The Two of Us

We both slept in today. I got up around 9 and puttered around online. Lauren wasn't out of bed until almost 11:30! I made us smoothies for breakfast. I had Strawberry-Banana-Peanut Butter. (My bananas were ripe to the point of falling apart.) Lauren had the last of the blackberries and strawberries. They were both quite good.

We walked over to the Audubon Crossings Shopping Center next. I picked up my paycheck, and we hit the FYE and Game Stop. I found the 80s romantic fantasy/comedy Mannequin, a childhood favorite of mine, and the second season of Night Court at FYE. Lauren asked about a game she wanted at Game Stop. We also made a quick run across the parking lot to America's Best so I could order new contacts.

One of the first things Lauren said she wanted to do when we discussed her visiting me this year was visit Sonic. Apparently, she and her parents visited one in Texas several years ago that she loved. Sonic is a fast-food franchise with a twist - there's no indoor seating. Waitresses roller-blade to your cars or the outdoor patio. I've been wanting to try them for ages, but either it was too late, the place was too crowded, or the weather was bad.

It was worth the wait. Lauren and I had Chicken Ranch Wraps with Diet Cherry Limeades. The Wrap came in a real flour tortilla and was made with real grilled chicken. The limeade was yummy, all bubbly and cherry-sweet, even without the actual sugar. The waitress was nice, too. She had a few problems stopping, but in her words, she was "trying out new wheels" (i.e, a brand-new pair of roller blades with hot-pink laces).

Next was a quick stop back at the Acme for grocery shopping. I needed a few things, but not quite as much as last week. Mostly, it was restocking the stuff I ate this week - tomato sauce (which I used on the beef ribs we had for dinner Wednesday night), those sweetened Blue Almond Diamonds that are on clearance (I treated Lauren to a canister for the ride home tomorrow), dried fruit, not-as-ripe bananas, and things to make a pudding pie. (I figured they'd be easier to carry home than ice cream.)

We ran into a very unpleasant visitor on my porch when we arrived back at the apartment. That guy I spent a day with last month has called me four times since then, including Wednesday. I've told him each time that no, I'm not interested in going anywhere near him again, please stop calling. This time, I screamed at him to get lost, or I'll call the cops. I don't care about his sob stories. I'm not going to be a toy or a piggy bank for him. He tried to sweet-talk Lauren, but she just said to leave, too.

I'm still a little shaken. I don't know why that guy can't get the message. What part of "no, I'm not interested, go away or there will be legal recourse" doesn't he understand? If a guy said no to me, I'd shrug and say "oh well, that's the end of it." One day - a day I now consider to be one of the biggest mistakes of my life - and he thinks we can be buddies? I've been used too often in my life. I'm sick of it. It stops now. I'm worried that he might show up again or try something nastier, but I just don't feel what he thinks he feels.

We didn't really talk much about it when we finally got inside. Lauren got the full brunt of my ranting and tears the day it happened and several days after. I made the pudding pie, and we decided to head out again and see what stores in Audubon were open.

Though we missed Willie the Woodsman and Wife and Act Two Collectibles, we did make it to Abbie Road and Desserts By Design. Bob at Abbie Road was great with Lauren. They chatted about the Boston Celtics losing last night and the Flyers' prospects tonight and visiting the Grand Old Opry years ago (Lauren actually went to Opryland before it shut down). I ended up with a set of Harry Connick Jr's two Broadway shows, the 2007 limited-run hit revival of The Pajama Game (another one of the few Broadway favorites I didn't own in any form) and the 2002 flop Thout Shall Not and the Beatles' last record, Let It Be. Lauren got two Herman's Hermits CDs. (She's a big fan of Peter Noone.)

Lauren insisted on trying an Almond-Coconut-Marzipan Cookie. I'm glad she did. It was very sweet, soft, and tasty. We split it in half, since it was so rich. (She got the bigger half.)

It was sweltering hot and humid when we were at the Audubon Crossings Shopping Center. By the time we were heading home at quarter after 5, clouds had covered the sun and a nice breeze was blowing in. Even so, when we got home, we cranked up the AC and watched Mannequin and more Bowery Boys.

Lauren's going home tomorrow and I'm going to meet another online friend, Jen Payne, in Philly...but before that, we're going to the Collingswood Farm Market together.

(Oh, and congratulations to the Flyers and the Phillies, both of whom won tonight. The Flyers are now 2-2 in the Stanley Cup Finals with the Blackhawks; the Phillies finally ended a rather nasty losing skid.)