Do The Right Thing
I mostly just ran errands today. I went to the Acme and got my desperately needed paycheck and did some grocery shopping, mostly fruits, veggies, and pantry odds-and-ends. Went to FYE to look at WebKinz, but just ended up with an inexpensive used copy of Billy Joel's Piano Man. As much as I'd like to have a friend for Miles, I need food and clothes first. Looked at the Christmas stuff and pants at Wal-Mart and zip and thumb drives at Staples, but didn't buy anything.
I watched To Kill A Mockingbird before I returned it and Seasons of Giving to the Oaklyn Library on my way to the bank. Excellent, excellent movie, well deserving of it's Oscar nominations and Gregory Peck's win. A thoughtful, intelligent tale of stern but kindly lawyer in a small southern town in the 30s who defends and innocent black man accused of raping a white woman. It's the lawyer's kids, however, who end up learning the biggest lessons when the witness the trial...and have a close encounter with the racist father of the accused girl and a mysterious man who lives next door. Gorgeous black-and-white photography, and so sinister at times, I wish I'd watched it Halloween night instead of Night of the Strangler.
Oh, and Miles is still a happy boy in WebKinz World. I'm still working on some of the games. Can't do the Mini Golf to save my life, but I rock at Hungry Pig and anything that's a variation on Tetris.
Life is a lazy river - no matter where you are. Movies, musicals, mysteries, pop culture, and lots of other great stuff.
Friday, November 09, 2007
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Seasons of Pooh
A quiet, fairly simple day today. I slept in and watched Winnie the Pooh: Seasons of Giving while I ate a late breakfast/brunch. It's a cute collection of two winter/Christmas related episodes of The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and the surprisingly good Thanksgiving special.
I first encountered Winnie the Pooh's Thanksgiving on ABC I believe in 1998, the year before it was added to this video. I don't know if they run it anymore, but they should. It's actually quite good, better than the Hundred Acre Woods gang's Christmas special from a few years before. The original gang is ready to have a Pooh-style Thanksgiving feast, with all their favorite foods (like honey and thistles)...until Rabbit butts in and tells his friends that this simply isn't how Thanksgiving IS. Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, Owl, Gopher, and Piglet try to comply to Rabbit's orders, but turkey and cranberries are simply hard to come by.
In the end, Rabbit learns a lesson similar to the point my friend Linda Young makes in her wonderful essay on Thanksgiving. It doesn't matter what you eat for Thanksgiving. It matters whom you share the feast with...and being thankful for the food and friends you do have.
(One very mild nitpick. As enjoyable as the Thanksgiving special is...Pooh and his pals are really British, so would they even know about this holiday? Christopher Robin even retains his accent in his brief appearances.)
The two winter-themed cartoons both come from The New Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh. The Groundhog Day-themed one was ok, but the final cartoon involving Rabbit and the little bird he adopts, Kessie, was genuinely touching.
The rest of the day passed quietly. I browsed in a few stores, but most of the Thanksgiving stuff was gone from AC Moore and I didn't see anything I liked at the Dollar Store or Super Fresh. I spent my two hours at the library organizing the business and financial books, which weren't quite as messy as the sports or world history sections, and certainly nothing like the kid's DVDs. I would have taken even less time if I hadn't lingered over a couple of books...
A quiet, fairly simple day today. I slept in and watched Winnie the Pooh: Seasons of Giving while I ate a late breakfast/brunch. It's a cute collection of two winter/Christmas related episodes of The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and the surprisingly good Thanksgiving special.
I first encountered Winnie the Pooh's Thanksgiving on ABC I believe in 1998, the year before it was added to this video. I don't know if they run it anymore, but they should. It's actually quite good, better than the Hundred Acre Woods gang's Christmas special from a few years before. The original gang is ready to have a Pooh-style Thanksgiving feast, with all their favorite foods (like honey and thistles)...until Rabbit butts in and tells his friends that this simply isn't how Thanksgiving IS. Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, Owl, Gopher, and Piglet try to comply to Rabbit's orders, but turkey and cranberries are simply hard to come by.
In the end, Rabbit learns a lesson similar to the point my friend Linda Young makes in her wonderful essay on Thanksgiving. It doesn't matter what you eat for Thanksgiving. It matters whom you share the feast with...and being thankful for the food and friends you do have.
(One very mild nitpick. As enjoyable as the Thanksgiving special is...Pooh and his pals are really British, so would they even know about this holiday? Christopher Robin even retains his accent in his brief appearances.)
The two winter-themed cartoons both come from The New Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh. The Groundhog Day-themed one was ok, but the final cartoon involving Rabbit and the little bird he adopts, Kessie, was genuinely touching.
The rest of the day passed quietly. I browsed in a few stores, but most of the Thanksgiving stuff was gone from AC Moore and I didn't see anything I liked at the Dollar Store or Super Fresh. I spent my two hours at the library organizing the business and financial books, which weren't quite as messy as the sports or world history sections, and certainly nothing like the kid's DVDs. I would have taken even less time if I hadn't lingered over a couple of books...
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Perfect Fall Weather
It was such an absolutely gorgeous fall day, I began it with a walk. I returned Felicity and High School Musical to the Oaklyn Library. There was a gaggle of kindergardeners and their teacher in the children's section when I arrived. A little girl and two boys noticed the High School Musical DVD under my arm and asked if I liked it. I said yes, I was surprised, but I had ended up liking it. They told me how much they'd liked the music and singing the songs. Just goes to show how far-reaching that movie is, since none of these kids were over six.
The kids were absolutely adorable, and no, I didn't mind them being noisy. I wasn't there for very long, anyway. As soon as they checked out their books and left, I took out my movies for the rest of the week, To Kill A Mockingbird with Gregory Peck and the direct-to-video Winnie The Pooh holiday special Winnie The Pooh's Seasons Of Giving. The latter is out-of-print but features the wonderful Pooh Thanksgiving special, so I was glad to find it. I've never seen or read Mockingbird, not even in high school, so I figured it was time to change that.
It was a chilly but seasonal morning, barely in the lower 50s. Most of the kids were bundled up like Randy in A Christmas Story already, but I just opted for my tan jacket and the long red scarf Mom knitted for me in 2002 and was fine. The leaves are finally beginning to turn colors; some of the smaller trees are blazing in magnificent shades of yellow, gold, brick red, and fire orange. I walked over the tracks and down to Kendall Boulevard. I considered going to the playground behind the elementary school, but school was in session and I didn't want to cause any trouble.
I spent the rest of the afternoon playing with Miles, my WebKinz. I've been trying to earn more money to buy him a second room, probably a bathroom. I'm getting good at some of the games, notably Cash Cow (a variation on the original Dr. Mario) and Hungry Pig (a much cuter Pac Man). I just rocked at Tile Towers. A machine in the laundromat around the corner from my apartment in Wildwood had another version of that game, and I got pretty good at it over the years whenever I had a spare quarter. I'm starting to get better at Quizzy's Word Challenge, too - took me a few games to get the gist. Oh, and I'm also good at Candy Bash 2. (I'm terrible at the original - never was good with Pong-style games.)
Miles still seems pretty happy. I bought him a pair of pajamas for when he sleeps and am seeing how he likes various foods, both junk and good for you.
I'm not going to be online tonight, since I have late work. Everyone have a great night!
It was such an absolutely gorgeous fall day, I began it with a walk. I returned Felicity and High School Musical to the Oaklyn Library. There was a gaggle of kindergardeners and their teacher in the children's section when I arrived. A little girl and two boys noticed the High School Musical DVD under my arm and asked if I liked it. I said yes, I was surprised, but I had ended up liking it. They told me how much they'd liked the music and singing the songs. Just goes to show how far-reaching that movie is, since none of these kids were over six.
The kids were absolutely adorable, and no, I didn't mind them being noisy. I wasn't there for very long, anyway. As soon as they checked out their books and left, I took out my movies for the rest of the week, To Kill A Mockingbird with Gregory Peck and the direct-to-video Winnie The Pooh holiday special Winnie The Pooh's Seasons Of Giving. The latter is out-of-print but features the wonderful Pooh Thanksgiving special, so I was glad to find it. I've never seen or read Mockingbird, not even in high school, so I figured it was time to change that.
It was a chilly but seasonal morning, barely in the lower 50s. Most of the kids were bundled up like Randy in A Christmas Story already, but I just opted for my tan jacket and the long red scarf Mom knitted for me in 2002 and was fine. The leaves are finally beginning to turn colors; some of the smaller trees are blazing in magnificent shades of yellow, gold, brick red, and fire orange. I walked over the tracks and down to Kendall Boulevard. I considered going to the playground behind the elementary school, but school was in session and I didn't want to cause any trouble.
I spent the rest of the afternoon playing with Miles, my WebKinz. I've been trying to earn more money to buy him a second room, probably a bathroom. I'm getting good at some of the games, notably Cash Cow (a variation on the original Dr. Mario) and Hungry Pig (a much cuter Pac Man). I just rocked at Tile Towers. A machine in the laundromat around the corner from my apartment in Wildwood had another version of that game, and I got pretty good at it over the years whenever I had a spare quarter. I'm starting to get better at Quizzy's Word Challenge, too - took me a few games to get the gist. Oh, and I'm also good at Candy Bash 2. (I'm terrible at the original - never was good with Pong-style games.)
Miles still seems pretty happy. I bought him a pair of pajamas for when he sleeps and am seeing how he likes various foods, both junk and good for you.
I'm not going to be online tonight, since I have late work. Everyone have a great night!
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
The Merriest Girls In Virginia
I began this Election Day with a bit of American history. Felicity: An American Girl Adventure is the film adaptation of (most of) the six Felicity American Girls books. It doesn't appear that any of the short stories were used this time, only the original six stories.
Though I'm not as interested in the Colonial era as I am in the Victorian era and I've only read three of the six books, I ended up enjoying Felicity's movie debut more than I did Samantha's. For one thing, the use of the actual Colonial Williamsburg as a backdrop gives it more authenticity than Samantha's Canada-as-Victorian-New York. For another thing, the Revolutionary War setting gave it a note of danger that Samantha's more benign adoption tale lacked. Third, Felicity's adventures taming a horse owned by a nasty tanner and helping her dad's apprentice are just plain more exciting than Sam's New York stories.
Another thing I appreciated is, as far as I can tell, most of the original characters are more intact than in Samantha's story. Only Felicity and Elizabeth's teacher, Miss Manderly, is drastically changed from the books (where she was much older). The story is less choppy and better-edited, too, and I actually liked moving the Christmas story from the third to the last, though it did make for a rather sappy ending.
Today was laundry day, and I enjoyed the usual fare with TCM and Nick Jr. TCM's theme of the month is "series movies." They're running films from some of the most famous "series," from the B flicks turned out for double-features in the 30s to the 60s spy capers that generally ended the idea of "movie series" until the proliferation of slasher sequels in the 80s. Today I encountered the later end of the spectrum. I had no idea The Man From U.N.C.L.E made it into the movies. I don't remember this show too well from re-runs, but what I saw was generally a not-bad James Bond imitation. I especially liked the Russian guy.
Dora the Explorer and her buddy Boots the Monkey went on one of their earliest and most unusual adventures today. They headed to Blueberry Hill (hello, in-joke!) for some tasty, juicy fruit, where they encounter Swiper the Fox, who seems to live there, for the first time. They also encounter a big blue bear, who chases them backwards through the obstacles they went through the first time...the only time I recall Dora doing each obstacle twice.
Diego and his big sister Alicia had an even more interesting adventure under the sea that also resulted in a mild format change. This is the first (and so far, only) time Diego and Alicia discover an animal they don't recognize, whom they help lead home.
I stuck around for The Backyardigans, who went exotic as Princess CleoTasha and her band of servants bring presents to Uniqua the Sphinx to find out why the Nile's dried up. Uniqua and the boys finally teach ever-bossy Tasha a lesson - if you really want people to do things, you have to learn to say "please" and "thank you."
I wish they'd teach that lesson to my customers. I had some annoying ones tonight. It started and ended fairly slow, but was busy in between as people came out from the voting booths, trying to avoid tonight's cold weather.
I began this Election Day with a bit of American history. Felicity: An American Girl Adventure is the film adaptation of (most of) the six Felicity American Girls books. It doesn't appear that any of the short stories were used this time, only the original six stories.
Though I'm not as interested in the Colonial era as I am in the Victorian era and I've only read three of the six books, I ended up enjoying Felicity's movie debut more than I did Samantha's. For one thing, the use of the actual Colonial Williamsburg as a backdrop gives it more authenticity than Samantha's Canada-as-Victorian-New York. For another thing, the Revolutionary War setting gave it a note of danger that Samantha's more benign adoption tale lacked. Third, Felicity's adventures taming a horse owned by a nasty tanner and helping her dad's apprentice are just plain more exciting than Sam's New York stories.
Another thing I appreciated is, as far as I can tell, most of the original characters are more intact than in Samantha's story. Only Felicity and Elizabeth's teacher, Miss Manderly, is drastically changed from the books (where she was much older). The story is less choppy and better-edited, too, and I actually liked moving the Christmas story from the third to the last, though it did make for a rather sappy ending.
Today was laundry day, and I enjoyed the usual fare with TCM and Nick Jr. TCM's theme of the month is "series movies." They're running films from some of the most famous "series," from the B flicks turned out for double-features in the 30s to the 60s spy capers that generally ended the idea of "movie series" until the proliferation of slasher sequels in the 80s. Today I encountered the later end of the spectrum. I had no idea The Man From U.N.C.L.E made it into the movies. I don't remember this show too well from re-runs, but what I saw was generally a not-bad James Bond imitation. I especially liked the Russian guy.
Dora the Explorer and her buddy Boots the Monkey went on one of their earliest and most unusual adventures today. They headed to Blueberry Hill (hello, in-joke!) for some tasty, juicy fruit, where they encounter Swiper the Fox, who seems to live there, for the first time. They also encounter a big blue bear, who chases them backwards through the obstacles they went through the first time...the only time I recall Dora doing each obstacle twice.
Diego and his big sister Alicia had an even more interesting adventure under the sea that also resulted in a mild format change. This is the first (and so far, only) time Diego and Alicia discover an animal they don't recognize, whom they help lead home.
I stuck around for The Backyardigans, who went exotic as Princess CleoTasha and her band of servants bring presents to Uniqua the Sphinx to find out why the Nile's dried up. Uniqua and the boys finally teach ever-bossy Tasha a lesson - if you really want people to do things, you have to learn to say "please" and "thank you."
I wish they'd teach that lesson to my customers. I had some annoying ones tonight. It started and ended fairly slow, but was busy in between as people came out from the voting booths, trying to avoid tonight's cold weather.
Monday, November 05, 2007
Get'cha Head In The Game
Spent the morning running errands and watching movies. I finally made it to the bank - won't have much money left IN the bank when the rent's paid, but it'll at least be paid. Before hitting Doria's Deli down the street for sugar, eggs, and turkey lunchmeat, I stopped at the tiny Oaklyn Library. Their adult books section isn't much, but they have a fascinating children's section, including several older books that look like they date back to when the library was built in the 50s.
I found two Thanksgiving books and one lovely one on Christmas. I adored Wende and Harry Devlin's Cranberry series as a child. Ms. Morrell, the librarian at Cape May Elementary in the 80s, read Cranberry Thanksgiving and Cranberry Christmas every holiday season. Having grown up around real-life swamps and beaches, my Christmases and Thanksgiving weren't too far removed from Maggie's in some ways...and I knew many sailors and fishermen like crusty, lovable sea dog Mr. Whiskers, including my own stepfather. (And Grandmother's famous Cranberry Bread recipe is genuinely delicious!)
I've read about the Addie Mills series at my friend Linda Young's site. I only have very vague memories of seeing the first two Addie films, The House Without a Christmas Tree and The Thanksgiving Treasure on cable as a small child, but I don't think I've ever read the books. I've looked at them several times, but never took them out, but having enjoyed Linda's page on Addie, I decided to give the novelization of The Thanksgiving Promise a shot. Addie isn't that far from my sisters and I at that age...creative, bossy, and imaginative. (My sisters are even horse-crazy. Not me! Horses sorta scare me.)
I've always loved learning about how holidays are celebrated, not only in other countries, but in other parts of the United States. Christmas In America, by Nancy S. Grant, is a coffee-table collage of gorgeous photos depicting how the holidays are celebrated across the US, from snowy New England to warm Hawaii.
I also took out two DVDs, Felicity: An American Girl, and High School Musical. My teenage adopted sister and her friends can't get enough of High School Musical, but adults seem to be more divided. Some find it to be cute, harmless fluff; others, especially hard-core Broadway musical nuts, consider it dumb and slightly insulting.
I have to admit, I fall into the first category. It's as predictable as you can get. Your basic jock meets a shy science geek girl at karaoke contest, and the two, having discovered they're darn fine singers, try out for the school musical, only to find it's hard breaking through musical cliches and touchy cliques.
For all the fact that you know how the whole thing will end the moment it starts, it's...well, it's so gosh darn adorable, you begin to understand why so many pre-teen girls have fallen in love with it. Like the Grease movies when I was a kid, it's a pre-teen fantasy of what high school may be like...and for teens, what they wish it WAS like.
Speaking of Grease, one of the things I really appreciate is seeing the high school kids played by actual teens with talent, rather than adults playing kids. Disney marketing probably had a hand in it (many of these kids have shown up in other Disney Channel movies and shows), but it does help to ground a very, very unlikely premise in reality. In some ways, it reminds me a lot of the equally fun and energetic Hairspray from last summer (and even shares the same teen heart-throb, Zac Efron).
Work was quiet initially, but picked up considerably once people got off of work. Several obnoxious customers, but I'm getting better at them; I didn't even get upset with that ridiculous woman who didn't read her WIC Check right, then made us wait while half the store chased down a quart of milk instead of just taking her juice and moving on.
Spent the morning running errands and watching movies. I finally made it to the bank - won't have much money left IN the bank when the rent's paid, but it'll at least be paid. Before hitting Doria's Deli down the street for sugar, eggs, and turkey lunchmeat, I stopped at the tiny Oaklyn Library. Their adult books section isn't much, but they have a fascinating children's section, including several older books that look like they date back to when the library was built in the 50s.
I found two Thanksgiving books and one lovely one on Christmas. I adored Wende and Harry Devlin's Cranberry series as a child. Ms. Morrell, the librarian at Cape May Elementary in the 80s, read Cranberry Thanksgiving and Cranberry Christmas every holiday season. Having grown up around real-life swamps and beaches, my Christmases and Thanksgiving weren't too far removed from Maggie's in some ways...and I knew many sailors and fishermen like crusty, lovable sea dog Mr. Whiskers, including my own stepfather. (And Grandmother's famous Cranberry Bread recipe is genuinely delicious!)
I've read about the Addie Mills series at my friend Linda Young's site. I only have very vague memories of seeing the first two Addie films, The House Without a Christmas Tree and The Thanksgiving Treasure on cable as a small child, but I don't think I've ever read the books. I've looked at them several times, but never took them out, but having enjoyed Linda's page on Addie, I decided to give the novelization of The Thanksgiving Promise a shot. Addie isn't that far from my sisters and I at that age...creative, bossy, and imaginative. (My sisters are even horse-crazy. Not me! Horses sorta scare me.)
I've always loved learning about how holidays are celebrated, not only in other countries, but in other parts of the United States. Christmas In America, by Nancy S. Grant, is a coffee-table collage of gorgeous photos depicting how the holidays are celebrated across the US, from snowy New England to warm Hawaii.
I also took out two DVDs, Felicity: An American Girl, and High School Musical. My teenage adopted sister and her friends can't get enough of High School Musical, but adults seem to be more divided. Some find it to be cute, harmless fluff; others, especially hard-core Broadway musical nuts, consider it dumb and slightly insulting.
I have to admit, I fall into the first category. It's as predictable as you can get. Your basic jock meets a shy science geek girl at karaoke contest, and the two, having discovered they're darn fine singers, try out for the school musical, only to find it's hard breaking through musical cliches and touchy cliques.
For all the fact that you know how the whole thing will end the moment it starts, it's...well, it's so gosh darn adorable, you begin to understand why so many pre-teen girls have fallen in love with it. Like the Grease movies when I was a kid, it's a pre-teen fantasy of what high school may be like...and for teens, what they wish it WAS like.
Speaking of Grease, one of the things I really appreciate is seeing the high school kids played by actual teens with talent, rather than adults playing kids. Disney marketing probably had a hand in it (many of these kids have shown up in other Disney Channel movies and shows), but it does help to ground a very, very unlikely premise in reality. In some ways, it reminds me a lot of the equally fun and energetic Hairspray from last summer (and even shares the same teen heart-throb, Zac Efron).
Work was quiet initially, but picked up considerably once people got off of work. Several obnoxious customers, but I'm getting better at them; I didn't even get upset with that ridiculous woman who didn't read her WIC Check right, then made us wait while half the store chased down a quart of milk instead of just taking her juice and moving on.
Sunday, November 04, 2007
A Nice Fall Sunday
It was a nice, quiet Sunday. I spent the morning watching Bugs Bunny cartoons, including one election-themed one, the Bugs-Yosemite Sam romp Ballot Box Bunny, ate cranberry bread, and listened to the Beatles show on WOGL.
Work was nuts for most of the afternoon. The lines were out to the aisles, even after I left around 3:30. To be honest, between this being the beginning of one of the busiest months of the year and the big Eagles-Cowboys game tonight, I would have been surprised if it WASN'T busy.
It was a nice day today, cool but not horribly cold for this time of year. It's so great to finally have seasonal weather! The trees outside my apartment are just starting to turn gorgeous shades of gold and flame orange. Of course, all these leaves mean I have to sweep my porch twice a week in the fall, but it's worth it. I feel like I live in a Crayola box between October and early December. When all the leaves are gone, I'll have a beautiful view of the park and creek all winter long!
I made a nice fall Sunday dinner (broccoli, baked acorn squash, and Salisbury Turkey Steak) while watching the 1961 Babes In Toyland. It's a cute fantasy-land tale of how Tom Piper saved Mary Quite Contrary and the Toymaker and his nerdy assistant from the evil Barnaby and his bumbling men. The DVD isn't much (pan-and-scan and no extras), but the movie is fun and tuneful, with some lovely, colorful art direction and costumes. This was Walt Disney's first live-action musical, and while his live-action musicals were never as good or popular as his animated ones, it has it's moments...including some nice numbers (I always liked Annette Funicello's imaginative "I Can't Do The Sum").
It was a nice, quiet Sunday. I spent the morning watching Bugs Bunny cartoons, including one election-themed one, the Bugs-Yosemite Sam romp Ballot Box Bunny, ate cranberry bread, and listened to the Beatles show on WOGL.
Work was nuts for most of the afternoon. The lines were out to the aisles, even after I left around 3:30. To be honest, between this being the beginning of one of the busiest months of the year and the big Eagles-Cowboys game tonight, I would have been surprised if it WASN'T busy.
It was a nice day today, cool but not horribly cold for this time of year. It's so great to finally have seasonal weather! The trees outside my apartment are just starting to turn gorgeous shades of gold and flame orange. Of course, all these leaves mean I have to sweep my porch twice a week in the fall, but it's worth it. I feel like I live in a Crayola box between October and early December. When all the leaves are gone, I'll have a beautiful view of the park and creek all winter long!
I made a nice fall Sunday dinner (broccoli, baked acorn squash, and Salisbury Turkey Steak) while watching the 1961 Babes In Toyland. It's a cute fantasy-land tale of how Tom Piper saved Mary Quite Contrary and the Toymaker and his nerdy assistant from the evil Barnaby and his bumbling men. The DVD isn't much (pan-and-scan and no extras), but the movie is fun and tuneful, with some lovely, colorful art direction and costumes. This was Walt Disney's first live-action musical, and while his live-action musicals were never as good or popular as his animated ones, it has it's moments...including some nice numbers (I always liked Annette Funicello's imaginative "I Can't Do The Sum").
Saturday, November 03, 2007
The Key To My Secret Heart
Spent most of today working. Work was on-and-off busy, with a few annoying beginning-of-the month people but otherwise no problems, other than my relief was late...again. My reliefs are ALWAYS late, maybe because they're the late shift workers, which we seem to go through like water. I grocery shopped after that, which I desperately needed. My fridge was bare.
Otherwise, it wasn't terribly busy today. I watched A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving for the first time this year; also ran A Muppet Family Christmas as I made Salsbury (Ground) Turkey Steak and Mushrooms with spinach and wheat noodles for dinner.
Oh, and Miles is doing just fine in WebKinzWorld. I've decorated his room in a sort-of eclectic mish-mash, based after his interests (he apparently likes baseball and bananas - don't ask) and mine (every bear should have his own teddy buddy!). He's a very happy boy, wandering around in his room and sleeping in his nice Cave Bed.
Spent most of today working. Work was on-and-off busy, with a few annoying beginning-of-the month people but otherwise no problems, other than my relief was late...again. My reliefs are ALWAYS late, maybe because they're the late shift workers, which we seem to go through like water. I grocery shopped after that, which I desperately needed. My fridge was bare.
Otherwise, it wasn't terribly busy today. I watched A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving for the first time this year; also ran A Muppet Family Christmas as I made Salsbury (Ground) Turkey Steak and Mushrooms with spinach and wheat noodles for dinner.
Oh, and Miles is doing just fine in WebKinzWorld. I've decorated his room in a sort-of eclectic mish-mash, based after his interests (he apparently likes baseball and bananas - don't ask) and mine (every bear should have his own teddy buddy!). He's a very happy boy, wandering around in his room and sleeping in his nice Cave Bed.
Friday, November 02, 2007
Out With The Old...
Took down the Halloween decorations this morning and put up what little I had for Thanksgiving, two folksy pilgrim figures I found at a yard sale last year and a pile of cardboard cut-outs, including some nice Pilgrim/Indian scenes. The weather was certainly right for it. It was in the 50s today, about what it should be at this time of year...but not what we're used to after almost a month of too-warm weather. I also finally canceled NetZero and confirmed my Netscape cancellation (I emailed them over a week ago and never heard anything), then did yoga before going to work.
Work was steady-to-dead, no real problems other than some obnoxious beginning-of-the month customers.
Took down the Halloween decorations this morning and put up what little I had for Thanksgiving, two folksy pilgrim figures I found at a yard sale last year and a pile of cardboard cut-outs, including some nice Pilgrim/Indian scenes. The weather was certainly right for it. It was in the 50s today, about what it should be at this time of year...but not what we're used to after almost a month of too-warm weather. I also finally canceled NetZero and confirmed my Netscape cancellation (I emailed them over a week ago and never heard anything), then did yoga before going to work.
Work was steady-to-dead, no real problems other than some obnoxious beginning-of-the month customers.
Thursday, November 01, 2007
A New Friend From An Old Friend
I began November with library volunteering. Organized the children's DVDs, which needed it badly. They were mostly either Thomas the Tank Engine, The Wiggles, Dora The Explorer, Angelina Ballerina, or Bob The Builder, with a few SpongeBob, Disney DVDs, and new releases thrown in. I also took out some more Disney comics, another Calvin and Hobbes, and two of the Robin Paige Kathryn and Lord Charles Sheridan books, Death At Dartmoor and Death at Epison Downs (they didn't have any of the earlier ones before they were married).
I had not one, but two packages waiting for me when I got home. The first one was, thank goodness, my Verizon modem. I got it hooked up and am now on Verizon Online. I'll cancel NetZero and Netscape tomorrow.
The second package was far more of a surprise. It came from my good friends Linda and James Young in Georgia. I hadn't been expecting anything from them, though I frequently read Linda's wonderful blogs. There were several wrapped presents in the box. According to Linda's note, one was a belated birthday present. I opened it to reveal the book The Making of Casablanca, by Aljean Harmetz. I love that book! I used to read the copy at the Cape May City Library all the time, but I hadn't seen it since I moved out of my mom and stepdad's house.
There were two other presents Linda said not to open until after Thanksgiving and St. Nicholas' Day on December 6th, so I put them in the back room for now. (I swear I didn't open them, Linda!) The most intriguing package, though, came in cute brown and white polka-dot tissue paper. I suspected I knew what it held, and I was right - one of Linda's newest addictions, a WebKinz! A handsome, fuzzy, solemn black bear stared up at me. I liked him right away and named him Miles, after pilgrim Captain Miles Standish. (He IS the Pet of the Month for November!)
WebKinz are stuffed animals who come with codes that you can type into their website. You create your own "virtual pet," a kind of cuter, more fun Internet variation on the Tamagotchi craze of the late 90s. You have to feed them and do things to make them happy and buy them clothes, toys, books, and furniture. Though I did buy Miles some more sensible t-shirts and polos, I saw an uber-cool bomber jacket and instantly though, "this handsome bear deserves nothing less!" You can earn points to buy more food and items buy playing games. I got pretty good at some of the Arcade games, especially the first "Cash Cow" (a variation on Yoshi's Cookies) and the second Candy game. I'll mess with the cards tomorrow.
(The non-virtual Miles is on my desk, keeping an eye on Proud Heart Cat, Sailor Mars, Sailor Mercury, and the Card Captor Sakura figure.)
I'm so glad to have friends like Linda and Lauren! Lauren and I worked on the newest role-play story tonight. Don't expect to see it for a while, though. We're doing it for November's NaNoWrite and need to get up to 50,000 words before the end of the month!
I also picked up a few desperately needed extra hours tomorrow, 4:30 to 8:30. I would have ended up at the Acme sometime to pick up my paycheck anyway. I'll just make a really, really quick bank trip on Saturday morning.
I began November with library volunteering. Organized the children's DVDs, which needed it badly. They were mostly either Thomas the Tank Engine, The Wiggles, Dora The Explorer, Angelina Ballerina, or Bob The Builder, with a few SpongeBob, Disney DVDs, and new releases thrown in. I also took out some more Disney comics, another Calvin and Hobbes, and two of the Robin Paige Kathryn and Lord Charles Sheridan books, Death At Dartmoor and Death at Epison Downs (they didn't have any of the earlier ones before they were married).
I had not one, but two packages waiting for me when I got home. The first one was, thank goodness, my Verizon modem. I got it hooked up and am now on Verizon Online. I'll cancel NetZero and Netscape tomorrow.
The second package was far more of a surprise. It came from my good friends Linda and James Young in Georgia. I hadn't been expecting anything from them, though I frequently read Linda's wonderful blogs. There were several wrapped presents in the box. According to Linda's note, one was a belated birthday present. I opened it to reveal the book The Making of Casablanca, by Aljean Harmetz. I love that book! I used to read the copy at the Cape May City Library all the time, but I hadn't seen it since I moved out of my mom and stepdad's house.
There were two other presents Linda said not to open until after Thanksgiving and St. Nicholas' Day on December 6th, so I put them in the back room for now. (I swear I didn't open them, Linda!) The most intriguing package, though, came in cute brown and white polka-dot tissue paper. I suspected I knew what it held, and I was right - one of Linda's newest addictions, a WebKinz! A handsome, fuzzy, solemn black bear stared up at me. I liked him right away and named him Miles, after pilgrim Captain Miles Standish. (He IS the Pet of the Month for November!)
WebKinz are stuffed animals who come with codes that you can type into their website. You create your own "virtual pet," a kind of cuter, more fun Internet variation on the Tamagotchi craze of the late 90s. You have to feed them and do things to make them happy and buy them clothes, toys, books, and furniture. Though I did buy Miles some more sensible t-shirts and polos, I saw an uber-cool bomber jacket and instantly though, "this handsome bear deserves nothing less!" You can earn points to buy more food and items buy playing games. I got pretty good at some of the Arcade games, especially the first "Cash Cow" (a variation on Yoshi's Cookies) and the second Candy game. I'll mess with the cards tomorrow.
(The non-virtual Miles is on my desk, keeping an eye on Proud Heart Cat, Sailor Mars, Sailor Mercury, and the Card Captor Sakura figure.)
I'm so glad to have friends like Linda and Lauren! Lauren and I worked on the newest role-play story tonight. Don't expect to see it for a while, though. We're doing it for November's NaNoWrite and need to get up to 50,000 words before the end of the month!
I also picked up a few desperately needed extra hours tomorrow, 4:30 to 8:30. I would have ended up at the Acme sometime to pick up my paycheck anyway. I'll just make a really, really quick bank trip on Saturday morning.
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