Plumbers, Princesses, Sailors, and Sonics

It was still partly cloudy when I went out to work this morning. Work was pretty quiet for most of the day. We were on and off busy, but it was never overwhelming. We did have some problems with people coming in to buy at least 40 or 50 boxes of cereal per cart early in the day. These are the people who buy national brands that are on deep discounts and sell them to chop-shops in Camden, who in turn sell them at twice the original amount. They weren't happy, but the managers finally limited them to 2 offers of the sales each. Otherwise, there was no real trouble, and my relief was on time.

When I got home, I was originally going to clean the bathroom, but I was too tired. I played video games instead. I got a little further on Super Paper Mario. I at least got to the mansion in Chapter 2-2. Now I just have to figure out how to get through the mansion on the very little health points I have left.

Switched to Sonic and the Secret of the Rings when I got fed up with Paper Mario. In the first of two (to date) Sonic storybook-themed games, Sonic travels to the world of the Arabian Knights with a female genie to stop the stories from disappearing. Sonic plays a little differently than Mario. You have to tilt the controller left or right in order to make Sonic run and get rings. I'm having a hard time with the last practice round, which involves jumping and hitting enemies by pushing the controller forward. Either I'm not doing it fast enough, or my timing is off. I just need more practice.

After I finished with the games, I made a lovely Strawberry Chicken Salad for dinner. Layered organic red romaine lettuce with radishes, cucumbers, strawberries, sliced leftover breaded chicken, a little muenster cheese, and home-made strawberry balsamic vinaigrette. Yum. It was even better than the one the other night.

Watched more public domain Popeye color shorts as I ate. I wish Paramount didn't have this weird idea that Popeye was Donald Duck. I wasn't crazy about his solo shorts dealing with an irate mouse who doesn't like his snoring in "Shuteye Popeye" or an obnoxious gopher in his garden in "Gopher Spinach." "Insect to Injury" is a bit better. Popeye's now handling termites eating his brand-new home. Spinach helps him get the best of them.

Popeye had more luck trying to win Olive Oyl. Olive's turned on by a debonair Bluto imitating a dashing TV personality in "Parlez Vous Woo"; Popeye proves that he can do the gentleman thing, too. Popeye and Bluto work together for once in "A Haul In One," but it's every sailor for himself when they realize they're moving Olive's furniture. (At least her things all ended up in the truck, unlike the original version of this short, "Let's Get Movin'.") They're "Cookin' With Gags" when Bluto spends Olive's April Fool's Day picnic playing pranks on Popeye. Popeye finally reminds Bluto that pranks are all fun and games until they're turned on you. Popeye tells his nephews the story of Hercules to get them to eat their spinach in "Greek Mirthology," but like a lot of real kids, it takes a lot more than mythology spoofs to convince them to eat their greens.

I spent a half-hour or so after dinner outside on the porch, reading A Song In the Dark. It was as perfect a night as it gets here in late June. The sun was fully out by this point, the sky was blue, and the early evening sun beamed gently down through the trees. For once, I didn't even get attacked by bugs, as I usually do in the summer on the porch. It was delightfully pleasant.

Oh, and I had an idea for something to do later this summer. I haven't taken a long train trip on my own for a while. I've considered taking the train to New York for years, but I came to the conclusion at work today that I really don't want to "do" the city. It's too noisy, expensive, and complicated. I'd rather go somewhere prettier and quieter. I have two cities right next door to me. The Amtrak trains do go out into the Philly suburbs and Eastern Pennsylvania countryside, as well as down south through Delaware and Maryland, and through southern New England. All are considerations. I'll do more research in the next couple of weeks.