Lottery Mania

I awoke a little late today, but not too late for the gym...or so I thought. When I was locking my bike across from the gym, I realized I'd forgotten my wallet with the red membership card. Oops. I just ended up riding over to the Acme to do this week's grocery shopping and pick up my paycheck instead.

The Acme was a mess when I arrived. The checkout lines were long, and the line at the customer service desk was longer. I assumed it had to do with it being close to the beginning of the month. With the bank gone, there's no second desk to cash checks. I got my money and did my shopping. Grabbed shrimp and chicken cutlets on sale, along with one of my favorite cereals, Cinnamon Oatmeal Squares. Needed yogurt, grapefruit, and bananas. Strawberries and asparagus were $1.99 (per pound for the latter). Bought things to make a mousse pie.

When I finally got in, I put everything away, then made a Strawberry-Cream Mousse Pie. Sliced up the remaining ham from St. Patrick's Day and threw in chicken stock, whole wheat pasta, and various vegetable leftovers to make Ham and Pasta Soup. It made a nice, filling lunch while I watched Kung Fu Panda 2.

This time around, lovable Po (Jack Black) searches for "inner peace" while also seeking the truth behind his past. He has a flash of memory when he first encounters the revenge-obsessed Prince Shen (Gary Oldman) on a mission with the Furious Five. This time, he must save the kingdom from Shen's incredible machine that may just put an end to martial arts forever, while finding the key to his lost family.

I think I enjoyed this sequel even more than the first movie. For one thing, Shen is an incredible villain, far better than the original's cliched muscle warrior. He's subtle and dark and nasty (as you'd expect from a peacock voiced by one of Hollywood's foremost experts in dark characters). The character development is just as good...for everyone but the Furious Five, who have a little bit more to do but otherwise aren't much in the way of characters. The animation is great, too. The switches between "real life" (computer) and Po's fractured memories (hand-drawn animation) is very well done in both cases. And mini-Po is a real cutie either way!

Wish work was as much fun. It was busy and annoying for most of the evening. I hadn't realized what all the fuss was about earlier today until I heard someone mention that the jackpot for one of the New Jersey lotteries was 640 million dollars! No wonder everyone's going crazy! It was right on the lottery sign over the customer service desk. I never really pay attention to that. I have no interest in lotteries...or money, for that matter. I don't want a lot of money. I only need enough to live. Money just causes trouble.

I have mixed feelings on next week's schedule. On one hand, I have two days off again...but the first of those two days isn't until next Thursday! Not to mention, I work late on Tuesday again. I do work in the morning on Monday, which is an improvement, but I'd give anything for a consistent schedule.