Summer Madness

Hot, hot, hot today! It wasn't even humid. It was just hot. We're into the Dog Days of Summer now, and it sure feels like it. I spent most of my only day off this week shopping. I picked up my paycheck first, then rode over to Wal-Mart. I was hoping to find a new bathing suit to replace the green one I bought last summer that's now three sizes too big for me. It would seem that so's every woman customer at Wal-Mart. I didn't see any bathing suits left that even close to fit. They were all big plus sizes. Fashion Bug had the same problem. I guess I missed all the size 14-16s.

I did end up with a very cute sun dress, a white embroidered shirt to go with my new peach ruffled skirt, and a pair of dark-blue shorts to replace a pair of dark-blue shorts I have now that are way too big. The sun dress came from Wal-Mart. It's red and white polka-dots with blue trim. I still don't like the high waists that are currently in style, but it seems to be impossible to find a dress without one. At least the gathers at the chest aren't too obvious. The polka-dot dress replaces a peach dress with small purple flowers and a lace collar that looked like something an old lady would wear and is now 4 sizes too big for me. I also picked up a pair of good white summer shoes from Fashion Bug to go with my sun dress and the peach skirt. They, too, are a little more cutesy than I'd prefer, white slip-ons with bows on the sides, but it's hard to find summer shoes without some silly-looking trim. Maybe I could somehow get the ribbons off.

I had a slice of vegetable pizza and a bottle of water at Tu Se Bella's, then went back over to the Acme to buy this week's groceries. I grabbed yogurt (the Acme now has Light Banana Cream Pie...and their Light Cappuccino and Pina Colada flavors are back), small steaks that were on sale, single packs of salmon and flounder, spaghetti sauce, and items to make a pudding pie for Jodie's party tomorrow evening.

I put the pie together when I got home, after I finally got everything put away. That Banana Cream Pie went over so well at my cousin Taylere's graduation party last month (and was so easy to make), I decided to make a similar pie for Jodie's party. The Acme had the big boxes of Jello's new Chip flavored puddings - chocolate or vanilla pudding with mini flavored chips or cookies mixed in. I made a Chocolate Mint Chip Cream Pie with the Jello Chocolate Mint Chip pudding, a chocolate graham cracker crust, and the last $1.00 container of Acme whipped topping on the shelf.

I had originally planned on finishing the cleaning today, but I was so tired between my long work week and my shopping, it never happened. After I put together my bills, a rebate, and the form for the insurance and got those in the mail, I walked over to the bank. It was a half-hour before closing, and the bank was very busy. It was really too hot for a long walk, so I was straight to the bank and just made a quick stop at 7-11 on the way home for a Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry Vanilla soda and a nifty soft pretzel sprinkled with bits of garlic and poppy seeds in addition to salt.

The rest of the afternoon was spent inside, watching the bonus material on Yankee Doodle Dandy. I started another bio-musical, 'Til The Clouds Roll By, while making a delicious dinner of Quick Chicken Cacciatore (from a low-fat cookbook I bought at the thrift shop last year), spinach and cucumber salad, and a slice of fresh farm market sourdough bread.

"I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy..."

Work was a pain in the rear today. We had a lot of annoying customers for a day that was generally on-and-off steady. One woman fussed about how her bags were filled, because she has to climb up steps to her apartment. (Um, so do I. I don't fuss about it. Just take one bag at a time.) I was so happy to get right to my break after being done with her!

I was so fed up when I rode home today. I'm tired of these annoying, obnoxious, ignorant people. What is WRONG with these folks? Organize your bags later if you don't like how we helped you, but don't fuss and whine and hold up the line! I needed the swim at Uncle Ken's. I went over there and did my laundry and swam. The water felt great, warmer than last week (if not quite as warm as in late June), and my swim was fantastic.

Lauren sent me a special treat from Amazon.com, which arrived today - the classic 1942 bio-musical Yankee Doodle Dandy, on the life of popular early 20th century composer/performer George M. Cohan. James Cagney won a much-deserved Oscar for his bravura performance as the energetic writer of such classic all-American tunes as "Over There," "Give My Regards to Broadway," "Mary's A Grand Old Name," "Forty-Five Minutes From Broadway," "You're A Grand Old Flag," and the title song. I have fond memories of watching this with my family every 4th of July during my childhood. My mom and stepdad probably still have their colorized video. I've been wanting the 2-disc DVD set for years, but I've seen it go for as much as thirty dollars, even online. It's totally worth whatever Lauren paid for it - in addition to the movie, we have a "making of" documentary, a Michael J Fox-narrated documentary on Cagney, a radio version with outtakes, commentary, an interview with John Travolta on his friendship with Cagney in his later years, a newsreel, three classic World War II-era Looney Tunes shorts, and two propaganda short subjects. About as thorough as a movie set can get, and totally cool.

One Stormy Night

Thank goodness after yesterday, work was steady-to-dead with no major problems. My relief was even on time. Jill tried to call me in at 7AM on Saturday, but I turned her down. I did get pretty good hours this week, and I wanted to go to the Farm Market that morning. Besides, this early work is tiring me out. I'd really rather work early, but I'm just not used to it. I've been working mainly in the afternoon and late evenings for months now.

This time, I came home well ahead of the storm. I didn't hear thunder until I'd started to make dinner around quarter after 6; it didn't rain until I'd sat down with my leftover chicken drumstick, slice of fresh sourdough bread, and New Jersey vegetable salad. I spent most of the afternoon cleaning the windows and dusting the windowsils and reading.

Angry Young Woman

Long, relatively boring morning at work. Relatively early, too. I began at 8:30AM and I didn't sleep that great last night. 8:30AM beats 8:30PM anytime...but I'm just not used to working early. I wish I was. Maybe I'd be able to handle it better when old men throw fits because the two bags of Bisquick flavored mixes don't turn up exactly the price they want. I don't give a care how long he's been shopping at the store, and I wish people would stop using that as an excuse just to get what they want. Prices are prices, no matter how long you've been shopping at a store. I left work pissed as hell and in tears. I'm just so sick of people's hissy fits.

I rode home, changed, and went back out again. One of the definite advantages of early work is getting off early, and I decided to cheer myself up with some library volunteering. I did the children's DVDs and started the regular CDs. Both were in lousy condition. The CDs probably hadn't been done since the last time I did them almost a year ago. I came home with three CDs - Mandy Patkin's wonderful solo album of Stephan Sondheim songs, the Beatles' third album Beatles for Sale, and the original cast album of the Broadway show Movin' Out, a dance program based around the music of one of my long-time favorite singers, Billy Joel. I stopped at Super Fresh on the way home. I picked up whipped topping and rye flour but forgot the reason I was there - milk.

I just downloaded iTunes 7. I don't download music. I'd rather take what I want off CDs for travel. Downloading music just uses up space on my computer that could be used by other things...like writing programs, for instance.

"That Demmed Elusive Pimpernel..."

Spent most of today at work, which, like yesterday, was steady-to-dead with no major problems besides a few obnoxious people. One Camden couple kept fussing over prices, complained about the frozen chicken not being on sale (well, if you'd read the SIGN), and then left four 12-packs of soda leaning against the register. The two customers after them almost tripped over the damn things! If you don't want a large item, either put it on an empty register, or if there are no empty registers around you, hand it to your cashier and they'll put it away later. Don't just leave items any old place, especially very large items. Have some consideration for the people behind you.

I started El Dorado: The Further Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel this morning. I hope it's better than The Elusive Pimpernel. Elusive was ok, but it lacked action and took forever to get anywhere, plus there was no rescuing until the very end. I frankly liked the first one better myself. El Dorado at least should fill the action and rescue quota. Apparently, Percy and his boys intend to grab the imprisoned Prince of France from under Chauvelin's nose.

The weather remains humid and on and off stormy. It spit a little while I rode to work, but not enough for me to get very wet. Some of the baggers mentioned rain showers starting and stopping suddenly while they were returning carts to the front of the building, and I rode home in the tail end of a short shower. I went for a quick walk to WaWa's for turkey lunchmeat; I was originally going to go to Doria's Deli around the corner, but they were closed today. I was hungry, so I picked up a bagel and made a Raspberry Light Lemonade at the soda fountain. Once again, I just made it in before the next round of showers.

Sweet Summer Showers

I felt a few drops on my nose as I rode to work this morning, but it didn't get worse and I arrived dry. I called Mom this morning while listening to the WOGL "Brunch With the Beatles" show. (Ringo Starr, whose birthday is tomorrow, was in the spotlight). She says that the Southern New Jersey Shore has been having heavy rain showers off and on all weekend, including on the Fourth of July. She spent most of the weekend with her son and grandson and was just resting when I called.

Work was steady, not nearly as busy as the last few days or as it usually is on a Sunday afternoon. I guess everyone did their shopping earlier in the weekend or were at the Shore. Mom said, despite the gas crisis and the bad weather, the Shore was mega-crazy and the roads were all jammed. I spent an hour and a half after my break doing returns, which doesn't happen unless it's quiet and we have a lot of help.

I felt a big raindrop on my forehead as I left the Acme. There were huge, dark clouds on the horizon. I got home just in time. Less than ten minutes after I grabbed my now-dry towel and went inside, it started to pour. It's poured on and off for the rest of the night. I was going to go for a walk, but I didn't want to risk the rain, so I spent the rest of the evening making Skillet-Fried Barbecue Chicken Drumsticks and reading The Elusive Pimpernel instead. At least I got to ride my bike to work.

Farmer's Bounty

Despite weather that remained humid and cloudy, I headed to the farm market this morning. The farm market was busy, but not nearly as much as usual, and there were no dogs out. Some of the booths were missing, too. The crepes and the honey were gone for the week, but I was still able to pick up blueberries, bread, peaches, sweet potatoes, cherries, and the first New Jersey tomatoes of the season. I made a quick stop at the Collingswood Library to see if they had any good records (they didn't), said "hi" to Erica at the thrift shop, and then went across the street to the Collingswood Variety Store to look at their WebKinz. I ended up with the Pet of the Month, the Cheeky Monkey.

It was surprisingly quiet on my way home. There didn't appear to be a single yard sale this week, and there was no traffic anywhere, even in Collingswood. Maybe they all went grocery shopping. While not quite as crazy as yesterday, work was still very, very busy, and we were still short-handed. (We'll likely remain short-handed for the rest of the week. According to the schedule, half the store is going on vacation.) I did a little grocery shopping after work, picking up Breyers Light Yogurt, bananas, Quaker 90 Calorie Dark Chocolate Cherry Granola Bars, Bigelow's French Vanilla Tea, and two packages of chicken (breasts and thighs). Both were on sale, and the thighs had an extra "manager's sale" $1.00 coupon.

After I got in from work, I put everything away, changed into my bathing suit, and headed over to Uncle Ken's for a swim and dinner. Uncle Ken made ham, cole slaw, macaroni salad, and baked beans. His girlfriend Dolores brought a huge loaf of bread (it was really good - she said she got it from the Acme!), and Karen and Jim contributed fresh corn from the many farm stands in the largely rural area where they live. The pool was cooler than the last time I went in, thanks to the recent clouds, but not freezing. I went in on my own before dinner. After dinner, I was joined by Rose, Jodie, and Karen and Jim's two-year-old son CJ, who just couldn't resist a pool, any pool.

Oh, and meet Micky, the Cheeky Monkey! The last member of the "Webbies," my WebKinz Monkees, Micky is the wild and crazy drummer who loves jokes and fooling around and is named for Micky Dolenz. As the Pet of the Month, he came with some extra goodies, including a Balloon Making Machine, and as Pet #45, he also came with a Super Bed. I chose the cool new Apple Pie Bed - maybe I'll use it in a fall-themed room. The money he came with was used to make a "Concert Arena" for the Webbies on the KinzBeach Boardwalk, complete with a souvenir stand.

4th of July, Newton River Park

First of all, Happy Fourth of July to all Americans! I hope you all enjoyed fireworks and barbecues of your own today. :)

I worked early for the second 4th of July in a row. Work was, to put it quite mildly, total anarchy. According to several Acme employees, the Shop Rite in Brooklawn, not far from Audubon, lost almost their entire meat inventory when their freezers died...and all their customers now had to come to us or not have meat for their barbecues. I can't believe how many people were doing their big shopping trips today! It must have to do with most people having this weekend off. The lines were down the aisles when I bought a 5-lb bag of Domino's Sugar for $1.99. I wouldn't have bought it if it hadn't been the last one left, if the sale hadn't been so good, and if I wasn't completely out of sugar. Customers were cranky, too - it IS still the beginning of the month. Thank goodness I went on break and got to and from work with no problems.

After I finally got out of that mess, I rode home as quickly as I could, changed into shorts and sandals, put the sugar in the sugar container, grabbed my purse and the cupcakes, and headed over to Uncle Ken's. Dad, Jodie, Jessa, and I drove out to Uncle Ken's daughter Samantha's house in Cinnaminson for her barbecue party. I didn't know she had a pool and didn't bring my bathing suit, but I still had fun eating, watching all the older kids jump into the pool, and chasing Samantha's adorable two-year-old daughter Faith around the backyard and playing catch with her. She has a good arm for a two-year-old. Her brothers must be teaching her.

After we got back in, I rested for a few hours and listened to patriotic old-time radio programs. The "50 Best Radio Shows" set I bought in 2004 came with a few World War II-era shows highlighting America and American history. I listened to two episodes of Cavalcade of America, narrated by Burgess Merredith, and began the Norman Corwin special We Hold These Truths (on the Bill of Rights) before I decided it was clear enough to head out to the fireworks.

The clouds had been on and off all day long. We had a shower this morning just before I went to work, but it hadn't rained since then. Of course, the moment I head out to the fireworks, it starts raining...but not enough to put a damper on the festivities. I made a quick stop at the bank to deposit my paycheck in the ATM machine (since it's on my way anyhow), then headed off to Newton River Park.

Since I'd crossed the White Horse Pike to go to the bank, I decided to watch the fireworks in the park this year, instead of at CVS or the bridge between Collingswood and Oaklyn. I walked around for about 20 minutes, looking for a reletively dry place to sit and just enjoying the festive atmosphere. Though most people were sitting in their cars to avoid the rain, some sat on blankets or tarps on the hillside, and there were even large groups of late picnic-ers by the playground.

I finally found a big, fat old stump in an area by the water that seemed to be completely empty. I'd only just sat down and made myself comfortable under my umbrella when I heard a tremendous, heart-stopping BANG! I whipped around to find a glittering cacophony of sound and color soaring over the rooftops of Collingswood. It was absolutely gorgeous, rain or no rain. I especially loved the heart-shaped ones. That's so neat, how they do that, and so different.

It was still raining when the fireworks ended. I wasn't really wet, thanks to my umbrella, but I didn't want to push it after getting soaked last year, so I didn't stick around for Haddon Township's fireworks. It was just as well. There was massive traffic on the White Horse Pike going back, and it took me longer than it should have to get home.

Give My Regards To Haddon Avenue

I began my only day off this week with library volunteering. I was a busy little bee today. I put children's books left randomly on shelves on a cart to be put away later, I organized the "A" picture books, and I did the children's DVDs. (The B picture books weren't quite as bad.) Despite the gorgeous, warm-but-not-humid day, the library was quite busy, mostly families with young children hoping to find entertainment for tomorrow and the weekend. The library was having it's own problems as I left. Their Internet had gone down, and according to an e-mail they sent out later, remains so.

Instead of heading towards Super Fresh, I went in the other direction. I wanted to look at Walgreens and see if they had any of this month's WCares WebKinz, as well as some more Care Bear Cousins. It took me a while to find the WebKinz, which were in a different spot closer to the front this time, but I walked out with a rare Lil'Kinz Bassett Hound, Bright Heart Raccoon, and Lotsa Heart Elephant.

Since I was in the area and not in a major hurry, I decided to further explore Westmont's end of Haddon Avenue. (The other end is the Collingswood Historic District.) If Collingswood is decidedly turn-of-the-20th-century and Oaklyn's West Clinton Avenue has a sleepy 30s Andy Hardy vibe, Westmont feels like I should be cruising around in a muscle car, blaring Tin Lizzy's "The Boys Are Back In Town." The mix of 70s shopping centers, 90s storefronts, and 20s small stores (and the Westmont Theater) has a gritty semi-urban 70s vibe to it.

I stopped at a few stores. The book store was closed for the week, but I did pick up a patriotic-themed cardboard tiara and a bag of red, white, and blue stars to tape on my windows from a party store and peeked at the delicious goodies at McMillian's Bakery. I was sweating bullets by that point, so I headed for Rita's Water Ice for a Coconut Cream regular-sized ice.

The bike didn't feel right as I tried to take off down Haddon Avenue, and when I got off, I realized why - the front tire was flat! After my neighbor fixed the back tire only days ago! I'd taken the blue stationary bike today instead of my mountain bike. I wanted to test it after it was fixed, and the stationary bike has a basket. (I still haven't found one for the mountain bike.)

I was lucky to find a good-sized Ace Hardware and an auto repair/tire store two blocks down from Rita's. I bought the new inner tube from Ace and took the bike next door. The mechanic who owned the store and his granddaughter were nice enough to fix it for me...including after he accidentally punctured the inner tube I'd bought after discovering the tire was split. I ended up buying two inner tubes and a new tire, but the mechanic, his daughter, and the photographer who came by to do a photo inspection of the shop and helped out after he revealed he'd once worked in a bike shop, all finally got the bike back on the road. It worked well enough to get me home. (I just now have one white-walled tire and one black. Ace didn't have any white, and I was in no position to be picky.)

After I got in, I grabbed my laundry and went straight over to Uncle Ken's. I read The Elusive Pimpernel, talked to Dad, Jodie, Vanessa, and Rose, and had a fantastic swim in a super-warm pool. Rose is getting ready for her trip to Costa Rica. Everyone else is getting ready for tomorrow. We're going to head down to visit Uncle Ken's daughter Samantha and her family as soon as I get in.

Oh, and meet Kinsey the Lil'Kinz Bassett Hound! I thought a mystery book name was appropriate for a dog who comes with a "Detective Desk." Kinsey is named after Kinsey Milhone, the heroine of Sue Grafton's Alphabet series, a long-time favorite of mine. Kinsey came with her awesome Detective Desk, a Green Lava Lamp, and a Magic Carpet. She's now under the watchful eye of Linda the Collie in their Library Condo. The WCares finally paid off for me, too - I got a WCares mult-colored "Tubbie Tummies Bear" and an armoire, along with a recipe and 237 Kinzcash. I gave Kinsey the bear for her room. I have no idea where to put the armoire.

I Was So Mad!

This was not a good day. I spent the morning baking Fourth of July Cupcakes for my cousin Samantha's party. I must have put too much applesauce in the batter, because the cupcakes collapsed, and the mini-cake I was going to give to my neighbors to thank them for helping with my bikes fell apart. I'll give my neighbors a card or some cookies instead and cover the cupcakes with whipped topping and sprinkles. I never got to cleaning, either.

Work was a pain in the rear. It wasn't busy when I first came in, but there was a huge crowd during the 4PM-5PM rush hour, and they were obnoxious. I HATE the beginning of the month. These people drive me nuts. They never read signs. They almost never bag. They fuss over every price and give you an attitude when the prices aren't exactly what they want. One woman threw a fit because she wanted one Dear Park water for the $3.99 sale, but the flier and the signs state clear as crystal that you have to buy two of them to get the price. She even blew up at the stock manager who tried to tell her about the flier and the sale. Another group got mad because the Italian meatballs they wanted didn't come up at the price they expected.

I really wish people would learn to leave their attitudes at home. It's not our faults people don't have money these days. Learn to read and count, please, and then maybe you'll be able to figure out these things yourselves.

I was so mad after I got off work, I rode home for a little longer than usual, down Kendall Boulevard and up and back around Atlantic Avenue and Manor Avenue, past the railroad tracks and West Clinton. I didn't want to go home right away; I was afraid I'd hit someone or something, I was so angry. Good thing today was gorgeous, sunny, breezy, and hot but not humid. I had a fast and pleasant ride.

Skip It!

Spent most of this hot, sunny July day indoors. I got my rent together to give to my landlady and did some computer stuff this morning before work, then worked from 11 to 5. Thankfully, that's the longest I work this week. It was steady-to-dead except for during the usual 4-5PM rush hour. There were a few annoying people, but given this is the beginning of the month, it could have been a lot worse. They must all be waiting for the long holiday weekend.

I wanted to spend some time outdoors before dinner, but I didn't really feel like going for a swim or a walk. I decided to try something fast and a little different. I bought a good, made-for-gyms jump rope from the thrift shop two years ago, but never tried it thanks to my knee injuries. It's been hanging in my living room closet ever since. I decided today would be a great day to give it a shot, just for twenty minutes before dinner.

It's been years since I jumped rope. I was never very good at it. I used to try it all the time in Cape May Elementary, but it just seemed to be another thing that everyone else could do better than me. I'd show how well I could jump...than another kid would take the rope and do it three times as well, and I'd just end up feeling silly and embarrassed. I just wasn't as good as the other kids.

It's only recently that I could do many activities, such as swimming or running around the block, without the voice of an obnoxious-but-well-meaning gym teacher in my head. I know I've let this critical voice linger for so long, but they've always seemed to be so right. Why CAN'T I do what other people can do easily? Why AM I so clumsy? The only thing I could ever do was write.

I did as well as I could. I jumped in place on my porch, than skipped and ran around the VFW parking lot, then up and down the street. I'm still not great, and I can't do it more than 20 times without it getting caught on my foot or something, but I still had a nice workout. I think I'll do it again whenever I want to do something active but don't have the time for a walk or a swim. It'll be nice in the winter, too - it's something I can do near-by and in any clothing.