River of No Return
I slept until 10:30 today. Had a very fast brunch of chocolate chip muffins and two Italian plums, then headed to the bank. I was quickly able to transfer $260 from my savings account to my checking account. This will be just enough to pay my rent tomorrow.
It was so nice, not even 70 degrees, sunny, and breezy, and I was feeling so good about saving my rent, I decided to get myself a treat at WaWa. I debated a chilled cappucino, but finally decided to save my diet and opted for a Coke Zero with cherry and chocolate syrup instead.
I got home with enough time before work to try to get a hold of Mom again after lunch. Yes, I did get her this time, and I found out why I couldn't get her yesterday. She and Dad decided yesterday that they're getting a divorce.
Mom seemed pretty cool about it. I'm not sure how I feel. I'm not upset or throwing a fit or crying or anything, which is probably what Mom though I would be. I've known for over a decade that they haven't really been in love with each other. Mom's threatened to leave Dad at least once a month since I was six. I guess I'm more...numb. I'm not sure if it's even shock, since I've been expecting this for a while. I thought Mom was going to hold out until Keefe graduated, but I guess she decided she'd just had enough of Dad.
Odd as it may seem, maybe this will be for the best, not only for Mom and Dad, but for me. Mom will need to seek college training and a job. She hasn't had a job in at least five or six years besides that cashier job at Micheal's that she hated and just quit. She never went to college, either. Her family couldn't afford it in the mid-late 70s. We can help each other look for jobs and find tutors and tips for getting into college and grad school.
Mom says Keefe is staying with her. Just as well - he doesn't get along too well with Dad anyway. They're selling the house. I think this is a little odd, since they just built the darn house at considerable expense last year, but neither of them could probably handle taking care of it or paying for it alone.
It's probably just as well that work was steady-to-dead with no major problems. I was kind of doing the motions. I was in and out, and my relief was right on time.
Life is a lazy river - no matter where you are. Movies, musicals, mysteries, pop culture, and lots of other great stuff.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Back to the Dress Circle
I slept in on what turned out to be a gorgeous Sunday morning. It was sunny and warm, with not a bit of humidity. I turned the air conditioner and fan off and made Alton Brown's Whole Wheat Pancake recipe for breakfast, along with an Italian plum from the farm market. Tried calling Mom twice. Got the dial tone the first time. I tried calling her an hour later; got a quick "busy; gotta go." I'll try again later tonight. She must have been dealing with Skylar and Collyn.
Work was busy, thanks to several call-outs. There were some mild customer problems as well. A man took advantage of a big 2 for $10 sale on 12 packs of Snapple to buy 32 cases for his employees ("keeps them from going to 7-11 for two hours," he said). Alas, you're only allowed one coupon per order...so I had to do each order eight times, two cartons per coupon! Everyone in the line took it well or moved, but it was annoying.
I decided to cheer myself up when I got home by reviving an old favorite Sunday night ritual. I discovered The Dress Circle on Mercer County College's WWFM: The Classical Network in the late 90s. Two teachers from the college introduce a wide variety of songs from musicals, with a different theme every week. One week, you'll hear the songs from Broadway shows that opened in that month; the next, you might hear famous comedy teams of the 50s and 60s. The week after that, they'll play music from famous TV musicals, or songs from famous stage flops, or songs from European stage shows. I loved the variety of music one couldn't hear anywhere else.
From the late 90s until I got out of college in 2001, I never missed "The Dress Circle." I even used to skip out of dinner early when I still lived with Mom and Dad and listen to the second half of it while everyone else finished. I forgot about it for the first year or so of living in Wildwood...until I heard it while looking for something else on the radio, and once again, I never missed it (unless I was working late).
I was a regular listener until early 2006, when I moved to Oaklyn. I had a hard time picking up WWFM in Wildwood, and once I moved away from the Shore, I couldn't get it at all...until tonight. I found it online on it's website and listened to it tonight. It's the same as ever; the theme was one of my favorites, "Back to School." Songs ranged from a very good number from a very bad movie, "Question Me an Answer" from the 1970s Lost Horizon, to "Back to School Again" from Grease 2, to the Bing Crosby standard "An Apple For the Teacher," to "The Book Report" from the original cast of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown and a gentle lullaby from a British kids' TV show called Charlie Chalk, "I'm Not Asleep, I'm Just Resting My Eyes." (The hosts are both college professors; they make a lot of jokes about students sleeping in class before that one.)
There's even an archive of this year's shows on their site. I'm currently listening to "The Shows of March." Richard Kiley and Diahnne Carrol sing the title song of one of those shows, No Strings.
Here's that archive, so you can catch up on this fun showcase for showtunes, too:
The Dress Circle's 2009 Archive
I slept in on what turned out to be a gorgeous Sunday morning. It was sunny and warm, with not a bit of humidity. I turned the air conditioner and fan off and made Alton Brown's Whole Wheat Pancake recipe for breakfast, along with an Italian plum from the farm market. Tried calling Mom twice. Got the dial tone the first time. I tried calling her an hour later; got a quick "busy; gotta go." I'll try again later tonight. She must have been dealing with Skylar and Collyn.
Work was busy, thanks to several call-outs. There were some mild customer problems as well. A man took advantage of a big 2 for $10 sale on 12 packs of Snapple to buy 32 cases for his employees ("keeps them from going to 7-11 for two hours," he said). Alas, you're only allowed one coupon per order...so I had to do each order eight times, two cartons per coupon! Everyone in the line took it well or moved, but it was annoying.
I decided to cheer myself up when I got home by reviving an old favorite Sunday night ritual. I discovered The Dress Circle on Mercer County College's WWFM: The Classical Network in the late 90s. Two teachers from the college introduce a wide variety of songs from musicals, with a different theme every week. One week, you'll hear the songs from Broadway shows that opened in that month; the next, you might hear famous comedy teams of the 50s and 60s. The week after that, they'll play music from famous TV musicals, or songs from famous stage flops, or songs from European stage shows. I loved the variety of music one couldn't hear anywhere else.
From the late 90s until I got out of college in 2001, I never missed "The Dress Circle." I even used to skip out of dinner early when I still lived with Mom and Dad and listen to the second half of it while everyone else finished. I forgot about it for the first year or so of living in Wildwood...until I heard it while looking for something else on the radio, and once again, I never missed it (unless I was working late).
I was a regular listener until early 2006, when I moved to Oaklyn. I had a hard time picking up WWFM in Wildwood, and once I moved away from the Shore, I couldn't get it at all...until tonight. I found it online on it's website and listened to it tonight. It's the same as ever; the theme was one of my favorites, "Back to School." Songs ranged from a very good number from a very bad movie, "Question Me an Answer" from the 1970s Lost Horizon, to "Back to School Again" from Grease 2, to the Bing Crosby standard "An Apple For the Teacher," to "The Book Report" from the original cast of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown and a gentle lullaby from a British kids' TV show called Charlie Chalk, "I'm Not Asleep, I'm Just Resting My Eyes." (The hosts are both college professors; they make a lot of jokes about students sleeping in class before that one.)
There's even an archive of this year's shows on their site. I'm currently listening to "The Shows of March." Richard Kiley and Diahnne Carrol sing the title song of one of those shows, No Strings.
Here's that archive, so you can catch up on this fun showcase for showtunes, too:
The Dress Circle's 2009 Archive
Saturday, August 29, 2009
The Eternal Chase
Overslept and got out to the farm market a little later than I'd planned. Good thing I went to the bank yesterday. Blueberries are gone, but I did get blackberries, peaches, cute little apples, mushrooms, two tomatoes, pumpkin butter, and beets. I rushed home, put everything away, changed, grabbed lunch, and headed back out again for work.
Work was on-and-off busy, nothing out of line for a Saturday in late August. A lot of beginning-of-the-month people, but most folks seemed to be in decent moods. My relief was on time, and I was in and out with no problems.
At least, until I got outside. One of the cashiers warned me when I came up to her line with skim milk and buttermilk that it looked like it was going to rain. Indeed, a huge, very dark cloud was forming over Camden County, even after I hurried outside with my milk, buttermilk, and bike. I was half-way home on Kendall Boulevard when it began to rain...and rain hard. I debated stopping under a tree, but rumbles of thunder in the distance nixed that idea. Besides, I saw two very happy little girls playing in the rain as I turned the corner onto Goff Avenue. If they could do it, so could I.
I was literally soaked to the skin when I finally got in. I didn't avoid the rain, but I did get in before the thunderstorm got worse. I spent the rest of the evening eating leftovers for dinner and watching more Looney Tunes. The focus this time was on Road Runner, Wil. E Coyote, and their creator Chuck Jones. I have fond memories of seeing bits and pieces of most of the Coyote/Road Runner shorts as the finale of the compilation film The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie. Mom and Dad taped that off HBO sometime in the late 80s, and we watched it for years whenever we wanted to get our Looney Tunes fix.
In fact...I kinda think they work better in the movie than they do as a collection of shorts. They're fun to watch just randomly, or one or two or even three at a time...but any more than that, and it gets a little monotonous.
Of the remaining Chuck Jones shorts on the set, the most famous may be The Dover Boys, best known as one of the few Tunes to not feature animals. It's a very cute spoof of 19th/early 20th century melodrama. It might work best for people who do know a little about the entertainment of the time period, but even for non-history buffs, you gotta love the bad guy trying to dislodge Dora from that tree.
Oh, and my schedule for next week is pretty much the same as last week with slightly less hours and the same days off, Tuesday and Friday.
Overslept and got out to the farm market a little later than I'd planned. Good thing I went to the bank yesterday. Blueberries are gone, but I did get blackberries, peaches, cute little apples, mushrooms, two tomatoes, pumpkin butter, and beets. I rushed home, put everything away, changed, grabbed lunch, and headed back out again for work.
Work was on-and-off busy, nothing out of line for a Saturday in late August. A lot of beginning-of-the-month people, but most folks seemed to be in decent moods. My relief was on time, and I was in and out with no problems.
At least, until I got outside. One of the cashiers warned me when I came up to her line with skim milk and buttermilk that it looked like it was going to rain. Indeed, a huge, very dark cloud was forming over Camden County, even after I hurried outside with my milk, buttermilk, and bike. I was half-way home on Kendall Boulevard when it began to rain...and rain hard. I debated stopping under a tree, but rumbles of thunder in the distance nixed that idea. Besides, I saw two very happy little girls playing in the rain as I turned the corner onto Goff Avenue. If they could do it, so could I.
I was literally soaked to the skin when I finally got in. I didn't avoid the rain, but I did get in before the thunderstorm got worse. I spent the rest of the evening eating leftovers for dinner and watching more Looney Tunes. The focus this time was on Road Runner, Wil. E Coyote, and their creator Chuck Jones. I have fond memories of seeing bits and pieces of most of the Coyote/Road Runner shorts as the finale of the compilation film The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie. Mom and Dad taped that off HBO sometime in the late 80s, and we watched it for years whenever we wanted to get our Looney Tunes fix.
In fact...I kinda think they work better in the movie than they do as a collection of shorts. They're fun to watch just randomly, or one or two or even three at a time...but any more than that, and it gets a little monotonous.
Of the remaining Chuck Jones shorts on the set, the most famous may be The Dover Boys, best known as one of the few Tunes to not feature animals. It's a very cute spoof of 19th/early 20th century melodrama. It might work best for people who do know a little about the entertainment of the time period, but even for non-history buffs, you gotta love the bad guy trying to dislodge Dora from that tree.
Oh, and my schedule for next week is pretty much the same as last week with slightly less hours and the same days off, Tuesday and Friday.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Rainy Day Balance
It rained overnight, but it was merely cloudy when I headed to Yogawood for this week's class. It was a big one, too, 16 people including the teacher Micki. Good thing she just concentrated on squats, stretches, and Warrior type poses. I can do most of that except for the squats. I just can't lift myself. I'm too big.
There were two Amazon.com boxes waiting for me when I got in. Lauren sent me two small presents. The first is a cord that'll allow me to connect my old printer to my new laptop until I can afford a new printer. (The printer was Mom's for many years and has to be at least four or five years old.) The other is Alton Brown's baking book, I'm Just Here For More Food. Lauren's a big Good Eats fan. She knew I was looking for More Food after I found his first, cooking-oriented book at the thrift shop earlier this year.
The weather behaved long enough for me to head over to the Acme to pick up this week's paycheck and browse at FYE. I was going to get the new Pete's Dragon 2-disc set, but I found something even better. I've seen the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 2 on sale for weeks now, but I never got around to buying it until today. (This means I now have the original 3 Golden Collection sets. The next three don't have quite as many cartoons I really want beyond old favorite Ali Baba Bunny and a couple of specials. I probably won't pick them up until their prices come down, the way the earlier ones have.)
That Sonic that was being built behind the Chick Fil 'A looked like it had finally opened. I considered going there...but then I saw the long lines and full outdoor tables after I got out of FYE. I decided pizza would probably be cheaper and a lot faster. I ended up with slices of pineapple-canadian bacon and tomato-basil.
I was finishing up the pineapple when it started showering. Hard. It was light at first, but it came down faster and faster, until it was pouring heavily. I waited out the shower under an awning next to FYE, watching all the cars pass through Sonic and the waitresses in yellow raincoats bring orders to customers. I felt sorry for the waitresses and was suddenly glad I hadn't opted for Sonic.
The moment the weather looked like it was letting up, I hurried over to the Acme to do this week's grocery shopping. I didn't really need much. I bought chicken breasts, two packs of ground turkey that were on sale, small eye round beef steaks, Acme and Breyers light yogurt, whole wheat flour, and peanut butter (I ended up with Acme's Wild Harvest Organic Chunky).
Went home, put everything away, and headed out to the PNC Bank branch at the White Horse Pike on foot. I received a nasty shock there. I don't have as much money in the bank as I thought I did. I must have mixed up the amount in my savings account with the amount in my checking account. I'll have to take some out of my savings account. My rent will be late, but not as much as it would be if I just waited for my next paycheck.
It started pouring again as I walked home from the bank. This time, I did get wet, despite bringing an umbrella. I could take a hint. I spent the rest of the afternoon watching Looney Tunes and baking chocolate chip "Old School Muffins" from Alton's book. (They came out very well, BTW, chewy but not too sweet.)
While not quite as good as the first or third Golden Collections, there were a couple of bona-fide classics in Volume 2, notably One Froggy Evening and What's Opera, Doc? Other favorites of mine in this set include the live-action/animation You Ought to Be In Pictures in it's original black-and-white, the Bugs vs. rodent classic Rhapsody Rabbit, and a personal favorite from Mom and Dad's old yellow public domain tapes from the North Cape May Acme, A Corny Concerto. (How many times are you gonna see Bugs Bunny in a bra and tutu today?)
(And the rain ended sometime around dinner. It's not raining now, but it's supposed to do the on-off thing for the rest of the weekend.)
It rained overnight, but it was merely cloudy when I headed to Yogawood for this week's class. It was a big one, too, 16 people including the teacher Micki. Good thing she just concentrated on squats, stretches, and Warrior type poses. I can do most of that except for the squats. I just can't lift myself. I'm too big.
There were two Amazon.com boxes waiting for me when I got in. Lauren sent me two small presents. The first is a cord that'll allow me to connect my old printer to my new laptop until I can afford a new printer. (The printer was Mom's for many years and has to be at least four or five years old.) The other is Alton Brown's baking book, I'm Just Here For More Food. Lauren's a big Good Eats fan. She knew I was looking for More Food after I found his first, cooking-oriented book at the thrift shop earlier this year.
The weather behaved long enough for me to head over to the Acme to pick up this week's paycheck and browse at FYE. I was going to get the new Pete's Dragon 2-disc set, but I found something even better. I've seen the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 2 on sale for weeks now, but I never got around to buying it until today. (This means I now have the original 3 Golden Collection sets. The next three don't have quite as many cartoons I really want beyond old favorite Ali Baba Bunny and a couple of specials. I probably won't pick them up until their prices come down, the way the earlier ones have.)
That Sonic that was being built behind the Chick Fil 'A looked like it had finally opened. I considered going there...but then I saw the long lines and full outdoor tables after I got out of FYE. I decided pizza would probably be cheaper and a lot faster. I ended up with slices of pineapple-canadian bacon and tomato-basil.
I was finishing up the pineapple when it started showering. Hard. It was light at first, but it came down faster and faster, until it was pouring heavily. I waited out the shower under an awning next to FYE, watching all the cars pass through Sonic and the waitresses in yellow raincoats bring orders to customers. I felt sorry for the waitresses and was suddenly glad I hadn't opted for Sonic.
The moment the weather looked like it was letting up, I hurried over to the Acme to do this week's grocery shopping. I didn't really need much. I bought chicken breasts, two packs of ground turkey that were on sale, small eye round beef steaks, Acme and Breyers light yogurt, whole wheat flour, and peanut butter (I ended up with Acme's Wild Harvest Organic Chunky).
Went home, put everything away, and headed out to the PNC Bank branch at the White Horse Pike on foot. I received a nasty shock there. I don't have as much money in the bank as I thought I did. I must have mixed up the amount in my savings account with the amount in my checking account. I'll have to take some out of my savings account. My rent will be late, but not as much as it would be if I just waited for my next paycheck.
It started pouring again as I walked home from the bank. This time, I did get wet, despite bringing an umbrella. I could take a hint. I spent the rest of the afternoon watching Looney Tunes and baking chocolate chip "Old School Muffins" from Alton's book. (They came out very well, BTW, chewy but not too sweet.)
While not quite as good as the first or third Golden Collections, there were a couple of bona-fide classics in Volume 2, notably One Froggy Evening and What's Opera, Doc? Other favorites of mine in this set include the live-action/animation You Ought to Be In Pictures in it's original black-and-white, the Bugs vs. rodent classic Rhapsody Rabbit, and a personal favorite from Mom and Dad's old yellow public domain tapes from the North Cape May Acme, A Corny Concerto. (How many times are you gonna see Bugs Bunny in a bra and tutu today?)
(And the rain ended sometime around dinner. It's not raining now, but it's supposed to do the on-off thing for the rest of the weekend.)
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Down for the Internet
I spent early this morning cleaning the kitchen. It wasn't quite as bad as the bathroom, but I was hoping to prevent more ant invasions like the fridge incident on Tuesday. (Which reminds me, I've seen one or two ants in the fridge since then, but nothing like Tuesday morning.) To that end, I also swept the porch. I was going to wait until after I got that rotten tree limb cut down, but I have no idea when that's going to happen, and the porch was a mess. Squirrels and birds have left a trail of early nuts and acorns all over the place, and I haven't swept it since before I went on vacation.
I tried posting the Monkees Role Play later this afternoon, but the internet went down. I just spell-checked it and ended up sweeping instead. I did post it tonight. Look for our newest main story, "Return of the Planet of the Monkees," at our Dream World role play web site.
Work was off-and-on dead again, as it was yesterday, but there were a surprising number of huge orders. A lot of people must have used today to stock up after returning from vacation or heading for college. Some of the orders numbered into the $300-$400 dollar range.
The last customer was an annoying elderly woman who bought two 24 packs of Pepsi and even used the coupon for them...then whined because she thought they would come up $10 all together instead of $12.96 for two with the coupon. No, the 12 packs were 4 for $10. She just stormed off without buying anything. I couldn't understand half of what she was saying, anyway. Not only did the woman behind me take it well, but she claimed to have had the woman at the Golden Corral next to Pep Boys where she works and caught her taking food from the buffet in a bag...and the woman got mad when they caught her!
I spent early this morning cleaning the kitchen. It wasn't quite as bad as the bathroom, but I was hoping to prevent more ant invasions like the fridge incident on Tuesday. (Which reminds me, I've seen one or two ants in the fridge since then, but nothing like Tuesday morning.) To that end, I also swept the porch. I was going to wait until after I got that rotten tree limb cut down, but I have no idea when that's going to happen, and the porch was a mess. Squirrels and birds have left a trail of early nuts and acorns all over the place, and I haven't swept it since before I went on vacation.
I tried posting the Monkees Role Play later this afternoon, but the internet went down. I just spell-checked it and ended up sweeping instead. I did post it tonight. Look for our newest main story, "Return of the Planet of the Monkees," at our Dream World role play web site.
Work was off-and-on dead again, as it was yesterday, but there were a surprising number of huge orders. A lot of people must have used today to stock up after returning from vacation or heading for college. Some of the orders numbered into the $300-$400 dollar range.
The last customer was an annoying elderly woman who bought two 24 packs of Pepsi and even used the coupon for them...then whined because she thought they would come up $10 all together instead of $12.96 for two with the coupon. No, the 12 packs were 4 for $10. She just stormed off without buying anything. I couldn't understand half of what she was saying, anyway. Not only did the woman behind me take it well, but she claimed to have had the woman at the Golden Corral next to Pep Boys where she works and caught her taking food from the buffet in a bag...and the woman got mad when they caught her!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Doing Nothing
Boring morning. I mostly just messed around online. I didn't think until later that I should have started job-hunting again. I know I've said I need to find a job that I want to do, look forward to doing...but it's a matter of making myself look. None of my job hunts ever seem to work out. I want to see some real results for once. An interview would be nice, or at least for someone to acknowledge my presence. I haven't been to a job interview since 2005.
It was relatively cool in the morning, so I baked a Blueberry Confetti Cake. By the time it was in the oven, it was getting hotter (but not really humid).
The Acme called me in around quarter of 11. Could I come in a half-hour early? Sure, no problem. I wasn't doing anything big (or that I was supposed to do). I got the cake out of the oven with just enough time to make it to work at 1:30.
The customers were fine today, but I did something dumb. I thought I was done at 7PM. I even signed out then. I thought my relief was late...but I was too early. I wasn't done until 7:30. I signed a slip that explained the mishap and went back to work until my relief did arrive (on time), but I still feel embarrassed with all the fuss I caused. If there's one thing I hate, it's causing trouble.
Boring morning. I mostly just messed around online. I didn't think until later that I should have started job-hunting again. I know I've said I need to find a job that I want to do, look forward to doing...but it's a matter of making myself look. None of my job hunts ever seem to work out. I want to see some real results for once. An interview would be nice, or at least for someone to acknowledge my presence. I haven't been to a job interview since 2005.
It was relatively cool in the morning, so I baked a Blueberry Confetti Cake. By the time it was in the oven, it was getting hotter (but not really humid).
The Acme called me in around quarter of 11. Could I come in a half-hour early? Sure, no problem. I wasn't doing anything big (or that I was supposed to do). I got the cake out of the oven with just enough time to make it to work at 1:30.
The customers were fine today, but I did something dumb. I thought I was done at 7PM. I even signed out then. I thought my relief was late...but I was too early. I wasn't done until 7:30. I signed a slip that explained the mishap and went back to work until my relief did arrive (on time), but I still feel embarrassed with all the fuss I caused. If there's one thing I hate, it's causing trouble.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
It's Finally Sunny In Philadelphia
I was up late this morning and didn't really get going on today's laundry until around 11:30. I ran into Jessa watching the indie movie Everything Is Illuminated as I came in. I had to wait a while (Uncle Ken's laundry was still in the dryer), so I watched the tail end of the movie with her. We briefly visited my apartment and walked to CVS when I got my laundry in the dryer.
I'm glad Jess and I had that little walk today. She'll be moving into her apartment at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia on Thursday, and this is probably the last time we'll get to spend with just the two of us until after she starts school. She bought a cork-board for school at CVS. I bought Palmolive Dish Washing Liquid on sale for $.98, the soft tooth-brushing picks for between my teeth (I ran out yesterday), and an Entertainment Weekly. (I always buy their Summer Movie Preview, Fall Movie Preview, and the end-of-the-year issue.)
It was quarter of 3 by the time I finished doing the laundry. I didn't eat lunch until quarter after 3...and it wasn't until around 4 that I made it to the library for this week's session. I debated doing it on Friday, but I'm glad I went today anyway. They just got a third DVD/CD rack for the children's media, and I organized everything that was checked in into three racks, instead of the two they were originally in. The children's CDs especially needed it. I haven't organized them in forever, and they were a mess. I never even got to returning any of the other DVDs, and they were back to stacks of them.
It was after 6:30 after I left the Super Fresh (looked for sales on peanut butter and english muffins - saw neither) and headed home to make leftover Corn-Meal Battered Turkey Cutlets with eggplant Parmesan and romaine salad.
And ugh. I really need to find more effective ant spray. I actually had ants in my refrigerator today. I have no idea how they got in there. They must have been after the candy canes I keep for stirring my tea. Needless to say, I dumped those in a hurry and wiped the whole side of the fridge down with bleach.
I was up late this morning and didn't really get going on today's laundry until around 11:30. I ran into Jessa watching the indie movie Everything Is Illuminated as I came in. I had to wait a while (Uncle Ken's laundry was still in the dryer), so I watched the tail end of the movie with her. We briefly visited my apartment and walked to CVS when I got my laundry in the dryer.
I'm glad Jess and I had that little walk today. She'll be moving into her apartment at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia on Thursday, and this is probably the last time we'll get to spend with just the two of us until after she starts school. She bought a cork-board for school at CVS. I bought Palmolive Dish Washing Liquid on sale for $.98, the soft tooth-brushing picks for between my teeth (I ran out yesterday), and an Entertainment Weekly. (I always buy their Summer Movie Preview, Fall Movie Preview, and the end-of-the-year issue.)
It was quarter of 3 by the time I finished doing the laundry. I didn't eat lunch until quarter after 3...and it wasn't until around 4 that I made it to the library for this week's session. I debated doing it on Friday, but I'm glad I went today anyway. They just got a third DVD/CD rack for the children's media, and I organized everything that was checked in into three racks, instead of the two they were originally in. The children's CDs especially needed it. I haven't organized them in forever, and they were a mess. I never even got to returning any of the other DVDs, and they were back to stacks of them.
It was after 6:30 after I left the Super Fresh (looked for sales on peanut butter and english muffins - saw neither) and headed home to make leftover Corn-Meal Battered Turkey Cutlets with eggplant Parmesan and romaine salad.
And ugh. I really need to find more effective ant spray. I actually had ants in my refrigerator today. I have no idea how they got in there. They must have been after the candy canes I keep for stirring my tea. Needless to say, I dumped those in a hurry and wiped the whole side of the fridge down with bleach.
Monday, August 24, 2009
In the Summertime
First of all, the weather finally broke today. It was mid-80s, sunny, and NOT humid, for the first time since before I came back from vacation. Perfect day to start this month's apartment cleaning. The bathroom desperately needed to be done. The sink was disgusting. I also sprayed for ants.
I tried to pull down that rotten tree limb that's leaning over my porch, but it's just too big. It's too thick for clippers, too. Whether she likes it or not, Miss Ellie's going to have to either get a saw or an axe or hire a professional to take it down. I can see where it's breaking. I just can't reach it without falling off my porch and breaking my neck.
Between the weather and this being close to the end of the month, it was dead at work all day. I'm glad I got off when I did. Not only was it just starting to get busier, but the store computer system went down and was wrecking havoc with debit card orders.
First of all, the weather finally broke today. It was mid-80s, sunny, and NOT humid, for the first time since before I came back from vacation. Perfect day to start this month's apartment cleaning. The bathroom desperately needed to be done. The sink was disgusting. I also sprayed for ants.
I tried to pull down that rotten tree limb that's leaning over my porch, but it's just too big. It's too thick for clippers, too. Whether she likes it or not, Miss Ellie's going to have to either get a saw or an axe or hire a professional to take it down. I can see where it's breaking. I just can't reach it without falling off my porch and breaking my neck.
Between the weather and this being close to the end of the month, it was dead at work all day. I'm glad I got off when I did. Not only was it just starting to get busier, but the store computer system went down and was wrecking havoc with debit card orders.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Summertime, and the Livin's Easy
Other than it remained hot and humid, today was pretty decent. Yesterday's clouds had vanished by the time I headed for work. I spent a quiet morning making Peach Whole Wheat Pancakes with two bruised Acme peaches and listening to the WOGL Beatles show. (Brian Epstein, the Beatles' most famous manager who pushed them into the limelight, was the subject of today's program.) I tried calling Mom, but she was busy getting ready for Anny and Skylar to arrive. I'd call her back later.
Work was steady today, with plenty of help and no major problems. I had no relief, and was able to get in and out with no fuss. Went home and did some stuff on the computer for a little bit, then made Crispy Pan-Fried Turkey Cutlets (with a corn meal coating) and Sauteed Zucchini, Onions, and Cheese Peppers for dinner.
I did finally get a hold of Mom. Keefe was on his way out; Dad was sleeping. Not much going on there. She's been playing games with Keefe. He's killing her at Parcheesi; she's killing him at Uno.
Other than it remained hot and humid, today was pretty decent. Yesterday's clouds had vanished by the time I headed for work. I spent a quiet morning making Peach Whole Wheat Pancakes with two bruised Acme peaches and listening to the WOGL Beatles show. (Brian Epstein, the Beatles' most famous manager who pushed them into the limelight, was the subject of today's program.) I tried calling Mom, but she was busy getting ready for Anny and Skylar to arrive. I'd call her back later.
Work was steady today, with plenty of help and no major problems. I had no relief, and was able to get in and out with no fuss. Went home and did some stuff on the computer for a little bit, then made Crispy Pan-Fried Turkey Cutlets (with a corn meal coating) and Sauteed Zucchini, Onions, and Cheese Peppers for dinner.
I did finally get a hold of Mom. Keefe was on his way out; Dad was sleeping. Not much going on there. She's been playing games with Keefe. He's killing her at Parcheesi; she's killing him at Uno.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Dodging the Weather Bullets
Awoke to heavy rain this morning. Not a good sign. I really, really needed to go to the Farm Market. It let up around 10:30, long enough for me to head out to Collingswood. Despite the weather and the late hour, the Farm Market was hopping. I'm assuming the weather must have kept people away earlier. The farmers were so eager to get rid of their wares, they were literally giving them away. People kept handing me freebies and the last of their samples. It was very nice of them...but now I have to figure out what to do with it all.
I ended up with carrots, blackberries, gigantic peaches, Gala apples, romaine lettuce, a cucumber, a green pepper, a Vidalia onion, a green pepper from the organic booth, small red potatoes, three tomatoes, two small Gingergold apples that the farmer let me have free because they were the last ones in the sample bucket, blueberries (last of the season, according to a farmer), a jar of honey, a large purple eggplant, a smaller, rounder, lighter purple eggplant that the farmer gave me free so I could compare them, and two free peppers, one a cheese pepper, one a long, dark green pepper that I have no idea what it is, but I hope it's not hot. I don't like hot peppers.
I rode home and spent the rest of the afternoon eating lunch and watching Wonder Woman. (Needless to say, thanks to the weather, I saw no yard sales today.) It was still dry when I headed out to work; the clouds even looked like they were trying to break up. Alas, it was still hot and humid. I left early and took it slow on my bike.
The other reason I left early was for my paycheck. Not that it was a big one, seeing how I only worked Sunday last week, but any money is better than none. Got a good schedule for next week, too, 24.50 hours, two days off, and nothing later than 7:30. Good. I want to clean the kitchen and the bathroom, and I'd like to start seriously job-hunting again.
Work was busy up through 4:30, when dark clouds started gathering. They were getting darker by the minute when my relief arrived early, allowing me to grab the three items I'd bought earlier (granola bars and the clearance Cream of Rice and Oat Bran) and my bike and rush home as fast as my legs could work the pedals.
Light rain started falling in big, fat drops as I rounded the Black Horse Pike onto Kendall Boulevard. (Which, BTW, has finally been repaved.) I got lucky for the second time today. Though thunder rumbled as I sped down the road, the storm waited to hit in full-force until about 20 minutes after I got in.
Awoke to heavy rain this morning. Not a good sign. I really, really needed to go to the Farm Market. It let up around 10:30, long enough for me to head out to Collingswood. Despite the weather and the late hour, the Farm Market was hopping. I'm assuming the weather must have kept people away earlier. The farmers were so eager to get rid of their wares, they were literally giving them away. People kept handing me freebies and the last of their samples. It was very nice of them...but now I have to figure out what to do with it all.
I ended up with carrots, blackberries, gigantic peaches, Gala apples, romaine lettuce, a cucumber, a green pepper, a Vidalia onion, a green pepper from the organic booth, small red potatoes, three tomatoes, two small Gingergold apples that the farmer let me have free because they were the last ones in the sample bucket, blueberries (last of the season, according to a farmer), a jar of honey, a large purple eggplant, a smaller, rounder, lighter purple eggplant that the farmer gave me free so I could compare them, and two free peppers, one a cheese pepper, one a long, dark green pepper that I have no idea what it is, but I hope it's not hot. I don't like hot peppers.
I rode home and spent the rest of the afternoon eating lunch and watching Wonder Woman. (Needless to say, thanks to the weather, I saw no yard sales today.) It was still dry when I headed out to work; the clouds even looked like they were trying to break up. Alas, it was still hot and humid. I left early and took it slow on my bike.
The other reason I left early was for my paycheck. Not that it was a big one, seeing how I only worked Sunday last week, but any money is better than none. Got a good schedule for next week, too, 24.50 hours, two days off, and nothing later than 7:30. Good. I want to clean the kitchen and the bathroom, and I'd like to start seriously job-hunting again.
Work was busy up through 4:30, when dark clouds started gathering. They were getting darker by the minute when my relief arrived early, allowing me to grab the three items I'd bought earlier (granola bars and the clearance Cream of Rice and Oat Bran) and my bike and rush home as fast as my legs could work the pedals.
Light rain started falling in big, fat drops as I rounded the Black Horse Pike onto Kendall Boulevard. (Which, BTW, has finally been repaved.) I got lucky for the second time today. Though thunder rumbled as I sped down the road, the storm waited to hit in full-force until about 20 minutes after I got in.
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