Sunday In the City

Slept in today, longer than I usual do. I didn't have breakfast until almost 11! I called Mom while making Banana-Chocolate Chip Pancakes. Mom was fine. She'd been sick for most of the week, but was now feeling much better. She apparently intended to spend the day quietly knitting.

While cooler than yesterday and cloudy, it was still relatively warm. I wanted to make a rare Sunday shopping trip, but couldn't decide whether to do the Deptford Mall area or Philadelphia. Mom suggested a walk in Philly, and I finally agreed. It was still too nice to spend the whole day wandering around a mall. I headed to Collingswood after today's Beatles show ended. ("Questions and Answers" was the theme of the day.)

The vending machines for the PATCO Speedline Trains only give you coin change...including dollar coins. Not the best thing to be carrying around Philly. Of course, it turned out that all I had was a twenty dollar bill. I was lucky the people at Cafe Antonio's pizzeria were nice enough to change them to paper money for me. Maybe they did it because I was really thirsty and bought a soda. (The kids and their families who were eating there were amused enough - they called it "pirate's gold.")

Took a surprisingly full PATCO into Philly. In addition to old women on a Sunday jaunt and military personnel on leave, there were large groups of sports fans in Phillies and Flyers jerseys and jackets. Yes, both teams played today. The Flyers, in fact, are in the playoffs but had been having a lot of trouble with the high-ranked Pittsburgh Penguins. (I later found out that both teams won their respective games.)

Today may be a holy day, but Philadelphia was bustling when I arrived. I briefly explored the Gallery Mall, but it was too nice to be inside for too long. Headed to big Macy's on Market Street next. That was a disappointment. Fashion still hasn't improved since my last attempt at spring shopping. There were a few mildly cute early 60's style dresses and button-down blouses and a few ruffled skirts, but it was mostly the same awful empire waists and gypsy blouses and bell bottoms I've seen for the past couple of years. I really hate this. I made no bones to the cashier that I didn't buy a blouse because I thought they were butt-ugly. Could we please, PLEASE drop the fussy ruffled collars, hippie-style Indian embroidery, and the loud, huge neon psychedelic print? I walked out with another pair of jeans like the ones I bought on New Year's Eve, only darker, and that was the only clothes I bought.

Crossed over to City Hall next and made my way to the Avenue of the Arts. The big FYE was a mob scene, and I didn't figure out why until I tried to go upstairs to the DVDs. Seems there was an autograph signing for some hard rock band called Silverback today, which explains the lines of eager teenagers. I took the elevator upstairs instead. Finally came downstairs with the MGM musical Words and Music and a DVD copy of National Lampoon's Vacation to add to the CD of the recent musical Curtains I picked up downstairs. (And I was able to take the stairs on the way out - by the time I finished browsing the DVDs, the kids were long gone.) Words and Vacation were both used and on sale, thanks to a 20% off all used DVD sale coupled with my Membership discount.

Made my way down Chestnut and Walnut next to the big Barnes and Noble in Rittenhouse Square. Alas, I still didn't have much luck with clothes shopping. Talbot and the Ann Taylor Loft had nice clothes but ridiculous prices. Express at the Liberty Place Mall was having a huge sale, but their clothes were more of the same junk I'd seen at Macy's. I have the feeling I'd probably have more luck clothes-shopping at the New Jersey malls.

Barnes and Noble was somewhat better. It was still busy, but not like it was at FYE. I made some decent finds, too. Used the last of my Christmas B&N gift card on a chai latte and a peanut butter cup cookie. The gift card I got from Keefe bought a hardback copy of the just-released new Hannah Swenson mystery, Cream Puff Murder. I also found another mystery series I love and haven't read in ages, Dorothy Cannell's Thin Woman series, along with the Entertainment Weekly Summer Movie Preview. I always buy the Summer Movie Preview, have since high school...especially when I get to ogle Hugh Jackman's amazing forearms.

I noticed as I was paying for my order that it had grown even cloudier since I'd arrived in Rittenhouse Square. Cloudier and much colder, as I discovered when I headed out the door and into the late spring afternoon. The wind was picking up, too. I was only wearing jean capris and a thin red sweater, not the best protection against fickle spring weather. I went straight home on a, for once, not full dinnertime PATCO.

The weather wasn't much better in Camden County. I was able to ride home without incident and make a lovely chicken bake with red potatoes, cherry tomatoes, and pesto.

Follow the Leader

I slept in again (I really need to stop staying up late, looking up info on classic Disney shorts). I didn't have the time to do any cleaning, but I did get my laundry in. That's was a good thing, because I was doing my bathroom and kitchen towels, which meant there was quite a bit more than usual.

I watched a few cartoons while my laundry was in the washer. The Backyardigans learned the importance of being prepared as they went on a "Race Around the World" to country rock. Austin, Uniqua, Pablo, and Tyrone were competing against each other in a four-even-race (Tasha was the announcer). Austin was nervous because this was his first race and the others had all won gold medals before, but he taught his friends a lesson when he was able to help them out of trouble in various events, thanks to the things he brought along in his waist pack.

Baloo the Bear also learned a lesson about friendship in the 1930s-set Tale Spin. When he helps Shere Khan (here a ruthless businessman...tiger) out of a jam, Khan offers to reward him richly for his troubles. Baloo takes his offer a bit too much to heart, buying fancy clothes and cars and quitting his job at the air service business Higher For Hire. His ward Kit Cloudkicker and Rebecca Cunningham, Higher For Hire's owner, are worried about his obnoxious behavior and sudden spendthrift ways. Their worry turns to alarm when Baloo's kidnapped and ransom is demanded. Needless to say, Baloo is rescued and finally discovers that there are some things money can't buy...like good friends and trustworthy bosses.

I went for a walk after Tale Spin. It wasn't really a very nice day, cloudy, damp, and on-and-off light showers, but I needed to get outside. I was walking down by CVS when a tiny dog sprinted after me, barking and yapping. It looked like he'd ran from someone's house or broken off of a leash, and sure enough, a little boy came rushing after him, calling his name. I tried to encourage the dog to return to his young master, but it was almost ten minutes before he finally gave up barking and running around me in circles and went home.

I repeat what I said last month about people being more careful with their pets. That dog might have gotten run over by a car, or gotten lost, or been hurt by someone much less sweet than me! Please, fence in your yard when your dog is outdoors, keep an eye on them when they're indoors, and keep them on a leash when they're in an unfenced area!

I made a brief stop at the Oaklyn Library on my way back to Uncle Ken's. I took out last year's big Disney/Pixar film Ratatouille (and left the DVD at Dad and Uncle Ken's - I'll have to go back for it tomorrow) and two books on making bread, Betty Crocker's Bread from 1974 and the huge and aptly named The Bread Bible. The laundry took longer in the drier than usual, due to the unusually large load, so I had the time to work on Key Lime Pie Murder, which I bought at Wal Mart last month.

(I finally finished the Maisie Dobbs book Pardonable Lies this morning. As excellent as the previous stories; a touching and haunting tale of dealing with grief, war, and the loss of loved ones.)

I went to work about an hour later. Work was steady up through about 5, after which the rush hour came in and we got busy. It died around 8PM and didn't appear to be in any hurry to speed up again when I left a half-hour later.