Trouble Me By 10,000 Maniacs

    I watched two episodes as usual of 'Big Bang Theory' tonight. The syndicated rerun was about practical jokes, usually getting the better of Sheldon. I hadn't seen it before. The prime time episode I had seen, when the gang does a group picture in the desert in their Star Trek uniforms and the girls argue about comic books.
  After the show I drove to the comedy club tonight, as the Turkeys were doing a show at Hell's Kitchen in Minneapolis. On my car radio I liked hearing 'Trouble me' by 10,000 Maniacs- a song I thought was appropriate when I wanted to help a friend cope with a loss after the E-2 nightclub tragedy in Chicago. The show was a good one as usual, a different lineup but I still know most of the comics. There was also some more skits, a recurring one was about a Halloween store owner. Valley Meadows, the rap music act, closed the show. I won in the costume contest- I was wearing the 'Scream' movie slasher costume. My prize was a shirt and a gift card.  
   In the evening I dealt with somebody who wouldn't leave me alone when I was getting a sandwich at a convenience store, asking me twice if I had a dollar.  

Call Me By Blondie

   We did the Wii dancing at work today, and as usual I liked the music played. It included 'Viva Las Vegas', along with 'Iko Iko'. I know there are multiple versions of the latter song, some are called 'Ika Ika'- which was in the movie 'Rain Man'. Also liked dancing to 'SOS' by Rihanna, and 'Call Me' by Blondie. I liked the use of French in Blondie's song. I know other musicians have done this for contrast. ELO did it, and so has Lady Gaga. They are singing the same words, but in French. I know 'Appelle-Moi' is literally 'My name' in French, but it fits better when it is loosely translated as 'Call Me', the song title.
   I didn't watch much of the World Series tonight, as I was at the comedy club. I saw the start and end of the game. The Cardinals lost to Boston 6-1, and Boston won the series 4-2.
   It was a notable night at the comedy club, being the day before Halloween many were in costumes. The show runner had a pirate hat and eyepatch, though it did mean it was harder to see. I liked doing plenty of new jokes, including one from my 'work spouse' asking if I was sick as I am rarely on instant messaging.  
   When I got off the bus after work in the evening, I saw somebody being helped along by two others. Eventually one of them said he wasn't going onto the bus as the driver would pull over right away and put him in detox. The way he was walking it did look like he had too much to drink.   

Simpsons Comic Books

    Before I went to the comedy club tonight, I went to a bookstore and bought two items. One was a Simpsons comic book and the other was a Charlie Brown book. I am not a big fan of comic books but I do like the Simpsons. Since it is an animated show it comes as no surprise to see the Simpsons as a comic book. It is edition 205, where Smithers is in charge of the plant and Homer is promoted. I may get others now, and there were others on display. The Charlie Brown book was 'Be brave', a mini-book available near the cashier. There is also 'Be kind', and I intend to get it soon.
   I did ask the show runner what he knew about comic books and graphic novels, he was familiar with Harvey Pekar's American Splendor- as a movie. Since I considered getting the book at the same store, I had to ask after finding out there were at least 5 listings under the American Splendor name as I just want to order one at this time. Much like 'The Quitter', I may need to get it on loan from the library first. What I like is that the library has plenty of movies as well.
   There were some notables performing at tonight's show. The show runner from another club did her routine which included bits about being married to a cop. I also like the one about somebody she knows considering going to clown school. Another was doing his turtleneck/turtle check joke, saying it was finally the right weather for wearing it. He asked me to watch his coat and bag when he was onstage, and I am honored whenever my comedian friends trust me this much.
    At work there was a department meeting, our de facto boss said she was handing things off to our new boss. The Subway sandwiches left over from the previous day were placed in the main break room on tables just before midday. As expected it didn't last long, all gone within the hour. I got two ham sandwiches, got one ham and one turkey the previous day.

Comic's Back Turned To Crowd

    At the comedy club tonight, one comic did her routine with her back turned to the crowd. She does the joke about the conga line at the dog park. I had seen another comic do this before, but it was usually for just one joke. Then he faced the crowd again. She kept it up for much longer and even asked a crowd member to let her know when the time light was on. The 'extra murder' comic took it further when following her, going behind the curtain.
   At work I was greeted by a little pumpkin as there is a Halloween decoration contest this week. In the afternoon there was a 'Lunch and learn' about heart health. My senior leader shared his story about having a heart attack nearly seven years ago. This event ran long and there were many who didn't stay until the end for this reason. The main speaker, a physician, spoke for quite a while.
   I did my best to follow Game Five of the World Series tonight, even though I wasn't home to watch it at all. It helped that it was on the TV monitor at the comedy club. After the show started I checked periodically, about every 30 minutes. The Cardinals lost so now the Red Sox are up 3-2. Next game is back in Boston.  

Rand McNally Maps

     After I did laundry around midday, I thought about going to a pumpkin farm today. But I told myself I went there last year and it is about 30 miles away. I was looking at my Rand McNally map of the Twin Cities and noticed it was really torn. So I went to a Barnes and Noble and bought a replacement. It is one of three maps I destroyed. I went through the box where they are kept and said I could get by with just one Illinois state map, and the same was true when finding out I had multiple maps of Washington, DC. Those from D.C. were free maps with plenty of advertising on them. I did get more while at Barnes and Noble. I also got a 2009 state quarter folio for the 6 quarters issued that year, the capital city and 5 territories. It has 60 slots so I did get some other quarters in there. I now have 18 in it, as there are the six it was intended for along with 10 Bicentennial quarters and 2 older ones. Tried to put 2 Canadian quarters in it, but they didn't fit the slot and wouldn't stay in. There will likely be some more that I find over the years to put in there. I thought about ordering it on E-bay but I still prefer to get an item in person as I am taking care of the shipping. The third item was a 'Big Bang Theory' figurine of Sheldon.
   Then it was on to Walmart, were I had some needs to fill there as well. Four items were bought there. I got a photo album for holding more postcards, and a photo frame for the recent addition to the 'Ring of honor'. The two others were a DVD- the baseball movie 'Moneyball'- and a plastic Charlie Brown Thanksgiving cup.
   It looks like I finally found somebody who can handle the disputed E-bay order for me, as I contacted Bill Me Later who sent me to Paypal. I said I would still like the item I paid for but if it is not arriving then I want to be refunded. Then I watched Game Four of the World Series, St. Louis lost to Boston 4-2. A three run home run put Boston ahead 4-1 and a pickoff ended the game. I got the album filled with the postcards while watching the game.       

J.R. Mac's Booya

    I finally left my home at midday to get started on my errand running. The first thing on my list was having some Booya soup at J.R. Mac's bar in St. Paul. It is the fourth Booya visit I have made this season. The server asked if I was an accountant as I said it was a good deal to get a medium bowl as it was just a dollar more. I said I majored in history, and spoke of how I liked to study the alphabet agencies from the Depression that put people back to work- like in public works. She spoke of being at a camp up north and saw mention of it being a WPA or CCC project.
    I also got a lemon bar and a root beer. There was an outside seating area, and this is where I ate. I heard stories near me about somebody who met comedian Louie Anderson while at a casino, not sure which one. And another was about somebody who won at bingo at a Wild hockey game and the first 20 got free tickets. He missed much of the game, and all the man got apparently was a bobble-head doll. Can't you tell we're in Minnesota? Based on how both of these stories were very Minnesota?
   The next stop was the library, and I got a little sidetracked by seeing there was a big used book sale. I looked at a cubbyhole that also had books, in another part of the building. I bought 3 there- and none from the big sale! The big sale had too many to look at. I got 'My American century' by Studs Terkel, and 'Foul Ball' by Jim Bouton. The latter was about trying to save a baseball stadium in Pittsfield, MA. The third was a children's book, 'Lyle and the birthday party'. I still think it's funny there was a book series about a crocodile that lived with a family, called the Primms.
   After this was Target, as I needed to replace a pair of shoes. I also got a lint roller as I was out of strips, thankfully they lasted for a while. At Walgreen I got more photos on a CD so they can be added to Facebook. I printed one, as it will be added to the ring of honor, the 7th comic in it.
   In the evening I went to a haunted house, Fright Farm in Maplewood. I did see a Maytag  wringer washer there, much like last year. I said hi to it, as it is a reminder of my hometown. One young boy in my group early on said he could be at home and on the internet, which sounded like he didn't want to be there. After this event I tried to use a porta pottie onsite but there was a wait. So I went to a McDonald's and used their bathroom, then had a vanilla cone. I thought one was available at the haunted house as it was set to green, but when I opened it a girl inside said 'Oh my god' and closed it. I said turn it to red and she did.
   When I got home I turned on the World Series, Game Three, which was still in the first inning when I arrived at the haunted house. It was in the late innings by this time, and the Cardinals went on to win 5-4 on an interference call at third after an errant throw.        

We Got Our Carts Back

   I helped with decorations for Halloween at work today. When I noticed we needed a cart I checked my department and noticed we were still down to two carts. So I decided to try to figure out where they were. The facility czar was out today, but it was suggested that trying the security guard would still be helpful. This did yield the two carts, and I was trilled to say we got them back! They had been borrowed for the caramel apple event earlier in the week and were never returned. They were found in a locked training room. All of this happened in the afternoon.
   This evening I went to eat at Chris and Rob's in St. Paul, and had a hot dog and tater tots. I sat near a photo of Bears coach mike Ditka giving an obscene gesture.
   After eating I went downtown and saw a comedy show at Camp Bar. The troupe had just two in it and the others were featured on video like they were live via satellite. The show closer was the Worthington native who has moved to Los Angeles. I liked hearing his carrier pigeon joke about breaking up this way. 'Your words make my heart angry, haha! I decided to get another comic in my ring of honor, which is number 7. He is bearded and is married to a tattoo artist.
   On Nightline there was a feature about singer Jay-Z having an endorsement deal with a department store accused of racial profiling. Another was about singer Katy Perry doing a show at a Colorado school that had won a contest.

Silent Auction Invalid Bid

   At the office this week, we are having the United Way campaign. It includes a silent auction with various items. I waited until the last day to bid on what I wanted, a DVD- the movie 'Kings Speech'. Others were crowding around near the end of the day like I was to do their final bids. I asked why some bids were wiped out with correction tape, was informed they were invalid bids, too low. This was true with a guitar. My senior leader said I should bid on it, I said I am a comedian not a guitar player. It would be an expensive prop that I don't know how to use.
   I liked how today was all wanted postal mail, this is rare. There were 5 items- and two were E-bay orders. It was a postcard of Lincoln School in my hometown, and a photo of Lewis Maytag, Jr.- an airline executive- as a pilot. The other 3 were my phone bill, a gift card for Kohl's I had ordered with points I earned at work, and a card with helpful information about the election next month.
   I stayed in and watched the World Series, game two. It turned out to be another comedy of errors, as St. Louis beat Boston 4-2 to even the series. The cardinals trailed 2-1 after an Ortiz home run, but a throwing error after a run that tied it 2-2 put them ahead.
   I did watch two episodes of Big Bang Theory. The syndicated rerun was one where Sheldon liked using the sound of a cracked whip, and Penny helped Amy with ideas to make a scene in order to get Sheldon's attention. The prime time episode was one where Sheldon discovered an element by mistake, and Howard wrote a song for Bernadette and the gang sang it to her in the hospital when she was being quarantined.       

Punchline Punchout

    Tonight I went to the comedy club, and it was the first time I saw the kind of show known as 'Punchline Punchout'. Comics get one word as their theme for their jokes, and find out which one of the two is better at the word. I said this is something I could do. This was especially true after seeing one of the words be 'Elephant'. I have plenty of stories to share about elephants. It seemed that the easiest word given all night was shopping, and I was really laughing when one comic ended his set with selling merchandise. Somebody actually bought something he was hawking, an 8-Track tape! Don't recall what kind of music was on it though.
    When I chose a seat, somebody made a joke about how I was 'In the hammock' with another comic. And I knew full well there was no hammock at the club. But it did made me think of jokes about it, as Homer Simpson likes his hammock. After the show I really liked swapping stories with the other comics, I am really in my element when at comedy shows. This included the Ann Arbor native who was at the Monday show, and another Iowan like me- from Cedar Rapids.
    Before the show was a notable event, at least for me. I was going downstairs after getting a drink and the server behind me dropped her tray. I froze at first, which is typical for me when a spill happens. But thankfully I did rather quickly get into action, picking up a lemon as well as a bottle of water and putting them back on the counter. I told myself before it was wrong to do nothing and just look at it. Why I have done this before, I don't know. Maybe I am reminded of times when I spilled things when I was younger and I felt bad about it all over again. I shouldn't, as nobody is perfect.
   I did watch some of the first game of the World Series before and after the show. Boston beat St. Louis 8-1. Sounded like St. Louis had too many errors.  

Davy Crockett Hat

   At midday I went into the skyway and decided to get a small box of popcorn from the old-time wagon. Shortly after I did I saw a man wearing a Davy Crockett hat enter and ask me about it. I said there was a price list and depends on what you want. He said he liked seeing the popcorn wagon and left. Earlier, I rode the elevator with somebody who was talking to colleagues and she said 'Snow is disgusting'. I felt like telling her she shouldn't live in Minnesota if she doesn't like snow. I think some people just like to complain.
   At the comedy club tonight, I liked hearing a story from one comic that sounded a little like mine. She said she had a hard time accepting a compliment, though in her case it happened to be in Spanish. This is the one that also does the joke about riding the bus with somebody who pretends to have a blue tooth headset. After the show I liked hearing music on my car radio, in particular it was 'In the air tonight' by Phil Collins. I said the same about hearing 'These are days' by 10,000 Maniacs recently when I was at a convenience store. I wanted to stay a little longer in the store just to hear the ending of the song. Even though I did admit to the clerk that I could find the song on Youtube if I wanted to.
   Another E-bay order arrived as well, the other order of Huguenot stamps. These were issued by South Africa. I noticed it wasn't the only ones, as these were from 1988 and South Africa had an earlier edition in 1938. There are more listings for the earlier edition if I want them.    

Huguenot Heritage, Jersey

   One of my E-bay orders arrived today, it was the first day cover from Great Britain. It says 'Jersey, 1685-1985, Huguenot Heritage' on it. There are six different stamps on it. Each one is in reference to a different subject, as it covers church, law, craft, trade, industry, and services. I am unfamiliar with who and what is on these stamps but I like the reminder of various places the Huguenots migrated to. An order of South African stamps honoring them is on the way, and I already have the American ones. I found some mention of French stamps in their honor but haven't found any listings on E-bay yet. With these from Jersey, I am reminded of an earlier cover I bought that said Gibraltar on it- both are British territory. I have an international stamp that says United Kingdom, from last year's visit. I know Jersey is an English Channel island, but little else. The American state of New Jersey derives its name from this island.
   I went to opening night for the 10,000 Laughs comedy festival. It was at the Monday Night Comedy Show at Club Underground in Minneapolis. My 'Bestie' performed, as well as the hip-hop act known as Valley Meadows. I liked meeting a Detroit (actually Ann Arbor) native that now lives in Chicago, he was a comic performing before intermission. Since the Vikings were playing tonight, against the Giants, many wanted to see the game on the monitors on the upper level when there was intermission or before the show started. The Vikings lost 23-7. 

St. Agnes Booya

    I went to St. Agnes church in St. Paul at midday to have some of their Booya soup. It was served on school lunch trays, haven't seen those in a while. Included was a carton of milk and bread. I got some pictures, liked seeing one outside the church and school that had a big hand pointing to where the take-out Booya line was. Also liked seeing 'Poetry in the pavement' nearby. The last line was 'Love of hockey was all that mattered'. After this I went to Dairy Queen to use a 2-for-1 coupon for Blizzard treats.
    While I was at Dairy Queen, I saw how they had the Bears-Redskins game on. I saw the Devin Hester kick return for a touchdown. I still decided to head home before the first half ended. Then I missed the ending of the game as I fell asleep in my easy chair, found out the Bears lost. Eventually I knew I needed to get ready for a date, like showering. Then I checked messages on E-harmony and found out it was a no-go. My date said 'Too busy' and 'Good luck on E-harmony'. I responded with 'Have a nice life'. It was the second time I had said this today. Earlier, mid-morning, I said the same when I was told last week's date didn't want a second one. I sent a text message after having an Egg McMuffin at McDonald's this morning. I said I sent a voicemail Friday, and asked if we were doing anything this weekend. It is still annoying to deal with these rejections, but I bounce back more quickly than I did.  

Lindbergh Baby Case

   This evening I went to see a play about the Lindbergh baby case at the History Theater in downtown St. Paul, called 'Baby case'. I lucked out on getting a 'Rush ticket' for about half off. I spoke with an older couple who was looking at one display about it, found out they were from Des Moines, Iowa, and the wife had taught first grade in Newton at Woodrow Wilson school. But I eventually enjoyed talking with the husband more, maybe since the wife said 'She taught there before I was born' and all that says is 'I'm old'.
   I was familiar with much of the case due to my history studies and visiting the Lindbergh home in Little Falls twice. Though some new material was covered here, like how it ended with the wife of the convicted killer appearing on Phil Donahue in the 1970s still trying to prove his innocence. In the program, I liked a statement from the artistic director. Questions were asked like if public opinion and the media play a role in the outcome of the trial, and is our justice system influenced by the press. Then there is the declaration how 'This history is still relevant!' that I agree with. I had a drink while I was there, called 'Aviation', a mixed drink. It seems to prove why I like beer, as I didn't like the aftertaste of this drink. What I did like was the cherry in it, and I did eat the cherry after I had finished the drink.
    I fell asleep for a while in my easy chair in the afternoon, and when I woke up I realized the Iowa football game at Ohio State was on ABC. It was 10-10 in the second quarter, and Iowa led 17-10 at the half. But they lost 34-24. It seems like the same problem against Michigan State, how they played well in the first half and not the second. Since I was at the play in the evening I didn't see any of the baseball playoff game. But after the play I found out Boston beat Detroit 5-2 so Boston will face St. Louis in the World Series.

Ray Charles Stamps

    This week I went online and checked what postal products were available. I was pleased to find out another musician is being honored with a postage stamp, Ray Charles. When I noticed the downtown post office near my workplace has them, I bought a sheet there during my lunchtime. Eventually I will probably get a first day cover as well, must go online for it. I did see the biopic about Ray Charles, known simply as 'Ray' and starring Jamie Foxx. It mostly covered the earlier part of his life that I was unfamiliar with. I know about him being on 'Saturday Night Live' and in the movie 'Blues Brothers'. The sheet of stamps does mention some of his songs by name, such as 'Georgia on my mind'.
   I did go to the comedy club tonight and got some stage time. I did a joke about being asked to complete a conflict of interest questionnaire. I disclosed being part of a writer's organization, and the response I got back before midday was 'No bona fide conflict of interest'. Well I would like to think so, as I didn't think I needed the company's approval to join. I also did the one about bagels at work, along with more about relationships and internet dating.
   I joined a website to get points in hopes of getting certain items like a free ticket to the 10,000 Laughs Comedy Festival, which is upcoming. Looks like I already have enough points for a button.
   Two more E-bay orders arrived. One was a postcard and the other a first day cover from 1929, from the dedication of the airport in my hometown of Newton, Iowa. There are five outstanding, and they all should be arriving soon. There may be a few other items that I end up ordering for this month.
    I liked speaking with a crowd member after the show in the bar area, as we spoke about more than just comedy. I do like discussing the craft of comedy with anyone who is interested. As I was about to leave I noticed one of the TV monitors was on the 'Fly show', and a comedian friend did the last five minutes tonight. It is the D.C. native, and I like how he did the 'Hot dog pre-nup' joke as I hadn't heard it in a while.   

Faberge Family

    While I was watching the baseball playoff game tonight, Game 5 where Boston beat Detroit 4-3, I went to a Facebook group about the French Huguenots. One posting was how the Faberge family, the creator of the jewelry company, were Huguenots that fled to Russia. I had heard of migration to various places for this group, but not there. But sure enough, there was an extensive Wikipedia article about them. Probably haven't used their products much as I think of them as luxury items.
    Tonight of course meant two episodes of 'Big Bang Theory'. The syndicated rerun was about Raj being attracted to the female voice on his phone that helped with internet searches. The episode ends with meeting her and presenting flowers where she works.
   The first-run episode was about Sheldon and Amy working together, and Sheldon embarrassed Amy in front of her colleague. He ends up imitating the reactions of a monkey to certain visual stimuli. This happens as he goes to where Amy works, and she is doing the monkey research.
    Two more E-bay orders arrived, both Maytag items. One was an old postcard from 1910, the other was a memory book from when the plant closed in 2007. I recognized some of the names in it due to growing up in that town. Some were parents of classmates. Others were classmates or football teammates. There was a page of postcards in it, and I recognized some of them as I already had some of these in my collection. This included one of the south side of the town square, from the E.C. Kropp series where I have the first 16. Another was of the county courthouse decorated like a Christmas tree. Others I had recognized as online listings but haven't bought yet. Some pictures I recognized from previous Maytag publications I had acquired, like soldiers in Vietnam gathered around a Maytag washing machine.  

Cross Stitch Case

    I took a slightly later bus home from work today. It led to me seeing a security guard I often see. A woman boarding at the same stop as the guard had questions I didn't think of asking before. Why he carried around a case that I thought was full of band aids, as it looked like a first aid kit. But I found out it was a cross stitch case, as it was right there on the cover. I did like looking at his handiwork, it was of a white tiger. He said it would be finished about when he retires.
    There was an early event at work about breast cancer awareness, I said I needed to stamp in before I bought a bagel for it. The bagel would have been free, but I didn't have a pink shirt to wear. A colleague said she would buy one for me, which was nice. When I listened to a seminar in the afternoon I alluded to how I wasn't wearing a pink shirt. I said thankfully it won't be like when I was in school, as there was a green shirt I wore just for St. Patrick's Day so I wouldn't get pinched. One of the panelists at the seminar laughed.
   Also at work today, I saw my boss's cube get cleaned out by her boss and our security guard. I have seen so many people come and go in over a decade with the company that it barely fazes me now.
   At the comedy club tonight, I did go onstage and did plenty of new jokes. One of them was about the bagels and shirts at work. Another was about the sock I found the previous day. There was a reminder at the end of the show how the 10,000 Laughs Comedy Festival is next week. I am still trying to figure out what shows I am going to.

Sock Up My Sleeve

    I don't know how it was possible. I was at work and went to the bathroom and thought it was odd being able to feel something in my sleeve next to my wrist. It happened to be the sock that I thought was lost after last doing laundry! This is good joke material, about 'Having something up my sleeve'. One of my fellow comics is a magician, I would like to think he would like the joke.
  Three orders arrived today, one from Amazon and the other two from E-bay. Looks like one gives feedback on Amazon orders much like I've already done on E-bay. The other two orders were the Janeane Garofalo photos, and a throw-in on the Amazon order- a postcard of the railroad depot in my hometown- was a postcard advertising the seller's website.
   There was a quick meeting at work in the afternoon, one of the announcements was how my boss isn't coming back. It had become academic as she had been on leave for a year and one can't stay on leave forever. We were also informed that we have a new boss already hired, and scheduled to report next week.
  At the comedy club tonight, there was a Native American Indian performing, saying he was from the Red Lake reservation about four hours away. He had a Chicago Cubs necklace on. The headliner was the 'Free waddles' comic, though he was selling a different shirt after the show.

Cheetahs Mating

    At the comedy club tonight I heard a joke from the 'Spider/bee' comic about cheetahs having a hard time mating at zoos. He spoke of them mating in the wild, as the male chases down the female. He said it only worked with cheetahs, I think it was a subtle rape joke. The lady comic that looks like a librarian did one I liked and hadn't heard in a while, a science joke that ended with having a cigarette, a subtle sex joke. The 'extra murder' comic did one about his car being smashed by a drunk driver, but thankfully he wasn't in the car at the time. Before going onstage he did speak of this actually happening, to the club manager.
  I ordered more items from E-bay. I found old postcards of New Ulm, including a real photo postcard of German Park. The other one was of Turner Hall. I checked my albums and it looked like I didn't have a postcard of either yet, so it works for me. I also liked finding one of the elementary school I attended, Lincoln School in Newton, Iowa. I think I had seen one in a display case when I was back in Newton for my class reunion last year. An earlier class displayed it, don't recall which one. But many of the businesses on the town square have these displays in their windows.

Wrong Coffee Shop

     I had a first date in the afternoon, at a coffee shop. But at first I went to the wrong coffee shop. I understood it as the one next to a CVS pharmacy, but it was across the street instead. I was waiting at a Starbucks and got a text message asking where I was. Oh no, it was meant to be at Caribou. The date still happened, we spoke for a while so yay for that. There's probably some good joke material in it somewhere.
    In the evening I was looking at my cellphone while watching the baseball playoff game, noticed I had plenty of old text messages on it. I ended up deleting most of them, and many of them was from my ex. It reminded me how I hadn't contacted a friend that lives in the St. Louis area in a little while, so I did. We spoke about various subjects, and I found out this friend will be visiting the Twin Cities next month.
   In the late evening I figured it would be a quick thing responding to a message from a comedian friend on Facebook. There is some interest in renting a movie from Blockbuster that we would watch together at my home as I hadn't rented from there in a while. The thread started with this friend saying he got a voicemail from Blockbuster saying he owes $30, likely from late fees on a rental. But it was not a quick thing, as another comedian friend had a comment thread about Indian mascots in pro sports, since he is a fan of the NFL's Washington Redskins. Eventually I spoke of the University of Iowa, the college I graduated from, having a policy against playing Indian mascot schools. Some wanted to make it a 'race of people' policy, to include a school like the Purdue Boilermakers. The quote about it in the campus paper from a professor was how he thought a boilermaker was a drink.

Flandrau State Park

   After attending the Twin Cities book festival at the state fairgrounds, I went to New Ulm for Oktoberfest. One of the places I visited was Flandrau State Park. I wanted to see the WPA buildings that were later used as a World War 2 prison camp. I had to get a key from them and drive to the other side of the river, as there was a gate leading to it. There was a plate onsite about the history of the grounds. I did take plenty of pictures as expected. I liked having the thrill of seeing a welcome to New Ulm sign twice, as I briefly left to drive over to Sleepy Eye and see the Linus statue there in front of the library. I had a vanilla shake across the street at the Hardee's. Before the state park I found a Catholic church with some nice artwork inside by Anton Gag, Wanda's dad. And of course I made it to German Park and kneeled in front of the fountain. Also liked finding the pillar with the 'Have you had a kindness shown?' poem, from the Wanda Gag House Association. I am still moved whenever I see it. I had a drink at Turner Hall, and while there I did meet a couple that happened to be from the Twin Cities like me. The man was in mapmaking, the woman a nursing supervisor. I was given his business card. They were interested in how I do comedy and would like to get an invite to one of my upcoming shows. In the evening I did make it to the Holiday Inn, and as usual I had the German food there and really enjoyed it. It was nice to have a variety of music there. The main stage at poolside had polka music, which was all right. But a smaller room had more modern music that I recognized more like 'I will survive' by Gloria Gaynor and 'Proud Mary' by CCR. I did dance a little, it helped that the costumed 'Narren' performers showed up during these songs. As I was leaving town I did get a can of Dr. Pepper for 50 cents at a nearby feed store for the drive back to the Twin Cities. I played all 3 CDs I brought with me for the drive. One was a Bob Newhart comedy disc. The others were 'Vs.' by Pearl Jam, and the 8-Mile movie soundtrack. I was tired near the end, but I knew I could make it without another stop along the way or more soda pop.

Roosevelt vs. Minneapolis South Football

    I had the day off from work so I could attend a football game in the early evening. It was a game in Minneapolis, Roosevelt was playing South, for the Teddies homecoming. Roosevelt lost 19-18 in overtime after trailing 12-6 at halftime. Neither team really moved the ball that well, and one of the South touchdowns was on a 'Pick 6' where the player just stepped in front of the intended receiver. I did get a homecoming button for a dollar. I took light rail to get there.
   At midday I did go into work, but only to eat. I was noticed upon arrival, no surprise there. First it was by the 'Facility czar'. I said I was here to eat and then I'm gone. He said it was a good plan for a Friday. The food was pretty good, I had salad and baked potatoes cut in half. Then I went back and had some fruit and a dinner roll.
   After getting back from the football game, I went to the dollar store and got some Lance 'Nekot' peanut butter cookies. Eventually I needed to get on the road again, as I wanted to see my 'Bestie' performing at the comedy club. I also knew the M.C. and the guest set comic. I sat in the back in the VIP section. The headliner was a Virginia native, and I did like many of his jokes. I liked how my 'Bestie' did do the one I called 'Garbage bag window'. This is possible with longer sets. He was also doing about 5 minutes on a local TV show that I have watched before as it is after reruns of 'The Simpsons'. It was a 'Deja Vu' feeling as I saw his set on TV right after getting back from the club.
  I watched 'Nightline' after getting back from the comedy club, first time in a while. The opening feature was about the Tom Hanks movie about the pirates from Somalia.

San Francisco Song By The Mowgli's

    Recently I heard a song on the radio that mentioned San Francisco. It was hard to find at first online. I understood it as 'Left my heart in San Francisco' but this proved to be a Tony Bennett song. So I had to add another hook in my search, and just have the city name and found it. 'In love with love' was it. It proved to be 'Lost my head in San Francisco' and the song is called 'San Francisco' by the Mowgli's. It is an upbeat song, that is what I like about it. I liked finding it on Youtube, much like many other songs I want to hear again after first hearing them on the radio.
   I did watch two 'Big Bang Theory' episodes tonight. The syndicated rerun was Sheldon dealing with a blue jay that flew into the apartment, and his fear of birds. At first I thought of Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Raven', or even 'The Simpsons' parody, where Bart said 'Quoth the raven nevermore' since the bird flew inside the home. The prime time episode dealt with Sheldon wanting to get even with Amy after she dissed 'Indiana Jones', so he countered with finding plot holes in 'Little House On The Prairie', her favorite show. Leonard dealt with Penny taking a psychology class where the required reading was his mom's book, which had embarrassing things about his childhood in it.
   After this I turned to reading back issues of Friday papers. I am way behind so tonight it was the month of May. There was articles about the labor dispute with the Minnesota Orchestra, where even then the conductor said he would quit if no deal was in place by end of September at the latest as a big gig at Carnegie Hall was coming up. There was even an ad that said St. Paul's Chamber Orchestra musicians were willing to take a pay cut. The funny columnist had some good articles, like about the history of candy making companies in the state- besides Pearson, who had just bought Bit-o-Honey. Another was about paper and plastic grocery bags, and I really liked the part about the 'Bag of bags', as it was relatable. These bags often aren't used when I get home, and just take up space in the closet. Found the premier issue of the St. Paul Globe paper, same name as one that was once owned by railroad baron James J. Hill but ceased to exist in 1905. There was an article about Hill, along with how he was a business partner with financier J.P. Morgan. A writing colleague had an article in it about the local boxing scene, I know this is his area of expertise.
   At midday I liked speaking at length with a senior leader I know at my office, he didn't have a sports jersey on though it was 'Jersey day' at work, a continuation of the anniversary celebration all this week. And I expected him to as I know he likes the St. Louis sports teams, being a native of that city. I liked how he is willing to give me advice that makes more sense than others do in this office.   

Pepperidge Farm Fish Crackers

    There was more of the anniversary celebration events today at work. I did some games in our game room cubbyhole and one of the prizes was Pepperidge Farm fish crackers in what looked like a milk carton. Two other prizes I chose was a pen, and a stamper with a smiley face on it. I arrived just 10 minutes before they were to close up shop, at midday. In the late afternoon I did the 'Wii exercise' to dance music. The last song we danced to in the 30-minute segment was 'ET' by Katy Perry.
   In the evening I had an oil change done on my car, then went to a community center for a spaghetti dinner. Same place I was at a year ago. Much like the games at work, I got there near the end. The silent auction had just finished and some were already paying for what they had won.
   At the comedy club tonight I did get to speak at length with the Missouri native. He did go onstage and spoke of how he doesn't do intelligent humor, since he has a GED that Sarah Palin signed. I asked the show runner about Comedy Sportz, and I liked knowing she had heard of it, had even taken an Improv class there. After the show I was at Super-America and checked point totals at the kiosk. I found out I was near the level of getting free Reese's peanut butter since it is one of many clubs they have. It also got me 200 bonus points as I got two.         

Pink Velvet Skinny Cow

   This is a celebration week at work, and in the afternoon it meant ice cream treats. I chose the pink velvet Skinny Cow, as I was thinking about Pink the singer. I came out of the file room in order to pick out a treat. I liked knowing I did do well enough in the trivia contest to advance to the second round. I did this round near the end of the day, and it looks like my score will be good enough to play the third round as well. It was fairly busy in the second half of the day as I was covering for a colleague who was ill. I had already finished the payoff reports I was assigned before a fire drill late in the morning. When I returned from lunch we got the message how my colleague was not going to be in, so I stepped up and said I would do the special requests. Some of them were from late Monday, but it's the typical 'Doesn't take long once you get started on it'.
   I did laundry tonight after work as it just couldn't wait any longer. When I arrived at the comedy club I found out one comic I hadn't seen in a while, the Missouri native with a neck tattoo, had just been onstage. My 'Bestie' was the show closer, and I will have to see about seeing one of his shows this week.
    Some of my E-harmony matches are still moving forward. I was asked by one of them if I had heard of 'Comedy Sportz', I had not. I will have to ask my comedian friends as to what they know about it. There was some information online but not much, sounded like improv and possibly skits so it doesn't sound like it's close to the type of show I normally go to.

Spider-Man Shirt

  At the comedy club tonight, there were two comics that wore the same Spider-Man shirt. It was the opening and closing comics of the night. There was some mention of finding it at a second hand store and how it may have been the 21st birthday for the first comic. I said it looked like a Halloween costume on the first comic.
   At midday I was waiting to hear on CNN about the kid who flew from MSP to Las Vegas. They went to commercial 3 times after speaking of it before they finally did the story. I was with the airport expert on this one, as it really is up to the airline more than airport security to see that only ticketed passengers get onto the flight. I dealt with this when I was coming back from St. Louis one time. Somebody's seat was taken on the flight, didn't bother to find out why. So he takes mine. Then other passengers, not the flight crew, starts to check tickets and found out somebody got on the wrong flight. It was up to the gate agent to pay attention and tell them it was the wrong flight.
  I also did a trivia contest at work, and it looks like as of the end of my workday that I did well enough to advance to the second round. The top 40 percent advance, and I checked periodically to find out my percentage was holding up, around 36 percent. There was little milk cartons and pastries in the morning to greet us, along with shrink wrapped 80th anniversary shirts for our business.  

Summertime Sadness By Lana Del Rey

    I started my drive back from Iowa City mid-morning. Early on I heard one song twice on the car radio. it was 'Summertime Sadness' by Lana Del Rey. I like many of the lyrics like 'Before you go' and 'Nothing scares me anymore'. Also 'sadness' in the title makes me think of the Smashing Pumpkins double-CD 'Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness'. I once heard somebody say at the comedy club how her songs are 'Cutting' music. Meaning, what you listen to when you're sad enough to cut yourself. Well I don't mind hearing sad songs. It makes me happier, knowing I'm not alone. Same reason why I liked Smashing Pumpkins. Front-man Billy Corgan even said in a Rolling Stone interview how sad music made him happy as well. When I tried to find it on Youtube, on the first attempt I found a different version than what was on the radio. It was slower paced, and I didn't like it as much. I tried again and found it, discovering the one on the radio is the 'Cedric Gervais remix'. Sometimes I like a remix version better, like Lady Gaga's 'Just Dance' with Kardinal Offishall. Come to think of it, I heard another version of 'Just Dance' when driving home today- different from the one I just mentioned.
   For most of the drive it was fairly uneventful. I got breakfast at a Casey's before leaving the Iowa City area. Then I stopped in Cedar Falls and Clear Lake, and both of those happened to be Casey's stores as well. I got pictures of more of the Charlie Brown characters in the Cedar Falls store, advertising chocolate milk. Last year I think I just got the biggest one, which said 'Little Monsters' making me think of the term Lady Gaga has for her fans. It started to rain just before I got to the Waterloo/Cedar Falls area, and then it rained off and on for most of the way back to the Twin Cities. I didn't mind it at all, I can drive through fairly light rain or at times it was just drizzle. Then just a little north of Northfield it grinds to a crawl due to construction. Eventually I decide to take an alternate route, and bypassed most of the 10 miles or so of construction. I ended up at the Target store in Lakeville as I needed to go to the bathroom. Then I was on my way again, But of course I was nearly home by then which was a nice feeling.
    I watched the end of 'The Simpsons', it appeared to be a Halloween episode. Then I went grocery shopping and watched some of the 49ers-Texans football game. The 49ers got off to a fast start, with a 'Pick 6', my favorite play of the game. They were way ahead at halftime. After I got home I set aside my phone to let it recharge. When it was done I checked messages and there was one from my dad. He spoke of being at his class reunion a few weeks back, which they had at a homecoming football game. Also about seeing 'The Butler' movie three times apparently. He did see some of the Hawkeye game I had attended, on TV.

Iowa vs. Michigan State Football

    Went to the Iowa football game against Michigan State, Iowa lost 26-14 after leading 14-10 at the half. I travel all the way from the Twin Cities to sit next to somebody from St. Paul at the game. Go figure. He works at the library at St. Kate's College. I said I had been there for a few events, like a Brandi Carlile concert and to see Maya Angelou speak. I had a bag of peanuts and a cup of Sprite at the stadium and a hot dog and a Sprite outside the stadium after the game. I recognized some of the music played by the marching band, like one song seemed to be 'Reach for the sky' by Social Distortion. After the game ended there was a recorded version of Lady Gaga's 'Applause', which I liked hearing of course. At halftime the band played Doobie Brothers music, first was 'China Grove', a song in the movie 'Field of Dreams'.
   In the evening after the game I liked seeing a syndicated rerun of 'Big Bang Theory'. It was when Sheldon got tired of everyone around him arguing so he holed up at the comic book store. Also found an episode of 'Monk' where Monk flipped a train switch to prevent somebody from being killed who had just won the lottery.  

Schaeffer Hall, Iowa City

This morning, I headed to Iowa City for homecoming weekend. I got an invite to attend an event at Schaeffer Hall related to the history department, as this was my major there. I probably hadn't been there since I graduated. I arrived at 5pm on campus after parking my car at a nearby ramp. The power plant whistle had just sounded. They were already packing up at the event, but I got some of the goodies before they were taken away. I really like the cheese at these events. Also had a cookie and a soft drink. The event coordinators were impressed how I could name most of my history instructors, and some of them are still at the university. I confirmed this when looking at the directory. Some are listed as 'emeritus', meaning retired. I did get some pictures inside, this included an 'indoor cornerstone' for lack of a better term that spoke of when the building was opened and when it was re-opened after renovation. It was shut down for renovation when I graduated and I recall being asked to complete a survey about it. I would like to think they paid attention to comments made by me, as I said one room I had a class in was too small. The homecoming parade took place nearby, and I noticed plenty of Corvettes were used for the VIPs, they later stated these were on loan from a Corvette collector club in Cedar Rapids. After the parade I got some Sam Adams beer for my former roommate, at Hy-Vee, and we drank some of it that evening.
  Before leaving town I did do some chores, like dishes and taking out the trash. There was not much else to do other than pack, and I travel light. Usually better to do them before going out of town than after when one tends to have more energy.

Cookie Store Cat

    I took a later bus home after work as it is the typical thing right before I am out of the office. I had things I wanted to finish before leaving, including putting up out of office replies. I liked who I saw riding with me, hadn't seen them in a while. It was a young mother with her two sons. Previously I had seen them riding in the morning. I liked how one of them was reading a book, called 'The cookie store cat'.
   I liked both 'Big Bang Theory' episodes I saw tonight. The syndicated rerun was when Amy asked Leonard to be her date at a wedding, wanting a corsage as she never went to her high school prom. The prime time episode was about Raj being in charge of a scavenger hunt. Bernadette was teamed with Leonard and she was really competitive. Sheldon was teamed with Penny, and Howard with Amy. After a while, Howard and Amy didn't care about the contest and this was due to them finding out they both like Neil Diamond music. It ended with them singing karaoke.
   I did have a TV dinner tonight, but decided it wasn't enough and went to the grocery store to get a Spam single and a small bag of Lay's BBQ chips. Seemed appropriate since I am single!
     I also watched the movie 'Up In The Air' on video, and I could recognize scenes filmed in St. Louis. In one there was Mike Shannon's restaurant in the background, which is downtown near the baseball stadium. I liked finding some of these places when doing my visit in July, and hope to find some more in my next visit. The next thing is to get the movie soundtrack-and the novel, written by
Walter Kirn. I know both are listed on E-bay. Still wondering when the movie postcards will arrive, ordered from Singapore and it already has been three weeks.

Not A Light Out, But The Weather

    As I was heading to the comedy club tonight, I saw some flashes of light. A neighbor passed by, I asked if there was a light out but then I understood 'Oh, it is the weather'. As in thunder and lightning. I took my raincoat with me and didn't need it at first. But after the show I sure did. One of the comics was visiting from Los Angeles, but said he was originally from Springfield, Missouri. I liked hearing this as I spoke of my visits to the state. The show closer was the 'Extra murder' comic. He did a joke  I hadn't heard in a while but really liked, about somebody having a poor imagination, claiming they couldn't picture homosexuality.
    I did show the new employee more of what I do, this time near the end of the day. This included locking up file cabinets. It was busy for much of the day, but some of it was just catch-up from the previous day.
    Hard to say how much the E-harmony thing is progressing. What I have told myself is that I learned some valuable lessons from past relationships. Sometimes it is fine to let things fail if one gets early warning signs that it won't pan out. I got some of these signs from one match, so I closed it right away. I asked a question and didn't get a straight answer, really didn't get one at all. I said this proved a lack of communication. They spoke about a past relationship too soon, and then admitted it was a bad idea. This also proves they didn't learn from their mistakes, and suggested they weren't over it yet but claimed to be. There will be others though, but scheduling for a while may be a problem. It has to be when work schedules allow and planning around events where tickets have already been bought.      
      While it is true that weeding out matches based on the 'Lack of effort' factor is a good idea, I have to be even more selective than this. One must think of common interests as well.  

Three Women With Hula Hoops

    At the comedy club tonight, one act was three women with hula hoops. It was entertaining on some level, but they ran the light. They took turns with the microphone.  I liked seeing the 'Extra murder' comic after the show. I said I liked the new joke about 'The hot dog monster', invented to keep his young nephew out of his room. I said it reminded me of a college instructor who spoke of telling his young kids 'The TV monster' took away their TV.
   Before the show I picked up the Bob Newhart book I ordered last week. It is called 'I shouldn't even be doing this'. I also decided to get a Charlie Brown item near the register. It was the philosophies of the four most popular characters- Charlie, Snoopy, Linus and Lucy- in mini-book form and through various comic strips. The Newhart book should be a fun read, though I noticed there are no photos in the middle of the book. I am used to this with biographies, although this is classified as a memoir.
   I had some more Godfather's Pizza when getting my car out of the shop after work. On the bus over there I saw four people leave a seat with ice cubes on it, too cold and wet. I found a Cheez-it cracker box on one seat, empty. So I took it home and it will go in recycle soon.