Morning With My Sister

I'd only been up for about twenty minutes when the phone rang. It was Jessa. She was off today, as was I. Did I want to go out for breakfast or brunch? Sure, why not? I did have a few things to do, but they didn't need to be done right away. I had the time to read, write in my journal, and change quickly before she picked me up around quarter of 11.

It was still cloudy and windy when we drove over the Cooper River and into Cherry Hill. Ann's Omelette House was just beyond the Courier-Post building and the Camden Catholic High School. It was a small diner situated on the highway, and even at 11, it was packed when we arrived. They were a cozy little place, with vinyl booths and tables, old South Jersey and Jersey Shore postcards around the tables, and larger vintage photos and sports equipment and ads on the walls.

There were so many omelettes! The first two pages of the menu were nothing but omelettes. They had literally everything in them, from fruit to seafood, from egg whites to omelettes topped with potato pancake. Jessa went for the Beach Bum, a spinach-cheese omelette with two potato pancakes. I had Pizza With the Works, pepperoni, sausage, peppers, onions, and mozzarella cheese topped with tomato sauce. We both got some really delicious home fries. My omelette was overstuffed and amazing, with lots of big pieces of everything. I also had hot tea, since I hadn't had the time to make any at home.

When we got back to my apartment, I showed Jessa two episodes of Match Game on my DVD set. We kicked things off with the infamous "School Riot" show, where Richard Dawson and Debralee Scott vehemently protested a decision from the judge to not accept their answers. Jessa is a big horror fan, and I thought she'd enjoy seeing a syndicated episode from 1979 with a young Jamie Lee Curtis, less than a year after her success in the original Halloween.

Jess needed to grocery shop too, so we went together. The Acme's having it's occasional "buck a bag" produce sale. I grabbed celery and the baked pea snacks. Also had an online coupon for Nutri-Grain Fruit Bars and a Grocery Rewards coupon for free eggs. Otherwise, I was mostly restocking. Grabbed yogurt, milk, canola oil, oatmeal, ground chicken, honey, and canned pineapple.

Mixed feelings on my hours next week. Slightly more hours, and slightly more days off, too, including Tuesday for counseling. Long hours when I do work, though, including on Sunday. Having Thursday and Saturday off will give me the chance to hit up the Voorhees Library Book Sale one of those days.

Went straight home and put everything away while watching a spooky episode of Get Smart. A "Weekend Vampire" has been killing off CONTROL agents with a flute that leaves vampire-like puncture wounds. Max and 99 have to figure out who's doing the deed and follow him to his spooky mansion.

Headed back out after everything was put away. I really needed to get my laundry done. Thankfully after all the fuss last week, there were no problems. The laundromat was quiet when I arrived, and never really got that busy. I didn't really have a huge load anyway. Worked on story notes and ignored silly talk shows on TV.

Did some writing after I got in. The next morning, the group splits up, with Brett, Charles, Gary, and Richard heading into town while the others go to the near-by church to give away the large bag. On the road, the quartet encounter a pretty blond girl, Little Red Sarah (Kennedy) Hood, picking wildflowers. Gary is smitten and offers to help. She claims a wolf suggested getting off the path to pick flowers. Richard and Brett immediately suspect that the wolf is an enchanted creature that may be after her, but she says it seemed more interested in the cakes in her basket than her. Gary offers their cart to drive her to her granny's house.

Broke for dinner at 6:30. After I ate, I refilled my cookie canister with Ally's "Snappy" Ginger Snaps. They're a simple recipe from The Beanie Baby Cookbook, and they may be the best thing to come out of the Beanie Baby craze of the late 90's. They always come out beautifully and smell amazing in the oven.

Finished the night with Aquaman. Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) is the product of a marriage between a human lighthouse keeper (Temeura Morrison) and an Atlantean princess (Nicole Kidman). He has his mother's water-based powers, which he uses to track down pirates like Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen). He learns from the current Atlantean princess Mera (Amber Herd) that his half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) has attacked the surface world. He's bringing together the four kingdoms of the sea in order to become the Ocean Master. Arthur's former mentor Nuidis (William Dafoe) tells him of the Trident of Atlan, the first ruler of Atlantis, which is hidden somewhere in the desert. After he attempts to challenge Orm for control of the seas, he takes off with Mera to find that trident...and prove who is the true king of the oceans.

Pure, unadulterated fun, lighter than Captain Marvel and less wacky than the teen-oriented Shazam! and Spider Man: Far from Home. Some terrific performances by Dafoe, Herd, Momoa, and Wilson, gorgeous music, and awesome special effects (especially in the Trenches) almost make up for the stiff dialogue and a story that's basically a cross between Black Panther and the Indiana Jones films. One of the biggest hits of last winter, and deservedly so. If you love the character, the cast, or underwater fantasies, you'll want to dive right into this one.