porky's restaurant farewell

i made it to porky's restaurant in st. paul tonight after seeing a feature on the 6 p.m. news about how it's closing in a few days. nothing like media attention to attract a crowd. the feature said the wait was 30 minutes for food, it was more like an hour when i went tonight. things were a little disorganized. i ordered a pulled pork sandwich, then was told they were out, would get a cutlet instead. still got the pulled pork though. ordered fries and tea as well, but got pepsi instead of tea. i was not alone on bringing a camera and taking pictures. also signed a memory book, one signer swore at the owner. i spoke of how comedian louie anderson's book 'dear dad' mentions it since one of his sisters worked there. it was sad, but thankful i witnessed it. some were angry, blaming light rail. decided to pick up a souvenir as well, but i already have too many shirts, coffee mugs, and travel mugs. i got a money clip for $5 instead, still nice to have along with the receipt of course.
   also saw a feature about jokes, whether or not ones about race and religion and gender are offensive. it was at a comedy club i go to often for open-mic nights.
   busy day at work, i stayed a few extra minutes to complete a payoff report that arrived late in the day. when i got on the bus tonight after work i saw a nearly full bottle of nestea, so i got it from under the seat across from me and took it with me at my stop. i emptied it in the dirt and then tossed the bottle into a trash bin. i pick up other people's trash all the time, i definitely have civic pride and hate to see litter.

car wreck dream

i had an odd dream this morning, something about going in reverse in my car and then crashing more than once. then i was found trying to lay down near the entrance of a bookstore, whatever that means. i usually analyze my own dreams, i know i often have a chip on my shoulder from how it was hard to get my license as a teenager since i was dealing with some impossible people who wouldn't teach me, or didn't want to. but since then i knew i had to try way harder than others and became essentially a self-taught driver. often when i am in the car by myself and make some quick turns real well i say 'drives pretty good, don't he sarge?' a line from 'smokey and the bandit'.
   i was onstage tonight, was given 3 minutes and ran it a little short but it went real well. much like when i opened for a friend on saturday, and did many of the same jokes. why not if they work?
   before the show i went to the grocery store to get a fruit tray for a potluck at work on thursday. same thing i brought to the last potluck, since it's simple.

laundromat ants

I saw ants at the laundromat tonight, though it wasn't the only notable thing i contended with. there was also a man who was probably homeless asking me if i was the owner, maybe since i picked up the trash on the floor. but i said i once was a janitor and hate seeing dirty floors. it didn't take that long either, much of it was dryer sheets and i decided to use 2 for my own laundry. he said the venom from an ant can paralyze, and was trying to tell me how make balding happens due to being around computers, the 'microwave effect'. and something about lasers as well, don't know where he was getting all of his information. still amazed at how inspirations for comedy and writing just seem to fall into my lap.
   laundry was moved back from sunday, too busy that day. but it meant having to do it shortly after getting off work, which i didn't like since it left no time to rest up a little before going to the comedy club. but i didn't want to wait any longer on the laundry either. one man showed up and asked about the show, i said it had jsut let out for the night.

drivein theaters

for some reason i looked up drivein movie theaters today online. there are just 4 left in iowa, my native state. one of them is near my hometown of newton. but the last time i recall seeing one was 'rocky 3', which has definitely been a while. but i'm thinking about getting back to one this season. the novelty of eating at a drivein A&W restaurant gets me to one at least once a summer, but that doesn't translate into the same style of movies.
   saw many of the regulars at the comedy club tonight, and picked up a small resuable shopping bag and shirt advertising a movie called 'arthur'. saw some of the posters for it already.
    

waiting for superman

I did watch 'waiting for superman' earlier today, as expected i enjoyed it. there was plenty about michelle rhee, the D.C. school czar, who tried to change things but ran into too much resistance. even did a text message, after it was mentioned in the movie. sending the word 'possible', and it asked for a zip code. as the saying goes, 'think globally, act locally'.
   it was one of 5 things i wanted to do today, got all but one of them done. there was 2 movies to see, otherwise i likely would have done all of them, didn't get laundry done. did dishes and groceries. also found an article about my hometown, about the 'Fort Emerson Hough' playground in my hometown, how its future is in doubt. one of the reasons is vandalism.
   the second movie was at a film festival in Minneapolis, a biography about Hank Greenspun, who seemed to be like a Forrest Gump, a part of many historic events as a Las Vegas newpaperman. Would like to see their movie about baseball, but sold out and a waiting list. there may be a second showing later on, due to the demand.

redbox rental

i'm still evolving and willing to change. today that meant trying redbox for the first time. i decided to try them since blockbuster didn't have the movie i wanted, 'waiting for superman', and started wondering what options were available. and i found out redbox is simple, signing up online, and locations are everywhere, like places i already go to such as mcdonald's and walgreen. haven't watched it yet but plan on doing so on sunday. had no time tonight since i was opening a comedy show in minneapolis for a friend, and it became a date as well. my set went well but the comics after me had a tough time, dealing with a heckler.
  also notable was doing taco bell coupon number 15, for lunch. but again, no receipt. still seems to depend on who the manager on duty is as to if i get one.

don't stay too late

but that's just what i did, unfortunately, at the office tonight. wanted to get caught up on work, and stayed nearly an hour past my normal leave time.

rabid poodles

a colleague spoke of rabid poodles today, and the joke grew on me. something about how who takes our carts should be attacked by rabid poodles, since it would be doubly shameful to have to explain why they looked like a wreck. when we have this special project going on the carts can be hard to find, moving out sold account documents. now do i find a way to use it in my act?
   i went to a retirement party tonight, and one attendee said that i made some people laugh there. they said i should try stand-up comedy. told them i've already been doing that. i do have a show coming up this weekend, opening for one of my good friends. it's likely my biggest show to date. this partygoer told me some of my sound bites would be good jokes, which may be true but I still have to think of the crowd as well, such as if my date would like the joke as well. i like how she has green-lighted doing jokes about the relationship, but i know well enough not to abuse this privilege either. may want her to tell me which ones she's fine with. i'm getting flattered about being noticed for my comedy abilities, since one comedian friend said 'we had her at me' in reference to the movie 'jerry maguire' where renee zellweger said 'you had me at hello'. but it's nice to be recognized for your talents, wasn't used to it for a while but i know i will need to get used to it more often now. i've gotten way better at compliments after shows, saying 'thank you' instead of everything except those words.
   odd how the postage-due envelope was still in my mailbox when i picked up my mail today, so i guess this means having to drop it in the box next to the nearest post office as i'm not sure how else it may get picked up.

scorched popcorn

I had some popcorn tonight after getting home from the comedy club, and even though it was taken out before time expired, it still was scorched and I had to throw out about half of it. I should know better, but it was a smaller bag of microwave popcorn. Now I am back to 1 bag, John Deere popcorn I bought at the state fair, was at 3 for a short time. This small bag I bought at a Walgreen, and another was at a Blockbuster. I guess being at the comedy club reminded me of the popcorn since they serve it there. Much like at the movie theater, I like having it after getting a smell of it.
    There was plenty in the news about remembering lizzie taylor, the actress that had just died. I know she was mentioned in a project about 'gods of our time' that a classmate did for a college-bound english class, since she had been married numerous times.
    the postage-due item finally arrived, it was a belated birthday card from the mother of a classmate. There was more than just the card, which was why it weighed more. It was no big deal paying the extra amount, figured it was somebody I had wanted to hear from so no need to be picky about it.
    It took a while to get my car dug out after work before I could get to the comedy show, since there was snow last night and into today. Actually freezing rain that turned into snow. So eventually I got out the shovel I bought in December to clear a better path for my car, which doesn't have much traction in the winter.

Etiquette

I may need to do a crash course on etiquette, as my boss schooled me about it again, when I didn't say 'excuse me'. It seems like at least half of the clashes are about etiquette, and it shouldn't be like that. I can easily teach myself if I care to do so. I started out poorly with driving and public speaking, but I mastered both by teaching myself. Hated having to do so, but if I can do those I can do better on etiquette. Saying I grew up a working-class slob is no longer a valid excuse. My boss is very much into 'please and thank you' and I should know this by now.
  One of my comedian friends was MC tonight, it was nice to see him do more stagetime than normal. It meant hearing some jokes I hadn't heard in a while, but some of the new ones are good as well. Driving home got treacherous since there was freezing rain and snow but I decided to go slower, no big deal, a short drive as well.

Broken Copier

I made it back to the office today after being out on Friday. We were dealing with a broken copier off and on, so it meant rerouting many things. It was nice how a colleague presented me with the fish, haven't had it in a while. Tried getting caught up with record keeping of my checking account while at work, was about 2 weeks behind. Found out I used up the tax refund quick, this will happen when there's a car repair bill. Still don't like how it means having somebody else find some of the documents I need when they're boxed up, but not much you can do.
   It was nice seeing a friend holding court at the comedy club tonight, he was razzing another comic about a gig from over the weekend that of course I didn't see due to being out of town.

chicago wolves game

enjoyed the weekend in chicagoland, included seeing a wolves minor-league hockey game saturday evening, a 4-3 loss to oklahoma city. wolves led 2-1 after one session, then fell behind early 3-2 in the second. 2 goals were scored on power plays, a double minor, the second minor for unsportsmanlike conduct. so it didn't have to happen, cooler heads should prevail. sounds like i saw the wrong game, as it was the same opponent today and a 4-0 wolves win. but it was nice being back at a wolves game, first time in rosemont since i moved 7 years ago. bought a pennant to go with the shirt i already had. holding up the pennant got me onto the video board during the game, which was nice. looking forward to reviewing the wolves on ticketmaster soon. there was a fight just 3 minutes into the game.
   i had another date today after flying back from chicagoland, and it included a skype call with her parents in florida. it was a bit of a rush to make the flight on time, since it was slow getting through security at o'hare airport.
   i left my information with somebody at the izaak walton league in des plaines, the suburb i lived in, hopefully they can help me with the history of the organization as emerson hough was a co-founder. it was nice meeting a scout leader there, latvian ancestry, and seeing a deer go into the woods, got a picture of it. got myself some souvenirs besides pictures, a bears towel at a closeout store, as well as a book about lady gaga, for 60 percent off at a borders liquidation sale in mt. prospect.

second city show

made it to chicago and saw the first 2 games of the day at the united center, the college basketball tournament. notre dame beat akron and florida state beat texas a and m. akron was hanging around for a while, trailed by just 4 at the half. but notre dame finally put them away, as they should when a number 2 seed. texas a and m may have led by 3 at the half, and started with a 3, but fouled too much in the second half and wasn't making their shots.
   liked seeing a show at the second city, and the displays on the wall of the alums like the murrays. but i couldn't find rick moranis, and he was on second city TV. power problems briefly before the show began, but i liked it. the skits reminded me of saturday night live. many were about chicago, like the mayors, but also obama, and the local sports teams, and making fun of famous people. well worth it to have made it there, finally.

Parade and traffic

saw some mountie cops after work today since i work downtown and it's st. patrick's day, plenty of people out at pubs. didn't see the parade at lunchtime, too busy. went out to mail 2 bills, it was over by then. took a while to get past the pubs after work on the bus.

Tired at Show

I could tell I was tired at tonight's comedy show, I almost fell asleep more than once. Hated that feeling, especially when the performers noticed it and called me out. I prefer other types of being zinged.
   Busy day at work, but it meant the day went fast which is fine with me. Had a commitee convention and it led to me signing up for bringing a fruit tray for the breakfast event. Also made it over to Walgreen at lunchtime to get a picture frame. Odd how I got a card from the post office saying there was an item that arrived postage due. Unsure what it is, since it's rare. Last time it was for a holiday card a few years back, I sent in the amount after getting the card. Need to know my options since I am likely too busy this weekend to pick it up in person.

Shakespeare Play at Guthrie

I had the day off from work today to attend a mentoring event, a Shakespeare play at the Guthrie in Minneapolis, 'Winter's Tale'. I am an 'orphan mentor' since I haven't had a student to email for a while. It was a fine play, helped it was modernized, such as the costumes looking like the 1970s with one actor wearing bell-bottom jeans. I had 2 sandwiches for lunch there, one of them peanut butter and jelly, haven't had one in a while.
    I did a few things after the play, such as getting 2 books at a Borders liquidation sale, one of them a Charlie Brown and Snoopy book. Also got 2 CDs at Cheapo, did better this time on finding Charlie Brown music than before, found out some Vince Guaraldi music related to the cartoon is better than others. This one had a 60th anniversary sticker on it, seemed like a better bet and I was right. The other one was a Leonard Cohen greatest hits CD, inspired by seeing the DVD which I just sent back to Blockbuster.
    Picked up some pants at JC Penney, with some gift cards I received recently. Needed a replacement, and kept delaying it but didn't want to much longer. Then on to the comedy club, offered stage time as part of a friend's game show skit. Liked having the stage time, had done it before and it's a good bit.

  

Leonard Cohen DVD

Liked seeing a DVD about Leonard Cohen tonight, wanted to get it watched soon, since it has to go back to the video store. Also did laundry, which meant I didn't go to the comedy club tonight. I've heard some of Cohen's music, but may be more familiar with when others cover it like 'Hallelujah', it's on a CD I have, the soundtrack to the movie 'Shrek'. Rufus Wainwright, who performs it on the CD, is in this DVD along with his sister, Martha. It may have been the first time I had heard of some of Cohen's songs, though the DVD's title, 'I'm Your Man', I had heard of before.
   Called another college roommate tonight, wanted to tell him more about who I was dating. He said he was donating to the relief efforts in Japan after the earthquake. Would like to see him some where he now lives, on the eastern seaboard, unsure when it's possible.
    Besides doing laundry tonight, I decided to get more shirts ready to be donated, since I still have too many. Wanted to wait until laundry was done to know best what I had. More company shirts will be sent to the donation bin, downsizing from 10 to 6. They seem to give them out almost at the drop of a hat, whenever there's a new client or something else new at the office. Now it means sending them right away before changing my mind, same as what I send to Goodwill.
    I have Tuesday off from work for a mentoring event, as usual it was easier at work today once payoff reports were submitted in full in the early afternoon. But since I wanted to get my car right away, before closing time at 6pm, I couldn't afford to stay long after my normal leave time. Thankfully the car just needed a tune up, spark plugs and wires. I put my car in the shop before going to work in the morning, made it easier when they have it for the entire day.

Found Brochures

I continued my cleanup efforts by looking through tourism brochures, found some of where I once lived in the Valley Junction section of West Des Moines, as well as my hometown of Newton. A notable one was also of the Norman Rockwell museum in Massachusetts, one I picked up while in Boston in 2001 but didn't make it there. Someday I still may make it.
   While errand running today I got plenty accomplished, like getting another donation sent to Goodwill, as well as a photo album at Target nearby. After picking up groceries I saw my check engine light go on, drove home a few miles with it, will need to get it in the shop soon. Hated having to ask my date to pick me up tonight, we had dinner with my college roommate and his wife and their 2 adopted kids. I wanted this friend to approve of her, it looks like she has which is nice.

Finding Pictures

I had a date on Friday and brought over some wine I purchased in New Ulm when there for an Oktoberfest. She liked it and so did I. Also brought over one of my photo albums I had just filled, more than a year of pictures was in it. But I noticed the album was really too full, had bought it at a secondhand store. When I got home I decided to look at similar size photo albums and noticed there was no more than 50 sheets, so no more than 300 pictures. I took out 61 sheets! The album I bought at Walgreen did fill up quick, so I will need another one for those I have taken out. I can pick one up when out to get another pair of jeans at JC Penney with a gift card and making another donation at Goodwill. It's mostly travel guides that are obsolete and some Christmas ornaments that play music, definitely things I haven't been using much lately. Made another donation of t-shirts at a bin in my neighborhood, 4 in all. I kept them for a while as they had been given to me, such as by my employer, but I need a better reason to keep something, such as I'm getting enough use out of them. Also ripped up some ratty shirts. Probably will do more of the same after doing laundry in the morning, as I will be able to see all of the shirts I have. I grouped them by category, like company shirts. I think I finally just got tired of looking at everything, and this meant some action as I won't feel right until doing something about it.
    When dealing with the pictures, it meant consolidating them into a bigger box than they were in previously. I found some because of this. I seemed to be finding a few wherever I looked, such as one of me with a friend at his wedding a few years back. It was a fond memory, and I posted it in my 'ring of honor' as it was already framed, he sent it that way. Some were from a while ago, such as when I was at the Barnum and Bailey circus while living in suburban Chicago. Also found were plenty of postcards from my travels, I often get them into photo albums much like the pictures.
    Went to the state high school hockey tournament, the small school final, which began at noon today. Hermantown led early 3-0 but couldn't hold on, lost to St. Thomas Academy 5-4 in overtime. After it I went to a liquidation sale for a Borders location, got 2 books, one of them about Lincoln. Then on to using a Dairy Queen coupon for a 2-for-1 Blizzard deal. Also picked up a video from Blockbuster, about Leonard Cohen, called 'I'm Your Man'. Didn't watch it tonight, will need to watch it soon like in the morning or afternoon.  

repeat potluck

there was plenty of leftover food from wednesday, so it was put out for lunch today. plenty of pasta there, though the lasagna was gone that I liked. I had some salad and fruit as well, though the tongs broke when i tried to break off some of the pineapple. but it wasn't 'shaved, or skinned' yet either, got a plastic knife to do this.
   I looked up a movie online tonight, recall seeing a poster for it when I saw the movie 'cedar rapids' on sunday. it is called 'the conspirator', about the lincoln assassination, i recall how it stars evan rachel wood and kevin kline. it is due to be released in april. this of course is the reason why i wanted to go to the carolinas last april, for the play 'our leading lady', since i knew it would be easier to find than 'our american cousin'. i've seen movies that both have been in, kline in 'prairie home companion' and wood in 'running with scissors'.
   went to a comedy show tonight, finally made it to another open-mic show after saying i had scheduling conflicts for a while. but the main thing was wanting to rest, and to see the show 'big bang theory'. i was able to get stage time, which is nice. the set was close to what i had done a few weeks ago, it seemed to go fine.

ash wednesday

i recall how one idiot classmate asking me every year if my birthday was on ash wednesday,and no it isn't. one time it was. reminds me of a joke my dad would do, how lent is a good time to get a loan. 2 meetings at work today, one was the senior leader's regular one, the other a laugh seminar. liked mention of charlie chaplin in it, more helpful than most meetings they have.

waiting at airport

i plan on picking up somebody at the airport tonight, and having one of those 'waiting for this person' signs for them. after going to a comedy show. responded to a few more b-day wishes sent on facebook.

Birthday

Today is my birthday, and I was snowed under by all of the b-day wishes on Facebook. There was 90 messages waiting for me on my email account, on an average day it is less than half that many. Other notable things was hearing an Eminem song on the bus after work, along with changing a lightbulb tonight after getting home from a comedy show. Along with a few cards in the mail.

3.5 albums, 2.5 years

I made a big dent in my photo backlog today, filled 3 1/2 albums with 2 1/2 years of pictures from OCT 2007- MAY 2010. Sadly, it was bookended by 2 Newton closings, the Maytag plant and Emerson Hough school. It was a reminder of how time marches on, during this time there was pictures of Twins games from the Metrodome and Target Field. So now I am less than a year behind. I would have done more but it took up most of my day just doing this much, after getting back from Mc Donald's for an Egg McMuffin meal this morning. Didn't do much else today, amazing what gets done when the TV is off.
   I needed to get out and around town anyway, and celebrate my birthday a day early. So in the evening it meant going to Eagan to see the movie 'Cedar Rapids', it was silly but I liked it, worth seeing. I will admit that when it's named for a town in my native state it did interest me more. I went slower since it was snowing and at night, harder to see.

Snowshoes and Bowling Shoes

I stayed busy today, and the footwear proved it. I did a snowshoe hiking outing at a wildlife refuge, had a hard time finding it at first. Found out later on I didn't write down the address completely, it was missing a digit. I did think of Emerson Hough while there, had the E.H. sweatpants on under my jeans and the travel mug was there as well. Since I knew he walked on snowshoes at Yellowstone as an advocate for protecting the buffalo there. Went fine, since I was going slower than on skis. I did speak of the one outing when trying to ski in high school, didn't go well. But I prefer avoiding being scarred for life on things if I can.
    Sent a donation to Goodwill after this, it had been ready for a few days. It was no problem choosing what to send when I wasn't using any of it. Some of those items weren't used at all, since I just needed one of some things and had two like binoculars. On to the library where I checked the directions for the bowling outing, and found out when checking email how there was an attempt to deliver the college basketball tournament tickets I had ordered. So it meant going over to the Fedex facility before 5pm, right after the bowling outing. Bowled 2 games, 105 and 107. Had plenty of pizza there. Made it to pick up the package just about 10 minutes before closing, but I made it.
   I was left tired from the schedule I kept, went home and de-friended 5 people on Facebook as I didn't recognize the names. I may be down under 200 again but it should correctly reflect who my 'friends' are if at all possible. Then I fell asleep after laying down in my easy chair, needed to get to the comedy show in a rush. It was on a boat at Harriet Island in St. Paul on the river. I was late but the show started late. Some of my friends were performing, I heard about the show due to a Facebook invite. They kept thanking me for showng up, I hear this often and now believe it more than I did- how they truly mean it. Spoke with the headliner after the show, who did a magic act during his set. It was nice to speak at length, hadn't done it much before. I like getting to know people offstage, as the persona can be different from what people see onstage. This is likely true of me as well, and of anyone who performs. It did lead to some more joke ideas, since I was telling stories about my life experiences and it came across as funny to them.   

REM on Nightline

I like the 'playlist' segment on 'Nightline' on ABC. Tonight it was REM frontman Michael Stipe. One of the songs he mentioned was 'Michelle' by the Beatles, another was 'Frankenstein' by NY Dolls, a band that one of my comedian friends has mentioned on Facebook. I had seen REM in concert when I lived in suburban Chicago, at an outdoor venue. Hard to say what song of theirs is my favorite, it may be 'Driver 8' as it is about railroads. My dad gave me a love of railroads, since he is knowledgeable about it. 'What's the Frequency Kenneth' would be another. The former was on a greatest hits CD I found at a secondhand store when I was back in Des Moines to visit family. The latter is on 'Monster', a CD I've had much longer.
   I mostly stayed in tonight and get caught up on record keeping. I did go out to the Taco Bell and used another one of those coupons, number 14. No receipt again, had to sign the one they kept though. Then I got a candy bar at a Family Dollar store nearby. Also did a review of the Wolves basketball game I attended a week ago on a date, since it was a Ticketmaster review. I had done 10 of those previously, and apparently it doesn't take much to be a top contributor, as it puts me in the top 250. But why not? I like having writing opportunities.
  Picked up another box of Girl Scout cookies at lunchtime today, tagalongs again since they were sold out of dosidos. Went to a Tea Garden location, as it was the last day to be open. The other 5 locations will stay open. Hadn't been there much aside from when I wanted to use a gift card I was given at work. The drink I had was some tea called a 'Hawaiian princess'.
   I still think of Emerson Hough fairly often, for various reasons. Like how it's the name I wrote on a new backpack, or how I plan on going on a snowshoe hike this weekend through the Sierra Club much like he did in Yellowstone. His advocacy led to a law passed by Congress to protect the buffalo at Yellowstone Park. Or of course whenever there is mention of Theodore Roosevelt or Woodrow Wilson, since he dedicated books to both. Wilson was mentioned in a book I am reading now called 'Idiot America'. Odd connection these 2 U.S. presidents have, since I found out both had turns as president of the American Historical Association, an organization I am a member of. Though Wilson died in office during his 1-year term, it is usually just a 1-year appointment.
   There may even be a joke in all of it, since I have referred to being bookish and this may come across as boring to some but I majored in history. I once said to one comedian friend how I expect him to ask 'who is this Emerson Hough you speak of?' Come to think of it, the name was even written on a window hanging of a pheasant that I moved back into my car, after finding it this week while cleaning up. It was in a car I had bought from a high school classmate, who did like hunting and his dad is a member of the Izaak Walton League, an outdoorsman organization that Hough co-founded. The Newton chapter is named for Hough. Even when I see a pinball game at a laundromat I think of Hough, since it has a fishing theme and there is a creel as part of the display. There was a creel of Hough's at the Ike's in Newton when I toured it in June wanting to write more about him.
    Had some unusual dreams recently, like scratching myself in public and may have been just covered up in a blanket like I should have been in bed. Another was talking to the father of a classmate from high school, haven't seen the classmate recently but he was a Little League teammate. The third was somebody who I caught stealing some of my collectible buttons.

pizza outing

had another date tonight, it was at an old chicago pizza. liked seeing all of the artwork on the wall there about chicago, including a final edition of a newspaper from 1978, columnist mike royko was on it. and a time magazine cover which had mayor richard daley (the older). recounted my travels there before and after living in the northwest suburbs for nearly 6 years, it was nice to have these memories.

Cluster- fluff

I just finished a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream tonight, was putting it on top of some pumpkin pie, a slice a day, 4 of 6 so far. Cluster-fluff is a new flavor, and the name reminds me of a joke by one of my comedian friends. I let her know about this on Facebook, and said I liked Cherry Garcia and Chunky Monkey. The former is the best-selling flavor apparently.
    After the comedy show tonight I sent some more items to a donation bin, 5 shirts and 2 blankets. With the shirts, 3 of them were shrink-wrapped and given to me by my employer, and were finally unwrapped and washed this weekend. I already had too many shirts so there was no need to keep them. I'm doing my best to live with less so then there's a greater chance of using most of what is left. One blanket was given by the company, I had two of them and kept the one with the smaller logo. Both were fleece. Also donated an Amtrak blanket, hadn't used it much at all. So now I am down to 7 in that area, still don't use all of them though. The other 2 shirts were short sleeve with a collar, and I like the longer sleeve ones for the office. Now I am down to 2, one of them a company shirt. I'm trying to do this even further with drinking cups and glasses, or even bobbleheads. It has been tough to part with some items, even if they weren't used much, since they were given to me. But this shouldn't be the reason why something is kept, I am telling myself this now. How much it is used should be the determinant as to if something is kept.
   Work was a little easier today, had more help with completing the payoff reports and there was more time to get caught up on perfecting and filing the new titles.

A New Month

I once saw a Family Circus cartoon where the joke was punning about the month of March. And it did remind me of when I was a kid and did the same, saying 'we will march in March'. Or even a weird dream where this was involved. I kept saying 'March!' and everybody did, and we ended up on a wibbly wobbly train in Saskatchewan, although I said it differently, more like 'saskwatch'. (sic) Probably good comedy material, I thought about that tonight when I was at the comedy club, since I thought of jokes inspired by actors like Richard Gere in 'Pretty Woman', and then 'Bob Newhart show' since his show became a drinking game since people said 'hi Bob' often. I still like how comedy is a welcome break from the rigors of corporate America, it was another busy day. Like saying 'whoo!' to somebody who mentioned Hyvee, a popular grocery store in Iowa, in his set since he's an Iowa native like me.