A Very Happy Valentine's Day
Happy Valentine's Day to everyone! I know a lot of people don't like this holiday. "It's only for couples!" "It exists so people will buy cards and candy!" "What if you're not in love?" "What if you're not romantic?"
The complainers are missing the point. There's many different kinds of love in the world, and many other ways of showing that you care besides a fancy card and a box of chocolates. What about getting together with your friends and having a movie night? Or doing something nice for your parents. Or tossing in an extra round of video games with your best guy or gal pal.
While I don't have a significant other, I had a fun day anyway. It was still cloudy and chilly when I got up early to go to the laundromat. I was in there around 9:30...and the place was quiet. The couple who was finishing their laundry had just gone outside. The TV wasn't even on. The manager and a repairman who needed to fix a faulty washer showed up later, but by the time they were getting busy, I was on my way out.
I ran a couple of Valentine's Day specials this morning and after I got in. I did Bugs Bunny's Cupid Capers and the two Winnie the Pooh Valentine's cartoons during breakfast. Put on Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown while I folded and returned my laundry to the drawers it belonged in.
I rode to the Haddon Township Library for this week's volunteer session around a quarter to 12. The clouds that made this morning so cold were clearing out by then, and it was becoming a really lovely day. It was so nice, I was too warm in my heavy black coat and new insulated gloves. Newton River Park was filled with dog-walkers, joggers, lovers going for a stroll, and little kids and their parents running around the playground. Ducks enjoyed a leisurely lunch-hour glide around the river.
The Library was also quiet, not a surprise on a nice day and a holiday. There weren't many books or DVDs for me to put away. I pulled foreign and kids' movies from the adult DVD rack and adult DVDs from the kids' racks, then turned the kids titles over to the librarian in charge of visual media to be labeled more clearly. (I also didn't take anything out myself. I have plenty to watch at home, and a lot of things going on right now anyway.)
You'd never know it was the same day when I got out of the library. The sun was shining brightly, the clouds were mostly gone, and while it was still windy, it wasn't nearly as bad as the last few days. I had a very nice ride through Westmont and Audubon over to Simply Soups. I saw a carpenter working on the floor in the storefront that had once housed Act Two Collectibles as I rode by, and I wondered who would be moving in.
I got my answer when I arrived at Simply Soups. They had signs in their window and in the restaurant saying they're moving...two doors down to the former Act Two shop! That's perfect. It's a nicer and much larger store, and being on a corner (and a block from the White Horse Pike), they'll probably get even more drive-by business.
After a delicious cup of Italian Wedding Soup and Saltines, I made a brief stop at Willie the Woodsman and Wife's in the next building over. They moved their WebKinz to the children's room in the second floor. They still didn't have any I really wanted, so I just headed out empty-handed.
I did much better at Abbie Road. Bob was having a sale on used CDs, and he had a very full rack of records, too. I ended up with two records:
The Seekers - Georgy Girl (I've never seen the movie, but I love that song and "Red Rubber Ball")
The original Broadway cast of South Pacific with Mary Martin and Enzio Pinza (also a cassette replacement)
The CD sale yielded seven discs:
The American Song Book series: Rodgers & Hart and Jules Styne (Collections of various pop vocalists singing standards by these gentlemen)
Wynton & Ellis Marsalis - Joe Cool's Blues (Classic Vince Guaraldi compositions mixed with Wynton Marsalis' own material)
George Winston - Linus & Lucy: The Music of Vince Guaraldi
Five For Fighting - American Town and The Battle for Everything
Uncle Kracker - No Time for Shame (Yes, I'm aware of the explicit content label...but I love their version of "Drift Away")
I made it to America's Best at 3 on the dot. For once, they didn't make me wait very long. They even had good news for me. My stigmatic right eye has improved slightly, but not enough to change my prescription. I ordered my usual three months supply of contacts.
While I was there, I asked the eye doctor about the possibility of laser surgery at Will's Eye Hospital in Philly. The answer was what I expected - out of the question. My eyes are just too bad. They'd have to slice through too much cornea, and there would be too much risk involved. Oh well. I don't mind wearing contacts and glasses.
It was so beautiful when I left, I went straight home instead of to Lucile Roberts. It was just too lovely to be sitting in a gym! I went for a walk to WaWa instead. There were lots of people out and about, enjoying the weather and the holiday. Kids rode bikes together. Couples walked and chatted. People gabbed on their porches. Parents pushed children in strollers; college students walked their dogs. I treated myself to two Dark Chocolate Reeses Cups and a mix of hot chocolate and Chai tea (since the WaWa's Chai is rather weak - it came out very well) as I headed home.
I used the Duncan Hines Orange Supreme Cake Mix I bought on sale to make Orange-Strawberry-Coconut Cookies - the mix with coconut, chopped strawberries, orange concentrate, two egg whites, and slightly less vegetable oil than called for. They came out yummy, very sweet and very citrus-y!
Did A Charlie Brown Valentine while I worked on the cookies, then I Married an Angel during my dinner of Orange Chicken Stir Fry. Count Palafi (Nelson Eddy) is a high-living playboy who is supposed to be in charge of one of the biggest banks in Budapest. His second-in-command (Reginald Owen, unrecognizable in a huge beard) wants him to take a wife, but he'd rather have the chorus girls he runs around with. The night of his birthday, he dreams that the little secretary everyone at work made fun of (Jeanette MacDonald) is really an angel sent to give him the perfect mate.
The Count learns the hard way to be careful what you wish for when the angel turns out to be literally too good to be true. She objects to the real animal feathers and fur used in her new wardrobe, offends the snooty bank examiners and their wives by telling them the truth about themselves, and unknowingly flirts with the owner of the bank's rival (Douglass Dumbrille). One of the Count's former girlfriends (Binnie Barnes) makes the Angel over to be more like the chorus girls he usually dates...but the Count is even less thrilled when the makeover proves to be too successful!
I don't know why this one doesn't rank higher with fans. I thought it was adorable. MacDonald in particular has a high time playing angel and devil, and Eddy has his fun moments, too. (Him trying to get to Jeanette during her solo number is a scream.) I loved Binnie Barnes and MacDonald's little swing dance routine when Barnes is trying to teach her how to be a bit more devilish.
This was a flop when it came out in 1942, and I think the main problem may have been wrong movie at the wrong time. A fluffy romantic fantasy (set in Europe, to boot) wasn't the best thing to be releasing during the height of World War II. MacDonald and Eddy had been at the top since 1935 and had pretty much worn out their welcome, too. There's also the fact that it's a bit on the surreal side, especially the montage towards the end when Eddy keeps imagining MacDonald and Dumbrille in a series of increasingly outlandish settings.
Not the best of their movies to start out with, but if you're a fan, this is a big improvement over their previous two vehicles and a lot of fun to watch.
Life is a lazy river - no matter where you are. Movies, musicals, mysteries, pop culture, and lots of other great stuff.
Showing posts with label eye problems. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eye problems. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Friday, January 15, 2010
As We Go Along
I did manage to get to the Haddon Township Library late this morning. There were plenty of DVDs to put away, adult and kids', and I organized the rock and vocal CDs, too. Found quite a few CDs to take out as well - Five For Fighting, The Very Best of Burt Bacharach, Diana Krall, Frank Sinatra, and Rod Stewart's second The Great American Songbook collection. (I've heard his duet with Cher on "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" at the Acme and loved it.) Also took out two books on job-hunting. It's time to start doing that again.
Stopped at Super Fresh on the way home. They were having 2 for $3 a sale on Asian Green Tea. I needed fresh bunched carrots again, too. They also have better prices on leeks. They were having a sale on Brussels sprouts as well, so I picked up those there.
Rode home in gorgeous weather. This was the nicest day we've had since New Year's Day, into the mid-upper 40s, partly sunny, and breezy but not gale-force winds. It at least melted some of the remaining ice piles from the pre-Christmas blizzard and made that icy spot around Goff Avenue a lot easier to get around.
I did, indeed, take the bike to the Acme after I finished my peanut-butter-and-cranberry-pear-butter sandwich lunch. I needed to pick up my paycheck before I headed behind the front building to the Audubon Crossings Shopping Center and America's Best for my eye exam. The Acme was, thankfully, steady but not really all that busy. (Not that different from yesterday, actually.)
The eye exam went pretty well. It was the same as last time. I sat in the plain but clean waiting area while the doctor finished with the previous exam. It was the same as 2008 - white walls, metal seats, no signs or pictures - with the exception of the TV showing advertisements for some fancy new type of lenses.
After all the usual tests, the doctor discerned that my eyes had changed a little bit since the last time I was there, and I needed a slight different prescription than last time. It should take me about a week to get my new contacts. They were really nice about everything, including the payment.
Made a quick stop back at the Acme next to go grocery shopping. I didn't really need much this time around. I just picked up apples (Galas were on sale), bananas, oranges, yogurt, fish, grits, cooking spray, and baking cocoa. It all came to exactly $19.99 - the first time that had apparently ever happened to Patrice, my cashier (who is normally a stocker, but they must have needed extra help up front). She noted it on my receipt and everything.
I rode home. I was just going to dust the apartment after I put my groceries away, but it was such a nice day, I couldn't bring myself to hang out inside. I made a quick sunset run to the bank instead and deposited what was left of my paycheck after paying for the eye exam. It was a nice walk, too, the (comparatively) warm day illuminated by the warm purple-and-gold glow of the oncoming twilight.
Spent the rest of the evening baking a Peanut Butter Cake from that Prevention cookbook and watching Monkees concerts and other related items. I like that series of music videos the four made for their 1997 CD JustUs. They were really cute, and in some ways, better than the hour-long special they did that same year.
I did manage to get to the Haddon Township Library late this morning. There were plenty of DVDs to put away, adult and kids', and I organized the rock and vocal CDs, too. Found quite a few CDs to take out as well - Five For Fighting, The Very Best of Burt Bacharach, Diana Krall, Frank Sinatra, and Rod Stewart's second The Great American Songbook collection. (I've heard his duet with Cher on "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" at the Acme and loved it.) Also took out two books on job-hunting. It's time to start doing that again.
Stopped at Super Fresh on the way home. They were having 2 for $3 a sale on Asian Green Tea. I needed fresh bunched carrots again, too. They also have better prices on leeks. They were having a sale on Brussels sprouts as well, so I picked up those there.
Rode home in gorgeous weather. This was the nicest day we've had since New Year's Day, into the mid-upper 40s, partly sunny, and breezy but not gale-force winds. It at least melted some of the remaining ice piles from the pre-Christmas blizzard and made that icy spot around Goff Avenue a lot easier to get around.
I did, indeed, take the bike to the Acme after I finished my peanut-butter-and-cranberry-pear-butter sandwich lunch. I needed to pick up my paycheck before I headed behind the front building to the Audubon Crossings Shopping Center and America's Best for my eye exam. The Acme was, thankfully, steady but not really all that busy. (Not that different from yesterday, actually.)
The eye exam went pretty well. It was the same as last time. I sat in the plain but clean waiting area while the doctor finished with the previous exam. It was the same as 2008 - white walls, metal seats, no signs or pictures - with the exception of the TV showing advertisements for some fancy new type of lenses.
After all the usual tests, the doctor discerned that my eyes had changed a little bit since the last time I was there, and I needed a slight different prescription than last time. It should take me about a week to get my new contacts. They were really nice about everything, including the payment.
Made a quick stop back at the Acme next to go grocery shopping. I didn't really need much this time around. I just picked up apples (Galas were on sale), bananas, oranges, yogurt, fish, grits, cooking spray, and baking cocoa. It all came to exactly $19.99 - the first time that had apparently ever happened to Patrice, my cashier (who is normally a stocker, but they must have needed extra help up front). She noted it on my receipt and everything.
I rode home. I was just going to dust the apartment after I put my groceries away, but it was such a nice day, I couldn't bring myself to hang out inside. I made a quick sunset run to the bank instead and deposited what was left of my paycheck after paying for the eye exam. It was a nice walk, too, the (comparatively) warm day illuminated by the warm purple-and-gold glow of the oncoming twilight.
Spent the rest of the evening baking a Peanut Butter Cake from that Prevention cookbook and watching Monkees concerts and other related items. I like that series of music videos the four made for their 1997 CD JustUs. They were really cute, and in some ways, better than the hour-long special they did that same year.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Lego My Lightsaber!
Today was one of my two early work shifts this week, and the longer one. It was...long. There were quite a few pain-in-the-rear customers, including one older lady who made a fuss when I didn't know whether or not I could take her ID card to cash her check. We're only supposed to take Federal or military driver's licenses and non-driver's IDs. The head front end manager was at a meeting and wasn't able to tell me we can fill out a special card for senior citizens who don't drive until the woman was gone. (At any rate, I wasn't the only one the old lady was grouchy to. The woman behind her complained that she yelled at her when she accidentally knocked into her flowers, which were hanging unavoidably over the side of her cart.)
When I came home, I had several messages waiting on my answering machine. One was a telemarketer. One was a wrong number. The last one was from the girl who helped me select and price glasses at America's Best yesterday. She said she had an extra 50% off coupon from working there that she didn't need, as she'd just gotten glasses not long ago, and had asked her boss if I could have it. It brought the price she mentioned yesterday down to about $75, which is much better. I'm so glad everyone at America's Best (including the doctors and the receptionist) were so sweet.
After I called her back and said, sure, thanks a lot, I'd be glad for any help I could get. I went over to Uncle Ken's to do the laundry after that and spent most of the evening watching Jessa and Brittany play the Lego Star Wars Wii game. Yes, this was the same game I watched my little cousins play all Christmas afternoon. It really is addictive. It's more-or-less an RPG version of all six Star Wars films...but as if you were playing a Zelda game with the real Star Wars Lego sets. There's Lego-like versions of all the characters, and much of the game play revolves around characters having to build staircases or ramps or take apart doors to secret rooms or levels.
I had dinner at Uncle Ken's, too. Daddy made egg-batter-fried tilapia, sauteed spinach and mushrooms, peas, and macaroni and cheese.
Today was one of my two early work shifts this week, and the longer one. It was...long. There were quite a few pain-in-the-rear customers, including one older lady who made a fuss when I didn't know whether or not I could take her ID card to cash her check. We're only supposed to take Federal or military driver's licenses and non-driver's IDs. The head front end manager was at a meeting and wasn't able to tell me we can fill out a special card for senior citizens who don't drive until the woman was gone. (At any rate, I wasn't the only one the old lady was grouchy to. The woman behind her complained that she yelled at her when she accidentally knocked into her flowers, which were hanging unavoidably over the side of her cart.)
When I came home, I had several messages waiting on my answering machine. One was a telemarketer. One was a wrong number. The last one was from the girl who helped me select and price glasses at America's Best yesterday. She said she had an extra 50% off coupon from working there that she didn't need, as she'd just gotten glasses not long ago, and had asked her boss if I could have it. It brought the price she mentioned yesterday down to about $75, which is much better. I'm so glad everyone at America's Best (including the doctors and the receptionist) were so sweet.
After I called her back and said, sure, thanks a lot, I'd be glad for any help I could get. I went over to Uncle Ken's to do the laundry after that and spent most of the evening watching Jessa and Brittany play the Lego Star Wars Wii game. Yes, this was the same game I watched my little cousins play all Christmas afternoon. It really is addictive. It's more-or-less an RPG version of all six Star Wars films...but as if you were playing a Zelda game with the real Star Wars Lego sets. There's Lego-like versions of all the characters, and much of the game play revolves around characters having to build staircases or ramps or take apart doors to secret rooms or levels.
I had dinner at Uncle Ken's, too. Daddy made egg-batter-fried tilapia, sauteed spinach and mushrooms, peas, and macaroni and cheese.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
The Eyes Don't Have It
Work went well today, quiet with no major problems and only a small crowd around noon. The absolutely stunning weather (80 degrees and no humidity) probably played a major role. It might be just as well. I had enough trouble with my eye exam.
The exam itself went well enough. I finally went to a brand-new America's Best that opened earlier this year in the shopping center behind the Acme. America's Best takes up the second-largest store next to the free-standing Staples, in the block that also includes Pepboys, a nail salon, a laudromat, and Audubon's post office. I first had a small pre-exam to check if I had any major eye injuries or illnesses. After that, I waited for about fifteen minutes. I sat in the bland waiting area (just metal benches, no reading material or anything) listening to the women gossip until I couldn't stand it, then went in the main lobby/glasses area to look at the newest frames.
Dr. Chang was very nice when I finally got in. After a series of the usual tests (flashing a light in my eyes, having me read letters), she told me most of what I already knew. My eyes are lousy. I have a small stigma in my left eye (which is why the left one is lazy). What I HADN'T known is that they've gotten slightly worse since 2000. THAT hurt. Mom told me my eyes should have stabilized by now!
On the other hand, she also told me I could wear contacts as long as it was a special prescription. THAT, I could handle. I've wanted to try contacts. My sister Rose and my Aunt Terri wear them with no problems. Not only did I think my eyes were too bad for contacts, but I figured they would be a bad idea for me. I'm so clumsy, I assumed I'd break them, or they would be too scratchy and make my eyes water constantly, or they'd never stay in place.
Glasses didn't go nearly as well. Even after choosing an inexpensive pair, my huge lenses were way outside of their sales. The glasses and the special custom prescription lenses would cost over $280 all together...and I've heard that's cheap! I told her we'd probably have to wait for October.
So, no glasses now. I have vacation this month, and I don't know how I'm going to afford bills and my rent and vacation and glasses. It was probably a stupid idea to get an eye exam when I'm still paying for dental appointments. I should have just called the damn union about my insurance. I hate calling people. The union should have just sent me the vision claim I'd asked for instead of a dental claim! And I really, really, REALLY hate asking for money. I haven't done it in years, but it makes me feel like a little kid. I'm proud of my independence. I've spent most of my life having to let people buy me things because I couldn't get a job or money.
I wouldn't have even bothered with an eye exam now, but the glasses I'm wearing now are my old prescription from the mid-late 90s. The frames are in decent shape, but I'm getting really bad double vision, and I have a hard time reading things far away. I'm really worried. I should have done this in March, when I got my check, but I just didn't think. I NEVER think. And when I don't think about things before I do them, I get into trouble.
Work went well today, quiet with no major problems and only a small crowd around noon. The absolutely stunning weather (80 degrees and no humidity) probably played a major role. It might be just as well. I had enough trouble with my eye exam.
The exam itself went well enough. I finally went to a brand-new America's Best that opened earlier this year in the shopping center behind the Acme. America's Best takes up the second-largest store next to the free-standing Staples, in the block that also includes Pepboys, a nail salon, a laudromat, and Audubon's post office. I first had a small pre-exam to check if I had any major eye injuries or illnesses. After that, I waited for about fifteen minutes. I sat in the bland waiting area (just metal benches, no reading material or anything) listening to the women gossip until I couldn't stand it, then went in the main lobby/glasses area to look at the newest frames.
Dr. Chang was very nice when I finally got in. After a series of the usual tests (flashing a light in my eyes, having me read letters), she told me most of what I already knew. My eyes are lousy. I have a small stigma in my left eye (which is why the left one is lazy). What I HADN'T known is that they've gotten slightly worse since 2000. THAT hurt. Mom told me my eyes should have stabilized by now!
On the other hand, she also told me I could wear contacts as long as it was a special prescription. THAT, I could handle. I've wanted to try contacts. My sister Rose and my Aunt Terri wear them with no problems. Not only did I think my eyes were too bad for contacts, but I figured they would be a bad idea for me. I'm so clumsy, I assumed I'd break them, or they would be too scratchy and make my eyes water constantly, or they'd never stay in place.
Glasses didn't go nearly as well. Even after choosing an inexpensive pair, my huge lenses were way outside of their sales. The glasses and the special custom prescription lenses would cost over $280 all together...and I've heard that's cheap! I told her we'd probably have to wait for October.
So, no glasses now. I have vacation this month, and I don't know how I'm going to afford bills and my rent and vacation and glasses. It was probably a stupid idea to get an eye exam when I'm still paying for dental appointments. I should have just called the damn union about my insurance. I hate calling people. The union should have just sent me the vision claim I'd asked for instead of a dental claim! And I really, really, REALLY hate asking for money. I haven't done it in years, but it makes me feel like a little kid. I'm proud of my independence. I've spent most of my life having to let people buy me things because I couldn't get a job or money.
I wouldn't have even bothered with an eye exam now, but the glasses I'm wearing now are my old prescription from the mid-late 90s. The frames are in decent shape, but I'm getting really bad double vision, and I have a hard time reading things far away. I'm really worried. I should have done this in March, when I got my check, but I just didn't think. I NEVER think. And when I don't think about things before I do them, I get into trouble.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Here, There, Everywhere
I did a LOT of running around today. Unfortunately, I discovered you have to send in a form to get the vision insurance claim benefits. Rose and I did go to the Lens Crafters at the Cherry Hill Mall today, but we decided to wait until I'd sent in the claim, so no, I didn't get my glasses replaced. I have an old pair with my older prescription. I can see well enough to get by, although these are slightly weaker and it's not as easy to see far-away print now. Oh well. That's what I get for not going to an eye doctor for seven years. We'll go back or to somewhere similar after I get my claim.
Rose and I did some other shopping. She's trying to get her clothes together for her trip to Costa Rica next month, and I wanted a dress or a nice spring skirt. I did get a skirt at the Gap. It's a knee-length, ruffled skirt that swirls when it twirls. I've always had a weakness for dresses that twirl. It's a little frou-frou, but it's cute and it does look nice on me. Not only was it on sale for $12.99, but it was a Large. I haven't worn a Large since high school! Between the price and the size, that skirt made me very happy.
I had lunch after Rose dropped me off, then went to Collingswood to say "hi" to Erica at the thrift shop, drop off a few donations, and head over to Genesis for counseling. Scott and I mainly talked about trying to control my fits of frustration around other people. It IS hard. The first thing that comes to mind when I do something dumb is that I shouldn't have done it and it was stupid. I know it's harsh, but...I shouldn't have done it. I also know I'll never get a real job if I can't calm down and not get upset at work.
After counseling, I threw caution (and the hot, muggy weather) to the wind and decided that a few hours in Philadelphia was better than none. I was able to go to my favorite FYE and Borders on Broad Street and up to the Gallery Mall. It's not what I had planned, but it's what I was able to do with the time I had, and I did get something I wanted - the newly released Sword In the Stone: 45th Anniversary Edition DVD that the local FYE didn't have.
I didn't get home until around quarter after six, and it was around 6:30 when I finally got to doing my laundry. Uncle Ken was chatting with his neighbors and listening to a Phillies game on the radio. (He switched to WOGL after the game ended.) I read The Elusive Pimpernel, ate Uncle Ken's ham and bean soup, and went for a relaxing swim with some of the neighborhood kids and their parents.
I did a LOT of running around today. Unfortunately, I discovered you have to send in a form to get the vision insurance claim benefits. Rose and I did go to the Lens Crafters at the Cherry Hill Mall today, but we decided to wait until I'd sent in the claim, so no, I didn't get my glasses replaced. I have an old pair with my older prescription. I can see well enough to get by, although these are slightly weaker and it's not as easy to see far-away print now. Oh well. That's what I get for not going to an eye doctor for seven years. We'll go back or to somewhere similar after I get my claim.
Rose and I did some other shopping. She's trying to get her clothes together for her trip to Costa Rica next month, and I wanted a dress or a nice spring skirt. I did get a skirt at the Gap. It's a knee-length, ruffled skirt that swirls when it twirls. I've always had a weakness for dresses that twirl. It's a little frou-frou, but it's cute and it does look nice on me. Not only was it on sale for $12.99, but it was a Large. I haven't worn a Large since high school! Between the price and the size, that skirt made me very happy.
I had lunch after Rose dropped me off, then went to Collingswood to say "hi" to Erica at the thrift shop, drop off a few donations, and head over to Genesis for counseling. Scott and I mainly talked about trying to control my fits of frustration around other people. It IS hard. The first thing that comes to mind when I do something dumb is that I shouldn't have done it and it was stupid. I know it's harsh, but...I shouldn't have done it. I also know I'll never get a real job if I can't calm down and not get upset at work.
After counseling, I threw caution (and the hot, muggy weather) to the wind and decided that a few hours in Philadelphia was better than none. I was able to go to my favorite FYE and Borders on Broad Street and up to the Gallery Mall. It's not what I had planned, but it's what I was able to do with the time I had, and I did get something I wanted - the newly released Sword In the Stone: 45th Anniversary Edition DVD that the local FYE didn't have.
I didn't get home until around quarter after six, and it was around 6:30 when I finally got to doing my laundry. Uncle Ken was chatting with his neighbors and listening to a Phillies game on the radio. (He switched to WOGL after the game ended.) I read The Elusive Pimpernel, ate Uncle Ken's ham and bean soup, and went for a relaxing swim with some of the neighborhood kids and their parents.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
When Things Were Rotten
Today was not a good day. No, I never made it to Yogawood. I slept too late. I walked over to Dad's and gave him his share of the Christmas and Easter pictures instead. (There were a few shots of my porch in the fall and during the only snowstorm we had last year, and three pictures of Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations I took to remember how I did them so I can do them again more-or-less the same way this year. Obviously, Dad didn't get those.) Dad was still cleaning the pool, this time sweeping the bottom. I caught him at a good time. He, Jodie, and Jessa are going on a trip to Bethlehem, PA to visit relatives and to do some work for Campbell's Soup for Jodie. (Campbell's has their headquarters in Camden and Jodie is a tour guide and head of phone operators there.)
I went for a walk around the neighborhood after I left Dad. I wandered down some side streets behind West Clinton and ended up at the Oaklyn-Lions Park. I rode a few slides and goofed around a little at the playground, then headed home across the large lawn/baseball field. I wasn't even half-way there when I felt something small and sharp sting one of my toes. Sure enough, there was a huge bee dripping nasty stuff on my toes and sandal. Ugh. I managed to get both the bee and the stinger out, but I limped to Doria's Deli for roast beef and a Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi soda, and then limped home.
I remembered Mom used made a paste out of baking soda and water and apply that to bee stings, so I did that as soon as I got in. It still feels a little sore, but not as bad as when it first happened. I must have gotten the stinger out in time. I spent the rest of the afternoon looking up Free Library of Philadelphia Branches near the PATCO stops without much luck. Apparently, most of the people in the Philadelphia area who read are in northern or western Philly. I only found four anywhere close to the PATCO - one in Chinatown, two on South Broad Street, and one in South Philly. I was hoping to volunteer at one of them.
Work was going fine until an hour and a half before my shift was done. I took off my glasses to wipe them and accidentally bent the wire frames. When I tried to pull them back into shape, one side of the glasses snapped off the nose piece! I was so upset. No matter what nice things my customers said, I still felt embarrassed. I had to work almost literally blind as one of my co-workers tried to glue them back together. It didn't work. The glue just got all over the lenses. There just wasn't enough to reattach. (Good thing I can pretty much do the register by rote now.) I ended up having to call for a ride home. One of the teenage girls managed to tape them together long enough for Jodie and Jessa to get me and my bike home and for me to go over to Dad's house to see if anyone there could help.
Dad and Uncle Ken finally used something hot and smelly called Nassau to get them to stick together temporarily after duct tape and more super glue didn't hold. Rose and her boyfriend Craig were there, too. Rose offered to take me to the Lens Crafters in the Cherry Hill Mall tomorrow to get new frames and maybe even (finally) get my eyes examined. That's something else I've put off for seven years. I haven't been to the eye doctor or had new glasses since 2001. I haven't had the money! I was seriously broke for at least two years after moving to Wildwood, which was not helped by the sudden death of my laptop.
This means I'll have to do the laundry later than planned. I can't do it on Friday morning - I work at 11PM. It means I may not get into Philadelphia like I'd hoped, which means I won't be able to for the second week in a row.
This is just so, so frustrating. It's what happens when you procrastinate. I shouldn't have put off getting glasses and doing my teeth once I did have the money. It might not have cost so much now.
Today was not a good day. No, I never made it to Yogawood. I slept too late. I walked over to Dad's and gave him his share of the Christmas and Easter pictures instead. (There were a few shots of my porch in the fall and during the only snowstorm we had last year, and three pictures of Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations I took to remember how I did them so I can do them again more-or-less the same way this year. Obviously, Dad didn't get those.) Dad was still cleaning the pool, this time sweeping the bottom. I caught him at a good time. He, Jodie, and Jessa are going on a trip to Bethlehem, PA to visit relatives and to do some work for Campbell's Soup for Jodie. (Campbell's has their headquarters in Camden and Jodie is a tour guide and head of phone operators there.)
I went for a walk around the neighborhood after I left Dad. I wandered down some side streets behind West Clinton and ended up at the Oaklyn-Lions Park. I rode a few slides and goofed around a little at the playground, then headed home across the large lawn/baseball field. I wasn't even half-way there when I felt something small and sharp sting one of my toes. Sure enough, there was a huge bee dripping nasty stuff on my toes and sandal. Ugh. I managed to get both the bee and the stinger out, but I limped to Doria's Deli for roast beef and a Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi soda, and then limped home.
I remembered Mom used made a paste out of baking soda and water and apply that to bee stings, so I did that as soon as I got in. It still feels a little sore, but not as bad as when it first happened. I must have gotten the stinger out in time. I spent the rest of the afternoon looking up Free Library of Philadelphia Branches near the PATCO stops without much luck. Apparently, most of the people in the Philadelphia area who read are in northern or western Philly. I only found four anywhere close to the PATCO - one in Chinatown, two on South Broad Street, and one in South Philly. I was hoping to volunteer at one of them.
Work was going fine until an hour and a half before my shift was done. I took off my glasses to wipe them and accidentally bent the wire frames. When I tried to pull them back into shape, one side of the glasses snapped off the nose piece! I was so upset. No matter what nice things my customers said, I still felt embarrassed. I had to work almost literally blind as one of my co-workers tried to glue them back together. It didn't work. The glue just got all over the lenses. There just wasn't enough to reattach. (Good thing I can pretty much do the register by rote now.) I ended up having to call for a ride home. One of the teenage girls managed to tape them together long enough for Jodie and Jessa to get me and my bike home and for me to go over to Dad's house to see if anyone there could help.
Dad and Uncle Ken finally used something hot and smelly called Nassau to get them to stick together temporarily after duct tape and more super glue didn't hold. Rose and her boyfriend Craig were there, too. Rose offered to take me to the Lens Crafters in the Cherry Hill Mall tomorrow to get new frames and maybe even (finally) get my eyes examined. That's something else I've put off for seven years. I haven't been to the eye doctor or had new glasses since 2001. I haven't had the money! I was seriously broke for at least two years after moving to Wildwood, which was not helped by the sudden death of my laptop.
This means I'll have to do the laundry later than planned. I can't do it on Friday morning - I work at 11PM. It means I may not get into Philadelphia like I'd hoped, which means I won't be able to for the second week in a row.
This is just so, so frustrating. It's what happens when you procrastinate. I shouldn't have put off getting glasses and doing my teeth once I did have the money. It might not have cost so much now.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Beauty Of Fall
It was an absolutely gorgeous day in the Philadelphia/Camden area, bright, sunny, and breezy. It was probably still a little too warm for the time of year, but not too horrible, and not humid at all. (In fact, it's supposed to get even cooler and more fall-like as the week progresses.) I made a few phone calls today, including one to order Verizon High Speed Internet. I know they're not perfect and are pricy, but I had them before with no problems besides the price, so...why not? I'll cancel NetZero (who keeps disconnecting me when I don't want to be and attracts ads like a magnet) when I get Verizon.
Work was not beautiful at all. It was busy and backed-up all day. We had two call-outs. One cashier had to leave early, and a bagger never showed up or even bothered calling. The whole day was a royal pain in the rear, and my panicking when my computer froze up didn't help matters.
I know I need to stop panicking when things go wrong, but I can't help it. I feel bad, and need to do SOMETHING to feel better and get back in control. I just want to do better.
I need to ask about a good local eye doctor, someone near-by who isn't in Wal-Mart. I really would like to try contacts - or, better yet, if it's affordable and possible for my horrible eyesight, laser eye surgery.
It was an absolutely gorgeous day in the Philadelphia/Camden area, bright, sunny, and breezy. It was probably still a little too warm for the time of year, but not too horrible, and not humid at all. (In fact, it's supposed to get even cooler and more fall-like as the week progresses.) I made a few phone calls today, including one to order Verizon High Speed Internet. I know they're not perfect and are pricy, but I had them before with no problems besides the price, so...why not? I'll cancel NetZero (who keeps disconnecting me when I don't want to be and attracts ads like a magnet) when I get Verizon.
Work was not beautiful at all. It was busy and backed-up all day. We had two call-outs. One cashier had to leave early, and a bagger never showed up or even bothered calling. The whole day was a royal pain in the rear, and my panicking when my computer froze up didn't help matters.
I know I need to stop panicking when things go wrong, but I can't help it. I feel bad, and need to do SOMETHING to feel better and get back in control. I just want to do better.
I need to ask about a good local eye doctor, someone near-by who isn't in Wal-Mart. I really would like to try contacts - or, better yet, if it's affordable and possible for my horrible eyesight, laser eye surgery.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Sisterhood
I went clothes shopping with my sister Rose this morning at the Cherry Hill Mall. We didn't have the time to do as much as either of us wanted, since I had to work at 1:30, but we did have a good time. She bought some "body sugar" from Sephora, a fancy make-up store. I bought an incredibly comfortable light knit sweater in a gorgeous shade of royal teal blue from the newly remodeled Lane Bryant. The lady at the counter agreed with me; she said she'd bought several short-sleeved versions of the shirt in the summer, she found them so comfortable.
Rose had several good suggestions on the way home. First of all, she hit on why my server was acting funny. I had ignored Netscape's hints to upgrade; you have to restart to do that, and they're rarely that big of a deal, anyway. Turns out this one WAS. Rose said I should try to upgrade and see if that helped, because that was more than likely why the server was slow. It took me a while to get everything in order, but I did upgrade tonight, and the server has worked fine for the past four hours, so that'll hopefully take care of THAT.
I would like to try to get an eye exam and, at the least, get new glasses. I haven't had an eye checkup since 2000, and I'm starting to get double vision when I stare at something for too long. (Like staring at a computer screen, for instance.) Rose put in a word for contacts; she's worn them for years. I've never had them, for three reasons - I was afraid I'd never be able to put the damn things on, I figured they didn't make them strong enough for my bad eyes (I'm horribly nearsighted and my right eye is lazy; it wanders to the side and looks weird), and Mom had always told me I'd never be able to handle them. I'm tired of Mom worrying I can't do this, that, and the other thing. I understand she's trying to protect me, but I'm a big girl now, and I'm tired of being afraid to try things.
Rose's other suggestion was to try to publish my writing again. I'm really nervous about it. My stories were turned down the one place I tried to send them, but it may have been the wrong market. I haven't written any non-fanfic stories in ages, you have to do all this formatting and writing to this and that editor, and besides, I don't know if my stuff is really all that GOOD.
I got in with plenty of time to make it to work. (Thanks, Sis!) Work was on-and-off busy, but steady and without the problematic customers of the weekend.
I went clothes shopping with my sister Rose this morning at the Cherry Hill Mall. We didn't have the time to do as much as either of us wanted, since I had to work at 1:30, but we did have a good time. She bought some "body sugar" from Sephora, a fancy make-up store. I bought an incredibly comfortable light knit sweater in a gorgeous shade of royal teal blue from the newly remodeled Lane Bryant. The lady at the counter agreed with me; she said she'd bought several short-sleeved versions of the shirt in the summer, she found them so comfortable.
Rose had several good suggestions on the way home. First of all, she hit on why my server was acting funny. I had ignored Netscape's hints to upgrade; you have to restart to do that, and they're rarely that big of a deal, anyway. Turns out this one WAS. Rose said I should try to upgrade and see if that helped, because that was more than likely why the server was slow. It took me a while to get everything in order, but I did upgrade tonight, and the server has worked fine for the past four hours, so that'll hopefully take care of THAT.
I would like to try to get an eye exam and, at the least, get new glasses. I haven't had an eye checkup since 2000, and I'm starting to get double vision when I stare at something for too long. (Like staring at a computer screen, for instance.) Rose put in a word for contacts; she's worn them for years. I've never had them, for three reasons - I was afraid I'd never be able to put the damn things on, I figured they didn't make them strong enough for my bad eyes (I'm horribly nearsighted and my right eye is lazy; it wanders to the side and looks weird), and Mom had always told me I'd never be able to handle them. I'm tired of Mom worrying I can't do this, that, and the other thing. I understand she's trying to protect me, but I'm a big girl now, and I'm tired of being afraid to try things.
Rose's other suggestion was to try to publish my writing again. I'm really nervous about it. My stories were turned down the one place I tried to send them, but it may have been the wrong market. I haven't written any non-fanfic stories in ages, you have to do all this formatting and writing to this and that editor, and besides, I don't know if my stuff is really all that GOOD.
I got in with plenty of time to make it to work. (Thanks, Sis!) Work was on-and-off busy, but steady and without the problematic customers of the weekend.
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