Girls On The Town

I spent most of the morning running errands. I went to the post office to buy stamps (some really pretty flower ones) and send a homecoming present for Lauren and Mom's birthday gift. Made a quick stop to the bank after that, then went to the Haddon Township Library for this week's volunteering session (after skipping last week due to being busy). I did the children's DVDs, which needed it, especially since there were more coming in as I arrived. It was such a gorgeous spring day (50 degrees, sunny, and a bit windy), I went for a long ride in Cooper River Park afterwards.

On the way back from Karen and Jim's on Easter Day, I suggested to Jessa, Dad, and Jodie that Jessa and I go into Philadelphia together for a little shopping trip, since neither of us had any plans in the afternoon and it was supposed to be a nice day. I decided to follow up on that plan. It turned out to be a great idea. Apparently, Jess (who is 17 and a junior in a local Catholic high school) is looking into art schools in Philadelphia and wants to get to know the town better, and I've gotten to know at least parts of downtown pretty well, not to mention riding the PATCO train no longer fazes me at all. I was able to show her downtown and how to use the new ticket system for the train, and I had an amiable shopping companion.

Our first stop was one of my favorite little stores, Ralstoff's Used Books and Records on 10th and Spruce Street. I bought three Broadway original cast albums for My One and Only, Dreamgirls, and The Fantastics, and the American Girls book Kirsten Learns a Lesson. Jessa got a really cute Beatles poster (the picture with the four of them carrying the "All You Need Is Love" signs in many languages).

After getting a little bit turned around, we ended up at the Gallery Mall. We made a brief stop at Starbucks near the 10th Street entrance for drinks and nibbles. I had a hot chocolate and a low-fat Blueberry Coffee Cake slice. Jessa had an iced tea and half of a lemon pound cake slice.

The 10th street entrance ended up being right near the Gallery's massive FYE, so we went there after we finished our snack, then browsed around. Jessa was just about out of money by then and only bought an alternative music magazine from FYE. The Goonies, one of my favorite childhood movies, was on sale at FYE, so I picked that up. I also took advantage of a 20% off all children's DVDs sale and my member's card to get the More Silly Symphonies Walt Disney Treasures set for about $23.75, more than $10 off the original $32.99 price.

We headed briefly for Suncoast Video before checking a Hallmark for good after-Easter stuffed animals. Didn't find any, but I did get the new talking Wacky Zingoz stuffed toy for $9.95. He's too cute! He says 6 phrases and, instead of opening a virtual pet, opens a new game, Wacky Zingoz Extreme. Unlike the original Wacky Zingoz game, it allows you to use three different types of bats (normal, the Gravity Bat that makes Wacky go slower before you hit him, and the Hyper Bat that makes him go farther) and gives you two shots instead of one. It's adorable and even more addictive than the original game.

Jessa and I headed back to Dad's house after leaving Borders Express. We watched some Sailor Moon R (the beginning of the second season) while waiting for the Italian dinner Jodie ordered. Jessa had a hamburger. I had a Chicken Filet Club Sandwich (half of which I'll eat at work tomorrow). Dad and Jodie shared a pasta dish. Poor Dad is back to not feeling well; he thinks the long ride to Karen and Jim's on Easter did it. I ended borrowing Sailor Moon R from Jess to see the rest of it. (The second season is the only Sailor Moon season I've never seen in full besides the rare-in-North-America final season; I want to make sure it's worth buying.)