Saturday

Took the Mutt out to the little woods next to Great Neck library, and let her run around. The ground has some low spots, enough for a mud puddle about two feet wide and ten feet long. The Mutt drank from it, then stood in it, then abruptly laid down in it. Could have been worse, though; she got straight up again when I called her, and she didn't roll around in it.

We've had a Bowflex for a while, and it's mostly been a not-very-efficient clothes rack. We finally sold it today. Yay! Money and more room.

Went to Echos of Time, a costume shop in Virginia Beach. They have lots of stuff there, a lot more than I'd expected from their website: Civil War uniforms, 1920s mobsters, medieval, science fiction red shirts, and more. There was a pith helmet that I'd have bought, except it was rental-only.

Discovered the Highlander restaurant about one block north of Echos of Time. It's an English / Scottish restaurant. It's a generic small restaurant, plus photos of pipers and Scottish landscape--but you're not paying "ambiance" prices either. Service was very good. I had a half serving of fish and chips; the fries were nothing special but the fish was a huge filet of fresh cod, hand battered right there, and really good. The other side of the restaurant is a mini-grocery where you can get things like shortbread, toffees, ales, fish & chips batter, shortbread, Devonshire cream, tinned haggis (not that you'd want to), lemon marmalade, or shortbread.

Went by a game shop to pick up some d20s. Why on earth do people make dice with die/ink color combinations that are nearly unreadable? Marbled brown dice with burgundy ink--you can read it in bright light if you stare closely enough, but why not make it "solid blue with white ink" or something equally easy on the eyes?