Better Shop Around

I did a lot of shopping I'd been putting off today, probably a lot more than I really should have. The first of today's errands was finally getting my tax return in the bank. Thank goodness! My account was tipping perilously towards "empty."

My next stop was the Haddon Township Library for this week's volunteering session. Did the Large Print section, which needed it, particularly the regular fiction. Made a very quick stop at Super Fresh for milk, then headed back to Oaklyn and stopped at Doria's Deli for eggs (which are cheaper there than at Super Fresh or Acme).

I stopped at home for lunch and to put away my milk, eggs, and the copy of Zorro, by Isobel Allende. The last-named is a new version of the Zorro legend that came out a few years ago, but I could never find it then.

It started out sunny, but clouds came out even before I left for Westmont. By the time I was eating my lunch, it was much darker and windier. It was also humid, damp, and smelled of wet weather; not good signs. I finally just grabbed my umbrella and just walked to the shopping center behind the Acme.

My first stop there was Staples for more Zip Discs. I then headed over to Wal-Mart, which was busy but yielded more interesting items this time. I finally got an outdoor doormat (one of those green plastic grass things with the cute daisies) and a new indoor doormat (my old one was folding up like a withered flower). I looked at bath mats, but they were all too big. I have a very small bathroom, and anything larger than a small would cover almost the entire floor. I also got cereal bars and much-needed new underwear.

I took a look at Avenue and Fashion Bug for new cullottes, but couldn't find anything I liked, so I ended up at FYE instead. I spent more than $100 on two new WebKinz (one was on sale for Easter), two WebKinz Trading Cards packs, five DVDs, and the FYE membership card (which gives you 10% off all purchases). Of the five DVDs, two replaced video copies. I'd held onto Casablanca since I was in junior high and my stepdad joined Columbia House because of the cool booklet, but then I saw the 2-disc DVD used for $15 and thought I'd take a look at that. I also found Recess: School's Out used as a replacement for the video copy I got from Blockbuster three years ago. The Black Swan was one of the movies I taped in college and recently got rid of, and since there was a buy 1 under $16, get the second under $16 half-off sale, I also picked up one of my favorite John Wayne movies, El Dorado. (My stepfather is a huge John Wayne fan, and I guess I picked up a lot of it from him.)

The latest in Disney's long line of Platinum 2-Disc DVD releases is 101 Dalmations, one of their cutest and most unusual movies. Best known today for the memorable villainess Cruella De Vil, Dalmations is a laid-back action/comedy about the London title characters, who seek their puppies after fur-crazy De Vil and a couple of rather stupid thieves steal them for dog-skin coats. Dalmations isn't my all-time favorite, but it's still a lot of fun and it's nice to have it, especially since the video and the last DVD release is long out-of-print.

(And I'm miffed Disney's putting out Sleeping Beauty again in October after all the trouble I went through last year to find the original DVD release! It'll be nice to have the long-gone Pinnochio next spring, though.)

I spent the rest of the afternoon after hiking home watching Dalmations and making a simple salmon dinner.

Oh, and meet my newest WebKinz, Sunshine the Duck and Duke the Lil'Kinz Pig! Duke was named for John Wayne's moniker. Sunnie was named for the little ray of sunshine that poked through the clouds after I finally left FYE. I only activated Duke today; one at a time. He's the "Pet Of The Month" and came with extra goodies. His Pet Of The Month loot was a Playful Picture, which went in his room. The gorgeous Antique Street Lamp exclusive was perfect for my Kinzville Farm Market; gave it that "historic downtown" feel. I also got a WebKinz Trading Card Refrigerator, a Wizard Hat, and a Space Book Shelf off the card packs.

(Oh, and it did finally rain tonight, and rather heavily, too. Hopefully, that'll get rid of the awful humidity. It's too early for that.)