Tuesday, May 05, 2026

Heartbreak All Over the World

I heard the phone before I could even have breakfast. It was Tony Sanson, the loan officer from PNC Bank. Yes, he was the same man who told me last year my debt-to-ratio income wasn't enough and I should wait two years for the market to cool off...and yes, he said pretty much the same thing today. Even though I work hard, have an almost 800 credit score and no debt, I just don't make enough for their ratios. They would not give me a loan. I've been with PNC for 20 years, since 2006, never had a single problem with them, and they wouldn't give me a loan.

I was furious and heartbroken after that. Put on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Plus during breakfast to make myself feel better. Everyone is looking forward to the "Clubhouse Carnival," especially the new ride The Mouseke-slide. They're about to get on when Donald realizes he's missing his toy lion Sparky. They end up searching all over the Carnival to find him.

After that, I worked online a little, then called Alyssa at Camden County again. I still hadn't heard from her. I finally got her today...and she said she couldn't help me. Gave me the same jabber about ratios that Tony Sanson did. At least he got back to me within 24 hours and told me that. I've called her three times in three weeks, and this is the first time I actually heard from her. I hung up on her when she gave me "have a nice day." 

Tried to calm down with some Bowery Boys on Tubi. Slip (Leo Gorcey) and Sach (Huntz Hall) are dealing with Blonde Dynomite when they convince ice cream shop owner Louie Dumbrowski (Bernard Gorcey) to take a vacation in Coney Island with his wife (Jody Gilbert). They open up an escort service with the help of the other Boys, but most of the ladies they end up escorting are demanding older dowagers. They're ready to quit when four gorgeous ladies turn up, asking for dates. They think they're really interested, but they're actually gun molls who are distracting them while their real boyfriends dig from Louie's into the next-door bank. Their friend Gabe (Gabriel Dell) was threatened with revealing he lost $5,000 to one of the molls if he didn't give them the combination. Sach thinks they're digging for uranium...and it turns out they're more likely to find ore than a bank...

I was so frustrated and angry and fed up and bored, I left for the Thomas Sharp School early. My first stop was the Oaklyn post office. I needed to drop off the Mother's Day card and buy stamps. The very sweet lady behind the counter helped me pick some very pretty stamps with sunflowers on them.

Had lunch at Crust N' Cravings on Collings Avenue in West Collingswood. Most people were eating outside on a gorgeous day, but I needed to think. Enjoyed a slice of cheese, a slice of broccoli-tomato, and a Fresca while listening to the NBC News Now channel.

Went straight to the school after lunch. I forgot today was Tuesday. Not only were the kids in the library because the music class was in the cafeteria, but they had been in the library earlier, and all of the tables and chairs were pushed in the back. The 23 kids were sitting on the floor. They were all pretty antsy, including in the bathrooms. One of the 10 kids at my table just walked off without waiting for the rest of us. She's not supposed to do that. Another boy threw a fit during lunch because his best friend was sick and hadn't come today. He walked out, probably to look for him, but I nudged him back. At least I got hugs from two of the girls, and one girl gave me her donut artwork. 

I'm glad we got out early to the playground again. The kids were crazy - in the cafeteria, in the bathrooms. One of the boys walked off from the bathrooms without permission. Several kids kept calling each other names or fighting over the one multi-colored pencil (that I had to throw away anyway because I couldn't sharpen it anymore). When we got out, the kids first gathered around the fence, hoping to get ice cream from the Mr. Softee truck. When it became apparent that Mr. Softee wasn't stopping, they crowded around an older boy eating his snack under the big old tree. Some of them tried to grab their snacks, but they're not really supposed to be eating outside.

They finally got on the swings around 4:30. I had a rather interesting conversation with one of the boys on the swings. He was swinging slowly and lightly, while the girl on the other swing was going high and fast. He wondered why the girl was going so fast. I told him some people go fast, and some people go slow. Some people go high, and some go low, and it's ok. Everyone moves at their own speed. We listened to "Bad," "Uptown Funk," "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride," the theme from PJ Masks, and songs from Trolls, Moana, The Lion King, Aladdin, and KPop Demon Hunters. There were four younger kids left when we took them around to the blacktop to play with the eight older kids. I finished shortly after.

Hurried straight home and had just enough time to take the trash out before Jessa picked me up at a little after 6. We had a small argument over my having lost housing and what I should do next. She suggested getting on the Section 8 waiting list or getting on a waiting list for a retirement community I'll be able to move into when I'm of retirement age. I'm not doing either. I want to get out of the attic as soon as possible, not when some waiting list says I'm ready, and not when I retire, either.

She took us into Merchantville to celebrate Cinco Del Mayo with dinner at Avocado Fiesta Grill, the restaurant next to the little convenience store on Park Avenue. They're a relatively small hole-in-the-wall place with bright striped vinyl tablecloths and a huge, pretty painting of Mexico City on the walls. She had the Al Pastor pork sandwich. I had the Pollo chicken and cheese quesadilla. They were amazing. Her sandwich was huge. My quesadilla was filled with tons of cheese and big chicken pieces, and there was shredded lettuce with crumbled soft, sweet cheese on the side.

They did have desserts, but they got really busy while we were eating. We thought we'd be better off going elsewhere. I suggested Scoop DeVille in Westmont. She had a small blueberry cheesecake frozen yogurt. I had a small pancake shake. They were really busy too, so we sat outside and enjoyed our treats in the gorgeous, warm, sunny, windy weather. She said her frozen yogurt was really tasty, with lots of big graham cracker and cheesecake pieces mixed into the yogurt. The pancake shake did taste like pancake syrup with crunchy bits, which meant it was good, but really sweet.

Finished the night with Murder She Wrote after a shower. Two critics, one known for being sarcastic and bitter, the other for being respectful but honest, get into an argument right before the opening of a Broadway play that is an adaption of one of Jessica's books, written by an old student of hers. Their reviews become a "Deadpan" when one gives the rather bad show an uncharacteristic rave review, only for the other to be found over him, holding the murder weapon. Jessica at first sets out to prove he didn't do it...but when the show's author is accused of being the killer, Jessica begins to wonder if maybe they were right about the killer from the first after all. 

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