Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Before the Rain Came

I was glad to see that it was sunny when I got up this morning. I had a few things to do, starting with breakfast. Returned to Good Eats as I enjoyed my Oatmeal Squares and half a grapefruit. Alton explores the culinary properties of a vegetable with an even worse reputation than broccoli in "A Cabbage Sprouts In Brussels." My parents didn't like them and wouldn't make them for us as kids. I didn't get a chance to try them until they started turning up at the Collingswood Farm Market. Like broccoli, if cooked properly - Alton grills them on skewers and makes them into a salad and a slightly salted side dish - they can be nutritional powerhouses and very tasty.

Headed out around 10 for this week's laundry session. I'm glad I went early. A few people were in and out, but it was mostly quiet. I listened to the Today Show and the news while working on story notes.

After I put everything away, I went online briefly to check the weather for today and tomorrow. I was originally going to go to Cherry Hill today to get my non-driver's ID done and hit the Haddon Township tomorrow. For once, both the local news and the National Weather Service agreed that we were going to get some kind of storm tomorrow. Not to mention, it was nearly 1 by the time I got off the computer. I decided to flip-flop my plans and do the Cherry Hill DMV tomorrow. If it storms, I'll have places where I can go to get out of the rain. That's harder to do on a bike.

Finished out the Good Eats vegetable disk while eating a quick lunch. Though most people still pair it with peanut butter or spreadable cheese, celery is one of the most versatile vegetables out there. I especially love the braised celery and have had it several times.

Headed out around quarter of 2. It was still sunny at that point, fairly warm and not as windy. I dodged a lot of people out for a stroll, jogging, or walking their dogs in Newton Lake Park. No wonder my nose is going crazy. I already see a lot of trees trying to sprout and dafodills coming up - on the last day of February! It was in the 60's, not quite as warm as last week, but still way too warm for the time of year.

The Haddon Township Library wasn't terribly busy. I mostly helped organize the re-arranged DVD shelves. Not only have they turned them around so that the spines can be seen, but they want them in perfect alphabetical order. All foreign movies and TV show sets were moved to the spinning racks where the non-fiction DVDs were; the non-fiction DVDs were moved behind the items on hold. While I don't think they'll stay alphabetized for very long, I otherwise think this was a good idea. It not only gives us far more room, but it looks better, and it's easier to see the title you want to find.

Took out a couple of movies this week. I did see The Crimson Pirate, a Burt Lancaster swashbuckler, in college, but not since then. I've seen bits and pieces of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, but I've never seen the full movie. Found a British movie about the friendship between a drummer boy and an Asian Indian lad, The Drum. Dug up two of Disney's newest releases, Finding Dory and the Sofia the First spin-off Elena of Avalor.

Stopped at Rite Aid on the way home. I needed a new ankle wrap. The bandages are uncomfortable when I work and take forever to wrap. It cost me a bit, but I did find a wrap that actually fit this time. Also bought some scrub sponges, which I haven't in a while.

When I got home, I went straight on the computer to do story work. Leia returns to the ball, where she encounters Henry, Luke, and Henry's enormous, hairy manservant Charles. Henry invites Leia and her family on a trip down the river to see the Lothal Artists Festival on his steamboat. Leia's finally accepts...then regrets it when she and Han argue over his taking Palpatine and Baron Vader as clients. He doesn't care about the current situation in Coruscant. His only interest is in his ward and his business.

Had leftovers for dinner, then made Pineapple Cake for dessert. This is a variation on Susan's Lemon Cake from The Cake Doctor. I didn't have lemon Jello, so I used pineapple jello and crushed pineapple. Yum. Came out very sweet and fruity.

Ran the first two episodes of Elena of Avalor as I ate and baked. After she defeats an evil witch, Elena finds herself ruling the land of Avalor as it's Grand Princess. In the first episode, "Ready to Rule," Elena is determined to prove to her grandfather that she can rule Avalor all by herself. She starts to question this when ships go missing in the harbor, and she has to figure out why little purple creatures called Noblins want them.

Even after she creates her Grand Council, she still has a lot to learn about ruling, as she discovers in "Model Sister." Her little sister Isobel has entered a project in Avalor's Inventor's Fair. Elena promised she'd help her...but the fair is at the same time a dignitary from Sato is visiting. Her obnoxious cousin Esteban insists that everything must be done the Sato way to gain an alliance with them. Elena tries to be in both places at once, but she discovers as the day wears on that it isn't fair to her sister or the Emperor. In the end, she discovers that, while doing our duty is important, family is even more so...as is keeping a promise.

Incidentally, it rained pretty good while I was writing. I don't think it's rained since. I still have to go to Cherry Hill tomorrow. I'll just see if I can time it before the weather gets really bad.

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