I finally saw the sequel. It was pleasant, but....

 

I had planned to go out as Marian today, but my lethargy got in the way.  However, I started packing my suitcase for an upcoming cruise (as Marian), and then decided to go out to the movies to see Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

But first....

As usual as of late, the sun woke me up.  This is not always a good thing, as I still am unable to fall asleep until well after midnight.  Although it could be caffeine related, I don't remember drinking any caffeinated soda after 6 pm. If anything, it was because I was watching a documentary about San Francisco's exotic dancer, Carol Doda.  Who'd have thought that this woman could have gotten so far just by taking off her clothes?  (Watch the film on Amazon Prime.  It's worth the time.)

So, this morning I woke up early, and took it easy most of the day.  Around mid afternoon, I started to pack things I'd need for my upcoming cruise.  Packing underwear and hosiery is easy.  Choosing dresses I can wear in Bermuda is something else.  Although the weather in the NYC suburbs ranges from a low in the 30's to a high in the 60's, Bermuda is warmer at this time of year.  So, one has to dress for weather that is 10 to 15 degrees warmer, yet be prepared for cooler weather.

Now that I got started with packing, and inventoried what I will likely need on a 7-Day cruise, it was time to take care of other things for a while before getting dressed.  Since I would be going out as Mario tomorrow (my brother and I are going to a museum), I figured that I'd go out as Mario tonight to both get a bite to eat and see a movie.

The first thing I did when out was to gas up the car, and I had an overflow that got on my hand.  AARGH.  This would get in the way of getting a bit to eat on the way to the movies.  Instead, I had to rush to the taco joint to wash my hands before ordering anything to eat.  Once I was done, I needed to kill some time before the late show.  So I took a drive, did an early chat with RQS and then went inside the theater for almost 30 minutes of ads before the movie started.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a pleasant sequel to the first film, where there are a lot of references to the first film to help people interested in the film.  If you liked the first film, you will like the second.  However, don't expect it to be as good as the first.  Additionally, you will see a setup for a third film at the end of this film.  I just hope they don't do it.

Reading a 40+ year old book

 

 
Most people only know of the movie based on this book and its sequel.  There is no way that I was going to spend $250+ to buy a used copy of this book, so I decided to try to get an inter-system loan of the book from my local library.  Last week, the book came in to the library, and I picked it up.

Unlike most books withdrawn from the local library, inter-system loans are not renewable. Inter-system loans MUST be returned to the library from which they were borrowed.  A $2.00/day late charge is charged for any book not returned on time.  So I made it my highest priority to read this book as soon as I got it, and did just that.  I might just reread it before I return it, as I doubt that I will ever have a hard copy of this book in my hands again.

The movie follows the basic theme of the book without the setup for a possible sequel.  However, the book is much darker, as Eddie is known to be dead, and vultures are circling to find Eddie's lost recordings. Unlike the movie, the "Wordman" character is always front and center throughout the book, save for when people are relating their stories about Eddie.  All of the important descriptions of Eddie and his band have been carried from the book to the film.  

Luckily, I saw the movie before reading the book.  If I had read the book first, I'd have been disappointed in how the story was adapted to allow for a sequel.  But, having seen the movie, I can appreciate the book even more, as I separate out all the chaff from the story in my mind as I read the book.  If you get a chance to read this book - do so.  It is worth the time and effort.