Jazz for the Quiet Days
I awoke to clouds, at least somewhat chilly temperatures, and the Brunch With the Beatles show. It was well into the episode before I finally started making Carrot Raisin Pancakes for breakfast. The theme was "Beatles B-Sides." A surprising amount of popular Beatles hits found themselves on the "b" sides of singles, including "Something," "Strawberry Fields Forever," "Act Naturally," "I Saw Her Standing There," "Eleanor Rigby," "Revolution," and "I am the Walrus." I tried calling Mom after breakfast, but she was dealing with my nephew Skylar; I'd get to her later.
I ended up spending most of a quiet early afternoon listening to my new Instant Replay Monkees set and mucking around online. I wish I could have stayed there, or gone outside to enjoy a day that had turned sunny and a bit warmer. Work was busy all afternoon, and we'd had call-outs and were short on help. I was surprised that we were so busy on such a nice day. Either a lot of people had to work this week, or there are a LOT of folks who wanted that 10 for $10 7-Up six-pack sale. My relief was the guy who is always late coming in from his second job, and I just barely got out on time.
Called Mom after I got home and changed back into regular clothes. Mom was between calls; she needed to call her sister Terri, too. She was thrilled to hear that I'd managed to contact a writer and had gotten some help. She suggested my next move be to calculate how much money I need to live for a month. It's hard for me to do this. I buy things based on how many hours I'm working a week. I never know how much money I'll have week after week.
Apartment By The Riverside
Life is a lazy river - no matter where you are. Movies, musicals, mysteries, pop culture, and lots of other great stuff.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Something Sort of Grandish
Happy St. Patrick's Day to ye! The sun was beaming softly through my bedroom window when I awoke this morning. The clouds were gone, and it was getting into the upper 50s and climbing. I began with the second half of this week's American Top 40. This week, the Top 40 hit March 1983, with hits including "Hungry Like the Wolf" by Duran Duran, "Back on the Chain Gang" by the Pretenders, "One on One" by Hall & Oates, and "Shame on the Moon" by Bob Seeger and the Silver Bullet Band. The #1 song that week would be one of that year's top songs, from one of the decade's biggest albums - "Billie Jean," from the smash Michael Jackson record Thriller.
I didn't really have any major plans for today, other than running a few errands in the Oaklyn and Audubon area. I hit the bank first, dodging some sidewalk repairs on the White Horse Pike, then headed over to the Oaklyn Library. They were having a special St. Patrick's Day Storybook Hour with Darby the Cat. "Darby" turned out to be a sweet-natured, gray-striped tabby owned by a woman who takes him to local nursing homes and schools. It might have been just as well that there were only a few families. Darby wasn't overwhelmed, and all of the kids got a chance to pet him and have their pictures taken.
I hadn't had a nice walk to Audubon in a while, so I went there next. I bought a couple of Irish Potatoes from Desserts By Design and explained my business situation to her. She was very sweet and supportive. She's a nice customer at the Audubon Acme, too, and her desserts are popular with local restaurants.
Went across the street to have lunch at TreeHouse Cafe. I'd had a brainstorm. Coffee houses were the only other places I could think of local creative types congregating besides libraries. I know the TreeHouse Cafe has seminars and open-mic nights, for poetry and for music. I asked the owners if they knew any local writers who could help me break into the market. One recommended a woman named Cassandra Ulrich who had just published a young adult novel and had apparently gone through some of the same problems I had. I gave them my phone number and e-mail address to give to her.
Feeling a bit better, I went back across the street to Abbie Road. Said "hi" to Bob, then went through his record collection. He'd put a lot out since I was last there, including a whole pile that were only a dollar each. I ended up with four titles:
The original 1966 Carol Channing cast album for Hello Dolly! and the soundtrack to the 1970s movie musical version of Tom Sawyer with music by the Sherman Brothers
The Best of the Spinners
England Dan & John Ford Cooley - Nights are Forever
It was getting warmer by the minute. I was too warm in my green v-neck sweater and heavy dark flared jeans. Time to go home. I made one more quick stop at the WaWa on the White Horse Pike for skim milk before heading back to the apartment.
Just a few minutes after I got in, my phone rang. Much to my delight and surprise, it was Cassandra Ulrich, the woman I'd heard about at the TreeHouse Cafe, on the other end of the line! I hadn't expected her to get back to me so soon, but I was very glad she did. We had a nice, long chat about writing. She said that she hadn't written anything in years...but once she'd switched to a job she liked better, her ideas seemed to flow. She just got her first young adult novel published last year. She also seconded what Mom said that I'm still on the "discovery" phase of my journey - finding what I like and don't like, what I want and don't want. She didn't really have any suggestions on what to do about the business class; I have the feeling I'm on my own there.
Here's her blog, with the link to her novel: Cassandra's Journey
Spent the next hour working on goals and what to do next. It's hard to have goals when you're never sure what you're going to be doing at work next week. I at least know I want to hit the other local coffee shop in Collingswood, GrooveGround, and see if they can recommend anyone as well. I also need to finally e-mail the teacher and see if he has any ideas of what I can do now, because I feel bad, but I don't think I'll be able to complete the course.
After I got bored with that, I decided to have some fun. I rounded up Molly, Jessa, Tiana, and Cinderella (the latter three are the only dolls in green!) for a St. Patrick's Day/spring photo-taking session in Miss Ellie's garden. I got some shots of them among the daffodils, then cut a few daffodils to bring upstairs to my own apartment.
Spent the rest of the evening indoors. I'd run St. Patrick's Day and Irish-themed TV shows and cartoons all day. Porky Pig has a surreal close encounter with leprechauns who think he's after their pot of gold in the classic Looney Tunes short "Wearin' of the Grin." Woody Woodpecker actually gets a visit from one of the wee folk in "His Better Elf," but learns a lesson in earning his bread when he wishes for money that belongs to a bank. Wonder Woman has her own odd encounter with a human version of the wee folk when gangsters steal his pot of gold to buy printing plates for counterfeit money in "Pot 'o Gold," from the third season of the 70s show. And in the second season Moonlighting episode "Somewhere Under the Rainbow," David and Maddie argue over magic and the things we can't see when a female leprechaun asks them to protect her and her pot of gold.
I ran Finian's Rainbow as I baked Irish Soda Bread and made a small spiral ham with sauteed collard greens, carrots, and celery and mashed sweet potatoes for dinner. This adaptation of the 1947 Broadway musical is a very strange but oddly charming fantasy about an Irishman (Fred Astaire) who plants his stolen pot of gold in the ground near Fort Knox, hoping it'll grow the way the gold in the famous vault seems to have. His daughter Sharon (Petula Clark) is more interested in the handsome sharecropper who is in charge of a tobacco cooperative that's trying to grow a new kind of mint-flavored tobacco. Trouble is, the leprechaun who owns the stolen gold (Tommy Steele) has followed Finian to reclaim it, before he becomes fully human...and he's more interested in chasing Sharon and anything female that gets in his view. And then, there's the bigoted local senator (Keenan Wynn), who isn't happy that the cooperative is equally owned by whites and blacks, but Sharon's about to teach him a lesson in equality, thanks to the pot of gold...
The music and the cast are the saving graces in this fairly dated but still fun cult musical. Songs like "How are Things In Glocca Morra," "Old Devil Moon," "Look to the Rainbow," and "Something Sort of Grandish" were already often-recorded hits by the time the movie finally came out in 1967. Steele can be annoying, but he does have a couple of good numbers, notably the adorable "Grandish" with Clark. "Old Devil Moon" smolders with a sexual energy that wouldn't have been possible if this movie had been made in the 40s. And Fred Astaire gets several chances to show off his still-nimble feet, notably in his solo during "When the Idle Poor Become the Idle Rich."
The script is the problem. The bigotry subplot comes off as well-meaning but overly politically correct today (long before the phrase was coined), and the idea of magic changing skin color may not sit well with a lot of people. (It doesn't help that the makeup used to transform Wynn is terrible and obvious.) There's also the fact that the plot revolves around selling tobacco, which would have been far more acceptable in the 60s - today, Woody wouldn't get past Rainbow Valley with that tobacco, no matter how minty it smelled.
In a weird way, it reminds me a little of Xanadu - a musical about an old dance master and a young English-accented woman that revolves around misfits and magic, with a score that's more beloved than the plot and a plot that doesn't make a lot of sense, that was a flop on first release. Like Xanadu, it's not for everyone, but if you're a fan of Steele, Clark, Astaire, the original Broadway show, or director Francis Ford Coppola, it's worth a look.
Happy St. Patrick's Day to ye! The sun was beaming softly through my bedroom window when I awoke this morning. The clouds were gone, and it was getting into the upper 50s and climbing. I began with the second half of this week's American Top 40. This week, the Top 40 hit March 1983, with hits including "Hungry Like the Wolf" by Duran Duran, "Back on the Chain Gang" by the Pretenders, "One on One" by Hall & Oates, and "Shame on the Moon" by Bob Seeger and the Silver Bullet Band. The #1 song that week would be one of that year's top songs, from one of the decade's biggest albums - "Billie Jean," from the smash Michael Jackson record Thriller.
I didn't really have any major plans for today, other than running a few errands in the Oaklyn and Audubon area. I hit the bank first, dodging some sidewalk repairs on the White Horse Pike, then headed over to the Oaklyn Library. They were having a special St. Patrick's Day Storybook Hour with Darby the Cat. "Darby" turned out to be a sweet-natured, gray-striped tabby owned by a woman who takes him to local nursing homes and schools. It might have been just as well that there were only a few families. Darby wasn't overwhelmed, and all of the kids got a chance to pet him and have their pictures taken.
I hadn't had a nice walk to Audubon in a while, so I went there next. I bought a couple of Irish Potatoes from Desserts By Design and explained my business situation to her. She was very sweet and supportive. She's a nice customer at the Audubon Acme, too, and her desserts are popular with local restaurants.
Went across the street to have lunch at TreeHouse Cafe. I'd had a brainstorm. Coffee houses were the only other places I could think of local creative types congregating besides libraries. I know the TreeHouse Cafe has seminars and open-mic nights, for poetry and for music. I asked the owners if they knew any local writers who could help me break into the market. One recommended a woman named Cassandra Ulrich who had just published a young adult novel and had apparently gone through some of the same problems I had. I gave them my phone number and e-mail address to give to her.
Feeling a bit better, I went back across the street to Abbie Road. Said "hi" to Bob, then went through his record collection. He'd put a lot out since I was last there, including a whole pile that were only a dollar each. I ended up with four titles:
The original 1966 Carol Channing cast album for Hello Dolly! and the soundtrack to the 1970s movie musical version of Tom Sawyer with music by the Sherman Brothers
The Best of the Spinners
England Dan & John Ford Cooley - Nights are Forever
It was getting warmer by the minute. I was too warm in my green v-neck sweater and heavy dark flared jeans. Time to go home. I made one more quick stop at the WaWa on the White Horse Pike for skim milk before heading back to the apartment.
Just a few minutes after I got in, my phone rang. Much to my delight and surprise, it was Cassandra Ulrich, the woman I'd heard about at the TreeHouse Cafe, on the other end of the line! I hadn't expected her to get back to me so soon, but I was very glad she did. We had a nice, long chat about writing. She said that she hadn't written anything in years...but once she'd switched to a job she liked better, her ideas seemed to flow. She just got her first young adult novel published last year. She also seconded what Mom said that I'm still on the "discovery" phase of my journey - finding what I like and don't like, what I want and don't want. She didn't really have any suggestions on what to do about the business class; I have the feeling I'm on my own there.
Here's her blog, with the link to her novel: Cassandra's Journey
Spent the next hour working on goals and what to do next. It's hard to have goals when you're never sure what you're going to be doing at work next week. I at least know I want to hit the other local coffee shop in Collingswood, GrooveGround, and see if they can recommend anyone as well. I also need to finally e-mail the teacher and see if he has any ideas of what I can do now, because I feel bad, but I don't think I'll be able to complete the course.
After I got bored with that, I decided to have some fun. I rounded up Molly, Jessa, Tiana, and Cinderella (the latter three are the only dolls in green!) for a St. Patrick's Day/spring photo-taking session in Miss Ellie's garden. I got some shots of them among the daffodils, then cut a few daffodils to bring upstairs to my own apartment.
Spent the rest of the evening indoors. I'd run St. Patrick's Day and Irish-themed TV shows and cartoons all day. Porky Pig has a surreal close encounter with leprechauns who think he's after their pot of gold in the classic Looney Tunes short "Wearin' of the Grin." Woody Woodpecker actually gets a visit from one of the wee folk in "His Better Elf," but learns a lesson in earning his bread when he wishes for money that belongs to a bank. Wonder Woman has her own odd encounter with a human version of the wee folk when gangsters steal his pot of gold to buy printing plates for counterfeit money in "Pot 'o Gold," from the third season of the 70s show. And in the second season Moonlighting episode "Somewhere Under the Rainbow," David and Maddie argue over magic and the things we can't see when a female leprechaun asks them to protect her and her pot of gold.
I ran Finian's Rainbow as I baked Irish Soda Bread and made a small spiral ham with sauteed collard greens, carrots, and celery and mashed sweet potatoes for dinner. This adaptation of the 1947 Broadway musical is a very strange but oddly charming fantasy about an Irishman (Fred Astaire) who plants his stolen pot of gold in the ground near Fort Knox, hoping it'll grow the way the gold in the famous vault seems to have. His daughter Sharon (Petula Clark) is more interested in the handsome sharecropper who is in charge of a tobacco cooperative that's trying to grow a new kind of mint-flavored tobacco. Trouble is, the leprechaun who owns the stolen gold (Tommy Steele) has followed Finian to reclaim it, before he becomes fully human...and he's more interested in chasing Sharon and anything female that gets in his view. And then, there's the bigoted local senator (Keenan Wynn), who isn't happy that the cooperative is equally owned by whites and blacks, but Sharon's about to teach him a lesson in equality, thanks to the pot of gold...
The music and the cast are the saving graces in this fairly dated but still fun cult musical. Songs like "How are Things In Glocca Morra," "Old Devil Moon," "Look to the Rainbow," and "Something Sort of Grandish" were already often-recorded hits by the time the movie finally came out in 1967. Steele can be annoying, but he does have a couple of good numbers, notably the adorable "Grandish" with Clark. "Old Devil Moon" smolders with a sexual energy that wouldn't have been possible if this movie had been made in the 40s. And Fred Astaire gets several chances to show off his still-nimble feet, notably in his solo during "When the Idle Poor Become the Idle Rich."
The script is the problem. The bigotry subplot comes off as well-meaning but overly politically correct today (long before the phrase was coined), and the idea of magic changing skin color may not sit well with a lot of people. (It doesn't help that the makeup used to transform Wynn is terrible and obvious.) There's also the fact that the plot revolves around selling tobacco, which would have been far more acceptable in the 60s - today, Woody wouldn't get past Rainbow Valley with that tobacco, no matter how minty it smelled.
In a weird way, it reminds me a little of Xanadu - a musical about an old dance master and a young English-accented woman that revolves around misfits and magic, with a score that's more beloved than the plot and a plot that doesn't make a lot of sense, that was a flop on first release. Like Xanadu, it's not for everyone, but if you're a fan of Steele, Clark, Astaire, the original Broadway show, or director Francis Ford Coppola, it's worth a look.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Into the Spring of Things
It was, once again, chilly and cloudy when I headed to Lucile Roberts for my second gym session this week. I got a later start than I would have preferred and just kept it short. It was a little busy, but nothing like yesterday, and there were no classes going on. I was able to get an elliptical machine and use the arm weight machines without a wait this time. I even got to see part of (last year's?) St. Patrick's Day Parade on channel 3.
Went to the Acme next to get my paycheck and do this week's grocery shopping. I used up both my whole wheat and regular flour and eggs doing this week's baking. Wanted to stock up on wheat germ, and they have bagged vegetables for a dollar this week. Replaced the diced tomatoes, ground chicken, and dark red kidney beans I used on chilli earlier in the week. It was a little busy there, but I was easily able to get in and out in less than a half-hour.
When I got home, I put everything away, had leftover chili and an avocado-tomato sandwich on one of the rolls I made on Tuesday for lunch, and ran Bowery Boys movies. Private Eyes had Slip buying a detective agency when a whack on the head gives Sach the ability to read minds. Sach is also at the center of Paris Playboys. He, Slip, and soda shop owner Louie Dumbrowski find themselves in France when Sach is discovered to be the double of a famous scientist.
Work remained busy for most of the night. We're still in the midst of remodeling, but they've at least put some of the old furniture in the back room now that the walls have been painted. The stalls for the bathroom STILL haven't shown up, though. On the other hand, they just got new freezers and cases for the dairy and pre-packaged deli items that are really nice, much nicer than the old ones.
I'm not terribly happy with my schedule next week. On one hand, there's nothing longer than five hours or later than 8:30. On the other hand, after tomorrow, I don't have my next day off until NEXT Saturday! It seems at least five or six people went on vacation next week. I hate it when everyone decides to go on vacation at the same time. I wish they'd make stricter rules about choosing vacation weeks. Lauren's bank has it that people pick the weeks they want to go beforehand, instead of randomly. I also wish I could find a job where the hours were more consistent. It doesn't work with grocery stores.
It was, once again, chilly and cloudy when I headed to Lucile Roberts for my second gym session this week. I got a later start than I would have preferred and just kept it short. It was a little busy, but nothing like yesterday, and there were no classes going on. I was able to get an elliptical machine and use the arm weight machines without a wait this time. I even got to see part of (last year's?) St. Patrick's Day Parade on channel 3.
Went to the Acme next to get my paycheck and do this week's grocery shopping. I used up both my whole wheat and regular flour and eggs doing this week's baking. Wanted to stock up on wheat germ, and they have bagged vegetables for a dollar this week. Replaced the diced tomatoes, ground chicken, and dark red kidney beans I used on chilli earlier in the week. It was a little busy there, but I was easily able to get in and out in less than a half-hour.
When I got home, I put everything away, had leftover chili and an avocado-tomato sandwich on one of the rolls I made on Tuesday for lunch, and ran Bowery Boys movies. Private Eyes had Slip buying a detective agency when a whack on the head gives Sach the ability to read minds. Sach is also at the center of Paris Playboys. He, Slip, and soda shop owner Louie Dumbrowski find themselves in France when Sach is discovered to be the double of a famous scientist.
Work remained busy for most of the night. We're still in the midst of remodeling, but they've at least put some of the old furniture in the back room now that the walls have been painted. The stalls for the bathroom STILL haven't shown up, though. On the other hand, they just got new freezers and cases for the dairy and pre-packaged deli items that are really nice, much nicer than the old ones.
I'm not terribly happy with my schedule next week. On one hand, there's nothing longer than five hours or later than 8:30. On the other hand, after tomorrow, I don't have my next day off until NEXT Saturday! It seems at least five or six people went on vacation next week. I hate it when everyone decides to go on vacation at the same time. I wish they'd make stricter rules about choosing vacation weeks. Lauren's bank has it that people pick the weeks they want to go beforehand, instead of randomly. I also wish I could find a job where the hours were more consistent. It doesn't work with grocery stores.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Fast Balance
It was chilly and cloudy when I headed to Collingswood for today's yoga class. Despite the complaints, it was really more like it should be in March in southern New Jersey, probably in the lower-mid 50s. We warmed up by working on balance and on back stretches. I was up later than I should have been last night and wasn't up to a lot of pushing myself into pretzel shapes.
I didn't have enough time for the Collingswood Library after class - I had to work at 1 - so I just went straight home. I made bread pudding and watched Yogi the Easter Bear when I got in; ran The Rescuers while having a tasty tomato, salmon, and avocado wrap and romaine salad for lunch. The Rescuers ended just in time for me to head out to work.
Work wasn't fun. I was tired, and we were busy for most of the afternoon and I was stuck in Express with cranky people in a hurry. Not to mention, they're still in the midst of remodeling. The stalls for the bathrooms have yet to arrive. Nor has the new furniture for the back room; we're eating in the cafe again. (In fact, there were customers at the cafe when I had my break. I ended up eating in the back office.)
Headed to the gym after work to get my mind working again. I completely forgot they were having their St. Patrick's Day Open House this evening. Lucile Roberts was so busy, I had to wait a half-hour to get on the stationary bikes! At least I got a nice little ride in, and I did get finally get onto the leg weight machines.
Went to Bassett's BBQ after I left the gym. I had the same thing I had last time, the three sliders with cole slaw, tossing fries into the mix. The fries are the crinkly kind. They were pretty good, but there was a ton and I didn't finish all of them. Those sliders are really tasty. I had one of each - pork, beef, and chicken. I think the chicken was my favorite, but they all came out well.
It was chilly and cloudy when I headed to Collingswood for today's yoga class. Despite the complaints, it was really more like it should be in March in southern New Jersey, probably in the lower-mid 50s. We warmed up by working on balance and on back stretches. I was up later than I should have been last night and wasn't up to a lot of pushing myself into pretzel shapes.
I didn't have enough time for the Collingswood Library after class - I had to work at 1 - so I just went straight home. I made bread pudding and watched Yogi the Easter Bear when I got in; ran The Rescuers while having a tasty tomato, salmon, and avocado wrap and romaine salad for lunch. The Rescuers ended just in time for me to head out to work.
Work wasn't fun. I was tired, and we were busy for most of the afternoon and I was stuck in Express with cranky people in a hurry. Not to mention, they're still in the midst of remodeling. The stalls for the bathrooms have yet to arrive. Nor has the new furniture for the back room; we're eating in the cafe again. (In fact, there were customers at the cafe when I had my break. I ended up eating in the back office.)
Headed to the gym after work to get my mind working again. I completely forgot they were having their St. Patrick's Day Open House this evening. Lucile Roberts was so busy, I had to wait a half-hour to get on the stationary bikes! At least I got a nice little ride in, and I did get finally get onto the leg weight machines.
Went to Bassett's BBQ after I left the gym. I had the same thing I had last time, the three sliders with cole slaw, tossing fries into the mix. The fries are the crinkly kind. They were pretty good, but there was a ton and I didn't finish all of them. Those sliders are really tasty. I had one of each - pork, beef, and chicken. I think the chicken was my favorite, but they all came out well.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Making a Budget
My original goal today was to make a budget and figure out how to get on with my goal-setting from there. Trouble is, as usual, I got too caught up with reading other things and didn't get to the budget until almost 1. I did get it done, though. I spent a lot of money on "other" stuff last month...but I also bought contacts, had my eye exam, and won three rare American Girl outfits on eBay that don't often show up for decent prices. I don't normally spend more than $150-200 a month on "other" stuff, and I'd like to pare that down. I need to stop buying junk like DVDs or books unless I can find them cheaply used, really want them (like the Instant Replay set), or really, really need something.
I've been putting off e-mailing my teacher, too. I'm never going to complete my course in time. I don't care about a good or bad grade. I really need help getting started with my writing business, but I don't know whom to ask...or how to ask them. I'm not good with stuff like this. Not to mention, I spent $100 on this course, and while I did learn some things about marketing, that won't do me any good unless I have something to market. I can't make a website until I have something to sell on it...and I don't really know anything about editing beyond editing mine and Lauren's fanfiction. I have no idea whom to ask, either. I've seen two writing groups listed for this area. One is full and not accepting new members. The other only meets at 7PM every first Thursday of the month. Not only do I usually work then, but that's kind of late to be out on the bike, and I don't really know anyone to carpool with.
This happens to me a lot. I stare at a story, hoping to start it, but it just stays blank. I can't come up with the ideas. I hope to e-mail someone, but then I get nervous and talk myself out of it. Or I can't make myself sit down to write at all. I write in this blog every night and in my journal every day, but I can't bring myself to write a story or a website or edit our Bowery Boys fanfiction or do any of the things I need to do. I don't know what's wrong with me. Writers are supposed to write, not stare or put things off. There has to be something wrong.
This blog and the journal are easier to write. The journal is for working out my thoughts every morning. This blog is mainly to keep all of the people who worry about me abreast of the goings-on in my life. ;)
I had leftover chilli for lunch and ate it outside. It was even nicer than yesterday, breezy and warm but not quite as much as the day before. Perfect day for an outdoor meal.
Work was almost exactly the same as Monday - busy during rush hour, quiet otherwise. Once again, I spent an hour later in the evening returning carts, if only as an excuse to get outside and enjoy some fresh air and a better work out that I'd even get in a gym.
My original goal today was to make a budget and figure out how to get on with my goal-setting from there. Trouble is, as usual, I got too caught up with reading other things and didn't get to the budget until almost 1. I did get it done, though. I spent a lot of money on "other" stuff last month...but I also bought contacts, had my eye exam, and won three rare American Girl outfits on eBay that don't often show up for decent prices. I don't normally spend more than $150-200 a month on "other" stuff, and I'd like to pare that down. I need to stop buying junk like DVDs or books unless I can find them cheaply used, really want them (like the Instant Replay set), or really, really need something.
I've been putting off e-mailing my teacher, too. I'm never going to complete my course in time. I don't care about a good or bad grade. I really need help getting started with my writing business, but I don't know whom to ask...or how to ask them. I'm not good with stuff like this. Not to mention, I spent $100 on this course, and while I did learn some things about marketing, that won't do me any good unless I have something to market. I can't make a website until I have something to sell on it...and I don't really know anything about editing beyond editing mine and Lauren's fanfiction. I have no idea whom to ask, either. I've seen two writing groups listed for this area. One is full and not accepting new members. The other only meets at 7PM every first Thursday of the month. Not only do I usually work then, but that's kind of late to be out on the bike, and I don't really know anyone to carpool with.
This happens to me a lot. I stare at a story, hoping to start it, but it just stays blank. I can't come up with the ideas. I hope to e-mail someone, but then I get nervous and talk myself out of it. Or I can't make myself sit down to write at all. I write in this blog every night and in my journal every day, but I can't bring myself to write a story or a website or edit our Bowery Boys fanfiction or do any of the things I need to do. I don't know what's wrong with me. Writers are supposed to write, not stare or put things off. There has to be something wrong.
This blog and the journal are easier to write. The journal is for working out my thoughts every morning. This blog is mainly to keep all of the people who worry about me abreast of the goings-on in my life. ;)
I had leftover chilli for lunch and ate it outside. It was even nicer than yesterday, breezy and warm but not quite as much as the day before. Perfect day for an outdoor meal.
Work was almost exactly the same as Monday - busy during rush hour, quiet otherwise. Once again, I spent an hour later in the evening returning carts, if only as an excuse to get outside and enjoy some fresh air and a better work out that I'd even get in a gym.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
The Hippie, the City Cowboy, the Soul Man, and the British Kid
It was a downright insanely warm morning when I headed out for today's library and errands run, already in the lower 60s by quarter of 10. I volunteered at the Collingswood and Haddon Township Libraries first. (I work too early on Thursday to do the library then, though I probably will do yoga that day.) Dropped a huge pile of records off at Collingswood and one last video at Haddon Township, which concludes my donating for the moment. I'm just glad to clear so much out of the back room. I can walk around in there again!
Not surprisingly, on such a lovely day, there wasn't much going on at either library. I organized and shelved DVDs at both places. Shelved a few non-fiction titles at Collingswood; shelved children's books at Haddon Township. I renewed several books and X-Men: First Class and took out two new Strawberry Shortcake titles (the 2003-version-based Berry Brick Road and the 2009 Berry Bloomin' Gardens) and one more movie, the 1979 romantic sci-fi adventure Time After Time, as well as two books on business writing and copy editing.
I made a quick stop at Super Fresh (and forgot what I went in there for, which was peanut butter) and Dollar Tree (needed birthday cards and sponges), then went straight home. Just as I had hoped, there were two large packages waiting for me on Miss Ellie's porch. My two online purchases from last week had finally arrived!
I took them upstairs right away, for I needed one to be able to use the other. The smaller package contained my new Emerson CD/cassette player from Amazon. The CD player finally died on the other one. This one was built quite differently, with no large metal disc on the top to hold the CD...which I believe is what got damaged on the last one. It seems to have come over perfectly in transit. I played the three discs from my other order and my Journey Greatest Hits cassette, and all sounded not only fine, but better than on the old machine.
As you can probably guess by the title of this entry, today's other arrival was the Instant Replay: Deluxe Edition from Rhino Records. Actually, by the time this album came out in 1969, "the Hippie" - Peter Tork - had quit, citing exhaustion but really fed up with infighting and the others not wanting to record as a group. The upheaval is reflected in a fractured and really only so-so album. It wouldn't be until the next record, the underrated Monkees Present, that Mike Nesmith, Micky Dolenz, and Davy Jones would find their groove again. Mike and Davy have the best tracks, of both the original and additional material. One of my favorite Davy "missing links," the fun "Look Down," is included here, as is one of Mike's best ballads that would find its way into his solo albums, "Propinquity (I've Just Begun to Care)."
For Monkees fans, probably the most interesting items are at the end of the third CD. Most of what's on there are instrumental backing tracks...but there's some recently unearthed music, both backing and with lyrics, from the Monkees' truly bizarre 1969 special 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee. I ended up liking Peter's "(Prithee) Do Not Ask for Love" and Davy's "Goldilocks Sometimes" much better without the respectively odd and syrupy lyrics...but Mike's "Naked Persimmon" doesn't make much sense unless you can hear the back-and-forth representation of his dual-sided personality. Although Micky is the only one whose solo number isn't represented (I guess they haven't turned up his soul version of "I'm a Believer" yet), he does get to sing the Neil Sedaka tune "I Go Ape." (The fact that you can't see the ridiculous white ape suits they wore for this number in the special is a vast improvement.)
I spent the next hour trying to work out goals for my business. I didn't get far. My mind woke me up around 6:30, and though I tried to go back to sleep for an hour, my body didn't buy it. I just couldn't concentrate. I got up to trying to figure out how much it would cost me to start a copy editing business before I was ready to either take a nap or tear out my hair. I decided to opt for neither and went for a walk.
By 4PM, it was a jawdropping 71 degrees outside. There were kids out running around in shorts...boys and girls. I really wished the ice cream parlor around the corner from me was open, but I settled for a chilled French Vanilla Cappuccino from WaWa and a pretzel to get my mind working. Everything was in bloom, from sunny yellow daffodils to soft lavender hyacinths to the palest buds on trees. Green grass is sprouting in every lawn. If adults weren't chasing their kids in the playground behind the Oaklyn School, they were washing their vehicles, working in gardens, walking their pets, or chatting with friends and neighbors on their porches, patios, and balconies. It felt more like an afternoon in early summer than one in early spring!
I had baking I couldn't put off when I got home. I made Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars, then simple Honey Yeast Rolls while running the two Strawberry Shortcake DVDs, then X-Men while eating leftovers for dinner. The Berry Brick Road 2003 set, as you can probably guess, spoofs The Wizard of Oz. The first episode, involving Strawberry's first trip to Oz and her encounter with the Cowardly Lion (cowardly Orange Marmalade), Tin Woodsgirl (ever-insensitive Peppermint Fizz), Scarecrow (fast-talking Ginger Snap), and Wizard (token male character Huckleberry Pie), is fairly cute. The second story, which had Strawberry helping the Berrykins (Munchkins) to save their GlowBerries, got a little too heavy on the environmental messages.
Berry Bloomin' Gardens was entirely different and just as cute. My favorite of these three tales revolving around gardens and growing things was the middle one. Lemon Meringue is proud of her beautiful violets, which she hopes will win first prize at Berry Bitty City's Flower Festival. When her violets start disappearing, however, she throws around wild accusations at everyone, including a kindly Berrykin gardener who wins every year. It takes some creative photography and a little detective work for the girls to literally get to the bottom of this mystery!
I heard really good things about the newest X-Men movie when it came out last summer, even compared to the intense superhero competition. It deserved every bit of praise. Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr are two "mutants" - evolved humans with incredible abilities. Professor Xavier feels they should seek out others like them to help humanity. Lensherr says they're better than those darn humans and should be fighting them, not helping people who treat them like dirt. They both come together for a common goal when the slimy mutant head of the Hellfire Club Sebastian Shaw and his girlfriend Emma Frost do their best to turn the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 into World War III. Xavier has the support of human scientist Moira McTaggart and several promising young mutants, but the troubled Lensherr and Xavier's shape-shifting female pal Raven may throw wrenches into the works...
This was the first of two Marvel comics adaptations from last summer that literally went back to its roots. Like Captain America, the X-Men are literally returned to the era the comics were first written in, and are all the better for it. I especially enjoyed the fun training montage, the relationship between Lensherr and Xavier, and how the Beast came to be a blue fuzzy genius.
It was a downright insanely warm morning when I headed out for today's library and errands run, already in the lower 60s by quarter of 10. I volunteered at the Collingswood and Haddon Township Libraries first. (I work too early on Thursday to do the library then, though I probably will do yoga that day.) Dropped a huge pile of records off at Collingswood and one last video at Haddon Township, which concludes my donating for the moment. I'm just glad to clear so much out of the back room. I can walk around in there again!
Not surprisingly, on such a lovely day, there wasn't much going on at either library. I organized and shelved DVDs at both places. Shelved a few non-fiction titles at Collingswood; shelved children's books at Haddon Township. I renewed several books and X-Men: First Class and took out two new Strawberry Shortcake titles (the 2003-version-based Berry Brick Road and the 2009 Berry Bloomin' Gardens) and one more movie, the 1979 romantic sci-fi adventure Time After Time, as well as two books on business writing and copy editing.
I made a quick stop at Super Fresh (and forgot what I went in there for, which was peanut butter) and Dollar Tree (needed birthday cards and sponges), then went straight home. Just as I had hoped, there were two large packages waiting for me on Miss Ellie's porch. My two online purchases from last week had finally arrived!
I took them upstairs right away, for I needed one to be able to use the other. The smaller package contained my new Emerson CD/cassette player from Amazon. The CD player finally died on the other one. This one was built quite differently, with no large metal disc on the top to hold the CD...which I believe is what got damaged on the last one. It seems to have come over perfectly in transit. I played the three discs from my other order and my Journey Greatest Hits cassette, and all sounded not only fine, but better than on the old machine.
As you can probably guess by the title of this entry, today's other arrival was the Instant Replay: Deluxe Edition from Rhino Records. Actually, by the time this album came out in 1969, "the Hippie" - Peter Tork - had quit, citing exhaustion but really fed up with infighting and the others not wanting to record as a group. The upheaval is reflected in a fractured and really only so-so album. It wouldn't be until the next record, the underrated Monkees Present, that Mike Nesmith, Micky Dolenz, and Davy Jones would find their groove again. Mike and Davy have the best tracks, of both the original and additional material. One of my favorite Davy "missing links," the fun "Look Down," is included here, as is one of Mike's best ballads that would find its way into his solo albums, "Propinquity (I've Just Begun to Care)."
For Monkees fans, probably the most interesting items are at the end of the third CD. Most of what's on there are instrumental backing tracks...but there's some recently unearthed music, both backing and with lyrics, from the Monkees' truly bizarre 1969 special 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee. I ended up liking Peter's "(Prithee) Do Not Ask for Love" and Davy's "Goldilocks Sometimes" much better without the respectively odd and syrupy lyrics...but Mike's "Naked Persimmon" doesn't make much sense unless you can hear the back-and-forth representation of his dual-sided personality. Although Micky is the only one whose solo number isn't represented (I guess they haven't turned up his soul version of "I'm a Believer" yet), he does get to sing the Neil Sedaka tune "I Go Ape." (The fact that you can't see the ridiculous white ape suits they wore for this number in the special is a vast improvement.)
I spent the next hour trying to work out goals for my business. I didn't get far. My mind woke me up around 6:30, and though I tried to go back to sleep for an hour, my body didn't buy it. I just couldn't concentrate. I got up to trying to figure out how much it would cost me to start a copy editing business before I was ready to either take a nap or tear out my hair. I decided to opt for neither and went for a walk.
By 4PM, it was a jawdropping 71 degrees outside. There were kids out running around in shorts...boys and girls. I really wished the ice cream parlor around the corner from me was open, but I settled for a chilled French Vanilla Cappuccino from WaWa and a pretzel to get my mind working. Everything was in bloom, from sunny yellow daffodils to soft lavender hyacinths to the palest buds on trees. Green grass is sprouting in every lawn. If adults weren't chasing their kids in the playground behind the Oaklyn School, they were washing their vehicles, working in gardens, walking their pets, or chatting with friends and neighbors on their porches, patios, and balconies. It felt more like an afternoon in early summer than one in early spring!
I had baking I couldn't put off when I got home. I made Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars, then simple Honey Yeast Rolls while running the two Strawberry Shortcake DVDs, then X-Men while eating leftovers for dinner. The Berry Brick Road 2003 set, as you can probably guess, spoofs The Wizard of Oz. The first episode, involving Strawberry's first trip to Oz and her encounter with the Cowardly Lion (cowardly Orange Marmalade), Tin Woodsgirl (ever-insensitive Peppermint Fizz), Scarecrow (fast-talking Ginger Snap), and Wizard (token male character Huckleberry Pie), is fairly cute. The second story, which had Strawberry helping the Berrykins (Munchkins) to save their GlowBerries, got a little too heavy on the environmental messages.
Berry Bloomin' Gardens was entirely different and just as cute. My favorite of these three tales revolving around gardens and growing things was the middle one. Lemon Meringue is proud of her beautiful violets, which she hopes will win first prize at Berry Bitty City's Flower Festival. When her violets start disappearing, however, she throws around wild accusations at everyone, including a kindly Berrykin gardener who wins every year. It takes some creative photography and a little detective work for the girls to literally get to the bottom of this mystery!
I heard really good things about the newest X-Men movie when it came out last summer, even compared to the intense superhero competition. It deserved every bit of praise. Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr are two "mutants" - evolved humans with incredible abilities. Professor Xavier feels they should seek out others like them to help humanity. Lensherr says they're better than those darn humans and should be fighting them, not helping people who treat them like dirt. They both come together for a common goal when the slimy mutant head of the Hellfire Club Sebastian Shaw and his girlfriend Emma Frost do their best to turn the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 into World War III. Xavier has the support of human scientist Moira McTaggart and several promising young mutants, but the troubled Lensherr and Xavier's shape-shifting female pal Raven may throw wrenches into the works...
This was the first of two Marvel comics adaptations from last summer that literally went back to its roots. Like Captain America, the X-Men are literally returned to the era the comics were first written in, and are all the better for it. I especially enjoyed the fun training montage, the relationship between Lensherr and Xavier, and how the Beast came to be a blue fuzzy genius.
Monday, March 12, 2012
What Do I Do Now?
Started off a sunny, breezy, (too) warm day with a call to Mom. I finally got her after missing her all yesterday. We talked for over an hour! Basically, she said that I need to make more of a plan before I drop the local copy editing idea. I get all of these big ideas...but I never do any of them because I'm not good at making strategy. It overwhelms me, and I end up getting scared and dropping the idea. That's been a big problem for over a decade now. I need to make a business plan and start separating the big plans into more manageable chunks.
I have no idea what to do for class, either. The teacher hasn't e-mailed me since I sent in my first assignment in late February. I need to e-mail him and ask him what I should do now. I'm not going to have a website ready by the time the class is supposed to end on March 22nd, nor will I be able to do major advertising. The class did give me a business idea...but I really should have taken writing courses first, not courses in starting an online business. I was hoping to learn how to draw up a business plan, but there's nothing about that in this class.
And I need to figure out how to meet other area writers. I want a mentor, someone who can help me get started, but that's always been another sticking point. I'm not sure how you go about meeting area writers. The one and only writer's group for South Jersey listed online isn't accepting new members. There are no professional writers in my family or among my few friends. Mom suggested asking the libraries if they can direct me to any writers who have guested there. That's not a bad idea, especially at artsy-fartsy Collingswood.
It was 10:30 before I finally got to breakfast, and past noon when I finally hit the laundromat. The wait may have been worth it. There was one couple there and a few random people, but it wasn't really busy. Good thing, too. I had a lot of laundry, including two towels from my gym visits and the jeans with mud stains on them.
After I got in and put everything away, I went for a walk. I did end up at CVS, but they didn't have what I was looking for, so it was really more of a wandering the neighborhood walk. Oaklyn looks lovely at this time of year. New pale-green grass, lavender hyacinths, and brilliant yellow daffodils brighten gardens that are still shedding their winter grayness. A few families have St. Patrick's Day decorations or banners out; a few more have left up their winter decorations. Most are content to be between holidays.
I had a really quick lunch when I got in, then went to work. Work was exactly the same customer-wise as yesterday, steady and fast with few problems. The computer did slow down on us later, but I dodged it by volunteering to round up carts outside. That was a blast! It was a gorgeous night, breezy, warm (in the 60s), and a little cloudy. I got a better workout pushing carts to the patio than I do at the gym, even after one of the baggers was sent outside to help me.
Started off a sunny, breezy, (too) warm day with a call to Mom. I finally got her after missing her all yesterday. We talked for over an hour! Basically, she said that I need to make more of a plan before I drop the local copy editing idea. I get all of these big ideas...but I never do any of them because I'm not good at making strategy. It overwhelms me, and I end up getting scared and dropping the idea. That's been a big problem for over a decade now. I need to make a business plan and start separating the big plans into more manageable chunks.
I have no idea what to do for class, either. The teacher hasn't e-mailed me since I sent in my first assignment in late February. I need to e-mail him and ask him what I should do now. I'm not going to have a website ready by the time the class is supposed to end on March 22nd, nor will I be able to do major advertising. The class did give me a business idea...but I really should have taken writing courses first, not courses in starting an online business. I was hoping to learn how to draw up a business plan, but there's nothing about that in this class.
And I need to figure out how to meet other area writers. I want a mentor, someone who can help me get started, but that's always been another sticking point. I'm not sure how you go about meeting area writers. The one and only writer's group for South Jersey listed online isn't accepting new members. There are no professional writers in my family or among my few friends. Mom suggested asking the libraries if they can direct me to any writers who have guested there. That's not a bad idea, especially at artsy-fartsy Collingswood.
It was 10:30 before I finally got to breakfast, and past noon when I finally hit the laundromat. The wait may have been worth it. There was one couple there and a few random people, but it wasn't really busy. Good thing, too. I had a lot of laundry, including two towels from my gym visits and the jeans with mud stains on them.
After I got in and put everything away, I went for a walk. I did end up at CVS, but they didn't have what I was looking for, so it was really more of a wandering the neighborhood walk. Oaklyn looks lovely at this time of year. New pale-green grass, lavender hyacinths, and brilliant yellow daffodils brighten gardens that are still shedding their winter grayness. A few families have St. Patrick's Day decorations or banners out; a few more have left up their winter decorations. Most are content to be between holidays.
I had a really quick lunch when I got in, then went to work. Work was exactly the same customer-wise as yesterday, steady and fast with few problems. The computer did slow down on us later, but I dodged it by volunteering to round up carts outside. That was a blast! It was a gorgeous night, breezy, warm (in the 60s), and a little cloudy. I got a better workout pushing carts to the patio than I do at the gym, even after one of the baggers was sent outside to help me.
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