Began the day with breakfast and a trip to Rick Steves' Europe. We skipped across Europe to Greece to visit their Peloponnese region. This turned out to be incredibly appropriate, since one of his stops was at Olympia to see the site of the original Greek Olympic Games. I loved learning about other parts of Greek history even more, from an ancient civilization that pre-dated the classical Greeks by thousands of years to how many Greeks in the 1700's and 1800's were forced to live in the rugged mountains after pirates attacked their villages.
Did writing for the rest of the morning. Luke and Leia explore Ben's cottage. Leia finds a photo of her parents and their older brother Adam at the Cottages in the mid 50's, before most commercial development began on their side of Ocean View. This picture is precious to both twins and to Ben. Their parents died in a car crash when they were toddlers; their brother (supposedly) died in Vietnam.
Ben cleans up Luke's wounds from the fight as he explains the situation. Empire Industries is mainly an oil and chemical company, but they've recently been expanding into entertainment, including buying several luxury hotel chains and a theme park chain. They want to build a huge Vegas-style luxury resort in Ocean View, but most local businesses won't sell. The Imperial Gang is trying to drive vacationers away and force the businesses to sell out.
Ran a travel-themed Three Stooges short as I got organized and made my packing lists for the trip. The Stooges are "A Pain In the Pullman" when the monkey that's a part of their act gets loose and wrecks havoc on their sleeper train. The conductor finds himself in for a very busy night, especially from the pompous singer who doesn't like how the Stooges mistook their berth for his, or that there's a monkey loose in the cars!
I had errands I couldn't put off, including returning books and DVDs. I ignored the blazing heat, finally heading out around 12:30. First stop was WaWa to use the ATM machine. A sign on the door and in the building revealed that I came at a good time. They're going to close for remodeling at midnight on Monday morning. (Which means I definitely won't be able to take a stroll over there before I leave for New England on Monday.)
Had lunch at the Westmont Bagel Shop. The heat must have scared everyone off. I was the only customer, rare for quarter after 1. I had a nice, simple roast beef on whole wheat wrap with lettuce, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, and chipolte mayo. Yum. The mayo wasn't too hot - it gave it just the right zing. It was too stuffed full to finish, though.
Next stop was Dollar Tree. I wanted to pick up cards and a thank-you gift for Lauren and her parents for having me over next week. I also found a box of Kool-Aid Tropical Flavors ice slush bars. I loved the soda and Jolly Ranchers ones I've had this summer and thought I'd give something more exotic a chance.
The Haddon Township Library was also quiet when I arrived around 2 PM. I had absolutely no problems shelving the piles of DVDs. Shelving CD's was more difficult. They had all been moved to one shelf, and I couldn't squeeze the three I had in. I hope that means they're getting new shelving. The CD shelves have had so many items shoved into it at one time or another, it's kind of falling apart. (I didn't take anything out this week myself. I won't be around next week to enjoy them.)
Oh, and the librarians gave me a small bag of goodies for volunteering all spring and summer, which they also did last year. This time, I got three bags of M&M Cookies and a $5 gift card to WaWa. I may see if I can use that gift card on Sunday, before Oaklyn's WaWa closes up shop for a while.
I didn't feel like hiking across the county to go grocery shopping this time. I ended up at the Westmont Acme. (I'll get my schedule at work tomorrow.) Given I'm going to be gone for most of next week, I didn't really need much. Milk for the next few days was the main thing. Refilled the Irwin's Wafers, too. (It's too hot to bake.) I couldn't find the spice wafers. Good thing the lemon wafers are smaller, but just as tasty. Needed deodorant; went with Lady Speed Stick. Found the previous Acme generic brand ground cinnamon on their clearance shelves. Anything else I got were snacks or small toiletries I'll need for my trip. The Acme was a little busier than Dollar Tree or the Library, but not nearly as bad as it could have been. I did get to say "hi" to Angie, a manager who used to work in Audubon but was transferred two years ago.
Went home via Newton River Park. Between the heat and the lack of rain, everything is looking wilted, including the few people. I saw one fisherman and his dog on on a concrete pier, a few bikers, and a flock of Canadian geese. Otherwise, the park was empty. There weren't even any kids chasing each other on the playground.
I wanted to pick up my luggage at Dad's now, just in case I don't have the time on Sunday. Wanted to see how he and Jodie were doing, too. I hadn't seen them since Dad's birthday party. The answer is "not well." Dad's foot has swollen. They don't know if it's a bad reaction from his chemotherapy (not likely, since it was 3 months ago) or a spider bite (there's certainly been enough of those around this summer) or what. He's going to the doctor's on Monday to get it checked out...which means someone else will be driving me to Cherry Hill, probably Rose, Craig, or Jesse.
Sandy, Dad and Jodie's neighbor, appeared as I was preparing to leave. She had a dusty case of cassettes and 8-tracks for my stepsister Jessa's music-obsessed boyfriend Joe, but she mainly wanted to talk about her current cause. Newton River and Peter Creek are disaster areas. Thanks partly to the hot weather this summer and partly to pollution, the river and creek are covered in algae. It smells like rotten eggs, especially down on my side by Veteran's Memorial Park. Sandy is among the locals trying to hack through the red tape and do something, but it's not easy. Apparently, New Jersey only owns the waterways up to the White Horse Pike. Most of the waterways in Oaklyn are privately owned...and I doubt a lot of people around here have the money for dredging projects.
(And I did borrow the same navy blue rolling luggage case I got from Dad last year. I'll start packing tomorrow.)
Hit the bath as soon as I got home. Oh, did I need this! The tepid water and soothing peppermint bath salts felt absolutely amazing after having spent a lot of the day riding around Oaklyn and Westmont in upper-90-degree heat. Listened to Bing Crosby and read Christmas craft and recipe books and my Wilton Christmas cake decorating book as I relaxed.
Finished off the night with a leftover chicken fillet, a lettuce and tomato wedge salad, and corn on the cob. Watched an episode of Wonder Woman while I ate. "Skateboard Whiz" is from the rather peculiar third (and final) season. Diana Prince is supposed to be on vacation in a small, sleepy Southern California shore town. Her time off is cut short when she discovers that gangsters want to buy out properties in the town and use them as gambling dens. A teen girl and expert skateboarder who was tricked into helping a gambler inadvertently gets an eyeful of the gangsters' plans when she stumbles into their office. Now she's the gangsters' next target...and Wonder Woman has to learn a bit about skateboarding in order to catch those crooks and save the kid.
Life is a lazy river - no matter where you are. Movies, musicals, mysteries, pop culture, and lots of other great stuff.
Friday, August 12, 2016
Thursday, August 11, 2016
Just a Little Bit of Rain
Today was my early shift. I'm glad I left a few minutes early. It was getting cloudier by the minute, even as I rushed off to work. By the time I was walking out the door to do the first round of carts, the road was wet. It rained off and on for the next hour; I stood in the door and waited for the worst to pass, so I could get the carts without being completely drenched. Thankfully, it slowed down around 10 and was long gone by the time I got out.
Otherwise, it was just as quiet today as it has been all week. It picked up a tiny bit around 11:30-noon, and I did end up going into the registers briefly twice to cover for breaks. Otherwise, I spent the morning shelving items and mopping the freezer leaks.
When I did get home, I went right into a writing session. The standoff at the beach is getting ugly. Luke and Leia get involved when the head of the Imperial Gang, who calls himself Vader, gets into a fight with one of Luke's friends. Luke tries to attack, but he just gets knocked off his feet. Leia and one of the lifeguards, a tough young brunette named Jyn Erso, finally get Vader down. Vader is intrigued by Leia's spirit. He tries flirting with her, but she turns him down cold. He manages to escape the beach in his black Honda bike before the cops arrive.
Finished the dusting after I got off the computer. I wasn't going to do any really major cleaning this month. I have other things on my mind. I dusted around most things in my bedroom, except the Ever After High dolls. I have too many to dust around anymore.
Ran The Way Way Back while I cleaned, and later as I had leftovers for dinner. 14-year-old Duncan (Liam James) does not want to be on his family vacation. His mother (Toni Collette) wants him to try to get along with her new boyfriend Trent (Steve Carell). Frankly, the guy is a jerk, and Duncan would rather be anywhere on the planet but around him. He stumbles across a little kid's bike in the garage and uses it to wander around the island. Among the places he discovers on his ramblings is Water Wizz, an ancient but beloved water park managed by Owen (Sam Rockwell). Owen is a snarky doofus who leaves most of the actual managing to his second-in-command girlfriend Catalin (Maya Rudolph), but takes Duncan under his wing when he finds him wandering around the employees' entrance to the park. Duncan spends more and more time at the park and with girl-next-door Susanna as matters deteriorate at home. He finally comes to realize that sometimes, the family we create for ourselves can be as comforting and important as our own family.
I've rented this a couple of times in the last few years, but just never got to it until now. I'm glad I did. I was really impressed with this one. Very sweet coming-of-age tale with a slightly dark-ish side. James and Rockwell did especially well as the man-child and the know-it-all kid who bond over their father issues; loved Randolph's super-responsible, super-snarky girlfriend, too. My biggest problem with this is I don't understand why the kid kept his job such a secret. Maybe it comes from growing up at the Jersey Shore, where kids often work under-the-counter as early as 10 with no shame. A lot of this movie would have been a bit easier if he'd gotten over himself and told at least his mother where he was going.
The film's slow pace and the issues discussed (along with some brief drug use and underage drinking) makes this for kids Duncan's age on up who enjoy coming-of-age stories or summer comedies.
Ended with an episode of Happy Days. Richie, Potsie, and Ralph are "Goin' to Chicago" in the second season finale as part of a school choir program that's going to appear on television. They get into trouble when they sneak out to a nightclub and forget their money, and then a blousy waitress goes with them to help them find it. The choir director isn't amused, but Richie finds a way to turn the tables.
Otherwise, it was just as quiet today as it has been all week. It picked up a tiny bit around 11:30-noon, and I did end up going into the registers briefly twice to cover for breaks. Otherwise, I spent the morning shelving items and mopping the freezer leaks.
When I did get home, I went right into a writing session. The standoff at the beach is getting ugly. Luke and Leia get involved when the head of the Imperial Gang, who calls himself Vader, gets into a fight with one of Luke's friends. Luke tries to attack, but he just gets knocked off his feet. Leia and one of the lifeguards, a tough young brunette named Jyn Erso, finally get Vader down. Vader is intrigued by Leia's spirit. He tries flirting with her, but she turns him down cold. He manages to escape the beach in his black Honda bike before the cops arrive.
Finished the dusting after I got off the computer. I wasn't going to do any really major cleaning this month. I have other things on my mind. I dusted around most things in my bedroom, except the Ever After High dolls. I have too many to dust around anymore.
Ran The Way Way Back while I cleaned, and later as I had leftovers for dinner. 14-year-old Duncan (Liam James) does not want to be on his family vacation. His mother (Toni Collette) wants him to try to get along with her new boyfriend Trent (Steve Carell). Frankly, the guy is a jerk, and Duncan would rather be anywhere on the planet but around him. He stumbles across a little kid's bike in the garage and uses it to wander around the island. Among the places he discovers on his ramblings is Water Wizz, an ancient but beloved water park managed by Owen (Sam Rockwell). Owen is a snarky doofus who leaves most of the actual managing to his second-in-command girlfriend Catalin (Maya Rudolph), but takes Duncan under his wing when he finds him wandering around the employees' entrance to the park. Duncan spends more and more time at the park and with girl-next-door Susanna as matters deteriorate at home. He finally comes to realize that sometimes, the family we create for ourselves can be as comforting and important as our own family.
I've rented this a couple of times in the last few years, but just never got to it until now. I'm glad I did. I was really impressed with this one. Very sweet coming-of-age tale with a slightly dark-ish side. James and Rockwell did especially well as the man-child and the know-it-all kid who bond over their father issues; loved Randolph's super-responsible, super-snarky girlfriend, too. My biggest problem with this is I don't understand why the kid kept his job such a secret. Maybe it comes from growing up at the Jersey Shore, where kids often work under-the-counter as early as 10 with no shame. A lot of this movie would have been a bit easier if he'd gotten over himself and told at least his mother where he was going.
The film's slow pace and the issues discussed (along with some brief drug use and underage drinking) makes this for kids Duncan's age on up who enjoy coming-of-age stories or summer comedies.
Ended with an episode of Happy Days. Richie, Potsie, and Ralph are "Goin' to Chicago" in the second season finale as part of a school choir program that's going to appear on television. They get into trouble when they sneak out to a nightclub and forget their money, and then a blousy waitress goes with them to help them find it. The choir director isn't amused, but Richie finds a way to turn the tables.
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
Next Stop Mystery
I slept in this morning and had just enough time to dust the entire living room (both the music and the entertainment sides) after breakfast. Watched a couple of train-themed cartoons and TV show episodes while I worked. It's "Next Stop Murder" in the first season of Moonlighting when secretary Agnes DiPesto wins a contest run by her favorite mystery author. Five guests get to spend 24 hours on a train, solving a fake crime. The fictional crime becomes real when the author himself turns out to be the victim. Accidentally stranded on the train, Maddie and David have to figure out whodunnit, while Agnes falls for the writer's devoted technical adviser.
Switched to Mickey Mouse shorts as I got ready for work. "Mickey's Choo Choo" was one of Disney's earliest black-and-white cartoons in 1929. Mickey wants to get Minnie to her destination in the very-much-alive (and quite musical) title vehicle, but the obstacles on the track don't make this easy! "Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip" skips us to 1941 and color. Mickey, this time joined by Pluto, is on his way across California. Trouble is, dogs really aren't supposed to be on trains. The two have to dodge Conductor Pete as they don disguises and hide in the sleeper berths.
Work wasn't too bad today. I did do carts for an hour before break, but I mostly either did returns or mopped up the endlessly leaking freezers. I'd be finished mopping aisle 9...and aisle 11 would suddenly be bad again. I went back and forth with this for over an hour. Thank goodness I was able to get off with no problems.
As soon as I got home, I went into writing to calm down. As Leia and Luke reminisce with Ben Kenobi, the beach is suddenly invaded by a nasty motorcycle gang in black and white leather. Ben tells the twins that the Imperial Gang has been threatening small businesses and locals in town for months, trying to force them to sell out to Empire Industries. Two lifeguards and a couple of Luke's surfer dude buddies finally confront the gang, including their leader, black-clad Garth Vader, who wears a motorcycle helmet at all times.
Did another TV show episode while eating leftovers for dinner. The Blue Moon Detective Agency aren't the only mystery-solvers to run into intrigue on a train. In the first season of Get Smart, Maxwell Smart goes "Aboard the Orient Express" to deliver payroll to agents behind enemy lines. The last four couriers have all been killed by gas...but Max and 99 have their ways of finding out who's been committing these murders.
Finished the night with more Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga. "Anakin's Flight" and "Gunship Calvary (Original)" were straightforward enough. "Anakin's Flight" depicts how the young Anakin Skywalker destroyed the droid control ship in The Phantom Menace. I thought they missed an opportunity for a flying round there. "Gunship Calvary" was even more of a total pain than the original...at least until you get to the end, where you just have to go in a circle and keep shooting at the targets until they're all done.
I had far more problems with "New Hope" and "Lego City." "New Hope" is the opening of A New Hope from the point of view of Darth Vader and the stormtroopers. While it is cool to be able to use the Sith Force magic, it also has another one of those puzzles where you have to run around buttons to open something, in this case to free C-3PO. I just cannot stay in a straight line long enough to get all of them at once! They had a room filled with bright-colored blocks that you life with the Force. I had no idea what that was all about, either.
"Lego City" was...really strange. It was a board filled with ordinary Lego trees, buildings, playgrounds, and vehicles...mixed with Star Wars characters and animals. You have to either lift or shoot buildings to get beads from them. They had that colored brick Force-lift thing, too. I think you're supposed to spell "Lego," but I have no idea what it's for yet. I'll try these two rounds again later in the week, after I look up hints on how to complete them online.
Switched to Mickey Mouse shorts as I got ready for work. "Mickey's Choo Choo" was one of Disney's earliest black-and-white cartoons in 1929. Mickey wants to get Minnie to her destination in the very-much-alive (and quite musical) title vehicle, but the obstacles on the track don't make this easy! "Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip" skips us to 1941 and color. Mickey, this time joined by Pluto, is on his way across California. Trouble is, dogs really aren't supposed to be on trains. The two have to dodge Conductor Pete as they don disguises and hide in the sleeper berths.
Work wasn't too bad today. I did do carts for an hour before break, but I mostly either did returns or mopped up the endlessly leaking freezers. I'd be finished mopping aisle 9...and aisle 11 would suddenly be bad again. I went back and forth with this for over an hour. Thank goodness I was able to get off with no problems.
As soon as I got home, I went into writing to calm down. As Leia and Luke reminisce with Ben Kenobi, the beach is suddenly invaded by a nasty motorcycle gang in black and white leather. Ben tells the twins that the Imperial Gang has been threatening small businesses and locals in town for months, trying to force them to sell out to Empire Industries. Two lifeguards and a couple of Luke's surfer dude buddies finally confront the gang, including their leader, black-clad Garth Vader, who wears a motorcycle helmet at all times.
Did another TV show episode while eating leftovers for dinner. The Blue Moon Detective Agency aren't the only mystery-solvers to run into intrigue on a train. In the first season of Get Smart, Maxwell Smart goes "Aboard the Orient Express" to deliver payroll to agents behind enemy lines. The last four couriers have all been killed by gas...but Max and 99 have their ways of finding out who's been committing these murders.
Finished the night with more Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga. "Anakin's Flight" and "Gunship Calvary (Original)" were straightforward enough. "Anakin's Flight" depicts how the young Anakin Skywalker destroyed the droid control ship in The Phantom Menace. I thought they missed an opportunity for a flying round there. "Gunship Calvary" was even more of a total pain than the original...at least until you get to the end, where you just have to go in a circle and keep shooting at the targets until they're all done.
I had far more problems with "New Hope" and "Lego City." "New Hope" is the opening of A New Hope from the point of view of Darth Vader and the stormtroopers. While it is cool to be able to use the Sith Force magic, it also has another one of those puzzles where you have to run around buttons to open something, in this case to free C-3PO. I just cannot stay in a straight line long enough to get all of them at once! They had a room filled with bright-colored blocks that you life with the Force. I had no idea what that was all about, either.
"Lego City" was...really strange. It was a board filled with ordinary Lego trees, buildings, playgrounds, and vehicles...mixed with Star Wars characters and animals. You have to either lift or shoot buildings to get beads from them. They had that colored brick Force-lift thing, too. I think you're supposed to spell "Lego," but I have no idea what it's for yet. I'll try these two rounds again later in the week, after I look up hints on how to complete them online.
Tuesday, August 09, 2016
Olympic Heat
Began a hot, sunny morning with breakfast and cartoons. Austin is ready and raring to go on his first "Race Around the World," from the first season of The Backyardigans. Uniqua, Tyrone, and Pablo have all won medals before. Austin wants to be a winner, too, but he keeps falling behind when he helps the other kids with all of the items in his fanny pack. Ultimately, he and the others learn a lesson in being prepared when only one kid can cross the finish line.
Switched to a sports-themed episode of Tiny Toon Adventures next. "Son of the Wacko World of Sports" begins with a parody of Casey at the Bat with Buster as the infamous "mighty" star player and Sylvester reciting the poem. Buster continues into the next short, which has him buying a bike from a local dealer that turns out to be a lemon. He finally finds a way to get his refund. The final short spoofs the Olympics, as the Toons take part in everything from synchronized swimming to the marathon. Calamity Coyote keeps trying to catch Little Beeper during the marathon. As usual, his attempts have a way of coming back to blow him to smithereens...
Spent most of the morning cleaning. I kept the vacuuming quick. Turning off the air conditioners so I didn't overload circuits gave me the chance to wash the filters. To my delight, it was far easier to wash the filters for both Charlie's small machine and my older one than it was for the one that came with the house. They just slid right out and right back in - Charlie's from the side, mine from the top - with no need to open up the whole air conditioner.
When I was washing the windows, I realized that the cobwebs had gotten really bad. I haven't seen them this bad in years. The window next to my desk was particularly scary. I took a duster to them fast.
It was past 12:30 when I headed out to run errands. The Oaklyn Library was dead when I arrived. Everyone is probably on vacation. The only other person I saw the entire time I was there was the librarian. I spent an hour or so organizing DVDs and a great deal of the children's area while listening to the men's swimming preliminaries on TV.
I like to treat myself to breakfast for lunch when I finish a long story. I went to the Legacy Diner in honor of finally completing Princess Leia and the Merman. They were still pretty busy when I got in, despite it being quarter of 2. I had apple cinnamon crepes with a ton of whipped cream and syrup. They weren't all that great. The crepes were rubbery, and the apple-cinnamon filling was gluey. I was hungry, so I still finished them.
Made a quick stop at the Family Dollar on the way home. I wanted to see if their eggs were cheaper than the Acme's (which are $1.99). Yep - they're $1.25. I also found the most adorable BB-8-themed notebook.
Did writing for the rest of the afternoon. Leia has to drag Luke to talk to their Uncle Ben. Luke would rather be surfing or playing volleyball with Biggs and Wedge and his other buddies. Ben greets them on his porch. He would have gone to their cottage, but he just came from dealing with a plumbing crisis. A very young Poe Dameron tried to see if he could flush his Hot Wheels down the toilet. (Uh, he couldn't.)
Ran Summer Rental while making chicken cutlets with mushroom sauce and finally eating the last of the Cucumber-Tomato Salad for dinner. John Candy is a burnt-out air traffic controller in Atlanta. Told to take a vacation, he packs up the family and heads to Florida. Everything goes well...until he upsets one of the richest men in the area (Richard Crenna) and they discover they're in the wrong house. Their real house is a dilapidated mess in a noisy party area. After an accident lays him up with a bad knee, he ends up taking boating lessons with the crusty owner of a schooner refitted as a seafood restaurant (Rip Torn). When the rich guy tries to throw them out, he makes a bet against their remaining rent that they can't beat him. Now they have to refit the seafood shack into a race-winning yacht...and learn a lot about teamwork, listening to one another, and being a family.
A bit cliched if you've seen other summer or boating comedies like Captain Ron or One Crazy Summer (the boat race has a lot in common with the latter), but has some really fun gags, especially when Candy's stuck at home towards the middle of the movie. Cute enough time-waster if you're a fan of Candy or other 80's slobs vs. snobs comedies.
Switched to a sports-themed episode of Tiny Toon Adventures next. "Son of the Wacko World of Sports" begins with a parody of Casey at the Bat with Buster as the infamous "mighty" star player and Sylvester reciting the poem. Buster continues into the next short, which has him buying a bike from a local dealer that turns out to be a lemon. He finally finds a way to get his refund. The final short spoofs the Olympics, as the Toons take part in everything from synchronized swimming to the marathon. Calamity Coyote keeps trying to catch Little Beeper during the marathon. As usual, his attempts have a way of coming back to blow him to smithereens...
Spent most of the morning cleaning. I kept the vacuuming quick. Turning off the air conditioners so I didn't overload circuits gave me the chance to wash the filters. To my delight, it was far easier to wash the filters for both Charlie's small machine and my older one than it was for the one that came with the house. They just slid right out and right back in - Charlie's from the side, mine from the top - with no need to open up the whole air conditioner.
When I was washing the windows, I realized that the cobwebs had gotten really bad. I haven't seen them this bad in years. The window next to my desk was particularly scary. I took a duster to them fast.
It was past 12:30 when I headed out to run errands. The Oaklyn Library was dead when I arrived. Everyone is probably on vacation. The only other person I saw the entire time I was there was the librarian. I spent an hour or so organizing DVDs and a great deal of the children's area while listening to the men's swimming preliminaries on TV.
I like to treat myself to breakfast for lunch when I finish a long story. I went to the Legacy Diner in honor of finally completing Princess Leia and the Merman. They were still pretty busy when I got in, despite it being quarter of 2. I had apple cinnamon crepes with a ton of whipped cream and syrup. They weren't all that great. The crepes were rubbery, and the apple-cinnamon filling was gluey. I was hungry, so I still finished them.
Made a quick stop at the Family Dollar on the way home. I wanted to see if their eggs were cheaper than the Acme's (which are $1.99). Yep - they're $1.25. I also found the most adorable BB-8-themed notebook.
Did writing for the rest of the afternoon. Leia has to drag Luke to talk to their Uncle Ben. Luke would rather be surfing or playing volleyball with Biggs and Wedge and his other buddies. Ben greets them on his porch. He would have gone to their cottage, but he just came from dealing with a plumbing crisis. A very young Poe Dameron tried to see if he could flush his Hot Wheels down the toilet. (Uh, he couldn't.)
Ran Summer Rental while making chicken cutlets with mushroom sauce and finally eating the last of the Cucumber-Tomato Salad for dinner. John Candy is a burnt-out air traffic controller in Atlanta. Told to take a vacation, he packs up the family and heads to Florida. Everything goes well...until he upsets one of the richest men in the area (Richard Crenna) and they discover they're in the wrong house. Their real house is a dilapidated mess in a noisy party area. After an accident lays him up with a bad knee, he ends up taking boating lessons with the crusty owner of a schooner refitted as a seafood restaurant (Rip Torn). When the rich guy tries to throw them out, he makes a bet against their remaining rent that they can't beat him. Now they have to refit the seafood shack into a race-winning yacht...and learn a lot about teamwork, listening to one another, and being a family.
A bit cliched if you've seen other summer or boating comedies like Captain Ron or One Crazy Summer (the boat race has a lot in common with the latter), but has some really fun gags, especially when Candy's stuck at home towards the middle of the movie. Cute enough time-waster if you're a fan of Candy or other 80's slobs vs. snobs comedies.
Monday, August 08, 2016
All Aboard for Adventure
Began a hazy, sunny morning with Danger Mouse. The seventh season episode "Danger Mouse On the Orient Express" takes the rodent secret agent on the famous train. He's hoping to stop Baron Greenback from paving over all the great sights in Europe (including Venice's Grand Canals), forcing people to attend his museum. He had a paper giving him permission to do this, but Penfold got it, then lost it to a hungry fish. Penfold tries to explain this to his friend, while Greenback sends a convention of criminals on the train to get it back.
Went into writing for the rest of the morning and early afternoon. Luke is absolutely thrilled to be at the Cottages. He wants to practice his surfing with his buddies, so he can join a big surfing contest in a few weeks. Leia's mind is more on her upcoming internship with Senator Martha Mothma and heading for Drexel in the fall.
When I got off, I ran another train-themed episode while eating a quick leftovers lunch. Danger Mouse is hardly the only animated character to run into crafty criminals on the Orient Express. Austin of The Backyardigans has his own problems pursuing Pablo, "Le Master of Disguise." The clever penguin can dress like anyone, and keeps alluding Inspector Austin of the Paris Police. With a train full of suspects, including Conductor Uniqua, Cow-moose Tyrone, and Circus Acrobat Tasha, Austin tries to solve the mystery and find that penguin, before the train stops in Istanbul!
Headed to work after the cartoon ended. I spent the entire first half doing what few returns there were. I did have to do carts and baskets during the second half, but it wasn't a problem. It did pick up a little during rush hour, but otherwise, it just wasn't that busy. I had help for most of the afternoon, too. I was in and out with no trouble.
After I got home, I went straight in the bath. Ahhhh. That felt wonderful. I used the last of my rose bath salts while looking over vintage Christmas With Southern Living books for holiday gift ideas and listening to Jazz for the Open Road.
Did an episode of Rick Steves' Europe during dinner. We head back to Scandinavia for an encounter with the flower-loving, open-minded Dutch in Amsterdam. While a discussion of fine art and adult pleasures in Amsterdam was certainly eye-opening, my favorite part was the second half, detailing the side trips into the country. A good portion of the Netherlands has actually been reclaimed from the sea. As someone who grew up by the ocean, I loved how the salt has actually made the reclaimed land perfect for growing flowers and building windmills.
Finished the night by returning to Lego Star Wars: The Original Saga. There's a series of bonus rounds just off the main Mos Eisley Cantina hub. The first one was evidently the original version of the Pod Race from The Phantom Menace. Ugh. It was even longer and harder than the original. It took me forever to get through it, especially with the boulders that block your path in the Tusken Raiders area. If you so much as even touch the boulder, your pod racer comes apart! No wonder they replaced it.
Went into writing for the rest of the morning and early afternoon. Luke is absolutely thrilled to be at the Cottages. He wants to practice his surfing with his buddies, so he can join a big surfing contest in a few weeks. Leia's mind is more on her upcoming internship with Senator Martha Mothma and heading for Drexel in the fall.
When I got off, I ran another train-themed episode while eating a quick leftovers lunch. Danger Mouse is hardly the only animated character to run into crafty criminals on the Orient Express. Austin of The Backyardigans has his own problems pursuing Pablo, "Le Master of Disguise." The clever penguin can dress like anyone, and keeps alluding Inspector Austin of the Paris Police. With a train full of suspects, including Conductor Uniqua, Cow-moose Tyrone, and Circus Acrobat Tasha, Austin tries to solve the mystery and find that penguin, before the train stops in Istanbul!
Headed to work after the cartoon ended. I spent the entire first half doing what few returns there were. I did have to do carts and baskets during the second half, but it wasn't a problem. It did pick up a little during rush hour, but otherwise, it just wasn't that busy. I had help for most of the afternoon, too. I was in and out with no trouble.
After I got home, I went straight in the bath. Ahhhh. That felt wonderful. I used the last of my rose bath salts while looking over vintage Christmas With Southern Living books for holiday gift ideas and listening to Jazz for the Open Road.
Did an episode of Rick Steves' Europe during dinner. We head back to Scandinavia for an encounter with the flower-loving, open-minded Dutch in Amsterdam. While a discussion of fine art and adult pleasures in Amsterdam was certainly eye-opening, my favorite part was the second half, detailing the side trips into the country. A good portion of the Netherlands has actually been reclaimed from the sea. As someone who grew up by the ocean, I loved how the salt has actually made the reclaimed land perfect for growing flowers and building windmills.
Finished the night by returning to Lego Star Wars: The Original Saga. There's a series of bonus rounds just off the main Mos Eisley Cantina hub. The first one was evidently the original version of the Pod Race from The Phantom Menace. Ugh. It was even longer and harder than the original. It took me forever to get through it, especially with the boulders that block your path in the Tusken Raiders area. If you so much as even touch the boulder, your pod racer comes apart! No wonder they replaced it.
Sunday, August 07, 2016
Put On Your Sunday Musicals
Kicked off a beautiful morning with Blackberry Oat Bran Pancakes for breakfast. Listened to two summer and travel-themed musicals while I ate. I Had a Ball is a musical comedy from the mid-60s, one of the last of the long line of star comic-driven vehicles that stretched back to the late 1800's. Buddy Hackett is a medium/psychiatrist who uses his crystal ball to play matchmaker at Coney Island.
While I Had a Ball is largely forgotten, Hello Dolly! remains an all-time favorite. Coincidentally, it also involves matchmaking in New York. We jump back to the late 1890's to meet Dolly Levi, a widowed matchmaker. She's off to Yonkers to find a husband for the daughter of cranky millionaire Horace Vandergelder. What she really wants is to pair off his clerks with two young ladies in New York, her daughter with her artist beau...and Horace with herself. My favorite number here is the ensemble that takes everyone to the Big Apple, "Put On Your Sunday Clothes."
Headed to work shortly after Dolly! ended. Work was unusually quiet for a Sunday. Gorgeous weather probably contributed. Though it was in the upper 80's, it was also sunny, breezy, and dry as a bone, perfect weather for early August. We also had tons of help, for once. I spent my entire four hour shift doing returns with no problems whatsoever. It was the most pain-free afternoon I've spent at work in weeks, if not months.
As soon as I got home, I changed into regular clothes, packed up the laundry, and headed to the laundromat. They, too, were largely quiet, and certainly more than they were last week. Though I did have towels to wash, there wasn't much else. I was in and out in an hour.
When I got home, I put everything away and did a little writing. I decided I'd do that Star Wars 80's summer-set story. Why not? I do have some good ideas. Leia and Luke Walker just arrived in a fictional southern Jersey Shore community, where their Uncle Ben (not really their uncle, but a close family friend) owns a row of cottages by the beach. Leia's dismayed with how dilapidated they've gotten, but Luke's just happy to be at the beach.
Broke for leftovers really quick around quarter after 7. Listened to Once On This Island while I ate. This Haitian-set fairy tale from 1993 tells the story of TiMoune, a girl rescued from a storm by a childless couple. She falls in love with a light-skinned rich boy from the other side of the island. Trouble is, she's a darker-skinned peasant. Even the gods aren't sure this romance will work out. This is a lush, tragic, romantic tale, with some wonderful music by two of my favorite Broadway tunesmiths, Lynn Aherns and Stephan Flahtery.
While I Had a Ball is largely forgotten, Hello Dolly! remains an all-time favorite. Coincidentally, it also involves matchmaking in New York. We jump back to the late 1890's to meet Dolly Levi, a widowed matchmaker. She's off to Yonkers to find a husband for the daughter of cranky millionaire Horace Vandergelder. What she really wants is to pair off his clerks with two young ladies in New York, her daughter with her artist beau...and Horace with herself. My favorite number here is the ensemble that takes everyone to the Big Apple, "Put On Your Sunday Clothes."
Headed to work shortly after Dolly! ended. Work was unusually quiet for a Sunday. Gorgeous weather probably contributed. Though it was in the upper 80's, it was also sunny, breezy, and dry as a bone, perfect weather for early August. We also had tons of help, for once. I spent my entire four hour shift doing returns with no problems whatsoever. It was the most pain-free afternoon I've spent at work in weeks, if not months.
As soon as I got home, I changed into regular clothes, packed up the laundry, and headed to the laundromat. They, too, were largely quiet, and certainly more than they were last week. Though I did have towels to wash, there wasn't much else. I was in and out in an hour.
When I got home, I put everything away and did a little writing. I decided I'd do that Star Wars 80's summer-set story. Why not? I do have some good ideas. Leia and Luke Walker just arrived in a fictional southern Jersey Shore community, where their Uncle Ben (not really their uncle, but a close family friend) owns a row of cottages by the beach. Leia's dismayed with how dilapidated they've gotten, but Luke's just happy to be at the beach.
Broke for leftovers really quick around quarter after 7. Listened to Once On This Island while I ate. This Haitian-set fairy tale from 1993 tells the story of TiMoune, a girl rescued from a storm by a childless couple. She falls in love with a light-skinned rich boy from the other side of the island. Trouble is, she's a darker-skinned peasant. Even the gods aren't sure this romance will work out. This is a lush, tragic, romantic tale, with some wonderful music by two of my favorite Broadway tunesmiths, Lynn Aherns and Stephan Flahtery.
Saturday, August 06, 2016
Farm Market Fairy Tales
I awoke to a kind-of-cloudy, very humid morning. Ran Pontofel Pock, Where are You? as I ate breakfast. The title character of this unusual Dr. Seuss special is a self-proclaimed "shnook" who just wants to get away from his family's decaying mansion after he loses his job. A fairy gives him a magic piano that can travel anywhere. Pontofel learns that there's no place like home - and nothing quite like a second chance - when he first gets into trouble showing off in a small Alpine village, then fall for an "eyeball dancer" named Eefa Neefa.
Headed out for today's errands around 10:30. I had some trouble at the Collingswood Farm Market. The bike rack that's usually on the Collings Avenue end of the parking lot, across from the Senior Center, had somehow vanished. A guy at the Bikeshare directed me to a smaller rack that was hidden in weeds at the other end of the lot.
After I finally got the bike locked, I was able to get my shopping at the Farm Market done with no problems, despite the usual crowds. Plums, watermelons, and local carrots made their first appearances today, joining the vast abundance of summer produce on the heavily laden booths. I have a ton of vegetables at home and stuck to fruit - white peaches, small yellow apples, blueberries, and a tomato (as well as a bottle of water).
Rode around to look at a couple of yard sales on my way home. A rummage sale at a church in Collingswood looked picked-over by the time I got there and yielded no finds. I had slightly more luck at a small yard sale in Haddon Township. Found a small frying pan that would be perfect for quick batches of eggs or small pancakes.
I was sweating bullets by the time I made it back to Oaklyn. I stopped at Common Grounds Coffee House for something cold and sweet. Splurged on a Chocolate-Banana Smoothie. Oh yum. Theirs was just as good as WaWa's, thick and rich and very banana-tasting.
Though it never did rain (despite the earlier clouds), it was too hot and too humid to be running around. I spent the rest of the afternoon at home. Watched two episodes of from the first season of Scooby Doo, Where are You? while getting organized. It's "Foul Play In Funland" when the gang discover a robot running amok in a local amusement park. They're asking "Which Witch Is Which?" after they get lost in a swamp and discover a zombie and a witch scaring people off. But is the witch and her voodoo magic real, or just a cover for something more nefarious?
Switched to Happily N'Ever After while cleaning the kitchen. The kitchen wasn't that bad, probably because I haven't been doing a lot of heavy-duty cooking lately. I had to do more dusting than scrubbing, especially on and over the cabinets.
Happily N'Ever After is one of several fractured fairy tale spoofs released in the wake of the success of the first Shrek film. The balance of good and evil in Fairy Tale Land is controlled by a benevolent wizard. One day, he goes on vacation, leaving the job of keeping the story on-track to his less-than-competent animal assistants. They're arguing when the Wicked Stepmother from "Cinderella" finds them. She sees this as an opportunity to redress the balance and get herself a happy ending, weighing all endings in favor of the evil characters. Now, villains are taking over stories. Cinderella is denied her prince, but she's determined to find him and convince him to rescue them all. Meanwhile, Rick, her good friend and the prince's laundry boy, has a huge crush on her. Trouble is, he's not a big part of her story, and he knows he'll never have a chance with her...unless they can prove that happy endings are even better when they're the ones you create for yourself.
This was a fair-sized flop when it came out, and it's pretty obvious why. The story is cliche (even more now after all the early 2000's fairy tale spoofs), and the characters are either oblivious or obnoxious. Rick is supposed to be the neglected anti-hero, but he's such a jerk for the first half of the film (and his narration is so annoying), you wish Cinderella would drop him and the useless Prince and start looking around for someone else. On the other hand, the film does make some interesting points about being the hero of your own story and pre-dates the current fondness for heroines taking traditionally male roles by over a decade.
This is cute enough for what it is, but unless you really love fairy tales or CGI animation, I'd look elsewhere for animated magic.
After the movie ended, I spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening finally finishing my story. Leia strangles Jabba...right after he's stabbed the Beast. Leia kisses him, just as he dies in her arms.
Luke's the one who notices the seafoam. It gathers around the Beast, changing him. When it dissolves, he's now the merman Han Solo again. Leia's thrilled, but there's no time to celebrate. The last night on Leia's magical necklace has gone out, and Luke is no longer under Jabba's spell. Lando gets Luke to the surface. Han tried to get Leia there, but he loses her in the dangerous currents.
Leia finally awakens on land. She hears someone singing a sea shanty and sees a whisper of a navy tail and sad hazel eyes before they dive back into the water. Lando and Luke come to her aid. She gives Luke the bag Han used to steal the jewels from their father's party. They help her to her feet...but she's still scanning the water for Han...
She's still looking for him two weeks later. Lando is trying to convince her to marry him, but she says she's not interested in getting married. Meanwhile, Luke invites her to Maz's to meet a friend of his. She has to return the necklace to Maz, anyway. Turns out Luke's "friend" is a now-human Han and dog Chewie. Maz gave them their wishes and their legs the week before. The story ends with Han and Leia in each other's embrace.
Not too bad. Took longer than I planned, actually. I'm debating whether to return to the Star Wars 30's story next, do that 80's summer story, or say the time for that one has passed and start the 70's superhero story. Or I may just do random short stories for a week. We'll see how I feel. For now, Princess Leia and the Merman is available at my writing blog, Fanfiction.Net, and Archive Of Our Own.
Princess Leia and the Merman at Archive Of Our Own
Princess Leia and the Merman at Fanfiction.Net
Princess Leia and the Merman at My Writing Blog
Finished with scrambled eggs with cheese, mushrooms, and peppers after I finally got the story done. Put on The Three Stooges Go Around the World In a Daze while I ate. The great-great grandson of Phineas Fogg, the gentleman from the original Around the World In 80 Days novella, is challenged to attempt a similar undertaking. This time, however, he won't be able to use any of his money or connections. He has to travel strictly by his wits. He's helped and hindered by his valets, Moe, Larry, and Curly Joe. Not only do they know how he likes his coffee and his eggs, but they know a thing or two about traveling light and broke, too. The bet is complicated by Fogg being set up by bank thieves who frame him for their crimes, then follow him in an attempt to keep him from revealing the truth, and by a beautiful American girl Fogg and the Stooges pick up on a train trip in India.
One of the better of the later feature-length Stooge outings. This showcases a lot of their best bits, including the "Maharajah" skit (with Curly Joe as the blind-as-a-bat ruler) and Larry playing "Pop Goes the Weasel" to turn Curly Joe into a fighting machine. Not necessary for anyone but their fans, but a pleasant enough hour and a half if you ever run into it.
Headed out for today's errands around 10:30. I had some trouble at the Collingswood Farm Market. The bike rack that's usually on the Collings Avenue end of the parking lot, across from the Senior Center, had somehow vanished. A guy at the Bikeshare directed me to a smaller rack that was hidden in weeds at the other end of the lot.
After I finally got the bike locked, I was able to get my shopping at the Farm Market done with no problems, despite the usual crowds. Plums, watermelons, and local carrots made their first appearances today, joining the vast abundance of summer produce on the heavily laden booths. I have a ton of vegetables at home and stuck to fruit - white peaches, small yellow apples, blueberries, and a tomato (as well as a bottle of water).
Rode around to look at a couple of yard sales on my way home. A rummage sale at a church in Collingswood looked picked-over by the time I got there and yielded no finds. I had slightly more luck at a small yard sale in Haddon Township. Found a small frying pan that would be perfect for quick batches of eggs or small pancakes.
I was sweating bullets by the time I made it back to Oaklyn. I stopped at Common Grounds Coffee House for something cold and sweet. Splurged on a Chocolate-Banana Smoothie. Oh yum. Theirs was just as good as WaWa's, thick and rich and very banana-tasting.
Though it never did rain (despite the earlier clouds), it was too hot and too humid to be running around. I spent the rest of the afternoon at home. Watched two episodes of from the first season of Scooby Doo, Where are You? while getting organized. It's "Foul Play In Funland" when the gang discover a robot running amok in a local amusement park. They're asking "Which Witch Is Which?" after they get lost in a swamp and discover a zombie and a witch scaring people off. But is the witch and her voodoo magic real, or just a cover for something more nefarious?
Switched to Happily N'Ever After while cleaning the kitchen. The kitchen wasn't that bad, probably because I haven't been doing a lot of heavy-duty cooking lately. I had to do more dusting than scrubbing, especially on and over the cabinets.
Happily N'Ever After is one of several fractured fairy tale spoofs released in the wake of the success of the first Shrek film. The balance of good and evil in Fairy Tale Land is controlled by a benevolent wizard. One day, he goes on vacation, leaving the job of keeping the story on-track to his less-than-competent animal assistants. They're arguing when the Wicked Stepmother from "Cinderella" finds them. She sees this as an opportunity to redress the balance and get herself a happy ending, weighing all endings in favor of the evil characters. Now, villains are taking over stories. Cinderella is denied her prince, but she's determined to find him and convince him to rescue them all. Meanwhile, Rick, her good friend and the prince's laundry boy, has a huge crush on her. Trouble is, he's not a big part of her story, and he knows he'll never have a chance with her...unless they can prove that happy endings are even better when they're the ones you create for yourself.
This was a fair-sized flop when it came out, and it's pretty obvious why. The story is cliche (even more now after all the early 2000's fairy tale spoofs), and the characters are either oblivious or obnoxious. Rick is supposed to be the neglected anti-hero, but he's such a jerk for the first half of the film (and his narration is so annoying), you wish Cinderella would drop him and the useless Prince and start looking around for someone else. On the other hand, the film does make some interesting points about being the hero of your own story and pre-dates the current fondness for heroines taking traditionally male roles by over a decade.
This is cute enough for what it is, but unless you really love fairy tales or CGI animation, I'd look elsewhere for animated magic.
After the movie ended, I spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening finally finishing my story. Leia strangles Jabba...right after he's stabbed the Beast. Leia kisses him, just as he dies in her arms.
Luke's the one who notices the seafoam. It gathers around the Beast, changing him. When it dissolves, he's now the merman Han Solo again. Leia's thrilled, but there's no time to celebrate. The last night on Leia's magical necklace has gone out, and Luke is no longer under Jabba's spell. Lando gets Luke to the surface. Han tried to get Leia there, but he loses her in the dangerous currents.
Leia finally awakens on land. She hears someone singing a sea shanty and sees a whisper of a navy tail and sad hazel eyes before they dive back into the water. Lando and Luke come to her aid. She gives Luke the bag Han used to steal the jewels from their father's party. They help her to her feet...but she's still scanning the water for Han...
She's still looking for him two weeks later. Lando is trying to convince her to marry him, but she says she's not interested in getting married. Meanwhile, Luke invites her to Maz's to meet a friend of his. She has to return the necklace to Maz, anyway. Turns out Luke's "friend" is a now-human Han and dog Chewie. Maz gave them their wishes and their legs the week before. The story ends with Han and Leia in each other's embrace.
Not too bad. Took longer than I planned, actually. I'm debating whether to return to the Star Wars 30's story next, do that 80's summer story, or say the time for that one has passed and start the 70's superhero story. Or I may just do random short stories for a week. We'll see how I feel. For now, Princess Leia and the Merman is available at my writing blog, Fanfiction.Net, and Archive Of Our Own.
Princess Leia and the Merman at Archive Of Our Own
Princess Leia and the Merman at Fanfiction.Net
Princess Leia and the Merman at My Writing Blog
Finished with scrambled eggs with cheese, mushrooms, and peppers after I finally got the story done. Put on The Three Stooges Go Around the World In a Daze while I ate. The great-great grandson of Phineas Fogg, the gentleman from the original Around the World In 80 Days novella, is challenged to attempt a similar undertaking. This time, however, he won't be able to use any of his money or connections. He has to travel strictly by his wits. He's helped and hindered by his valets, Moe, Larry, and Curly Joe. Not only do they know how he likes his coffee and his eggs, but they know a thing or two about traveling light and broke, too. The bet is complicated by Fogg being set up by bank thieves who frame him for their crimes, then follow him in an attempt to keep him from revealing the truth, and by a beautiful American girl Fogg and the Stooges pick up on a train trip in India.
One of the better of the later feature-length Stooge outings. This showcases a lot of their best bits, including the "Maharajah" skit (with Curly Joe as the blind-as-a-bat ruler) and Larry playing "Pop Goes the Weasel" to turn Curly Joe into a fighting machine. Not necessary for anyone but their fans, but a pleasant enough hour and a half if you ever run into it.
Friday, August 05, 2016
Read Along Nostalgia
Started another sunny morning with cleaning after breakfast. I got the bathroom done. It didn't take very long. The sink was actually the worst of it. The tub wasn't nearly as bad as usual, maybe because I haven't taken as many baths lately.
Ran Meatballs while I cleaned. Camp North Star is a pretty typical summer camp in late 70s Canada. The counselors in training are looking forward to two months of flirting, sports, playing pranks on the head of the camp, and trying to beat their snotty rich rivals Camp Mohawk. Head counselor Tripper (Bill Murray) tries chasing the head female counselor (Kate Lynch) with little success at first. He has more luck befriending a lonely camper named Rudy (Chris Makepeace) and taking him on long running sessions in the morning. The running comes in handy when they play Camp Mohawk in their Olympiad competition and have a chance to win...if Rudy can beat Mohawk's runner...
Typical summer comedy is lifted by Makepeace and Murray, whose relationship is very believable and sweet, and by Murray's wisecracks and unconventional PA announcements. I'm not the only one who thought so - they stole the show so much, a lot of the C.I.T's antics got cut out in favor of more of them.
This is pretty lightweight, and the looks - short-shorts and knee-high socks on both genders, Afros on men, breathy ballads and disco on the soundtrack - is very much of its time. (Not to mention, Tripper's assault on the female counselor early on comes off more abuse today and less him being goofy.) I know a lot of people who have actually been to camp especially love it. If you've ever been to summer camp, or if you're a fan of Murray or of the snobs-vs-slobs comedies of the late 70's-80's, this is still really funny and even surprisingly touching.
It was well past 1:30 when I finally headed out. Stopped quickly at Phillies Phatties for lunch. They were surprisingly busy for nearly 2 PM, with at least two groups of kids enjoying pizza, sandwiches, and garlic knots. I took my slice of cheese, slice of mushroom, and can of Mountain Dew Baja Blast outside, enjoying the sunny day and the nice breeze.
Went straight to the Haddon Township Library next. They were fairly busy and had a lot to do! I had tons of DVDs to shelve and organize, and plenty of new releases to put away. I did take out some movies this week, after I renewed my library card. With my vacation coming up in a week and a half, I have travel on my mind, which is why I grabbed The Way Way Back and Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation. I vaguely remember hearing about Happily N'Ever After when it came out, one of the several imitation Shrek fairy tale spoofs of the early-mid 2000's, but I've never seen it anywhere.
As soon as I headed out, I rode straight across Haddon Township and Audubon, dodging traffic on Cuthbert Boulevard and the White Horse Pike, heading to the Acme to do my grocery shopping and pick up my schedule. My schedule is really good this week, probably the best I've had since early last month. Mostly early and mid afternoon hours. One early day on Thursday. Slightly more hours, no long shifts, two days off, Tuesday and next Friday. I work late enough next Saturday that I'll be able to pull off making a quick trip to the Collingswood Farm Market.
There were a lot of really good sales this week, including another one of those "buy six items, get 3 dollars off" sales. I picked up peanut butter, two containers of Crisco's Blend cooking oil, devil's food cake mix, Poland Spring sparkling water, and the Acme generic Honey Bunches of Oats. Restocked cheddar cheese, crushed pineapple, tomato sauce, mandarin oranges, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, sponges, and milk. Blackberries were $1.99 - couldn't resist. The clearance shelves are still loaded with goodies. I snagged raspberry extract, jars of lemon and orange peel, and Hodgeson's Oat Bran Cereal.
When I got home, I put everything away, then got in a little bit of writing. Jabba, still a merman, turns up with Luke as a hostage. He wants Han to attack Leia. Han ends up attacking Jabba instead. Jabba knocks him aside, but that gives Leia enough distraction to get the chain around his neck and strangle him.
Put on two vacation-themed episodes of Laverne & Shirley while making Pasta and Beans With Summer Vegetables for dinner. The first half of "An Affair to Forget" from the third season has the girls trying to earn money for a cruise on the Great Lakes by working in a children's shoe store. They do manage to make it on board during the second story, but first, Lenny and Squiggy stow away, and then Shirley thinks one of the ship's officers is in love with her.
And I made some interesting discoveries on YouTube. I loved the "read-along" cassettes and records I listened to during my childhood. Listening to these now, I realize that they were kind of my earliest introduction to radio shows, telling stories with sound-effects and voices. Even when the voices were different than the ones in the films, it was fascinating to hear these condensed versions of favorite movies and cartoons. We mostly had girl-oriented ones like the Disney Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, but I found several for Star Wars (including the original late 70's-early 80's releases, an adaptation of one of the Ewok TV movies, and two interesting stories created just for the read-alongs) and all three 80's Indiana Jones movies that we would have loved as kids.
Star Wars
Star Wars - 1979
Empire Strikes Back - 1980
Return of the Jedi - 1983
Planet of the Hoojibs - 1983 Original (and the only Leia/Chewbacca story I've ever seen)
Droid World - 1983 Original (An odd Luke/Threepio/Artoo tale)
The Ewoks Join the Fight - 1983 (You can see the book I found a couple of months ago at House of Fun here)
Ewoks The Battle for Endor - 1985 (An adaptation of the second of two Ewoks TV movies)
Ezra's Wookie Rescue - 2014 (Adaptation of the second episode of Star Wars: Rebels)
The Force Awakens - 2015
Indiana Jones
Raiders of the Lost Ark - 1981
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom - 1984
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - 1989 (Narrated by John "Sallah" Rhys-Davies)
Ran Meatballs while I cleaned. Camp North Star is a pretty typical summer camp in late 70s Canada. The counselors in training are looking forward to two months of flirting, sports, playing pranks on the head of the camp, and trying to beat their snotty rich rivals Camp Mohawk. Head counselor Tripper (Bill Murray) tries chasing the head female counselor (Kate Lynch) with little success at first. He has more luck befriending a lonely camper named Rudy (Chris Makepeace) and taking him on long running sessions in the morning. The running comes in handy when they play Camp Mohawk in their Olympiad competition and have a chance to win...if Rudy can beat Mohawk's runner...
Typical summer comedy is lifted by Makepeace and Murray, whose relationship is very believable and sweet, and by Murray's wisecracks and unconventional PA announcements. I'm not the only one who thought so - they stole the show so much, a lot of the C.I.T's antics got cut out in favor of more of them.
This is pretty lightweight, and the looks - short-shorts and knee-high socks on both genders, Afros on men, breathy ballads and disco on the soundtrack - is very much of its time. (Not to mention, Tripper's assault on the female counselor early on comes off more abuse today and less him being goofy.) I know a lot of people who have actually been to camp especially love it. If you've ever been to summer camp, or if you're a fan of Murray or of the snobs-vs-slobs comedies of the late 70's-80's, this is still really funny and even surprisingly touching.
It was well past 1:30 when I finally headed out. Stopped quickly at Phillies Phatties for lunch. They were surprisingly busy for nearly 2 PM, with at least two groups of kids enjoying pizza, sandwiches, and garlic knots. I took my slice of cheese, slice of mushroom, and can of Mountain Dew Baja Blast outside, enjoying the sunny day and the nice breeze.
Went straight to the Haddon Township Library next. They were fairly busy and had a lot to do! I had tons of DVDs to shelve and organize, and plenty of new releases to put away. I did take out some movies this week, after I renewed my library card. With my vacation coming up in a week and a half, I have travel on my mind, which is why I grabbed The Way Way Back and Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation. I vaguely remember hearing about Happily N'Ever After when it came out, one of the several imitation Shrek fairy tale spoofs of the early-mid 2000's, but I've never seen it anywhere.
As soon as I headed out, I rode straight across Haddon Township and Audubon, dodging traffic on Cuthbert Boulevard and the White Horse Pike, heading to the Acme to do my grocery shopping and pick up my schedule. My schedule is really good this week, probably the best I've had since early last month. Mostly early and mid afternoon hours. One early day on Thursday. Slightly more hours, no long shifts, two days off, Tuesday and next Friday. I work late enough next Saturday that I'll be able to pull off making a quick trip to the Collingswood Farm Market.
There were a lot of really good sales this week, including another one of those "buy six items, get 3 dollars off" sales. I picked up peanut butter, two containers of Crisco's Blend cooking oil, devil's food cake mix, Poland Spring sparkling water, and the Acme generic Honey Bunches of Oats. Restocked cheddar cheese, crushed pineapple, tomato sauce, mandarin oranges, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, sponges, and milk. Blackberries were $1.99 - couldn't resist. The clearance shelves are still loaded with goodies. I snagged raspberry extract, jars of lemon and orange peel, and Hodgeson's Oat Bran Cereal.
When I got home, I put everything away, then got in a little bit of writing. Jabba, still a merman, turns up with Luke as a hostage. He wants Han to attack Leia. Han ends up attacking Jabba instead. Jabba knocks him aside, but that gives Leia enough distraction to get the chain around his neck and strangle him.
Put on two vacation-themed episodes of Laverne & Shirley while making Pasta and Beans With Summer Vegetables for dinner. The first half of "An Affair to Forget" from the third season has the girls trying to earn money for a cruise on the Great Lakes by working in a children's shoe store. They do manage to make it on board during the second story, but first, Lenny and Squiggy stow away, and then Shirley thinks one of the ship's officers is in love with her.
And I made some interesting discoveries on YouTube. I loved the "read-along" cassettes and records I listened to during my childhood. Listening to these now, I realize that they were kind of my earliest introduction to radio shows, telling stories with sound-effects and voices. Even when the voices were different than the ones in the films, it was fascinating to hear these condensed versions of favorite movies and cartoons. We mostly had girl-oriented ones like the Disney Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, but I found several for Star Wars (including the original late 70's-early 80's releases, an adaptation of one of the Ewok TV movies, and two interesting stories created just for the read-alongs) and all three 80's Indiana Jones movies that we would have loved as kids.
Star Wars
Star Wars - 1979
Empire Strikes Back - 1980
Return of the Jedi - 1983
Planet of the Hoojibs - 1983 Original (and the only Leia/Chewbacca story I've ever seen)
Droid World - 1983 Original (An odd Luke/Threepio/Artoo tale)
The Ewoks Join the Fight - 1983 (You can see the book I found a couple of months ago at House of Fun here)
Ewoks The Battle for Endor - 1985 (An adaptation of the second of two Ewoks TV movies)
Ezra's Wookie Rescue - 2014 (Adaptation of the second episode of Star Wars: Rebels)
The Force Awakens - 2015
Indiana Jones
Raiders of the Lost Ark - 1981
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom - 1984
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - 1989 (Narrated by John "Sallah" Rhys-Davies)
Thursday, August 04, 2016
Size Matters Not
It was an absolutely gorgeous day when I headed to work this morning, even cool. It did eventually become a little bit warmer and more humid than yesterday, but nothing like it was last week. I rounded up carts for about 40 minutes when I arrived and an hour after lunch, but I spent most of the day either doing returns or mopping up leaks and spills. We weren't all that busy - I only ended up in the register twice, both times going in for someone else's break, and in both cases I wasn't there long.
The weather was so nice, I took the long way home down Nicholson Road again. There was traffic around what appeared to be a fender-bender at the entrance to WalMart. Otherwise, traffic was relatively light, and I had an easy and pleasant ride home.
When I got in, I went right in a short bath. Ahhh. I needed that. Even though it's not as hot, I still sweat when I push carts. I soaked in those rose bath crystals I bought for my birthday and looked over two old Christmas With Southern Living craft books from 1986 and 1991 respectively. An old Gershwin-themed jazz CD helped me relax.
I was going to spend the next few hours writing, but the Internet was down again when I came on...and once again, the online light on my modem was on. That was the last straw. It lost me an hour of writing, but I did roll back to Windows 8.1. Maybe Windows 10 works for a lot of people, but it doesn't seem to work for me. I'll wait until I buy a new computer to upgrade my operating system.
After all that, I didn't have much time for writing. Jabba, still a merman, shows up with Luke as a hostage. He wants Beast-Han to shred Leia, or Leia to kill The Beast. Han's reluctant to do it. She's been nice to him, and he has feelings for her. Jabba reminds him that he holds all the aces, including Leia's beloved brother.
I broke for dinner around 6:30. Watched Ant-Man while eating leftovers, including the last of the green beans from Dad's birthday party. Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is a thief who wants to go straight for the sake of his small daughter Cassie. His buddies direct him to one last big score - the huge old safe owned by eccentric retired CEO Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). What he finds there is a suit. He's not happy at first...until he learns the suit allows him to change his size.
Pym wanted him to find it. He's chosen him as the new Ant-Man, a size-shifting superhero who fights with his wits and through his friendship with ants, not with big weapons. Pym wants him to steal an experimental suit from his former protege who ousted him from his company (Corey Stoll) and intends to use the suit for evil purposes. Scott feels like he's in over his head (in many ways) at first, especially when dealing with Pym's daughter Hope (Evangeline Lily). He and Hank both discover that you don't need a fancy suit or a growth formula to be a hero to your daughters - the only thing that needs to grow is your heart.
This one was a huge and very pleasant surprise for me. I hadn't heard good things about it. I never even heard of this character until I saw the cartoon Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes a few years ago. This movie was so much fun, probably the most fun I've had with any of the Marvel Universe films that didn't involve Captain America. Rudd was a delightfully charismatic thief, and Douglas was equally good as his mentor. I do wish the villain had been a little more creative, though - he almost seemed like a replay of the villain in the first Iron Man movie.
Between this, Guardians of the Galaxy, Big Hero 6, and Kingsmen: The Secret Service, I'm really loving all these little-known comic books that have been turning up lately. I hope Marvel and other companies will continue to dig into their vaults and give more obscure properties a chance.
The weather was so nice, I took the long way home down Nicholson Road again. There was traffic around what appeared to be a fender-bender at the entrance to WalMart. Otherwise, traffic was relatively light, and I had an easy and pleasant ride home.
When I got in, I went right in a short bath. Ahhh. I needed that. Even though it's not as hot, I still sweat when I push carts. I soaked in those rose bath crystals I bought for my birthday and looked over two old Christmas With Southern Living craft books from 1986 and 1991 respectively. An old Gershwin-themed jazz CD helped me relax.
I was going to spend the next few hours writing, but the Internet was down again when I came on...and once again, the online light on my modem was on. That was the last straw. It lost me an hour of writing, but I did roll back to Windows 8.1. Maybe Windows 10 works for a lot of people, but it doesn't seem to work for me. I'll wait until I buy a new computer to upgrade my operating system.
After all that, I didn't have much time for writing. Jabba, still a merman, shows up with Luke as a hostage. He wants Beast-Han to shred Leia, or Leia to kill The Beast. Han's reluctant to do it. She's been nice to him, and he has feelings for her. Jabba reminds him that he holds all the aces, including Leia's beloved brother.
I broke for dinner around 6:30. Watched Ant-Man while eating leftovers, including the last of the green beans from Dad's birthday party. Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is a thief who wants to go straight for the sake of his small daughter Cassie. His buddies direct him to one last big score - the huge old safe owned by eccentric retired CEO Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). What he finds there is a suit. He's not happy at first...until he learns the suit allows him to change his size.
Pym wanted him to find it. He's chosen him as the new Ant-Man, a size-shifting superhero who fights with his wits and through his friendship with ants, not with big weapons. Pym wants him to steal an experimental suit from his former protege who ousted him from his company (Corey Stoll) and intends to use the suit for evil purposes. Scott feels like he's in over his head (in many ways) at first, especially when dealing with Pym's daughter Hope (Evangeline Lily). He and Hank both discover that you don't need a fancy suit or a growth formula to be a hero to your daughters - the only thing that needs to grow is your heart.
This one was a huge and very pleasant surprise for me. I hadn't heard good things about it. I never even heard of this character until I saw the cartoon Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes a few years ago. This movie was so much fun, probably the most fun I've had with any of the Marvel Universe films that didn't involve Captain America. Rudd was a delightfully charismatic thief, and Douglas was equally good as his mentor. I do wish the villain had been a little more creative, though - he almost seemed like a replay of the villain in the first Iron Man movie.
Between this, Guardians of the Galaxy, Big Hero 6, and Kingsmen: The Secret Service, I'm really loving all these little-known comic books that have been turning up lately. I hope Marvel and other companies will continue to dig into their vaults and give more obscure properties a chance.
Wednesday, August 03, 2016
Piece of Chocolate Honey Bun Cake
Kicked off the day at work. The weather was right for it. It was sunny, breezy, and mostly dry. The overbearing heat and humidity of the past few weeks had finally dissipated. Ironically, I only did about 40 minutes' worth of cart-gathering this morning and another 40 minutes after lunch. I picked up trash and baskets, but I was mostly in the registers or mopping up the perpetually leaking freezers. I really, really wish someone would just repair the darn things!
Evidently, there are rumors that they're going to take out the self-check-out and replace it with a Starbucks. First of all, I'm all for getting rid of the self-check-out, but it's in the middle of the main exit area. Why put a coffee shop there, especially when the bakery sells perfectly good coffee? If you must have a Starbucks at all, there's a whole mall behind us, with several empty stores. Starbucks should move over there and let us spend the money on things we need, like repairing the freezers.
It was such a nice day, I rode home the long way via Nicholson Road. Rush hour was just kicking in, but I didn't mind dodging the traffic. Once I got over the hill and onto Atlantic, it wasn't so bad. I saw a lot of other bikers out, too, including a whole pack of pre-teens on their way down Atlantic.
When I got in, I spent the next few hours writing. The Beast is very protective of Leia's family's treasure. He attacks Leia every time she comes near it. Yes, she does want to bring her father's treasure home, she tells him, but what she really wants is to find her friend Han. To her surprise, the dogfish seems to recognize the Beast. Could this be the friend he was searching for?
Broke around 6 to eat leftovers for dinner and try some more baking while it's still cool enough to do so. I decided to make a Chocolate Honey Bun Cake, a variation on Honey Bun Coffee Cake from The Cake Doctor cookbook made with Devil's Food Cake mix instead of yellow mix. The "honey bun" is a honey/brown sugar combo that's swirled through the cake batter. Very sweet and very tasty.
Ran Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach while baking. Everyone's favorite goofy cops are in Miami for a convention and to see their beloved Commandant Lassard get an award and announce his retirement. Nasty Captain Harris is desperate to replace him.As the group arrives, Lassard accidentally mixes up his luggage with a group of diamond thieves. While the cadets enjoy the amenities at the hotel and beach and befriend Lassard's nephew Nick, the thieves desperately try to get the jewels back. They finally kidnap Lassard to ransom him for the jewels. When Harris goes after them and gets caught as well, Nick and the cadets jump into action!
The Police Academy films are all guilty pleasures, and this is an old favorite of mine, probably because it used to turn up on cable a lot in the late 80's-early 90's. There's at least slightly more plot and an ending that actually ties into the rest than most of the other movies, and some of the slapstick is hilarious. If you're a fan of this series, this one is a lot of fun.
After the movie ended, I tried some video games. I got as far as round 1-3 on Super Mario 2 on Super Mario All-Stars. I forgot you have to start over after you lose all your lives. I didn't get much further on Lego Indy 2. I can't figure out how to find more bonus rounds.
Evidently, there are rumors that they're going to take out the self-check-out and replace it with a Starbucks. First of all, I'm all for getting rid of the self-check-out, but it's in the middle of the main exit area. Why put a coffee shop there, especially when the bakery sells perfectly good coffee? If you must have a Starbucks at all, there's a whole mall behind us, with several empty stores. Starbucks should move over there and let us spend the money on things we need, like repairing the freezers.
It was such a nice day, I rode home the long way via Nicholson Road. Rush hour was just kicking in, but I didn't mind dodging the traffic. Once I got over the hill and onto Atlantic, it wasn't so bad. I saw a lot of other bikers out, too, including a whole pack of pre-teens on their way down Atlantic.
When I got in, I spent the next few hours writing. The Beast is very protective of Leia's family's treasure. He attacks Leia every time she comes near it. Yes, she does want to bring her father's treasure home, she tells him, but what she really wants is to find her friend Han. To her surprise, the dogfish seems to recognize the Beast. Could this be the friend he was searching for?
Broke around 6 to eat leftovers for dinner and try some more baking while it's still cool enough to do so. I decided to make a Chocolate Honey Bun Cake, a variation on Honey Bun Coffee Cake from The Cake Doctor cookbook made with Devil's Food Cake mix instead of yellow mix. The "honey bun" is a honey/brown sugar combo that's swirled through the cake batter. Very sweet and very tasty.
Ran Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach while baking. Everyone's favorite goofy cops are in Miami for a convention and to see their beloved Commandant Lassard get an award and announce his retirement. Nasty Captain Harris is desperate to replace him.As the group arrives, Lassard accidentally mixes up his luggage with a group of diamond thieves. While the cadets enjoy the amenities at the hotel and beach and befriend Lassard's nephew Nick, the thieves desperately try to get the jewels back. They finally kidnap Lassard to ransom him for the jewels. When Harris goes after them and gets caught as well, Nick and the cadets jump into action!
The Police Academy films are all guilty pleasures, and this is an old favorite of mine, probably because it used to turn up on cable a lot in the late 80's-early 90's. There's at least slightly more plot and an ending that actually ties into the rest than most of the other movies, and some of the slapstick is hilarious. If you're a fan of this series, this one is a lot of fun.
After the movie ended, I tried some video games. I got as far as round 1-3 on Super Mario 2 on Super Mario All-Stars. I forgot you have to start over after you lose all your lives. I didn't get much further on Lego Indy 2. I can't figure out how to find more bonus rounds.
Tuesday, August 02, 2016
Sunny Day Dolls
Started off the day with breakfast, then moved onto dressing the dolls for August's (normally) hotter weather. Samantha, Molly, Whitney, and Jessa all get bathing suits and sandals or slippers. Sam's in the second version of her 1904 Bathing Dress with the white and blue cap and black Springfield Collection tights. Whitney gets the navy and white polka dot Springfield Collection suit and white Swiss lace sandals. Molly's wearing her tropical-print peach 1944 Bathing Suit and green towel. Jessa is ready for Hawaii in the mid-2000's AG Island Luau magenta-and-blue print suit.
Josefina and Felicity come from time periods where bathing and swimming weren't considered ladylike. I opted for summer frocks for them instead. Josefina sports her floral Party Dress (without the heavy black Spencer jacket) and matching beige moccasins. Felicity's wearing her lavender "Traveling Gown" with the embroidered flowers (aka her second "meet" outfit) and the wide green and pink ribbon-trimmed straw hat from Elizabeth's Summer Gown.
Headed out to run errands shortly after I finished with the AGs. It was still cloudy and cool when I left, though not anything resembling as humid as it was yesterday. I still brought my brown, white, and orange umbrella along as a precaution. First stop was the Oaklyn Library. They were surprisingly busy for a decent day, with one family doing summer school work in the children's area, and adults having annoying political discussions in the main room (even after the librarian got fed up with CNN and switched the TV off). I organized the DVDs, which were a mess, particularly the adult titles. Between how long that took and the kid doing work in the children's area, I decided to just head out after about 40 minutes.
Went across the White Horse Pike to the House of Fun next, just for the heck of it. They were pretty busy for quarter of 1 on a weekday. A lot of people must have been exploring on their breaks, including a family with a middle-grade-school-age son. I eyed a few Star Wars action figures and the Force Awakens older Han and Leia Funko Pop bobble heads, but ultimately decided to save my money for vacation.
Next stop was Jalapeno's Grill a few blocks down the Pike for lunch. They were quite busy for them, with several groups enjoying their inexpensive lunch specials. I had the vegetable quesadilla, with refried beans and Spanish rice. The beans and rice were probably from a can and a mix, but the quesadilla was really good, filled with lots of big, fresh vegetable pieces and a ton of cheese.
Went across the street next to WaWa for dessert. I wanted some caffeine, so I went with the Mocha Mint Smoothie. It was a little too much mocha, just a tad too bitter. Even so, I gulped up as I headed down Manor and towards home.
Despite the sun coming out at this point, I really had no other outdoor plans for the day. I spent the rest of the afternoon writing...or trying to. The Internet went down as soon as I got on. I didn't get it. This time, there were obviously no storms around. The online light was still on. I gave up and finally called Comcast. All they could tell me was there was nothing wrong on their end...and I should probably switch back to Windows 8.1. Ironically, the internet came back on shortly after I called them.
Honestly, I may do that tomorrow. It went down again briefly tonight. I really don't want to mess around with updating drivers I know nothing about.
I did manage to get some writing in. Leia and Chewbacca finally follow the currents to the center of the maze, a beautiful gold and silver garden. Unfortunatly, along with the gold and silver and jewels that belong to her family, Leia also finds a hideous sea monster, a nasty beast with a long, spiny tail, sharp teeth, and ridged skin...or is he? Chewbacca won't harm him, and Leia's not sure she wants to, either. The Beast's hazel eyes are sad and heartbroken...and very human.
When I finally broke for dinner, I finished Goldie & Bear while making Blackberry Chocolate Chip Muffins, my first baking in a while. "Pinocchio-itis" is a condition that makes one's nose grow when they lie. This becomes a bit of a problem when Goldie has to keep a secret from Bear for his parents. "The Clubhouse that Jack Built" is a club for boys named Jack only, including Bear (whose first name is Jack). That may sound like fun for the boys, but it alienates Goldie and their friends. When Goldie starts a club for anyone named anything, the Jacks begin to realize that they miss their friends and siblings.
"The Egg" falls from a beanstalk. Bear wants to keep what hatches from it, but it really belongs with its mother. Bear's "Golden Kickball" gets stuck in the yard of the Candy Witch, who supposedly turns children into gingerbread! Bear just wants his ball back. He and Goldie learn a lesson in appearances when they go after the ball...and discover the witch isn't nearly as scary as the rumors claim.
Bear and Goldie are surprised at the size of their babysitter when Bear's parents go out for the evening. But Thumbelina proves that size really matters not when she takes the kids on an adventure in "Thumbelina's Wild Ride." When the Big Bad Wolf accidentally blows down his own home, he becomes a "Big Bad Houseguest" who drives Humpty Dumpty crazy and refuses to leave, even after the Three Little Pigs rebuild his home.
Switched to The BoxTrolls while turning the Sloppy Joes from Julie's Cooking Studio into Chicken Cheeseburger Rice Skillet Casserole with the addition of leftover brown rice and the last of the cheddar cheese. The Box Trolls are small, grotesque-but-harmless creatures who live under an English town in the early 1900's. They scavenge trash, including boxes, from the town to live. Like Goldie with the Candy Witch, the townspeople believe the rumors that they're awful creatures who eat people and steal children. In truth, they're more afraid of humans than they are of them...but one finds a baby in the trash and does raise him. Years later, the boy, whom they call Eggs after the box he wears, comes to the surface when all of his troll friends go missing. He meets a young girl named Winnie, the daughter of the town's magistrate, and a group of men in red hats who are bent on destroying the trolls and gaining entrance into the town's cheese-obsessed inner circle. While Winnie explains to Eggs what he really is, the two discover that the trolls are alive...but not for much longer, if the Red Hats use their new, more powerful weapon on them...
This stop-motion tale was a very strange fish-out-water story. At times, it was a tad grotesque, especially in the design of the villains. On the other hand, the relationships between Eggs and the Trolls and Eggs and Winnie were very sweet. I liked how they handled the slightly cliche "fish out of water/raised by animals/don't judge a book by its cover" story, too, especially the surprise ending and how they ultimately eliminate the villain. The steampunk designs are nifty as well.
It's a little strange and dark for younger kids, but for older kids on up, this is a very intriguing tale of belonging and finding one's place that's worth a look if you loved other stop-motion semi-horror stories like Coraline or The Corpse Bride.
Josefina and Felicity come from time periods where bathing and swimming weren't considered ladylike. I opted for summer frocks for them instead. Josefina sports her floral Party Dress (without the heavy black Spencer jacket) and matching beige moccasins. Felicity's wearing her lavender "Traveling Gown" with the embroidered flowers (aka her second "meet" outfit) and the wide green and pink ribbon-trimmed straw hat from Elizabeth's Summer Gown.
Headed out to run errands shortly after I finished with the AGs. It was still cloudy and cool when I left, though not anything resembling as humid as it was yesterday. I still brought my brown, white, and orange umbrella along as a precaution. First stop was the Oaklyn Library. They were surprisingly busy for a decent day, with one family doing summer school work in the children's area, and adults having annoying political discussions in the main room (even after the librarian got fed up with CNN and switched the TV off). I organized the DVDs, which were a mess, particularly the adult titles. Between how long that took and the kid doing work in the children's area, I decided to just head out after about 40 minutes.
Went across the White Horse Pike to the House of Fun next, just for the heck of it. They were pretty busy for quarter of 1 on a weekday. A lot of people must have been exploring on their breaks, including a family with a middle-grade-school-age son. I eyed a few Star Wars action figures and the Force Awakens older Han and Leia Funko Pop bobble heads, but ultimately decided to save my money for vacation.
Next stop was Jalapeno's Grill a few blocks down the Pike for lunch. They were quite busy for them, with several groups enjoying their inexpensive lunch specials. I had the vegetable quesadilla, with refried beans and Spanish rice. The beans and rice were probably from a can and a mix, but the quesadilla was really good, filled with lots of big, fresh vegetable pieces and a ton of cheese.
Went across the street next to WaWa for dessert. I wanted some caffeine, so I went with the Mocha Mint Smoothie. It was a little too much mocha, just a tad too bitter. Even so, I gulped up as I headed down Manor and towards home.
Despite the sun coming out at this point, I really had no other outdoor plans for the day. I spent the rest of the afternoon writing...or trying to. The Internet went down as soon as I got on. I didn't get it. This time, there were obviously no storms around. The online light was still on. I gave up and finally called Comcast. All they could tell me was there was nothing wrong on their end...and I should probably switch back to Windows 8.1. Ironically, the internet came back on shortly after I called them.
Honestly, I may do that tomorrow. It went down again briefly tonight. I really don't want to mess around with updating drivers I know nothing about.
I did manage to get some writing in. Leia and Chewbacca finally follow the currents to the center of the maze, a beautiful gold and silver garden. Unfortunatly, along with the gold and silver and jewels that belong to her family, Leia also finds a hideous sea monster, a nasty beast with a long, spiny tail, sharp teeth, and ridged skin...or is he? Chewbacca won't harm him, and Leia's not sure she wants to, either. The Beast's hazel eyes are sad and heartbroken...and very human.
When I finally broke for dinner, I finished Goldie & Bear while making Blackberry Chocolate Chip Muffins, my first baking in a while. "Pinocchio-itis" is a condition that makes one's nose grow when they lie. This becomes a bit of a problem when Goldie has to keep a secret from Bear for his parents. "The Clubhouse that Jack Built" is a club for boys named Jack only, including Bear (whose first name is Jack). That may sound like fun for the boys, but it alienates Goldie and their friends. When Goldie starts a club for anyone named anything, the Jacks begin to realize that they miss their friends and siblings.
"The Egg" falls from a beanstalk. Bear wants to keep what hatches from it, but it really belongs with its mother. Bear's "Golden Kickball" gets stuck in the yard of the Candy Witch, who supposedly turns children into gingerbread! Bear just wants his ball back. He and Goldie learn a lesson in appearances when they go after the ball...and discover the witch isn't nearly as scary as the rumors claim.
Bear and Goldie are surprised at the size of their babysitter when Bear's parents go out for the evening. But Thumbelina proves that size really matters not when she takes the kids on an adventure in "Thumbelina's Wild Ride." When the Big Bad Wolf accidentally blows down his own home, he becomes a "Big Bad Houseguest" who drives Humpty Dumpty crazy and refuses to leave, even after the Three Little Pigs rebuild his home.
Switched to The BoxTrolls while turning the Sloppy Joes from Julie's Cooking Studio into Chicken Cheeseburger Rice Skillet Casserole with the addition of leftover brown rice and the last of the cheddar cheese. The Box Trolls are small, grotesque-but-harmless creatures who live under an English town in the early 1900's. They scavenge trash, including boxes, from the town to live. Like Goldie with the Candy Witch, the townspeople believe the rumors that they're awful creatures who eat people and steal children. In truth, they're more afraid of humans than they are of them...but one finds a baby in the trash and does raise him. Years later, the boy, whom they call Eggs after the box he wears, comes to the surface when all of his troll friends go missing. He meets a young girl named Winnie, the daughter of the town's magistrate, and a group of men in red hats who are bent on destroying the trolls and gaining entrance into the town's cheese-obsessed inner circle. While Winnie explains to Eggs what he really is, the two discover that the trolls are alive...but not for much longer, if the Red Hats use their new, more powerful weapon on them...
This stop-motion tale was a very strange fish-out-water story. At times, it was a tad grotesque, especially in the design of the villains. On the other hand, the relationships between Eggs and the Trolls and Eggs and Winnie were very sweet. I liked how they handled the slightly cliche "fish out of water/raised by animals/don't judge a book by its cover" story, too, especially the surprise ending and how they ultimately eliminate the villain. The steampunk designs are nifty as well.
It's a little strange and dark for younger kids, but for older kids on up, this is a very intriguing tale of belonging and finding one's place that's worth a look if you loved other stop-motion semi-horror stories like Coraline or The Corpse Bride.
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