Walkin' on Sunshine
Today was even nicer than yesterday, with temperatures in the lower 70s, low humidity, and lots of sunshine. It was still a bit windy, but not as cool. It was a great day to get a lot of things done, starting with my second run to the gym. It was a bit busier this morning than earlier in the week. I was able to get a good work-out on the elliptical machine in (while watching the Mother's Day special on The Price Is Right - contestants and their mothers competed). Had to wait for several of the arm machines, though. There were a lot of people working on the weight machines this morning, for some reason.
Headed to the Acme next. I picked up my two paychecks (one is for vacation), then did my grocery shopping. I spent a lot more than usual. They were having some great chicken and pork sales. I bought boneless, skinless chicken thighs, ground chicken, and thin-cut chicken breast. Nestle has started selling those bags of mint chocolate chips again. I loved those at Christmas a couple of years ago, but they kept disappearing! I had to treat myself while they're available. I bought things for Lauren's visit next week and the week after, including whole wheat wraps, Cheerios, eggs, sugar, fruit concentrate, almonds, pears, grapefruit, bananas, and Emerald trail mix bags.
It took me a while to get all that home and put away! When I finally finished, I had pan-fried tilapia, green beans, and a spinach salad for lunch, then went for a quick walk to the bank to deposit my two paychecks. It was just gorgeous outside. It doesn't get much nicer in early May in southern New Jersey. The air smells of roses and clover. The bushes and gardens are a riot of color. The irises are out, in every shade from soft lemon yellow to the deepest purple. The bank was a little busy when I arrived, but not too bad, and I was in and out.
When I got in, I had just enough time to experiment with a banana muffin recipe from one of my British baking books. Instead of brown sugar, I added honey and apple concentrate. Added flaxseed meal, too. Yum! They came out mellow and sweet, but not overly so. They also came out just in time for me to head to work.
Work was a pain again. We were busy right up until I left at 9:30! We didn't have enough help that late to handle the crowds. There were long lines until a manger finally came in, which is the only reason I was able to shut down and get out on time at all.
I work fairly normal evening hours on Sunday and another late night on Monday. Tuesday is a regular day off, and then...vacation! My best friend Lauren will be coming down from Pittsfield, Massachusetts on Wednesday evening. I can't wait! We've had a great time the last few years she's visited.
Life is a lazy river - no matter where you are. Movies, musicals, mysteries, pop culture, and lots of other great stuff.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Balance In the Dust
The sun was shining and the clouds were gone when I awoke this morning. It was a bit cooler and windier than it had been, but the oppressive humidity seemed to have dissolved with the cloud cover. It was a lovely morning for yoga class. We concentrated on strength training - standing poses, inversions, and core work. I had to take things easy. I've been turning myself into one big lump lately. In addition to my badly bruised stomach and sore left thigh, I think I pulled a muscle in my right hand, and I have a nice little bruise on my left shoulder, too. I am, however, getting very good at walking on the wall, even if I can't get on my head yet.
Volunteering at the Collingswood Library didn't go nearly as well. There were tons of volunteers there when I arrived, and they all seemed to be working on the DVDs. I got fed up with everyone trying to put everything where they wanted to and just stormed upstairs. While there was only one non-fiction book to shelve, I did find an unusual biography in the children's section that made me feel better. Lily Renee, Escape Artist is a graphic novel for older kids about an Austrian Jewish girl who escapes the Nazis and makes it to England. She's treated no better than a servant there, until she manages to get a job in a hospital in London. She saves babies from the Blitz, but almost can't save herself when she's taken to the police as an enemy alien. She does finally make it to New York, where her parents have fled after leaving Vienna. There, she becomes one of the first woman comic book artists, drawing pioneering female action characters during World War II.
I'm not the biggest fan of comic books in the universe...but I am a fan of action stories with strong female characters. Lily Renee managed to make her characters' lives seem dull by comparison! Talk about the original Wonder Woman! I used the last of my Barnes and Noble gift card to buy it this evening.
I ended up leaving early. It was getting a little cooler and cloudier by then, around 11:30. Thankfully, they weren't the heavy stormy type of clouds, and they were gone by the evening. When I got in, I had Spinach with Mushrooms, steamed green beans, and the last of the chicken meatloaf for lunch, then finished dusting the apartment. I mostly needed to do the entertainment area. The baker's rack and black DVD shelves were horribly dusty, probably because I never got to spring cleaning last month. There was less to do in my bedroom; I did a lot of it when I rearranged furniture on Sunday and Monday. I mainly cleaned the closets, Ikea shelves, and the inside of the roll-top desk.
I managed to get to work on time, which is good, because they were busy again. There were a lot of annoying people, too. A lot of people were just giving me a hard time. I was happy it was slow enough by 8:30 to be able to leave with no relief.
The sun was shining and the clouds were gone when I awoke this morning. It was a bit cooler and windier than it had been, but the oppressive humidity seemed to have dissolved with the cloud cover. It was a lovely morning for yoga class. We concentrated on strength training - standing poses, inversions, and core work. I had to take things easy. I've been turning myself into one big lump lately. In addition to my badly bruised stomach and sore left thigh, I think I pulled a muscle in my right hand, and I have a nice little bruise on my left shoulder, too. I am, however, getting very good at walking on the wall, even if I can't get on my head yet.
Volunteering at the Collingswood Library didn't go nearly as well. There were tons of volunteers there when I arrived, and they all seemed to be working on the DVDs. I got fed up with everyone trying to put everything where they wanted to and just stormed upstairs. While there was only one non-fiction book to shelve, I did find an unusual biography in the children's section that made me feel better. Lily Renee, Escape Artist is a graphic novel for older kids about an Austrian Jewish girl who escapes the Nazis and makes it to England. She's treated no better than a servant there, until she manages to get a job in a hospital in London. She saves babies from the Blitz, but almost can't save herself when she's taken to the police as an enemy alien. She does finally make it to New York, where her parents have fled after leaving Vienna. There, she becomes one of the first woman comic book artists, drawing pioneering female action characters during World War II.
I'm not the biggest fan of comic books in the universe...but I am a fan of action stories with strong female characters. Lily Renee managed to make her characters' lives seem dull by comparison! Talk about the original Wonder Woman! I used the last of my Barnes and Noble gift card to buy it this evening.
I ended up leaving early. It was getting a little cooler and cloudier by then, around 11:30. Thankfully, they weren't the heavy stormy type of clouds, and they were gone by the evening. When I got in, I had Spinach with Mushrooms, steamed green beans, and the last of the chicken meatloaf for lunch, then finished dusting the apartment. I mostly needed to do the entertainment area. The baker's rack and black DVD shelves were horribly dusty, probably because I never got to spring cleaning last month. There was less to do in my bedroom; I did a lot of it when I rearranged furniture on Sunday and Monday. I mainly cleaned the closets, Ikea shelves, and the inside of the roll-top desk.
I managed to get to work on time, which is good, because they were busy again. There were a lot of annoying people, too. A lot of people were just giving me a hard time. I was happy it was slow enough by 8:30 to be able to leave with no relief.
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
Dusty Spring Cleaning
I slept in a bit, then enjoyed a leisurely breakfast while watching The Hollywood Revue of 1929. In fact, it was almost noon before I headed out to the gym for my first session there this week. Oddly, while the cardio machines were empty and I had no problems getting a bike, there were lots of people in the weight machine area. I didn't even do the machine for the glutes (stomach); I just did sit-ups in the class area before I stretched.
It was dark and very humid. I didn't trust Mother Nature, so I spent the rest of the afternoon at home. I had leftovers for lunch, then ran the Garfield Travel Adventures specials while doing things around the apartment. I clipped coupons. I replaced Keefe's senior picture with the photo Mom sent me of him in his Navy uniform. (He looks sooo handsome!) I replaced the cheap frame used for my autographed Monkees photo with a frame I bought for my sister's original copy of the 80s Return of the Jedi comic book. (I'm just going to put any Star Wars-related papers or posters into a file folder.) I dusted the dining area and music area. I had just enough time to take out the old mattress, box spring, broom, and phone stand along with the regular trash before I headed to work.
Work was busy all night, despite the humid and warm weather. Other than one couple who threw a fit because they couldn't buy an energy drink on food stamps (those dumb energy drinks aren't considered food - they aren't even good for you!), there were no major problems.
I slept in a bit, then enjoyed a leisurely breakfast while watching The Hollywood Revue of 1929. In fact, it was almost noon before I headed out to the gym for my first session there this week. Oddly, while the cardio machines were empty and I had no problems getting a bike, there were lots of people in the weight machine area. I didn't even do the machine for the glutes (stomach); I just did sit-ups in the class area before I stretched.
It was dark and very humid. I didn't trust Mother Nature, so I spent the rest of the afternoon at home. I had leftovers for lunch, then ran the Garfield Travel Adventures specials while doing things around the apartment. I clipped coupons. I replaced Keefe's senior picture with the photo Mom sent me of him in his Navy uniform. (He looks sooo handsome!) I replaced the cheap frame used for my autographed Monkees photo with a frame I bought for my sister's original copy of the 80s Return of the Jedi comic book. (I'm just going to put any Star Wars-related papers or posters into a file folder.) I dusted the dining area and music area. I had just enough time to take out the old mattress, box spring, broom, and phone stand along with the regular trash before I headed to work.
Work was busy all night, despite the humid and warm weather. Other than one couple who threw a fit because they couldn't buy an energy drink on food stamps (those dumb energy drinks aren't considered food - they aren't even good for you!), there were no major problems.
Tuesday, May 08, 2012
Windows On the World
Actually, I started out the day with taking the old mattress, box spring, and phone stand downstairs. I didn't remember how heavy those mattresses are! I haven't moved them in seven years. (And I had my relatives' help when I moved.) I'm glad there was a worker next door who offered to help out. I left them on the porch; I'll take them out to the trash tomorrow afternoon.
Next stop was the Oaklyn Library. I haven't volunteered there in a while. I just haven't had the chance. They're only open in the mornings and late in the evenings. There wasn't much to do, either. I mainly organized the DVDs. I was happy to see they had moved the new releases to a riser on the very top of the DVD shelves.
Made a quick stop at Rite Aid to see if they had something (they didn't), then rode over to the Haddon Township Library. There was a little bit more to do there. I organized the kids' DVDs, shelved adult titles, and put away the small pile of children's books on the cart. It was actually rather quiet. For one thing, I was there at lunch time. For another, their computers were completely down for upgrading.
I went to lunch at Wendy's. Grabbed a Grilled Chicken Sandwich and fries. Ugh. The fries were too salty. (Using sea salt doesn't mean you pour the whole container on.) The sandwich had pale bits of lettuce and one rubbery tomato. I think it's about time I took my mother's advice and stopped eating fast food all together. There's about five hundred other greasy spoons around here that make better food that's bad for you.
I was at home for the rest of the afternoon. I dubbed Stripes while I dusted and washed the windows and baked brownies. Stripes was yet another 80s comedy revolving around a group of misfits going up against some kind of authority...in this case, the military. John Winger (Bill Murray) couldn't be having a worse day. His car was impounded, he lost his job, and his girlfriend threw him out. He figures there's nothing left for him but to join the Army. He's joined by his best friend Russell (Harold Ramis) who isn't doing much better. Winger proceeds to get on the nerves of everyone in charge, from the head of their unit (John Larroquette) to their nasty drill sergeant Hulka (Warren Oates). He's more popular with the men in his unit, including John Candy, and with a pair of women military cops who keep rescuing them every time they leave the base.Winger finally gets the men in shape enough for graduation, but can he rescue them, Hulka, and the commander when they end up guarding a secret weapon behind enemy lines in East Germany?
If you're a fan of Murray or other semi-raunchy misfists-thumb-their-noses-at-society comedies from the 80s like Police Academy, you'll probably love this one. Despite the R rating, it's actually not that bad today. The worst we see is female mud wrestling (and the dirt covers anything really scandalous). The first half, where the unit is in basic training and Winger and Russell keep trying to get off base, is much funnier than the pumped-up second half in East Germany.
I had enough time before work to dub Little Drummer Boy Book II. This is one of the very few Rankin-Bass holiday-themed specials not yet on DVD. (Warners was supposed to put it out a few years ago, then didn't - I don't know what happened there.) Aaron, the title drummer boy from the original specials, helps out a kindly old bell maker who has created three great silver bells to announce the birth of baby Jesus. A group of Roman soldiers, lead by a nasty ham of a captain (Zero Mostel), get to the bells before Aaron can. Aaron does his best to distract the soldiers, so the bell maker and one of the Wise Men can rescue the bells. Aaron, however, must sacrifice his most precious object to do so...
A lovely story, based around "Do You Hear What I Hear?" and "I Heard the Bells On Christmas Day." Greer Garson once again narrates. If you're a fan of the original Drummer Boy and can find this one, it's very sweet.
I did manage to get into work on time tonight. It started showering a bit during Little Drummer Boy, but was ending even as I pulled into the Acme's parking lot. To my knowledge, it hasn't rained since. We were busy when I came in, quiet enough when I left to leave without a relief.
Actually, I started out the day with taking the old mattress, box spring, and phone stand downstairs. I didn't remember how heavy those mattresses are! I haven't moved them in seven years. (And I had my relatives' help when I moved.) I'm glad there was a worker next door who offered to help out. I left them on the porch; I'll take them out to the trash tomorrow afternoon.
Next stop was the Oaklyn Library. I haven't volunteered there in a while. I just haven't had the chance. They're only open in the mornings and late in the evenings. There wasn't much to do, either. I mainly organized the DVDs. I was happy to see they had moved the new releases to a riser on the very top of the DVD shelves.
Made a quick stop at Rite Aid to see if they had something (they didn't), then rode over to the Haddon Township Library. There was a little bit more to do there. I organized the kids' DVDs, shelved adult titles, and put away the small pile of children's books on the cart. It was actually rather quiet. For one thing, I was there at lunch time. For another, their computers were completely down for upgrading.
I went to lunch at Wendy's. Grabbed a Grilled Chicken Sandwich and fries. Ugh. The fries were too salty. (Using sea salt doesn't mean you pour the whole container on.) The sandwich had pale bits of lettuce and one rubbery tomato. I think it's about time I took my mother's advice and stopped eating fast food all together. There's about five hundred other greasy spoons around here that make better food that's bad for you.
I was at home for the rest of the afternoon. I dubbed Stripes while I dusted and washed the windows and baked brownies. Stripes was yet another 80s comedy revolving around a group of misfits going up against some kind of authority...in this case, the military. John Winger (Bill Murray) couldn't be having a worse day. His car was impounded, he lost his job, and his girlfriend threw him out. He figures there's nothing left for him but to join the Army. He's joined by his best friend Russell (Harold Ramis) who isn't doing much better. Winger proceeds to get on the nerves of everyone in charge, from the head of their unit (John Larroquette) to their nasty drill sergeant Hulka (Warren Oates). He's more popular with the men in his unit, including John Candy, and with a pair of women military cops who keep rescuing them every time they leave the base.Winger finally gets the men in shape enough for graduation, but can he rescue them, Hulka, and the commander when they end up guarding a secret weapon behind enemy lines in East Germany?
If you're a fan of Murray or other semi-raunchy misfists-thumb-their-noses-at-society comedies from the 80s like Police Academy, you'll probably love this one. Despite the R rating, it's actually not that bad today. The worst we see is female mud wrestling (and the dirt covers anything really scandalous). The first half, where the unit is in basic training and Winger and Russell keep trying to get off base, is much funnier than the pumped-up second half in East Germany.
I had enough time before work to dub Little Drummer Boy Book II. This is one of the very few Rankin-Bass holiday-themed specials not yet on DVD. (Warners was supposed to put it out a few years ago, then didn't - I don't know what happened there.) Aaron, the title drummer boy from the original specials, helps out a kindly old bell maker who has created three great silver bells to announce the birth of baby Jesus. A group of Roman soldiers, lead by a nasty ham of a captain (Zero Mostel), get to the bells before Aaron can. Aaron does his best to distract the soldiers, so the bell maker and one of the Wise Men can rescue the bells. Aaron, however, must sacrifice his most precious object to do so...
A lovely story, based around "Do You Hear What I Hear?" and "I Heard the Bells On Christmas Day." Greer Garson once again narrates. If you're a fan of the original Drummer Boy and can find this one, it's very sweet.
I did manage to get into work on time tonight. It started showering a bit during Little Drummer Boy, but was ending even as I pulled into the Acme's parking lot. To my knowledge, it hasn't rained since. We were busy when I came in, quiet enough when I left to leave without a relief.
Monday, May 07, 2012
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.
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.
Sunday, May 06, 2012
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...
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...
Saturday, May 05, 2012
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.
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.
Friday, May 04, 2012
When Will I Be Loved?
It was still a little cloudy when I got up around 8:30, but even at that point, the clouds weren't as dark as the last two days. I had cereal for breakfast and started the James Bond film The Living Daylights, currently the only movie in the series I have on commercial DVD. (And that's because I found it cheap at the Logan Presbyterian Church Thrift Shop.)
Most of the Roger Moore Bond movies had been popular, but with the exception of the deliberately stripped-down For Your Eyes Only, they were in a far lighter vein than the Connery entries. Shakespearean actor Timothy Dalton's two films in the late 80s were an attempt to return to the original lean, tough Bond...and generally, they're successful. Bond finds himself chasing a beautiful Russian cellist who is also an assassin when she attempts to kill a defecting KGB Agent. It turns out that neither the cellist nor the agent are what they appear to be. Bond and the cellist get caught up in the Russian-Afghanistan War when they discover that the agent is involved with an American arms dealer and Afghan rebels.
Most Bond fans are probably going to disagree with me, but along with Connery, Dalton has always been my favorite Bond. He and Connery come the closest to being like the nasty, tough-minded Bond in the books (which I have read, BTW), and they (and the even tougher Daniel Craig) both bring more dimensions to the character than the lighter interpretations of Bronsonan and Moore. That said, I actually prefer License to Kill for Dalton's Bond, but Living Daylights has it's moments, too. Love the sled ride on the cellist's case, Bond and the cellist at the amusement park in Vienna, and the finale at the arms dealer's home.
I stopped at the Acme for my paycheck. There was a long line, probably with people getting their beginning-of-the-month government checks cashed, and it took me a few minutes to get my money. I also picked up our new t-shirts for our summer uniforms.
After that, I went out to Lucile Roberts. On my way in, I encountered a young woman who took one look at the bag with my shirts, grinned, and said "Hey there, Acme girl!" She probably didn't mean anything offensive, but I bristled anyway. I don't like being identified by my job. I don't like my job. If it were up to me (and I'd been able to find a job closer to my skills and interests ages ago), I wouldn't have anything to do with that darn store but buying groceries there.
I took my frustration out on the elliptical machine. I did 20 minutes and burned over 200 calories, with the resistance set on 4. They didn't even run The Price Is Right until I was almost done. All of the broadcast networks were doing a special report on the SEPTA workers who split a huge lottery jackpot. When I finished there, I worked on the arm weight machines, then stretched.
Staples is on the same side of the mall as Lucile Roberts, so I made that my next stop. I was almost out of recordable DVDs. Though none of the large packs were on sale this time, I did get a pack of 20 Memorex discs for $10.40 with tax, which isn't bad.
Had less luck when I went across the mall to Fashion Bug. I didn't see any jean shorts there that even remotely interested me. All I wanted were two nice, simple pairs of Bermuda jean shorts like the ones I'm going to donate eventually. All of their shorts were either too short or Capris, artistically ripped, or covered in sequins and studs. No, no, no! I just need plain old every day shorts! I'll order them from L.L Bean or Land's End instead.
Finding somewhere to eat was impossible. I didn't feel like pizza or barbecue. The line at Chick 'Fil 'A was almost out the building. Arby's indoor seating was closed; only their drive-in window was serving. Sonic remains abandoned. I just did Golden Corral, and I didn't feel like a huge buffet meal anyway. I ended up at Five Guys, which serves hot dogs, burgers, and fries. I just bought a soda and a burger. The burger was a mistake. The two hockey-puck-sized patties slid off the bun, thanks to the so-called "grilled" mushrooms. I ate some of the patties and the lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles, but it wasn't much of a meal.
I went back to the Acme after lunch to do some quick grocery shopping. The Collingswood Farm Market will be opening tomorrow, so I'm going to wait on fruit, cheese, and vegetables. I did need to restock baking cocoa and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter after making the Chocolate Mint Muffins yesterday. Bought roasted almonds on sale, and ground chicken and dollar fish packs to replace what I used on meals this week. Mom said she puts flaxseed meal in her hot cereal and baked goods; thought I'd try it.
My schedule for next week just made me angrier. After today, I don't have a day off until NEXT Saturday! Oh, and I work until 9:30 almost every day this week. Granted, most of the hours are short, only 4 or 4 1/2, which does mean I'll still get a lot of cleaning done. It's still a pain, though. Angie claimed they'd just gotten two more people from other stores who had more senority than me and got first dibs on afternoon and evening hours. I just haven't worked long enough. When am I going to work long enough? When will I be important enough for them? When I'm 102? I'm really getting sick of this.
It was such a nice day, when I went home, I put everything away, finished The Living Daylights, and went right back out again. I needed to run a few errands. I stopped at a busy bank to deposit my paycheck, then moved down the White Horse Pike to Family Dollar. I normally avoid them. The store is none-too-clean and the staff is useless. They are, however, the cheapest place I can buy a broom and actually carry it home. I found a somewhat smaller one than the blue-gray model I found when I first moved in seven years ago. It'll be easier to use in my tiny bathroom.
I strolled around the neighborhood after I left Family Dollar to try to let off steam. The clouds had vanished completely by 3:30, leaving a beautiful, breezy, warm spring day. Oaklyn is a riot of color, from the soft lavender and indigo irises to the brilliant coral and hot pink blooms on the bushes to the large, bright yellow-green leaves. It's better than living in a Deluxe Crayola box. Needless to say, everyone was out and about - parents pushing strollers, teens texting each other, college students walking dogs, kids riding bikes.
When I got home, I blasted Linda Rondstat and continued spring cleaning. I used the new broom right away to sweep the porch, which badly needed it. It's just about the end of "fuzzy" seed pod season, and the porch was covered with wet globs of them from earlier in the week. They were clogging up the drains, too. I also swept out the very last of the winter-early spring sticker balls.
Next on the list was another round of vacuuming with the new Dirt Devil. I made the bed, then did the whole apartment, including all of the closets and the back room I could get to. You can tell I just vacuumed last week. This time, I had to clean the whole apartment to get a full canister.
It was too late to dust by the time I finished there. Instead, I made spiral sliced ham, Strawberry Flummery, and honey-glazed carrots for dinner and watched Three Amigos. The Three Amigos (Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short) are a trio of silent-era Hollywood actors who play Zorro-style Mexican do-gooders. However, their last movie was a flop, and their studio now considers them to be washed-up. They get a chance for redemption when a young woman and her brother call them to a Mexican town to save them from bandits. They think they're doing a show, but the bandits and the frightened townspeople are very real. All three learn a lesson in bravery and in standing up for your rights when they agree to rescue the young woman from the bandits and convince the town that the bullying has gone on long enough.
This is one of those random comedies in the 80s and early 90s you wouldn't have gone to see in the theater but never would have missed when it was on cable. (It's also one of the few of these comedies Dad bought on video in the 90s when our cable was turned off.) All three men have opportunities for fun, and Randy Newman provides some nice songs, including the hilarious "My Little Buttercup."
It was still a little cloudy when I got up around 8:30, but even at that point, the clouds weren't as dark as the last two days. I had cereal for breakfast and started the James Bond film The Living Daylights, currently the only movie in the series I have on commercial DVD. (And that's because I found it cheap at the Logan Presbyterian Church Thrift Shop.)
Most of the Roger Moore Bond movies had been popular, but with the exception of the deliberately stripped-down For Your Eyes Only, they were in a far lighter vein than the Connery entries. Shakespearean actor Timothy Dalton's two films in the late 80s were an attempt to return to the original lean, tough Bond...and generally, they're successful. Bond finds himself chasing a beautiful Russian cellist who is also an assassin when she attempts to kill a defecting KGB Agent. It turns out that neither the cellist nor the agent are what they appear to be. Bond and the cellist get caught up in the Russian-Afghanistan War when they discover that the agent is involved with an American arms dealer and Afghan rebels.
Most Bond fans are probably going to disagree with me, but along with Connery, Dalton has always been my favorite Bond. He and Connery come the closest to being like the nasty, tough-minded Bond in the books (which I have read, BTW), and they (and the even tougher Daniel Craig) both bring more dimensions to the character than the lighter interpretations of Bronsonan and Moore. That said, I actually prefer License to Kill for Dalton's Bond, but Living Daylights has it's moments, too. Love the sled ride on the cellist's case, Bond and the cellist at the amusement park in Vienna, and the finale at the arms dealer's home.
I stopped at the Acme for my paycheck. There was a long line, probably with people getting their beginning-of-the-month government checks cashed, and it took me a few minutes to get my money. I also picked up our new t-shirts for our summer uniforms.
After that, I went out to Lucile Roberts. On my way in, I encountered a young woman who took one look at the bag with my shirts, grinned, and said "Hey there, Acme girl!" She probably didn't mean anything offensive, but I bristled anyway. I don't like being identified by my job. I don't like my job. If it were up to me (and I'd been able to find a job closer to my skills and interests ages ago), I wouldn't have anything to do with that darn store but buying groceries there.
I took my frustration out on the elliptical machine. I did 20 minutes and burned over 200 calories, with the resistance set on 4. They didn't even run The Price Is Right until I was almost done. All of the broadcast networks were doing a special report on the SEPTA workers who split a huge lottery jackpot. When I finished there, I worked on the arm weight machines, then stretched.
Staples is on the same side of the mall as Lucile Roberts, so I made that my next stop. I was almost out of recordable DVDs. Though none of the large packs were on sale this time, I did get a pack of 20 Memorex discs for $10.40 with tax, which isn't bad.
Had less luck when I went across the mall to Fashion Bug. I didn't see any jean shorts there that even remotely interested me. All I wanted were two nice, simple pairs of Bermuda jean shorts like the ones I'm going to donate eventually. All of their shorts were either too short or Capris, artistically ripped, or covered in sequins and studs. No, no, no! I just need plain old every day shorts! I'll order them from L.L Bean or Land's End instead.
Finding somewhere to eat was impossible. I didn't feel like pizza or barbecue. The line at Chick 'Fil 'A was almost out the building. Arby's indoor seating was closed; only their drive-in window was serving. Sonic remains abandoned. I just did Golden Corral, and I didn't feel like a huge buffet meal anyway. I ended up at Five Guys, which serves hot dogs, burgers, and fries. I just bought a soda and a burger. The burger was a mistake. The two hockey-puck-sized patties slid off the bun, thanks to the so-called "grilled" mushrooms. I ate some of the patties and the lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles, but it wasn't much of a meal.
I went back to the Acme after lunch to do some quick grocery shopping. The Collingswood Farm Market will be opening tomorrow, so I'm going to wait on fruit, cheese, and vegetables. I did need to restock baking cocoa and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter after making the Chocolate Mint Muffins yesterday. Bought roasted almonds on sale, and ground chicken and dollar fish packs to replace what I used on meals this week. Mom said she puts flaxseed meal in her hot cereal and baked goods; thought I'd try it.
My schedule for next week just made me angrier. After today, I don't have a day off until NEXT Saturday! Oh, and I work until 9:30 almost every day this week. Granted, most of the hours are short, only 4 or 4 1/2, which does mean I'll still get a lot of cleaning done. It's still a pain, though. Angie claimed they'd just gotten two more people from other stores who had more senority than me and got first dibs on afternoon and evening hours. I just haven't worked long enough. When am I going to work long enough? When will I be important enough for them? When I'm 102? I'm really getting sick of this.
It was such a nice day, when I went home, I put everything away, finished The Living Daylights, and went right back out again. I needed to run a few errands. I stopped at a busy bank to deposit my paycheck, then moved down the White Horse Pike to Family Dollar. I normally avoid them. The store is none-too-clean and the staff is useless. They are, however, the cheapest place I can buy a broom and actually carry it home. I found a somewhat smaller one than the blue-gray model I found when I first moved in seven years ago. It'll be easier to use in my tiny bathroom.
I strolled around the neighborhood after I left Family Dollar to try to let off steam. The clouds had vanished completely by 3:30, leaving a beautiful, breezy, warm spring day. Oaklyn is a riot of color, from the soft lavender and indigo irises to the brilliant coral and hot pink blooms on the bushes to the large, bright yellow-green leaves. It's better than living in a Deluxe Crayola box. Needless to say, everyone was out and about - parents pushing strollers, teens texting each other, college students walking dogs, kids riding bikes.
When I got home, I blasted Linda Rondstat and continued spring cleaning. I used the new broom right away to sweep the porch, which badly needed it. It's just about the end of "fuzzy" seed pod season, and the porch was covered with wet globs of them from earlier in the week. They were clogging up the drains, too. I also swept out the very last of the winter-early spring sticker balls.
Next on the list was another round of vacuuming with the new Dirt Devil. I made the bed, then did the whole apartment, including all of the closets and the back room I could get to. You can tell I just vacuumed last week. This time, I had to clean the whole apartment to get a full canister.
It was too late to dust by the time I finished there. Instead, I made spiral sliced ham, Strawberry Flummery, and honey-glazed carrots for dinner and watched Three Amigos. The Three Amigos (Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short) are a trio of silent-era Hollywood actors who play Zorro-style Mexican do-gooders. However, their last movie was a flop, and their studio now considers them to be washed-up. They get a chance for redemption when a young woman and her brother call them to a Mexican town to save them from bandits. They think they're doing a show, but the bandits and the frightened townspeople are very real. All three learn a lesson in bravery and in standing up for your rights when they agree to rescue the young woman from the bandits and convince the town that the bullying has gone on long enough.
This is one of those random comedies in the 80s and early 90s you wouldn't have gone to see in the theater but never would have missed when it was on cable. (It's also one of the few of these comedies Dad bought on video in the 90s when our cable was turned off.) All three men have opportunities for fun, and Randy Newman provides some nice songs, including the hilarious "My Little Buttercup."
Thursday, May 03, 2012
Balance and the British Secret Agent
Actually, I did something a little different today. I slept in, until past 10, and started a gloomy, damp day with cleaning the kitchen. It needed to be done. The sink and counter weren't too bad, but I hadn't dusted the cabinets, including the top, in ages. I still need to scrub the inside of the refrigerator. I'll do that tomorrow.
Dubbed the first of two James Bond films I bought last week, A View to a Kill, in the morning and early afternoon. Roger Moore's last Bond film has him chasing the head of a company specializing in high-tech microchips (a very creepy blond Christopher Walken). Initially, he's interested in the horses Zoltan's seemed to have drugged...but the trail eventually leads to San Francisco's Silicone Valley, where he encounters a gorgeous geologist (Tanya Roberts) and gets in trouble with the local police and Zoltan both, just barely avoiding Zoltan's Amazonian ladyfriend May Day (Grace Jones).
Boy, is this one weird. The only Bond films that rank higher on the "weird" scale are the Bond-in-space feature Moonraker and Connery's last "canon" go-around, Diamonds are Forever. You get everything from a wild car chase involving a fire truck and half of San Francisco's police force to Moore and Walken duking it out on the Golden Gate Bridge. Oh yeah, and San Francisco's City Hall is set on fire. Patrick McNee's in there somewhere, too. Dull Tanya Roberts is one of the least interesting Bond women; Jones is better, even if her neon eyeshadow and New Wave hair dos are incredibly dated today. My favorite thing about this one is the awesome Duran Duran title song, which was a huge hit in its own right on both sides of the Atlantic.
It was quarter after 3 before I finally headed out. Reversing my usual Thursday errands, I stopped at the Collingswood Library first to do my volunteering session there and donate some records and books. I shelved some DVDs and organized the DVD shelves; the kids' shelves were really bad this week. There was nothing to do upstairs, which may have been just as well. I barely had enough time to hurry down the street for yoga class as it was.
Lee was back for this week's Gentle Yoga class. There were only two other women in the class along with Lee and me, which was fine by me. We had plenty of room to work on stretching, twists, and standing poses. My left thigh and side have been feeling sore for weeks; I was in no mood to push myself. I wish I could go to the Gentle Yoga class more often, but I usually work at 4PM on Thursdays. The other Gentle Yoga/Yoga Basics classes offered are all late in the day, too.
Stopped at CVS on the way home. I needed mouthwash; also wanted to take a look at their summer decorations. (For some reason, drug stores always have great holiday decorations.) When I didn't see anything I liked, I just headed home. The sky remained cloudy and it was humid, but it was also a bit warmer than earlier, probably in the upper 60s.
When I got in, I made Chicken Meatloaf, Sauteed Swiss Chard, Chocolate Mint Muffins, and a half of a grapefruit for dinner while dubbing the other Bond film I picked up last week, GoldenEye. Bond was thrust into a new, Cold War-less world...and into a new actor. Pierce Bronsonan took over the role from Timothy Dalton and did remarkably well - in fact, only Sean Connery is more associated with the Bond role. This time, Bond heads first for Russia, then for Cuba in search of the secret weapon of the title. He's aided by a lovely computer programmer who witnessed the weapon's theft (Izabella Schiroso) and his boss, the skeptical M (Dame Judi Dench). The weapon was hijacked by a Russian mob boss (Sean Bean) with ties to Bond and to the Secret Service and a Russian computer geek (Alan Cummings) who loves to play mind games. And then there's pilot Xenia Onotopp (Fanke Janssen), she of the lethal love-making...
Ok, so this one's a little strange, but not quite as bizarre as most of the Roger Moore efforts. Along with Tomorrow Never Dies, this is probably Bronsonan's best Bond outing. Bean is also an effective villian; Janssen is even better as the lady with the (literal) killer thighs. Fairly tough Schiroso is a much better Bond girl than the useless Roberts. Dench made such a perfect M, her role would be increased in subsequent films.
Actually, I did something a little different today. I slept in, until past 10, and started a gloomy, damp day with cleaning the kitchen. It needed to be done. The sink and counter weren't too bad, but I hadn't dusted the cabinets, including the top, in ages. I still need to scrub the inside of the refrigerator. I'll do that tomorrow.
Dubbed the first of two James Bond films I bought last week, A View to a Kill, in the morning and early afternoon. Roger Moore's last Bond film has him chasing the head of a company specializing in high-tech microchips (a very creepy blond Christopher Walken). Initially, he's interested in the horses Zoltan's seemed to have drugged...but the trail eventually leads to San Francisco's Silicone Valley, where he encounters a gorgeous geologist (Tanya Roberts) and gets in trouble with the local police and Zoltan both, just barely avoiding Zoltan's Amazonian ladyfriend May Day (Grace Jones).
Boy, is this one weird. The only Bond films that rank higher on the "weird" scale are the Bond-in-space feature Moonraker and Connery's last "canon" go-around, Diamonds are Forever. You get everything from a wild car chase involving a fire truck and half of San Francisco's police force to Moore and Walken duking it out on the Golden Gate Bridge. Oh yeah, and San Francisco's City Hall is set on fire. Patrick McNee's in there somewhere, too. Dull Tanya Roberts is one of the least interesting Bond women; Jones is better, even if her neon eyeshadow and New Wave hair dos are incredibly dated today. My favorite thing about this one is the awesome Duran Duran title song, which was a huge hit in its own right on both sides of the Atlantic.
It was quarter after 3 before I finally headed out. Reversing my usual Thursday errands, I stopped at the Collingswood Library first to do my volunteering session there and donate some records and books. I shelved some DVDs and organized the DVD shelves; the kids' shelves were really bad this week. There was nothing to do upstairs, which may have been just as well. I barely had enough time to hurry down the street for yoga class as it was.
Lee was back for this week's Gentle Yoga class. There were only two other women in the class along with Lee and me, which was fine by me. We had plenty of room to work on stretching, twists, and standing poses. My left thigh and side have been feeling sore for weeks; I was in no mood to push myself. I wish I could go to the Gentle Yoga class more often, but I usually work at 4PM on Thursdays. The other Gentle Yoga/Yoga Basics classes offered are all late in the day, too.
Stopped at CVS on the way home. I needed mouthwash; also wanted to take a look at their summer decorations. (For some reason, drug stores always have great holiday decorations.) When I didn't see anything I liked, I just headed home. The sky remained cloudy and it was humid, but it was also a bit warmer than earlier, probably in the upper 60s.
When I got in, I made Chicken Meatloaf, Sauteed Swiss Chard, Chocolate Mint Muffins, and a half of a grapefruit for dinner while dubbing the other Bond film I picked up last week, GoldenEye. Bond was thrust into a new, Cold War-less world...and into a new actor. Pierce Bronsonan took over the role from Timothy Dalton and did remarkably well - in fact, only Sean Connery is more associated with the Bond role. This time, Bond heads first for Russia, then for Cuba in search of the secret weapon of the title. He's aided by a lovely computer programmer who witnessed the weapon's theft (Izabella Schiroso) and his boss, the skeptical M (Dame Judi Dench). The weapon was hijacked by a Russian mob boss (Sean Bean) with ties to Bond and to the Secret Service and a Russian computer geek (Alan Cummings) who loves to play mind games. And then there's pilot Xenia Onotopp (Fanke Janssen), she of the lethal love-making...
Ok, so this one's a little strange, but not quite as bizarre as most of the Roger Moore efforts. Along with Tomorrow Never Dies, this is probably Bronsonan's best Bond outing. Bean is also an effective villian; Janssen is even better as the lady with the (literal) killer thighs. Fairly tough Schiroso is a much better Bond girl than the useless Roberts. Dench made such a perfect M, her role would be increased in subsequent films.
Wednesday, May 02, 2012
Riding in the Rain
It was, indeed, raining hard when I got up this morning. I merely postponed my trip out to the Haddon Township Library until around quarter after 11. By that time, the rain had slowed to mere sprinkles, but it remained windy, chilly, and dark. Not surprisingly, the library was very busy. There was some kind of a local meeting in one room; I heard everyone talking as I organized the kids' DVDs. (And they needed it badly. Titles were totally on the wrong shelves or turned the wrong way. You'd think it had been a month since I was last there, instead of just a week!) There were plenty of adult DVDs and children's books to shelve, too.
Next, I decided to try Julia Cameron's suggested "Artist's Date" and take a look at JoAnn's. I hadn't been in there in a while. Mom used to do crafts with us a lot when we were kids, but I haven't been particuarly crafty as an adult. They had a whole line of inexpensive "Kids' Craft Camp" items, like paint pens and small wooden toys. I chose glitter fabric pens and a small wallet for a surprise for a friend. They also had the Wilton 2012 Cake Decorating Yearbook on clearance for about four dollars, far cheaper than its original thirteen!
Made a quick stop in Super Fresh. They didn't have the flaxseed meal I was looking for, so I moved on to Dollar Tree for sponges, a Mother's Day card, and another suncatcher. Went to the Bagel Shop for lunch. (My original thought for lunch was Simply Soups in Audubon, but I think they're still in the midst of moving down the block to their new, larger location.) I had a big veggie and cheese quesadila and fries for lunch. Too big - I didn't finish either. It was past 2 when I was working on my meal, and it was fairly quiet in the back of the Bagel Shop, just me and an older couple.
I rode straight over to the gym to get my session done there after lunch. I picked a really good time. The place was absolutely dead. There were only a few other women working on the treadmills. I did a good 20 minute ride on the stationary bike. Saw Joanne, one of my co-workers at the Acme, while doing the leg and knee weight machines, and said "hi."
The rain had long stopped by 4, when I finally got home, but the weather remained iffy. I went nowhere else today. Besides, I seriously needed to start my spring cleaning! I worked on the bathroom and dubbed the 1933 Little Women. Katherine Hepburn is Jo in one of the most famous versions of the beloved Louisa May Alcott story, but I was most impressed with a frail Jean Parker as Beth. She looked and sounded the part more than either Margaret O'Brian in the 1949 film or Claire Danes in '94.
I didn't get to making dinner until almost 7. Good thing I'd planned on a quick meal of pollack in lemon-wine sauce and steamed broccoli anyway. I ate dinner and made Lemon-Strawberry Pound Cake as I ran Grease 2.
It was, indeed, raining hard when I got up this morning. I merely postponed my trip out to the Haddon Township Library until around quarter after 11. By that time, the rain had slowed to mere sprinkles, but it remained windy, chilly, and dark. Not surprisingly, the library was very busy. There was some kind of a local meeting in one room; I heard everyone talking as I organized the kids' DVDs. (And they needed it badly. Titles were totally on the wrong shelves or turned the wrong way. You'd think it had been a month since I was last there, instead of just a week!) There were plenty of adult DVDs and children's books to shelve, too.
Next, I decided to try Julia Cameron's suggested "Artist's Date" and take a look at JoAnn's. I hadn't been in there in a while. Mom used to do crafts with us a lot when we were kids, but I haven't been particuarly crafty as an adult. They had a whole line of inexpensive "Kids' Craft Camp" items, like paint pens and small wooden toys. I chose glitter fabric pens and a small wallet for a surprise for a friend. They also had the Wilton 2012 Cake Decorating Yearbook on clearance for about four dollars, far cheaper than its original thirteen!
Made a quick stop in Super Fresh. They didn't have the flaxseed meal I was looking for, so I moved on to Dollar Tree for sponges, a Mother's Day card, and another suncatcher. Went to the Bagel Shop for lunch. (My original thought for lunch was Simply Soups in Audubon, but I think they're still in the midst of moving down the block to their new, larger location.) I had a big veggie and cheese quesadila and fries for lunch. Too big - I didn't finish either. It was past 2 when I was working on my meal, and it was fairly quiet in the back of the Bagel Shop, just me and an older couple.
I rode straight over to the gym to get my session done there after lunch. I picked a really good time. The place was absolutely dead. There were only a few other women working on the treadmills. I did a good 20 minute ride on the stationary bike. Saw Joanne, one of my co-workers at the Acme, while doing the leg and knee weight machines, and said "hi."
The rain had long stopped by 4, when I finally got home, but the weather remained iffy. I went nowhere else today. Besides, I seriously needed to start my spring cleaning! I worked on the bathroom and dubbed the 1933 Little Women. Katherine Hepburn is Jo in one of the most famous versions of the beloved Louisa May Alcott story, but I was most impressed with a frail Jean Parker as Beth. She looked and sounded the part more than either Margaret O'Brian in the 1949 film or Claire Danes in '94.
I didn't get to making dinner until almost 7. Good thing I'd planned on a quick meal of pollack in lemon-wine sauce and steamed broccoli anyway. I ate dinner and made Lemon-Strawberry Pound Cake as I ran Grease 2.
Tuesday, May 01, 2012
A Place On the Shelf
Since it was raining when I got up and gloomy for much of the morning, I spent most of the day inside. I'd wanted to reorganize the living room for a while and try to make my books and other media look less bunched together. Any entertainment non-fiction that relates to film, animation, or television was moved into the entertainment area (where the TV is) on the Ikea shelf that also holds the DVD player. Entertainment non-fiction relating to music, theater, or radio stayed in the music area (where the CD player and record player are). All other books were moved into my bedroom. The Christmas CDs and cassettes were moved to the Ikea shelf, over the books. All other cassettes are now on the tall ash-stained heart-cut-out-shelves next to the antique dresser that holds my tools and household items like duct tape.
Worked on the DVDs next, now that there was a shelf empty. I moved the home-made copies of the Bowery Boys and Danny Kaye's movies from Lauren in clear cases to that empty shelf, along with all Christmas movies more than an hour in length (such as National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation or Christmas In Connecticut). Holiday specials less than an hour in length and DVDs for other holidays (Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving) were left on the cherry-stained heart cut-out shelf.
The sun was just coming out when I finished...but there wasn't enough time for a walk or to clean the bathroom, my other plans today. I did decide to try a chocolate chip cookie recipe, though. The Sweet & Natural baking book had something that used no eggs, no dairy, and whole-wheat flour. I did use regular chocolate chips (the malt-based ones they recommend aren't easy to come by), but replaced the usual sugar with apple-cherry concentrate and the butter with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spread. They came out delicious, soft, nutty little morsels. I even had enough time for a decent Broccoli and Swiss Cheese Omelet lunch while they were in the oven.
Work was pretty much the same as yesterday, and the same I suspect it'll be all week - steady for most of the evening. It's now officially the beginning of the month. Thankfully, my relief was the kid who is already at work when he comes in for me - he spends half of his shift organizing tags in the back office.
When I got in, I had a call from Andrew, my late landlady's nephew. He wanted to know if I'd had problems with leaks in my place. We had a high water bill. Not that I knew of, unless it was behind the walls. I asked him if he was going to get Miss Ellie's grandsons to do the yard again, like she did in the fall, or if they wanted me to do it. He said "go ahead," so yeah, I'll be raking this week or next week.
Since it was raining when I got up and gloomy for much of the morning, I spent most of the day inside. I'd wanted to reorganize the living room for a while and try to make my books and other media look less bunched together. Any entertainment non-fiction that relates to film, animation, or television was moved into the entertainment area (where the TV is) on the Ikea shelf that also holds the DVD player. Entertainment non-fiction relating to music, theater, or radio stayed in the music area (where the CD player and record player are). All other books were moved into my bedroom. The Christmas CDs and cassettes were moved to the Ikea shelf, over the books. All other cassettes are now on the tall ash-stained heart-cut-out-shelves next to the antique dresser that holds my tools and household items like duct tape.
Worked on the DVDs next, now that there was a shelf empty. I moved the home-made copies of the Bowery Boys and Danny Kaye's movies from Lauren in clear cases to that empty shelf, along with all Christmas movies more than an hour in length (such as National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation or Christmas In Connecticut). Holiday specials less than an hour in length and DVDs for other holidays (Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving) were left on the cherry-stained heart cut-out shelf.
The sun was just coming out when I finished...but there wasn't enough time for a walk or to clean the bathroom, my other plans today. I did decide to try a chocolate chip cookie recipe, though. The Sweet & Natural baking book had something that used no eggs, no dairy, and whole-wheat flour. I did use regular chocolate chips (the malt-based ones they recommend aren't easy to come by), but replaced the usual sugar with apple-cherry concentrate and the butter with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spread. They came out delicious, soft, nutty little morsels. I even had enough time for a decent Broccoli and Swiss Cheese Omelet lunch while they were in the oven.
Work was pretty much the same as yesterday, and the same I suspect it'll be all week - steady for most of the evening. It's now officially the beginning of the month. Thankfully, my relief was the kid who is already at work when he comes in for me - he spends half of his shift organizing tags in the back office.
When I got in, I had a call from Andrew, my late landlady's nephew. He wanted to know if I'd had problems with leaks in my place. We had a high water bill. Not that I knew of, unless it was behind the walls. I asked him if he was going to get Miss Ellie's grandsons to do the yard again, like she did in the fall, or if they wanted me to do it. He said "go ahead," so yeah, I'll be raking this week or next week.
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