I awoke to snow. Sort of. Actually, there was less than an inch on my porch around 7:30 this morning, and even then, it was rapidly melting. It was gone by the time I sat down with my Multi-Grain Cheerios and half a grapefruit.
Spent most of the morning making Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies for my friend Lauren (she requested them; she and her parents loved the ones I made for her birthday) and watching Here Comes Santa Claus. This very strange French musical involves a little boy named Simon whose parents were taken prisoner by angry natives in Africa. Simon would do anything to get them back...including traveling to Lapland with his friend Ellody to ask Santa to find them. While Santa and his fairy helper Mary Ellen track down Simon's parents in Senegal, Simon and Ellody try to escape the clutches of an ogre who eats children, puppies, and fairies.
Well, you can't say this one isn't original. For one thing, I've never heard of a fairy helping Santa, instead of the usual Mrs. Claus. It was also filmed on location, not only in France and Lapland, but in Senegal, too. You don't often see Santa conversing with real African natives or being accused of spying! The English dubbed version is on video (which is how I got it), but to my knowledge, it hasn't been released in the US on DVD at press time. If you can find the video, it's worth a look if you enjoy unusual Santa tales or 80s musicals.
Though the snow was long gone by the time I started getting ready for work, I put on The Snowman anyway to honor the first real snow we've had this year. This charming British animated tale shows how a little boy and his frosty pal have fun together one winter's night. The little boy shows him his home, including his parents' room and an old motorcycle. The snowman takes the child across the sea to meet Father Christmas himself, along with a host of other snow people. Deservedly Oscar-nominated in 1982 for the wonderful animation. The score is lovely too, including the song "Walking In the Air."
It was so clear by 11 AM, I rode to work with no problems (other than having to dodge the road work on the ramp into Oaklyn). Work wasn't bad in the morning and early afternoon, when the weather was still scaring people off. It didn't really pick up until around 3...and people were not happy campers. Either they were mad about the weather, or they all just came from the malls. There was one especially fussy woman who was nothing but a pain. She bossed her husband around. She bossed me around. She kept complaining about the prices on the items that had already been marked on clearance. She went back and complained to a manger about the prices.
It snowed again while I was at work, but this time, it left no accumulation. When I got out at 5, it was just wet. Any precipitation was long gone. I cheered myself up with a short ride around Audubon Park to look at their lights. Audubon Park is the development across from the Audubon Crossings Shopping center that separates the shopping center from Oaklyn (along with the creek). The plain white houses were gleefully strung with everything from the dripping pale-blue "icicle" lights to green light wreaths and dark red lights that looked like strings of cinnamon red hots. It was chilly, but not abnormally so for this time of year, and the wind from this morning had vanished. I very much enjoyed my ride.
When I got home, I changed into regular clothes, then put the cookies in a box. That finished out Lauren's package. I taped that one up and labeled it. I'll do my friends Linda and James Young's batch tomorrow.
Heated up the last of the leftover Turkey Vegetable Soup while watching the second season of the 2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Though the very first episode involved Donatello creating a formula from a crystal that will release some friends of theirs from an illness that turns them into mutants, most of the episodes I watched tonight involved New York's gangs in a turf war prompted by the Shredder's death. Leonardo blames himself and wants to stop it. Raphael thinks it's none of their concern. When Leo takes off, the other three go after him...and they end up involved in the gang wars anyway. Casey Jones is more than happy to jump in and help. (And it looks like him and April are an item again. Time to break out the Moonlighting jokes!) There's also a lovely young Japanese woman who seems to be close to Shredder and the Foot...and is a formidable fighter in her own right.
Life is a lazy river - no matter where you are. Movies, musicals, mysteries, pop culture, and lots of other great stuff.
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Windy Christmas
I was up really late last night. It was cold and windy but sort-of sunny when I finally rolled out of bed late this morning. I ran more holiday-themed Max & Ruby as I had breakfast, and then as I did a few chores around the apartment.
Ruby wants to buy a pink feather boa for "Grandma's Present," but Max has a better idea of what she likes. Ruby's hoping that "Max & Ruby's Christmas Tree" will be beautiful, but Max has his own, less conventional ideas of beauty. Ruby wants to shovel all the way to Grandma's house in "Ruby's Snowplow." Max would rather play with his toy car. He finally figures out a way to compromise. Max is after some tasty candy treats in "Sugar Plum Max," while Louise and Ruby concentrate on their Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy for Grandma. Ruby and Louise want Max to be the audience for "Ruby's Puppet Show." Max wants to actually be in the show.
I headed out after the last short ended. It was chilly and windy today, and the sun kept hiding behind clouds leftover from yesterday. I appreciated the warmth of the Westmont Bagel Shop when I arrived. Surprisingly for 1:30, they weren't busy. Only one other woman was there, and she ate in the front. I guess she wanted to be around all of the lovely decorations...which, unfortunately, did not extend into the back dining area. I was able to enjoy my turkey, avocado, and Swiss honey wheat wrap and French fries with nothing but The Chew and the kitchen workers in the background.
Everyone must have decided to hit the stores. Dollar Tree was busy when I arrived. There was a very long line at the registers that went across the store! All I needed was a card for my 6-year-old nephew Collyn's birthday on Friday, a card for Mom and Dad-Bill's anniversary next week, and to grab another box of Christmas cards just in case. I went with a simple, somewhat folksy-looking green Christmas tree design. By the time I made it to the line, they'd opened a second register, and the line was moving much faster.
(The tiny bit of flurries we had as I was walking to Dollar Tree probably didn't help. People must have heard that New England got about 3 to 4 inches and thought we'd be getting it, too.)
Went straight to the Haddon Township Library next. I guess everyone else was still shopping. They weren't that busy. It was mostly people reading and avoiding the chilly weather. I had a tough time organizing DVDs. Not only were the kids' racks overflowing, but the R, S, and T titles in the adult racks were so stuffed, I couldn't get anything new in there, either. I had more luck with organizing the romance paperbacks and finally finishing them off. It was three-fourths Sherry Woods or Lorie Wilde. I was surprised they only had three titles from my mother's long-time favorite romance author, Kathleen L. Woodwiss. She's been a huge fan of her books for as long as I can remember.
I only found three titles that interested me this week. I've been wanting to see Wes Anderson's comedy The Grand Budapest Hotel, about the quirky staff and guests of the title hotel in a fictional European country between the World Wars, since I first heard about it early this year. I've only seen a few episodes of the well-received 2003 version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I decided to make up for this with the Season 2, Volume 1 set. Also grabbed the Disney Pooh compilation special A Very Pooh New Year.
I headed home across a gray, blustery Newton River Park. I was the only one who did. The only other creatures who joined me were Canadian geese and mallards and their mates who didn't mind the cold as much. The leaves are totally gone from the trees now. The park is all shades of brown, punctuated by the delicate brushstrokes of leafless trees.
When I got home, I put everything away, then pulled out the cards. It was time to get those done. I have more cards going in the mail than I did last year, thanks to getting a few more relatives' addresses over the past year (and updating a good friend's address). I still have a lot of those beautiful glitter-covered snow scene cards I got half-off at CVS a few days after Christmas two years ago. That was such a good find. Those cards are gorgeous. The cards are all done now. Some will go out in the mail tomorrow before work. Some will be given to family and neighbors in the area. A few will be put in packages I hope to send out by Saturday morning.
Put on White Christmas for some festive background music as I worked. Two entertainers (Danny Kaye and Bing Crosby) are huge hits in the years following World War II, becoming popular enough to star in their own revue. While touring with the show in Florida, they meet and fall for a singing sister act (Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen) and follow them northward to Vermont. Turns out the inn they're playing at is run by their old army general (Dean Jagger) who has fallen on hard times thanks to Vermont's lack of snow. The two performers first drag their show northward, then come up with an even bigger idea...one that is misinterpreted by Clooney and temporarily derails the budding relationships.
This huge, Technicolor extravaganza was the top hit of 1954. The musical numbers and colorful widescreen cinematography carry the day until the romantic complications in the middle of the movie drag things down. The best number is in the first five minutes, anyway. Bing sings the title song in the opening sequence set during World War II, accompanied by nothing but a tinkling music box and bombs falling in the distance. It's a truly touching moment.
Switched to Santa Bear's First Christmas as I made Red and Green Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes and had leftover turkey vegetable soup for dinner. The sweet tale of a lost little polar bear who befriends a little girl, then gets a special wish from Santa while trying to help her and her grandfather, is a favorite of mine. According to the video, B. Daulton Booksellers put this out in the 80s. Too bad Barnes and Noble or someone else hasn't tried resurrecting it on DVD. I think it's adorable; I love the beautiful, simple illustrations used for the animation.
Ruby wants to buy a pink feather boa for "Grandma's Present," but Max has a better idea of what she likes. Ruby's hoping that "Max & Ruby's Christmas Tree" will be beautiful, but Max has his own, less conventional ideas of beauty. Ruby wants to shovel all the way to Grandma's house in "Ruby's Snowplow." Max would rather play with his toy car. He finally figures out a way to compromise. Max is after some tasty candy treats in "Sugar Plum Max," while Louise and Ruby concentrate on their Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy for Grandma. Ruby and Louise want Max to be the audience for "Ruby's Puppet Show." Max wants to actually be in the show.
I headed out after the last short ended. It was chilly and windy today, and the sun kept hiding behind clouds leftover from yesterday. I appreciated the warmth of the Westmont Bagel Shop when I arrived. Surprisingly for 1:30, they weren't busy. Only one other woman was there, and she ate in the front. I guess she wanted to be around all of the lovely decorations...which, unfortunately, did not extend into the back dining area. I was able to enjoy my turkey, avocado, and Swiss honey wheat wrap and French fries with nothing but The Chew and the kitchen workers in the background.
Everyone must have decided to hit the stores. Dollar Tree was busy when I arrived. There was a very long line at the registers that went across the store! All I needed was a card for my 6-year-old nephew Collyn's birthday on Friday, a card for Mom and Dad-Bill's anniversary next week, and to grab another box of Christmas cards just in case. I went with a simple, somewhat folksy-looking green Christmas tree design. By the time I made it to the line, they'd opened a second register, and the line was moving much faster.
(The tiny bit of flurries we had as I was walking to Dollar Tree probably didn't help. People must have heard that New England got about 3 to 4 inches and thought we'd be getting it, too.)
Went straight to the Haddon Township Library next. I guess everyone else was still shopping. They weren't that busy. It was mostly people reading and avoiding the chilly weather. I had a tough time organizing DVDs. Not only were the kids' racks overflowing, but the R, S, and T titles in the adult racks were so stuffed, I couldn't get anything new in there, either. I had more luck with organizing the romance paperbacks and finally finishing them off. It was three-fourths Sherry Woods or Lorie Wilde. I was surprised they only had three titles from my mother's long-time favorite romance author, Kathleen L. Woodwiss. She's been a huge fan of her books for as long as I can remember.
I only found three titles that interested me this week. I've been wanting to see Wes Anderson's comedy The Grand Budapest Hotel, about the quirky staff and guests of the title hotel in a fictional European country between the World Wars, since I first heard about it early this year. I've only seen a few episodes of the well-received 2003 version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I decided to make up for this with the Season 2, Volume 1 set. Also grabbed the Disney Pooh compilation special A Very Pooh New Year.
I headed home across a gray, blustery Newton River Park. I was the only one who did. The only other creatures who joined me were Canadian geese and mallards and their mates who didn't mind the cold as much. The leaves are totally gone from the trees now. The park is all shades of brown, punctuated by the delicate brushstrokes of leafless trees.
When I got home, I put everything away, then pulled out the cards. It was time to get those done. I have more cards going in the mail than I did last year, thanks to getting a few more relatives' addresses over the past year (and updating a good friend's address). I still have a lot of those beautiful glitter-covered snow scene cards I got half-off at CVS a few days after Christmas two years ago. That was such a good find. Those cards are gorgeous. The cards are all done now. Some will go out in the mail tomorrow before work. Some will be given to family and neighbors in the area. A few will be put in packages I hope to send out by Saturday morning.
Put on White Christmas for some festive background music as I worked. Two entertainers (Danny Kaye and Bing Crosby) are huge hits in the years following World War II, becoming popular enough to star in their own revue. While touring with the show in Florida, they meet and fall for a singing sister act (Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen) and follow them northward to Vermont. Turns out the inn they're playing at is run by their old army general (Dean Jagger) who has fallen on hard times thanks to Vermont's lack of snow. The two performers first drag their show northward, then come up with an even bigger idea...one that is misinterpreted by Clooney and temporarily derails the budding relationships.
This huge, Technicolor extravaganza was the top hit of 1954. The musical numbers and colorful widescreen cinematography carry the day until the romantic complications in the middle of the movie drag things down. The best number is in the first five minutes, anyway. Bing sings the title song in the opening sequence set during World War II, accompanied by nothing but a tinkling music box and bombs falling in the distance. It's a truly touching moment.
Switched to Santa Bear's First Christmas as I made Red and Green Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes and had leftover turkey vegetable soup for dinner. The sweet tale of a lost little polar bear who befriends a little girl, then gets a special wish from Santa while trying to help her and her grandfather, is a favorite of mine. According to the video, B. Daulton Booksellers put this out in the 80s. Too bad Barnes and Noble or someone else hasn't tried resurrecting it on DVD. I think it's adorable; I love the beautiful, simple illustrations used for the animation.
Tuesday, December 09, 2014
No Child or Turtle Is Left Behind
It finally started pouring around 12:30 last night, and it was still going when I awoke this morning. I spent a lot of the morning nice and dry inside, reading How Mrs. Claus Saved Christmas and finishing my current offline journal. This was no morning to be out running around.
When I did get up, I had the usual Multi-Grain Cheerios and half a grapefruit for breakfast. Since CBS ran the 1964 Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer tonight, I thought I'd do the same. Rudolph is a very cute little reindeer with a very red, glowing nose. Driven away by the teasing of his fellow reindeer, he encounters Hermie, an elf who wants to be a dentist, and prospector Yukon Cornelius. The three first travel to the Island of Misfit Toys, where they meet rejected playthings that just want to be loved by children, before finally returning to the North Pole during a blinding blizzard. Santa may not be able to get past the blizzard to make his rounds, unless Rudolph lends a hoof...and a nose.
I headed out after Rudolph ended. By 11:30, the rain had gentled down to a slight mist. It was chilly but not abnormally so for this time of year, probably in the upper 30s-lower 40s. I thought I'd take a short walk in Oaklyn and hit the library and finish my shopping while Mother Nature behaved herself.
The Library was my first stop. The weather must have scared everyone off. The only person I saw there for the entire 40 minutes was the librarian. I just organized DVDs and children's series books while CNN droned on in the background.
I had one more bit of Christmas shopping left to do at the House of Fun. I saw something there a while back that Lauren might get a kick out of. I found that in the back right away, then explored the rest of the store. Didn't see anything I couldn't live without at the moment. I headed out after I bought the item.
Though it was just misting again as I walked home, the rain picked up shortly after I arrived. It rained off and on through most of the afternoon, though it's been off since the evening hours. I spent the rest of the afternoon at home, wrapping all of my Christmas presents. This completes my Christmas gift shopping. If anyone shows up unexpectedly, they will get food or something small from the Acme or one of the drug stores.
Put on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret of the Ooze while I wrapped. The Turtles are now looking for a new home, their previous one having been destroyed by the Foot Clan in the first film. While Leonardo and Raphael bicker over not doing more about the city's crime, their reporter friend April O'Neal discovers that a lab has been covering up the burial of some canisters of mutagen that could have destructive properties in the wrong hands. Meanwhile, their old adversary Shredder has reappeared. He's out for revenge and is determined to eliminate the Turtles, come heck, highwater, or Ninja Raps.
This is rather notorious today for being a lot less gritty than the first film and for being extremely early 90s, up to and including the infamous, rather gratuitous "Ninja Rap" dance sequence at a club with Vanilla Ice. For all of that, I've always liked it. Yes, it's lighter, but it has some great one-liners. Raphael's reaction to the guys' new digs, "And I thought all the really good dungeons were in Europe!" is a favorite.
Though it's more comic, there is still violence and some very scary monsters. As with the first movie, I recommend this for older Turtles fans. Younger ones will want to start with their choice of cartoon series before coming to any of the movies.
Switched to The Flintstones' Christmas Carol as I finished up the wrapping. Fred plays Scrooge in a local production of the famous novella, but he's taking the role far too much to heart. His constant rehearsing and inflated ego (when his ego wasn't exactly small to begin with) is driving Wilma crazy. Wilma has enough to deal with as it is - she's the show's stage manager and understudy. Fred finally learns a lesson in what Christmas really means when he's accidentally locked in a department store during the show's intermission and is given a scare by a security guard.
Went straight in the bath as soon as the Flintstones ended. Ahhh. That felt very good. I listened to one of my WOGL Ultimate Christmas collections and read Christmas Songs Made In America. Though most of those were fairly recent, like "White Christmas" and "Jingle Bell Rock," a few, such as "Away In a Manger" or the African-American spiritual "Go Tell It On the Mountain" go back to the 19th century or further.
When I finally dragged myself out, I made pasta and chicken meatballs with Brussels sprouts in oriental sauce for dinner while watching Arthur Christmas. Like the Disney shorts Prep & Landing, this one uses science and technology to explain how Santa can deliver presents to millions of children in one night. The answer - a covert operation that always gets Santa in and out without being seen. Though Santa gets to place the last present, he's really more of a figurehead than anything else. The current Santa has two sons who want to succeed him. Steve is ultra-efficient and organized, but he's also a bit of a jerk and really doesn't like children or toys. Arthur is clumsy and something of a nerd, but as the person who answers Santa's letters, he's aware of what they need and want and genuinely wants to make them happy.
When one child's present is overlooked, Arthur becomes determined to deliver it at all cost, in order to keep the child's faith in Christmas alive. GrandSanta, the previous Santa, agrees to take Arthur there in his ancient steampunk sleigh. GrandSanta may be a treasure trove of stories about what he did during his days as the lone gift-giver, but he's not very good at hiding himself. While countries around the world think they're seeing aliens, the current Santa, his wife, and Steve know what it really is and goes after them.
Surprisingly sweet and quite enjoyable. I really liked how no one in this was played as a villain. Steve and Arthur are two different sides of the same coin - one is efficient, the other is determined, and neither is entirely wrong in their approach. Even the world leaders who overreact to the sleigh sightings aren't bad, just paranoid. GrandSanta is greedy and rather selfish, but he does help Arthur in the end, and even admits that running out like that in the sleigh wasn't the best idea in the world.
It's too bad this one ran into the dual problems of poor marketing and a tough 2011 family market, including The Muppets and Alvin and the Chipmunks. This is a genuinely fun movie that deserves to be far better known. Highly recommended, especially for families and for fans of other Aardman projects (you can see references throughout the film).
When I did get up, I had the usual Multi-Grain Cheerios and half a grapefruit for breakfast. Since CBS ran the 1964 Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer tonight, I thought I'd do the same. Rudolph is a very cute little reindeer with a very red, glowing nose. Driven away by the teasing of his fellow reindeer, he encounters Hermie, an elf who wants to be a dentist, and prospector Yukon Cornelius. The three first travel to the Island of Misfit Toys, where they meet rejected playthings that just want to be loved by children, before finally returning to the North Pole during a blinding blizzard. Santa may not be able to get past the blizzard to make his rounds, unless Rudolph lends a hoof...and a nose.
I headed out after Rudolph ended. By 11:30, the rain had gentled down to a slight mist. It was chilly but not abnormally so for this time of year, probably in the upper 30s-lower 40s. I thought I'd take a short walk in Oaklyn and hit the library and finish my shopping while Mother Nature behaved herself.
The Library was my first stop. The weather must have scared everyone off. The only person I saw there for the entire 40 minutes was the librarian. I just organized DVDs and children's series books while CNN droned on in the background.
I had one more bit of Christmas shopping left to do at the House of Fun. I saw something there a while back that Lauren might get a kick out of. I found that in the back right away, then explored the rest of the store. Didn't see anything I couldn't live without at the moment. I headed out after I bought the item.
Though it was just misting again as I walked home, the rain picked up shortly after I arrived. It rained off and on through most of the afternoon, though it's been off since the evening hours. I spent the rest of the afternoon at home, wrapping all of my Christmas presents. This completes my Christmas gift shopping. If anyone shows up unexpectedly, they will get food or something small from the Acme or one of the drug stores.
Put on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret of the Ooze while I wrapped. The Turtles are now looking for a new home, their previous one having been destroyed by the Foot Clan in the first film. While Leonardo and Raphael bicker over not doing more about the city's crime, their reporter friend April O'Neal discovers that a lab has been covering up the burial of some canisters of mutagen that could have destructive properties in the wrong hands. Meanwhile, their old adversary Shredder has reappeared. He's out for revenge and is determined to eliminate the Turtles, come heck, highwater, or Ninja Raps.
This is rather notorious today for being a lot less gritty than the first film and for being extremely early 90s, up to and including the infamous, rather gratuitous "Ninja Rap" dance sequence at a club with Vanilla Ice. For all of that, I've always liked it. Yes, it's lighter, but it has some great one-liners. Raphael's reaction to the guys' new digs, "And I thought all the really good dungeons were in Europe!" is a favorite.
Though it's more comic, there is still violence and some very scary monsters. As with the first movie, I recommend this for older Turtles fans. Younger ones will want to start with their choice of cartoon series before coming to any of the movies.
Switched to The Flintstones' Christmas Carol as I finished up the wrapping. Fred plays Scrooge in a local production of the famous novella, but he's taking the role far too much to heart. His constant rehearsing and inflated ego (when his ego wasn't exactly small to begin with) is driving Wilma crazy. Wilma has enough to deal with as it is - she's the show's stage manager and understudy. Fred finally learns a lesson in what Christmas really means when he's accidentally locked in a department store during the show's intermission and is given a scare by a security guard.
Went straight in the bath as soon as the Flintstones ended. Ahhh. That felt very good. I listened to one of my WOGL Ultimate Christmas collections and read Christmas Songs Made In America. Though most of those were fairly recent, like "White Christmas" and "Jingle Bell Rock," a few, such as "Away In a Manger" or the African-American spiritual "Go Tell It On the Mountain" go back to the 19th century or further.
When I finally dragged myself out, I made pasta and chicken meatballs with Brussels sprouts in oriental sauce for dinner while watching Arthur Christmas. Like the Disney shorts Prep & Landing, this one uses science and technology to explain how Santa can deliver presents to millions of children in one night. The answer - a covert operation that always gets Santa in and out without being seen. Though Santa gets to place the last present, he's really more of a figurehead than anything else. The current Santa has two sons who want to succeed him. Steve is ultra-efficient and organized, but he's also a bit of a jerk and really doesn't like children or toys. Arthur is clumsy and something of a nerd, but as the person who answers Santa's letters, he's aware of what they need and want and genuinely wants to make them happy.
When one child's present is overlooked, Arthur becomes determined to deliver it at all cost, in order to keep the child's faith in Christmas alive. GrandSanta, the previous Santa, agrees to take Arthur there in his ancient steampunk sleigh. GrandSanta may be a treasure trove of stories about what he did during his days as the lone gift-giver, but he's not very good at hiding himself. While countries around the world think they're seeing aliens, the current Santa, his wife, and Steve know what it really is and goes after them.
Surprisingly sweet and quite enjoyable. I really liked how no one in this was played as a villain. Steve and Arthur are two different sides of the same coin - one is efficient, the other is determined, and neither is entirely wrong in their approach. Even the world leaders who overreact to the sleigh sightings aren't bad, just paranoid. GrandSanta is greedy and rather selfish, but he does help Arthur in the end, and even admits that running out like that in the sleigh wasn't the best idea in the world.
It's too bad this one ran into the dual problems of poor marketing and a tough 2011 family market, including The Muppets and Alvin and the Chipmunks. This is a genuinely fun movie that deserves to be far better known. Highly recommended, especially for families and for fans of other Aardman projects (you can see references throughout the film).
Monday, December 08, 2014
Before the Nor'easter Came
Started a cloudy morning with a couple of Peanuts holiday specials. It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown and Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales have a different format than most Peanuts specials. Instead of being one linear story, they're a series of holiday-related skits, like The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show. They've both grown on me over the years, especially Christmastime Again. My favorite bits from Christmastime Again revolve around Marcie, Sally, and Peppermint Patty appearing in a Christmas pageant and Peppermint Patty's attempts to avoid holiday homework. Sally has most of the best moments in Christmas Tales, including her writing to Samantha Claus and how she gets a Christmas tree.
I didn't get to doing the laundry until around quarter after 12. Thankfully, they weren't that busy, nor did I have a lot to wash. I listened to a local news talk show and the first half of The Bold and the Beautiful while my small load was in the washer and dryer.
When I got home, I ran more episodes on the Max & Ruby Everybunny Loves Winter set and ate a quick lunch of chicken soup with mashed cauliflower. "Ruby's Snowbunny" will be beautiful, if Max can pay attention to helping his sister rather than Ruby's guy friend Roger sledding. In "Ruby's Snowflakes," Ruby wants her three snowflake cookies to look exactly alike. Max just wants to eat them and keeps trying to swipe them. Max loves playing "Duck Duck Goose," but Ruby, Louise, and Valerie have to find winter birds to take photos of for a Bunny Scouts project. Max finally gets them the last ones they need. "Ruby's Penny Carnival" will have a bake sale, a bean bag toss, and a fortune teller....but Max wants something scary, too. "Max's Balloon Buddies" keep breaking or flying away. Ruby wants to see the flower show, but she keeps having to get out of line to replace Max's balloons.
It was still just cloudy and cold when I headed to work. Work was steady when I came in, but by the 4 PM rush hour, the lines were getting much longer. We're supposed to be getting a huge storm late tonight and through most of tomorrow. Thankfully, it slowed down enough by the end of the night that I was able to leave without a relief or any need for one. There were a few annoying or rude customers, otherwise no major problems. In fact, ironically after all the trouble last week, I got a 5 star card for getting praise on a survey from a customer!
It was still just cold and dark when I went home. At press time, it sounds like the storm is finally going to start here around 1 AM. They're saying no snow at all in South Jersey. Most of it will go north of us.
I didn't get to doing the laundry until around quarter after 12. Thankfully, they weren't that busy, nor did I have a lot to wash. I listened to a local news talk show and the first half of The Bold and the Beautiful while my small load was in the washer and dryer.
When I got home, I ran more episodes on the Max & Ruby Everybunny Loves Winter set and ate a quick lunch of chicken soup with mashed cauliflower. "Ruby's Snowbunny" will be beautiful, if Max can pay attention to helping his sister rather than Ruby's guy friend Roger sledding. In "Ruby's Snowflakes," Ruby wants her three snowflake cookies to look exactly alike. Max just wants to eat them and keeps trying to swipe them. Max loves playing "Duck Duck Goose," but Ruby, Louise, and Valerie have to find winter birds to take photos of for a Bunny Scouts project. Max finally gets them the last ones they need. "Ruby's Penny Carnival" will have a bake sale, a bean bag toss, and a fortune teller....but Max wants something scary, too. "Max's Balloon Buddies" keep breaking or flying away. Ruby wants to see the flower show, but she keeps having to get out of line to replace Max's balloons.
It was still just cloudy and cold when I headed to work. Work was steady when I came in, but by the 4 PM rush hour, the lines were getting much longer. We're supposed to be getting a huge storm late tonight and through most of tomorrow. Thankfully, it slowed down enough by the end of the night that I was able to leave without a relief or any need for one. There were a few annoying or rude customers, otherwise no major problems. In fact, ironically after all the trouble last week, I got a 5 star card for getting praise on a survey from a customer!
It was still just cold and dark when I went home. At press time, it sounds like the storm is finally going to start here around 1 AM. They're saying no snow at all in South Jersey. Most of it will go north of us.
Sunday, December 07, 2014
Football Birds of Prey
Started out a sunny, chilly morning with Banana Pancakes and my two In the Christmas Mood cassettes. These are Laserlight recordings of "The Glenn Miller Orchestra" playing jazz and swing versions of favorite holiday tunes, plus an original title song on the first cassette. I've had these cassettes for at least 20 years now, since the mid-90s. They were some of the first holiday music I bought for myself with my own money besides the Happy Holidays series. They're nothing really great, but they make for fun holiday background music when you're baking or wrapping presents.
Work was busy off-and-on all afternoon. Not only was it a nice day (something we haven't had a lot of lately), but the Eagles were playing the Seattle Seahawks at 4:30, and it's still the beginning of the month. It went quickly, and the only major problem was one of those people who think they can buy a 100 dollars worth of groceries with 60 dollars. My relief was on time, but I was still almost late getting out.
I briefly went home to change into regular pants (I was already wearing my Eagles jersey - we're allowed to wear Eagles jerseys to work on game days) before heading to Dad's. Jodie, Dad, Mark, and Vanessa were already watching the game when I arrived. Jodie ordered pizza and hot wings from Phillies Phatties on West Clinton for dinner. The mushroom and pepperoni pies arrived just fine, but for some reason, the guy gave us a bag of fries instead of a bag of hot wings. Not only did Jodie finally get her wings, they let us keep the fries, too. We feasted on pizza, hot wings, and plain and bacon and cheese fries.
The Eagles didn't get as lucky as Jodie did. They played pretty well in the first half. Their defense was a match for Seattle's storied "Legion of Boom." The score was just 7-7 after the first half. Unfortunately, once the Eagles' offense came out, they fell apart. I got tired of Dad's fussing and left after Seattle scored a field goal and pulled ahead.
I made a quick stop at CVS after leaving Dad's. I needed eggs and to make change for the laundromat tomorrow. I treated myself to a carton of Hood's Pumpkin Eggnog, too. I've never seen Pumpkin Eggnog before. I was shocked at the high price of the eggs - $3.79! And everyone is always whining about how expensive the Acme's basic staples are. CVS used to have really cheap eggs. I bought them because I needed them, but I won't be doing it again.
I quickly switched on the game when I got home and put the eggs and eggnog away. Alas, the Eagles' offense just couldn't get anything going. They finally lost 24-14.
Work was busy off-and-on all afternoon. Not only was it a nice day (something we haven't had a lot of lately), but the Eagles were playing the Seattle Seahawks at 4:30, and it's still the beginning of the month. It went quickly, and the only major problem was one of those people who think they can buy a 100 dollars worth of groceries with 60 dollars. My relief was on time, but I was still almost late getting out.
I briefly went home to change into regular pants (I was already wearing my Eagles jersey - we're allowed to wear Eagles jerseys to work on game days) before heading to Dad's. Jodie, Dad, Mark, and Vanessa were already watching the game when I arrived. Jodie ordered pizza and hot wings from Phillies Phatties on West Clinton for dinner. The mushroom and pepperoni pies arrived just fine, but for some reason, the guy gave us a bag of fries instead of a bag of hot wings. Not only did Jodie finally get her wings, they let us keep the fries, too. We feasted on pizza, hot wings, and plain and bacon and cheese fries.
The Eagles didn't get as lucky as Jodie did. They played pretty well in the first half. Their defense was a match for Seattle's storied "Legion of Boom." The score was just 7-7 after the first half. Unfortunately, once the Eagles' offense came out, they fell apart. I got tired of Dad's fussing and left after Seattle scored a field goal and pulled ahead.
I made a quick stop at CVS after leaving Dad's. I needed eggs and to make change for the laundromat tomorrow. I treated myself to a carton of Hood's Pumpkin Eggnog, too. I've never seen Pumpkin Eggnog before. I was shocked at the high price of the eggs - $3.79! And everyone is always whining about how expensive the Acme's basic staples are. CVS used to have really cheap eggs. I bought them because I needed them, but I won't be doing it again.
I quickly switched on the game when I got home and put the eggs and eggnog away. Alas, the Eagles' offense just couldn't get anything going. They finally lost 24-14.
Saturday, December 06, 2014
Rainy Christmas
It was just murky and damp when I got up this morning. I finished Very Merry Christmas Songs as I had oatmeal for breakfast, then moved into more Disney. Mickey's Christmas Carol is Disney's half-hour adaptation of the classic Dickens story, with Mickey as Bob Cratchit and Uncle Scrooge as his namesake Ebeneezer Scrooge.
After I finished my oatmeal and Cranberry Flummery, I headed out. I want to check out the craft fair I saw advertised for a church in Haddon Township. Turns out it wasn't really much of a fair. There were two rooms with one table for kids' crafts and a couple of tables selling knitted or needlepoint ornaments, pins, and magnets, and some beaded or glass jewelry. On the other hand, they were good prices. I bought a red and white crocheted butterfly, a needlepoint poinsettia magnet, and a needlepoint Christmas tree pin for a dollar.
It was starting to shower as I rode home, I spent my remaining hour or so before work crocheting and having a quick bowl of soup for lunch. I ran a couple of religious-themed shorts as I worked. The Small One is Disney's other popular half-hour theatrical short. A little boy tries to sell his tiny, elderly donkey in a large city in ancient times, but has no luck...until he meets a kind man named Joseph who needs a donkey to carry his wife to Bethlehem. Touching and gentle, this lovely tale deserves to be better-known. To my knowledge, it's only available packaged with Mickey's Christmas Carol and a couple of holiday cartoons on two different Disney DVD sets. It's only solo release was on video.
Charlie Brown's mind is also on the more religious side of the holiday in the first and most beloved of the Peanuts prime-time specials, A Charlie Brown Christmas. Chuck's fed up with the constant grab, grab of the holidays and of his friends. He sees a school pageant as a chance to revive his flagging holiday spirit. He's made fun of when he brings home a dilapidated, natural tree after the others requested a huge metal monstrosity. It's Linus who finally reminds them all of what Christmas is really all about.
Rankin-Bass' first of four religious-oriented Christmas specials was The Little Drummer Boy in 1968. (It also featured its first female narrator, Greer Garson). The drummer of the title is Aaron, an orphan who wanders the desert with his animals and his drum music. He hates people because his parents were killed by bandits, which left him believing that all people are evil. Being kidnapped by a troop of traveling players, headed by a wily desert sheikh (Mel Ferrer), doesn't change his mind. It takes an encounter with three wise men and a baby in a manger who can perform miracles to change his mind about people and about love.
I headed to work shortly after Little Drummer Boy ended. By this point, it was pouring, but I had no choice. Everyone I know is at work. I had to ride to the Acme and arrive soaked.
Thankfully, that was the worst that happened all night. We were busy the entire evening. Not only is the weather lousy, but we're still in the beginning of the month. A lot of people are starting to prepare for holiday parties and baking, too.
My schedule next week is, barring any other problems, perfectly normal for this time of year. Only one late day, Monday; otherwise all afternoon and early evening work. Tuesday and Wednesday are off. Good thing, too. It looks like we'll be getting some more nasty weather Tuesday in particular. I wasn't planning on doing another major trip for a while, either. I'll concentrate on wrapping gifts and getting all of the cards and packages that are going out of state to the post office this week.
I had a longer grocery list tonight than I have the past few weeks. I had to restock vegetables and fruit really for the first time since the Farm Market ended. I bought cranberries, apples, bananas, Brussels sprouts, carrots, and grapefruit. Had to restock white and brown sugar before people start buying it for their Christmas baking. Grabbed more of the Acme generic Multi-Grain Cherrios and what looked like the last box of those tasty Cranberry-Sage Triscuits. Picked up a pop-can of pizza dough to make a quick personal pan pizza for dinner.
They had a variation on the spring Duncan Hines velvet recipes that were so well-received on Father's Day, this time in red and green. I bought myself a box. If the mix is as good as it was earlier in the year, I may make Jodie a Red and Green Velvet Cake instead of her usual pudding pie. She loved those red and blue velvet cupcakes so much earlier this year!
The rain was down to a misty shower when I rode home. I still got damp, but nothing like at noon. It's since picked up; I can hear it outside the bedroom window as I type this.
I ran Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed In at the House of Mouse as I put everything away and made what became Spinach, Chicken, and Mushroom Pizza. Mickey and the guests at the House of Mouse are stuck inside, thanks to a huge snowstorm. Don is feeling grouchy, so the others run cartoons both old and new to get him in the spirit of the season. Mickey is at his wit's end when Donald won't respond, but Jiminy Cricket may have the answer.
This is cute if you're a fan of House of Mouse or the regular Disney characters. However, it's also currently out of print and not that easy to find. I wouldn't recommend it unless you don't have Mickey's Christmas Carol (which makes up most of the second half of this "movie") or you want a copy of the hilarious version of "The Nutcracker" with Mickey as the Nutcracker, Minnie as Clara, and of all characters, Donald as the Mouse King.
After I finished my oatmeal and Cranberry Flummery, I headed out. I want to check out the craft fair I saw advertised for a church in Haddon Township. Turns out it wasn't really much of a fair. There were two rooms with one table for kids' crafts and a couple of tables selling knitted or needlepoint ornaments, pins, and magnets, and some beaded or glass jewelry. On the other hand, they were good prices. I bought a red and white crocheted butterfly, a needlepoint poinsettia magnet, and a needlepoint Christmas tree pin for a dollar.
It was starting to shower as I rode home, I spent my remaining hour or so before work crocheting and having a quick bowl of soup for lunch. I ran a couple of religious-themed shorts as I worked. The Small One is Disney's other popular half-hour theatrical short. A little boy tries to sell his tiny, elderly donkey in a large city in ancient times, but has no luck...until he meets a kind man named Joseph who needs a donkey to carry his wife to Bethlehem. Touching and gentle, this lovely tale deserves to be better-known. To my knowledge, it's only available packaged with Mickey's Christmas Carol and a couple of holiday cartoons on two different Disney DVD sets. It's only solo release was on video.
Charlie Brown's mind is also on the more religious side of the holiday in the first and most beloved of the Peanuts prime-time specials, A Charlie Brown Christmas. Chuck's fed up with the constant grab, grab of the holidays and of his friends. He sees a school pageant as a chance to revive his flagging holiday spirit. He's made fun of when he brings home a dilapidated, natural tree after the others requested a huge metal monstrosity. It's Linus who finally reminds them all of what Christmas is really all about.
Rankin-Bass' first of four religious-oriented Christmas specials was The Little Drummer Boy in 1968. (It also featured its first female narrator, Greer Garson). The drummer of the title is Aaron, an orphan who wanders the desert with his animals and his drum music. He hates people because his parents were killed by bandits, which left him believing that all people are evil. Being kidnapped by a troop of traveling players, headed by a wily desert sheikh (Mel Ferrer), doesn't change his mind. It takes an encounter with three wise men and a baby in a manger who can perform miracles to change his mind about people and about love.
I headed to work shortly after Little Drummer Boy ended. By this point, it was pouring, but I had no choice. Everyone I know is at work. I had to ride to the Acme and arrive soaked.
Thankfully, that was the worst that happened all night. We were busy the entire evening. Not only is the weather lousy, but we're still in the beginning of the month. A lot of people are starting to prepare for holiday parties and baking, too.
My schedule next week is, barring any other problems, perfectly normal for this time of year. Only one late day, Monday; otherwise all afternoon and early evening work. Tuesday and Wednesday are off. Good thing, too. It looks like we'll be getting some more nasty weather Tuesday in particular. I wasn't planning on doing another major trip for a while, either. I'll concentrate on wrapping gifts and getting all of the cards and packages that are going out of state to the post office this week.
I had a longer grocery list tonight than I have the past few weeks. I had to restock vegetables and fruit really for the first time since the Farm Market ended. I bought cranberries, apples, bananas, Brussels sprouts, carrots, and grapefruit. Had to restock white and brown sugar before people start buying it for their Christmas baking. Grabbed more of the Acme generic Multi-Grain Cherrios and what looked like the last box of those tasty Cranberry-Sage Triscuits. Picked up a pop-can of pizza dough to make a quick personal pan pizza for dinner.
They had a variation on the spring Duncan Hines velvet recipes that were so well-received on Father's Day, this time in red and green. I bought myself a box. If the mix is as good as it was earlier in the year, I may make Jodie a Red and Green Velvet Cake instead of her usual pudding pie. She loved those red and blue velvet cupcakes so much earlier this year!
The rain was down to a misty shower when I rode home. I still got damp, but nothing like at noon. It's since picked up; I can hear it outside the bedroom window as I type this.
I ran Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed In at the House of Mouse as I put everything away and made what became Spinach, Chicken, and Mushroom Pizza. Mickey and the guests at the House of Mouse are stuck inside, thanks to a huge snowstorm. Don is feeling grouchy, so the others run cartoons both old and new to get him in the spirit of the season. Mickey is at his wit's end when Donald won't respond, but Jiminy Cricket may have the answer.
This is cute if you're a fan of House of Mouse or the regular Disney characters. However, it's also currently out of print and not that easy to find. I wouldn't recommend it unless you don't have Mickey's Christmas Carol (which makes up most of the second half of this "movie") or you want a copy of the hilarious version of "The Nutcracker" with Mickey as the Nutcracker, Minnie as Clara, and of all characters, Donald as the Mouse King.
Friday, December 05, 2014
Christmas In Moorestown
I did end up going to the Moorestown Mall to do my Christmas shopping today. After a quick Multi-Grain Cheerios and Cranberry Flummery breakfast, I headed out. Made a quick stop at WaWa to get money, then rode down to the corner of King's Highway and the White Horse Pike. Even with crossing the street to lock my bike at the rack in front of CVS, I still had plenty of time before the bus finally arrived ten minutes late. I don't know why they were late. The traffic must have been bad in Camden. It was a little congested in Haddonfield, but otherwise wasn't really that bad going to the mall.
This time, I got off right at the Mall. The bus conveniently lets off next to Boscov's, which is where I wanted to go first. They were very busy, probably more than the mall at large. Thankfully, the accessories are some of the first displays you see upon entering through the mall. I always get my sister Jessa some nifty socks or accessories.
After I found what I wanted for Jess, I headed to the toy department. Boscov's toy department isn't great, but I'm just glad they have one. Most larger department stores like Macy's only have toys out around Christmas, and then just a few. I did peek at their Ever After High dolls, but they were all $22 and over, way more than I want to pay for a small fashion doll. I'll keep looking for the basic dolls on good sales. I had more luck with my nephew Collyn, I bought him a Hot Wheels monster truck and a larger truck that held two more cars.
Made a quick stop at the candy counter on the way out. This is something else that Boscov's still has that most other department stores have long phased out. Their different kinds of fudge all looked so tempting! In the end, I decided to stick with the spirit of the season and pick up two large pieces of Peppermint Crunch.
It was getting late, and I was hungry. I headed to the food court for lunch and a bathroom break. I opted for a Philly Chicken cheesesteak with mushrooms, green peppers, and onions and a cup of fries from Charley's. The fries were thick and hot and not too greasy. The chicken cheesesteak wasn't bad, but it did drip and make a bit of a mess.
The Barnes & Noble is literally right across the street from the food court and Boscov's entrances. The Moorestown Barnes & Noble is enormous, twice the size of the one from Cherry Hill. Maybe that was why I had such a hard time choosing books for my nephews! Khai was easier. I wanted one more Golden Book to go with the three I found mint at yard sales. I found one on Captain America. He was Captain America for Halloween; I thought he'd enjoy the pictures. I had a tougher time with 10-year-old Skylar. I really don't know what 10-year-old boys are reading these days. In the end, I went with a pocket encyclopedia of science (he's a science nut) and a new craft/writing book for Diary of a Wimpy Kid, which Mom says he's really into.
As I was exploring for Skylar, I found that Ever After High also has a young adult book series. There were four books, the first two revolving more-or-less around "The Beginning" and series 1 webisodes, the third a stand-alone story featuring Cedar Wood and the Wonderland characters, and the fourth an anthology featuring the various characters. I'd love to pick up all four with Christmas money. They were written by Shannon Hale, who did the wonderful Princess Academy that I really enjoyed last year.
I just made it back to the bus terminal to pick up the 4:37...then realized I didn't have the right change for the bus. I ran inside and bought a chocolate chip cookie. I waited outside for at least 15 minutes before I finally gave up, decided I'd missed the bus, and went back in the mall.
FYE is right across from the food court. It's not very big, but they did have a lot of interesting DVDs. I ultimately went with two I'd wanted that weren't on sale, but were a good regular price. I love the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies - I finally got the second early 90s movie, Secret of the Ooze. (Yes, the one with Vanilla Ice and the Ninja Rap.) The Road to El Dorado replaced a used copy I bought from FYE some time ago that was heavily scratched and skipped quite a bit around the middle of the movie.
I did make it to the bus stop well before 5:37. Of course, the bus didn't arrive until 5:55. It wasn't the only bus that was late, either. A lot of people were complaining about their rides being 10 minutes late or more. It wasn't hard to tell why. There was heavy traffic around the East Gate office complexes, and even more in a very busy Haddonfield. I did enjoy seeing all the lovely light displays, especially in Haddonfield. King's Highway was lit up like a blazing bonfire, and there were tons of people out shopping.
I finally got in at Audubon around 6:48. Since the bus lets off across from CVS, I picked up a few things I needed there. I'm almost out of contact lens solution. Their generic laundry detergent was $2.99 for the 100 oz bottle, and I just ran out on Monday. Also picked up one more item for Jessa to finish her out and a grapefruit sparkling water.
It was past 7 when I finally rolled in. I rode home in a light shower. The clouds that had hovered all day finally burst. It sounds like the shower is supposed to pick up and get a lot heavier tomorrow. I hope not. I don't hear anything right now, but we'll see what happens.
At the very least, except for one item for Lauren, my Christmas shopping is now done. Anyone else who comes in unexpectedly will get small gifts from the Acme or the drug stores or food.
This time, I got off right at the Mall. The bus conveniently lets off next to Boscov's, which is where I wanted to go first. They were very busy, probably more than the mall at large. Thankfully, the accessories are some of the first displays you see upon entering through the mall. I always get my sister Jessa some nifty socks or accessories.
After I found what I wanted for Jess, I headed to the toy department. Boscov's toy department isn't great, but I'm just glad they have one. Most larger department stores like Macy's only have toys out around Christmas, and then just a few. I did peek at their Ever After High dolls, but they were all $22 and over, way more than I want to pay for a small fashion doll. I'll keep looking for the basic dolls on good sales. I had more luck with my nephew Collyn, I bought him a Hot Wheels monster truck and a larger truck that held two more cars.
Made a quick stop at the candy counter on the way out. This is something else that Boscov's still has that most other department stores have long phased out. Their different kinds of fudge all looked so tempting! In the end, I decided to stick with the spirit of the season and pick up two large pieces of Peppermint Crunch.
It was getting late, and I was hungry. I headed to the food court for lunch and a bathroom break. I opted for a Philly Chicken cheesesteak with mushrooms, green peppers, and onions and a cup of fries from Charley's. The fries were thick and hot and not too greasy. The chicken cheesesteak wasn't bad, but it did drip and make a bit of a mess.
The Barnes & Noble is literally right across the street from the food court and Boscov's entrances. The Moorestown Barnes & Noble is enormous, twice the size of the one from Cherry Hill. Maybe that was why I had such a hard time choosing books for my nephews! Khai was easier. I wanted one more Golden Book to go with the three I found mint at yard sales. I found one on Captain America. He was Captain America for Halloween; I thought he'd enjoy the pictures. I had a tougher time with 10-year-old Skylar. I really don't know what 10-year-old boys are reading these days. In the end, I went with a pocket encyclopedia of science (he's a science nut) and a new craft/writing book for Diary of a Wimpy Kid, which Mom says he's really into.
As I was exploring for Skylar, I found that Ever After High also has a young adult book series. There were four books, the first two revolving more-or-less around "The Beginning" and series 1 webisodes, the third a stand-alone story featuring Cedar Wood and the Wonderland characters, and the fourth an anthology featuring the various characters. I'd love to pick up all four with Christmas money. They were written by Shannon Hale, who did the wonderful Princess Academy that I really enjoyed last year.
I just made it back to the bus terminal to pick up the 4:37...then realized I didn't have the right change for the bus. I ran inside and bought a chocolate chip cookie. I waited outside for at least 15 minutes before I finally gave up, decided I'd missed the bus, and went back in the mall.
FYE is right across from the food court. It's not very big, but they did have a lot of interesting DVDs. I ultimately went with two I'd wanted that weren't on sale, but were a good regular price. I love the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies - I finally got the second early 90s movie, Secret of the Ooze. (Yes, the one with Vanilla Ice and the Ninja Rap.) The Road to El Dorado replaced a used copy I bought from FYE some time ago that was heavily scratched and skipped quite a bit around the middle of the movie.
I did make it to the bus stop well before 5:37. Of course, the bus didn't arrive until 5:55. It wasn't the only bus that was late, either. A lot of people were complaining about their rides being 10 minutes late or more. It wasn't hard to tell why. There was heavy traffic around the East Gate office complexes, and even more in a very busy Haddonfield. I did enjoy seeing all the lovely light displays, especially in Haddonfield. King's Highway was lit up like a blazing bonfire, and there were tons of people out shopping.
I finally got in at Audubon around 6:48. Since the bus lets off across from CVS, I picked up a few things I needed there. I'm almost out of contact lens solution. Their generic laundry detergent was $2.99 for the 100 oz bottle, and I just ran out on Monday. Also picked up one more item for Jessa to finish her out and a grapefruit sparkling water.
It was past 7 when I finally rolled in. I rode home in a light shower. The clouds that had hovered all day finally burst. It sounds like the shower is supposed to pick up and get a lot heavier tomorrow. I hope not. I don't hear anything right now, but we'll see what happens.
At the very least, except for one item for Lauren, my Christmas shopping is now done. Anyone else who comes in unexpectedly will get small gifts from the Acme or the drug stores or food.
Thursday, December 04, 2014
Emma In Oaklynland
I slept in this morning. I was still feeling depressed after yesterday. I really didn't know what to do with myself. I finished The Autobiography of Santa Claus and wrote in my journal until past 10:30.
When I finally did get up, I thought Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus was appropriate, given I just finished a book on Santa. Despite being from the same studio that animated the Peanuts and winning an Emmy in 1974, this charming little special seems to be forgotten today. That's too bad, because it really is rather sweet. It tells the true-life story of Virginia O'Hanlon, a little girl in 1897 New York who wrote to the editor of the New York Sun, asking him if there was a Santa Claus...and his touching answer.
Switched to another Santa story as I finished up my oatmeal and grapefruit breakfast. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town is one of Rankin-Bass' most famous specials. This 1970 tale is a more fanciful take on Santa's origins, showing him as a baby adopted by toy-making elves. He defies the nasty bugomeister of Sombertown and continues to bring toys for the children, despite being branded an outlaw, and wins the heart of the pretty schoolteacher Jessica.
Headed out after Santa ended. I only had a few small chores that really needed to be done today. Started at the Oaklyn Library. I was hoping to see some volunteering opportunities there. I didn't see anything really interesting, and it was past 1 by that point, anyway. I just organized the DVDs and took a look at the kids' board books. I was the only person in there besides the librarian and one man reading the newspaper.
The last time I was at the Family Dollar on the White Horse Pike, they were reorganizing the interior, but the exterior was still the same dull steel gray-blue stucco with red trim. Much to my surprise, the red trim remained, but the blah gray was replaced by a mellow tan. The inside was as much of a mess as ever. Everything was just in different places. It took me a while to find what I wanted, which was a light bulb for the music area lamp. I was hoping they still sold inexpensive 60 watt 4-packs of bulbs. Nope. It looks like they're finally gone for good. I bought one of the new spiral bulbs and hoped it worked just as well.
Made a quick stop at WaWa across the street next. I was mainly there for skim milk. They're still selling the Gobbler hoagie, so I picked that up for lunch. Treated myself to a Pumpkin Cheesecake Smoothie, too. Unlike the Egg Nog Smoothie, which tasted more like a vanilla milkshake, you could really taste the pumpkin and the cheese in this one.
Rode up to West Clinton Avenue after leaving WaWa. I've talked to Studio LuLoo, a community arts center, a couple of times about volunteering, but I have yet to hear back from them. I went in and tried again. I left my information with a friendly girl named Roxanne. Even if nothing comes of this, at least I was able to talk to someone nice who was understanding about all the trouble I've had the last few days.
When I got home, I ran Jack Frost while eating lunch. This strange but sweet Rankin-Bass hybrid of The Little Mermaid and Santa Claus Is Coming to Town has the title character smitten by a human girl who claims she can love none but Jack Frost. He becomes human in order to win her, and ends up rescuing her from the evil Cossack King. Trouble is, she doesn't know who he is, and her eyes end up roaming to a handsome knight instead.
It was too nice to be inside all day. The day was sunny and cold, but windless, with just enough nip in the air to make it really feel like late fall. I gave the porch a really good sweeping. I hadn't done that in ages. The last of the big leaves are starting to come down. I even swept the side of the porch that's being worked on, being careful to stay away from the sides with no railings. Got the steps, too. They needed sweeping even more than the porch. The new railings and sides on the steps make them harder to sweep and get everything off.
I just went for a bike ride after I finished with the porch. I didn't know what else to do. I rode around and looked at the outdoor decorations that are out now, mainly colorful inflatables and lovely wreaths.
When I got in, I went online for a while to look up more local volunteering opportunities. My problem with volunteering is mainly my schedule. I never know what hours I'm working more than a week in advance, unless I ask for time off. It makes it hard to plan anything. I don't really know what I'm interested in, besides writing, or what I could handle. Could I deal with reading to people and helping them learn to read? Could I volunteer in the schools? How would I get around being shy?
When I got offline, I made Turkey-Vegetable Soup from leftover turkey tenderloin and veggies in my refrigerator, then Maple-Banana Cookies while watching the 1986 Babes In Toyland. Lisa Piper (Drew Barrymore) is only 11 years old, but she has a lot of responsibility in her family and feels quite grown-up. She learns a lesson in the importance of being young at heart when she's in an accident on a new sled and ends up in Toyland, a world where teddy bears are cops and everyone rides around in little amusement park cars. Nasty Barnaby (Richard Mulligan) wants to marry pretty Mary Contrary. Mother Hubbard (Eileen Brennan) agrees to get him to lift the mortgage on their home. Lisa does her best to bring Mary together with her real love Jack Be Nimble (Keanu Reeves) and rescue all of Toyland, including the Toymaster (Pat Moriayta) when Barnaby's trolls threatens the town.
This rather odd musical does have some nice touches. Barnaby lives in a bowling ball and has a one-eyed-bird-thing that helps him keep track of the heroes. Mother Hubbard carries a list to remember everything she says or does. A song Lisa hears performed outside the toy store in the beginning is performed during Mary's weddings, with only slightly changed lyrics.
I get a kick out of it, but it has some really big problems. First of all, the dialogue is stiff as a board, especially in Toyland. Second, the songs by Leslie Bricusse are absolutely unmemorable. Third, the one person who can actually sing, Brennan, doesn't. It's also incredibly cheap-looking, once again mostly in Toyland. It's a cute idea that doesn't really come off unless you're a fan of camp musicals like me. Not on DVD at press time, though I believe it can be found online and occasionally on cable.
I'm debating a mall trip tomorrow, either to the Moorestown Mall or to Philly. On one hand, I feel bad about going Christmas shopping when I'm suspended from work. I'm supposed to be punished, and my paycheck will be useless next week. On the other hand, I should be getting a good paycheck this week, and I don't really have much left to do, anyway. I need one thing for Lauren and one for Khai. I do need to do Jessa, Collyn, and Skylar, but none of them are that difficult. I'm also tired of sitting around, feeling sorry for myself. Shopping will take my mind off my troubles.
When I finally did get up, I thought Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus was appropriate, given I just finished a book on Santa. Despite being from the same studio that animated the Peanuts and winning an Emmy in 1974, this charming little special seems to be forgotten today. That's too bad, because it really is rather sweet. It tells the true-life story of Virginia O'Hanlon, a little girl in 1897 New York who wrote to the editor of the New York Sun, asking him if there was a Santa Claus...and his touching answer.
Switched to another Santa story as I finished up my oatmeal and grapefruit breakfast. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town is one of Rankin-Bass' most famous specials. This 1970 tale is a more fanciful take on Santa's origins, showing him as a baby adopted by toy-making elves. He defies the nasty bugomeister of Sombertown and continues to bring toys for the children, despite being branded an outlaw, and wins the heart of the pretty schoolteacher Jessica.
Headed out after Santa ended. I only had a few small chores that really needed to be done today. Started at the Oaklyn Library. I was hoping to see some volunteering opportunities there. I didn't see anything really interesting, and it was past 1 by that point, anyway. I just organized the DVDs and took a look at the kids' board books. I was the only person in there besides the librarian and one man reading the newspaper.
The last time I was at the Family Dollar on the White Horse Pike, they were reorganizing the interior, but the exterior was still the same dull steel gray-blue stucco with red trim. Much to my surprise, the red trim remained, but the blah gray was replaced by a mellow tan. The inside was as much of a mess as ever. Everything was just in different places. It took me a while to find what I wanted, which was a light bulb for the music area lamp. I was hoping they still sold inexpensive 60 watt 4-packs of bulbs. Nope. It looks like they're finally gone for good. I bought one of the new spiral bulbs and hoped it worked just as well.
Made a quick stop at WaWa across the street next. I was mainly there for skim milk. They're still selling the Gobbler hoagie, so I picked that up for lunch. Treated myself to a Pumpkin Cheesecake Smoothie, too. Unlike the Egg Nog Smoothie, which tasted more like a vanilla milkshake, you could really taste the pumpkin and the cheese in this one.
Rode up to West Clinton Avenue after leaving WaWa. I've talked to Studio LuLoo, a community arts center, a couple of times about volunteering, but I have yet to hear back from them. I went in and tried again. I left my information with a friendly girl named Roxanne. Even if nothing comes of this, at least I was able to talk to someone nice who was understanding about all the trouble I've had the last few days.
When I got home, I ran Jack Frost while eating lunch. This strange but sweet Rankin-Bass hybrid of The Little Mermaid and Santa Claus Is Coming to Town has the title character smitten by a human girl who claims she can love none but Jack Frost. He becomes human in order to win her, and ends up rescuing her from the evil Cossack King. Trouble is, she doesn't know who he is, and her eyes end up roaming to a handsome knight instead.
It was too nice to be inside all day. The day was sunny and cold, but windless, with just enough nip in the air to make it really feel like late fall. I gave the porch a really good sweeping. I hadn't done that in ages. The last of the big leaves are starting to come down. I even swept the side of the porch that's being worked on, being careful to stay away from the sides with no railings. Got the steps, too. They needed sweeping even more than the porch. The new railings and sides on the steps make them harder to sweep and get everything off.
I just went for a bike ride after I finished with the porch. I didn't know what else to do. I rode around and looked at the outdoor decorations that are out now, mainly colorful inflatables and lovely wreaths.
When I got in, I went online for a while to look up more local volunteering opportunities. My problem with volunteering is mainly my schedule. I never know what hours I'm working more than a week in advance, unless I ask for time off. It makes it hard to plan anything. I don't really know what I'm interested in, besides writing, or what I could handle. Could I deal with reading to people and helping them learn to read? Could I volunteer in the schools? How would I get around being shy?
When I got offline, I made Turkey-Vegetable Soup from leftover turkey tenderloin and veggies in my refrigerator, then Maple-Banana Cookies while watching the 1986 Babes In Toyland. Lisa Piper (Drew Barrymore) is only 11 years old, but she has a lot of responsibility in her family and feels quite grown-up. She learns a lesson in the importance of being young at heart when she's in an accident on a new sled and ends up in Toyland, a world where teddy bears are cops and everyone rides around in little amusement park cars. Nasty Barnaby (Richard Mulligan) wants to marry pretty Mary Contrary. Mother Hubbard (Eileen Brennan) agrees to get him to lift the mortgage on their home. Lisa does her best to bring Mary together with her real love Jack Be Nimble (Keanu Reeves) and rescue all of Toyland, including the Toymaster (Pat Moriayta) when Barnaby's trolls threatens the town.
This rather odd musical does have some nice touches. Barnaby lives in a bowling ball and has a one-eyed-bird-thing that helps him keep track of the heroes. Mother Hubbard carries a list to remember everything she says or does. A song Lisa hears performed outside the toy store in the beginning is performed during Mary's weddings, with only slightly changed lyrics.
I get a kick out of it, but it has some really big problems. First of all, the dialogue is stiff as a board, especially in Toyland. Second, the songs by Leslie Bricusse are absolutely unmemorable. Third, the one person who can actually sing, Brennan, doesn't. It's also incredibly cheap-looking, once again mostly in Toyland. It's a cute idea that doesn't really come off unless you're a fan of camp musicals like me. Not on DVD at press time, though I believe it can be found online and occasionally on cable.
I'm debating a mall trip tomorrow, either to the Moorestown Mall or to Philly. On one hand, I feel bad about going Christmas shopping when I'm suspended from work. I'm supposed to be punished, and my paycheck will be useless next week. On the other hand, I should be getting a good paycheck this week, and I don't really have much left to do, anyway. I need one thing for Lauren and one for Khai. I do need to do Jessa, Collyn, and Skylar, but none of them are that difficult. I'm also tired of sitting around, feeling sorry for myself. Shopping will take my mind off my troubles.
Wednesday, December 03, 2014
It's Going to Take Some Time This Time
Most of my day was pretty quiet. I spent the day putting up the rest of my Christmas decorations. I have a lot of little random things I use for displays. There's the big resin Santa Mom gave me a decade ago. He goes on a shelf in my bedroom, surrounded by a dollar-store poinsettia garland, with Mom's old wooden "Noel" candlestick holder on the shelf under him. Two smiling porcelain teddies in Santa outfits go between the CD player and the record player. The three little porcelain teddies dressed in holiday hats and caps and holding presents went on the folding bookshelf in my bedroom. A green and red fabric ribbon that came from a present went around the bookshelf. The American Girl Christmas Hallmark tin I got from Aunt Terri years ago went on top of the wardrobes. Holly and the little wooden nutcracker go on top of the crates with the musical cast albums and the disco, country, and children's records.
I had a hard time finding places to put the little stuffed elves that Mom gave me years ago. They're printed fabric that Mom stuffed and sewed together when I was little, and they're really cute...but most of them have narrow bottoms and don't stand well. I just ended up leaning them against the stuffed animals that were already on the shelf with the media biographies and reviews in the entertainment area.
The Ever After High dolls get the mini-tree and my beautiful Winter Cinderella by default. Cindy is very tall, and thanks to her huge white and gold gown, very wide...and the tree is just tall. Neither really fit on the other shelves. The Eckards Christmas beanies and Gretel the gingerbread girl Beanie Baby went on a bottom shelf. I ran out of places to put them.
I ran holiday cartoons as I worked. How To Train Your Dragon put out a holiday special a couple of years ago, The Gift of the Night Fury. The Vikings are looking forward to sharing their holiday celebration, Snoggletog, with their new dragon friends. All of a sudden, the dragons take off, and no one can figure out why. Even Hiccup's beloved Toothless leaves. While Ingrid and the other kids try to distract their parents with new holiday traditions, Hiccup attempts to figure out where the dragons went and why they left.
My family taped A Disney Channel Christmas sometime in the late 80s, when they still ran their made-for-the-network holiday specials. This one is a combination of two earlier shows from the Disney prime time anthologies, "Jiminy Cricket's Christmas" from the 50s and "A Disney Christmas Gift" from the 70s. Most of the two specials are included. As a bonus, we get to hear both their theme songs, "From All of Us to All of You" and "Christmas Morning." Along with classic winter and Christmas themed shorts like "Donald's Snow Fight" and "Pluto's Christmas Tree," we have segments from animated movies that relate to winter, parties, or gift-giving, the wonderful Mickey Mouse black-and-white short "Mickey's Good Deed" in full, the two Santa Claus Silly Symphonies, and a bit of Mickey's Christmas Carol. If you can find this on YouTube or elsewhere online (or on a dusty tape from the 80s, like I did), do so. It's a wonderful bit of lost Disney and TV history.
Jiminy and Mickey aren't the only animated animals enjoying their Christmas. Shaun the Sheep and his fellow farm animals also find ways to have fun during the holiday season. "We Wish Ewe A Merry Christmas" has the animals decorating the farmer's home when they realize he's alone on Christmas Eve. Being "Snowed In" doesn't stop Shaun and the animals from having a massive snowball fight...or the farmer from attempting to ski-jump off his roof. Bitzer the dog is the "Fireside Favorite" when he gets sick. Pidsley the cat doesn't like that one bit! He tries everything he can to get the farmer to move Bitzer, but Shaun sabotages his efforts.
Nick and Sally are delighted to discover that The Cat In the Hat Knows A Lot About Christmas! When Ralph the Reindeer is stranded at the kids' houses on Christmas Eve, The Cat decides to take him to his home in Freeze-Your-Knees Snowland. The Thing-A-Ma-Jigger keeps breaking down and landing them everywhere but someplace cold! As the Cat fixes his misbehaving vehicle, the kids and Ralph learn about the migration patterns of elephants, dolphins, crabs, and reindeer. They also find that every animal - humans, cats, and reindeer included - have a special talent that can lead them to food or help them find their way to their own family groups.
I made a rather nice Turkey Stir Fry with the leftover late fall-winter veggies in my fridge and the turkey tenderloin for lunch before changing and hurrying off to work. It had rained all day, but thankfully, the rain stopped in time for me to head off to work dry.
I had only worked for about two hours when one of the college kids stepped in and told me Sebastian, one of the managers, wanted me in the office. I had the bad feeling it wasn't a good thing...and it wasn't. Last Tuesday, I'd apparently handed one of the customers back their 100 dollars accidentally, and they walked off with it. He'd also heard complaints about me not bagging. It's not so much that I don't - I do bag - but the customers don't bother helping a lot of the time. And he said I wasn't going fast enough. I thought I was really fast! He also fussed about me not selling things to the customers again.
He said everything else could be worked on, but I'm suspended for two days without pay for the 100 dollar incident. The store lost money. I'm devastated. I don't know what to do. I'm so frustrated and angry with myself. Now I'm losing money, too. I've only stayed with it because I can't figure out how to find a better job.
I want to help people...but I want to help people who want to be helped. I'd like to volunteer somewhere besides the libraries, somewhere I can talk to people who want to be where they are. Who are doing things they love, not just shopping because they're supposed to be shopping and loathe it. People who are more like I am, who enjoy the things I like. I want to work badly...just not in retail. I'm a horrible saleswoman. I don't like selling things. I want to make people happy.
I couldn't even finish my shift. He told me to leave early, and I did. I didn't know where else to go. I really had no one I could talk to. I won't be doing counseling for another month, Lauren and Amanda were both at work, and there was no way I'd explain this to anyone in my family. I didn't know if my neighbors would understand, either. I just went upstairs and cried and cried. I listened to Linda Rondstat's For Sentimental Reasons cassette and my Carpenters' Greatest Hits double CD set and cried some more.
When I finally got up and changed into regular clothes, I decided to wash the hair on the Ever After High dolls. They both came with a ton of styling goop on their hair. Briar's curls were a complete mess coming out of the box. Thankfully, Cerise has thick, straight black hair that just needed washing. Briar was more complicated. For one thing, it took longer to wash her hair, and it kept shedding as I did. I put her hair up in curlers to give her full, luxurious waves like on the web cartoons.
I don't know what I'm going to do tomorrow or the next day. I wasn't planning on having them off. I do need to replace the light bulb in the music area lamp, so I'll probably hit up the Family Dollar or Thriftway. I may do my grocery shopping on Friday at the Westmont Acme. I couldn't bring myself to go near the other one at the moment.
I had a hard time finding places to put the little stuffed elves that Mom gave me years ago. They're printed fabric that Mom stuffed and sewed together when I was little, and they're really cute...but most of them have narrow bottoms and don't stand well. I just ended up leaning them against the stuffed animals that were already on the shelf with the media biographies and reviews in the entertainment area.
The Ever After High dolls get the mini-tree and my beautiful Winter Cinderella by default. Cindy is very tall, and thanks to her huge white and gold gown, very wide...and the tree is just tall. Neither really fit on the other shelves. The Eckards Christmas beanies and Gretel the gingerbread girl Beanie Baby went on a bottom shelf. I ran out of places to put them.
I ran holiday cartoons as I worked. How To Train Your Dragon put out a holiday special a couple of years ago, The Gift of the Night Fury. The Vikings are looking forward to sharing their holiday celebration, Snoggletog, with their new dragon friends. All of a sudden, the dragons take off, and no one can figure out why. Even Hiccup's beloved Toothless leaves. While Ingrid and the other kids try to distract their parents with new holiday traditions, Hiccup attempts to figure out where the dragons went and why they left.
My family taped A Disney Channel Christmas sometime in the late 80s, when they still ran their made-for-the-network holiday specials. This one is a combination of two earlier shows from the Disney prime time anthologies, "Jiminy Cricket's Christmas" from the 50s and "A Disney Christmas Gift" from the 70s. Most of the two specials are included. As a bonus, we get to hear both their theme songs, "From All of Us to All of You" and "Christmas Morning." Along with classic winter and Christmas themed shorts like "Donald's Snow Fight" and "Pluto's Christmas Tree," we have segments from animated movies that relate to winter, parties, or gift-giving, the wonderful Mickey Mouse black-and-white short "Mickey's Good Deed" in full, the two Santa Claus Silly Symphonies, and a bit of Mickey's Christmas Carol. If you can find this on YouTube or elsewhere online (or on a dusty tape from the 80s, like I did), do so. It's a wonderful bit of lost Disney and TV history.
Jiminy and Mickey aren't the only animated animals enjoying their Christmas. Shaun the Sheep and his fellow farm animals also find ways to have fun during the holiday season. "We Wish Ewe A Merry Christmas" has the animals decorating the farmer's home when they realize he's alone on Christmas Eve. Being "Snowed In" doesn't stop Shaun and the animals from having a massive snowball fight...or the farmer from attempting to ski-jump off his roof. Bitzer the dog is the "Fireside Favorite" when he gets sick. Pidsley the cat doesn't like that one bit! He tries everything he can to get the farmer to move Bitzer, but Shaun sabotages his efforts.
Nick and Sally are delighted to discover that The Cat In the Hat Knows A Lot About Christmas! When Ralph the Reindeer is stranded at the kids' houses on Christmas Eve, The Cat decides to take him to his home in Freeze-Your-Knees Snowland. The Thing-A-Ma-Jigger keeps breaking down and landing them everywhere but someplace cold! As the Cat fixes his misbehaving vehicle, the kids and Ralph learn about the migration patterns of elephants, dolphins, crabs, and reindeer. They also find that every animal - humans, cats, and reindeer included - have a special talent that can lead them to food or help them find their way to their own family groups.
I made a rather nice Turkey Stir Fry with the leftover late fall-winter veggies in my fridge and the turkey tenderloin for lunch before changing and hurrying off to work. It had rained all day, but thankfully, the rain stopped in time for me to head off to work dry.
I had only worked for about two hours when one of the college kids stepped in and told me Sebastian, one of the managers, wanted me in the office. I had the bad feeling it wasn't a good thing...and it wasn't. Last Tuesday, I'd apparently handed one of the customers back their 100 dollars accidentally, and they walked off with it. He'd also heard complaints about me not bagging. It's not so much that I don't - I do bag - but the customers don't bother helping a lot of the time. And he said I wasn't going fast enough. I thought I was really fast! He also fussed about me not selling things to the customers again.
He said everything else could be worked on, but I'm suspended for two days without pay for the 100 dollar incident. The store lost money. I'm devastated. I don't know what to do. I'm so frustrated and angry with myself. Now I'm losing money, too. I've only stayed with it because I can't figure out how to find a better job.
I want to help people...but I want to help people who want to be helped. I'd like to volunteer somewhere besides the libraries, somewhere I can talk to people who want to be where they are. Who are doing things they love, not just shopping because they're supposed to be shopping and loathe it. People who are more like I am, who enjoy the things I like. I want to work badly...just not in retail. I'm a horrible saleswoman. I don't like selling things. I want to make people happy.
I couldn't even finish my shift. He told me to leave early, and I did. I didn't know where else to go. I really had no one I could talk to. I won't be doing counseling for another month, Lauren and Amanda were both at work, and there was no way I'd explain this to anyone in my family. I didn't know if my neighbors would understand, either. I just went upstairs and cried and cried. I listened to Linda Rondstat's For Sentimental Reasons cassette and my Carpenters' Greatest Hits double CD set and cried some more.
When I finally got up and changed into regular clothes, I decided to wash the hair on the Ever After High dolls. They both came with a ton of styling goop on their hair. Briar's curls were a complete mess coming out of the box. Thankfully, Cerise has thick, straight black hair that just needed washing. Briar was more complicated. For one thing, it took longer to wash her hair, and it kept shedding as I did. I put her hair up in curlers to give her full, luxurious waves like on the web cartoons.
I don't know what I'm going to do tomorrow or the next day. I wasn't planning on having them off. I do need to replace the light bulb in the music area lamp, so I'll probably hit up the Family Dollar or Thriftway. I may do my grocery shopping on Friday at the Westmont Acme. I couldn't bring myself to go near the other one at the moment.
Tuesday, December 02, 2014
Library Day In the Rain
It was still cold in my apartment when I got up this morning. Mother Nature wasn't helping. The weather was similar to last Wednesday, rain with a little sleet. Sleet or no sleet, I had to get the heat fixed. I went downstairs and told my neighbors' son Charlie, who was working on installing new windows in the front apartment, about the heat. He had no idea. After getting new batteries in the thermostat (I had no idea it took batteries!), they came to the conclusion that it was the heater itself. (I could have told them that.)
While they checked the heater, I had breakfast and finished out the holiday documentaries with Rick Steves' European Christmas. It's a merry little holiday all across the continent that gave us some of our most cherished holiday traditions. From ice skating on the Eiffel Tower in Paris to the quiet charm of a living nativity in Tuscany, Europe is alive with many different and wonderful customs. Some are familiar, like the many versions of Santa Claus. Others, such as the adorable Saint Lucia children in Norway or the pastry-and-truffle-wrapped roast beef that is a part of the French Christmas dinner, are exclusive to the continent.
I finally decided to ignore the rain and just do what I had to do today. Charlie told me as I was leaving that he did call the repair service, and he'd meet them when they arrived around 4. That was fine. If they needed to get in my apartment, they knew how.
My first stop was the Oaklyn Library. I needed to return Cranberry Thanksgiving and do my volunteering there. The weather had knocked out their internet phone (although their TV seemed to be back up), which made it even quieter than usual in there. I saw three people the entire 40 minutes I was there. I just took a quick look at the DVDs, shelved Cranberry Thanksgiving, and headed out.
My next stop was Capitol Pizza for a quick lunch - they're a few blocks from the Oaklyn Library. I just ordered two slices of pizza (one cheese, one mushroom) and a can of Diet Pepsi. A couple of people sat for a few minutes while waiting for their pies, but I was the only one eating there. I ignored Fox News going in the background and concentrates on my nice, hot slices.
It was still showering when I went across Cuthbert and down to the Westmont Plaza. I first made a quick stop at Thriftway for Liquid Plumber. My kitchen and bathroom sinks have been running really slow, especially the one in the bathroom. I then went a few doors down to Tuesday Morning to look and see if they had any toys my nephews might like. I did see a few WebKinz I liked, but I hardly need more at the moment.
The shower continued as I went across the street to the Haddon Township Library. While they were busy, there weren't a lot of DVDs to shelve. I guess people had too much on their minds last week for movies. I organized the children's DVDs (the Scooby titles are still overflowing), shelved a few adult DVDs, and continued to work on the romance paperbacks. I've made my way up to the S and T titles. While the T titles were dominated by a few authors, there were all kinds of different S names, which made them a lot harder to figure out.
And I did pick up a couple of DVDs this week. I'd tried to find Arthur Christmas when it first came out, but it never seemed to be around during the holidays. I also found the John Wayne-Maureen O'Hara film The Wings of Eagles and three Christmas-themed sets from Shaun the Sheep, The Cat In the Hat Knows a Lot About That, and the How to Train Your Dragon special Gift of the Night Fury.
When I left the library, it was just misting. I cut through Haddon Lake Park going home to avoid the traffic on Cuthbert. Needless to say, there were no other people around but me, a flock of Canadian geese poking around for a wet snack, a dad and his daughter staying dry under the new roof of the stone shelter, and a couple of very dedicated fishermen discussing their catches. The rain was just picking up as I headed down Manor Avenue towards home. It's been on and off heavy showers the rest of the evening.
When I got in, I went right in the bath. I needed a bath badly. I can't remember the last time I had a good, long soak. It was wonderfully peaceful. I put one of my more classical-oriented Happy Holidays CDs on, pulled out my cake decorating books, and worked on ideas for Christmas while the rain continued to come down outside.
Put on The Wings of Eagles as I made salmon with red wine vinegar sauce, mashed cauliflower, and sauteed broccoli for dinner. John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara play in their third movie together, and their third and last for director John Ford, as a married couple with two daughters who are constantly separated by his work with the US Navy's flying division. An accident at home lands him with a damaged back that can no longer move. With the help of his best buddy (Dan Dailey), he manages to get back on his feet, and even write screenplays and books that bring him to the attention of a rugged Hollywood director (Ward Bond). Just as he's about to return to his wife, World War II breaks out, and he's off and helping the Navy again, this time on an aircraft carrier.
Standard biography lifted by some fine acting, especially from Wayne and from Dailey as the buddy who becomes his friend's coach and biggest supporter when he thinks he won't be able to walk again. Highly recommended if you're a fan of Wayne, Ford, or good real-life dramas.
Oh yes, and the heat is back on. It was on when I came home. I just hope they can keep it working this time, especially if we have a winter as bad as we did last year.
While they checked the heater, I had breakfast and finished out the holiday documentaries with Rick Steves' European Christmas. It's a merry little holiday all across the continent that gave us some of our most cherished holiday traditions. From ice skating on the Eiffel Tower in Paris to the quiet charm of a living nativity in Tuscany, Europe is alive with many different and wonderful customs. Some are familiar, like the many versions of Santa Claus. Others, such as the adorable Saint Lucia children in Norway or the pastry-and-truffle-wrapped roast beef that is a part of the French Christmas dinner, are exclusive to the continent.
I finally decided to ignore the rain and just do what I had to do today. Charlie told me as I was leaving that he did call the repair service, and he'd meet them when they arrived around 4. That was fine. If they needed to get in my apartment, they knew how.
My first stop was the Oaklyn Library. I needed to return Cranberry Thanksgiving and do my volunteering there. The weather had knocked out their internet phone (although their TV seemed to be back up), which made it even quieter than usual in there. I saw three people the entire 40 minutes I was there. I just took a quick look at the DVDs, shelved Cranberry Thanksgiving, and headed out.
My next stop was Capitol Pizza for a quick lunch - they're a few blocks from the Oaklyn Library. I just ordered two slices of pizza (one cheese, one mushroom) and a can of Diet Pepsi. A couple of people sat for a few minutes while waiting for their pies, but I was the only one eating there. I ignored Fox News going in the background and concentrates on my nice, hot slices.
It was still showering when I went across Cuthbert and down to the Westmont Plaza. I first made a quick stop at Thriftway for Liquid Plumber. My kitchen and bathroom sinks have been running really slow, especially the one in the bathroom. I then went a few doors down to Tuesday Morning to look and see if they had any toys my nephews might like. I did see a few WebKinz I liked, but I hardly need more at the moment.
The shower continued as I went across the street to the Haddon Township Library. While they were busy, there weren't a lot of DVDs to shelve. I guess people had too much on their minds last week for movies. I organized the children's DVDs (the Scooby titles are still overflowing), shelved a few adult DVDs, and continued to work on the romance paperbacks. I've made my way up to the S and T titles. While the T titles were dominated by a few authors, there were all kinds of different S names, which made them a lot harder to figure out.
And I did pick up a couple of DVDs this week. I'd tried to find Arthur Christmas when it first came out, but it never seemed to be around during the holidays. I also found the John Wayne-Maureen O'Hara film The Wings of Eagles and three Christmas-themed sets from Shaun the Sheep, The Cat In the Hat Knows a Lot About That, and the How to Train Your Dragon special Gift of the Night Fury.
When I left the library, it was just misting. I cut through Haddon Lake Park going home to avoid the traffic on Cuthbert. Needless to say, there were no other people around but me, a flock of Canadian geese poking around for a wet snack, a dad and his daughter staying dry under the new roof of the stone shelter, and a couple of very dedicated fishermen discussing their catches. The rain was just picking up as I headed down Manor Avenue towards home. It's been on and off heavy showers the rest of the evening.
When I got in, I went right in the bath. I needed a bath badly. I can't remember the last time I had a good, long soak. It was wonderfully peaceful. I put one of my more classical-oriented Happy Holidays CDs on, pulled out my cake decorating books, and worked on ideas for Christmas while the rain continued to come down outside.
Put on The Wings of Eagles as I made salmon with red wine vinegar sauce, mashed cauliflower, and sauteed broccoli for dinner. John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara play in their third movie together, and their third and last for director John Ford, as a married couple with two daughters who are constantly separated by his work with the US Navy's flying division. An accident at home lands him with a damaged back that can no longer move. With the help of his best buddy (Dan Dailey), he manages to get back on his feet, and even write screenplays and books that bring him to the attention of a rugged Hollywood director (Ward Bond). Just as he's about to return to his wife, World War II breaks out, and he's off and helping the Navy again, this time on an aircraft carrier.
Standard biography lifted by some fine acting, especially from Wayne and from Dailey as the buddy who becomes his friend's coach and biggest supporter when he thinks he won't be able to walk again. Highly recommended if you're a fan of Wayne, Ford, or good real-life dramas.
Oh yes, and the heat is back on. It was on when I came home. I just hope they can keep it working this time, especially if we have a winter as bad as we did last year.
Monday, December 01, 2014
Oh Christmas Tree!
Started a sort-of-sunny but very mild morning with holiday themed episodes of Max & Ruby. "Ruby's Gingerbread House" isn't coming along well. Ruby and Louise just can't seem to make the icing sticky enough. Max thinks it needs something...like his gummy worms. "Max's Christmas Passed" is one of the sweetest episodes of the entire series. Ruby's feeling a little blue as she takes down the Christmas decorations. Max figures out a way to use the discarded decorations to cheer up his big sister. In "Max's New Year," the two bunnies are allowed to stay up until midnight to enjoy a party with Grandma. Ruby and Grandma enjoy dances and finding just the right party hat. Max would rather eat those clock-shaped cookies Grandma made. "Max Says Goodbye" when he and Ruby are supposed to be going to Louise's house for a playdate. Grandma comes over with a better idea for a playdate for Max.
I got ready for my friend Amanda's yearly visit as the cartoons ran. I made the bed. I tidied up around the apartment. I put up the tree itself. Amanda would help me decorate the tree later, but I thought it would save time to have the tree up when she arrived.
I got out late and rushed to down the street to the parking lot of the former PNC Bank. As it turned out, Amanda was late, too. We were supposed to meet at 10:15. I got in at 10:20, and she hit traffic coming in and didn't arrive until quarter of 11.
We went straight to Collingswood for lunch. Amanda loves Tortilla Press, Collingswood's gourmet Mexican restaurant. We were so early, we thought the place was closed. Nope, the door was stuck. They'd just opened. We got a prime spot right next to the window that looked out onto the corner of Collings and Haddon Avenues. Amanda had an enormous Pork BBQ Sandwich. I had a Chicken, Brie, and Mango Quesadilla with fresh mango salsa. We both had home-made chips and sweet potato fries. I had unsweetened iced tea. Amanda had a Coke. Our lunches were absolutely delicious, as always. My quesadilla was just sweet and spicy enough, and the brie added the right tangy note. It was the perfect size to eat in one sitting. Amanda didn't get that lucky. She ended up taking home most of her sandwich. I gave her my fries, too - the quesadilla turned out to be enough for me.
We talked about our lives as we ate. I told Amanda about the planned changes to my apartment, my crazy up and down work hours over the past month, Anny's pregnancy, Mom's job at the Ferry, and my hope to take writing classes this winter. She told me that she started volunteering at her local animal shelter. She loved it so much, she now wants to become a veterinarian technician, despite the classes being expensive. She's always adored her cats. (That's why I get her Hello Kity stuff.) She's tired of working three jobs, as a waitress at a Bob Evans, a sales clerk at the Bath and Body Works in the Cumberland Mall, and a substitute teacher in Vineland.
When we finished lunch, we made a quick trip to GrooveGround. We were both too full for ice cream or baked goodies, but we did get drinks. Amanda got a Peppermint Mocha Latte. I decided it was too warm for hot beverages and went with the Pomegranate Chiller sparkling juice. It was very tasty, with lots of mint and just the right amount of pomegranate juice.
We went straight back to my apartment after that and, after I showed her the new furniture and some of my new dolls and we opened our gifts (I gave her Hello Kitty items; she gave me polar bear-themed sleep socks and "Twisted Peppermint" bath items from Bath and Body Works), we started the tree. My tree is artificial. Though I no longer have an ancient heater to worry about, as I did in Wildwood, I'm not terribly eager to either pay for or drag a real tree up the steep steps to my apartment. Besides, I like my tree. Mom bought it (and my wreath) for me as an early Christmas present the year I moved out on my own. It's the perfect size, about 6 feet. I don't even need a step stool to put the star on top.
We had a small problem with the lights. I bought the lights new last year. I'd had my old ones since college, and I was afraid they'd become a fire hazard. Trouble is, I should have bought a longer string. It took us at least 10 minutes or so just to figure out how to get the lights around the tree and be able to get them to reach the plug behind the crates with the records in them. I'll see if I can get another strand on the after-Christmas sales.
We had far fewer problems after that. The garlands went on easily, all three of them. I have tons and tons of ornaments - basic glass balls from discount stores like Big Lots, beautiful hand-blown glass ornaments from Winterwood in Cape May County, Hallmark ornaments given to me by friends, ornaments my mom made, plastic icicles covered in glitter or translucent like real ice, wooden clothespin soldiers, and beaded ornaments a cousin made several years ago. Amanda and I are both very picky about where we put the ornaments. Can't leave holes or have two of the same ornaments next to each other!
(We also discussed our dislike of tinsel. I prefer garlands. Tinsel, at least in its modern Mylar incarnation, clumps badly and makes a mess. I think Mom used them early in my childhood, but she switched to garlands some time in the mid-80s and hasn't used it since. Plus, as Amanda reminded me, they tend to get nibbled on by curious kitties.)
We timed it perfectly. We finished the tree right at 2:30, just in time for Amanda to head out. She thought she might get called into work. (She e-mailed me later and said she wasn't, but she worked Thanksgiving and Black Friday and appreciated the time off.) We rounded up her leftovers and gifts and headed to her car across the street. I waved to her from the driveway as she left.
I hit the bathroom and put away the tree items, then slipped back into my Cape May sweatshirt, grabbed my full laundry bag, and hit the laundromat. The sun looked like it was trying to come out when Amanda was here, but it had clouded over again even before she left. By the time my huge load was in the washer, it had gotten much darker. The laundromat wasn't busy at all. Good thing, since I had a ton to do, including last month's towels and the ones I used to cover the seat of the old computer chair. I found out why the laundromat was so quiet when I headed out and it was showering. I rode home as quickly as I could.
When I got in, I put away the laundry, then pulled out the Christmas bears. Mom used to dress up some of our stuffed animals and a few she had just for the holidays in old hats and scarves and baby clothes and put them on her hope chest. It was an interactive display. We'd play with the bears throughout the Christmas season, and would even swap the winter hats with tiaras for New Year's. Mom gave them to me after I moved out. She'd gotten tired of putting them out, and my brother was too old for them. I don't have a hope chest, so I put mine under the tree. I have quite a few of my own stuffed animals and bears to add, including the WebKinz Peppermint Puppy and Reindeer (who wears a Santa Claus outfit), two Snoopys (one in a baker's outfit), a Charlie Brown, and all three of the 1986 Christmas Muppet Babies (I found them mint in their bags at a thrift shop about five years or so ago). My American Girl bear Abigail Griddle (aka Miss AG) got to wear a beautiful Build-a-Bear angel outfit I found at a yard sale last spring.
Ran documentaries on Christmas history as I finished the bears and made turkey tenderloin and sauteed spinach and mushrooms for dinner. Christmas Past is a British special on how the holidays changed in England from pagan times to the 1950s. I love the stories told by various older Britishers, including the woman who had her first really nice Christmas when she was evacuated from London as a child during World War II, the female Santa Claus, and the Scots who showed off their neat kissing ball.
The History Channel special Christmas Unwrapped covers the history of the holiday in general and how many American customs came to be. I especially enjoy the discussions of the very early history of the holiday, and how the Puritains tried to ban it...and just sent its traditions underground, turning Christmas into more of a private than a noisy public holiday. (Although a few vestiges of those earlier carnival Christmases do remain today, including caroling, mistletoe, and parades.)
TV Guide Looks at Christmas, as you can guess, covers how Christmas has been presented on television over the years. While already I knew most of what was discussed here, I did enjoy learning more about variety specials. I was born just as variety and sketch-based programming was dying off on prime-time on the networks. Pee Wee's Christmas Special was pretty much the only major variety show done during my childhood (and for more than a quarter-century after that). While I had heard of the Bing Crosby shows and have had the CD soundtrack of Judy Garland's special for years, Perry Como's holiday adventures in Austria and other exotic foreign lands were entirely new to me.
And...I can't get the heat to work again. I keep trying to get it to turn on, and it the heaters won't get warm. They broke down last year, but I thought my then-landlord Andrew got PS&G to fix it. I'll have to call my neighbors tomorrow and see what they say.
I got ready for my friend Amanda's yearly visit as the cartoons ran. I made the bed. I tidied up around the apartment. I put up the tree itself. Amanda would help me decorate the tree later, but I thought it would save time to have the tree up when she arrived.
I got out late and rushed to down the street to the parking lot of the former PNC Bank. As it turned out, Amanda was late, too. We were supposed to meet at 10:15. I got in at 10:20, and she hit traffic coming in and didn't arrive until quarter of 11.
We went straight to Collingswood for lunch. Amanda loves Tortilla Press, Collingswood's gourmet Mexican restaurant. We were so early, we thought the place was closed. Nope, the door was stuck. They'd just opened. We got a prime spot right next to the window that looked out onto the corner of Collings and Haddon Avenues. Amanda had an enormous Pork BBQ Sandwich. I had a Chicken, Brie, and Mango Quesadilla with fresh mango salsa. We both had home-made chips and sweet potato fries. I had unsweetened iced tea. Amanda had a Coke. Our lunches were absolutely delicious, as always. My quesadilla was just sweet and spicy enough, and the brie added the right tangy note. It was the perfect size to eat in one sitting. Amanda didn't get that lucky. She ended up taking home most of her sandwich. I gave her my fries, too - the quesadilla turned out to be enough for me.
We talked about our lives as we ate. I told Amanda about the planned changes to my apartment, my crazy up and down work hours over the past month, Anny's pregnancy, Mom's job at the Ferry, and my hope to take writing classes this winter. She told me that she started volunteering at her local animal shelter. She loved it so much, she now wants to become a veterinarian technician, despite the classes being expensive. She's always adored her cats. (That's why I get her Hello Kity stuff.) She's tired of working three jobs, as a waitress at a Bob Evans, a sales clerk at the Bath and Body Works in the Cumberland Mall, and a substitute teacher in Vineland.
When we finished lunch, we made a quick trip to GrooveGround. We were both too full for ice cream or baked goodies, but we did get drinks. Amanda got a Peppermint Mocha Latte. I decided it was too warm for hot beverages and went with the Pomegranate Chiller sparkling juice. It was very tasty, with lots of mint and just the right amount of pomegranate juice.
We went straight back to my apartment after that and, after I showed her the new furniture and some of my new dolls and we opened our gifts (I gave her Hello Kitty items; she gave me polar bear-themed sleep socks and "Twisted Peppermint" bath items from Bath and Body Works), we started the tree. My tree is artificial. Though I no longer have an ancient heater to worry about, as I did in Wildwood, I'm not terribly eager to either pay for or drag a real tree up the steep steps to my apartment. Besides, I like my tree. Mom bought it (and my wreath) for me as an early Christmas present the year I moved out on my own. It's the perfect size, about 6 feet. I don't even need a step stool to put the star on top.
We had a small problem with the lights. I bought the lights new last year. I'd had my old ones since college, and I was afraid they'd become a fire hazard. Trouble is, I should have bought a longer string. It took us at least 10 minutes or so just to figure out how to get the lights around the tree and be able to get them to reach the plug behind the crates with the records in them. I'll see if I can get another strand on the after-Christmas sales.
We had far fewer problems after that. The garlands went on easily, all three of them. I have tons and tons of ornaments - basic glass balls from discount stores like Big Lots, beautiful hand-blown glass ornaments from Winterwood in Cape May County, Hallmark ornaments given to me by friends, ornaments my mom made, plastic icicles covered in glitter or translucent like real ice, wooden clothespin soldiers, and beaded ornaments a cousin made several years ago. Amanda and I are both very picky about where we put the ornaments. Can't leave holes or have two of the same ornaments next to each other!
(We also discussed our dislike of tinsel. I prefer garlands. Tinsel, at least in its modern Mylar incarnation, clumps badly and makes a mess. I think Mom used them early in my childhood, but she switched to garlands some time in the mid-80s and hasn't used it since. Plus, as Amanda reminded me, they tend to get nibbled on by curious kitties.)
We timed it perfectly. We finished the tree right at 2:30, just in time for Amanda to head out. She thought she might get called into work. (She e-mailed me later and said she wasn't, but she worked Thanksgiving and Black Friday and appreciated the time off.) We rounded up her leftovers and gifts and headed to her car across the street. I waved to her from the driveway as she left.
I hit the bathroom and put away the tree items, then slipped back into my Cape May sweatshirt, grabbed my full laundry bag, and hit the laundromat. The sun looked like it was trying to come out when Amanda was here, but it had clouded over again even before she left. By the time my huge load was in the washer, it had gotten much darker. The laundromat wasn't busy at all. Good thing, since I had a ton to do, including last month's towels and the ones I used to cover the seat of the old computer chair. I found out why the laundromat was so quiet when I headed out and it was showering. I rode home as quickly as I could.
When I got in, I put away the laundry, then pulled out the Christmas bears. Mom used to dress up some of our stuffed animals and a few she had just for the holidays in old hats and scarves and baby clothes and put them on her hope chest. It was an interactive display. We'd play with the bears throughout the Christmas season, and would even swap the winter hats with tiaras for New Year's. Mom gave them to me after I moved out. She'd gotten tired of putting them out, and my brother was too old for them. I don't have a hope chest, so I put mine under the tree. I have quite a few of my own stuffed animals and bears to add, including the WebKinz Peppermint Puppy and Reindeer (who wears a Santa Claus outfit), two Snoopys (one in a baker's outfit), a Charlie Brown, and all three of the 1986 Christmas Muppet Babies (I found them mint in their bags at a thrift shop about five years or so ago). My American Girl bear Abigail Griddle (aka Miss AG) got to wear a beautiful Build-a-Bear angel outfit I found at a yard sale last spring.
Ran documentaries on Christmas history as I finished the bears and made turkey tenderloin and sauteed spinach and mushrooms for dinner. Christmas Past is a British special on how the holidays changed in England from pagan times to the 1950s. I love the stories told by various older Britishers, including the woman who had her first really nice Christmas when she was evacuated from London as a child during World War II, the female Santa Claus, and the Scots who showed off their neat kissing ball.
The History Channel special Christmas Unwrapped covers the history of the holiday in general and how many American customs came to be. I especially enjoy the discussions of the very early history of the holiday, and how the Puritains tried to ban it...and just sent its traditions underground, turning Christmas into more of a private than a noisy public holiday. (Although a few vestiges of those earlier carnival Christmases do remain today, including caroling, mistletoe, and parades.)
TV Guide Looks at Christmas, as you can guess, covers how Christmas has been presented on television over the years. While already I knew most of what was discussed here, I did enjoy learning more about variety specials. I was born just as variety and sketch-based programming was dying off on prime-time on the networks. Pee Wee's Christmas Special was pretty much the only major variety show done during my childhood (and for more than a quarter-century after that). While I had heard of the Bing Crosby shows and have had the CD soundtrack of Judy Garland's special for years, Perry Como's holiday adventures in Austria and other exotic foreign lands were entirely new to me.
And...I can't get the heat to work again. I keep trying to get it to turn on, and it the heaters won't get warm. They broke down last year, but I thought my then-landlord Andrew got PS&G to fix it. I'll have to call my neighbors tomorrow and see what they say.
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