O Brother and Vicki, Where Art Thou?

Started a cloudy and cool morning with Brunch With the Beatles. Sir Paul McCartney turns 70 tomorrow, and they ran songs from his solo career (plus the Beatles song "Birthday") in his honor. Most of what we heard were songs from his days with Wings, including "Silly Love Songs," "My Love," "Uncle Albert," "Jet," "Band On the Run," and my personal favorite, "Live and Let Die."

After the largely lousy week I had, I figured I needed Double Chocolate Mint Chip Pancakes and a big handful of farm market cherries. When the last cherry had been popped in my mouth (and the pit popped in a bowl), I called Mom and Dad-Bill to wish the latter a Happy Father's Day.

Mom was not a happy camper. They were having "issues," in her words. Apparently, that used Camero my brother Keefe bought a few weeks ago died in North Carolina, stranding him and his girlfriend Vicki near Myrtle Beach. Dad sounded less ticked off and more annoyed when I talked to him. He cracked up when I told him to smack Keefe silly when he finally got home. (I wasn't joking. ;) )

I called Rose after I got off with Dad.  She confirmed  both Keefe being stranded and our departure time. She wants to pick me up somewhere between 11 and 12 on Tuesday morning. Fine with me. I'm off from Tuesday through 1PM Friday. She can pretty much pick me up anytime she wants. She wants to stay overnight after the party Tuesday, then make a Wednesday morning trip to either Wildwood Crest or Cape May to introduce her two-year-old son to the beach. Also fine by me. I can't remember the last time I went to a beach that wasn't on the banks of a river.

I spent the rest of the afternoon quietly. Messed around online for an hour, then made Lemon-Blueberry Cupcakes for the party on Tuesday. I squeezed the juice of three of the lemons I bought from the Acme and grated some of their rind into a white cake mix. Also added flaxseed for a little extra crunch along with the blueberries. I also got a jump on my packing - I probably won't have the time tomorrow or Tuesday morning. I'm all set except for the things like my toothbrush that can't go in until Tuesday.

(When I was going through my bedroom closet, I decided to thin things out a bit. Moved most of my luggage except for the big gray piece under my bed. Put the plain brown messenger back in the back room. I used it a lot in college, but not only do I not transport a lot of books or things anymore, but I also have my laptop bag that performs the same function, more-or-less.)

The cupcakes came out of the oven just in time for me to make dinner, change into my uniform, and head out for work. Work was quiet when I arrived and when I left, but very busy during the usual 4-6 rush hour as people prepared for Father's Day barbecues and birthday and graduation parties. It was so quiet by 7PM, I was able to leave with no relief.

I called my biological father when I got in. Dad-Bruce is in Florida and in the midst of a cruise ship job, but it was still nice to talk to him. It sounds like he'll be home next week. He reminded me that the pool's open. I might try to get there Thursday - it's supposed to be super-hot that day.

Oh, and I finally started to play around with that iPod Lauren gave me for Christmas. I downloaded iTunes and synced a whole pile of CDs to the device. I'll mess around with downloading later in the week. I can't believe how fast this thing syncs CDs! It's three times as fast as my old Coby MP3 player. I love it. I'll bring it on the trip to Cape May County to try it out. 

Here's hoping all fathers had a great day, including those whose children are four-legged or feathered. :)

Goin' Home Train

Today was the last day of my vacation. Lauren and her parents saw me off at the Albany-Rensslaer Train Station. I didn't see much of it last week, but the building is new (2002, from what one plaque said) and gorgeous, with high, vaulted ceilings and beautiful wood-paneled walls.

Once again, my train rides all went smoothly. There were no problems anywhere and no delays. This time, I opted to avoid downtown Philly traffic and take the NJ Transit train to Cherry Hill. The Cherry Hill "station" is a platform behind a mall, but it did its purpose. Dad picked me up 10 minutes after I arrived. (He said he would have been faster, but he missed the turn-off for the shopping center the platform's behind.) Only problem I had anywhere was forgetting to pull out my ticket at the New York station and holding up the line, which was a little embarrassing, but I did get on the train.

It took me a mere 20 minutes to unpack, put the new items away, and unload my dirty laundry into the laundry basket after I got in. I called Mom to tell her I was home, then called the Acme. Alas, I'm working at 2:30 tomorrow, but maybe that's just as well. I could use the money. I debated going out to Taco Bell for dinner, but finally decided I've eaten out enough in the past week and opted for an omelet and an English muffin at home instead, watching third season Wonder Woman episodes.

It was gorgeous this morning in Albany, but dark clouds had begun to gather as early as the New York suburbs. By the time I arrived in Cherry Hill, it definitely looked like a storm. The storm roared to life as I unplugged my old upright computer and set up the Compaq laptop Lauren gave me. She bought herself a Mac a few months ago and asked me if I wanted the laptop she was using. She has two others in addition to the Mac (one is a very old one she uses exclusively for playing music). The one she gave me is about a year or two old, and works like a charm. It's much faster than my old upright. The upright computer is in the back room until I can figure out what to do with it.

It's So Hot, It's Cool

It was a surprisingly nice day today. Very hot, into the 90s, but with a nice wind and no humidity. I did make my library run this morning. I organized the children's DVDs and shelved the adult ones. Also returned How to Murder a Millionaire and X-Men: The Legacy Virus, both of which I did get to finish. I didn't take anything out; I doubt I'll have the time to read much of anything before vacation.

Made quick stops at Rite Aid (their contact lens case was $6.99 - I've seen them cheaper elsewhere) and at WaWa (for a Cherry-Vanilla Coke Zero from their soda fountain) before heading home. Spent the rest of the afternoon adding more music to my MP3 Player and sweeping the porch. (This should do it for the MP3 Player. I left a lot of music on there from last year, so I won't need to spend quite as much time adding albums to it now.)

Work was steady-to-dead, no major problems beyond some obnoxious beginning-of-the-month customers and a lack of help. A frazzled manager told me when I came in that five people called out today, which explains why another manager actually tried to call me in this morning around 11. (No one told her about tonight, apparently.)

Happy to Balance

Started a busy day with yoga class. I wanted to get to the Wednesday morning class this week because the teacher, Jill, will be going on maternity leave starting tomorrow. I really like her. She's such a sweet woman, and a wonderful and enthusiastic teacher. Class was surprisingly small for what was Jill's last class. I thought everyone would come out, but there was only nine people, counting Jill.

Maybe the weather kept them away. It wasn't really hot, but it remained sticky-humid, windy, and cloudy. After class, I headed for Collingswood's post office, several blocks down from Yogawood, and sent my nephew Skylar's birthday package. I then rode over to the library to return the three DVDs and a book that was due. I had enough time to shelve some DVDs, but I'm really trying to hold off on taking anything else out until after vacation, especially since I still have two books out that I'm reading.

Made quick stops at Super Fresh (looked for batteries), WaWa (milk), and Doria's Deli (turkey and a Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi), before heading home. I'd done everything so quickly, I had plenty of time for a Turkey and Summer Veggie Sandwich lunch and to work on adding music to my MP3 player. I still had some music on there left from last September and from my trip to visit Amanda at Christmas. I pulled all of the Christmas stuff and a few other things and added the Beatles, the Who, the soundtrack from the original 1957 Rogers and Hammerstein Cinderella, and the Charlie's Angels soundtrack.

(I shouldn't really need music on this trip as much as I have during previous vacations. The train trip only takes about three to three and a half hours all together, a far cry from the 6-8 hour bus marathons.)

Work was pretty much the same as yesterday, stead-to-dead with no really major problems besides some chop-shop people. The problems were outside the store. First of all, they were working on redoing the concrete around the main entrance for some strange reason (the concrete looked fine to me yesterday), which meant everyone had to use the back entrance near Rite Aid. Second, it poured on and off for most of the time I was in work. (A bagger walked in soaked; she got caught retrieving carts in a downpour, poor kid.)

Thankfully, it looked like it was starting to break up by the time I went home at 8. The wind was gone and it was cooler, but it's remained humid. (The air conditioner is still on.)

What Goes Around...

I think I finally got it. Whatever has been taking out a quarter of the Acme's employees has gotten to me. I feel lousy. I have headache, I have a stomachache, I feel warm (despite a much cooler, 80-degree day), I have a sore throat, I'm tired.

I had the headache and sore throat this morning, but I took ibruprophin and a throat drop this morning and felt well enough to go for a ride. I didn't want to sit around like I did yesterday. It was just too nice.

I rode down the White Horse Pike, past Oaklyn and Audubon, up to the corner of East Kings' Highway and the White Horse Pike. I explored the small stores and cafes I saw there when I was in the area on my birthday in April. The gift shop was pretty much a larger version of Wilie the Woodsman in Audubon, with almost the exact same selection of WebKinz at a few dollars more. (The clothes were cheaper than Willie's, but I really don't like to dress up my offline stuffed animals. It seems silly. I may eventually buy or make red shirts and trousers for my Monkee WebKinz, and some of the seasonal WebKinz may also get appropriate costumes.)

I also stopped at a little ice cream parlor/cafe called Coffee Garden on the other end of the block. I had a bottled green iced tea that was too sweet and a strawberry scone that tasted of strawberries that had been out for too long. Maybe I'll try the ice cream next time.

In the spirit of adventure (and in an attempt to fill some time, since I didn't work until 4 today), I crossed the busy East Kings' Highway/White Horse Pike intersection and continued down East Kings' Highway. I rode down the highway, dodging cars, phone repair trucks, and annoying little dogs. (What did I say about people not keeping their dogs on leashes, especially on a major road?) I found myself at Newton Lake Park in Mt. Ephram, a town about 15 minutes or so by bike from Oaklyn and less than 5 from the Audubon Acme and Audubon Crossings Shopping Center. It was partly cloudy, windy, and cooler than it has been, but the green trees and lapping lake were refreshing after the road.

I made my way to Mt. Ephram. I've never been there on my own before. It's one of the many little towns on the Black Horse Pike, the busier, northern cousin of the White Horse Pike. Unlike the White Horse Pike, most of the businesses on the Black Horse Pike probably date to between the 30s and the 70s, when America's love-affair with the car was at an all-time high. Rose had warned me that Mt. Ephram could be very rough and nasty, but I had no problems when I was there. It's probably worse after dark.

I found another store that was rumored to have WebKinz. Kerry's Party Store looked more-or-less like the Collingswood Variety Store or a Dollar Tree exploded. Nothing was organized, there were piles of everything on all of the shelves, and things were jammed everywhere. It looked like a mess, but I did manage to find a shower curtain (thought I'd try a nice yellow, magenta, and green floral print). I finally found the WebKinz on a shelf behind the counter. (Probably to keep that rough town from stealing the tags. I've heard about that happening in some places, although I've never seen a WebKinz in the store without a tag.) WebKinz large and small were only $10, but they didn't have anything I wanted.

I made a quick stop in CVS to see if they had any Sensodyne on sale; when they didn't, I headed down the Black Horse Pike to the Audubon Crossings Shopping Center, passing the Golden Corral on the way. The Golden Corral is a buffet restaraunt like Old Country Buffet, but much larger. I'll have to go there sometime after work, now that I know it's behind PepBoys.

I ended up in FYE to see if they had The Sword In the Stone: 45th Anniversary Edition in yet. Alas, their shipment hadn't arrived. The kid at the desk was just as disappointed as me; apparently, Sword In the Stone is one of his favorite Disney movies. I ended up with my second venture into 21st Century technology in two days instead, a small MP3 player, one that can be carried around on a clip or a key ring. I thought I'd rip CDs onto it for long trips like my bus rides to New England. It would save an amazing amount of room in my carry-on bag.

I rested when I got home. I still wasn't feeling that great, but since I was able to to for a ride, I decided to go to work. I'm probably lucky it wasn't busy tonight and there was plenty of help for the first time in ages. By the time I got home, I'd added an achy neck to everything else I felt.

Oh yes, and two announcements. First of all, Lauren and I finished the main story of this month's Monkees Role Play tonight and will do the tag tomorrow. Look for it within the next few days, depending on how my head feels.

Speaking of Lauren, congradulations to her other favorite team, the Boston Celtics, for defeating the Los Angeles Lakers and winning their first NBA Championship in 16 years and their 17th title overall. While we're at it, I'll also extend some congrats to the Philadelphia 76ers for making it to the playoffs despite a so-so year. :)