On the Sunny Side of the Mall

I slept so late, Press Your Luck was on by the time I got moving. Watched that while I had a quick breakfast and rounded up everything I wanted to drop off at Goodwill and elsewhere. It was a battle between the female champ and the other lady today. The young man kept hitting Whammies. The older lady finally came out on top with cash and a motorboat she said she intended to give to her husband for their anniversary to fish in. They were just starting the second episode when I headed out on my loaded bike.

First up were a few very quick stops. Dropped a bag of clothes into the bin behind Dollar General. Two books went into a children's kiosk in front of the Lutheran church and another one near the end of Kendall Boulevard.

When I got to Audubon Crossings, I locked my bike at the rack on the Acme's patio, then hauled the larger bag to the back of the Goodwill. After I dropped that off, I went around front to check out Ross and Marshalls. No luck at Ross, but I did find a few things at Marshalls. They always have a great selection of unusual snacks and goodies in the back. I chose a bag of confetti coconut macaroons and a small container of honey. They had big colorful microfiber cloths I thought would make a nice replacement for using up paper towels. Grabbed a strawberry-themed journal for when the one I got from Linda Young runs out.

Headed to Goodwill next. Didn't do as well here as I have the last couple of times I hit them, but I did come up with a few things. Grabbed a green LL Bean sleeveless polo shirt off the sleeveless shirt rack that was practically new. Dug a two-disc DVD set for It's a Wonderful Life off the shelf with the DVDs and CDs and the original cast of the off-Broadway rock adaptation of Twelfth Night, Your Own Thing, from under a pile of records.  Found a recent American Girl cookbook with recipes from around the world with the books. 

Went across the parking lot to Tu Se Bella's Pizza next for a late lunch. Given it was past 3 by this point, they were totally empty except for the employees. The TV wasn't even on. I enjoyed my two slices of broccoli, shrimp, and cheese pizza and a bottle of Diet Pepsi in total peace and quiet.

The main reason I wanted to do this today was to get my hair cut. Great Cuts is a few doors down from Tu Se Bella's. I picked the right time to do it, too. There was only one guy in front of me, and he was just getting his buzz cut trimmed. I got it cut and layered much shorter this time, to chin length. I absolutely love it. My curls are so bouncy and cute now, and a lot less frizzy. I can't let my hair get too long. It frizzes badly even just at shoulder length.

My last stop at Audubon Crossings was Lane Bryant. Having had good luck with their bras, I wanted to see what their underwear was like. I wasn't paying $35 for five pairs, but $3 per pair was more reasonable. I dug through a $3 bin and walked out with six. 

Made my way down Nicholson and over to Merchant Street and downtown Audubon next. I needed a cupcake from Desserts By Design. They were busy with people picking up treats after work, but I did manage to order a "whipped brownie cupcake" from the sweet young woman behind the counter. It turned out to be a moist, rich dark chocolate cupcake with whipped topping mixed with brownie bits and a chunk of brownie on top. Oh, yum. Sweet and fudgey and super-chocolatey. 

Besides, it was too gorgeous to head home right away. The weather was even nicer today than yesterday. Sunny, windless, and very warm, into the mid-70's. I wore shorts for the first time since early last October. 

Rode by Family Dollar and saw they were opened, so I figured I'd stop in this time. Finally got the pack of underwear I'd wanted all along. Also grabbed two packs of hydrated electrolyte drink mix in berry blue and lemon lime. They too were busy with people on their way home from work, but I managed to get out by quarter of 5.

Went straight into Rhythm on the Range when I got home. I go further into Bing Crosby's only western vehicle that also introduced Martha Raye to movie audiences at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Rhythm on the Range

Did some job searching for a while, then watched Match Game '73 while eating leftovers for dinner. Jack Klugman was nervous as heck when he was called on to do "Baked __" for the Head-to-Head...then proceeds to surprise himself and Brett by doing much better than expected. This is from around when the questions were getting slightly racier, leading to some interesting answers from the panel.

Took a much-needed shower, then finished the night with Johnny Mathis: The First 25 Years. Sadly, this two-disc set proved to be disappointing in more than one way. While it did include hits like "Misty" and "Chances Are," it also had more recent songs like "It Doesn't Have to Hurt Every Time" and a remix of "The Way You Look Tonight" that were made to sound more like the disco music just going out of fashion in 1980. They're glaringly out-of-place among songs like "Wonderful Wonderful," "When Sunny Gets Blue," and even the more traditional hit duet "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" with Denise Williams. 

If you're a fan of him like I am, you'll want this for some of the more unusual tracks, but casual fans and newcomers might be better off looking for earlier or later greatest hits collection with a more traditional sound.