Thank God It's a Busy Friday

I had a lot to get done today, starting with this week's volunteer session at the Oaklyn Library. While there wasn't really much to do with the DVDs, there were a few kids' books to shelve. I took a look at the kids' section to make sure that was organized as well.

Since I had a little extra time, I stopped at Common Grounds Coffee House for a much-needed "Iced Oaklyn Mocha" latte. After I gulped that, I hurried to America's Best. I've been putting off ordering my contacts. My membership expired, and I knew it would be expensive, but I didn't have a choice. I just got rid of my last pair.

Work was a little busier than yesterday, otherwise not bad. It was hot and sunny, but breezy and not quite as humid as earlier in the week. Other than my relief was late, there were no major problems, and I was in and out.

My schedule is pretty much the same as last week. I still only have one day off, but a lot of short mid-day shifts will make up for that somewhat. This time, Tuesday is the day off and Friday is the extra-early day. Otherwise, nothing out of the ordinary for late spring.

I had a little more grocery shopping to do than last week, though still not a ton. Acme's having one of those "Mega Event" sales where you buy 6 of a wide selection of items and get three dollars off the lot. So many items are a part of the sale, even I was able to take part in it - I got tuna, Cinnamon Life, Acme's generic honey roasted peanuts, a bottle of Poland Sparkling Lemon Water, the generic 18-count eggs, and Jiff Natural Creamy Peanut Butter. I found a two-pack of crab cakes with a manager's coupon (I'll have them for dinner tomorrow) and restocked my cheap fish fillet packs. I've been seeing ants, especially in the kitchen - I picked up ant traps. Needed sugar, cooking spray, and bananas and had a coupon from the Monopoly game for the 25 oz Palmolive dish washing liquid.

Hit Tu Se Bella's in the Audubon Crossings Shopping Center for dinner after I finished my shopping. Though they were busy, it didn't take too long to get my two slices of pizza and Diet Dr. Pepper. Yum. I had cheese and white broccoli-tomato. Yum. Tu Se Bella's makes the best pizza in this area. It's expensive (which, coupled with the traffic in the mall, is why I don't eat there more often), but's soooo good.

When I got home, I finished out a round of Hello Kitty Furry Tale Theater while putting away my groceries. "K.T: The Kitty Terrestrial" is lost on Earth when her parents accidentally leave her behind after a picnic. A group of kids help her phone home and avoid scientists Catnip and Grinder. Hello Dorothy will need help from "The Wizard of Paws" and an unusual trio of friends to avoid the Wicked Witchie Catnip and get home to Catfish. Grinder's a big dog in bigger trouble in "Kitty and the Kong." Greedy Catnip takes him from a tropical island to New York City to be an attraction at Cattison Square Garden. Grinder would rather climb the Empire State Building with Kitty in his paws. Tuxedo Sam Skywalker has to save Princess Hello Kitty from Darth Catnip and get her home to Catern in "Cat Wars." Grinder is "Paws: The Great White Dog Shark," who has been eating everything wooden he can get his fangs on. Chip, Kitty, and Sam try to figure out what made him go bad.

The Captain and the Lost Soldier

Started a sunny, windy day at work. A cashier who had to go to school to talk to her child's teacher switched with me to get the slightly later shift. I had no problems with that. Starting earlier also meant I was able to get out earlier. It's probably just as well that I did. While we did get a little busy during the lunch rush, it was otherwise fairly quiet all day. There were no major problems, and the college boy who was my relief arrived right on time.

I went straight in the back to get my schedule the moment I finished. Other than slightly fewer hours (and slightly later hours on Wednesday), my schedule is more-or-less the same as this week. I have Monday, Tuesday, and next Saturday off again. I wasn't expecting to get Monday off. That's Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and we'll probably be a little busy. I'll do the laundry, then see what the weather's like.

Didn't have quite as much grocery shopping to do this week as I have the last couple of weeks. The big one was restocking fresh produce. I needed apples, spinach, mushrooms, and grapefruit. They had bags of fingerling potatoes on sale for $1.99 - thought I'd try them. I was almost out of unbleached flour. I was going to get it last week, but I pretty much ran out of room. Glad I waited - the Acme's generic unbleached flour was on sale for $2.00. Olive oil and peanut butter were also on good sales. I didn't need them desperately, but I bought them to stock the pantry. Bought more coconut milk after I used up mine on the cake yesterday. I couldn't resist Maxwell House International Coffee's Peppermint Mocha flavor for $1.49 on a really big clearance. I love chocolate and mint.

Since it was a nice day and I'd gotten off earlier than planned, I ran a few errands in the Audubon Crossings Shopping Center I'd been putting off. I badly needed to order contacts. I'm on my last pair. I dodged traffic coming from the Black Horse Pike and made my way to a very busy America's Best. Stopped at Marlburn Curtains on the way out and picked up a new shower curtain. I literally can't remember when I bought the last one.

When I got home, I was surprised to see quite a few changes on the porch. The railings had been raised from a few inches above my torso to slightly under my shoulders. There were now wooden slats going down the front of them, too. The barrier that's blocking the sagging side has also been reinforced. While this will make the railings a lot stronger, it'll also make it harder to sweep the porch and get everything off.

I spent the rest of the evening making Gingerbread Drop Cookies from the Betty Crocker Gingerbread Cookie Mix and watching Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Captain Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) also weathered the events of The Avengers fairly well. He's now living in Washington DC, working for S.H.I.E.L.D, and is still trying to catch up with the events of the last 60 years. He's even been volunteering for a veteran's hospital and making friends with a former soldier named Sam (Anthony Mackie). Things start to fall apart quickly when Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is murdered by "The Winter Soldier," a nearly-indestructible assassin. Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford), a senator and an old friend of Fury's, takes over S.H.I.E.L.D, and immediately puts an all-points bulletin out on Rogers. Now, only Sam and Natasha "Black Widow" Romonov (Scarlett Johanssen) can help Rogers find out what's really going on...and just how deep corruption runs in the heart of government security.

This was a smash hit early last spring with both the critics and the public...and for once, they were both right. Of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies I've seen, the only one I liked more is The Avengers. (I will get to Guardians of the Galaxy as soon as I can either find it for a decent price or at the libraries.)  Action-packed, thoughtful, and surprisingly critical of current government policies and the "war on terrorism," this is a strong lead-in to this summer's Avengers: Age of Ultron. Lots of violence and the general adult feel puts this out of the reach of kids, but young teens on up, especially if they're comic book fans or love the other Marvel movies, will find much to enjoy here.

The Not-So-Little Mermaid

Started off a gorgeous, sunny morning with two cinnamon scones from the Acme and applesauce for breakfast and two spooky episodes of Tiny Toon Adventures. "The Horror of Slumber Party Mountain" spoofs the popular B horror movies of the 70s and 80s (they even have a mock American International logo in the beginning) and the popularity of horror hostess Elvira in the late 80s-early 90s. "The Return of the Acme Acres Zone" gets seriously weird with a spoof of Blade Runner, Plucky and Hampton being spooked by a ghost in a haunted hotel, and Plucky and Duck Dodgers' attempt to stop Marvin the Martian and his protege Marsha from using their machine to suck up the universe.

Work was actually pretty quiet up until rush hour, much quieter than it has been in months. It was so quiet, I spent a good two hours on and off doing returns. It did pick up by about 2:30. Thankfully, it slowed down enough by 4:30 that I was able to get off without a relief.

Which was a good thing, since I had my own shopping to do. The Acme just restored it's cheap dollar items section in the first aisle you see right after the bakery/deli. The food was a little too cheap for my liking, but I did buy a bottle of bubble bath liquid. I needed chicken, but there were really no good sales...except for on Purdue ground chicken, which is $2.99. I bought two and a container of chicken sausage that had a manager's coupon. Restocked jam (Smuckers finally developed a spread without high fructose corn syrup, which was on sale), tomato sauce (Hunt's was on sale), light mayo, milk, buttermilk, and canned pumpkin. Bigelow's Spiced Chai tea was on clearance. I love chai (as long as it's not too spicy). Grabbed an avocado, which is part of the big "buck a bag" produce dollar sale. The fire alarm in my bedroom started beeping oddly this morning - it just needed a new 9-Volt battery.

I'm not happy with my schedule next week at all. First of all, I work at 8 AM on Sunday. Why? The Eagles aren't even playing this week! (This is their week off.) Second, I have fewer hours than I have. Third, there's a seven-hour day on Monday. They do make up for this somewhat with three days off, including next Saturday...but I'd really rather have a consistent schedule I can count on.

I dodged rush hour traffic across the Audubon Crossings Shopping Center to get to America's Best and pick up my contacts. Thankfully, they were quiet as can be. I was in and out, avoiding more heavy traffic on the Black Horse Pike going south. (They probably all decided to hit the shore the moment the weather looked like it was going to stay nice.)

I spent the rest of the evening at home, making pumpkin bread for the Acme's Oktoberfest party tomorrow (I won't be there, but I did promise it a while ago - I'll just drop it off at the store) and leftovers for dinner while watching Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid. Mr. Peabody (William Powell) is in the midst of a mid-life crisis. He and his wife (Irene Hervey) have rented a villa on a Pacific island for his health, but she keeps reminding him that he'll be 50 soon. He's not feeling terribly youthful...until he nets a genuine mermaid (Ann Blyth) during a fishing trip and brings her home. His wife says put her back, but he's already fallen for her girlish charms and keeps her in the fish pond in the villa. Half the island thinks he's crazy, and it just looks worse when his wife gets jealous and finally disappears. Now he has to decide what kind of woman he really wants...one who is real, or one who is fantasy.

This very peculiar romantic fantasy-comedy came out in the late 40s, when Hollywood was experimenting with similar romantic fantasies like Portrait of Jennie and The Enchanted Cottage. Ann Blyth is a very pretty mermaid; Powell has a lot of fun as the stuffy businessman who falls for a a woman who seems totally devoted to him. Fred Clark is especially funny as a local who befriends Peabody and keeps telling him about all the bad medical advice he's getting from  his girlfriend's brother. Oddly charming; if you like the premise, this was released by made-to-order company Olive Films. (The Haddon Township Library has a couple of their movies for rent.)

Put the Blame On Love

I worked a bit earlier today than I did the rest of the week. Maybe it's just as well. Once again, we were very busy for most of the day. We've been having a lot of really big sales. A manager had to come in so I could leave.

I did my own grocery shopping when I got off. It was still busy, but I didn't have a choice. I needed a lot this week. Not to mention, I wanted to take advantage of those sales. Jiff Peanut Butter was 99 cents - I bought the Natural Creamy and Chunky. Acme's generic whole wheat pasta was 69 cents per box. I also stocked up on brown sugar (Domino's was $1.67), canned tuna, canned pumpkin, Craisins, a box of Jello, the Acme brand Multi-Grain Toasty Oats, canned diced tomatoes, and honey. Bought a huge shortbread cookie with a royal icing jack-o-lantern on it as my Friday treat.

Oh, and my schedule is much better this week. Thursday and Saturday off this time, one late day (Monday until 8 again), no 7 hour shifts. Far closer to normal for this time of year. I'd appreciate the big paycheck more if my legs and knees weren't absolutely killing me.

I had one quick stop to make on my way home. I've been putting off ordering my next round of contacts, partially because I haven't had the time, and partially because I haven't had the money. Since I was off earlier, I was able to walk right into a quiet America's Best and get that done.

When I got home, I changed and put the groceries away, then swept the porch. It needed it rather badly. The first of the fall leaves have started landing on the porch. They're not very pretty right now, but the color will probably arrive by the end of the month.

Ran Gilda while making Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies (from the Betty Crocker Stir-and-Drop Oatmeal Cookies recipe), then while having leftovers for dinner. Johnny Farrell (Glenn Ford) meets Balin (George Macready), a businessman who owns a gambling casino, when Balin helps him with toughs after he wins money. He gets a job at the casino and becomes Balin's right-hand man and confidante...at least until Balin comes home from a trip with a wife, Gilda (Rita Hayworth). Johnny knew Gilda before, but they'd pretty much dumped each other. Gilda does everything she possibly can to make Johnny jealous and drive him crazy. When Balin dies after figuring out about Gilda and Johnny's feelings for each other, Johnny takes over the business and marries Gilda. Johnny regrets both when the business turns out to be covering some shady business, Gilda wants a divorce, and then her first husband shows up....

Wow. This was some complicated and dark film noir. Hayworth and Ford literally sizzle as the sexy couple who play mind games and love to mentally torture each other. Their innuendo is so hot, I'm really surprised some of it got past the censors. Speaking of sequences the censors must have had a field day with, Hayworth manages to make her "Put the Blame On Mame" song number near the end into the sexiest strip tease ever, by just removing one glove.

Obviously, this is one old movie that's not for the kiddies, but if you're an adult fan of film noir or mysteries or want to see what Hayworth could do outside of musicals, this is a must-see.

De-fused

I did not have a good morning. For starters, it was killer hot today, up to the upper 80s-lower 90s and humid as heck. I made the mistake of running the vacuum on the same outlet as the air conditioner. Suddenly, the TV, air conditioner, and vacuum cleaner just shut down! Not everything died, though. My cell phone charger, which is plugged into the outlet by the window overlooking the park, was still working. Everything in the kitchen was on (including the fridge). I called Andrew; got his wife Linda, who was sick at hone. She said she'd talk to Andrew when he got off of work at 12:30.

I was just about ready to leave for work at that point anyway. I had to go early and make a really quick stop. I finally ran out of contacts. I meant to hit America's Best and order more yesterday, but I forgot my money. The traffic in the Audubon Crossings Shopping Center was really bad, but I did manage to get over to the America's Best/Pep Boys building. There was no line, and the order went fine.

Thanks to the traffic in the mall, I was almost late to work. Work was very busy for most of the afternoon. It's the beginning of the month, which means a lot of people just got government funds. The weather must be getting on people's nerves. We had a lot of grumpy or obnoxious customers. One woman threw an absolute fit when I wouldn't help her bag her cake box "just right"...which involved covering it with a paper bag, then two layers of plastic bags, then tearing more plastic bags in half and tying them around the box so she could pick it up easier! Gee, why didn't she have the teenager who was with her carry the box if she couldn't do it? All she did was whine about being in a hurry! She might have gotten out faster if she did less fussing and more leaving.

Thank heavens my relief was the middle-aged woman who prefers to work late and is almost always on time. I had a few things I wanted to pick up before the heat gets really nasty. I ran out of milk this morning, and I'm almost out of cereal. The Acme's having another good sale on Quaker cereals; I decided to try the new Honey Nut Oatmeal Squares. I bought things to make pudding pies for me and for Dad's house on the 4th of July. They were having a good sale on Domino's Sugar.

Thankfully, the electricity was back on when I got home. I turned on the air conditioning and ran the shows I'd tried to run this morning. Lauren and I were writing a story with a circus theme, so I did three circus-centered show episodes as I had coconut-crusted tilapia and salad for dinner. Uniqua, Austin, and Pablo are "The Best Clowns In Town" in The Backyardigans' second season. Ringmaster Tyrone doesn't agree, especially after they make him lose his train! The trio try to make him laugh and get him to his circus at the same time.

The Big Top is a lot more dangerous for GoGo and the other Tiny Toons in the first season episode "Saw Dust and Toonsil." A greedy ringmaster has stolen mystical beasts from Wacky Land, including GoGo, for his circus side show. Babs and Buster try to free the creatures and get them back home before they fade away. Meanwhile, Plucky just wants to get into show business.

A circus also proves to be a dangerous spot for Max and 99 in the second season Get Smart episode "The Greatest Spy On Earth." Max and 99 pose as reporters to ferret out the ringleader of a gang of jewel thieves and find out where they hid their stolen diamonds. With a midget dead and a monkey, a strongman, and a half-man half-woman on their list of suspects, would you believe Max and 99 are going to have to work fast to avoid end up being human cannonball fodder?

All Kinds of Help

Started off a gloomy day at work. It rained a little on my way, but nothing major. It was pretty much the same as it has been - off-and-on steady, only really busy during rush hours. There were no major problems (other than a few annoying beginning-of-the-month people) and my relief was on time.

I rode over to America's Best quickly as soon as I got out to pick up my contacts, then went right back to the Acme to get my schedule and do this week's grocery shopping. I had a lot of things that needed to be restocked, starting with sugar. The Acme's having a big four-day sale on their generic frozen vegetables; I got the small bags of peas and green beans for 88 cents each. Picked up Acme generic whole-wheat rotini pasta buy one, get one. (I normally avoid sales that require you to buy more than one of an item. I rarely need more than one of anything...but I was really out of pasta. I used the last of it on my pasta bake last night.) Needed to refill grapefruit, apples, Romaine lettuce, bananas, mushrooms, cheese (bought the generic Acme sharp cheddar block and the new small Sargento wedge of Parmentino), Cheerios, and parchment paper.

My schedule isn't all that much different than it has been all winter and early spring. In good news, I have two days off, Tuesday and Thursday (Tuesday for counseling). In annoying news, I have one late day (Monday) and two long days (Monday and Wednesday), though nothing as early as the last few weeks.

By the time I finished work, the rain was gone, but it remained cloudy and windy. This time, it didn't stop it from getting warmer. It was probably in the upper 50s-lower 60s. It was so warm when I got home, I opened both windows to let the apartment air out.

Finished out the newest Strawberry Shortcake set, Berry Big Help, as I put everything away and started lamb chops with "French Salad" (Romaine lettuce with home-made dressing) and the last of the Brussels sprouts for dinner. Helping each other - and the importance of helping out - is the theme of this set. In the first story, a Baby Berrykin has the ability to turn anything different colors, not just fruit...but he's so little, he turns everything different colors without realizing the confusion this causes. Strawberry finally gets him to understand that he has to ask before he uses his powers for others. The second story has Raspberry determined to make Strawberry a beautiful new dress all by herself. When the other girls see that she's wearing herself out, they act as "fashion elves" and try to make a dress for her. The final tale is a variation on the "kid adopts huge pet who wrecks havoc" story. The kid in question is Orange Blossom, who becomes attached to what she thinks is a fish. It's really a tadpole...and when "Tad" grows up, he proves to be far larger and more energetic than Orange can handle.

Switched to Charlie Chan In Honolulu as I made Pineapple Upside-Down Cake from a Betty Crocker mix that was on sale at work. The famous Asian detective (Sidney Toler in this one) is awaiting the birth of his Number One Grandchild, so his number two son and his younger brother take the call from a cargo ship where a man has been murdered. Was he after the money one of the women has stashed in her room? Was he a victim of a freaky scientist? Or was he eaten by the lion owned by a rather goofy little trainer?

I have fond memories of the Charlie Chan movies from when they turned up on AMC (and later, TCM) during my childhood and college years. This one is especially interesting because we get to see a little of Charlie's home life, including more of his kids than usual. Considering this series' reputation (and that Chinese Chan is played by a Swedish character actor), there's surprisingly little stereotypes of any kind - Chan's son-in-law is more "stereotyped" than anyone in his wife's family, including Chan. With minimal violence and lots of gags with the Chan boys, this isn't a bad introduction to Charlie's world, and a nice starter film for older kids, too.

I Can (Almost) See Clearly Now

Started off the morning with a couple of Backyardigans episodes during breakfast. Uniqua wants to prove to Queen Tasha that she's worthy of being a real warrior (and eventually brings Pablo and Tyrone along for the ride) in "Knights are Brave and Strong." Uniqua, Pablo, and Tyrone go on a "Secret Mission" in a museum to return a mystery bone to its owner. They have to use all the spy gadgets and limbo skills at their disposal to get past the museum's security traps!

Work didn't start out so badly. It wasn't really busy this morning, while it was still cloudy and cool. Two classes of preschoolers came by on day trips. One group got to say "Thank you!" over the intercom. They were so adorable.

I wish all my customers were that cute. The nicer it got outside, the busier we got. By 2PM, we had very long lines of people who weren't able to get out during the storm yesterday (or had only just gotten out after partying yesterday). Although most customers seemed to be in decent moods, there were a couple that made me want to tear out my hair. One woman wanted at least eight gallons of Turkey Hill diet iced tea for $2 because the half-gallons that were a dollar weren't on the shelves. We DID have some in the back, but she couldn't be bothered waiting for them. She was in such a hurry! Later, another woman fussed at me because she was convinced that the 4 12-packs of Coke were 4 for 9 instead of 4 for 12. She thought the extra coupon took off from the 12 and refused to listen to reason - even when the customers in back of her tried to explain it! I had to go on break anyway, so I let a manager talk it out with her.

There was a mess getting out, too. I thought the manager said she would either go in for me or send another manager; the girl who was supposed to go in for me had to relieve one of the managers. Turns out she wanted me to shut down, which wouldn't have been possible with the long lines we had at 4PM anyway. She had to call a stock boy to finish my line.

I was stressed and tired and frustrated when I changed my shirt and finally headed to America's Best. The short ride and the nice day gave me a chance to compose myself. The morning's gloom had been replaced by bright sunshine, rapidly melting snow, and upper 40s temperatures by quarter after 4. Thankfully, after all the trouble at work, my eye exam went just fine. There was no one in the waiting room, and I only was only there for a few minutes. I had the same doctor I did last time, and pretty much the same result. The left eye was the same. The right eye had changed slightly, but not enough to change my prescription. I ordered my contacts and left.

Treated myself to dinner at Golden Corral, a buffet-style restaurant behind the America's Best/Pep Boys/Audubon Post Office building. I don't eat there often, but I didn't have much for lunch and was on that side of the mall anyway. I came in just as the dinner crowd was starting. I had a tasty salad with spring greens, carrots, and peas, pot roast (nice and juicy, but much too salty), their divine sweet potato casserole, sauteed mushrooms, and cheddar cheese drop biscuits. (The last-named weren't bad. I haven't had those since the last time I ate at the Red Lobster at the Hamilton Mall.) The raspberry cake with whipped topping I had initially tasted terrible, bland and dry. I opted for coconut macaroons dipped in their white and milk chocolate waterfalls and an icing-topped mini-brownie instead.

I called Mom when I got home. I didn't get a chance to talk to her yesterday, and I couldn't go to Rose's on Sunday. She enjoyed her trip up here with Anny and her boys and loved the card I brought her. She seemed to be in a pretty good mood; she was on her way to making dinner.

Since I already had dinner, I finished up the night in a desperately-needed bath. I looked over that book on the 20th Century I bought at a yard sale last summer and soaked in my rose-scented water as a jazz performer played in the background. It did help a little, but I'm still a bit frazzled. I'd feel better about the extra hours if they were more consistent...or if I could handle many of my customers better.

Turtle and Christmas Ghost Power

First of all, I'm going to mention the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's death in passing. I was born sixteen years after it happened, but I've heard stories of that fateful day all my life, especially from my mom and my friend Linda Young. Linda has a wonderful essay about her memories of that day on her nostalgia essays page. Where Were You?

It was raining when I got up this morning, but by the time I was finishing breakfast, the rain had long stopped. It was just cloudy and humid when I went outside with my broom to sweep the porch. The porch was wet, though not soaked. Good thing the pile of leaves wasn't anywhere near as massive as it was last week.

After I finished there, I put the broom away, then went downstairs to do some raking. The shower we had this morning didn't seem to have penetrated the piles of leaves on the side path and in the front yard. Andrew had family members raking out there last week, but it hadn't seemed to do much. I started with the side path going up to my apartment, then kept going around to the front when I noticed Andrew finally bought a nice, new tarp. (The old one was incredibly shredded.) I got the whole thing done in about an hour and a half. It's not perfect - leaves kept coming down even as I raked them, and there's still tons of acorns out there - but it's as good as it'll get for now. We'll see if I need to squeeze one more raking session in before the trees are completely bare.

I went upstairs to a leftovers lunch after I finished, then went back out to run errands. My first stop was the Oaklyn Library. I mostly organized DVDs there. Somehow, a couple of kids' DVDs had landed in the adult section, despite the kids' titles clearly being labeled with translucent orange stickers over their call letters. (Although the titles being the teen-oriented Raise Your Voice and the first two Spy Kids movies did make the confusion a little more understandable.) I took out my favorite Thanksgiving story, Cranberry Thanksgiving.

It started showering again while I was in the library. Thankfully, it had ended by the time I made it to the Audubon Crossings Shopping Center. I needed to drop off some Thanksgiving cards at the Audubon Post Office and order contacts from America's Best. (Which went fine - I just got paid today, and the debit card went through perfectly.)

Dodged the endless traffic going to Wal Mart and the clothing stores as I made my way back to the Acme. I didn't have a huge order today. In fact, I was mainly at the Acme to get my schedule for Thanksgiving week. I mostly restocked baking items I'll need for holiday cooking - Smart Balance butter (buy one, get one, and I had a coupon), frozen orange juice, eggs, peanut butter, canola oil. I bought cough drops to keep my throat wet at work (working over the heat-spewing registers and constant talking can dry them out), more of those lightly breaded chicken breasts for quick dinners this week, and treated myself to a $5.99 copy of Arthur's Perfect Christmas from the bin with the budget DVDs in the front of the store.

(Oh, and my schedule is surprisingly good for Thanksgiving week. I have Thanksgiving itself and Black Friday off - they must have been able to corral enough college and high school kids off from school to work those days. I do work late Monday and Tuesday and long on Tuesday and Wednesday, but that's to be expected a few days before the biggest food day of the holiday. I actually expected much worse. The Eagles being off this week should help lighten the load slightly, especially on Sunday.)

Though it wasn't raining when I headed home, it was cloudy, humid, and relatively warm for this time of the year. I decided I wasn't going to take chances. I spent the rest of the day at home. Ran Arthur's Perfect Christmas as I put my groceries away and got organized. Arthur Read is an aardvark kid who is looking forward to a perfect Christmas of snow, presents, fabulous food, and a glittering tree. His best friend Buster is worn out by his frazzled mother waking him everyday, thinking it's Christmas and she has to make it great. Inspired by his buddy The Brain explaining about how Kwanzaa was created, he tries to get her to relax on the holiday instead. Muffy, the richest girl in school, holds a huge Christmas party, and is upset when her best friend Francine opts to attend her family's Hanukkah party instead. In the end, Arthur and all of the kids discover that perfection is in the eye of the beholder, and the holidays are what we make of them, whether they're the "storybook" ideal or not.

Arthur was a favorite of mine when I was in college. I caught this special on PBS towards the end of my college years, but I haven't seen it since. I'm glad I found this again. It's really sweet, especially if you do live in a town or come from a family where many different holidays are celebrated.

Moved to An American Christmas Carol while working on Cereal Spice Bars for myself and Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies for the Acme's Thanksgiving Luncheon tomorrow. I hadn't heard a lot that was good about this one, starting with a thirty-ish Henry Winkler at the height of his Happy Days fame playing the Scrooge character under ten pounds of makeup. While that is pretty jarring, the rest of it is surprisingly well done. The "Scrooge" here is Benedict Slade (Winkler), a nasty old man who repossesses out-of-work tenants' furnishings, then fires his assistant Thatcher on Christmas Eve. Naturally, he gets a visit from three "spirits" who look rather like his tenants that teach him just how important charity and looking to the future can be.

Much to my surprise, this was actually quite good. Winkler did better than you might expect as the old codger who started off with a bright future that went perilously astray thanks to a lot of wrong choices. The makeup was distracting, but the setting, New England in the 1910s and the Great Depression, was well-done. Oh, and look for Gerry Parkes (Doc of Fraggle Rock) as the Ghost of Christmas Present. Not something you need to go out of your way for, but if you're a fan of Winkler or like seeing different interpretations of A Christmas Carol, give this one a spin (it was released on Blu-Ray last year).

I switched to an entirely different kind of fantasy as I made tilapia in honey-wine sauce with carrots and spinach for dinner. The first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film from 1990 was a surprise hit in my family. Even Mom enjoyed the story of four turtles who are raised as ninjas by their gentle rat mentor and encounter a reporter named April O'Neal on the track of a mysterious crime wave in New York. While time has sanded down some of this one's darker edges (the Foot's hide-out looks ridiculously early 90s), it still remains the definitive version of the Turtles on film. Tougher than the subsequent two live-action movies, more fun than the animated one from later in the 2000s, this has not only great action, but a great deal of heart. Little guys will want to go to the current or 80s/90s show first, as there's quite a bit of violence here that isn't glossed over. For older kids and teens who are Turtles fans, start them on this one, then move to their choice of cartoon or later film.

Hot Fun On Labor Day Weekend

Started off a hot, humid Saturday with this week's American Top 40, as we moved ahead four years to 1986. While Rose and I prepared to return to school, the rest of the US finished their summer dancing to R&B, ballads, and breezy pop. Hits that Labor Day Weekend included "Stuck With You" by Huey Lewis and the News, "Mad About You" by Belinda Carlisle, "Sweet Freedom" by Michael McDonald, "Dancing On the Ceiling" by Lionel Richie, "Papa Don't Preach" by Madonna, "Friends and Lovers" by Carl Anderson and Gloria Loring, and "Take My Breath Away" by Berlin from the soundtrack of that summer's biggest movie, Top Gun. That week's number one song was the biggest solo hit for British favorite Steve Winwood, "Higher Love."

I just made a quick run to the Farm Market this week. It was cloudy when I got out, but the sun made it's appearance, even as I locked my bike at the rack across from the Senior Center. I nudged my way through heavy crowds looking for produce for their Labor Day barbecues. Those mini-melons were gone (there were plenty of the big ones left), but I did see the first winter squash and squash flowers of the year. I just opted for peaches, tiny Gala apples, a tomato, Chinese beans, and an onion. I forgot cheese at the Acme yesterday; picked up Cheddar With Herbs from the dairy booth.

I did see a scant few yard sales listed for this area, but I was tired and I spent a lot of money yesterday. I headed back to Oaklyn early via Newton River Park across from the CVS. Stopped at Dad and Jodie's to say "hi," since I haven't been there in a while. They were relaxing and watching Cabin In the Woods when I was there. They'd finally finished redoing the fireplace. The new mantel Jodie's dad made was up, and it had been stripped of the original white paint. It looked great, warmer and more rustic and in line with the house's natural setting. Dad also mentioned a neighbor was springing to remove and replace the ancient dock on the river that had been rotting away since I was a kid.

Spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon at home. I finished Weekend at Bernie's. I took photos of the two black DVD shelves in the entertainment area so I can decide what color I want them to be. I relaxed myself for an hour or so crocheting a dish rag and watching One Crazy Summer, a wacky comedy from 1987 featuring John Cusak as a high school grad looking for love in Nantucket during his summer break and Demi Moore as the tough guitarist he falls for. He and his nutty friends (including Bobcat Goldthwait) end up helping her earn the money to buy her house from the nasty owner of a seafood restaurant chain. Like Bernie's, this is a slightly off-beat comedy from the late 80s that used to run constantly on cable during my childhood. It's one of those movies people either get, or they don't. Give it a try if you're a fan of Cusak, Moore, or the "snobs vs slobs" comedies of the 80s.

I got a call from America's Best after I finished my leftovers lunch. My contacts were finally in! Great! I left a little early and picked them up quickly before work. The traffic wasn't even bad behind the mall. I thought everyone may have gone down to the Shore.

The Acme initially bore this out. They were quiet when I came in, to the point where I spent an hour organizing party items. Business picked up around 2:30, and it stayed busy until right before I left at 7:30. There were a few cranky beginning-of-the-month people, but otherwise lots of help and no major problems. I was able to leave quickly with no relief.

I won't be relaxing much next week. I work all week again - my only day off is Wednesday. While I do have a very long day Tuesday, the latest I work is tomorrow until 8, and Labor Day is only 1 to 5.

Summer Into Fall

Technically, we have just about a month before fall begins. You'd never know it from the weather. It was cloudy and cool when I got up this morning and put on Get Smart. Max and 99 have to dodge the hypnotic powers of "The Groovy Guru," a DJ who adds subliminal messages to rock music and puts all the teenagers in Washington under his control. Max ends up bringing his Army buddy Sid (Don Rickles) along for the ride when the two go after KAOS agents who have "The Little Black Book." (Rickles and Don Adams were good pals in real life. They had so much fun ad-libbing, they drove the episode over schedule and budget, and a one-part episode suddenly became a two-parter.) A mousy children's book writer is "The Reluctant Redhead," a shy beauty who has to be persuaded to pose as the missing wife of a man who holds the list of all known enemy agents.

Since I worked a bit later today, I was able to get my errands done in the morning. For the second week in a row, I didn't really need a big grocery trip. I had to restock chicken legs, canned diced tomatoes, single fish packs, olive oil, and sugar. Found the Acme generic canned mandarin oranges on the clearance rack, along with jars of lime curd and rose apricot preserves - I thought I'd try them.

Quickly went over to America's Best to try ordering contacts again, now that my paycheck is in the bank. This time, everything went just fine. My card went through, and my contacts should be here by next week.

I went home, put everything away, and had leftovers for lunch. Did things around my apartment (including taking a look at my paycheck), then went back out for work. Work was very busy during the 4-6 rush hour. Otherwise, it was almost as quiet as yesterday. Like I said, business probably won't pick up at the Acme for at least another week, when people begin to get ready for Labor Day, back to school, and the beginning of the month. The same older woman went in for me on time. I was in and out with no trouble.

My schedule for next week is ok, not as good as this week's but not bad for the time of year. I have Monday and Friday off (Monday for a dental appointment) and one day later than 7:30 (Wednesday).

A Fair Day for a Craft Show

Started off another sunny, breezy day with this week's American Top 40 re-run. Mid-August 1984 would have been a very busy time in my family, as I prepared to begin school in September and the rest of my family prepared for Mom's new bundle of joy. Songs I heard as I wondered about these changes included "I Can Dream About You" by Dan Hartman, "Sunglasses at Night" by Corey Hart, "Stuck On You" by Lionel Richie, "If Ever You're In My Arms Again" by Peabo Bryson, "Dancing In the Dark" by Bruce Springsteen, "Round and Round" by Ratt, "What's Love Got to Do With It?" by Tina Turner, and "When Doves Cry" by Prince and the Revolution.

It took a tune from that summer's blockbuster movie to knock Prince out of the top spot after five weeks. The title song of Ghostbusters by Ray Parker Jr. was every bit as popular as the much-loved supernatural comedy that ended up being the smash hit of the year. The song still shows up regularly every Halloween.

Headed out to run the usual Saturday morning errands after the show ended. Checked a yard sale in Oaklyn first, but that proved to be fruitless. There were a few interesting records and CDs, but nothing I couldn't live without. I escaped while the proprietor was showing a couple of young boys his fishing equipment.

Collingswood was far more interesting. The Farm Market was, surprisingly, busy but not as bad as usual. I saw deep purple Italian plums and beautiful Gala apples for the first time this year. Dodged the crowds to pick up peaches, Chinese beans, blueberries, a tomato, mushrooms, cucumbers, and those Gala apples.

I'd seen detours and unusual traffic around Collingswood all morning. I couldn't figure out why until I saw the orange cones blocking Collings Avenue, near the parking lot where the Farm Market's usually held. Today is the first day of Colllingswood's annual Fine ArtsFestival. It's pretty much the same deal as the May Fair on Memorial Day Weekend, only held over two days, and with no rides or car show. It's just food and crafts. I saw the usual assortment of jewelry and clothing booths. I saw the same elderly woodworker who was there last year, this time working on tiny mushrooms. I saw a photographer who had a booth set up to take pictures of families with a Collingswood backdrop.

I checked out two more yard sales in Collingswood and Audubon, but neither had anything really useful. I just headed home around 11:30. Spent the next few hours checking my account online and doing things around the apartment. I washed the windows. I cleared the cobwebs from around corners. (And there's a lot of them this summer. The spiders must have come in here to avoid the rain.) I made an omelet with farm market vegetables and a salad for lunch. I called America's Best to find out what's going on with the contacts. I called them at 1:30. They said they'd call back before 2:30. They never did, of course. If my phone is any indication, they still haven't called back. I'll check with them on Tuesday.

Work was on-and-off busy for most of the evening, busier than yesterday but nothing out of the ordinary for the weekend or the time of the year. If people weren't buying cakes and goodies for barbecues and birthday parties, they were going to or coming from vacation. It slowed down enough for me to leave without a relief at 8 and enjoy a beautiful lavender and magenta sunset going home.

Letting Go Of Perfect

Today was my early work day. It was so nice today, I wish I'd worked later. It was too nice to be in work for most of the morning and afternoon. Our customers realized this, too. It was only busy during the rush hours. I did pick up a bit later, but was never overwhelming. There were no major problems, and my relief was on time.

I went straight to America's Best after work, dodging the constant traffic in the shopping center behind the Acme. I've put off ordering my contacts because I either don't have the time or don't want to deal with the traffic in the back of the mall or both. I really couldn't put it off anymore. My last pair is down to their second week.

I was shocked when my debit card just would not go through. I could have sworn I had enough money in my account! I called PNC...and sure enough, no, I did not. I couldn't believe it. I thought I learned my lesson about being a spendthrift last year. I did have money in my savings account. I had to tell them I'd come back tomorrow or next week. Even though they said it happens all the time, I was still mortified. I should know better by now than to spend all my money.

I checked PNC as soon as I got home. Andrew had cashed my rent check a few days ago, which I did not expect. It usually takes him anywhere from five days to two weeks to cash my rent check. I was hoping he'd wait until I got my next paycheck, which will be tomorrow. And then, I bought things at CVS and online. I'm so wasteful. I have to stop buying things I don't need again and restrict myself to buying only what is necessary until I can build up my checking account again. (At least I still have money in savings. At this time last year, I was taking money out of savings to pay my rent.)

One thing I definitely needed was a bath. I went right into a long one as soon as I finished on PNC's website. I soaked my sore legs and feet for over an hour and a half while reading The Gifts of Imperfection. I really kind of fear imperfection. It's hard to open my soul to that kind of hurt and vulnerability. I feel like every time I have, my soul has just gotten trampled on. I wish I knew a way to do "meaningful work" and make money and open my heart without it being criticized and scolded for not being better and trying harder.

Give Your Baby Lots of Lovin'

It really felt like spring when I headed out today. The wind had subsided somewhat, the sun was out, the sky was bright blue, and the trees are just starting to bloom. It was a lovely morning to run errands. My first stop of the day was a quick one at America's Best. I tore my last pair of contacts yesterday. It was past time for ordering my next pairs.

I didn't need a big grocery order today. Mainly just restocked fruits and vegetables. Bags of oranges are $1.99. I bought cute little clementines. Grape tomatoes were on a good sale, too, as were bags of spinach. The Acme's started selling containers of sliced vegetables; I got a cauliflower/broccoli mix. Thought I'd try Poland Spring sparkling water on sale for a dollar; the generic floss was a dollar as well. Also grabbed the Acme's generic organic tea on sale, along with their bubble bath. I can't remember the last time I had a real bubble bath. Thought I'd try something different with my baths.

When I got in, I made lunch while watching Applause. This 1929 melodrama features Helen Morgan (the 1936 Show Boat) as Kitty Darling, a burlesque queen who is far from being in the prime of her career. She's desperate to protect her convent-educated daughter April (Joan Peers) from her sleazy show-business life, but it's hard when her obnoxious user boyfriend (Fuller Mellish Jr) is all but jumping in the girl's lap. Kitty's lover wants April to go into burlesque, too, but April is more interested in a cute sailor she met while he was on leave. Kitty's determined that April should have a better life than anything she could get in burlesque...even at the cost of her own.

What saves this from being a typical mawkish early talkie melodrama is director Rouben Mamoulien's insistence on dynamic editing and some really fine performances, especially from Morgan as the weak Kitty (Morgan had no problems donning a fright wig to play a burlesque dancer twice her age) and Peers as the sheltered April. Mamoulien fought with Paramount and with his crew to make this more than the sum of it's mawkish parts. While some parts are still a little stiff, others are well-done, especially for the era (compare this to Sally or Hollywood Revue of 1929).

A warning - this is not a tale of glitter and glamour ala Sally, nor is it the most uplifting story in the universe. The movie is unstinting about what low-level burlesque halls were really like, especially in a scene where April goes to the theater to watch her mother perform and is assaulted by images of overweight "beef trust" chorus dancers (real ones from burlesque) and grimy men panting over them. It is, however, history, and an interesting story under the tawdry characters. If you want to see how the early talkies started to move from stiff to dynamic and can handle the seedy plot, this is recommended.

Switched to the infinitely more cheerful Phineas and Ferb while cleaning the kitchen. Here, the emphasis is on the other animal agents who appear from time to time on the show, either to help Perry or on their own. The most prominent is Isabella's dog Pinky, who fights Dr. Poofinschmirtz (a female Doofinschmirtz, naturally) when she steals the nuts of a certain tree to make her favorite hairspray...nuts that Isabella and her Girl Scouts troop needs for their badges. Meanwhile, Phineas and Ferb go to their local warehouse store with their mother. While Phineas has fun with the equipment on display, Ferb falls for Doofensmirtz's goth teen daughter Vanessa, who wants to show her dad that she's responsible enough to have her own car.

Work wasn't nearly as much fun. It was almost as much of a pain as Wednesday. Thank goodness the crowds didn't last as long. I spent the last hour or so doing returns.

Oh, and mixed feelings on next week's schedule. While it is lighter, and the days off aren't spaced quite so far apart, I have a few late days this week, including Monday until 10PM.

Donations and Dusting

I slept in and didn't get to today's errands until almost 11. I had at least two more bags of donations to take over to the Logan Presbyterian Church. They usually open the thrift shop every other week...but perhaps because of the holidays, they were open two weeks in a row. Instead of trying to load everything onto my bike this time, I dropped it in Miss Ellie's old cart instead. It took a little longer to walk there, but was much easier to haul. I got it there around 11:40. This time, I didn't see anything that I wanted and headed out empty-handed.

Stopped at WaWa on the White Horse Pike on the way home for a fountain soda; added raspberry and vanilla syrups to Diet Dr. Pepper. Since I was passing the Oaklyn Library on my way home, I volunteered there, too. Mainly organized DVDs and the kids' books today. They'd moved the kids' tables and chairs back into the kids' area and moved the board book to a smaller stand-alone shelf. I also stopped at Doria's Deli to say "hi" and buy eggs.

When I got in, I had lunch and watched more public-domain cartoons, then spent the rest of the afternoon dusting the apartment. It really needed it. I haven't done any cleaning since the week before Thanksgiving. Even so, I was running short on time at that point. I didn't do the most thorough job in the world - I didn't dust under the Star Wars action figures or the dolls on top of the closets. I did dust under the books on the bookshelves across from my bed and near the windows, but that's because they were so bad, I couldn't get away with leaving them as they were.

I left for work a little early. I needed to pick up my contacts from America's Best. I wouldn't have done it so close to work if I'd realized how busy they were! They were so busy, the guy at the desk got my contacts mixed up with someone else's and had to rush out to give me the right ones. I just barely got to work on time.

Ironically, work was stone-cold dead for most of the night. Two very exciting NFL playoff games and heavy fog likely contributed to this. The Ravens came from behind to beat the Broncos in double overtime; the 49ers beat the heavily favored Packers 45-31. Other than dealing with a few obnoxious customers, I spent most of the night being very bored. 

Oh, and I went online briefly this afternoon and discovered that, after putting numerous bids on Sailor Pluto dolls from the 12 inch 2000 Irwin line for the past five years or so, only to see them skyrocket beyond my budget, I finally won her. She ended up being $40 with shipping, still steep, but not nearly as high as the $70 or $80 I've seen her command online. She's the last doll I need to complete my collection. Sailor Pluto is the Guardian of the Time Gate, the quiet, mature older "college girl" soldier. She's my favorite character on the series other than Sailor Moon/Serena herself, and I'm thrilled to finally have her. 

Concluding the Holiday Season

I slept in this morning and didn't get to the Acme until past noon. Thankfully, it was steady but not nearly as busy as last Friday. I grabbed my paycheck, then rode over to America's Best to order my contacts. They're way past due for a restock, but I've either been busy, haven't had the money, or had to work late. They were so dead, I was able to go in, order, pay, and leave in five minutes.

Most of my grocery shopping this week involved restocking baking or casserole items used for last week's meals and the holiday gifts - sugar, canned mushrooms, cream of mushroom soup, tuna, honey, tape (they have 3-packs for a dollar), and chocolate pudding mix (to replace the one that was gobbled by a mouse). The company that owns Acme is in the midst of changing the labels of its generic frozen vegetables; they've apparently been out of frozen peas for a while now. I bought a frozen Oriental vegetable mix instead. Had more luck with oranges, bananas, pears, and some good sales on juice concentrate and laundry detergent.

When I got home, I put everything away, had a quick leftovers lunch while watching more public domain shorts, then went right back out again. I needed to make a really quick run to the bank to deposit my paycheck. The indoor area was quiet, and I was in and out there as well.

I ran two Christmas DVDs while taking down the holiday display items and dressed bears and stuffed animals. The Backyardigans finally debuted an out-and-out Christmas episode in what I believe was their last season in 2010. "The Action Elves Save Christmas Eve" is pretty self-explanatory. Tasha, Pablo, and Uniqua are elves who have to find Santa's sack before Christmas Eve, or Santa can't deliver his presents! Two lonely snow monster brothers (Austin and Tyrone) took it, but they didn't really mean any harm - they didn't even know what it was.

The House Without a Christmas Tree is a favorite of mine. I usually watch it on or around Christmas Day, but I just didn't get to it this year. 11-year-old Addie Mills (Lisa Lucas) is a smart young lady living in a quiet small town in Nebraska in 1946. Like Ralphie in A Christmas Story, all she wants for Christmas is one special thing that she pesters her father (Jason Robards) endlessly about. Unlike Ralphie, the item she wants is hardly violent - a Christmas tree. Her father has never had one in the house. It reminds him too much of her late mother. When Addie wins a tree from school, her father becomes angry with her. They both learn a lesson in charity when Addie gives the tree away, and Grandma (Mildred Natwick) reminds them that charity begins at home...and it's never too late to show those you love that you care about them.

A sweet, gentle story, with wonderful performances by Lucas, Robards, and especially Natwick as the eccentric grandmother caught between her stubborn son and his even more stubborn daughter. Highly recommended for those looking for a quieter Christmas story for families, especially ones with girls, or for those with fond memories of the original 70s broadcast.

Taking down the Christmas decorations takes a lot less time than putting them up does. I actually cleared out some display items and consolidated others into a few bags and boxes. I had a harder time with the stuffed animals. I really had to push and shove to get them in the container! I cleared out a few; maybe I should look into clearing out more next year or finding another container for them.

Work was surprisingly steady, given I worked late. It was 9:30 before it really started slowing down, and even then, the time flew. I was in and out quickly.

Oh, and once again, mixed feelings on my schedule. The bad news is, I only have 18 hours this week. The good news is, three days off and only one day (next Saturday) later than 8PM. This shouldn't be as devestating financially as the lack of hours in the summer and fall were. The weeks between Three King's Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day are usually quiet. Things pick up as we get closer to February, which is probably our single busiest month of the year. Not to mention, our W2s should be coming out at the end of the month, and I'll probably have tax return money coming.

Girls' Day at Home

I started a lovely, sunny, warm morning with finally finishing the phone calls I need to make for now. The Union and the insurance company now say all of my claims for the orthodontics have finally gone through, and I should be getting them in two weeks. I couldn't find Comcast's phone number on their web site to call them...but it was just as well. I heard from them, anyway. For some reason, my dealings with them yesterday didn't work or hadn't gone through. At any rate, everything's fine now, and they'll be switching my land line phone over from Verizon next week.

Jodie picked me up at noon to run errands. I needed to get to the Acme. Had to pick up my paycheck and disability (sick pay) papers, not to mention fill my refrigerator. Turns out the Acme was having some great sales...which is a good thing, because I was low on basics like milk, whole wheat tortillas, yogurt, and eggs. There was a great Perdue sale; grabbed ground chicken, tenderloins, and chicken sausages for almost half-off. Stocked up on peanut butter, chocolate chips (Nestle's are $1.99 this weekend), buttermilk, honey, and peanut butter. Took advantage of a huge baking sale to grab baking powder, cinnamon sticks, and peppermint and vanilla extracts. Edy's was finally on a good sale. It isn't fall without their heavenly Pumpkin Ice Cream, and this year, I was glad to see that they had it in a light version.

I also got my prescription for higher ibuprofen from the pharmacy. Dr. Berlin gave it to me for the heel spur, but I think it'll now help with both feet. Jodie was nice enough to run over to America's Best for me and pick up my contacts while I waited.

After I paid for my food and hauled it in the van, we both made a quick run to the PNC on the White Horse Pike so we could deposit money. We saw a police parade as we were in the bank; turns out a long-time Oaklyn police official had died this week, along with Uncle Ken, who will be honored tomorrow. (Both have their names on the sign outside of Oaklyn's City Hall on the corner of the White Horse Pike and West Clinton Avenue.)

Other than a very brief sojourn to my landlord's house a block down to drop off my rent, I went nowhere else today. With any other calls put off until I get my foot looked at on Monday, I could actually relax. I ran Felicity: An American Girl Adventure first. This was the second American Girl movie, revolving around their spunky Colonial character Felicity Merriman. Unlike the movies for Samantha and Kit, Felicity's movie pretty much sticks to the books. Felicity is a tomboy living in Williamsburg, Virginia during the tumultuous Revolutionary War. As families and friends are pitted against one another, Felicity finds herself wondering whose side she's on, especially given that her best friend Elizabeth and her beloved grandfather are loyal to the English. When she meets a wild horse with a cruel master, she becomes determined to befriend the animal...and learns the true meaning of freedom in the process.

Of the three AG movies I've seen (I haven't yet caught Molly's or the ones revolving around modern Girls of the Year Chrissa and McKenna), this one is my favorite. Never mind the irony that Felicity isn't really high on my list of AG characters and I'm not the biggest fan of the Colonial era. Felicity's exciting and daring stories come alive in ways that Samantha's and Kit's didn't. And I can understand why Felicity adored her grandfather and dad - David Gardener and John Schneider were particularly good as the male heads of the family on the opposite sides of the War.

The rest of the afternoon was devoted to paperwork, baking a Dark Chocolate Mint Cake for the reception after Uncle Ken's funeral tomorrow, and dubbing another serial, Zorro's Black Whip. Actually, Zorro has nothing to do with this very interesting mid-40s western tale. The Black Whip was a freedom fighter siding with settlers trying to vote Idaho into statehood in 1889. When he and his father are killed, his sister takes over both the Black Whip persona and the family's crusading newspaper. The Black Whip aids a federal agent in bringing law and order to Idaho.

Though this action-packed wild west story from Republic wasn't quite as well-done as the later Federal Agents Vs. Underworld Inc., it had it's own share of fun, from stagecoaches going over cliffs to a raging inferno in a cave. This was a vehicle for Linda Sterling, Republic's answer to the heroines of the silent era serials, who could outshoot, outride, and out-think every guy in the movie, including her love interest. I did find it almost refreshing that we know she's the Black Whip from the get-go, instead of drawing her identity out, as many serials are wont to do with heroes in masks.

She Hangs Out

Started an absolutely gorgeous early spring morning with a gym trip, stopping first at America's Best to pick up my contacts. There was a class going when I arrived around 10:30, and it was really busy. I was lucky I was able to get a bike! Thankfully, after a good, solid work-out, the class was done, and so were most of the women. I was able to get to the leg weight machines easily.

Went straight home after the gym. I ran a few more Monkees episodes while having leftovers for lunch. "Hitting the High Seas" takes the guys aboard a pirate ship, where Davy, Peter, and Micky foil a plot to attack a cruise ship. "Some Like It Lukewarm" has a local connection - favorite Philly DJ Jerry Blavat falls for a gender-bending Davy, who got stuck in drag so the group could join a mixed-gender rock contest.

My favorite Monkees episode is "The Devil and Peter Tork," a Monkees take on Faust that may be the only time they took on a villain whom you felt would do them real harm. Sweet-natured Peter signs a contract for a harp with the owner of a pawnshop...not knowing that "Mr. Zero" is the devil himself. When he comes to collect the gentle bassist, the other three literally go to (cuckoo!) and back to save their friend's soul! (And yes, there's some very amusing cracks at network censorship in the 60s.)

I spent the rest of the afternoon doing online stuff and reading the book on starting an at-home business that Linda Young sent me. Thanks, Linda! I really need to see if they have books on copyediting businesses, too.

I wish work was as much fun. It was nothing but a pain all night...and for once, it had nothing to do with customers. Our computer system was down all night and running VERY slow at times. I'd have to wait forever to ring up one item! And while they have finished remodeling the bathrooms, they look terrible, more like bathrooms in hospitals...and no stalls, which is odd. Not to mention, it was dead all day, and we had tons of help. I easily got off work with no relief.

To All the Dolls I've Loved Before

I got up early this morning so I could work on reorganizing the top of the stand-alone closets before work. The collectible bears, porcelain dolls, small dolls, and some of the Effanbee 70s and 80s hard-plastic dolls sit here. I removed two more bears and another pile of small knick-knacks for donations. I then took advantage of the bare space and did some dusting. (I only dust under the dolls every couple of months. It just takes a while.) I placed the remaining dolls back on the closets, adding three more Effanbee dolls (the Musketeer doll D'Artagnan, Russian International doll Sonya, and Snow White) to the group already there (Mother "Greta" Goose, Puerto Rican International doll Carlotta, Thailand International doll Tup Tim, and Mary Had a Little Lamb).

Speaking of the Effanbee dolls, I don't know when I'm going to get to it, but I think it's time they got a good cleaning. They're all dusty. Elphaba (Wicked Witch of the West), Queenie (Queen of Hearts), and Tup Tim wear badly faded clothes. Glinda's gigantic ruffled gown is raveling like crazy. Dorothy's ribbons need to be retied. Mary and the Scarecrow keep losing their hats. The elastic is gone on Greta's petticoat, and I probably need to tie it to her torso. I might see if I can do it next month, after the mid-winter holiday furor dies down.

I had just enough time to pack my backpack for a trip to the gym later, throw together lunch and a snack, and head off to work. No problems getting to work today; it was still windy, but sunny, clear, and a bit less cold than yesterday, probably in the upper 30s. Work went very quickly. We were off-and-on all day, and other than two call-outs that resulted in a lack of help, there were  no major problems. My relief was right on time.

I wanted to stop by America's Best before I hit the gym to order my next round of contacts. They're just a few doors down from Lucile Roberts. Alas, it would seem my prescription has expired. I had to schedule an appointment for tomorrow. Oh well. I'll just move my second gym day to tomorrow evening instead of Friday morning. (Though I'd still like to do the grocery shopping Friday - I like doing it in the morning much better than trying to get it done after work.)

Headed for the gym next. I made my way through the row of people waiting for their class to begin as the current step class ended and over to the bathrooms to change. After I was in the appropriate attire, I went into the main room to stretch and begin my workout. I did 20 minutes on the elliptical machine today and ten minutes of strength work on my arms. (I wanted to do more with my arms, but the hand weights were being used by both the class and a personal trainer.)

After I got out of the gym, I headed across the street to TuSeBella for two slices of pizza with vegetables and a bottle of water, then headed home. There were clouds on the horizon, and it's still windy, but otherwise, it's a lovely night.

There was a package in the mail when I got in. The newly-released Warner Archives copy of I Married an Angel had arrived. Awesome! It'll be great for Valentine's Day tomorrow.

Thanksgiving Rehearsal

I'm thankful that I awoke to a lovely, sunny morning. It was the perfect day for making my last Collingswood Farm Market run of the year. Ran today's American Top 40 re-run as I ate oatmeal with bananas and fruit concentrate and a pear for breakfast. We disco danced our way into late November 1978 as uptempo synthesizer dance tunes and dramatic ballads found their way into the spotlight. Hits from this time period include "Our Love - Don't Throw It All Away" by Andy Gibb, "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" by Barbara Streisand and Neil Diamond, "Sharing the Night Together" by Dr. Hook, and "Ready to Take a Chance Again" by Barry Manilow.

The #1 hit of the week was one of the hottest songs of that year, Donna Summer's lengthy smash tale of "MacArthur Park."

I did look around for a yard sale, but I couldn't find it and just went straight to the Farm Market and back. Despite the wind and chilly temperatures, the booths were packed elbow-to-elbow with people buying their Thanksgiving fruit and vegetables. I managed to find my way through the crowds long enough to pick up honey, Brussels sprouts, pears, small Empire apples, bananas, cranberries for Cranberry Bread for Thanksgiving, spinach, an onion, and an acorn squash.

I ran into a friend while I was at the Farm Market. I hadn't seen Pattie at Yogawood in a long time, even before I took a few months off from yoga. She said she'd found Thursday evening classes to be easier with her schedule at her massage therapy business. She suggested getting together sometime soon; she even had a friend she wanted me to meet.

There was one other yard sale listed on Craigslist, but it was cold and windy, and I didn't feel like running around. I just went straight home. I spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon working on editing the Bowery Boys fanfiction we have backlogged from as far back as the middle of the summer. I posted a Halloween story and a story about the Boys apple-picking on a farm, and there's more coming in the next week or so, including this year's NaNoWrite novel-length fanfic:

Bowery Boys Fanfiction - The Haunted Theater and She's the Apple of My Pie

I left for work a little early so I could pick up my contacts before my shift. (I worked until 6:30, and America's Best is only open until 6.) I should have left a little earlier. The place was packed with people trying to get their prescriptions before the holidays. It took me almost ten minutes to pick up my contacts, which normally takes about two seconds to two minutes.

Work was busy all day long and filled with some really grouchy people. I don't know why so many customers were in a bad mood. Maybe they hit long lines at other stores, too. People fussed at me. I couldn't bag anything right. They growled at each other, too. I heard a noisy fight in the line behind me at one point.

Thank goodness the employees were in far better moods. The Acme had a Thanksgiving Employee Luncheon in the back room all afternoon and evening. They'd started at 11, and there was still tons of food when I arrived. It felt like a dress rehearsal for Thursday! I had turkey (not much of it - by the time I got to it, it was really dry), baked ziti (pasta), a pile of sliced fresh broccoli and green peppers, chunks of fruit, a slice of carrot cake, and a slice of red velvet cake with thick cream cheese frosting from the bakery that was too rich for me to finish. I was so stuffed after eating a second plateful of veggies and meat that I had no need to go out to eat after my shift was over.

The hit of the party was one of the head front end manager's "white trash" - ie, Rice Chex mixed with powdered sugar, peanut butter, peanuts, and I believe M&Ms. Chex has a variation on this recipe (sans the peanuts and M&Ms) called "Muddy Buddies" at their site. Everyone kept eating tons of it, including me! The manager really turned a few customer's heads when she told people on the front end what she made for the luncheon, though! ;)

And speaking of Thursday, I did get Thanksgiving off. I also got Tuesday off, which is a very good thing. I'll have a lot to do that day, including returning DVDs and books to the Haddon Township Library and getting the Christmas cleaning started.

Out in the Sunshine

I had just enough time to get a pleasant walk in before work today. I worked at noon, the earliest I've gone to work in weeks. It was still really nice this morning, though a bit warmer than it has been. I strolled down Manor, then past the Oaklyn Library and up to the White Horse Pike and back down West Clinton. It wasn't too busy out. Most people are probably getting ready for Labor Day or their kids' return to school.

Work was quiet for most of the afternoon. It did pick up during the usual 4-6 rush hour, but it had calmed down enough by 6 for me to shut down and leave, despite my relief being the college kid who is always late coming in from his second job. I spent most of the day shelving candy.

The only major errand I got in today was picking up my contacts. They called me on Saturday and said they were in...but if I haven't been working late or busy, we've been pounded by hurricanes! I had debated eating out, but finally opted to just go home after I was finished.