The Candy Woman

Today was Laundry Day. It's pretty much the only day I can do the laundry if I want to get the Christmas decorations up by the end of the week. Uncle Ken and Dolores were there initially with Dolores' granddaughter May. I went over to the Oaklyn Library to return Cranberry Thanksgiving, Christmas In America, and the Gifts of Good Taste books. Took out a few more Gifts volumes and A Child's Christmas In Wales.

I was going to walk to WaWa and buy milk, but the weather wasn't great. It was only sprinkling when I walked to Uncle Ken's, but by the time I got out of the library, it had settled into a long, cold shower. I just went back to Uncle Ken's, picked up my laundry, and headed home.

After I put my clothes away, I used the last hour before work to have chicken fingers and leftover Brussels sprouts for lunch and make Banana Muffins from the October issue of Prevention Magazine. I was disappointed with how they came out. They tasted ok, but the batter fell. Oh, well. It was an awfully thin batter. I must have overdid the buttermilk.

Uncle Ken and Dolores hadn't been home when I'd picked up my laundry, and Dad's gone for several weeks on a cruise ship job. I ended up just riding to work in the wind and rain, making sure to wear my big black (water proof) winter coat with the hood.

Work was almost not worth the nasty ride. It was dead all night long, even during rush hour. Between the nasty weather, this being the end of the month, and the fact that we're now between holidays again, most people probably stayed home. It was so dead, and we had so many bored teenagers standing behind registers, I spent the last hour and a half of work stocking and organizing boxes of candy bars, gum, and lollipops at the registers. I'd much rather do that than handle annoying people. For me, it's fun, and it clears my head. I like organizing things. It just comes naturally to me.

(And my ride home wasn't quite as bad as my ride to work. It was cold and windy, but the rain was long gone by then. Oh, and I did get my milk at work, along with buttermilk and eggs.)

The Christmas Season Begins

Started off today quietly, with gingerbread-pear pancakes and a half of a very juicy grapefruit. The Brunch With the Beatles show was honoring George Harrison, who died around this time in 2001, but alas, I was only able to hear the first half-hour. I stepped into a gorgeous, sunny, 60 degree day and rode to work.

Work was steady when I came in, busy when I left. I guess everyone decided to come in later. I was in and out with no problems; my relief was on time. I bought candy canes for the tree after I finished.

Headed straight home. Thank goodness the wind that had plagued South Jersey for the past few days had diminished considerably, and both my rides were fine. I probably didn't even need my heavy black winter coat.

Spent the rest of the afternoon and evening beginning the major Christmas decorating. I set the old Nativity on the 80s video shelves I use for pre-recorded and children's videos. The Nativity has literally been in my family for years. Mom said her mother gave it to her when she first moved out. By the time I was living in Wildwood, she and Dad had bought a smaller, more colorful, less grand creche scene and gave the older, darker one to me. It's grimy and not that pretty...but it has wonderful detail, especially on Mary and Joseph, and I suspect it's not all that far removed from the real Nativity.

The garlands went up next. Mom gave me the garlands around the same time she gave me the older Nativity. She used to put garlands up over every window in the house in North Cape May, but began to tire of struggling with them around the turn of the 21st century. She gave several of the ones she no longer used to me, including a big, heavy one that had been used for years on the banister in the North Cape May house, and the one with the velvet book ornament hanging off the center that had been in my room since my early teen years.

I can understand why Mom no longer does every room. Putting up the garlands can be a literal pain in the rear sometimes...or pain in the thumbs. I tack most of them to the wooden walls, but they're so hard, and the garlands so thick, they often just pop out a few seconds later. I've actually started twist-tying the garland over the two windows behind the two IGA shelves with the children's books, computer items, and Care Bears and Sailor Moon dolls to the unused shade hangers. I only tack the center of that one to the wall.

Had the dinner of Baked Chicken Fingers, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, and Pan-Fried Sweet Potatoes I'd been too tired to make last night while watching two documentaries on holiday history, Christmas Past (on British Christmas history), and Christmas Unwrapped (on Christmas history in general and in the US).

Oh, and one of the reasons we were so busy today was the Eagles played a 1PM game against the Washington Redskins. Though they were losing when I had the radio on earlier, they apparently came back to win it in the fourth quarter for the second week in a row.

I Love A Christmas Parade

Whew, am I beat! I've had an incredibly long day.

I slept a little longer than I thought I would, but I figured it would be ok. I took my time eating my eggs and pumpkin muffin and heading to the PNC bank to deposit my paycheck. After all, how long could the Collingswood Christmas Parade last? It was just a little local parade.

A lot longer than I figured, as I discovered when I arrived in Collingswood. I heard drums in Knight Park long before I rode up to Collings Avenue. There were already tons of people walking over to Haddon Avenue. The streets were lined with cars that couldn't fit in the parking lot behind the stores on Haddon Avenue.

Haddon Avenue looked like a holiday circus. People sold hot dogs and soft pretzels, despite the fact that it was merely 10 in the morning. Balloon sellers struggled against the 30-mile-an-hour wind to hold onto their wares. Children bundled into bright-colored or pastel coats chased each other across the street, while their parents and grandparents laughed and chatted and made jokes about the chilly but sunny weather. It made for a great pre-show. I even bought a pretzel from Collingswood High School's wrestling team.

It was standing-room-only by the time I made it to in front of the Collingswood Library. I parked my bike in the bike rack and watched the parade for a while. Other than I wish they were more organized (with fewer stops and starts), it was really fun. There weren't as many floats as I thought there would be. Most of them were very home-made affairs concocted by local schools or churches. (Although one enterprising local glass company thoughtfully shot fake "snow" onto the crowd through a huge pile of "presents.") The high school bands were saved for the end of the parade, and other than I felt sorry for the flag girls who had to control their batons in that crazy wind, there wasn't really anything distinguished about them. (Oh, wait, one school - Collingswood? - played "Thriller" instead of generic Christmas tunes.) There were three local dance schools - the fifties themed group, with their cute red felt dresses and matching cat's-eye glasses, were the best.

Far more interesting were the things you don't normally see in local parades. There were at least three motorcycle groups and four groups of classic cars. (I loved the motorcyclists. Some of them had stuffed animals on the back of their bikes. The guy who had the huge stuffed rabbit riding with him was awesome.) There were stilts walkers who juggled and gave kids high-fives. There was an African group with gigantic tribal statues. A Nutcracker group had fairies in sequined mini-dresses, those neon pixie skirts I saw at Halloween, and tiny dollar-store wings.

There were people in costume. Some were dressed as Christmas characters. (I especially liked the Rudolph and Grinch getups.) Others appeared to have grabbed a random costume they thought looked good. There were lots of superheroes and, for some strange reason, Teletubbies.

Probably the most unusual sight were the Mummers, who made up at least half the parade. Living next to Philadelphia has its advantages. My favorites were the Mardi-Gras themed group, with their huge mask-shaped signs and mini-float, and the Fifties group, with their glittering poodle skirts and the only lead Mummer in sequin-and-feather-trimmed black leather.

I cut out of the parade about 20 minutes early for my first volunteering session at the Collingswood Library. I wasn't there for very long. The Collingswood Library is the cleanest, most organized public library I've ever seen in my entire life. I spent about 40 minutes going over the Large Print Books and A through E in the fiction section, and maybe five books were out of place.

After I gave up on the Library, I ran to Cafe Antonio II for lunch. The place was hopping when I went in. Despite the line, I was able to order a slice of white vegetable and a slice of regular cheese pizza and a Diet Pepsi.

I was originally going to stop at Dollar General on my way to the Haddon Township Library and grab a shower curtain, but it was getting late at that point, and I still had a lot to do. I just rode to the Haddon Township Library instead. I (finally) dropped off the books and DVDs I took out a while back...and realized that I'd forgotten the Seussical CD, which was sitting on the table in my music room home. Oops. Thankfully, one of the regular librarians was nice enough to renew it for me. As with the Collingswood Library, there wasn't much to do. I shelved both adult and children's DVDs and organized the kids' DVDs. They'd been moved to the other side of the kids' section, thanks to the arrival of new, larger bookshelves and the expansion of the kids' room. The computers had colorful, kid-sized keyboards now, too. I found Barbie In A Christmas Carol on DVD and decided to give it a spin after I ended up liking Mattel's take on Three Musketeers.

Stopped at Super Fresh after leaving the library and picked up a few more things than I usually get there. I've had a hankering for some grits since watching the new Good Eats episode on YouTube. I also picked up Marsala cooking wine (cooking wine and vinegar is cheaper at Super Fresh than it is at the Acme) and a notebook to replace the journal I bought on vacation last summer that's on its last pages.

And I forgot bunched carrots, which was what I came in for. The Acme doesn't sell those, either.

Headed for home after leaving Super Fresh, dodging the usual traffic on Cuthbert Road. I received quite a surprise when I stepped onto my porch. It was still filled with leaves when I left this morning...but when I got home, almost every leaf was gone. I have no idea how that happened. Either my neighbors decided to surprise me and sweep up, or the wind was so crazy today, it blew all the leaves off my porch!

Spent the rest of the afternoon doing a major dusting session. I always do intense dusting right before I bring out the Christmas decorations. I dusted under everything in the apartment, including things I don't usually dust under, like the DVDs and videos, the white plastic shelf with the entertainment books in the music room, the Star Wars action figures (they fall over so easily), and the collectible teddy bear and porcelain doll display on top of the closets.

(I gave myself a bit of a scare while dusting the TV side of the living room. I stepped on something cold in the dark and thought it was a mouse! Boy, did I scream! I must have really been tired, because it turned out to be the old ant bait trap I'd moved out from under the video rack and forgot to throw away.)

After I was finally done with that, I was able to pull out the first of the Christmas decorations, the Santa bag with the random holiday items that are too large or awkward to fit anywhere else - the mistletoe, the poinsettia print placemats, the wreath, the big plastic bell, the box with the New Year's tiaras and noisemakers, and a few odds and ends that I'd picked up at yard sales throughout the year and hadn't felt like trying to shove into the other containers.

I was so pooped after that, I couldn't even make the chicken tenders I had planned on for dinner. I just had a peanut butter and apple butter sandwich on home-made whole-wheat-rye bread instead.

Bargains

I was up early this morning...but for 9AM work, not 5AM sales. I think that's crazy. Who cares how low the sales are? Unless you're truly an early bird, 5AM is when you should be sleeping, not shopping. Besides, I don't buy any large toy items or electronics for anyone.

Work was on-and-off steady, which is busier than I thought it would be. Normally, a grocery store is the last place anyone wants to be the day after Thanksgiving! Other than some mildly cranky customers (must have gotten up for those "doorbuster" sales), there were no major problems, and my relief was on time.

After work, I ran to FYE to see if they had a present for someone. FYE was slightly busier than usual, but they don't exactly have a lot of huge TVs laying around, either. They didn't have it, so I went back to the Acme to pick up the few grocery items I needed this week. I found a set of foam balls two of my cousins might like and picked it up for their Christmas present.

Two of the local stores in Audubon who have me on their e-mail list mentioned special Thanksgiving Weekend sales. I bought a gift for my brother Keefe from my old friend Bob at Abbie Road Used CDs. Had a nice chat with the owner of Willie the Woodsman's and Wife and bought Christmas presents for two of my best friends, Lauren and Amanda.

I just went home after that. The day was windy, cloudy, and much colder than yesterday, probably only into the mid-40s. It was certainly not a day to be out running around on a bike.

After I got in and put away my groceries and presents, I took down the Thanksgiving and general fall decorations and put them away, then dusted the windows. I want to finish cleaning tomorrow and start putting out the Christmas stuff by tomorrow night.

And my schedule next week is a pain. While it's only slightly fewer hours, with no long days or very late or early days...I don't get another day off after tomorrow until NEXT Saturday. How do they expect me to get anything done? I really, really wish I had consistent hours, so I could tell people exactly when to expect me. Flexible hours are for mothers with children and college students with classes.

Novel-Length Role Play Story Just Posted!

And as a special surprise, I just posted this month's novel-length Monkees role play story on our site! You can enjoy it over the long holiday weekend.

Over the Train Tracks and Through the Woods, To Jodie's House I Go

Happy Thanksgiving to all Americans! After yesterday's hoopla at work, I was so happy to be able to just sleep in and enjoy a quiet morning at home. I ran a LP of original and vintage American folk music that I listen to on quieter American holidays like Thanksgiving during breakfast. After the music, I watched DVDs while I made Cranberry Cinnamon Streusel Bread and Cranberry Drops (the latter from a Betty Crocker Cooky Book recipe). Did Garfield's Thanksgiving first, then Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and The Mayflower Voyagers. Worked on the cookies while Planes, Trains, and Automobiles was on.

By the time I'd switched to the black and white Mickey Mouse cartoons The Grocery Boy and Mickey's Good Deed, the bread and cookies were cooling on the table. The day had started out cold and cloudy, but the sun started breaking out of the clouds around noon, and by 2, it was gorgeous, windy, and 60 degrees.

(Incidentally, those two b&w shorts are some of my favorite Disney cartoons. I usually watch Grocery Boy around Thanksgiving; though it really has nothing to do with the holiday, it does involve Mickey the grocery clerk and Minnie making a big dinner...before Pluto steals the turkey. The touching Mickey's Good Deed is a sweet Great Depression Christmas tale on how street performer Mickey gives up the one thing he prizes to help a group of kittens on Christmas Eve.)

It was such a nice day, I left for Jodie's a bit early and went the long way around, instead of over the train tracks. Jodie's house was already filled with her relatives, my friend and Jodie's neighbor Erica and her mother Miss Helen, and Jodie's college-age sons and their friends. Feeling a little awkward, I went around the corner to Dad and Uncle Ken's for a little while. Dad was watching the Packers-Lions game. (The Lions were getting their rear-ends handed to them, 33-12.) My stepsister Jessa was napping. Uncle Ken and Dolores were getting ready to host their own meal with Dolores' family at Uncle Ken and Dad's house. I happily played with Dolores' grandchildren May, Blake, and Mercedes.

Dad, Jessa, and I finally headed over to Jodie's for dinner around 4. We chatted more with her relatives and played the new Super Mario Bros Wii game that looks something like the original 8-bit Mario games with the moves of the third one. Dinner was on the table promptly at 5. We ended up having 20 people eating in Jodie's fairly small house, which meant a lot of creative seating positions. (I was smart enough to grab the chair in the front table next to Jodie.)

Dinner was terrific. We had turkey, real (not boxed) stuffing, green beans, Miss Helen's orange sweet potatoes, cole slaw, Erica's cranberry relish (made from real cranberries and apples), pearl onions in white sauce, corn, mashed potatoes, and crescent rolls. (The rolls had burnt bottoms from when someone forgot to check on them.) I ate everything but the corn and the mashed potatoes.

Dessert was equally huge. Erica brought pumpkin and apple pies from a bakery in Collingswood. Someone brought a sweet potato pie. There were mini-cupcakes, my bread and cookies, and gingerbread. I had cupcakes, cookies, and a huge slice of pumpkin pie, but I really was stuffed by then.

My Cranberry Drop Cookies were a big hit. Jodie's relatives couldn't get enough of them. One guy asked to take them home. I had no problems with that. The recipe was huge. I kept half for my cookie jar and brought the other half to Jodie's dinner. Watched the kids play Super Mario for a little longer before I finally headed out.

While I am thankful for many things - my family, the friends I do have, my home, not having to work today - I can't help feeling a little left out. I really wish I had a family to cook for, or at least someone I could invite along with me to these parties. I never know what to say to strangers who are over the age of 12. I wish I could have Thanksgiving at my own home, with my own family and friends, instead of just being there.

Pilgrims and Indians and Long Lines, Too

Yes, today was my 8-hour day. Actually, despite the title, it could have been worse. It was on and off for most of the day, not nearly as bad as I figured it would be. It did pick up around the usual 4-6 rush hour and was just starting to slow down when I left at 7:30.

Most people were in a really good mood, too, happy to be done with work or school for the holiday weekend. There was only one bad incident the whole day. A man using the WIC Checks (checks for people with infants and toddlers who need help with formula and food) didn't have the right things for the checks. The checks are very specific, and you can get in trouble for not having the right things. Trouble is, he had to go back at least three times for what he needed, holding up a long line. The man behind him got so fed up, he yelled at the guy with the checks, then took off!

I was initially upset, but in truth, I didn't really have time to freak out for long. I wanted to get the line down. And I didn't entirely blame the guy with the WIC Checks, either. Yes, he could have been better-prepared...but the State of New Jersey just revamped its entire WIC Check system, adding items like fruit, vegetables, and bread, that were never able to be purchased with the checks before. I'm not really surprised the guy was confused. So are a lot of other people.

Larry, one of our managers, appreciated how I handled that so much, he gave me a card to put in a box that would put me in the running for a 10 dollar Acme gift card at the end of the week, or a 25 dollar gift card at the end of the month. That was sweet of him.

Oh, and they finally got the free turkeys in, too. They were mostly small turkeys...but everyone buying the freebies today said they were going to use them for Christmas or save them for next month or use them in case they had unexpected guests.

I went straight to Arby's after work. Arby's was dead by 7:30, with only one other group of people and a few teenagers enjoying "Roast Burgers" after shopping. I had a small "All American Roast Burger" (Arby's signature shaved roast beef with burger toppings - much less greasy and better for you than the usual burger!), curly fries, and Diet Mountain Dew. I debated going back to the Acme for the Edy's Ice Cream that was on sale, but my tummy felt a bit funny after dinner. I think I ate too fast. I was just so hungry after my long day! I rode home instead.

I got lucky with the weather, too. It was spitting a little when I went to work and misting and a bit foggy when I went home, but I think I missed the worst of it. I know it got really dark at one point - I saw it through the front windows - and I saw that many of the carts were soaked.

I jumped in the shower the moment I got home. No shower ever felt soooo goood.

For you Americans who won't have a chance to get online tomorrow, I wish you all a safe and happy Thanksgiving! :)

Keep On Movin'

Once again, I'm tired out. I got a lot done today. I did my laundry, which took me longer than planned, thanks to Uncle Ken and Dolores forgetting they had a load in the wash from a week before that had to go in the dryer.

While their laundry was in the dryer, I finished organizing the last three shelves of children's picture books at the Oaklyn Library. The librarian really appreciated it. She said I'm the first person who was able to get it done. Most of the volunteers whom had tried to organize it had gotten so frustrated with the mess, they never came back!

I put my laundry in the dryer, then went back to my apartment. I had leftover Italian Wedding Soup and Chicken Skillet for lunch. I made my bed. I aired out my rag rug and shook out my daisy mat. I vacuumed the entire apartment. The kitchen was a real pain; between my baking and cooking and being where you enter the house, there was stuff all over the place.

Watched Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer between chores. It's still not in the same league as the X-Men films or even Iron Man, but it is an improvement over the first Fantastic Four movie that I rented back in June and didn't like. The performances were a bit less bland here, especially Johnny Storm (who carried a lot of the film), and the end-of-the-world plot had a lot more excitement to it than just trying to defeat Victor Von Doom. (Doom, incidentally, remains a rather dull villain.) Another thing I like about this series - it generally has a lighter tone to it than the X-Men films, with Reed Richards and Sue Storm's attempted marriage, spoofs of the media's celebrity obsession, and all the bickering the Four do.

Headed to work after I finally got the laundry put away and the vacuuming done. Like yesterday, work was a nuthouse until right until about an hour and a half before I finished at 9:30. Other than that, most people behaved themselves and there were no real problems.