qualifying test

this was day 3 of the training for test scoring. i did the qualifying test and passed on the first try, which thrilled me. although my team leader did not tell me until i was already doing the second one. so i still finished up the second one and went to lunch. i wanted to score one test for real before leaving today, but before that i wanted to read through everything i still had to see it was being done correctly. i know full well some refreshing on the material will be needed. i went to the post office after work so i could drop off some mail, and see what was waiting there. an e-bay, and amazon order, was there. and in my box was something from the cardinals magazine, ticket vouchers. i will be sending the vouchers to a friend that lives in the area, somebody who can use it more than i can since i just make an annual visit.
   it was also my birthday, and there was plenty of birthday wishes on facebook, nearly 30. and some emails on Hotmail from various businesses that i have accounts with. not just internet dating sites, but also caribou coffee, already got my free coffee tonight, decided to get some coffee cake with it but of course had to pay for the cake. some emails were really odd, such as from the car dealer. also from southwest airlines, redbox, and a survey company. and i performed this evening as well. i went on near the end, preferring this as there was a drunk lady that was being disruptive. i also did the jeopardy game show online test, shortly after i got back from caribou in the evening.

already moved

i arrived at work this morning and i had already been moved. i was told it was to make room for some others. i knew i was sent to a computer where a nametag had been taken away, somebody that had never showed up the previous day. it was a rigorous day of reading through writing samples, i was told i did fine for a rookie but i know i mist get better. when i got home, and yes it was a full day this time, i went to the family dollar to pick up some things. this included bandages, a greeting card, and some razors. i knew i was running low for a while on bandages. it was evident when needing one last night and it was too big, but nothing else was available in a pinch.
   i was expecting to perform at two shows tonight, but the first one started late and i was the last one on. no surprise when i finally made it to the next venue, that the show was already over. will get them next time i guess. it helps to arrive as early as possible.

first day, half day

i had my first day back at work, and it became a half day due to the weather. i am a test scorer for 8th grade writing from florida, it is at a place in woodbury. an announcement was made around noon that we were being sent home as the ice and snow storm was expected to hit during rush hour. so it meant not much was covered the first day, and some of it was orientation for new hires such as myself. i submitted the completed paperwork that was sent to me by email, and i still need to submit a voided check to get direct deposit for my payroll checks. i ate my cup of pudding in the breakroom before i left, figuring i had enough time for that. then i went to the library to print things. when i got home i tried to watch a DVD movie but fell asleep and missed most of it. so i will have to try again sometime soon.
    i wanted to stay in tonight as i saw what the weather looked like from my window but i had to check on the event ticket i had bought and it said 'no refunds or exchanges'. i got an early start on my drive over to the venue, giving myself an hour to get there for a women's history show at Bryant lake bowl in Minneapolis. i made it in good time, taking secondary roads and avoiding the freeways. i like being able to stop during winter weather and it is easier to do so when going slower. i ate at the super-America across the street before going in. i was part of the last game show event of the night, out of three, and the theme honored Olympic athlete Jackie joyner-kersee. i am familiar with how one of the light rail stops in st. louis is at a building that is named for her. i won a bag of oreos. i tried to go to a bar and sing karaoke, but when i arrived i found out there was no karaoke tonight due to the weather so i went home.

safe at home movie

i watched two DVDs today, the first was 'safe at home, it was on a disc that had 3 baseball movies on it. i had seen a play with this same name last year at the saints stadium, but it the movie and play were nothing alike. the movie was about spring training in florida, and a kid wanting to meet mickey mantle and roger maris, both new York Yankees players. i also watched part of a disc about the medal of honor winners, watching just the part that was about world war two in the pacific. it is 6 segments over 2 discs, acquired from goodwill. one of those profiled was douglas macarthur, and there was mention of his dad, Arthur, also winning this medal.
   i went to an art event this evening at the former Pillsbury mill, and then performed at the former grain belt brewery complex. saw a music group perform at the first event, and bought one of their CDs. it appealed to me more than any of the art that was for sale.
 

cedar rapids movie

i watched a DVD i recently acquired from goodwill, 'cedar rapids'. it was a movie i had seen at the theater in march of 2011. it was about a convention, and i saw it in a year where I was headed to my first-ever writer's convention, but the writer's convention wasn't anything like this movie!
   i performed at two venues tonight, a comedy show and some karaoke. i was told i looked really angry while doing comedy, and i probably was, as one of the stories told was about how it took 30 minutes to get my taco order from zantigo tonight. the song i did at the karaoke bar was 'radar love' by golden earring it was in the movie 'cedar rapids'.

ranting at the bar

dear diary, you won't believe the stories i will tell you tonight. that does kind of have a nice ring to it. but it does seem like a good way to start off the entry. i went to two different bars tonight, one of them was a karaoke venue. i did two songs, 'Tennessee waltz' by patti page, and 'working for a living' by huey lewis. although the night will be memorable more for who i listened to for much of my time there. it was crowded tonight, i was told due to a hockey tournament. it seems to explain why the parking lot was full and why i ended up parking at an adjacent business. also because there was some flooding, likely due to the melting snow. a man near the back of the bar explained the big crowd, and i think this is what got him started on ranting. since one of the schools was hill-murray. i spoke of robber baron james j. hill. then he spoke about corrupt politicians and businessmen, and i was familiar with some of these subjects, being a history major. he covered so many subjects, such as war, vaccines, corporations, presidents, law, who he dated, fugitives, the Vatican, the federal reserve, college tuition, who he dated, union dues, health insurance, working construction, and more.
    oh, and it looks like i have an offer to go back to work, effective Monday. i am thrilled of course. there is more paperwork to complete, saw this by email. i got a check deposited at the credit union, printed some more items such as the aforementioned paperwork, and got some more DVDs from the resale shop. in the late afternoon i had an oil change done for my car. then in the evening i went to another fish fry, and then to a friend's comedy show, the big dog. he did give a shout-out from the stage. it was great seeing the button as well, after the show was over as she had arrived for the open-mic. i showed her pictures of the linus statue from the previous day. and she spoke of going through the experience of being laid off earlier in her life. a visitor from los angeles, who spoke of originally being from the area, was part of the big dog's show, i said he was good. first time i had seen him perform. it was my first visit to this venue in a while, i noticed some changes in the green room.

silver spoons

i have been watching plenty of reruns on antenna TV, and one of those shows is 'silver spoons'. i do recall watching it when i was young, when it was first-run. the episode on today was the conclusion of a two-part story, where rick's dad has an old flame that is still interested. according to Wikipedia, it ran for five seasons, and the final season was syndicated. except i don't recall the syndicated season. i know the show figures into my schooling, as i referenced it when we were learning about facts and opinions. dad referred to dexter, the 'fussy' business manager, as 'prim and proper'.
   i watched another DVD this morning, 'startup dot-com'. it was inspired by a facebook posting about a company called 'march first'. guess it was a 'dot-com' that became a 'dot-bomb'. i had made the observation how the dot-com bubble reminded me of reading the history books, in terms of some industries going through the same phase. such as the car industry, where the best deal was to be bought out, in many cases.
   after i watched the DVD i went to the library to print some more things, and get ready for another job-related appointment. actually it was an 'open house'. i saw it as a 'longshot' but went anyway. i decided to apply directly to a test scoring company, even after being rejected twice when applying through agencies. i liked how i actually was interviewed this time, instead of just doing the evaluations they had requested. i checked the voicemail on my phone in the evening, and it sounds like there is an offer! sure surprised me. when i was leaving the office i saw a linus statue, and i was able to get a picture if it. hadn't seen a 'new idea' in a while for those statues, after finding more than a hundred.
   i also performed at two different venues tonight. first was karaoke, i chose 'vacation' by the go-gos. it seemed like a good one to do since it looks like my 'vacation' might be ending. will have to follow up with a call in the morning to find out more. and the other one was an open-mic, where i spoke of how it was going on the job front.