Cowabunga Stockton

I slept in this morning, finishing You Call It Madness. Technically a biography of Russ Columbo and the younger years of his  early 30s crooning competitors Bing Crosby and Rudy Vallee, this ambitious and lengthy novel brings to life not only those three singers, but the world of the late 20s and early 30s - smoky nightclubs, sassy Broadway shows, the new world of jazz, silents giving way to talkies. Though I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the rat-tat-tat writing, it tried to cram too much information into one novel and way too plot. All three of these men have had more straightforward biographies written on them; try one of those first before you head here, and only come here if you love the era or like atmosphere with your biography.

I had just enough time before work to call Stockton College and set up an appointment with their Career Center on Thursday at 3:30. They'll look at my resume and hopefully give me some ideas as to what direction to take next. I really have no idea. It seems like every avenue I've taken towards getting a job has ended at yet another brick wall. The trip will take a while - a PATCO train, then the NJ Transit train from Lindenwauld, then a longer bus ride from Atlantic City to Stockton's campus in the Jersey Pinelands - but it'll be worth it.

Work was...very boring. It was dead for most of the afternoon. There was some rain early on, but it vanished quickly, and the rest of the day alternated between cloudy and sunny and humid but not nearly as hot as last week. It did pick up during the usual 4 to 6 rush hour, but not enough for me have problems leaving without a relief.

When I got home, I made leftover Chicken Parmesan and veggies for dinner while finishing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Volume 4 disc. Casey Jones, the hockey mask-wearing vigilante, was a popular character in the movies and the later 2003 show, but he made scant few appearances in the 80s incarnation, the first being "Casey Jones - Outlaw Hero." Baxter Stockman emerges to get his revenge on the Turtles and Shredder and Krang for allowing him to transform into an insect in "Return of the Fly." Donatello has to deal with his three besotted brothers, who fell for Irma after ingesting a love potion in "Green With Jealousy." And the westerns-obsessed Turtles find themselves dealing with the world's biggest bull when spilled chemicals cause a steer to turn into a "Mutagen Monster."