40 Minutes at School

I did the Roosevelt advisory program earlier today, first time I was on my own. There were 15 students on the attendance list, 4 did not show up at all and 3 did after I started taking attendance. And I waited a good 4 minutes after the bell rang. I knew it would be hard to do, since I hadn't done anything like it before. It was nice to see some participation, but not much was there. It may mean deciding to 'be there' for those who are interested. It is a college prep program, I did my best to get them started by sharing my own college experiences. It will mean getting pointers from my group as to what may work more effectively when I venture out again. When one student in the class spoke of the movie 'White Men Can't Jump' I reminded
them how it was at theaters when I was in high school. Sounds like in some cases how little has changed in high school, at least the choosing a college part. One student said it still came down to the money, as it can be hard to afford. I am thankful I attended when I did, as I don't know if I could afford college now. The tuition has at least doubled since then. I knew well enough not to push them too much. One student showed up before the others, saying she was sent there for study hall and had permission to study in the back. When she found out I had majored in history she asked if I had read 'Uncle Tom's Cabin', I had read very little of it. For some reason I was reminded of how one teacher in high school had us all try our luck at being the teacher for a few minutes to see how well we could handle it. This was a science class, and this session was held in a science room so some continuity. I didn't do well then, but I didn't like many of those in the class. I tried to give a lesson about Wegener and continental drift, and when I got stuck I just spoke on John Wayne and some got confused and though I said 'John Dane' as Dane was the name of one classmate.  
    At the comedy club tonight I saw 2 big plastic barrels for food bank collections, one comedian friend had sent a Facebook message about it but I was too busy to read it closely before getting to the club tonight. One performer I had seen before, and she spoke of doing vaudeville, I was unfamiliar with what venues had vaudeville in this area.

Diabetes Panelists

Went to a diabetes panelist event in the afternoon at my workplace, it helped that a senior leader sent a special email encouraging us to attend. I knew him already, so the rapport helped. Ended up winning 2 gift cards, it was a 'Price is Right' theme. The first one was for Subway sandwiches, the second was an Apple I-tunes card. I got the second as I was the winner of the 'showcase showdown', guessing the calorie total and being closest without going over. But I don't have an I-tunes account, so I will likely give it to a friend that can use it more than me.
    This means I now have a more positive memory of this game show, I told myself. Since my main memory previously of 'TPIR' is watching it when I was unemployed after finishing college. Since it's a daytime show, though I have seen a few primetime specials since Drew Carey took over as host when Bob Barker retired.
   At the comedy club tonight, I was waiting outside for a few minutes before the show, wanting to finish a Dairy Queen Blizzard first. I knew the pumpkin pie flavor may be going away soon so I wanted to get it before the end of the month. I got a shout out from one comic, the 'show runner', kind of nice to get those as it means he can hear me all the way in the back. Liked his 'fainting in the bathroom' joke, about being checked on a lot more than necessary when back for family gatherings.

Cyber Monday

As part of Cyber Monday, I ordered 2 gift cards as it was through my employer's reward program. Much like before, I decide to go with the staples of life: food and clothing. One card is a clothing store, this time Kohl's. The other a restaurant, an Italian place. Every so often I need to replace outfits for the office, so one must think of needs besides jsut food. Though I like how there are many options available, a good way to check out many different stores. I try not to duplicate my choices too much, so it helps to keep the forms I printed after ordering to know the history.
   Also ordered a plane ticket for some travel next year. I have 2 frequent flyer accounts, I like using both of them every so often especially when one of the airlines still has expiring miles so it means flying with them at least once every 18 months to keep the miles.
   I enjoyed the gingerbread cookies sent with me, as did my coworkers. I put some out early on, then the other half later in the day. Unsure what it means when one cookie, a heart, broke as I was getting them out. Don't know if i ever had one of those before. It was in three pieces. And I put it back together before eating it. If it was some other shape of cookie, I would have thought nothing of it at all.
    At the comedy club I had hoped to see a friend so I could ask him about his upcoming schedule in a rap duo, but he wasn't there.

Four More Bags

I sent 4 more bags to the recycle bin as I accomplished plenty this weekend on cleaning up and getting some magazines and newsprint moved out. Much like on Saturday, I didn't go out much. It was just to the recycle bin and to the convenience store, and I waited until lunchtime since I had a candy bar for breakfast. Then I had a date in the evening, we watched a Charlie Brown special on DVD. There was a second special on the Thanksgiving DVD that we hadn't watched yet, the one from the American history series about the Mayflower crossing the Atlantic. It is usually shown right after the well-known Turkey Day special each year. I liked finding some things due to the cleanup, like a political cartoon in reference to the Charlie Brown and Snoopy statues. It was about the public works crew not doing their job. It was nice to get pizza at the Little Caesars nearby.
   The other thing in common with Saturday was avoiding the electronics as much as possible, so I didn't know things like football scores today as well. I mainly knew about the tentative agreement to end the NBA lockout due to logging on to my computer to check email. I didn't mind doing the 'hermit weekend' but I was surprised how I hadn't done the sorting of media in a while. Based on the newspaper dates, I hadn't done it in two years!

Filling Boxes

I had 10 boxes that once held copy paper and I brought them home from the office. The plan was to fill them at some point to get my home better organized. I decided that 'someday' would be today. It has been effective so far, where most everything is now in a bag or box. All of the boxes are being used now. And I have filled up 5 tote bags already with magazines and newspaper and sent them to a recycle bin. Haven't been out much today, just to go to the recycle bin and to get dinner at a convenience store, Superamerica. It helped that I had food available for breakfast and lunch, granola bars and a TV dinner, so I didn't have to go anywhere for those meals. I like how it should be easier to find things now, especially when I decided to label the boxes, be it game programs or magazines. I've done big cleanups before, and know what works- being committed to it. This meant keeping the radio and TV shut off, and not checking email until late in the evening once I was satisfied with what was accomplished for the day. So I am largely unaware of any big news stories of the day, but I can find out later on of course.  

Camcorders- or Video Cameras

Early on 'Black Friday' I got a camcorder at a Kohl's, after finding out the tickets were already gone at a Best Buy. It will be nice to have it for filming things like being onstage doing comedy. After seeing a TV ad for one under $100 I was interested. I still like the term 'video camera' that I grew up with though I know 'camcorder' is a more common term now to describe them. This is likely due to these devices doing more than they had, and of course being downsized. In the 1980s they were big, fitting on the shoulder, like what TV crews have. But they are much smaller now, mine fits into my hand. I was very businesslike about it, wanting to get in and out since I am normally not at a store at that hour. And it meant taking care of ym date, as there was a small crowd right after the doors opened. This was why we just looked around at the nearby Walmart to see what DVDs they had, but didn't buy anything, as the checkout lines were too long.
   In the morning we did go back and I got a DVD of a Charlie Brown special, one I already had on VHS but the updated version has more bonus features so it's worth it, the one where Patty is a figure skater. Also got a memory card for the video camera.
   I helped with making the cookie dough, for gingerbread cookies, and was entrusted with walking the dog by myself while lunch was being prepared, a late lunch. We watched the Iowa football game at Nebraska on ABC, Iowa lost 20-7 but is 7-5 and will likely go to a bowl game. Iowa wasn't moving the ball on offense and not getting the stops on defense when needed, no surprise why they lost. We did watch some of the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving on DVD after the game, had more time for it then.

A Turkey Day First

This is a first for me, a Thanksgiving where I'm not traveling to Iowa to see family. I have looked back a little to some memorable ones when I was a kid, like when we went to Lineville, Iowa, to see an uncle of my dad's, Harry Shelburg and his wife Jo. He owned an auto parts store in this town named for being on the Iowa-Missouri border. I recall Dad saying 'Kaiser-Frazer' upon arrival at their farm property, thinking he meant a Corvair. I later found out it was a different type of car. I also recall seeing a little dog inside and said 'it needs a litterbox'. Unsure if we went more than once there, but one time definitely was when NBC-TV personality Ahmad Rashad proposed during a Thankgsiving football broadcast to the actress who played Mrs. Huxtable on 'The Cosby Show'.
    Another first was watching much of the Macy's Parade from New York, usually I am en route and don't get to see it. There were plenty of balloons of course, but patriotic things I hadn't seen before. But Memorial Day or July 4th parades don't get the same TV coverage, so in some respects it made sense to me. Liked seeing the Snoopy balloon of course, but didn't see Bart Simpson. After it we watched the dog show, I had seen this one fairly often before and liked being able to recognize many breeds since some are in various TV shows and movies. Before leaving for a dinner at her friend's place I asked that we switch over to the first game, Packers-Lions, Packers were winning big, just wanted to know the score. I liked meeting some of these members of the 'adopted family' she has, at least talking to them at length unlike before. They have 2 sons, the younger one is autistic. The parents majored in history, so I liked that, saw plenty of their books there like Gore Vidal's novel about Aaron Burr. He was in the Marines, and had a certificate from reaching to Equator. We made it back to her place to walk the dog and watch a new Charlie Brown special, we can watch the ones about Thanksgiving later as I just acquired a DVD copy.

   

Tired But Not Grumpy

 It was a 2-show night for comedy, an earlier show still happened but it wasn't open-mic. I didn't mind it at all, as I still saw a good show and some of my friends. One comic, the headliner, even did a memorable joke about the drinking age and military service, calling it the 'Miller Genuine Draft'. The feature comic did one about having dinner at a convenience store and he stands out to me when I attended his Facebook wedding, the most fun I've had at a wedding since it wasn't the typical ceremony. I'm getting used to some, like this comic, saying they recognize my voice, knowing what jokes I laugh at. Didn't know I could be heard so well, or that it was so distinct.
     I was onstage at the later show, second one on after the MC. I had meant to go there before, but with a late start I didn't as I usually have work the next day. But when stage time is offered, and no work the next day due to the holiday, I wanted to make the effort to get there. It was well worth it as I liked trying out some new material, and it still went well despite getting stuck in the middle of the set due to voice problems. I know by now how a drink helps keep the voice fresh when it is real active, and I had spoken with somebody I hadn't seen in a while at length before the show. Liked one joke about the holiday, how somebody said they prefer being with their friends over family as they cook better and don't judge them. Sad but true to many. I had a feeling at the show I haven't had in a while, that one about 'how right I was' to do something, in this case get into comedy. Since my circle of friends is derived from it. Means the world to me when one of them wanted to hug me, I obliged. Same is true with getting 'Happy Thanksgiving' wishes as I was leaving. I think the last time I truly can recall this feeling was on a New Years Eve over a decade ago, capping my first full year in suburban Chicago after leaving Iowa, again in a bar.
     A notable thing while leaving work to catch the bus I saw 4 boys playing hackey sack, which was unusual. But I still liked seeing it. They happened to be near the door as I was leaving. I recall some of my classmates liking that game.

A No-Go

My boss was absent today, so the 1-on-1 meeting was a no-go. One colleague thought I was up to no good since I was smiling around her, I thought it was a good thing to smile. But I don't know this colleague all that well. No big deal on the meeting, it will likely happen again real soon, but this close to the holiday it would mean next week at the earliest.
    Liked hearing a comedian friend do a 'number joke' tonight at the club, excellent word smithing. It was about the 4th of July. Also saw somebody from my native state, he saw my Iowa coat. He is from Cedar Rapids. Even though we were from different parts of the state, I liked how we found common ground. But I do try to find this, as we should care more about what unites us, not what divides us. I am knowledgeable enough where I do try to find common ground, which does make a difference. I can say I knew somebody from there somehow, and I did when going to a large state university where there were students from all over the state and all over the Midwest.  

Carrier Pigeons

There were 2 more odd dreams this morning, one was going on a rescue mission to find a kidnapped dog. The other was about trying to handle getting to work, after oversleeping. Had I driven to work, I would have been on time. But I was walking backwards in the dream. I haven't been late for work in a while, but it is a concern nonetheless. This is my best guess as to why I had this dream, as I am known for trying to analyze them. Though we all know dreams are odd at times, about things that are not happening but what we still think about but may not admit much.
    I saw a comedian friend tonight at the club that I hadn't seen in a while. He did a joke that I thought was funny about carrier pigeons, though I don't think it was meant to be since it was about ending a relationship. He is correct that breakign up is hard to do, which is why he suggested it may be best to do so by carrier pigeons. I didn't get an answer as to where he had been, maybe on an extended gig. Seems to be the best reason I don't see a comedian from time to time.

J. Edgar Hoover Biopic

I saw the biopic about FBI director J. Edgar Hoover earlier today in Eagan. I also played Scattergories in the early evening before watching the Simpsons, fell asleep briefly while watching that show but I knew how tired I was and I kept trying to stave it off. Before the movie we watched a 'Little House' Christmas episode on DVD, I liked seeing Victor French guest-star in it. He played Mr. Edwards, my dad's favorite character.
    The movie was kind of long, over 2 hours. But I do like biographical movies, even though I haven't seen many movies Leonardo DiCaprio is in this one was well-done. I knew some of this man's story, but not all that much since he died before I was born. I think he is more likely a butt of a joke than anything else now, since there is plenty of rumor about his private life although much of it is considered to be conjecture. I had entered a contest to get tickets to an advance screening, via text message, but didn't win.
  With biopics, I am now used to seeing the disclaimer in the closing credits about how 'some scenes and characters are invented for dramatic effect'. At first it was hard to accept, but I understand how they're trying to sell a movie and some parts of the story may not sell enough tickets. It was a good coverage of American history during his 48 years as director, including the gangster era as well as the Lindbergh baby case. When I had heard of this man before, my earliest recall was when my sister was asked to watch a TV-movie, maybe on public TV, for a high school class. It was called 'Hoover vs. the Kennedys', I thought it was about President Herbert Hoover. 

She's a Good Skate

We got the first snow of the season, and I finished my errand running in spite of it. There was an odd residue when I was doing laundry in the washing machine, especially when I didn't wash anything with pockets and it looked like a crumbled cookie.
   As part of my date tonight I brought over two videos, both VHS. We had enough time to watch one of them, a Charlie Brown special called 'She's a Good Skate'. It was about Peppermint Patty as a figure skater, and Snoopy was her grouchy skating coach. I hadn't seen it in a while, and I recalled seeing the book version when I was younger, especially when Patty and Snoopy handle to hockey players wanting to take over the ice. They shove both lines, creating a domino effect. Then we went on to have dinner at a casino in a nearby town, I had ribeye steak. We don't have formal dinners that often, but this time we both had dressy outfits. I need to check how many of those Charlie Brown specials I have, I know about having 4 on VHS but unsure how many I have on DVD.
   Even though I was at a casino, I didn't gamble for long at the slot machines as I tend to prefer other forms of entertainment. I did see a band performing, and it reminded me of how a colleague had helped me with some music terminology this week. I said I liked the effect of certain instruments, like in Rhianna's song 'Umbrella' I hear a constant use of a foot-operated double cymbal. He said it was called a 'hi-hat', and I did see it as part of the drumkit at the casino and I spoke of it to my date. I pay close attention to the drummer.

Leona Lewis

I was trying to find the song I had heard at Quizno's on the previous day, got confused and found 'Happy' by Leona Lewis. Decent song, just wasn't what I was looking for. I was thinking of a one-word title, and hadn't wrote it down right when I had the chance which made it harder to remember. So I kept searching online based on the lyrics I remembered, hard to do when many were 'dummy hits', but I kept trying and found it.
    I liked finding out recently how syndicated reruns of 'Monk' are being shown in the area, so I decided to stay in tonight and watch an episode. What helps with me liking the show was knowing Randy Newman does the theme song, saying 'it's a jungle out there' as the main character is a neurotic obessive-compulsive, but good at solving criminal cases. Bob Costas was a guest star, playing himself, a sports announcer, as it took place at a football game.
    I did get some tickets for a play about George Gershwin for next month, at lunchtime since the venue is close to my workplace. After watching 'Monk' I went out and got a few more 'replacement' photo albums at Target as I want to phase out as many of those 'school binder'-type albums as possible. I also got a bottle of mustard for under a dollar, as the store brand tends to be real cheap. I had just used up the last of the ketchup on my TV dinner when I had dinner tonight after work. I like mustard way more, so of the two bottles- commercial size that I got at a company potluck in April- I used up the mustard way more quickly.

Lily Allen

I made it to Quizno's in Minneapolis tonight with my date after getting another statue picture, this time a Linus at a university library. It isn't open all that late, so we had to go right before closing on a Wednesday or Thursday, as it is open a little later on those two days, until 7pm. I liked how it was near the entrance door, easy in and out. Unsure as to when and where the next one will be, but I knew it was our best shot to find it before Thanksgiving so it means find a way to get it done.
   While at Quizno's getting a sandwich I noticed the music there being played, as I do in many places I am at. I said to the employee sweeping up how the song sounded familiar, but couldn't put my finger on the title and performer. He said he could look it up, in the online age it is much easier to find out song titles. Sometimes all that one needs to do is hold up a mobile internet device and it will give the answer. He went into a back room, and when he returned he said it was 'Smile' by Lily Allen. What was memorable about it wasn't just the beat of the music, but some of the lyrics like referring to a Beatles song. Since the lyrics include 'with a little help from my friends', a song later covered by Joe Cocker and became the theme song to the TV show 'Wonder Years'. So it means looking it up on Youtube at some point.
    After the project was done for the night, I did talk scheduling of later events with my date. I wanted to avoid any scheduling conflicts before ordering any more event tickets. But things are clearer now, so I will go about more of the planning that I wanted to do.

A Trifecta

I wasn't expecting it to be such a busy day, but there was 3 appointments. First was the Roosevelt mentoring program at a college- St. Thomas. Then there was a dental appointment, finally I was  onstage at the comedy club. I did fine at all three.
    Naturally, due to the mentoring event it meant I had the day off from work. It's getting near the end of the year and I need to use up vacations days anywway, or lose them. I just need to use four a year for this program, and the next event will be in February, a Shakespeare play at the Guthrie. I had hoped that my student would be there, but was told by his teacher that he missed the bus. I was holding up a sign like chaffeurs do at the airport, saying who they are waiting for.
    I spoke with somebody from another office, who said they had been at mine before transferring. But it's hard to remember all of those I've worked with over the years. Like many people, they seemed to be impressed with how I do some comedy. This was the opening activity that our group did, having actual in-person conversations since the moderator said we don't do enough of this in the era of email and text messages. Then after lunch, which was pizza, our group did tours of the campus, switching with the other group. The tour guide was memorable, a blonde girl from Omaha who just had a hoodie on but no coat so she seemed to be ill-prepared for being outside.
    The second event was the dental appointment, and in this case no news is good news. Still no cavities, and the dental assistant likes to talk to me. She said she was afraid of messing up and becoming my next comedy bit, and likes to hear about my dates. I had to ask how long it would take, normally I wouldn't care but when I am scheduled to be onstage I like to make sure I show up as it reflects poorly on me if I don't. It was odd how she told me when she sees my name on the schedule, I am one of the few that she can count on showing up. But I said the same as I did about comedy, about how I take it seriously. The next appointment will be a longer pause than the others as she told me of having hip surgery early next year, and informed me of when  she would be back and I am fine with waiting until then. She seems kind of young to be having hip surgery.
   The third event, the comedy club, meant not having a beer due to the recent dental work. No big deal to me. The club owner saw me sitting in the back, and said to me 'you're on the list' and I nodded, as I was aware of it. I was getting my material ready. Trying some new jokes along with the tried and true works well. I like getting a few extra minutes at this club compared to the one from Monday, but I like getting stagetime no matter where and how many minutes it is.

Changing Format

There was a change in format on the payoff report due to the continuing IT problems, so the decision was made to do an alternate kind of printout. I don't do the format too often, but knew I needed to adapt. I didn't mind it that much, just meant paying attention real close and taking good notes.
   At the comedy club tonight I saw a comic that I had seen at a show in St. Louis back in August. He does remember me being there, and other particulars about the gig like who opened for him, a guitar player. I like that feeling of leaving a lasting impression. It was also nice to see some of the regulars of course, like a good friend of mine, somebody I trade playful insults with.
    This morning I had a vivid dream about putting a dog in the back of a station wagon. It was drugged, but I don't have a station wagon. I try to analyze my own dreams, I know I sometimes dream some really odd things, or maybe the better term is 'bizarre'. My best guess is that dogs have been on my mind quite a bit lately, and if I was acting in this way I truly wanted to save the animal. I know I had said it before, about being unsure as to how I would act around pets when I didn't grow up with them. But I think it proves I have some compassion.

More IT Problems

There was  a much smaller payoff report than typical for a Monday, due to IT problems. But one can only do what is put in front of them. This likely means having to do the pages that didn't print or 'load' on a later date.
   I got picked to go onstage tonight at the comedy club, it went well which feels good. First time at this club in about 2 months. I liked getting noticed after being onstage, as some said 'you were good', a reminder of the first time at this club more than 3 years ago which made it easier to continue. I wanted to ask a comedian friend what the 'mirror image' was even though I have a good feel of what works and what doesn't while 'in the moment'. Yes, what would make it easier is to get a video camera and film myself more often, but it doesn't seem to be high enough of a priority right now. I know many of my friends do like to film thenselves, and I do like seeing my clips online as I can see tendencies and mannerisms I use.

Mystic Showroom

Went to a concert at a casino this evening, it was like watching minor league baseball as it was up and coming musicians. It was known as 'the K102 Class of 2011', and there were about 6 bands scheduled. But it was getting late, so I agreed with my date that we leave before the final act got started. We saw one of her 'country music friends' as we were leaving. She said 'we weren't following you'.  First time seeing this friend, so of course we had to be introduced. This is just one of the four in the group, I had seen a picture of all of them. Thry all live in different towns.  I recognized many of the covered songs, like 'Won't Back Down' by Tom Petty, 'Pink Houses' by Mellencamp, and 'Rock and Roll' by Led Zeppelin. The tickets were general admission, and free to her since she is on an 'advisory board'.
    We did go to an art showcase at a cabaret in Minneapolis in the afternoon. Found out we did have enough time for both events, but left shortly after the performers were done even though there was time available to 'meet the artists'. As expected, some were better than others. The teenager playing the drums was quite good. So was the piano player, he played a Beethoven song on an electric piano. Unsure what the title is, but as I recall it's the song about a lost love.
    We got another video watched, this time a baseball movie. I brought over 'Long Home Run', about the College World Series, with Kevin Costner as narrator. I got it in Omaha when I was there last year for the Series. Plenty of special features on it, which is common for DVDs.

   

Enterprise Story on Facebook

My story on Enterprise Rentacar was picked up, so cool! I was asked to send a picture, so it has been sent and hopefully it will be accepted. It is from the airport. The title given by them was 'couldn't miss the concert' as it was the story about the first time I rented from them. It was due to needing a car to get to a Pearl Jam concert in 1998 at Alpine Valley, WI.
    I went to a sports bar to watch the Iowa football game vs. Michigan State, Iowa lost 37-21. I got plenty of errand running done before it, such as groceries adn taking change to the bank. I had over $11 to deposit, surprising how there was a greater value in dimes than pennies. It was in contrast to before, where over half was in pennies. I was off by a dollar or so as to the amount, due to over-filling the card. It was hard to read after a while. I wanted to keep track of the total every time I added something. One thing I am thankful I did before venturing out was using a lint roller on 2 sweatshirts, both were in need of it.
   I now have an ottoman, I had to confirm it was furniture, it was given to me earlier today. In the evening I had a date with two of her friends at a place in Minneapolis. We finally met them on the third attempt, there were scheduling problems earlier. They were interested in how I do some comedy, and I enjoy telling people about it.
   After the dinner we watched a video, 'Good Grief, Charlie Brown', a documentary on CBS as Charles Schulz was retiring. The tape wasn't as good as I would have liked, I said the same about a TV-movie recorded on the same tape, 'Alan Freed Story' starring Judd Nelson.

Chris and Rob's

I replaced another lightbulb tonight, going on the 'attrition system' with the old incandescent ones. I replace them with CFL when they burn out. It seems to be the same one, the one by the front door, that I am replacing each time. I guess it does get used more than the others, as it gets turned on first when I get home from work or wherever else I have been.
    Since I was tired after work, I didn't do much else but call a friend and go eat besides the errand running for the lightbulb. I liked finding a place close to where I do my laundry that has Chicago style food. It is called Chris and Rob's, billing itself as Chicago's taste authority. It looks a lot like Mickey's Diner in downtown St. Paul, as both appear to be inside retired railroad cars. Liked seeing all of the pictures on the wall as a reminder of the city, as I still have affinity for an area I once lived in. Most of them were of the sports teams, as expected, since it gives the city plenty of national attention when many Americans love their sports. I had a prime rib sandwich, something I don't have very often.
   Once the errand running was done, I wanted to watch a Charlie Brown special but having limited time before wanting to watch the 10pm news eliminated some options. So I chose 'You're a Good Sport' as it was just under 30 minutes. It of course is the one about motocross, I like how it follows the book fairly close. I had read the book when at the barber shop as a kid, and the barber's name was Charlie Brown so it seemed appropriate to have them there.

Given a Bag

Went to a writer meeting tonight, it was meant to end at 8:30 but lasted even longer, until 9pm. One member who had resigned from the steering committee decided to give me a bag which had some shirts in it, but also said there was money in it, $66 apparently. I really didn't want to keep it that bad, when money is involved. So I gave it to our acting chapter chairman, as I am not chairman or treasurer. Wanted to avoid any conflicts of interest, and I would have had a hard time finding a place for storing it anyway. We had a representative from Chicago observing our meeting, first time I had seen them since the convention in June. If I have the time, I will try to look them up the next time I am in town. A few followed along on Skype, though this technology didn't seem to be working all that well. The venue was a cafe, since I had already eaten my evening meal I didn't eat or drink anything there. I had little money on me anyway, since it wasn't payday just yet. I ended up getting a candy bar from a Walgreen after the meeting as it was cheaper than a cookie at the coffee house. I wanted to get another photo album there, so it served multiple needs.
   After getting home I fielded a message on Facebook from one of the meeting attendees. She left before I did and asked if she missed anything. It was a reminder of how I don't know many of those in this organization. I enjoyed the exchange, though I hadn't done an I.M. chat for a while, I think the last time was with a comedian friend in Dallas-Ft. Worth.
   I noticed how divisive the firing of Penn State football coach Joe Paterno is/was. There are plenty of Facebook pages for and against his firing. Also odd: some can't agree on if Penn State football is a pro or amateur sports team.

An Orphan Letter

After the comedy show tonight, I saw a letter 'A' that I think was meant to be part of a nearby sign. A beer bottle was next to it. I felt kind of sad for the 'orphan letter' so I moved it closer to to actual sign, leaving it right under it. The sign was for the plaza where the club is located. One comedian friend had a posting about a Heavy D song, who just died recently. I said his hit song, 'Now That We Found Love', reminded me of how a classmate from high school looked like him. It was of course an unflattering observation.
   At work we played 'Jeopardy' related to collections policies, but it was irrelevant to my job when I'm not a collector. Had to cut short my lunch, at first being unaware of when the meeting began. I spilled my soup due to being in a rush as the container wasn't latched down properly. Thankfully it was New England Clam Chowder so I was able to spoon up most of it with a big spoon I found in a drawer. I finished eating it at the meeting.
   The big news was about Penn State football coach Joe Paterno being fired due to a sex abuse scandal involving a former assistant. It was on the 10pm news, before that hearing 'Paterno is out' on a sports talk radio show meant little to me, thinking they meant 'at end of season' which is what Mr. Paterno had said in a statement. I don't take sports talk radio seriously, especially when it is mostly rumor and opinion. This means it is not a legitimate media outlet. I decided not to make any comments on Facebook about it, since it was a hot-button issue. In addition, my life goes on, no matter what happens to some famous person. It's still for the historians to decide as to what will be written, as the story is still unfolding. What happened to those kids didn't have to happen, and abuse of any kind is wrong. It is definitely not the typical college sports scandal, which is recruiting violations and playing players under the table. But I do get bored with the media circus on certain stories, where the media likes to hold their 'court of public opinion'. It doesn't seem there is enough newsworthy stories, as too many are about what famous people do.

Emerson Hough Bucktail Fly

When doing a routine search online about Emerson Hough, I found mention of something related to fly fishing. Surprised I hadn't found mention of it earlier, but it does make a difference as to what key words are used in a search engine. I entered 'Emerson Hough Field', referring to where football was once played in my hometown, and found it. My guess is it was connected to 'Field And Stream', a fishing magazine. The fishing equipment is so named as it uses tail from a deer, a buck. I am still searching to see if there are other inventions credited to him. I printed a page describing it, as well as a picture of it. A man named Sturgis claims the hair-spinning technique came to Chicago in about 1912, brought by Hough. Another article I printed was from the site known as 'Open Library', listing 59 works for Hough. Most of these i had heard of, some just sounded like a different edition of the same book. There was one I hadn't heard of, called 'What the War Means to Us'. It listed 1 edition, published in 1917, so of course it was about World War I. Apparently it is different from 'The Web', which was printed later. I have 7 Hough books, 8 if you count 'Maw's Vacation', which is more like a novella.
   On the bus this morning I saw the annoying woman, when asked to move over a little for another rider she said 'oh jeez'. Then when another wanted a seat nearby they were told how she doesn't like anyone sitting near her. It was true.
   

Baseball Movies

Found out I have plenty of baseball movies, about 10 in all. Six of them are on DVD, including 'Field of Dreams'. I still have some VHS tapes, but once I got a DVD player it didn't take long to decide to 'switch over' as much as possible. I also decided to look at the case full of VHS tapes that I recorded while in high school, it included another one. 'Pride of the Yankees', about Lou Gehrig and starring Gary Cooper, is there. I have plenty of Charlie Brown and Snoopy specials as well, though likely more VHS than DVD. It included one I recorded from TV, when Schulz retired.
  On the way to the comedy club tonight I made a stop at a convenience store for dinner. While there I  saw a coin taped up to a receipt machine. The clerk informed me it was a rare coin from an African nation apparently.
    A colleague spoke of wanting to enter an event which sounded like an extreme obstacle course. It sounds like the type of event I would want to observe, since it would be fun to write about. And I held my own at the comedy club, not just ABA/NBA history but also punning where appropriate. One comedian friend said I 'got out of the pun-itentiary'. I could recall reading in an encyclopedia yearbook about the final season of the ABA in 1976. Some franchises folded during the season, just 7 finished. The Virginia Squires lasted through the schedule and then died. Then 4 clubs were absorbed when the leagues merged- Denver, San Antonio, Indiana, and New Jersey. The friend was speaking about Denver Nuggets uniforms, the ones he liked and didn't like, and I knew the team's history a little.

Andy Rooney

   I made sure to watch the feature on '60 Minutes' tonight, remembering Andy Rooney, who just died on Friday at age 92. I had some of his books, I liked how he spoke for many, desrcibing things he didn't understand because they didn't make much sense to him.  
   I realized I didn't like some of those cheap 'school binder' type photo albums I have so I went to Walgreen tonight after a date and replaced one of them. Now I want to replace a few more. One of them has plenty of postcards in it instead of being just photos, this may help with a fairly seamless movement of pictures.
    Had another date earlier today, showed some of the pictures of Charlie Brown and Snoopy statues I had taken before starting the project earlier this year. I was amazed at how many albums I had, 14 filled albums since moving to the area over 7 years ago. This is more than half of the albums I own! All but 2 of the 14 had a least one in it, but I brought over 4 albums, as those had more than one in it. As expected, there weren't many new ideas on finding more. Many of those I had taken early on were 'need a ticket' places like the hockey arena, state fair, and the airport. No surprise there, since it was a rare occurrence to be there so I wanted to take advantage of a 'few and far between' opportunity. The replaced album was one of the four. I just like it more when the pages are anchored in the album better, as pictures in the other kind were more likely to be damaged or misplaced.
    Besides pictures, we saw the movie 'Grumpy Old Men' on DVD, on loan from the library. It was on our list since it was filmed nearby. I liked Burgess Meredith in it, as I also liked him as the trainer in 'Rocky'. Tried to watch an NFL football game in the afternoon, but fell asleep before the Saints-Bucs game was done. In the evening I wanted to attend a comedy show after getting a Facebook invite but decided I didn't have the time, needed to finish up my errand running from the day before.

   

Humphrey Memorial

The first part of the day was devoted to errand running, after getting to an event at the state capitol. There was some media there, but it didn't seem to be well organized. Some of the speakers weren't articulate at all. It sounds like they are just getting started with the movement in this area. Since I am not at the capitol grounds much I decided to look around quite a bit. I liked seeing the Lindbergh Memorial, then thought to myself how there wasn't one for Hubert Humphrey. It was odd to have thought this, since the next thing I saw was a Humphrey memorial in progress. So it will be there before long, plans are to have it completed next spring according to the sign in front of it. Looks like the main thing left to do is have the statue added. There is already a Humphrey statue in Minneapolis, where he was mayor. I did get a picture of it after a football game at the Metrodome my first year here, in 2004. Some students asked why I wanted a picture of 'this guy', not even knowing who it was.
   After this I went to Maplewood to pick up some potting soil at a lawn and garden shop, since this time of year it's considered to be 'out of season' and the big box stores won't have it. On to Macy's, where I used up a gift card, owed just 35 cents after using it to get some discounted boxers. Tried to follow the Iowa-Michigan football game online while checking email, but streaming a game doesn't work well compared to radio or TV. There's some down time and streaming doesn't fill in the gaps well, so it means plenty of waiting. I made it over to Minneapolis to get a small Godfather's Pizza at a convenience store/truck stop, I like that pizza. It was after getting pictures of a Charlie Brown, and Lucy, statue in front of the Star Tribune building. I had hoped to find out about more, but the doors were locked so for now it's just those two. Back to St. Paul for 2 statue pictures on Grand Avenue, parked in the lot at the former Blockbuster Video store.
Finally there was getting groceries, 2-for-1 Dairy Queen Blizzards since I had a coupon, and laundry. Once again I was using a slightly more expensive machine as the others were taken. Found out why I don't like them, unable to add something after the machine turns on. I forgot to add 3 pairs of dress pants after pre-treating them withe soap where needed. So it meant taking them home and soaking them in a mop bucket.

Changing My Seat

Changed my seat on the bus at the start of my day as I didn't like seeing a clash between passengers. So I moved to the back near a different exit door. I liked how the loudmouth older woman was bawled out by somebody I know, sort of. We board the bus at the same stop. The clash happened at the next stop. She was called 'evil' as all she seems to do is complain about everything and her collapsible grocery cart gets in the way of most people. Same one who had said 'have an unpleasant day' before.
     I had a date tonight, my date cooked dinner for me, chicken, peas, and cheesy rice. I was fine with helping a little, like with stirring the rice so it doesn't stick to the pan. After dinner we watched an episode of 'Little House on the Prairie' from DVD, an epsiode I had seen as a kid where there were problems with getting a new picture window installed. So Laura's dad eventually decided to put the previous one back in. Before the date I picked up some cookie crackers nearby. love eating those things as they are peanut butter.

Marie Digby

Found a Marie Digby cover of Rihanna's 'Umbrella' song on Youtube. Wanted to search for it after hearing it at Walgreen earlier today when looking for a birthday card for a friend. Based on checking different versions, this would be the likely version, but it is a popular song to cover since it was a number 1 hit. I still like Rihanna's version as the cymblas in it add so much to the song. Odd how some can't get their facts straight, as one commenter on Youtube thought Rihanna was covering the song. In the internet age, there are fewer reasons for ignorance since so much information is available at your fingretips.
   Saw 2 clashes today, one was at work between 2 people I don't like, the other was on the bus after work. If somebody had asked me about the former I would have said 'let them beat the hell out of each other'. But I really did agree with the one telling the other to lower their voice. They were getting loud after havin g a hard time takign customer service calls, and they are not cut out for that kind of work. I should know, I used to do call center work, and it isn't easy. One must develop a thick skin and avoid taking things personally when said by upset people.
  With the latter, it was between a rider and the driver, related to folding up a stroller and paying the fare. The woman's husband or boyfriend didn't understand why she cared so much about continuing the argument. I know well enough to stay out of these things, though in the end neither one is in the right when they let it continue. I just want it to end. It also means being patient that it will end, since getting off and taking a later bus is counter-productive since it means waiting about 15 minutes for the later bus.

Completed Photo Album

It took me a while, but I completed a photo album tonight. It finally topped my priority list, sometimes one needs to be motivated to get things done, even small things. I  moved out 4 postcards that were 'fillers', but it meant moving most of the pictures over to cover the vacancy to get 11 in at the end. But I like it better this way, since the album is full and in the proper order. But I still haven't developed many pictures since June, when I got a newer memory card with more memory before going to the writer convention in Detroit.
   It was nice getting to the comedy club of course, as I got myself signed up for more stage time later this month. Before leaving for the show, my dad called me back. He was telling me about various subjects, one of them being how a wood pile caught fire and damaged some of the siding on his house. But he told me not to worry since no one was hurt, saying he didn't even want to tell me about it that bad. The big deal was that I was even able to take his call, as my cellphone is often shut off to save on the battery. I had it turned on since I had just sent a text message to enter a contest for free tickets to an advance screening of a movie abut FBI director J. Edgar Hoover. There was mention of it when I was watching a syndicated rerun of 'the Simpsons'. I am better able to get home and watch part of it now after work since the construction project is done, so fewer delays during rush hour.  

Dillinger 4

At the comedy club tonight, a comic mentioned the local band 'Dillinger 4' so I looked them up on Youtube. I like getting music recommendations. It was in reference to liking music I could relate to in my own struggles in life, and one of those bands is Green Day, with songs like 'Longview' and 'She' from 'Dookie'. He said a later song was apparently a rip-off of this band's song, and lawsuits like these are something one does hear about every so often. We spoke after the show, more time available. Usually I am rushing to get to the club before the show begins. I knew his wife is a tattoo artist, he was giving me some pointers about getting one once I decide to do so. I also liked hearing that he does run a room at another club, and he offered me stage time whenever I want it. I hadn't seen him in a little while, but I know we all can get busy in our lives at times. I said I did like the band name, as it makes me think of John Dillinger the bankrobber, somebody I had read about in the history books. He said it was an intentional reference by choosing the name, which doesn't surprise me much. Names of bands and songs often refer to something.