I won't lie and say that I went to a fireworks display, attended a concert by the Philly Pops or the NJ Symphony Orchestra or even Sir Elton John or anyone who appeared at the Live 8 concert. I won't even say that I took a trip to New York and saw the fireworks go off near The Statue of Liberty in The Harbor.
I did prepare some Lasagna Rolls (think boiled lasagne noodles with individual scoops of a mixture of shredded mozzarella and ricotta cheese plopped at one end, wrapped the noodle around and covered with spaghetti sauce and shredded mozzarella on top, baked and served) for lunch while my mother prepared hot dogs and cheeseburgers for dinner. After going to the movies to see "Rowl's Moving Castle" we saw "The Phantom of the Opera" on DVD.
The problem with "going out" is that it's getting too expensive! Even going out to eat can be costly. I've been starting to get into the habit of going to Old Country Buffet for the holidays since it costs me less than $11 dollars and less than that for children and seniors. Hopefully, I'll be able to do that when I've caught up budget-wise. Maybe starting in September.
"Rowl's Moving Castle" was an interesting film. It's probably based on a children's book, but unless there's a lot of exposition in it, it seemed far too sophisticated for any children I know. It gave me the impression that the world that I saw on the screen was one that couldn't be pinned down to one age or one place. There were flying machines, steam engines and automobiles, but there were also flying machines, flying battleships, and a walking castle that was powered by a fire demon. When it settled in one place, it allowed access to several locations. There were witches and sorcerors who could change their shapes and cast shape-changing spells. To describe this movie any further would spoil the experience for someone who hasn't seen it, so I won't go any further. Let's just say that in some ways it's reminiscent of other classic Japanese films and in others it's unlike anything that I've seen before.
"Phantom" was as magical as I remembered it when I saw Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman in the New York Wintergarden Theatre version. Ironically I preferred Crawford's Phantom, but I preferred this new actress who played Christine over Brightman. Not since I saw the Hallmark Hall of Fame production of "Peter Pan" did I hear songs that literally made me cry. I felt slightly embarrassed when it happened, but I'll still buy a copy for myself near the end of the year. Hopefully, they'll release a special edition with behind-the-scenes extras like most DVDs have these days.
Fireworks from Columbus Park and possibly Mercer County Park down the road are echoing in the distance, reminding me what day this is. Very little else did other than the banks and the Post Office being closed, as well as my day job. My 4-day vacation is at a close at midnight. This will be followed by a 4-day work week. It's funny, but part of me wishes that I could work ten hours each day this week to catch up on my work and make it less guilt-free for me to use my vacation days in the coming months. I don't know if I'll use some of them for job-hunting or for looking into ways of making extra money before, during and after tax season. I saw an interview with singer/writer Jimmy Buffet. He passed on some advise given to him by a writer friend of his: commit yourself to write at least one page a day. They add up. If you write more than one page, you've had a very productive day.
I'll probably have more to say in the coming week. Then again, I probably won't. Either way, I'll make the effort to write at least once before the week is over. Why have a journal otherwise.
Watch your step as you go down to the front door. YumYum! What have you done NOW? Sorry about that. I'll go upstairs and scrounge up some cleaner newspapers and a plastic bag to scoop up the pages SHE used! In the meantime, watch your step, take care and I hope that your week will be as productive as I try to make mine, if not more so.
Good night.
Dave
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