Valley Meadows

I did see the Valley Meadows show at a comedy club tonight, and made it to a movie before it since it was  a late-evening start on the comedy show. Saw 'Descendants', the George Clooney movie that takes place in Hawaii. It would likely be called a 'dramedy' as it was actually meant to be a drama but there was plenty of things that made me laugh. I liked the raw emotion in it, I said it was the most comparable role he had to his time on TV's 'ER'. Of course 'ER' was also considered to be a masterful dramatic series.
   While doing laundry I spoke with a man who wanted to talk about the Vikings game scheduled for the next day, and the player in his final game, Kleinsasser, number 40, a tight end/fullback. Then he spoke of knowing somebody in New Prague, one of the few Jewish people there. He was wearing a hoodie that had a 'NORML' logo on it about reforming  marijuana laws. Of the 2 Amy K's in Minnesota politics, he said he liked Koch over Klobuchar and claims Koch as a facebook friend. Also used the term 'head shop' which I wasn't all that familiar with, but based on his hoodie it made sense as that is where drug paraphenalia is sold.
    Even though I like listening to people tell their stories, I could tell this man wasn't very intelligent. When I spoke of Governor Mark Dayton, he said 'he owns Target' when Dayton is just a department store heir and Target is a stockholder-owned company. This continued with him speaking of baseball, and the St. Paul Saints, encouraging me to attend their games (and I already do regularly) 'because they have Darryl Strawberry'. This was somebody who played just one season for the Saints, and it was back in 1996. So it was old information. Don't know if he belongs in the know-it-all category, but he does seem to have the same traits unfortunately.  

Mobile Post Office

Bought some stamps at a mobile post office, first time I had seen one. Looked really cool, like an RV. I wanted to ask some questions about it, so I could write about it. I was informed it was the only one in the city and it usually stops in one spot for about 10-15 minutes. I had the chance to see it since I had just returned home from work, an early release by 2 hours due to the holiday. So all of this makes sense as to why I hadn't seen it before. Originally I got just a camera phone picture and planned on getting no stamps, but I wanted to get home right away and find my real camera. When I was taking up their time asking questions, I figured it was fair to actually buy a product, and got some Forever stamps from the Chinese (Lunar) New Year. Though it appeared to be the year that will be ending in a month. I noticed it did have a limited list of stamp styles available, but this may be true of other mobile services as well. I of course think of book mobiles while in school, coming from the public library. Another would be food trucks, on the bus on the way to work one morning I saw a Sloppy Guiseppe truck and their website said 'follow it in the metro area'. But I haven't seen it since, and it seemed odd to see it in the morning unless they serve breakfast food as well.
     I did see Iowa's bowl game tonight at a sports bar, it was on ESPN and I don't have cable TV. Don't feel like I would use it enough to justify the cost when I am often out doing various activities. Iowa lost to Oklahoma 31-14 in the Insight Bowl in Tempe, Arizona, and it was no surprise as to why. Iowa wasn't getting the stops on defense when needed. I did wear my bowl game shirt and button there that I had ordered online earlier in the month.

Best Buy Visit

I had another day off from work, so after getting more magazines sorted and sent out to recycle I decided to go out at midday and do a search for more Charlie Brown and Snoopy statues. Tried four places, had to leave messages at 2 of them. Another said they no longer had them, had been donated a while back. So I got a picture of their poster of some Snoopys. But it was worth it to try again at the Best Buy fortress of a home office in Richfield. I had found one there before, a Charlie in front of a microphone, since it was close to the glass. The security desk receptionist first said there was three, after finding them- including the Charlie- there was mention of of how there may be more. And there was, I liked sitting down in a chair at one of the pictures. Another made mention of 'Good Will Hunting', my favorite movie. Well worth it to try, especially when these were more elaborate than most others, more than just a statue was on these. It is one of the few places so far where I've seen one from each of the 5-year series. Just needed to wear a visitor badge around my neck, looks like there were plenty of services there like a US Bank location. The others were harder to find, compared to the Charlie from June, since they were farther inside. I knew it was my best chance in a while since I usually don't have days off during the week that much. I have just so many days to use each year, and I often use them when going out of town. I did give out my business card, and decided to claim one as well since they were available. So I send my sincere thanks to Leeann at Best Buy, as she also took the pictures for me as I asked to be in the pictures.
    Made it home from errand running,  which included making another donation at Goodwill, in time to see Jeopardy. Then I resumed going through Sporting News magazines and got more sent to recycle after watching 'Big Bang Theory'. Pleased how much I went through, most of them have been sorted and are no longer outside of the closet. All that is left are ones previously tied up in twine, easier to move those around.   

Pair of Corduroys

I needed to replace a pair of pants for work and used a gift card I got from family over the holiday and got my second pair of corduroys, this one blue, the other was green. Went to a JC Penney to get them. It was a day of errand running since I had the day off from work, also meant going to Bed Bath and Beyond as I wanted to finish up a gift card with just 91 cents left. I had previously been there to get a bookcase with the card. I got a candy bar with the remaining value, surprised they had them there as I just expected towels and sheets and the like. Few other items were in this price range.
    Also made it to Walmart to exchange some apparel meant as a gift but found out the recipient had no use for it. This was the same item I had tried to return on Tuesday. After returning it I took a while in the store trying to find a replacement gift, I will find out soon enough if i got it right this time. I sent 4 more cards, possibly the last for the season, and it meant this set of cards is finished, 22 in all. I wanted to finish up the box and I could think of some more deserving recipients. I got more writer magazines sent to the recycle bin, now I can turn my attention to sending other media there. I had wanted to send all writer magazines there at the same time, but ran out of time over the weekend. The next thing would be the Sporting News issues, since that subscription was largely canceled for me due to the publisher changing their business model. I had way more of those since I hadn't sorted through them in a while and it is published more often, even when it went to bimonthly after being a weekly publication. It helped to move things around in the closet so then I have a better idea where everything is.
   Found out I still had 2 cameras I haven't used in a while, not since I got one from Best Buy earlier this year. So I got a picture of both and then tossed them. It's just as well, when one of them, the Fuji 35 mm, was a booby prize from day one since it was ordered as a service anniversary gift and then arrived when I was on layoff. The other, the Argus digital, didn't work well after dropping it as I had to tape the battery cover to keep it on. I did keep one thing, the strap from the Fuji, as I added it to the case for my current camera. Not only do I like a reminder of what I had previously, albeit a small one, it is a good strap and easier to reach for it when it is bigger than the one it was tied onto.
 Hopefully it will be a while before I'm satisfied with the way things look as it means I will stay motivated to keep doing assessments and throwing things out that I don't need and haven't been using. This included some old, torn posters.
   It went well going onstage tonight, the comic after me said I was really funny even though I said I wish I was making it up. The joke they were referring to was when I spoke of coping with a recent failure. Though I like how comedy is available to me as a way of releasing pain when needed. It was a comic who was opened for Louie Anderson, so they're good, but any compliments about the craft are welcomed as it makes me feel good.
   Drove over to another club in hopes of getting stagetime but there wasn't any,was informed I needed to ask for stagetime on their Facebook page, recent change in procedure. So as expected, I didn't stay long, left after the opener. Got some cold Godfather's pizza from the nearby convenience store that I will have for lunch. I had wondered about it before, how the cold kind was less than half what was under the heat lamp. Since I often wait to eat it until later, it's no big deal getting it cold when it can be microwaved. So I got two, a pepperoni and sausage. For the second straight night I made a wrong turn and ended up at the airport, I just hate being so distracted but I have been this week. What's hard to understand was how I came from a different direction than before, same result.
    When I got home I did ask right away about stagetime by Facebook, will wait to hear more. Easier to do it right away while still fresh in my mind. While on Facebook , I did ask to add a classmate to the class reunion group. Also noticed another classmate in the group, his profile says he's in Australia and may no longer be with who he was dating in college. So I am thinking the chances of him making it to the reunion are not high, when he would need a plane ticket to get there. It's just was well, when we've spoken at just one of the three previous ones. I had a falling out with him as good friends make bad roommates, we haven't talked much since. In fact, the reunion mentioned earlier was the first time since the falling-out. He has friended me on Facebook but I have said no more than once, the lack of mutual respect was hard to forget. I know I am not alone on this one.

Returns and Exchanges

Didn't want to wait in line tonight at returns and exchanges counter, had an apparel gift to return. It was too long of a wait, wanted to get to the comedy club. I tried finding out if they did have what I was looking for, but it was apparently all sold out. So I still don't know what to do. But it likely means getting an alternate gift, not good at getting apparel unless it's for myself, I know what fits me. I know I didn't laugh as much as typical at the club tonight, because of it. I really wanted to take care of business before getting there and was unable to do so, but I also knew when I had limited time it was best to wait when I had more time like having 2 days off this week. The returns counter is busy this time of year anyway. I recall saying many times before how it seemed to be cliche to see the footage on TV the day after Christmas about items being returned, and it could be from any store.
  It did help to see some comedian friends greet me before and after the show. I did share some of my dilemma with them, as it did make me feel a little better. But I think being able to correct it will help even more, as I do like being able to atone right away. And since I have been better able to handle setbacks in recent years, thanks to unloading my anger where it belonged, I do tend to bounce back more quickly than before. Most of it was understanding how I was needlessly torturing myself over missed chances, and I would keep making the same mistake if I spent too much time brooding over it and be unable to see the chances still in front of me. These are opportunities to learn, much like I song I've heard with lyrics about 'heads we win, tails we try again'. I am trying to figure out a way to turn the ordeal into a joke, give me some time and I think I will. Seemed appropriate that I got stuck in the wrong lane when I needed to make a turn to get home after the show, ended up at the airport instead. I just wasn't paying attention, normally I am not that distracted since I know the route real well.

Sherwood Anderson

I like how I'm willing to build upon my knowledge wherever possible. Before sending magazines to recycle I noticed a picture of a historical marker on the cover of one. It was about Sherwood Anderson, a writer, whixh makes sense when it was from a writer magazine. The marker is in his native Ohio, and I did read the Wikipedia article I found which said he influenced Hemingway and Faulkner. Good or bad, like many other writer biographies it was hard to read some of it. But I already know how many writers have had rough lives, and this is often what makes their writings better, by pouring their soul into their craft. In Anderson's case, he abandoned his wife and kids apparently and ran off with somebody else. If I ever end up in this part of Ohio, it would be nice to find the marker. I have been to the biggest cities- Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus- unsure how far it is from any of those. I often describe myself as looking for that niche of being the 'writer who writes about writers' as not only to writers share stories, but they themselves have a story to be told by somebody. Sometimes they tell it themselves, but many times others tell it.
    At the comedy club tonight I saw a smaller crowd than typical but I think the Timberwolves basketball opener had something to do with it, as the game was on TV at the bar. The season finally began after a long labor dispute. One comedian friend said, when I asked if another comic was attending, that he was likely at home watching it. I responded by saying it was a 'manufactured' rivalry between them, since I can tell they are good friends.  

Egg Nog and Pizza

My Christmas dinner at lunchtime consisted of 2 slices of Little Caesar's pizza and some egg nog. It was 2 as it is what was left over from getting some on Thursday, and then eating some more on Friday. It was undoubtedly simple, and fine with me. Then I laid down for a while after reading the first chapter of the Michael Moore book 'Here Comes Trouble' that I had bought on Friday.  Already riveting to me, like how he had to get Navy SEAL protection after his Oscar acceptance speech and doing the movie 'Fahrenheit 9/11' which I saw on the 4th of July in 2004. I chose that day so I could be easily reminded of when I saw it, and seeing one of his movies is a true event for me.
    But of course, I wanted to get more done, so that meant doing the dishes, along with taking out the trash and recycle. I spotted 2 grocery carts nearby and took them back to the store, along with picking up some litter along the way to the recycle bin. Nice how there wasn't many emails waiting for me since I last checked my account 2 days ago, just 20. I tend to get a lower volume over the weekend, and this number is lower than what I get on most weekdays. Another thing I did was send more writer magazines to the recycle bin, since I have done the assessment and have decided to cut back on subscriptions and not renew some of them. I just got started on it, but I like knowing how it frees up space in the closet as it was hard to get the door shut earlier when some media was rubbing against the door and causing some resistance.
    Once I was done with chores I had a date in the evening, we had cheese fondue, first time in a while. We also watched some of the Bears/Packers game on NBC, Packers beat them 35-21. I realized after leaving how I left my cellphone there as it must have slid out of my pocket while sitting or most likely laying down on the couch. Thankfully it hasn't happened in a little while, misplacing the phone that is. I've lucked out on finding it, haven't completely lost this important item yet. First time since the writer convention in Detroit in June. I checked the urge to go back and find it as it was late and I knew I had plans to see my date for lunch on Monday. No need to panic about it when I could live without it for part of one day, when I don't make or take many calls anyway.
     Went to a party on Saturday, I had seen most of the people there before but had a hard time remembering the names of all. It was in the late afternoon and went into the evening. I found out that 'process of elimination' did help on keeping track of who everybody was there. We made it to Cub Foods just 15 minutes before early closure for the holiday to get 2-liter bottles of soda pop and ice for the event. It was odd how there were 2 freezers with ice in them, but one had just four 20-pound bags of ice, the other had much more, including 5-pound bags. The 20-pound bag would have been too much. We ate at a Taco Bell for lunch before doing all of the errand-running on our list.  

Horrible Bosses

Watched the movie 'Horrible Bosses' on DVD today, since I had the day off from work. Hard to find, on my 4th attempt the Redbox in Lilydale had it. Usually it is not that hard to find a movie I want at any kiosk I go to. Already had a poster and shirt from it this summer. They were giving out these items  at the comedy club. I had thought about seeing it earlier, and after finding out Bob Newhart has a cameo I definitely wanted to see it. Just wanted to find a day when I had the time to get it back in one day, since a one-day rental is cheap, just a dollar and change. Actually, one location did have it on blue ray, lot of good that does me. It's what I've learned from life before, sometimes it pays to keep trying. I got it watched and back to the same location in just 6 hours, didn't want to get too busy and forget even though I had until 9pm Saturday to return to avoid more charges.
   It was also an errand-running day. I got a book at Barnes and Noble, 'Here Comes Trouble' by Michael Moore, it was half-price so this made it easier to get. I was ready to say no since it would be more expensive as a hardcover, but then I found some on a table with a half price sticker. Also picked up some stamps, and lucked out how somebody left behind a sheet of 12 so I didn't have to buy them. The stamps are honoring some inventions like the typewriter. I still bought 2 Charlie Brown and Snoopy cards at the post office, one of them had a Linus theme.
   In the evening I made it to a comedy show at the Corner Bar in Minneapolis, there were various skits in it and many of my friends were performing. It was nice to be able to get in for a reduced price.

Tying Shoes on Escalator

I hate how I have to keep tying my shoes, but I like how when there's a sense of urgency I can get it done real quick. This was the case on the escalator on the way to work this morning. I happened to get it done with a few steps to spare. It's all about getting motivated, and this is true of many things in life.
    I had to pause when passing by an eating establishment, but not due to their food, it was a taco place. I did not order any food at all. It was due to the song being played, 'Back on the Chain Gang' by the Pretenders. I think it's the lyric that goes like this: 'found a picture of you, oh, those were the happiest days of my life' that I like. Also mentions the 'wretched life of a lonely heart'. It's a happy and sad song at the same time, it seems to fit my persona since I can be contradictory as well. Or some might say an enigma.
   Unfortunately, another song stands out in my mind. The mailroom man kept 'I'm a Believer' by the Monkees on repeat apparently but I didn't know how to tell him to stop since the door is usually locked.
   Heard from the old friend, they are now in the States, in St. Louis, a city I visit annually. They told me about getting a divorce and how their young son is blind. I didn't know how to respond to that. The friend had heard how I was dating somebody, they seemed to be really interested in hearing about it. I had been told they would be away for 3 years due to their spouse's job, but it was just over a year when I had last heard from them and since then I had a picture of their newborn baby emailed to me.  

Leftover Pasta Lunch

As expected, there was a repeat of the pasta lunch in the breakroom. There wasn't as much left, but even though I arrived a good hour after it was put out I still got plenty. Liked having the little cups of parmesan cheese available. Felt good about getting 5 more cards sent out at lunchtime.
   At the comedy club tonight there was a man from Tennessee who seemed to enjoy heckling the female comics. He did speak of the 'redneck dictionary' and wore a Harley-Davidson hat. I liked seeing the jokes that were told to shut him down. I am still not sure how I would handle a similar situation, since I really haven't had to yet. But I also know the type of comedy I do, deadpanning and often about myself, means it is less likely I would have have to deal with crowdmembers. The oddest thing was how one comic talked to this man after the show. I didn't bother to ask the comic why, and I did not talk to this man at all. This was the same comic I spoke with before the show by the bar as I was getting my drink, for some reason we spoke of $2 bills, how rare they are and the myths/legends about them. Some think they are counterfeit.
    An old friend called and left a message, we are playing phone tag. I knew they had been out of the country for a while, my first question was where they are now. Actually 2 questions, as I was unsure how they got my number, I was thinking they may have acquired it from somebody else, a mutual friend, as they hadn't called me before.

Jeffersons theme song

No mail arrived today, but I wanted to get caught up on sending out Christmas cards. So now I have 4 more ready to be mailed, wanting to get them sent out to those who sent one to me. I hate to admit it was in many ways 'assembly line' style, but I still added a specialized touch to each by looking at what they sent me and making reference to it. I want as many as possible sent out before the holiday, but I'm cutting it close. I was way behind on sending them out. One card was from my dad, another from my aunt, and the other 2 were classmates from high school. Next thing is to send one to a work colleague, now in Chicago. Though I often refer to them as my 'Ohio friend' as that is where they are originally from.
    Heard the lounge singer version of 'The Jeffersons' theme song after the comedy show ended tonight. I know it is called 'Moving on Up' and I know Ja'net duBois sang it first and was on another show, 'Good Times'. The club likes to play this lounge singer, and he has so many versions of songs many people know. But thankfully it is not as annoying as elevator music, since it is fun to hear how he stresses certain words when singing. Sometimes it is just like the original, sometimes it is not. If anyone has told me who the musician is, I don't recall. It was a big deal to me to see nearby stores open late, since usually they have already closed before the show ended. But I had to remind myself how they are open later for holiday shopping.  

What Cockroaches?

I liked the coffee cake at the office today, and one colleague said I could have all of it since it wasn't that popular with others in my department. Don't know why this colleague wanted me to take it away, mentioning cockroaches when I haven't seen any in the office. I said I would handle it at the end of the workday, since I had plenty to do in the final hour, even said 'miles to go before I sleep' in reference to the Robert Frost poem I had read in school. I kept thinking and saying 'Bork Bork Bork', something I often did as a kid. But it was not in reference to Robert Bork, who was nominated for the Supreme Court but not confirmed by the Senate. It sounded so funny to me, and I had to find out why. When I did an online search one of the first hits made mention of the Swedish Chef on 'The Muppets', which made sense to me since I watched the show as a kid.
   One comedian friend was at the club tonight, he had 2 friends there I hadn't seen in a while as well. He claimed it wasn't his 'entourage' though they had been there with him many times before.
   The football game tonight, Steelers at 49ers, was delayed due to a power outage at the stadium. Odd how it was compared to the 'World Series earthquake' of 1989, also in San Francisco. Those really aren't even close to being in the same category.

1968 Exhibit

Saw the 1968 exhibit at the state's main museum in St. Paul earlier today. We saw the screening of a movie from that year first, 'Odd Couple'. I had seen it before, but it had been a while, and on cable. Liked having the chance to see it on a big screen. My dad likes Walter Matthau, who played Oscar, if due to this role it would be since he plays an everyman in it. The character is more likeable than Felix, the fussy one, played by Jack Lemmon. I know he liked to say 'Oscar Madison' whenever we were drinking directly out of the milk carton, as that was the slob roommate's name. It was just as likely in reference to the TV show, which was done later and lasted 5 seasons in the 1970s, but it had different actors- Jack Klugman and Tony Randall. We finished the actual exhibit just minutes before it was closing for the day. It brought back many memories from what I read in history books, like the iconic photos from the Vietnam war, especially the Tet offensive. There was also the one from the medals stand at the Olympic Games in Mexico City. Some events weren't in any of the history books I had read. Nice to see some Charlie Brown and Snoopy items in it. There was also times when I mentioned TV shows and movies covering this era, like a special episode of the 'Jeffersons' which offered up newspaper headlines when going back to that year. I also mentioned 'Forrest Gump'. We had thought of seeing the 150 exhibit again, since it closes soon, but it meant going with priority. It was nice how the movie screening was included with the price of admission.

Gershwin Play

Went to see the Gershwin play in the evening in downtown St. Paul. I wanted to be well-prepared for it, so it meant not just a good outfit but also getting a haircut, it had been a while. A long wait at the place, Sport Clips, but they gave me a few dollars off for waiting. It was hard to find a place to eat since it was Saturday evening, and many sit-down restaurants had a long wait for a table. So I finally went to a Chicago-themed place close to where I do my laundry, makes a world of difference when we didn't have to wait to get a table and got to order right away and get food right away. We made it to the theater with about 5 minutes to spare after getting parked nearby. I like plays with music in them, and this had plenty of it. The narrator was an actor playing Gershwin, so he was telling his own story. So in many ways it reminded me of seeing the play about Clarence Darrow earlier this year, at the same venue, Park Square Theater. Liked hearing so many different instruments onstage, like the string bass and the drummer especially. The suits and hats reminded me of the Blues Brothers, as well as Leonard Cohen. Surprised to hear them playing the 'Flintstones' theme song, but it must have been influenced by Gershwin somehow. Also liked mention of Cole Porter, he was another musician from this era I was familiar with.
    Already did the dishes and took out the trash and recycle when I went out to do the laundry. So all I have left for errand running this weekend is grocery shopping, so I'm in good shape.  

MNDOT Charlie

I had a half day at work, done around lunchtime. After finding where another Charlie Brown statue is , at a MNDOT facility, I made it home to watch most of 'Jeopardy'. Then I got started on going through online articles I had printed, getting motivated after finding a 2-for-1 museum coupon. Some of these documents I hadn't seen in a while, but I was thankful to find many of them. Some of them dated back to my time in suburban Chicago. it meant quite a bit of shredding, and I've had to empty my trash can more than once because of it. Many articles are now in a corresponding envelope, to make it easier to find them by category in case I want to sort them again later. It started feeling familiar after a while, thinking I had done this before during a cleanup. I had. Because of the category names I used. So I looked through other boxes and found these similar envelopes full of various online articles, and some consolidation and shufflign was done. It helps to be efficient and well organized if at all possible. Kind of funny, one advice article I found was about clutter, which I am trying to eliminate. No surprise as to what articles are most popular for me to print, some are advice, some are Wikipedia articles, some are song lyrics. I kept hearing a neighbor kid singing 'Jingle Bells', it was annoying.

Young Adult

I saw the movie 'Young Adult' at the Uptown theater in Minneapolis earlier today. It was nice being able to get there for an early showing, since I had the day off from work. The story was good, something I understood well and was fairly familiar since it was Midwestern and took place in a small town. It was definitely a farce, but I didn't mind at all. I had seen some previous Charlize Theron movies, like 'North Country', about the Minnesota miners, and 'Sleepwalking', an arthouse movie. As usual, music captivates me. Two songs in particular stood out for me, one was due to it being by a Minnesota band. This was 'Achin to Be' by the Replacements. I knew very little about this band before moving here nearly 8 years ago, but some of the local radio stations would still play them and other local bands like Husker Du and Gear Daddies. The other was played during the introduction, 'Concept' by Teenage Fanclub. I ended up listening to both on Youtube. I also picked up a poster since there were some available at the theater. I had seen some previous movies done by Jason Reitman (director) and Diablo Cody (writer) like 'Juno' and 'Up in the Air'. Those were no doubt compelling. I like how Reitman is willing to handle social issues, he does it well.
   I did stay in for much of the day and got more cleanup done around the home, including shredding more junkmail or obsolete mail. I like keeping some billing statements for my own personal records, but after a while it is a good idea to free up space. So my trash can is definitely full because I was busy for a while.

Merkinball

As usual, I thought of music tonight. Tried to find 'Merkinball' by Pearl Jam on Youtube the night before and it didn't seem to be the one. So I told myself to get out my own CD and play it, and I did, after getting back from the comedy club tonight. But 4 other songs were on my mind as well. 'Christmas Canon' by Trans Siberian Orchestra, along with 'Miss Sarajevo' by Passengers (U2 and Pavarotti). Listened to them on Youtube before leaving for the show. The former is played a lot this time of year, I like it better than most Christmas songs and even saw this music act in concert at the Target Center in Minneapolis a few years back. The latter, not sure why I was thinking of it. But it really gets me emotional, like few songs can. All I need to see is the mental picture from the video where the beauty pageant contestants hold up a banner that says 'Don't let them kill us'. Since the song was done at the height of the Bosnian war. When driving from one show to another, I heard 'Back on The Chain Gang' by the Pretenders, saw them in concert twice when I lived in suburban Chicago. It's a fairly happy song, and that's why I like it. After the show it was 'I'm Yours' by Jason Mraz, a nice reminder of starting in comedy as it was a popular song 3 years ago.
    I liked trying some new jokes when onstage, which was at the second show but not the first. I got a drink ticket from the show runner, and was told that I should still tip the server. So I said I was fine with ordering more, and it was a half order of chicken nachos. It was way more than I expected, as with nachos I was used to what is seen at baseball stadiums. It's a little plastic container with the cheese and peppers, this was a much larger plate.  

Not a Rudolph Figurine

I needed razors and shave cream so I stopped at Walgreen to get them before going to the comedy club tonight. iIthought about also getting a 'Rudolph the red nosed reindeer' but 'buyer beware' is good advice. Since I read the package and it appeared to be like a Chia pet- add water and it gets bigger. I was expecting it to be a figurine. I have no use for a Chia pet so I just bought what I really needed and left. I have a few other Rudolph items, since I once worked for Montgomery Ward and one of their employees created the character.
   Saw a short video online about female infants being killed en masse in India, leading to many towns having few if any women since 'dowries' are still common practice despite being outlawed a while ago. It is hard to know what to say about it. I know many countries value men more than women, explaining why women's rights do not exist in some countries. What I normally say about what happens in other nations- if it differs greatly from what happens here- is three things. It tends to cover most issues. Not every country is like America, likes America, and not every country wants to be like America. I don't know if it's a case of the journalist trying to tell us how we have it good here, or if they're trying to get things changed there.

  

Willing to Help Out

My department is small, and we had 2 people out today using up vacation days before year-end. So it was busier than typical, which is fine with me as the day goes more quickly when I'm filling in for others. Though I was so busy I didn't remind myself right away to get a message sent to my student in the company's mentoring program, and I apologized in advance for that. May need to make it part of my routine for the end of the week before leaving the office, like watering my plant. It is one thing I've said related to teamwork for quite a while: I'm willing to help out any way I can. Many lessons learned about teamwork go back to being on ym high school's football team.
    At the comedy club tonight, I saw a comedian friend for the first time in while. She was in town from California, we hugged. I may be getting a Facebook invite soon for one of their shows. Unsure how long they will be in town, but it appears to be more than just a few days. I had to wait to say hello to them as many others wanted to do the same. I know well enough to wait, and there's no problem finding others to talk to when I know a decent number of people at the club.

Writer Magazines

I have 4 writer magazines currently and I don't read them enough. I am trying to evaluate which ones to keep, and it means going down to 1 subscription or maybe 2. All I have currently decided is to keep at least 1 of them, and it means sending in a subscription renewal for one year, as the form recently arrived and it currently runs through May. Since I want more writing gigs, I decided to get registered on their database. Getting a regular message should help on ideas. This one is published more often as a magazine, each month, the other 3 I have are just published 6-8 times a year. While the cost may not be enough per year, I still think of what's practical and I have done this in many other areas of my life in the past year. It has meant sending some things to a donation bin, be it clothes or other household items, since I didn't use them enough for whatever reason. Sometimes I had 2 similar items, wasn't using either much, so going down to one meant I got more use out of what was left. In many ways, it is long overdue, but I know why it wasn'r done before. There usually was something much more fun to do than tedious evaluations.
    Saturday was a notable day, as I went to to American Swedish Insititute in Minneapolis with my date. I recall reading about it in a AAA Tourbook when I was a kid, but my mom and stepdad on previous visits for Twins baseball games had no interest in museums so I didn't get to go. For lunch we ate at Popeye's Chicken in Uptown, I like their Cajun style chicken and it is one of the few locations in the area. It was easier to find them when I lived in suburban Chicago, it was one of many chicken places there along with Kentucky Fried Chicken and Brown's. Then in the afternoon it was on to a Lutheran Church near the Metrodome for the Lucia festival. It includes a girl portraying St. Lucia, with fake candles on her head. There was also 'star boys' as part of the choir, their hats looked like dunce caps or sorcerer hats. My date thought my observation was amusing. I didn't recognize many of the songs for the season, but I did grow up in a different church besides Lutheran.
   In the evening after going back to walk the dog we went back to Minneapolis to see the Holidazzle Parade, my first-ever time there. It was a big crowd, we waited for hot cider for a while at a nearby Caribou Coffee shop. Many of the floats were inspired by children's stories like 'Wizard of Oz'. I got a few pictures there. After the event we took the train back and ate at the Ruby Tuesday at Mall of America, first time eating at this restaurant.
  Sunday morning and early afternoon included watching a baseball documentary, 'Baseball in the 1980s', produced by Sporting News magazine. When I got back on the road I did the typical errand running, but also called ny college roommate who lives in Pennsylvania. He said he is applying for a job in Poland, I know he currently works at a super collider facility. Sharp guy, no doubt, wish I knew as much about science. It may work out next year for seeing him at a holiday gathering since he tells me his sister moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for a job at a casino, which is a days drive for me. He isn't back in the Midwest much. I also made it to Alary's Bar in downtown St. Paul, the Bears bar, to watch the Bears-Broncos game. Bears lost 13-10 in overtime despite leading by 10 with just over 2 minutes to play in regulation. It was scoreless at the half. Notable here was somebody at my table offering me beer, he wanted to finish the pitcher. Was told it was Miller Lite, I said I was fine with drinking it once a cup arrived, and after a few minutes one did.
   As we all know, I think about music often. Though at times it is hard to figure why I think of some songs in particular, for some reason a certain word will trigger a memory of it. This included 'Coin-Operated Boy', probably due to feeding a parking meter. The other was 'I'll Fly Away', though I understood the reasons better with this one. I showed my date the funeral card from a coworker who had died of cancer in 2008. It is the reason I give for why I got into comedy, since I bought a comedy club gift certificate at his benefit event. This song was played at the funeral, sounds like a common one since it was also played at Harmon Killebrew's.
  

Passport Filed

I got my passport renewal mailed today, at lunchtime, after getting copies made of all items sent. One colleague said she wasn't living vicariously through me, just excited for who I'm dating. It may well become a running joke. Along with her saying she wanted me to gush over pictures of her young son, who did look cool in a 'Gatsby hat'. Must be from the novel 'Great Gatsby'. My dad has one of those hats.
     It was odd how the woman at the post office said I had 5 years to renew passports after they expire, when an expired one does me no good while traveling. Since I may be attending a wedding in a foreign country next year I have the sense of urgency to get it renewed right away, when it expires in a month. This 5-year thing I think is in reference to being able to renew by mail, after that apparently an entirely new application is needed and on my original application I sent in every form they asked for to prove my identity. Except for 2, military records and marriage certificate. Haven't done either yet.
   On my date tonight we watched another 'Little House' episode on DVD, called 'in the big inning' as it depicted a baseball game between Walnut Grove and Sleepy Eye. It was fun to see such an episode, and like many things I looked at it from a historical perspective and said they did get the costumes correct apparently. The hats would be what were called 'Cap Anson' style, as they were cylinder shaped. The Pittsburgh Pirates had these kind for a while, into the 1980s. Though they were named for Cap Anson, a player who was with the Chicago club, now known as the Cubs.
    

City By The Lake

I like how I'm not falling victim to a term I coined, the 'Bear Bryant Syndrome'. I read it in a sports magazine how every Alabama football coach gets fired because he isn't Bear Bryant. Thankfully this isn't happening in my own life, because I'm sure most people would hate knowing they can't get a fair shake since they replaced a successful person, dare I say 'legend' when that term is used way too often. I thought of this in particular when I go into work today to do the holiday dinner, and the 'facility czar' wants to eat with me, the same man who was part of the railroad yard tour this week. He replaced a popular woman, and since he took over I don't think I've mentioned his forerunner. He's an ex-New Yorker that has a Jets lanyard at the office. I had spoken of my visits to NYC, though I think he hasn't lived there in a while.
   Some would think it was odd how I go into work on my day off for the dinner, but it's better food than what I normally eat, like soup for lunch or TV dinners in the evening. I needed to get out and do things anyway after doing more sorting in boxes I hadn't looked at in a while. I have freed up 2 copy paper boxes by moving things around, I think I just became more efficient on how I used the space. And I used the paper shredder to get rid of some of it. Though one thing may not have been good at all, my TV antenna bent when I was doing all of this so I may have to replace it.
   I got things going on renewing my passport today by completing the form and getting the necessary photos. When I want copies of the forms I am sending in, I realized how it was best to wait a day to send it, especially since I didn't have much time left before the end of the day. Since it is being sent to a PO box, I think couriers besides the Postal Service may not be a good fit since I want to be able to track it and some of those don't send to PO boxes.
    This evening I listened to some music on Youtube, starting with 'Tonight Tonight' by Smashing Pumpkins, moving onto 'Bad Reputation' by Freedy Johnston. Then I thought of 'This Town' by OAR, and found a live version from Chicago. Finally it was 'Sing' by Travis, a reminder of living in suburban Chicago as it was a song i heard often in the summer of 2001 when I was doing a big cleanup that I called 'Camp Aja' since it was inspired by my former boss and mentor being away in India on business for a while. It is proof of how I still very much have an affinity for Chicago, especially when the first song is by a group from that city and one lyric in the song refers to it, 'The City By the Lake'. There will likely always be a special place in my heart for what Carl Sandburg called the 'City of Big Shoulders'. In addition, I saw the band Travis in concert when I as living there, in 2003 as I recall, in a theater on the North Side.

Alabama and Green Day

After getting stagetime at a club tonight, I decided to get a small Godfather's pizza nearby. It was at a convenience store near the interstate on-ramp. I  like their pizza, a reminder of growing up in Iowa. Must be the buttery crust that makes it taste good, but the commercials were also fun, having an actor dressed up in a gangster costume as a knockoff from 'the Godfather' movies.
   I liked the drive home, since it was nearly deserted on the highways. The show finished late, after midnight, so of course the traffic would be diminished at that time. Two songs I heard on the radio stood out: 'Mountain Music' by Alabama, and 'Longview' by Green Day. I recall doing a Facebook posting before about how I heard 2 songs on my radio and how they were way different but both fit who I am. This is true once again, as one is country music and the other alternative music. We all can have different sides to ourselves, and my tastes in music tends to prove it well.
    It was tough to get to the club on time since I was attending a show at another club across town. I ended up leaving shortly after the show closer began in order to make it there as early as possible. Though there was a traffic delay on the interstate so I didn't make it as quickly as I would have liked. Since I have the next day off I didn't mind being out late. I tried some new jokes, same as on Tuesday, but it seemed to flow better on the previous day, unsure why unless I didn't give myself as much time to be mentally prepared before going onstage. I know well enough how it's best to find an 'inner sanctum' where I see that I have my material down cold so I don't get stuck since I no longer rely on notes. Then again, we are all our own worst critics and I may not have done as bad as I thought. Hard to say, some of my friends said I did fine.

Railroad Yard

I did a railroad yard tour after work, fun to go up into one of the locomotives. Still made it in time to go onstage at the comedy club tonight, but was home just long enough to get my car after getting off the bus. Saw a girl on the bus who was pretty, but didn't smile. As that one song goes, she'd be prettier if she smiled once in a while. 'Everything's going to be all right, rockabye'. Saw a message on Facebook about some classmates being MIA- missing in action- for the reunion next year. I knew 2 of them, sort of. One of them is not on Facebook due to being a judge. The other is a Facebook friend, but I don't hear from him much. So I forwarded on what I knew about both. I said I would email the judge to let him know and see if he's fine with his information- the email address- being shared with the event coordinator.
    In many ways, doing the railroad yard tour was also for my dad, as he is really knowledgeable about trains. I spoke of him more than once during the tour as I was doing it 'by proxy'. At the start of the tour, we were given hard hats and safety glasses and orange vests. The tour guide apparently had met somebody from our office at a company volunteer event in the community. I liked how even there, one sees a sense of humor. Inside, where equipment can be worked on, I saw a picture put up as a joke. It showed 3 labrador dogs as the setup, golden chocolate and black. Then the punchline was 'meth lab'. A crazy dog. The tour guide also had a joke on his hard hat, it was labeled 'Mr. Disappointment', apparently the nickname his colleagues gave him. Outside, we got to climb aboard a locomotive, and the engineer did operate it for us. We were going just 10mph, the spped limit in the yard, and just a little ways ahead along with a little way behind, just to get the effect. I signed up for it, knowing this kind of tour doesn't come around too often. It meant leaving work 30 minutes before the end of my sihft, but I will gladly make up the time. The facility was a just a few miles away from where I work, a Canadian Pacific line. There was a picture on the wall in the conference room, where the tour began, with Milwaukee Road and Soo Line logos, those were the former operators of the line and the yard.  

Ford Escorts

Heard a rap song on the radio tonight after leaving the comedy club that mentioned Ford Escorts. Something about comparing somebody to the car, saying they don't make them that way anymore. My family had a Ford Escort station wagon. I like how I get many of the pop culture references in rap, and my hat is off to them for their clever wordsmithing. I sent more miles put into a frequent flyer account, as I got enough points from answering online surveys for 500 miles. In the past year, actually just since may, I have added over 5,000 miles to the account just from the surveys. Usually it means flying a lot to get this many miles. Before long I will have enough to be eligible for a free trip, maybe after just 500 more. Though I need to wait at least a month since there are rules about how often to have the points converted. Though I have been more aggressive about getting miles added since May due to the rules changing, where I got a notice saying I can add miles more often. I largely forgot about it before then, and noticed I had over $100 in 'survey money' there that I wanted to have converted. Who knows how much of it 'expired' due to lack of use.

Ramsey Home and Muppets

On Saturday I had another date, it was touring the Ramsey Home in St. Paul. Nice tour, they had cookies available that had just been baked in the oven there. I liked getting a postcard and a Christmas tree ornament, it was Santa with snowshoes on.
   We had thought about seeing the Holidazzle parade in Minneapolis in the evening, the Ramsey tour was in the afternoon, but the snow was falling so we decided to stay nearby and saw a movie in Eagan, 'The Muppets'. I said I was fine as long as it was replaced with another event. Hopefully we can still make it there during the season.
    I liked seeing this Muppet movie, word of mouth from comedian friends helped who had posted on Facebook. I liked how some was borrowed from the original movie in 1979, but not too much. Kermit did the same song in both on his banjo, 'Rainbow Connection'. That movie was what got me started on liking road movies. I liked Animal a lot as he was going crazy on the drums as usual. Another scene seemed to be borrowed from it, one where I saw an old-school VW Beetle. It reminded me of when they traded cars and got a Studebaker, when they smashed a fly right in the middle of the price where Kermit said 'you owe us a nickel' as the salesman said he just gave $12 for trade-ins.
   It wasn't easy getting to the theater, as I did slide a little after being at a stop sign but I wasn't going fast and no other cars were around so I was able to get it corrected without much fanfare. After the movie we did finish watching my DVD of the Charlie Brown Halloween special, 'Great Pumpkin'. We actually just watched the interview feature about the making of it and the 'Magic' feature where Charlie got to kick the ball since he was invisible. We had seen 'Great Pumpkin' when it was aired on TV right before the holiday. I like how there is more on DVD copies than VHS, special features are nice.
   Bowl game pairings were announced tonight. Iowa is playing Oklahoma in the Insight Bowl on December 30, in Tempe, Arizona, on ESPN. I had seen 2 games there in 2005, and this is the same bowl Iowa played in last year but a different opponent. It will mean ordering a button and shirt soon from the 'Hawk Shop', and it looks like they are already available. But I want to see a more detailed picture of it before ordering, as I like having the shirt where the helmets of both teams are on it. I have plenty of bowl game shirts and buttons, even a few pennants. I like being able to order online as I am not always able to make it back to Iowa over the holiday and buy these items in a store in Des Moines.

Not The 3 Little Pigs

On the bus tonight it was entertaining to see 3 little kids interacting with themselves, and others. I quickly learned their names as I heard them enough, even though the bus ride isn't all that long, just over 20 minutes. There was one girl, CC, and 2 boys, Brian and Julian. Eventually the dad, who had a seat a row in front of them, came back and had one of them sit on his lap. I guess he wanted to keep an eye on them, and this way it was easier to do so. I don't blame him, but with 3 kids, all around age 5-7 I would estimate, he had his hands full.
    Before boarding the bus this morning I liked seeing a girl applying mascara, I didn't think she would have enough time but she did. She had a St. Kate's water bottle, so that may have been the school she attended. After boarding I saw the same man I had seen before, he had a bag with a Presidential seal on it, related to Clinton. He said he got it from a friend who had been to a conference in D.C. I had I had visited there 4 times and would like to go back, and I do know how it's good for conventions.
    At lunchtime I liked seeing a young man with his son, the man was wearing a 'Fight Club' shirt. I thought about saying 'Fight Club!' as I also liked the movie. Proving how I like the movie is how I have a framed poster and a small wall hanging. The latter item has the rules on it, and of course the first two rules are the same. I am reminded of how my dad lked Brad Pitt in it, and he kept saying 'Fight Club' before I saw it with him. He was visiting me in suburban Chicago then. He didn't understand all of the jokes in it, though I did as it was satirizing many things, especially making fun of consumerism.
  I had a date tonight, after dinner we watched a movie, 'Princess Diaries'. I liked how the main character was really sarcastic at times. Good dinner, we had tenderloin.  

Another 40 Minutes

This time the 40 minutes were at work, for a meeting that a colleague called a 'waste of time'. I didn't like how many of us were left standing, not enough chairs. But it was due to them not putting enough out, which can be done if they move the tables out. And 2 of the 3 exits were blocked. This is something where I said it was a likely fire marshal violation, but I knew well enough not to say much as i know whistleblowers aren't well protected even though they should be. I am still surprised how many inept people are able to keep their jobs, as this shouldn't be happening at all but it's a chonic problem. Didn't have it for a while, then it came back. Makes no sense to me.
    One positive thing about the even was hearing about a train tour at another office next week. When the senior leader said just 4 were signed up, I decided to get signed up right after the meeting. These kinds of tours don't happen too often. I of course will have my dad in mind, since he loves railroads. It reminded me of making it to a stop on a holiday train tour when I lived in suburban Chicago. It was at a yard with a big switch tower, and I liked going up in the tower to see what it looked like. It was a fundraiser for the food banks, and it meant sending donations of canned goods while singers were performing on the train.
    In the evening I went to a potluck event, I brought some Lay's BBQ potato chips and some small pumpkin cupcakes. Though the most popular thing was the Pizza Hut pizza ordered by the event coordinator. I said I had delivered for them one summer in college, though I didn't order from them much at all. I had some of their pizza before, as every so often there was a 'mistake pizza' put in the back.