He Needs A Hospital

     When I was taking the bus home from work tonight there was somebody who got on while still in downtown St. Paul asking if the route goes to a certain hospital. The driver said it did not go directly to one, though fairly close. Judging by the way he spoke, and didn't seem to be standing very steadily, it looked like he needed to get to a hospital. Some may have just thought he had too much to drink.
   I did make it to the American Legion on St. Paul's East Side tonight for their fish fry. It helped that I left nearly an hour earlier, compared to last week. The Lions Club sponsored this one, there is a different sponsor each week. The desserts were popular, and sold separately from the all you can eat, a dollar apiece for desserts. It was ten dollars for the fish and main course items like potatoes, baked beans, and corn. The desserts were so popular that I got the last one, two cookies. I did look into some other places having fish fries, two others based on price and location interest me. One man said this fish fry was cheaper than many others since it is staffed by volunteers, which made sense. One of the college basketball tournament games was on when I was there, Tennessee vs. Michigan. It was still on when I got home, Michigan held on to win it. I didn't watch much else on the tournament tonight since I was at the comedy club, but there were plenty of monitors there saying who won the other three games. Michigan State, Kentucky, and Connecticut also advanced.
   At the comedy club tonight, there was a different show closer. This time it was somebody I will call the 'Pottery barn' comic as he did a new joke about shopping at pottery barn with his bride-to-be, since he just got engaged. I have seen him do comedy many times before, and earlier this week he was wearing a Frank Zappa shirt if I'm not mistaken. The bus fare comic did his 'Poop in this bar' joke. The self-checkout comic did his 'Why I don't have tattoos' joke. The Maryland native did a joke about being on a date with a 'Trannie'. I did get a few shout-outs. After the show I saw the Belarus native and said I was used to seeing him in the front row ready to give high-fives to performers when leaving the stage. I didn't see him doing this tonight though, and he said it was due to having a different show closer. He asked me and others why he does the high-five thing, but didn't seem to give his own answer. When I was leaving he did high-five me.

Charleston River Dogs

     I tried again to order a book and was unsuccessful. This time I tried the local baseball team, the St. Paul Saints, as I wanted 'Fun is good' by Mike Veeck and he runs the team. When I called I was told they would contact another team under the same ownership group, the Charleston River Dogs in South Carolina. But I found out with the shipping fee through UPS that it would be even more than with Barnes and Noble. So I had to say no. But I did let them know I saw a game there in April 2010 when I was touring the Carolinas. It was an extra inning game against the Braves affiliate. He did start off by saying his name was Mike, but it wasn't Mike Veeck. I said I expected Mr. Veeck to be a busy man.
    I watched one episode of 'Big Bang Theory' tonight, it was a syndicated rerun as of course the college basketball tournament was on again so no prime time episode. It was the one where Howard's mom was in the hospital, and Howard thinks it's because he announced how we plans to marry Bernadette. I still like what the physician said: and I quote, she'd like to talk to the little Catholic girl first. Then he writes a prescription for Howard, knowing he's Jewish and figures he had anxiety about bringing a Catholic girl home to his mom.
    Florida, Dayton, Arizona, and Wisconsin won in the tournament. I paid most attention to Dayton vs. Stanford, and the second game from the South Regional in Memphis was also shown on CBS, Florida vs. UCLA. I did my best to get caught up on paperwork and emails. I liked seeing something
in an email from The Loft how there is a chance to have a writing as part of an exhibit at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Now it means looking into it further to see what the standards are and get something submitted by the deadline next month.
   Most notable thing in the mail today was an Amazon order arriving, it was a friend's comedy CD. Actually it is two discs, the other is a DVD. Now I need to find the time to listen and watch them. This comic doesn't have a nickname yet, but he is in The Turkeys and I know most of the performers in that troupe. After basketball I liked seeing a feature on the WCCO late news about fish fries in Minnesota during Lent. I am trying to get to one this Friday.

First Time Karaoke

        I went to a bar tonight to do comedy, and ended up doing even more. It was my first time doing karaoke, and I was at the Turf Club in St. Paul. I chose 'Lose Yourself' by Eminem, from the movie '8-Mile', as the movie made me an Eminem fan. I found out it was harder than it looks, but I did well on keeping up. Sounds like I am already famous because of it, as there were Facebook postings about it and somebody filming me. I look forward to seeing myself on film.
   Before the show I went to the nearby CVS pharmacy to pick up a few items. I had a craving for chips, and got a small can of Pringles and those were eaten right away. But I also got a can of Hormel chili and a small package of Ritz crackers as I needed dinner for the next day. It was way more enjoyable to visit this time, as my most recent visit was earlier this month to get some Pepto-Bismol as I had just threw up.
   It went well on doing comedy, which wasn't that long after doing karaoke. Most were fairly new jokes, and I liked getting around to ones about internet dating. I did one about how some matches are surprised I am still single, never been married. I thought about adding to one of my coworker jokes but didn't, as we exchanged I.M.'s in reference to the monthly birthday cake which was around midday. She claims I am unable to match wits with her, though I can match wits with the best of them. I did take a camera phone photo of some comics when requested. I saw plenty of comics there but didn't see all of them perform. The show was running late and I needed to leave. I shared a table with the dental assistant for a while, I think he was scheduled for real late. I liked and knew many of the karaoke songs, starting with 'Back on the chain gang' by the Pretenders. Another did 'Why do we crucify ourselves' in the lyrics. The bus fare comic did both comedy and karaoke like I did.
   When I was leaving I did say I am thankful for the stage time to the show runner. I will call her the International Falls native as this is given on her Facebook page and sometimes fellow comics are named for where they are from.
   I liked doing Wii dancing as usual near the end of my workday. songs included 'Toxic', 'Big beautiful girls', and 'D.A.N.C.E.' I did give an update to my advisor at work about the 'Soap opera' that is my dating life. Sounds like my match is interested in a walk, followed by coffee or dinner.

Airport Super-America

    There is a Super-America near the airport that I sometimes stop at, and I did so tonight on the way to the comedy club. I needed fuel, and had a craving for the Old Dutch 'Puffcorn', which is much like popcorn. So it meant going inside for the Puffcorn and a bottle of apple juice. The attendant saw my Minnesota Wild winter hat and wanted to talk about this hockey team for a while, until another customer showed up. I had to say I saw their minor league affiliate play this year, and this is true. He spoke of how they should play better when they've signed two players to big contracts. I said it's sometimes team chemistry as to who wins, and not how much money is spent on players. As I recall he said the Boston Bruins played better defense. It was unexpected to have this as a conversation topic. I said they are still in line to make the playoffs at this point, and for most teams this is a sign of a successful season.
    I did tell one friend at work about the 'Soap opera' that is my online dating life. And another, my 'Work spouse', had to leave early or otherwise would have heard about it as well. I did get a response to my message, and there is some interest in meeting this weekend. I said a movie is a bad idea since one can't talk at a movie. Our first date was more than six months ago so this really is like another first date, needing to get to know each other. I do have some trusted advisors about my social life, but I have enough dating experience now that I don't need advice as much as I once did. 
   At the comedy club tonight, the school bouncer was the M.C. He did well as usual. The godmother did jokes about yoga at church, along with a newer one about 'Save the date' fridge magnets. My 'Bestie' did ones about being willing to die for his lady, and how he has considered dating other women. The ex-TSA comic did ones about Minnesota and Wisconsin towns, as innuendo, and his car sounding like a cartoon tiger in winter. I liked a newer one about the History Channel, as a history major. The Mason City native did one about getting a DNA test back on his ethnic background from Ancestry dot-com.

Palace Theater, St. Paul

     I passed by the newspaper box as usual this morning after getting off the bus and saw a headline that caught my eye. It was about an interest in having a movie theater in downtown St. Paul again. This would be the Palace Theater, it has been empty for most of my time living in the Twin Cities. For a while I noticed them having up posters for a Brave New Workshop show, called 'Minnesota- It's not just for Lutherans anymore'. They had people crammed into the outline of the shape of the state. There is a proposal to give funding to this theater going through the legislature.
    It was a long day at work as the payoff report arrived late and of course it was big since it is a Monday. So I went to lunch much later than typical.
    I was onstage tonight at the comedy club, and it went real well. I did plenty of new jokes, or modified some jokes I just tried last week about coworkers. I also like finally doing the one about seeing an employee sweep up pennies at McDonald's. My fellow comics are quite interested in how I write a blog, including about the shows I go to. Some have asked what their name is here, and not all of them have names yet. Two comics I write about often performed- the 'Extra murder' comic did jokes about seeing plenty of movies and his phone book/phone booth joke. The Tetris comic was show closer and did his boat name joke, and asked crowd members for boat names.
   After getting home from the show I checked my internet dating profile and noticed one match in it wasn't a new one. It was somebody I had a date with in September. I was told my match didn't want to date right now and would inform me when they are ready. I did send a message through the site right away- despite the fact that we exchanged personal emails earlier. I said I remember you, and asked if my match is ready to date now. 

Baggage Claim Movie

    Today I wanted to watch a Redbox movie. The McDonald's in my neighborhood has a Redbox kiosk, but they didn't have the movie I wanted, 'Thanks for sharing'. Pink the singer is in it. So I got 'Baggage Claim' instead. I like traveling so the premise worked for me, about a flight attendant trying to find a mate in a month, before her younger sister gets married. It was silly in many areas, but I liked it. Many of the characters seemed to be familiar, with personalities like people I have known before. There is the overbearing mom, along with the friends at work that often try to give you advice which doesn't necessarily work for you- the same advice that may or may not work for themselves. I did get the joke about how the 'Mr. Right' for the flight attendant was named 'Mr. Wright'. It was also funny about how her colleagues at the airport were willing to help in her search for finding a mate, like stalling the man at the airport until she got there. Or getting her through security quickly. The line I really liked was from her neighbor, who said 'It isn't just getting married but staying married'. If I want 'Sharing', the other movie, I know I can search online for the nearby location that has it. I am willing to drive a little to find a movie I want.   
     I stayed in for a while this morning, first listening to a friend's radio show. The subjects covered included an Old Testament God, Tim Tebow, World War 2 re-enactors, divorce laws, Westboro Baptist Church, and the Get Shot! music video filmed near the church. I called in as the host requested it, expecting me to know a Bible verse. I was online at the time, ordering another friend's comedy CD at Amazon dot-com. So I found one in my online search that was close enough in my opinion, 1 Timothy 4:12, about setting an example.
    I did watch some of the college basketball tournament, Stanford beat Kansas. I also tried to watch Iowa State against North Carolina, but fell asleep before it ended. I later found out Iowa State won. I made it over to the dollar store and got a can opener, and some batteries for my portable CD player. Then after making it to the fitness center for about 15 minutes I was home again for the rest of the night. After watching 'The Simpsons', about the family acquiring a fake painting, I watched the Redbox movie and then called my dad. He had sent me an Iowa Cubs pocket schedule and we are trying to figure out what game to attend this year.   

Finally, A Plunger

     I had plenty of things on my list to get done today. One of them was go to a hardware store near the Xcel Center in downtown St. Paul and get a plunger and a hammer, as I don't have those things. But I left with neither, as I realized I don't do well shopping when I need to go to the bathroom and get back to my car as the meter was about to expire. I ended up getting a plunger at a different place, Walgreen. It was a 'Some assembly required' item. I had to screw the handle into the rubber part of the plunger. Thankful I haven't needed a plunger just yet but it was a bad idea to go without one for so long.
   The day started with me getting thank-you letters sent out, four in all, three were to family. It was in reference to birthday cards I had recently received. Since it was already midday by then I went to get lunch as well. I stopped at a Holiday station to use the ATM and got lunch there. I had my car radio on, and it was a hockey game at the Xcel Center. The NHL's Minnesota Wild were playing a matinee against the Detroit Red Wings, due to a college hockey championship scheduled for the evening. So I had to think of an alternate place to park as everything near the hardware store had signs posted saying 'No event parking'. I found a place but had to walk a little, and I figured just over an hour on the meter would be enough. I first shopped at an antique store, where I had been a few months earlier
to purchase some Winter Carnival buttons and World's Fair postcards. This time I bought four postcards, one of them was patriotic as it prominently had a flag on it and a poem. Another was of a tunnel from the Pennsylvania Turnpike, I liked it as it reminded me of tunnels I had driven through before like the Lowry Tunnel in Minneapolis. I saw a wide variety of hammers and couldn't find any plungers at the hardware store, which is having a liquidation sale. But I wanted to see that I bought what I really wanted and needed, so it meant waiting a little longer.
     By the time I got back to my car I knew I really needed to go to the bathroom, and I figured my best bet was to find a place outside of downtown. I went to the Best Western at the edge of downtown on Rice Street next to a Sears and did my business there. I had been to this hotel before to check out their stamp collecting sale, and found out there was one again. I liked what I walked away with, more first day covers. There were eight of these. One was of the San Francisco World's Fair of 1939, and I already had one from the New York World's Fair from the same year. Other notables were 'Prevent drug abuse' from 1971 and 'Family planning' from 1972. I really liked finding a set of 5 pre-stamped postcards- some of them were airmail- promoting tourism from 1972. I got it for a song, as it said 42 cents on the envelope but got it for a quarter. I had been to a few of the places depicted on it, like Mt. Rushmore, Statue of Liberty, a San Francisco cable car, Liberty Bell, and Washington, DC. I found some envelopes with foreign stamps on them, one from Fiji and the other the USSR, but these will not go into the binder with the first day covers. The 'Savings and loan' cover from 1981 also arrived today, an E-bay order.
     After making a quick stop at the library, had to be as they were about to close for the day, I went on to the Goodwill in Roseville as I wanted to find a photo album for postcards. I found a good one, along with a picture frame and a set of two luggage tags. The tags weren't on my list, but they looked really catchy. These were round tags, one was one of those black and yellow 'Have a nice day' smiley faces but had a mustache instead of a mouth. The other was a woman with a word balloon saying 'We all have baggage'. The latter was why I bought the set. I wanted another photo album as I had one with World's Fair postcards- specifically Chicago 1933- but it was a small one and nearly full. Well this won't be a problem now when these cards were in an album of 80, but now 200.
    My next stop was Cheapo Music, as I wanted a few CDs. There were 10 on my list, I bought 3. This was 'Artpop' by Lady Gaga, her latest. Another was 'Greatest Hits' by Charley Pride, and I made sure it had songs I really liked- 'San Antone' and 'I'm Just Me' on it. The third was by Brett Dennen, 'Hope for the Hopeless', as I wanted the one with 'Follow Your Heart' on it. I like their selection of postcards, and got one with a Laundromat scene on it. Finally there was Walgreen, where I got more than just the plunger. I also needed some bar soap, and more sheet protectors for the first day covers.
   It was evening by then, so after getting the 9 first day covers in the binder and the postcards in the album I knew I needed to go eat. It was kind of late by then, so I decided to just make my meal part of my weekly grocery run. I got a dented can of spaghetti and meatballs from the discount table for 69 cents. Then I told myself I was unsure if I had a can opener as it wasn't a pull tab. After a quick search it looked like there wasn't one, and I used a can piercer instead. Let it be known, readers. I don't recommend this. I had to be careful to avoid cutting myself. All the while I was reminded of how I once cut my finger on a soup can. I guess I can still be daring, just wanting to challenge myself. It wasn't easy to get the can open far enough to get any of the contents out and into the pan to heat it up. I watched some of the college basketball tournament, Wisconsin held on to beat Oregon. The game ended ugly with a technical foul.