It's Christmastime In the City

I slept in a bit today. I didn't get moving until past 11:30. I wanted to revive my post-Christmas shopping trip. I did it once with Jessa at the Cherry Hill Mall, but I usually prefer to go into Philly. I enjoy the walk, the big Macy's, and the general festive holiday atmosphere. I wasn't the only one who decided to spend the day in the city, either. There were quite a few people, mostly college students or families with kids, taking the train into Philly with me.

Got off at 8th and Market. I briefly checked out Century 21, which took over part of the old Strawbridge and Clothier building. They looked like the same thing as Macy's - a high-end department store. Beautiful and elegantly spare, but nothing I needed (or my wallet could afford). I headed into the Gallery Mall.

Books-A-Million did have the third and fourth Ever After High books, one of the things I really wanted for Christmas, but not the first or the second. FYE was papered over with red and yellow 50-75% off signs. Sounds like they're giving up the ghost. I'm surprised they lasted as long as they did, especially with the larger Broad Street FYE within walking distance. I've gotten a few good things there over the years, but not as much as at Broad Street. I didn't see anything I wanted and went back out. I was hoping the Toys R Us Express would be open. Nope, it was shuttered. They must have closed after Christmas.

The sidewalks grew more and more crowded as I made my way down to Reading Terminal Market for lunch. What a mess! I'd never seen it so busy. I barely managed to inch my way through the teeming masses looking for a late lunch. I finally found my way to Tootsie's Salad Express in the very back of the Market building. They were basically a miniature version of Old Country Buffet, with a hot foods bar on one side and a salad bar on the other. I've stuffed myself so much over the last week or so that I wasn't really hungry. I just opted for a roll and a small salad. The college girl at the counter was very sweet. She said I looked familiar. Turned out she'd once lived in Audubon and had shopped at the Acme regularly.

Though she recommended some tables in the center dining area, I opted to take my salad and roll outside. It was chilly and windy, but sunny, and really not anything out of the ordinary for late December in Philadelphia. I enjoyed my meal at the sculpture park next to the Marriott hotel, across from Reading Terminal Market, while watching people eat their own lunches or play with their children.

My next stop was the big Macy's a few blocks down. They were even busier than Reading Terminal Market! I took the elevators up to the third floor. Though I'd like to buy some nice clothes eventually, for now, I used the gift card from Lauren to buy two new pairs of winter pajamas. One is a simple mint-green nightshirt with a white snowflake print. The other is a soft flannel berry plaid nightshirt. The green pajamas were about $18; the plaid nightshirt was on a really good sale for $10.50 (it was originally $42!). The 25 dollar gift card from Lauren covered all but five dollars.

I was originally going to watch the Macy's Light Show upstairs. By the time I paid for my pajamas, the crowds around the railings were three and four deep! I dashed to the elevators instead. The crowds were still heavy in the main room, but I at least could see over people's heads. The atmosphere in the room was electric. Even the teenage boy on my right oohed and ahhed under his breath as fairies danced, Santa rode across the top of the lights in his train, clocks tick-tocked, and teddy bears heralded the magical display. I could hear the kids' delight even around the noise of the customers.

Here's a recording of the Macy's Light Show from about three years ago on YouTube.

I ducked out of the stuffy room as soon as I could and over to City Hall. My next stop was the big FYE on Broad Street. There were a few things I wanted, though not as much as last year. The Broad Street FYE had been totally reorganized since my last visit. DVDs were now on the first floor. Anything related to music, including musicals, were moved upstairs. (Video games stayed where they were in one small section of the second floor.)

I really hit the jackpot with music. Moving the music-related media upstairs allowed FYE to greatly expand their record collection. They had a huge selection of used Broadway cast albums. I would have bought the contents of all three shelves if I had a way to bring them home. I saw albums for lesser-known or flop shows I never believed I'd ever have a chance to hear, besides digging around for occasionally pricey and often out-of-print or made-to-order CDs.

I made a rather nice haul there. The movies I picked up were the Back to the Future trilogy in the original DVD set (I've been meaning to get that for a while), the 1936 MGM disaster drama San Francisco with Jeanette MacDonald and Clark Gable, and last summer's version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The records were buy 2, get one for a dollar - everything else was buy 1, get one for a dollar. Which is why I grabbed six original cast albums and soundtracks - Tovarich (with Vivian Leigh), Bloomer Girl (with Celeste Holm), Anne of Green Gables, Two By Two (with Danny Kaye), Goldilocks (with the late Elaine Stritch), and the double soundtrack for the MGM musicals Words and Music and Good News. I also found one of those K-Tel pop collections marked down to a dollar.

(Incidentally, the other dollar items were San Francisco, Two By Two, and the Words and Music/Good News soundtrack. The Turtles were a splurge at $14, but I really did want to see that. I couldn't find the other recent action hit I'm dying to see, Guardians of the Galaxy. I may have to get that one online.)

It was 3:30 when I made my way down Walnut Street, past shoppers looking for big after-holidays sales. I took a few wrong turns, but I finally made it to Rittenhouse Square ten minutes later. I saw quite a few people chatting or playing with their dogs or kids in the park, silhouetted by the hazy gold late afternoon sunshine.

Barnes and Noble was busy too, but I was really just there for the Ever After High books. They only had the first two, The Storybook of Legends and The Unfairest of All, and the fourth book, a collection of short stories featuring the various students. I just bought the first two. I'll pick up the other two either online or at another Barnes and Noble next month or with tax return money in February.

I saw a coffee shop called Peet's Coffee and Tea as I was walking to Barnes and Noble. I stopped there to get off my knees and get a drink on my way home. They were so busy, I literally got the last seat at the counter! They were pretty much the same thing as Starbucks with a different label and more modern-style furniture. I wasn't impressed. My Iced Chai Latte was watery and the lemon iced pound cake was dry as a bone. I was mainly there to sit down and use the bathroom.

Took a surprisingly quiet 4:30 train home. I guess everyone got out early. As the train rumbled over the Ben Franklin Bridge, I was able to take in one of the loveliest sunsets I'd ever seen. Brilliant shades of crimson melded with deep purple in the soft blue sky over the traffic-laden highways and Schuylkill River. It was worth the trip to Philly just to be able to get a good glimpse of that marvelous sunset.

Rose called about a half-hour after I made it home. Though she did take Khai to visit his other set of grandparents and Craig's biological father on and the day after Christmas, she mostly spent the rest of the week sick. She says she only just got over the bronchitis yesterday. She also mentioned that she planned on taking Khai and me down to Cape May County to see that side of the family in late January, after Anny has her baby. She pointed out to me that everyone had to work. We're adults. Adults have to work over holidays sometimes. It's not practical to want to spend Christmas the same way all the time. I have to make new traditions.

On one hand, she's right that I need to not only find other things to do on Christmas, but figure out how to get to them. I'd love to go to the movies, but it would require a bus ride, and most soup kitchens are in Camden - not a good place to go alone, even on a holiday. I really need to work on making my own traditions for major holidays, with or without other people around.

On the other hand...she's missing the point. Unlike Rose, who has a son, a boyfriend, two dogs, and a cat, and can drive and see the rest of the family whenever she can spare the time, I don't have a family or a quick way to see the rest of ours. Christmas is one of the few times I can see most of my family in one place. I really look forward to it. Christmas is very important to me. It hurt me that other people couldn't try to make the effort to get together.

I cheered myself up with leftovers for dinner and Ship Ahoy, another Red Skelton musical I got from Lauren's Christmas box. This time, Eleanor Powell is the girl Skelton's infatuated with. She's a dancer with a troupe that includes Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra (and Frank Sinatra) on a boat bound for Puerto Rico. Virginia O'Brian is her best friend; Bert Lahr is Red's. Red is a pulp fiction novelist on the boat for his health. He falls for Eleanor hard, but in a plot pulled from one of his own stories, she turns out to be a spy who is being used to carry an important machine to enemy hands. Things really get crazy when they all land in San Juan and both sides end up pursuing the lovers and that magnetic marvel.

This is somewhat similar to Bathing Beauty, but I ended up enjoying it a lot more. The plot is just as silly, but it's more fun and offers Skelton and Lahr some great comic opportunities. Energetic Powell and dour O'Brian both work a lot better with Skelton than Esther Williams. Powell was coming close to the end of her time as a major MGM star (she would retire about three years after this movie was released), but she does get some decent numbers, including one where she taps out a warning in Morse Code. If you're a fan of the stars, Sinatra, or big band music, this is definitely worth looking for at the Warner Archives. 

Me and Lauren In Philadelphia

I was awoken on a cloudy, humid morning by the sound of the garbage trucks...and remembered that I hadn't taken the trash out last night. Yes, I did make it in time. When I got back in, I read in my journal for a while. Thankfully, I did not wake up Lauren, who slept until about 9:30.

By that point, the clouds had grown much darker, and it had gotten windier and even more humid. Lauren was awake and I was having breakfast when the rain started coming down. We'd planned on heading out at 10:30, but the monsoon was really horrible. Thankfully, Lauren had weather apps on her iPad; they clearly showed that the storm was intense but small and fast-moving. We watched the Paris and French Riviera episodes of Rick Steves Europe until the rain calmed down enough for us to head to Collingswood.

We got into Collingswood by 11:30, which was only a little later than we'd planned. We had lunch at Tortilla Press, the Mexican restaurant in Collingswood, as we did last year. Lauren had pork tacos, rice, and beans. I had a chicken, cheese, and beans burrito and jicama slaw. We shared a basket of tortilla chips and salsa that were made on the premises. It wasn't really busy that early; there were only one or two other couples there.

We headed straight for the PATCO Station after lunch. The clouds had vanished, replaced by sunshine and humidity. A nice breeze kept it from feeling unbearable. We hopped on a full but not stuffed 12:50 train to Philadelphia. 

The 10th and Locust stop is literally only a few doors down from Russakoff's Used Books in Washington Square. We made that our first stop. They were the same wonderful, cramped jumble of books, DVDs, CDs, and records (though fewer of the last-named than there used to be). I ended up with Simple Pleasures, a book on finding delights in everyday small things. Lauren got a collection of Yogi Berra's many quips. 

We got turned around on our way to FYE. Lauren had to look up a map in order to get us to the one on Broad Street near City Hall. I took advantage of that buy two used items, get one free sale to pick up Warners' (non-public-domain) collection of the Paramount/Fleischer Brothers Superman cartoons, a box set of all five Paramount/Universal Marx Brothers movies (I know I already have two, but it's cheaper than buying the rest of them), and the stage musical version of The Secret Garden on CD. The newest Tiny Toons set and The Three Stooges Meet Hercules weren't on sale, but I'm trying to finish out the Toons, and Hercules is the last Stooge film of any interest to me (besides the public domain 60s cartoons). Lauren picked up the Toons and sets for Animaniacs and the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. 

Macy's is less than five minutes from FYE. We didn't have nearly as much luck there. The cute striped dress I liked wasn't on sale and was more than I was willing to pay. Lauren's been shopping more often at her local Macy's and had pretty much bought the clothes that she wanted there. I bought an orange t-shirt and a floral one. 

We were going to stop at the Starbucks at the 13th Street corner of Macy's to get a cool drink, but the line was so long, we figured it wasn't worth the wait and just headed out. We hiked down 13th Street to the 13th and Locust PATCO stop. Surprisingly for around 4PM, the train going back to New Jersey was only somewhat full. (As I said to Lauren, if we'd waited even one more train, we might have been lucky to get a seat.)

Lauren suggested a snack and something to cool off at the Pop Shop when we got back into Collingswood. I thought it was a brilliant suggestion. The sun had once again been replaced by clouds, but it was still hot and humid. I needed something to cool off, and Lauren said she was hungry. I ordered butter pecan ice cream with honey and blueberries. I've had that before, and it was just as delicious this time around. Lauren had mozzarella sticks and the most perfect-looking chocolate ice cream soda in the world. Once again, we timed it well. It was 4:30 when we were having our snack. There were a few families there at that point, but it wasn't nearly as busy or noisy as it usually is during dinner hours.

The clouds were growing even thicker as we made our hot way across Newton River Park and past CVS. It just started to shower as we were a block from my apartment. Luckily for us, the shower waited until we'd been inside for 20 minutes to pick up speed. It's stormed on and off for the rest of the night.

I fiddled with my new Kindle Fire (Lauren gave me hers; she prefers Apple items she can sync to her Apple laptop) while we ran The Three Stooges Meet Hercules. This one spoofs the cheesy sword-and-sandals films that were popular in the 50s and early 60s. The Stooges, a nerdy young inventor, and a pretty chemist are thrown back in time on the inventor's time machine. The evil king takes the chemist for his wife and sends the inventor and the Stooges to the galley. When all the rowing builds up the inventor's muscles, the Stooges promote him as Hercules...until the real Hercules protests and challenges him to a duel!

One of the better movies made when Curly Joe was the third Stooge in the 60s. I still recommend newcomers start with the shorts, but fans will have a lot of fun with the great gags in this one. 

I switched to my larger laptop as Hercules ended. The rainy weather inspired me to put on Radioland Murders, and then Clue, which is just winding down it's last ending. I'm going to put on the somewhat similar Murder By Death next. 

Tomorrow, we're mostly going to do errands. I need to hit the grocery store and want to take a look at laptops at Staples, and we both need to do laundry. 

Snow Daze In Philadelphia

Jessa and I headed out for Philly around 10:30. I'd spent the morning before that watching more public domain cartoons. Among the interesting shorts this time around were two more Fleischer Brothers Superman adventures ("Billion Dollar Limited" and "The Bulleteers") and a 60s educational TV short called The Adventures of Captain Nemo. The latter involved the captain and two kids helping to rescue a dolphin from a group of hungry sharks. Billie Mae Richards, the long-time voice of the Rankin-Bass Rudolph, was the voice of the girl and boy in this short.

It had started to snow while I was waiting for Jessa. The snow was coming down in big, fat flakes, but as I suspected, it wasn't sticking to the street or sidewalk. We had no problems driving to the PATCO station in Collingswood.

The trip to Philadelphia was sort of weird. The snow was coming down so hard by this point, you couldn't see much of anything - not the city, not the sky. It was all pearly gray, even the Schuylkill River. You couldn't really see much of anything out the window, including the skyline.

Jessa attends college at the Art Institute of Philadelphia. As a commuter (she still lives at Dad's house), she knows the PATCO and SEPTA train lines well. She lead me through the underground maze of white and orange SEPTA stations. The kid knows her onions. We finally came out on Broad Street, a block from FYE.

FYE had a couple of different sales going on. Jessa didn't get anything, but I found a few interesting items. There was a buy 1, get one for a dollar used sale. I found the original full series release for one of my favorite childhood shows, Faeirie Tale Theatre, for a pricy-but-worth-it $41. The $1 set was the first season of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. I caught a few episodes while babysitting during the mid-90s and enjoyed them, and Superman has long been one of my favorite DC superheroes. Christmas movies and specials were half-off; I was rather amused to find an Ice Age Christmas special. (Christmas? In the ice age? Oohhkayy.) It ended up being $4 new.

WebKinz put out a series of music-themed "Rockerz" stuffed animals starting last summer. Most of them are really rather ugly, but there's been a few that were kind of cute. Though the hippie cow with the flower was tempting, I ultimately went with the "punk princess" pink-and-black-striped cat who had a bow on her ear and wore a checkered tie. How could I resist a pink cat in a checkered tie? FYE's been getting rid of its WebKinz products for ages; I got the cat for $4.94. I thought the name Cyndi, for Cyndi Lauper, was rather appropriate for her.

By the time we left FYE, it was considerably warmer. The snow had turned into rain, and would remain rain for the rest of the afternoon. We hiked in the rain around City Hall and past the lunch-time traffic to Macy's. I wanted to use the gift card I got from Lauren.

We ducked past the crowd waiting for the next showing of the Macy's Light Show and into the elevators going up to the third level. I needed new socks and underthings. I know, not that exciting, but the drier at the laundromat ate half of my last pair of white socks months ago. I bought a pack of Gold Toe white socks that were on sale. The underthings were buy 2, get 2 free...but I only needed one. I ended up spending the gift card, plus $21 of my own money, but I really needed these.

Instead of braving the crowds, we stayed on the third floor and watched the Light Show from there. I'm so glad I can see this every year. It's so cute. Macy's has a curtain of lights representing various Christmas characters - Rudolph, Frosty, Santa in a train, snowflakes, Clara and the Nutcracker, the Sugar Plum Fairy, ballerinas, clocks, candy canes - that blink and glitter and glow in time to the music and Julie Andrews' narration. There's a beautiful tree with a glowing star. I love the cute bear trumpeters who open and close the show.

Here's a recording of the Macy's Light Show from last year.

 Jessa and I were going to have lunch at Starbucks', but they were busy, and the small Starbucks at Macy's didn't sell sandwiches. We headed out instead. I was hoping to find a cafe or something on the way to Rustic Music, but we didn't see anything we could afford. It didn't help that the rain was still coming down pretty hard, and though it wasn't as cold as it had been earlier, it was still wet and gloomy.

We were dripping wet when we finally made it to Rustic Music. While neither of us saw anything we liked, I was just happy to introduce Jessa to a really cool little store. She said she'd passed it before, but had never gone in.

Jessa was the one who finally found us somewhere to eat. The Bellevue Hotel is one of the fanciest places to stay in downtown Philly, and so big, it has its own upscale mall and food court. Jess says she eats at the food court all the time. It's near her school. Alas, we got there so late, most of the court restaurants were closed. We finally opted for Chinese food. Jess had General Pao's Chicken. I went with the less-spicy Chicken and Broccoli. I had hot tea; she had Sprite. We both had vegetable fried rice. I ate all my broccoli and chicken, but Jessa couldn't get anywhere on hers. We both ended up taking ours home.

Though the rain was slowing down by quarter of 3, we'd both had enough walking. Jessa lead us back into the subterranean labyrinths of the underground train stations. We finally hopped on a half-full train back to Collingswood. The sky remained gray, but it was warmer, and the rain was down to a fine mist. When we stepped out of the train station, even that was gone.

Jessa gave me a small present from our Aunt Jayne on the ride home. She gave me a cute little Christmas snow globe with my name on it. When you flip a switch on the side, it lights up and changes colors. Very nice. It'll look great on my kitchen table.

I spent the rest of the evening at home. I made muffins and had leftovers while watching the Faeirie Tale Theatre episode "Cinderella" and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. "Cinderella" is one of Faerie Tale Theatre's more straightforward adaptations. Jennifer Beals (just after Flashdance) is the put-upon young lady. Matthew Broderick is her prince. Jean Stapleton, in the second of two roles on the show, is her slightly daffy fairy godmother. Eve Arden is the obnoxious stepmother, and Edie McClurg is one of her sisters.

A Game of Shadows picks up right where the first film left off. Watson (Jude Law) is about to get married. His long-time best friend Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) isn't happy about it. He's even less happy with the fact that his arch-nemesis Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris) has been killing off wealthy tycoons and buying their properties. Holmes finally bands together with a gypsy girl (Noomi Rapace) who is looking for her brother to stop his rival from causing a rift of global proportions.

As much as I enjoyed the first one, I think I liked this even more. For one thing, Harris' Moriarty is a far better villain, and the plot makes a lot more sense. The movie also has a hilarious Stephan Fry as Holmes' equally intelligent older brother Mycroft. Some unnecessary special effects sequences slow things down, but otherwise, if you liked the first one and are willing to try a less traditional version of the tales of the World's Greatest Detective, this is highly recommended.

A Day In Philadelphia

I slept in this morning. Didn't get to the laundromat until past 11:30. I was lucky to get a washer or a dryer. There were several couples and college students there doing huge loads.

When I got home, I put everything away as quickly as I could. I gulped down beef stew, then headed out again. I've been wanting to make a quick trip into Philadelphia to look at the large FYEs in the Gallery Mall and on Broad Street for a while now. I'd like to clear out as many videos as possible before the end of the year.

Made a quick stop at the bank to change a $20 into a smaller amount for the train trip, then rode to Collingswood. It was a nice day for a stroll around the city. Yesterday's humidity had been replaced by lower 80s temperatures and sunshine.

I did very well at both stores. FYE is having a buy two used DVDs or CDs, get a third for a dollar sale. With my Membership Card, I dropped Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed In at the House of Mouse and the TCM Greatest Films Collection with the Marx Brothers Movies A Day at the Races, Room Service, A Night In Casablanca, and At the Circus down to $13.50 each. Grabbed the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 4 for $25 and Pooh's Grand Adventure for 10 from the Broad Street store. The dollar movies ended up being Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones and a musical I'd been wanting.

Took a surprisingly not-full train home around 5:30. Since I was already in Collingswood, I stopped at the Pop Shop for dinner. While most of the families around me were dealing with small children ordering chicken fingers and oversized burgers, I had "The Bettlewood," a grilled Swiss cheese sandwich on ciabatta bread with chicken and onions. (All of the Pop Shop's grilled cheese sandwiches are named for streets in Collingswood, Oaklyn, and Haddon Township, which I thought was pretty creative.) The sandwich was not only delicious, but for once, not too big. The Pop Shop is notorious for its family-sized portions, but I was able to finish this one without a stomach ache later.

Headed home after that. Put all of my DVD finds away, then ran At the Circus. Harpo and Chico are performers in a circus owned by a young man (Kenny Baker) who was disinherited by his snobbish mother (Margaret Dumont). When a couple of thugs hire performers to help them steal the money needed to keep the circus going, Chico brings in lawyer Groucho to help out.

No, it's not the best Marx Brothers movie, and probably not the place to start for newcomers. (That would be Night at the Opera.) It does, however, have Groucho singing "Lydia the Tattooed Lady," which makes up for a lot of things, including the wooden Baker and his corny love songs.

Tales of the Gold Stooges

Slept in again this morning and started out around 11 with a trip to the Audubon Crossings Mall to finish my Christmas shopping. Stopped at FYE again, this time to get the Three Stooges Collection Vol One set I didn't see at Cherry Hill. I also found something I missed on Tuesday that I wanted, the 1982 Indiana Jones-esque action show Tales of the Gold Monkey. Several friends have mentioned this show to me, and as a fan of both the Indiana Jones series and this show's animated equivalent Tail Spin, this sounds like it's right up my alley.

More Information on Tales of the Gold Monkey

(And there's a reason I wanted to get these now. I don't like that the Audubon FYE is closing...but if it has to close, at least I can get the inventory at a good price. The Stooges were $19.99 and came up to $12.50 with the closing sales and my Membership Card. Tales of the Gold Monkey was $49.99 and came up to $31.50.)

I didn't have as much luck with winter boots. I checked Fashion Bug, Payless Shoes, and The Shoe Depot. Shoe Depot was the only store with decent, waterproof, lined winter boots, and they were either too expensive or not the right size. I just want simple zipper-up, waterproof, non-suaede boots. Nothing fancy. Rugged enough to last at least two or three winters, with good tread on the bottoms. I'll just order them from LLBean or Land's End.

Had a slice of broccoli pizza and a slice of mushroom pizza for lunch at Tu Se Bella's. It was only 1 at that point, so I went to work early and bought a bottle of sparkling apple cider for tomorrow. (I figure it'll be gone by the time I finish work tomorrow.)

The cashier I bought the cider from told me we got our paychecks early this week because of the holidays, so I went right over to the desk and picked up mine. (I'm glad we did. God only knows what it'll be like tomorrow, when everyone else is getting theirs before things close for New Year's.)

Work tonight was quite busy, much busier than earlier in the week. People are getting ready for their New Year's dinners and parties, not to mention the beginning of the month.

I watched lots of Stooges when I got home. Fun ones out of this batch include "The Sitter-Downers," where the boys build a home for their prospective sweethearts and "Goots and Saddles" (the Stooges play poker to flush out cattle rustler Longshore Pete for General Muster).

"It's Christmastime In the City..."

And I've had a very long day. I don't remember Philly being this crazy when I went shopping last year. The PATCO was full when I stepped on the Philadelphia Local around 10:30 this morning. I was very glad to be able to find a seat. Perhaps people were taking advantage of the decent weather. It was still very cold, about 35 degrees, but the clouds were gone and it wasn't nearly as windy as it has been.

I made a wrong turn at the PATCO station and ended up at the Mellon Center instead of the Gallery Mall. That was ok. I took a quick peek at the toys at Ross Dress For Less, then just headed out the Market Street entrance and went down the block to the mall.

Made my first find of the day at the big FYE at the Gallery Mall. I was looking for an action DVD for my stepdad I thought he might like at the FYE in Audubon, but I couldn't find it there. I was able to pick it up for a good price in Philly. Peeked at the Gallery Mall's Toys R Us Express for something for my cousin Samantha's 5-year-old daughter Faith (the only kid left on my list) before heading out.

My next stop was Rite Aid for allergy medicine. Then, it was onto Macy's to see the Light Show, the Dickens Village, and pick up something for my stepsister Jessa. BIIIIGGGG mistake. By this point, it was past 12, and Macy's was a total mob scene. There were piles of kids waiting to watch the Light Show, and a line going half-way across the third floor to get into the Dickens Village! It took me twenty minutes to find a short line in the housing department so I could buy my present for Jessa. I never did get to see the Village.

I did get to see the Light Show, though. As always, it was worth it. Thousands of tiny LED lights cascade from the Grand Hall, telling condensed versions of several holiday stories through colorful images, Julie Andrews' narration, and a gorgeous, fully-lit Christmas tree (re-added a few years ago). No wonder this has been a Philadelphia holiday tradition for at least 40 years. It had every single child in the entire building spellbound. The bears with the trumpets are still my favorites.

Here's the older version of the show, sans the tree.

I was so happy to get out in the cold air after all the warm bodies in Macy's! I doubled back and headed to Reading Terminal Market for lunch. Had a Chicken gyro from that same Mediterranean booth Lauren and I ate at in June and I ate at alone on my birthday. They're cheap, and they make good food. I also treated myself to a butter almond cookie from The 4th Avenue Cookie Company booth near the entrance.

After I finished lunch, I went through City Hall and onto the Avenue of the Arts to visit the big FYE and Borders there. No luck at FYE, but I did get Uncle Ken his present at Borders. It was almost 4 by the time I got out of Borders. Neither store was anything resembling as busy as Macy's had been, but I did a lot of browsing, especially at FYE.

Headed down Chestnut Street for my last stop of the day at the Liberty Place Mall. Turns out that they, too had a Toys R Us Express. Compared to the ones I'd seen at the Gallery Mall and in Audubon, this one was HUGE! I did see some doll clothes, which was my original idea for Faith...but then I noticed more areas even further in the back. I finally found Disney Princess Magnetic Paper Dolls, which I thought she'd get even more of a kick out of.

It was past 4:30 when I finally made my way down to 15th Street, after making a quick stop at CVS on Chestnut for pads. I was lucky to be able to hop on a rather surprisingly not-full PATCO home. Other than being cold, my ride home was no problem at all.

I spent the rest of the evening wrapping presents. I didn't quite finish. I think I still have five left to do. Plus, I never did find what I wanted for Rose in Philly. I finally just ordered her present from Amazon.com, which I consider to be a last resort. Online shopping may be a great option for people who don't have the patience for it, but I really do enjoy shopping. I love browsing, seeing the people, getting out, enjoying my finds.

On the other hand, I don't enjoy long lines, grouchy sales clerks, or tripping over everyone and their grandmother. I think next year, I'll try to avoid the crowds by starting my trip at the Liberty Place Mall and the Avenue of the Arts and ending it at Macy's and the Gallery Mall. Hopefully, the latter will be less crowded in the late afternoon.

Oh, and my box from Linda and James Young came today. There were a few wrapped presents that looked like books. I didn't open them; I'll save them for Christmas Day. There was also a stack of DVDs with copies of a series of mystery TV movies Linda likes, McBride. I'm a fan of John Larroquette, so I'm definitely willing to check these out.

Here's Linda's fan site with more information.

Gray Friday

I spent most of my Black Friday in the safest possible place - a grocery store. Who wants to go grocery shopping the day after Thanksgiving? I worked from 9AM to 4:30PM, and we were dead all day. It got mildly busy around noon and again around 2-3ish, but other than that, I spent most of the morning and afternoon standing around, reading magazines with Christmas cookie recipes. Needless to say, there were no major problems, and my relief was on time.

The weather was no help. It didn't rain again, but it was cold, gloomy, and damp for pretty much the whole day.

I did go to FYE after work to find some DVD requests. I picked up presents for Lauren and Keefe. Didn't find the DVDs I wanted for Khai or Amanda - I'll keep looking. They were busy, but not so much that I was tripping over people. There was a line, but it moved fast.

Went to an early dinner at Arby's next. I just had the All American Burger meal. I wasn't really hungry enough for anything else.

Next on the list was grocery shopping. In addition to stocking up on anything I ran out of this week (pumpkin, yogurt), I'm back to buying fruit and vegetables at the Acme now that the Collingswood Farm Market has ended until early May. I also grabbed some things for Christmas - a bag of the red, green, and Candy Cane Lifesaves they have out this year, candy canes for when I put the tree up next week, and this year's cheap Advent Calender with the terrible chocolates.

Speaking of Christmas, when I got home, I took down the Thanksgiving and general fall decorations. I'm going to finish the cleaning tomorrow and start the Christmas decorating by Monday.

My schedule next week should give me plenty of time to get things done. I have three days off again (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday), with two late days and one early day. I even get off on Sunday in time for the second half of the Eagles-Bears game - thank goodness it was bumped to 4:15.

Pigs and Pirates

I really slept in today. I didn't get up until 9:30, and then I spent some time reading More All-of-a-Kind Family and writing in my journal. It was still cloudy and a little bit humid, not the kind of day you wanted to jump out of bed anyhow.

I had muffins, plums, and peaches for breakfast and watched more A Pup Named Scooby Doo before heading out to run my Friday errands. I picked up my paycheck at the Acme, then rode to the FYE in the Audubon Crossings Mall. Disney just re-released the 1984 animated action/fantasy The Black Cauldron on DVD. I've wanted that one ever since it was announced last year. I remember seeing that at the Beach Theater in Cape May in 1984. Universal finally put out the Kevin Kline/Angela Landsbury movie version of the 1981 Pirates of Penzance as well, and I really wanted to replace my aging Blockbuster video copy. Alas, the Audubon FYE turned out to be out of both. I almost bought a $4 copy of The Three Amigos. I may go back for it later in the week, but not today.

I probably spent more time there than at the Acme. There was very little I needed for groceries this week. Most of what I needed was yogurt! I also restocked my olive oil and canola cooking spray, both of which were on sale.

I had a simple peanut butter and apple butter sandwich lunch at home. Finished A Pup Named Scooby Doo while I did the dishes. Though I still enjoy Pup Named to a degree, it's not something I'm going to buy. It's fun to watch one or two episodes, but watching them all at once reveals a show that relied too heavily on running gags - Daphne constantly calling her butler whenever there's trouble, Fred accusing bully Red Herring of every crime, "Velma said 'Jinkies!'" - and too little on decent scripts. The cute and colorful anime-esque animation hasn't dated all that well, either.

On the other hand, there were a couple of individual episodes I really liked. "Dog Gone Scooby" shows what happens when Scooby, feeling neglected, runs away...and the kids realize how much he means to them. (Plus, this is the only episode on the set where the villain turns out to be neither bad nor a business owner in a silly costume.) "The Wrath of Waitro" is a short spoof of super hero cliches, with Shaggy and Scoob as two of Hanna Barbara's least-likely crimefighters. "Mayhem of the Moving Mollusk" takes the kids to New York City, where they fight a snail who plays hockey (don't ask) and make a lot of references to another ABC cartoon about spook-catchers that was popular in the early 90s, The Real Ghostbusters.

The sun had started coming out as I was riding home from the Acme, and was rapidly improving. I decided that I still wanted those DVDs, enough to go into Philly and find them. I stopped at the bank quickly to drop off my paycheck (and enjoy the macaroons and a very small slice of the pineapple upside-down cake they had out for their Customer Appreciation Day) and rode over to Collingswood. I hopped a fairly full PATCO train into Downtown Philadelphia.

Since it was past 3 by this point and the traffic was getting ridiculous, I just stuck to Broad Street. Yes, the big FYE near City Hall had The Pirates of Penzance and The Black Cauldron. The latter was on sale, in fact. Pirates wasn't, and the spindle holding the DVD to the box was broken, but it was the last one in the store and I didn't feel like ordering it online. It wasn't quite as much of a steal as the last few times I went there, but thanks to the Cauldron sale and my Membership Card, it could have been worse.

I went across to Borders after that and browsed, but I mostly went there to get a drink. I was really thirsty. I grabbed a small sweet tea at the cafe. Didn't buy anything else. I considered some more of those candy shop mysteries, but I think I'll wait for Christmas to go book-shopping again.

After I left Borders, I made my way through the heavy traffic on Broad Street and back the way I came, via the PATCO station at 13th and Locust. I took a partially-full train back to Collingswood and rode home, enjoying the now-gorgeous day. The sun was fully out, the clouds were gone, and the wind had gentled down to a lovely breeze.

Made salmon with wine sauce, corn on the cob, and honey-glazed carrots and peppers for dinner while watching Ivanhoe. Robert Taylor plays the title knight, who returns from the Crusades to discover that Richard the Lionhearted is being ransomed by the king of Austria. He's determined to raise the money and release his king. With the help of an elderly Jewish man and his daughter, who may be a sorceress (Elizabeth Taylor), his father and his ward (Joan Fontaine), his father's jester, and the man known today as Robin Hood, he fights knights and challenges Richard's dastardly brother John.

Set around the same time as Robin Hood, this is a very different story...but it's still pure old-fashioned swashbuckler. Robert Taylor is stiff and a bit miscast as the knight, but the ladies, especially Joan Fontaine, are much better. There's also some wonderful sequences of Robin Hood and his men rushing into battle at the castle where Fontaine and Taylor are being held, a reminder that this movie was made in the epic-crazy 50s.

The rest of tonight's been more frustrating. My internet went down for more than an hour! I hate having to call Verizon yet again. I'm assuming there are still storms in the area. And I'm trying to unravel that hat I was crocheting for Molly. I was trying to work in the round, but it got twisted and turned. I couldn't sew them together. When I tried to unravel the parts, they got tangled. Now there's a heap of tangled yarn laying on my couch. Plus, Mom said the yarn was too thick and had too many strands for a beginner. I'll just stick to making scarves, muffs, blankets, and pillows for the girls until I get better at crocheting.

Balance and the City

We walked over to Dad's for a drive to yoga class. He'd just pulled out his beloved classic red Ford Mustang for the season and wanted to check it out. Lauren was thrilled. She adores cars, especially classic cars.

Class was surprisingly quiet, especially given how busy it's been over the past few weeks. I guess a lot of people didn't want to brave the heat. There were only 8 people, including Lauren, me, my friend Pattie, and the teacher Karin. Since there were several newcomers, we concentrated on basic balancing and standing poses. I'm getting better at balancing, and I'm already pretty good at standing poses. Lauren didn't do bad for her first try.

My arm was still feeling sore. It was better for a while, then hurt again. Pattie, a licensed massage therapist, did some pulls and massaging to make it feel better. It did help a bit.

We strolled Collingswood for about an hour after class. We bought drinks at the WaWa down the block from Yogawood. We stopped at the thrift shop and said "hi" to Erica. We chatted with the nice lady who owns Collingswood Used Books and we both bought books from there. I found the script from the play Brighton Beach Memoirs (one of my favorite Neil Simon shows) in book form and a candy-shop based mystery series I'd never heard of before. (I'm a sucker for mystery series with recipes.) Lauren bought a bookmark and a huge book called The Bankers for her dad, a retired bank manager.

We headed to the PATCO next for our trip into Philadelphia. After making a quick bathroom break at the Gallery Mall, we headed for Independence Hall to taken in the tour...or so we thought.

It was very hot and sunny, though not as sticky as Tuesday. The relatively nice day must have brought everyone out of the woodwork. There were three times as many school groups in the Independence Mall State Park than there were when Linda, James, and I visited here in November...and there were a lot of kids then! We literally could not fit in the gift shop at the Visitor's Center, the line to see the Liberty Bell went half-way around the building, and they were out of tickets for the Independence Hall tour until well into tomorrow.

Oh, well. We did stroll around the grounds, and Lauren was able to see enough of the Liberty Bell through a window to get a picture. She said she was happy just being able to see the outsides up close. (Apparently, the last time she was in Philadelphia was on a bus tour with her parents, and the bus wouldn't or couldn't stop.) I did see the tour with Linda and James, so it was no great loss for me, either.

We headed in the other direction down Market Street, passing more groups of children (with very annoying duck whistles). I wanted to take Lauren to my favorite place in Philadelphia for lunch, Reading Terminal Market. It was very busy, but we were able to find two seats together at, ironically, the very same Middle Eastern counter I ate at on my birthday. I had a chicken gyro. She had a chicken shish-kabob sandwich. Either way, they were delicious...and messy, too. We ended up eating half of both with forks.

Next stop was the big historic Macy's a few blocks down from Reading Terminal Market that used to be Wanamaker's. We browsed the ground floor, and I got to show her the organ and where the light show is at Christmas. I ended up buying a Flyers' t-shirt. Like I told the cashier in the men's department, it's necessary right now.

We made our way around City Hall (the entrance to Broad Street was blocked by construction) to my favorite FYE and Borders. We both did very well at FYE. I picked up Volume 6 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection for about $29 with my Membership Card. Lauren found Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 3 and the complete series for Hong Kong Phooey and Danger Mouse, the latter for $40.

Our stop at Borders was briefer. For one thing, both theirs and FYE's air conditioning didn't seem to be working. It was a bit cooler on Borders' third floor, but both stores were hotter than they should have been. We both had drinks at Borders' cafe. I had a Mint Italian soda; Lauren had iced tea. I found more of the candy-recipe mystery series I'd bought earlier at the used book store.

We had a lovely stroll down Broad Street, passing the theaters, the University of the Arts (where my sister Jessa goes to school), and the Sounds of Philadelphia building. We turned on Pine Street, passing Antique Row and ending up in Washington Square. I wanted to show Lauren my favorite used book and record store, Russakoff's on 10th Street.

We spent almost an hour browsing in there. I picked up the American Girls book Very Funny, Elizabeth! and two Broadway original cast LPs for the 60s flop with Elaine Stritch Sail Away and the mid-80s hit based after Huckleberry Finn, Big River.

(And thank goodness they had no problems with air conditioning!)

The 10th Street PATCO entrance is more steps from Russakoff's. We picked up a fairly full train there around 5. Dad picked us up at the station soon after we arrived. We spent the rest of the evening enjoying slow-cooked beef ribs and watching Looney Tunes cartoons.

Oh, and good luck to the Boston Celtics in the basketball finals! Lauren's watching the game on ABC's streaming video as I type this.

All-Day Work

I can't believe I overslept this morning. I thought I set the alarm for 7:30, but when I woke up, the clock said quarter of 9...and I had work at 10! I rushed my breakfast of leftover brown rice pudding and half a grapefruit and just barely made it to work on time.

It's a good thing I did. Work was on-and-off busy again. It's the first Friday of the month. In addition to all the usual annoying beginning-of-the-month people, we're get people who reguarly get paid today or are looking for the great sales (Friday is the first day of this week's sales).

I don't really mind working eight hours, which is why I agreed to come in early. It's easier than working six hours. When you work eight hours, you get two breaks. Six hours only gets you one break. It can be a real pain in the rear. (I get to do six hours tomorrow. Oh joy.)

Got my vacation requests in this morning when I arrived. I asked for the week of March 19th-March 25th for the last of this year's vacation time. I had thought of asking for around April 14th which is my birthday, but everyone asks for April off. Besides, there's a lot going on that week. Rose's huge baby shower is the 20th, and I have counseling on the 25th.

Lauren wants to get together early this year, around Memorial Day week. She says it's the only time she can get. The head front-end manager seemed a little skeptical, but hey, they did give me not only Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but a day earlier that week off (not to mention New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, and a day before that). Besides, I'd work the Fourth of July and Labor Day, and it's not like I haven't worked every Memorial Day since 1999 anyway.

Not only that, but Lauren is finally going to come visit here. She's put it off because she's (understandably) afraid to drive through the traffic in New York and Philadelphia. Last year, however, I found a way around the traffic in both cities...or more specifically, under and over it. My train trips to Albany and back were wonderful. The trains were large, clean, well-appointed, and generally on-time. The Albany train station was brand-new and gorgeous. The 30th Street Station in Philadelphia is a National Historic Landmark. Penn Station in (or under) New York isn't quite as nice, but it's at least clean and staffed with friendly people.

Most of the things I've planned - riding around the small towns, hitting the Deptford Mall, seeing Independence Hall and Market Street in Philadelphia, a stroll on the Boardwalk and the outlets in Atlantic City - should be open at any time of the year. They wouldn't even be effected by bad weather, not even the flooding we hit at Pittsfield on my second day there last year.

Today was also Employee Appreciation Day at the Acme. We didn't have an elaborate spread like last year, but one of the managers did give me a plate of goodies - donuts, candy, and a mini apple strudel from the bakery.

Most of work actually went pretty well...until it was time for me to leave. We were short on help all day. Two cashiers (including the one I replaced) called out to attend funerals. Another one was in a car accident. Her father actually called to say she wouldn't be in! (Poor kid. She's one of our best teenage workers, too. I seriously hope she's ok.) I still had a line when I shut down. A manager finally came in for me.

Stopped at FYE first after work. I wanted to see if they had the present I wanted for Rose's baby shower. They did, indeed. I grabbed that and renewed my membership card, too.

Went to Tu Se Bella Pizzeria for dinner. That may not have been a good idea. It was 6:30 by then, prime dinner time, and the place was packed to the gills. I finally took my slices of vegetable and mushroom pizza into the main dining room to get away from the crowds at the counter!

Headed back to the Acme to do grocery shopping next. I didn't have nearly as much as I did last week, but it was still a pretty good-sized order. I restocked my fruit and packs of fish, bought Smart Balance 50/50 butter on sale and with a coupon. Land o' Lakes Brown Eggs were on sale, too. The Oteker Mousse Mixes and Keebler Graham Cracker Crusts were also on sale. I grabbed the Acme Light Cool Whip and decided to make a pudding pie for dessert.

And good news/bad news on my schedule. Good news - lots of hours, and most of them are early. I think there's once again only one 7PM day. Bad news - only one day off, on a week where I have a LOT to do. I wish they'd load up my hours on weeks when I actually need the money.

Not For the Life Of Me

Spent the morning watching Feasting On Asphalt. Alton and his crew are now in the Midwest, honoring Popeye's creator by eating canned spinach and digging around St. Louis for the best donuts. I also updated my finances; I'm hoping to put more of a dent in that dentist's bill soon.

Work was, thankfully, busy but not a problem. Everyone was in a pretty decent mood, and the day went incredibly fast. I had no relief, but it was slowing down a little by the end of my shift at 5. I was able to get off, grab mushrooms and canned beans, and head out.

I need new contacts, but it's been over a year since I started wearing them, and America's Best wanted to give me an exam before I got another pair. That's fine. I rode over to the America's Best next to Staples after work and agreed to come in at 2:45 on Friday, which is one of my two days off this week.

FYE was having a $9.99 sale on CDs. I don't care that everyone says "download everything" and "don't buy anything hard copy anymore." How impractical and silly can you get? What if all that downloaded stuff is infected with viruses? Or you accidentally delete it? Or your computer crashes? I've had all that happen at one time or another. I don't believe in putting all your eggs in one basket...or all your faith in imperfect technology. I bought the cast album to the 2002 Broadway Thoroughly Modern Millie. I figured this was a great opportunity to buy some of those pricy Broadway cast albums I've always wanted, but could never afford.

Had dinner at Fat Jack's Barbecue. I overheard them mention that collard greens and green beans are still on the menu, just not the printed one. I ordered collard greens and a pulled pork sandwich while watching the Jets-Bengals game. (Which the Jets won, incidentally, 24-14.) The sandwich was excellent...but the collards were waaaayyyy too spicy! I didn't remember them turning on the heat before! One of the boys behind the counter told me they'd changed their recipe. Not for the better; I couldn't finish even half, and my mouth was on fire, even after drinking a whole bottle of water.

The Eagles-Cowboys game is tonight, too. I hope they do well, if only to hush everyone around here after last week's game went so badly.

Rainy Day Excursion

Today was my early work day. It was pouring when I woke up this morning, but the snow melted enough to allow me to ride to work and get wet. I didn't even bother trying to call anybody. It's the day after Christmas, and dreary weather, to boot. I figured anyone with any sense (or who didn't have work) would be sleeping in.

Work wasn't too busy this morning. I spent a lot of the first half of my shift doing returned. It picked up after 1, to the point where the manager tried to get me to stay later. I had a headache and things I wanted to do. As it turned out, I ended up staying a little late anyway when my relief never appeared at all. Otherwise, there were no major problems.

I rode over to the FYE behind the Acme to use the gift card Lauren got me. I bought the final season of Get Smart (it's supposedly not great, but I wanted to finish the set) and the epic 1965 comedy The Great Race. (Lauren and I plan on writing a similar early 20th-century-set racing action-comedy next month.) Since they were $9.99 with any DVD or CD purchase, I also bought a Peppermint Puppy WebKinz, my third Christmas-related Webbie after Clarence and Mary the Reindeer. (I wasn't crazy about last year's Christmas WebKinz the snowman.)

Went back to the Acme next and did the last major grocery trip of the year. Got my hours, too. They're almost exactly the same as last week, though thankfully nothing later than 8 or earlier than noon this time. Same days off, too, Tuesday, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day.

I went home with a bike filled with yogurt, eggs, milk, grapefruit, oranges, bananas, Brussels sprouts, two packs of salmon fillets, peanut butter, and a 9-volt battery for my fire alarm. It was raining even more heavily, but more snow was gone, too. I still got wet, but I had a somewhat easier ride home.

My original plan was to run to the bank after I came home and put my groceries away, but I'd had enough of being wet. I just hung around, made broccoli, pasta, and the last of the leftover meatloaf for dinner, and watched The Great Race and Good Eats episodes instead.

Oh, and meet Starlight the Peppermint Puppy! Named for the famous round peppermints, Starlight is going to move in with Billy the Mountain Goat.

Golden Autumn

I awoke to an absolutely gorgeous fall morning. The sky was bright blue. The golden sun filtered through the falling yellow leaves on the trees over my porch. The air was cold and crisp and had that good woodburning smell.

I spent part of the morning doing job research. Not that I got far. I found one library assistant job for Voorhees (about a half-hour from here), but it also required handling the computer lab, which I've never done, and a handful of secretarial jobs.

The job hunting is just making me nervous as heck. First of all, I don't know if I can handle two jobs. I've never handled two jobs before. I don't have a car. Would I ever be able to find anyone who carpools? Would it be overwhelming?

I was really hoping to get out of the Acme all together. Is it possible? Can I do anything else, after 8 years of doing nothing but work at the Acme? If I can, why didn't the real estate office in Wildwood or the newspaper office in Atlantic County hire me years ago? If I can do all these things, why does no one want me to do them? How do you meet people when you're scared to death to talk to anyone you don't know well? Even just writing about anxiety is causing a knot to form in my stomach.

It was such a nice day, I went for a short walk in Veteran's Park next-door after lunch. The park looked stunning today, with it's green moss and gold and flame-colored trees. The views were amazing, with sun shining over bottle-green water and Crayola trees framing lovely homes and yards.

After that, I went to Doria's Deli for turkey lunchmeat (I used the last of it up on my lunch). When I got back, I thought I'd try to fix the chain on the cruiser bike myself, since none of my neighbors seemed to be around. It only took me about 20 minutes to turn the bike over and finally get it back on. It seems to be ok for now; it got me to work and back, anyway. We'll see what happens in the coming days. I may still try to get someone to tighten it a bit.

I left over an hour early for work. First of all, I wanted to check out the bike and make sure it ran fine (which it did). Second, I wanted plenty of time to pick up my paycheck and write down my schedule. Third, I wanted to check out FYE and Wal-Mart and see if they had the new special edition DVD for Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. Alas, neither of them did.

Work was, thankfully after the last week or so, not a problem. It was busy when I came in, dead when I left, with a few rude customers but nothing on the order of Wednesday or Sunday. I treated myself to a bag of mini pumpkin-shaped York Peppermint Patties that were half-off after work.

My schedule's pretty decent, too. Slightly fewer hours, otherwise, no really early days and nothing later than 8PM, Monday and Thursday off again, nothing too bad.

A Ghost of a Chance

Slept in this morning after a second bout with allergy attacks in a row kept me awake last night. Thankfully, my nose was feeling much better by the time I finally got out of bed around 10:30. I had a quick breakfast of carrot muffins, orange green tea, and a peach, then headed for the Acme to pick up my paycheck and take a look at the stores behind the mall.

The Acme was very busy when I arrived for my check. Not surprising, given this is the beginning of the month. FYE wasn't busy when I was there. I was looking for Winnie the Pooh: Seasons of Giving on DVD, but I didn't see it there, so I went on my way. Made a brief stop at Fashion Bug. I was going to go to Wal-Mart, but the parking lot was packed. I didn't even want to think of what it would be like inside! I just went back to the Acme instead.

Didn't have a really long list today. I wanted more of the canned diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning. (They're still on sale, though not as good as last week.) I was out of brown sugar, too, and almost out of allergy medicine. I hadn't had rye flour in a while - the Acme had the smaller Hodgeson Mill box on sale. Stocked up on Dannon and Acme generic light yogurt. (I love pineapple-coconut yogurt, and they have delicious light versions.) I saw that Edy's Ice Cream was on sale and treated myself to my annual fall dessert, their heavenly Pumpkin flavor. It really tastes like pumpkin pie. I've bought at least one carton every fall since I first encountered it in college in 2000.

Rode straight home after work (and after I picked up my schedule, since I hopefully won't be at the Acme at all tomorrow). Put everything where it belonged, then headed out again. First stop was the bank, where I deposited this week's large paycheck. For once, I actually have more in the bank than I thought I did, even after paying my bills. My rent will only be a few days late.

My next stop was a little restaurant on Cuthbert Road that I've always wanted to try, Geneva's Pizza. It turned out to be very nice and clean on the inside, with pretty watercolors of Italy. A couple of what looked like workers from the White Horse Pike were enjoying lunch there when I arrived, chatting and watching some dumb talk show. The man-and-woman pair who ran the place were very sweet and attentive. I enjoyed French fries and a turkey and bacon wrap with thick slices of smoky bacon that tasted like they came from a slab, not one a bag in the supermarket.

Headed down Cuthbert Road to the Haddon Township Library next for this week's volunteering session. It was past 3PM by that point. I didn't want to stay for too long, so I just shelved adult and children's DVDs. I also finally got the nerve to mention to one of the librarians that I was interested in becoming a librarian myself, but wanted to find a related job to earn money for tutoring, so I could go back to school. She suggested becoming a library assistant or technician, which only requires a Civil Service test.

Made a quick stop at Super Fresh for low-fat salad dressing, then headed back to the apartment to conduct further research. Turns out library assistants mostly shelve books and add data into the system, which I happen to be very good at. They can earn anywhere from $8 to $16 an hour. I earn $11.80 at the Acme now, which is the only reason I haven't pushed harder to leave. I've been deathly afraid no one else will hire me for that amount of money so lacking in experience as I do. I'll do further research on Monday.

It was supposed to rain today, but the weather never got worse than gloomy clouds and tons of wind. The rain was supposed to be worse tomorrow; we'll see what happens.

Rainy Day Balance

It rained overnight, but it was merely cloudy when I headed to Yogawood for this week's class. It was a big one, too, 16 people including the teacher Micki. Good thing she just concentrated on squats, stretches, and Warrior type poses. I can do most of that except for the squats. I just can't lift myself. I'm too big.

There were two Amazon.com boxes waiting for me when I got in. Lauren sent me two small presents. The first is a cord that'll allow me to connect my old printer to my new laptop until I can afford a new printer. (The printer was Mom's for many years and has to be at least four or five years old.) The other is Alton Brown's baking book, I'm Just Here For More Food. Lauren's a big Good Eats fan. She knew I was looking for More Food after I found his first, cooking-oriented book at the thrift shop earlier this year.

The weather behaved long enough for me to head over to the Acme to pick up this week's paycheck and browse at FYE. I was going to get the new Pete's Dragon 2-disc set, but I found something even better. I've seen the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 2 on sale for weeks now, but I never got around to buying it until today. (This means I now have the original 3 Golden Collection sets. The next three don't have quite as many cartoons I really want beyond old favorite Ali Baba Bunny and a couple of specials. I probably won't pick them up until their prices come down, the way the earlier ones have.)

That Sonic that was being built behind the Chick Fil 'A looked like it had finally opened. I considered going there...but then I saw the long lines and full outdoor tables after I got out of FYE. I decided pizza would probably be cheaper and a lot faster. I ended up with slices of pineapple-canadian bacon and tomato-basil.

I was finishing up the pineapple when it started showering. Hard. It was light at first, but it came down faster and faster, until it was pouring heavily. I waited out the shower under an awning next to FYE, watching all the cars pass through Sonic and the waitresses in yellow raincoats bring orders to customers. I felt sorry for the waitresses and was suddenly glad I hadn't opted for Sonic.

The moment the weather looked like it was letting up, I hurried over to the Acme to do this week's grocery shopping. I didn't really need much. I bought chicken breasts, two packs of ground turkey that were on sale, small eye round beef steaks, Acme and Breyers light yogurt, whole wheat flour, and peanut butter (I ended up with Acme's Wild Harvest Organic Chunky).

Went home, put everything away, and headed out to the PNC Bank branch at the White Horse Pike on foot. I received a nasty shock there. I don't have as much money in the bank as I thought I did. I must have mixed up the amount in my savings account with the amount in my checking account. I'll have to take some out of my savings account. My rent will be late, but not as much as it would be if I just waited for my next paycheck.

It started pouring again as I walked home from the bank. This time, I did get wet, despite bringing an umbrella. I could take a hint. I spent the rest of the afternoon watching Looney Tunes and baking chocolate chip "Old School Muffins" from Alton's book. (They came out very well, BTW, chewy but not too sweet.)

While not quite as good as the first or third Golden Collections, there were a couple of bona-fide classics in Volume 2, notably One Froggy Evening and What's Opera, Doc? Other favorites of mine in this set include the live-action/animation You Ought to Be In Pictures in it's original black-and-white, the Bugs vs. rodent classic Rhapsody Rabbit, and a personal favorite from Mom and Dad's old yellow public domain tapes from the North Cape May Acme, A Corny Concerto. (How many times are you gonna see Bugs Bunny in a bra and tutu today?)

(And the rain ended sometime around dinner. It's not raining now, but it's supposed to do the on-off thing for the rest of the weekend.)

Last Train to Albany

I was too excited to sleep until even 7:30 today. I still had to pack small odds and ends that I needed in the morning (like my cell phone and toothbrush), take out the trash, and put the bills in the mailbox. Dad and I were finally off to 30th Street Station around quarter of 10. It was a beautiful, sunny day, hot but not as much as yesterday, and not humid at all. There was no traffic going into the city, and I got there on time.

Unlike last year, I had no problems anywhere. 30th Street Station in Philadelphia is a gorgeous old barn of a building, looking more like an elegant hotel with wood seats and a departure sign than a transportation terminal. I felt so out-of-place in sneakers and Bermuda shorts! Thanks to the wide-open main lobby, it was easy to figure out where I was going, too.

It would seem the Mid-Atlantic states were the only places on the east coast to have decent weather today. Almost everywhere else, from Vermont to Miami, posted delays as long as 2 1/2 hours.

Penn Station wasn't nearly as impressive. It was mostly an underground metal-and-neon maze, like Port Authority. Unlike Port Authority, there was a huge departure sign that told you what track every train was leaving from. The customer service people were very helpful, too. The Albany train had changed times; I only had to ask one person if I was going to the right train, and they knew right away. The only problem I had at Penn Station was the line for the bathroom! (That's what I get for needing to use the restroom during lunch hour.)

Both train rides were smooth sailing all the way. Though the coach cars generally looked like the buses, with two seats on each side, the seats were wider and in better shape, there was more legroom, each seat had a pocket with a safety brochure and an Amtrak magazine in the back and a tray, and none of them appeared to have been written on with marker on recently. The scenery going to New York consisted of mostly suburbs and graffiti, but the view going to Albany was gorgeous. I saw lots of shining lakes, sparkling rivers, and gorgeous mansions, old and new.

The train was actually early arriving at the Albany station. Thankfully, I'd called Lauren earlier to warn her and she was there when I arrived. Her first choice restaurant was closed, so we ended up having dinner at a chain eatery called Cracker Barrel. I'd only recently heard of this chain. They have a country theme, with country music playing in the background, and old-time tin signs, cowboy hats, and guitars hanging on the walls. I had lemon-grilled trout, turnip greens, and roasted red potatoes. She had a pineapple-pecan salad that was HUGE. It was all very tasty. We browsed in the adjoining store after dinner, but neither of us bought anything.

We drove to Lauren's house after dinner, put my stuff in her room, greeted her parents, and went back out again. It was too nice a day to hang around in her room, so we drove over to FYE and Micheal's and browsed. (I bought the third season of Wonder Woman on sale for $9 at FYE; she didn't get anything.)

So yes, I'm now in Lauren's room, typing this on the Compaq laptop Lauren's giving me. (She just bought a Mac laptop a few months ago that she likes much better.) Lauren's looking up addresses to add to her GPS. Tomorrow, we're going to go to a farm market in the parking lot of her local mall, then wander around downtown Pittsfield.

Sunday In the City

Slept in today, longer than I usual do. I didn't have breakfast until almost 11! I called Mom while making Banana-Chocolate Chip Pancakes. Mom was fine. She'd been sick for most of the week, but was now feeling much better. She apparently intended to spend the day quietly knitting.

While cooler than yesterday and cloudy, it was still relatively warm. I wanted to make a rare Sunday shopping trip, but couldn't decide whether to do the Deptford Mall area or Philadelphia. Mom suggested a walk in Philly, and I finally agreed. It was still too nice to spend the whole day wandering around a mall. I headed to Collingswood after today's Beatles show ended. ("Questions and Answers" was the theme of the day.)

The vending machines for the PATCO Speedline Trains only give you coin change...including dollar coins. Not the best thing to be carrying around Philly. Of course, it turned out that all I had was a twenty dollar bill. I was lucky the people at Cafe Antonio's pizzeria were nice enough to change them to paper money for me. Maybe they did it because I was really thirsty and bought a soda. (The kids and their families who were eating there were amused enough - they called it "pirate's gold.")

Took a surprisingly full PATCO into Philly. In addition to old women on a Sunday jaunt and military personnel on leave, there were large groups of sports fans in Phillies and Flyers jerseys and jackets. Yes, both teams played today. The Flyers, in fact, are in the playoffs but had been having a lot of trouble with the high-ranked Pittsburgh Penguins. (I later found out that both teams won their respective games.)

Today may be a holy day, but Philadelphia was bustling when I arrived. I briefly explored the Gallery Mall, but it was too nice to be inside for too long. Headed to big Macy's on Market Street next. That was a disappointment. Fashion still hasn't improved since my last attempt at spring shopping. There were a few mildly cute early 60's style dresses and button-down blouses and a few ruffled skirts, but it was mostly the same awful empire waists and gypsy blouses and bell bottoms I've seen for the past couple of years. I really hate this. I made no bones to the cashier that I didn't buy a blouse because I thought they were butt-ugly. Could we please, PLEASE drop the fussy ruffled collars, hippie-style Indian embroidery, and the loud, huge neon psychedelic print? I walked out with another pair of jeans like the ones I bought on New Year's Eve, only darker, and that was the only clothes I bought.

Crossed over to City Hall next and made my way to the Avenue of the Arts. The big FYE was a mob scene, and I didn't figure out why until I tried to go upstairs to the DVDs. Seems there was an autograph signing for some hard rock band called Silverback today, which explains the lines of eager teenagers. I took the elevator upstairs instead. Finally came downstairs with the MGM musical Words and Music and a DVD copy of National Lampoon's Vacation to add to the CD of the recent musical Curtains I picked up downstairs. (And I was able to take the stairs on the way out - by the time I finished browsing the DVDs, the kids were long gone.) Words and Vacation were both used and on sale, thanks to a 20% off all used DVD sale coupled with my Membership discount.

Made my way down Chestnut and Walnut next to the big Barnes and Noble in Rittenhouse Square. Alas, I still didn't have much luck with clothes shopping. Talbot and the Ann Taylor Loft had nice clothes but ridiculous prices. Express at the Liberty Place Mall was having a huge sale, but their clothes were more of the same junk I'd seen at Macy's. I have the feeling I'd probably have more luck clothes-shopping at the New Jersey malls.

Barnes and Noble was somewhat better. It was still busy, but not like it was at FYE. I made some decent finds, too. Used the last of my Christmas B&N gift card on a chai latte and a peanut butter cup cookie. The gift card I got from Keefe bought a hardback copy of the just-released new Hannah Swenson mystery, Cream Puff Murder. I also found another mystery series I love and haven't read in ages, Dorothy Cannell's Thin Woman series, along with the Entertainment Weekly Summer Movie Preview. I always buy the Summer Movie Preview, have since high school...especially when I get to ogle Hugh Jackman's amazing forearms.

I noticed as I was paying for my order that it had grown even cloudier since I'd arrived in Rittenhouse Square. Cloudier and much colder, as I discovered when I headed out the door and into the late spring afternoon. The wind was picking up, too. I was only wearing jean capris and a thin red sweater, not the best protection against fickle spring weather. I went straight home on a, for once, not full dinnertime PATCO.

The weather wasn't much better in Camden County. I was able to ride home without incident and make a lovely chicken bake with red potatoes, cherry tomatoes, and pesto.

Spring Is Here, I Hear

I awoke to a chilly, damp, cloudy first day of spring. Today was also Mom's birthday. I called her after breakfast to wish her a good one. Apparently, Cape May County got a snow squall this morning, though it was gone by the time I called. I don't remember seeing one here. One of my customers at the Acme later reported seeing one as well, so maybe it happened really early. Mom's an early riser.

I bought some coconut on sale yesterday. I was going to make coconut cake, but I already have cake in the freezer, so I decided to make coconut bread instead. I also added pineapple that was in the pantry shelf and a banana that was getting really ripe. It came out very, very tasty. I used the basic Betty Crocker Fruit Bread Recipe, but swapped some of the shortening for buttermilk and mashed banana. It came out very moist, sweet, and crumbly.

After the bread came out of the oven, I felt like doing something outside. I was tired of the same old walk, especially after playing tennis yesterday. I dug around in my living room closet for my field hockey stick and ball and hit that around the park next door. When I got tired of that, I did laps with the ball around the VFW's parking lot across the street (doing my best to avoid the puddle-filled potholes). I had a really nice time. I goofed around and had a little unusual exercise. I really need to start doing stuff like this more often. I have badminton equipment from when Keefe used to visit in Wildwood, a jump rope, and a frisbee in the living room closet. It's time I started using them again.

I went to work about an hour after my field hockey practice. Work was busier than the last few days, but still not nearly as crazy as last week. My hours were lousy, too. While I do have two days off again, I only have 22 hours and work until 8 and 7 the whole week except for Sunday, when I'm off at 5:30.

Headed to the mall behind the Acme for dinner after work. I have at least seven meal choices in that mall (eight if you count Acme). Applebee's would take too long. The Wal-Mart Subway is lousy. Chick Fil'A's had a line going out the door. I wasn't in the mood for burgers (which eliminated Five Guys and Arby's) or pizza (Tu Se Bella). I finally settled on Fat Jack's Barbecue, since they were so good the last time I was there. They were just as good again. I went with the Pulled Pork Sandwich again, this time with the Green Beans n' (shredded) Ham side. The beans were a little garlicky, but still pretty tasty. The sandwich was as delicious as it was two weeks ago. The girls working the counter were really sweet, too. I made sure to leave them a nice tip in the tip jar.

Made a quick stop at FYE next. I hadn't realized season 2 of Get Smart was already out on DVD, but I saw it mentioned online and thought I'd see if they had it. I managed to grab their last copy for about $21. One of the boys behind the counter tried to talk me into getting Twilight. Ugh! Sounds like vampire glop to me. I wouldn't touch that with a 200 foot pole. I hate gloppy romance and I really can't stand mopey pretty boys.

Ended up back at the Acme to do my grocery shopping. Good thing I only need a few things tonight - grapefruit, kiwi, bananas, romaine lettuce, cubed steak, pineapple, yogurt, canola oil (I'm almost out). The Acme wasn't too bad by the time I got back there and I was in and out fairly quickly.

Little Wooden Head

For some weird reason, today's Strawberry Shortcake and Care Bears episodes were repeats of last week's (maybe the CBS execs thought kids wouldn't notice?), so I started today off with the tail end of the Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers vehicle The Barkleys of Broadway instead. Their only vehicle in color and at MGM started out as a rematch between Astaire and Judy Garland after Easter Parade, but Garland dropped the film thanks to her ongoing personal problems and Ginger Rogers stepped in. Ginger and Fred are a married Broadway couple who break up when she wants to do a dramatic show. Oscar Levant, the king of deadpan snark, steals the show as their long-time friend and city-lover.

After Fred and Ginger, I ran a couple of errands. Went on a pleasant walk to the bank first. It was a lovely day, in the mid-40s and perfectly sunny. I saw robins chirping in the trees and the first flower of the spring. People were out and about as well. Older kids wandered in groups. Parents walked hand-in-hand with younger children. Adults waved to me from newly-washed and oiled bikes.

I did the bank as quickly as I could. Thankfully, it wasn't busy. I left a little early to head to FYE before work to pick up the new Platinum DVD of Pinocchio and renew my Membership Card. It was worth the early lunch and rushed ride. This isn't my favorite Disney movie, but the DVD is awesome. The transfer is amazing. The colors just pop, especially in my favorite part, the opening sequence in Gepetto's shop.

I wish I'd stayed at FYE. Work was two pains and a half. There were long lines and cranky customers all day long, and we were very short on help for a Saturday! I guess everyone decided they'd rather spend this nice day outside. I don't know why the crowds were so heavy. St. Patrick's Day isn't exactly a huge-feast-for-the-whole-family kind of holiday, March Madness only covers junk food, and the weather report for the next couple of days calls for more of the same - sunny or mildly cloudy and upper 40s-lower 50s, without even a rain drop in sight.

And one of my last order was one of those annoying women who buys a huge cart full of groceries, then puts most of it back because oops, she only brought so much money and can't afford it all. AND she had a bunch of screaming, whining little girls running around her, AND she was rude to them and me! For crying out loud, LEARN TO COUNT! Count in your head while you're shopping, and don't randomly shove whatever into the cart and hope that someone will put it away for you later. We don't always have enough help to put everything away the moment you want us to.

I was so grateful that they sent a teenage boy just off his break in for me (my relief was the kid with a second job who is always late). I had my own shopping to do. Thankfully, it wasn't much - yogurt, grapefruit, oranges, bananas, a bag of apples, Cheerios, ground turkey, a box of white cake mix, and the big $1.99 Edy's Ice Cream sale. Edy's Light Coffee Ice Cream is divine.

A Penny A Day

I slept in a little bit this morning, waking up just in time for Strawberry Shortcake. Strawberry was a repeat, the episode about Peppermint Fizz not liking Rainbow Sherbet because she's so different, but I hadn't see this week's Care Bears installment before. In the first one, Grizzle the evil (but not that bright) Mechanical Bear hits the bears with a machine that makes them forget everything...including what he wants them to remember. The second one was a bit more sentimental. MacKenzie, a human child friend of the Care Bears, visits them in an attempt to cheer herself up after her best friend moves away. She comes just in time for the arrival of another set of friends who don't stick around - the Thunder Whales. She befriends a baby Thunder Whale when she gets him unstuck from a tree, but learns a lesson about friends moving on when he has to leave.

It was a gorgeous, sunny late February day. The pale blue sky was cloudless, it was cold but not bitterly so, and while it was still a little windy, it was nothing like the past few days. I walked to the PNC Bank branch on the White Horse Pike quite easily and without getting blown over.

I did get a savings account. Turns out the lady who does their savings accounts used to live in North Cape May and says her parents still do. She even went to Lower Cape May Regional High School, where Keefe goes now, ten years before me. I got the most basic savings account I could. Apparently, I can keep it open for a year. If I don't have $400 in the account by this time next year, I can close it. We'll see what happens.

After lunch and a few more Garfield and Friends episodes, I headed out again, this time in the direction of the Acme and the Audubon Commons Shopping Center. My first stop was Wal Mart, where I braved the crowds and discovered that, not only is their bike selection actually better than Target's (despite being a smaller store), they had the bike tools I was looking for on Thursday! I'll fix the handlebars on my mountain bike tomorrow. (Still no baskets, though...)

Ended up at FYE next. I was a good girl and limited my spending to the WebKinz Emperor Dragon, which I'd wanted, and the 1969 Barbara Streisand Hello Dolly!, which was on sale for $6.99. Last year, I spent more than $100 at FYE on two WebKinz, five DVDs, and the Membership Card after I got my tax return.

I had a fairly long grocery shopping list for me today, anyway. I wanted to stock up on some pantry items - barbecue sauce, mustard, salad dressing - along with restocking my fruit, vegetables, and yogurt, and taking advantage of a half-price sale on chicken and ground turkey.

Oh, and meet Bruce Lee, my Emperor Dragon! The regal co-owner of the Kinzville Asian Cuisine House (with Marza the Panda) is named for the famous 70s martial arts star. His money will finish off the new Movie Theater and at least get a little in for the Asian Cuisine House.