We really slept in today! I wasn't up until around 10. Lauren didn't get going until over an hour later. When we did finally get moving, I made us Silver Dollar Blueberry Pancakes while I ran the first half of my new K-Tel collection. (I'm really happy with how the pancakes came out, too. They cooked perfectly, even with the blueberries. Lauren loved them. I'll have to do them silver dollar-sized more often.)
Had just enough time to dash for the bus to the Market Place after breakfast. It was only slightly late, surprising for a holiday Sunday. The traffic wasn't bad, either, a little iffy in Westmont but otherwise fine. We were in Cherry Hill in less than 20 minutes.
Decided we'd start in the back and work our way to the big box stores. The Barnes and Noble wasn't busy, either. Lauren didn't get anything this time. I found the other Star Wars book I looked at when we were in Moorestown on Friday. The Lando Calarissian Adventures is an anthology of three Lando-centric action tales released in the wake of Return of the Jedi in 1983. I've had the Han anthology since the late 90's, but I've never been able to find the similar one for Lando. Han and Lando have long been my favorite Star Wars characters (along with Leia and Chewbacca). Like Leia, I guess I have a thing for scoundrels. ;)
Lauren was hungry, and lunch wouldn't hurt me, either. Besides, it was nearly 3 by then, past time to eat. I forgot our original choice, Chick Fil' A, is one of the few major chains that closes on Sundays. We ended up at 1,000 Degrees Neapolitan Pizza, a brand-new pizzeria on the very end of the Market Place, next-door to the Philadelphia Eagles store. They were dead as a doornail when we arrived. I liked the dark, cool brick-and-Formica look they had going. They have a make-your-own pizza option - we did that, opting for a small half-mushroom, half-pepperoni pie with Coke for Lauren and Coke Zero for me. We chatted about Star Wars and geekdom while enjoying our pie. (And our pie was tasty. I loved the soft crust. I must go back there the next time I'm at Market Place.)
After brief looks at Best Buy and Dick's, we strolled over to the Christmas Tree Shop. Normally, I don't have much use for them after the holidays, but they have a surprisingly decent food section. Lauren picked up soda-flavored frozen slush bars for a dollar. I grabbed Bigelow's Vanilla Chai Tea (which was much cheaper there than at the Acme) and 50 muffin cups for a dollar.
The real reason I wanted to go to Market Place was to use at least a few of the many coupons I've been getting for Bed Bath and Beyond. I needed new bath mats rather badly. The rubber on the old ones have been flaking for months. They were surprisingly not all that busy, either. I've seen much longer lines there during the weekdays. I had a hard choice, but I finally picked two very soft polyester plush mats in vanilla and sage. Lauren picked up a few sundries - she's gotten blisters from all the walking. I was hoping they'd have fans, but I didn't see any there, or at Best Buy.
Tired of walking, we finally plopped down on a black metal bench outside of a jewelry store so Lauren could put Band Aids on her blisters. We moved to the grassy meridian to await the 5:45 bus. It was on time, and once again, there were no problems getting home.
I really, really needed a fan. We stopped at Family Dollar on the way back to my place. They had a huge pile of fans in their main window. The first one I picked had a damaged box. The lady at the desk grabbed a newer one. I got that, and we got going.
When we made it home, Lauren called her dad, and I called my stepdad in Cape May County. In good news, Dad-Bill's cancer is in remission, enough that he just came back from his first long fishing trip in months. However, that left him too tired for a long conversation. Mom had just come from her job at the Ferry and was even more tired. She did give him his own wind chimes for Father's Day. He was trying to figure out where to put them when I called.
Lauren chatted with her dad for over an hour! When she finally got off, we ate leftovers for dinner (Lauren finished the tuna salad), then played more Lego Indiana Jones. We went back to the first level and did more bonus rounds, including one that involved flying a plane, and another driving round. (This one, thankfully, in broad daylight on a desert plain.)
When we went online, I put on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. It was rather appropriate, given we meet Indy's dad (Sean Connery) here. Indy's in pursuit of the missing Professor Jones, who had finally gotten clues to the location of his long-time obsession, the Holy Grail. Trouble is, the Nazis are on its trail too, including the beautiful Dr. Elsa Schneider (Alison Janney). Indy and his dad haven't spoken in years, but now they have to work together to elude the Nazis and learn a bit about the nature of bonding...and letting go.
My long-time favorite Indiana Jones movie. Sean Connery and Harrison Ford are hilarious as the battling father and son who have more in common than they want to believe.
Finished the night with two episodes of the original late 80's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. (Lauren is a huge fan.) "Attack of the 50 Foot Irma" has the nerdy receptionist being accidentally hit by Krang's growth ray. Not only is she now knocking over half of New York, but she's on a diet...and has a giant-sized case of the munchies! Donatello has to figure out how to get her back to her right size.
"The Maltese Hamster" is a hilarious spoof of film noir and private eye movies. Donatello narrates the tale of how gangsters used high-tech weapons to overrun the city...weapons provided by Shredder. Shredder is after a small hamster statue that April bought from a junk shop. Now the Turtles have to protect her and figure out why that statue is so important to Shredder.
We were originally going to Atlantic City tomorrow...but Lauren pointed out while we were eating pizza that it's going to be in the 90's again. Not only is it too hot for hiking around on a shade-less boardwalk, but we've both done a lot of walking as it is. We're going to make a return visit to Moorestown instead. She wants to return one of the shirts she bought from FYE, and I want to check out their Dick's and the sock selection at Boscov's. (I forgot to do that on Friday.)
Oh, and Happy Father's Day to all dads, including those whose children are four-legged or feathered (or estranged archaeologists). :)
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