Hockey Hall of Fame, Eveleth

Went to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in Eveleth. I got plenty of pictures there, including of the profiles of some inductees. We knew about cartoonist Charles Schulz being inducted, found out Little Caesar's pizza boss Mike Illitch is honored there as well. On the upper level, there was a video running of the 'Miracle on Ice' hockey game from Lake Placid in 1980. I watched the goal that tied the game at 3-3. I liked getting to shoot a puck at a net, and at another target, in separate areas. Though my speed at shooting a puck isn't that great. I bought two souvenirs, a postcard and a little blue hockey stick. I think I will move the stick to the office, as some souvenirs are kept there. It has plenty of Minnesota artifacts there, honoring coach Herb Brooks greatly. Then there were sections about the NHL's Wild, and high school hockey in the state. I noticed the really nice framed metal sports team logos of the previous pro hockey teams, the Fighting Saints and North Stars. It reminded me of a bar at a comedy club in Bloomington, which had it for pro football teams since it is near the site of the former Met Stadium.
   We also liked finding the gas station designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, in Cloquet. I thought it was odd to see his name and picture on a sign. So on the way back from the Hall of Fame, we did look around there. I went upstairs to the lounge, and since I needed to use a bathroom (and it was unlocked) I did use the one onsite. Really impressed with how it looked, but it appears to be just a car repair shop now. Pleased to find out it's historic enough to be listed on the National Register, the plate is near the stairway.
   We ran into a traffic jam on the interstate on the way back to the Twin Cities, and decided to reroute. I had to make a quick decision to turn around when the chance presented itself. The turnaround place wasn't paved so I knew well enough to gun the engine to minimize the chance of getting stuck in the small amount of mud that I saw.
   It was a big weekend for postcards, as I bought four more today for a grand total of 18 for the weekend. Besides one at the Hall, I got two at a convenience store- of the Iron Range. The fourth was from an ethnic souvenir shop, in Cloquet, which has items from Sweden and other Scandivanian nations.  

Split Rock Lighthouse

I went to the Split Rock Lighthouse on Lake Superior today. Impressed with seeing how it's so well preserved, and remembered in various ways like as part of a postage stamp series. It is just a museum now, and it was helpful to hear about the history like how advancements in technology made it largely obsolete. I got plenty of pictures there, and noticed there were a decent number of visitors from foreign countries, judging by the guestbook. Somebody from the Netherlands signed it.
  After driving back from the lighthouse, we made it into Duluth and saw Wade Stadium, built by the WPA. But it meant staying outside as the baseball season is over, since it was all locked up. Noticed how some magnet schedules were on the entrance doors. On the way there we stopped at a cabin in Two Harbors that is now a Chamber of Commerce office, built by the CCC. There was a big sign that one could see from the road, describing what the CCC did in the Depression.
   In the evening, we went to the harbor. It was nice to see a drawbridge in action, had to wait for it to get across to see a former U.S. Steel ship that is now a museum- the William A. Irvin. We ate at Grandma's restaurant, well known as the sponsor for the city's marathon. I acquired two smashed pennies from these travels today, at this restaurant as well as at the lighthouse. This is in addition to plenty of postcards, eight at the lighthouse and four at the restaurant. Liked seeing a retired railroad car used as a food stand near the restaurant- for popcorn and ice cream. I got two more postcards at the casino hotel we stayed at, one was of route 66 and the other of Alfred Hitchcock.
   One of the pictures was of a bumper sticker on the back glass of an SUV, saying 'Kids that hunt and fish don't have time to steal and deal'. I agreed with the sentiments.
   

Roosevelt Homecoming Game

I left work early to go over to Minneapolis for the Roosevelt homecoming football game. I decided to go this year as they have a varsity team again and it's a good idea to see a game if my student in the mentoring program happens to be one of the players. I had to think about the continuity on some levels to the homecomings I had attended as a youngster in Newton. I passed by a Cardinal restaurant and bar, and that is the name of Newton's athletic teams. After getting my game ticket I saw some people wearing homecoming buttons and I asked about where they were available. It meant going outside where the student council was selling them. I bought one for a dollar, the student was wearing two at the time. Then I went back in to see the game. The button is nice to have as it was cheaper than one of the shirts. At halftime I got the 'meal deal', which was chips, a hot dog and a soda pop for four dollars. It was A and W and doritos. Then I saw there was string cheese, so I got one of those as well.
   I was near some of the 'old grads' back for a reunion, class of 1972. One of them spoke of living in the Washington, DC, area, across the river in Arlington, VA. He said he had entered the Foreign Service after the Iran hostage crisis, which began in 1979. When one of their own showed up they said 'strike a pose!' and said he looked like a Sears underwear model. But there weren't too many good stories after that from them, just some stale jokes about the refs being the NFL replacement refs. I didn't sit next to them in the second half, they talked a little too much and I wanted to stay focused on the game.
   Roosevelt had their chances in this one, but lost to Minneapolis North 36-20. No extra points were attempted, I guess neither team had a good kicker to send out there. And there were plenty of penalties, Roosevelt got two of them for unsportsmanlike conduct. One was right after a long run for their first touchdown and the other was in the second half after some other penalties moved them way back, like third down and nearly 30 to go. Not much scoring in the second half, as North led 28-20 at the half. Also at halftime a photographer commented about how I found a plate stating who the stadium was named for, I like knowing who it is. It happened to be Al Gowans, a teacher, and was dedicated in the 1960s. He said he had to leave, guess he wasn't hired for the entire game.

Midway Stadium Postcard

I found another postcard of interest on E-bay tonight so I bought it. Since I like attending St. Paul Saints games I had wondered if there were any postcards of their home, Midway Stadium. I found one, albeit of a mural outside the stadium, and not of the actual playing field. Not sure when the card will arrive when it is coming from Canada.
   After watching 'Big Bang Theory' tonight, I went to Walmart again to get another photo album. I got a Kitkat candy bar as well, unsure why as I had to remind myself I already had oatmeal creme pies at home. I was thinking of needing a snack for lunch tomorrow.
   This is another hundred cards now in an album, most of the smaller ones anyway. The larger ones still need one, along with those from Great Britain and Iceland. I did shred a few, but they were usually duplicates and thankfully there aren't too many of those. This album went from Florida to Virginia, and covered South Dakota as well. It covered many of those not from anywhere in particular like the 'Star Wars' cards, six in all. These were from the exhibit at the Science Museum. Or even one of Route 66, which I got from a nonprofit. I found two more of recipes for pie, pecan and peach, from the south of course. Earlier, there was a recipe card for Boston baked beans. This was the sixth album, so it means I have around six hundred cards. It might surprise some that I have this many, but they're everywhere and I like reminders of where I've traveled to.
    At work there was pasta for lunch, not much left by the time I went in. I didn't want to wait in line shortly after it was served, I am more of a 'second wave' type.

2 Lip Rings and 2 Kids

On the bus tonight after work I saw a woman with 2 lip rings and 2 kids. Hadn't seen this type of  combination before.
   I decided to move 2 more Charlie Brown and Snoopy items into the lunchbox I bought from E-bay, as it has become the depository for these items. One was a mint tin which had been used for storing Canadian coins, but when I have zippable plastic bags I could easily find another place for coins. The other items moved were hard plastic keychains attached to plastic halloween candy dishes. Found those at a store in Winnipeg in 2004 while in town for the Van Halen concert.
   My colleague that does copies wasn't in today, but thankfully another colleague was covering for her for most of the day so I had to do very little of the making of copies.
   There was a Security Awareness training session at work, but for much of the 30-plus minutes I was bored, as we didn't hear much in terms of new information on computer security.
    When I was reading online articles I was surprised to find one earlier this week, about Newton mayor Chaz Allen stepping down as mayor to take another job. One thing mentioned in his bio was how he had a bit part in an independent movie called 'Underground' which was filmed in Newton. I saw the trailer on Youtube, it is a horror movie and I usually don't see those except for 'Scream'. I hadn't heard of it before, it was filmed back in 2009.  Another article said one of the filmmakers went to jail for fraud related to getting tax credits from the state government. It was said that a rave, with plenty of extras, was filmed in a former Maytag washing machine plant in the town.
   I got some pizza after work and was surprised to see a fellow comedian there, the Philadelphian. Also notable was the two songs I heard while waiting, one was 'It's My Life' by No Doubt, though I didn't want to have to explain why I was pointing when I got to the 'It's my life' part. The other was Lady Gaga's 'Just Dance', but not the version I like, which is with Kardinal Offishal.

Inventor Jokes

At the comedy club tonight, I liked hearing the show closer do jokes about history. He is from the Twin City area originally and is back from Los Angeles to do some shows. One of them was about inventors just being lazy. Others were about wars, and naming places 'New something'. I said I don't hear history being considered funny all too often aside from 'Night at the Museum' or 'Bill and Ted' so it's refreshing to me. The show runner told me of somebody being escorted out due to mental illness, said they have been banned from multiple clubs. Though I was not immediately aware of this since there was no disruption during the show. But I know he is going to be 'in the know' more than most others will be.
    I was doing some comparison on postcards online, looks like E-bay does rank fairly well in terms of those available. It's just not the only one out there. I am also finding places like Card Cow, U.S. postcards, and Delcampe. Unsure how they compare in terms of price, though Card Cow seemed to be high. So it looks like I am looking in the right place by primarily looking at E-bay. I haven't ordered anywhere else yet, but may do so for those I can't find there that still interest me. It's best to pace myself on how many I order at a time, like two a week. Then it's easier to pay off the Bill Me Later account in full each month. I am familiar with how it can ebb and flow as to how often I order from this site. With postcards I had to look at purchase history, which does go back to 2010 even if the pictures of the items bought aren't there after a while, like 60 days. I wanted to pay off the bobbleheads before ordering much else, since those items cost more than some things I've bought. It helps that I was given a 6 months, no interest deal.  

Font of Random

The theater guy spoke of fonts, and I had to look it up to see if he meant something besides just the kind of typewritten letters used. 'Font of random' is still something I haven't heard of much before, and there didn't seem to be a clear definition when I searched for one online. But he is a member of Mensa so he will say things at times that can be described as obscure and offbeat. I still like how he challenges me intellectually. I guess I didn't think of looking it up in the Urban Dictionary, as there are some obscure definitions of words and terms there. It was where I found out somebody had already used the term 'Economic Darwinism' besides myself. I work with somebody, in another department, who said they were disturbed by what they found on this site. Well they are an older person and would be unwilling to accept change and new things. But I understand how life can be vulgar, so it doesn't bother me much. I prefer knowing over not knowing, and try to understand as much as possible without being judgmental.
   At the comedy club tonight I decided to finish my beer before going into the show, it had just started by then and usually I am in before the show begins. The first comic went over his time, somebody I had spoken with outside after getting signed up. He wore an Ireland shirt and said he was waiting for a friend to bring him his coat and cigarettes. Not sure if he ever got both things. I will give pointers to comics if they ask for them, but he didn't ask for any like where the time light is.
The show closer did a good joke about Plan B birth control pills, and I was pleased that she asked me to watch her bag while she was onstage. I like being entrusted with these responsibilities, even if I don't express it verbally.
 

Sleepwalk With Me Movie

I went to see the movie 'Sleepwalk With Me' at the Lagoon in Minneapolis earlier today. It was relatable since I do comedy, and appeared to be quite realistic in terms of covering what the business end of comedy looks like. Even though it was funny at times, it was also disturbing and sad when covering some of the incidents when he sleepwalks. But it made sense how he finally paid attention to what works and what doesn't in comedy, by doing jokes about relationships. This is something I understood after a while as well. Liked seeing Marc Maron having a cameo in it, somebody that a friend has opened for. There were a few big-name actors in it like Carol Kane.
   After the movie I decided to go to the Popeye's Chicken nearby as it's the only one I know of in the Twin Cities. I liked going there as usual. Also notable was what I did when leaving the bathroom at the theater. It had the sign: 'This establishment cares about your health, use your foot'. This time I did, the same sign is at work but I don't use it there and don't know why. But I like knowing it's available, being able to open a door with the foot.
    I did get two more photo albums at Walmart, and filled both tonight. It does greatly cut down on what is left in a plastic shopping bag. Since the pile got smaller I decided to find the larger ones right away and get them in another bag. In addition, it had been bothering me for a while as to where some were of the University of Iowa, where I went to college. I knew I had some that were part of my decor in my dorm rooms. Well I went through my other photo albums tonight and found them! There was nine in all, and as expected they were used to fill up space in an album. Same was true of the two from an earlier album, which I moved into an album with only postcards in it once found. It was a break in between moving from suburban Chicago to the Twin Cities in 2004. And I know why: I had just been to Iowa City to see a basketball game just a few weeks before then. Besides one of the Old Capitol, there was one of the basketball venue, Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Also one sent to me by a student, that said enjoy your senior year of high school. It is memorable how I received plenty of calls after applying, sometimes while I was out at a study group at another house.
   After getting these nine in the album with other Iowa postcards, I decided to take out a few that weren't anyplace in particular. This is to allow for my plans of adding some more, like ones I find on E-bay. When I want to avoid duplicate cards I may not buy any on my next visit. I like how I didn't need to shred many in order to finish one album, shredding just two. It was one which went geographically, from Ohio to Washington, DC. The other one I filled today went from Missouri to Michigan.
  

Pink's CD Arrived

I had to pick up 4 parcels at the post office this morning, one of them was Pink's CD which was released this week. I have heard 'Blow Me One Last Kiss' on the radio for a while but I am likely not familiar with the others. Now I will need to find the time soon to listen to it. The other three were items I had ordered from E-bay. Two of them were postcards of my hometown of Newton, Iowa and the third was sheet music for a song called 'Covered Wagon Days'. It was inspired by the book and movie 'Covered Wagon', and Emerson Hough was the book writer so he is mentioned on the cover page of the sheet music. Now that I have the music it means trying to find somebody who can play the piano so I can hear what this song sounds like. It may mean going on Facebook and asking if any of my friends do, or know somebody who does. Another option is contacting a school I do mentoring programs at as they would have music teachers, who likely know how to play.
   I had to wait to get inside the post office as I arrived about 15 minutes before they opened, so I decided to take a walk around the neighborhood. It meant going across an interstate, and I like doing this kind of walk as I am above all of the craziness when I am on the footbridge. As expected by anyone who knows me, I decided to pick up some trash as well. I arrived a few minutes after they had opened, but the line moved quick. It was helped my some employees being there to help just with picking up mail, like I was doing.
   In the afternoon I went to downtown St. Paul with my date and went to an event at Mears Park, where a party was being held to celebrate the approval of funding for a new Saints baseball stadium in Lowertown. The governor, Mark Dayton, and mayor, Chris Coleman, both spoke. Mike Veeck was unable to attend, a scheduling conflict, so a stand-in from the Saints front office was there. I got some pictures of the speakers, including the governor wearing a baseball jersey. They were giving away bags of popcorn, much like the ones sold at the games. Some of the 'ushertainers' were there as well, like Gert the Flirt. Thankful I saw this event.

Hick Movie

After dinner tonight, I went to get a Dairy Queen Blizzard as I like ice cream. Then I went over to a McDonald's and rented a Redbox movie, 'Hick'. I had wanted to see it for a while, but waited until I was able to see it right away after getting it. There was just one big-name actor in it, Alec Baldwin, and he was at the end of it. But I liked the story, a road movie about a girl who runs away from her home in Nebraska in hopes of making it to Las Vegas. Saw plenty along the way, like helping with robbing a convenience store, and drug use as well. She does all of these really nice crayon drawings of what she's seen and where she's been, and it ends well- on the road, on a bus. I liked the music in it, recognized some songs better than others. There was multiple songs by Patsy Cline in it, and a few by Bob Dylan as well. I paid attention to the closing credits, I think the song was called 'Farewell'. I had seen Bob Dylan in concert with Willie Nelson at the Saints baseball stadium in 2005, but I knew Willie's music better. Let's see, there was even a cover of a Tommy James song in it, 'Crimson and Clover', according to the credits it was by Joan Jett. My dad would often wake me up with Tommy James music on the weekends when I would be visiting him, back  when I was in high school.
   I knew it would be a good story to tell when I was waiting for the bus after work tonight and was given a business card. It was from somebody that wanted me to read his blog, just had the blog address on it and 'read, thanks'. Under his 'about me' section, it sure was entertaining to read. It said 'if you want to meet me for a date or lunch and are a woman please contact me'. His home address in St. Paul is listed on the blog, a bad idea. Also part of his bio was mention of 'still recovering from being mugged'. And how he writes about many things that are important to 'me and the world'. When I was looking for it in a search engine, it said it was 'a blog about political ideas, science and general intellectual thought'. Don't know for sure what made it intellectual, especially when he lists favorite musicians and doesn't spell them correctly, looks like he was doing so phonetically. Or in one case, he spells a band as two words when it's meant to be one, 'Radiohead'. He doesn't write as often as I do, I know this much. It looks like he writes once or twice a week.
   Liked seeing ABC's 'Nightline' show tonight, they profiled the band Green Day. I have seen them in concert twice, once in Chicago and again after moving to the Twin Cities. Sounds like it was in reference to releasing another CD, or in their case three.  

Enough To Gag a Maggot

The theater guy spoke of sayings he heard as a kid, and one of them was 'enough to gag a maggot'. He also said he wouldn't be a good physician, as he would likely say 'too stupid to live' to patients. When somebody spoke to him he said 'I'm not mean, I'm hilarious'. When I say he can be menacing, like his laugh or smile, he said he isn't menacing. Based on what I see all of the time, and some of the stories he's told, I have reason to believe this.
   I went to the library to print things, and had to stop the printer as it was just spitting out gibberish. But it did print what I wanted after pressing the one button to stop it. I am mostly caught up now on getting things printed from my Hotmail account, one more pass through should be enough.
   One of the items I ordered from E-bay arrived, but after I was home from work. It was the 'Covered Wagon' movie card in French. It does list Emerson Hough as the book writer, and spoke of Will Rogers doing a parody later on called 'Two Wagons, Both Covered'.
   While checking the paper from my hometown I found an article about how the former football coach will be honored at the next home game, in just over a week from now. I am unable to attend, already made other plans. But I see myself setting aside the time to send a writing, as Coach taught us a lot about not just succeeding in football, but also in life.
   Tonight when I was going past the post office, I liked seeing a postal worker still in uniform walking with his young daughter. It must have been just as his shift had ended.  On ABC's 'Nightline' show there was a special feature about solitary confinement in a prison in Denver. It was a segment depicting a journalist who went there to see it first-hand. He was there for 48 hours as an inmate and ended up interviewing inmates as well as prison staff.  

The Last of the Cheese Tray

I had some of the cheese before and during lunch today, it was left over from Monday and was celebrating getting over 400 backpacks filled at work. This was a volunteering event for some local schools that I did not participate in. It went from five trays on Monday to two on Tuesday, and there were just ten chunks left earlier today when somebody decided to take it out of the refrigerator. She said  there no longer was a need to have it taking up space there, and was right.
  This is quite common with food at the workplace, just need to leave it in the breakroom for all to have access to and it won't last long. There was more than cheese, also some fruit, but it was mostly cheese available. And I like cheese quite a bit, but it was getting less desirable after a while due to exposure to the air for so long.
   At the comedy club tonight I saw the 'California Kid' for the third straight night onstage, doing a joke about his mom not being sober while pregnant with him.
   I had hoped to show up a little earlier for this show, but I stopped at a Walmart to get another photo album for my postcards. It's hard to say how many more I will need, I but I've been more serious lately about protecting them better and it means displaying them in an album. It has been harder to find photo albums so I will likely end up getting more there as I know they have what I want and like. With the postcards I know some albums work better than others, meaning one per page is best.
 

Networking After Work

There was a networking event after work, at a place near the workplace I hadn't been to before, serving Chinese food. I saw some martial arts movie playing there, possibly Bruce Lee, as it was something from the 1970s. Much of the food was provided by the company, as was the drinks. If you wanted beer or wine then it was extra. But since I wanted to get to the comedy club I decided it was best to get just the soft drinks. There was some interest in how I do comedy, hard to say if I will actually get to do a comedy gig for the company's holiday party at the end of the year. But I have learned this before how comedy is a door-opener, as many say they couldn't get up on stage in front of a crowd. I have to tell them how I couldn't for a long time myself.
   I had hoped to see Pink, the musician, on NBC's 'Today' show but had just 30 minutes to see it before catching the bus to work and it wasn't during this time. All of the news stories seemed to be about the upcoming election, or about the latest scandal involving the British royal family dealing with the papparazzi. It prompted me to look up when the debates will be, and all will be in the month of October, so it's a little ways away.
   At the comedy club tonight I saw somebody with a flashy Twins jacket after the show asking me if I worked there, had to tell them no. But I do get this question often, I think due to the outfit as I wear what I have on at the office. This would be a nice shirt with a collar and nice pants. I was trying to find the show runner at the time. The man told me he was late for the show, something I know the show runner doesn't tolerate at all. I have seen him drop somebody who doesn't show up 10 minutes before show time, and I don't blame him one bit. One has to prove that they are dependable in this business and most any other. I liked one comic doing a serial killer joke, while he was wearing the outfit he was describing in the joke.  

Beautiful Iowa Postcard

A postcard I ordered from E-bay arrived earlier today, rather quickly as I had just paid for it on Thursday after winning it in an auction for under two dollars. I am still waiting for some other things to arrive, but for some it has been barely a week. I also know well enough to allow for slightly more time for items arriving from a foreign country, in this case Canada.
  It ebbs and flows as to how often I order from this site, and as to what interests me the most. But now it is postcards as there are small and cheap. Though the older, more rare ones will go for more. It's hard to say how many more items I will be able to find related to the movie 'Covered Wagon' from 1923, but I know most of Emerson Hough's books are listed there.
   At the comedy club tonight I saw that a few were added after the lineup was printed. I left just as the show closer took the stage as I was tired. It was surprising how somebody went over their time when I know it was somebody I had seen before, possibly at the same club. Most who have been there before know where the time light is and to acknowledge it and get off the stage right away.
  A fellow comic was interested in reading the blog. He was telling me how another comic was promoting it and it was flattering how he was truly 'pimping' it. He claimed that it was better than another one, that I hadn't read yet. There was even some mention of a podcast I would like, haven't tried one of those but I have been given at least one business card promoting a podcast. In fact, it was the same card he had with him, called 'Waiting For The Pizza'.
 

3 Eggs and a Nametag

Went to the Twins baseball game today, had good seats after winning them in a silent auction at work. The Twins lost to the White Sox 9-2. It was nice visiting with a senior leader from another office, we did know a few of the same people as I do some volunteering programs. It also reminded me to get signed up for one of the two as I hadn't done that just yet. But it means waiting until I am back in the office of course.
   There was a giveaway item after the game, an energy efficient lighbulb from Xcel Energy. The objective was to take it home and see if it lit up as red, blue, or green. If it did, there was a prize that you have won. But mine did not light up with any of these colors.
  In the evening I went to do laundry and at the laundromat I saw more than just some busted glass. This would scare away some people. I also saw a plastic grocery bag I was going to toss in the trash, but noticed it had 3 eggs in it. I was unable to tell if they were hard-boiled, but not likely. I even saw a McDonald's employee nametag, I am sure somebody misses it. I try to clean up things a little while there, like pick up the dryer sheets on the floor and put them in the trash. I even decided to shut a door propped open by a chair, but left another open which was propped open by a big floor mat.
  The cashier at the grocery store claimed I looked like somebody he knew, but he couldn't guess my name despite claiming to be able to do so. Is this ESP or being a psychic? I'm not sure, but it was not effective at all.

Uptown Movie a No-Go

There was not much planned for today, which was fine with me. My weekends had been fairly busy for a while. We thought about seeing a movie, but it was at the Uptown theater in Minneapolis. It had just re-opened after an extensive renovation, and there was a line around the block to get into the movie about a comedian called 'Sleepwalk With Me'. So we decided to look at the used CDs at Cheapo instead nearby. I got a Pink CD which had a DVD with it of a music video, the CD was called 'Try This'. One of the pictures has her crammed inside of a birdcage. I also got a movie on DVD, Michael Moore's 'Roger and Me'. It has been a true journey with this movie, first seeing it on cable TV and recording it onto a blank tape. After moving to the Twin Cities I found a used copy of it on VHS at a Goodwill store. I'd like to think I will keep this version for a while. I thought about getting other things but I usually just get 2 items when at this store. Well I also got a postcard of the New Haven Railroad, it was art where the original is in a New York museum, but they have some good postcards there as well.
 I had been invited to a comedy show tonight- a Facebook invite- but I got a message from another club saying the same comic will be there soon. So I can wait. I am kind of spoiled as I often balk at having to pay to get into shows now, as there are so many shows I can get into for free.
   After going to the secondhand shop, we went to the Old Chicago place nearby and had pizza. I like the ambience there as it reminds me of a metro area I once lived in. There were plenty of college football games on the TV monitors there, no surprise at all.
   In the evening we watched an episode of 'Little House' which takes place at the county fair. There were two thieves there, and the little old lady got the better of the pickpocket in the end.

Simulated Combat Exhibit

The theater guy spoke of a simulated combat exhibit at work earlier today. He was referring to knife or sword fighting. I had seen him do some of this at the Renaissance Festival recently, sounds like he will get another chance at this at another venue. He also spoke of having plenty of bones dislocated in his body, but none of them have been broken. Something about having loose tendons has helped in this area.
   I went to another high school football game tonight, in North St. Paul. The school was playing their homecoming against Mahtomedi, but the home team lost big 47-21. It was 26-0 after one quarter. The road team had no problem passing the ball, and one TD was set up by a fumble recovery across midfield. A short field tends to help. North St. Paul got a few TDs late, aided by a speedy tailback. He was also used as a kick returner, and had less of a problem against the second unit apparently. I wanted popcorn but it was going to be a long wait at halftime, got nachos instead. Things cost just slightly more than last week, it was $6 for the game ticket. A slice of pizza, some blue Gatorade, and a cookie was just $3.50 for me, the nachos was $2.
 I got an ice cream sandwich at the Holiday station after the game, which can be seen from one corner of the stadium. Also over there is the town's famous landmark, the snowman, which I know had its own Facebook page.
   I spoke with some young people at the game who wore shirts saying they were with a political campaign for a U.S. congressman, nice how we were able to speak about most anything but politics.

The Last Of The Gift Cards

I used up the last of my gift cards this evening, it was a Target card. There was $11 left on it from my previous purchase, a memory card for my video camera. Tonight I wanted to get 2 photo frames, one was larger than the other. I figured if I had so much reverence for the Emerson Hough items I own then I should prove it by framing the letter-size card of the school. I am doing the same for a postcard of buffalo, or American bison, from Yellowstone Park. I got it from a nonprofit that wanted my money, one of many things they send. One organization keeps sending me calendars. I haven't had to buy calendars for a while since I keep getting them for free. Since Emerson Hough helped protect the buffalo at Yellowstone it seems appropriate to frame it, especially after seeing some artwork at the school. The school's artwork was by Nick Klepinger, famous Newton artist, and was of buffalo. I got a picture of the artwork and posted it on my Facebook page, as well as at the school's page.
   Two other items I bought were some gift wrapping tape- the store brand- as well as some beef jerky and cheese. I wanted something like peanuts or Nutter Butter cookies or chips, and this is what I found when wandering the food aisles. I  was trying to find a single-serving bag of nuts.
    Some may know of my ambivalence to my upbringing, and my hometown of Newton, but I'm trying to remember the positive. This is what has led to me getting some postcards from E-bay, four in all are now in my photo album next to the two I already had. Well I decided to get two more from E-bay, getting one for under two dollars. It was the same one I had spotted online at the Flickr site recently, showing five Iowa landmarks. It is a big deal how a Newton landmark is included on a statewide postcard, which has the current and former state capitols. In addition, there was the Hoover Museum, one of just two National Park Service properties in the state. I didn't quite recognize what was depicted from the Amana Colonies, a church as I recall. The one from Newton was of the Maytag Bowl, where my high school graduation was held. I think most or all of these five sites are now on the National Register of Historic Places. The other postcard is of the Maytag research and development building, and a wringer washer is seen in the background of one of the smaller photos on the postcard.

Valley Junction Landmarks

I was going through photos, including those I had taken when living in the Valley Junction section of West Des Moines for a year and a half. One of those I came across was of a rooster statue. I am still trying to eliminate the 'school binder type' albums, tonight it was two after not doing much about it for a while. So it should leave just one. Those pages just don't stay inside the album quite as well, and as many have said before, you often get what you pay for. I noticed there is a reason why those albums are cheaper in stores.
    At the comedy club tonight, the show closer was the Alabama native who spoke of weight loss surgery. First time I had seen this comic in a while. But I know we are an eclectic bunch so it can be for various reasons why I don't see some of us for a while. Sometimes I know this is a good thing, as it means they found a paying gig out of town. Of course some of them have left the area, again related to the craft. This is why it can be an adventure to go to the clubs, finding out what the lineup is. I have enough friends that I know I will see somebody I know at most any show. The familiar does help in many places and things in life.
    At work there were some sales reps in the breakroom around lunchtime representing Sam's Club. They left plenty of food behind, and I said it wouldn't last long. As expected, I was right as I checked again just before the end of my day. All of the food was gone by then. I think 'word of mouth' helps here, same as why some books, movies, and music will sell well and others don't.  I had a brownie and a cookie and a little bag of Gardetto's Snack Mix. I ate one of the bags right away and saved 2 others for later days.

Valvoline 5w-30 Motor Oil

When I was taking out the trash tonight, I saw some litter. It was 2 empty bottles of Valvoline 5w-30 motor oil. So I picked them up and sent them to the trash as well. I take it upon myself to pick up trash when reasonable as I know sometimes it's been there for a while and I don't know who else will do it. I am a big believer in civic pride and I like the signs put onto trash cans from time to time which have said 'Keep this city (or state) beautiful, please don't litter'. In my line of work I see finance paperwork all the time, including driver license copies. I recall the message on the licenses from one state, which said 'Don't drink and drive, don't litter Louisiana.' Part of this of course is my training, as I had held a few janitor jobs when I was younger so I was used to cleaning up after others. I get annoyed when I often see trash really close to a bin, much of it appears to be caused by apathy. I had noticed it about picking up pull tabs from soda pop cans for Ronald McDonald House, how I've said it's a sad commentary about litter in this nation. Most of the pulltabs I put into my bank aren't mine. Naturally if I am pressed for time I won't necessarily pick up everything that I see. If I want to be on time for work and this means being on the bus when it leaves there are some things I have to leave behind.
   At the comedy club tonight I take it as a shout out when I yell 'Yeah!' and the M.C. says that man is drunk. Others say they recognize my laugh, also a compliment to me.
   I passed by a penny and decided to drop it in a nearby wishing well. Since it was a penny it was no big deal to me, although pennies usually end up in my change bank. I do like contributing to wishing wells every so often as I still have wishes like most people do.

 

Is There a Betting Pool Now?

The copier broke down again at work today, lost count of how many times it has in the past year. It seems like the service calls are at least once a week now. I haven't had it as my default printer for a while, can't trust it. But thankfully there are alternates available. I would get a big laugh out of it if I heard that there was a betting pool on the copier, in terms of how quickly it will break down again and when it will be replaced. Though the latter doesn't seem to be likely, as I have been informed that these things are leased instead of bought. It annoys me that we can't get good office equipment that we deserve, be it copiers or in I.T. But in corporate America, I am aware of how one doesn't work for the CEO but the stockholders. It means keeping the investors happy, and if that means cutting some corners to maximize profits then so be it.
   It was a busy day at the office, I had to cover for somebody as well as do my primary duties. It looks like I could use a catch-up day as there was plenty of work left over.
   At the comedy club tonight I saw the first comic go over their time, and since I couldn't see the time light I decided to change my seat. The club does have some support beams that can block views, but there were other seats available so it was no big deal finding a better seat based on my standards. I grinned a little but did not laugh when one comic near the end did their 'Iowa sucks' joke. I did let them know I understood how jokes about neighboring states are popular. It's a comedy club, one must have a fairly thick skin and understand they're just jokes.
 

Festival at St. Stan's Church

This was a day of attending 2 festivals. First, we went to Northfield for the Jesse James festival for a few hours and then on to St. Paul for one at St. Stan's Catholic Church. But all I bought at the church was a cookie for 50 cents. The car show was just four cars, didn't see live music or a petting zoo by the time we got there. It seemed more like a garage sale fundraiser and a bingo game, so we didn't stay long, less than an hour. It was nice to get to Northfield as I had taken off last year due to a scheduling conflict. When touring the former bank, now a museum, there was a button display from previous years. It prompted me to check my button collection to see if I still had them, and I did, all four from 2007-2010. Then it was on to see what I had for postcards. Some were already in photo albums, I did get a hundred more into an album I just bought at a Walmart. Eventually I decided to make it just ones from Minnesota, which wasn't easy. But I wanted to have more of an order to it.
   With the others, they aren't in order and I may want to change that. I was wondering at first where some of  my others were then went to a closet where I saw storage boxes, noticed one of them was labeled as postcards and photos. There were a decent number in there, decided to get them sorted better by where they were from and it likely means another album for postcards. I do have some value left on a Target gift card, so that may be my next stop.
  When I was returning home tonight I saw a kid's stuffed animal on the ground so I decided to get a picture of it as it made me a little sad that a kid likely missed it. Upon closer examination, after taking the picture, I noticed it was a plush horse. You don't see those too often, thankfully it wasn't a teddy bear. Those are just too cliche. I even recall a form given to attendees of a church work camp that asked for stuffed animals for a certain event, unsure why. It even said 'let's get a variety- not all teddy bears'.

Adler Gallery in Richfield

I attended an art event in the afternoon, at Adler Graduate School Gallery in Richfield. It was hard to find at first since it was so close to Interstate 494, and there were plenty of one-way roads over there. So I had to try more than once, and we 'back-doored' it. The event was held for two hours, we didn't stay all that long. Since it was mid-afternoon I had already eaten lunch, so it was mainly the dessert items that interested me. Some of the art looked really good. I noticed they took care of the kids, as there was paper tablecloths on the tables so they could draw on them with whatever they wished. It's something I've said before: give people what they want and they tend to leave the others alone. This is also true for things like video arcades at malls, and skateboard parks. In many ways, banning things just doesn't work. One just makes things more dangerous when certain things become illegal.
   In the evening, I attended a dinner at a Red Lobster celebrating some birthdays. I knew there would be a wait for a table so I decided to go across the road to a convenience store and got a small bag of peanuts along with some chocolate milk. The main thing was having to wait for the traffic light as this is a major artery in Burnsville.
   I felt good earlier today as I had already got some cleanup done around the home this morning, finding more event tickets and putting them in a more central location. I replaced a sandwich bag they had been in for a while, it was torn and as expected there were plenty available to replace it. This one appears to be a much stronger Ziploc bag.
  I had an odd dream, telling somebody they would have to replace my hat if they destroyed it. But instead of it being a typical ballcap, they offered a visor hat like what golfers wear. This I think is a recurring one, a reminder of when this actually happened to me as a kid.

Blue Earth Football

I went to a high school football game tonight, Blue Earth beat St. Paul Highland Park 37-21. Blue Earth never trailed during this game, though at one point it was 7-6. They seemed to move the ball at will, and was helped by intercepting Highland Park 3 times. Highland Park did get a touchdown late, went for two and got it so otherwise the final score would have looked even worse. It was a reminder of how and why I like high school football as entertainment. It was just $5 for the game ticket, and $4.25 for some popcorn, a hot dog, and a can of Sprite. This is cheaper than most movies in the Twin Cities. The main complaint was how the popcorn was really salty, but I don't expect gourmet cooks at these events. Sometimes you get what you pay for.
  It was odd how the game started a few minutes before the scheduled start time, I had just arrived and was hearing a few whistles. I bought my ticket and then made my way to my seat. When I got food and drink I spoke of the early start to the concession stand employee, and was told it was because 'they were cold'. Seems kind of early in the season to say this. I did know well enough to be prepared for the weather, which meant a blanket to sit on since the metal bleachers aren't warm at all. At halftime I went into the bathroom and put on sweat pants underneath my pants, and put on my hooded sweatshirt. I was fine except for my hands, and I put them inside my jacket pockets.
   The theater guy is still going through ideas on a Halloween costume. Now he tells me he still wants to be an alchemist, but Druidian if I'm not mistaken. The costume isn't as bulky. It means plenty of Henna tattoos and being able to see them under a 'black light'- which must be the same concept as something that glows in the dark.

Facebook Funeral

I had been to a Facebook wedding. Now I have been to a Facebook funeral. Actually, this was mostly a memorial service. A picture of the departed was up front along with some flowers. There was plenty of laughs tonight when stories were shared, which was appropriate for a comedian. It's what I prefer as we should celebrate life, not mourn it. It may have been crowded there inside, but it was well worth it to be there as many of my friends were there. I saw numerous easels at the funeral home showing photos, and a folded American flag was on display as he was a Vietnam veteran.
   I went through some of my bags of tourist items tonight, and found some more postcards. Looks like I have enough to fill a photo album. I like postcards as they're small and cheap. I noticed I had more than one of the 'spoon and cherry' at the Walker in Minneapolis, but one had a red border on it and the other did not. I will be sending a few items to the office, such as more buttons. Last night I found some from the animated show 'South Park', tonight the buttons found were from the Hard Rock Cafe in London. It was the first time I had seen my passport since I had went to Great Britain in June. I decided to move it back to the place I had been keeping it, which is in a drawer next to some other important items to me. One item I found that is being moved to the office was from some earlier travels, from Florida nearly a year ago. It was a little baseball bat keychain sponsored by State Farm Insurance, likely given to me at a Tampa Bay Rays game. I already have plenty of keychains so this is why it will likely go unused and on a shelf at work. Sometimes more than one is on the same ring.
   I am finding out I am becoming the same way with luggage tags- although this is a more recent discovery. One of them was bought in London- there was an Olympic logo on it. Another one I bought when at the Bastille Day celebration in July has 'not worth taking' in French. I finally put it on a bag tonight as I just found it again, but it is on a bag full of ties and ballcaps. This bag doesn't go outside much so there was no real requirement to have a tag, but I wanted it used somewhere.

Powerball Office Pool

When I was cleaning up at the workplace I looked inside one file cabinet and found two items. One was a green manila folder, and the other was a double sided copy of Powerball tickets from October 6, 2004- no joke. Looks like 92 entries in all, may have been an office pool. There were 17 names listed, all first names only. It did say that 7 entries were a carryover from October 2, listed on a separate line from the other 85. Since I don't play the lottery much, I am unsure what 'carryover' means unless those were free plays. It is likely a good story to tell about how it got there, or maybe just plain dull. But I know at the office some employees move from one cubicle to another fairly often, like once a year. I've discovered some similar items over the years, like a laminated Chicago map in the glovebox of the car I currently own. I know full well how easily things can 'fall though the cracks' and get caught inside something and just stay there undiscovered for a long time, and in some cases, years later.
   At the comedy club tonight, I was onstage and I did try a joke about being at the Renaissance Festival. The one I call 'magic man' was the MC. Because he does more than just comedy, he has a magic act as well. I was a little surprised how I was getting laughs before telling any jokes.
   At work the payoff report did not arrive, I.T. issues apparently. So I had to be more creative about how to stay busy. Besides finding the Powerball ticket copy I went through other files. It meant moving things around a little and I did find a few things I hadn't seen in a while. I sent a few pages to the recycle bin as I noticed I had copied some emails more than once. Some of these were from my students in the mentoring program I am a part of. It was the first time in a while that my inbox at work was under 100 emails, just barely at 99. I delete when I no longer need them, like after I print them.
   Liked seeing Bob Newhart on Jimmy Kimmel tonight, usually I don't watch the show. I'm pleased that Bob still performs but he enjoys it. I've enjoyed many of his roles in movies and TV.

Not the Chips Ahoy Cookies

A fellow comic made a reference to Chips Ahoy, the cookies, tonight when doing a joke about the invention of the phone by Alexander Graham Bell. Something about how 'ahoy' or 'what is wanted' was considered as a greeting along with 'hello'. It did remind me of Mr. Burns on 'The Simpsons' as he was known with answering his phone by saying 'ahoy, hoy'. It fits his demeanor, as he is known for being old-school. I even said so after the show when I found him. The same comic did a fist bump when he saw me in the crowd, before he took the stage. I didn't stay long after the show, no need for it as there is plenty to do at home. Somebody did get confused, as the assistant in 'Sherlock Holmes' has the same name as Bell's- Watson. They spoke of the first line on a phone, which refers to Bell saying he needs Watson.
    The Democratic National Convention started tonight in Charlotte, I heard some of it on the radio on the way to the comedy club. I didn't follow the Republican Convention from Tampa, held last week, that much, and expect this one will be no different. When I am busy on many weeknights I don't have much time to watch prime time TV. I know there will be plenty about it online and in the papers anyway. Some of the speeches might be nice to hear but I am more interested in seeing the debates, which likely will be soon but haven't heard much about the when and where just yet. I like the debates as it is more unfiltered, it gives one a better idea of what the candidates are for. I know the VP candidates don't debate as much, usually just once. Voters tend to care more about who is on the top of the ticket anyway.  

Mermaids and Long Bows

Went to the Renaissance Festival today, saw the Merry Men show which is part of the Robin Hood show. The theater guy was a part of it, and ended up in the water 4 times. I gave a donation after the show. The day ended with seeing the long bow archery demonstration, along with the mermaids which was a new exhibit. I got plenty of pictures, even saw the manager of a comedy club there.
   I did some laundry in the late afternoon and early evening, it led to me ripping up a sock and tossing it in the trash since I saw a hole in it after the laundry was done. Saw a banner for a festival at a Catholic church nearby while doing laundry. Besides food, there is also a car show and live music planned as activities. When I went outside to take out the trash and recycle I heard a police siren, somebody asked me what it was but didn't know. I said anything that attracts a crowd is considered to  be news so I said it may end up on the news.
   Many of the minor league baseball clubs ended their season today, Labor Day. I was pleased that my 'hometown' Iowa Cubs finished with attendance at over a half million, the 9th time in the past 11 years. It's a popular tourist attraction in the state, second only to the state fair in terms of the crowds they have. Attendance was good despite a losing record. I know what helps them is having minimal competition for entertainment. It's Triple-A, the top minor league club for the Chicago Cubs. The other teams in Iowa are in the eastern part of the state, and Single-A. It's the only pro baseball team for miles around. I am pleased that I made it to one game in May. I would like to make it more often but it is a long drive to Des Moines and I tend to have so many other things planned during the summer that it is hard to make it more than once a season.

Spirits of St. Paul Movie

I went to see a gangster movie on St. Paul's East Side in the late afternoon with my date. Hadn't been to this theater before, known as the Mounds Theater. The movie was called 'Spirits of St. Paul' and the actress playing Ma Barker I recognized as a fellow comic. We spoke after the show. Notable about the theater was the beer sales, which is not typical. They had Schell's beer. I liked getting pictures of some of the murals inside, one of them was a girl in a flapper dress. The costumes were not necessarily correct for the time period being covered but it was a good story nonetheless. Since I've seen much of the Twin Cities I was thinking some of the locations where it was filmed did look familiar. I stayed for the closing credits and was correct about a few, like Phil's Tara Hideaway in Stillwater. They use a Dillinger picture in their ad that I've seen in City Pages. I've eaten there once before, but not during Lumberjack Days. This festival in July was often the only time I would get to that town all year. But I figured it would be less busy at another time, and it helps that the town is not far from the East Side, less than 20 miles.
   After the movie I got a picture of the sign in front of the former Schmidt Brewery, about the work being done there. I have heard how there's a really nice Rathskeller on the property. I am hopeful it is open to the public again to see what it looks like after renovation. I have enjoyed seeing a Rathskeller before, as there is one at the state Capitol, albeit kind of hard to find, and of course at Turner Hall in New Ulm. It reminds me of my dad sometimes saying 'you can find him in the Rathskeller' but I'm trying to remember where he would say this. One possible answer was Adventureland, the theme park near Des Moines.

Star Earring and 3 Screws

I saw a star earring and 3 screws in the change counter when I went to the bank today. So I took them out and threw them in the trash nearby. Also claimed 2 quarters- 1 U.S. and 1 Canadian. It meant an extra quarter for my total, but it was just the third as I prefer using quarters for the laundry and buying the paper on Fridays. I am more likely to save them for later use in my wooden change dish- and not have them in my change bank. I liked seeing a nameplate for a teller there, though it wasn't the one who helped me. It had her title as 'director of cheerfulness'. So I got a picture of it as I have a friend that would like seeing it.
   I did watch the Iowa football game at a sports bar today, it was the season opener. They were playing Northern Illinois at Chicago's Soldier Field, a showcase game. I had seen this matchup in 2007, and I recall how there were plenty of Hawkeye fans at the game. Iowa trailed for a while, couldn't move the ball but was kicking field goals. My date went home to walk the dog when they trailed, 17-9, late and predicted an Iowa loss. But the Hawkeyes kicked another field goal to make it 17-12, and went on to win 18-17. The defense nearly got a safety and a short punt, coupled with a modest return, meant Iowa got it just 25 yards from the end zone. So one TD proved to be enough. I said that field position made a world of difference. It looks like it's a good idea that non-conference patsies are scheduled early on, in case teams start out flat as they still might find a way to win. Hard to say what can be expected of the Hawkeyes this year, though I haven't made plans just yet to attend a game. I have two offers for tickets through the alumni association, one of them is the 'members tailgate' in October against Penn State. Will likely want to get those tickets ordered soon, don't want to wait too much longer since the season has started now and there's more interest in the team than in the off-season probably.
   In the evening after the gamewatch was over, we attended a St. Paul Saints baseball game. It was the fifth of the season  for me, and the last. There are just two more games left and the Saints are not headed to the playoffs, but did beat Wichita tonight. It was 'Bounty Night', and there were football-shaped piggy banks as the giveaway item. One picture from this game was of a train car near the outfield wall of the stadium, which said 'Simplot'. We looked it up and found out it is a potato company based in Idaho, a big supplier to the McDonald's fast-food chain.