April Showers Brings May Heat

I slept longer than I'd planned for the second day this week, which once again threw me off. I did have enough time to bake chocolate chip muffins and watch Young Sherlock Holmes. This will probably be the last time I'm able to bake until this upcoming heat waves subsides. We're supposed to be in the upper 80s by the beginning of the week!

Young Sherlock Holmes is an odd hybrid of The Goonies and the Indiana Jones series with some pre-Harry Potter boarding-school fantasy vibes. It's a "what if?" tale - what if Sherlock Holmes and John Watson had met as teenage boys at a boarding school and got into a wild adventure involving Egyptian cults, hallucinatory drugs, and an odd flying contraption?


Justin at Mutant Reviewers From Hell compared this to the Harry Potter films and books, and he was right...for the first 20 minutes. Once we get away from the boarding school setting, the Egyptian back story, sword fights, and vaguely steampunk-ish feeling make it seem more like last year's version of Sherlock Holmes with kid characters or The Goonies in Victorian England. This is another 80s cult flick that I fondly remember turning up on cable often in the mid and late 80s. My mother used to love it. Fun, but really nothing you haven't seen elsewhere.

Work was almost exactly the same as yesterday - busier than earlier in the week, but still not incredibly busy. Business didn't pick up until I was ready to leave. Good thing, too. Once again, someone called out and we were short-handed. I just made it to the line in time with my apples, grapefruit, bananas, escarole, Earl Gray green tea, yogurt, chocolate chips, brown sugar, and salsa. The Acme was having a big sale on Edy's Fruit Bars and Ice Cream, too, $2 for 5 with a coupon if you bought two. No problem. I grabbed the Edy's Orange and Cream and Lemonade Fruit Bars, my favorites. (Their strawberry and lime bars are also really good, and I almost bought the new Acai Blueberry.)

It was such a nice day, I decided to go for a walk, run some errands, and have a quick dinner out. I put everything away, changed, and hit the White Horse Pike. It was gorgeous today, warm, sunny, and in the 80s. It was still windy when I went to work at 1PM, but that had died down by quarter after 6. I hit the bank first to deposit my paycheck in the ATM machine, then headed two blocks down the Pike to Taco Bell for dinner.

That may have been a mistake. First of all, they were pretty busy. Second, they weren't very good. I ordered a Rancho Chicken Burrito off their Drive In Diet menu and a Limeade Cooler. The Rancho Chicken Burrito looked nothing like the one in the picture. I think it may actually have been a soft chicken taco (it was in the Soft Taco paper), but I was too hungry by that point to care. It wasn't nearly as big as the one in the picture, either...or very good. All I tasted was spices, not chicken or anything else. They forgot to give me the Limeade Cooler and I had to ask twice for it. The Cooler turned out to be tasty, just sweet enough with lots of lime flavor, but it wasn't worth the lousy burrito. I won't be going back there. That's a good reminder of why I rarely eat fast food.

Headed a few blocks more to CVS next to pick up a few items I needed. I bought dried cranberries and apricots on sale for 2 for $3. I also grabbed shampoo (I'm almost out) and mouth wash (CVS' small size is on sale for 99 cents).

Frustrated Balance

I'd just finished getting dressed when the phone rang. Yup, it was the Acme. Could I come in at 11:30? Someone called out. No. I feel bad, but I really did want to get in yoga class and volunteering at the Collingswood Library. I told them I'd go in at 1:30. That would give me enough time to get home and eat and still have extra hours.

Yoga class was tough today. The emphasis was on hip and knee work. First of all, my knees get sore when they're pushed too hard. Second, I'm still not very flexible. No matter how hard I tried, I just could not grab both of my legs for bow at all. I felt so embarrassed, even though I knew no one was watching. This wasn't helped by a busy class, 13 including the teacher Karin.

I went straight to the library after class. I did exactly what I did last week, which was organize the DVDs. It was about all I had time for, anyway. Once again, they needed it. The kids' DVDs really get out of order.

Went home after that and had lunch. Alas, lunch (fish tacos and a banana) took me longer than I thought it would, and I was late leaving...not helped by accidentally dropping the cookie tin when I moved it to get to my granola bars! The cookies were ok, but crumbs spilled everywhere. I wasn't even able to clean it up until I got home.

After all that, work turned out to be a little busier than yesterday, but still not crazy. There were no really major problems other than the lack of help - I wasn't the only person called in today.

The Great Outdoors

Spent a pleasant morning raking the leaves leftover from the fall and winter storms. I enjoy yard work. I don't mind helping Miss Ellie at all, and not just because she pays me. It's nice to be able to help out. After all, I live here, too. We both want the yard to look as nice as it can. It's good exercise. It gets all of the leaves and sticks out of both our ways. And it just feels great to be able to do something so PHYSICAL, something that isn't standing around.

It never takes me as long to rake the yard in the spring as it does in the fall. I was done in an hour and a half. Admittedly, I didn't bother with the patch of land by Miss Ellie's car, but the grass is too high for a rake to penetrate over there.

(And I'm really glad I got it done today, instead of waiting, despite some really crazy wind. It was in the lower 50s today, but it's supposed to be in the 80s by the end of the week. I'll do my side of the house on Saturday, but that rarely takes more than a half-hour even in the fall.)

After I got my $15 from Miss Ellie, I spent an hour having lunch and reading online before heading to work. Work was...quiet. It was dead for most of the night, and never more than mildly steady. I was a bit surprised, but we are in the middle of the week and the end of the month. Things should pick up this weekend as we hit the beginning of the month, the weather improves, and we get closer to our next holidays, Mother's Day and Memorial Day.

Time Isn't On My Side

I didn't think I'd be able to sleep last night, but I did...too well. By the time I sleepily groped for my alarm clock, it was 10:25! That sort of threw off my whole day. I don't usually sleep anywhere near that late. I didn't help that my head was still achy and stuffed up and my throat was still dry and itchy. The rest of me felt fine, though, and I figured that was good enough to head out for my chores.

Laundry was first. It was just as well that Dad was the only one who was home (though I did see Jodie briefly) and I didn't really have much laundry to do anyway. I wasn't up for a lot of conversation. I have no idea where Uncle Ken and Dolores were. Probably out running chores. I crocheted Sam's scarf and finished the most recent Holmes on the Range story, The Crack In the Lens.

After I finally finished, I had a quick lunch of an orange and a granola bar and headed back out to the Haddon Township Library. Considering it was quarter after 4 by the time I rolled into Super Fresh, it wasn't busy and it hadn't taken me long to cross Cuthbert Road. I had few problems buying bunched carrots and parchment paper. (I ran out making cookies yesterday.)

The Haddon Township Library was busy when I arrived. I shelved dozens of DVDs, but I didn't do anything else and I didn't take anything out. I've taken out a ton of stuff already that I haven't read yet, and I don't think I'm really going to have the time to watch much this week.

I rode part-way across Newton River Park going home. The park's pretty at this time of year, with all the greenery and purple irises and yellow dandelions. There were lots of other people out and about, too, mostly joggers and dog-walkers getting a final stroll in before dinner.

I got home at 10 after 6, just in time for fish tacos for dinner. I was going to rake the yard tomorrow. We'll see how I feel.

Day of the Sniffles

I did not sleep well last night. I woke up three times. I did manage to get to sleep after a while...but when I finally got up for good, I had a sore throat, stuffed-up nose, and an aching head.

It's probably just as well that it's rained on and off for the entire day. I didn't feel up to doing much anyway. I mostly crocheted. I did get my green-and-tan headband done. It came out very well; I'm wearing it now. Next, I'm going to crochet scarves for all the AG dolls and the Cabbies. I started Sam's this afternoon.

I rarely take a shower during the day, but I didn't think I'd be up to it tonight. Besides, I thought it would help my head. Nope. My head has remained stubbornly stuffy for the rest of the day. Even baking chocolate chip cookies didn't help.

I went online for a little while before work. I was hoping the rain would end by the time I had to leave. I really hate calling for a ride, so I just took the bike and got wet.

Rushing was almost pointless. It was steady-to-dead the whole night, with no major problems. Thankfully, it was merely misting when I rode home, and I don't think it's actually rained since.

Mothers and Daughters

It was just as well that I spent most of the morning sleeping in. I awoke around 10 to a gloomy, misty, cold day. I got out of bed just in time for Brunch With the Beatles on WOGL. ("Beatles Songs That Were Singles In Other Countries, But Not the US" was the theme today.) I made chocolate chip-peanut butter pancakes and called Mom.

Mom and I ended up chatting for almost two hours! We mostly discussed doll clothes. Mom loves to make them...and I could use some for my girls! I don't have Samantha's pink birthday pinafore dress or Molly's striped jammies. Little Jess and Molly have no summer clothes besides the shorts that came with the Girls Scouts uniform. Felicity has three outfits, none of them winter. I'd love to have her retired Writing Lesson Outfit! Molly's hula outfit is missing the skirt, and the leis are dirty and in bad shape. (Although I will add that Molly may have hated her mother making her wear that red sweater out for trick-or-treat, but I adore it. The color is great and it's one of the most versatile pieces of clothing AG ever made. It goes with almost anything and any time period from Kit onwards, including modern.)

I sent Mom the patterns from the AGPlaythings site last night. Good ol' smart Mom. She downloaded them and saved them to CD. I may do the same. I may also at least save Addy's and Kirsten's as well. There's some patterns in their collections I like, too, including Kirsten's apron and Addy's wonderful Christmas dress.

I realized talking to Mom today that Felicity is the only one of my girls who owns a pinafore or an apron. Given my baking/cooking hobby, that will not do! I'd like to make Jess and the Cabbies simple aprons, Sam and Molly pinafores, and Felicity a plain pinner that isn't intended as an accessory for an outfit. Mom also offered to make a mob cap for Felicity (and she could make it to match either of her meet dresses - I have both), a felt hat for Jess, and Molly's "meet" handbag. I could even string pretty coral beads for Felicity's original "meet" necklace (I like that much better than the boring purple necklace she comes with now) and find a little inexpensive heart locket for Molly at a yard sale or Target.

It was still misting and chilly when I went to work. Work was long-line busy when I got in, steady and dying fast when I left. Everyone was in a surprisingly good mood despite the weather. There were no major problems, and I was in and out quickly.

I bought a roast beef hoagie for dinner, but I was so full from my pancake breakfast, I never finished it. I ate my hoagie while listening to The Dress Circle. "The Shows of Maltby and Shire" was the theme tonight. They're really better known for their work on movies and TV shows (including the Oscar-winning theme song for Norma Rae, "And So It Goes"), but some of their Broadway work is lovely, too. We heard from the short-lived Baby, the revue Starting Here, Starting Now, and another short-lived but interesting show, a musical version of the film Big.

And I'm glad I don't work late until tomorrow. It started raining hard about an hour after I got home from work, and it's been on-and-off heavily ever since, including a dilly of a thunderstorm.

I'll Never Get Away From Them

Slept in today and just crocheted for the little time I had this morning. Probably a good thing, too. Work was much busier today than it was yesterday, and there were more annoying customers, too. I was trying to go fast all day to keep up with the lines, and even when there weren't lines, I went fast so no one would complain about being stuck in line. One old guy made a fuss because I was fast, saying I was pushing him out. I assumed he'd want to get out! Who wants to hang around in a grocery line all day? The guy behind him thought he was being miserable, but I didn't mean to get him mad.

After work, I just headed home. It had started out sunny and gorgeous, but by the time I got home, it was cloudy and windy. I was dead tired from rushing around all day, too. I still ran to the bank to deposit this week's paycheck, though. It had to be done. I debated getting a quick dinner somewhere, but I felt bad about it when there was still leftovers in the fridge. Why buy food when you already have it? I had home-made chicken sausage patties from earlier in the week, escarole salad, sauteed asparagus and mushrooms, and the last banana-cranberry muffin after crocheting some more and watching The Great Muppet Caper.

It's supposed to rain all weekend and into Tuesday. God, I hope not! I really don't want to call for rides all weekend. I feel so horrible when I do that, like I'm a moocher, even when people claim they don't mind. And I have a lot of things to do on Tuesday, too - that WOULD be my only day off this week!

Welcome to the Weekend

Slept in and didn't do a whole lot this morning. I mostly just updated my DVD inventory with my newest finds. Made my grocery list, too. I try to do my grocery shopping on Fridays, when I get paid.

Work wasn't too bad today, on-and-off steady. There were some obnoxious customers. One of the older ladies who fussed and complained and gave orders about how her bags should be done without lifting a finger herself was so annoying, she got the older woman behind her pissed off! Apparently, this lady had once been a clerk and later manager in a card shop and knew how it felt to deal with trying people. I really appreciated her sympathy, especially since she was a big help with her bags.

My relief was on time, allowing me to get my own grocery shopping done. I wanted to make a mousse pie after that Orange Coconut Mousse Cream Pie came out so well last month. Acme has a brand of chocolate mousse mixes on clearance; I went with my favorite, dark chocolate. The Keebler chocolate pie crusts were on sale, too. I also bought fruit and vegetables, mixed nuts (I demolished those almonds I bought), frozen peas and canned cream of chicken soup to restock after last week's dinners, granola bars, and yogurt.

Alas, I think I put too much milk in the mousse mix, because my pie came out soupy. Maybe it'll be better in time for breakfast...

Oh, and I'm not overly thrilled with my schedule this week. The upside is more hours, which will keep those good paychecks coming...but the downside is later hours, including three 2-8 days in a row. A LOT of people went on vacation this week (since this week is the last week before our vacation cycle starts over), which will probably leave us short-handed as well. Not a good thing, since the beginning of the month is next weekend.

Balance and the Thunderous Surprise

Started off a lovely, sunny spring day with yoga class. Karin wanted to emphasize leg work and splits and our connection to the ground beneath us on this Earth Day. Trouble is...I can't do splits to save my life. I can't even bend my knee all the way. I'm just not that limber. There were a few other people in the class who couldn't really do it, including two guys, but I felt sheepish. I've been going to yoga class for almost two years now. I should be better at this.

Stopped at the thrift shop next to drop off some video donations. Said "hi" to my friend Erica who works there and browsed. I saw some fabric that might make some doll clothes, but I didn't see anything else I really wanted. I didn't end up getting anything.

Rode two blocks down Haddon Avenue to the Collingswood Library after that for this week's volunteering session there. I put DVDs away, shelved them, and organized them. They really, really needed to be organized, especially the kids' DVDs. They were turned out and piled on top of each other. I turned them around and made sure only two or three were facing frontwards to keep things from getting too cluttered.

Had lunch at GrooveGround, the very hip coffee shop furnter down Haddon Avenue, near Genesis Counseling. I was hungry by then, so I had a huge "GLT" (ie, Turkey Club) pannini and a tiny cup of pasta salad (once again nixing the potato chips). It was quite tasty, just what I needed.

Counseling was my next stop. I told Scott about my busy month - Rose's pregnancy and the birth of Khai, my birthday, the nicer weather we've been having, my improved hours at work. We mostly talked about my difficulty with anxiety and talking to people in authority. I've been wanting to switch to the bakery, but I'm nervous about talking to the manager. I see authority figures and I remember having to go to the principal's office as a child. I know I'm not a child anymore...but that's what I see. I remember a child who felt terrified that she'd done something wrong and wasn't as good as these important people.

I didn't have any plans after that. I stopped at WaWa for water and two mini-York Peppermint Patties. Went next-door to Rite Aid and finally found this year's Entertainment Weekly Summer Movie Preview. I buy that every year. I'm a little disappointed with the cover, though. I'm not nearly as interested in Angelina Jolie as I was in Hugh Jackman and his amazing arms last year.

I rode home through Newton River Park, enjoying the lovely day. There was a small package waiting for me when I got in. I ordered another dress for my Samantha doll on eBay. I'd finally gotten her "Buster Brown" school dress, or as I like to call it, her "Monkee uniform" dress. It has six buttons going down the front with piping above it in a style similar to the Monkees' uniform shirts from their show. It was in perfect condition, though being a flannel outfit, it's a little warm for her to wear now. It'll be her winter outfit.

Spent the rest of the evening inside...and it might be just as well. It was 3:30, about an hour after I tried Sam's new dress on her, when the clouds rolled in. I was working on crocheting me a headband at that point. (Most of mine are really stretched out.) One minute, it was sunny...the next, clouds were on the horizon, and thunder could be heard in the distance. The storm didn't last long. It vanished within 20 minutes.

Other than that, it wasn't a very exciting afternoon. I dusted the apartment (finishing this month's cleaning), made Chicken Pork Sausage patties and green beans for dinner, and watched The Band Wagon.

The Band Wagon is one of my favorite movies. Fred Astaire plays Tony Hunter, a washed-up Hollywood star who comes to Broadway to appear in a musical written for him by his composer/lyracist married friends (Oscar Levant and Nannette Fabray, an odd couple if there ever was one). Trouble is, his friends have also turned to a current Broadway wunderkind to direct and co-star in it, Jeffery Cordova (British musical star Jack Buchanon). Cordova, generally a dramatic director, has very different ideas of how he wants to do this show. The light comedy originally plans somehow evolves into a modern-day Faust, even as Cordova plays devil's advocate. Bringing in a ballerina (Cyd Charisse) and her boyfriend who are at least a decade removed from Hunter doesn't help matters. When the show bombs in try-outs, it's Tony who comes up with the solution...and brings in a wonderful array of musical numbers set to the music of songwriters Dietz and Schwartz, including the memorable "Girl Hunt Ballet" and the new "That's Entertainment."

The delights never stop in this surprisingly insightful look at how Broadway was functioning and changing in the early 50s...and how there was still room for smoothies like Astaire and chew-the-scenery hams like Buchanon. Levant and Fabray may not have gotten along well in real-life, but they have some of the best lines as what's probably the stand-ins for (non-married) songwriting team Betty Comden and Adolph Green.

Spring Surprises

I slept in this morning. Watched the rest of Laugh-A-Lympics, then walked to the Oaklyn Library for this week's volunteering there. I was working on the DVDs when the kindergarten kids who have their storybook time at the library arrived. The kids seem to be having an Earth Day theme this week. Their teacher read them a book about water pollution and what we can do to keep our water resources clean.

After the kids finished listening to the story, I worked on organizing the children's section. The kids were really cute. I commented on the books they were reading. One boy said it was his birthday. I congratulated him and told him mine was a week ago. They asked me why I talk funny (I have an overbite that gives me a slight lisp) and why my eyes look strange (my right eye is very stigmatic; everything's one big blur when I don't wear my contacts or glasses).

The rest of my afternoon after I got home was fairly quiet. I crocheted, had the last of the tuna casserole for lunch, and messed around online. Clouds were on the horizon even as I arrived, though, and by the time I left for work, it looked like rain. It only spit a tiny bit on the way, though.

Work was on-and-off steady, with no major problems. The weather must have scared people off. According to my customers, the showers picked up shortly after I got to the Acme and hadn't abated since then. It was still raining when I rode my bike home, but it was late by then, so I just rode and got wet.

He's an All-Star

Today was laundry day. It was also the day Dad said he'd take me to meet my new nephew. I brought my laundry over around quarter of 10, and after I put it in the dryer, we were on our way. It was a lovely day for it, too. The sun shown in a blue sky and perfect, mid-60s temperatures as we headed down the highway to Cooper River Hospital in Camden.

Cooper River Hospital is a huge complex with many buildings, but the maternity ward was in the main one. Dad said he and Jodie had trouble finding Rose's building when they visited them yesterday. We had less problems today. He only had to ask one man behind the desk, and he knew right where we were going. We did take the wrong elevator, but it didn't take too long to get turned around and get on the right one.

Rose and Craig were there when we arrived, but Khai wasn't. He was getting circumcised, poor guy. The nurses and doctor wheeled Khai in about ten minutes later. They gave Rose and Craig directions on how to take care of his wound, and then we got to meet the newcomer for the first time.

He was sooo tiny! He makes the cutest faces. His eyes aren't quite open yet. He makes little squeaky noises when he sleeps; Craig jokes that he's snoring, like Rose (and most of our family) does. I got to hold him twice. The first time, he got a little noisy, but I think that was because he'd just gotten through the circumcision and was feeling sore. I held him again after Rose fed him while we waited in the family rooms. This time, he went right to sleep.

Rose said that she's feeling fine and the operation went well. Craig's looking fine, too. He was a big help. He knew just how to hold the baby. They're both utterly thrilled and looking great. I'm so happy for them. Khai's adorable.

After we got home, I went straight back to my place and had a peanut butter and berry jam wrap for lunch. After that, I rode over to Westmont. I stopped at Super Fresh first. They always have good salad dressing sales, and I'm almost out. I bought two of Ken's delicious Healthy Options dressings, Italian with Romano and Red Pepper and Balsamic. I also bought Oat Bran, which Acme no longer carries.

Headed for the Haddon Township Library next for this week's volunteering session. They're in the midst of some kind of survey that doesn't allow you to shelve books, so there wasn't a lot I could do. I did take some things out, though. I found two cartoon DVDs I was interested in, the newest Backyardigans episodes and a childhood favorite, Scooby Doo's All-Star Laugh-a-Lympics. I also took out two more mysteries, the first Beatrix Potter mystery The Tale of Hill Top Farm and an American Girl mystery story, Secrets In the Hills.

I took the long way home across Newton River Park, partially to avoid traffic on Cuthbert Road, since it was about 4:30 then. It was a gorgeous day for it. There couldn't have been a more perfect spring day. There were lots of people out, too, walking their dogs and riding bikes. I made a brief stop at CVS but didn't get anything.

When I got home, I fed my cake craving with gingerbread while watching the cartoon DVDs. The Backyardigans episodes in this go-around were pretty strange. The first one, with rear-end-kicking princesses Tasha and Uniqua breaking out of their tower prison to the sound of girl-group music, was by far the best. The one with Tasha, Tyrone, and Pablo as a marachi band who ends up in space and encounters aliens who want to cover Earth with goo was at least creative. The one about Tasha's pencil jamming up the gears in a sock-making machine was also pretty odd, but very cute - loved all the catchphrases in that one. ("In all my years..." "For the love of socks!")

Scooby Doo's All-Star Laugh-A-Lympics ran on the USA Network's Cartoon Express block in the late 80s and early 90s, and it was one of my favorite shows. It's basically Hanna Barbara's version of Disney's House of Mouse...only instead of just hanging at a club, most of the popular Hanna Barbara characters of the 60s and 70s square off in a massive sports competition set in different countries.

I always rooted for the Yogi Yahooies, the team made up of all the HB funny animals, including the bear himself. The Scooby Doobies consisted of the 70s mystery teams and their various pets - Scooby and Shaggy, Blue Falcon and Dynomutt, Speed Buggy and his humans, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels. The Really Rottens were, as you've probably guessed from the name, villains. They were lead by the most famous HB bad guys, Dastardly and Muttley. Snagglepuss and Mildew Wolf were the commentators, and other HB characters would show up as "guest star judges" from time to time.

Unlike most of the HB shows of the 60s and 70s, I enjoyed it as much now as I did when I would plop on the couch for the entire three-hour USA Cartoon Express. These characters can be formulatic and sometimes a bit dull on their own...but toss them all together, with, say, Grape Ape sumo-wrestling Shaggy or the Rottens somehow managing to miss the finish line in a bobsled race, and you have some comic gold.