Rain On, Rain Off

After all the walking we did yesterday, we both opted to sleep in today. It was cloudy and cool this morning,  but even as we were heading for the Audubon Crossings Shopping Center, the sun was coming out, and it was getting hotter. I brought the cart this time; we planned on hitting the Acme for groceries and for me to take money out of my account.

Our first stop was Marburn Curtains. I've been wanting to get a better rug for the rectangle of linoleum between the entertainment area and the bedroom. The beige bath mat that's down there now came with the apartment. It's shot. The plush is matted, and the rubber on the underside is flaking off. Lauren and I found a runner. It's only a slightly darker shade than the old rug, and it's a real rug, not a bath mat that just happens to fit the space.

The first trouble started when I tried paying. I'd forgotten my wallet. I felt so embarrassed. Lauren ended up paying the 10 dollars for it. Lauren finally said she'd go back to my apartment for my wallet and would meet me down at Avenue. I browsed in Avenue for about a half-hour before I got a call from Lauren...who did not have the key to my apartment. I finally just joined her half-way, and we both went back to my place.

I was upset, but I calmed down on the way. We put the rug down (it's a little long, but certainly looks better than the old one) and cooled off a little. Turns out I'd left my wallet on the living room table, along with my coupons. We grabbed them, ditched our jackets (it was sunny and getting hot by that point), and went back out.

This time, we went straight to Sonic to have a much-needed lunch. Lauren had a Philly Cheesesteak, a Coke, and Tater Tots. I had a Coconut Cream Pie Milkshake, onion rings, and a Grilled Chicken Club sandwich. It was a gorgeous day for what amounted to a fast-food picnic, too. At that point, it was still sunny and breezy. We weren't the only ones eating there, either. A family finished and left half-way through our meal, and there were quite a few cars in the parking lot and even more going through the drive-in.

Our next stop was Staples. I've been wanting to replace my laptop for months. I finally have plenty of money in the bank for it. My laptop is 8 years old, and in fact used to belong to Lauren. She gave it to me when the computer I had before that started to die. We looked at a couple of different models, but Staples didn't seem to have any of the ones I liked in stock. Lauren and I suggested at least three laptops under 400 dollars, and none of them were in stock.

I finally chose an HP that was about 570, expensive but not beyond all the abilities it came with. For the second time that day, I couldn't pay. My debit card wouldn't go through, despite the fact that I knew I had money. We finally bought the mouse we'd chosen (which I also needed badly) and hurried out. Lauren actually said she'd pay, but I told her "no" this time. I felt bad enough as it was.

We were both angry when we came outside. We leaned back, and I called PNC to figure out what was going on. Thankfully they were really nice once I finally got a hold of them. Turns out I did have plenty of money in my account. They put my account on hold because I'd never made such a big purchase at once before. They were more than happy to take the hold off.

Lauren and I finally came to the conclusion that we could find a laptop for a much better price and in stock online directly from the manufacturers. We went back across the street instead to buy some other things I needed. I got a cute floral sundress and a new bathing suit, a simple black-and-white one piece. Avenue was having a half-price sale on bathing suits. I got the suit for about 40 and the dress for 20.

Our next stop was Acme. I needed money, and we wanted food for the rest of the week. Lauren wanted to restock her soda, too. I told her I'd do all the buying here; she bought lunch and had pulled me out of a jam twice. Besides, I needed money for the rest of the trip.

The clouds were building up again, even as we had lunch. By the time we were in Avenue, it was showering again. The rain was gone when we walked  home, but it returned shortly after we got in. We spent the rest of the afternoon playing Uno. I made chicken burgers, Cold Golden Beet Yogurt Soup, shrimp from the Acme, and salad for dinner, and we watched Tiny Toons Adventures episodes and listened to my Disney kids' albums.

I really hope our trip around Oaklyn for the Town-Wide Yard Sale goes better tomorrow.