Building a Better Birthday

Started the morning off with the last of my "birthday"-themed cartoons that I didn't get to Sunday. Sailor Moon has a two-part birthday episode early in the third season. Serena isn't having the greatest birthday ever. It seems like her friends and her boyfriend Darien forgot her big day, and her new friends Amara and Michelle only make her feel a little better. Things look up when it turns out the other girls were holding a surprise party. Darien has a surprise for her, too...but Serena's happy birthday turns into a nightmare when the "surprise" is possessed by a monster who wants Serena's pure heart!

It was an absolutely glorious spring morning when I headed out around 10:30. The sun was out at that point; there were clouds and wind, but neither were heavy enough to bring rain. It was warmer than the weekend, but not as warm as a few weeks ago, probably in the upper 60s-lower 70s. The perfect weather was reflected in a busy Newton River Park. I dodged joggers, dog walkers, people out for a stroll, and other bikers as I admired the bright green grass, soft pastel trees, and river banks lined with brilliant yellow flowers.

The Haddon Township Library was holding its Storybook Hour when I got in. I mainly organized the kids' DVDs and helped them and their parents find movies. Otherwise, there wasn't a whole lot to do. I shelved a small pile of adult titles and four kids' books. It was too nice of a day for anyone to be hanging around in a library. I didn't take out anything this week. This was my only day off this week, and I just bought five DVDs from the Audubon Town-Wide Yard Sale, plus another with the Amazon gift card Mom gave me. I have plenty to watch and read at home.

Went straight to Haddonfield after leaving the library. I first made a quick stop at the PNC Bank on Haddon Avenue. I needed to put my birthday money from Dad and Jodie in the bank. I deposited $50 in savings towards that laptop, $40 in my checking, and kept $10 to treat myself to a decent birthday lunch.

I ended up right at the Bistro at Haddonfield, a basic American gourmet cuisine restaurant that's pretty tasty. Perfect. I hit the tail-end of the lunch hour, but it wasn't too bad. I sat outside and amused myself by listening to a pair of mothers and their adorable toddler and infant offspring, then after they left, a mother and her three slightly older children. My Pear Spinach Salad was delicious. It was roasted chicken, crumbled blue cheese, hunks of smoked bacon, caramelized walnuts, and slices of cucumber and pear on a bed of spinach. It was pretty big...but so tasty, I ate almost the whole thing. I don't normally like walnuts, but the sugary coating kept them from tasting as waxy as they usually do to me.

Stopped at The Happy Hippo Toy Store before I went to counseling. It took me a while, but I did find two books for my nephew for his birthday. He's a little young for them, but his mother can read them to him. (Alas, I didn't see any WebKinz. They only had a springbok and a few yetis.)

Counseling was next. The Happy Hippo is just a block from Mrs. Stahl's office. I told her about Easter, the possibility of Rose moving to Oaklyn, and how frustrating work was last week and for me in general. I also mentioned that I'd like to pursue three hobbies right now, all of which I already do to a degree - doll and stuffed animal collecting, casual (not race) biking, and crocheting. There's a bike share program in Collingswood I could talk to, not to mention the yarn store there I've already visited. The folks at AGPlaythings may have better ideas of where to find doll and stuffed animal collectors, and I can look them up online.

The problem is my inability to be positive. I can't help it. Old habits are very hard to break. I want so much to lose weight and get out of the Acme, but nothing seems to be happening on either front...and in fact, things are getting worse. I've been eating baked junk all winter long, whether my own or from the Acme. I put myself down so much at work. My co-workers tease me about getting upset over being called in or being given orders. I don't think they mean to be cruel, but they don't understand how much I was tormented as a child. Mrs. Stahl doesn't think I belong in a corporate environment of any kind, and I wholeheartedly agree.

If I can't work for a corporation, where can I go? I want to work for a smaller office or company, but most of them are still stymied by the economy and aren't hiring. The big thing I'm considering is getting out of New Jersey all together. I love my family and appreciate their support, but New Jersey has a high unemployment rate, one of the highest in the country, and I really don't feel like I belong here. Obviously, it's just an idea now, and one that I need to do a great deal of research on before I make any major decisions.

Mrs. Stahl says I pretty much need to work on being positive, especially at the Acme, and on being more assertive without being nasty. I'm too scared to be assertive. I was taught throughout most of my school years that if you ignore bullies, they'll leave you alone. We now know that life doesn't work that way...and that ignoring bullies can not only make them worse, but lead to damaging problems. Mrs. Stahl says I need to work on re-writing my story, and not continuing to write the bad chapter or let others write it for me.

Mrs. Stahl wanted to get coffee at Starbucks anyway, so she walked a block with me after our session was finished to the main shopping district at King's Highway. I waved good-bye to her at the Starbucks on the corner and kept going a few stores down to Cold Stone Creamery. Until I moved here, I had vaguely heard of but never seen this chain ice cream parlor, which is notorious for it's infamously fattening confections. While it's two Frozen Yogurt flavors, Chocolate Brownie and Banana Bread Batter, did sound good, I finally decided I couldn't resist an ice cream flavor called Oreo Creme Filling. I got the smallest cup they had, and it was very tasty, far richer and smoother than your usual cookies and cream. It was also more expensive; at $2.88 for a kid's cup with the ice cream and chocolate shavings (and with cheaper competition closer to home), this will be a rare treat on a special occasion or in the summer when I'm in the Haddonfield area.

I needed to make a few stops on the way home. I went to Walgreens first. I'm almost out of brush picks and of mouthwash, and they were having a good sale on hair bands (including some nifty metallic ones that were on clearance). Grabbed Crest ProHealth toothpaste on sale (mine is getting close to low). Turns out the mouthwash I grabbed was in the wrong place. I had to go back and get the right one, which held up a line. And, of course, I forgot what I'd gone in there for, which was milk. Had to stop at WaWa when I got into Oaklyn.

Went right into the bathtub as soon as I made it back to the apartment. My bath felt great after that long, windy ride. It had gotten a little cloudier by that point, and the wind had picked up...but not enough to chill the air. I had a warm, not hot, soak, and while it felt great, I realized towards the end that I was nodding off. I got out a little earlier than planned.

Ran One Crazy Summer as I made a simple dinner of steamed asparagus and salmon with lemon-wine sauce. Despite his nickname, Hoops McCann (John Cusack) isn't really interested in basketball and, in fact, is terrible at it. What he wants is to get into art school, but he needs to illustrate a love story to win a scholarship. Trouble is, he's a bit of a nerd and knows nothing about love. His best buddy George (Joel Murray) invites him to Nantucket for the summer. Hoops figures he has nothing to lose and joins George, his very protective kid sister, and her none-too-attractive dog for the ride.

Events very quickly go off the deep end when they rescue Cassandra, a rock singer and writer (Demi Moore) from bikers who want money from her. And they don't get any less loony from there. One of their friends, Ack (Curtis Armstrong), is thrown out when he tells his military-happy father that he isn't cut out for life in the Armed Services. The other two (Tom Villard and Bobcat Goldthwait) are nuts in general. Not to mention the richest man on the island (Mark Metcalf) and his jerk jock son (Matt Mulhern) wants to tear down Cassandra's grandfather's home. Hoops and his buddies are determined to help her keep her summer home, and learn a bit about life, love, friendship, and bad Godzilla suits in the process.

I've always loved this one. Like Weekend at Bernie's and The Goonies, it's one of those random wacky comedies that were shown constantly on cable during my childhood. As with many of those films, most people either get with the nutty vibe, or don't get it at all. I think it's hilarious, especially the wild first half with Hoops's rhino cartoons blowing up bunnies and Goldthwait stuck in a Godzilla suit for one classic chase scene. The second half, which has the group join the Nantucket Regatta to earn the house back, looks more like a teen version of the boat race in Summer Rental and feels a bit less imaginative.

A must for fans of Moore, Cusack, nutty "misfits fight the corrupt rich jerks" 80s comedies, or for people who grew up with it on cable as I did. Pretty much your mileage may vary with everyone else.