinner of leftovers, I went in the bath. I read over the job hunting book I took out. I wish there was a book or something that tells you how to move up from a menial job. Most job advice books and websites only mention how to go from one office job to another. They don't say how you move from a menial job to a more fulfilling one. And if Stockton won't help me, I have no idea who else to ask.
Headed out to the Acme after Rick Steves ended. I didn't have a really huge order. I was mostly restocking and taking advantage of a few sales. They're having a 40% off all Purdue meats sale; I ended up with ground chicken for $2.69. I also grabbed the dollar salmon and tilapia packs. Needed grapefruit, canned tomato sauce and blackeyed peas, tea (the Acme's generic organic green chai was on sale), crushed pineapple, and muffin papers. They also got this year's holiday bags in. I had a hard time choosing between a beautiful bluish winter landscape and a cute chickadee on a snow-covered holly branch. I went with the chickadee because I liked the red and tan colors better.
When I got home, I put on one of the Bowery Boys movies set in the Armed Services as I made a spinach and cheese omelet for lunch. Here Comes the Marines is the only Bowery Boys Armed Services comedy where the Boys join normally - they're all drafted. Sach becomes the favorite of the head of the base and lets the constant promotions go to his head, much to the annoyance of Slip and the others. Meanwhile, Slip is trying to figure out the mystery of a brutally beaten Marine who was found with a playing card nearby - a card that belongs to a local crooked gambling establishment.
Ran a quick cartoon before I headed to work. Though he became a star during World War II, Woody Woodpecker's only out-and-out war-oriented short was "Ace In the Hole." He wants to be a brave flyer, but the sergeant has him shaving horses. He gets stuck in a flight suit, then ends up on a plane! The sergeant may not be entirely happy with what he does when he gets up there.
Work actually wasn't bad, especially for the beginning of the holiday weekend. I actually had the time to do a nearly full basket of returns. It didn't really pick up until later, when people started to get off of work. I guess everyone's waiting for Sunday and Monday. I ended up picking up hours tomorrow, 12-6. I wasn't entirely happy with it, but the head manager asked, and I would have felt bad saying no.
Otherwise, I have a fairly normal schedule next week. I do work late two days early on, but I have Tuesday and Saturday off, and nothing as long as this week. Hopefully, things will settle down a little once we get away from the weekend.
I was frustrated when I got home. I want to appreciate the extra hours and the money I'm earning. I keep telling myself I should be happy that I'm earning money, especially given how broke I was at this time last year...so why aren't I? What's wrong with me? I was happier at home than I was working at the Acme. I haven't heard from Stockton. They probably lost interest in me.
After a quick dinner of leftovers, I went in the bath. I read over the job hunting book I took out. I wish there was a book or something that tells you how to move up from a menial job. Most job advice books and websites only mention how to go from one office job to another. They don't say how you move from a menial job to a more fulfilling one. And if Stockton won't help me, I have no idea who else to ask.
Thursday, November 07, 2013
Rainy Day Mysteries and Adventures
I slept in this morning for the first time in a while, not getting up until 10:30. It was just as well. It was showering at a pretty good clip when I got up. I had a late breakfast of Cranberry-Chocolate Chip Muffins and a grapefruit half and watched Thanksgiving specials. Garfield's not a happy kitty in Garfield's Thanksgiving. Liz the Veterinarian just put him on a strict diet...and now Jon's inviting her to dinner! An unexpected guest and Liz's change of heart may make Garfield's holiday the tastiest ever.
Charlie Brown is also having problems with Thanksgiving dinner guests in A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Peppermint Patty invites her, Marcie, and Franklin to dinner at the Browns' house. Trouble is, Chuck and Sally are going to be eating over their grandmother's. Linus suggests a small meal to appease them. When Peppermint Patty's not happy with her meal of popcorn, toast, pretzels, and jelly beans, it's up to Marcie and Linus to remind everyone that they still have things to be thankful for.
I headed out after Charlie Brown ended, around quarter after 12. The sky was still dark, and it was damp, windy, and a little warm, but it was no longer raining. My first stop of the day was the Oaklyn Library. Only a few hearty souls braved the weather to use the computers or read newspapers. I mainly organized the DVDs, especially the adults' titles. Took a quick look at the kids' books before a mother showed up with her two kids, and I decided to move on.
As I rode up to the White Horse Pike, I noticed that Duncan Donuts finally finished the remodeling on the Oaklyn restaurant. They were always a little, well, 80s-looking, with lots of vinyl and plastic and tile. Part of the overhanging roof broke last year, which must have finally prompted Duncan Donuts to upgrade. Pretty much the only thing left intact was the framework of the building. It was now boxier, with a more modern sign, longer counter, windows all around, and curvy wood and metal furnishings. They also had something that they didn't have before (and was the reason for the hold-up on the remodeling) - a drive-through window and a longer driveway. The landscaping had been completely redone, and even the parking lot was new. I sipped my Mocha Coolatta and admired the changes, listening to a couple of college-age boys chatter about girls and classes and movies.
The rain started again as I made my way over to Westmont. It may have done me a favor. I never saw Cuthbert Road so quiet! I was actually able to cross without waiting ten minutes. I was just able to make it to Friendly's as the rain became a steady shower.
Friendly's was pretty busy for 1:30 on a Thursday afternoon. A lot of kids must have gotten out early for the New Jersey Teacher's Convention this weekend. I saw a couple of grade-school-age kids out to lunch with their folks, and a trio of high school girls in uniforms for Paul VI giggling as they ordered sliders. I went as simple as possible and checked off the build-a-burger form with all the free toppings I was interested in and some "3 Caesar Cheese," the closest they had to Provolone. Not bad. While the burger itself was just a frozen patty, it was at least cooked perfectly, a little pink inside, just the way I like it.
The shower continued, but I still had things to do. Fortunately, my next stop was just across the street at the Haddon Township Library. I had DVDs and books that really needed to go back. They surprisingly weren't busy at all when I arrived. Some of the librarians mentioned it had been busy earlier, which was reflected in the DVD shelves. I had no trouble at all putting the kids' titles away, and I was actually able to get the adults' titles on the shelves and pull a big pile of foreign films from the regular adult shelves and put those away. I also helped a woman find some of the titles she was looking for and figure out how the library's DVD filing system works.
I ended up with three movies and a stack of books. I've been debating taking out the two Mr. Moto movies Haddon Township has for a couple of weeks now. Figured I'd give them a chance this week, since they're pretty short. I've also been wanting to see Despicable Me, especially after the sequel was a surprise blockbuster hit this summer.
Returned to the Westmont Plaza next for two quick errands. I needed eggs rather badly, but the Acme's eggs are fairly expensive, so I stopped at Thriftway. While their white eggs were only slightly cheaper than the Acme's, their generic brown eggs are $2.29. Acme's are over a dollar more! They had a large container of plain lowfat LaYogurt on sale for $1.99 as well. I also stopped at Dollar Tree for sponges and birthday cards for my sister Anny (her birthday is the 10th) and brother Keefe (his is the 18th).
Though the rain had stopped by then and the clouds were breaking up, it was also very windy and much colder. I went straight home this time, once again getting across Cuthbert quickly. I didn't even have problems getting across the White Horse Pike, despite it being rush hour.
When I got in, I used the Golden Vanilla Betty Crocker Cake Mix I got last week to make Golden Apple Cinnamon Cookies, adding chopped apples, applesauce, and the last of the buttermilk (as well as two eggs that broke on the way home). I decided to run the Mr. Moto movies tonight, starting with The Mysterious Mr. Moto. The title character (Peter Lorre) is a Japanese detective and master of disguise. Here, he poses as a Japanese houseboy for a group of assassins in London to find out what they're up to.
Switched movies as I made Black-Eyed Peas and Rice Soup for a quick dinner (the ground turkey I pulled out for meatloaf hadn't defrosted enough). Mr. Moto Takes a Chance has Moto in the jungles of southeast Asia, this time posing as an archaeologist. The arrival of an aviatrix (Rochelle Hudson) and a pair of newsreel cameramen bring excitement to the tribe Moto's staying with...but it also brings death when the Chief's advisor is killed while being filmed. A mysterious old man with hypnotic powers manages to get the cameramen in the clear. Who is the man, and what is in the ancient temple in the middle of the jungle?
If you love Charlie Chan or similar B detective mysteries from the 30s and 40s, you'll enjoy the tales of Mr. Moto. This is also a rare chance to see Peter Lorre playing a relatively heroic and sane character, and he takes it to the hilt. While I preferred the more exotic and Indiana Jones-esque Take a Chance, both films were well-done for B-movies. There are a few mild stereotypes, including Moto's houseboy in Mysterious and a couple of the natives in Take a Chance, but by and large, these are still fun to watch today, especially if you're a fan of Lorre or light mysteries.
Finished the night with Merry Madagascar, one of two holiday specials featuring the characters from the Dreamworks Madagascar animated series. The four main animal protagonists are still trying to get home, this time in a home-made balloon. Their attempt to get back to New York for the holidays is inadvertantly sabotaged by King Julian and his tribe. They're awaiting a mystical demon who appears every year on "Julianuary," the holiday where the tribe gives their ruler gifts. The demon, of course, turns out to be Santa Claus, who promptly gets amnesia when the tribe knocks him out of the sky. When the reindeer refuse to help them, Alex insists that the animals deliver the gifts themselves, with the penguins pulling the sleigh. Meanwhile, Santa teaches Julian that it is better to give than to receive when the spider monkey king hoards all the gifts Santa makes for himself.
Cute, but nothing you haven't seen before. I do like them delivering presents, and especially the excited little girl who keeps them going. Fine if you have Madagascar fans in your family, harmless for everyone else if you run into it on TV or online.
Charlie Brown is also having problems with Thanksgiving dinner guests in A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Peppermint Patty invites her, Marcie, and Franklin to dinner at the Browns' house. Trouble is, Chuck and Sally are going to be eating over their grandmother's. Linus suggests a small meal to appease them. When Peppermint Patty's not happy with her meal of popcorn, toast, pretzels, and jelly beans, it's up to Marcie and Linus to remind everyone that they still have things to be thankful for.
I headed out after Charlie Brown ended, around quarter after 12. The sky was still dark, and it was damp, windy, and a little warm, but it was no longer raining. My first stop of the day was the Oaklyn Library. Only a few hearty souls braved the weather to use the computers or read newspapers. I mainly organized the DVDs, especially the adults' titles. Took a quick look at the kids' books before a mother showed up with her two kids, and I decided to move on.
As I rode up to the White Horse Pike, I noticed that Duncan Donuts finally finished the remodeling on the Oaklyn restaurant. They were always a little, well, 80s-looking, with lots of vinyl and plastic and tile. Part of the overhanging roof broke last year, which must have finally prompted Duncan Donuts to upgrade. Pretty much the only thing left intact was the framework of the building. It was now boxier, with a more modern sign, longer counter, windows all around, and curvy wood and metal furnishings. They also had something that they didn't have before (and was the reason for the hold-up on the remodeling) - a drive-through window and a longer driveway. The landscaping had been completely redone, and even the parking lot was new. I sipped my Mocha Coolatta and admired the changes, listening to a couple of college-age boys chatter about girls and classes and movies.
The rain started again as I made my way over to Westmont. It may have done me a favor. I never saw Cuthbert Road so quiet! I was actually able to cross without waiting ten minutes. I was just able to make it to Friendly's as the rain became a steady shower.
Friendly's was pretty busy for 1:30 on a Thursday afternoon. A lot of kids must have gotten out early for the New Jersey Teacher's Convention this weekend. I saw a couple of grade-school-age kids out to lunch with their folks, and a trio of high school girls in uniforms for Paul VI giggling as they ordered sliders. I went as simple as possible and checked off the build-a-burger form with all the free toppings I was interested in and some "3 Caesar Cheese," the closest they had to Provolone. Not bad. While the burger itself was just a frozen patty, it was at least cooked perfectly, a little pink inside, just the way I like it.
The shower continued, but I still had things to do. Fortunately, my next stop was just across the street at the Haddon Township Library. I had DVDs and books that really needed to go back. They surprisingly weren't busy at all when I arrived. Some of the librarians mentioned it had been busy earlier, which was reflected in the DVD shelves. I had no trouble at all putting the kids' titles away, and I was actually able to get the adults' titles on the shelves and pull a big pile of foreign films from the regular adult shelves and put those away. I also helped a woman find some of the titles she was looking for and figure out how the library's DVD filing system works.
I ended up with three movies and a stack of books. I've been debating taking out the two Mr. Moto movies Haddon Township has for a couple of weeks now. Figured I'd give them a chance this week, since they're pretty short. I've also been wanting to see Despicable Me, especially after the sequel was a surprise blockbuster hit this summer.
Returned to the Westmont Plaza next for two quick errands. I needed eggs rather badly, but the Acme's eggs are fairly expensive, so I stopped at Thriftway. While their white eggs were only slightly cheaper than the Acme's, their generic brown eggs are $2.29. Acme's are over a dollar more! They had a large container of plain lowfat LaYogurt on sale for $1.99 as well. I also stopped at Dollar Tree for sponges and birthday cards for my sister Anny (her birthday is the 10th) and brother Keefe (his is the 18th).
Though the rain had stopped by then and the clouds were breaking up, it was also very windy and much colder. I went straight home this time, once again getting across Cuthbert quickly. I didn't even have problems getting across the White Horse Pike, despite it being rush hour.
When I got in, I used the Golden Vanilla Betty Crocker Cake Mix I got last week to make Golden Apple Cinnamon Cookies, adding chopped apples, applesauce, and the last of the buttermilk (as well as two eggs that broke on the way home). I decided to run the Mr. Moto movies tonight, starting with The Mysterious Mr. Moto. The title character (Peter Lorre) is a Japanese detective and master of disguise. Here, he poses as a Japanese houseboy for a group of assassins in London to find out what they're up to.
Switched movies as I made Black-Eyed Peas and Rice Soup for a quick dinner (the ground turkey I pulled out for meatloaf hadn't defrosted enough). Mr. Moto Takes a Chance has Moto in the jungles of southeast Asia, this time posing as an archaeologist. The arrival of an aviatrix (Rochelle Hudson) and a pair of newsreel cameramen bring excitement to the tribe Moto's staying with...but it also brings death when the Chief's advisor is killed while being filmed. A mysterious old man with hypnotic powers manages to get the cameramen in the clear. Who is the man, and what is in the ancient temple in the middle of the jungle?
If you love Charlie Chan or similar B detective mysteries from the 30s and 40s, you'll enjoy the tales of Mr. Moto. This is also a rare chance to see Peter Lorre playing a relatively heroic and sane character, and he takes it to the hilt. While I preferred the more exotic and Indiana Jones-esque Take a Chance, both films were well-done for B-movies. There are a few mild stereotypes, including Moto's houseboy in Mysterious and a couple of the natives in Take a Chance, but by and large, these are still fun to watch today, especially if you're a fan of Lorre or light mysteries.
Finished the night with Merry Madagascar, one of two holiday specials featuring the characters from the Dreamworks Madagascar animated series. The four main animal protagonists are still trying to get home, this time in a home-made balloon. Their attempt to get back to New York for the holidays is inadvertantly sabotaged by King Julian and his tribe. They're awaiting a mystical demon who appears every year on "Julianuary," the holiday where the tribe gives their ruler gifts. The demon, of course, turns out to be Santa Claus, who promptly gets amnesia when the tribe knocks him out of the sky. When the reindeer refuse to help them, Alex insists that the animals deliver the gifts themselves, with the penguins pulling the sleigh. Meanwhile, Santa teaches Julian that it is better to give than to receive when the spider monkey king hoards all the gifts Santa makes for himself.
Cute, but nothing you haven't seen before. I do like them delivering presents, and especially the excited little girl who keeps them going. Fine if you have Madagascar fans in your family, harmless for everyone else if you run into it on TV or online.
Wednesday, November 06, 2013
Seasons of Dolls
Began a sunny, slightly warmer morning with Seasons of Giving. This direct-to-home-media Winnie the Pooh "movie" is really two winter-themed episodes of The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh with the Pooh Thanksgiving special and some new linking material. The Thanksgiving segment is by far my favorite, and is the reason I bought this DVD. Pooh and the 100 Acres Woods crew are ready for a quiet, enjoyable feast of honey, hot chocolate, and haycorns...until Rabbit butts in. The tradition-obsessed yellow bunny insists that this simply isn't how Thanksgiving is done, insisting on the importance of turkey and cranberries and pumpkin pie. These things aren't easily found in England, however, and the others just end up bungling into each other. It's Pooh who finally reminds Rabbit that Thanksgiving isn't about what we eat. It's about whom we eat it with, and being grateful for what we do have, whether it's honey or turkey.
I changed the AG dolls as Pooh ran. I really wish I'd had the time to put them in Halloween costumes, like I did last year. At any rate, I switched them into slightly dressier fall outfits. Samantha sports her mauve checked "meet" dress and white and black boots with the pearl buttons. Josefina is back in her Party Dress, with her rebozo wrapped around her arms to keep out the chill (the only long-sleeved outfit AG made for her is long retired and expensive on the secondary market). Jessa wears a jade green tie-wrap blouse and a long jean skirt I found at the Deptford Mall a few years ago. Felicity wears her Laced Jacket and Petticoat. Molly's in the blouse from her School Jumper outfit, the red skirt from her Skating Outfit, and her saddle shoes.
Had the time for a Tom and Jerry short as I prepared for work. Jerry's not happy to be a waiter for a flirting Tom and his girlfriend in "The Mouse Comes to Dinner." Jerry gets his revenge by making a mess of the meal.
Work was actually pretty quiet for a lot of the day, especially compared to earlier in the week. The beginning of the month people are starting to subside, and I suspect a lot of folks may be waiting for Veteran's Day Weekend to do their major shopping. It was on-and-off steady for most of the afternoon...until my last customers, of course. They had three different, very long orders, just so they could use three turkey coupons and a hundred other coupons. The college-age boy who was supposed to be my relief was sent in for another kid who needed to go on break. No one could relieve me, which meant I was late getting out.
I stormed home, angry and fed up. I would be so much more grateful for this job if people had a little more consideration for others. How many turkeys does a person need? I hope they were donating those extra turkeys to their local church.
I went straight into the bath when I got home. I haven't had a bath in ages. It didn't help much. My legs did feel a little better, but my stomach was still in knots. I made salmon with ranch dressing, mashed turnips, and spinach and mushrooms for dinner while watching the Faerie Tale Theatre episode "Beauty and the Beast," with Susan Sarandon as the pretty French girl who learns not to judge by appearances, and Klaus Kinski as the feline-esque creature who isn't as frightening as he looks.
I changed the AG dolls as Pooh ran. I really wish I'd had the time to put them in Halloween costumes, like I did last year. At any rate, I switched them into slightly dressier fall outfits. Samantha sports her mauve checked "meet" dress and white and black boots with the pearl buttons. Josefina is back in her Party Dress, with her rebozo wrapped around her arms to keep out the chill (the only long-sleeved outfit AG made for her is long retired and expensive on the secondary market). Jessa wears a jade green tie-wrap blouse and a long jean skirt I found at the Deptford Mall a few years ago. Felicity wears her Laced Jacket and Petticoat. Molly's in the blouse from her School Jumper outfit, the red skirt from her Skating Outfit, and her saddle shoes.
Had the time for a Tom and Jerry short as I prepared for work. Jerry's not happy to be a waiter for a flirting Tom and his girlfriend in "The Mouse Comes to Dinner." Jerry gets his revenge by making a mess of the meal.
Work was actually pretty quiet for a lot of the day, especially compared to earlier in the week. The beginning of the month people are starting to subside, and I suspect a lot of folks may be waiting for Veteran's Day Weekend to do their major shopping. It was on-and-off steady for most of the afternoon...until my last customers, of course. They had three different, very long orders, just so they could use three turkey coupons and a hundred other coupons. The college-age boy who was supposed to be my relief was sent in for another kid who needed to go on break. No one could relieve me, which meant I was late getting out.
I stormed home, angry and fed up. I would be so much more grateful for this job if people had a little more consideration for others. How many turkeys does a person need? I hope they were donating those extra turkeys to their local church.
I went straight into the bath when I got home. I haven't had a bath in ages. It didn't help much. My legs did feel a little better, but my stomach was still in knots. I made salmon with ranch dressing, mashed turnips, and spinach and mushrooms for dinner while watching the Faerie Tale Theatre episode "Beauty and the Beast," with Susan Sarandon as the pretty French girl who learns not to judge by appearances, and Klaus Kinski as the feline-esque creature who isn't as frightening as he looks.
Tuesday, November 05, 2013
Citizen Goofs
Started off a sunny Election Day with The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band. This unusual live-action Disney musical concerns the real-life Family Band, who move to the Dakota Territory in 1888 on the eve of the hotly contested election between Grover Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison. Oldest daughter Alice's (Leslie Ann Warren) new beau (John Davidson) and her father (Buddy Ebson) are Republicans, as is the majority of South Dakota. Grandpa (Walter Brennan), however, is a staunch Democrat and doesn't approve of his granddaughter running around with a Republican. Can the Family Band pull together in time for the big Cleveland/Harrison Election Night party?
A contested election makes for a strange background for a musical, and alas, the music does tend to get lost amid the political wrangling. Ebson and Brennan do especially well as the two heads of the family on opposing sides of the political divide. The Sherman Brothers score isn't considered one of their best, but it's grown on me over the years, especially the rousing "Ten Feet Off the Ground" for the Family Band. Look for a young Goldie Hawn as one of the more energetic dancers during the "West O' the Wide Missouri" dance sequence.
Switched to animation as I did things around the apartment. Linus gets the nomination for school president when Chuck is declared a no-go in You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown. He seems to be a lock, but an impassioned speech about the Great Pumpkin may blow his chances. Buster Bunny and Montana Max are also running for school president in the first season Tiny Toon Adventures episode "Citizen Max." When Monty gets Buster expelled, Buster, Babs, and Plucky think of a way to get even with him. And they're hardly the first Looney Tunes to go toe-to-paw politically. Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam compete for mayor of a small southern town, using every underhanded tactic they possibly can, in the classic short "Ballot Box Bunny."
Work was a pain again today. We were out of regular-sized turkeys for most of the day, up until my last hour. Anyone who didn't want breasts was out of luck. Once again, it was very busy all afternoon, probably thanks to people being let go early to hit the polls. Unlike Sunday, most people did seem to be in a better mood. It did slow down enough by 7 that I was able to leave with no problems and a relief who was needed elsewhere.
When I got in, I ran some Three Stooges while heating up the last of the Ham n' Cheese Soup for dinner. The Shemp short "Three Dark Horses" has the trio chosen to vote for the corrupt candidate backed by a pair of businessmen. The Stooges get wise to their plan and back the opposing party instead.
A contested election makes for a strange background for a musical, and alas, the music does tend to get lost amid the political wrangling. Ebson and Brennan do especially well as the two heads of the family on opposing sides of the political divide. The Sherman Brothers score isn't considered one of their best, but it's grown on me over the years, especially the rousing "Ten Feet Off the Ground" for the Family Band. Look for a young Goldie Hawn as one of the more energetic dancers during the "West O' the Wide Missouri" dance sequence.
Switched to animation as I did things around the apartment. Linus gets the nomination for school president when Chuck is declared a no-go in You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown. He seems to be a lock, but an impassioned speech about the Great Pumpkin may blow his chances. Buster Bunny and Montana Max are also running for school president in the first season Tiny Toon Adventures episode "Citizen Max." When Monty gets Buster expelled, Buster, Babs, and Plucky think of a way to get even with him. And they're hardly the first Looney Tunes to go toe-to-paw politically. Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam compete for mayor of a small southern town, using every underhanded tactic they possibly can, in the classic short "Ballot Box Bunny."
Work was a pain again today. We were out of regular-sized turkeys for most of the day, up until my last hour. Anyone who didn't want breasts was out of luck. Once again, it was very busy all afternoon, probably thanks to people being let go early to hit the polls. Unlike Sunday, most people did seem to be in a better mood. It did slow down enough by 7 that I was able to leave with no problems and a relief who was needed elsewhere.
When I got in, I ran some Three Stooges while heating up the last of the Ham n' Cheese Soup for dinner. The Shemp short "Three Dark Horses" has the trio chosen to vote for the corrupt candidate backed by a pair of businessmen. The Stooges get wise to their plan and back the opposing party instead.
Monday, November 04, 2013
Glimmerberry Holidays
Began today with the first holiday program of the year. I kept things simple as I had breakfast and got the laundry together with the DVD version of the Disney Very Merry Christmas Songs sing-along show. This is an expansion of one of the most popular of the original video Sing Along Songs series, which has lyrics that appear on-screen accompanied by the music. While we do get three songs from Disney Christmas direct-to-DVD features ("As Long As There's Christmas" from Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas, "Winnie the Pooh's Jingle Bells" from A Very Pooh New Year, and "The Best Christmas of All" from Mickey Magical Christmas: Snowed In at the House of Mouse), the other songs are all popular holiday tunes either performed by the Disneyland Chorus or, in the case of "Let It Snow," "White Christmas," and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," originators Bing Crosby and Gene Autry. It's hardly the most necessary DVD, but if you have kids who are Disney fans (and don't mind the lack of sequences from TV cartoons, Pixar movies, or more recent Disney projects) it makes for fun holiday background music.
Hit the laundromat around noon. It was a gorgeous day for a walk. The air was chilly and crisp and smelled wonderfully like fall. I think most people took down their Halloween decorations over the weekend. A few houses still had elaborate displays (and one or two already had Thanksgiving decorations up), but most just sported uncarved pumpkins, scarecrows, hay bales, and the last of the fall flowers.
The laundromat was a little busy, but not too bad. In any circumstances, I didn't have a big load. I would have waited to get this done again, but I work earlier tomorrow and Wednesday and didn't want to wait for my next day off on Thursday. I was in and out in less than an hour.
When I got home, I ran The Glimmerberry Ball Movie while getting the laundry organized and having leftovers for lunch. This "movie" is really three episodes of the 2009 Strawberry Shortcake show with a holiday theme stitched together. All three revolve around Strawberry and her pals preparing to celebrate "First Frost," their Christmas/Halloween hybrid. In the first, Blueberry Muffin gives Lemon Meringue a huge book that she's more interested in. The book goes to each girl like a bad fruitcake until it finally gets back to Blueberry, and she learns to put more thought into her gift-giving. The second story has all of the girls overly enthusiastic to have the best carved Glimmerberry. Strawberry's more upset that in their excitement over the berries, they may be losing the spirit of the season. They prepare for the ball of the title in the third story, only to find a pair of mischievous chipmunks living in the hollow tree they're using as a ballroom. The gags have elements of the Donald/Chip and Dale shorts of the 40s and 50s, as the girls and the rodents fight over who gets to use the log...until Strawberry reminds them of the importance of charity and seeing things in a different light.
Thank heavens work wasn't anywhere near as bad today as it was yesterday. We were busy, but not overwhelmingly so. I even had time to do some returns. Treated myself to my first Coconut Wreath (Russell Stover milk chocolate coconut patty that's only out during holidays - the only milk chocolate I'll eat) after work. I deserved it after yesterday.
Hit the laundromat around noon. It was a gorgeous day for a walk. The air was chilly and crisp and smelled wonderfully like fall. I think most people took down their Halloween decorations over the weekend. A few houses still had elaborate displays (and one or two already had Thanksgiving decorations up), but most just sported uncarved pumpkins, scarecrows, hay bales, and the last of the fall flowers.
The laundromat was a little busy, but not too bad. In any circumstances, I didn't have a big load. I would have waited to get this done again, but I work earlier tomorrow and Wednesday and didn't want to wait for my next day off on Thursday. I was in and out in less than an hour.
When I got home, I ran The Glimmerberry Ball Movie while getting the laundry organized and having leftovers for lunch. This "movie" is really three episodes of the 2009 Strawberry Shortcake show with a holiday theme stitched together. All three revolve around Strawberry and her pals preparing to celebrate "First Frost," their Christmas/Halloween hybrid. In the first, Blueberry Muffin gives Lemon Meringue a huge book that she's more interested in. The book goes to each girl like a bad fruitcake until it finally gets back to Blueberry, and she learns to put more thought into her gift-giving. The second story has all of the girls overly enthusiastic to have the best carved Glimmerberry. Strawberry's more upset that in their excitement over the berries, they may be losing the spirit of the season. They prepare for the ball of the title in the third story, only to find a pair of mischievous chipmunks living in the hollow tree they're using as a ballroom. The gags have elements of the Donald/Chip and Dale shorts of the 40s and 50s, as the girls and the rodents fight over who gets to use the log...until Strawberry reminds them of the importance of charity and seeing things in a different light.
Thank heavens work wasn't anywhere near as bad today as it was yesterday. We were busy, but not overwhelmingly so. I even had time to do some returns. Treated myself to my first Coconut Wreath (Russell Stover milk chocolate coconut patty that's only out during holidays - the only milk chocolate I'll eat) after work. I deserved it after yesterday.
Sunday, November 03, 2013
Touchdown King
I started out a sunny, windy, chilly day by finishing the Samantha mystery The Curse of Ravenscourt. In Samantha's second mystery, she and her family, including adopted sister Nellie, are staying in the title apartment building while their own home is being renovated. Though Ravenscourt is brand-new, it's been plagued with problems - the boiler won't work, a "13" was painted over a plaque near the elevator, a rat was seen in the kitchen. Nellie adds to the mystery when she reveals that the building's owner is also the cruel landlord for several New York tenements and was said to have been cursed by one of them. Then Samantha's uncle goes away on business, and her aunt is called away suddenly. Samantha finds herself dealing with the mystery on her own.
I thought this was only so-so the first time I read it about two or three years ago. I enjoyed it more this time around - it seemed spookier on a second read.
Thanks to daylight savings, it was only about 10 when I finally started Sourdough French Toast with a grapefruit half for breakfast. Brunch With the Beatles focused on Revolver, one of the Beatles most popular and influential albums. Among the familiar songs from this album are "Here, There, and Everywhere," "Doctor Robert," "Got To Get You Into My Life," "Yellow Submarine," "Eleanor Rigby," "Taxman," and "Good Day Sunshine." "Paperback Writer" and "Rain" were also released around this time as singles.
I had a little time to finish putting up the Thanksgiving decorations and taking down the Halloween items before work. The majority of my Thanksgiving decorations are cardboard wall hangings. I found a really nice set of pilgrim and Indian scenes the year I moved here. They're pretty big - I think they may have been intended for classroom use. I picked up a cute vintage 70s-80s pilgrim girl and a Peanuts banner about sharing from a yard sale, and Mom gave me a pilgrim/Indian banner and very heavy cardboard turkey. The wood and cloth pilgrim couple and turkey-shaped candle were also yard sale finds. The porcelain teddy in the Indian costume and the tiny soft mouse dressed as a pilgrim came from thrift shops.
I left for work shortly after finishing the decorating. I wish I'd just stayed home. Work was a pain and a half again today. It was busy all through the afternoon, especially early on. The Eagles game was at 4 today, so everyone came before then. It was pandemonium. Even with all the registers opened that worked, including self checkout, we still didn't have enough to get the lines down. My first register went down within an hour after my arrival; the manager reset it twice, then gave up and sent me in for a stock manager who was on a register and needed to get back to what he was supposed to do. We ran out of the turkeys needed for the coupons and were either supposed to give out rain checks or substitute Butterballs. No one seemed to clear on exactly what we were doing about it - I ended up doing both. Thank heavens my relief was on time and I was able to head out normally.
Evidently, the Eagles had a far better day than I did. The Eagles-Raiders game was on the TV in the back room after I finished. They were winning at that point, and they were even further ahead when I got home. Quarterback Nick Foles was absolutely amazing. He threw for 7 touchdown passes, the most in one game in Eagles history and tying several all-time NFL records. They continued to dominate the game as I made Sicilian-Breaded Chicken Breasts with sauteed turnip greens, roasted Brussels sprouts, and the Cherry-Cranberry Jello Fruit Salad I started earlier. They finally steamrolled over the Raiders 49-20.
Mom called after the game. I tried calling her earlier, but she must have been out running errands. We discussed my stressful week. I know I need to find more hobbies, but it's hard to join clubs when your schedule is as weird as mine. I would appreciate my job more if I didn't feel like it was sucking out my soul. I don't just want the money. I want something that feels like I'm doing some good. I'm doing nothing standing behind a register. My co-workers are nice enough, but there isn't anyone I can really hang out with. They're all either older than me, younger than me, or have kids.
I feel out-of-place at family gatherings, too. I'm the only person in my family who is single. Everyone else has kids, a partner, or is much older or younger than I am. Everyone says they welcome me and tries to make me feel at home, but once again, there are few people I can talk to. I don't know what to do about the holidays. I'm tired of all the running around and feeling like a fifth wheel wherever I go. I just don't know what other singles like me do for the holidays. I'll e-mail my sister Rose tonight or tomorrow and see what she's doing about Thanksgiving and when.
I thought this was only so-so the first time I read it about two or three years ago. I enjoyed it more this time around - it seemed spookier on a second read.
Thanks to daylight savings, it was only about 10 when I finally started Sourdough French Toast with a grapefruit half for breakfast. Brunch With the Beatles focused on Revolver, one of the Beatles most popular and influential albums. Among the familiar songs from this album are "Here, There, and Everywhere," "Doctor Robert," "Got To Get You Into My Life," "Yellow Submarine," "Eleanor Rigby," "Taxman," and "Good Day Sunshine." "Paperback Writer" and "Rain" were also released around this time as singles.
I had a little time to finish putting up the Thanksgiving decorations and taking down the Halloween items before work. The majority of my Thanksgiving decorations are cardboard wall hangings. I found a really nice set of pilgrim and Indian scenes the year I moved here. They're pretty big - I think they may have been intended for classroom use. I picked up a cute vintage 70s-80s pilgrim girl and a Peanuts banner about sharing from a yard sale, and Mom gave me a pilgrim/Indian banner and very heavy cardboard turkey. The wood and cloth pilgrim couple and turkey-shaped candle were also yard sale finds. The porcelain teddy in the Indian costume and the tiny soft mouse dressed as a pilgrim came from thrift shops.
I left for work shortly after finishing the decorating. I wish I'd just stayed home. Work was a pain and a half again today. It was busy all through the afternoon, especially early on. The Eagles game was at 4 today, so everyone came before then. It was pandemonium. Even with all the registers opened that worked, including self checkout, we still didn't have enough to get the lines down. My first register went down within an hour after my arrival; the manager reset it twice, then gave up and sent me in for a stock manager who was on a register and needed to get back to what he was supposed to do. We ran out of the turkeys needed for the coupons and were either supposed to give out rain checks or substitute Butterballs. No one seemed to clear on exactly what we were doing about it - I ended up doing both. Thank heavens my relief was on time and I was able to head out normally.
Evidently, the Eagles had a far better day than I did. The Eagles-Raiders game was on the TV in the back room after I finished. They were winning at that point, and they were even further ahead when I got home. Quarterback Nick Foles was absolutely amazing. He threw for 7 touchdown passes, the most in one game in Eagles history and tying several all-time NFL records. They continued to dominate the game as I made Sicilian-Breaded Chicken Breasts with sauteed turnip greens, roasted Brussels sprouts, and the Cherry-Cranberry Jello Fruit Salad I started earlier. They finally steamrolled over the Raiders 49-20.
Mom called after the game. I tried calling her earlier, but she must have been out running errands. We discussed my stressful week. I know I need to find more hobbies, but it's hard to join clubs when your schedule is as weird as mine. I would appreciate my job more if I didn't feel like it was sucking out my soul. I don't just want the money. I want something that feels like I'm doing some good. I'm doing nothing standing behind a register. My co-workers are nice enough, but there isn't anyone I can really hang out with. They're all either older than me, younger than me, or have kids.
I feel out-of-place at family gatherings, too. I'm the only person in my family who is single. Everyone else has kids, a partner, or is much older or younger than I am. Everyone says they welcome me and tries to make me feel at home, but once again, there are few people I can talk to. I don't know what to do about the holidays. I'm tired of all the running around and feeling like a fifth wheel wherever I go. I just don't know what other singles like me do for the holidays. I'll e-mail my sister Rose tonight or tomorrow and see what she's doing about Thanksgiving and when.
Saturday, November 02, 2013
Autumn Blue and Gold
I awoke to a blustery blue and gold fall morning as I switched on this week's American Top 40 re-run. Early November 1981 was all about pop, New Wave, country, soul, and ballads. Hits that week included the title song from the James Bond movie For Your Eyes Only by Sheena Easton, "The One That You Love" by Air Supply, "Arthur's Theme (The Best That You Can Do)" from the original Arthur by Christopher Cross, "Endless Love" by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie, "When She Was My Girl" by a revived Four Tops, "Waiting For a Girl Like You" by Foreigner, the instrumental theme tune from the popular TV cop drama Hill Street Blues, and "I've Done Everything For You" by Rick Springfield.
The number one hit that week was one of my favorite songs from local boys Hall & Oates, "Private Eyes."
Once again, I kept my errands short. I had a long week of work this week and will have an even longer one next week. After a brief stop at the Collingswood WaWa to use the ATM machine, I went across the street to the farm market. The farm market continues to wind down its season. There were even fewer fruit and vegetable booths and more craft booths, and another food booth mentioned this was its last Saturday. The first frost of the year ended many crops and shortened others - peppers are apparently on their last week as well. There was still plenty around to choose from. I ended up with kiwi, small apples, Brussels sprouts, turnips with their greens, and broccoli.
I made a few short stops on the way home. The Oaklyn Baptist Church was having a small bazaar in its basement. I did see my friend Cassandra selling her book and bought some Magic Bars, but otherwise didn't come across anything of interest. A yard sale on Newton Avenue a block from the library had even less I wanted.
When I got home, I put away my purchases, then had ham soup with turnip greens for lunch while watching the rest of Gravity Falls. I love how incredibly creative this show's supernatural tales get. In "The Inconveincing," Dipper has a crush on Wendy and talks her into taking him and Mabel with her teen friends to a local abandoned convenience store. The other kids are too busy gorging on untouched ice cream pops to notice the strange things Dipper's been seeing. It takes Dipper admitting that he's still just a kid to get the ghosts that haunt the store to let them all go.
Dipper's maturity for his age also plays into "Dipper Vs. Manliness." Tired of being teased for his lack of muscles and love of disco, Dipper joins a group of "man-itars" in the woods to prove how "man" he really is. Meanwhile, Grunkle Stan goes in the opposite direction as Mabel tries to find his soft side so he can woo the owner of the diner Lazy Susan.
I returned to Tiny Toon Adventures for more tales of weird science as I prepared for work. In "Hair-Raising Night," Buster is assigned to stop mad scientist Dr. Gene Splicer from creating mutants from spare animal parts. He fibs to the others and tells them it's the Emmys to get them to join the adventure. Plucky goes right along with the ruse, even when Splicer's after his brains. Hampton and Babs are less amused, especially when they're chased by Splicer's huge dog-bat mutant with a crush on Babs.
Work was slightly less annoying than yesterday...and at the very least, shorter. It was still busy, but the nice day did seem to have put people in a somewhat better mood. One of the teenage boys went in for me so I could get out on time.
I went straight to Sonic for what'll probably be my last outdoor dinner of the year. It was a nice day for it, too. There were some clouds in the afternoon, but they were mostly gone by 6PM, leaving a beautiful rosy sunset. I enjoyed the view while kicking back with my favorite Sonic meal, Grilled Chicken on Ciabatta Bread, onion rings, and a cherry limeade. Nothing finer.
I finished the cherry limeade as I returned to the Acme for this week's grocery shopping. The Acme's having a big mix-and-match sale. If you buy six of the listed baking items, you'll get 3 dollars off. This allowed me to stock up on Betty Crocker cake mix, Nestle chocolate chips, Pam cooking spray, and pineapple rings for a good price. The Acme's having a huge store-wide buy-one, get-one deal on hundreds of items. I hardly need two of most things, but I found spiced chicken legs and lightly breaded chicken breasts for a good price. My mouthwash is almost empty, and I wanted to buy more grapefruit after I enjoyed them so much last week.
Ran a quick supernatural-themed episode of Night Court when I got home as I got organized and put things away. In the second season episode "The Gypsy," Harry Stone sentences a fortune teller to prison when she disagrees with his leniency on one of her more aggressive clients. Harry doesn't believe in her magic or threats, until Bull drops paralyzed in the court room and Dan's accountant has a heart attack in the middle of an audit. Harry then puts on a little show of his own to prove to Bull that magic is really just make-believe. (Dan never does get his money back, though.)
The number one hit that week was one of my favorite songs from local boys Hall & Oates, "Private Eyes."
Once again, I kept my errands short. I had a long week of work this week and will have an even longer one next week. After a brief stop at the Collingswood WaWa to use the ATM machine, I went across the street to the farm market. The farm market continues to wind down its season. There were even fewer fruit and vegetable booths and more craft booths, and another food booth mentioned this was its last Saturday. The first frost of the year ended many crops and shortened others - peppers are apparently on their last week as well. There was still plenty around to choose from. I ended up with kiwi, small apples, Brussels sprouts, turnips with their greens, and broccoli.
I made a few short stops on the way home. The Oaklyn Baptist Church was having a small bazaar in its basement. I did see my friend Cassandra selling her book and bought some Magic Bars, but otherwise didn't come across anything of interest. A yard sale on Newton Avenue a block from the library had even less I wanted.
When I got home, I put away my purchases, then had ham soup with turnip greens for lunch while watching the rest of Gravity Falls. I love how incredibly creative this show's supernatural tales get. In "The Inconveincing," Dipper has a crush on Wendy and talks her into taking him and Mabel with her teen friends to a local abandoned convenience store. The other kids are too busy gorging on untouched ice cream pops to notice the strange things Dipper's been seeing. It takes Dipper admitting that he's still just a kid to get the ghosts that haunt the store to let them all go.
Dipper's maturity for his age also plays into "Dipper Vs. Manliness." Tired of being teased for his lack of muscles and love of disco, Dipper joins a group of "man-itars" in the woods to prove how "man" he really is. Meanwhile, Grunkle Stan goes in the opposite direction as Mabel tries to find his soft side so he can woo the owner of the diner Lazy Susan.
I returned to Tiny Toon Adventures for more tales of weird science as I prepared for work. In "Hair-Raising Night," Buster is assigned to stop mad scientist Dr. Gene Splicer from creating mutants from spare animal parts. He fibs to the others and tells them it's the Emmys to get them to join the adventure. Plucky goes right along with the ruse, even when Splicer's after his brains. Hampton and Babs are less amused, especially when they're chased by Splicer's huge dog-bat mutant with a crush on Babs.
Work was slightly less annoying than yesterday...and at the very least, shorter. It was still busy, but the nice day did seem to have put people in a somewhat better mood. One of the teenage boys went in for me so I could get out on time.
I went straight to Sonic for what'll probably be my last outdoor dinner of the year. It was a nice day for it, too. There were some clouds in the afternoon, but they were mostly gone by 6PM, leaving a beautiful rosy sunset. I enjoyed the view while kicking back with my favorite Sonic meal, Grilled Chicken on Ciabatta Bread, onion rings, and a cherry limeade. Nothing finer.
I finished the cherry limeade as I returned to the Acme for this week's grocery shopping. The Acme's having a big mix-and-match sale. If you buy six of the listed baking items, you'll get 3 dollars off. This allowed me to stock up on Betty Crocker cake mix, Nestle chocolate chips, Pam cooking spray, and pineapple rings for a good price. The Acme's having a huge store-wide buy-one, get-one deal on hundreds of items. I hardly need two of most things, but I found spiced chicken legs and lightly breaded chicken breasts for a good price. My mouthwash is almost empty, and I wanted to buy more grapefruit after I enjoyed them so much last week.
Ran a quick supernatural-themed episode of Night Court when I got home as I got organized and put things away. In the second season episode "The Gypsy," Harry Stone sentences a fortune teller to prison when she disagrees with his leniency on one of her more aggressive clients. Harry doesn't believe in her magic or threats, until Bull drops paralyzed in the court room and Dan's accountant has a heart attack in the middle of an audit. Harry then puts on a little show of his own to prove to Bull that magic is really just make-believe. (Dan never does get his money back, though.)
Friday, November 01, 2013
The Weirdest Place On Earth
Began a windy, rainy morning with a spooky episode of Tiny Toon Adventures I wasn't able to sneak in before yesterday. In "Stuff That Goes Bump In the Night," we explore three stories of the things that drive fear into the hearts of Toons. Buster haunts Montana Max after the bratty mini-millionaire destroys his home in the first story. The second has an ever-clueless Elmyra demonstrating how not to take care of a bat that can turn into a vampire. The third has Hampton dealing with a less spooky blood sucking pest - a mosquito that just won't let him sleep.
Moved to Gravity Falls as I started to take down the Halloween decorations and put up the Thanksgiving ones. Debuting last year, this has quickly become one of the Disney Channel's most popular animated shows. Dipper and Mabel are twins who otherwise have little in common. Mabel is very feminine and always looks on the bright side. Dipper tends to be more suspicious. They're sent to Gravity Falls, Oregon to spend the summer with their Great-Uncle "Grunkle" Stan at his tourist trap museum The Mystery Shack. Also joining them are the Shack's slacker employees, slightly slow Soos and tough Wendy. They're not especially happy to be there...until Dipper finds a book that tells him that things are far from what they appear in Gravity Falls. Soon, the duo are dodging love-sick gnomes, revenge-minded wax figures, and bratty psychics and wondering just what in the heck they've gotten themselves into.
I can see why this one picked up a cult following so fast. Disney doesn't often move outside the box, especially on its cable channel...but when it does, the results can be a winner, as with Phineas and Ferb, Doc McStuffins, and Gravity Falls. I especially like upbeat Mabel and the two employees, sharper-than-he-looks Soos and sensible Wendy. Look this one up on The Disney Channel or online if you like unusual animation or paranormal stories.
I wish work was that fun. Today was my eight-hour shift. We were very busy for most of the day. It's the beginning of the month, which meant lots of demanding, annoying people who order you to bag first...and never say please, or even "hello." My second break was almost an hour late! Thank heavens we slowed down enough by 5:30 that I was able to spend the remaining night doing returns. My knees and heel spur are killing me. I could barely walk to do the returns, but it would have been worse standing.
Oh, and I got lucky with the weather. It rained for most of the morning, but was slowing down when I rode to work. The clouds vanished all together sometime around 4PM. By the time I headed home, most things were dry.
Moved to Gravity Falls as I started to take down the Halloween decorations and put up the Thanksgiving ones. Debuting last year, this has quickly become one of the Disney Channel's most popular animated shows. Dipper and Mabel are twins who otherwise have little in common. Mabel is very feminine and always looks on the bright side. Dipper tends to be more suspicious. They're sent to Gravity Falls, Oregon to spend the summer with their Great-Uncle "Grunkle" Stan at his tourist trap museum The Mystery Shack. Also joining them are the Shack's slacker employees, slightly slow Soos and tough Wendy. They're not especially happy to be there...until Dipper finds a book that tells him that things are far from what they appear in Gravity Falls. Soon, the duo are dodging love-sick gnomes, revenge-minded wax figures, and bratty psychics and wondering just what in the heck they've gotten themselves into.
I can see why this one picked up a cult following so fast. Disney doesn't often move outside the box, especially on its cable channel...but when it does, the results can be a winner, as with Phineas and Ferb, Doc McStuffins, and Gravity Falls. I especially like upbeat Mabel and the two employees, sharper-than-he-looks Soos and sensible Wendy. Look this one up on The Disney Channel or online if you like unusual animation or paranormal stories.
I wish work was that fun. Today was my eight-hour shift. We were very busy for most of the day. It's the beginning of the month, which meant lots of demanding, annoying people who order you to bag first...and never say please, or even "hello." My second break was almost an hour late! Thank heavens we slowed down enough by 5:30 that I was able to spend the remaining night doing returns. My knees and heel spur are killing me. I could barely walk to do the returns, but it would have been worse standing.
Oh, and I got lucky with the weather. It rained for most of the morning, but was slowing down when I rode to work. The clouds vanished all together sometime around 4PM. By the time I headed home, most things were dry.
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