First thing I did this morning was finish out Emily Climbs. As much as I love Anne, I think I'm enjoying Emily even more. I can relate to her in many ways. I'm a quiet writer who doesn't always feels like she fits in, only has a few really close friends, and frequently feels misunderstood by other people who don't get the need to write. I wish the stories weren't leaning closer and closer to concentrating on romance, but Emily is a teenager as of the end of Climbs, and she's already interested in one of her old guy friends, Teddy. There's one more book in the series, Emily's Quest. If I can't find that one at a book sale, I'll pick it up after Christmas.
I put on two patriotic Disney records as I made Cranberry-Apple Pancakes for breakfast. Yankee Doodle Mickey looks like an early 80s release. Molly Ringwald is one of the kids singing on this collection of American folk and pop songs. My favorite is the Armed Services Medley, with Mickey representing the Air Force and Marines, Goofy representing the Army, and Donald naturally representing the Navy. Also did a book-and-record version of The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band, presumably from when the movie came out in 1968.
Work was insanely busy for almost the entire four hours I was there today. We're out of turkeys again, despite just re-stocking them yesterday! A lot of people were not happy about that. You'd think we were closer to Thanksgiving than three weeks. Other than this, there were no really major problems, and my relief was on time.
I went straight home and into the bath. Did I ever need that! It felt so nice, after how crazy work was. I haven't had a bath in ages. I listened to the quiet New Age/Jazz recording On a Winter's Night and read It's a Wonderful Christmas, on how the years from 1940 to 1965 shaped our current holidays.
When I finally got out, I decided to start catching up on the backlogged Broadway cast albums I have from all the finds I made this spring and summer. Did Lady In the Dark tonight while I had leftover chicken soup for dinner. British stage star Gertrude Lawrence played Liza Elliot, a successful magazine editor who can't decide what man she wants to marry. She undergoes psychoanalysis to figure out the root of her problem. The musical numbers are a part of a series of mini-opera dream sequences, including a circus dream that features her head photographer (Danny Kaye) singing tongue-twisters about Russian composers.
Kurt Weill and Ira Gershwin wrote some lovely music for this unusual show. The odd format and lavish production requirements (and questioning of psychoanalysis in general) may be why we don't see this more often nowadays. While there was never a genuine original cast album, Lawrence and Kaye put out enough separate recordings of songs from the show to make up something like one. (They also including German star Hildegarde singing "The Saga of Jenny.") Not a well-known show today, but definitely worth a look if you're a fan of Lawrence, Kaye, or adventurous musicals.
Oh, and while the Eagles play tomorrow and I think the Redskins are off, the other two NFC East teams were quite visible today. The Giants were mauled by the Seahawks 38-17, while the Cowboys ran all over the wayward Jaguars 31-17.
Life is a lazy river - no matter where you are. Movies, musicals, mysteries, pop culture, and lots of other great stuff.
Sunday, November 09, 2014
Saturday, November 08, 2014
Thinking Outside the Box of Bricks
Started off the day with disappointment. It seems that, despite what WOGL's site says, American Top 40 is gone for good. The other show was on again. I just ready Emily Climbs instead, without music.
I had a lot to do today, anyway. My first stop was the Collingswood Farm Market. They're down to their last three weeks of the year. There's now more craft booths than food booths, but I still found everything I wanted and then some. I bought grapefruit from the tropical and citrus fruit sellers, my favorite little apples from the orchard booth, cranberries, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, a green pepper, a half-gallon of apple cider, and a bag of baby spinach.
I went straight home this time. I suspect yard sale season is done here. There were none in this area today. Yard sale season only extends into November when we have unusually warm weather. It's actually supposed to get colder next week. Besides, most people will probably be concentrating on the holidays, not clearing out their clutter, once we get past Veteran's Day. Instead of hunting down yard sales, I changed into my uniform, then finally took two huge bags of unwanted clothes and knick-knacks to the very busy Logan Presbyterian Church Thrift Shop. I took a quick look around, but I didn't really have the time to shop. I had to get to work.
(In fact, I still have one bag that didn't fit. I have no idea what to do about the bag of empty DVD cases I cleared out when I bought books for my home-made DVDs in August.)
I went to the Acme after leaving the thrift shop and arrived right on time. Good thing, too. There were long lines when I got in. We were on-and-off steady for most of the evening, though surprisingly, it could have been worse. People who had the weekend off may have taken one final trip to the Shore to close up the summer house. We're still having problems with people not reading that darn turkey coupon and holding up the line when they have to go back and get their turkey. Otherwise, the day went fine. It had calmed down enough by 5 for me to leave with a relief that had to be sent elsewhere.
When I got home, I made myself a nice dinner of turkey tenderloins baked with sweet potato and apple cider and sauteed spinach and mushrooms. Finished out the wartime shorts as I cooked. Most of Termite Terrace's wartime output consisted of war-themed stories featuring the regular characters giving the Axis the business (like Daffy's "Daffy the Commando), goofy revues on life in the barracks ("Meet John Doughboy") or on the homefront ("Wacky Blackout"), or comic allegories on how the war began and how we were hoping to win it ("Fifth Column Mouse").
Of the revues, I'm fondest of "Weakly Reporter," which depicts life in the city during wartime. I love the woman who manages to start an entire factory with her one bobby pin. My favorites of the allegories is "The Duckinators." Geese, ducks, chickens, and doves depict how the Axis rose to power, and how the US tried to stay out of it...until push came to shove and they wound up being the ones pushed.
Switched to The LEGO Movie while eating and cleaning up from dinner. Emmett (Chris Pratt) is an ordinary construction worker LEGO piece who does normal stuff and whom no one in his all-brick world looks at twice...until he sees an unusually attractive LEGO girl (Elizabeth Banks). Following her, he discovers a glowing red piece that gets stuck to his back. The girl, Wyldstyle, and an elderly blind man (Morgan Freeman), claim that the piece means he's "The Special" who will save them all from the evil President Business (Will Farrell). After he accidentally allows all of the Master Builders from almost every LEGO line to be captured, Emmett realizes that he must harness his previously buried creativity to get them out of a lot of tight jams...and that everyone around him is special, no matter what line they come from.
To paraphrase the song heard throughout, this movie is awesome. The directors had a blast gathering as many licenses and LEGO lines they could and mixing them all together. It's an enormously entertaining free-for-all on the importance of creativity and finding one's own way of being "special." All commercials should be this enjoyable and thought-provoking.
Mom took my nephews to see it when it came out back in March. She said they loved it so much, they came home bursting with ideas for new LEGO buildings and worlds. I hope it inspires other kids (and kids at heart) likewise. Highly recommended for older kids and just about anyone who appreciates creativity and excellent and unusual animation.
I had a lot to do today, anyway. My first stop was the Collingswood Farm Market. They're down to their last three weeks of the year. There's now more craft booths than food booths, but I still found everything I wanted and then some. I bought grapefruit from the tropical and citrus fruit sellers, my favorite little apples from the orchard booth, cranberries, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, a green pepper, a half-gallon of apple cider, and a bag of baby spinach.
I went straight home this time. I suspect yard sale season is done here. There were none in this area today. Yard sale season only extends into November when we have unusually warm weather. It's actually supposed to get colder next week. Besides, most people will probably be concentrating on the holidays, not clearing out their clutter, once we get past Veteran's Day. Instead of hunting down yard sales, I changed into my uniform, then finally took two huge bags of unwanted clothes and knick-knacks to the very busy Logan Presbyterian Church Thrift Shop. I took a quick look around, but I didn't really have the time to shop. I had to get to work.
(In fact, I still have one bag that didn't fit. I have no idea what to do about the bag of empty DVD cases I cleared out when I bought books for my home-made DVDs in August.)
I went to the Acme after leaving the thrift shop and arrived right on time. Good thing, too. There were long lines when I got in. We were on-and-off steady for most of the evening, though surprisingly, it could have been worse. People who had the weekend off may have taken one final trip to the Shore to close up the summer house. We're still having problems with people not reading that darn turkey coupon and holding up the line when they have to go back and get their turkey. Otherwise, the day went fine. It had calmed down enough by 5 for me to leave with a relief that had to be sent elsewhere.
When I got home, I made myself a nice dinner of turkey tenderloins baked with sweet potato and apple cider and sauteed spinach and mushrooms. Finished out the wartime shorts as I cooked. Most of Termite Terrace's wartime output consisted of war-themed stories featuring the regular characters giving the Axis the business (like Daffy's "Daffy the Commando), goofy revues on life in the barracks ("Meet John Doughboy") or on the homefront ("Wacky Blackout"), or comic allegories on how the war began and how we were hoping to win it ("Fifth Column Mouse").
Of the revues, I'm fondest of "Weakly Reporter," which depicts life in the city during wartime. I love the woman who manages to start an entire factory with her one bobby pin. My favorites of the allegories is "The Duckinators." Geese, ducks, chickens, and doves depict how the Axis rose to power, and how the US tried to stay out of it...until push came to shove and they wound up being the ones pushed.
Switched to The LEGO Movie while eating and cleaning up from dinner. Emmett (Chris Pratt) is an ordinary construction worker LEGO piece who does normal stuff and whom no one in his all-brick world looks at twice...until he sees an unusually attractive LEGO girl (Elizabeth Banks). Following her, he discovers a glowing red piece that gets stuck to his back. The girl, Wyldstyle, and an elderly blind man (Morgan Freeman), claim that the piece means he's "The Special" who will save them all from the evil President Business (Will Farrell). After he accidentally allows all of the Master Builders from almost every LEGO line to be captured, Emmett realizes that he must harness his previously buried creativity to get them out of a lot of tight jams...and that everyone around him is special, no matter what line they come from.
To paraphrase the song heard throughout, this movie is awesome. The directors had a blast gathering as many licenses and LEGO lines they could and mixing them all together. It's an enormously entertaining free-for-all on the importance of creativity and finding one's own way of being "special." All commercials should be this enjoyable and thought-provoking.
Mom took my nephews to see it when it came out back in March. She said they loved it so much, they came home bursting with ideas for new LEGO buildings and worlds. I hope it inspires other kids (and kids at heart) likewise. Highly recommended for older kids and just about anyone who appreciates creativity and excellent and unusual animation.
Friday, November 07, 2014
'Neath the Harvest Moon
Started out a breezy, partly cloudy morning with the 1955 Babes In Toyland. A Macy's Santa (Dave Garroway) reads a little girl the tale of two lovers in Toyland (Dennis Day and Barbara Cook) who are threatened by the evil Barnaby (Jack E. Leonard). The kindly toymaker Grumio (Wally Cox) and his huge soldier puppets come to their rescue. I'm glad more and more early TV musicals have been turning up on DVD and YouTube in recent years. It's really neat to see how they did these shows with the limitations of live broadcasting.
Work was fairly quiet when I came in. It got busy during the lunch rush hour and was off-and-on steady the rest of the evening. Other than we ran out of the turkeys for the coupons (again), there were no major problems. My relief was one of the college girls who never has any trouble being on time.
My schedule this week is surprisingly quiet. I have three days off in a row, including Veteran's Day. I'll see if I can get my Christmas shopping and organizing started early. I do have one late and long night, Thursday, but otherwise, it's not bad.
I went right into grocery shopping when I got off. I really didn't need much. I was mainly restocking baking items like brown sugar, corn starch, corn meal, and whole wheat flour. I also replaced the chicken soup I had yesterday and bought more of Poland Spring sparkling water (for a dollar this time).
When I finished, I dodged traffic and headed to the shopping center in the back for dinner. My first thought was Chick Fil'A, but their line was around the store...and that was just the one for the drive-in windows. I wasn't waiting all month for dinner. I bought pizza at Tu Se Bella's instead. They were busy too, but the line wasn't nearly as long. I took one of the smaller tables on the side of the counter as I ate one slice of regular cheese and one of cheese and tomato slices with a Diet Dr. Pepper. Waved to a co-worker and her two children on the way out.
When I got home, I ran two wartime shorts as I put everything away and got ready for a shower. It was probably inevitable that Superman would get involved with the Axis in the cartoons, given the tenor of the comic books of that time period, and there were a few during the Paramount-Famous Studios run with the character. "The Eleventh Hour" has a surprisingly dark story of Superman committing sabotage in Japan and rescuing Lois from being executed. The shadowy and beautifully done animation is unfortunately marred by some Japanese stereotypes. "Secret Agent" was the last short, and the only one to not feature Lois. Superman helps the title female agent get to Washington with some important papers about a nest of spies in Metropolis.
Work was fairly quiet when I came in. It got busy during the lunch rush hour and was off-and-on steady the rest of the evening. Other than we ran out of the turkeys for the coupons (again), there were no major problems. My relief was one of the college girls who never has any trouble being on time.
My schedule this week is surprisingly quiet. I have three days off in a row, including Veteran's Day. I'll see if I can get my Christmas shopping and organizing started early. I do have one late and long night, Thursday, but otherwise, it's not bad.
I went right into grocery shopping when I got off. I really didn't need much. I was mainly restocking baking items like brown sugar, corn starch, corn meal, and whole wheat flour. I also replaced the chicken soup I had yesterday and bought more of Poland Spring sparkling water (for a dollar this time).
When I finished, I dodged traffic and headed to the shopping center in the back for dinner. My first thought was Chick Fil'A, but their line was around the store...and that was just the one for the drive-in windows. I wasn't waiting all month for dinner. I bought pizza at Tu Se Bella's instead. They were busy too, but the line wasn't nearly as long. I took one of the smaller tables on the side of the counter as I ate one slice of regular cheese and one of cheese and tomato slices with a Diet Dr. Pepper. Waved to a co-worker and her two children on the way out.
When I got home, I ran two wartime shorts as I put everything away and got ready for a shower. It was probably inevitable that Superman would get involved with the Axis in the cartoons, given the tenor of the comic books of that time period, and there were a few during the Paramount-Famous Studios run with the character. "The Eleventh Hour" has a surprisingly dark story of Superman committing sabotage in Japan and rescuing Lois from being executed. The shadowy and beautifully done animation is unfortunately marred by some Japanese stereotypes. "Secret Agent" was the last short, and the only one to not feature Lois. Superman helps the title female agent get to Washington with some important papers about a nest of spies in Metropolis.
Thursday, November 06, 2014
Seasons of Rain
It was pouring when I opened my eyes this morning. I slept as late as I could get away with, then ran my first Christmas special of the year while having cereal and a half of a grapefruit for breakfast. Very Merry Christmas Songs started as Disney's holiday edition of it's long-running Sing-A-Long videos. On its transfer to DVD, it gained at least ten new songs, most of them revolving around modern cartoons from Disney's House of Mouse or Mickey Mouse Works or segments from the direct-to-video sequels. This isn't the most necessary thing to have, but it makes nice background music during the holidays; also great if you want to see segments from some programming that is either out of print or no longer available as a stand-alone disc. (Many of the direct-to-video movies were re-released with their original.)
The rain was down to mist when I took my bike for a quick session at the Oaklyn Library. There were people in and out, mostly Friends of the Library committee members and people on the computer. They'd just gotten a lot of new DVDs...and as usual, didn't get the entire sticker on the top off. I wish they'd be more careful (and I have mentioned that). I organized both kids and adults' titles and worked on the board books. I was out in about 40 minutes. I wanted time for lunch before I headed to work.
When I got home, I had chicken soup and Cranberry Flummery for lunch while watching Winnie the Pooh: Seasons of Giving. This compilation film is two winter-themed episodes of The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh with the Thanksgiving special and some new linking material. In the first story, after Rabbit loses pages from his calender, he thinks it's Groundhog's Day. The others dress Piglet as a groundhog in order to tell when spring is. The second is the Thanksgiving special. Rabbit tries to get the others to find the ingredients for a "traditional" Thanksgiving. His party is a disaster...until Pooh reminds him that they're more thankful for him than for traditional trappings. The third story introduces Rabbit's beloved bird daughter Kessie and tells how he found her, and how things changed between them when she learned to fly.
Threw on two episodes of Max & Ruby while I got ready for work. Ruby is happy to help Grandma set the table for "Max's Thanksgiving." Her brother is more interested in Grandma's nut stuffing. In "Ruby's Candy Store," Ruby gets to help out the local candy store owner for a day. She tries out all the tempting treats, but keeps telling her brother to eat fruit. In the end, they both learn that too much of a good thing can sometimes lead to a rather upset tummy.
The rain had stopped when I left the library. The sun briefly attempted to come out on my way to work. It didn't last. By 5PM, it was raining again. The weather must have kept customers at home. It was on-and-off steady all night, but never as bad as last weekend or earlier this week. I even helped do returns for about a half-hour later in the night. When I finished, the rain was long gone again, and I got home dry.
The rain was down to mist when I took my bike for a quick session at the Oaklyn Library. There were people in and out, mostly Friends of the Library committee members and people on the computer. They'd just gotten a lot of new DVDs...and as usual, didn't get the entire sticker on the top off. I wish they'd be more careful (and I have mentioned that). I organized both kids and adults' titles and worked on the board books. I was out in about 40 minutes. I wanted time for lunch before I headed to work.
When I got home, I had chicken soup and Cranberry Flummery for lunch while watching Winnie the Pooh: Seasons of Giving. This compilation film is two winter-themed episodes of The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh with the Thanksgiving special and some new linking material. In the first story, after Rabbit loses pages from his calender, he thinks it's Groundhog's Day. The others dress Piglet as a groundhog in order to tell when spring is. The second is the Thanksgiving special. Rabbit tries to get the others to find the ingredients for a "traditional" Thanksgiving. His party is a disaster...until Pooh reminds him that they're more thankful for him than for traditional trappings. The third story introduces Rabbit's beloved bird daughter Kessie and tells how he found her, and how things changed between them when she learned to fly.
Threw on two episodes of Max & Ruby while I got ready for work. Ruby is happy to help Grandma set the table for "Max's Thanksgiving." Her brother is more interested in Grandma's nut stuffing. In "Ruby's Candy Store," Ruby gets to help out the local candy store owner for a day. She tries out all the tempting treats, but keeps telling her brother to eat fruit. In the end, they both learn that too much of a good thing can sometimes lead to a rather upset tummy.
The rain had stopped when I left the library. The sun briefly attempted to come out on my way to work. It didn't last. By 5PM, it was raining again. The weather must have kept customers at home. It was on-and-off steady all night, but never as bad as last weekend or earlier this week. I even helped do returns for about a half-hour later in the night. When I finished, the rain was long gone again, and I got home dry.
Wednesday, November 05, 2014
Beauty and the Little Red Monster
Began a cloudy, warm-ish day with Emily Climbs (the second Emily of New Moon story), Honey Nut Oatmeal Squares, half of a grapefruit, and the first unofficial holiday special of the year. Sailor Moon: Hearts In Ice is the hour-long "movie" made around the third season of the original show. Sailor Moon's cat Luna falls in love with a handsome, seemingly ill scientist who has found an odd meteor. The meteor turns out to be belong to Princess Snow Kaguya, who wants to freeze the Earth and turn it into her personal ornament!
I finally headed out to the laundromat around 11:30. I had a huge load to do. I meant to do it yesterday, but I just never got around to it. There were a few people around when I got in, but it wasn't close to busy. It had emptied out by the time my things were in the drier. Good. That large load included towels that really needed to be done.
When I got home, I put my clothes away, then went right back out again. I stopped at Jalepeno's Grill across from WaWa for lunch. It was 1:30 by then. They were dead as a doornail, except for one old woman who always seemed to be there and the young son of an employee. This time, I went with the tasty Mexican Avocado BLT Chicken Wrap, which was just what the name implies, avocado, lettuce, tomato, and bacon bits with chicken and spicy mayo. The small container of black bean soup was yummy, but the Spanish rice was probably cheap stuff from a mix.
Went straight to the Haddon Township Library after lunch. I pretty much did what I did last week - organized the kids' DVDs, shelved the small stack of adult titles, then worked on getting the romance novels in some semblance of order. I only got from E to G this time before it got late and I decided it was time to move on.
This time, I also took out some DVDs. Since I have plenty of live-action programming at home that I still need to dub, I went with children's or animated titles. That Sesame Street Unpaved book I found a few weeks ago has rekindled my interest in that series. I took out Fairy Tale Fun, which featured the late 90s special CinderElmo as a bonus. The most recent Veggietales story, Beauty and the Beet, was a musical tale that looked like it had potential. Also grabbed the recent animated films The LEGO Movie and Rio 2.
I rode across a very busy Newton Lake Park on my way home. Took a shortcut over some barely-seen stone steps...which I won't do again, since they terminated behind someone's house. It was past 4 PM by then, and rush hour was in full swing. The park was busy with joggers, dog walkers, parents pushing children in strollers, and teenagers chatting at picnic tables. I guess everyone wants to get out before the rain we're supposed to have tomorrow.
When I got in, I did a few small chores around the apartment. The big one was sweeping the part of the porch that's still accessible. The half of the porch overlooking the path is roped off and has no railings; that's where it's sagging. The half overlooking the garden desperately needed to be cleared of leaves. I put it off, but the recent winds made a real mess. I was tired of the leaves ending up on my kitchen floor. I also took out the trash, including the rusted remains of Miss Ellie's push cart.
(Incidentally, Andrew and Richard have finally cleared off the front porch. All of the junk that was on there is gone, including the toilet and the large old trunks that Miss Ellie used for yard supplies. All that remains is the lawn mower, a rake, a push broom, a small red picnic bench, a tarp, and two buckets of paint.)
I baked brownies while watching Beauty and the Beet. Beauty in this case is Mirabelle, a gentle sweet potato from a family musical group that calls itself the Veggietones. Larry the Cucumber is the dad; the French peas are her brothers. When the group is stranded at a run-down ski resort, Mirabelle suggests they work for their rooms while they figure out how to get to Vegetable Square Garden for a big concert. They're at first put off by the grumpy beet owner, until Mirabelle gives him singing lessons, and discovers his real reason for being a grouch.
I have a mixed track record with Veggietales in general (I've found some of their specials to be hilarious and others too preachy), but they seem to do well by their musicals. This modern Beauty and the Beast story was really quite lovely. I liked how they stayed true to the original story (Beauty has two selfish sisters and three brothers along with her dad) and still did the updated setting well.
Moved to another fairy tale as I cleaned up from the brownies. CinderElmo lives in the kingdom of Sesame. The princess (Keri Russell) must marry by midnight, or lose the kingdom! Being 3 years old, Elmo cares less about marrying anybody and more about just getting to dance at the princess' birthday ball with his buddy Zoe. He's so dirty that his stepmother (Kathy Najimy) won't let him, Zoe, or their dog Prince go. Their fairy godperson (Oliver Platt) arrives, but he insists that the kids "Do Something" in order to earn the trip to the ball. After cleaning them up and turning the dog into a human (French Stewart), they finally arrive at the ball. Elmo does get his wish, but he has to run out just as the clock strikes midnight! Will the princess ever find him and keep her kingdom?
I know Elmo bothers a lot of people who don't like how newer characters like him, Zoe, Rosita, and Abby have taken over the show. He's not my favorite character, but he doesn't get on my nerves the way he does other people my age. I thought this special was rather sweet. Platt was especially funny as the new-on-the-job fairy (and who knew he was such a good singer?). This is available both on its own and as a bonus on the DVD Fairy Tale Fun if your kids love Elmo or fairy tales.
Finished the night quietly with scrambled eggs and fall vegetables and this year's first showing of A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Chuck is looking forward to spending Thanksgiving with his grandmother when Peppermint Patty calls, inviting herself, Marcie, and Franklin to a big dinner at his house. Chuck, Linus, and Snoopy compromise by making a smaller dinner of toast, popcorn, ice cream, pretzels, and jelly beans. Peppermint Patty is incensed...until Marcie and Linus remind their friends of the real reason behind the holiday.
I finally headed out to the laundromat around 11:30. I had a huge load to do. I meant to do it yesterday, but I just never got around to it. There were a few people around when I got in, but it wasn't close to busy. It had emptied out by the time my things were in the drier. Good. That large load included towels that really needed to be done.
When I got home, I put my clothes away, then went right back out again. I stopped at Jalepeno's Grill across from WaWa for lunch. It was 1:30 by then. They were dead as a doornail, except for one old woman who always seemed to be there and the young son of an employee. This time, I went with the tasty Mexican Avocado BLT Chicken Wrap, which was just what the name implies, avocado, lettuce, tomato, and bacon bits with chicken and spicy mayo. The small container of black bean soup was yummy, but the Spanish rice was probably cheap stuff from a mix.
Went straight to the Haddon Township Library after lunch. I pretty much did what I did last week - organized the kids' DVDs, shelved the small stack of adult titles, then worked on getting the romance novels in some semblance of order. I only got from E to G this time before it got late and I decided it was time to move on.
This time, I also took out some DVDs. Since I have plenty of live-action programming at home that I still need to dub, I went with children's or animated titles. That Sesame Street Unpaved book I found a few weeks ago has rekindled my interest in that series. I took out Fairy Tale Fun, which featured the late 90s special CinderElmo as a bonus. The most recent Veggietales story, Beauty and the Beet, was a musical tale that looked like it had potential. Also grabbed the recent animated films The LEGO Movie and Rio 2.
I rode across a very busy Newton Lake Park on my way home. Took a shortcut over some barely-seen stone steps...which I won't do again, since they terminated behind someone's house. It was past 4 PM by then, and rush hour was in full swing. The park was busy with joggers, dog walkers, parents pushing children in strollers, and teenagers chatting at picnic tables. I guess everyone wants to get out before the rain we're supposed to have tomorrow.
When I got in, I did a few small chores around the apartment. The big one was sweeping the part of the porch that's still accessible. The half of the porch overlooking the path is roped off and has no railings; that's where it's sagging. The half overlooking the garden desperately needed to be cleared of leaves. I put it off, but the recent winds made a real mess. I was tired of the leaves ending up on my kitchen floor. I also took out the trash, including the rusted remains of Miss Ellie's push cart.
(Incidentally, Andrew and Richard have finally cleared off the front porch. All of the junk that was on there is gone, including the toilet and the large old trunks that Miss Ellie used for yard supplies. All that remains is the lawn mower, a rake, a push broom, a small red picnic bench, a tarp, and two buckets of paint.)
I baked brownies while watching Beauty and the Beet. Beauty in this case is Mirabelle, a gentle sweet potato from a family musical group that calls itself the Veggietones. Larry the Cucumber is the dad; the French peas are her brothers. When the group is stranded at a run-down ski resort, Mirabelle suggests they work for their rooms while they figure out how to get to Vegetable Square Garden for a big concert. They're at first put off by the grumpy beet owner, until Mirabelle gives him singing lessons, and discovers his real reason for being a grouch.
I have a mixed track record with Veggietales in general (I've found some of their specials to be hilarious and others too preachy), but they seem to do well by their musicals. This modern Beauty and the Beast story was really quite lovely. I liked how they stayed true to the original story (Beauty has two selfish sisters and three brothers along with her dad) and still did the updated setting well.
Moved to another fairy tale as I cleaned up from the brownies. CinderElmo lives in the kingdom of Sesame. The princess (Keri Russell) must marry by midnight, or lose the kingdom! Being 3 years old, Elmo cares less about marrying anybody and more about just getting to dance at the princess' birthday ball with his buddy Zoe. He's so dirty that his stepmother (Kathy Najimy) won't let him, Zoe, or their dog Prince go. Their fairy godperson (Oliver Platt) arrives, but he insists that the kids "Do Something" in order to earn the trip to the ball. After cleaning them up and turning the dog into a human (French Stewart), they finally arrive at the ball. Elmo does get his wish, but he has to run out just as the clock strikes midnight! Will the princess ever find him and keep her kingdom?
I know Elmo bothers a lot of people who don't like how newer characters like him, Zoe, Rosita, and Abby have taken over the show. He's not my favorite character, but he doesn't get on my nerves the way he does other people my age. I thought this special was rather sweet. Platt was especially funny as the new-on-the-job fairy (and who knew he was such a good singer?). This is available both on its own and as a bonus on the DVD Fairy Tale Fun if your kids love Elmo or fairy tales.
Finished the night quietly with scrambled eggs and fall vegetables and this year's first showing of A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Chuck is looking forward to spending Thanksgiving with his grandmother when Peppermint Patty calls, inviting herself, Marcie, and Franklin to a big dinner at his house. Chuck, Linus, and Snoopy compromise by making a smaller dinner of toast, popcorn, ice cream, pretzels, and jelly beans. Peppermint Patty is incensed...until Marcie and Linus remind their friends of the real reason behind the holiday.
Tuesday, November 04, 2014
Just a Bill and Other Government Tales
It was a beautiful, sunny, surprisingly warm day when I woke up this morning. I finished out Let's Go Navy, then switched to Election Day programming. Buster Bunny goes up against Montana Max in Acme Looniversity's election in the Tiny Toons Adventures first season episode "Citizen Max." Monty's dirty dealings get Buster kicked out of school, until Buster and Babs get even.
Buster and Monty are far from the first Looney Tunes to go toe-to-paw in the political arena. Bugs competes with Yosemite Sam for mayor of their small town in "Ballot Box Bunny." They try every trick known to man or rabbit to come out victorious, but the race has a surprising conclusion.
Bugs isn't the only classic cartoon character to try his luck at politics. Popeye and Bluto join the race in "Popeye For President." Olive is the last person to vote, but she can't do so until she's finished her farm chores. Popeye helps her out, but Bluto may get her to the polls first.
Grampy wins by a landslide in the Betty Boop short "The Candid Candidate." The Great Depression multitudes keep demanding more and more changes from Grampy and his secretary Betty. Grampy finally uses his unique collection of inventions to solve their problems.
The Three Stooges are hired by the campaign manager of a crooked politician to get his candidate the presidential nomination in "Three Dark Horses." Even the Stooges aren't that dumb. After they discover that the guy is corrupt, they switch their votes.
I finally headed out around quarter after 12 for a walk. I was originally going to volunteer at the Oaklyn Library today, but they were closed for Election Day. I didn't know they would be. The Haddon Township Library was open until 5. No matter. I headed to WaWa to buy lunch instead. WaWa has a few holiday specials on this month. I ordered an Egg Nog Cream Smoothie and a 4-inch version of "The Gobbler," a hoagie with cranberry sauce, turkey, mayo, and stuffing.
Went for a walk around Oaklyn after I left WaWa. It was really a nice day for it. I don't think we're going to have too many more nice days like this. The trees here have finally started to turn brilliant shades of gold, yellow-green, orange, rust, and scarlet. The late roses are sweet and delicate in their pink-and-yellow softness. Most Halloween decorations were still up; they probably will be for the next week or so.
I ran into Richard pulling his lunch out of his car on my way in. Richard was enjoying the lovely weather, too. He liked it so much, he decided to put off a job he was in the midst of that no one was in any hurry to finish and go fishing instead. I told him about the mouse. He said he hadn't seen any mice downstairs, but they were probably scared off by the repairs. He'll take a look soon. He also said they'll be replacing windows upstairs and downstairs. Good. There's a cracked window in my bedroom that's been like that since I moved in. I'm afraid it may get worse.
When I got home, I had my Gobbler and continued with the election-themed shows. Night Court did a few episodes that revolved around lawyer Dan Fielding's periodic attempts to get into politics. "Once In Love With Harry" was the first of these. While Harry fends off the affections of a prostitute with a crush on him, Dan runs against a man who died two weeks before. He just can't seem to pass him in the polls, despite being alive.
Mike Nesmith throws his green wool hat into California's political ring in "Monkee Mayor," an early second season episode of The Monkees. Micky Dolenz suggests he become mayor to give a voice to their elderly neighbors, who are being forced out of their homes by an evil businessman who controls the mayor. Mike has good intentions, but he discovers just how hard it can be to play the political game when the businessman threatens him and the others.
I baked Cranberry-Chocolate Chip Muffins while moving onto "The Not Making of the President" from the second season of Happy Days. Mr. Cunningham is upset that Richie is campaigning for 1956 Democratic nominee Adeli Stevenson instead of the Republican Dwight Eisenhower. Richie really only cares that a girl he's interested in is campaigning heavily for Stevenson. He does eventually get into the race, much to his father's consternation.
Richie and his dad aren't the only relatives with differing political viewpoints. Married couple Hilary Booth and Jeff Singer run against each other for city council in "Strange Bedfellows" from the second season of Remember WENN. The stakes really heat up when they're joined by a folksy local baseball legend for a debate and spend it sniping at one another. Meanwhile, WENN's other staff conduct their own poll, while station manager Scott Sherwood doesn't really seem to be taking the elections seriously.
Switched to something entirely different as I made the bed and dusted the apartment. Schoolhouse Rock had several shorts that dealt specifically with government and voting. "I'm Just a Bill," on how a bill becomes a law (and how long that process can take), is probably the most famous. "Three Ring Government" amusingly compares the US government to how a typical circus is run. "The Preamble" discusses the Constitution. "Sufferin' 'Till Suffrage" details how women were finally given the vote after years of protests. The more recent "I'm Gonna Send Your Vote to College" spoofs college fight songs as it explains about the Electoral College and what it does. "Tyrannosaurus Debt" from Money Rock goes into the national debt and how it keeps growing.
(And Richard had better do something about the mice soon. One of them chewed a hole in a small stuffed frog Mom made when I was a child and filled with beans. They ate the beans and made a mess around where I had him. I'm so mad! I can't even replace that frog. I doubt Mom still has the pattern.)
Moved to The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band as I put up the Thanksgiving decorations and made spiced chicken cutlets with mushrooms, leftover broccoli, and slices of Apricot Honey Bread for dinner. The family of the title were a real band who moved to the Dakota Territory in time for the infamous contested election of 1888 between William Harrison and Grover Cleveland. Grandpa (Walter Brennan) swears by the Democrats, but Dad (Buddy Ebson) and his oldest daughter Alice's (Leslie Ann Warren) beau (John Davidson) are dedicated Republicans. Grandpa's very anti-Republican views get him into trouble with the locals when he starts teaching his views to kids in school. Matters come to a head during the Election Day party, when everyone finally learns a lesson that, no matter what side of the political divide you're on, there are just some things it's best to work together on...like becoming a state and making music.
This is one of the strangest traditional musicals I've ever seen. You don't often see a musical where the politics really overwhelm the music at times, and it shares the problem of many late 60s musicals of being overlong. Too bad, because the score of this one has really grown on me over the years. I especially like the cute duet for Davidson and Warren "'Bout Time" and the two big dance routines, "West 'O the Wide Missouri" and "Ten Feet Off the Ground." (Look for a young Goldie Hawn as a featured chorus girl in the former.)
The votes are in at the Peanuts' school. You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown, but Linus may have a shot at winning. Lucy is determined to make her brother a winner, but his speech about the Great Pumpkin may blow his chances. Meanwhile, Snoopy introduces his "Joe Cool" persona to TV audiences as he tries to sneak into school with the kids.
Finished out the night with Perfect Strangers as I did the dishes. The boys "See How They Run" during the sixth season when Balki runs for president of his college student council. Larry swears he won't go overboard as his campaign manager...and then does, of course.
After a shower, I finished the night with the Muppet Babies' "Kermit Goes to Washington" on YouTube. The kids learn about laws and government when Nanny suggests they vote for someone to be president of the nursery. Piggy is disappointed she doesn't beat Kermit, but proceeds to have a fine time as First Pig anyway.
Muppet Babies: Kermit Goes to Washington
Buster and Monty are far from the first Looney Tunes to go toe-to-paw in the political arena. Bugs competes with Yosemite Sam for mayor of their small town in "Ballot Box Bunny." They try every trick known to man or rabbit to come out victorious, but the race has a surprising conclusion.
Bugs isn't the only classic cartoon character to try his luck at politics. Popeye and Bluto join the race in "Popeye For President." Olive is the last person to vote, but she can't do so until she's finished her farm chores. Popeye helps her out, but Bluto may get her to the polls first.
Grampy wins by a landslide in the Betty Boop short "The Candid Candidate." The Great Depression multitudes keep demanding more and more changes from Grampy and his secretary Betty. Grampy finally uses his unique collection of inventions to solve their problems.
The Three Stooges are hired by the campaign manager of a crooked politician to get his candidate the presidential nomination in "Three Dark Horses." Even the Stooges aren't that dumb. After they discover that the guy is corrupt, they switch their votes.
I finally headed out around quarter after 12 for a walk. I was originally going to volunteer at the Oaklyn Library today, but they were closed for Election Day. I didn't know they would be. The Haddon Township Library was open until 5. No matter. I headed to WaWa to buy lunch instead. WaWa has a few holiday specials on this month. I ordered an Egg Nog Cream Smoothie and a 4-inch version of "The Gobbler," a hoagie with cranberry sauce, turkey, mayo, and stuffing.
Went for a walk around Oaklyn after I left WaWa. It was really a nice day for it. I don't think we're going to have too many more nice days like this. The trees here have finally started to turn brilliant shades of gold, yellow-green, orange, rust, and scarlet. The late roses are sweet and delicate in their pink-and-yellow softness. Most Halloween decorations were still up; they probably will be for the next week or so.
I ran into Richard pulling his lunch out of his car on my way in. Richard was enjoying the lovely weather, too. He liked it so much, he decided to put off a job he was in the midst of that no one was in any hurry to finish and go fishing instead. I told him about the mouse. He said he hadn't seen any mice downstairs, but they were probably scared off by the repairs. He'll take a look soon. He also said they'll be replacing windows upstairs and downstairs. Good. There's a cracked window in my bedroom that's been like that since I moved in. I'm afraid it may get worse.
When I got home, I had my Gobbler and continued with the election-themed shows. Night Court did a few episodes that revolved around lawyer Dan Fielding's periodic attempts to get into politics. "Once In Love With Harry" was the first of these. While Harry fends off the affections of a prostitute with a crush on him, Dan runs against a man who died two weeks before. He just can't seem to pass him in the polls, despite being alive.
Mike Nesmith throws his green wool hat into California's political ring in "Monkee Mayor," an early second season episode of The Monkees. Micky Dolenz suggests he become mayor to give a voice to their elderly neighbors, who are being forced out of their homes by an evil businessman who controls the mayor. Mike has good intentions, but he discovers just how hard it can be to play the political game when the businessman threatens him and the others.
I baked Cranberry-Chocolate Chip Muffins while moving onto "The Not Making of the President" from the second season of Happy Days. Mr. Cunningham is upset that Richie is campaigning for 1956 Democratic nominee Adeli Stevenson instead of the Republican Dwight Eisenhower. Richie really only cares that a girl he's interested in is campaigning heavily for Stevenson. He does eventually get into the race, much to his father's consternation.
Richie and his dad aren't the only relatives with differing political viewpoints. Married couple Hilary Booth and Jeff Singer run against each other for city council in "Strange Bedfellows" from the second season of Remember WENN. The stakes really heat up when they're joined by a folksy local baseball legend for a debate and spend it sniping at one another. Meanwhile, WENN's other staff conduct their own poll, while station manager Scott Sherwood doesn't really seem to be taking the elections seriously.
Switched to something entirely different as I made the bed and dusted the apartment. Schoolhouse Rock had several shorts that dealt specifically with government and voting. "I'm Just a Bill," on how a bill becomes a law (and how long that process can take), is probably the most famous. "Three Ring Government" amusingly compares the US government to how a typical circus is run. "The Preamble" discusses the Constitution. "Sufferin' 'Till Suffrage" details how women were finally given the vote after years of protests. The more recent "I'm Gonna Send Your Vote to College" spoofs college fight songs as it explains about the Electoral College and what it does. "Tyrannosaurus Debt" from Money Rock goes into the national debt and how it keeps growing.
(And Richard had better do something about the mice soon. One of them chewed a hole in a small stuffed frog Mom made when I was a child and filled with beans. They ate the beans and made a mess around where I had him. I'm so mad! I can't even replace that frog. I doubt Mom still has the pattern.)
Moved to The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band as I put up the Thanksgiving decorations and made spiced chicken cutlets with mushrooms, leftover broccoli, and slices of Apricot Honey Bread for dinner. The family of the title were a real band who moved to the Dakota Territory in time for the infamous contested election of 1888 between William Harrison and Grover Cleveland. Grandpa (Walter Brennan) swears by the Democrats, but Dad (Buddy Ebson) and his oldest daughter Alice's (Leslie Ann Warren) beau (John Davidson) are dedicated Republicans. Grandpa's very anti-Republican views get him into trouble with the locals when he starts teaching his views to kids in school. Matters come to a head during the Election Day party, when everyone finally learns a lesson that, no matter what side of the political divide you're on, there are just some things it's best to work together on...like becoming a state and making music.
This is one of the strangest traditional musicals I've ever seen. You don't often see a musical where the politics really overwhelm the music at times, and it shares the problem of many late 60s musicals of being overlong. Too bad, because the score of this one has really grown on me over the years. I especially like the cute duet for Davidson and Warren "'Bout Time" and the two big dance routines, "West 'O the Wide Missouri" and "Ten Feet Off the Ground." (Look for a young Goldie Hawn as a featured chorus girl in the former.)
The votes are in at the Peanuts' school. You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown, but Linus may have a shot at winning. Lucy is determined to make her brother a winner, but his speech about the Great Pumpkin may blow his chances. Meanwhile, Snoopy introduces his "Joe Cool" persona to TV audiences as he tries to sneak into school with the kids.
Finished out the night with Perfect Strangers as I did the dishes. The boys "See How They Run" during the sixth season when Balki runs for president of his college student council. Larry swears he won't go overboard as his campaign manager...and then does, of course.
After a shower, I finished the night with the Muppet Babies' "Kermit Goes to Washington" on YouTube. The kids learn about laws and government when Nanny suggests they vote for someone to be president of the nursery. Piggy is disappointed she doesn't beat Kermit, but proceeds to have a fine time as First Pig anyway.
Muppet Babies: Kermit Goes to Washington
Monday, November 03, 2014
Winds of Fall
I awoke to a blustery blue fall day that was chilly and a little windy, but not as bad as yesterday. I ran my first mildly holiday-related program of the year during breakfast. The Backyardigans did two Christmas episodes during their four-season run. "The Secret of Snow," from the second season, has more to do with winter than the holidays. Uniqua desperately wants to know the secret of snow and goes to the Frozen North to ask the Ice Lady (Tasha) and her bored assistant (Austin) how it's done. Uniqua has no time for her questions. She sends her to the desert, where she meets Cowboy Pablo, and the Jungle, where she meets Tyrone of the Jungle. They ultimately discover that the real secret of snow has less to do with the weather and more to do with friendship.
Today was my 8-hour work shift. It wasn't that bad when I came in. I actually spent the first half-hour or so doing returns. I watched the Halloween decorations being taken down and the candy being put on clearance and the Christmas items being pulled out. However, when it got busy, it stayed busy. We were insane from 11 right through 6, with barely a stop. Beginning of the month customers coupled with the huge early holiday baking and cooking sales we're having and that darn turkey coupon added up to all-day pandemonium. The fact that we ran out of turkeys by mid-day and won't be getting more until Wednesday didn't help. I didn't have a relief either and barely got out on time.
When I did get home (after buying more of those yummy fruit chew bars that are on clearance for work), I ran more Bowery Boys as I had the last of the leftover chili for dinner. They're saying Let's Go Navy! when they join up to find the two sailors who stole the money they raised for charity. While Slip and the others search every sailor onboard for the tattoo that belongs to one of the man who robbed them, Sach proceeds to drive his commanding officer (Alan Jenkins) crazy with his shenanigans that somehow manage to get the poor captain wet every time.
Today was my 8-hour work shift. It wasn't that bad when I came in. I actually spent the first half-hour or so doing returns. I watched the Halloween decorations being taken down and the candy being put on clearance and the Christmas items being pulled out. However, when it got busy, it stayed busy. We were insane from 11 right through 6, with barely a stop. Beginning of the month customers coupled with the huge early holiday baking and cooking sales we're having and that darn turkey coupon added up to all-day pandemonium. The fact that we ran out of turkeys by mid-day and won't be getting more until Wednesday didn't help. I didn't have a relief either and barely got out on time.
When I did get home (after buying more of those yummy fruit chew bars that are on clearance for work), I ran more Bowery Boys as I had the last of the leftover chili for dinner. They're saying Let's Go Navy! when they join up to find the two sailors who stole the money they raised for charity. While Slip and the others search every sailor onboard for the tattoo that belongs to one of the man who robbed them, Sach proceeds to drive his commanding officer (Alan Jenkins) crazy with his shenanigans that somehow manage to get the poor captain wet every time.
Sunday, November 02, 2014
The Eagles Blow the Texans Away
I spent a windy, chilly morning eating Gingerbread Pancakes for breakfast and taking down the Halloween decorations. I was going to leave them up all weekend, but one of the pumpkins fell off the condensation-covered windows. I finally decided I'd had enough. I'm a bigger fan of most of the November and December holidays anyway. I'll get the Thanksgiving decorations up on Tuesday. (I work 8 hours tomorrow and won't have the time.) Ran George Winston's gentle Autumn piano solos as I worked.
It was a blustery blue-and-gold day, but I didn't have a hard time getting to work. Work was completely insane for most of the evening. We had lines around the store, even when we had as many people as we could get working. That turkey coupon continues to be a problem. People forget them, or want to use them later (and don't realize they can't save up for them), or don't buy 100 dollars worth of items. I really wish they'd just settled for selling the turkeys cheap and given up on the darn coupons.
Thankfully, my relief was one of the sweet college girls who was right on time. I actually needed a few things. I bought bananas, grapefruit, cheese, and cranberries to make up for what I couldn't get at the farm market yesterday. I forgot mouse traps yesterday, too. I've been having mouse problems for weeks. Hershey's has Mint Chocolate Chips this year. I love mint and chocolate and couldn't resist trying them. The bottles of Sparkling Poland Water are 69 cents - I bought two. They were clearing out those small fruit chew bars that were in the produce department. I bought two for a snack, and enjoyed them so much, I may get more tomorrow.
The Eagles game was done when I got home. Despite losing their quarterback Nick Foles in the early second quarter to a shoulder injury, the Eagles still played a great game. I saw their back-up quarterback Mark Sanchez throw an amazing bomb mid-way through the second quarter that ended up in a touchdown. They were up 14-7 during my break. They eventually went on to win the game 31-21.
(Dad has got to be happy. The Dolphins gave the Chargers a huge walloping. They never let them get on the board and ultimately won 37-0.)
I ended my Halloween season by changing my AG dolls out of their costumes and into warmer outfits for late fall. Samantha and Molly wear the outfits they came in originally (Molly with Samantha's new black Mary-Janes and the knee socks from Kit's School Outfit). Josefina's "meet" outfit shift has short sleeves, which are no longer appropriate for our chilly weather. I compromised by pairing her red "meet" skirt with the long-sleeved camisa and sash from her Harvest Outfit. I put Felicity in her Laced Jacket and Petticoat. Whitney got the 50s poodle skirt outfit Felicity used for Halloween paired with a pink knitted doll-sized cardigan sweater I found at a yard sale several years ago. Jessa wears the modern AG Drawstring Cargo pants and navy hoody, the magenta Springfield Collection rose-print long-sleeved T shirt I bought for my birthday, and the white and turquoise sneakers from the mid-2000s "Ready For Fun" modern AG doll "meet" outfit.
I ran a couple of records while having a quick dinner of tilapia in white wine sauce with a tomato and honey-glazed carrots. Fiorello! was in honor of Election Day on Tuesday. Tom Bosley (Mr. Cunningham on Happy Days) won a Tony as Fiorello LaGuardia, who went on to become one of the most famous mayors New York ever had.
Moved to the movie soundtrack of The Boy Friend as I cleaned up from my meal. Model Twiggy leads a cast of British character actors (and Tommy Tune) in this tribute to the film musicals of the late 20s and 30s. (For some reason, in addition to the entire original score of the Sandy Wilson show, Twiggy gets two additional solos that are long-time MGM standards, "You are My Lucky Star" and "All I Do Is Dream Of You.")
It was a blustery blue-and-gold day, but I didn't have a hard time getting to work. Work was completely insane for most of the evening. We had lines around the store, even when we had as many people as we could get working. That turkey coupon continues to be a problem. People forget them, or want to use them later (and don't realize they can't save up for them), or don't buy 100 dollars worth of items. I really wish they'd just settled for selling the turkeys cheap and given up on the darn coupons.
Thankfully, my relief was one of the sweet college girls who was right on time. I actually needed a few things. I bought bananas, grapefruit, cheese, and cranberries to make up for what I couldn't get at the farm market yesterday. I forgot mouse traps yesterday, too. I've been having mouse problems for weeks. Hershey's has Mint Chocolate Chips this year. I love mint and chocolate and couldn't resist trying them. The bottles of Sparkling Poland Water are 69 cents - I bought two. They were clearing out those small fruit chew bars that were in the produce department. I bought two for a snack, and enjoyed them so much, I may get more tomorrow.
The Eagles game was done when I got home. Despite losing their quarterback Nick Foles in the early second quarter to a shoulder injury, the Eagles still played a great game. I saw their back-up quarterback Mark Sanchez throw an amazing bomb mid-way through the second quarter that ended up in a touchdown. They were up 14-7 during my break. They eventually went on to win the game 31-21.
(Dad has got to be happy. The Dolphins gave the Chargers a huge walloping. They never let them get on the board and ultimately won 37-0.)
I ended my Halloween season by changing my AG dolls out of their costumes and into warmer outfits for late fall. Samantha and Molly wear the outfits they came in originally (Molly with Samantha's new black Mary-Janes and the knee socks from Kit's School Outfit). Josefina's "meet" outfit shift has short sleeves, which are no longer appropriate for our chilly weather. I compromised by pairing her red "meet" skirt with the long-sleeved camisa and sash from her Harvest Outfit. I put Felicity in her Laced Jacket and Petticoat. Whitney got the 50s poodle skirt outfit Felicity used for Halloween paired with a pink knitted doll-sized cardigan sweater I found at a yard sale several years ago. Jessa wears the modern AG Drawstring Cargo pants and navy hoody, the magenta Springfield Collection rose-print long-sleeved T shirt I bought for my birthday, and the white and turquoise sneakers from the mid-2000s "Ready For Fun" modern AG doll "meet" outfit.
I ran a couple of records while having a quick dinner of tilapia in white wine sauce with a tomato and honey-glazed carrots. Fiorello! was in honor of Election Day on Tuesday. Tom Bosley (Mr. Cunningham on Happy Days) won a Tony as Fiorello LaGuardia, who went on to become one of the most famous mayors New York ever had.
Moved to the movie soundtrack of The Boy Friend as I cleaned up from my meal. Model Twiggy leads a cast of British character actors (and Tommy Tune) in this tribute to the film musicals of the late 20s and 30s. (For some reason, in addition to the entire original score of the Sandy Wilson show, Twiggy gets two additional solos that are long-time MGM standards, "You are My Lucky Star" and "All I Do Is Dream Of You.")
Saturday, November 01, 2014
Changes In the Air and On the Air
The day did not begin well. I awoke...to a totally different show on WOGL. It was some random thing by a local host. They didn't have a real countdown, though they did have the top 5 songs of the fall of 1986. It was very disappointing. A big part of the appeal of the American Top 40 was hearing what all of the songs of a given year were, not just five, recorded when those songs were really major hits.
The day only picked up slightly as I ran a few more horror-oriented cartoons and TV show episodes I didn't squeeze in yesterday. In The Backyardigans third season episode "The Funnyman Boogeyman," Pablo and Uniqua are ghost chasers, tracking down the Boogeyman in a theater. Austin isn't nearly as nasty as they think. He's really a comic spook who only wants to make the kids laugh. Uniqua and Pablo prove to be a tough audience as they run from anything that looks mildly scary, even Austin's jokes.
I spent the next hour paying bills and looking up stuff online. I did get some good news. Willa, the wife of my next-door neighbor Richard, called and told me the purchase had gone through. They bought the house, and Miss Willa is now officially my landlady. She had a few papers she wanted me to sign, but otherwise, everything would be remaining the same, including my rent. It sounds like one of their sons is going to move into the lower apartment, but it required so many repairs, it may be late spring or even summer before it happens.
99 and Max find themselves wondering "Is This Trip Necessary?" during the fifth season of Get Smart. Jarvis Pim (Vincent Price), CHAOS' mad pharmacist, tainted the water coolers of several government buildings with a drug that induces hallucinations. The spy duo head for the water works company to stop Pim from putting the drug into Washington DC's reservoirs.
It poured all morning. I hadn't been planning on doing yard sales anyway, but it rained so hard, I never got to the Farm Market. Dad had to pick me up and drive me to work.
Work was a pain in the rear. Beginning of the month crowds crossed with bad weather and a lot of people who were still getting over yesterday's celebrating resulted in long lines, cranky people, a lack of help. That turkey coupon had last year - the one that only came in the mail, and could only be used if the customer had a hundred dollar or more order, and only if they had the coupon on them - is back again. I was hoping they wouldn't do it again after it was nothing but a pain last year.
One woman pushed and pushed and pushed a man who had a hundred dollar order to get the turkey, despite not having the coupon. I tried to explain, but everyone ignored me. She went and got the turkey, even after he'd already paid for his order. We put it on her order to get him out of there. Of course, she didn't have a coupon, and her order was nowhere near a hundred dollars. And the lady behind us was held up and got very angry. I tried and tried to explain about the coupon, but all I got was upset. I ended up being sent to calm down and was fussed at later by another manager.
Though it was slowing down by 6, my last customers had a very long line and I had no relief. I was late getting out to Dad. By that point, the rain was down to heavy wind and chill. Dad dropped me off at my apartment...but I made a bee-line to Willa and Richard's house next door to sign the rent agreements. They're really nice people. Richard's the one who always shoved the snow for me until this year. I hope he can do it again this winter, especially after what happened with the guy Andrew hired earlier this year.
When I got home, I cheered myself up with an episode of Moonlighting that seemed appropriate for the still dark and gloomy night. "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice" for Maddie and David in this famous second season episode. A client tells the two about a notorious murder case in a nightclub in the 40s that had a man killing a woman's husband. They went to the chair without revealing whose idea it really was. Maddie automatically assumes it was the man's idea. David insists that women are capable of murder, too. They both have black-and-white 40s film noir dreams about it. Maddie's turns into a parody of wronged woman films and has the nightclub's singer (her) betrayed by a coronet player (David) after he lures her into witnessing her husband's killing. David's is more overtly comic, with the singer now in an abusive relationship, turning to the nice-guy coronet player for solace...and to get rid of her jerk spouse.
(Orson Welles appears in a short opening sequence explaining the concept of the black-and-white spoofs. It was the last thing he ever did. He died a few days later.)
I heard from Rose right before I finished out the turkey tenderloin and with mushrooms and green pepper. Khai felt well enough to go trick-or-treating with friends for a little while yesterday. He was Captain America. Rose is going down to Cape May County again for Thanksgiving Day and the day after. I'm hoping I'll be able to join her. I had a great time last year.
The day only picked up slightly as I ran a few more horror-oriented cartoons and TV show episodes I didn't squeeze in yesterday. In The Backyardigans third season episode "The Funnyman Boogeyman," Pablo and Uniqua are ghost chasers, tracking down the Boogeyman in a theater. Austin isn't nearly as nasty as they think. He's really a comic spook who only wants to make the kids laugh. Uniqua and Pablo prove to be a tough audience as they run from anything that looks mildly scary, even Austin's jokes.
I spent the next hour paying bills and looking up stuff online. I did get some good news. Willa, the wife of my next-door neighbor Richard, called and told me the purchase had gone through. They bought the house, and Miss Willa is now officially my landlady. She had a few papers she wanted me to sign, but otherwise, everything would be remaining the same, including my rent. It sounds like one of their sons is going to move into the lower apartment, but it required so many repairs, it may be late spring or even summer before it happens.
99 and Max find themselves wondering "Is This Trip Necessary?" during the fifth season of Get Smart. Jarvis Pim (Vincent Price), CHAOS' mad pharmacist, tainted the water coolers of several government buildings with a drug that induces hallucinations. The spy duo head for the water works company to stop Pim from putting the drug into Washington DC's reservoirs.
It poured all morning. I hadn't been planning on doing yard sales anyway, but it rained so hard, I never got to the Farm Market. Dad had to pick me up and drive me to work.
Work was a pain in the rear. Beginning of the month crowds crossed with bad weather and a lot of people who were still getting over yesterday's celebrating resulted in long lines, cranky people, a lack of help. That turkey coupon had last year - the one that only came in the mail, and could only be used if the customer had a hundred dollar or more order, and only if they had the coupon on them - is back again. I was hoping they wouldn't do it again after it was nothing but a pain last year.
One woman pushed and pushed and pushed a man who had a hundred dollar order to get the turkey, despite not having the coupon. I tried to explain, but everyone ignored me. She went and got the turkey, even after he'd already paid for his order. We put it on her order to get him out of there. Of course, she didn't have a coupon, and her order was nowhere near a hundred dollars. And the lady behind us was held up and got very angry. I tried and tried to explain about the coupon, but all I got was upset. I ended up being sent to calm down and was fussed at later by another manager.
Though it was slowing down by 6, my last customers had a very long line and I had no relief. I was late getting out to Dad. By that point, the rain was down to heavy wind and chill. Dad dropped me off at my apartment...but I made a bee-line to Willa and Richard's house next door to sign the rent agreements. They're really nice people. Richard's the one who always shoved the snow for me until this year. I hope he can do it again this winter, especially after what happened with the guy Andrew hired earlier this year.
When I got home, I cheered myself up with an episode of Moonlighting that seemed appropriate for the still dark and gloomy night. "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice" for Maddie and David in this famous second season episode. A client tells the two about a notorious murder case in a nightclub in the 40s that had a man killing a woman's husband. They went to the chair without revealing whose idea it really was. Maddie automatically assumes it was the man's idea. David insists that women are capable of murder, too. They both have black-and-white 40s film noir dreams about it. Maddie's turns into a parody of wronged woman films and has the nightclub's singer (her) betrayed by a coronet player (David) after he lures her into witnessing her husband's killing. David's is more overtly comic, with the singer now in an abusive relationship, turning to the nice-guy coronet player for solace...and to get rid of her jerk spouse.
(Orson Welles appears in a short opening sequence explaining the concept of the black-and-white spoofs. It was the last thing he ever did. He died a few days later.)
I heard from Rose right before I finished out the turkey tenderloin and with mushrooms and green pepper. Khai felt well enough to go trick-or-treating with friends for a little while yesterday. He was Captain America. Rose is going down to Cape May County again for Thanksgiving Day and the day after. I'm hoping I'll be able to join her. I had a great time last year.
Friday, October 31, 2014
Halloween Cartoon Party
It was still sunny when I got up this morning. I started the Halloween specials as I ate oatmeal with peanut butter and brown sugar for breakfast. In Boo To You Too!, Winnie the Pooh and his friends are looking forward to a holiday filled with lots of treats and more than a few scares...except for Piglet. Piglet is so frightened by Halloween, Pooh declares they won't celebrate at all. Eeyore, Gopher, and Tigger don't agree, and they and Pooh get a good scare themselves when they try to prove to Piglet that Halloween is nothing to be afraid of.
Went to Garfield's Halloween Adventure as I cleaned up from breakfast. Garfield and Odie dress as pirates for trick-or-treat, hoping to plunder some candy booty. They get a lot more tricks than they bargained for when they find themselves stranded on an island inhabited by a group of ghostly pirates out to get their treasure.
Bugs Bunny's Howl-Oween Special follows Bugs' various close encounters with Witch Hazel, as he tries to avoid being the cackling hag's next experiment. It's really a collection of bits and pieces of various horror-oriented Looney Tunes shorts, revolving around the theme of Bugs dodging Hazel. At the very least, they did weave in some cartoons that were set at Halloween, unlike Bugs' Easter show.
I made a quick run to the Acme around 9:30-quarter of 10 for groceries. The Acme's having a lot of big baking and cooking sales as people start thinking of next month's major holidays. I took advantage of the baking sale to get good prices on canola oil, sugar, cooking spray, the large jar of Skippy Natural Peanut Butter, Betty Crocker Yellow Cake Mix, and canned pumpkin. Restocked tomato sauce, apricots, skim milk, eggs, muffin papers, and honey after last week's meals.
I saw quite a few Acme employees dressed for the holiday. One cashier went as Ralphie from A Christmas Story in his pink bunny suit. (She even had glasses.) Another was Snow White. A male cashier was a hockey player. One of the managers was the Lucky Charms leprechaun. (A deli worker joked that he made her crave cereal every time she saw him.) My cashier at least wore a Halloween-themed T-shirt and had a bat painted on her cheek.
When I got home, I put everything away, then pulled out the dolls. I wanted to get photos of them in their Halloween costumes. I think they came out quite well. Whitney in particular makes the most adorable little flapper.
Halloween at the Riverside Rest
Continued with the cartoons as I worked with the dolls. "Spook-a-Nanny" was the only original cartoon written for the 1960s Woody Woodpecker Show. After spending most of the episode blowing up balloons for his boss Walter Lantz, Woody's ready to have a fun Halloween party with other Lanz creations like Chilly Willy and Andy Panda. He just can't seem to get inside, no matter how much he tries. He finally gets in with a ghost music group, but he forgets that he can't walk through the walls like they can.
Had leftovers for lunch while running Halloween Is Grinch Night. When a sour sweet wind sends the Grinch a prowlin' with his cart filled with psychedelic scares, the Whos hide in their homes, scared for their lives. All except for little Eukeriah Who, who gets lost up in the mountains. After he encounters the Grinch and his cart, he becomes determined to save the town by taking the scares himself.
Probably the most famous of all Halloween specials is It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Linus is gearing up to spend the night in the most sincere pumpkin patch he can find, waiting for the arrival of the title character. Against her better judgement, Sally joins him. Meanwhile, Charlie Brown has trouble trick-or-treating, while Snoopy spends his Halloween fighting the Red Baron.
Popeye has his own Halloween problems in the Famous Studios short "Fright to the Finish." Bluto convinces a spooked Olive that Popeye has been playing tricks on her. Popeye doesn't need spinach to prove who's been doing the real tricking...and get a treat from Olive.
I did dress up for work again this year. I was a fairy. Or an angel, depending on your point of view. The outfit I bought from Goodwill last month didn't fit, so I threw something together. I already had white wings, a wand topped with a huge, glittery foam star, and a golden sequin-trimmed tiara. I just put them on over a white long-sleeved shirt and my good black skirt. I received quite a few compliments from customers who thought I looked very cute. Not bad for something I just threw together.
While the college kids who work later in the evening mostly didn't bother dressing up, I saw quite a few very cute trick-or-treaters out with their parents. One boy was Spider Man. A little girl was an utterly adorable Doc McStuffins; her sibling was a triceratops in a green and blue plush outfit. An older teenager group was dressed as a wolf man, a vampire, and a sorceress.
Oh, and my schedule for next week isn't too horrible, about par for the course at this time of year. The only question mark is an 8-hour day on Monday. Maybe a lot of people will be busy getting ready for Election Day? Otherwise, Tuesday and Wednesday off again and one late day on Thursday.
As soon as one of the college kids came in for me, I raced out. Even after giving a dollar to a family who needed money for the bus on the Black Horse Pike, I still made it to Oaklyn just as the Halloween parade was starting down the street. I quickly caught up with them, changing from my winter jacket to my wings on the way.
Some of the costumes I saw this year were amazing. Quite a few of them were home-made. One family honored their Hispanic heritage with a boy dressed as a Mexican peasant and someone in a full-body pinata suit. Another family sported Mom as a Ghostbuster, Dad as the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man, and a kid Slimer. There were tons of Elsas and Annas from Frozen, but my favorite was a Mom Anna and a sweet kid Elsa. (Mom's dress looked home-made.) A woman had her little brown dog in an orange and black witch costume. Another group was Star Wars-themed, with a Jawa, a Jedi, and several stormtroopers. There was a tween Rainbow Dash from My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, and a Cheer Bear who was about the same age. One boy was a Minecraft character. Another was Emmett from The Lego Movie in a home-made costume. There was a really awesome home-made dragon costume. There was a scary clown, another clown with a pumpkin mask head, and nifty ghost, and a really gruesome ghoul. A small, plump Alice In Wonderland sported a pretty cornflower-blue dress and ruffly apron.
I loved watching all the kids strut their stuff. Alice In Wonderland's parents were neighbors of mine. I chatted with them while Alice and her little sister, one of the many Elsas, showed off their costumes for the judges. There was so much candy left at the end, everyone got to take home some - even me.
When I got in, I ran a quick Three Stooges short as I cleaned up and put my costume away. "Spooks!" is one of two 3-D shorts the Stooges made in the early 50s. A trio of detectives dress as bakers selling their wares in order to get into a haunted house. They're supposed to be rescuing a beautiful girl from a mad scientist, but they may need to rescue themselves instead when the scientist and his assistant do everything they can to scare them away!
It started clouding up as early as my grocery trip this morning. By the time of the parade, it was dark, cloudy, cold, and windy...perfect Halloween weather. It's supposed to rain later tonight and get much colder. We'll see how things go.
And I hope all of you had a really safe and happy Halloween with your own little ghouls, Lego men, Care Bears, and Elsas!
Went to Garfield's Halloween Adventure as I cleaned up from breakfast. Garfield and Odie dress as pirates for trick-or-treat, hoping to plunder some candy booty. They get a lot more tricks than they bargained for when they find themselves stranded on an island inhabited by a group of ghostly pirates out to get their treasure.
Bugs Bunny's Howl-Oween Special follows Bugs' various close encounters with Witch Hazel, as he tries to avoid being the cackling hag's next experiment. It's really a collection of bits and pieces of various horror-oriented Looney Tunes shorts, revolving around the theme of Bugs dodging Hazel. At the very least, they did weave in some cartoons that were set at Halloween, unlike Bugs' Easter show.
I made a quick run to the Acme around 9:30-quarter of 10 for groceries. The Acme's having a lot of big baking and cooking sales as people start thinking of next month's major holidays. I took advantage of the baking sale to get good prices on canola oil, sugar, cooking spray, the large jar of Skippy Natural Peanut Butter, Betty Crocker Yellow Cake Mix, and canned pumpkin. Restocked tomato sauce, apricots, skim milk, eggs, muffin papers, and honey after last week's meals.
I saw quite a few Acme employees dressed for the holiday. One cashier went as Ralphie from A Christmas Story in his pink bunny suit. (She even had glasses.) Another was Snow White. A male cashier was a hockey player. One of the managers was the Lucky Charms leprechaun. (A deli worker joked that he made her crave cereal every time she saw him.) My cashier at least wore a Halloween-themed T-shirt and had a bat painted on her cheek.
When I got home, I put everything away, then pulled out the dolls. I wanted to get photos of them in their Halloween costumes. I think they came out quite well. Whitney in particular makes the most adorable little flapper.
Halloween at the Riverside Rest
Continued with the cartoons as I worked with the dolls. "Spook-a-Nanny" was the only original cartoon written for the 1960s Woody Woodpecker Show. After spending most of the episode blowing up balloons for his boss Walter Lantz, Woody's ready to have a fun Halloween party with other Lanz creations like Chilly Willy and Andy Panda. He just can't seem to get inside, no matter how much he tries. He finally gets in with a ghost music group, but he forgets that he can't walk through the walls like they can.
Had leftovers for lunch while running Halloween Is Grinch Night. When a sour sweet wind sends the Grinch a prowlin' with his cart filled with psychedelic scares, the Whos hide in their homes, scared for their lives. All except for little Eukeriah Who, who gets lost up in the mountains. After he encounters the Grinch and his cart, he becomes determined to save the town by taking the scares himself.
Probably the most famous of all Halloween specials is It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Linus is gearing up to spend the night in the most sincere pumpkin patch he can find, waiting for the arrival of the title character. Against her better judgement, Sally joins him. Meanwhile, Charlie Brown has trouble trick-or-treating, while Snoopy spends his Halloween fighting the Red Baron.
Popeye has his own Halloween problems in the Famous Studios short "Fright to the Finish." Bluto convinces a spooked Olive that Popeye has been playing tricks on her. Popeye doesn't need spinach to prove who's been doing the real tricking...and get a treat from Olive.
I did dress up for work again this year. I was a fairy. Or an angel, depending on your point of view. The outfit I bought from Goodwill last month didn't fit, so I threw something together. I already had white wings, a wand topped with a huge, glittery foam star, and a golden sequin-trimmed tiara. I just put them on over a white long-sleeved shirt and my good black skirt. I received quite a few compliments from customers who thought I looked very cute. Not bad for something I just threw together.
While the college kids who work later in the evening mostly didn't bother dressing up, I saw quite a few very cute trick-or-treaters out with their parents. One boy was Spider Man. A little girl was an utterly adorable Doc McStuffins; her sibling was a triceratops in a green and blue plush outfit. An older teenager group was dressed as a wolf man, a vampire, and a sorceress.
Oh, and my schedule for next week isn't too horrible, about par for the course at this time of year. The only question mark is an 8-hour day on Monday. Maybe a lot of people will be busy getting ready for Election Day? Otherwise, Tuesday and Wednesday off again and one late day on Thursday.
As soon as one of the college kids came in for me, I raced out. Even after giving a dollar to a family who needed money for the bus on the Black Horse Pike, I still made it to Oaklyn just as the Halloween parade was starting down the street. I quickly caught up with them, changing from my winter jacket to my wings on the way.
Some of the costumes I saw this year were amazing. Quite a few of them were home-made. One family honored their Hispanic heritage with a boy dressed as a Mexican peasant and someone in a full-body pinata suit. Another family sported Mom as a Ghostbuster, Dad as the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man, and a kid Slimer. There were tons of Elsas and Annas from Frozen, but my favorite was a Mom Anna and a sweet kid Elsa. (Mom's dress looked home-made.) A woman had her little brown dog in an orange and black witch costume. Another group was Star Wars-themed, with a Jawa, a Jedi, and several stormtroopers. There was a tween Rainbow Dash from My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, and a Cheer Bear who was about the same age. One boy was a Minecraft character. Another was Emmett from The Lego Movie in a home-made costume. There was a really awesome home-made dragon costume. There was a scary clown, another clown with a pumpkin mask head, and nifty ghost, and a really gruesome ghoul. A small, plump Alice In Wonderland sported a pretty cornflower-blue dress and ruffly apron.
I loved watching all the kids strut their stuff. Alice In Wonderland's parents were neighbors of mine. I chatted with them while Alice and her little sister, one of the many Elsas, showed off their costumes for the judges. There was so much candy left at the end, everyone got to take home some - even me.
When I got in, I ran a quick Three Stooges short as I cleaned up and put my costume away. "Spooks!" is one of two 3-D shorts the Stooges made in the early 50s. A trio of detectives dress as bakers selling their wares in order to get into a haunted house. They're supposed to be rescuing a beautiful girl from a mad scientist, but they may need to rescue themselves instead when the scientist and his assistant do everything they can to scare them away!
It started clouding up as early as my grocery trip this morning. By the time of the parade, it was dark, cloudy, cold, and windy...perfect Halloween weather. It's supposed to rain later tonight and get much colder. We'll see how things go.
And I hope all of you had a really safe and happy Halloween with your own little ghouls, Lego men, Care Bears, and Elsas!
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Hide and Go "Boo"
It was a beautiful, sunny, chilly day when I got up this morning. I watched a couple of horror and Halloween-oriented TV shows while I had breakfast. Richie has to face his fear of the local "Haunted" house in a second-season Happy Days episode. Joanie thinks he'll lose his head if he attends Ralph's party there. Fonzie reminds him that urban legends are usually nothing to be afraid of. When the party really gets scary, it's Richie who reveals the very live culprits behind the goings-on.
Ghosts and urban legends are also causing trouble for the staff of radio station WENN. In the third season Remember WENN episode "The Ghost of WENN," diva actress Hilary Booth seems to be stalked by a spirit with a fondness for stuffed birds and cranberry jelly. Meanwhile, cowardly actor and announcer Mackie Bloom has heard that the last man who read page 13 of the horror script they're doing died on the air...and he's afraid he'll be next.
Moved to The Backyardigans as I got ready for work. Uniqua and Pablo think "It's Great To Be a Ghost" when they pretend to be able to turn invisible and appear in paintings. Tyrone isn't sure he agrees. The whole ghost thing makes him nervous. When Tasha turns up and claims she can't be scared, it's the least-likely kid who finally does frighten her.
Max & Ruby have their own fun with Halloween and ghost stories. In "Max's Halloween," Ruby wants Max to be a little prince to go with her Cinderella. As usual, Max has his own ideas. He'd rather be a scary vampire! And in "Ghost Bunny," Ruby tries to keep Max out of the way with toys and treats while she and the other Bunny Scouts tell spooky stories around the campfire. Max badly wants to hear them, though...and he's the one who ultimately gives the girls a scare.
Work was pretty much the same as Monday...quiet on-and-off for most of the day. It wasn't even that busy during rush hour. Most people are probably waiting for the beginning of the month. My relief was right on time, and I was in and out.
When I got home, I changed into regular clothes. I had leftover chili for dinner, then vacuumed while watching Arsenic and Old Lace. Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant) is a drama critic who just got married to the girl next door (Priscilla Lane). He takes her back to Brooklyn, where his two maiden aunts are taking care of his uncle (John Alexander) who thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt. When the night's through, Teddy may end up being the most sane person around. It turns out his aunts are killing old men with no families and having Teddy bury them in the basement. Then, Mortimer's criminal brother Jonathan (Raymond Massey) and his doctor (Peter Lorre) turn up, toting a few bodies of their own. While Mortimer tries to figure out how to get out of this mess, the local cop (Jack Carson) doesn't understand what's going on with these nice old ladies.
Like Ghostbusters, this Halloween-set black comedy is a nice alternative for people who like their horror spooky but not bloody. As good as Grant and Massey are as the brothers on the opposite sides of the law and sanity, Alexander walks away with the movie as the delightfully delusional uncle.
Ghosts and urban legends are also causing trouble for the staff of radio station WENN. In the third season Remember WENN episode "The Ghost of WENN," diva actress Hilary Booth seems to be stalked by a spirit with a fondness for stuffed birds and cranberry jelly. Meanwhile, cowardly actor and announcer Mackie Bloom has heard that the last man who read page 13 of the horror script they're doing died on the air...and he's afraid he'll be next.
Moved to The Backyardigans as I got ready for work. Uniqua and Pablo think "It's Great To Be a Ghost" when they pretend to be able to turn invisible and appear in paintings. Tyrone isn't sure he agrees. The whole ghost thing makes him nervous. When Tasha turns up and claims she can't be scared, it's the least-likely kid who finally does frighten her.
Max & Ruby have their own fun with Halloween and ghost stories. In "Max's Halloween," Ruby wants Max to be a little prince to go with her Cinderella. As usual, Max has his own ideas. He'd rather be a scary vampire! And in "Ghost Bunny," Ruby tries to keep Max out of the way with toys and treats while she and the other Bunny Scouts tell spooky stories around the campfire. Max badly wants to hear them, though...and he's the one who ultimately gives the girls a scare.
Work was pretty much the same as Monday...quiet on-and-off for most of the day. It wasn't even that busy during rush hour. Most people are probably waiting for the beginning of the month. My relief was right on time, and I was in and out.
When I got home, I changed into regular clothes. I had leftover chili for dinner, then vacuumed while watching Arsenic and Old Lace. Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant) is a drama critic who just got married to the girl next door (Priscilla Lane). He takes her back to Brooklyn, where his two maiden aunts are taking care of his uncle (John Alexander) who thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt. When the night's through, Teddy may end up being the most sane person around. It turns out his aunts are killing old men with no families and having Teddy bury them in the basement. Then, Mortimer's criminal brother Jonathan (Raymond Massey) and his doctor (Peter Lorre) turn up, toting a few bodies of their own. While Mortimer tries to figure out how to get out of this mess, the local cop (Jack Carson) doesn't understand what's going on with these nice old ladies.
Like Ghostbusters, this Halloween-set black comedy is a nice alternative for people who like their horror spooky but not bloody. As good as Grant and Massey are as the brothers on the opposite sides of the law and sanity, Alexander walks away with the movie as the delightfully delusional uncle.
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