Independent Woman

It was cloudy, humid, and raining when I woke up this morning. Thankfully, the rain was long gone by the time I had breakfast and was starting Supergirl. As soon as I finished, I went on the computer to work on my proposal and look over jobs on Upwork. Trouble is...I look over them, but I have no idea what to say in that proposal. How can I explain my lack of experience? Or promote myself when all I've written is three blogs and a lot of fanfics? I don't know what to say.

I was still frustrated when I got off the computer. Had a quick Chocolate-Banana Smoothie lunch before heading out...and heading right back in briefly. I finally got a notice from Camden County about my food stamps. Due to my raised rent, they're bringing them up to 81 dollars. Still not as good as they were two years ago, but it's much better than the 15 I have now.

Dashed out the door to counseling after that. I was five minutes late, nothing to get upset over. I was more upset at myself for not doing better with job hunting. I am glad that most of whatever that cold or sinus infection was that I got hit with in early April is gone, I enjoyed seeing Captain Marvel for my birthday, that Dad's doing much better, and Lauren and I had a great time on our vacation.

The trouble is, I still need money, and contrary to what everyone thinks, I can't always rely on the Acme raising my hours. While I don't really have a problem with the Food Stamps anymore, I would prefer not to end up on Social Security. I want to be fully independent, with no need for help from anyone. I hate asking for money, or that everyone feels they need to give it to me.

The trouble is, I'm not sure how to make that happen. Every time I try, I get nervous. How can I promote myself when I've never done anything? I wish one person understood. No one in my family or at work ever listens to me. They give me suggestions, but they just don't seem right. I'm not getting a second retail job. The first one drives me crazy! I just need to find something I can do on the side that will actually work out.

Maybe it's just as well that I don't have any plans for this summer. I might take a day trip to Atlantic City now that the Transit trains are up and running again or make a quick return to the Cherry Hill Mall, but unless Rose and her family are going down to visit the family in Cape May County and I can tag along, I won't be going anywhere until likely September...and I'm fine with that. I'll concentrate on writing my stories and job hunting. There has to be something I can do that's better than working in a grocery store!

Mrs. Stahl said to either get an online job or take more hours at work. I'll see what I can do. I can't really control when they ask me.

I wasn't feeling great when I got out of work. Thought a water ice at Primo's might cheer me up a little. Surprisingly, despite it being just as the kids were getting out of school, they weren't busy when I arrived. Ordered a small Java Chip and had it outside on the bench, next to two women chatting together over ice cream. Turned out to be coffee-chocolate chunk, and it was really very tasty. It was wet, anyway.

Had to stop at the Westmont Acme on the way home. I needed pads rather badly. Also used a Monopoly coupon (they end today) to pick up Triscuits on sale to go with dinner. The lines were a little long, but not too bad, and they moved fast.

Took the long way home across Newton Lake Park. Despite the humidity and off-and-on clouds, I dodged quite a few fisher folk, dog walkers, and groups of kids out with their friends. The park's gorgeous now, with the trees almost in their full growth and white clover dotting the fields.

Went straight into writing when I got home. Harris tells Luke he can stay with him in his van until he can find a place of his own. As they talk it over, Kes Dameron, the owner and manager of the coffee shop, turns on Channel 11. Mara Jadeson is broadcasting her version of the destruction of the Death Ray. Kes teases him about Mara, but Luke's not entirely sure he wants to hear what she has to say...

(And it finally started raining around 7, just as I was starting dinner. It was a pretty big thunderstorm for a while too, very windy and noisy. It seems to be gone now, though I've left the air conditioner on.)

Broke for dinner at quarter of 7. I had leftover black bean dip with Triscuits while finally finishing up Supergirl. Kara, aka Supergirl (Helen Slater), is searching for the Omega Hedron, a sphere with mysterious powers that she accidentally lost. It fell to Earth and was found by Selina (Faye Dunaway), an ambitious carnival witch with more on her mind than reading palms. She's determined to use it to take over the world, starting with forcing a handsome construction worker to fall in love with her. Kara poses as Linda Lee, a student at a local girl preparatory school. She ends up rescuing the construction worker from the havoc Selina's spells cause...and he promptly falls head over heels for her. Meanwhile, she has to keep dodging her roommate and new best friend Lucy Lane's (Maureen Teefy) questions. When Selina catches Kara, she sends her to the Phantom Zone with her mentor Zaltar (Peter O'Toole). But you can't keep a good Kryptonian down...and this super-lass isn't going to let some witch harm her new friends or her adopted home.

Ok, so this is campy as heck, with poor dialogue, slightly cheap-looking special effects, and a wooden love interest. It's still one of my favorite childhood movies. Helen Slater is a wonderfully naive Girl of Steel, and Dunaway chews every bit of scenery to atoms as the sorceress with a thing for glittery caftans. If you enjoyed Wonder Woman or Captain Marvel and are looking for another big-screen superheroine outing, give this one a try.

(Watching this again and checking some childhood cartoons I love on YouTube gave me an idea for a sequel-based Star Wars fanfic. It will replace and use ideas from The Wizard of Oz story I originally had planned. Though I've seen a few film and TV versions and have read the first book, I don't really know that much about the Oz series. I do, however, have fond memories of the girl-power cartoons of my childhood that had groups of females fighting sometimes fairly dark villains with the power of everything from rainbows to magical singing.

The year is 1989. Rachelle "Rey" Ridley works for a junk shop in Jakku, Arizona. She's good with plants and has coaxed a small garden to grow in her tiny backyard. She's quite surprised when a beautiful pony, then a young man, fall out of the sky and ask for her help. They're Finn and BeeBee, of the Kingdom of Alderaan. They're on the run from the evil Warlock Snoke, who has imprisoned Queen Leia behind a magic mirror. Her husband King Han and his manservant Chewbacca have simply vanished, and her brother, the flower mage Luke, has fled the land. Leia's greatest warrior, Poe of the Tiger Lillies, was captured and supposedly killed by the evil, magic-and-beauty-hating Kylo Ren.

Rey follows Finn and BeeBee to Alderaan, which has been stripped of the magical gemstone flowers that gave it the magic that kept it beautiful. With the help of outspoken Jannah of the Marigolds, sweet and chatty Kaydel of the Bluebells, and shy Rose of the Red Roses, Rey discovers the power within herself...and that friendship and giving others a second chance may be the greatest powers of all.

Hopefully look for this one by the end of the year, after I finish The Rebel League series and The Resistance Kids: The Last Good Cop.)

Played some Lego Pirates of the Caribbean after dinner. Only had time to finish the last round of Dead Man's Chest, "The Kraken." This is fairly complicated, for a boss round. You first have to gather up explosives and get them to the surface, then figure out how to detonate them, then toss enough bottles at the Kraken to anger it, then blow it up. It takes a while. I got hit by the Kraken too much to get a lot of studs, but I did pick up four bottles (this game's version of pieces). Wandered around the Port for a little while after that, buying a few new characters that had appeared.

Finished the night with The Glenn Miller Story. I go more into this biopic of the popular big band leader at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

The Glenn Miller Story