Thursday, May 14, 2015

Moonlight and Radio Romances

The day was absolutely gorgeous, sunny, breezy, and bright, when I got up this morning. I had a quick breakfast and then, since I got up early, thought I'd try something. That Beanie Baby Handbook/Cookbook Lauren gave me last year included a simple one-bowl recipe for ginger snaps (here called "Ally's "Snappy" Ginger Snaps - named for an alligator Beanie) that looked quick and tasty. That, they were. They took about a half-hour to make and baked up crunchy on the outside, a little chewy on the inside, and totally rich and flavorful.

I continued Sailor Moon as I ate and baked. The final Inner Guardian, Sailor Venus, joins the team as a desperate Zoycite cross-dresses as Sailor Moon to try to lure Tuxedo Mask into a trap. It works all too well. Though Venus rescues the girls, Tuxedo Mask is hurt, and the Negaverse gets the girls' Rainbow Crystals.

It comes to a showdown at the Starlight Tower in Tokyo. Zoycite goads Mamoru into bringing the remaining crystals to her. Usagi's worried about him, but her following him gets her inadvertently caught in the crossfire. They finally reveal their identities to each other, only for Zoycite to attempt to kill him. It's Usagi's anguished tears that finally reveals their love...and the true identity of the Moon Princess.

Living up to the title of "Princess" isn't all it's cracked up to be, especially when you're a clumsy 14-year-old who isn't known for being the most elegant kid around. The remaining episodes on the first disc mostly revolve around Usagi trying to learn how to behave like a princess, while dodging a now-brainwashed Tuxedo Mask. My favorite of these is the one about Usagi joining a finishing school to try to polish her manners. She, Rei, and Minako get a lesson in a lot more than lessons in etiquette when it turns out the head of the school would rather finish off her students than groom them into young ladies.

I headed out into the gentle sunshine around 11:30 for this week's volunteering run at the bike. There wasn't really much to do at Studio LuLoo. Roxy was working on her laptop. No one else was around. I washed a small pile of dishes and moved on.

It was the perfect day for a ride through the park. The leaves are almost at their full width now. Everything is fresh and green. The dandelions are turning into delicate puffs along the increasingly pollen-coated river. I dodged people walking their dogs, children chasing each other in the playground, and Canadian geese looking for lunch.

The Haddon Township Library was quiet when I arrived. I started to do my usual work, but I didn't realize the other volunteer I had trouble with before was there. After I'd moved on to organizing the American Girl books, I could hear her complaining to the head librarian. I hid in the stacks, then slid out when the storm had blown over. Needless to say, I didn't take anything out this week. I'm still finishing Sailor Moon, and I have plenty of things to watch at home.

(The librarian did call later and tell me I didn't do anything wrong - I was just doing what I do.)

I made a few quick stops after I left the library in frustration. They didn't have good prices on cooking oil at Thriftway - I'll wait until tomorrow to buy it. I just bought a notebook to cheer myself up at Dollar Tree. (And forgot what I went in there for, which was a laundry bag.)

I had lunch at the Westmont Bagel Shop. Worked on notes for my story while listening to The Chew...or tried to. Two obnoxious women showed up half-way through my meal. They were talking loudly and jokingly insulting everyone who got near them. I doubt they meant any harm, but they were noisy and obnoxious and no fun to eat around. I ate my Spinach, Chicken, and Provolone Wrap in silence and hurried out as soon as I could.

It was too nice to go inside right away. I first spent a half-hour working on my notes at the wooden picnic benches on West Clinton, in front of Phillies Yummies and Studio LuLoo. There's little shade on West Clinton, though. I eventually ended up on a blanket on my porch. The fuzzies were gone - Charlie and his boys must have blown them off earlier in the afternoon. The breeze felt deliciously light as it wafted across my legs. I wrote notes for my story and watched the glossy black ants and fuzzy caterpillars march across my line of vision.

When I went inside, I spent the next two hours continuing my story. Victor was hypnotized by the British into shooting Pruitt. While Elizabeth tries to get information out of Pruitt about how Victor ended up in this state and who his contact is, Mackie and Scott fight off Pruitt's guards. Scott's men, (including C.J) are captured, but Maple manages to save a still-dazed Victor. However, she's dressed as the Crimson Blade, and he has no idea who rescued him. Hilary helps Scott with the guards while Jeff brings the military. After they've left, he reveals what happened - Pavla forced him to marry her in order to save Victor secret. Hilary says Jeff can live there, but not in their room.

Scott's not happy at all, despite being the one who discovered the codes. Victor's back, most of his men are in jail, and now he has to work even harder to win Elizabeth's love...

I started dinner around 5:30. I wanted something easy and yet filling. One of my favorite low-fat, quick dinners is Italian Chicken With Tomatoes. Marinate chicken in balsamic vinegar and olive oil (actually, the recipe calls for Italian dressing, but I don't have any), cook them in a skillet until pink, add canned diced tomatoes, and cook until ready. I added mushrooms, onion, and garlic tonight for extra flavor. It was delicious. I had it with a lettuce salad.

Another favorite later first season Sailor Moon episode of mine focuses on Usagi's family. They've gone up to a hot springs for a vacation. Their trip turns out to be anything but relaxing when the brainwashed Mamoru unleashes a jealous demon from the lake, thinking he can control it. The demon has ideas of its own. It attacks Usagi's family, and while the other Guardians help, Usagi attempts to figure out how she can turn into Sailor Moon without her parents and brother discovering her identity.

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