Brave New Worlds

Got a quick start with breakfast and "Mr. Duck Steps Out." Donald wants to go on a date with Daisy, but his nephews want to go, too. He tries to distract them with ice cream, but they'd rather send a popping corn cob in his beak. Good thing this makes him a heck of a jitterbugger and Daisy thinks he's just creating a new dance. 

I got up early because a friend was helping me clear out that storage room in Lawnside and bring my remaining things here, and she could only get a truck from the Home Depot across from Extra Storage at 8 in the morning. We went in. I put in the deposit on the truck when they could get me to a card machine that worked. We went outside, climbed into a nice little truck, and drove across the street. 

It was so early, the office wasn't open yet. I'd talk to them later. For now, we removed everything that remained in the room, including the cassettes, the Star Wars action figures and shelf they hung on, my cookbooks and cake decorating books, the old dresser I used to use for storing small items like tape, and my pots and pans. I also finally found the fall wreath I'd been looking for. Clearing the entire room out and bringing it all home took a little over an hour. 

After we dropped off the truck, she drove me to Collingswood so I could take money out of PNC Bank to pay her. At least we could do that quick, too. There was no trouble on the road, no traffic anywhere, even in Lawnside. I was home by quarter of 10.

Spent the next hour shelving cookbooks while watching Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Jodi is upset when her mother goes away in "Jodi's Mama Travels for Work," like my sisters and I were when Dad had to go on long fishing trips in the 80's and 90's. Jodi is reminded that grown-ups will come back to you, just like we were. In this case, her mother left her a paper chain with links that lead to special surprises. "The Tiger Family Babysits" when Nana goes to the store. Jodi's toddler brothers Teddy and Leo are scared, but Daniel knows how to distract them.

Switched to The Busy World of Richard Scarry next. Huckle and Hilda are supposed to be "King and Queen for a Day" in the big parade. Hilda isn't happy with the rocket ship float Mr. Fix It insists on, and Huckle doesn't want to be caught in the middle. When he gets sick, it's Lowly who has to  show them how to compromise. A young pig is determined to show she can be a good cowgirl and lead "The Piggy Express" through rain, sleet, and heat. The hobos who live in town teach the kids that "Practice Makes Perfect" when they dig out their own records and find music they want to rehearse for the school recital.

Headed out shortly after 11. Took Uber to my first stop of the afternoon. I wanted to make sure everything was good at Extra Storage and they knew we were out. The cheerful girl at the counter in the main building said they figured it out when they saw I left the door to the storage room open as requested online and ended my account shortly after. I even got to keep the lock I used for the room. 

Thought it would be easier to let Uber pick me up at the Shop-Rite across the street, especially since I was going that way anyhow. Grabbed two bottles of Pepsi Wild Cherry and Cream Zero, then called the driver. The driver going to Somerdale came in 2 minutes; the one going to Lawnside arrived in 4. Once again, no trouble on the road. We were at Amy's Omlette House in 5 minutes.

They were a little busier, but it didn't take me long to get a seat. I enjoyed the "lite bites" pancakes so much the last time I had them, I tried another type of "lite bites" pancakes. Caramel Apple Pancakes were topped with sliced apples and drizzled with caramel. Think I tasted walnuts in the pancakes. Not bad. The apples were just sweet and tart enough, and their tartness helped make the caramel less overwhelmingly sweet. 

Hurried down the White Horse Pike back towards Magnolia after I ate. I mainly came that way to finally see Captain America: Brave New World. I wanted to last week when it came out, but I just didn't have the time. I slid into a full theater just as the commercials ended. I won't go into spoilers, but I did enjoy it. I always liked the Captain America films, and this one was no exception. Harrison Ford did especially well as the tough-guy president who is trying to make a peace treaty with Japan and get his hands on a new type of alien metal that has fallen to Earth, and he plays well off Anthony Mackie as the new Captain America. The politics may be murky and the plot is overly complicated and smacks of 70's-80's arms race paranoia, but this isn't bad, and is certainly better than the action film I saw last February, Argylle. 

I didn't figure it out until a teacher told me after the movie ended, but the reason the theater was full on a Tuesday afternoon was a middle school were there on a school trip. That was annoying. They talked noisily, left a mess all over, and the boys made inappropriate noises and jokes during quiet times. The kids were so obnoxious, three of the people sitting next to me got up and left with almost a half-hour before the movie ended. (And why the heck were they seeing a Marvel movie on a school day? Black History Month?)

Made a brief stop at Dollar Tree to buy a new comb (and make change for the bus), then went up the hill to Walmart. Didn't find a whole lot there. The TV sets that interested me had security locks on them, and there were almost no records left. I bought probiotic soda, Junkless granola bars, and disinfectant wipes. Went down to the White Horse Pike to pick up the bus after I finished. They were a little over 10 minutes late, not bad for the height of rush hour. I got home within 15 minutes. 

Soon as I got home, I went through more of the boxes, upstairs and down, trying to figure out what worked upstairs and what didn't. Cleared out a lot of stuff, from cassettes I'd since bought on CD or record to now-expired tea and spices. Moved the cassette shelves downstairs when the remaining cassettes and the player worked fine on one of the record crates. Moved pots and pans to a bin and brought the crate they were in upstairs to hold records. 

Watched Double Platinum while I worked. I go further into this TV movie from 1999 featuring Diana Ross and Brandy as an estranged mother and daughter at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Musicals On TV - Double Platinum 

Switched to Match Game Syndicated during dinner. I don't think putting Bob Barker next to Charlene Tilton was a smart move. He and Gene spent most of the week drooling over her. Meanwhile, Richard Deacon is more than happy to throw a little shade at Bob, while everyone else tosses it Gene and Brett's way.

Finished the night testing the cassette player with one of my last finds before I moved. I fished a 12-tape collection of oldies from 1993 out of the trash pile at Jodi's house. I don't know why she was throwing it away. Only the first tape is missing, and the rest work just fine. I went with Tape 7, which features lively dance numbers like "At the Hop" by Danny and the Juniors and sweeter ballads like "Take Good Care of My Baby" by Bobby Vee and "Since I Don't Have You" by the Skyliners. (Oh, and the cassette player works just fine.) 

Night of the Pink Pony

Began the morning with breakfast and a quick episode of Bluey. Bluey and Bingo are joined by fluffy Judo when they pretend to be "Butterflies." Judo, however, would rather play with Bluey and leave Bingo behind. Bingo is upset, until Bluey realizes how disappointed she is and returns to her. 

Overslept and was late getting out the door this morning. Of course, I took the bike, and of course, it started raining almost the moment I left. The heavy shower would continue in some form for the rest of the day. I barely got to work on time. We were busy when I arrived, but the weather cleared out a lot of customers, and it wasn't as bad later. I still had a hard time getting out to the carts. I was the only one there to do the trash, put away cold items, and clean up water overflowing from the drain in the women's bathroom.

Needless to say, I rushed home soon as I finished and used my online coupon for free sea-salt chocolate truffles. Watched Sale of the Century while I changed and had a snack. They were on the Pep Rally college student week. The one boy absolutely killed the girls, getting twice as much money as them and buying a really cool word processor. One of the girls did manage to win a Fame Game and pick up a bread maker that made her happy, but the other only got a little money. Though the boy did win a trip to Hawaii, he didn't do as well with the Bonus Game to pick up some money for it.

Switched to Thelma the Unicorn on Netflix while job hunting and making my bed. I go further into this Netflix animated film released on Friday about a horse who gets the stardom she craves when she's mistaken for a unicorn at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Animation Celebration Saturday - Thelma the Unicorn

My friend loved that heavy book shelf I gave her earlier this week so much and thought it looked so good in her living room, she gave me the smaller black shelf that used to be where the big one is now. I moved the children's records, cookbooks, and Star Wars and Indiana Jones paperbacks to the shelf and put the baskets of magazines on top of it. Moved the metal food shelf to the other side of the entertainment center. 

Watched The Wild Wild West while I worked. It's "The Night of the Dancing Death" in the first season when the Princess of Armenia is replaced by an impostor when Jim and Artie are supposed to be guarding her. Their attempt to figure out what happened to her leads them to the Camorra, a real-life criminal gang that dates back centuries in Italy and the Princess' brother Prince Gio Carlotica (Peter Mark Richman), who wants to rule in her place.

Listened to the first disc of the Judy Garland Quadromania Japanese set while working on the Thelma review. The first disc features songs from her early MGM films prior to and just after The Wizard of Oz, including "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart," "Embraceable You," "I'm Nobody's Baby," "Our Love Affair," and "It's a Great Day for the Irish." We also get some non-movie songs like "Stompin' at the Savoy" (I've never even heard lyrics to that one), "It Never Rains but It Pours,"  and two from Marx Brothers movies, "All God's Chillun Got Rhythm" and "Alone." 

Finished the night on YouTube with dinner and today's Match Game marathon. 1974 is when Match Game really began to pick up steam. It was already the most popular show in daytime as the year began. Some of its most famous episodes come from its second year on the air. In fact, the year began with two of the show's most memorable contestants, overly energetic Dorothy and squeaky-voiced Marlena, who was so thrilled after Morey Amsterdam helped her in the Head-to-Head, she lost her shoe giving him a hug! 

Other contestants were less scary. Cop CB Farnsworth did so well and was such a doll, Richard and Charles sang a song about him. Charles also got to help sweetheart Janet Finn become the top money-winner at that point, to the annoyance of the others when he dragged it out to the point of Janet nearly having a heart attack. Bert Reynolds made a cameo appearance later in the summer to say "hi" to Gene and promote his buddy Charles' appearance on the Tonys. 

Sometimes, things just got plain wild. There was the time Gene didn't like Elaine Joyce answering him in a question, so he undid the strings on her halter, to her surprise! That was the week with Don Adams trying to get Richard's seat and Charles running out and flashing his shirt to everyone. Or when Gene accidentally yanked soap star Trish Stewart off her seat! She took it well, but Brett and Kaye Stevens chewed him out for that one. Or at least two walk-outs, once when a contestant answered "boobs" during the week with Steve Allen, and another time when a misogynic answer sent Fannie, Brett, and Abby Dalton strolling out of the studio. Or the riot during the week with Jackie Joseph when the contestant answered "friend" and everyone said "girlfriend." 

There's more for you in '74! Come check out the antics fifty years ago on this hilarious marathon!

Match Game Saturday Classics - The Best of Match Game '74

Jazz On a Spring Afternoon

Slept in again, this time starting the late morning with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. "Goofy the Homemaker" wants to make a birdhouse for Baby Red Bird and his mommy. Trouble is, Pete is tired, and the noise with the building keeps interrupting his cat nap. His attempts to cool off or get back to sleep end up blowing down the house! Goofy and the others try their best to find a more stable building material for Baby Red Bird's new home.

Came in for the second half of Press Your Luck. In the first episode, the one guy finally beat the lady from yesterday, landing himself a pool table. The one lady in the next episode screamed so loudly when she got a trip to Paris, Peter Tomarken joked she broke all the lights at CBS. Alas, she hit a Whammy and lost her trip. (And screamed again.) A young man eventually won a speedboat, a trip to Tahiti, and a ton of money.

With the five-time winner having retired yesterday, the field at Split Second was wide open. The first episode came down to the ladies. The one man didn't get anywhere near them. The lady who won opted to continue into the next show to get the car. Alas, she lost to the one guy, who came from behind in the Countdown Round. He said he'd never been to the Bahamas and took the trip instead.

Watched part of Let's Make a Deal before I realized I'd already seen it and headed out for a walk after taking out the trash. I didn't get more than a block and a half before I saw some really nice furniture piled on the curb. I didn't need the pretty blue dresser, but the long, heavy shelves might work for books, or if I could turn it upwards, records. The gentleman was nice enough to help me get it home.

I left it on the porch as I went for my walk. By quarter of 3, it was cloudy, humid, and windy, though not cool like last week. I just strolled around the neighborhood and briefly in Newton Lake Park. It's gorgeous out there now. The roses have debuted, in brilliant shades of pink, red, and orange, and the azaleas are even prettier. Likely thanks to the rain we've had, everything is fresh and green. The leaves get bigger every day. I saw a few people out walking dogs and a mother playing with her tiny toddler daughter in their backyard.

I had a far harder time trying to get that shelf upstairs. It was just too darn big and heavy for me to deal with. After twenty minutes of pushing and pulling that left me with nothing but sore shoulders, I gave up and left it downstairs. I told a friend she could have it, sell it or use it in her own home. 

Spent the next few hours having lunch and watching La La Land. I go further into this hit love letter to jazz and classic musicals of the 50's and 60's at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

La La Land

Worked on writing for a while after the movie ended. The kindly old woman is Mother Nature. She knew Kathleen was going to come. She knows everything about the happenings on Earth. She also knows Kathleen is the only person who knows what Lady Jacqueline is up to, and thus, the only one who can stop her...

Broke for dinner at Match Game '77 at 7:30. Tom Poston, later of Newhart, and Mary Anne Mobley turned up in this episode. Betty ribs Richard in the opening for his crush on then-newscaster Connie Chung. Richard reminds Gene that while Gene is happily married, Richard himself was then single.

Finished the night with recently acquired jazz albums in honor of La La Land while I worked on writing that review. I'm so fond of Ray Conniff's bouncy version of "Younger Than Springtime" on my two Columbia spring records, I thought I'd try a full album with his orchestra. S'Marvelous is a collection of standards from not only the Gershwins, but also Jerome Kern, Rogers and Hart, and Cole Porter. We also get a nice version of the big band standard "Moonlight Serenade" and the then-film hit "Be My Love."

Stan Kenton is probably closer to what most people think of when they hear "traditional jazz." Back to Balboa has some lovely bluesy or rollicking songs that work with the island in southern California that give this album its name. "Rendezvous at Sunset" and "Out of This World" are especially lovely.

The Modern Jazz Quartet was known for their elegant, restrained sound, and we get that in The Modern Jazz Quartet Plays for Lovers. Their version of the classic ballad "All the Things You Are" in the opening is a delight. I also liked "All of You" and a medley of Gershwin songs on side 2.

(Oh, and it did finally start raining around 6 PM. It's been showering off and on since.)

It's a Wonderful World

Began a late morning with breakfast and Paw Patrol. "Pups Save the Easter Egg Hunt" when Mayor Goodway breaks her arm and can't decorate enough eggs in time. Alex has an extra big egg to decorate...one that turns out to belong to a bald eagle! She flies away with the eggs, Rocky, and Chickaletta, prompting the remaining Patrol pups to go after them.

Switched to Press Your Luck as I got organized. One guy just kept getting hit with Whammies in the first round. The lady and the bigger gentleman did much better. They were just starting the second round when I finally headed out.

Wanted to run to Dollar General for the last of my Easter shopping. Bought light-up bracelets for Olivia and Penny's Easter treat bags and a dinosaur-themed water bottle for Khai's, along with strawberry Jello mix for the cake I'm going to make later in the week. They had the Kind granola bars in again, so I grabbed a box.

Though it was a bit cloudy by the time I was out and about, it was also much warmer, probably into the upper 50's, and the wind had died down to a pleasant breeze. I was fine in a sweater and my light suede jacket. Celebrated the lovely spring weather with lunch at Phillies Phatties. All they had available were cheese and pepperoni pies, so that's what I had. Watched GMA3 on Channel 6 as I ate my slices and sipped a can of Diet Pepsi. Frankly, the dad who came in with the most adorable little girl who couldn't have been more than two was vastly more entertaining. 

I've been wanting to try Heartbeat Nutrition across the street again for a while, but they're only open from 11 to 2 on weekdays (and are closed Wednesday and Thursday). They focus on shakes, iced tea, and juice drinks made from the freshest and healthiest ingredients. I had an Irish Potato milkshake, which I believe was oat or nut milk with coconut, cinnamon, and coconut flavoring. Not bad. The nut milk made it slightly bland, but I love coconut in anything. They're expensive - the shake cost me $10 - but tasty. 

On my way down West Clinton, I saw a narrow white dresser with gray cloth drawers on the sidewalk. The cloth containers were pilled and ripped, but they could be replaced. The actual shelf was in perfect shape. I thought they'd be perfect to hold my socks, underthings, and pads and get the last-named off the floor in my bedroom. 

After I got home and organized my new dresser, I went downstairs to make my big Easter surprise. I thought I'd try my own version of the Acme's candy cookies with pastel M&Ms. I couldn't find the baking powder, so I hoped a tablespoon of Pepsi would give a similar lift and add a nice, sweet flavor. Oh yum! Must have worked, because these wound up being possibly the best cookies I ever made. They spread just enough, and were soft, chewy, and sweet. If it's not too warm for baking and I can find red, white, and blue M&Ms, maybe I'll do these for Memorial Day, too. 

After I loaded the cookies into bags for Easter, I went back upstairs to do job hunting and watch The Singing Nun. I go further into this semi-biography of the Belgian sister who became a sensation with her song "Dominique" at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

The Singing Nun

Switched to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse at Disney Plus after the movie ended. "Mickey's Springtime Surprise" is an egg hunt for all of his friends. Mickey and Minnie give clues that send the others off looking for eggs with decorations that match the shapes described. They have to watch out for Funny Bunny Pete, who is determined to snitch and hide their eggs.

Worked on writing for a while next. Kathleen is tired of winter. She's hoping to start making enough money to buy a home of her own once the weather improves. All of the homes in her town are taken or too expensive. Mrs. Rowland says she can stay there indefinitely, but she wants a place of her own. 

Broke for dinner and Match Game Syndicated at 7 PM. The next episode has an offensive answer and is now banned on regular television (though it is on YouTube), so Buzzr skipped to the one after that. We kick off with everyone being flummoxed after Mary Ann Mobley gives the obvious answer to "Chef __" on the Audience Match. Richard Kiel has the best - or at least the most creative - answer to who would make the biggest crater falling out of the sky.

Finished the night working on the review for The Singing Nun while listening to spring-themed records. There probably isn't a better time to listen to George Benson's gentle piano album Winter Into Spring than right now. The opening tracks "January Stars" and "February Sea" are especially pretty.

The Music of Spring is one of two early 60's Columbia Masterworks collections I have that are centered around spring-themed music. My favorite song here is the lively instrumental version of "Younger Than Springtime" by Ray Conniff and His Orchestra and Chorus. We also have a lovely "April In Paris" by Leslie Uggams, Jerry Vale's bouncy "Camelot," "The Sweetest Sounds" by Patti Page, and a charming "It's a Wonderful World" by Vic Damone. 

Safe at Home

Awoke to breakfast and a day that was sunny, but bitter cold and gale-force windy. It made riding to work more than a little difficult. At least the traffic wasn't bad anywhere, not even the Black Horse Pike. 

Work was only slightly busier than yesterday, despite it being Senior Discount Day. First of all, the weather deteriorated throughout the afternoon as thick dark clouds rumbled in. Second, I think a lot of people are either on vacation or did their shopping over the weekend before the holiday. Third, speaking of, we're now between holidays again. The next major holiday isn't for another three weeks. I had a long line once, and though it picked up later in the day, it never became overwhelming. We had more help this time, too. I was able to shut down with no trouble.

Made a quick stop on my way home to drop birthday cards for Rose and Khai in their mailbox. Khai's 12th birthday is today. I only hope Rose takes them. Rose's birthday was the 7th, but I didn't deliver it then because I had no idea what to say to her. I still don't. I love her, and she's my sister, but I don't love her current behavior. Shutting us out won't make me move to Cape May County or Mom take me in. It won't improve anything or get me help outside of the family. It'll just cut Rose off from people who could help her with her own problems.

Went straight home, just as rain started falling. Took my laundry downstairs first, then checked out a package for me. My big birthday present to myself arrived today. I ordered a small dark blue recliner from Amazon. It's built low to the ground and I think is actually intended for gamers, but that works with the small space I have. Took me a few minutes, but I did figure out how to pull it back, unlock it, and get it all the way down. It'll be great for Lauren's visit and when I'm worn out from an 8 1/2 hour shift and need to crash in front of the TV. 

Set it up, changed, and had a snack while watching They Learned About Women. I go further into this baseball musical from the early 30's at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Cult Flops - They Learned About Women

Worked on writing for a while after the movie ended. Richard leads the group through the dark, creaky hallway and up to the main castle. Turns out that yes, the Red King has taken it over. They'll have to be careful if they want to rescue the White King and Queen...

Broke for dinner at 6:30. Watched Match Game '77 while I ate. Gene gives the audience a scolding when they try to dissuade a contestant from answering "thunder and" to "__ Lightning" and it turned out to be the top answer. Richard has an easier time with "Route ___" in the Head-to-Head. Later, we're introduced to a junkyard owner with a very interesting sense of humor.

Cuddled in my new chair with my stuffed Mickey and Minnie while watching Match Game PM. This was the nighttime episode for the week with Minnie Pearl and Dick Smothers. Minnie wasn't the only southerner on the show that night, either. Fannie Flagg got to admire a handsome cowboy who showed up in full western regalia, up to and including a ten-gallon hat.

Finished the night online after a shower with The Love Boat. Isaac gets more "Crew Confessions" than he ever wanted when he writes a book and uses them as characters...and they're not happy at how he depicts them. A lovely passenger (Julie Neumayr) wonders "Haven't I Seen You?" when she mistakes a shoe salesman (Don Knotts) for a movie star. A French husband (Jean Pierre Aumont) and wife (Jane Wyatt) pair have a touching "Reunion" shipboard after being separated by World War II...but she soon realizes that he's not what he claims to be.

Movin' Out

Began the morning by calling out of work. Beyond having to move today, I'm not crazy about being stuck working nine days in a row again. I had to call twice because the manager wants to hear that 

with breakfast and the first episode of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. It's "Daniel's Birthday," and he's excited about the cake he helped decorate with Baker Aker. His delight turns to disappointed when he brings it home, and it's smushed. His dad helps him find something good about it anyway. Dan and his friends Miss Elaina and Prince Wednesday are excited about "Daniel's Picnic." First, their ball deflates...but it helps them discover a new game. Then they're chased inside by rain, but decide you can have a picnic inside, too. 

Put music on YouTube as I bustled around, trying to get everything done. Washed the dishes, then packed them. Threw anything that was still loose into boxes and taped them. Striped the sheets and bagged them and the remaining stuffed animals. Packed up the laptop and its accessories. 

I was still working when my neighbors arrived. One came earlier and swept around the front steps, so no one would slip. We started making piles of what would go into storage and what I wanted to take. There was no way around calling a storage facility. I wouldn't need my kitchen things in two small rooms, and my Christmas things wouldn't fit. (I did point out that we're close enough to Easter to bring my spring decorations bin, and I only have one small bag for the summer and patriotic decorations anyway.) Even the children of my neighbors next-door and across the street helped.

Kevin the mover and his partner arrived around quarter of 10. For slender guys, they sure were strong. They loaded everything I wanted to take into their big square truck. The little boys were fascinated by that truck, until they ran down the street to play other games. Jodie, her son TJ, and his husband Eric would take anything that didn't fit or wasn't needed to my new storage room in Lawnside later.

Yes, I now have a storage unit. It's the smallest one they have. This wasn't super-cheap, but it was also the closest option for storage. Most storage facilities in this area are in Cherry Hill or Maple Shade. My neighbor across the street helped me get through to them and sign everything. 

Melissa, Brittany, and I left Jodie waiting for her sons and followed Kevin and his truck to Cindy's. She was more than happy to chat with the ladies while Kevin and his friend did the lifting, with occasional help from me. (I do heft 35 count containers of bottled water for a living!)

It took almost over a hour and a half to get everything in. Thankfully, the desk did fit...but the futon did not. I finally decided not to keep it. My remaining furniture consisted of shelves, a table, and the long, narrow entertainment center and fit just fine. If anything, height was more of a question than getting them through the door. More than three-fourths of the boxes and bins wound up in the closet. 

I organized the spices while they finished. I took out some bottles she didn't have or only had small amounts of, like ginger and orange peel. Gave the rest to Kevin, who said he liked to cook, to thank him for doing so well (along with his regular pay). 

We went back over to Jodie's around 12:30. TJ and Eric only just arrived and finished loading the truck. Melissa, Brittany, and I took a quick side detour to Dollar General. We couldn't find a lock there, but we did get soda. I tried the new Coca Cola Starlight. I thought it tasted metallic...until I realized I grabbed the Coke Zero version instead of the regular. Oh well. I probably don't need that much sugar.

 It took us a while to get everyone going in the right direction, but we did manage to get there. The series of low white and green buildings were near the cemetery and Dunkin' Donuts. We stopped in to ask the young lady at the desk about getting in and if we needed a lock. They provided the locks, but I did need to get my number to open the gate from the information they sent me online. 

Turns out, I should have been more discriminate about who packed what and what they packed. I retrieved several items I knew would fit at the other house, including tea and bag of important folders I kept under my desk. I didn't want records in the small space I rented, because I wasn't sure they'd fit or survive being in a small cramped room. TJ and Eric said they'd keep the remaining box of records at their house outside of Philly until I was ready for them. 

Brittany and I stopped for Chick Fil'A on the way back to Oaklyn. I ate a grilled chicken sandwich while she took us to her house next-door to Jodie's. I went in to clear out the refrigerator. Some half-empty condiments I got rid of, but I did bring others, frozen and fresh vegetables, and the two packs of chicken. 

We were eventually joined by another neighbor, who offered to pick up my bike and go out to dinner with me. Everyone else had other plans. After briefly stopping so my neighbor could visit her feisty older mother, we went out to eat. We were going to invite everyone, but the others were all busy. Truth be told, I was tired of dealing with crowds anyway. I was fine treating my neighbor to a mararita and taco at Jalepeno's Bar and Grill. I had the same iced tea and veggie quesadilla as I did when Lauren ate there in September. We enjoyed our meal and marveled at the two enormous men who had six beers between them.

She finally dropped me off around quarter of 6. Having moved my things off of it, they deemed my old mattress too far gone and got rid of it.

After we took the mattress downstairs and my neighbor left, I made the bed, unloaded the stuffed animals, and went through the closet. I couldn't find my work lunch bag, and I needed it! It was the one thing I needed that I just couldn't find. Everything else missing reappeared. My neighbor threw the electrical safety strip into one of the entertainment center cabinets. I put the remote control for the TV in my purse so it wouldn't vanish. Unloaded a few boxes with questionable items, some of which should have been discarded, donated, or put in storage. Took more boxes to the bedroom. I went over every inch of that darn closet, and I just couldn't find it. I'll try again tomorrow.

It was so late by the time I got in the shower, I only had the time for a Match Game '76 episode before the Super Password premiere on YouTube. Talk show host Mike Douglas turned up in the opening, jokingly asking if he went in the wrong studio and congratulating the panel for the show being such a hit. Brett was delighted to have someone else around to flirt with. Gene wasn't as happy, though, adding to the gag by claiming Douglas hit him on the head. 

Out With the Old, In With the New

Had a quick start this morning with breakfast and one of the earliest episodes of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. "Prince Wednesday Finds a Way to Play" when Dan and Katerina are pretending to be parents with a sleeping baby and he wants to be a noisy dinosaur. Miss Elaina is excited about her backwards day with Dan and O the Owl. Dan loves it and joins in her backwards dances and games, but O prefers to stay front first. "Finding a Way to Play On Backwards Day" becomes even more important when the kids want to put on a backwards show, but O still insists on being forwards.

Rushed out to work as the cartoon ended. I bagged and pushed carts all day for the first time in over two weeks. As usual, it wasn't really bad until we hit the lunch crowd around noon - one o'clock. Then we were slammed and didn't have enough help. I kept ending up in a register when I was trying to push carts, sweep the store, gather trash, or do anything else. I never did get to the outside trash. 

There was a lot going on in the store today, too. New display cases were installed in the produce department and parts of the bakery. They look great, but they did take a while to refill and to uninstall the old ones. At least we had pizza and soda in the back room. It was cloudy when I went to work and flurried a little around noon, but the clouds started to break up shortly after.

Headed straight home after work. Changed and had a quick dinner while watching Match Game '78. Gene makes jokes about the audience standing in 110 degrees to get into the show in the opening. (Dang. I'd love it to be a bit warmer, but not that much!) They also make jokes about a champ who somehow has 15 children and how the two blondes and Raymond Burr on the lower tier take longer to answer a question than the notoriously slow Charles.

Finally got around to putting together my new computer chair during the second episode of Match Game '78 as Charles "attacked" the soldier who just got the Audience Match right and Match Game PM. It's the most basic Amazon chair and proved to be easy to put together...until it was time to screw the arms on the chair seat. I got them on wrong sides and had to switch them around. After that, there was no trouble. It was a little heavier than the old loose chair with the ripped pad Rose gave me a few years ago, but it rolled much better and had thicker padding. Put the old chair on the curb along with the trash; will probably be able to use the box it came in for moving.

Even Jodie was in a good mood. I heard her talking on the phone as I worked in the hall. (There's too many boxes anywhere else to put a chair together.) She has a new man in her life. I know I've heard a male voice over there lately. I think she says it's an old friend of Dad's. She saw three cardinals on her window this morning and took it as a sign that it's time for her to move on. I actually think that's really sweet, and I do hope her current relationship works out.

Finished out the night online after a shower with Stars Over Broadway. I go further into this dark musical drama with Pat O'Brian and opera tenor James Melton at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Stars Over Broadway

Mall In the Fall

Began a gorgeous morning with breakfast and Blockbusters.  The former member of the All-American Women's Baseball League just keeps striking out the competition. She easily got through a pair of brothers this morning, then beat the Gold Rush round after missing two in the beginning. Two sisters were her next challengers; she made short work of them as the episode ended.

Ran three cartoons on the Classic Cartoons Roku app as I got organized. "Small Fry" is a little fish who wants to be a big tuna amongst the local tough guys. They say he can be a "big fry" if he survives an initiation in a cave...but the scares among the coral prove to be more than he can handle. Mischievous toddler "Little Lambkins" loves living with his animal buddies in the country. He throws a tantrum when his parents insist on moving to a fancy new city apartment and finds a way to cross the wires and make them leave. "The Cobweb Hotel" is hardly the ideal honeymoon spot for insects. It's really a way for a spider to trap unsuspecting flies in his web. A fly couple have to find their way out, before they end up being his next meal.

Rose and Craig arrived on my doorstep just as I was about to grab my purse. Rose found a dresser for me a few days ago and wanted to bring it while she and Craig had the chance. It's a beauty, too. It's taller and slightly wider than my old one, but not that much. Unlike the plywood-and-plastic dresser I picked up from Manor Avenue, this one is all wood, with heavy metal handles and criss-cross carvings on the top two drawers. Rose and Craig didn't have the time to get it in all the way. They left it in the middle of my bedroom until they could come back and help me get it in on Sunday.

Left for the Cherry Hill Mall shortly after they headed out. As I did last month when I had my doctor's appointment, I opted to take Uber there and the bus back. Uber gets me faster (and likely safer in a pandemic), but the bus is cheaper (especially during rush hour). At any rate, the Uber driver was a pleasant fellow who played New Age music as we drove down the quiet highways, past a shopping center I'd never seen before, going the back way to the mall. He dropped me off near the back entrance to the Express clothing store.

I mainly went to the mall for clothes. More specifically, I went for bras. I didn't want to order them online. JCPenney's having a buy-one, get-one sale on bras. Got the two-for-one, plus a Platex and another brand. Also found a blue-print blouse for less than two dollars and a half-price pair of jean shorts. (My old jean shorts frayed on the underside.)

There wasn't really much I needed in the rest of the mall. Bought a cute flower-print blouse and a black t-shirt for my black cat costume at Old Navy. Found a pair of New Balance sneakers labeled as being 45 dollars at Famous Footwear; to my delight, they rang up $39.99. Peeked at Go! Games, The Disney Store, and GameStop, but found nothing of interest. Build-a-Bear is appointment-only and isn't allowing casual browsing at the moment.

Spent less than three hours at the mall. I arrived around 12:30 and was outside waiting for the bus by 2:30. The bus arrived right on time, and once again, there was no traffic anywhere, not even on Cuthbert or around the Garden State Plaza big-box mall.

Stopped at WaWa to do something for lunch. I probably could have eaten at the mall, but I wanted to be in and out. Not to mention, even if eating in restaurants were recommended at the moment, most of the food sold in malls tends to be of the junk food variety. I picked up a kale salad with sunflower seeds, chicken chunks, and cranberries and a French Toast Smoothie instead. (The latter really did taste like French toast, sweet and cinnamony.)

As soon as I got home, I dropped everything and headed for the garage. I gave up trying to get my bike seat back together yesterday after all the trouble it caused. Ironically, it took me less than ten minutes to get it all together and tightened today. I guess I needed time to calm down.

Had the salad for lunch while watching Tattletales. Gossip queen Rona Barrett and her husband were the big winners this time, despite everyone missing a question about half-way through involving how the women think the guys are like little boys. Press Your Luck was even more exciting. The two ladies dominated the game; in the end, the winner was a woman who had been on the show before, but lost due to technical difficulties. This time, she hit no Whammies and walked away with a stereo.

Rose told me to leave the dresser until Sunday, but...it took up a good chunk of the middle of the bedroom. There was no way I could leave it sitting there for five days. Though it made my bad arm sore and scratched the floor in front of the bedroom closet, I got it in the space and the old dresser outside. It looks so much better, and holds slightly more clothes, too. My dolls aren't bunched up on the top anymore.

Went into writing after that. The light from the princesses' magic and everyone's love not only destroys Malade, it restores the damage she and the others did to Password Palace, too. It also restores people - the trolls and demons are human again, and plants can grow in the courtyard rock garden. 

Broke for dinner at quarter of 7. Had a quick fruit smoothie and peanut butter-stuffed celery sticks while watching Match Game '74. Fannie Flagg, Adrianne Barbeau, and Bobby Van joined the regulars and Gary Burghoff for jokes about Fannie's "Mystery Guest" t-shirt. The Match Game PM episode was one of my favorites of the night-time shows. Puppets Kukla and Ollie became the first non-humans to appear on Match Game. Not only did Brett happily flirt with them, they got to witness a big 20,000 win with Eva Gabor.

Sale of the Century got almost as wild. The champ was ahead for most of the round, until she bought a beautiful amethyst necklace in the last Instant Bargain. It proved to be her undoing. She lost to the older woman challenger by two dollars. The lady won a trip to Jamaica on the prize board. She said she'd been there before, loved it, and would happily go again.

Finished the night after a shower with episodes from three Disney cartoon series of the 90's and early 2000's on Disney Plus. Recess involved the adventures of a band of typical misfits as they tried to make their outdoor activities at school even more fun. Vince, the group jock, claims "I Will Kick No More Forever" after one of the girls from the snobbish "Ashleys" clique out-kick him. His friends do everything they can to try and get his confidence back. The gang is convinced that a little kid eating a peanut butter sandwich and is hanging around them brings bad luck. They do everything they can to shake him, but "The Kid Came Back."

Tale Spin occasionally drifted into Indiana Jones territory, as in "Waiders of the Wost Twesure." Baloo the Bear competes with hippo pilot Plane Jane to see who can find the Wuby...uh, Ruby Wings belonging to Princess Grace of Walla Walla Bing Bang first. She needs to find them to claim her throne from the dastardly Prince Rudolph, who'll do whatever he can to stop the duo!

Darkwing Duck traded Indiana Jones adventures for satires of Batman and other deep-dark superhero stories of the early and mid 90's. Began with the first regular episode, "Beauty and the Beet." Dr. Reginald Bushroot was once a mild-mannered, plant-loving scientist who hoped merging ducks with plant-life would solve all the world's hunger problems. When his colleagues make fun of his theories, he tests them on himself, turning himself into a half-duck, half-plant mutant. Darkwing and Launchpad enter the scene after he attacks his former lab. Darkwing is hoping Bushroot's beautiful colleague will be able to talk some sense into him, but he'd rather try to turn her into a plant as well!

Too Hot to Handle

I'd been up for about ten minutes when the phone rang. It was Rose. She and Craig had finally gotten their extra furniture sorted enough for me to take a look at it. Did I want to come over after work? She'd even drive me to and from the Acme. Sure, why not? I was only working until noon, and I had no other plans.

She came around just as I'd finished breakfast. I'm giving her the other air conditioner that Dad and Jodie bought me last summer. It's no longer appropriate for my windows. (I need to figure out what to do with the smaller, older air conditioner, too.) I followed her as she carried it downstairs to her car. We talked about the heat and how to beat it; she said she'd tried that Turkey Hill Trio'politain Vanilla ice cream, too (and enjoyed it just as much as I did).

Maybe it's because I was in early, but work wasn't really that bad. I did spend a lot of time doing the carts...but they had a jug of water for baggers at the front desk, and I keep a bottle of water in my locker year-round, since I get thirsty riding my bike. I also rounded up the outside trash and shelved a full cart of loose items. By the time we were getting busier, I was on my way out. Rose and Khai had to do a little bit of grocery shopping anyway and picked me up just as I finished.

I changed into regular clothes as soon as I could get past Rose's miniature pincher Kelsey greeting me with barks and sniffing and into the bathroom. (Their other dog, Toby, sadly passed away about a week or two ago.) She had a lot of furniture she didn't want that she'd gotten from Mom or friends. That's perfect, because a lot of my furniture needs to be replaced. The metal frame on my day bed broke almost as soon as I put it together. I have crates holding up the broken bars right now. I've had my loveseat for a good 15 years. In fact, Rose gave it to me after she and her previous boyfriend moved to Audubon and couldn't use it anymore. I know I had it in my last year at Wildwood. My entertainment area coffee table was a crate.

We went upstairs and looked at a trundle fold-out day bed and a book shelf that was currently holding her older fantasy novels. I could definitely use the bookshelf. I need space for DVDs, CDs, and books. I'd like to take the trundle bed. If it can fit, it'll replace the loveseat. If not, it could replace the day bed...though I'd have to find something do with the frame, which is still in decent shape. A small, black-and-gray elliptical-shaped coffee table would be a great replacement for that crate.

Among the items in the basement were a wide metal bed frame, a microwave holding shelf, a small rolling cart, and several chairs. Not only was the metal frame too wide for my bed, but it was the same flimsy design I'd already broken. I might be able to use the microwave shelf and the chairs. I like my dining area table, but the chairs are already a bit wobbly. (She also showed me a table, but it was old and scratched. Nahh, I like mine better.) I don't have a microwave, but plenty of other things could fit there. I could get the popcorn maker and food processor off the shelf in the living room.

Rose gave me the small coffee table today, along with the pillow cases that match my new quilt and the coral red hand towel to go with the matching large towel. She helped me get the thin table up to my place, then measured where the love seat and bed are. (I also need to eventually replace the dresser and wardrobes. They came with the house and were likely cheap pieces Miss Ellie and her nephew bought before I moved in to make up for the lack of closet space. They're falling apart, especially the dresser. The McHughs want nothing to do with them.)

As soon as I got home, I did some organizing. The crocheting, coloring, and crossword puzzle books that were in the crate fit on the shelf under the coffee table. I was originally going to move the crate to where the small corner shelf is, but it was too big. It went next to the appliances and now holds oversized books on entertainment and media history and biographies of entertainers. The video games went where the media books used to be. Listened to the soundtrack of American Graffiti as I worked, and later as I had perfect blueberry pancakes for lunch.

Spent the rest of the afternoon trying to focus in my bedroom and write. Luke discovers a little old man with elf-like ears and greenish skin on the sidewalk. The old man insists he can help them find where they are and proceeds to make a mess of Luke's Corvette. He's had it up to here with this old fellow when Rudy comes back around, looking for Yoda...

(My apartment has been crazy-hot all day. Even the air conditioner going full-blast didn't do much. The heat is supposed to end tonight, so we'll see how things go.)

Broke for dinner around 5:30. Made a tasty scrambled eggs with broccoli, cheese, and mushrooms and turkey bacon. Enjoyed my tasty meal, then moved to Lego Star Wars. The "super stories" are all six rounds of each movie played one after the other, with no pieces or extras. You have to do it in under an hour and collect 100,000 studs while doing it. I completed Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones in under 40 minutes each and got more than enough studs by the half-way mark on both. This totally completes Phantom Menace; I won't need to go back there during this game.

Had less luck with the blue minkit challenges. Took too long on "Chancellor in Peril" and missed one darn piece on "Bounty Hunter Attack." I'll continue to work on them tomorrow.

Put on the original cast of the Broadway Lion King while I got organized and got online. I picked this one up on vacation in May and decided to save it for when the new movie came out. The Broadway show is mainly notable for it's famous pageantry and African-esque puppet-costumes, but it does have some great songs. A lot of the new numbers are taken directly from Hans Zimmer's wonderful African-inflected film score, including a great solo for the adult Simba, "Endless Night." They also used two of the best songs from the underrated "inspired by The Lion King" cassette Rhythm of the Pride Lands, "One By One" and "He Lives In You" (as "They Live In You"). Honestly, if you loved either version of the movie, I'd look this up, too. While the cast isn't as good as either film, they do very well with the material, and the old and new songs are enjoyable to hear.

Finished the night with the lower-key Rosemary Clooney. I totally forgot I picked up that 16 Most Requested Songs CD a while back. Indeed, among her "most requested" numbers are the hits "Come On 'a My House," "Mambo Italiano," "Tenderly," "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening," and "This Old House."

It's the Holiday Season

After I finished my blog entry last night, I went downstairs and had a nice, long talk with Mom. She and I were the only ones still awake at that point. Dad was snoring in front of the Seahawks-49ers game; the rest of the family went to bed. I wish I could have come down and visited with her in September, like I did last year, but everyone on the Cape May side of the family was busy. I'm lucky I got to see her now. She's still at the Cape May-Lewes Ferry, which runs limited day hours during the winter, but she did get Thanksgiving weekend off.

I went to bed around 12:30 and got up around 7. By the time I made it downstairs, everyone else was already there. Mom had sliced the Cranberry-Apple Bread and Pumpkin Bread, and there was leftover apple pie as well. I knew I should have left the Cranberry-Apple Bread in the oven longer. It wasn't quite cooked all the way through. Oh well, they still ate it. The Pumpkin came out perfectly, though. Between Keefe and me (and Anny later), most of that vanished pretty quickly.

Khai and I played with Duplos and Hot Wheels while watching Little Bear on Nick. Jr and letting the parents finish their coffee and tea. Some of the miniature cars and trucks in the boys' collection date back as far as 30 years. I saw a couple that belonged to Rose in the 80s, and quite a few that were Keefe's in the 90s and early 2000s. Khai was delighted by the unusual vehicles, especially the large trucks made to look like real Pepsi or Oreo trucks and the helicopters with propellers that really spun.

Anny arrived with her brood at 9:30. Craig, Keefe, and I were trying to show Khai how to play the XBox video game LEGO Marvel Super Heroes. We were supposed to be letting Mr. Fantastic (of the Fantastic Four) and Captain America chase Dr. Octopus through the Fantastic Four's headquarters and over to a hotel, but Khai wasn't having much luck. He's still a bit young to really get how to work the controls. Craig helped him while I took the Captain. We let Collyn and Skylar take over as we got ready to head home.

We finally left around quarter of 11. Once again, other than some very mild traffic around Deptford (probably because of the Black Friday sales at the Mall), there were no problems on the road. Khai and I played with his iPad briefly before we both passed out somewhere around Tuckahoe. I got up as we were turning onto the ramp into Mt. Ephram, but Khai was still out when we arrived at my apartment.

When I got in, I put everything away, then called Dad. He said he'd be able to corral Jodie's sons to deliver the furniture from her house today. He said to give him an hour - the boys and Jodie were still working on clearing things out at her house. I took down the Thanksgiving and general fall decorations, then took everything off the baker's rack and moved it outside to make room for the new hutch and dry sink.

I finally got bored waiting for Dad and walked over to his house around quarter of 2 to see if I could help. They were still waiting for Jodie's son T.J and a friend of his to arrive. They finally did a few minutes later. The boys loaded the hutch, bench, and dry sink into T.J's truck. Dad already had the computer chair in his van. We had a harder time unscrewing the CD player from the kitchen shelf it was under than getting anything outside. Dad couldn't find the drill at his house, so we had to do it by hand, and it took a while.

Jodie also gave me a small porcelain doll that was among the many knick-knacks she kept in her room. She's probably about 6 or 8 inches and is very sweet, with long golden curls and a pink lace dress and matching hat and shoes. Her head is really loose - I'll see if I can make her a scarf to help keep her head on. Her delicate pastel ensemble suggests spring, so I'll make her the Easter equivalent of Holly, my 6-inch Christmas porcelain doll.

After they helped me get everything upstairs, I grabbed my backpack and money and headed out. I really needed to eat and get a grocery trip in. I locked my bike at the Acme and just walked to Arby's. It was past 3:30 by then. Needless to say, they were quiet except for one older man and a mom and her two unruly boys. I ate my Philly Steak sandwich, Curly Fries, and Peach Brisk Tea quickly and quietly.

The Acme was also very quiet when I arrived. It's the day after Thanksgiving. This is the last day anyone wants to be thinking about food! I didn't need a lot, either. I was mainly there for skim milk, baking soda, and bananas. I also picked up one grapefruit, cranberries, chicken soup, canned apricots, two tins of fancy holiday tea for Christmas presents, and three DVDs. Two of those DVDs, Barbie In A Christmas Carol and the second Max & Ruby Halloween/fall themed set, Perfect Pumpkin, were for me. The third was another Christmas present, this one for Amanda. And of course, my Christmas tree would be needing candy canes on Monday.

Speaking of Monday, I have Monday and Tuesday off next week. Monday was a request - my friend Amanda is visiting from Vineland. Other than an unusually early day on Sunday, the rest of the week is all afternoon and evening work, perfectly normal for this time of year.

I spent the rest of the evening cleaning and organizing my new items. I quickly discovered that the hutch was fine where the baker's rack was, but the dry sink was too heavy and wide to work in the TV area. It did, however, very much resemble the dark antique dresser Rose gave me when I moved in. I use it for keeping various odds and ends like batteries, tools, and tacks. I removed two of the four heavy crates I was using for records and pushed the dresser over the remaining two. The dry sink went where the dresser was. The CD player and record player went on top of the dresser. My cookbooks all went in the hutch. Everything that was on top of the dresser went on top of the dry sink. The silverware and knives went in the dry sink's drawer. The rock and pop albums went in the large space on the bottom of the dry sink. The jazz, vocal, and nostalgia albums went in the crates under the dresser. The now-empty crates went in the TV area, one to be used as a coffee table, the other to hold books on media and media history. My crocheting books and bag of current projects went in the coffee table crate. The bench went in my bedroom and is now the home of my Disney Animator's Collection Toddlers Dolls, freeing up a shelf on the bookshelf where the Sailor Moon dolls are.

The only thing that didn't work out was the CD player. Jodie claimed it was still in good shape, but it just wouldn't work for me. It would start playing the first song, then get stuck and refuse to finish. It wouldn't fast-forward to the next song, either. I did move the old Emerson CD/cassette player to the TV area to replace the 30-year-old GE cassette player/radio I was using there. The radio still works on that, but the cassette player died at least five years ago. The cassette player and radio are fine on the Emerson, but the CD player skips. I'll just look into a new CD player for Christmas.

I first ran Barbie In A Christmas Carol while I moved furniture around. Barbie's second holiday tale adapts one of literature's most famous Christmas stories. Barbie tells her little sister Kelly the story of Eden Starling, a singing star who is the toast of Victorian London...but is also a spoiled diva who thinks nothing of keeping her supporting performers and her best friend at the theater for Christmas Day. A trio of (female) ghosts take her out on Christmas Eve to remind her of the importance of charity and goodwill.

Moved to another unusual version of A Christmas Carol while finishing the dusting and having a quick dinner of Thanksgiving leftovers and an apple. The Muppet's Christmas Carol came out in 1992, two years after the death of Jim Henson. The tumult hardly shows. This is one of the Muppets' best films, with an engaging score and a pitch-perfect performance by Michael Caine as Scrooge. Kermit is Bob Cratchit, Piggy is his outspoken wife, Fozzie is Fezziwig, Gonzo is the narrator, Kermit's nephew Robin is Tiny Tim, and Rizzo the Rat is mostly around for the food. Fans of the Muppets probably already have it in their collection; highly recommended for families and musical fans as well.

Last Call for the Fall Harvest

Started off another sunny, cold, windy morning with a couple of Christmas cartoons. Bugs Bunny's Christmas Tales is an anthology of three Chuck Jones shorts done directly for TV. The first is a condensed Christmas Carol with Yosemite Sam as Scrooge and Bugs as Nephew Fred. The second is a snow-themed Coyote/Roadrunner chase. The third has Taz in a Santa suit end up in Bugs' home on Christmas Eve.

Did a couple of Disney snow and Christmas-themed shorts next. "Once Upon a Wintertime" is a sweet featurette from one of Disney's 40s anthology movies. Two lovers and two rabbits have a scary adventure while out skating. "Santa's Workshop" and "The Night Before Christmas" tell just what Santa does before he heads out on Christmas Eve, and what happens when he arrives at the last house of his rounds. "On Ice" shows the Disney gang's ice skating and fishing fun...and how Mickey helps Donald out when his messing around with Pluto gets him into trouble. Donald has even more frozen trouble in "Donald's Snow Fight." When he ruins the Nephews' snowman, they decide that this means war! The ultimate snowball toss is on, but it may leave Donald with that sinking feeling.

Headed out to the last Collingswood Farm Market of the year around 9:30. They were very busy with people ignoring the cold long enough to buy their produce for Thanksgiving. It took me a while to find everything I wanted. More than half the booths were selling knit accessories and mosaic guitars instead of produce. There were enough booths left for me to buy grapefruit, a bag of baby spinach, cranberries for bread to bring to Mom's next week, broccoli, a small organic cauliflower (all of the non-organic cauliflower was way too big for me), and my favorite small apples.

When I got home, I switched to two winter-themed first season Sailor Moon episodes as I put everything away and got ready for work. Serena's feeling those "Ski Bunny Blues" when she finds herself competing against Raye in a skiing pageant at a major resort. The course gets a lot rougher than either imagined when it all turns out to be a Negaverse plot. And in "Ice Princess," Lita catches the eye of a handsome figure skater, which doesn't amuse his partner - or the Negaverse - one bit.

I left early for work. Today is the Acme's Thanksgiving Luncheon. They always have an enormous spread, and this year was no exception. I saw turkey with gravy, a green bean casserole, stuffing, macaroni and cheese, pasta salad, ham (brought by my manager Sam, which lead to lots of "Sam I Ham" jokes), meatballs, hot dogs and beans in barbecue sauce, corn, pretzels, and deviled eggs. Desserts included a big container of Lifesavers Wint-O-Mints and Hershey's mini-chocolates, two chocolate cakes, two fruit cheesecakes (blueberry and cherry), one plain cheesecake, pumpkin bread, butter thumbprint cookies with jam in the middles, chocolate chip cookies from the bakery, and my Apricot Honey Bread. I had turkey (salty but not bad), green bean casserole (delicious), mini Hershey's Special Dark bars (I love dark chocolate), the corn (pretty basic defrosted frozen corn, but I wanted a vegetable that wasn't drowning in mushroom soup), and two deviled eggs. Tried the thumbprint cookies later (crunchy with a sticky jam middle - not bad).

Work actually wasn't bad when I got in. It was on-and-off steady through about 2:30-3 PM, after which things picked up considerably. Other than I had one of those people who somehow think they can buy 150 dollars worth of groceries with a 90 dollar budget and held up the line putting it all back, there were no major problems. It was slowing down a little when I hurried out.

I called Dad earlier in the day. He said last week that Jodie is finally moving in with him. With her son and his girlfriend taking the apartment attached to Dad's house, Jodie's selling her house and getting rid of most of her furnishings and dishes. I rode over to Dad's as soon as I got home and got changed. When I arrived, he and Jodie took me a few doors down to Jodie's old house.

I ended up with a tall, slender wood hutch that Jodie's dad made himself, a "dry sink" (a counter with shelves and drawers under it intended to be used in the kitchen), a beautiful bench, some Christmas-themed dishes, and a computer chair that was Dad's. The hutch and dry sink will replace the baker's rack in my living room. The baker's rack is a cheap piece I picked up from the Ames in North Cape May shortly before they went out of business, probably about 12 years ago. The bottom of the drawer I use for silverware has been popping out for ages, and it really doesn't have the room for all of my cookbooks.

The bench will hold my AG and Disney Toddler dolls, and possibly some of the smaller stuffed animals currently on my bed. I've been looking for a bench or a chair for them at yard sales for years. It'll free up a shelf for books or smaller dolls and allow me to find another place for the AG bed besides in front of mine.

The computer chair in my bedroom is shot. Rose and Craig bought it from Wal-Mart as a homecoming present a few days after I moved here in February 2006. While it still rolls pretty well, the lining on the chair part is ripped so badly, I can't sit on it anymore. I have thick towels over the seat so I can actually sit in it. It's also too big for my current roll-top desk. Doesn't really fit around it at all.

It was sprinkling when we went to Jodie's. By the time I headed home, the rain was gone, allowing me to get back dry. When I got in, I decided to try a project. I never liked the red stained wood IKEA shelf in the music area. The one in the entertainment area next to the TV is fine. It holds my movie and animation books and acts as a stand for the DVD recorder. The one in the music area did hold my music, stage, and radio history books...but it also didn't work with records. I need more record storage. I finally moved the IKEA shelf to the entertainment area, along with the music and radio books. It'll probably be moved again when the dry sink comes, but it's ok next to the baker's rack for now. The crates that were on top of it and next to it now replace it in the music area. I like that much better. More room, less fuss.

Ran the 1957 version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella while I organized, and later as I ate the last of the leftover chicken soup for dinner. This was the duo's only venture into TV musicals. Other than the fairy godmother (Edie Adams) is a bit younger than in most retellings, this is a pretty straightforward fairy tale. The title lass (Julie Andrews) wants to go to the ball and meet Prince Christopher (Jon Cypher), but her stepmother (Ilka Chase) and stepsisters (Kaye Ballard and Alice Ghostly) insist this is impossible. Maybe not so impossible, as her fairy godmother reminds her. Will all her dreams come true...or will it all end by the stroke of midnight?

The version you end up with depends on what cast you prefer, and whether or not pictorial quality is an issue. The ladies here are the winners - Andrews (coming off her long-running stint in My Fair Lady on Broadway) simply glows as Cinderella. However, this was originally a one-time-only live broadcast. It was considered lost before a kinetoscope of a technical rehearsal was found in the early 2000s, which means that the picture is less than stellar and often blurry. What's there is frequently enchanting, though, especially a vibrant "A Lovely Night."

Incidentally, if you enjoy this, there's two more TV versions (with Leslie Ann Warren in 1965 and Brandy in 1997) and a stage version that'll be on Broadway until January. No two are exactly alike. The 60s version added one more song for the Prince; the 90s one threw in a Rodgers and Hart number for the Stepmother and a song by Rodgers alone for Cinderella.

Bad Bed Break

Began today at work. Today was the first of my two 8AM shifts in a row. It was cloudy and very humid when I got in, though not really all that hot. That could be why we were very busy later on. It's also the beginning of the month; we were overwhelmed with people who only get their money now. One woman gave me and a manger trouble over the 3 for $12 soda deal (you can't mix brands, even if they're sitting next to each other on the shelves). Another wasn't organized with her WIC Checks and held up a long line. And a family bought tons and tons of junky cereal, Pop Tarts, and soda just so they could use piles of coupons. (I've said this before and I'll say it again - please limit your coupon use. Buy food that's good for you and on sale instead of wasting coupons on junk.)

There was another reason we were busy. We're having huge sales this week; if you buy certain items, you can get 3 dollars off your order. I bought sponges, two bottles of Poland Spring Sparkling Water, Haagen Daz Coffee Frozen Yogurt as an extra-special treat, and a box of Pillsbury Cake Mix. Used up both my laundry detergent and dryer sheets this week. Acme's generic brand dryer sheets are a dollar for a 40 count box. All was on a really good sale.

My schedule for next week is very busy! On one hand, while my hours are still early, they're not quite as early as this week's were. On the other hand, I only have one day off, and it's my requested day off for counseling. Maybe it's just as well. I've been doing a lot of traveling and shopping around, and it sounds like the weather next week isn't going to be great, anyway. I'll spend it cleaning and catching up on chores.

When I got home, I spent most of the next two hours wrestling with my bed. One of the bars on the bed frame broke this morning! Only one side was still on. I don't know how it happened. This isn't an old bed. I was so angry and frustrated. I tried everything to fix it. I duct taped it; it just came apart. I stacked luggage under it - it was too big. I shoved a plastic container and those leftover boards I stubbed my toe on last month under it. The boards seemed to work ok, but the top of the container was too flimsy and sounded like it was breaking. I replaced it with the blue milk crate I was using as a coffee table in the TV area and slid one of the boards under the mattress; the other boards went on top of the crate. Hopefully, this will work better.

I ran a few movies as I had "fish and chips" (salmon and potatoes in red wine vinegar sauce) for dinner and watched a few movies. Flying Wild is another East Side Kids title. Most of the kids are working on an air field, except for Mugs, who just won't work. Mugs suspects a doctor who owns a flying ambulance of being a saboteur, especially after he and his buddy Danny are attacked. He changes his mind when one of the boys (David Gorcey) needs an operation and has to be flown there...but when there's a near-crash, his hackles are raised again. He finally substitutes Danny for one of the men in an attempt to find out where the saboteurs' hideout is.

Mississippi is one of Bing Crosby's most unusual musicals. He's a young man from Philadelphia living in the Deep South in the 1850s who is about to wed a beautiful southern belle (Gail Patrick)...until he refuses to fight for her honor, and she calls off the wedding. Thrown out of the family, he joins a traveling river boat troupe run by the story-telling captain (W.C Fields) and his daughter (Queenie Smith). The captain promotes him as "The Singing Killer" when he accidentally takes a man's life during a fracas. While this lifts his estimation in the eyes of the south, his former fiancee's sister (Joan Bennett) is shocked. She loved him he way he was, no matter how different. Now he has to prove to both women that he's man enough to fight for them.

It was a nice try at a Show Boat-esque southern epic, but Crosby, Bennett, and Patrick are all miscast as citizens of the Old South. Fields is a little better with some nice comedy routines, including a poker game that everyone cheats on. This movie's notions of the importance of fighting for one's honor may not sit well with many people today...and it's lax treatment of its black and Native American characters definitely won't. Despite a nice score by Rodgers and Hart that includes the standard "It's Easy to Remember," this is for fans of Crosby or Fields only.

Beauty and the Shelf

Started today with this week's American Top 40. Casey dropped back two years to August 1977. Disco was just emerging as king of the late 70s music scene that summer, joined by pop, R&B, and hard rock. Hits included "You and Me" by Alice Cooper, "Don't Stop" by Fleetwood Mac, James Taylor's version of "Handyman," "Higher and Higher" by Rita Coolidge, "Looks Like We've Made It" by Barry Manilow, "Undercover Angel" by Alan O'Day, and "My Heart Belongs to Me" by Barbara Streisand.

I hadn't expected to hit any yard sales today...but there ended up being two of them minutes of my apartment in Oaklyn. Found a very nice folding shelf at a sale on West Cedar for five dollars. It was a bit awkward riding with it on my bike, so I took it home, left it on my steps, and went back out. My finds at West Oakland, a few doors down from the WaWa, were a bit easier to carry - the DVD for Barbie and the Magic of the Pegasus and a cute Belle toddler doll who needed a little TLC. She's not from the Animator's Collection line, but even with a dirty face, torn stockings, and badly matted hair, she was still darling...and only a dollar. (She has rather pretty olive-green eyes. I always thought Belle's eyes were brown, but I like my Belle's eyes, too.)

Made a quick stop at the bank to deposit my paycheck next, then rode on to the Farm Market. Raspberries, blueberries, and those little cantaloupes are gone, but just about everything else is out in full force. The crowds were, too. It was packed when I arrived around 10:30. I managed to squeeze through long enough to grab corn, white peaches, tiny Pristine apples, a heirloom tomato, a pint of mixed cherry-sized tomatoes in various colors, plums, Chinese beans, an orange and a green-red pepper, and a ball-shaped lavender eggplant.

I saw no other yard sales, and I didn't have much money left anyway, so I went straight home. I put my produce away, then spent an hour and a half organizing my new finds. I moved the children's books and comic books to the new shelf, weeded out my comic books, moved the Care Bears to the shelf across from my bed, and put all of the crates but one out in the music area to hold records. (I may move one crate back, though.)

Ran The Outlaws Is Coming! and more Stooges shorts as I organized. Outlaws is the last of the Stooges movies of the 60s. This time, the Stooges are printers' assistants going out west with a young editor (Adam West of the 60s Batman fame) to find out what's happening to the buffalo herds. If the buffalo disappears, the Indians will go to war against the US Calvary! The quartet discover that a dastardly local criminal and his band of gunslingers (all of them played by kids' TV hosts who ran Stooges shorts on their programs, including Philadelphia favorite Sally Starr as Belle Starr) are driving the buffalo away and selling rifles to the Natives. While West pursues sharpshooter Annie Oakley (Nancy Hovick), the Stooges try to stop the ruthless killers and turn them to the right side of the law.

If you have fond memories of any of the "gunslingers" or are a fan of western spoofs, try this one on for size. It's much better than the so-so Around the World In a Daze. West is probably less stiff here than he was in Batman; Hovick and the "gunslingers" are having a ball. You're still better off going to the shorts first, but if you want to see what they did after the shorts petered out, this is probably the best place to start.

The shorts I watched during a leftovers lunch were, to put it kindly, a mixed bag. Most of them, like Up In Daisy's Penthouse, were remakes of older shorts (this one was reworked from Curly's Three Dumb Clucks). Of the totally new material, my favorites were Three Dark Horses, a hilarious political spoof, and the very strange Cuckoo on a Choo-Choo. Shemp is a drunk who hallucinates giant canaries, Larry's a noisy lout, and Moe's hot on the trail of both and their lady friends as they hide out in a stolen train car. Larry put in what was probably his best performance; he really threw himself into that Marlon Brando impression. Shemp has a lot of fun with his drunk routines, too.

I worked on cleaning Belle up before lunch. I dropped her dress in the laundry basket; that will be washed Monday with my clothes. I easily washed her dusty face and body. It was her hair that I couldn't figure out. I used tons of conditioner, and it remained a tangled mop. She's drying in the shower now. I'll see what I can do about her hair tomorrow.

I had customer problems at work. One of the older women who order you to bag the moment they see you without even a "How do you do?" threw a fit when I said "Hello, may I have your card?" over her demands. She shouldn't have been rude...or accused me of having a bad attitude! I got very upset, and despite my profuse apologies, she complained to the manager. The manager didn't take her seriously. Apparently, that same woman comes in every Saturday evening and always causes trouble for somebody. Last week, she fussed to him that he should lower a price for her when the price was as low as it could be made...and she whined that she would complain about him!

We were actually pretty busy tonight. Not a good thing; we were also short-handed. The guy who was supposed to work late called out. One of the college students took over for him, but that meant he was alone. A manager came in for me so I could get out at a decent time.

Bedroom Shuffle

I spent most of the day trying to re-organize the furniture in my bedroom. My new bookshelf couldn't go against the back wall anymore, thanks to my bed. I didn't want it against the heater, and putting it next to the desk would block the windows overlooking the porch. I tried moving the dresser next to the standing closets and putting the Ikea shelves where they were, but the dresser is just too big. It's a cheap, heavy piece that came with the apartment. I never liked it. It takes up too much room, and it hasn't held up well over the years. I may ask Andrew and Linda if they want it and see if I can find something inexpensive from a yard sale, like I did with my bed and roll-top desk.

I did get a few things figured out. I've decided to get rid of most of my Star Wars books. I still like the movies, and my action figures are collectibles and don't take up a lot of room. I haven't read any of the books in years, though. I kept a few of the older ones (and may get rid of those eventually) and put the rest aside to donate to the libraries. The dark green crate that held the books was moved into the living room to store records. I moved the small shelf with various collectible toys next to the dresser, but I may swap it with the AG dolls' bed tomorrow.

It took me so long to move everything around, I didn't get to lunch until 3 or the laundromat until 3:30...and I had to work at 5. Bad idea. It was busy as heck in there, with lots of people doing laundry after work or classes. I barely got a washer. Thankfully, I had an easier time with the driers. That still didn't leave me much time. I rushed home, went through my laundry bag for my newly-cleaned uniform, quickly threw ham in a container, a bag of trail mix, and a banana into my lunch bag, and rushed to work.

Work was surprisingly busy for late on a Monday. We're getting through the last of the beginning-of-the-month people. It didn't really calm down until almost 9PM. Thankfully, I was able to shut down easily.

My original plan for tomorrow was to hit the gym and go to Haddon Township and Oaklyn Libraries Wednesday, but it turns out that the Camden County Library System will be closed on Wednesday for their staff in-service. No matter - I just swapped days. I'll do the libraries tomorrow and save the gym for Wednesday.

Putting It Together

Before I started in on my bed, I did have Strawberry Multi-Grain Pancakes for breakfast while listening to Brunch With the Beatles. "Award Winning Beatles Songs" was the theme today. Grammy winning Beatles songs include "Hey Jude," "A Hard Day's Night," "Eleanor Rigby," and "Sgt. Pepper"'s title song and "With a Little Help From My Friends."

Had a quick chat with Mom during the Beatles show. She'd just gotten out of the shower and obviously wanted to get dressed and moving on her errands. Like me, she plans on spending her week working outside once Mother Nature calms down.

I spent the next two hours putting my new bed together. It's pretty big for a daybed, and very heavy! I had to move my new bookshelf, the phone stand, and the crate I use for a nightstand away from the back wall. I used to have just the front of the mattress and box spring against the wall, with the rest jutting out into the room. With the closets taking up one wall and the heater along the other, there just isn't anywhere else I could put it. I moved the stuffed animals into the back room while I worked; the AG dolls and Disney Animator's Collection girls watched me from my desk chair.

As it turned out, the bed came with everything but one screw and directions. I keep screws and nuts leftover from previous projects in an old plastic butter container in the antique dresser in the living room. The last section of the head board was put together with a golden piece from I believe one of the Ikea shelves. I call it "The Golden Spike." (I think it actually worked better than the ones they provided.)

The lack of directions was a problem. It took me at least ten minutes to figure out that the nuts were to help the screws stay in the holes. There was also the fact I was doing this alone. I had no one to hold up the metal bed frame so it would stay in place. I eventually used the nightstand and another crate for that job.

It took me so long to figure everything out, after I was finished and the sheet was on, I had twenty minutes to eat lunch, pack dinner, change, and head to work! I managed to make it only slightly late and with no injuries this time. Work was busy when I came in. In addition to the beginning of the month and many barbecues and birthday parties, it was a big sports day. The Sixers played even as I arrived; they ultimately beat the Bulls 89-82. The Phillies played while I was at work, and the Flyers started as I was heading home at 7:30.

I finished putting the sheets, comforter, and stuffed animals on my new bed when I got in. It is so much easier to make an actual bed than it is a mattress and a box spring! With the mattress not jammed between the crate and the phone stand anymore, I can actually get the sheets and blanket on without a struggle. I moved the old mattress and box spring and the phone stand to the porch; they'll be taken downstairs later in the week for trash removal. The phone stand is one of the cheap furniture pieces I picked up from Ames when I first moved to Wildwood in 2002. Not only has it always been a little wobbly, I didn't do a great job of constructing it and actually chipped one side when I was screwing the parts together. (In my defense, I wasn't feeling well at the time. I called out the next day with a nasty flu bug.) The phone is now on the crate nightstand.

All of my stuffed animals fit on the day bed, including the dolls. Good thing, because I haven't figured out where to put their bed yet. That and the bookshelf will be organized tomorrow.

Oh, and while the Phillies blasted the Washington Nationals 9-3, the Flyers lost to the New Jersey Devils 4-2. The latter had better get their rears in gear before their eliminated from the playoffs...

The Farm Market's Back In Town

Busy, busy day today. I awoke to cloudy, warm, humid skies and a low, misty gray fog. No matter; I had things to do, beginning with lots of yard sales and the annual return of the Collingswood Farm Market.

Started off with Chocolate Mint Muffins and a tangelo for breakfast as I listened to this week's American Top 40 re-run. Casey took us to early May 1985 with an explosion of pop, soul, power ballads, and synthesizer music. Among the songs on the hit parade this week were "I'm On Fire" by Bruce Springsteen, "Crazy for You" by Madonna, "Smooth Operator" by Charday, "Some Like It Hot" by Power Station, "Don't You (Forget About Me)" by Simple Minds, "Night Shift" by the Commodores, and "All She Wants to Do Is Dance" by Don Henley.

The number #1 hit that week was one of several popular 80s singles created for a charitable cause. "We are the World" was recorded by a group of 45 major artists; the money from the single was donated to ending world hunger. I was 6 years old when this came out, and I remember how huge it was. The radio played it constantly, and the video got a lot of airplay on MTV, too.

Headed out around 9:30. My first stop was East Clinton Avenue a few blocks from PNC Bank in Oaklyn. They're having their twice-a-year street-wide yard sale today. I found two DVDs and three CDs at four different sales. The movies were Samantha: An American Girl Holiday (I've seen it - not great, but I own the doll, and it is a cute semi-Christmas-related tale) and the 1999 version of The Thomas Crown Affair with Pierce Bronsonan and Renee Russo. (Also seen it - I rented it on a boring afternoon in the summer of 2000 - and I did enjoy it. It's one of those things I'd been meaning to pick up but just hadn't gotten around to.) Thomas Crown Affair was still in its plastic! The lady who sold it said she just hadn't gotten around to watching it and figured she never would.
The CDs were:

Rod Stewart - The Great American Songbook III (Which, for some reason, was in the case for the second volume)

Classic Crooners Vol. II (Collection of songs from 30s and 40s "crooners" like Bing Crosby and Perry Como)

Tony Orlando & Dawn - Candida/Knock Three Times

Stopped at a few more yard sales after leaving East Clinton, but I didn't find anything interesting and moved on to the Farm Market. Calling the Farm Market "packed" was a tremendous understatement. I could barely move on those two blocks, they were so busy! People were elbow-to-elbow, buying fruit, vegetables, dairy, and bread for their barbecues and sports and birthday parties. Alas, there isn't much fruit out right now...but thanks to our warm winter, the vegetables are nice and green. I ended up with strawberries, spinach, garlic, the little brown mushrooms I like from the mushroom sellers, fat green beans, a jar of Strawberry-Raspberry Fruit Butter from the orchard booth, and Colby cheese from the dairy farm. I also bought a small jar of Plum Butter for a birthday present for my Uncle Ken.

I rode up to Mansion Avenue, near the Haddon Township High School, to look at two more yard sales. One had nothing of interest...but the other had a pile of vintage young adult books for a mere 50 cents each! In addition to a few adult titles like When Knighthood Was In Flower and Monsieur Beaucaire, there were all kinds of books from kids' series like The Campfire Girls and The Rover Boys. I chose a series I knew from my friend Linda, who had enjoyed it as a child - the tales of typical 50s teen Donna Parker. According to Linda's site on Donna, I found the first four books in the series - At Cherrydale, On Her Own, A Spring to Remember, and Special Agent.

I rode back to Oaklyn, my backpack now heavy with CDs and musty books. Shortly after I got home last night, Jodie called me and invited me to Dad's brother Ken's 75th birthday party. It was to begin at 1, so I stopped in around noon to see if I could help out. Dad, Jodie, and Uncle Ken were the only ones at home at that point, though, and they seemed to be doing fine. I figured I'd haul my finds and farm market wares home, change into my uniform, and spend an hour at Uncle Ken's before work.

There was another yard sale a few blocks down from Uncle Ken's on Reading. I couldn't resist taking a look, especially when I saw the large sign on the beautiful wood-and-brass ends of a daybed. I've always wanted a daybed, and the sign said it cost 75 dollars! Actually, I need a new bed, period. Right now, I sleep on the same mattress and box spring I've had since I was about 10 years old, with no frame. The woman said they had the whole bed, including mattress, and it had barely been used. I hardly had 75 dollars on me at that point. I rode over to PNC to get the money. Thank heavens they now close at 1PM on Saturday, instead of noon! I was able to quickly retrieve the cash from a teller. The woman said she'd deliver it to my front porch as soon as her yard sale ended around 2:30. I'd pick it up when I got home from work.

After all that, I hurried home, put everything away, changed into my work pants (I'd put on my uniform shirt later), and returned to Uncle Ken's. There were plenty of things to eat, huge platters of chocolate covered pretzels, soft pretzel sticks, chicken nuggets with ranch dressing, a bowl of chips, small hoagies in every flavor imaginable, including vegetable, a fruit basket from Edible Arrangements (the same people Lauren bought a fruit basket for me from a few Christmases ago), and at least six or seven different kinds of dip. I brought some farm-market fresh strawberries and cut them up for guests, too.

I wish I didn't have to leave just as many of the guests, including Dolores' grandchildren and my new landpeople Andrew and Linda, were arriving, but I had work. I changed into my uniform shirt and hurried out. I wasn't watching where I was going on the turn onto the ramp that leads into Oaklyn and had to stop fast to avoid a car. The handlebars of the bike jammed into my stomach. Ouch! Nothing's permanently damaged, but I have such a nasty red-and-purple bruise on my stomach now, I couldn't lean on it all evening.

Work was very busy up until about 6:30, which was hardly surprising. First and foremost, it's the beginning of the month. Second, there's all those barbecues and birthday parties I mentioned earlier. Third, today is Cinco Del Mayo. Fourth, there's a lot of sports going on this weekend, too. The Kentucky Derby was this afternoon (they were running it in the back room), the Sixers have a playoff game today, and the Flyers play tomorrow. Thank heavens the kid who works in the back came in for me. I needed to buy all the fruit I couldn't find at the Farm Market - grapefruit, pears, and bananas, plus the onion I forgot.

There were shadowy, boxy forms sitting on the porch when I got back. Yes, the new daybed had been delivered, mattress, frame, and all! I did have to drag the whole thing upstairs myself. I didn't know how heavy a wood-and-brass bed could be. I've never bought a bed for myself in my entire life! I've slept on a mattress and box spring on the floor for seven years. Before that, I borrowed a simple metal frame from my landlady in Wildwood. Just dragging that whole thing upstairs wore me out! Whew! I'll put it together tomorrow before work.

A View to a Sell

The sun was still out when I awoke this morning. There were clouds on the horizon, but they weren't really anything threatening yet. They kept at bay as I put on today's American Top 40 re-run. Casey took us into 1980 as disco ended its run and New Wave, country, and British supergroups dominated a troubled year. Among that week's hits were "Another Brick In the Wall" by Pink Floyd, "You May Be Right" by Billy Joel, "Too Hot" by Kool & the Gang, and two classic duets, "Don't Fall In Love With a Dreamer" by Kenny Rogers and Kim Carnes, and "With You I'm Born Again" by Billy Preston and Serena. (The latter was a favorite of mine during my early childhood. I thought it was one of the most romantic songs in the universe.)

Blondie continue their dominance of the charts in the late 70s and early 80s with the week's number one song, one of their biggest hits, "Call Me."

I headed out as soon as I pumped up my tires. Made a very quick stop at a very quiet bank, then headed down the White Horse Pike to Audubon. They're having their town-wide yard sale this week. I did a little better than last week, if not as well as at last year's spring sales.

Found six videos to dub onto DVD - the 1933 Little Women with Katherine Hepburn (which I've never seen before - I've seen the June Allyson one from 1949, and I have the recent one with Winona Ryder), The Little Drummer Boy Book II (one of the few major Rankin-Bass specials that still isn't on DVD), Forest Gump, the animated Charlotte's Web from the 70s, and two James Bond movies, Goldeneye and A View to a Kill. Also picked up the romantic comedy-drama Waitress on DVD.

I didn't find any records until I was on my way back home. A fellow on Maple had two boxes of really interesting titles. I ended up with:

Paul Simon - Still Crazy After All of These Years

The Temptations - Cloud Nine

The original Broadway casts for Evita (a rather appropriate find; it's being revived on Broadway as I type this) and The King and I

The soundtrack for Superman: The Movie

I stopped at another sale as I was leaving Audubon and heading for Nicholson Road. They had several intriguing wooden items for sale, including another heart cut-out shelf like the two I had at home. I thought I might be able to use it, and it was only three dollars, so I piled it onto the bike basket and rode back to my place.

I had enough time when I got home to load books onto the new bookshelf. I finally moved the Effanbee dolls to the top of the closets, where the other Effanbee dolls and collectible toys are. The new bookshelf now holds children's books - hardbacks, paperbacks, and anything related to the various American Girl historical series. The only children's books I weren't able to move were the oversized picture books. They'll stay on the bottom of the smaller Ikea shelf, mainly because I can't fit them anywhere else. The comic books and Care Bears stay on the tower of wooden crates next to my desk, between the bedroom windows that overlook the porch.

(Still haven't found something to do with the shelf I bought today, though. We'll figure that out tomorrow.)

I barely had enough time for a leftovers lunch and change and hurry off to work! By this point, the wind had really picked up, and the clouds were far more threatening than they had been while I was exploring Audubon. That, and the end of the Town-Wide Yard Sale, may have been why we were off and on busy all evening. Good thing we were in an "off" spell when I finished. My relief was the boy who is always late coming from his second job. I was able to buy milk and head home. Big, fat raindrops started coming down as I headed down Kendall, but I don't think they lasted very long.

Building the Perfect Bookshelf

I spent most of this morning putting my new bookshelf together. The instructions weren't all that great and it took me a while to figure out what went where...but I did get it together. However, it took me so long to do, I just barely had enough time to put the remaining Effanbee dolls on one shelf, have a very quick lunch of leftovers, and pack a snack and gym clothes for after work before I hurried out the door.

Work was quite busy for most of the day. We'll be getting into the beginning of the month next week, and some people may already have gotten their government money. Thankfully, most people seemed to be in a good mood. The weather held out, too. It was cloudy this morning, but by the time I headed out around 6PM, the skies were blue and the weather was in the lower 60s, though it remained very windy.

The gym was surprisingly quiet when I arrived. It's usually wall-to-wall people at 6PM, but even with classes going on, I had no problems getting a good work-out in on the elliptical machine. I timed it well; a personal training class started using the elliptical machines just as I was finishing my arm weight machine session and starting to stretch.

I hadn't really eaten much all day. I decided it would be worth it to splurge on the Golden Corral Buffet for dinner. I was so hungry by the time I made it there, I probably could have eaten their entire buffet. I settled on a spinach salad, pot roast with celery and potatoes, and my favorite Brussels sprouts and sweet potato casserole. The pot roast was so tender and flaky, I went back for seconds. (And I think I finally discovered the secret to their sweet potato casserole. I know I saw some oats in the bit of brown sugar I scraped out along with sweet potato. They must add oats and brown sugar to the marshmallow topping. Yum!) Had half of a chocolate cupcake and their "Chocolate Waterfall" for dessert. You dip cookies and mini-whoopie-pies on sticks into a fountain that flows with melted chocolate and have your own dipped desserts. Very decadent...and very messy.

Went back to work to do my own grocery shopping. I mainly needed fruit and vegetables. Strawberries are on sale, and I had to restock pears, grapefruit, bananas, celery, and oranges. I saw a woman buying a small bundle of red Swiss chard earlier and thought I'd try some this week. I ran out of the Emerald Trail Mix bags, and I needed to replace the chicken broth I used on the poached chicken legs on Wednesday. And I still forgot eggs. I'll get them at work tomorrow.

My schedule for next week is a mixed bag. On one hand, I have three days off in a row late next week, from Wednesday to Friday. That means I'll finally be able to get back to Jodie and Cassandra and really start spring cleaning before Lauren visits in mid-May. Unfortuantly, it also means I only have 21 hours next week, which also means my paycheck leading into vacation will be lousy. On the other hand, I got an excellent paycheck this week and should be getting another good one next week, and I get two paychecks for vacation. Not to mention, I did just get birthday money. I'm hoping that I have enough in the bank, even after I pay my rent this week, too offset a bad week or two.