My Big Fat Italian Store Opening

The day did not begin auspiciously. I was awaken by a phone call at 7AM. Yes, it was Donna from work. Could I come in at 8? They just sent a cashier to work in the bakery because one of the bakery people called out and there was only one person there. No, I wasn't going to go in at 8. I wasn't even really awake! I finally agreed to 9 to 2. I did it because I could use the extra hours and they needed the help, but it meant I couldn't get to the bank or the post office or do library volunteering. (The Haddon Township Library is only opened until 4 on Saturdays; by the time I got home, changed, and rode over there, I wouldn't really have the time to do much of anything.)

This is one of those times I really don't like my job. I hate the hours. I want nice, normal, consistent hours, not "whatever we feel like giving you." I know it could be worse; I could get midnight all the time. I know I should be thrilled I have a job at all in this bad economy. It just that it makes me feel like one of the teenagers, and I'm not one of the teenagers, no matter what I look like. I am 28 years old. Why can't I FEEL like I'm 28 years old?

Though work was busy, fast, and not really a problem customer-wise, I still went home feeling miserable. I feel chained to the damn Acme, and no matter what I do or how hard I try, I can't get away from it. Everybody wants experience...even the Acme. I don't get better hours because I've only worked for the company 6 years, and the older cashiers and store managers have all been there 15 or more. Newspapers don't want me. Book stores don't want me. Even men don't want me - I haven't had a date in more than four years.

I had a good, long cry before deciding I needed a walk. Maybe I could get SOME things done, and clear my head as well. I ignored the gloomy overcast sky and creeping chill and headed down to the White Horse Pike after discovering Doria's Deli around the corner closes early on Saturdays. I tried the ATM machine at the bank next, hoping they had a deposit button. Yes, they did, and it went quite smoothly. The receipt even tells you the amount in your account - you have to ask the teller to do that. Sweet.

My next stop was another collectibles store a few doors down from the bank. The House of Fun specializes in pop culture paraphernalia going back as far as the 50s. Every single available corner of the tiny store is overflowing with racks of mint-in-the-box action figures, buckets of out-of-the-box action figures, dolls in and out of boxes, video games for dated systems, coloring books, storybooks, magazines representing the most popular sci-fi/fantasy/horror icons, stuffed anime characters, bobble head dolls, and bits and pieces of retro costumes and toys. I saw in-the-box Super Friends action figures from my childhood that were very tempting. I also considered a collection of children's storybook versions of the original three Star Wars movies and a hardback version of the Return of the Jedi storybook. (Rose and I had the hardback Jedi as children; we read it until it literally fell apart sometime in the late 80s. I used the cover as a poster once it came off.) Unfortunately, the reason I haven't bought more from this store is it's really rather overpriced, especially since many of these items can be bought for pennies from eBay. I finally ended up with an 80s Nintendo game, their first "board" game, Anticipation. A forerunner of the splashier Mario Party series, this was a Pictionary-like group game that, as far as I can remember, involved "drawing" a picture and guessing what it is. We never owned it, but it was one of our most-rented games, and very popular when friends visited.

(The Star Wars books will wait until on or around my birthday on April 14th. ;) )

After the House of Fun, I took off down the White Horse Pike again, heading for the WaWa for some hot chocolate (I wasn't going to do 7-11 after the last time I went there; their machines almost never work) and deli turkey. I strolled past a white-washed store-front that, unlike most of the other stores in the building, was brightly lit and packed with people. What drew me in was something you don't see in every brightly-lit storefront - an accordion player.

I walked right into a party. The store turned out to be a newly-opened Italian deli/food shop. The accordion player sat in front of the window, churning out sprightly melodies I didn't recognize, but were certainly well-played. Closer inspection revealed it was a teenage boy, and a young one too, probably no more than 14. He was joined by people of every age, from toddlers tugging on their parents to elderly people toddling around on canes. The place was packed, and when I went further into the shop, I saw why. A large spread of Italian food was set out on a long table. There were small Italian hoagies with spicy salami, an antipasto tray (the cubed Parmesan cheese was delicious), small crunchy butter cookies, and anise-flavored cakes sprinkled with powdered sugar. People were dancing, shouting orders in Italian, and enjoying one another's company. Now I know why my Italian friends Linda and Matt speak with such fondness of their family get-togethers. That was the most fun I'd had in a while!

The shelves were filled with the basics of Italian cooking. I saw real Italian wine vinegars, olive oils, jarred roasted peppers, olives, capers, boxes of almond nugats, and bags of biscuits and wafers (all of them coffee or chocolate-flavored). The refrigerators held real home-made pastas and stuffed shells. Since I was planning on making Chicken Parmesan for dinner anyway, I bought a jar of roasted red peppers. I also picked up deli turkey for dinner at work this week.

I made another quick stop at Family Dollar for bathroom tissue and cheap cleaning supplies before crossing the Pike to the WaWa. I didn't get the turkey there, but I did get half a 12 oz chai latte. The one things the Italians hadn't supplied was warm drinks. All they had was soda, and I was pretty cold after my walk.

The rest of the day was quiet. I did pilates, watched Sailor Moon, and made my Chicken Parmesan. I also experimented with an Italian noodle/vegetable mix that came out quite well.