Balance and the Spring Chicken

Today was Yogawood day. The class was one of the smallest I've ever attended, only six people counting the teacher Micki. I'm assuming it's for the same reason the Acme's been dead - a lot of people must still be on Easter vacation this week. We did a lot of work with doing splits and leg stretches. I definitely can't do splits. I just can't stretch my legs out all the way. I'm getting better on the Warrior poses and variations - at least, I don't bobble quite as much as I used to.

Headed to the thrift shop to browse after class let out. For the first time in ages, I found something really cool. Someone had donated a whole basket of Barbies from the 80s and 90s. One wore a two-piece gown with a red velvet bodice and a long white skirt and puffed sleeves trimmed with red velvet hearts...and I KNOW my sisters and I had that Barbie when we were little. That heart outfit was one of our favorites. There were several five-dollar Ziploc bags of vintage Barbie clothes as well. I bought the one with the most glamorous outfits...and the only one I recognized.

Went across the street to the Collingswood Variety Store next. Their large selection of WebKinz was still on sale, so I bought myself a chicken and took him to the counter, explaining to the owner that he was a birthday present to myself. She had a very sweet surprise for me as I was getting ready to leave. She was nice enough to give me a free Mylar birthday balloon! (The Variety Store is really mostly a party store, though they also sell dollar-store toys and snacks and the WebKinz items.)

Stopped briefly at the Collingswood Library next. No good records, but I did pick up a lovely picture book, Paddington's Garden, for me, and another item for a friend.

It was such an absolutely stunning day that I took the long way home across Newton River Park. It was the nicest day we'd had in ages, 60, sunny, and breezy. I had a great ride home and to and from work.

When I got in, I dressed my Sailor Moon dolls in the Barbie outfits. Most of them were in remarkably good condition for fashion doll clothes that had to be anywhere from 15 to 30 years old. Two huge coats, a blue cotton weave with a shawl collar and a brown fur coat, looked like they may have dated to the 70s. (I don't remember Barbie coats being that big when I was a kid, and they all had snaps instead of Velcro.) The others appeared to come from the 80s and early 90s. It was mostly skirts and dresses, but there was a pink tank top with silver dots, a mermaid outfit I remember Anny having as a kid, a black sequined bolero jacket, a couple of tutus, one of the ruffled wrap dresses from the Sweet Roses Barbie and PJ Rose and I had in the early 80s, and several figure skating costumes for the 50th Anniversary Ice Capades Barbie (including two tiny hats). The fur coat and some of the huge net ruffles on the larger skirts and gowns were stiff and the elastic on the tutus and two of the skirts were stretched beyond use, but most of it was still good. It even came with a drawstring purse that'll be great to keep the outfits and the Soldiers' uniforms in.

I spent the rest of the afternoon dusting the apartment. I didn't even get it all done. I'll have to finish my bedroom tomorrow. Work wasn't any more interesting. It was almost exactly the same as yesterday - steady during rush hour, otherwise dead for most of the night.

And my schedule next week is lousy. I have more hours...but they're all at once, including three 7 and 8 1/2 hour days, one of them at 6AM. Everyone's trying to take their vacation time before the cycle starts over May 1st. I hate it when they do this. All of a sudden, they need me so badly to work day hours...then when everyone comes back, they won't need me anymore. I wish someone needed me to do important things all the time.

Oh yes, and meet Alton, my chicken. Yes, named for Alton Brown (Lauren named her chicken Alton, so...why not?), he'll have his own high-end condo kitchen and bakery area, complete with a big table for his Egg Chair and lots of work space.