LadyGypsy.net – the blog of Kimberly Dowd of New Jersey

Would it be redundant to tell you that Collingswood has an event called Second Saturday on the second Saturday of each month? Yes? Okay then. I’ll instead say that this monthly event is arts-centered and that we went this weekend. Because it’s fun, and it’s free, which fits in very well with the Summer of Cheap.

I actually put on a skirt and makeup for this because somehow the suburbs have been overrun with women wearing dresses and skirts to outdoor events. Plus, it was date night!

There are various artisans selling their wares along the street. And yes, every other booth is jewelry, but there were bookmakers* and soap makers and knitters, too.

We started with a high-falutin’ artisan meal.

Broccoli on its own? Ick. Broccoli on pizza? Yum!

Collingswood offers a bunch of GREAT restaurants, but on nights like this (and Cruise Night, which is the third Thursday of each month) it’s so much nicer to eat outside, watch the people go by and listen to the music.

And there was a lot of music. There was a band on almost every corner.

This was our favorite band of the night – they played a lot of oldies and surf-type songs.

The Hypersonics!

When they broke into “That Thing You Do” I broke into dance.

Me, doing that thing I do.

Which just screams for an animated gif, so here you go.

If you’re ever near Collingswood on the second Saturday of the month, you should definitely swing by Haddon Avenue and see the sights! Just ignore the dancing girl.

*People creating books & journals. Not people taking bets. That’s probably part of Camden’s Second Saturday event, though.

Happy Friday! Even though I’m just on blogging fire lately, it’s still good to have a Friday Five! This week’s is called “Control.”

Friday!

1. When did you take time this week to play?

Funny, I really haven’t played ANYTHING this week. I haven’t logged into WoW since Sunday, believe it or not, and Farmville is more of a Zen garden experience than actual play.

2. This past week, what would you have liked to rewind so you could experience it again?

In keeping with our “Summer of Cheap”* we went to the Camden Riversharks game on Tuesday thanks to free tickets from work. After a rainy day it was a GORGEOUS night and we had a great time!

3. What happened this week to give you pause?

My boss gave his 2 week notice on Tuesday. Yeah. I’m bummed about that but I understand his wanting to move on. No, I’m not applying for the job. Been there, done that. Besides, I’m no longer qualified for the job I used to have because they added “proven sales experience” to the requirements. I have proven sales experience. It was proven to be bad.

So yay for more change! Zing. Since I’ve been asked to be “Acting Manager” during the transition period (Boss’s boss thinks I’m great), I asked for Monday and Tuesday off to snooze on my sofa, play with my beads and maybe hit the beach? Maybe? We’ll see.**

4. From what situation this week would you have liked to eject yourself?

Finding that Max had…accidents…in the kitchen while we slept one night. A bit of rice mixed in with his food pulled him back on track. But that moment when you FIND that kind of mess? EJECT!

5. In what situation this week did you cede power to someone else?

Erm…I signed my lease for another year here at the dee-luxe apartment in the sky. So my livelihood is somewhat-controlled by the whims and whimsies of the apartment management.

Example: Our air conditioners (both) have been broken since August and we FINALLY got them both replaced. At first, we were victim to a less-than-honest maintenance manager — “The List” we were on did not exist. Once she was let go, I tried to open a new ticket, but they stop replacing air units in the winter and told us to wait ’til spring. Two weeks ago I started calling the maintenance office every other day. Last week I started calling every day. On Tuesday I showed up at the maintenance office. The new manager promised she’d be SURE to get someone out yesterday. Yesterday I called and assumptively asked when I could expect someone to show up. (This is a level of persistence I’d have NEVER had in my 20s, by the way.) The living room unit was replaced yesterday afternoon. The bedroom one was replaced today.

At the moment, we have this place so cold I’m wearing knit socks, pants, t-shirt AND A SWEATER. I’m drinking hot coffee and am enjoying life.

***

* WM out of work + big family wedding in August = 2010 being the Summer of Cheap! We’re filling in our free time with free/cheap excursions. The summer festival season is awesome here in South Jersey. There’s always something free/cheap to do.

**I’m looking for a beach in Central-to-South NJ where I won’t be blanket-to-blanket with the rest of humanity. Probably without a boardwalk. Just a simple beach, y’know? I don’t even need lifeguards. Any suggestions?

We went to the Collingswood Mayfair on Saturday and had a great time!

Two 1972 classics in ONE photo!

One of the businesses created a Stanley Cup out of aluminium foil as a show of support for the Flyers. And although I’m a Devils fan, I want the Flyers to win the Cup because that’ll be another Philadelphia team to win their sport’s championship before the Eagles do. And I hate the Eagles.

There were even nationally known celebrities there!

And the Courier-Post had a booth, too. I couldn’t NOT be a ham. You’ll forgive me, right? (subscribe, subscribe, subscribe, save my job, save my job…)

My kicky hat is from Eugenia Kim’s Target line.