It remained cloudy and gloomy as I finally rolled out of bed this morning. Did a quick episode of Tiny Toon Adventures while eating breakfast and getting ready for work. I'm not the only one who's had to deal with a deluge of bad weather recently. "Rainy Daze" shows what the Toons do to pass the time during equally stormy days. Monty's idea of chasing boredom is renting friends to torment with his dangerous toys. Buster manages to turn the tables on him after he's attacked one too many times. In the second story, Babs uses her imagination to make ordinary household chores a lot more fun. She and Buster take a trip in the third. They're aiming for Aruba, but somehow end up saving a seal from a Cruella Di Vil-imitating poacher in the Arctic.
Work was wild today. It was either insane or stone-cold dead. There was no in-between. We'd suddenly get long lines, and they'd toss me into the register...and then, ten minutes later, it would be totally quiet. It's the end of a huge four-day sale and the second day of another big sale. I did round up carts for an hour in the beginning of the day and about 40 minutes or so towards the end, but I was mostly inside. It got so crazy, my break was more than a half-hour late because I had to take customers.
At least the clouds were gone by the time I finished. The sky was brilliant blue. The wind had turned fresh and still a bit cool. It was probably in the lower 70's, chilly for this time of year, but certainly more pleasant than the upper 80's and humid we had last week. I took the long way home down Nicholson Road, dodging rush hour traffic until I got into Oaklyn.
Worked on writing for a few hours. Leia is able to help release Han from the evil red crystal with a kiss, but he can't talk, and he's weak as a lamb. The light returns Luke to his human form, just as Palpatine gets his hands on Yoda and drains his magic. The small green elf uses his last breath to admonish Leia and Luke to pass on their training to a new generation of Jedi.
Broke at 7 to have baked asparagus, mashed sweet potatoes, and leftover chicken legs for dinner. Watched That's Entertainment as I ate. This 1974 documentary covers the MGM musical in all it's Technicolor and black-and-white splendor, from the panicked early talkie revues to the extravaganzas of the late 50's. On one hand, the fact that every host in this film but Liza Minnelli has since passed away makes it a bit hard to watch now, especially for musical fans...and makes her line during her segment on her mother Judy Garland about film capturing a moment all the more ironic. On the other hand, though almost every film in this movie has since been released in one home media format or another, it's still nice to see all these wonderful musical numbers together in one place. (Especially ones like the Esther Williams water spectacles that are coming from movies with plots that are basically filler between songs.)
The That's Entertainment movies make great background music when you just want some great songs performed by wonderful talents, or to see the numbers without all the "extra" stuff. It's also a nice way to introduce kids with a taste for older movies to the basics of the classic musical.
Ended the night baking peanut butter bars while watching All That Jazz, a far less pleasant musical journey. Joe Gideon (Roy Schinder) may be a big-shot Broadway and Hollywood director, but he's also pretty much a sleazy ass. He's sleeping with a variety of women, including his current girl Kate (Ann Renniking), while still working with his ex-wife Audrey (Leland Palmer) and helping her with their daughter Michelle (Erzebet Foldi). He drinks, chain smokes, and takes every drug on the market in order to direct a big Broadway show while simultaneously edit his most recent film. All three women and the "Angel of Death" (Jessica Lange) try to point out that he's literally killing himself, but he ignores them. Even after he ends up in the hospital for heart surgery, he's still smoking and living it up with the ladies. Death does finally come to claim Joe...but he won't go without one last big variety show, retelling his life in show business terms as he comes to terms with what he's done to himself.
Bob Fosse directed and co-wrote this strange musical, based after his experiences directing the original 1975 Chicago while editing the movie Lenny. There really are some fabulous numbers here, all in Fosse's signature knock-kneed style. My favorite was Michelle and Audrey's energetic duet to Peter Allen's "Everything Old Is New Again" that even Joe loved. The flashy finale, set during Joe's open-heart surgery, is a lot more bizarre. Schinder and Ben Vereen really tear into the Everly Brothers' "Bye Bye Love" (here called "Bye Bye Life") in the last moments.
A portrait of a man who has lived life to the fullest coming to terms with death is dark for musical comedy, and it's definitely not for everyone. While it was nominated for nine Oscars in 1979 and won four (for Original Screenplay, Original Score, Set Direction, and Costume Design), many critics even then didn't quite know what to make of it. I'm not really sure, either. I'm glad I saw it once, but it's not something I'm going to seek it out again. If you're a fan of Fosse or the cast or like your musicals on the darker or more surreal side, this is worth checking out.
Life is a lazy river - no matter where you are. Movies, musicals, mysteries, pop culture, and lots of other great stuff.
Monday, June 11, 2018
Sunday, June 10, 2018
You've Got to Be Carefully Taught
The morning was gloomy and gray when I rolled out of bed. Truth be told, it suited my somewhat romantic and thoughtful mood. I put on the original cast of South Pacific while making blueberry pancakes for breakfast. The runaway Broadway smash of 1949 features stage star Mary Martin as Nellie Forbush, a nurse on a tropical island in World War II who falls for handsome planter Emile de Beque (Enzio Pinza), but has her doubts about the relationship after she meets his children by his late Polynesian wife. Lieutenant Cable (William Tabbert) is also in a relationship with a native, the beautiful Liat (Betta St. John). Both relationships seem doomed to failure, thanks to southerners Cable and Nellie's ingrained prejudice. When Cable and de Beque go on a mission together, only one man makes it back alive...
I put this one on for Cable's pointed solo "You've Got to be Carefully Taught." Hammerstein may not have known much about the military, but he understood prejudice. South Pacific looked kind of dated up until a hit concert in 2006 and a smashing Broadway revival in 2008. Nowadays, it's themes may be more relevant than they were even when the show came out, even if the native characters come off as a bit stereotypical.
I've only heard the original 1949 cast with Pinza and Martin, but I know there's a late 60's recording with Florence Henderson as Nellie, along with the 2006 concert and 2008 revival. I'm not a big fan of the 1958 film with Mitzi Gaynor as Nellie; from what I remember, it's slow, dull, and static.
Work was steady when I arrived. I finished the candy (which a manager had worked on earlier), then did some carts and cleaned up a Gatorade spill. The crowds had increased substantially by around noon, and would remain busy for the rest of the day. The clouds that had been gathering even when I was going to the Acme had finally burst. People didn't have much else to do besides shop. I bagged and rounded up baskets for the rest of the afternoon, except for another manager sending me out to do carts 20 minutes before I finished.
Good thing the rain was lightening up even as I pushed carts up to the patios. By the time I was heading home, it was almost gone. Switched to writing as soon as I got in. Leia, with the help of the magic of the Great Confluence, manages to get Luke's horn back on. Palpatine is about to shoot them both with his force lightning when Yoda appears, stopping his sword and giving Leia and Luke a chance to rescue Han.
It was past 7 when I broke for dinner. Made baked chicken legs with herbs and spices and a cucumber-tomato salad while playing Lego Clone Wars. Now I remember why I gave up on this a while back. I really need the Sith and Bounty Hunter characters to get a lot of the remaining pieces, and I just can't find them. I think they're supposed to be on another ship, but I can't find that, either. I did manage to get one more piece from "Battle of Geonosis," but all I got from "The Hidden Enemy" was a ton of studs.
Finished the night after a shower with two more darker Rogers and Hammerstein musicals. Carousel switches from prejudice to domestic violence. This tragic tale tells of Julie (Jan Clayton), a mill worker in 1873 New England in love with Billy (John Raitt), a carnival barker. They get married, but it goes downhill when Billy learns that Julie's pregnant. He takes part in a robbery that goes wrong and ends with him dead. Julie ends up raising their daughter Louise (Bambi Lynn) alone. He has to return to Earth to try to mend things with both women, before his daughter ends up like him.
While it's a little too dark to be my favorite Rogers and Hammerstein show, it does have it's fans. It's been revived twice on Broadway, including the current production that opened in April. The film version has a similar problem to South Pacific - it's lumbering and a bit dull. I don't know if the current revival's been recorded yet, but I have a studio LP from the 50's with opera stars Robert Merrill and Patrice Munsel as Billy and Julie, and there's the 1994 Broadway revival with Audra Ann MacDonald as Julie's friend Carrie.
Finished the night with The King and I. We move from New England to Thailand (Siam) for this culture clash story. The King of Siam (Farley Granger) has hired British governess Anna Leonowens (Barbara Cook) to educate his many children. She finds the country barbaric at first, especially how he treats his wives and his slaves. While two of the slaves take part in a forbidden love affair, Anna and the King come to develop a relationship of their own. Matters come to a head after one of the slaves is caught trying to escape, and the King learns just how much Anna's democratic beliefs have influenced him.
I have two copies of this show; I opted for the 1960 Lincoln Center cast. It's been revived many times, most recently in 1997 with Donna Murphy and Lou Diamond Phillips as Anna and the King and in 2015 with Kelli O'Hara and Ken Wantanabe as the duo. My 1992 studio CD features a wonderful Julie Andrews as Anna and Ben Kingsley as the King. The film version, with Deborah Kerr and original King Yul Brunner, is my second-favorite Rogers and Hammerstein movie after Oklahoma!
(And incidentally, it's rained off and on, sometimes heavily, for the rest of the night. It's raining pretty hard now. Hopefully, it'll be gone by the time I have work at 11.)
I put this one on for Cable's pointed solo "You've Got to be Carefully Taught." Hammerstein may not have known much about the military, but he understood prejudice. South Pacific looked kind of dated up until a hit concert in 2006 and a smashing Broadway revival in 2008. Nowadays, it's themes may be more relevant than they were even when the show came out, even if the native characters come off as a bit stereotypical.
I've only heard the original 1949 cast with Pinza and Martin, but I know there's a late 60's recording with Florence Henderson as Nellie, along with the 2006 concert and 2008 revival. I'm not a big fan of the 1958 film with Mitzi Gaynor as Nellie; from what I remember, it's slow, dull, and static.
Work was steady when I arrived. I finished the candy (which a manager had worked on earlier), then did some carts and cleaned up a Gatorade spill. The crowds had increased substantially by around noon, and would remain busy for the rest of the day. The clouds that had been gathering even when I was going to the Acme had finally burst. People didn't have much else to do besides shop. I bagged and rounded up baskets for the rest of the afternoon, except for another manager sending me out to do carts 20 minutes before I finished.
Good thing the rain was lightening up even as I pushed carts up to the patios. By the time I was heading home, it was almost gone. Switched to writing as soon as I got in. Leia, with the help of the magic of the Great Confluence, manages to get Luke's horn back on. Palpatine is about to shoot them both with his force lightning when Yoda appears, stopping his sword and giving Leia and Luke a chance to rescue Han.
It was past 7 when I broke for dinner. Made baked chicken legs with herbs and spices and a cucumber-tomato salad while playing Lego Clone Wars. Now I remember why I gave up on this a while back. I really need the Sith and Bounty Hunter characters to get a lot of the remaining pieces, and I just can't find them. I think they're supposed to be on another ship, but I can't find that, either. I did manage to get one more piece from "Battle of Geonosis," but all I got from "The Hidden Enemy" was a ton of studs.
Finished the night after a shower with two more darker Rogers and Hammerstein musicals. Carousel switches from prejudice to domestic violence. This tragic tale tells of Julie (Jan Clayton), a mill worker in 1873 New England in love with Billy (John Raitt), a carnival barker. They get married, but it goes downhill when Billy learns that Julie's pregnant. He takes part in a robbery that goes wrong and ends with him dead. Julie ends up raising their daughter Louise (Bambi Lynn) alone. He has to return to Earth to try to mend things with both women, before his daughter ends up like him.
While it's a little too dark to be my favorite Rogers and Hammerstein show, it does have it's fans. It's been revived twice on Broadway, including the current production that opened in April. The film version has a similar problem to South Pacific - it's lumbering and a bit dull. I don't know if the current revival's been recorded yet, but I have a studio LP from the 50's with opera stars Robert Merrill and Patrice Munsel as Billy and Julie, and there's the 1994 Broadway revival with Audra Ann MacDonald as Julie's friend Carrie.
Finished the night with The King and I. We move from New England to Thailand (Siam) for this culture clash story. The King of Siam (Farley Granger) has hired British governess Anna Leonowens (Barbara Cook) to educate his many children. She finds the country barbaric at first, especially how he treats his wives and his slaves. While two of the slaves take part in a forbidden love affair, Anna and the King come to develop a relationship of their own. Matters come to a head after one of the slaves is caught trying to escape, and the King learns just how much Anna's democratic beliefs have influenced him.
I have two copies of this show; I opted for the 1960 Lincoln Center cast. It's been revived many times, most recently in 1997 with Donna Murphy and Lou Diamond Phillips as Anna and the King and in 2015 with Kelli O'Hara and Ken Wantanabe as the duo. My 1992 studio CD features a wonderful Julie Andrews as Anna and Ben Kingsley as the King. The film version, with Deborah Kerr and original King Yul Brunner, is my second-favorite Rogers and Hammerstein movie after Oklahoma!
(And incidentally, it's rained off and on, sometimes heavily, for the rest of the night. It's raining pretty hard now. Hopefully, it'll be gone by the time I have work at 11.)
Saturday, June 09, 2018
Lost World Wanderers
I was once again up early, this time to get a few things done before the fire inspector arrived. I ate my breakfast, then made the bed and pulled out the vacuum. I was just getting it set up when Charlie and the inspector arrived. His only critique was that the fire extinguisher in my kitchen had been recalled and I'd need a new one. Fine by me. That one came with the house, and it's dusty as all heck. It probably needed to be replaced a while ago.
Put on No Holds Barred while I was doing the bed and continued it as I vacuumed. This is one of the later Sach/Slip-focused Bowery Boys movies. Sach discovers after he accidentally foils a robbery that his head has built up so much calcium, it's impervious to pain. Slip takes advantage of this by entering his buddy in wrestling tournaments. Trouble is, the calcium deposits keep moving around Sach's body. There's also the group of gangsters who try to buy Slip off, then go after the two of them when it becomes apparent that Sach is going to keep winning.
Did a Donald Duck short with a somewhat similar theme while getting ready for work. "Canvas Back Duck" has Donald and the nephews at a fair, with Donald showing off for the boys on the "test your strength" game. What Donald thinks is a kid claims his "uncle" can take him on. Turns out the "uncle" is really Pete, a boxer looking for an easy opponent. Donald tries everything he can to get out of the ring, but his nephews help him find Pete's one weakness.
Work turned out to be absolutely no problem today. I alternated between gathering carts and shelving candy when the heat and humidity started to get to me. Although it was sunny for most of the day, dark clouds had begun gathering around 3:30-quarter of 4. By 4, it was pouring. Good thing I'd already gone inside to do the candy! I did go back out briefly to help the head manager bring in electric carts before my shift ended. It was still raining when I got out; I ended up waiting ten minutes for the rain to slow down before heading home. (And of course, the sun came out an hour later.)
Went on the computer as soon as I got home and changed. Palpatine does manage to cut off Luke's horn and gains it's magic and that of the sun and moon...for a few minutes. Chewbacca, enraged that Palpatine harmed his beloved master and his master's mate, bites him in the leg. Leia gets the horn back and now has to return it to Luke, before the sun sets and he loses his powers - and his life.
Broke for tuna salad for dinner around quarter after 7. Played Lego Indiana Jones as I ate. While I did get through the Free Play on the Young Indy bonus round (no artifacts, but plenty of studs), "Shanghai Showdown" remains glitched. I went back to "City of Danger" just to make enough money to buy the remaining x8 and x10 extras.
I think I'm going to stop here. 98 percent isn't a bad place to be. This is the furthest I've gotten in any game since the Super Nintendo era. Tomorrow, I'm going to pick up with Lego Star Wars: Clone Wars and see how far I can get on the Free Play with that one.
Ended the night online while watching Atlantis: The Lost Empire. Milo Thatch (Michael J. Fox) has devoted his life to picking up his grandfather's search for the lost civilization of Atlantis. The museum he works for thinks he's crazy for spending so much time looking for a myth, but a millionaire who was a friend of his grandfather's (John Mahoney) believes in it and volunteers to subsidize his expedition. He even has the Shepard's Journal, the book leading to Atlantis. Milo is joined by a colorful crew of ragtag explorers, scientists, and military personnel with their own reasons to want to find the lost city. Turns out that the city isn't lost, merely submerged, and it's inhabited. The Atlanteans have lost contact with their own culture and language since their world was sent underwater. Kida, the chief's daughter (Cree Summer), is hoping that Milo and his command of dead languages will help them find their culture again. But someone in the expedition group is a traitor who only cares about the profit the "Heart of Atlantis" will bring. It's up to Milo and the others to stop these villains and prove that as important as money is, finding your tribe and realizing a dream are far more valuable.
I took Keefe to see this a week or so after it came out in the summer of 2001. I remember that the theater was empty, but we had a great time anyway, yelling and throwing popcorn at each other and making all the noise we pleased. Keefe loved it, but I wasn't as interested at the time.
Now I wonder why I was so hard on this. This is a wonderful adventure, with incredible animation (especially on the lobster-like Leviathan mechanical monster and in Atlantis), memorable characters, intense action, and some of the funniest lines in any Disney movie. If nothing else, it gave Jim Varney his last role before his untimely death as the cantankerous cook Cookie. I also like the hilarious explosives expert Vinny (Don Novello) and Mrs. Packard, the sarcastic old lady in charge of communications (Florence Stanley).
This was a mild flop in June 2001, but like the somewhat similar Road to El Dorado, it's gone on to become a cult classic. People had been too conditioned to expect musicals and princesses in their animated films then, not to mention it faced stiff competition from Shrek and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Nowadays, I say if you have kids who are fans of the Tomb Raider games or Indiana Jones films, you'll want to unearth this lost treasure.
Put on No Holds Barred while I was doing the bed and continued it as I vacuumed. This is one of the later Sach/Slip-focused Bowery Boys movies. Sach discovers after he accidentally foils a robbery that his head has built up so much calcium, it's impervious to pain. Slip takes advantage of this by entering his buddy in wrestling tournaments. Trouble is, the calcium deposits keep moving around Sach's body. There's also the group of gangsters who try to buy Slip off, then go after the two of them when it becomes apparent that Sach is going to keep winning.
Did a Donald Duck short with a somewhat similar theme while getting ready for work. "Canvas Back Duck" has Donald and the nephews at a fair, with Donald showing off for the boys on the "test your strength" game. What Donald thinks is a kid claims his "uncle" can take him on. Turns out the "uncle" is really Pete, a boxer looking for an easy opponent. Donald tries everything he can to get out of the ring, but his nephews help him find Pete's one weakness.
Work turned out to be absolutely no problem today. I alternated between gathering carts and shelving candy when the heat and humidity started to get to me. Although it was sunny for most of the day, dark clouds had begun gathering around 3:30-quarter of 4. By 4, it was pouring. Good thing I'd already gone inside to do the candy! I did go back out briefly to help the head manager bring in electric carts before my shift ended. It was still raining when I got out; I ended up waiting ten minutes for the rain to slow down before heading home. (And of course, the sun came out an hour later.)
Went on the computer as soon as I got home and changed. Palpatine does manage to cut off Luke's horn and gains it's magic and that of the sun and moon...for a few minutes. Chewbacca, enraged that Palpatine harmed his beloved master and his master's mate, bites him in the leg. Leia gets the horn back and now has to return it to Luke, before the sun sets and he loses his powers - and his life.
Broke for tuna salad for dinner around quarter after 7. Played Lego Indiana Jones as I ate. While I did get through the Free Play on the Young Indy bonus round (no artifacts, but plenty of studs), "Shanghai Showdown" remains glitched. I went back to "City of Danger" just to make enough money to buy the remaining x8 and x10 extras.
I think I'm going to stop here. 98 percent isn't a bad place to be. This is the furthest I've gotten in any game since the Super Nintendo era. Tomorrow, I'm going to pick up with Lego Star Wars: Clone Wars and see how far I can get on the Free Play with that one.
Ended the night online while watching Atlantis: The Lost Empire. Milo Thatch (Michael J. Fox) has devoted his life to picking up his grandfather's search for the lost civilization of Atlantis. The museum he works for thinks he's crazy for spending so much time looking for a myth, but a millionaire who was a friend of his grandfather's (John Mahoney) believes in it and volunteers to subsidize his expedition. He even has the Shepard's Journal, the book leading to Atlantis. Milo is joined by a colorful crew of ragtag explorers, scientists, and military personnel with their own reasons to want to find the lost city. Turns out that the city isn't lost, merely submerged, and it's inhabited. The Atlanteans have lost contact with their own culture and language since their world was sent underwater. Kida, the chief's daughter (Cree Summer), is hoping that Milo and his command of dead languages will help them find their culture again. But someone in the expedition group is a traitor who only cares about the profit the "Heart of Atlantis" will bring. It's up to Milo and the others to stop these villains and prove that as important as money is, finding your tribe and realizing a dream are far more valuable.
I took Keefe to see this a week or so after it came out in the summer of 2001. I remember that the theater was empty, but we had a great time anyway, yelling and throwing popcorn at each other and making all the noise we pleased. Keefe loved it, but I wasn't as interested at the time.
Now I wonder why I was so hard on this. This is a wonderful adventure, with incredible animation (especially on the lobster-like Leviathan mechanical monster and in Atlantis), memorable characters, intense action, and some of the funniest lines in any Disney movie. If nothing else, it gave Jim Varney his last role before his untimely death as the cantankerous cook Cookie. I also like the hilarious explosives expert Vinny (Don Novello) and Mrs. Packard, the sarcastic old lady in charge of communications (Florence Stanley).
This was a mild flop in June 2001, but like the somewhat similar Road to El Dorado, it's gone on to become a cult classic. People had been too conditioned to expect musicals and princesses in their animated films then, not to mention it faced stiff competition from Shrek and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Nowadays, I say if you have kids who are fans of the Tomb Raider games or Indiana Jones films, you'll want to unearth this lost treasure.
Friday, June 08, 2018
Pandemonium at the Library
I had just gotten dressed and was making my bed when Charlie and one of his men showed up to put in the new window around 8 this morning. I quickly moved the shelf with the Star Wars action figures, then cleared out of their way to let them do what they needed to do.
Ran two episodes of Good Eats while I ate my own good Honey Bunches of Oats and watermelon breakfast. (The very last of the watermelon Jodie gave me on Memorial Day, in fact.) Alton implores a young boy who refuses to eat his peas to "Give Peas a Chance." With a pea salad with herbs and cheese, split pea soup, and pea burgers, how could he not? Alton has "Sprung a Leek" when he tries the least-pungent of the family that includes onions and garlic as fried rings, a grilled and braised side dish, and a salad.
Headed out around quarter after 9. Stopped at WaWa to get money and a banana smoothie to make change, then headed to the Oaklyn City Hall. The bus that goes down the White Horse Pike stops there. There was some traffic around road repairs. Otherwise, I had no problems on the road. The bus dropped me off across from the Voorhees Library around quarter after 10.
The Voorhees Library holds the Camden County Library System's big book sale twice a year, in June and October. It was wall-to-wall books and people when I came in, just 20 minutes after they opened. Total pandemonium! I could barely move, let alone find anything. Not to mention, the tables and shelves of books, DVDs, and CDs are not the most organized. You really have to dig if you're looking for a specific title or genre...if you're not leaning over or around ten different people doing the same thing. I gave up on the children's room after a few minutes, and I couldn't even find the records.
That said, I did really well, possibly my best haul ever from the book sale. Found three Mercedes Lackey Elemental masters novels I didn't have and couldn't be found at Haddon Township (The Serpent's Shadow, The Gates of Sleep, and The Wizard of London), the Star Wars expanded universe novel The Truce at Bakura, and the book-themed cozy mystery If Books Could Kill. The DVDs were Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Paint Your Wagon, and an ex-library copy of Hail, Caesar! Also grabbed a CD of early American Christmas music. And I found the whole pile in less than a half-hour, which is about all the time I could stand being in that crazy crowd.
Since I wasn't at the library for nearly as long as I planned, I did a little bit of shopping at the Boscov's in the Voorhees Town Center across the street. I still needed extra work pants. It took me a while, but I did find a pair that I hope will work for at least the rest of the summer. Headed across the mall after that to Bath and Body Works, one of the few stores in the Town Center that remains open. Picked up a spearmint and eucalyptus hand soap and "Pink Chiffon" shower gel, both half-price. I also took a look around Adventureland, a colorful comic book shop filled with older toys and the latest superhero stories.
Had lunch around noon in the Friendly's just outside the mall on their Restaurant Row. They were fairly busy, and the staff was nice but super slow. It took ages for them to bring my avocado and bacon burger, and then my butter pecan ice cream with marshmallow sauce and chocolate sprinkles. I wonder if they were short on help; I only saw two waitresses handling a large lunch crowd.
Took the long way across the parking lot of the former Macy's back to the front entrances, where the buses arrive. Of course, I read the wrong schedule and thought the bus was supposed to come 10 minutes later and missed it. That did give me a chance to hit the bathroom...but there really isn't much else to do at the Voorhees Town Center. Pretty much the only stores left are Boscov's, Verizon, Tilt Arcade, Adventureland, Payless Shoes, Bath and Body Works. and The Children's Place. Everything else is an office or is closed. Even stores that looked like they may have been open listed drastically reduced hours or were just shut down. It was dark, dreary, and spooky in there.
Finally took the bus home around 2. Once again, there was traffic around the road repairs on the White Horse Pike, otherwise no problems. I got off across from the 7-11 in Oaklyn, picked up my bike at City Hall, and went straight home, dodging more road work on Manor. (Looks like they're repaving.)
Charlie and his buddy were long gone by the time I got in. The new window is big and white...and it opens twice as wide as the old one, allowing far more air to circulate. I moved the big bookshelf and the seat with the American Girl dolls back easily. The smaller hanging shelf with the Star Wars action figures was a pain in the neck. Half of them fell off when I tried to get the shelf back on the wall. There's a reason I don't mess around with those more often.
Headed out to the Acme as soon as I got everything put away and where it belonged. I needed some groceries. Picked up cherries, and the Special K Nourish cereal on good sales. Grabbed blueberries and asparagus to make up for not being able to get to the Collingswood Farm Market tomorrow. Restocked chicken legs, yogurt, eggs, skim milk, white and apple cider vinegar, peanut butter, canned chicken, and cheese.
Oh, and my schedule this week is pretty much the same as last week, with the same days off and the same amount of hours. One of those days off will be used for counseling; otherwise, I'm probably going to continue to focus on writing and cleaning.
Went into writing as soon as I got home. Leia is grabbed by Boba Fett shortly after getting in the door. Turns out it was a trap to lure her and Luke into his clutches. He intends to cut off Luke's horn and use it to absorb the power of the Grand Confluence. To Leia's horror, he's turned Han into a statue who can still think and hear...but not move or speak.
Broke for a quick dinner and some Lego Indiana Jones around 7. I was finally able to get the last pieces on "Escape the Mines" and "Battle on the Bridge." (Turns out I had to outrun the darn water to get the final artifact on the latter round.) I still can't seem to get past that glitch on "Shanghai Showdown," and the Young Indy round glitched when I tried to play it in Free mode.
I think I might do one more night with Lego Indy, then return to Lego Star Wars: Clone Wars. If I can't get past the glitches, I've done all I can do here.
Finished the night with the 2014 French version of Beauty and the Beast. This one follows the Beaumont version of the story more closely than either Disney film, at least through the first half of the movie. Belle (Lea Seydoux) valiantly takes her father's place when he's held prisoner by a horrifying Beast (Vincent Cassel). The Beast seems cold and unforgiving towards her during their dinners together. But she keeps having recurring dreams of a prince who was determined to hunt down a golden deer and the princess (Yvonne Catterfeld) who warns him against its pursuit. She finally agrees to dance with the Beast if he'll let her go home. Her father's dying, and she wants to be by his bedside. But her rich clothes and the jewels she brings has emboldened her brother Maxime (Nicholas Gob), who tells a gangster (Eduardo Noriega) and his mistress (Myriem Charleins) about the jewels and the castle. Now Belle and her other brother Tristan (Louka Meliva) have to race against time to stop the gangster from doing harm to the Beast.
Gorgeous version of the classic fairy tale starts fairly close to Beaumont, but ends with a little bit more action than the original (including a gruesome end for the gangster). The elaborate and fanciful sets, costumes, and make-up are the stand-outs in this sumptuous production; the costumes won the French equivalent of the Oscars. Evidently, critics in France and elsewhere weren't impressed, but I think they might have been a little too hard on it. Give this one a shot if you like the Beaumont Beast or truly colorful fairy tales. (The version I took out of the Haddon Township Library was - rather badly - dubbed, but I imagine it comes with the original French soundtrack, too.)
Ran two episodes of Good Eats while I ate my own good Honey Bunches of Oats and watermelon breakfast. (The very last of the watermelon Jodie gave me on Memorial Day, in fact.) Alton implores a young boy who refuses to eat his peas to "Give Peas a Chance." With a pea salad with herbs and cheese, split pea soup, and pea burgers, how could he not? Alton has "Sprung a Leek" when he tries the least-pungent of the family that includes onions and garlic as fried rings, a grilled and braised side dish, and a salad.
Headed out around quarter after 9. Stopped at WaWa to get money and a banana smoothie to make change, then headed to the Oaklyn City Hall. The bus that goes down the White Horse Pike stops there. There was some traffic around road repairs. Otherwise, I had no problems on the road. The bus dropped me off across from the Voorhees Library around quarter after 10.
The Voorhees Library holds the Camden County Library System's big book sale twice a year, in June and October. It was wall-to-wall books and people when I came in, just 20 minutes after they opened. Total pandemonium! I could barely move, let alone find anything. Not to mention, the tables and shelves of books, DVDs, and CDs are not the most organized. You really have to dig if you're looking for a specific title or genre...if you're not leaning over or around ten different people doing the same thing. I gave up on the children's room after a few minutes, and I couldn't even find the records.
That said, I did really well, possibly my best haul ever from the book sale. Found three Mercedes Lackey Elemental masters novels I didn't have and couldn't be found at Haddon Township (The Serpent's Shadow, The Gates of Sleep, and The Wizard of London), the Star Wars expanded universe novel The Truce at Bakura, and the book-themed cozy mystery If Books Could Kill. The DVDs were Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Paint Your Wagon, and an ex-library copy of Hail, Caesar! Also grabbed a CD of early American Christmas music. And I found the whole pile in less than a half-hour, which is about all the time I could stand being in that crazy crowd.
Since I wasn't at the library for nearly as long as I planned, I did a little bit of shopping at the Boscov's in the Voorhees Town Center across the street. I still needed extra work pants. It took me a while, but I did find a pair that I hope will work for at least the rest of the summer. Headed across the mall after that to Bath and Body Works, one of the few stores in the Town Center that remains open. Picked up a spearmint and eucalyptus hand soap and "Pink Chiffon" shower gel, both half-price. I also took a look around Adventureland, a colorful comic book shop filled with older toys and the latest superhero stories.
Had lunch around noon in the Friendly's just outside the mall on their Restaurant Row. They were fairly busy, and the staff was nice but super slow. It took ages for them to bring my avocado and bacon burger, and then my butter pecan ice cream with marshmallow sauce and chocolate sprinkles. I wonder if they were short on help; I only saw two waitresses handling a large lunch crowd.
Took the long way across the parking lot of the former Macy's back to the front entrances, where the buses arrive. Of course, I read the wrong schedule and thought the bus was supposed to come 10 minutes later and missed it. That did give me a chance to hit the bathroom...but there really isn't much else to do at the Voorhees Town Center. Pretty much the only stores left are Boscov's, Verizon, Tilt Arcade, Adventureland, Payless Shoes, Bath and Body Works. and The Children's Place. Everything else is an office or is closed. Even stores that looked like they may have been open listed drastically reduced hours or were just shut down. It was dark, dreary, and spooky in there.
Finally took the bus home around 2. Once again, there was traffic around the road repairs on the White Horse Pike, otherwise no problems. I got off across from the 7-11 in Oaklyn, picked up my bike at City Hall, and went straight home, dodging more road work on Manor. (Looks like they're repaving.)
Charlie and his buddy were long gone by the time I got in. The new window is big and white...and it opens twice as wide as the old one, allowing far more air to circulate. I moved the big bookshelf and the seat with the American Girl dolls back easily. The smaller hanging shelf with the Star Wars action figures was a pain in the neck. Half of them fell off when I tried to get the shelf back on the wall. There's a reason I don't mess around with those more often.
Headed out to the Acme as soon as I got everything put away and where it belonged. I needed some groceries. Picked up cherries, and the Special K Nourish cereal on good sales. Grabbed blueberries and asparagus to make up for not being able to get to the Collingswood Farm Market tomorrow. Restocked chicken legs, yogurt, eggs, skim milk, white and apple cider vinegar, peanut butter, canned chicken, and cheese.
Oh, and my schedule this week is pretty much the same as last week, with the same days off and the same amount of hours. One of those days off will be used for counseling; otherwise, I'm probably going to continue to focus on writing and cleaning.
Went into writing as soon as I got home. Leia is grabbed by Boba Fett shortly after getting in the door. Turns out it was a trap to lure her and Luke into his clutches. He intends to cut off Luke's horn and use it to absorb the power of the Grand Confluence. To Leia's horror, he's turned Han into a statue who can still think and hear...but not move or speak.
Broke for a quick dinner and some Lego Indiana Jones around 7. I was finally able to get the last pieces on "Escape the Mines" and "Battle on the Bridge." (Turns out I had to outrun the darn water to get the final artifact on the latter round.) I still can't seem to get past that glitch on "Shanghai Showdown," and the Young Indy round glitched when I tried to play it in Free mode.
I think I might do one more night with Lego Indy, then return to Lego Star Wars: Clone Wars. If I can't get past the glitches, I've done all I can do here.
Finished the night with the 2014 French version of Beauty and the Beast. This one follows the Beaumont version of the story more closely than either Disney film, at least through the first half of the movie. Belle (Lea Seydoux) valiantly takes her father's place when he's held prisoner by a horrifying Beast (Vincent Cassel). The Beast seems cold and unforgiving towards her during their dinners together. But she keeps having recurring dreams of a prince who was determined to hunt down a golden deer and the princess (Yvonne Catterfeld) who warns him against its pursuit. She finally agrees to dance with the Beast if he'll let her go home. Her father's dying, and she wants to be by his bedside. But her rich clothes and the jewels she brings has emboldened her brother Maxime (Nicholas Gob), who tells a gangster (Eduardo Noriega) and his mistress (Myriem Charleins) about the jewels and the castle. Now Belle and her other brother Tristan (Louka Meliva) have to race against time to stop the gangster from doing harm to the Beast.
Gorgeous version of the classic fairy tale starts fairly close to Beaumont, but ends with a little bit more action than the original (including a gruesome end for the gangster). The elaborate and fanciful sets, costumes, and make-up are the stand-outs in this sumptuous production; the costumes won the French equivalent of the Oscars. Evidently, critics in France and elsewhere weren't impressed, but I think they might have been a little too hard on it. Give this one a shot if you like the Beaumont Beast or truly colorful fairy tales. (The version I took out of the Haddon Township Library was - rather badly - dubbed, but I imagine it comes with the original French soundtrack, too.)
Thursday, June 07, 2018
Miss Redmer and the Cleaning Day
Began a partly cloudy morning by moving things around a little. I didn't know if Charlie was going to start putting in the new bedroom window in today or tomorrow, so I moved the two shelves and the bench with the American Girl dolls out of the way. I figured I'd hold off on moving the hanging shelf with the Star Wars action figures until the last minute. If anything on that shelf moves even an inch, all the figures end up on the floor.
Watched Cats Don't Dance while eating breakfast and making "The Vermont" maple (or maple and honey - I don't have pure maple syrup) cookies. Danny (Scott Bakula) is a cat who has come to Hollywood in 1939 to become a musical star. Hollywood isn't interested in animals doing anything but acting like, well, animals. He tries to upstage bratty child star Darla Dimple (Ashley Peldon), who just sends her intimidating butler Max (the film's director Mark Dindal) after him. Most of the animal community doesn't understand his optimism, especially secretary Sawyer (Jasmine Guy). Danny has a dream, and he's determined to make that dream come true...and to prove that singing and dancing is for everyone, whether they have two feet or four.
Underrated treat from Warners is another casualty of the late 90's glut of animated musicals. It actually reminds me a bit of a 30's-set Zootopia and covers some of the same themes. I highly recommend checking it out in widescreen at the Warner Archives, if only for Darla Dimple, one of the most bizarre villains in animation history. Her number "Big and Loud" must be seen to be believed.
Charlie came around as the cookies were going in the oven. First of all, the new window will be going in tomorrow. Second, the fire code inspector will apparently be around on Saturday. He put a new battery in the fire alarm in the hall and headed out. I followed him as soon as the cookies were cooling, making sure to leave him a sandwich bag of cookies for him and his men.
Went for a walk around Oaklyn, stopping first at the library to return the DVDs and volunteer. They were pretty busy for them. A dad played with his adorable baby daughter in the children's section. Several folks helped the librarian on duty organize materials for their book sale next week. There were boxes of books and DVDs everywhere, all ready for purchase. I organized DVDs and took a quick look at the children's section after the dad and his baby left.
It was still a little cloudy when I headed back out, but the breeze felt wonderful, and it was a perfect mid-70's. The neighborhood is looking more summer than spring now. The trees are filled with lush green leaves and velvety lawns covered in clover. Gardens burst at the seams with roses, lilies, and peonies. A few have flowery banners out, but most are fine with the color on their lawns.
Had lunch as soon as I got in while watching the first couple of episodes on the Minnie & Daisy Happy Hearts set. The duo are hired by Captain Peterson to be directors for his big Valentine's Day cruise in "The Happiest Helpers Cruise." They organize a disco dance-off, but their best male dancer loses his partner. Her replacement is a shy janitor with some great moves who has to be coaxed onto the floor. Daisy experiences "Adventures In Buddysitting" when she chases what she thinks is one of the kids they're taking care of all over town. "The Big Broadcast" has them doing the announcing while Billy Beagle joins the guys in the off-road race. It looks like he may lose, until Minnie points out he's overthinking. Daisy and Minnie are excited to be assistants to Daisy's favorite movie star in "Lights! Camera! Help!" Being in a musical has always been her dream, but she doesn't sing well in front of the camera until Minnie and Daisy find a way to calm her nerves.
Switched to scrubbing the kitchen and the bathroom while listening to my new Bob Seager Greatest Hits and Simon & Garfunkel: Concert In Central Park CDs. The latter in particular has long been a favorite of mine - in fact, this features my favorite versions of "America," "Me & Julio," "Still Crazy After All These Years," plus a fun medley of "Kodachrome" and "Maybellene."
Worked on writing for a while after I finished the kitchen. Leia and the others have to literally fight their way through monstrous fish men up the stairs to Palpatine's tower rooms. Meanwhile, Leia asks Amilyn if she has any feelings left for Han. The answer is 'no.' The marriage was pre-ordained by their parents in order to bring the resources of their kingdoms together. Girlish Amilyn found Han to be too awkward, rough, and ungentlemanly and was quite happy when he left and the engagement was called off.
Finished off the Minnie and Daisy shorts as I got organized. Billy Beagle hires the girls to keep an eye on his Grandpa Beagle and make sure he gets his rest. Grandpa proves that you can still have fun and compete in extreme sports no matter what your age in "Grandpa Beagle's Day Out." They're "Artful Helpers" when they're hired to keep a priceless painting from falling into the hands of famous thief Commander Heist. "Cuckoo La-La" is Cukoo-Loca's cousin, a fashion designer in Paris. Despite her own sense of style, Cukoo-Loca feels she's not anywhere near as creative as her famous relative. She has to discover her creativity in a hurry when they accidentally destroy Cukoo La-La's new spring line. The girls are hoping Pluto will be "Figaro's New Friend" when they have to babysit the energetic pooch, but Figaro won't share his toys. Pluto proves what a good friend he is when he saves Figaro after a mishap in the local dog water park.
Did some Lego Indiana Jones while eating dinner. Second time proved to be the charm for the Ancient City bonus round. This time, I finished it in 22 minutes, not bad considering it took me over an hour to almost finish it last night. Finally out-ran the boulder and got the last piece in "The Lost Temple," completing Raiders of the Lost Ark. Got True Adventurer and one more piece in "Escape the Mines." I'm still having problems getting the last piece in "Battle on the Bridge," but the studs I made from that round allowed me to buy the x4 Extra.
Speaking of Indiana Jones, I ended my evening with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It's now 1957. Indy (Harrison Ford) is still finding artifacts and fighting bad guys, only now it's the Russian Communists who are after him. General Irrina Spalko (Cate Blanchett) wants him to find a crystal skull suspected of having out-of-this-world powers. Spalko isn't the only one with an interest in the skull. Mechanic Mutt Williams (Shia LaBouf) wants Indy to find his family friend Harold Oxley (John Hurt) and his mother...who turns out to be Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), Indy's old girlfriend. Now these three have to piece together their relationship, even as they dodge Spalko and her troops and figure out the real mystery behind the crystal skull.
I don't understand all the negativity around this movie, either. Granted, LaBouf is totally out of place as the Marlon Brando wanna-be and some of the action set pieces are kind of weird (like the thing with the refrigerator and the nuclear blast). Indy's buddy Mac is introduced so suddenly, it's hard to care about him the way we're supposed to. This movie also has the same problem with an over-reliance on then-cutting-edge CGI effects as the latter two Star Wars prequels and many action and sci-fi films of the 90's and 2000's.
On the other hand, there's a lot of action that does work (like the motorcycle chase in Connecticut and the finding of the skull in Peru), Blanchett is a solid villain, and it's great to see Marion again. Some people complain that the sci-fi plot is a little too out-there for Indy, but I don't think it's stranger than any of the other stories in the series and actually works quite well with the 50's Cold War setting. For all the fussing, this actually ended up being the second-biggest hit of 2008, coming in behind only the wildly popular The Dark Knight.
If you're a fan of Indy, ignore the critics and carping and give this one a look. Those who are new to Indy's swashbuckling world will want to back up and check out at least Raiders first.
Watched Cats Don't Dance while eating breakfast and making "The Vermont" maple (or maple and honey - I don't have pure maple syrup) cookies. Danny (Scott Bakula) is a cat who has come to Hollywood in 1939 to become a musical star. Hollywood isn't interested in animals doing anything but acting like, well, animals. He tries to upstage bratty child star Darla Dimple (Ashley Peldon), who just sends her intimidating butler Max (the film's director Mark Dindal) after him. Most of the animal community doesn't understand his optimism, especially secretary Sawyer (Jasmine Guy). Danny has a dream, and he's determined to make that dream come true...and to prove that singing and dancing is for everyone, whether they have two feet or four.
Underrated treat from Warners is another casualty of the late 90's glut of animated musicals. It actually reminds me a bit of a 30's-set Zootopia and covers some of the same themes. I highly recommend checking it out in widescreen at the Warner Archives, if only for Darla Dimple, one of the most bizarre villains in animation history. Her number "Big and Loud" must be seen to be believed.
Charlie came around as the cookies were going in the oven. First of all, the new window will be going in tomorrow. Second, the fire code inspector will apparently be around on Saturday. He put a new battery in the fire alarm in the hall and headed out. I followed him as soon as the cookies were cooling, making sure to leave him a sandwich bag of cookies for him and his men.
Went for a walk around Oaklyn, stopping first at the library to return the DVDs and volunteer. They were pretty busy for them. A dad played with his adorable baby daughter in the children's section. Several folks helped the librarian on duty organize materials for their book sale next week. There were boxes of books and DVDs everywhere, all ready for purchase. I organized DVDs and took a quick look at the children's section after the dad and his baby left.
It was still a little cloudy when I headed back out, but the breeze felt wonderful, and it was a perfect mid-70's. The neighborhood is looking more summer than spring now. The trees are filled with lush green leaves and velvety lawns covered in clover. Gardens burst at the seams with roses, lilies, and peonies. A few have flowery banners out, but most are fine with the color on their lawns.
Had lunch as soon as I got in while watching the first couple of episodes on the Minnie & Daisy Happy Hearts set. The duo are hired by Captain Peterson to be directors for his big Valentine's Day cruise in "The Happiest Helpers Cruise." They organize a disco dance-off, but their best male dancer loses his partner. Her replacement is a shy janitor with some great moves who has to be coaxed onto the floor. Daisy experiences "Adventures In Buddysitting" when she chases what she thinks is one of the kids they're taking care of all over town. "The Big Broadcast" has them doing the announcing while Billy Beagle joins the guys in the off-road race. It looks like he may lose, until Minnie points out he's overthinking. Daisy and Minnie are excited to be assistants to Daisy's favorite movie star in "Lights! Camera! Help!" Being in a musical has always been her dream, but she doesn't sing well in front of the camera until Minnie and Daisy find a way to calm her nerves.
Switched to scrubbing the kitchen and the bathroom while listening to my new Bob Seager Greatest Hits and Simon & Garfunkel: Concert In Central Park CDs. The latter in particular has long been a favorite of mine - in fact, this features my favorite versions of "America," "Me & Julio," "Still Crazy After All These Years," plus a fun medley of "Kodachrome" and "Maybellene."
Worked on writing for a while after I finished the kitchen. Leia and the others have to literally fight their way through monstrous fish men up the stairs to Palpatine's tower rooms. Meanwhile, Leia asks Amilyn if she has any feelings left for Han. The answer is 'no.' The marriage was pre-ordained by their parents in order to bring the resources of their kingdoms together. Girlish Amilyn found Han to be too awkward, rough, and ungentlemanly and was quite happy when he left and the engagement was called off.
Finished off the Minnie and Daisy shorts as I got organized. Billy Beagle hires the girls to keep an eye on his Grandpa Beagle and make sure he gets his rest. Grandpa proves that you can still have fun and compete in extreme sports no matter what your age in "Grandpa Beagle's Day Out." They're "Artful Helpers" when they're hired to keep a priceless painting from falling into the hands of famous thief Commander Heist. "Cuckoo La-La" is Cukoo-Loca's cousin, a fashion designer in Paris. Despite her own sense of style, Cukoo-Loca feels she's not anywhere near as creative as her famous relative. She has to discover her creativity in a hurry when they accidentally destroy Cukoo La-La's new spring line. The girls are hoping Pluto will be "Figaro's New Friend" when they have to babysit the energetic pooch, but Figaro won't share his toys. Pluto proves what a good friend he is when he saves Figaro after a mishap in the local dog water park.
Did some Lego Indiana Jones while eating dinner. Second time proved to be the charm for the Ancient City bonus round. This time, I finished it in 22 minutes, not bad considering it took me over an hour to almost finish it last night. Finally out-ran the boulder and got the last piece in "The Lost Temple," completing Raiders of the Lost Ark. Got True Adventurer and one more piece in "Escape the Mines." I'm still having problems getting the last piece in "Battle on the Bridge," but the studs I made from that round allowed me to buy the x4 Extra.
Speaking of Indiana Jones, I ended my evening with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It's now 1957. Indy (Harrison Ford) is still finding artifacts and fighting bad guys, only now it's the Russian Communists who are after him. General Irrina Spalko (Cate Blanchett) wants him to find a crystal skull suspected of having out-of-this-world powers. Spalko isn't the only one with an interest in the skull. Mechanic Mutt Williams (Shia LaBouf) wants Indy to find his family friend Harold Oxley (John Hurt) and his mother...who turns out to be Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), Indy's old girlfriend. Now these three have to piece together their relationship, even as they dodge Spalko and her troops and figure out the real mystery behind the crystal skull.
I don't understand all the negativity around this movie, either. Granted, LaBouf is totally out of place as the Marlon Brando wanna-be and some of the action set pieces are kind of weird (like the thing with the refrigerator and the nuclear blast). Indy's buddy Mac is introduced so suddenly, it's hard to care about him the way we're supposed to. This movie also has the same problem with an over-reliance on then-cutting-edge CGI effects as the latter two Star Wars prequels and many action and sci-fi films of the 90's and 2000's.
On the other hand, there's a lot of action that does work (like the motorcycle chase in Connecticut and the finding of the skull in Peru), Blanchett is a solid villain, and it's great to see Marion again. Some people complain that the sci-fi plot is a little too out-there for Indy, but I don't think it's stranger than any of the other stories in the series and actually works quite well with the 50's Cold War setting. For all the fussing, this actually ended up being the second-biggest hit of 2008, coming in behind only the wildly popular The Dark Knight.
If you're a fan of Indy, ignore the critics and carping and give this one a look. Those who are new to Indy's swashbuckling world will want to back up and check out at least Raiders first.
Wednesday, June 06, 2018
A Cold Day In Spring
Began a cloudy and cool morning with breakfast before switching to making Strawberry Almond Muffins. Watched Brain Donors while I worked. A shyster laywer (John Tuturro), a goofy houseboy (Bob Nelson), and a jack-of-all-trades cab driver (Mel Smith) become involved with a ballet company owned by a rich widow (Nancy Marchand). They try to hire an obnoxious dancer (George de la Pena), but end up promoting a pair of young lovers (Spike Alexander and Juliana Donald) looking for their big break. A fun riff on the Marx Brothers movies; worth checking around for (it's currently available at the Warner Archives).
Headed out to get the laundry done around 11:30. They were fairly busy when I came in and just starting to clear out when I left. Even though I'd waited over a week to get it done, I still didn't have a big load. I listened to The View and Action News, worked on story notes, and was out in less than an hour.
Charlie met me on the path to my apartment. Apparently, he wants to replace one of the windows in my bedroom tomorrow or Friday and insists I move stuff away from it. I don't know why he's replacing the windows at this minute, but whatever. I'll move it tomorrow.
Put away the laundry and had lunch while doing more Backyardigans episodes. Pablo and Uniqua are two galactic war lords searching for a powerful crystal in "Pablor and the Acorns." Pablo crash-lands on Earth and encounters the Acorns (Tyrone, Austin, Tasha), a trio of Scout-like do-gooders. They teach him how good it can feel to help others while taking him to the mountain where the crystal landed. But Uniqua's not far behind...
Uniqua joins Pablo and Tyrone as "The Great Splashinis," a high-diving act. They discover a sea monster in their practice pool and do everything they can to get rid of him...at least before they discover he may actually be an asset to the act.
Left again around quarter of 2 to hit the Haddon Township Library. Despite the chilly wind, I took the long way across Newton Lake Park. They were fairly quiet; the chill may have scared a lot of people off. I saw a few fishermen and joggers and a couple of parents and their kids around the picnic pavilion, but it was mostly me and the water foul. Everything is so lush and green now, glowing in shades that even Oz couldn't reproduce.
The Haddon Township Library was fairly busy with kids and their parents looking for something to do on a dreary day. I mainly shelved DVDs. Took out a couple this week. There's another Minnie and Daisy Happy Helpers set out. Continued my exploration of the changing cinema of the 60's and 70's with the unusual musical All That Jazz. Found The Disaster Artist, one of the more intriguing movies from last fall, and the 2014 French version of Beauty and the Beast. Dug a recent collection of Star Wars kids' stories out of the children's section.
Between the dark clouds, cold wind, and my lack of money, this was no day for lingering. I went straight home and on the computer for some writing. Leia, to her horror, discovers that her Aunt Breha and Uncle Bail are among those who were turned into monsters by Palpatine. She leaves them with Lando and Wedge's men and takes Wedge, Princess Amilyn, Chewie, and the Ewoks upstairs to his lair before the Great Confluence begins. Besides, she has a few questions she wants to ask the princess about her original engagement to Han...
Broke for dinner at quarter of 7. Played more Lego Indiana Jones while eating leftovers. The second bonus round is one of the "break up a Lego town for a million studs" games. Sticking with the treasure hunting/archaeologist theme, here, the "town" was actually an ancient city, with runs and dinosaur bones to build. I got up to over 900,000, but just couldn't figure out the last part. I'll try again tomorrow or later this week.
Ended the night after a shower with The Secret of Nimh. Mrs. Brisby is a widowed mouse with four children, one of whom is deathly ill. Seeking help from The Great Owl on how to keep them safe when the plow comes through, he sends her to talk to the rats who live on the farm. They're really a highly intelligent society of rodents who have been stealing electricity from the farmer to power their own city in a rose bush. They want to find a safer home, but there's a splinter faction who thinks they're better off where they are. Mrs. Brisby just wants her children safe from the plow, but she ends up helping them anyway. Her husband had helped save he rats from a medical laboratory. With a little help from a magical amulet, Mrs. Brisby shows equal courage...and proves that you don't have to be big or bold to be a real hero.
Still one of my favorite animated films. The animation is stunning, the music by Jerry Goldsmith is haunting, the theme song "Flying Dreams" is lovely, the characters are memorable, and the story is touching and surprisingly dark. It's not for young kids, but for grade school-age on up, this is a really beautiful movie and a fine introduction to Don Bluth's work.
Headed out to get the laundry done around 11:30. They were fairly busy when I came in and just starting to clear out when I left. Even though I'd waited over a week to get it done, I still didn't have a big load. I listened to The View and Action News, worked on story notes, and was out in less than an hour.
Charlie met me on the path to my apartment. Apparently, he wants to replace one of the windows in my bedroom tomorrow or Friday and insists I move stuff away from it. I don't know why he's replacing the windows at this minute, but whatever. I'll move it tomorrow.
Put away the laundry and had lunch while doing more Backyardigans episodes. Pablo and Uniqua are two galactic war lords searching for a powerful crystal in "Pablor and the Acorns." Pablo crash-lands on Earth and encounters the Acorns (Tyrone, Austin, Tasha), a trio of Scout-like do-gooders. They teach him how good it can feel to help others while taking him to the mountain where the crystal landed. But Uniqua's not far behind...
Uniqua joins Pablo and Tyrone as "The Great Splashinis," a high-diving act. They discover a sea monster in their practice pool and do everything they can to get rid of him...at least before they discover he may actually be an asset to the act.
Left again around quarter of 2 to hit the Haddon Township Library. Despite the chilly wind, I took the long way across Newton Lake Park. They were fairly quiet; the chill may have scared a lot of people off. I saw a few fishermen and joggers and a couple of parents and their kids around the picnic pavilion, but it was mostly me and the water foul. Everything is so lush and green now, glowing in shades that even Oz couldn't reproduce.
The Haddon Township Library was fairly busy with kids and their parents looking for something to do on a dreary day. I mainly shelved DVDs. Took out a couple this week. There's another Minnie and Daisy Happy Helpers set out. Continued my exploration of the changing cinema of the 60's and 70's with the unusual musical All That Jazz. Found The Disaster Artist, one of the more intriguing movies from last fall, and the 2014 French version of Beauty and the Beast. Dug a recent collection of Star Wars kids' stories out of the children's section.
Between the dark clouds, cold wind, and my lack of money, this was no day for lingering. I went straight home and on the computer for some writing. Leia, to her horror, discovers that her Aunt Breha and Uncle Bail are among those who were turned into monsters by Palpatine. She leaves them with Lando and Wedge's men and takes Wedge, Princess Amilyn, Chewie, and the Ewoks upstairs to his lair before the Great Confluence begins. Besides, she has a few questions she wants to ask the princess about her original engagement to Han...
Broke for dinner at quarter of 7. Played more Lego Indiana Jones while eating leftovers. The second bonus round is one of the "break up a Lego town for a million studs" games. Sticking with the treasure hunting/archaeologist theme, here, the "town" was actually an ancient city, with runs and dinosaur bones to build. I got up to over 900,000, but just couldn't figure out the last part. I'll try again tomorrow or later this week.
Ended the night after a shower with The Secret of Nimh. Mrs. Brisby is a widowed mouse with four children, one of whom is deathly ill. Seeking help from The Great Owl on how to keep them safe when the plow comes through, he sends her to talk to the rats who live on the farm. They're really a highly intelligent society of rodents who have been stealing electricity from the farmer to power their own city in a rose bush. They want to find a safer home, but there's a splinter faction who thinks they're better off where they are. Mrs. Brisby just wants her children safe from the plow, but she ends up helping them anyway. Her husband had helped save he rats from a medical laboratory. With a little help from a magical amulet, Mrs. Brisby shows equal courage...and proves that you don't have to be big or bold to be a real hero.
Still one of my favorite animated films. The animation is stunning, the music by Jerry Goldsmith is haunting, the theme song "Flying Dreams" is lovely, the characters are memorable, and the story is touching and surprisingly dark. It's not for young kids, but for grade school-age on up, this is a really beautiful movie and a fine introduction to Don Bluth's work.
Tuesday, June 05, 2018
Every Picture Tells a Story
Began the morning with my Alice In Wonderland Peter Pan LP while eating a quick breakfast. There's some fun songs in this record and book take on the famous fantasy novel. I like "The Queen Has Commanded" during the flamingo and hedgehog croquet game in the garden and the dreamy title song.
Worked on writing for the next few hours. It's Wicket who manages to save Leia from being carried off by Palpatine. Wedge and his men are about to arrest him when he sends his monsters after the crowd, then turns into a rat and vanishes. Now Leia and her new friends are going to need a lot more help if they want to rescue the captured prince and senators and stop Palpatine from taking all magic for himself!
Broke for an early lunch at 11. Did a Backyardigans episode while having a quick lunch. Professor Pablo is out in the Wild West, chasing a golden butterfly. Stagecoach drivers Uniqua and Tyrone figure it'll be a snap to find his tiny quarry. How hard can it be? Much harder than they think as the beautiful insect continues to elude them, and they all end up yelling "Catch That Butterfly!"
Work wasn't anywhere near as busy or as problematic as it was over the weekend. There was a brief spurt during the noon rush hour, and was starting to pick up when I left. Otherwise, most of the day was dead. I spent the first half of my shift shelving items, bagging, and gathering baskets and the trash, and the second half rounding up carts.
Though it had been sunny, warm, and windy for most of the afternoon, dark clouds were moving in as I headed home. They weren't close enough for me to rush. I took the long way to Oaklyn down Nicholson Road. It was 6 PM by then, and there was some traffic around Wal-Mart and on Nicholson. The wind was starting to pick up even more, and it got a bit more humid.
Once again, I got lucky with the weather. It started pouring 20 minutes after I made it in the door. There was a small thunderstorm about an hour or two later, but I don't think it's rained since. It remains windy and a bit chilly, though.
Had a tomato and pepper omelet while watching more Backyardigans. Harbor rescue patrol cops Uniqua, Tyrone, and Pablo "Save the Day!" when they catch Tasha taking her little boat into increasingly dangerous spots. All Tasha wants to do is catch a "whopper."
Moved onto Lego Indiana Jones after dinner. Got the remaining pieces in "Pursuing the Ark" and "The Hunt for Sir Richard," the latter of which fully finished Last Crusade. Tried "The Desert Temple," but I just can't seem to outrun that boulder and get the last piece.
After you complete a series of puzzles in Indy's Office, you find a key that opens three Bonus Rounds in the Artifact Room. The first is "Young Indy," based after the prologue from Last Crusade. You get to play as Boy Scout Indy or his plump friend Herman, digging up keys in a cavern and making your way across snake cars and past lions in the circus train. Finishing the round gives you Young Indy and Herman (listed as "Boy Scout") as playable characters and allows you to buy the thief who gave Indy his fedora (listed as "Fedora").
Ended the night with Almost Famous. William Miller (Patrick Fugit) is a teenage rock n' roll writer in 1973 who convinces his editor to let him write about the band Stillwater. Their lead guitarist Russell (Billy Crudup) and primary groupie (she prefers "Band-Aid") Penny Lane (Kate Hudson) took a shine to him after they got him into a Black Sabbath concert for a review. William just wants to get away from his strict mother (Frances MacDormand). He goes on the road with the band to get an in-depth look at them, but not all of them are happy to have him there at first. Even after they take him under their wing, there's trouble with Penny and the other groupies, including losing them to a band in a poker game. William is disappointed when there's no room on their new charter plane for her; she shows up in New York anyway, hoping to get Russell's attention. William keeps her from overdosing on drugs when she can't. Matters come to a head in the plane during a storm, when they all think they're going to die and William finally calls them out about how they treated Penny. But Russell isn't sure that the article is a good thing...or that he really wants the truth about their rock-star lifestyle to get out...
Cameron Crowe based this movie on his experiences as a real-life teen writer for Rolling Stone, and his knowledge of and experience with the setting does show. This feels about as close as we're going to get at this point to being on tour with a classic hard rock band like the Who or Led Zeppelin. Hoffman and Hudson come off especially well as William's mentor and muse respectively; the latter got a Best Supporting Actress nod. The movie did win for Best Original Screenplay.
I will add that this is very much an ensemble movie, and not the fastest-moving film. Not a lot happens besides a lot of talking about sex, drugs, and rock and roll, at least until the storm in the third act. This isn't for action junkies or for people who aren't into classic rock, but for those of you who love the music as much as William and me, this is absolutely worth looking around for.
Worked on writing for the next few hours. It's Wicket who manages to save Leia from being carried off by Palpatine. Wedge and his men are about to arrest him when he sends his monsters after the crowd, then turns into a rat and vanishes. Now Leia and her new friends are going to need a lot more help if they want to rescue the captured prince and senators and stop Palpatine from taking all magic for himself!
Broke for an early lunch at 11. Did a Backyardigans episode while having a quick lunch. Professor Pablo is out in the Wild West, chasing a golden butterfly. Stagecoach drivers Uniqua and Tyrone figure it'll be a snap to find his tiny quarry. How hard can it be? Much harder than they think as the beautiful insect continues to elude them, and they all end up yelling "Catch That Butterfly!"
Work wasn't anywhere near as busy or as problematic as it was over the weekend. There was a brief spurt during the noon rush hour, and was starting to pick up when I left. Otherwise, most of the day was dead. I spent the first half of my shift shelving items, bagging, and gathering baskets and the trash, and the second half rounding up carts.
Though it had been sunny, warm, and windy for most of the afternoon, dark clouds were moving in as I headed home. They weren't close enough for me to rush. I took the long way to Oaklyn down Nicholson Road. It was 6 PM by then, and there was some traffic around Wal-Mart and on Nicholson. The wind was starting to pick up even more, and it got a bit more humid.
Once again, I got lucky with the weather. It started pouring 20 minutes after I made it in the door. There was a small thunderstorm about an hour or two later, but I don't think it's rained since. It remains windy and a bit chilly, though.
Had a tomato and pepper omelet while watching more Backyardigans. Harbor rescue patrol cops Uniqua, Tyrone, and Pablo "Save the Day!" when they catch Tasha taking her little boat into increasingly dangerous spots. All Tasha wants to do is catch a "whopper."
Moved onto Lego Indiana Jones after dinner. Got the remaining pieces in "Pursuing the Ark" and "The Hunt for Sir Richard," the latter of which fully finished Last Crusade. Tried "The Desert Temple," but I just can't seem to outrun that boulder and get the last piece.
After you complete a series of puzzles in Indy's Office, you find a key that opens three Bonus Rounds in the Artifact Room. The first is "Young Indy," based after the prologue from Last Crusade. You get to play as Boy Scout Indy or his plump friend Herman, digging up keys in a cavern and making your way across snake cars and past lions in the circus train. Finishing the round gives you Young Indy and Herman (listed as "Boy Scout") as playable characters and allows you to buy the thief who gave Indy his fedora (listed as "Fedora").
Ended the night with Almost Famous. William Miller (Patrick Fugit) is a teenage rock n' roll writer in 1973 who convinces his editor to let him write about the band Stillwater. Their lead guitarist Russell (Billy Crudup) and primary groupie (she prefers "Band-Aid") Penny Lane (Kate Hudson) took a shine to him after they got him into a Black Sabbath concert for a review. William just wants to get away from his strict mother (Frances MacDormand). He goes on the road with the band to get an in-depth look at them, but not all of them are happy to have him there at first. Even after they take him under their wing, there's trouble with Penny and the other groupies, including losing them to a band in a poker game. William is disappointed when there's no room on their new charter plane for her; she shows up in New York anyway, hoping to get Russell's attention. William keeps her from overdosing on drugs when she can't. Matters come to a head in the plane during a storm, when they all think they're going to die and William finally calls them out about how they treated Penny. But Russell isn't sure that the article is a good thing...or that he really wants the truth about their rock-star lifestyle to get out...
Cameron Crowe based this movie on his experiences as a real-life teen writer for Rolling Stone, and his knowledge of and experience with the setting does show. This feels about as close as we're going to get at this point to being on tour with a classic hard rock band like the Who or Led Zeppelin. Hoffman and Hudson come off especially well as William's mentor and muse respectively; the latter got a Best Supporting Actress nod. The movie did win for Best Original Screenplay.
I will add that this is very much an ensemble movie, and not the fastest-moving film. Not a lot happens besides a lot of talking about sex, drugs, and rock and roll, at least until the storm in the third act. This isn't for action junkies or for people who aren't into classic rock, but for those of you who love the music as much as William and me, this is absolutely worth looking around for.
Monday, June 04, 2018
The Tale of the Blade Runners
It couldn't have been nicer when I awoke this morning. A fresh breeze blew through my windows as I flung them open. Sun poured in through the wide window on my front door. I celebrated the return of nice weather with breakfast and Jinx Money. Sach and Slip find a rolled-up newspaper filled with 50,000 dollars on the sidewalk outside of Louie's Sweet Shop. They and the other Bowery Boys launder it...no, seriously, they wash the money...then opt to keep some and give more to local charities. Slip may feel like a rich man, but he wishes he'd never heard of money when he and the guys are pursued by a group of gamblers who are after their financial windfall. Sach keeps seeing a man with an umbrella who picks them off one by one.
Work wasn't too bad when I arrived or when I left, but it did get busy during the lunchtime rush hour. I got stuck in the register for a bit on and off when I arrived. Otherwise, I spent the first half of my shift cleaning the bathroom, doing the trash, and gathering baskets, and the second half outside with the carts avoiding all the people doing inventory. At least it was a gorgeous day for it. One of the stock managers mentioned that it was still cloudy when she went to work at 7. The clouds were reduced to fluffy, harmless white cotton balls by the time I got in. The sky was blue, the wind was cool but not as heavy, and while it was still a tad humid, it wasn't anywhere near as bad as yesterday.
Went straight home after work. When I got in, I did some writing. It's a tense stand-off in the throne room as Leia and the others attack Palpatine's guards. Wedge's boys try to arrest Palpatine, but he grabs Leia to use as a shield before he can get far.
Broke for dinner at quarter of 7. Played Lego Indiana Jones while I ate leftovers. Completed "Well of Souls" and "Motorcycle Chase" tonight. Tried "Shanghai Showdown," but still can't get past that one glitch, and I can't seem to outrun the flood of water in the beginning of "Battle of the Bridge" long enough to get the remaining piece there.
Finished the night after a shower with Blade Runner 2049. Replicants, the human-like androids from the previous film, are now considered to be little more than slaves. K (Ryan Gosling) is one of the luckier ones. He has a real job as a "blade runner," a cop who seeks out rogue replicants to kill them. On one such job, he discovers evidence that a replicant had a child with a human, Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford). Replicants weren't previously thought of as being able to have children. K's boss Lieutenant Joshi (Robin Wright) orders him to seek out Deckard and his child. Not only is Deckard in no hurry to be found, but there's at least two groups after him. One is a band of replicants fighting for their freedom; the other is headed by Niander Wallace (Jared Leto) who wants to use the secret of replicant reproduction for his own ends. Meanwhile, K is trying to sort through the memories of what is, what might have been, and if he had connections of his own to the mysterious former Blade Runner.
While I didn't love it as much as critics did last fall, I did enjoy it more than the rather dark and foreboding original film. The best things by far are excellent performances from Ford and Gosling as the past and present Blade Runners and the outstanding production. The cinematography and visual effects won deserved Oscars. They're flat out amazing, taking viewers everywhere from a ruined Las Vegas to the original neon world of Los Angeles.
The film does overstay it's welcome, running about a half-hour longer than it really needs to...and while it's not quite as dark or violent as the 1982 movie, it's still pretty heavy for science fiction. This may be why it was a fair-sized flop late last year. Critical adulation aside, I suspect this franchise may always be a little too heavy for mainstream audiences. If you have a taste for dark, neon-drenched sci-fi and prefer your fantasy to be a bit more thoughtful, this may be more up your alley than mine.
Work wasn't too bad when I arrived or when I left, but it did get busy during the lunchtime rush hour. I got stuck in the register for a bit on and off when I arrived. Otherwise, I spent the first half of my shift cleaning the bathroom, doing the trash, and gathering baskets, and the second half outside with the carts avoiding all the people doing inventory. At least it was a gorgeous day for it. One of the stock managers mentioned that it was still cloudy when she went to work at 7. The clouds were reduced to fluffy, harmless white cotton balls by the time I got in. The sky was blue, the wind was cool but not as heavy, and while it was still a tad humid, it wasn't anywhere near as bad as yesterday.
Went straight home after work. When I got in, I did some writing. It's a tense stand-off in the throne room as Leia and the others attack Palpatine's guards. Wedge's boys try to arrest Palpatine, but he grabs Leia to use as a shield before he can get far.
Broke for dinner at quarter of 7. Played Lego Indiana Jones while I ate leftovers. Completed "Well of Souls" and "Motorcycle Chase" tonight. Tried "Shanghai Showdown," but still can't get past that one glitch, and I can't seem to outrun the flood of water in the beginning of "Battle of the Bridge" long enough to get the remaining piece there.
Finished the night after a shower with Blade Runner 2049. Replicants, the human-like androids from the previous film, are now considered to be little more than slaves. K (Ryan Gosling) is one of the luckier ones. He has a real job as a "blade runner," a cop who seeks out rogue replicants to kill them. On one such job, he discovers evidence that a replicant had a child with a human, Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford). Replicants weren't previously thought of as being able to have children. K's boss Lieutenant Joshi (Robin Wright) orders him to seek out Deckard and his child. Not only is Deckard in no hurry to be found, but there's at least two groups after him. One is a band of replicants fighting for their freedom; the other is headed by Niander Wallace (Jared Leto) who wants to use the secret of replicant reproduction for his own ends. Meanwhile, K is trying to sort through the memories of what is, what might have been, and if he had connections of his own to the mysterious former Blade Runner.
While I didn't love it as much as critics did last fall, I did enjoy it more than the rather dark and foreboding original film. The best things by far are excellent performances from Ford and Gosling as the past and present Blade Runners and the outstanding production. The cinematography and visual effects won deserved Oscars. They're flat out amazing, taking viewers everywhere from a ruined Las Vegas to the original neon world of Los Angeles.
The film does overstay it's welcome, running about a half-hour longer than it really needs to...and while it's not quite as dark or violent as the 1982 movie, it's still pretty heavy for science fiction. This may be why it was a fair-sized flop late last year. Critical adulation aside, I suspect this franchise may always be a little too heavy for mainstream audiences. If you have a taste for dark, neon-drenched sci-fi and prefer your fantasy to be a bit more thoughtful, this may be more up your alley than mine.
Sunday, June 03, 2018
Rainy Day Musicals
A cloudy, gloomy morning left me feeling a bit romantic and introspective. I brightened things with Strawberry Almond Pancakes and one of the Broadway cast albums I picked up while on vacation, Pipe Dream. Based on the John Steinbeck novel Sweet Thursday, this is the tale of Doc, a marine biologist (William Johnson) working in Cannery Row in Monterrey, California, who falls in love with Susie (Judy Tyler). Susie is new in town and just started as a prostitute at a local cafe and bordello owned by Fauna (Helen Traubel). While the locals try to earn money to buy Doc a new microscope, Susie and Doc begin a tentative romance. Susie's convinced that Doc doesn't need a girl like her, especially after he's not thrilled with her big song at a party at the cafe. But Doc's buddy Hazel has his own way of bringing them together...
While the story may have been suited for Rodgers (who worked on similar tales of lowlifes with his first partner Lorenz Hart), it really wasn't for Hammerstein. He whittled down references to Susie's original occupation and what the cafe actually was to vague insinuation and gentled the story and watered down the tough characters. Despite a huge advance sale, this wound up being savaged by critics and barely lasted eight months in 1955 and 1956.
Too bad, because some of the music is lovely. "All at Once You Love Her" is one of Rodgers and Hammerstein's most underrated ballads; I also like "Everybody's Got a Home but Me" for Susie and the cakewalk "Sweet Thursday" for Fauna and the locals. Two more good songs, "The Man I Used to Be" and "The Next Time It Happens," turned up over forty years later in the score of the Broadway stage version of State Fair. A lot of critics in the 50's apparently complained about opera diva Traubel, but she sounds just fine on the CD.
A fascinating flop that's worth looking around for if you're a fan of 50's shows or Rodgers and Hammerstein's other work. My original cast CD is out of print, but it and the live recording of the 2012 Encores! concert are currently streaming on Amazon, and both can be found on YouTube.
Headed out just as the CD was ending. Work was quiet when I came in. I spent the first hour doing returns and gathering trash. It didn't pick up until around 12:30-1, when everyone started coming out of church. I alternated between bagging and getting thrown into the register for a couple of hours. Spent the last hour doing carts after one of the two baggers who had been outside went home.
It had started to shower while I was working on the carts. The rain was just starting to pick up as I rode home. By the time the downpour came, I was at home and on the computer, working on writing. Lavender-locked Princess Amilyn defies Palpatine by asking him what has become of Prince Henry, the rightful heir to the throne and her former fiancee. Palpatine orders his men to bring her to him, but Leia defends the young woman. Now Palpatine's men are after both of them...but help is on the way...
(And darn it. I did manage to deliver the rent, but I got the number mixed up and wrote 665.50 as 665.05 again. I need to be more careful next month.)
Broke for dinner at quarter of 7. It was cool enough for me to bake my Turkey Salisbury Steaks. Had them with a cucumber-tomato salad for dinner. Played more Lego Indiana Jones while I ate. Got another piece on "Hunt for Sir Richard" and (after three tries) completed "Castle Rescue." The last piece was on a ledge across from a whip point. I kept whipping into the next round instead of shooting the box to open the piece. (That's how I missed the last piece in "Hunt" as well.)
Finished the night with another legendary Broadway flop, Anyone Can Whistle. Angela Landsbury (in her first musical role) is the mayor of a town in need of money. When water suddenly starts flowing from a rock, she declares it a miracle. It's a fake, rigged to bring in tourists. The only person in town who doesn't believe in the "miracle" is Fay Apple (Lee Remick). She brings in her inmates from the local insane asylum to drink the water and prove that it's not real...but the inmates escape and flee among the townspeople. Fay and a handsome stranger (Harry Guardino) have to find them and round them up again.
Like Pipe Dream, this is a good score welded to a premise that doesn't work. Some of Stephan Sondheim's best songs - "Everyone Says 'Don't'," "There Won't Be Trumpets," "With So Little to Be Sure Of," "A Parade In Town" - have nothing to do with the "who's crazy and who's sane?" plot, which is convoluted and just plain weird. The cast makes the most of the odd material. Landsbury has so much fun as the mayor, one can understand why she's since become one of the most beloved performers in musical theater. People in 1964 understood it even less well than me. It ran for a little over a week that April and became one of the biggest stage flops of the 60's.
Despite the crazy book, this has picked up a cult following over the years. While the 2010 Encores cast unfortunately wasn't recorded, a 1995 concert at Carnegie Hall is available for streaming and on CD on Amazon along with the original cast, and both once again can be found on YouTube.
While the story may have been suited for Rodgers (who worked on similar tales of lowlifes with his first partner Lorenz Hart), it really wasn't for Hammerstein. He whittled down references to Susie's original occupation and what the cafe actually was to vague insinuation and gentled the story and watered down the tough characters. Despite a huge advance sale, this wound up being savaged by critics and barely lasted eight months in 1955 and 1956.
Too bad, because some of the music is lovely. "All at Once You Love Her" is one of Rodgers and Hammerstein's most underrated ballads; I also like "Everybody's Got a Home but Me" for Susie and the cakewalk "Sweet Thursday" for Fauna and the locals. Two more good songs, "The Man I Used to Be" and "The Next Time It Happens," turned up over forty years later in the score of the Broadway stage version of State Fair. A lot of critics in the 50's apparently complained about opera diva Traubel, but she sounds just fine on the CD.
A fascinating flop that's worth looking around for if you're a fan of 50's shows or Rodgers and Hammerstein's other work. My original cast CD is out of print, but it and the live recording of the 2012 Encores! concert are currently streaming on Amazon, and both can be found on YouTube.
Headed out just as the CD was ending. Work was quiet when I came in. I spent the first hour doing returns and gathering trash. It didn't pick up until around 12:30-1, when everyone started coming out of church. I alternated between bagging and getting thrown into the register for a couple of hours. Spent the last hour doing carts after one of the two baggers who had been outside went home.
It had started to shower while I was working on the carts. The rain was just starting to pick up as I rode home. By the time the downpour came, I was at home and on the computer, working on writing. Lavender-locked Princess Amilyn defies Palpatine by asking him what has become of Prince Henry, the rightful heir to the throne and her former fiancee. Palpatine orders his men to bring her to him, but Leia defends the young woman. Now Palpatine's men are after both of them...but help is on the way...
(And darn it. I did manage to deliver the rent, but I got the number mixed up and wrote 665.50 as 665.05 again. I need to be more careful next month.)
Broke for dinner at quarter of 7. It was cool enough for me to bake my Turkey Salisbury Steaks. Had them with a cucumber-tomato salad for dinner. Played more Lego Indiana Jones while I ate. Got another piece on "Hunt for Sir Richard" and (after three tries) completed "Castle Rescue." The last piece was on a ledge across from a whip point. I kept whipping into the next round instead of shooting the box to open the piece. (That's how I missed the last piece in "Hunt" as well.)
Finished the night with another legendary Broadway flop, Anyone Can Whistle. Angela Landsbury (in her first musical role) is the mayor of a town in need of money. When water suddenly starts flowing from a rock, she declares it a miracle. It's a fake, rigged to bring in tourists. The only person in town who doesn't believe in the "miracle" is Fay Apple (Lee Remick). She brings in her inmates from the local insane asylum to drink the water and prove that it's not real...but the inmates escape and flee among the townspeople. Fay and a handsome stranger (Harry Guardino) have to find them and round them up again.
Like Pipe Dream, this is a good score welded to a premise that doesn't work. Some of Stephan Sondheim's best songs - "Everyone Says 'Don't'," "There Won't Be Trumpets," "With So Little to Be Sure Of," "A Parade In Town" - have nothing to do with the "who's crazy and who's sane?" plot, which is convoluted and just plain weird. The cast makes the most of the odd material. Landsbury has so much fun as the mayor, one can understand why she's since become one of the most beloved performers in musical theater. People in 1964 understood it even less well than me. It ran for a little over a week that April and became one of the biggest stage flops of the 60's.
Despite the crazy book, this has picked up a cult following over the years. While the 2010 Encores cast unfortunately wasn't recorded, a 1995 concert at Carnegie Hall is available for streaming and on CD on Amazon along with the original cast, and both once again can be found on YouTube.
Saturday, June 02, 2018
One Stormy Evening
It was still sunny, hot, and humid when I rolled out of bed this morning. Celebrated the first month of summer with one of the Looney Tunes specials from the 1980's while I ate breakfast and baked Banana Oatmeal Bars. Bugs Bunny's Bustin' Out All Over features three shorts with a mild late spring theme. In the first one, we see how Bugs and Elmer met as a little bunny and a boy with a pop gun. The second has Bugs brought to Mars by Marvin the Martian to be the pet for his new friend the Abominable Snowman. The last short gives us typical Wil E. Coyote/Road Runner antics with a slight twist ending.
Bugs and the Toons are the only ones trying to avoid the heat. Garfield and the gang at US Acres have their own way of keeping cool, under heat and pressure, in a first season episode of Garfield and Friends. Garfield wants to win Jon a birthday present, but "The Binky Show" is hosted by the most annoying clown in animation. Orson is terrified that his brothers will pick on him when they visit the farm. Bo the Sheep shows him how "Keeping Cool" can drive off his bullying siblings. Garfield admonishes Odie "Don't Move" when he goes into a shop to get food, but that doesn't stop Odie from having a wild trip around town.
The sun and humidity remained as I headed to work this morning, but a nice, stiff breeze made things a lot more bearable. Work was far less of a problem than yesterday. They're finally training new cashiers, which means we had plenty of help up front all afternoon. There were two other baggers around, too. I did round up carts when I came in, but I mostly spent the day doing returns.
My food stamps came through today...all fifteen dollars of it. I can't believe they did this to me! I had 120 up until now. I need that money. I can't live on 15! I'll call them first thing Monday and find out why the reduction was so extreme. I only make slightly more money than I did before, not enough to make much of a difference.
For now, I was able to buy a few things that I did need. Took advantage of some major produce sales to pick up strawberries, small sweet peppers, mini-cucumbers, and a container of Campari tomatoes. Restocked cake mix, skim milk, jam, toilet paper, black beans, sandwich bags, cooking spray, chocolate chips, oatmeal, corn meal, yogurt, and tuna.
The pavement was still wet when I finally made it out. It looked like it had rained earlier. Indeed, dark clouds lingered, even as I headed home. I'd just heard the first stray rumbles of thunder when I made it through the door.
Tried writing for a little while, but I was hot and distracted. Palpatine is escorted into the throne room. He announces that he's taking over the throne...and all of the magic after the Great Confluence, to the dismay of many. Leia's about ready to throw a few knives at him, but someone else has other ideas...
Broke for dinner at 7. Since it was so late, I kept my meal simple. Had an Italian Chicken Salad - sliced mushroom chicken with tomatoes and cucumbers, on a bed of the last of the greens, topped with home-made balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Yum! Came out very well, actually. All the flavors complimented each other nicely.
Played Lego Indiana Jones while I ate. I'm still having problems with glitches on "Shanghai Showdown" preventing me from getting the last piece. The last piece on the first round of the game requires out-running the infamous boulder, something I just can't seem to figure out how to do. I did manage to finish "Free the Slaves" and "Desert Ambush" (including the part I got stuck on before in the latter).
Switched to the Disney animated Cinderella after I got tired of the game. I really wasn't up to anything more complicated than the tale of a put-upon young lady who gets to attend a ball and win a prince's heart, with the help of her mouse companions and an eccentric fairy godmother. This is one of my favorite Disney movies. Cindy's a fun character, the antics of the mice are cute, the animation is lovely, and Lady Tremaine is one of the most chilling of all Disney villains. Highly recommended.
It had been pouring and thundering off and on since about 8 PM. Finished the night and honored the weather with One Stormy Night, one of my favorite record finds. This is a collection of instrumental music, interspersed with the sounds of rain and thunder. It's a lot more relaxing and enjoyable than it sounds from a group called "The Mystic Moods Orchestra."
Bugs and the Toons are the only ones trying to avoid the heat. Garfield and the gang at US Acres have their own way of keeping cool, under heat and pressure, in a first season episode of Garfield and Friends. Garfield wants to win Jon a birthday present, but "The Binky Show" is hosted by the most annoying clown in animation. Orson is terrified that his brothers will pick on him when they visit the farm. Bo the Sheep shows him how "Keeping Cool" can drive off his bullying siblings. Garfield admonishes Odie "Don't Move" when he goes into a shop to get food, but that doesn't stop Odie from having a wild trip around town.
The sun and humidity remained as I headed to work this morning, but a nice, stiff breeze made things a lot more bearable. Work was far less of a problem than yesterday. They're finally training new cashiers, which means we had plenty of help up front all afternoon. There were two other baggers around, too. I did round up carts when I came in, but I mostly spent the day doing returns.
My food stamps came through today...all fifteen dollars of it. I can't believe they did this to me! I had 120 up until now. I need that money. I can't live on 15! I'll call them first thing Monday and find out why the reduction was so extreme. I only make slightly more money than I did before, not enough to make much of a difference.
For now, I was able to buy a few things that I did need. Took advantage of some major produce sales to pick up strawberries, small sweet peppers, mini-cucumbers, and a container of Campari tomatoes. Restocked cake mix, skim milk, jam, toilet paper, black beans, sandwich bags, cooking spray, chocolate chips, oatmeal, corn meal, yogurt, and tuna.
The pavement was still wet when I finally made it out. It looked like it had rained earlier. Indeed, dark clouds lingered, even as I headed home. I'd just heard the first stray rumbles of thunder when I made it through the door.
Tried writing for a little while, but I was hot and distracted. Palpatine is escorted into the throne room. He announces that he's taking over the throne...and all of the magic after the Great Confluence, to the dismay of many. Leia's about ready to throw a few knives at him, but someone else has other ideas...
Broke for dinner at 7. Since it was so late, I kept my meal simple. Had an Italian Chicken Salad - sliced mushroom chicken with tomatoes and cucumbers, on a bed of the last of the greens, topped with home-made balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Yum! Came out very well, actually. All the flavors complimented each other nicely.
Played Lego Indiana Jones while I ate. I'm still having problems with glitches on "Shanghai Showdown" preventing me from getting the last piece. The last piece on the first round of the game requires out-running the infamous boulder, something I just can't seem to figure out how to do. I did manage to finish "Free the Slaves" and "Desert Ambush" (including the part I got stuck on before in the latter).
Switched to the Disney animated Cinderella after I got tired of the game. I really wasn't up to anything more complicated than the tale of a put-upon young lady who gets to attend a ball and win a prince's heart, with the help of her mouse companions and an eccentric fairy godmother. This is one of my favorite Disney movies. Cindy's a fun character, the antics of the mice are cute, the animation is lovely, and Lady Tremaine is one of the most chilling of all Disney villains. Highly recommended.
It had been pouring and thundering off and on since about 8 PM. Finished the night and honored the weather with One Stormy Night, one of my favorite record finds. This is a collection of instrumental music, interspersed with the sounds of rain and thunder. It's a lot more relaxing and enjoyable than it sounds from a group called "The Mystic Moods Orchestra."
Friday, June 01, 2018
Hot Day In June
Started off the day with a quick breakfast and my new Petula Clark CD before going on the computer to work on writing. Wedge brings the group to the ball for the nobles in the throne room of Solo Castle. Lando says he'll be the noble, passing the Ewoks off as his bodyguards and the others as his retinue. The throne room is standing-room only. Palpatine, looking a lot younger than he should, announces that he intends to become king as soon as the Great Convergence occurs.
Broke for lunch at noon. Headed to work a little early. I wanted to buy a candy bar and see if I had any money on my Food Stamps card. I didn't. No groceries today. Maybe it's just as well. Work was still a bit of a pain. I ended up in the register for part of the day when they didn't have enough help before and during rush hour. Being outside wasn't much better. It was hazy, hot, and killer humid. I rounded up carts and baskets, bagged, and returned cold items.
My schedule for this week is a little weird. In good news, three days off in a row...but the first one isn't until Wednesday. I work busy six-hour days for the weekend and early part of the week, but at least they're all late morning and early afternoon. (The regular afternoon bagger seems to either have retired or is on extended leave again.) At least I'll get to go to the Voorhees Library Book Sale on Friday.
Went straight in the shower after dinner. Played Lego Indiana Jones after having leftovers for dinner. I did manage to finish "In the Mountains" and "Opening the Ark" and got the Santa character in "Mountains." Unfortunately, I ran into a glitch getting the last piece in "Shanghai Showdown," though I did pick up the second dancer character there.
Ended the night with Maze Runner: The Death Cure. We pick up where the previous film left off, with the only three original Glade residents Thomas (Dylan O'Brian), Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) and Frypan (Dexter Darden), the only ones who are immune to the deadly disease attacking the city, join the resistance on a mission to rescue their former Maze Runner friend Minho (Ki Hong Lee) and others captured by evil company WCKD. Their friend isn't there. He's being kept in the Last City. They make their way there with the help of two more resistance members, Jorge (Giancarlo Esposito) and Brenda (Rosa Salazar). Other rebels on the inside let them in the gate...but not only are they captured when they get in, but Newt reveals that he's now sick, too. Thomas' former girlfriend Teresa (Kaya Scolederio) is the one who discovers that Thomas may have the key to curing the Flare...and that WCKD heads Ava (Patricia Clarkson) and Janson (Aidan Gillen) desperately want that cure, too.
This was ok, not great. It suffers from the same problems as the previous movies, namely the characters aren't all that interesting, and once we're not dealing with WCKD anymore, things are a lot less fun. Dark and dreary cinematography doesn't help.
I really think this series should have stayed a one-off. The first installment was actually pretty good, a unique take on the post-apocalyptic genre. The remaining two get too bogged down in their attempts to ape the dark tone of The Hunger Games for their own good. (To give 20th Century Fox some credit, at least they finished the series at all. At press time, it looks like Lionsgate is either going to release the fourth Divergent film on TV or just not bother with it.)
Like Divergent, this series is only recommended if you really love dark teen sci-fi stories. For everyone else, it's probably not necessary.
Broke for lunch at noon. Headed to work a little early. I wanted to buy a candy bar and see if I had any money on my Food Stamps card. I didn't. No groceries today. Maybe it's just as well. Work was still a bit of a pain. I ended up in the register for part of the day when they didn't have enough help before and during rush hour. Being outside wasn't much better. It was hazy, hot, and killer humid. I rounded up carts and baskets, bagged, and returned cold items.
My schedule for this week is a little weird. In good news, three days off in a row...but the first one isn't until Wednesday. I work busy six-hour days for the weekend and early part of the week, but at least they're all late morning and early afternoon. (The regular afternoon bagger seems to either have retired or is on extended leave again.) At least I'll get to go to the Voorhees Library Book Sale on Friday.
Went straight in the shower after dinner. Played Lego Indiana Jones after having leftovers for dinner. I did manage to finish "In the Mountains" and "Opening the Ark" and got the Santa character in "Mountains." Unfortunately, I ran into a glitch getting the last piece in "Shanghai Showdown," though I did pick up the second dancer character there.
Ended the night with Maze Runner: The Death Cure. We pick up where the previous film left off, with the only three original Glade residents Thomas (Dylan O'Brian), Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) and Frypan (Dexter Darden), the only ones who are immune to the deadly disease attacking the city, join the resistance on a mission to rescue their former Maze Runner friend Minho (Ki Hong Lee) and others captured by evil company WCKD. Their friend isn't there. He's being kept in the Last City. They make their way there with the help of two more resistance members, Jorge (Giancarlo Esposito) and Brenda (Rosa Salazar). Other rebels on the inside let them in the gate...but not only are they captured when they get in, but Newt reveals that he's now sick, too. Thomas' former girlfriend Teresa (Kaya Scolederio) is the one who discovers that Thomas may have the key to curing the Flare...and that WCKD heads Ava (Patricia Clarkson) and Janson (Aidan Gillen) desperately want that cure, too.
This was ok, not great. It suffers from the same problems as the previous movies, namely the characters aren't all that interesting, and once we're not dealing with WCKD anymore, things are a lot less fun. Dark and dreary cinematography doesn't help.
I really think this series should have stayed a one-off. The first installment was actually pretty good, a unique take on the post-apocalyptic genre. The remaining two get too bogged down in their attempts to ape the dark tone of The Hunger Games for their own good. (To give 20th Century Fox some credit, at least they finished the series at all. At press time, it looks like Lionsgate is either going to release the fourth Divergent film on TV or just not bother with it.)
Like Divergent, this series is only recommended if you really love dark teen sci-fi stories. For everyone else, it's probably not necessary.
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