Laughter In the Rain

It was no joke - it was cloudy and ridiculously humid for this time of year when I got up this morning, even at 7 AM. I cheered myself up with a first-season episode of Garfield and Friends. "Mane Course" serves up a fresh lobster who is a tad too fresh to eat. John turns him into a pet instead, but he and the animals finally come to the conclusion that a house is no place for shellfish and take him home. It's "No Laughing Matter" when aliens land at U.S Acres and threatens to strip the world of its humor. Orson and the chicks tell all the jokes they know to get rid of them, but Roy discovers that slapstick is the most potent weapon of all. The fresh seafood isn't quite as pleasant in "Attack of the Mutant Guppies." Garfield's story to scare Nermal turns out to be a lot more real than either of them would prefer...and now they have to figure out how to get rid of these scaly creeps!

Work was a little busier, but still not overwhelming. Though today was the first day of the month, many people are likely still on vacation. By the time I was doing returns with one of the younger girls, the clouds had been replaced by sun (though the humidity remained). It was so nice, neither of us really wanted to go inside, despite all the carts having been returned. I did end up doing returns at a few points, hanging vinyl bags where people can purchase them, and taking customers. Thankfully, it slowed down enough by 3 that I was able to shut down with no problems.

I even got to work on a new story idea. I know I said I didn't want to do any fanfiction for the Star Wars movie that came out a few months ago until we see the remaining two films in the trilogy. Well...frankly, I kept thinking as I watched it in the theater that "this is The Wizard of Oz in space, even more than New Hope."

Rachel "Rey" Gale lives with her Aunt Leah and Uncle Harry and their two farmhands on a farm outside of Jakkuson, Kansas in 1939. She feels like her life is as gray as the world around her, especially after the nasty man who runs the First Order Manor near-by threatens to take her beloved Westie Terrier BeeBee to the pound and her grouchy cousin demands his share of the farm. 

A tornado whisks Rey and BeeBee over the rainbow and into the land of Oz. Oz is under the tyrannical rule of the Warlock of the West and his apprentice. Queen Leia was imprisoned in her own magic bubble and banished to the lands of the South, where she amasses an army to stop him. She once ruled with her husband and her wizard brother, but her husband vanished after he was attacked by her son, and her brother is hiding in the Emerald City. Rey has to go to the Emerald City to find the Wizard Skywalker, with the help of a cowardly lion-soldier, a scarecrow who had once worked for the queen, and the Tin Smuggler, who seems to know a lot more about the queen and the Warlock of the West and his apprentice than he'll let on...

I updated the ideas page on my writing blog:

Upcoming Stories and New Ideas

Got my schedule during break. While I have far fewer hours than I have in the last few weeks, I also have two days off in a row, Monday and Tuesday, and a lot of early hours. This is less devastating financially than it was in January. I also have vacation coming up, and we get extra money for that. I'll have plenty of time to clean my apartment and before said vacation.

I didn't have a ton of shopping to do, thankfully. It was mostly restocking produce - pears and clementines were on sale. I needed apples, grapefruit, carrots, and leafy greens - went with escarole. I had coupons for Grain Berry Cereal and Pancake Mix, and both were on really good sales, so I grabbed them. The Acme (Lucerne) brand cheese was on a great sale, too. Also picked up ground turkey, peanut butter, strawberry fruit spread, honey, cooking spray, crushed pineapple, and the new Chocolate Mint Graham Cracker/Pretzel Goldfish mix.

As soon as I got home, I went on the computer to work on writing. I re-wrote the theft scene. The Rebels are now stealing tax money from a snobbish Imperial nobleman who was transporting it to Bast Castle. Han and Leia argue the entire time, of course.

I had some distraction this afternoon as I wrote. My neighbors are still trying to catch the raccoon that's living in my roof. We did catch something...a squirrel. The animal removal guy didn't show up to take him to a new home until around 7-ish. He was just resetting the trap when the rain started.

The skies were getting darker and darker, even as I worked on my story. I was heating up leftover cheeseburger casserole for dinner when the animal guy showed up and the clouds burst. And when it rained...it was wild. I hadn't seen rain like that in ages! It rained so hard, for about ten or twenty minutes, I couldn't see the backyard. We had lightning and thunder, too. I'm so glad I worked early today! I don't even want to think of what it would have been like to have been caught in that.

Ran an episode of Fairie Tale Theatre as I ate and watched the crazy weather. "The Princess Who Never Laughed" is Henrietta, who has been raised as a very serious-minded young lady by her overprotective father. When she demands a little fun, the King holds a royal laugh-off. Whomever can make his unhappy daughter smile will have her hand in marriage. He never expected that person to be Wienerhead Waldo, a farmer who calls his pig his gag writer...and his daughter never expected to learn that the funniest jokes are often the ones with the most truth to them.

And I hope you all had a hilarious (and far drier) April Fool's Day and first day of April!