I awoke late to a torrential downpour. My plans for hitting the laundromat and going out to the Haddon Township Library would have to wait. I began the day with breakfast and lots of Sailor Moon instead. The aliens Ann and Ali don't understand love. They think it has to be taken or stolen. Thanks to a day in detention, a Snow White play gone comically wrong, and the Guardians' attempts to befriend them, they discover that love is something that has to be nurtured, like their Macai Tree, not taken or abused. In the confusion of the last battle with the Tree. Mamoru finally regains his memories and reveals what the Moonlight Night was all about.
Rode out the storm making a collage. I do one per season to get rid of old catalogs and see where my head is at the moment. I had a lot leftover from as far back as November, so this took me a long while to do.
The rain finally ended around 2:30. It was too late to hit the library, but I did make it to the laundromat. The weather must have scared people off. It was nice and quiet. There was only one other person there - I gave her my extra quarter in change for two dimes and a nickel. (I always bring an extra quarter. Just in case.) I worked on story ideas and listened to talk shows and General Hospital. It rained a little while I was in there, but by the time my load was done, the rain had stopped, and the clouds were actually starting to break apart.
Headed home to put away my laundry and start my next story. Spirited, strong-willed Princess Leia is growing up in the peaceful Kingdom of Aldran, far from her controlling black magician of a father. Her kind aunt and uncle, who have mostly raised her, want to hold a ball to introduce her to the Court of the Alliance Kingdoms. Leia fully objects to the idea. She's not fond of parties, dressing up, showing herself off, or her aunt trying to gently nudge her into getting married. She'd rather be starting her work with the Court. Her aunt talks her into it - it's a tradition.
Returned to Sailor Moon during dinner. The second and more dramatic half of the R season introduces Chibi-Usa, a little girl with pink hair rather like Usagi's who suddenly falls out of the sky one day. She wants the Silver Crystal, and will do anything to get it. She doesn't get along well with Usagi at all. On top of that, Mamoru breaks up with Usagi, claiming he no longer loves her, and another, stronger energy-zapping enemy has appeared. The people of the Black Moon are looking for "crystal points" - areas which attract strong positive energy. They want to destroy them before they can effect the future world they've come from.
Since I had that last part of the bread I made a few weeks ago during the snow storm, I decided I'd have an all-baked dinner. Made Chicken Noodle Casserole with canned chicken, cream of chicken soup, frozen peas, fresh carrots, whole-wheat noodles, and bread crumbs. The remaining bread crumbs became part of the topping for a delicious Apple Brown Betty.
Life is a lazy river - no matter where you are. Movies, musicals, mysteries, pop culture, and lots of other great stuff.
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Monday, February 15, 2016
Snow Day Dolls
My slumber was broken by a phone ringing. It was a frantic Charlie. The main pipe for the toilet had apparently burst and was leaking all downstairs. They were going to have to turn off the water in a half-hour and would be taking two hours to fix the pipes.
It took Charlie over an hour to turn off the pipes. Meanwhile, I read tales about Abraham Lincoln and George Washington from the Collier's Book of Holidays for President's Day and wrote in my journal. Thankfully, by the time Charlie and the other plumber did get their rears upstairs, I was dressed, had eaten breakfast, and was just finishing taking the Valentine's Day decorations down.
Charlie had a box under his arm for me when he came in to shut off the water. For some reason, the mail man had deposited it on the back porch steps. I have no idea how or why the mailman got all the way over there. At any rate, my Amazon.com post-tax-return order had arrived. Along with finally picking up the Sailor Moon R (Season 2) Vol 1 set (since no one around here seems to have it on DVD), I picked up the signature (basic) version of Ginger Breadhouse, one of two remaining Ever After High signature dolls I didn't have, and the Han/Leia based Star Wars novel Tatoonie Ghost.
(Incidentally, the only other Ever After High signature doll I currently don't have is Melody Piper. I'll wait on her until she shows up in the stores or her price comes down on Amazon. There's more coming in the spring and early summer too, including three new Signatures and a "Snow Queen"-based character that's heading the line based around their next special.)
I pulled out Ginger after I finished breakfast. Ginger Breadhouse is supposed to be the daughter of the Candy Witch from "Hansel and Gretel." While she does love baking (and adding benevolent spells to her sweets), like Raven, she has no desire to be evil. She just wants to share her skills with the world. Ginger is a (literal) sweetie, one of three dolls in the line who wear glasses. (The others are Dexter Charming and Rosabella Beauty.) Thankfully, her bright-pink hair came perfectly soft and shiny. It did shed when I brushed it, but it also didn't need to be washed. She has a tight dress made to look like gingerbread with sprinkles. Unlike Ashlynn's dress, it didn't seem to impede her ability to sit down. I put her on the end of the front row with her fellow Rebels Darling, Cedar, and Cerise.
Drowned out the guys and watched Sailor Moon while baking my favorite Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Cookies. Unlike the first season, most of the second season episodes seem to be intact so far. Most of what I've noticed to be different were things cut for time or some scatological jokes removed from a babysitting episode.
The first half of the second season reintroduces the characters after Usagi/Sailor Moon changed their memories so they could lead peaceful lives. The Guardians are called back when two aliens named Ann and Ali land on Earth, with their energy-sucking tree. The tree sustains them, but it seems to be dying. It feeds on pure energy. The pair disguise themselves as humans to find energy for their tree...and fall for Mamoru and Usagi in the process. It doesn't help that Mamoru hasn't regained his memories and doesn't recall either being Tuxedo Mask or his feelings for Usagi. And there's that mysterious Moonlight Knight who keeps showing up when the girls need help...
It started snowing even as the guys were beginning to work on the pipe. (Which, as it turns out, was under my porch. Who knew? Meant I had the guys' cursing and their tools blasting in my ears all day, though.) It wasn't heavy, but I decided I just didn't want to brave the weather and opted to put off doing my laundry, my only real outside plan for today.
I'd put off dressing the American Girl dolls for a while as I focused on writing. I finally had time to do it today. Even though Valentine's Day was yesterday, I still put them in pink and red outfits. Samantha wears her lovely, very historically accurate Talent Show Dress with black stockings and the black and white boots from last year's limited-edition spring outfit. Josefina's in a pretty pink and mauve floral empire-waist dress and lace shawl I got for her off eBay a few years ago. Went with the modern beige, pink, and gold Sweet Spring Dress from a few years ago, paired with the pink tights from the Ballet Outfit and the yellow t-strap shoes from Kit's Scooter Outfit for Jessa. Molly's in her plaid School Outfit, white tights, and Sam's "meet" outfit Mary Janes. Whitney's heading out to the lake for ice frolics in Molly's red and blue Skating Outfit with the tight fleece sweater and swirly red skirt, white tights, and Springfield Collection skates. Felicity's wearing her Laced Jacket and Petticoat.
Charlie came in and out a few times as I was finishing the girls. It took him and the other plumber literally all afternoon, but yes, they apparently fixed the pipes. I did offer them some cookies as they cooled. They seemed really happy with them. Charlie said he could smell the cookies baking as they worked on the porch.
Spent the rest of the afternoon and evening finishing my story. Kathleen despairs of being able to help Darren, until she discovers that her words literally have power. When she speaks, they become part of the story she was writing earlier...and they give her the power to defeat the evil Lady Sylvia and revive Darren and restore his human form. She suggests that they turn the Villa into a place where people can admire the gardens and create stories of their own. They marry and do just that and live happily ever after.
Thankfully, this one came out MUCH shorter than my previous stories. I really did intend to keep this simple. It's on my blog if anyone's interested:
Since that one came out pretty well, I'm going to do the Star Wars fairy tale next and put off the 80's spoof until I've worked on it a bit more. I've come up with some pretty good ideas for this one. Princess Leia of the Kingdom of Aldran is supposed to be at her last ball before she joins the Court of the Seven Kingdoms. She'd rather be anywhere else...especially when her evil guardian appears, burns the kingdom, and kidnaps her. The two handsome gentlemen whom she met at the ball, who claimed to be a prince and a knight (when they were really a roguish thief and a stable boy training to be a knight) rescue her, leaving behind a strange sword and a dilapidated gypsy carriage called the Falcon. She seeks them out, but her guardian, a knight and a strong black magic sorcerer, isn't far behind. He has no intention of letting his daughter marry a penniless thief with no political alliance, but the innocent knight-in-training may be useful...
I'm going to hopefully start it tomorrow. I more-or-less intend for it to be a blend of several familiar fairy and folk tales, including "Cinderella," "King Arthur," "Rapunzel," "Snow White," "Sleeping Beauty," and "East of the Sun and West of the Moon." I'm once again going to try to keep it relatively short, though it'll probably be longer than the story I just finished. We'll see how it goes.
Finished out the night with lobster cakes and escarole with mushrooms sauteed in lime sauce for dinner. Ran the end of the first Sailor Moon disc and the beginning of the second one as I ate. While the majority of the episodes in the "Doom Tree" arc are fluff and filler, there's some surprisingly scary or action-packed tales to be found here. The episode about the Cherry Blossom Festival and how Sailor Moon gets a new weapon and a power upgrade is actually rather chilling. There's at least two episodes where the monsters attack groups of little kids and babies for their energy. (Come to think of it, the emphasis on children in many of these episodes almost seem like foreshadowing for the prominence of Chibi-Usa in the next arc.) Another episode introduces Makoto's close guy friend Kenji, who is drained so badly by a monster, Makoto donates blood to him. And there's Usagi's continuing attempts to get Mamoru to remember who she is and their relationship. Not to mention, Ann and Ali are experiencing love for the first time...and they're both very jealous of Usagi and Mamoru and will do anything to get them out of the way.
The snow stopped while I was writing. It started raining shortly after I got online and has been raining on and off ever since. It's supposed to continue tomorrow - once again, we'll see.
Sunday, February 14, 2016
A Riverside Valentine
Began a sunny, bitterly cold day with Collier's Book of Holidays. They only have one story for Valentine's Day, but it's the charming The Valentine's Box, about a shy little girl who makes friends after she helps a classmate round up her wayward valentines in the snow. I also did a couple of poems and the last two chapters of Changes for Samantha. Samantha Parkington learns about love and compassion when she helps her friend Nellie and her sisters escape from a nasty orphanage shortly before Valentine's Day.
When I finally got up, I moved onto the two Peanuts Valentine's specials. A Charlie Brown Valentine is a series of skits revolving around the kids' various attempts at courtship. Chuck is trying to get the Little Red Haired Girl's attention, but he ends up taking Peppermint Patty and Marcie to the dance instead. Sally and Lucy just wish their crushes would pay at least a little attention to them. Snoopy finds himself drafted to write love notes (bad ones) for the crew.
The earlier Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown is a less-lighthearted take on the perpetual Peanuts love affairs. Linus has a crush on his teacher Miss Othmar; Sally thinks he's bought that huge box of chocolate for her. Chuck is hoping against hope that he might get a briefcase full of valentines.
The Peanuts aren't the only animated characters from the 60's and 70's who had trouble on Valentine's Day. Pink at First Sight has The Pink Panther working as a singing delivery boy in order to raise money to impress a girl. Trouble is, very few people, from a jealous husband to a group of gangsters, appreciate his attempts to deliver their holiday gifts.
Darn it. I didn't have much more luck with breakfast than the Peanuts did chasing each other. My Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Pancakes fell apart, and I burned one. I couldn't finish them. Just as well - I barely had enough time to get ready and go to work as it was.
Work, thankfully, wasn't nearly as busy as last weekend. It didn't begin well. A manager took me aside and said a woman complained about me being rude to her yesterday. I totally don't remember. Ironically, about a half-hour before I left, I got a compliment from two customers who said they liked how I was always pleasant and have a smile on my face, even when I'm riding my bike (they were evidently from Oaklyn). My relief was right on time, giving me the chance to treat myself to a Lindt Strawberry Cheesecake-filled milk chocolate stick bar before I headed home.
Spent the next hour and a half writing. Kathleen tries to rush to Darren's side. Lady Sylvia doesn't like that at all. She considers Darren to be her personal property. She demonstrates her dark magic by knocking Kathleen across the room.
Finished out the night with an escarole and cheese omelet and a slice of banana-chocolate chip bread. Listened to my Hearbeat of the 80's K-Tel album while I ate. This is a collection of ballads from the early 80's, mainly duets like "Baby, Come to Me." The only one I don't recognize is Paco's "Shoot the Moon."
And while my Valentine's Day wasn't terribly exciting, I hope you had one that was a lot more fun and romantic!
When I finally got up, I moved onto the two Peanuts Valentine's specials. A Charlie Brown Valentine is a series of skits revolving around the kids' various attempts at courtship. Chuck is trying to get the Little Red Haired Girl's attention, but he ends up taking Peppermint Patty and Marcie to the dance instead. Sally and Lucy just wish their crushes would pay at least a little attention to them. Snoopy finds himself drafted to write love notes (bad ones) for the crew.
The earlier Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown is a less-lighthearted take on the perpetual Peanuts love affairs. Linus has a crush on his teacher Miss Othmar; Sally thinks he's bought that huge box of chocolate for her. Chuck is hoping against hope that he might get a briefcase full of valentines.
The Peanuts aren't the only animated characters from the 60's and 70's who had trouble on Valentine's Day. Pink at First Sight has The Pink Panther working as a singing delivery boy in order to raise money to impress a girl. Trouble is, very few people, from a jealous husband to a group of gangsters, appreciate his attempts to deliver their holiday gifts.
Darn it. I didn't have much more luck with breakfast than the Peanuts did chasing each other. My Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Pancakes fell apart, and I burned one. I couldn't finish them. Just as well - I barely had enough time to get ready and go to work as it was.
Work, thankfully, wasn't nearly as busy as last weekend. It didn't begin well. A manager took me aside and said a woman complained about me being rude to her yesterday. I totally don't remember. Ironically, about a half-hour before I left, I got a compliment from two customers who said they liked how I was always pleasant and have a smile on my face, even when I'm riding my bike (they were evidently from Oaklyn). My relief was right on time, giving me the chance to treat myself to a Lindt Strawberry Cheesecake-filled milk chocolate stick bar before I headed home.
Spent the next hour and a half writing. Kathleen tries to rush to Darren's side. Lady Sylvia doesn't like that at all. She considers Darren to be her personal property. She demonstrates her dark magic by knocking Kathleen across the room.
Finished out the night with an escarole and cheese omelet and a slice of banana-chocolate chip bread. Listened to my Hearbeat of the 80's K-Tel album while I ate. This is a collection of ballads from the early 80's, mainly duets like "Baby, Come to Me." The only one I don't recognize is Paco's "Shoot the Moon."
And while my Valentine's Day wasn't terribly exciting, I hope you had one that was a lot more fun and romantic!
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Warming Up the Weekend
It was sunny but very, very windy when I got up this morning. I could hear the wind howling as I put on a couple of Valentine's Day specials during breakfast. Bugs Bunny's Cupid Capers has an Elmer Fudd-like Cupid spreading love among the Toons in a series of segments from various shorts. Bugs insists he's meddling, until he gets shot with Cupid's arrow himself.
Winnie the Pooh and the Hundred Acres Woods crew learns a lesson in friendship in Winnie the Pooh: A Valentine for You. They find Christopher Robin making a valentine for a girl he likes and automatically assume he likes her more than them. Owl tells them he's been bitten by the "Smitten" bug. They go looking for the "Smitten" to change him back to normal.
"Un-Valentine's Day" is an episode of The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Thanks to the overwhelming amount of valentines Pooh sent the year before, Rabbit cancels the holiday all together. Pooh, however, gets a pot of honey on the big day. This leads to cakes flying, Piglet making massive hearts, and Rabbit putting on a romantic play for Christopher Robin that goes comically wrong. But who did send the original pot of honey?
Work was busy to steady all afternoon. While some customers got a little ornery, it wasn't anything like last weekend. My relief was on time, and there were no really major problems. I picked up cereal (Life was the only thing on remotely a good sale) and a birthday present for Jessa - a stuffed Beanie Baby owl - on the way out. (The owl was amazingly cheap, only $1.49 - it must have been a Halloween item that got mixed in with the Valentine's Day toys.)
When I got home, I spent the next hour or so working on the story. The evil Lady Sylvia wants Kathleen to give up the stories she's written to get Darren...and her own story, her memories. Kathleen won't do it, but she's worried about Darren...
Headed to Dad's around quarter after 6 to celebrate Jessa's birthday. Jessa wasn't there when I arrived, but Khai (already in his pajamas) was, along with one of the neighbors and their kids. They weren't there for long, but Joe and Jessa showed up with Joe's three kids. Alexa, a good friend of Jessa's, showed up later.
Jessa requested fondue for dinner. We had chicken and beef chunks in hot oil and bread and a vegetable tray in cheese. It was so tasty. Dessert was a box of tiny tarts and cakes from Desserts By Design. (Joe had to hold Jessa's number candles when they were lit, since they obviously weren't going to fit in tartlets and little cakes.) It was all very tasty. In addition to the stuffed owl (which she loved), Jessa got a new laptop from Jodie and Dad.
I spent a lot of the night watching Khai run around with Joe's two younger kids, Little Joe and Dannica. We drew hearts and Pac Man and the elder Han and Leia from Force Awakens on a huge cardboard box that the kids used as a spaceship all night. When they weren't trying to figure out how two boys could fit in one long but fairly slender box, they were screaming and chasing each other. I alternated between watching their antics and warming up by the roaring fire in the office/living room area. Headed home after we all finished dessert.
Incidentally, yesterday's snow dusting was already melting by the time I left for work around noon. The wind blew the rest of it away.
Oh, and in honor of Valentine's Day tomorrow, here's a rare Disney Channel special my sisters and I watched every February in the 1980's. Like Bugs Bunny's Cupid Capers, it's a series of segments from various shorts. No real plot, but the narration that links it is pretty cute, and there's some nice music, too. I always thought the ballad "Disney Girls" was written for this special. It wasn't - it's an old Captain and Tenille song.
From Disney With Love
Winnie the Pooh and the Hundred Acres Woods crew learns a lesson in friendship in Winnie the Pooh: A Valentine for You. They find Christopher Robin making a valentine for a girl he likes and automatically assume he likes her more than them. Owl tells them he's been bitten by the "Smitten" bug. They go looking for the "Smitten" to change him back to normal.
"Un-Valentine's Day" is an episode of The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Thanks to the overwhelming amount of valentines Pooh sent the year before, Rabbit cancels the holiday all together. Pooh, however, gets a pot of honey on the big day. This leads to cakes flying, Piglet making massive hearts, and Rabbit putting on a romantic play for Christopher Robin that goes comically wrong. But who did send the original pot of honey?
Work was busy to steady all afternoon. While some customers got a little ornery, it wasn't anything like last weekend. My relief was on time, and there were no really major problems. I picked up cereal (Life was the only thing on remotely a good sale) and a birthday present for Jessa - a stuffed Beanie Baby owl - on the way out. (The owl was amazingly cheap, only $1.49 - it must have been a Halloween item that got mixed in with the Valentine's Day toys.)
When I got home, I spent the next hour or so working on the story. The evil Lady Sylvia wants Kathleen to give up the stories she's written to get Darren...and her own story, her memories. Kathleen won't do it, but she's worried about Darren...
Headed to Dad's around quarter after 6 to celebrate Jessa's birthday. Jessa wasn't there when I arrived, but Khai (already in his pajamas) was, along with one of the neighbors and their kids. They weren't there for long, but Joe and Jessa showed up with Joe's three kids. Alexa, a good friend of Jessa's, showed up later.
Jessa requested fondue for dinner. We had chicken and beef chunks in hot oil and bread and a vegetable tray in cheese. It was so tasty. Dessert was a box of tiny tarts and cakes from Desserts By Design. (Joe had to hold Jessa's number candles when they were lit, since they obviously weren't going to fit in tartlets and little cakes.) It was all very tasty. In addition to the stuffed owl (which she loved), Jessa got a new laptop from Jodie and Dad.
I spent a lot of the night watching Khai run around with Joe's two younger kids, Little Joe and Dannica. We drew hearts and Pac Man and the elder Han and Leia from Force Awakens on a huge cardboard box that the kids used as a spaceship all night. When they weren't trying to figure out how two boys could fit in one long but fairly slender box, they were screaming and chasing each other. I alternated between watching their antics and warming up by the roaring fire in the office/living room area. Headed home after we all finished dessert.
Incidentally, yesterday's snow dusting was already melting by the time I left for work around noon. The wind blew the rest of it away.
Oh, and in honor of Valentine's Day tomorrow, here's a rare Disney Channel special my sisters and I watched every February in the 1980's. Like Bugs Bunny's Cupid Capers, it's a series of segments from various shorts. No real plot, but the narration that links it is pretty cute, and there's some nice music, too. I always thought the ballad "Disney Girls" was written for this special. It wasn't - it's an old Captain and Tenille song.
From Disney With Love
Friday, February 12, 2016
Snow Wishes
Began a sunny but very cold morning with a quick but fun movie while I ate breakfast and got ready for work. Wakko's Wish was intended as a strange finale to Animaniacs. The cast of the show play the citizens of a downtrodden town that's been brought into poverty by an evil king and his goofy tax collectors. When Wakko wishes on a star that his sister Dot could have an operation, the star actually falls to Earth...and now everyone, from Slappy Squirrel and her nephew to the Warner siblings to the evil king to Pinky and the Brain and many others, are determined to find that star and get the happy endings they're hoping for.
Work wasn't too bad later in the evening, but it was crazy early in the day. Once again, people weren't always in the best of moods, either. I spent the down time and my break working on story ideas. I've decided I'll go into the Star Wars fairy tale after I finish the story I'm currently working on. I still want to do the 80's high school story, but it needs more work. I'm planning on the fairy tale mix being shorter and a bit less complicated.
It did slow down long enough for me to close with no relief. Which may not have been smart. Ten minutes after I closed, the lines got long. That was a pain. I didn't have a lot of grocery shopping to do, but I had some. Restocked canned pineapple and mandarin oranges, grapefruit, apples, bananas, cake mix, and buttermilk. Chicken is on a 40% off sale. I picked up legs for about $2.48. I've been eyeing a thin Star Wars Entertainment Weekly making-of book for almost two months now, but it's expensive, and I didn't have the money.
My schedule for next week is almost exactly the same as this week, with some slightly different times next weekend. I still don't have enough hours, but thanks to my tax return and the big paycheck I got from my one busy week, it's not as devastating as it was last summer and early fall. It also means for the second year in a row, I have President's Day off. I will more than likely spend the week finishing off my current story and starting the Star Wars story. If I get nice weather on any of my days off, I might go for a ride.
It was just starting to do a little of something, snow or rain, when I headed to the mall in the back for dinner at Tu Se Bella's. I just missed the crowd. Even with no line, I still had to wait nearly ten minutes for my slice of cheese and slice of broccoli rabe and sausage pizza and bottle of Diet Dr. Pepper. I ended up eating my pizza in the main dining area because the tables near the counter were all taken.
The light rain shower was becoming a light snow shower as I rode home. It looked very pretty coming down. It seems to have left us with a dusting of snow...which could be a problem, since it's supposed to be literally freezing for the rest of the weekend. I hope it doesn't get too icy.
Oh, and I made the one and only Amazon.com order I'm planning on with this tax return. I kept things simple. Got the Sailor Moon Season 2, Vol 1 DVD set. The DVD set for Vol 2 is still kind of expensive. That one may have to wait for my birthday. They finally had the Signature version of Ginger Breadhouse for a good price. I really haven't been able to find her original version anywhere.
I'm generally trying to stay out of the Star Wars "Legends/Expanded Universe" novels. I'm beginning to remember one of the reasons I dropped this fandom to begin with - that whole thing just got too complicated for me. However, I know they've recently released some stories that revolve around characters from the Original Trilogy during the movies, and I couldn't resist a stand-alone story featuring a married (but before any version of their kids) Han and Leia, Tatoonie Ghost. I always did like the few stories that involved them together.
Work wasn't too bad later in the evening, but it was crazy early in the day. Once again, people weren't always in the best of moods, either. I spent the down time and my break working on story ideas. I've decided I'll go into the Star Wars fairy tale after I finish the story I'm currently working on. I still want to do the 80's high school story, but it needs more work. I'm planning on the fairy tale mix being shorter and a bit less complicated.
It did slow down long enough for me to close with no relief. Which may not have been smart. Ten minutes after I closed, the lines got long. That was a pain. I didn't have a lot of grocery shopping to do, but I had some. Restocked canned pineapple and mandarin oranges, grapefruit, apples, bananas, cake mix, and buttermilk. Chicken is on a 40% off sale. I picked up legs for about $2.48. I've been eyeing a thin Star Wars Entertainment Weekly making-of book for almost two months now, but it's expensive, and I didn't have the money.
My schedule for next week is almost exactly the same as this week, with some slightly different times next weekend. I still don't have enough hours, but thanks to my tax return and the big paycheck I got from my one busy week, it's not as devastating as it was last summer and early fall. It also means for the second year in a row, I have President's Day off. I will more than likely spend the week finishing off my current story and starting the Star Wars story. If I get nice weather on any of my days off, I might go for a ride.
It was just starting to do a little of something, snow or rain, when I headed to the mall in the back for dinner at Tu Se Bella's. I just missed the crowd. Even with no line, I still had to wait nearly ten minutes for my slice of cheese and slice of broccoli rabe and sausage pizza and bottle of Diet Dr. Pepper. I ended up eating my pizza in the main dining area because the tables near the counter were all taken.
The light rain shower was becoming a light snow shower as I rode home. It looked very pretty coming down. It seems to have left us with a dusting of snow...which could be a problem, since it's supposed to be literally freezing for the rest of the weekend. I hope it doesn't get too icy.
Oh, and I made the one and only Amazon.com order I'm planning on with this tax return. I kept things simple. Got the Sailor Moon Season 2, Vol 1 DVD set. The DVD set for Vol 2 is still kind of expensive. That one may have to wait for my birthday. They finally had the Signature version of Ginger Breadhouse for a good price. I really haven't been able to find her original version anywhere.
I'm generally trying to stay out of the Star Wars "Legends/Expanded Universe" novels. I'm beginning to remember one of the reasons I dropped this fandom to begin with - that whole thing just got too complicated for me. However, I know they've recently released some stories that revolve around characters from the Original Trilogy during the movies, and I couldn't resist a stand-alone story featuring a married (but before any version of their kids) Han and Leia, Tatoonie Ghost. I always did like the few stories that involved them together.
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Cold Cartoons
I awoke to the sound of a chainsaw cutting into wood. I have no idea what Charlie was doing on the porch this morning, other than cutting a long rectangle into it. (He did have it covered by the time I got home.) I ran a Backyardigans episode to drown out the noise. "Cops and Robots" gives us Tyrone and Uniqua as intergalactic police officers in pursuit of "bad 'bots" Tasha and Pablo. If they succeed in getting into the robot factory and flipping the switch, they'll turn all the robots in the galaxy bad!
Work was on-and-off busy, but absolutely nothing like the weekend. It was so quiet early on, I spent most of the morning either working on story ideas or doing returns. It did pick up a little bit later...but by that time, I was getting ready to go. The weather may have scared people off. Despite the sunshine, it was freezing cold today, and is supposed to remain so throughout the weekend.
When I got home, I went right into writing. Kathleen confronts the evil Lady Sylvia. All she wants is Darren back. Lady Sylvia wants the stories she's been writing...and her own "story" and memories. She'll trade Darren, still in his demon form, for them. Kathleen won't do anything until she sees Darren. Sylvia orders him dragged in, bound and still in his demon form. She'll restore him and let him go if Kathleen gives up the stories.
Did a quick Looney Tunes compilation movie while eating leftovers for dinner and making Banana-Chocolate Chip Bread. 1001 Rabbit Tales (mostly) showcases shorts that spoof fairy tales, like the Speedy Gonzoles vehicle "The Pied Piper of Guadaloupe" and the Sylvester short "Goldilocks and the Three Cats," but it may be most famous for using "One Froggy Evening" as its finale. Bugs and Daffy are book sales-toons competing to see who can sell the most kids' books. While Daffy's trying to get north, Bugs ends up getting waylaid by Sultan Sam and his spoiled son, who insist Bugs play Scheherazade and read them some stories. One of the cuter Looney Tunes "movies" of the late 70's and 80's has no full cartoons, but it does showcase bits from some of Termite Terrace's best, including "Gorilla My Dreams" and "Froggy Evening."
Oh, and my tax return showed up last night. I'm not going to do nearly as much with it as I have in previous years. Most of it will be going into savings or my rent. I do want to take another writing class, and I'd like to pick up the Sailor Moon Season 2 DVD sets somewhere along the line.
Work was on-and-off busy, but absolutely nothing like the weekend. It was so quiet early on, I spent most of the morning either working on story ideas or doing returns. It did pick up a little bit later...but by that time, I was getting ready to go. The weather may have scared people off. Despite the sunshine, it was freezing cold today, and is supposed to remain so throughout the weekend.
When I got home, I went right into writing. Kathleen confronts the evil Lady Sylvia. All she wants is Darren back. Lady Sylvia wants the stories she's been writing...and her own "story" and memories. She'll trade Darren, still in his demon form, for them. Kathleen won't do anything until she sees Darren. Sylvia orders him dragged in, bound and still in his demon form. She'll restore him and let him go if Kathleen gives up the stories.
Did a quick Looney Tunes compilation movie while eating leftovers for dinner and making Banana-Chocolate Chip Bread. 1001 Rabbit Tales (mostly) showcases shorts that spoof fairy tales, like the Speedy Gonzoles vehicle "The Pied Piper of Guadaloupe" and the Sylvester short "Goldilocks and the Three Cats," but it may be most famous for using "One Froggy Evening" as its finale. Bugs and Daffy are book sales-toons competing to see who can sell the most kids' books. While Daffy's trying to get north, Bugs ends up getting waylaid by Sultan Sam and his spoiled son, who insist Bugs play Scheherazade and read them some stories. One of the cuter Looney Tunes "movies" of the late 70's and 80's has no full cartoons, but it does showcase bits from some of Termite Terrace's best, including "Gorilla My Dreams" and "Froggy Evening."
Oh, and my tax return showed up last night. I'm not going to do nearly as much with it as I have in previous years. Most of it will be going into savings or my rent. I do want to take another writing class, and I'd like to pick up the Sailor Moon Season 2 DVD sets somewhere along the line.
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
That's Galactic Entertainment
I was even more surprised to see that it was sunny when I got up this morning, and a bit windy. It looked like it may have snowed a tiny bit overnight, but it was barely a dusting, and nothing on the street. I was able to run the errands I had planned after breakfast with no problems.
The big one was the Oaklyn Library (after peeking at Studio LuLoo to see if they were open - they were not). I returned the DVDs I took out last week and worked on organizing other ones. Maybe the talk of the weather scared people off? I was the only one there the entire half-hour besides the librarian and the Weather Channel.
Hit WaWa for lunch. I opted for a simple turkey hoagie with spinach, pickles, and tomatoes. Tossed in a Chocolate Strawberry Smoothie as well. This was pretty much a strawberry milkshake with chocolate chips and bits mixed in. The strawberry part was tasty enough. The chocolate bits...were a good idea in theory, but in actuality, they kept getting jammed in my straw. It ended up being yummy, but a bit hard to drink.
When I got home, I ate my sandwich while continuing That's Entertainment, which I began during breakfast. This is the original documentary compiling clips from many, many popular MGM musicals of the late 20's through the late 50's. While many of the clips are familiar - Judy Garland in sepia wishing she could go over the rainbow, Gene Kelly singin' in the rain - others are from smaller musicals or ones you might not have heard of, like Debbie Reynolds and Carleton Carpenter's charming "Abba Dabba Honeymoon" from the early 20th-century-set Two Weeks With Love and part of Gene Kelly dancing with Jerry the Mouse in "The Worry Song" from Anchors Aweigh.
Did writing next. Kathleen does make it into the villa. Darren described the villa as a beautiful place, but to her, it radiates coldness and evil. She's lead to an enormous library where she encounters the stunning, red-headed Lady Sylvia, who claims to own the villa. Sylvia taunts the young woman, calling her plain and wondering how she could ever have a story of any importance. Kathleen stands her ground. She just wants Darren back, and will do anything to get him.
Finally got to finishing the cleaning while Entertainment ended and afterwards. I've been meaning to vacuum and dust for over a week, but I've kept putting it off. Put up the Valentine's Day decorations as well.
Switched to throwing together leftovers for dinner and making Mandarin Orange Muffins while watching Galaxy Quest. Galaxy Quest was a popular Star Trek-style sci-fi show in the early 80's. It's been canceled for decades, but loyal fans keep packing conventions to see the show's original stars. Not that the original stars are happy about it. They feel trapped in their roles, especially the cocky, me-first actor who played the ship captain (Tim Allen) and his alien assistant (the late Alan Rickman). They get a huge surprise when they're recruited by an alien race who thinks their show is a "historical document" and wants them to fight an evil galactic overlord. The crew discovers just how important their relationships with each other and their fans are when it turns out they need some crucial information to save the ship that only their tech-obsessed fans would know...
This love letter to fandom in general and sci-fi fandoms in particular has been a favorite of mine since I saw it twice in the theater back in 1999. Everyone's having a great time, including Tony Shalhoub as the most laid-back sci-fi star you'll ever see, Signorney Weaver as the show's only female star, and Sam Rockwell as a guy along for the ride who keeps worrying about getting killed. If you've ever been involved with a fandom, any fandom, you'll probably get as big a kick out of this one as I do.
The big one was the Oaklyn Library (after peeking at Studio LuLoo to see if they were open - they were not). I returned the DVDs I took out last week and worked on organizing other ones. Maybe the talk of the weather scared people off? I was the only one there the entire half-hour besides the librarian and the Weather Channel.
Hit WaWa for lunch. I opted for a simple turkey hoagie with spinach, pickles, and tomatoes. Tossed in a Chocolate Strawberry Smoothie as well. This was pretty much a strawberry milkshake with chocolate chips and bits mixed in. The strawberry part was tasty enough. The chocolate bits...were a good idea in theory, but in actuality, they kept getting jammed in my straw. It ended up being yummy, but a bit hard to drink.
When I got home, I ate my sandwich while continuing That's Entertainment, which I began during breakfast. This is the original documentary compiling clips from many, many popular MGM musicals of the late 20's through the late 50's. While many of the clips are familiar - Judy Garland in sepia wishing she could go over the rainbow, Gene Kelly singin' in the rain - others are from smaller musicals or ones you might not have heard of, like Debbie Reynolds and Carleton Carpenter's charming "Abba Dabba Honeymoon" from the early 20th-century-set Two Weeks With Love and part of Gene Kelly dancing with Jerry the Mouse in "The Worry Song" from Anchors Aweigh.
Did writing next. Kathleen does make it into the villa. Darren described the villa as a beautiful place, but to her, it radiates coldness and evil. She's lead to an enormous library where she encounters the stunning, red-headed Lady Sylvia, who claims to own the villa. Sylvia taunts the young woman, calling her plain and wondering how she could ever have a story of any importance. Kathleen stands her ground. She just wants Darren back, and will do anything to get him.
Finally got to finishing the cleaning while Entertainment ended and afterwards. I've been meaning to vacuum and dust for over a week, but I've kept putting it off. Put up the Valentine's Day decorations as well.
Switched to throwing together leftovers for dinner and making Mandarin Orange Muffins while watching Galaxy Quest. Galaxy Quest was a popular Star Trek-style sci-fi show in the early 80's. It's been canceled for decades, but loyal fans keep packing conventions to see the show's original stars. Not that the original stars are happy about it. They feel trapped in their roles, especially the cocky, me-first actor who played the ship captain (Tim Allen) and his alien assistant (the late Alan Rickman). They get a huge surprise when they're recruited by an alien race who thinks their show is a "historical document" and wants them to fight an evil galactic overlord. The crew discovers just how important their relationships with each other and their fans are when it turns out they need some crucial information to save the ship that only their tech-obsessed fans would know...
This love letter to fandom in general and sci-fi fandoms in particular has been a favorite of mine since I saw it twice in the theater back in 1999. Everyone's having a great time, including Tony Shalhoub as the most laid-back sci-fi star you'll ever see, Signorney Weaver as the show's only female star, and Sam Rockwell as a guy along for the ride who keeps worrying about getting killed. If you've ever been involved with a fandom, any fandom, you'll probably get as big a kick out of this one as I do.
Tuesday, February 09, 2016
Almost a Winter Wonderland
To my surprise, it was merely wet when I finally got up this morning. No snow, no rain, no anything. Even so, after I finished Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, I honored the weather anyway with Frosty Returns. This odd 90's special isn't a follow-up to the original Rankin-Bass Frosty the Snowman. Frosty helps two kids whose town winter carnival may not go on after a nasty executive creates an aerosol quick-snow-removal spray.
I didn't get out to do the laundry until past 12:30. Thankfully, the weather must have scared people off. Other than one or two people, it was mostly quiet. I listened to the news and The Chew and read the Star Wars FAQ. I'm glad it was quiet. I had a ton of laundry to do today, including my new pants and work shirts.
It was just starting to snow when I rode home. As soon as I put everything away, I went right back out. Snow or no snow, I had errands to run. Besides, though it was coming down as big, wet flakes, it wasn't sticking to anything, not even the ground. I had lunch at a Friendly's. They were surprisingly busy for 2:30 in the afternoon on a day with some fairly bad weather. I had a simple grilled chicken sandwich and fries, along with the Vienna Mocha Chunk ice cream (my favorite Friendly's flavor) topped with hot fudge and whipped cream.
The snow was slowing down, even as I headed to the Haddon Township Library for this week's session there. I decided to leave the DVDs to the kids and helped the librarians find titles on the racks they'd been searching for. After I found everything but a bunch of new release books, I shelved a big stack of items on hold. (And I didn't take anything out again. In fact, I returned books. I don't know when I'll have the time to watch anything.)
The snow was down to sprinkles when I headed over to the Westmont Plaza. I didn't really need much there anyway. I rushed in Thriftway to grab milk - they were dead. Picked up a new notebook to write story ideas in at Dollar Tree. Neither place was busy.
(Also, I noticed the Westmont Game Stop seems to have vanished. That's odd. They seemed to be doing fine at Christmas, when I bought a Bowser Amiibo figure for Lauren from there. They were always kind of quiet, though.)
It started raining and snowing again shortly after I got home. It's been raining and snowing on and off the rest of the night. I worked on my story for a while. The old woman who tells Kathleen that the evil Lady Sylvia is stealing stories tells her she won't get into the villa dressed as a peasant. She gives her a beautiful gown, and she passes herself off as a noblewoman to get past the stuffy butler at the door.
Finished the night with an episode of Wonder Woman from the third season. With my own re-entry into the Star Wars fandom, I thought "Spaced Out" was rather appropriate. Diana Prince finds herself among people who are even stranger than some of her Justice League buddies - late 70's sci-fi fans at a convention. She has to dodge the cosplayers and save jewels that can make lasers from a wily thief and the men who intend to buy the jewels from him.
Monday, February 08, 2016
In the Year of the Monkey
Started a sort-of-sunny, chilly day with a few remaining football-themed shorts I didn't get to on Saturday. Hello Kitty is "Cinderkitty" in Hello Kitty Furry Tale Theater. This little kitten would rather be catching footballs than doing chores. She gets a chance to prove girls can do anything, even be a penguin prince's wide receiver, when magic allows her to attend the big game.
The Fleischers did two football cartoons featuring Popeye. The first, "You've Gotta Be a Football Hero," is more typical. Popeye gets on the field to take down Bluto's team in order to impress Olive. "The Football Toucher-Downer" has Popeye telling Swee'Pea the story of how he first started eating spinach - during a football game when he was younger. I also snuck in "King of the Mardi Gras," since Mardi Gras is on Wednesday. Popeye and Bluto are once again competing for Olive's affections, this time on the Mardi Gras midway.
Headed out to King's Highway around 10. I wanted to be on time for the bus to Moorestown without rushing for once. Everything went fine. I made it with time to buy a pineapple-coconut sparkling water and get change at CVS and still got across the busy street well before the bus arrived. The bus was surprisingly busy for the Moorestown run. A couple of folks actually went all the way with me.
Explored the mall itself when I arrived. The FYE was a disorganized mess. I didn't see anything I absolutely needed. After a quick bathroom break at the movie theater (and dodging the Starbucks that somehow sprung up across from FYE in the Food Court hallway), I took a quick peek at a toy store, then hit Boscov's. Though I looked at toys, I was mainly there for pants, the only clothes I really need right now. I replaced a pair of work pants with Lee twill trousers, and picked up a pair of brown corduroys as well.
My next stop was the gigantic Barnes and Noble in one of the shopping centers surrounding the Moorestown Mall. I was there for over an hour. I just couldn't decide! I did see a coffee table book on musicals that looked interesting, but in addition to not wanting to haul it home, it was forty bucks. I ended up spending $25 on the Star Wars FAQ (or really more Star Wars Original Trilogy FAQ - it just briefly discusses the Prequels in the last chapters).
Had a very quick lunch next. It was past 2, and I was starving. In honor of today's Chinese New Year (it's the Year of the Monkey), I ate at Pei Wei. Needless to say on an Asian holiday, they were fairly busy, with a long-ish line that thankfully moved fast. I had sweet and sour chicken with brown rice and chai iced tea.
Went in and out of a few stores next. I wanted to get Dad-Bill a birthday card at Hallmark (it's tomorrow). Ended up getting myself three "Itty Bitties," tiny, adorable versions of popular characters. To my amusement, their versions of Han and Leia were packaged together, on cardboard printed to resemble the Millennium Falcon. And of course, since I got Han, I had to get Chewie, too. And yes, I got Dad his card.
(Star Wars isn't the only popular franchise from my childhood that's turned up at Hallmark recently. I was surprised to see Rainbow Brite merchandise there, too, including books. I thought they gave up on her after the last two or three times their attempts at resuscitating the character didn't work out. At the very least, what I saw of toys and books they had looked pretty close to the original. We'll see how this goes.)
A stop at Best Buy took even less time. I wanted to see if they had the Sailor Moon Season 2 sets. After spending 10 minutes just finding the DVDs and Blue Ray section (it was shoved in a corner in the back), I discovered they did have the first Season 2 set...but only on Blu-Ray. I think I'll probably just pick these up on Amazon.com.
I was hot from all that hiking around. A chocolate-covered strawberry water ice from Rita's really hit the spot. I got to enjoy it at the now-completely remodeled food court at the main Mall. The industrial white color scheme had been replaced by slightly mellower hues of dark brown and tan. Charley's was replaced by Bassett's; the sushi place and pizzeria were different, too. The only holdovers from the original Food Court were Subway and Saladworks. A small sit-down restaurant replaced one of the booths. I sat at the island/counter in the very center of the court and watched people go by as I ate.
I took the 4:07 home. It was right on time, and encountered no problems whatsoever getting in. The traffic was pretty heavy in Audubon when I arrived. I had to do a lot of dodging cars riding home, especially on King's Highway and down by Cuthbert.
When I got in, I put on Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom while having leftovers from the party yesterday for dinner. Everyone's favorite swashbuckling archaeologist (Harrison Ford) is now in India (after a stop in Shanghai), accompanied by a Chinese kid and a fussy singer who would rather be anywhere but outside. They discover that a stone that may have magical powers has been stolen from a starving village...along with the village's children. Indiana and his friends travel to the depths of the Temple of Doom, where they encounter a cult that pulls hearts from chests, a wild mine-train ride, a child ruler, and a lot of Asian Indian stereotypes.
So...yeah, we'll start by talking about the stereotypes. There's a lot of them, and they can get a bit ugly after a while, especially during the dinner and the sequence with the cult. There's also the fact that this is all pure fantasy and has very little to do with real Indian religion. This can also get really, well, gross. Willie's not the only person disgusted by that infamous dinner with bugs and eels on the menu, and that doesn't even go into the whole "ripping the heart out of the chest" thing. And while I do like Short Round, Willie is just annoying as heck and more of a load than anything.
On the other hand, there's some set pieces here that's as famous as anything in the other movies. The opening is Shanghai is a lot of fun, "Anything Goes" musical number and all. So's the intense finale on the bridge. And the mine train ride is probably one of the most imitated and beloved sequences from any of the Indiana Jones movies.
This was my favorite of the Indiana movies when I was a kid. Nowadays, though I like some sequences, it's not even close. (That would be Last Crusade, by the way.) I'd be iffy on showing this one to very young kids, due to the violence and icky imagery. (There's a reason this movie lead to the creation of the PG-13 rating.) This one is for older kids and young teens on up who can handle the violence and understand that the stereotypes date from the time this was set.
Ended the night with a much-needed bath. My feet felt so sore after trooping around Moorestown all day! I read Quiet, a book on introversion and why it's not a bad thing, and listened to one of my Unsung Musicals CDs.
It's been cloudy since mid-afternoon, but it didn't start snowing until just a few hours ago. It's not heavy right now, just an inch or two. It stopped some time ago. We'll see how things look tomorrow.
The Fleischers did two football cartoons featuring Popeye. The first, "You've Gotta Be a Football Hero," is more typical. Popeye gets on the field to take down Bluto's team in order to impress Olive. "The Football Toucher-Downer" has Popeye telling Swee'Pea the story of how he first started eating spinach - during a football game when he was younger. I also snuck in "King of the Mardi Gras," since Mardi Gras is on Wednesday. Popeye and Bluto are once again competing for Olive's affections, this time on the Mardi Gras midway.
Headed out to King's Highway around 10. I wanted to be on time for the bus to Moorestown without rushing for once. Everything went fine. I made it with time to buy a pineapple-coconut sparkling water and get change at CVS and still got across the busy street well before the bus arrived. The bus was surprisingly busy for the Moorestown run. A couple of folks actually went all the way with me.
Explored the mall itself when I arrived. The FYE was a disorganized mess. I didn't see anything I absolutely needed. After a quick bathroom break at the movie theater (and dodging the Starbucks that somehow sprung up across from FYE in the Food Court hallway), I took a quick peek at a toy store, then hit Boscov's. Though I looked at toys, I was mainly there for pants, the only clothes I really need right now. I replaced a pair of work pants with Lee twill trousers, and picked up a pair of brown corduroys as well.
My next stop was the gigantic Barnes and Noble in one of the shopping centers surrounding the Moorestown Mall. I was there for over an hour. I just couldn't decide! I did see a coffee table book on musicals that looked interesting, but in addition to not wanting to haul it home, it was forty bucks. I ended up spending $25 on the Star Wars FAQ (or really more Star Wars Original Trilogy FAQ - it just briefly discusses the Prequels in the last chapters).
Had a very quick lunch next. It was past 2, and I was starving. In honor of today's Chinese New Year (it's the Year of the Monkey), I ate at Pei Wei. Needless to say on an Asian holiday, they were fairly busy, with a long-ish line that thankfully moved fast. I had sweet and sour chicken with brown rice and chai iced tea.
Went in and out of a few stores next. I wanted to get Dad-Bill a birthday card at Hallmark (it's tomorrow). Ended up getting myself three "Itty Bitties," tiny, adorable versions of popular characters. To my amusement, their versions of Han and Leia were packaged together, on cardboard printed to resemble the Millennium Falcon. And of course, since I got Han, I had to get Chewie, too. And yes, I got Dad his card.
(Star Wars isn't the only popular franchise from my childhood that's turned up at Hallmark recently. I was surprised to see Rainbow Brite merchandise there, too, including books. I thought they gave up on her after the last two or three times their attempts at resuscitating the character didn't work out. At the very least, what I saw of toys and books they had looked pretty close to the original. We'll see how this goes.)
A stop at Best Buy took even less time. I wanted to see if they had the Sailor Moon Season 2 sets. After spending 10 minutes just finding the DVDs and Blue Ray section (it was shoved in a corner in the back), I discovered they did have the first Season 2 set...but only on Blu-Ray. I think I'll probably just pick these up on Amazon.com.
I was hot from all that hiking around. A chocolate-covered strawberry water ice from Rita's really hit the spot. I got to enjoy it at the now-completely remodeled food court at the main Mall. The industrial white color scheme had been replaced by slightly mellower hues of dark brown and tan. Charley's was replaced by Bassett's; the sushi place and pizzeria were different, too. The only holdovers from the original Food Court were Subway and Saladworks. A small sit-down restaurant replaced one of the booths. I sat at the island/counter in the very center of the court and watched people go by as I ate.
I took the 4:07 home. It was right on time, and encountered no problems whatsoever getting in. The traffic was pretty heavy in Audubon when I arrived. I had to do a lot of dodging cars riding home, especially on King's Highway and down by Cuthbert.
When I got in, I put on Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom while having leftovers from the party yesterday for dinner. Everyone's favorite swashbuckling archaeologist (Harrison Ford) is now in India (after a stop in Shanghai), accompanied by a Chinese kid and a fussy singer who would rather be anywhere but outside. They discover that a stone that may have magical powers has been stolen from a starving village...along with the village's children. Indiana and his friends travel to the depths of the Temple of Doom, where they encounter a cult that pulls hearts from chests, a wild mine-train ride, a child ruler, and a lot of Asian Indian stereotypes.
So...yeah, we'll start by talking about the stereotypes. There's a lot of them, and they can get a bit ugly after a while, especially during the dinner and the sequence with the cult. There's also the fact that this is all pure fantasy and has very little to do with real Indian religion. This can also get really, well, gross. Willie's not the only person disgusted by that infamous dinner with bugs and eels on the menu, and that doesn't even go into the whole "ripping the heart out of the chest" thing. And while I do like Short Round, Willie is just annoying as heck and more of a load than anything.
On the other hand, there's some set pieces here that's as famous as anything in the other movies. The opening is Shanghai is a lot of fun, "Anything Goes" musical number and all. So's the intense finale on the bridge. And the mine train ride is probably one of the most imitated and beloved sequences from any of the Indiana Jones movies.
This was my favorite of the Indiana movies when I was a kid. Nowadays, though I like some sequences, it's not even close. (That would be Last Crusade, by the way.) I'd be iffy on showing this one to very young kids, due to the violence and icky imagery. (There's a reason this movie lead to the creation of the PG-13 rating.) This one is for older kids and young teens on up who can handle the violence and understand that the stereotypes date from the time this was set.
Ended the night with a much-needed bath. My feet felt so sore after trooping around Moorestown all day! I read Quiet, a book on introversion and why it's not a bad thing, and listened to one of my Unsung Musicals CDs.
It's been cloudy since mid-afternoon, but it didn't start snowing until just a few hours ago. It's not heavy right now, just an inch or two. It stopped some time ago. We'll see how things look tomorrow.
Sunday, February 07, 2016
Journey to Super Bowls Past
For once, I got up with enough time to not only have a decent breakfast of Banana Pancakes and half a grapefruit, but to work on writing, too. Kathleen follows Darren in his demon form to the tangled Technicolor garden surrounding the villa. There, she encounters a strange old woman who may know what the evil Lady Sylvia is after and why Darren took off...and a way to get in the villa.
Work was, once again, busy as heck and not much fun. I don't know what got into people this weekend. Our customers remained rude, obnoxious, and demanding. One man fussed noisily over not getting his cereal on sale, despite the fact that the sign clearly stated that you needed to buy four boxes of cereal to get the sale. People were in a hurry. People didn't want to bag or really do much of anything. I was ready to tear out my hair - or tear them all to shreds - by the time my relief arrived.
At least we were still doing samples. I had a rather nice little lunch. In addition to the roast beef, Italian organic soda, mini chocolate chip cookies, and French bread and salsa from yesterday, this time, they added bits of crab cake and rolled up deli meat and cheese.
I couldn't wait to get out of there. When I got home, I changed into regular clothes and my Eagles jersey and rested for about a half-hour before heading to Dad's. Jessa said yesterday that Dad and Jodie invited Rose and her boys and Mark and Vanessa over for some food and a quiet little get-together to watch the game.
Nothing is ever quiet on either side of my family. Mark and Vanessa were there when I arrived, but so were Jesse, Dana, Erica, and several neighbors, including one couple with an adorable baby son. Rose, Craig, and Khai arrived just before the game started. Another set of neighbors came over during the beginning of the first quarter, these with Khai's buddies Mary and Emily. Jessa and Joe arrived later. Jesse and Dana announced their engagement (after dating seriously for five years). They won't be getting married for another year or two, until Dana is out of college.
I also got to admire all the remodeling Dad and Jodie have done. The living room looks great. The faded, dated stenciled paint job was replaced by deep brown wooden walls, a fireplace, more of Pop Pop's (Dad-Bruce's dad) artwork, and a really cool book-themed wallpaper on the doors to the walk-in supply closet. The kitchen was basically left alone except for to paint over the stenciling.
There was tons and tons of food. I lost count of everything I had. I saw black bean dip, shrimp scampi, a broiled version of Jodie's amazing ribs, buffalo chicken dip, tortilla chips, two meat and cheese trays (one with grapes), mini cupcakes from the Acme, a Dutch apple pie, Craig's tasty tomato mac & cheese, a delicious lasagna, Caesar salad, French bread with butter, and bacon-wrapped water chestnuts, among other things. I probably tried a little bit of just about everything. Which was likely a mistake. I'm full as heck now. Jodie even gave me a plate of leftovers to take home.
I mostly played in the den with the kids while the game ran in the background. They chased each other around. We drew pictures first on Dad's dry-erase board, then on actual paper with markers and crayons. (They drew someone called Freddy the Fox pirate from some video game. I drew Han and Leia arguing in the beginning of Empire Strikes Back. I always thought those two were hilarious.) We built houses and more Freddy the Foxes with Legos.
When the amazing half-time came on, we danced to Coldplay and Beyonce and Bruno Mars, along with Craig and Mary and Emily's mom. We talked about our favorite Star Wars characters and what music we liked. (Emily was shocked when I told her Harrison Ford had played Indiana Jones as well as Han Solo. Her mind was so blown, she had to tell every adult within earshot this new tidbit of information.)
I left just as the second half was starting. It was getting late, and I did have to take the bike home. Besides, most of the families and several other folks were going as well. Oh, and incidentally, while the Panthers tried, Cam Newton just couldn't get past the Broncos' defense. The Broncos finally won Super Bowl 50 24-10.
Work was, once again, busy as heck and not much fun. I don't know what got into people this weekend. Our customers remained rude, obnoxious, and demanding. One man fussed noisily over not getting his cereal on sale, despite the fact that the sign clearly stated that you needed to buy four boxes of cereal to get the sale. People were in a hurry. People didn't want to bag or really do much of anything. I was ready to tear out my hair - or tear them all to shreds - by the time my relief arrived.
At least we were still doing samples. I had a rather nice little lunch. In addition to the roast beef, Italian organic soda, mini chocolate chip cookies, and French bread and salsa from yesterday, this time, they added bits of crab cake and rolled up deli meat and cheese.
I couldn't wait to get out of there. When I got home, I changed into regular clothes and my Eagles jersey and rested for about a half-hour before heading to Dad's. Jessa said yesterday that Dad and Jodie invited Rose and her boys and Mark and Vanessa over for some food and a quiet little get-together to watch the game.
Nothing is ever quiet on either side of my family. Mark and Vanessa were there when I arrived, but so were Jesse, Dana, Erica, and several neighbors, including one couple with an adorable baby son. Rose, Craig, and Khai arrived just before the game started. Another set of neighbors came over during the beginning of the first quarter, these with Khai's buddies Mary and Emily. Jessa and Joe arrived later. Jesse and Dana announced their engagement (after dating seriously for five years). They won't be getting married for another year or two, until Dana is out of college.
I also got to admire all the remodeling Dad and Jodie have done. The living room looks great. The faded, dated stenciled paint job was replaced by deep brown wooden walls, a fireplace, more of Pop Pop's (Dad-Bruce's dad) artwork, and a really cool book-themed wallpaper on the doors to the walk-in supply closet. The kitchen was basically left alone except for to paint over the stenciling.
There was tons and tons of food. I lost count of everything I had. I saw black bean dip, shrimp scampi, a broiled version of Jodie's amazing ribs, buffalo chicken dip, tortilla chips, two meat and cheese trays (one with grapes), mini cupcakes from the Acme, a Dutch apple pie, Craig's tasty tomato mac & cheese, a delicious lasagna, Caesar salad, French bread with butter, and bacon-wrapped water chestnuts, among other things. I probably tried a little bit of just about everything. Which was likely a mistake. I'm full as heck now. Jodie even gave me a plate of leftovers to take home.
I mostly played in the den with the kids while the game ran in the background. They chased each other around. We drew pictures first on Dad's dry-erase board, then on actual paper with markers and crayons. (They drew someone called Freddy the Fox pirate from some video game. I drew Han and Leia arguing in the beginning of Empire Strikes Back. I always thought those two were hilarious.) We built houses and more Freddy the Foxes with Legos.
When the amazing half-time came on, we danced to Coldplay and Beyonce and Bruno Mars, along with Craig and Mary and Emily's mom. We talked about our favorite Star Wars characters and what music we liked. (Emily was shocked when I told her Harrison Ford had played Indiana Jones as well as Han Solo. Her mind was so blown, she had to tell every adult within earshot this new tidbit of information.)
I left just as the second half was starting. It was getting late, and I did have to take the bike home. Besides, most of the families and several other folks were going as well. Oh, and incidentally, while the Panthers tried, Cam Newton just couldn't get past the Broncos' defense. The Broncos finally won Super Bowl 50 24-10.
Saturday, February 06, 2016
Football Fairy Tales
Began a sunny, breezy morning with football-themed cartoons in honor of the Super Bowl tomorrow. It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown has the Peanuts hitting the field to play in the big homecoming game. Snoopy's filming the game and is cheering up a storm. Lucy refuses to let Charlie Brown kick anything. Chuck's more interested in the dance afterwards - he's the escort for the Little Red Haired Girl.
"Touchdown Mickey" is a black-and-white Disney short that has Mickey's scrappy mouse as the world's least-likely Cam Newton. He's determined to get past those big cats on the opposing side and win this one for Minnie and Clarabelle! (Goofy's a pretty unlikely Al Michaels, too.)
Work was steady when I came in, but it picked up around noon and stayed crazy the rest of the night. It was a total pain in the rear. You'd think people getting ready for the Super Bowl would be in better moods. People were rude. They were obnoxious. They were demanding. They handed me six thousand coupons for everything and wouldn't help bag. I spent the entire afternoon wishing I could Force-choke half my clientele. I did see Jessa on her way out. Dad and Jodie are inviting family over for the game tomorrow. I'll probably join them.
(And I was able to work on yet another Star Wars idea in my head. Heavens only knows when this one will come to fruition. It's the lawless 20's in Los Angeles. Luke is an orphaned newsboy who is aiming to become a great crime reporter. Leia is the adopted flapper daughter of a senator and a movie star looking to stamp out crime in the City of Angels. Ben Kenobi was a star reporter, but he stepped down when his old partner got involved in the very corruption he was writing about. Derek Veder, the corrupt owner and editor of the Los Angeles Daily Empire, catches Leia, but she's turned the plans with his criminal activities over to two perpetually bickering comic actors who are looking for a break. They in turn run into Luke and his mentor Ben. The quartet hire low-level rum-runners Han and Chewie to first get them to Leia's parents, and then when it's discovered they've been murdered, to rescue Leia from Veder's stronghold.)
Not all was horrible at work. We're having our second Open House weekend. This pretty much translates to "more samples." I tried the bakery's brownies (ooh, nice and yummy and chewy) and mini chocolate chip cookies, bacon, French bread slices with store-made salsa, the Italian organic soda again, and slices of deli roast beef. Picked up grapefruit (which I forgot yesterday), sugar (Domino's was on a really good sale), and a roll for a meatball sandwich for dinner after work.
When I got home, I put everything away, then worked on writing. Kathleen, now realizing what Lady Sylvia has done to her nephew, hurries home. She's too late. All the shutters and curtains have been torn down, allowing the last rays of the setting sun to transform Darren into his demon form. Smaller demons, sent by the Lady Sylvia, try to take him away and steal Kathleen's stories. She frees Darren, then helps him get rid of the demons. He's still worked up when they finish, though, and takes off. She follows him.
Finished out the night with a meatball sandwich with Colby cheese and escarole and the last of the frozen green beans. Ran Happily Ever After while I ate. The last project of TV animation studio Filmation was this odd sequel to Snow White. Snow White is attacked by the evil Lord Maliss, the Queen's brother. The Prince is kidnapped, but she flees. Looking for the Seven Dwarves, she instead finds the Dwarfelles, who control nature, and Mother Nature herself. The unlikely group goes in search of Maliss, helped along the way by a strange little man who seems to have a connection to Snow White. An interesting plot, stronger Snow White than usual for this fairy tale, the funny Dwarfelles, and fairly frightening villain make up for so-so animation, useless comic relief animals, and lousy songs.
"Touchdown Mickey" is a black-and-white Disney short that has Mickey's scrappy mouse as the world's least-likely Cam Newton. He's determined to get past those big cats on the opposing side and win this one for Minnie and Clarabelle! (Goofy's a pretty unlikely Al Michaels, too.)
Work was steady when I came in, but it picked up around noon and stayed crazy the rest of the night. It was a total pain in the rear. You'd think people getting ready for the Super Bowl would be in better moods. People were rude. They were obnoxious. They were demanding. They handed me six thousand coupons for everything and wouldn't help bag. I spent the entire afternoon wishing I could Force-choke half my clientele. I did see Jessa on her way out. Dad and Jodie are inviting family over for the game tomorrow. I'll probably join them.
(And I was able to work on yet another Star Wars idea in my head. Heavens only knows when this one will come to fruition. It's the lawless 20's in Los Angeles. Luke is an orphaned newsboy who is aiming to become a great crime reporter. Leia is the adopted flapper daughter of a senator and a movie star looking to stamp out crime in the City of Angels. Ben Kenobi was a star reporter, but he stepped down when his old partner got involved in the very corruption he was writing about. Derek Veder, the corrupt owner and editor of the Los Angeles Daily Empire, catches Leia, but she's turned the plans with his criminal activities over to two perpetually bickering comic actors who are looking for a break. They in turn run into Luke and his mentor Ben. The quartet hire low-level rum-runners Han and Chewie to first get them to Leia's parents, and then when it's discovered they've been murdered, to rescue Leia from Veder's stronghold.)
Not all was horrible at work. We're having our second Open House weekend. This pretty much translates to "more samples." I tried the bakery's brownies (ooh, nice and yummy and chewy) and mini chocolate chip cookies, bacon, French bread slices with store-made salsa, the Italian organic soda again, and slices of deli roast beef. Picked up grapefruit (which I forgot yesterday), sugar (Domino's was on a really good sale), and a roll for a meatball sandwich for dinner after work.
When I got home, I put everything away, then worked on writing. Kathleen, now realizing what Lady Sylvia has done to her nephew, hurries home. She's too late. All the shutters and curtains have been torn down, allowing the last rays of the setting sun to transform Darren into his demon form. Smaller demons, sent by the Lady Sylvia, try to take him away and steal Kathleen's stories. She frees Darren, then helps him get rid of the demons. He's still worked up when they finish, though, and takes off. She follows him.
Finished out the night with a meatball sandwich with Colby cheese and escarole and the last of the frozen green beans. Ran Happily Ever After while I ate. The last project of TV animation studio Filmation was this odd sequel to Snow White. Snow White is attacked by the evil Lord Maliss, the Queen's brother. The Prince is kidnapped, but she flees. Looking for the Seven Dwarves, she instead finds the Dwarfelles, who control nature, and Mother Nature herself. The unlikely group goes in search of Maliss, helped along the way by a strange little man who seems to have a connection to Snow White. An interesting plot, stronger Snow White than usual for this fairy tale, the funny Dwarfelles, and fairly frightening villain make up for so-so animation, useless comic relief animals, and lousy songs.
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