Too Hot to Handle

I'd been up for about ten minutes when the phone rang. It was Rose. She and Craig had finally gotten their extra furniture sorted enough for me to take a look at it. Did I want to come over after work? She'd even drive me to and from the Acme. Sure, why not? I was only working until noon, and I had no other plans.

She came around just as I'd finished breakfast. I'm giving her the other air conditioner that Dad and Jodie bought me last summer. It's no longer appropriate for my windows. (I need to figure out what to do with the smaller, older air conditioner, too.) I followed her as she carried it downstairs to her car. We talked about the heat and how to beat it; she said she'd tried that Turkey Hill Trio'politain Vanilla ice cream, too (and enjoyed it just as much as I did).

Maybe it's because I was in early, but work wasn't really that bad. I did spend a lot of time doing the carts...but they had a jug of water for baggers at the front desk, and I keep a bottle of water in my locker year-round, since I get thirsty riding my bike. I also rounded up the outside trash and shelved a full cart of loose items. By the time we were getting busier, I was on my way out. Rose and Khai had to do a little bit of grocery shopping anyway and picked me up just as I finished.

I changed into regular clothes as soon as I could get past Rose's miniature pincher Kelsey greeting me with barks and sniffing and into the bathroom. (Their other dog, Toby, sadly passed away about a week or two ago.) She had a lot of furniture she didn't want that she'd gotten from Mom or friends. That's perfect, because a lot of my furniture needs to be replaced. The metal frame on my day bed broke almost as soon as I put it together. I have crates holding up the broken bars right now. I've had my loveseat for a good 15 years. In fact, Rose gave it to me after she and her previous boyfriend moved to Audubon and couldn't use it anymore. I know I had it in my last year at Wildwood. My entertainment area coffee table was a crate.

We went upstairs and looked at a trundle fold-out day bed and a book shelf that was currently holding her older fantasy novels. I could definitely use the bookshelf. I need space for DVDs, CDs, and books. I'd like to take the trundle bed. If it can fit, it'll replace the loveseat. If not, it could replace the day bed...though I'd have to find something do with the frame, which is still in decent shape. A small, black-and-gray elliptical-shaped coffee table would be a great replacement for that crate.

Among the items in the basement were a wide metal bed frame, a microwave holding shelf, a small rolling cart, and several chairs. Not only was the metal frame too wide for my bed, but it was the same flimsy design I'd already broken. I might be able to use the microwave shelf and the chairs. I like my dining area table, but the chairs are already a bit wobbly. (She also showed me a table, but it was old and scratched. Nahh, I like mine better.) I don't have a microwave, but plenty of other things could fit there. I could get the popcorn maker and food processor off the shelf in the living room.

Rose gave me the small coffee table today, along with the pillow cases that match my new quilt and the coral red hand towel to go with the matching large towel. She helped me get the thin table up to my place, then measured where the love seat and bed are. (I also need to eventually replace the dresser and wardrobes. They came with the house and were likely cheap pieces Miss Ellie and her nephew bought before I moved in to make up for the lack of closet space. They're falling apart, especially the dresser. The McHughs want nothing to do with them.)

As soon as I got home, I did some organizing. The crocheting, coloring, and crossword puzzle books that were in the crate fit on the shelf under the coffee table. I was originally going to move the crate to where the small corner shelf is, but it was too big. It went next to the appliances and now holds oversized books on entertainment and media history and biographies of entertainers. The video games went where the media books used to be. Listened to the soundtrack of American Graffiti as I worked, and later as I had perfect blueberry pancakes for lunch.

Spent the rest of the afternoon trying to focus in my bedroom and write. Luke discovers a little old man with elf-like ears and greenish skin on the sidewalk. The old man insists he can help them find where they are and proceeds to make a mess of Luke's Corvette. He's had it up to here with this old fellow when Rudy comes back around, looking for Yoda...

(My apartment has been crazy-hot all day. Even the air conditioner going full-blast didn't do much. The heat is supposed to end tonight, so we'll see how things go.)

Broke for dinner around 5:30. Made a tasty scrambled eggs with broccoli, cheese, and mushrooms and turkey bacon. Enjoyed my tasty meal, then moved to Lego Star Wars. The "super stories" are all six rounds of each movie played one after the other, with no pieces or extras. You have to do it in under an hour and collect 100,000 studs while doing it. I completed Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones in under 40 minutes each and got more than enough studs by the half-way mark on both. This totally completes Phantom Menace; I won't need to go back there during this game.

Had less luck with the blue minkit challenges. Took too long on "Chancellor in Peril" and missed one darn piece on "Bounty Hunter Attack." I'll continue to work on them tomorrow.

Put on the original cast of the Broadway Lion King while I got organized and got online. I picked this one up on vacation in May and decided to save it for when the new movie came out. The Broadway show is mainly notable for it's famous pageantry and African-esque puppet-costumes, but it does have some great songs. A lot of the new numbers are taken directly from Hans Zimmer's wonderful African-inflected film score, including a great solo for the adult Simba, "Endless Night." They also used two of the best songs from the underrated "inspired by The Lion King" cassette Rhythm of the Pride Lands, "One By One" and "He Lives In You" (as "They Live In You"). Honestly, if you loved either version of the movie, I'd look this up, too. While the cast isn't as good as either film, they do very well with the material, and the old and new songs are enjoyable to hear.

Finished the night with the lower-key Rosemary Clooney. I totally forgot I picked up that 16 Most Requested Songs CD a while back. Indeed, among her "most requested" numbers are the hits "Come On 'a My House," "Mambo Italiano," "Tenderly," "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening," and "This Old House."