The Day Is Just Packed

Woke up late and had a quick cereal-and-grapefruit breakfast before heading out for this week's library volunteering. I'd planned on spending a lot of time there today to make up for skimping last week and skipping the week before. The children's DVDs were looking pretty good, so I shelved children's books and DVDs for adults and kids.

I did a little exploring on my own later. It always takes me forever to decide on books! I've read a lot of mysteries lately, so I kept it down to one of the newest Amanda Pepper stories, A Hole In Juan, by Gillian Roberts. Amanda Pepper is a teacher at a fictional school in Philadelphia who often sniffs out clues among Delware Valley's high-society. I also found a trio of X-Men novels (not of the graphic variety - I prefer to imagine the characters myself when I read) and a really cool-looking novel about what might have happened if two real-life pulp fiction novelists examined the mysterious death of a third, The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril, by Paul Malmont. I also took out a Calvin and Hobbes comic book, The Days are Just Packed, and a cookbook on making light desserts with real butter and sugar.

It was still cloudy and cool when I left for the library around 11, but by the time I finally got out at around quarter after 2, it was mostly sunny and into the lower 60s, a perfect spring day if there ever was one. I ran to Dollar Tree for cleaner, sponges, and soap, then stopped at the Westmont Bagel Cafe next to Friendly's for a very late lunch. I had "nova" (which looked like uncooked salmon) very thin on a toasted salt bagel with lettuce, tomato, onion, and a Diet Pepsi. I took the long way home across Newton River Park, since the weather had gotten so nice, passing many kids on the way home from the five or six schools in the area.

Spent the rest of the afternoon at home, baking cookies, making dinner, and finishing up the Tiny Toons set. It's worth buying just for two classic pieces of Toons lunacy, Tiny Toons Music Television and The Return of the Acme Acres Zone. The spoofs of early 90s Madonna and "Downtown" Julie Brown on the former are dated, but it includes the inspired videos for a pair of hits by real-life rock group They Might Be Giants, "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" and "Particle Man."

Acme Acres Zone may be the single weirdest episode the Tiny Toons ever did. How many kids' shows include takes on Blade Runner, old haunted house movies, and end-of-the-universe sci-fi? (The last named is the only episode of the entire series to reference "Duck Dodgers" and feature Marvin the Martian and his protege Marsha.)

I also watched three more Good Eats episodes, all on maligned veggies - broccoli, celery, and Brussels sprouts. I've never tried the last named, not because it's bad, but because it ain't cheap, either. The other two are long-time favorites of mine. I eat a lot of celery in particular, especially in the winter, when it's often one of the few affordable fresh vegetables one can find in the supermarket. Alton's braised celery dish came out quite nicely and made for a great dinner with a turkey burger and Roasted Apples and Honey.