Swashbuckling Balance

Once again, it was hot and hazy when I awoke this morning, but not really humid. Even so, I had a hard time getting out of bed, and I was nearly late to yoga class. I'm glad I made it. We were working on twists again. I did what I could. My back and fingers remain sore, but at least I'm not stiff anymore.

For once, there was plenty to do at the Collingswood Library. I had lots of DVDs to file and shelve. The kids' and classic DVD titles needed to be organized badly, too. There was less to do upstairs; after dodging kids coming from the library's Storybook Hour, I was out by quarter of 12. Made a quick stop at WaWa for skim milk before heading home.

When I got in, I had leftovers for lunch, then put my sore fingers on ice while running the rest of the Jake and the Never Land Pirates set. Disney's Peter-Pan-themed follow-up to Little Einsteins is the tale of three Lost Kids - Jake, Izzy, and Cubby - who live on Pirate Island with their parrot mascot Skully and their beloved pirate boat Bucky. Captain Hook, Mr. Smee, and Hook's crew usually steal something that the kids have found or are playing with, and the kids have to chase them around Never Land to get it back. There's occasional variations, such as the kids participating in the Never Land Games (with Hook trying to show how he can do it all by himself), and Jake trying to return Hook's hat to him. If you were a Little Einsteins fan or your child loves Peter Pan or pirate stories, this is pretty cute for an interactive program.

Decided to stick to swashbuckling and switched to The Adventures of Robin Hood while baking Plum-Chocolate Chip Muffins. People who prefer their Robin Hood on the lighter side will definitely want to start with this Technicolor Errol Flynn classic, either on TCM or in its awesome two-disc DVD release. It has everything you could want in a Robin Hood story, without the darker edges that bogged down the recent Russell Crowe film.

I went for a short walk after the muffins came out of the oven. It was too nice of a day not to. I had just enough time to stroll down to the boat launch on the end of Goff Avenue and back. The water on the river was placid and still. The barest breeze left tiny ripples on the olive-green surface. I saw dragonflies buzzing and fish leaping out of the water for a snack. The laughter of children tumbled out of backyard pools; lawn mowers did their jobs.

I wish work had been so peaceful. It was a real pain. This was the final day to pick up tickets for the Giveaway Game. (The tickets and coupons can be reimbursed until early September.) A student at Temple in Philly already won the million, but other prizes are still available. People were just obnoxious, too. At least two women gave us grief about a sale that doesn't start until tomorrow but was accidentally listed as starting tonight. A man in the register in front of me threw a fit because he thought his 12 packs of soda were a dollar each. The big sign above the display hadn't been fixed properly, but a bright yellow sign did show the correct price of 3 for $11. I was happy when the crowds finally died around 8PM and I was able to get home before anyone else fussed.