Karen picked me up at 10 AM. I wish I knew exactly what job I want. What I really want to do is write, but data entry seems to be easier to break into. Editing and proofreading require more experience than I have. We did quickly apply to a local home construction firm, but I'm not sure I have enough experience for them, either. I wish I was more like my sister Rose, who has known she wanted to be a lawyer since high school, or Keefe, who was 13 when he decided he wanted to join the Navy. If I really knew what job I should have, I'd do more research on companies...but I don't know what job I want, or what I should be doing.
Went back inside briefly to use the bathroom, then called Uber. My October trip to Woodbury last year went so well, I decided to repeat it. The guy picked me up in less than 5 minutes. We hit no traffic coming down the highway, but he had more trouble when he got to Woodbury. For some reason, he thought the Goodwill was in the downtown area. It's actually further down the highway. I looked it up this morning on Google!Maps.
Ironically, after all that fuss getting there, I didn't find much at the Goodwill. I was hoping to find a more flowing, ruffled top for my Little Red Riding Hood costume, but I didn't see anything I liked. I did find a nice jean skirt for $6.49, though.
The Goodwill is dumped in a building smack in the middle of a long sea of car dealerships and fast food chains. As I hiked down the road, I did see a small restaurant situated in one of the older shopping centers. The tiny combination Mexican/pizza joint had tables painted with scenes of old Mexico and The Day of the Dead in astonishing rainbow hues. I ended up having a sandwich-salad combo meal. The turkey hoagie was just a basic sandwich, nothing special. The capri salad with greens, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and balsamic vinaigrette was much better.
I originally planned on taking the bus down the highway, but it was such a nice day, I walked. It remains gorgeous here, in the 70's with a blue sky and a fresh cool breeze. I think I did the right thing. It was barely 10 minutes before I found myself coming up to the edges of downtown Woodbury.
Stopped at a Spirit Halloween near Woodbury's downtown area. I'm surprised they were so well-stocked this close to the holiday. I saw everything from Pokemon and Stitch costumes for adults to Harley Quinn and Batman to your basic pirates, doctors, flappers, kings, queens, witches, angels, and devils. Unfortunately, the adult Little Red Riding Hood costumes all fell into the too-short and sexy variety. No way I'm doing that. Their wildly detailed ghouls and spooks decorations were neat to look at, but too scary (and expensive) for me.
Next stop was On the Record, a small music shop further downtown. They're more expensive than Phidelity Records or Innergroove - the cheapest album I found was $5 - but I did make some good finds. Grabbed Christmas presents for Lauren, too.
Next stop was the thrift shop next-door. They're a lot like the thrift shop of Marlton, with a narrow hall connecting rooms filled with vintage finds. At least their CD and book room was far better-organized than it was when I went there last year, with books, CDs, and records actually on shelves instead of piled everywhere. Picked up a CD set for myself and a CD for Lauren's parents and moved on.
2nd Chance Boutique was across the street and a block down from the thrift shop. It's more like the Barrington Antique Center, small sections of antiques and other older items sold by various collectors and local businesses. Two long rows of wooden shelves flanked boxes and crates of records. Found really cute gifts in a basket up front for Lauren and Amanda.
Between the three stores, in addition to the skirt and magnets and CDs for Lauren and her parents, I ended up with:
The original cast albums for the all-black revue Bubbling Brown Sugar, the Ethel Merman vehicle Happy Hunting, and Into the Woods. I've been looking for the last-named in particular at a good price for years.
The original London cast of The Phantom of the Opera. (This was the CD set.)
Soundtrack album for Easter Parade
Bruce Springsteen - The River
Walt Disney Presents Best Loved Fairy Tales (This collection of six retellings of Grimm's Fairy Tales was listed as "rare.")
Happy Holidays Vol. 13 (This one was still sealed!)
Paddington and Friends (Kid's album from the early 80's with songs based around Paddington Bear's adventures.)
By the time I got out of 2nd Chance Boutique, it was past 3:30. The traffic had already begun to pick up in town. I decided it was time to pack it in. Hiked down the road, looking for a place to buy a drink. I passed beautiful old homes and buildings that dated back to the 1700's and a glittering creek, tip-toeing along the rutted sidewalk near the river they were about to replace.
For some reason, the Woodbury CVS is hidden down a long dusty road behind their McDonald's, across from the brand-new Inspira Health buildings. It's also huge, twice the size of the CVS in Oaklyn. I used the bathroom and bought sparkling water here. Also saw bags of Halloween novelties I wish I ran into earlier in the season. I'll have to remember CVS when I'm buying trinkets for the Mystery Bags next year.
Tried to pick up Uber at CVS, but it was just too far in the back. Luckily, I caught sight of the car across the way at McDonald's. No trouble after I got in. All of the considerable traffic was going in the opposite direction towards Gloucester Township. The man pulled in at Oaklyn within 15 minutes.
Put on a couple of spooky Mickey Mouse black and white shorts while getting organized. "The Haunted House" from 1929 is Mickey's earliest foray into horror. When he takes shelter from a storm in a frightening haunted house, the Grim Reaper forces him to play the organ for a pile of grinning skeletons who give the ghouls from "The Skeleton Dance" a wiggle for their money. Mickey has an even worse nightmare in 1932 when he dreams that "The Mad Doctor" has kidnapped Pluto. He tries to save his beloved pup, then wonders who's gonna save him when he ends up on the operating table, too...
Worked on writing for a while after that. Cora only hopes that King Darrian will like her. She does like her father emphasizing him being a quiet scholar who prefers nights at home to parties and studying to making merry. She just wants a friend, as she's lonely among the court due to her preference for books over suitors.
Broke for dinner at 6:30. Watched Match Game '76 while I ate. Ace Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Don Sutton made his first appearance this week, joining Mary Wickes and Fannie Flagg. Buzzr skipped to the last episode of the week, as Charles and Brett wished Charles' mother a happy birthday in the opening. Brett and Fannie spend the episode trading quips, while Richard and Fannie showed off their Laurel and Hardy imitations.
Moved to Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical on Tubi after dinner. I go further into this musical adaptation of the 1936 anti-drug exploitation film at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Finished the night at Amazon Prime with Murder She Wrote. In "Fire Burn, Cauldron Bubble," residents of Cabot Cove are definitely anxious after locals reported sightings of someone dressed as a witch who was burned at the stake 300 years ago. A major author wrote a book about the incident and is planning to release it soon. Meanwhile, librarian Mildred Terhune is shocked when her long-dead sister Irene somehow turns up on her doorstep. She's even more upset when Irene is found dead inside a burned barn. Jessica and the Cabot Cove police try to sort through the web of deception set up by the book author, the actor working for him, and a rabble-rousing witch-hunter to find out just who had been dressing as a witch...and who wanted Irene dead.
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