Back in the Stone Age

The news said there's a blue moon tonight, which doesn't happen much. I did finally get outside to see it, but it was really late by then and it didn't seem to be blue at all. I had been busy getting caught up on things like reading the paper and adding pictures to Facebook. One of the pictures got comments right away, it was of a poster of a show I had attended recently- the CD release party. When I think of a blue moon, of course I think of the song. When 'Family Feud', the game show, covered a survey about moon songs it was second only to 'Moon River' from 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'. I also think of the band Cowboy Junkies, who did the song 'Blue Moon Revisited'. Though I like their version of 'Sweet Jane' the most.
  Getting caught up was the theme at work today as well, but with some people out of the office for the extended holiday weekend it was easier to get caught up as there was less work being sent to us.
Near the end of the day I heard my boss's boss sharing a story about pranks she was a part of in high school. Later on, she spoke of trying to explain how things were different to her kids when she was in school. It was related to smoking policies. It reminded me of when my dad would do this to me, and say it was 'back in the stone age'. I then had a snappy comeback to it, how it was the 'Rolling Stones' and 'Flintstones' age. In some cases, we still live in this age as I still see both pop-culture icons out there every so often.
 

Billypat Bauer, aka Wild Bill

I did a show at the 400 bar in Minneapolis tonight. As usual, this show went well. I'd still like to get there even earlier, but the show runner is fine with when I get there as it's still well before the show begins. And I think I show up before most performers do. I did a joke about my dad not knowing what a Ponzi scheme was, in reference to speaking of Bernie Madoff and his dealings with the owners of the New York Mets baseball team. Another was about attending the state fair this week, how the theater guy doesn't enjoy the crowds at the fair and couldn't wait to leave. He said this would be his last fair, no matter what is chosen for a team building event in the future. Of course it's a moot point if he leaves the company, as he has applied for other jobs.
   Near the end a fellow comic said that Wild Bill Bauer had passed. He was also known as 'Billypat'. I knew his son better, but had seen Wild Bill perform a few times. Most memorable was as a show closer during a contest last summer. He did a joke about Russian roulette competitors. I had no stories to compare to those shared by others. These were from people who had been onstage more than me, and often it was at the club where he was the owner, in New Hope. It was still touching to read them.
   I liked how one story shared on Facebook reminded me of what I do. Somebody had so much respect for him he was 'Mr. Bauer'. I said I saw his son much more so to me 'Mr. Bauer' was somebody different. What I am hopeful for is being able to attend any memorial service or funeral as I would expect many of my comedian friends would be there. It would likely be not much different from the wedding I had seen earlier, where one comic knew well enough to have the show start after the wedding was over as otherwise the crowd would be sparse. My guess is the family is aware of those who want to attend and are trying to factor this into when it will happen.

Take This Job and Shove It

One of the show runners left the comedy club early tonight, before the show began, saying she had a migraine headache. After getting a drink, I claimed my seat in the crowd and the club owner asked if I wanted stagetime tonight. I said I did, and it went well with the fairly new material- on the search for Charlie Brown and Snoopy statues. I felt tired after the show but still found my way over to a Walgreen store to get a CD I had ordered of pictures I had wanted to add to my Facebook page.
   Just saw a clip of the TV show 'Dukes of Hazzard' on Youtube where Johnny Paycheck was the musical guest at the end of the episode. It of course was his number one hit 'Take This Job and Shove It'. When he died that was the main thing mentioned on the news when covering his biography. Having grown up in Iowa I was quite familiar with the song, as it inspired a movie of the same name which was filmed in Iowa. As a kid I often got it confused with another movie around the same time period, 'Urban Cowboy'. I understood why. There was 'Star Beer' in 'Shove It' and there was 'Lone Star Beer' in 'Cowboy'. I called it a 'Texas version' of the other movie, but of course it wasn't. 'Shove It' mainly took place at a brewery, and 'Cowboy' at a bar where there was a mechanical bull. My dad liked making jokes about the bull.
  I was reminded of this movie being filmed in Iowa, after there was mention of it in the 'Field of Dreams' program I had read recently. I didn't care much for the Martin Mull character in the movie, but he has often played unlikeable characters like later on in 'Mr. Mom'. It was my main memory of seeing it before.
   I did learn something about the song from Wikipedia, how it was also performed by David Allen Coe. He apparently was the songwriter as well. We all know how songs get remade, or covered, all the time. Sometimes the later version is more well-known.

State Fair Buttons, Comedy Buttons

It was my company's 'team building outing' at the state fair. I made the most of the day as I expect it to be the only visit to the state fair this year, due to my busy schedule. I got some buttons at the fair, some I paid for and some I bought. I've decided to empty my bag of souvenirs to be reminded of what the highlights were.
  We begin with the Spam exhibit. I got a can of Black Pepper Spam, I liked having it last year so I wanted some again. Then we have the toy bus, in the shape of a can. Even the top of the can/bus looks authentic, with what looks like a big pull tab. Another item of course was the ticket stub. I have two pocket schedules, both were for hockey. One is of the Minnesota Wild, the other the Gophers college team. The Gophers are playing a showcase game at Chicago's Soldier Field in February. Will have to see if the logistics work on attending it, as I do like making an annual visit to the area.
  I have some stapled forms from work, one has a map of the fairgrounds. Others had the scavenger hunt rules on it, and the teams as well. When I arrived I was switched to another team right away, which was fine with me as I had a favorite colleague as a teammate, a 'long lost twin' of a college roommate. There was a map for the fair's History Walking Tour, with two more stops included compared to last year. They had these big signs pointing out landmarks, they look like those big wooden real estate signs planted in the ground when a house is for sale. Before leaving to get on the bus, and right after leaving the office, I passed by a 'physical medicine' establishment serving cake for their grand opening. I picked up a brochure. I had been there once before, but it must have been other different ownership.  
   When I went to the comedy club tonight, I got two more buttons. One of my fellow comics saw my 'I love history' button and I said I was at the state fair. After a brief delay, he gave me two buttons advertising his shows like on podcasts. I didn't know what he was doing at first, but I guess he had to go back to his seat and find them and get them out of his bag. I was thankful to get them as I do like buttons quite a bit.

It's That Subway Shop

On the bus after work today, somebody boarded and said they wanted to go to a Subway sandwich shop on a corner. Besides me, others kept saying it was on a different corner than he expected it to be. But when the stop arrived, he did get off there. It got many of us started on favorite places to eat, I of course like Chris and Rob's, the Chicago hot dog place. I could get a hot dog anywhere, but I like the ambience as there is plenty of pictures on the wall about the city of Chicago and its sports teams. I try to have a balance on how often I go there- often enough but not too often. I think once a month is the right range, same as getting pizza from Little Caesar's. Speaking of that, I did go to Little Caesar's tonight to get a large pepperoni before heading to the comedy club.
   I just heard from a friend from work now in another office, her last day with the company is Friday. It was our first contact in a while. She had some ideas for improving my resume, I expect to use most or all of them.
   At the comedy club tonight I got a picture of the entrance sign as I didn't have one yet, along with a Grain Belt beer sign at a bar nearby. I got pictures at midday as well, like of the Prairie Home Companion mural at the Fitzgerald Theater. Another was of  the Mickey's dining car which has been featured in various movies. I've been to the Fitz a few times, for 'Prairie' once. I've been to Mickey's a few times, but it's been a while at the downtown location. Cramped there, more space at the sister shop. There was even a 4-part mural in an alley where a farmers market is held, showing various downtown St. Paul landmarks. One of them had the Walgreen store in it, appropriate as this mural was one of the Walgreen walls.

US- Dakota War Exhibit

I went to the Minnesota History Center and saw the US-Dakota War exhibit in the afternoon. Also went to see the WPA art exhibit. My date and I liked many of the paintings in the art exhibit, especially the one of a baseball game. With the war exhibit I had heard of many of the specifics before, but it was still helpful to see it. The exhibit did cover a few things I hadn't seen much of before like some of the events leading up to it. I had been familiar with the New Ulm part of it from attending Oktoberfest there. Markers about the war are all over the downtown area. I did get one souvenir, a postcard of the town of New Ulm in 1860. Aside from this there was little besides some books on either subject. This included one I already had, but I was pleased to see it nonetheless. It was 'Forts of the Northern Plains', by Jeff Barnes. It covers 3 forts in this state: Snelling, Ripley and Ridgely. All of them were a part of the war, even if it was indirectly.
  In the evening we went to Genghis Grill in Eagan, a place I like but hadn't been to in a while. I like being able to make your own dish to eat. Then I read a souvenir program my date had bought at the Field of Dreams last week. I figured it was best to read it at my date's home right away as I had no idea how long it would take otherwise. And there was too much of a chance it would have been damaged from being stuffed into my backpack trying to read it on the bus that I take to work. Didn't want to take that chance and be asked to replace it. Nice program, it covered many subjects I enjoyed reading such as W.P. Kinsella- the author of the book that inspired the movie. There were some imperfections, a few obvious typos. But I know well enough to go by the sum total.

Lardtose Intolerant Skit

I played an assistant in a skit called 'Lardtose Intolerant' tonight. Between rehearsal and showtime I got some tickets for a St. Paul Saints game next week and walked a friend's dog. The visit at the Saints stadium lasted longer than expected, for multiple reasons. First was getting there later than I had wanted to, so it was two hours before gametime. The parking lot was already full with tailgaters. So I had to park much farther away, but still on the street going right by the stadium. After getting tickets I was spotted by somebody I knew from the comedy clubs. They told me they weren't going to the game, just hanging out and having some beer. I told them I couldn't stay long due to plans like the dog walking. One of them was the one that spotted me at a Jimmy Eat World concert at First Avenue in Minneapolis last year.
   The shows went well, first time I had done story telling about the adventures of finding Charlie Brown and Snoopy statues. I got a little stuck the second time I did it, but I covered it up well by doing a slight change on my material. Some suggested that I post it on Youtube. If it was filmed by someone, I of course would need to acquire the film from them first. It was well-done, as I was wearing my brown shirt with all of the male characters on it saying 'It's all good in the hood'. And the technician had background music playing, the theme song from the TV specials officially known as 'Linus and Lucy'.
   I have already seen a picture of me tagged on Facebook in the office assistant costume, which included a gaudy wig. My gift when leaving was a doll's leg, I will have to do a joke about it. I think it was one way to help clean up the place as there had been some renovation at the venue. Either way, I like a reminder of the night as I said I really enjoyed the opportunity.

Found It On Flickr

I've been really interested in finding landmarks after finding their Flickr photos recently. Many of these are in Chicago, where I like making an annual visit. Some of the things that came up was monuments to the founders of the Woolworth and Montgomery Ward retail chains at the entrance to the Merchandise Mart. There was also something about a Montgomery Ward garden in Grant Park, then there's the Rosehill and Graceland cemeteries. Some of these are on the National Register, which means yet another reason why I'm interested in finding them for real. Sometimes there are separate listings for landmarks inside one of the cemeteries, like the grave for a member of the Getty oil family.
   There was a rehearsal for the play on Saturday tonight, it went fairly well. When I saw others bring in food, I decided to go to a convenience store across the street to get a Deli Express sandwich, along with chips and a drink. I showed all 6 ties to the costumer, she said she liked the patriotic one with countless American flags on it. Though I was wearing a different one at rehearsal, a New Orleans Saints tie. Had to do a pinky swear about what tie was agreed upon.
   When I was done I rode the light rail to the airport and boarded at the Metrodome. The Vikings exhibition game was still in progress at the time, against San Diego. So the ridership was still light, which was fine with me. There were two men who had bikes on the train so of course it was more of a chore for them to leave at their stop.
  At work it was a slow day, I used much of the afternoon going through personal files and getting rid of outdated forms. Some I just hadn't looked at in a while.

Bus Driver Wasn't Stopped

I took a later bus than typical and witnessed a passenger arguing with the driver. He was an older man, gray hair, a ponytail, and a fluffy beard. She said she wasn't stopped when he stepped in front of the bus to put his bike in the rack. I didn't care for how the argument just kept going and going. It was why I changed my seat and moved to the back so I wouldn't have to listen to it as much. In the end, neither one was any better than the other as nobody wanted to let it drop. It was also what I said when I saw an argument at a grocery store a few years ago. With that one, I basically felt the same way. I just wanted to remove myself from the equation as quickly as possible as I didn't feel safe at all. But much like with the bus, little can be done about it as one must be dependent on others for help. So it requires some trust that things will work out fine, something I'm still not known for much when I prefer being in control. Even if the feeling is an allusion, and it often was and still is. Best training for trust is events like these, or even as a passenger in planes as obviously one must 'ride it out' since once can't go anywhere for the time being. I will often say when there's turbulence how I have to pretend how I'm at the nearest amusement park as that's what works for me.
   All the driver seemed to keep saying was how she wasn't stopped and it was for safety reasons and how she didn't want to lose her job.
   Some riders said 'I just want to get home' and I felt the same way. There was some mention from one rider of how they didn't want the bus stopped due to the transit police arresting the rider. It didn't get that far, and I haven't seen this yet. But I don't want to either. He got off before I did.
   First day of the popular state fair was today, of course I will be attending next week.

Trimming Eyebrows

No, I didn't do this by myself. But trimming eyebrows was offered when I had my hair cut tonight at Great Clips in Eagan. Went there as it was an hour wait for Sport Clips, and didn't want to wait that long. Who would blame me, especially when there are options? It was hard to describe what I wanted. Eventually it meant getting out a picture book and being demonstrative, saying 'that one'. Figured I would need a haircut due to an upcoming role in a show. Coupled with a stop at the ATM, I expected I would be late for the comedy show tonight but I wasn't. The show often doesn't start on time. Bigger crowd than typical, I was asked to move to another seat to make room for paying customers.
  The haircut wasn't the only 'first time in a while' of the day. Also true for cleaning out my wallet of receipts, which dated back to late July. After seeing how fat it was, and how easily things could fall out when at the Field of Dreams this weekend, I decided it was time. Then there was doing dishes, which wasn't done this weekend due to being out of town. I usually wait until I have a decent amount of cardboard to send to the recycle bin. Tonight I counted 5 TV dinners, 4 granola bars, 3 oatmeals, and 2 Little Debbie boxes. My guess is it had been nearly a month since I had sent cardboard for recycle, with the plastic and metal I do so every week.
   Then there was the TV. I had to remind myself how I had unplugged it at the start of the weekend, hadn't watched TV for a few days after getting back in town. So that meant plugging it in so I could watch 'The Simpsons' after getting off work. It was the one where Lisa was afraid she was going dumb like Homer and Bart. I liked how she went to a jazz club to 'give her brain one last meal'. I find that music is helpful to the mind. It was funny how she said 'You also have to listen to the notes she isn't playing'. I do try to look beyond the face value of things.
    I liked how there was a profile tonight on ABC's 'Nightline' show, it was about musician Hans Zimmer. He did the music for a favorite movie of mine, 'Rain Man'.
 

'Two Princes' by the Spin Doctors

At the comedy club tonight I heard the song 'Two Princes' by the Spin Doctors, a flashback to my college days. It was played before going inside to see the show.
  It's also a reminder of a classmate wanting to drive around in a Snap-on tool truck owned by his dad, who sold the tools. He liked being able to use the truck, even though it was horrible on the gas mileage. We once sang the song in the back of the truck.
   After the show I was fueling and heard 'Closer To Fine' by the Indigo Girls. It serves as a nice reminder of moving to the Twin Cities. I heard it on the radio when driving the U-Haul truck to the area. It went well onstage tonight, I did some jokes about being in Great Britain, as well as attending my class reunion a few days later.
   I hadn't heard any Spin Doctors songs in a while, but they did have some hit songs. I recall 'Little Miss Can't Be Wrong', which was before 'Princes'. They performed 'Little' on Saturday Night Live. Also notable was a cover of a CCR song, 'Have You Ever Seen the Rain', which was for a movie soundtrack. It was for 'Philadelphia', starring Tom Hanks. Still haven't seen the movie. I have one of their CDs, I recall the art included in it was a scene of a phone booth. Proof of how long ago it was done, as phone booths are way less common than they were due to the popularity of the cell phone.
  With the Indigo Girls, I didn't know their music for a long time. But I know 'Fine' is one of the few songs of theirs that would get airplay on the radio. I do like how moving to the area means I am exposed to some music I may not have heard otherwise. I think some of it was due to one radio station playing some of the older alternative music, then known as 'Drive 105'. But they switched genres since then. I bought a few CDs, albeit older songs, due to the airplay, including Minnesota bands like Husker Du and the Replacements. But of course local bands are likely to get more airplay.

The Club Was Locked

There were plans to meet about an upcoming show at a club near the comedy club tonight, after the comedy show. But it was locked. I went over there a little early and found this out. Notable about the place was seeing a big Grain Belt beer sign out front.
   I went back to the comedy club and arrived as the show was letting out. Then I was told the meeting would be there. I won't have many lines in a skit, as I am playing an office assistant. There was some lively talk about the outfit I may wear. But I said I don't have many options. One member of the show was called during the meeting to be kept in the loop about it.
    I was thankful to have made it on time to get signed up, don't know why I end up cutting it so close at times. Saw one of the show runners for this weekend right away at the club, so we hugged. She and her companion now live in California and drove back for the show.
   Before the meeting began, one of them kept saying something about a rash from poison oak, it was hard to tell at first whether or not it was just a joke. We're comics, after all. But nobody wanted to touch him so it must have been for real. There will be a dress rehearsal on Friday. Hard to follow the rest of the schedule, as the 2 shows are Saturday evening. I trust I won't have to be there too early. I like having that day for chores and errand running, or just plain resting. But I must balance it with doing comedy, as I know a gig like this doesn't happen too often.
   It looks like I will have a segment covering the search for Charlie Brown and Snoopy statues, which was the one skit idea I had submitted.

Dubuque to Valley Meadows

I began the day in Dubuque, Iowa, staying at a Motel 6. We had breakfast and went to the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, my third time there. I got a rubber ball and a postcard of the welcome sign, seen from the main road. Wanted to be careful on souvenirs, trying to avoid getting what I already had. There were some specially made baseball cards, but I wanted other things more. I would expect they would be specially made, or replicas, as it was of Moonlight Graham. It was nice to run the bases and get a picture at home plate of my St. Paul Saints hat along with my glove and a ball. It was a reminder of getting a similar picture in St. Louis at the former Cardinal stadium.
  We made it back to the Twin Cities around 5pm, after stopping in Decorah again for lunch. Then again in Rochester for fuel and I needed a break from driving as I was tired. I took care of an important chore, doing the laundry, then made it over to Minneapolis for the Valley Meadows CD release party in Uptown. I saw a girl with many tattoos outside who was explaining what was on the wall inside. The artwork looked like skateboards or snowboards, eventually I was told they were 'longboards', meaning skateboards that were not for stunts. It was a long show, had to leave during the headliner as it was late and needed to get groceries and get up for work in the morning. I still saw more than 30 minutes of the headliner's act. I got the CD, and the acts before the headliner were notable. There was somebody singing about S and M, and had a beard with no facial hair on the chin. Then there was the band with a frontwoman that had an erotic song about VP Joe Biden. Next was a song ranting about Cosmopolitan magazine. The headliners were entertaining, doing raps while one of them has a suit on and said he was a sub-teacher.

Iowa's Clock Museum

  It was a road trip day into northeast Iowa, fun times for me. We first stopped in Burr Oak as there is a Laura Ingalls Wilder museum there. I was reminded of how I had seen the one in Mansfield, MO, as a kid. Amazed at the foreign visitors they get, but the books have been translated into numerous languages. I got some postcards and a bookmark there which had pictures of the places Laura had lived. Then it was on to eat at a Culver's in Decorah. I had been here before to see a Gin Blossoms concert at Luther College. Don't recall much from that visit aside from having to go up the hill to the college.
   Next was the Bily Clocks museum in Spillville. I got emotional seeing them but kept it to myself at the time. It was more due to the music than the clocks themselves, though the clocks are very ornate due to being hand-carved. There was a nice callback to last weekend, as one carving was of Lindbergh. I bought 6 postcards there, including one of the Lindbergh carving. Also went to the upper level to the Dvorak exhibit, wrote down some observations made on the wall there. One was how he loved Spillville as he hardly ever spoke of his craft- being a composer of music- during his summer there. Another was how he was inspired to write music and would write some inspirations on his shirt cuffs. I have done similar things when inspired to write, just not on clothing but scraps of paper like receipts in my wallet.
   We had hoped to see the Field of Dreams but can see it first thing tomorrow. It was nice to see the Julien Dubuque monument in a park overlooking the Mississippi River. I called it a 'big chess piece' as it looked like a castle or a rook. Then it was on to eat at the Diamond Jo casino, had some chili at a sports bar. On the wall, there were numerous signed Sports Illustrated covers from the likes of John McEnroe and Fran Tarkenton. Liked the cosmic bowling but it was a lackluster outing for me as my score was under 100. 

Electronic Umbilical Cord

I laughed when our I.T. guy made a joke about being attached to an 'electronic umbilical cord'. I know he's referring to being in demand when there are computer issues. This of course is a man not to be confused with 'Mr. I.T.' who is married to my boss. I've found out many people in my office are really funny. Naturally it helps to laugh when dealing with ridiculous issues, and when we are so dependent on computers there are jokes to be had. Like how a user error is often called 'problem exists between keyboard and chair'.
   I had a Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich when the cooler came around in the afternoon. I ate it right away, before this I had bought some Famous Amos cookies from the vending machine to eat after getting off work in the evening. But those will have to be saved for a later day. As I was throwing out the ice cream wrapper in the main breakroom, I saw a nearly full box of donuts from Cub Foods. So I chose one and wrapped it in 3 napkins to get it home in my backpack unharmed. So I ate the donut after work instead.
   When I got off the bus a woman asked me 'What time do you have?' Or at least she may have been asking me, hard to tell. She may have been asking the driver. Either way I said 'time to go home'. I'm sure I was not alone on feeling this way.
   It was a busy day at work as I had to cover for a colleague who took the day off. But it was fine with me as the day went more quickly. There were more new titles to perfect and file than typical, over 200.
   In the evening I liked watching a tape of 'History Detectives' with my date, from public TV. Two of the three segments I really liked, about Woolworth store signs and a picture frame made from the wreckage of the 'Titanic' ship.

Dole Plantains Bananas

For this week I got some Dole plantains bananas as the other ones were still too green. I don't like these that much though. They're bigger, no big deal there, but the taste is just not quite the same. It's likely a good thing that I don't buy them much. I have one left and will be taking it to work tomorrow and having it at lunchtime. I know they do cost more per pound.
   I have been inundated with emails recently from the writer union, about having chapters. I did respond to it, saying in-person events as well as social media are a good idea. I gave the example of the comedy club circuit, using Facebook to fill in the gaps between shows and keeping people in the loop about upcoming shows. But I haven't seen a specific response to my input like some of the other comments. Just something in general about some ideas are better than others, nothing beyond that.
Some are giving input more than others are, at least I recognize the names from attending last year's convention in Detroit. But I don't know yet what the solution will be.
   At work I said 'Hi, fellow dark person' as one colleague pointed out how I had an all-black outfit on. Then she admitted she was wearing a dark outfit as well.
   I had to look up Ayn Rand as there was mention of this author on the news, by Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney's running mate. I had heard of 'Atlas Shrugged', a movie version just came out last year but I didn't see it. But I found out about another Rand novel, 'Fountainhead'. I shrunk the Wikipedia page down to 3 pages from more than ten, it was an extensive article. All I know is that conservatives are big fans of these two novels. It said this novel also became a movie, but much earlier, as Gary Cooper played the lead role.
    

Purple Shirts and Sanding

For the first half of the workday I was actually at Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis doing a volunteer event. It was related to getting a classroom converted to a creative writing room. Early on I was given a purple volunteer shirt, and helped with moving some soft chairs from the loading area on a cart. Eventually I went to the woodshop and sanded down the drawers so they could be painted. Since I value my hearing greatly, and found out there was no ear protection available (and didn't bring mine that I use for concerts) it was best to move there where the sanders were smaller and less noisy.  There was breakfast available, lemon loaf was the name of what I ate if I'm not mistaken. Also had pizza for lunch, from Fat Lorenzo's. I had a slice of pepperoni as well as sausage. Some said they wanted to see the finished product, but when my employer does plenty of programs at this school I am thinking there will be chances to do so in the near future. As expected, I didn't know many of the people there, though I did know the event coordinator from other Roosevelt programs. We had music on while working, and the radio station kept saying they would be broadcasting the Twins baseball games next season. There was something on the evening news about how the agreement had just been reached.
   When I bought a fruit bar when the dessert cart was going around at work, one of them said they thought I was 'gone', meaning for all of the day. I know half days are rare to take, but I had one available and I was fine with just using this much time for the event.
   At the comedy club tonight, it was raining as I was leaving and I didn't want to go out in the rain at first. Eventually I spoke of a rain song, 'Here comes the rain again' by the Eurythmics. One comic did a joke about being so fat he broke a chair at last year's state fair.  

Throwing Spoons

At work today the theater guy said he was considering throwing spoons at me, unsure as to why. It was a slower workday than Monday, as expected. I did vote in the primary election, as even the primary means something to me. It was why I was wearing the patriotic shirt with a collar, and much like before I did get comments about it. There were no real surprises as to the outcome of the primaries to the best of my knowledge as to who won the right to be on the general election ballot in November. It bothers me of course to hear how voter turnout is low for a primary, around 10 percent.
  The item I ordered from E-bay arrived today, the postcards and brochure from the movie 'Covered Wagon'. Thrilled to have it. There is mention of Emerson Hough twice, but just a passing reference since he is the book writer. I was checking the tracking number online, and it said 'missent'. Seemed odd to me, something about being mis-routed. But it was waiting for me when I got off work today, so everything is fine. Apparently the delay was minimal, just one day. It still arrived less than a week after I found out I was the winning bidder. But I know it arrived more quickly because I decide to pay right away, and the sellers give me good ratings due to prompt payments.
   I saw the news how the Twins lost to Detroit 8-4 tonight, this isn't a good year for them. I plan on attending a game next month. At the office there was an email about paying for the tickets for the upcoming Renaissance Festival. I knew it was starting soon, apparently it is starting this weekend. The tickets will be held at will call if one wants to use them that early. But I told our AA that I see myself getting there on Labor Day at the earliest, based on plans already made. That was the same day I attended last year, for the same reason- a busy schedule. It's proof of how the summer is winding down.

Get a Vice

At the comedy club tonight, I heard one comic say to another that they needed to get a vice. Don't know what caused them to say this. I know she did say to him she wouldn't be taking up smoking, as her mom had lung cancer. Also memorable was getting into the elevator today at the end of the workday. Somebody said into their cellphone 'he shot him and the kid died'. Didn't want to inquire further as to what it referred to, as it was none of my business. I was asked if I was picked to go onstage tonight, when I said no I said I am thrilled to take the stage whenever picked. I am pleased that some notice me onstage and recognize me for doing well. It has helped me with being more gracious when receiving compliments, how a simple 'thank you' is enough.
   One fellow comic sent me a link to view a video he made on Youtube. It looked like an exclusive invite, which makes me feel good about being in the loop. I let him know on Facebook how I liked it. He decided to do a parody of the opening sequence of the 'Mary Tyler Moore' show. It was very well done. I noticed he wasn't driving a vintage Ford Mustang, guess it must not have been available. It was a Nissan Altima instead, he told me. Naturally a similar car would have made it look more authentic. Other scenes showed him at comedy clubs I recognized, ones I have been to myself. Hopefully he gets some rewards and recognition for it. I guess one has to do promotions like this to stand out from the rest. Other things included going to the Walker and walking by the 'spoon and cherry' sculpture. As expected, it ends the same way, with him throwing his hat in the air like Mary did, in front of the Mary statue on Nicollet Mall. It reminds me of what my dad said about the show's introduction: throws her hat in the air in downtown Minneapolis, 10 degrees below outside'. Or was it 12? Either way, it was real cold. It comes as no surprise how I got to see more of it in syndicated reruns on local TV since moving to the Twin Cities. It eventually prompted me to get some episodes on DVD, I got the first two seasons on video from a Target store.

Lindbergh Home and State Park

I went with my date up to the Lindbergh home and state park near Little Falls. I had been there in June of 2009 but I liked being there again. We found something I hadn't seen in my previous visit, a park called Le Bourget which celebrated the sister city relationship due to Lindbergh's flight across the Atlantic. I knew he flew from New York to Paris, apparently the French airport he landed at was in this town. I got a picture of the display showing the mention of the sister cities, which had a small Spirit of St. Louis included. There was also mention of explorers in the area, such as Zebulon Pike, and I got a picture of this as well. The park appeared to be the largest in town, based on the map there. This doesn't count the Lindbergh Park of course, as it's a state park and outside the city limits. Hard to say why I didn't see it before, maybe since it is near the Mississippi River and close to the turn for the home and state park. I probably wanted to pay attention so I didn't miss the turn.
   Much of what was there was familiar, like the V.W. inside the visitor center. I was reminded of how I have a paper back copy of the book 'Spirit of St. Louis' that Lindbergh wrote about the flight. It became a movie, Jimmy Stewart played him. We saw a film  and looked around in the visitor center before our tour of the home began, we had just missed a tour and those are held once an hour. When the tour guide asked us what Lindbergh was famous for, one kid had a partial answer. I then said I preferred letting a kid answer, but finally the tour guide let me answer. I said 'nonstop' in addition to 'alone' in terms of being an aviation pioneer across the Atlantic. I still hated to see the pictures of the Saxon car being trashed after word got around about his historic flight, but I am pleased that the car was restored. We did look around a little at the state park across the road, when we got a picture of the sign I was pleased when some slowed down so we had a chance at a good picture. I did say thank you to them as I knew they didn't have to do this. I did my best to get some souvenirs I didn't have before, as I recall in 2009 I got one postcard which depicted Lindbergh himself and the plane. This time I got a magnet in addition to 3 postcards. One of them was of the home and the other two were black and white photos of Lindbergh at banquets and other events in his honor.
  We decided to take an alternate route back home around Albertville and St. Michael as traffic was getting backed up on I-94. This was likely due to those coming back from up north at the cabin. Didn't want the car's engine idling so it meant taking some back roads but I just wanted to keep moving. Wasn't too much out of our way.

Monk Fish

I eat oatmeal for breakfast on most days, and on the packets there is trivia. One of these said monk fish was known as the 'poor man's lobster'. Wonder if this in any way inspired the character name on the TV show 'Monk' that I like watching in syndicated reruns when I have the time.
  The plans today called for having lunch with a college friend and his wife. Except when I got to the place, an Applebee's in Apple Valley, it was just my college friend. He said his wife was in Ohio with the kids visiting her family. It was nice seeing him, first time in a while. I gave him a 'support the troops' magnet I had won at a Veterans Day event at work. Since he's ex-military I figured he could find more use for it, especially when he works at the VA hospital at Fort Snelling. I know this place is a light-rail stop, seen it from the train before. I had a skillet of New Orleans-style food, it was sizzling when it arrived. Notable was how it was a last-minute thing on deciding where, I responded to an email saying I was at the library printing things and didn't bring my cellphone, so I would have to wait to respond with a call. But thankfully it all worked out in the end. He said he was still busy when his wife was out of town, seeing how some remodeling was going at his house. We also briefly spoke about another roommate of ours, the physics major that works at a super collider in New Jersey. I had called him recently. The afternoon was one of the few times available for us as we had an event planned for the evening. Since it was a bar mitzvah he made a joke about how there were circumcisions done inside the synagogue.
   It was the first bar mitzvah I had attended, and the first time at a synagogue. The things in English I understood no problem, but not all of it was in English. Reading from Psalms was familiar, as I had done this at church. I knew some books in the Torah are also in the Bible. I learned something about the guest of honor while there, how he had become certified as a swimming lifeguard, which is impressive. Also notable to me was something on a bulletin board, since Fonzie was on it. I don't know all of the Hebrew or Yiddish terms used, but it looked like an advertisement for a youth group. After thinking about it for a while, it kind of made sense to use Fonzie for it since Henry Winkler, who played him, is Jewish. I knew this before hearing Adam Sandler's Hanukkah song as my dad often told me about Winkler's background.

Jack Welch

I got mail from a school I hadn't heard of, Strayer University. As I write I am looking at the one flyer I haven't shredded yet, it speaks of the Jack Welch management institute there. I recognize the name, he was CEO of General Electric, now the CEO is Jeff Immelt. I saw mention in the mailing about Herndon, VA, and the business reply envelope would have went to Rockville, MD. I know the latter is the Washington, DC, area. The Wikipedia page spoke of it being a 'for-profit college' with many satellite campuses and founded in Baltimore, MD, apparently. It is now based in Herndon. But I don't see myself going back to school right now, hard to afford it. Thankful my student loans were paid off years ago.
   Next thing I have here is a bronze medal. The closing ceremony for my employer's Olympic games was in the afternoon, shortly after the final event. This was billed as an equestrian event, but it meant riding a 'bouncy ball' which can be hard on the knees. A few competitors decided not to do the entire course and just started running to the finish line midway through. Some made a big deal about me wearing the medal for the rest of the day. Well, why not? And it wasn't that long, just two hours until the end of the workday. Some were uanble to attend the medal ceremony, as Friday is a popular day to be out of the office. More to follow about the lunch I earned from being a medalist, hopefully not on a day when I already have something planned. There are a few of these coming up, one of them is next week.
    I wrote down a few things on an envelope, one of them was a John Wooden quote I saw on a dry-erase board at work. 'Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do'. Another is from the theater guy. He said he had been electrocuted 8 times, engulfed in flames before, and was deaf in one ear for a year and a half. He isn't all that careful. He really summed it up well. I still think he should write a book about his adventures. I'm thinking some of these may have happened at the Tough Mudder event he did earlier this year.
   The final one was on the bus. There was an old man wearing an Olympic hat and a suit coat, plastic framed glasses, a mustache, and he kept grunting. I felt like asking if he was all right, as he didn't sound like it. But he got off the bus before my stop just fine.

Safe-Edge Can Piercer

I did another bridge walk at lunchtime, and on the same bridge. There are two downtown that I can choose from. I thought it was odd to see the same 'church key' there on a ledge. So I decided to pick it up as it intrigues me. It says it is a 'Safe-edge can piercer'. My dad had these things when I was a kid, apparently this was the time when beer cans were opened this way. I am used to seeing pull tabs, not just beer cans but also soup cans as well. Since I once had a big cut on a finger before due to handling a soup can I do prefer safer cans or trying to be more careful and learn something from this lesson. What I do now is stick a rag in the can when washing it so there's a buffer zone. I am big on risk management since I once worked in life insurance so this is one way of practicing it.
    Not sure what I will do with this tool just yet. Sometimes I write about something or take a picture of it and then toss it in the trash. But if I find out I don't have one of these things just yet then I should keep it for the long term. I have put it away in a drawer where the silverware is, along with other kitchen tools I have. i know some of those tools I don't use much, but I like having them anyway. And of course this item is in good condition and I didn't pay for it.
   While taking a walk in a park this evening I saw a young man relieving himself but trying hard to hide it. I felt like telling him I could see him. If he wanted to hide it better, I would have suggested doing so next to a tree. Also saw a man who was wearing jeans where the belt wasn't holding everything up in the back, as a belt loop was broken or missing. But I didn't say anything to him either.
   Before doing the bridge walk, I decided to stop at the bank and ask them to put me on their 'do not solicit' list. I liked how it didn't take long to do, just a few minutes. Part of the time was just waiitng until somebody was available to help me out. The night before I was riding the bus home from work and was checking my messages on my cellphone, but left it on for a few more minutes. Sometimes I shut it off right after checking messages. They were trying to sell me AD&D insurance, and once they were done with their pitch I said I knew from working in life insurance how they love to sell those kinds of policies as they hardly ever pay out. I knew well enough to be diplomatic with who was helping me, and I like knowing how it means the mailings as well as the calls will end. I said I would run the mailings through the shredder. If it means the mail volume drops more, then it's fine with me. There are some days where no mail arrives at all, and Monday tends to be the highest volume as there is no mail delivery on Sunday. One thing that contributes to this trend is reducing the number of magazine subscriptions. The Sporting News canceled it for me, now online-only according to the Wikipedia page. Then I did an evaluation of my magazines about writing, there were four. I kept the one that publishes more, once a month, and let the others expire. I just didn't read them enough. Other magazines I get due to memberships I have like with non-profit organizations.
   I got another Canadian penny as change tonight at the convenience store. It prompted me to look at the others I have. This one was an anniversary edition, 1967, as this was the centennial. I have another one from an anniversary year, 1992. There are 12 in all. One was attached to some masking tape, and said it was found on 4/28/84, at Charlie Brown's Barber Shop. I was young then, and at that age I hadn't seen many, especially in small-town Iowa, a state that doesn't border Canada.

Ultra Brite Toothpaste Box

While waiting for the bus home after work today, I saw an Ultra Brite toothpaste box. Don't know how it got there, but I threw it in the trash as I try to 'please put litter in its place' like I've seen suggested before. I see litter all of the time but usually not a toothpaste box. I hadn't heard of this kind of toothpaste at all. The box said it's made by Colgate Palmolive, and like many others I would know their flagship brand better. The Wikipedia article had very little in it, so it more than likely is not a big seller and may be just a specialty or premium brand.
   At the comedy club tonight a fellow comic, the MC, said 'get home safe'. I said 'and you as well'. Hadn't heard it worded this way in particular too often before. Saw a comic who was visiting from Washington State who had been a regular in the Twin City scene, she was the show closer. After I got my drink, shortly after arrival, I saw one comic I had hoped to see in person. We discussed a project for later this month we're doing together. I recognized the bartender, I had seen him at another club (but not as a bartender). Later on, he took the stage. I had heard some of his jokes before, but not too often.
    The theater guy shared a story about somebody he knows from the Czech Republic, who didn't speak American slang well. Something about 'Running like chicken with no head'. Of course he meant 'Chicken with head cut off'. He also supervised the Olympic event in the afternoon, it was shooting with a Nerf gun. It was a six-shooter that shot soft darts, and I got one dart on the target. Others had problems with it jamming, after my turn.

Murderous Care Bear With Spork

Another good anecdote from the theater guy. He was riled about the newspaper headline which referred to the Sikh temple shooting near Milwaukee, which said the shooter was motivated by hate. He then said how no one is motivated by love to shoot in a place of worship. His next line was even more memorable: it's not like a 'murderous carebear with a spork' is going to show up. Same guy suggested I sign up for discounted tickets for the upcoming Renaissance Festival, and I confirmed who the contact is. Need to find out when to fit it in the already busy schedule. May have to consider Labor Day, which is when I went last year.
   Tonight was the National Night Out, and in my neighborhood they had some food and drink. I had two hot dogs as well as some little bags of chips, and some cookies. Two of the M and M cookies were stuck together, had to separate them as I wanted just one of those kind. The drink was red punch. I registered for a drawing for Walmart gift cards as well as some grocery stores. There was a survey about the 'food shelf' but I said I don't use it, though I likely have contributed to the cause through my employer. Except I didn't say the familiar 'I gave at the office'. When I said this, the response was 'awesome', a word I hear a little too often. But yes, I am pleased how I don't need to use this service. Those who know me best know I am a prideful person, and I try to be self-sufficient with my needs.
  For the kids there was a tour of a fire truck, I noticed there were many gauges on it. I was told they were pressure gauges. I stayed outside the fire truck since the tour seemed to be just for kids, many of them wanted to climb all over and inside it.
   At the comedy club tonight the neck tattoo guy was the MC, we did a fist bump on my way in. He does a joke about living in North Minneapolis, asking for a 'show of guns', I like that joke. On my car radio there was a song by the band Offspring.  The lyrics include 'She committed suicide, shattered dreams'. The song is called 'The Kids Aren't Alright', just listened to it on Youtube. I've liked many of the songs by this band, like 'Come Out and Play' (Keep Them Separated) and 'Self-Esteem'. I like 'Alright' as it's fast and loud and sometimes I'm in the mood for that kind of music. Sad songs can make me happier when I know others have experienced pain and have struggled in life. Some songs capture the struggle of life better than others. There was something on the Wikipedia page about the song 'Kids Are Alright' by the Who, I know this band as the one who did the song about 'my generation', where they go on to say they hope to die before getting old.

Not The Hotwire Website

The theater guy told me a story earlier today about hotwiring a car. It was prompted by my story of having to deal with a locked steering wheel one time on a rental car. He said I must not have had any experience with larceny. He also told me a story of playing with somebody's mind at a sci-fi convention. At first I thought he said 'double' but he meant 'devil'. The woman at the hotel complained of the 'devil worshippers' at this convention. He then said nobody worshipped him, and she ran away. It made me laugh that she ran away. Check and mate is what some would say.
   I did go onstage at the comedy club tonight, I was number 7 in the lineup. I did some jokes about being in Great Britain, like how I didn't see any soccer hooligans. Then there was the one about the comments made by a customs agent at the airport when I returned to the USA after a week. It went real well, I got a few comments like 'good work' as I was walking back to my seat. I said 'thank you' and it makes me feel good that I can do this real well. But it helps that I've been at it for a little while and have a better idea of what works. One comic was booted, went over their time, a recent transplant from Louisiana. One comic was listed twice on the lineup, but another comic was given the second slot instead of skipping the slot. No surprise there as this is customary when it happens, which is rare.
   On the drive home there was a song on my car radio that brought back memories, it was 'Hey Jealousy' by the Gin Blossoms. It was a hit when I was in my first year of college. I at first hated it as I thought too much of my own jealousy. But I was in a nowhere relationship at the time. Later on I liked it more because I had quit the jealousy, which was helped by the big step of finding the courage to end the relationship.

3M Golf Tournament in Blaine

I went to the 3M golf tournament in Blaine, which is in the northern suburbs, with my date for much of today. First time at a golf tournament for both of us. We followed one 3-man group of golfers on the first 9 holes, which included Craig Stadler. Liked his golf club covers, walruses as that's his nickname. Then we had lunch and followed some other golfers for some of the back nine. This included Bernhard Langer and Tom Kite, both previous winners of this tournament. The news, after the Olympic games tonight, said Langer went on to win the tournament. Somebody yelled something after one tee shot by Langer, didn't know what but it may have been in German as Langer is German, from Munich. I of course knew Tom Kite from being a guest star on 'The Simpsons'. My date bought a hat and had 11 golfers sign it, as they signed autographs after the 18th hole. We did plenty of walking today from one hole to the next, which was fine with me. I really haven't been doing enough exercise lately, and walking is a simple form or exercise.
  There were many things that reminded me of being in Blaine before, some of course were likely purely coincidential. I haven't been to this suburb much, and the one other time was for the Twins fanfest. It meant getting parked and then taking a shuttle as well. But this one was a different venue, so it meant parking at the regional airport. The buses looked just like school buses but had 'school' covered up as they didn't have school bus privileges like having to stop and yield for them. It didn't take all that long to get there, it goes quickly as much of the drive is on 35W. Merging onto it reminded me of a Geggy Tah video 'Whoever You Are', from the 1990s. There was some footage from the 1970s in the video. But also familiar was all of the concrete from the roads and overpasses in it, some extensive road projects.
   When I got back in the evening I knew I needed to do laundry. After doing so I noticed one shirt had some small holes in it, so I ripped it up and threw it in the trash. It was one I got for the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life event in 2003, when I was living in suburban Chicago. Also notable was looking something up after watching the Olympic games. I noticed during a medal ceremony how the British national anthem, 'God Save the Queen', had the same tune as an American patriotic song, 'My Country Tis of Thee'.

MacGillivray Bagpipe Band

I went to Canadian Days in Little Canada this morning, as I like more than just the pancake breakfast which is free with the festival button. I also like the MacGillivray bagpipe band. I was listening to them warm up in the parking lot near the park as I arrived. I wanted to listen to them some more but decided it was best to get in line right away for the pancakes, as the line can get long. There was plenty to go with the pancakes, I said three was fine. Also got plenty of butter and syrup as well as two sausages and maybe a dozen blueberries. After I was done eating I found a seat where I'd have a good view of where the band would be marching near the stage. On my right was a woman who said her dad encouraged people to sign up for service in the Second World War. Then he said we weren't driving over the Fort Snelling to sign up, we're marching so we can get used to marching in war. He was in the Battle of the Bulge and ended up with shrapnel from it. Then she shared a sad story, something about how her dad informed her how her mom had died. She had six kids and was living in California. Then her sister couldn't live with the news and committed suicide. So she moved back to Minnesota to take care of her dad.
   What was kind of funny was after the bagpipe band was done playing, she asked the man next to me if I was his son. I said 'my dad is a hobby farmer in southern Iowa'. I did get some pictures while there, like of the big drum that said 'Touch not this cat'. A man on my left side said the two women with green kilts instead of red were from a different band, Winnipeg instead of Thunder Bay. I noticed they had a big plume on their hats as well, so it wasn't just the kilts that were different. Eventually the dancing girl did take the stage, and he said she had hurt her knee previously but she still seemed to be dancing quite well in spite of any injuries. It started to rain as the band was doing their last song and marching out, but just light rain. It looks like there was some storm damage overnight. Culver's had a food stand at the park but it was damaged, and somebody showed up in a golf cart and started to dismantle the tent, using a small chainsaw to cut the metal poles into pieces. I was not alone in thinking that they could have waited until the bagpipe band was done as it was distracting. Though the music did seem to drown them out much of the time.
   I like finding music on Youtube, and had to find some bagpipe songs after seeing them in person at the festival. I recognized one of them as a song the band often plays- 'Scotland the Brave'. And yes, I knew another was 'Amazing Grace'. But before listening to those, I found one by Eminem called 'Bagpipes in Baghdad'. As expected, bagpipes are just a backdrop for the rest of the song, but the sampling is well done. Also looked up one song heard on my car radio on the way to the festival. I knew it sounded like Alanis Morissette, and it was. The lyrics that stood out was 'I'll be your keeper for life, your guardian'. The song is called 'Guardian'. I have a few of her CDs, one of them is 'Jagged Little Pill'.
    In the afternoon I went with my date to the State Capitol and saw the dedication of the Hubert Humphrey statue on the grounds. There was already a bust inside the Capitol, and a statue outside the Minneapolis City Hall as he was mayor of Minneapolis. There were many VIPs there, such as Governor Mark Dayton and both Senators, as well as ex-VP Walter Mondale and ex-President Clinton. Senator Amy Klobuchar was speaking when Clinton arrived, so she had to wait until the applause ended for him. Thankful I made it to this event, as this kind of event doesn't happen often. I learned some things while there, like how his body lied in state at the Capitol after he died of cancer in early 1978. There was also a playing of his line at the Democratic Convention in 1948 where he said the party should be for human rights instead of state's rights. I decided to pick up multiple copies of the program as I figured my dad would like his own copy of it. In the evening I watched some of the Olympic Games with my date, some of it was track and field.

Kemps 1% Lowfat Milk

I had been working on the little milk cartons in the breakroom this week. It meant having way more milk than typical as I like drinking it better than water at lunchtime. Also didn't want to see it go to waste.
  Just needed to take a short break to shut some windows as it looks like a storm is rolling in. Let's see, I even had some of the milk despite eating out today. When I left the office in the early evening there was six cartons left. I am sure there were others who liked having it available. I have one of the cartons next to me as I write these words. It reminds me of those I saw in school, as they are small at 8 ounces. Seeing 'homogenized' on it reminds me of being in school, as I recall one classmate asking the principal what 'homo' meant on the carton. It was shortening the term of course, and he didn't want it if it was referring to 'homosexual'. Kids can be cruel and narrow-minded. I think he once accused some of being 'homo' which was meant to be derogatory.
  I like seeing the carton, as there is plenty of color on it. Mainly white, with black lettering, but also some yellow sections especially where it says 'Kemps 1% lowfat milk'. On one side is a cow, and the picture seems to say it's ready to speak. Kind of like the commercials they once had where their ad campaign was 'It's the cows' as to their secret. One time they did a joke about ice cream, saying New York Vanilla came from a cow with graffiti all over it. Besides the milk, also notable at work was taking bronze with my partner on office chair races so I guess I am getting a free lunch at some point. They called it 'rowing'. The theater guy was an event coordinator and told me a story about a friend who was a military pilot. He avoided an international incident with a Russian flyer by saying 'hey little girl, do you want some candy?' in Russian.
   I went to Canadian Days tonight in Little Canada, a town I once lived in. I got there near the end of the corn feed. I chose an ear that had some burnt kernels on it but I still ate it. Then I got a chili dog later on. I had planned to stay an hour and leave but stayed an hour longer as eventually I was standing next to a man who wanted to talk music while the band was onstage, and of course I was fine with this. At first we spoke of drummers, as I identify with drummers as I often was the 'forgotten guy in the back'. A notable thing was getting out all of my buttons from previous years, 8 in all dating back to 2004, my first year in the Twin Cities. It can be fun to bring those out and do comparisons from one near to the next, as well as when they were held as usually it's the first weekend in August but sometimes the last weekend in July. I recognized many of the songs played, like one was the Beatles song 'Saw her standing there' as it was in a favorite movie of mine, 'Rain Man'. They did the Everly Brothers more than once, one of them was 'Wake Up Little Suzie'. I heard 'Rock around the clock' by Bill Haley and the Comets as well. I do plan on making a return visit this weekend, and this time I will hopefully remember to take my button with me so I don't have to buy another one. This is what I had to do last year. Maybe just pin it to my denim jacket like the others, which has 4 on one side and 4 on the other along with the little 'Keep calm and carry on' button I got in Great Britain. When I was walking back to my car I saw a kid wearing a shirt with this message on it. I liked being able to shake hands with the band's frontman when he came around to mingle with the crowd before the intermission.
   Other notable things was reading about Olympic athlete Michael Phelps getting a call from the President as he is now the record holder for most Olympic medals. This doesn't happen much, i did see the footage when the President called Pete Rose when he broke Stan Musial's National League record for base hits in 1981. Presidents are also known for inviting World Series and Super Bowl winners to the White House. Tonight, 'Nightline' on ABC did cover a British story about phone boxes, getting attention due to hosting the Olympic Games.
   The breaking news tonight was a fatality at the Mall of America, when a U-Haul truck hit a support beam in the parking ramp. I think it's safe to say that some comedian will do a joke about it, since jokes have already been done about the 35W bridge collapse and the Metrodome roof collapse.

Banjo and Harmonica

I was a performer at a show in Minneapolis tonight, and one performer after me played a banjo and harmonica. I like these 'lab shows', doing some entirely new material. I did a set about the differences between the 2 Twin Cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis. It seemed to go well despite minimal rehearsal. There was also a big 'pat on the back' session onstage at the end of the show. I had hoped to get a small Godfather's pizza at Bobby and Steve's but there was just the hot ones, which cost more. I still got a can of watermelon juice and a Nature Valley bar.
   I had a colleague tell me they were willing to pick up the silent auction item that I had the winning bid, some baseball game tickets for next month. She said she would be going to the event in Eden Prairie, while I did not. It was nice that they were willing to offer. I have been there before, but it can be a long drive and it would likely mean having to make up more time- something I already did this week due to leaving early yesterday. Still trying to get a full bridge walk in at midday, but I did a partial one today. Liked seeing the artwork built into a city/county building, as I recall it depicted what made the city great- things like law and order, education, abundance, transportation, and commerce. Likely another thing I need to get pictures of, already did this at a park nearby where there's a repeating pattern including the man known as 'Pig's Eye'. This was the city's original name before becoming St. Paul.
   Yahoo News tells me that Gore Vidal has died, I think of how he was known for writing history books like 'Lincoln' which became a TV-movie. Mary Tyler Moore played Mary Todd, Lincoln's wife, in it. I'm not sure if he was a member of the American Historical Association, as I am a member. It would make sense if he was, but it's hard to say if he would want to attend the annual meetings I've been to as he would probably get mobbed.

Linus Blanket at Saints Game

Went to the St. Paul Saints game tonight as there was a giveaway I wanted, a Linus security blanket. Saints lost to Fargo-Moorhead 14-2, 7 of the game's runs were scored in the 9th. The Saints finally broke up the shutout in the final inning. It's a nice light-blue fleece blanket with the Saints logo on it. When there's a month left in their season I am still wanting to attend another game, this was the fourth of the season. Actually the fifth if you count a rainout, and we've already used the rain check. Labor Day weekend, when they are wrapping up the season, is likely as my schedule has plenty of full weekends for a while and I prefer to avoid going on a weeknight if I can.
   I left work an hour early to increase the odds of getting the giveaway. I bid on a silent auction item, some baseball tickets to a Twins game next month, looks like I had the winning bid. I increased the odds for this by submitting my only bid in the final 5 minutes. I know this is known as 'sniping' but many others have done this before. I have been sniped, but thankfully this silent auction was more fair. If one is going to outbid, it has to be by a margin of $5 or $10 and not a nickel. I still need confirmation that I am the winner and more information like how to pay and who, but that should be arriving shortly.
   It was a fairly busy day at work, at least the first half, since many special requests were being sent my way. Nearly 20 were waiting on arrival, and 10 more after finishing those. I was fine with it as it makes the day go more quickly. In the afternoon I was part of an Olympic event at my office where I made a fool out of myself. It was where one puts a rubber ball between the legs and hops the course, had to wait until I was paired with somebody. I lucked out on being paired with an AA that also likes Saints baseball games, found out by accident as I spotted her at a game before. I said I would be attending tonight, she will be there Thursday at the 20th season celebration. She went first on the relay race, had to tie up her skirt before doing the event so it wouldn't hinder the competition as much.