Girl Scout, And Homemade, Cookies

       I brought in some Girl Scout cookies and offered them to a colleague who still wanted to talk about how she didn't get cookies from me on my service anniversary. It was early in the day, and she said she was full. I said 'Don't say I didn't offer'. She brought in homemade cookies and I had one. I really didn't know what to do for her, as I didn't mean it as a snub and figured she would have let it go a while back. Sounds like we are fine now.
   I stayed busy with my normal duties- the payoff report and letters- for much of the day. I wanted to see that things were caught up by the end of the day since I am out of the office for two days next week. Thankful I was able to leave at my normal time, what's typical is that I stay a little late but I had already done this earlier in the week and didn't want to again if I could help it.
   I made it to Chris and Rob's in St. Paul this evening, the Chicago-themed hot dog place. It was nice to see who I know there, he said he had played junior a hockey for the Rochester, MN, Mustangs. I did what was typical of my routine there, looking at the art on the wall in the seating section which is a retired railroad car. And of course having a chili cheese dog and tater tots, though I have a birthday coupon that just arrived for pizza. I also have one from the Dairy Queen Blizzard fan club, and a few other food establishments will likely send an offer when it is all said and done.
   I also made it to the comedy club tonight. The sub teacher did his joke where he mentioned plenty of presidents, and I said 'Brilliant' when I heard it. The 'Tetris comic' did one where he referred to Richard Dawson, saying it sounded like people didn't know who he is if no one laughed. I said I knew, he's the (former) Family Feud host. The 'Self-Checkout' comic did the one about trading in the Ford Escort for the hybrid car, and I really like how it ends with the 'Slap fight'. The show closer was the 'Extra murder' comic who did the one about tax time coming up. I had heard it before but it was funnier this time as he had plenty of great comebacks for a crowd member who kept interrupting. I liked how he added to the one about a friend dating a carnie, saying only carnie is below comedian in the entertainer jobs hierarchy. After the show I said I laughed so hard I hit my head on the wall behind me in the corner, when doing the tax time joke. He said he didn't want to injure anyone, but I've hit my head before and I'm fine.

Slaughterhouse Runoff Smoothie

        I read some more back issues of the paper and read the month of August tonight. There was one Friday paper I didn't get that month as I was out of town at a writer's convention in Chicago. Heritage Square at the state fairgrounds is to become a transit hub. Valerie Harper is filming a TV-movie in Canada. A quote was removed from the Martin Luther King statue. The pedal pub rolled over, and two people were hospitalized. There was a cartoon about Vikings owner Zygi Wilf''s fraud and racketeering case red flag, in reference to the planned new stadium. The TV show 'Duck Dynasty' made cable history, and an editorial said democracy is off the table in Egypt. The 'Last Supper' play opened, from the 'Church Basement Ladies' series. The Wilfs await the price they must pay, defrauding partners of profits from an apartment complex. One photo in the editorial section showed somebody holding up a sign, it said 'Dear free world: enjoy watching us burn'. It was about a chemical weapons attack on suburbs of Damascus, Syria. Governor Mark Dayton saw a 'Last window' for the orchestra labor dispute. He weighed in on it publicly, and pushed for George Mitchell as mediator. Kellogg stands for peace, not cereal. It is about how Kellogg Road in St. Paul was named for a co-author of the Kellogg-Briand pact from 1928, an antiwar piece of legislation. There was an anniversary event. The orchestra's board takes their case to the public. A painter seeks asylum in France after painting Vladimir Putin in women's underwear.
   Then there is the funny columnist. He wrote about Twinkies stuffed with cigarettes, in reference to a proposal to have the city take over utilities and grocery stores. Then there was 35 candidates for mayor of Minneapolis, why aren't there even more? The next two were about the state fair. The best new thing at the fair may be the most basic thing of all. There was mention of a 'Slaughterhouse runoff smoothie'. He said the best new thing was the restrooms. I also liked mention of the Fine Arts pavilion, where you can holler your approval or disdain at the art unlike at a museum. Finally, there is the fair. It is where wretched heat and bad music and iffy food still equals bliss. There was also mention of signing up for a water softener and getting junk mail for the next 10 years.
   I did watch two episodes of 'Big Bang Theory' tonight. The syndicated rerun was the one where Sheldon breaks up with Amy and then copes by getting plenty of cats. His mom shows up and uses reverse psychology, and he starts dating Amy again. The prime time episode was about Leonard getting a new table for the apartment and Sheldon doesn't approve. He goes to break up with Amy, who claims Leonard is manipulating him. Then eventually they are back at the same table, since Sheldon and Amy were the holdouts on the new table.   

Obama At Union Depot

       When I was riding the bus to work this morning I asked the driver if the route would be diverted due to the presidential visit. I was told that only those buses going to Union Depot in downtown St. Paul would be affected, and I get off before then but just blocks away. I had to check some online articles for more information, found out President Obama was scheduled to give a speech around 2pm. There was preparations happening well before then, such as the doors opening at Union Depot at 11:30 am and the police closing streets around 12noon. I did take a walk during my lunch and confirmed what was happening. The police had Kellogg, a major road, blocked off. I saw a light rail train parked in front of the depot. There have been test runs on the track, but it is not operational just yet. I did the walk after taking my state income tax return to be mailed, along with depositing a check to my savings account. It said it was an overpayment from a dental appointment, must be from last week. I did watch the news after the comedy show tonight and there was a short segment about the visit. It said the president was asking for money from Congress in order to improve the nation's infrastructure. This depot is a good example of what can be done when there is enough interest in renovating. I did speak of when I saw President Clinton appear at the University of Iowa in 1996 when he was running for re-election, he spoke at the basketball arena. I still have the free ticket from the event.
   At the comedy club tonight I did get stage time. As usual, I had plenty of material available, more than needed. I did jokes about the microwave ovens at my workplace, a colleague that I match wits with, and internet dating. My 'Bestie' was on, a few comics before me, and I liked how he did the 'Chivalry is dead' joke. It helps that he does a voice impression in it, much like his newer joke about how he's considering dating other women. I told myself I needed to call my college roommate to say I would be in town soon, I did so during the show when I went to the bathroom. I am used to how the calls don't last long, this was no different. I did so just minutes before I was onstage. The godmother did jokes about yoga at church, being a life coach, and acceptance letters from Globe University for her and her late dad. The show closer did a joke about dating somebody who would send her text messages about what day it is, and reading about a woman who slit her boyfriend's throat. She does run her own comedy show. I tend to write about those I see the most at the clubs, and those are most likely to get nicknames as I don't use their real names while writing. Hopefully I can think of one soon. The bartender did a joke about pets at the animal shelter, and some of them having nicknames like 'Sammy Davis Jr.' this of course would be in reference to Sammy having a glass eye.
   I am still getting plenty of comments about the navy coat, so I think I will still keep wearing it. Some of these was from my 'Bestie' before the show. He said we had the same coat on, but not quite, as mine had anchors on the buttons. He said it was fine as long as I don't have a red winter hat, and I don't. Something about being just like the movie 'Single White Female' if I'm not mistaken. I briefly told the story about a college roommate giving me the coat, along with how it had been recently mended. He said something about needing a coffee break.
   I have been giving out my business card to comedian friends in hopes that they read the blog, but I'm not sure as to how many do. I know the godmother does, and she tells me tonight's show closer does as well. I think she will be the 'Auto-correct' comic as she does a joke about what her name auto-corrects to. There should be no concern whatsoever as to what I write about comedian friends. I go to plenty of shows, and see plenty of comics, and hear plenty of jokes. For this reason, I believe in making it count when I write. So it is easier for me to write about the positive, as I want to remember the positive, especially since I enjoy comedy a lot. It is mostly about what jokes are done, reporting what happened, and if I speak of a joke I probably liked it.

T-Wolves Ticket Sales

      I get various emails, and it was odd to get one from the Timber-Wolves, the basketball team, today. It said they wanted to know if I enjoyed the game from early January, and I did. Looks like it was mainly advertising what games they have left this season. I like seeing them play New Orleans each year, as I loved my visit to the 'Big Easy'. But I am not sure about seeing another game this season. My alumni association has had an outing at a Wolves game before, but I haven't heard anything yet about one for this season. I have received calls on my cellphone as well.
   I was onstage at the comedy club tonight, as usual no problem finding enough material. I had 8 items written down and got through 5 of them. I started off with something not on the list, as there was laughing as I was taking the stage. The response was 'You don't want to know' as to why I got laughs before telling jokes. So I did one about who I've been told I look like, a joke I did my first time onstage back in 2008. After the show I was paying my tab as I had a small pizza along with my customary beer. I spoke with some Canadian women in town for a conference, and I was asked how long I had been doing comedy. I like how I take things in stride easier than I did, as I handle compliments better than I did. When I spoke of attending a Van Halen concert in Winnipeg they said they were from a town about 4 hours from there, on the border near International Falls.
   My 'Bestie' wasn't originally on the list but he did show up after I was onstage, I was third after the mc. He did one about considering dating other women, and I liked it as he did a voice impression of his dad. I spoke with the rapper comic before the show. He did a joke about buying a motorcycle, and waiting to tell his lady about it. The show runner was the show closer tonight, and did one about his lady applying for a job at Make a Wish.
   Work was slow enough in the afternoon that I found enough time to work on my income taxes, and completed the state forms. I already submitted the federal ones of course. I needed to get a stamp at home so it meant waiting another day before mailing it. One colleague helped me with a joke idea as I am often matching wits with her. I was wearing my patriotic shirt, which was intended for the show, and pointed out things depicted on it like Mt. Rushmore. I don't know if I want to tell her since she once said she didn't want to inspire any jokes. But it is really hard to ignore the material available to me.              

Bus Driver's Water Break

    When I was taking the bus home from work today, the driver decided to stop next to a Subway sandwich shop to get water for his bottle. Another rider dared somebody to steal the bus and said he would give them $10 if they did. I asked if anyone knew how to operate it, and no one spoke up. The driver wasn't on his water break for long.
   I had a nice treat at the comedy club tonight, as the D.C. native was back from the East and told jokes about being in detox like puking into a cup. He also did the 4th of July 'Numbers joke' that I really like.
   The 'Bathtub comic' did two jokes I liked, one was about the movie 'Good Will Hunting'. It was in reference to visiting his sister at Harvard. Another was about Liam Neeson doing an action movie, where he plays an air-marshal. I liked it as he said there would be sequels like 'Layover', where he complains about the high cost of food at the airport. Or even 'Missed my connecting flight'. The 'Extra murder' comic did the Motel 6 joke I like. I often like to stay at Motel 6 and I still think it is funny. I liked hearing this comic talk about the business of comedy after the show, as I don't hear about it often enough.
  Another comic will be added to my 'Ring of honor'. It was the neck tattoo comic. The picture was done tonight before the show. He was sitting in a chair at a table, and I said I should be sitting as well. I think most of the others have me standing.

3 Dryer Sheets

   I did laundry today and I got some static for the dryers I chose. The 2 dryers had 3 sheets each in them, and then a woman swore at me for it. I said nothing, having no idea what she wanted me to say. This seems like an odd way to mark territory- claim a dryer with those sheets. I liked a couple I spoke with as I was about to leave, she works at a college and he had a coat on like mine and said it was found at a landfill.
   I got started on my income taxes in the late afternoon, by submitting the federal return online through H and R Block. I can file it for free with them, and I file the state return by postal mail. I ordered a Maytag postcard on E-bay. And I submitted an entry to a comedy festival in Iowa.
    I listened to a comedian friend's radio show and was pleased to get a shout out at the start of the show, since I called in last week. Subjects covered were a school suspension due to rumors of a teacher sleeping with a student, illegal workers at McDonalds, an unusual museum in Iceland, and sexual duration by states. I did more mending of the navy coat during the show.    
    Speaking of rumors, I went to a grocery store to get lunch while doing laundry and there were postings on the front door addressing some rumors of closing. This was the first I had heard about it, and thankful it isn't true that they are closing.

Navy Coat Mended

     I continued with mending the navy coat and was satisfied with my work. I finished sewing the lining of the second sleeve and some other parts, so it was wearable again. When I went out to a date at a coffee shop, I was wearing it. When my other two winter coats are of sports teams, it works well to have a plain coat as I blend into a crowd better. There are some areas where the lining is still torn, like the tail and near the shoulders, but those are less important than sleeves when I need to get my arms into the sleeves. I liked having the coat on again as it is black and this color seems to suit me well. It has a snug fit. I kept saying 'Supper is waiting on the table', thinking of a Smashing Pumpkins song called '33'. In the video, frontman Billy Corgan is wearing a coat much like mine.
   I still want to get my taxes done this weekend, as I have already seen an email from H and R Block about filing online. This is the service I have used when filing online before. In the evening I went to a comedy show in Minneapolis where many of my friends were performing. One of them I hadn't seen in months, and he said he hadn't performed comedy in a while. Some of it he alluded to in his jokes, as I recall he had surgery. Before and after the show I spoke with somebody who said he was familiar with a comedy venue in Iowa City, where I attended college. He said it is a live music venue primarily, so it sounds like some of the venues around here.