Started the morning with breakfast and Xanadu. This 1980 musical has "cult" written all over it. A muse named Kira (Olivia Newton-John) comes to Los Angeles to inspire an artist (Michael Beck) find his big break. What he finds is a partner (Gene Kelly), an older man who now owns a construction company, but wants to return to his roots as a musician. He keeps pursuing Kira, but she's a supernatural being, and she can't fall for him...or can she? I like this strange, campy little film, which has an odd style all its own. If you like camp and/or musicals as much as me, you may be willing to give this one a chance.
I finally headed out around 11:30. For once, there was quite a bit to do at the Oaklyn Library. In addition to organizing the DVD's, there was a huge pile of children's books to shelve. The board books were an absolute mess, and the beginning readers were only a little better. It took me nearly an hour to get it all done. It's probably just as well that the place was dead. I barely even saw the librarian.
Made my way down the White Horse Pike to Cuthbert, and then to Crystal Lake Road. I finally ended up at Westmont for lunch at the Westmont Family Diner, the little restaurant in the shopping center across from the Westmont PATCO. The diner had grown quite a bit since I last ate there in November. Their original small lobby was now a back door. The front door had been moved to an expanded entrance area and mini-bakery, which had taken over the storefront next to them.
I enjoyed a simple, yummy "Combo Lunch" - half a chicken salad on whole wheat toast, a scoop of tangy potato salad, a tiny cup of cole slaw, a simple house salad that had probably been taken out of a bag, deliciously sweet lemonade, and a small dish of vanilla ice cream. It was 1:30 by the time I ate, and the place was crowded. A trio of men, an older man and his son and nephew from their talk, sat across from me. They were rather annoying, with all their sports talk and their teasing the waitress, though she took it pretty well.
Next stop was counseling. I just made it in with five minutes to spare. Things have been fairly quiet lately, and I didn't have a lot to report. We discussed my writing, my poor hurt daddies (and the wives and girlfriends taking care of them), my mall trips, the continuing work on the backyard at my apartment, swimming in Dad's pool, Skylar's birthday, and how quiet the Acme's been lately.
I really don't have much else planned for August besides writing and saving enough money for the tickets and new luggage to visit Lauren in October. I'd like to finally take that day trip to Atlantic City either next week or the week after. Otherwise, I'm hoping this summer will remain quiet. Having grown up down at the Shore, where summers are the busy season, it feels great to have an August with little noise and congestion.
Stopped at Primo's on the way home for a water ice. Needless to say, on a day that had to be in the lower 90's, I was hardly the only one there. I came in just ahead of a big group of kids coming with someone's mom. I ordered a medium pineapple turnover. It was basically creamy pineapple, but it was sweet and delicious, with lots of pineapple pieces.
It was too hot to linger outside or go for a long ride. I went straight home across Newton Lake Park. Even they weren't busy. There was no one on the playground or leaning against the fences with a fishing rod or sunning themselves on a bench. I saw a few people who were probably walking home from work. Other than that, there wasn't even a Canadian goose around.
When I got home around quarter after four, I went right on the computer. Spent the next couple of hours working on Scott White and the Seven Actors. Scott has gone to the offices of the Wennton Daily Gazette to meet Betty and ask her a few questions. She tells him what she's found out - the ground under the town and the ranch is filled with valuable minerals. That's what Pruitt's after. Scott has just kissed her when Doug Thompson appears, reminding her that they have a date. Heartbroken, Scott just takes off.
He's hurt enough that he wants to forget his troubles. An apple seller with a barrel of hard cider offers him his wares to take his mind off Betty and his mother's death. But that apple cider may be the last thing Scott ever drinks...
Around 7 PM, I put on my new sandals and headed back out, this time on foot. Oaklyn was taking part in the National Night Out with a block party on West Clinton Avenue where Phillies Phatties, Studio LuLoo, and Common Grounds Coffee House are. It was a merry little carnival when I arrived. There were bounce houses and real fire trucks for the kids to explore. Oaklyn police officers gave out free pens, pencils, frisbees, soft balls, water containers, and key chains. There was free food, too - pizza and hot dogs and cotton candy. Kids had their bike helmets checked and learned about bike safety. A volunteer for a battered women's shelter gave out more freebees.
I had the pizza and cotton candy. Yum! I haven't had cotton candy since I was a kid. It was fluffy and sweet and pink...and the hit of the party. The kids were absolutely thrilled by the fluffy sugar and the big blue machine it was made in. I took home a key chain for a friend who collects them, along with a frisbee, soft mini football, pencil, and pen.
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