Conclusion of the Dream World Series

After more than a year away from the fandom, Davy's death prompted Lauren and I to take another look at our long-running Dream World Monkees fanfiction series. Though we stopped writing it in December 2010, we really just cut it off in the middle of a story that wasn't working, with no actual end. In Davy's honor, we decided to give it a proper send-off. Here's the real conclusion to our Monkees Dream World.

It's Not Too Late

Winds of March

First of all, I saw on Facebook that my brother Keefe  has passed Navy boot camp! He's now on his way to Charleston, South Carolina to begin training. I'm so proud of him!

Second, I pre-empted the Beatles show today with Monkees records. Made German Chocolate Pancakes (regular whole-wheat pancake recipe with added cocoa and shredded coconut) and had a half of a grapefruit while running Headquarters (the first record the Monkees made on their own, with only a little outside assistance), and The Monkees Present (my favorite of the two records Mike, Micky, and Davy did as a trio after Peter left the group in late '68). I also did a little bit online.

Work was a total mess all day. Even with plenty of help from the new cashiers, we were backed up for most of my short shift. This time, we weren't lacking in cashiers - we were lacking in managers. There was no one to sign me out when I got out late, and I wasn't terribly happy.

After the problems and annoying customers at work, I NEEDED a long walk. The moment I got  home, I changed into regular clothes, grabbed some music, and headed outside. It was a decent day, chilly and windy, but sunny and in the mid-40s, really par for the course in early March in Southern New Jersey. I hiked down Goff Avenue to my favorite boat launch with the view of the Ben Franklin Bridge, then over to the playground behind the Oaklyn School, then back around to Manor Avenue. There were no kids in the playground, but I could hear them playing in backyards and on the baseball field near the school. People walked dogs, ignoring the wind. One kid ran his remote control car on Manor across from my apartment.

Spent the rest of a quiet evening baking Coconut Sugar Drop Cookies (a revision of my favorite Sugar Drop Cookie recipe from The Betty Crocker Cooky Book) and watching DVDs. Did some of the material from one of the Monkees DVDs I dubbed last year first, including the videos made for the 90s Monkees CD JustUs and a mid-90s interview Davy did with what was then known as TNN (now Spike TV). Ran Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation while having Roasted Brussels Sprouts, strawberries, and leftover chicken burgers for dinner.

Oh, and Lauren and I are finishing what we intend to be our final story in the Monkees Dream World series tonight. Look for it later this week!

Shades of Gray and Sunshine

It stormed last night, but thankfully, by the time I finally got out of bed, the rain was long gone. Only clouds remained as I ate grits and a half of a grapefruit for breakfast, and even those were starting to break apart. I decided I'd be perfectly fine running errands in the neighborhood this morning.

Stopped at a busy bank first to deposit my paycheck, then headed to the Oaklyn Library for my volunteering session there. I just missed their big Green Eggs and Ham - themed breakfast. There were still a couple of women chatting as I organized DVDs and shelved and organized books in the kids' area. Went to WaWa next for milk. Treated myself to a fountain Coke Zero with small squirts of cherry and vanilla syrups as a treat after a very long week.

When I got in, I ate lunch and watched Springtime for Roo. Despite the title, Roo isn't really the main character in this Winnie the Pooh Easter tale. Rabbit is supposed to be the Easter Bunny, but upset over being slighted after trying to make Easter perfect the year before, he has canceled the holiday and turned it into Spring Cleaning Day. The others don't understand Rabbit's reasoning and try to have Easter, but when Rabbit blows up at them, it'll take intervention from the Narrator and Roo's reminders that holidays are supposed to be fun to teach ever-controlling Rabbit a lesson.

This is the culmination of every Winnie the Pooh special that had someone canceling a holiday because it didn't work out they way they wanted it to. (Rabbit did it twice, at Thanksgiving and in the New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh Valentine's Day episode.) It's also the Hundred Acre Woods version of A Christmas Carol, with the Narrator filling in for the ghosts. It's a little strange, and kids who are expecting more of Roo may be disappointed to see that the focus is mostly on Rabbit. It's out-of-print and, unless you're desperate to find something Easter-ish for the kiddies or your kids are big Pooh fans, I don't recommend it.

I did a little work on the computer, then headed to the Acme. The sun had come out around the time I was walking home from WaWa. It was utterly gorgeous at 2:30, sunny and breezy, with only puddles to indicate yesterday's storms. It was busy when I came in at rush hour, but it slowed down later. We had more help this time, too. And while the bathrooms are still being worked on, the back room is almost finished and only needs to be painted - we can eat in there again.

And Lauren and I have decided we're going to work on that final Dream World story together. I started it this afternoon...but we both wrote this series, so it makes sense that we both end it. Look for it by next week, along with updates saying that this is the last story.

I'm a Writer

I was up until 3AM last night reading the stories from our old Monkees Dream World series. First of all, I may as well say it here - that series is finished. Lauren and I both burnt out on it. It really ended a few years before actually stopped writing it, and I doubt we'll ever pick it up again. Even if we do write anything else Monkees-related, it won't be from that series.

That said, Davy's death has made me take another look at it and at my involvement in the fandom. I would really like to bring the Dream World series to some kind of a conclusion. Lauren and I just dropped it when we started writing Bowery Boys stories, without really ending it. I tend to do that a lot, and it's time to break that habit. I want to finish the two non-Dream World Monkees stories that I have that are closest to fruition, The Monkee Knight and The Little MerMonkee, as well.

I got up too late for the gym, but I did get a chance to hit the Acme. They were pretty busy when I came in for my paycheck and groceries. I forgot a coupon for the Emerald Trail Mix bags, and they were out of the brown eggs I like; I ended up getting both later. I did restock fruit and vegetables and picked up olive oil, Scotties tissue, and that yummy Lipton tea in the pyramid-shaped bags on sale. Also needed sugar and fish packs.

When I got home, I put everything away, then went online. I wanted to do a little research on copywriting websites. Yes, I lack a portfolio...but once again, I know my territory, and I'd be willing to work fairly cheap. Most of the small businesses in this area can't afford the expensive copywriters who work for big companies. I just want to help the people here. Frankly, if I never had to do any kind of work for a major corporation again, I'd be very happy.

Speaking of, work was pretty much the same as last night - quiet when I came in and when I left, busy during rush hour, with plenty of help from the new recruits. They may have helped make my schedule a bit less crazy, too. I have 25 hours and two days off; not as good as the last few weeks, but about par for the course at this time of year. I really need it. I have a lot of things I want to do in the area and at home.

And while it was only cloudy when I went in, I found out why it was so dead later in the night when I came out and discovered a light shower. I rode home in the rain and got damp.

Last Monkees Dream World Fanfic Posted

I just posted the last Monkees fanfic Lauren and I intend to write for a while, The Monkees and the Big Store, at our Dream World. For the time being, we're now going to work on writing fanfic for the more-neglected Bowery Boys.

Enjoy!

The Monkees and the Big Store

New Bowery Boys Story Posted and News On Monkees Series

First of all, I just posted one of our latest Bowery Boys stories. With Disney's version of Rapunzel now a hit in theaters, we thought we'd give the boys (and our invented character Sally) a crack at it in the form of "Sally-punzel."

"Sally-Punzel"

Oh, and for all two of you who still read our Monkees "Dream World" stories, Lauren and I have talked it over for a few months now, and we've decided as of tonight that the holiday story will be the last Monkees fanfic we write for a while. We're both still Monkees fans, but we've been doing the "Dream World" series since May 2004 and are really burnt out on it. Not to mention, we've been enjoying writing the Bowery Boys stories together, and we never did come up with a Monkees story for last month.

We're going to finish out the year with the holiday story, but that'll be it for a while. We might return to it. We might not. We'll see what happens.

Halloween Monkees Role Play Now Posted

This rainy day is a more than appropriate time to add this year's Monkees Role Play Halloween story, "Monkees That Go Bump In the Night," to Arc 20 at our site! Enjoy a spooky story on this gloomy day.

New Monkees Role-Play Story

Actually, I posted this a few days ago, but never got around to mentioning it here. Here's this month's story, the follow-up to the ancestors story we did in May.

Women of the Past

Balance Goes Upside-Down

Began today with this week's yoga class. As you can guess from the title of today's entry, the theme was inversions, i.e, getting on your head, back, or shoulders. Anything that gets you upside-down! I'm getting better at bridge, but I STILL can't do headstands or handstands. It's annoying, especially since everyone else in the class can do them.

I made a brief stop at the thrift shop after class to say "hi" to Erica, then headed for the Collingswood Library. I came just in time for their Storybook Hour, so there were piles of DVDs to pull out and put away. I did a major reorganizing on their children's DVDs, too. FA said he'd tried to put them in order, but they just got messed up again. I put them in the best alphabetical order I could. I really wish people would teach their children to put things away correctly, instead of jamming them any old place!

I went to WaWa next for a bottle of water and a pretzel, then headed home. I had an omelet with mushrooms, spinach, and peppers for lunch. After I ate, I took down the few remaining summer decorations and put up the general fall items. Fall is my favorite season, so I have a lot to do. I put the cardboard leaves on the window, hung the plastic leaf, put out the doll display on the top of the adult paperback bookshelf in my bedroom, and hung the scarecrow bell I found at a yard sale last year.

Spent the last hour before work editing the Monkees role-play for this month. It should be done by the end of this weekend at the latest.

It was still pretty nice when I got up this morning. It was cloudy, but cool and fairly dry. By the time I was leaving Collingswood, the chill of the morning had been replaced by heat and humidity. The clouds were getting even heavier as I rode to work, but thankfully, they waited until well into my shift to burst.

The weather pretty much cleared out the Acme. It was on-and-off busy all evening, and never worse than mildly steady. Someone did slip and fall going outside, but other than that, there were no big problems. I was in and out on time.

The world was wonderfully wet when I left the Acme. It was sprinkling as I rode down the Black Horse Pike. It's raining heavier now, but I don't think it's as bad as the thunderstorm we had this evening.

A Beautiful Morning

It's remained gorgeous today, sunny, breezy, and in the 70s. When I woke up this morning, the clouds were gone, leaving nothing but blue skies. I slept slightly later than usual on a Saturday morning, but I still had plenty of time for Casey Kasem and American Top 40 re-runs on WOGL before heading out for this week's Farm Market run.

The Farm Market was busy as ever when I arrived around 10. The orchard booth was especially jammed today. I guess everyone wants those fall peaches and apples for their kids' lunchboxes. I didn't need a whole lot today, mostly fruit. I just picked up plums, peaches, apples, tomatoes, and honey.

Rode around for a little while after I left, looking for yard sales. I found one right away on the White Horse Pike. I had lemonade there, but there wasn't anything else of interest. After I got back from the Farm Market, I rode to the neighborhood behind the Oaklyn School and checked out two more. One was the same place I visited last week; the other was closer to the school on Ridgeway. Nothing I wanted at either place. I also stopped briefly at CVS to see if they had any Draino. I didn't like the price, so I moved on.

I got home around quarter after 11. I worked on editing this month's Monkees Role Play for an hour. After I finished that, I ate a peanut butter and honey sandwich and a peach for lunch. Finished watching Ponyo and ran a couple of Hello Kitty Furry Tale Theater cartoons after that, then swept the porch.

Work was steady this afternoon, far busier than it has been but not overwhelming. I imagine a lot of people are either having college football parties today or are getting ready for Sunday debut of NFL football tomorrow, including the first Eagles game of the year. (And I have to miss it - I work 3-7, and it's at 4:15. Bummer.)

I totally forgot about the Acme's Kick-Off Party today. There was a ton of food in the back room. I had a delicious brownie, a slice of chocolate cake with peanut butter icing, a shrimp, vegetables, and some kind of whipped cream trifle with angel food cake and strawberries. I also saw Spanish rice, a cheese and pepperoni tray, and a football shaped cake donated by the bakery.

I was so full when I got home, I decided to hold off on dinner and go for a walk instead after I changed out of my work uniform. It was a nice night for a walk. The breeze felt really good. I strolled down Goff Avenue and back down to the school, then over to West Clinton and down Woodland Terrace. The clouds had returned by then. Unlike yesterday, they weren't big, fat clouds. They were feathery and soft, like Mother Nature had just thrown on a blue, lavender, and gold silk cape. It was really nice.

Monkees Role-Play Story Now Posted

Just posted this month's Role-Play story, The Monkees and the Ice Cream Caper, at our site. Lauren's moving next month and has a lot to do to get ready for it, so this month's story and next month's will be up early. Enjoy!

The Monkees and the Ice Cream Caper

Balance On Vacation

I got a lot done today. Started off a hot, humid day with yoga class. We worked on stretching and arm work. A lot of it involved holding yourself up on blocks and kicking or swinging. I'm trying, but I don't know if my arms aren't strong enough, or I just can't get it. Oh, well. There were only 8 people in the class, counting me, my friend Pattie, and the teacher Karin, so no one really saw much.

The thrift shop was the next stop. I had some clothes to donate to Erica. After that, I headed for volunteering at the Oaklyn Library. Not a whole lot to do there; nothing to put away and no DVDs to file. I organized the DVDs on the shelves and read Calvin and Hobbes upstairs for a while.

My next stop was Haddon Hair Designs across the street from the thrift shop. I usually wait at least another month before I get my hair done, but between the heat and my lack of finances, I figured I might as well get it done now. The nice girl I had in February layered it and cut it slightly longer than last time, but shorter than it was. I like my hair just above shoulder length. It's not too short, and yet not too heavy.

After that, I treated myself to lunch at Tortilla Press, a few doors down from the thrift shop on the same block. Tortilla Press is a tasty Mexican restaurant. They're a little pricey, but not too out of line for what you get. Like all Collingswood eateries, they get their produce fresh from the Farm Market during the summer and fall, and it made all the difference. I had a delicious chicken and cheese quesadilla and a small but tasty salad for a little over $9 with tax. I suspect the salsa and chips were home-made.

I headed home after that via a windy ride in Newton River Park. Spent the next couple of hours working on last month's budget (spent the most by far on food, which is what I figured, since I didn't really do much last month) and editing this month's Monkees role play. The role play should be up by later tonight.

Went out for a walk around 4PM. I needed skim milk anyway, so I thought I'd have a nice, brisk stroll down the White Horse Pike. Kaya's Custard Corner is a few blocks down from WaWa, so I went there first and treated myself to a mint chocolate chip water ice while watching Spongebob Squarepants on the TV. Kaya's was a little busy with rush-hour people looking for refreshment, but the line wasn't really bad. WaWa wasn't busy, either. I was in and out of there with my milk and no problems.

Spent the rest of the evening crocheting and watching What's New, Scooby Doo? episodes and two Bowery Boys movies, News Hounds and Mr. Hex. While I'm probably never going to be the fan Lauren is, I have to admit, I'm enjoying the Bowery Boys movies quite a bit. They're basically 75-minute slapstick sitcoms, and as such, have held up remarkably well.

Monkees Role Play Story Posted

Just posted this month's action-packed Monkees role-play story, The Monkees and the Malibu Beach Treasure Hunt. Enjoy!

Restful Balance

I worked at 1 today, so I kept my morning chores to just yoga class. I'm glad I did. It felt very relaxing after all the stress and craziness yesterday. It was a medium-sized class, about 12 including me and the teacher Karin. We worked on hip openers and standing poses. I was able to do very high "donkey kicks" again, but I still can't get on my head. I guess my shoulders aren't strong enough.

Went straight home after class. I'm tired from all the walking I've done this week; my legs are still sore. I spent the rest of the afternoon working on editing this month's Monkees role-play story. It's a riff on The Goonies and treasure-hunting; look for it later tonight.

I'm so glad the weather behaved today after yesterday. It was humid and hot, but not quite as much of either as it had been. I saw where the flooding was yesterday on my way to Collingswood. The underpass on West Clinton Avenue, next to the Oaklyn Manor Bar, was a mess; I had to duck around several banks of mud. According to several customers yesterday, the one on Nicholson Road was just as bad.

Also unlike yesterday, I made it to work just fine. It was off-and-on busy with no major problems.

This Month's Monkees Role-Play Posted

I just posted this month's Monkees Role-Play story, Rescue From Demon's Castle. Enjoy!

Rescue From Demon's Castle

Sunshine On My Shoulders

Today was once again utterly gorgeous. It was a little warmer than yesterday, but other than that, it was wonderfully sunny and breezy. I started off my day with volunteering at the Oaklyn Library. They were setting up for tomorrow's Spring Book Swap Party for volunteers. I've debated all week whether or not I'd attend it, but since I'm off tomorrow, I might as well. It could be fun, and I could clear out some books.

I next headed around the neighborhood and over to the post office to deliver my stepdad's Father's Day card. This took a little longer than I thought it would. First of all, it was noon, and the traffic on the White Horse Pike was a pain. Second, cops were diverting traffic to Newton Avenue even as I walked down the block from the library. (I never did find out what happened there. I didn't see any smoke or accidents.)

When I got in, I made Pineapple Tuna Salad and Persian Cucumber Salad for lunch, then worked on editing the Monkees Role Play for a while. (It's not very long, but it took us a while to write. Lauren and I were on vacation when we wrote it. Look for it by the end of this weekend.)

I left for work early. It was too nice to sit inside for another hour. Besides, I've been trying to get my contacts for the last few days, but I've worked late all this week and haven't been in the Audubon area on days when I've been off. I also took a quick peek at FYE to see if they had any new WebKinz (nope) and picked up my paycheck.

Work was relatively quiet, especially for the beginning of the first weekend of many local kids' summer vacations. I'm assuming a lot of people took advantage of the nice weather to take the family down to the Shore. There were a few annoying old women, but otherwise no major problems. I was in early and able to do my own shopping quickly.

My schedule next week is not great. Only three days, 4-9 on Friday again. (Though I do have 12-5 on Tuesday.)

Monkees Role-Play Now Posted!

It took me a while to do...because this month's story was the longest we've ever written outside of the NanNoWrite novel-length stories! Without further ado, here's this month's Monkees fanfic!

"Flashback to the Past"

Morning At the Library

I slept in this morning. It's just as well. It was gloomy and gray when I awoke, though not cold or windy. It was probably still in the upper 60s-lower 70s. Not exactly the most fun day to go running around.

After a breakfast of porridge, I decided that since I finished Apple Turnover Murder when I got up this morning, I'd volunteer at the Oaklyn Library today. I decided to do something a little different and organize the Chapter Books section. I love that the Oaklyn Library's chapter books section still has so many classic titles. I saw Caddie Woodlawn, Understood Betsy, the Louisa May Alcott books Little Men, Jo's Boys, Under the Lilacs, and Jack and Jill, National Velvet, Five Little Peppers, Summer of the Swans, and many of the Judy Blume and Lois Lenski titles I remember so well from childhood. Not enough Babysitter's Club, but tons of Christopher Pike and Sweet Valley High.

But someone hasn't been over there in a while. The shelves were dusty, and the lower ones were covered in cobwebs! Ugh! I told the librarian they needed to be cleaned pronto.

After I got home, I spent an hour working on editing this month's Monkees Role-Play story and eating a quick lunch of peanut butter, celery sticks, a half of a grapefruit, and a Nutmeg Feather Muffin. I headed quickly to work after lunch.

I had a short shift, only four hours, and it was steady the entire time. I caused the most problems. A WIC check wasn't organized right, and I got a lot of things mixed up. Some of the managers weren't happy when I let people get away with cereal that's no longer on the checks, too. I did that because they'd already taken up time putting aside items they hadn't gotten right, and the cereal used to be on the checks. I really wish the New Jersey government would stop changing this stuff every couple of months. It's confusing.

The ride to work was more of the same, but it started spitting on the way home. By the time I got in, it was a full-blown shower. I don't know if we've had any rain since. It's supposed to cool off by tomorrow, then return to the 70s.

Farm Market Day

I'm so glad I got up early for the Collingswood Farm Market this time. The sun was shining and the sky was very blue when I headed out around quarter of 9. It was windy, but otherwise much warmer than it has been. This was reflected in the bank being dead...and the Farm Market being packed. I was barely able to make my way through the crowd to buy blackstrap molasses, radishes, Crimini mushrooms from the mushroom booth, asparagus, and the most delicious strawberries I've ever tasted.

Spent two hours riding around Collingswood, Oaklyn, and Westmont after that, looking for yard sales. There were quite a few today, probably due to the nice weather. I found a big Wilton ghost cookie cutter at a sale on Newton Avenue in Oaklyn. Sales in Collingswood yielded two records (Guy Lombardo and Dionne Warwick) and a large 2002 Tenderheart Bear. I went past the Oaklyn School's "Spring Fling" (their annual school fair), and checked out a few on and behind Kendall. A sale at Ridgeway yielded a Love-A-Lot Bear beanie with tye-dye fur.

There was a package on Miss Ellie's doorstep for me when I got home. The American Girls dress I ordered from eBay had arrived! This was the first time I was able to get a NIB (new in box) dress under retail price. It's one of my favorites, too, Kit's adorable yellow floral dress from her movie. I'm going to use it for a summer outfit for Molly. The only warm-weather clothes she had was her Birthday Pinafore, and all of her summer clothes are back-ordered on AG's site. It did, indeed, come in the original box, with the dress, tan shoes, and cute little floral clip. Molly's wearing it now, and she looks lovely.

I spent the rest of the morning working on editing the extra-long role play story Lauren and I have been working on for half the month. (It's going to take me a while to edit it all, so I wouldn't look for it until the end of the week.) I had scrambled eggs with black beans, corn, and cheese and a salad for lunch, then headed off to work.

Work started out dead, but picked up as the day went on. At least it wasn't as long of a day as I thought it would be. I originally wrote down on the schedule on my wipe board at home that I was working until 8 today...but it turns out I only worked until 6. Probably a good thing. Though most people were in a good mood (between the weather and the Flyers' historic win yesterday), there were a few annoying customers, including one lady with a check that just would not go through.

Getting off earlier than expected was a nice surprise. It was great to be able to eat leftovers at home, instead of at work.

Not a New Arrival...But a New Story

No, I haven't heard about my sister yet. But I did post this month's Monkees role-play story! Enjoy this comic tale about food, fiends, and wacky parties!

A Catered Affair