Called Uber around 10:30 for today's trip to Woodbury. The gentleman arrived within seven minutes. There was no traffic anywhere on the highway or in Woodbury Heights. We arrived across the street from the Nerd Mall within 20 minutes.
The Nerd Mall is one big room filled with shelves and bins of pop culture paraphernalia. Lauren looked the comic book bins over while I checked out the metal shelves groaning with stacks and stacks of just about every board game that had been created since the 1970's. I keep hoping to find the older versions of Family Feud and Match Game to go with my Password, but the only one I saw was the Family Feud DVD game.
Alas, that was all that was there. The vintage arcade that had been in the back room had been replaced by couches, tables, and a TV for role-playing and video games. There were three arcade games, but nothing like what was there last year. We eventually moved on.
Our next stop was LC's Family-Style Restaurant a few blocks down for lunch. They were totally empty when we arrived, a bit surprising given it was quarter of noon. Three other young men did arrive for snacks, and some people picked up orders. Lauren had a big Cubano sandwich. I had the same salmon sandwich I got in October. It was just as messy this time around, and they hadn't gotten all the bones out, either, but it still tasted good. We had hot, salty crinkle fries and washed them down with Diet Pepsis.
Next up was On the Record across the street. This small independent store is a bit on the pricey side, but I especially like their collection of rare children's albums. I would have taken them all home if I had the room. While Lauren looked over his fairly extensive CD collection, I ended up with:
The original 1967 book and record for Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (from the rather odd designs of Piglet, Gopher, and Tigger).
Chinese Fairy Tales, read by Siobahn McKenna
The soundtrack for the 1985 TV movie of Copacabana
We were in and out of stores next. The thrift shop next-door to On the Record was not only busy, but the owner was watching her tiny baby son. We had to duck around him swinging in a baby's chair on the door leading to the room with the racks and racks of clothes. Neither of us found anything there. I liked some of the smaller furniture at 2nd Chance Boutique across the street, but I can neither carry it home, nor have the room for it. Not to mention, most of their clothes were stained or pilled in some way, or just not very good.
Had more luck at Woodbury Antiques a block down from 2nd Chance. This is an even bigger version of the thrift shop across the street, with more actual antiques and less junk. Lauren found three tiny Happy Meal stuffed animals she thought were cute and would fit in her luggage. Between their high prices and my being wary of hauling around too many records after the last few days, I only ended up with:
The soundtrack from the 1982 film version of The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas. (I have the original cast, too, but this is worth having just for Charles Durning's hilarious "Dance a Little Side Step.")
Huey Lewis & the News - Small World
We hit the road next, heading down Mantua Pike towards Goodwill. It's surrounded by a sea of cannabis dispensaries, supermarkets, fast food restaurants, and car dealerships, but we did find a Dunkin' Donuts next door to the Pizza Hut. Our original thought was donuts for Free Donut Day...but by 3 PM. their donuts were long gone. She got an Arctic Cherry Energy Drink, and I got a Vanilla Bean Coolatta.
Goodwill proved to be far more fruitful. She picked up a tank top and a t-shirt, both in purple, her favorite color. I found three books and a CD. The CD is:
Janis Joplin - Pearl
The books are:
Eight Cousins, by Louisa May Alcott
Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates, by Mary Mapes Dodge (Both of these were vintage hardbacks from the 50's or 60's, if the whimsical pastel designs on the covers are any indication.)
That's Entertainment, Essays on readers' memories of entertainment in the early and mid-20th century, from the archives of Reminiscence Magazine
It was 4 PM by the time we got out of there. Not only was it late, but the traffic on the Pike was getting worse. I attempted to call Uber...but the price to get us home would have been over $62! No way. Not to go just 20 minutes. We ended up going next-door to WaWa to get drinks and use the bathroom while waiting for the prices to go down. Got batteries here, too. They were expensive, but I needed them. I'll get more next week. Within 20 minutes, the price had dropped to a reasonable enough level for me to contact Uber. Despite the continuing rush-hour traffic, the gentleman got us home in a little over 20 minutes.
We went upstairs, put everything away, and relaxed while watching more Remember WENN. Hilary and Jeff may be thrilled to have been reunited after his brush with death in London, but the others, including their sponsors, are sick of their baby talk on the air. They take a train to Mexico to say "I Now Pronounce You Man and Wife...Again," but end up feeling very differently when they get off the honeymoon. Meanwhile, Scott recruits Eugenia for his new late night talk show The Agitato Hour.
Eugenia's exhaustion from doing the day and night shows takes us into "Some Good News, Some Bad News." She's replaced by bubbly former burlesque dancer Maple LaMarsh (Carollee Caramello), who walks right into Scott's latest brilliant scheme. He wants to turn WENN into CNN and create an all-news day, but this turns into a bust when they can find absolutely nothing noteworthy to report. Scott tries to make his own news, with disastrous results, before the others finally admit that a day where nothing earth-shattering happens is newsworthy in and of itself.
Went out to dinner after WENN ended. After our long walks the last few days, all we were up for was Capitol Pizza around the corner. I got tired of hearing Action News, so I insisted we take our slices of mushroom, broccoli, and pepperoni pizza to the wrought iron tables on the sidewalk. Hearing cars speed by was better than hearing depressing news blurbs.
At least it was a nice day for sitting outside. It was hot, breezy, and humid when we were at Woodbury. It clouded over after we arrived at Goodwill, but by dinner time, the clouds had vanished again. It's supposed to rain a bit tomorrow, but at least it's nice now.
I put on Charlie's Angels when we got home and Lauren took a shower. Kris, Kelly, and Tiffany are caught up in an "Angel Hunt" when they're lured to a tropical animal reserve by an old enemy of Charlie's. He wants to pick them off one by one. The ladies do their best to avoid them as Bosley and Charlie try to figure out where they are...but Kelly and Kris end up having to rescue Tiffany when she's captured by the hunters.
Worked on my Land of WENN fanfic as the episode ran. I added a short sequence between Betty and Maple after the ball. Betty is on cloud nine after her dance with Scott, but she's still wondering if she can trust him. Maple caught sight of Victor sneaking around before he went to the office and develops her own crush on what she thinks is Lone Star Kingdom rancher. She wishes a guy like Victor would take her seriously, the way Scott does Betty. They also admit that they're ready to move on the the lush valleys surrounding the Parched Mountains, where Lady Gloria Redmond is mourning her husband, Earth Guardian Sir Benjamin Redmond, who died in a carriage accident.
Finished the night with the 1994 Goodtimes Entertainment version of Cinderella. I'll go further into this surprisingly charming low-budget retelling tomorrow at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
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