Butt Not Button

Went to Canadian Days to hear the bagpipe band at the start of a religious service. After it I had a donut and some McDonald's orange drink and blueberry yogurt. Said I wanted to be like Homer Simpson and have a donut with the sprinkles on it. When going back to my car I heard somebody say to me 'just looking at your butt'. Almost thought they said 'button' since I was wearing a festival button. One of two I had bought as I didn't being the one from Friday when I went back Saturday, but it was just $3.

I said I was taken. I should be flattered about still getting some attention, but I wasn't due to their approach as it didn't impress me much. Recall when I lived in suburban Chicago and went to Taste of Chicago, hearing near the big fountain: 'Can I have your phone number? You look fine!' I think that was a better opening line than what I got today about my butt. It does mean I got 3 good comedy bits from this weekend: the first was from the same festival when there was a stray bagpipe player, then going through a ladies room to find a charlie brown and snoopy statue.

    I liked the music I heard on my radio while errand running, and liked getting all of it done except for getting a movie from Redbox. Started with calling my college roommate, who informed me about his job in the east at a place a lot like a super collider, but for cancer treatment equipment. It led to me looking it up on Youtube after I was done for the day. 'Lights' by Eminem and Bruno Mars, 'Umbrella/Cinderella remix' by Rihanna and Chris Brown, and 'Memphis, Tennessee' by Johnny Rivers. Last one seems appropriate since my college roommate once lived in Memphis, loved visiting that city in 2008. While trying to find the remix I found another eminem song I liked, called 'Cinderella Man', and I liked the movie of the same name.

    After I had finished doing laundry I saw somebody riding backwards on a bicycle, I thought about saying something like 'that's dangerous' but I'm sure he already knew that and didn't care.
   Made it back to the fitness center for the first time in months, I was on one of the pedaling machines for about 15 minutes. Because there was so much to get done I didn't get down to the pioneer village near Hastings as early as I wanted to, got there 30 minutes before clsoe but nobody asked me to pay yhe admission fee either. Wanted to see Porky's Drive-In at its new home, also got pictures of a tavern with some Grain Belt and Hamm's signs outside. Inside was a plush Snoopy inside a plane. It was warm, even though I wasn't there long I had 2 cans of soda pop and a Drumstick ice cream sandwich.

Bagpipes and Corn

I like going to Canadian Days in Little Canada, even if it is a small festival. This morning it was the bagpipe band after having the pancake breakfast, then in the evening it was the corn feed along with looking at the classic cars before they all left. My date said she didn't like the 'uncouth man' sitting nearby, didn't think he would do that. I pointed him out in advance, since he was shirtless and wearing a kilt, one time earlier he went out to dance with the bagpipe band. seen him around town before, guess he wants to be the town character.

   We did the Charlie Brown and Snoopy statue search as well, found 11 more. Our total is now over 80. It helped that we did find 5 at Key's Cafe before a movie, one from each year. Really liked seeing 'Friends With Benefits' in Oakdale, used my Fandango gift card from work for it. Funny in many areas, serious but relatable in others. Liked Mila Kunis. We found 2 statues at a library, the one near the viaduct, 2 at an apartment complex, then after the movie there was one in Shoreview. It will be a good story how I was coaxed to walk through a ladies room to get to one of them inside, next to the pool. But I didn't know how else to get there. Also got a better picture of the one at a motorcycle dealer, since it was open and we were able to go inside closer to it.  

Craigslist

Thought it was odd to see a Snoopy doghouse statue on Craigslist recently. Even more odd to find it around town, the same one. But I recalled the picture well, and when locating it the styling looked familiar. Guess just about anything can be found on Craigslist, this is the Internet age after all. Thanks to ABC's Nightline show I am familiar with what it is, and when there was mention of 'Craigslist murders' it made more sense to me as to the premise. Because of those horror stories, I don't think I would want to buy or sell anything there. I happened to be looking at the right time when taking the bus home, it must have just been acquired by that business and placed there recently near a viaduct.

   Went to Canadian Days in Little Canada after work, nice to do the corn feed. Also saw a ride being powered by an Allis-Chalmers tractor engine, my dad would be impressed. So I decided to take a picture of it so he can see it later on. I like doing this festival every year as I lived there for a year when i first moved to the area. Had to park at an overflow lot but I didn't mind walking a little. There was still some corn left, and I wasn't there right after it began. It was nice seeing the classic car show, one car looked familiar from a previous year. I plan my schedule accordingly so I don't miss this event, even if it means in some years that I go there the first night only due to being out of town for the rest of the weekend. But this time I said I would move back one of my travels to a different time as I like the bagpipe band there.

Saloon Surprise Party

Had hoped to attend a writer event at a bar, actually called a saloon. But I showed up and it was packed, walked through more than once and couldn't find who I was looking for. I did see 2 things, the upper level was rented for a surprise birthday party, the guest of honor was turning 41. Odd to have it for that age, figured it would be more likely for 40. They were just getting started on setting it up. The other was a room reserved for 3M, made me think of my ex who worked for that company. Didn't like how it was hard to find parking there, on the street, parked about 2 blocks away. There was an auto body shop adjacent, with a parking lot, but I didn't want to park there, didn't want to get towed.

   Since I didn't stay for long I was able to get home in time to see 'Big Bang Theory', an episode I hadn't seen yet. After that I went to the Dairy Queen and had a Blizzard, then went through some recent mail and organized it better. Bills were put in the sorter, junk got shredded. It's no big deal not going through it for a few days, since very little is important anyway. Though I used to do this more often, harder to find the time than it was.

Melon Flavor Varnish

I had a dental appointment after work and was given melon flavor varnish on my teeth, I think I had done the mint before. Found more Charlie Brown and Snoopy statues, 7 in all. 2 at a library, 5 at a cafe in a nearby town. Thrilled how I'm finding so many. Made it to the comedy club after that, found out when my contest night is next month.

    Due to the dental work I figured it was no big deal if I didn't show up when the show started at the club, since I would be unable to have a beer anyway. It was odd how the dental assistant talks a lot to me about my dating life, but I've seen this in others as well. For some reason people are considered to be more desirable- and more in demand- when they're part of a couple. But she also asked me about concerts I had attended, and what I thought about Amy Winehouse, the musician that just died at age 27 from drug problems a few days earlier. I said I thought she was a trainwreck as all too often I heard way more about her drug problems than I did about her music. I'm asked about doing comedy as well, I like knowing how it's a door opener and a conversation starter but I didn't think it was that big of a deal to have the courage to take the stage. But I keep hearing from many who say they would have stage fright. So maybe it is. I know some who don't answer the call when their name is called, such a waste.   

What Are Your Plans?

When I was researching the locations of Charlie Brown and Snoopy statues I was asked what my plans were once I found one at a senior housing complex. I think it was a joke, since those are hundreds of pounds. One article said the Snoopy doghouses were 700 pounds. The one found here was a Snoopy at the beach. Found out another in a northern suburb was donated to a YMCA fundraiser auction, but it's all about the numbers. Still trying to find clues where I can. there was mention of one sponsor, or auction buyer, being the owner of a Harley-Davidson dealership in Rice Lake, WI. But that's a bit of a drive. Also saw articles about the theft and vandalism of some. I knew this had happened, this is why I am thankful many of them are kept inside as they are better preserved this way from the weather as well. In some cases it means finding out which location has some, saw pictures of multiples but I hadn't heard of the place.

  A comedian friend asked me to promote him more on Facebook, also spoke of an interest in being in his next short video. As long as I didn't have to play some unflattering historical figure. For some reason it led to me speaking of the famous picture from Vietnam, the 1968 Tet offensive, where Nguyen Ngoc Loan shot somebody. It was a Pulitzer prize winner. It was in my history book, and saw it at the Walker museum this weekend.

Peanuts on Parade VHS

Ordered a VHS tape from Ebay, and it arrived earlier today, the Peanuts on Parade statues. It should give us more ideas of where to look while doing the 'where are they now?' photo project. I recognized some of them as ones we've found. Plenty of information with each one, the artist and sponsor along with a good view of it and the name/title. There are a few other things i am looking at on ebay right now, it comes and goes in cycles. These of course were the original Snoopys, I had the booklet and map of the final-year Snoopy doghouses.

   Went to the comedy club tonight, but left early as I wanted to get home and watch the tape right away. It goes quick, 101 statues in 28 minutes, but I did my best to pay attention. Also wanted to see if it was on good working order, that I was getting my money's worth. Hadn't used my VHS player in a while, so it meant unplugging some things to get it going.

   Also decided to go through more wearables not being used enough, such as my neckties. I'm deciding to downsize wherever possible and practical, and going from 10 to 6 is no big deal when I don't wear ties much now. I bring out 2 in particular for special occasions, I decided to keep 6 in all so the colors would match the shirts more closely. But it still means half of those I kept are blue, or at least partially blue. No doubt i was keeping the elephant tie that my former boss and mentor brought back from India for me, that is one of the 2 'special occasion' ties that get used more than the others.

The Spoon and Cherry

Saw the spoon and cherry at the Walker in Minneapolis today. Also liked the spider and swing in the same sculpture garden. Inside the museum I liked the Andy Warhol of Jackie Kennedy. Along with a video of a flooded Mc Donald's restaurant. The grill server seemed to be a lot like a carnie, trying hard to make a sale. They talked a lot more than most service people do, unsure why. I liked sitting and standing on the swing sculpture, but it was a quick reminder of how important balance was. One could easily fall off from it. Liked seeing a long poem on the footbridge nearby above the interstate. And all of these benches with thought-provoking quotes on them. It was definitely more of a modern art place than the Minneapolis Art Institute, when I was there I referred to it more than once since I had been to that museum already. This was my first time at the Walker, unsure where I got the idea first to see it but knowing the spoon and cherry is in the movie 'Aurora Borealis' helped.

Lumberjacks and Bellydancing

Went to Lumberjack Days in Stillwater, though with the rain this morning I was unsure about what events would still be happening. Probably a good idea to stay out of Minneapolis today, with the U2 concert at the Gopher stadium and other events like a Twins game, and whatever Aquatennial is. Haven't attended that festival.

   Liked seeing some baseball games with old-school rules from the 1860s. The uniforms were replicas from that era as well. It was the first time in a while when I had used the lawn chair and blanket, since there was very little seating at the field. But I like knowing those items are getting used again. Those were just staying in the trunk of the car for a while, out of sight and out of mind. There was some walkways where the public was kept out, near the river, since the water level was too high. It was why the chainsaw competitions were moved. You could tell one of the competitors was playing the role of funnyman and villain at the same time. Liked seeing somebody with a good stage presence.

  After the festival I stopped at another Borders liquidation sale, this time in Woodbury. Liked getting 2 more items, one was a poetry book and the other a Charlie Brown item. One of those Lucy 'psychiatric help' cans. Much like the kit I got on Friday there was a small book of cartoons included.

   Before the festival we did get pictures of 3 more Charlie Brown statues, outside a residence. There was a business sign planted in the ground like a real estate sign as well. Calling a sponsor paid off as it led to this tip. This makes 77 statues found, and counting.

   In the evening we had dinner at a Greek restaurant, a bellydancer came out to entertain, I said I had mainly seen it just once before, in the Lady Gaga video 'Alejandro'.

Borders Liquidation

Wnt to the Brders liquidation sale in Roseville, inside Rosedale Mall tonight. Got 2 Charlie Brown and Snoopy items, one was a Christmas tree kit and book. Much like the Snoopy and Woodstock kit I bought at an earlier liquidation sale of theirs, at the St. Paul store. The other was a mosiac puzzle. Didn't see much else for Charlie Brown items there, one book. It was the first day of the sale. Also went to the Express clothing store and found a good shirt for the office there on the discount rack, paid with a gift card I got from my employer's reward program. Wanted to use it before forgetting about having it. Didn't want to just get socks if it could help it. But I have a dollar left on the card, so I can go back and get socks if I want. The guard kept looking at me, then I realized it was near 9pm when I arrived, closing time.

Also got out a sticker album from the movie 'Star Wars E1' and put in stickers from that and other movies from the series, also Charlie Brown, and patriotic stickers. I've collected many over the years, seems funny to have all of them in one album when they're way different. Even some Simpson stickers in it. I had almost forgot about having it, these were in a box and it didn't look like stickers at all. Bought them at a liquidation sale while living in suburban Chicago, at a store called 'Zany Brainy'. Funny name for a store. I bought a few books there as well, I think it was primarily children's books. It included a bio of baseball player Babe Ruth.

Elephant Collection

Don't know if anyone predicted it, but I am downsizing my elephant collection. I really did have too many of them. Every so often I am giving away a few to secondhand stores. In some cases it was due to them being a duplicate or even not looking much like an elephant. I still have more than 20. Two of them were given by my 'Ohio friend' from work, those have high sentimental value. So I am sending them back to the office, and in a drawer I can lock up when not there. Hard to say how much more I will downsize, so far I have definitely kept any where I wrote a name on the tag. It was to remind me of where I bought it, or when. One was called 'Evanescence' since I bought it the day of their concert in 2007. Others were from vacations. Like 'Ripley' or 'Tampa', 2 Florida visits. Some are plush, others are plastic as well as wooden. A shiny blue one was from the Shrine circus at the state fairgrounds a few years back. Yes, a few are beanie babies. The start of the collection went back to my former boss and mentor giving me an elephant tie when she went to India on business in 2001. I saw the symbolism in it, how elephants are strong and have thick skin, qualities that are needed to survive in corporate America.

    Didn't go outside for long at lunchtime, but it appears to be less warm compared to earlier this week. Still researching Charlie Brown and Snoopy items on Ebay. Also watched some Youtube videos related to Planet Snoopy at Valleyfair in Shakopee, about opening day this season and announcing it will be there. Some videos were better than others, one wasn't sure of himself, often saying 'according to the artist rendering' and 'it looks like'. There may have been a Snoopy doghouse there, but hard to tell. If it is from the St. Paul series, then it is another to be added to the list of found ones.

Statuette Arrived

The Charlie Brown statuette- or figurine- I ordered from Ebay arrived earlier today, thrilled about it. Much easier to do a figurine than one of the actual statues from the St. Paul series since they're smaller and cheaper and more available. Easier to store as well. One site had plenty of original Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and Lucy figurines, but very few Linus or Snoopy doghouse figurines. The label is underneath, but it's there. Best proof it's part of St. Paul's series. Wanted to choose one that is like one we've found, this one is called 'You're the Life of the Party, Chuck'. It was sponsored by Best Buy, now at their fortress of a corporate office in Richfield. I like it since it reminds me of the first CD I bought in college, the Blood Sugar CD by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The CDs depicted all had their names slightly changed to match some Peanuts characters. It's nice to see Charlie smiling and in front of a microphone, a reminder of me doing comedy. Just didn't like it being left outside my door, I like dealing with Fedex instead as a courier where I can pick it up at their office. This was sent by the U.S. Postal Service.   

    Also made 2 orders or reservations, one was for a baseball game and pre-event at a bar through my alumni association for next month. The other is a hotel reservation, but not for the same event of course. Wanted to get those done before any more time passed, didn't want to let the deadlines pass and forget about it.

2 Dead Bugs

Tonight I took 3 grocery carts back to the store after going to the comedy club. I feel good about doing things like these, even if I don't need to, who will? Same as picking up trash.

   I'm still interested in leads for more Charlie Brown and Snoopy statues, called 2 places today and we can get pictures but must be during normal business hours. So it means waiting until the day at the state fair, since it is a day off during the week. Then it led to another lead, where there is 3 statues outside a private home. Was asked what we planned on doing with all of the pictures, it would have been a good time to mention that I write a blog.

   I killed 2 bugs that were in my home, houseflies. I kept saying 'land, you varmint!' so then I could swing something like a folded up road map to kill them. One of them was near my tomato plant, it had grown tall but no tomatoes yet. Probably won't be either, as the leaves are wilting and I keep plucking the leaves.

Locked Steering Wheel

When I got home from the comedy club tonight, I helped a neighbor with a locked steering wheel. This was after I heard what they said, and asked if that was the problem. So I said it helped to jiggle the wheel a little when turning the key, and it worked. Found this out when I needed help last year on the way to the Daniel Boone home outside St. Louis. A mechanic across the street advised me to do that with the V.W. Beetle I was driving there. So there was my good deed for the day.

   I was tired, didn't want to stay for the entire show tonight. When I went for fuel somebody asked to clean my windows, I said no. It was warm at lunchtime when I went out to mail a letter and pay a parking ticket. a colleague had given me 7 Snoopy statue pictures and I wanted to see if any of them had been found earlier, they hadn't. But they are likely hard to find now. We are over 70 now, 74 if counting the 2 I found at the museum in Santa Rosa in 2004. So finding 100 is likely. I wanted to see where we were on the sheet I was compiling, how many and where. So it meant adding more, since the handwritten notes were hard to read after reading the typing.

Highland Park Festival

Toured the Highland Park water tower in the afternoon, it was nice to get it crossed off the list. It was part of the festival nearby, got there as some vendors were about to close up. The tours aren't available much, this is just one of 2 weekends each year. Had to hold the railing while going up as there was plenty of steps on the spiral staircase, bought a postcard as well. I knew it was on the National Register, it was why I wanted to tour it. I had seen it many times while driving past, and even when I stopped there at the adjacent hockey arena for an event. The arena is named for 'Charlie Brown and Snoopy' creator Charles Schulz. It was warm while looking around for Charlie Brown and Snoopy statues at the U of M campus in Minneapolis, found 3. Two were at the hospital entrance, the 3rd was inside a tunnel by the pharmacy building. We knew about these due to clues given on a blog, had hoped to find more but unable to find one by Lake Calhoun in uptown Minneapolis. Ate at the Erbert Gerbert sandwich shop while on campus, been there before.

Joan Osborne

Went to the Ramsey County Fair today, spotted a comedian friend there. Liked seeing the puppet show, except one scene where the puppet stayed on one note for way too long. It was still kind of wet and muddy in the midway rides and carnival games section, but I just walked through it and didn't do any of those. Liked seeing a Beatles cover band there, but didn't hear them do my favorite, 'Eleanor Rigby'.
   Called a college roommate tonight, found out we still have scheduling conflicts. He is unable to see me at the end of July since his family is going camping, and the following weekend he is in Ohio to visit his in-laws.

    I was reading an online article tonight that interested me, it was about one-hit wonders. Prominent in the article was Joan Osborne, who had a hit called 'One of Us' back in 1995. I liked it, especially the video since there is a commuter train in the background and I like trains. I recalled some people from a church I once attended that tried too hard to figure out the meaning of it. What musicians would tend to say is that it is whatever you want it to be. Some of the questions asked in the lyrics either didn't have answers or didn't need them. It's a song, nice to listen to! Doesn't need to be anything else.

  Did laundry, got pictures of a building on the National Register nearby. Notable was somebody saying 'take a picture of me!' when I was doing it. Somebody inside had a Saints baseball shirt on, a Las Vegas theme. We talked about baseball, but I kept repeating myself at times.  

   

Swapping Stories

On the bus tonight I heard 2 ex-GI's swap stories from being 'in the service'. Kind of hard not to hear some of those when they were right next to me.
  I was hopeful to see a county fair tonight, but the rain meant waiting for another day. I still had a date, went to the Glockenspiel restaurant in St. Paul. Good German food there. I had a half-liter glass of beer there, first time I recall drinking from that kind of glass. First time I recall having red cabbage, it tasted a little sweeter than I was used to but it was fine.
    It's rare for me to have to deposit a check, but I did today. It was a reimbursement for some of my meals from the writer convention. The odd thing was right before I present the check the bank teller said I was on her flight to Detroit last month, when I was on the way to that convention. We spoke for a little while, definitely wasn't expecting it at all-what are the odds?
   I decided to wait to pay a parking ticket until early next week, since it was raining at lunchtime and I didn't want to get soaked. I still have another week to take care of it.

The Letterman Show

A comedian friend was on the Letterman show tonight, had seen him do all of those jokes before but they were still funny. Liked how he did the one about his dad, 'pick one, and replace it with mowing the damn lawn.' Sounds like my dad. Normally I watch Nightline on ABC, but not tonight. Didn't want to miss his comedy, but it was at the end of the hourlong show.
   Went to a picnic tonight, after it I tried to figure out more of the scheduling of events with my date. I think we will find a way to do all of the things we want to. There were 5 unassigned events and we found specific days for all but one- a drivein movie. Haven't done one since I was a kid. But we want to wait until there's a movie we really want to see, which makes it more meaningful.
  The picnic was at Minnehaha Falls Park in Minneapolis, after it we saw a few statues and historic sites in a different part of the park like a train depot. Also a statue to the first settler of Minneapolis. It's a trend I've noticed from studying history: it helps to be first. Best example is Henry Sibley, the first governor of the state. Plenty of things named for him.

Plant Food

Just decided to use some plant food on a tomato plant I've had for a little while. It has grown tall, but no tomato has sprouted yet.
   I made it to the comedy club tonight, before and after it I went to Walgreen to drop off and then pick up a photo order. It was on a memory card that became too small, so I switched to another one last month. First used it at the writer convention in Detroit.
    There was just 10 I hadn't developed yet, but I made the order 17. One was sent to a friend, they didn't have a copy of the picture yet and it was of them, and 2 were from Oktoberfest in New Ulm last year. Decided I wanted those 2 displayed in my office, besides just in the photo album. Felt the same way about the 4 related to Emerson Hough, since that's my inspiration as a writer. But the Hough pictures will likely be displayed at home, where I write more anyway.
   Most of the remaining 10 were Charlie Brown and Snoopy statues, though one was bronze and not part of the 5-year series. One was a Taco Bell sign, when I used the last of the 20 coupons. I liked seeing the one of the statues at the bank near O'Gara's, as it had the Statue of Liberty replica next to it.

All-star Game

Watched some of the All-star Game, but since I was doing plenty of errand running I wasn't paying attention to it much. I know the NL won 5-1, and Prince Fielder hit a home run in it. I saw him at an Arizona Fall League game back in 2005. It was at a spring training stadium in west-metro Phoenix, in Peoria, the Padres and Mariners facility. It was what prompted me to get to spring training the following March, in Florida. It was a full weekend, also made it to 2 football games at the college stadium in Tempe. I figured I might have seen a future star there, as the major league teams send their top minor leaguers and rookies there once the major league season is over.
   I didn't go to the comedy club tonight as I was way behind on errand running, made the most of the time so I am caught up now. It also included going to find a denim jacket, on my second try tonight I found one! It was at a Goodwill, also found a few books there that I liked, 2 were about writing. I had found some denim jackets before, but tend to be a little picky and wanted to get one I really liked and would last. So it meant not getting one that was a little ratty, or khaki since I like blue, or too expensive either. The first place I went to tonight, a Turnstyle, had a Gucci, but it was nearly $100 even after markdown. Didn't even know they made them. This one is a Gap, much like the previous one. I think I've also had a Levi's before. One time at a festival, Lumberjack Days in Stillwater, I once heard a comment about it. How 'the 80's called, they want their jacket back.' I felt like responding by saying '1991 called, they want their joke back.' But they weren't worth it. We all know how some things go in and out of fashion, and back into fashion again. I do what's right for me, not what's popular or fashionable.

More Ripped-up Apparel

This day yielded more ripped up apparel in the trash, this time a belt. It was getting ratty around one of the holes, and eventually became easier to peel it back. After the night at the comedy club I came home and took some scissors to it, since it was easier to cut through by then. I have another belt to use, so it's no big deal at this point, no replacement needed just yet.
   I did a bridge walk today at lunchtime, first time in a little while. It does make a difference in terms of allowing more time for it, meaning spending less time online during my break.
   A friend of one of my comedian friends wanted to see a picture from the Science Museum event last month, didn't bring it with me. Harder to do when the denim jacket wasn't available, with its big pockets. But it would have been hard to remember anyway, since I am in a rush to get to the comedy club after work and checking email.
    Checked the voicemail on my cellphone after work, as usual sometimes I keep it shut off for a while and don't check it much. There were 2 messages, one from Saturday and the other from Sunday, the latter was from my dad saying he had ordered the plane ticket to visit me soon.

Harry Potter Saints Game

The theme of the day at the St. Paul Saints game was about the upcoming Harry Potter movie, so it meant a giveaway of scarves that were blue and white with the 'STP' logo on it. They looked really nice, but it was warm at the game since it was in the afternoon. Needed a few water breaks due to the heat. My date dropped a bottle of 7-up and felt bad about it, I let her have mine. I spoke of how it was no big deal, and I didn't like how I grew up with parents who were intolerant of mistakes. My 5th-grade teacher once wrote 'try to be more tolerant of mistakes made' in a report card, it was hard to un-learn but I got to that point. Found out the hard way how getting upset about things doesn't correct the problem, just makes it worse. The Saints won, beat Gary 8-7. My name was announced at the start of the game, but I didn't win anything. Needed a solo home run by the Saints, no home runs were hit in the inning.

   After the game I tried to find another denim jacket but came up empty, 5 stores- 2 of them secondhand- either didn't have any or not quite what I wanted. so I am making it a larger project, by going online and searching for locations. There are plenty to try, including Goodwill, Salvation Army, Savers, and St. Vincent DePaul. In the evening after the Saints game I finished ripping it up, and threw it in the trash. Once I get started I usually finish doing so, and as a result many items don't make it to the donation bin.

See The Wizard

Went to see the play 'Wizard of Oz' at the Como Park pavilion in St. Paul in the evening. I liked how it did follow the storyline of the movie fairly close. A character was added since the dog, Toto, was on a leash. Thr stage was small, so there was no fire and water as well. Liked seeing the Wizard as a sock puppet.
    In the morning , after some errand running, I also made it to a rally in support of state parks at the capitol building. There were many camped out there in tents, and I got a few pictures of their signs. There was a postcard to sign that would be sent to our representatives, telling them we want the parks to be funded. But so far, the parks are staying closed during the state government shutdown.
   A few more Snoopy statues were found, 3 today. Two were at a school uniform store in St. Paul on the east side, the other one was at Highland Golfcourse. We had hoped to find some more but came up empty, tried a hospital downtown. Will need to do some more researching on the locations.

The Last Mountain

Saw the movie 'Last Mountain' at the Lagoon in Minneapolis tonight, a documentary about the coal industry, especially in West Virginia. RFK Jr. was in it, as he is director of an environmental organization. It was mentioned how he went to jail for a month for his cause. Would have liked seeing mention of John L. Lewis in it as he was leader of the United Mine Workers, an Iowa native. Also thought of the song about coal mining  from the 1970s I think, I think it was about Peabody Coal. Plenty of information in it, worth watching. I knew well enough to see it early since I looked at my schedule and said I may not have any time to see it if I didn't go tonight since these arthouse movies have a way of not lasting long, sometimes just a week. I like eating at the Popeye's Chicken in Uptown near the theater, so I ate there before the movie. I like reminders of New Orleans and Cajun food is a big one.
   After some pondering, I decided to make a contribution to a memorial fund for Bobbi McCrea, the B&B owner who died in the fire in New Ulm recently. I wrote about my visits to New Ulm so it was the main reason for contributing, especially since I hadn't stayed there and probably hadn't met her though the obit said she had plenty of community involvement. It was sent to the Wanda Gag house, I had toured the house before, the girlhood home of a children's book writer, best known for 'Millions of Cats'.
   This was a notable day for me, as it means I've had my current car for 8 years, longer than any other I've owned. I had one for 6 1/2 years.

Ice Cream Giveaway

There was an ice cream giveaway at a theater earlier today, but I didn't make it in time during my lunch as it went quick. It was scheduled for 2 hours and they were gone after just 30 minutes. So I went to a nearby convenience store and got an ice cream sandwich for under a dollar. There will be a play about George Gershwin that interests me, but not until December.
   After watching 'Big Bang Theory' tonight I spent more time going through older emails to see which ones I needed to print. Some were printed, others were deleted as I realized I no longer needed them. This was especially true with those about the writer convention. One does need some time every so often to get better organized. It also meant getting some printed forms stapled together as it helped to grouping them better if about the same subject.
    My employer had another deal today, this time a restaurant gift certificate. So I bought it, previously I did for some movie tickets. Then I got the same offer on my personal email account, from Borders rewards. Go figure. Guess it was a hot offer, both said it was expiring today. Nothing like a sense of urgency- or fear- to make sales or raise money.
   There was another feature on the news about the New Ulm B&B fire, what's typical is it didn't take long to get into the finger-pointing phase. The 6 victims and 4 survivors were all identified, my heart goes out to one survivor as she made it but her husband didn't. Some of the online articles appeared to have a video of the fire, which prompted me to go onto Youtube for video searches. There were 3 about the B&B, one was of the owner entertaining the red hat ladies. Some comments did mention how the place was destroyed by fire.
   Wish that small towns like New Ulm got media attention for more positive things than a deadly fire, but this is true all too often where 'if it bleeds it leads'.
 

Listen to Buck Owens

Liked one song I heard at the comedy club tonight, it was 'Looking out my back door' by CCR. I caught some name dropping in the lyrics, as 'listening to Buck Owens' was part of it. I had done this before, since I watched some of the TV show 'Hee Haw' when I was younger. Buck Owens and Roy Clark were well known as the musicians on that show.
   I was onstage tonight, tried a few new jokes and they worked well. Both were inspired by recent travels over the past 2 weekends. One of them was about the square dancing convention at the same hotel as the writer convention in Detroit that I attended. One crowd member did say 'nice work' after the show. Liked hearing the MC say something about the unabomber after I was onstage well enough that I did laugh at it. Not much different from hearing Dahmer impressions, best thing to do is laugh them off.
   Went out for a walk at lunchtime today, while the monthly check of sirens was being done. Needed to mail a bill, and before that I went over to a location that has a walk of fame. There were 5 in it, and I had passed by it many times before but decided to get pictures of it this time. Included are: Hubert Humphrey, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Charles Schulz, Herb Brooks, and Charles Lindbergh. I like how eventually I do get things crossed off my list.

New Ulm B&B Fire

I was at the comedy club tonight, and misheard when somebody spoke of court. They meant basketball and not jury duty. Guess I gave them another joke when they're onstage again. I should have been paying attention more before asking a question about it.
   There was a town hall meeting at work with many VIPs, one of them had hoped I would do the bridge walk but needed to see the payoff reports were caught up. Liked the fruit, especially the pineapple, at the town hall meeting.
    After the town hall, I did speak with somebody about the recent fire at a B&B in New Ulm. It was a manager who had been profiled before, and it was revealed- when he spoke of his favorite restaurant being in that town- that he is a New Ulm native. He did know some of those who died. Some did escape and survive.
    It appears that some are trying to compare this event and are coming up short in the accuracy department. When thinking of tragedies, it is fine to say it is one of the worst in decades. But when one reads the history books, there have been larger fires than this one. The Sioux Uprising of 1862- aka the Dakota War- led to much of New Ulm being burned. It was also mentioned how there was a house fire in Minnesota with a higher death toll, 10. Though, granted, few house fires have been as deadly as this one, claiming 6 lives.

Kill the Irishman

Saw the movie 'Kill the Irishman' on DVD today, got it at a Redbox inside a Walgreen. Liked an interview the lead actor gave in an airline magazine I read when flying to Chicago in march. He said in the end, it doesn't matter whether or not you like me, it just matters if i'm convincing. Good gangster movie, liked the Cleveland setting as it's the Midwest. Also rented 'The Dry Land', about an Iraq vet dealing with PTSD. Liked how it was a road movie, as he traveled to see a comrade at Walter Reed hospital in Washington, D.C. Got some chores done like dishes and errands like groceries done on this 4th of July holiday. It was the 4th straight day of seeing fireworks, some are going off outside nearby as I am writing. Also when I went out to mail a letter to my dad about the weekend in Iowa, including the picture of the Iowa Cubs game from May.
   Bought a Minneapolis paper that had an article about a bed and breakfast destroyed by fire in New Ulm, it meant something to me as I like going to that town for Oktoberfest.

Fort Defiance in Iowa

Liked seeing the reminders of Fort Defiance in Estherville, Iowa, today. There are 3. A monument at the county courthouse, a marker at the original site (now a professional building) and the state park a mile outside of town. Also made it to Lake Okoboji, and to a historic site about the Spirit Lake Massacre near it. It was the Abby Gardner home, she wrote about being held captive and then her home became a tourist site. My date wanted to do a boat tour at the lake, it was nice. Picked up plenty of brochures from the welcome center, and got another smashed penny there.
   Before leaving Emmetsburg I wanted to get pictures of historic sites there as well. This included a marker near the hotel, but it was next to some pine trees and I had to contend with mosquitoes to read it. That marker was on the site where the town was founded. The other ones were at the county courthouse, of Robert Emmet, an Irish martyr who was the inspiration for the town's name. Liked seeing the welcome banners saying '100,000 welcomes' in Gaelic there. The other one at the courthouse grounds was from the Blarney Stone.
   On the way back we decided to stop in Albert Lea to eat at a Subway, but it was hard to do when the road to it was blocked off by police due to their 4th of July parade. We eventually got there, but took the long way around.

Concert in Iowa

Went to see a concert at a casino in Iowa, the Wild Rose in Emmetsburg. My date likes country music and wanted to see Emerson Drive and Neal McCoy. Didn't know them well, but I liked when I heard some familiar songs like when Neal played some Charley Pride songs, 'Kiss an Angel' and 'San Antone'. Ended up with a stoneware jug as the casino was celebrating 5 years in business. Needed a casino card to get into the show, my date likes to gamble more than I do. I like the food and entertainment more at casinos. I didn't stay on the slot machines for long. The buffet there was nice, plenty of choices and I liked seeing prime rib available.
    A memorable thing there was the smell of manure at one point during the show, even the performer alluded to it. Between acts I had somebody say they liked my Iowa Hawkeye hat, found out she went to the U of I and majored in history like I did. Her husband was from Ames, and we spoke a little as well. Got some errand running done this morning like getting a credit card bill ready, taking out trash, and sending 2 shopping carts back to the grocery store.

Fireworks Show

Went to the Saints baseball game tonight, but it went into rain delay with Fargo-Moorhead up 1-0 with 2 outs in the top of the third. They got the field ready, had fireworks and played plenty of music, then decided to re-start the game. But since it was getting late I decided not to stay for it. Having plans for the weekend had a lot to do with the decision. I didn't like having to rush for cover due to the weather, since there wasn't much shelter available. So it meant going to a tent area on the other side of the stadium from where I was, near the left field corner.
   This is the first day of the Minnesota state government shutdown, hard to say how long it will last this time. The previous one in 2005 lasted 8 days. It did receive some attention on CNN, as Gov. Mark Dayton was shown at a press conference when I was at lunch in the breakroom and I asked somebody 'so there is no deal?' I was told 'yes, still no deal'.