What Goes Around...

I think I finally got it. Whatever has been taking out a quarter of the Acme's employees has gotten to me. I feel lousy. I have headache, I have a stomachache, I feel warm (despite a much cooler, 80-degree day), I have a sore throat, I'm tired.

I had the headache and sore throat this morning, but I took ibruprophin and a throat drop this morning and felt well enough to go for a ride. I didn't want to sit around like I did yesterday. It was just too nice.

I rode down the White Horse Pike, past Oaklyn and Audubon, up to the corner of East Kings' Highway and the White Horse Pike. I explored the small stores and cafes I saw there when I was in the area on my birthday in April. The gift shop was pretty much a larger version of Wilie the Woodsman in Audubon, with almost the exact same selection of WebKinz at a few dollars more. (The clothes were cheaper than Willie's, but I really don't like to dress up my offline stuffed animals. It seems silly. I may eventually buy or make red shirts and trousers for my Monkee WebKinz, and some of the seasonal WebKinz may also get appropriate costumes.)

I also stopped at a little ice cream parlor/cafe called Coffee Garden on the other end of the block. I had a bottled green iced tea that was too sweet and a strawberry scone that tasted of strawberries that had been out for too long. Maybe I'll try the ice cream next time.

In the spirit of adventure (and in an attempt to fill some time, since I didn't work until 4 today), I crossed the busy East Kings' Highway/White Horse Pike intersection and continued down East Kings' Highway. I rode down the highway, dodging cars, phone repair trucks, and annoying little dogs. (What did I say about people not keeping their dogs on leashes, especially on a major road?) I found myself at Newton Lake Park in Mt. Ephram, a town about 15 minutes or so by bike from Oaklyn and less than 5 from the Audubon Acme and Audubon Crossings Shopping Center. It was partly cloudy, windy, and cooler than it has been, but the green trees and lapping lake were refreshing after the road.

I made my way to Mt. Ephram. I've never been there on my own before. It's one of the many little towns on the Black Horse Pike, the busier, northern cousin of the White Horse Pike. Unlike the White Horse Pike, most of the businesses on the Black Horse Pike probably date to between the 30s and the 70s, when America's love-affair with the car was at an all-time high. Rose had warned me that Mt. Ephram could be very rough and nasty, but I had no problems when I was there. It's probably worse after dark.

I found another store that was rumored to have WebKinz. Kerry's Party Store looked more-or-less like the Collingswood Variety Store or a Dollar Tree exploded. Nothing was organized, there were piles of everything on all of the shelves, and things were jammed everywhere. It looked like a mess, but I did manage to find a shower curtain (thought I'd try a nice yellow, magenta, and green floral print). I finally found the WebKinz on a shelf behind the counter. (Probably to keep that rough town from stealing the tags. I've heard about that happening in some places, although I've never seen a WebKinz in the store without a tag.) WebKinz large and small were only $10, but they didn't have anything I wanted.

I made a quick stop in CVS to see if they had any Sensodyne on sale; when they didn't, I headed down the Black Horse Pike to the Audubon Crossings Shopping Center, passing the Golden Corral on the way. The Golden Corral is a buffet restaraunt like Old Country Buffet, but much larger. I'll have to go there sometime after work, now that I know it's behind PepBoys.

I ended up in FYE to see if they had The Sword In the Stone: 45th Anniversary Edition in yet. Alas, their shipment hadn't arrived. The kid at the desk was just as disappointed as me; apparently, Sword In the Stone is one of his favorite Disney movies. I ended up with my second venture into 21st Century technology in two days instead, a small MP3 player, one that can be carried around on a clip or a key ring. I thought I'd rip CDs onto it for long trips like my bus rides to New England. It would save an amazing amount of room in my carry-on bag.

I rested when I got home. I still wasn't feeling that great, but since I was able to to for a ride, I decided to go to work. I'm probably lucky it wasn't busy tonight and there was plenty of help for the first time in ages. By the time I got home, I'd added an achy neck to everything else I felt.

Oh yes, and two announcements. First of all, Lauren and I finished the main story of this month's Monkees Role Play tonight and will do the tag tomorrow. Look for it within the next few days, depending on how my head feels.

Speaking of Lauren, congradulations to her other favorite team, the Boston Celtics, for defeating the Los Angeles Lakers and winning their first NBA Championship in 16 years and their 17th title overall. While we're at it, I'll also extend some congrats to the Philadelphia 76ers for making it to the playoffs despite a so-so year. :)