I began a cloudy, somewhat cooler morning with this week's American Top 40 re-run. Casey hopped ahead two years to 1982. As my sister and I were dealing with a new dad, the rest of the US turned to pop, hard rock, and R&B to distract them from the year's recession and grim world news. Hits that mid-July included "Don't You Want Me?" by The Human League, "Hurts So Good" by John Cougar (Melloncamp), "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" by Chicago, "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell, "Abracadabra" by the Steve Miller Band, and "Only the Lonely" by the Motels. The top song that week came directly from one of the summer's most popular films - "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor, from Rocky III.
I took a little more time than usual to get to the farm market. Ran a couple of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoons from the original 80s show as I finished my eggs, toast, and blueberries with sweetened cream. The Turtles go after "The Ninja Sword From Nowhere," which allows its owner to travel through dimensions, in order to keep Shredder from handing it over to Krang. For once, it's Krang's idea that causes the trouble in "20,000 Leaks Under the City." He wants to pump water into the sewers to flood out the Turtles. While he does succeed in doing that, he also manages to flood all of New York...and the Technidrome, too.
Much to my surprise, I saw a yard sale and a sign for another on my way to the Farm Market. I hadn't expected anything today, given the weather we were supposed to have. The one at Newton Avenue had a few hutches for sale, but the larger one didn't have enough shelves, and the smaller one was a too-small corner model with a triangle-shaped drawer that my silverware holder wouldn't fit into.
The Farm Market was busy, though not quite as bad as usual. The cherries and raspberries are gone, replaced by eggplants, melons, beans, plums, summer squash, small red and gold potatoes, and the first tart yellow apples of the season. I made my way through the crowds long enough to buy two small cucumbers, a tomato, peaches, blueberries, the yellow apples, a green pepper, brown mushrooms, and a small lavender-striped eggplant. I rode down to CVS to pick up brush picks, Palmolive dish liquid on sale, and a bottle of water.
Stopped by another sale on my way home. This one was a moving sale that was actually being held in someone's house down the street from me, on the other side of Manor Avenue near the Oaklyn Manor Bar. They had a lot of books, but nothing that I absolutely needed. I moved on.
Headed home for a few more cartoons and a Peanut Butter and Orange Marmalade Sandwich and a farm-market fresh apple for lunch. I messed around online briefly, then headed to Dad's for swim. The woman who rents the apartment attached to Dad's house was in the pool when I arrived; she got out shortly after I got in. No wonder. The water was so amazingly warm, I felt cooler outside of it! The thermometer said it was just above 90 degrees. That's crazy. I swam for about a half-hour, then read You Call It Madness for another half-hour, sunning on the deck.
Chatted with Dad after I got too hot to be on the deck. Dad told me that he and Jodie got temporary jobs as hosts for a local winery. They both love collecting wines! It's not a great job, but it's something to do. I wish I could at least do something I enjoy...but as Dad reminds me, I'm doing something that earns me health insurance and money. Can't I find a job that I enjoy and earns money and makes me health insurance?
I wasn't in a good mood when I left Dad's. I'm bored, and I'm frustrated. I'm tired of the Acme and tired of not knowing what to do with myself. It had gotten sunny while I was at Dad's, but by the time I was home again, the clouds and wind were once again out. I decided I was tired of being at home. I got back on the bike and went for a ride.
I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm just feeling ennui, I guess. I'm so sick of the Acme job. I wish I knew what I wanted to do. I like to write and read, cook, watch movies, go for bike rides and walks. Isn't there anything I can do with that? I really don't know. I don't know what I love passionately enough to do for a living. I have interests, but no true passions. I don't know what I can do with my talents, or what's available for me. Everyone keeps telling me not to change, not to leave, not to do anything...but if I don't do something, I'm going to go crazy. I just don't know what.
I rode all around Oaklyn, stopping briefly at Duncan Donuts for a Vanilla Bean Coolatta. I was hoping to see other single 30-somethings like me riding around, or find a place where they go after work to hang out. I gave up and rode to Haddon Avenue, riding past Sorrento's Pizza, all the way down to the busy Black Horse Pike, then back to Kendall Boulevard.
When I got home, I cheered myself up with Chicken Parmesan with mushrooms and leftover broccoli for dinner while watching Let Freedom Ring. Nelson Eddy's only vehicle to himself with no female partner at MGM was a rousing Western variation on The Scarlet Pimpernel. Lawyer Steve Logan (Eddy) returns home to find an unscrupulous railroad tycoon (Edward Arnold) threatening his father (Lionel Barrymore) into giving up their land. He pretends to go along with Arnold, but secretly becomes "The Wasp" and prints newspapers that speak out against the railroad. When matters come to a head at the local Election Day party, Steve finally has to take a real stand...before Arnold's head worker (Victor MacLaglen) stops his presses for good.
A chance to ogle Eddy out of his usual uniforms was only half the reason I bought this one. I loved the Superman-esque story of a guy who's been out of the loop who goes underground to do what he thinks is right. It does get very preachy about the rights of Americans to do what they wish at times, and Nelson's songs feel shoehorned into what is otherwise a fairly tight story. Look around for it at the Warner Archives if you love Zorro/Pimpernel tales, Eddy, or unusual westerns.
Oh, and the rain everyone's waited for all day did finally show up...around 8PM, by which time I'd just gotten out of the shower and was long online.
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