Janeane Garofalo, Varsity Theater

    I went to the Janeane Garofalo comedy show tonight at the Varsity Theater in Dinky-town, near the U of M in Minneapolis. As far as I know, it was my first time at this venue. But it wasn't the first time seeing this performer. I saw Janeane perform at the Cadillac Palace theater in Chicago when I lived in suburban Chicago, in 2002 I think. I happened to know the opening act, it was the Hillary Clinton look-alike. She did tell us in advance about it on Facebook, and I said I already had my ticket. I rode the light rail to Stadium Village and walked the rest of the way. Janeane did plenty of jokes or references to famous people, but also about pants she bought at a Walgreen in Madison, WI, the site of her gig last night. I said the bathroom fixtures reminded me a little of First Avenue, where I have seen 2 concerts. The sink wasn't close to the bathroom fixtures, but between the men's and ladies rooms. I had a can of Pabst and shortly after this I saw the Resistable comic there. The thing I will recall well is how my seat was at the end of a row, and I decided to jump down a little from a press-wood platform to get there. I did take some time to look around a little after the show, and I liked seeing some posters on the wall from previous shows. This included music concerts for the likes of Brandi Carlile, Barenaked Ladies, and Goo Goo Dolls. Two things I saw there was 'We live and die with our opinions', and an 'I ate' sticker.
     I took no pictures on my camera as I decided to leave it at home after calling the venue. I got one of the outside sign on my camera phone before I went in. After the show I went to a McDonald's, about a block away, first time at this location, and had a vanilla cone. I liked the way it looked, with plenty of Minnesota Gopher athletic images on the walls. I can hopefully get photos of it soon, maybe on my next visit to the university like for a Gopher baseball game. When I was driving home I heard a Hank Williams song on the radio, 'Hey good looking'. I cut off the bracelet from the show and put it into a comedy souvenir envelope, and wrote down the show name, venue name, and day. There was a rubber duck pattern on it. I watched some of the David Letterman show, First Lady Michelle Obama was the main guest tonight. The Marines band performed at the end of the interview, I recognized two songs they played, 'Stars and stripes forever' as well as the marines anthem.  
    Janeane did jokes about Toby Keith, Suzie Orman, nobody is Cherokee, Loretta Lynn, James Spader, Dakota Fanning, Daryl Hall, Beyonce and Jay-Z, Chris Christie, Scott Walker, AARP, Law and Order, Criminal Minds, Ernest Borgnine, peanut butter, Koch Brothers, Citizens United, Chris Mathews, Rumsfeld, Bush elections, Mike Bloomberg, smoking, Aeroflot, and evolution.
    Others were about Urban Outfitters, American Apparel, Hilton Courtyard sink, salted caramel, a baby, not all about me, Bend it like Beckham, Eternal Sunshine, what I call 'something gate', puppy bowl, Olive Garden, Eva Braun, Squeaky Fromme, L Ron Hubbard (but she usually just said the initials), Tom Cruise, John Travolta, being called 'shorty' and 'glasses', Robin Thicke, Pol Pot, Selena Gomez, Norah Jones, Daria, and Rambo. This was followed by Raiders of the lost ark, Towering Inferno, Whole Foods, Lunds, storage wars, dill popcorn, Walking Dead, Ken Burns, New York sirens, tea and coffee, Spanx, and she said 'be that as it may' often. Still others were about Albert Brooks, Broadcast News, 10f and 10g, Rand Paul, clipboard, already a member, Mark Cuban, adult diapers, Nordstrom, Waterloo, and Stalin.         

John Fogerty, John Popper

    I watched some of David Letterman tonight after being at the comedy club. John Fogerty, who was famous as the CCR front-man, was musical guest and did a medley of songs. I recognized some, like 'Proud Mary' and 'Fortunate son'. The former was what we played in a junior high music class when trying to learn the guitar. The latter was in 'Forrest Gump'. Another one was 'Traveling man'. Another musician I know, john popper- the Blues Traveler front-man- was playing in the 'House band', the CBS orchestra. I did recognize some songs like 'Hook', and 'But anyway'. He plays the harmonica well, a memory of seeing his band's show at the zoo in Apple Valley.
   I looked at some E-bay listings after the show, but haven't decided on anything yet. I was looking at more souvenirs related to the movie 'Up in the air'. One of these was a poster from Germany, but I had to do the conversions from centimeters to inches to know how big it is. It gave 84 by 59 cm, I estimated it to be 32 by 24 inches knowing the conversion is 2.54 cm to an inch. This is larger than most posters I have, definitely would not fit inside a business envelope. So it would mean a frame and there are some other posters I already own not yet framed. I already have plenty of items related to this movie, and one was moved to the office this week. So I will need to evaluate further, in terms of how important it will be to me to have it.
    Many things can make me think of the movie. One of these triggers was doing an Enterprise rent-a-car survey about hotels tonight. I was asked if I had loyalty to any hotel chains and I said I once stayed at Motel 6 locations frequently but not too often now. This was due to dealing with the 'Riff-raff' too often at a Motel 6, and getting a loyalty program- an account at Hotels dot-com where there is a wide variety of good deals on nice hotels. This included a Hilton where the movie was filmed.
    At the comedy club tonight, Apron was MC, and did ones about used to have a big beard, and a minivan. Rut-roh did ones about chop onions, Foot Locker, sports jacket at restaurant, bosses aren't cool, and a real handshake. Ding dong did ones about a 4-day getaway, thong underwear, dryer vent, born on Halloween, easy bake crematorium, and body lotion. Perkins did ones about no GQ model, storage locker, plug website, and Alcatraz and Leavenworth. Sub teacher did ones about homeless defensive coordinator, Connecticut summer home, guide us to the summit, cucumber, MOA security alert, domestic terrorist and strippers, Comcast call and Mozart, highway to hell, she already tried everything, and is she a phenom? Capital City did ones about being called a MILF, muffin thumper, Cleveland abduction, Kelly Clarkson, and butterfly tattoo. Twin Peaks did ones about Grandma called me a hipster, Twin Peaks on VHS, dyslexia and diarrhea, and pity sex. Godmother did ones about 19 kids and counting, panic room to cook in, gangs and parades, drama kids, tennis in Edina, sister an arsonist, clown college, hot mess, and school spirit duct tape. Brawler did ones about crowd comments, we can keep a beat, you got to move, comic books, Captain America, being compared to Batman, and hosted drag shows. Resistable did ones about what cats eat, visiting Baltimore soon, too red for Target, and gluten allergy. Big Dog did ones about a lost dog, it is not a runaway, and a Tijuana ghetto. Wee bit did ones about just go in and wait, work construction, studio apartment, found phone on Craigslist, and bring girls. Radio personality did ones about houseguests, being a
pilgrim with pigment, enjoy your rock lawn, do you have sunflower seeds, her kid is 7, a Rain Man reference, pill proof, technically a puma, you are good at being single, true crime shows, a sword collection, don't be a crazy mom, garage sales, get a puppet, and cargo pants.     

Don't Mean Nothing, Richard Marx

    Tonight on my way to the comedy club I heard on my car radio the song 'Don't mean nothing' by Richard Marx. The lyric I really liked in it was 'When you're trying to make a living, there's no such thing as pride'. The video shows the singer living at Shangri-Las, and he seems to be observing women trying to make it as an actress in Hollywood. I watched the video on Youtube after the show.
And it is true, it don't mean nothing until you sign on the dotted line. Two other songs I liked hearing on the radio tonight, after the show ended ('Don't get me wrong' by The Pretenders) because of the line 'If I come and go like fashion' and then when I was driving home it was 'Talk dirty to me' by Poison, a reminder of a class reunion. I got to most of the jokes on my list, like dancing at a show over the weekend. Others were about events from 1917, somebody who was crabby, and a question about razors.
   Before the show, I liked getting some things done like looking at messages from Monster, 7 in all, some dated back to a month ago. I also submitted my vote for directors at an organization I have joined, and a nomination for delegate for the writers convention. And I got another event ticket ordered, but the event isn't until the summer.
    Also at the comedy club, International Falls did ones about teen witches, casual sex, caress hair in a porta pottie, 12 pound bucket of coffee, an ex's Honda Civic drawings, bathtub of blood, dog rescue, and the police dog poem. A comic I knew from Campus Pizza did ones about Barbie, know who the president is, sitting down, his dad got cancer, and taking meds. Blind Side did ones about a pregnancy scare, unwatched Netflix movies, lost passwords, cell phone survived, and praise joy. Apron did ones about a treadmill, and Game of Thrones. Brew did ones about ordering a large pizza, laundry day, roll dice, and yoga mats. Fish noodle did ones about shirt is green, baby on bus, unicorn grant wishes, air bag and money, company for misery, and karaoke. Mr. Pibb did ones about organized thrift store, picture worth a thousand words, yeast popcorn, Rihanna, and party songs. And I wrote 'don't sit on Sealy', something I recall saying on a family vacation to Davenport, Iowa, when I was a kid and when we were in the hotel room. Must have triggered this memory after seeing a Sealy mattress commercial on the TV monitors at the venue.

Million Dollar Question

    When I went to get into my car tonight, I noticed there was something under the windshield wiper. The item said it was the million dollar question, and had a Franklin portrait on it. It was a religious flyer, and the question was about going to heaven. It is from living waters dot-com, haven't heard of them. But I have seen similar flyers and leaflets before.
   At work I finished ten settled letters, but I also rejected four as they were either duplicates or the numbers were not correct. I had no choice but to reject, as I didn't want to guess.
   At the comedy club tonight, I did perform, and one of my jokes was about the patriotic shirt that I was wearing. Others were about dancing at a friend's show over the weekend, and my Dad saying he wanted to be a matchmaker for me.  
    Also at the comedy club tonight, duffel bag did one about disappointing parents. Whopper did one about being real, and putting it on his resume. Brawler did ones about show me on GI Joe, and restaurants. The crow did ones about Nazis and meth, and shape of potatoes. Blind Side did ones about a weather girl, being adopted, and a hobby farm. A comic I haven't seen in a while, who I understand does commercials, did ones about cassette tapes in his car, and holidays. The Yemen native did ones about teaching Arabic, Detroit, carrying babies, roofing, and a smoke shop. Locks of love did ones about Amy Winehouse, and 30 to life. The fever comic did ones about career dreams, and a flashlight. Wee bit did one about generic cereals. Wisconsin guy did ones about a Favre football, I got a shout out, sexy panties, a Kraft Single, and squirrels. Tetris did ones about wind chimes, Bon Jovi, former mayor RT Rybak, Caribou table, and blood plasma. Mr. Pibb did ones about yeast popcorn, IUD poking, Rihanna, Hooters trivia, and Princess Diana. Worthington did ones about Grimace from McDonald's, Subway, Eric Church, his dad's hobbies, and QVC. Postage stamp did ones about the new phone, Candy Crush, smoke alarm and food, a morgue, and a teaspoon. Extra murder did ones about an eye chart, his sister's movie, a hash tag, Batman tax bracket, and a Denny's placemat. Maryland did ones about a Target dress, high horse, Urkel, an apartment fire, and Disney movies. Bathtub did ones about upgrade burger, paper dolls, dog class, a giant bee, and goggles.

Brewing Art

    This afternoon I went to the former Schmidt brewery for the final day of Art Crawl. One of the cards I picked up said 'Brewing art on West 7th'. Some art was in the bottle house, and some in the brew house, connected by an underground tunnel. I also picked up a passport of the art crawl. I saw one of my fellow comics there, a real estate broker, who was able to get me roof access so I was able to get some great photos of the Schmidt's smokestack. I was there for an hour, and though there was art for sale I didn't buy anything. I wanted to finish up with chores before I went there, and it meant doing laundry. When I got back I noticed three pairs of socks needed to be retired as there were holes in them. So it likely means a visit to a department store to get replacements.
   After watching 'The Simpsons' in the evening I went to take a walk around the neighborhood, but it was slightly shorter than a few days ago as I wanted to be back to see a comic on the Fox show 'Laughs'. It was the Chicago visitor that is an Arizona native. Some of the jokes were familiar from when I happened to see her headline this month. I noticed the airtime wasn't long for any of the comics, about two minutes, as it was a 30-minute show. Many of them had a background from a club in Indianapolis. They also mentioned their websites and where they would be headlining soon.

Art Crawl

  After doing some errand running like picking up mail at my post office box I was the MC at a comedy show as part of the Saint Paul Art Crawl. First time I had this role in a while, and I liked performing it. I got one photo of the show, when Ding Dong was on stage with her kid's artwork. Part of the errand running was renewing my license plates, inside a Sears store. I got plenty of photos of the store, but it got some attention from an employee who asked if I needed help. I asked if he had heard of Vivian Maier, he had not.    
    In the evening I was back in costume at The Turkeys show. Once again I got photos. Four notable ones were of the new red Turkeys shirt, a selfie in my costume, the Wisconsin guy performing, and a bottle on Heineken, my drink for the night. I had a different costume tonight, it was an astronaut. Big Dog wanted to change it up some and gave me some costume options. In some cases he had no choice, since he had fewer comics there to warm up the crowd. I was the lone opening act, and he wanted me dancing onstage with some breaks. I did get some tips, three dollars total. It made me feel like I was at a strip club, and when I was tipped I said I wasn't stripping for it. I asked if they could play any Eminem I could dance to, they played 'Lose Yourself' and The Crow helped me with the lyrics as he had a smart phone. I had done it before at a karaoke night. 

Costumed For The Turkeys

   Tonight I was in costume at The Turkeys comedy show. Anything for my friend, the Big Dog. It did make me think of the time when I was in this costume for one of my 'Ring of honor' photos. And of last year when I was scaring people at a haunted house.
    I got some photos tonight. First was of the sign out front, then one in the dressing room of my fellow performers. This included New Ulm mayor in a gingerbread man costume, and Nebraska in a lab coat. Next was a sign that said 'Satire!' and mention of this venue starting out at a coffee house. I did a selfie in my costume, the slasher from the 'Scream' movies. Another was of the bottle of Dos Equis, the beer that Big Dog got for me. I was needed to warm up the crowd before the show, so I did dance around most of the room. I said I was more willing to dance on the stage when others were up there, but usually I wasn't up there for long. I said I would be there for the show the next night if needed as I like getting the stage time.
   Also notable was having to go to Plan B for where to park, as the first ramp was full. No big deal. I was in a rush to get there so I didn't get a paper right away, until after the show. While we were talking outside the venue after the show somebody showed up and tried to sell us a sandwich, but one of us said it was just day old bread. I took it as my cue to move on and go home.  

Neutrogena Body Oil

    After watching 2 'Big Bang Theory' episodes tonight I went on a walk around the neighborhood. It was the typical long walk of over an hour. One of the items picked up and put in my trash bag was a bottle of Neutrogena body oil. I hadn't eaten yet so when I got to a Super-America I had a hot dog and Old Dutch BBQ chips there along with some strawberry milk. I picked up plenty of trash by then and put in a Walgreen plastic bag but it was placed in a bin at the S.A. so I didn't pick up any more after this stop. I saluted a mail truck as it passed by, not sure why but I have done this before.
     I got a few pictures as well, one was of a Caribou coffee cup, another was a billboard for a radio station. I picked up a page from a newspaper since it intrigued me to see pictures of some primitive planes, one was from 1911 and another 1919. So it was after the Wright brothers (1903) but before Charles Lindbergh (1927). It was about Eugene ely, a 'Farm boy turned exhibition pilot'. So now I have another article to find on Wikipedia. It was from Combat Illustrated, according to the caption in one corner. But I can't tell when the article was published. I had to be careful when taking a picture of a sign at a restaurant as it was close to a road with plenty of car traffic, so I finally said 'other side'- not only safer (farther away from the road) and no glare from a light next to the sign.
    The syndicated rerun of Big Bang Theory was when Sheldon was willing to do anything to meet Steven Hawking. The prime time episode was about Leonard giving a speech at the high school he attended. And there was a toy plane that was causing trouble.

Edie Brickell And The New Bohemians

   While at the comedy club tonight for some reason I started thinking about a song I hard heard long ago that was in the movie 'Born on the 4th of July'. I found out it was 'A hard rain's a gonna fall' by Edie Brickell and the new Bohemians. It didn't surprise me much to find out it was a cover of a Bob Dylan song. I am reminded of finding out 'Wagon wheel' was also written by bob Dylan, but I was more familiar with someone else performing it. There must have been a comic who did a joke that got me to think of lyrics like 'It's hard, hard rain, and blue eyed son'. I thought of 'Summertime Sadness' by Lana Del Rey as well, haven't listened to Lana in a while. I was flattered when the brothers spoke of finding one of my Rooftop comedy clips, as it was from a while ago. I spoke about being in some sketches with The Turkeys in response to it, and how thankful I am to get invited by the Big Dog to do them. The brothers said they had seen these sketches as well. I liked performing tonight, I did ones about internet dating and being accident prone among others.
   In the afternoon we didn't do a walk like last week, it was back to Wii dancing as it was windy and chilly outside. Some of those we danced to was 'Song 2 (woo hoo)' by Blur, 'Chicken payback', 'Can't hurry love', and 'Hot-stepper'. For some reason I thought this last song had a lyric that was 'Murderer' but it was actually 'Word 'em up'. My boss was in for a half day, but then was out again. At least my vacation day next month has been approved now, it is for a Roosevelt mentoring event.
    Also at the comedy club, the taller one of the brothers did ones about already look homeless, sell your guitar, never change, studio apartment, it's your bathtub, taking Tums, and audition for a band. Mr. Pibb did ones about a Rihanna song, skate park, a server, side of fruit, extra cheeseburger, MOA and Southdale, re-using stores, spoon and cherry, and Orange Julius. University Accountant did ones about fad names, baby names by state, her husband, 7 dwarfs and drugs, KFC, porn name, gymnasts, a box of thin mints, motivated running, why can't it be vodka, Little House and half-pint, the Clapper, door and window, Tootsie Roll, Purdue study, role play Toro, stretch and a poem, so raven, and edible panties. Michigan was MC. He did ones about a 2-dude wedding, Madonna cover band, Elton John and Liberace, bachelor party, toothless hill jacks, Ann Arbor bar, and wrong turn to Canada. Locks of Love did ones about Amy Winehouse, heavy duty trannies, 30 to life, 8-day marriage, and garbage bags. Long straw did ones about groceries at Target, Aldi and Ocean's 11, the bully had a caricature, audio book on Gold Rush, doorman at karaoke bar, Lollapalooza 3 times, and an insult from childhood. The shorter of the brothers did ones about together forever bumper sticker, playing Monopoly, fight with a midget, teacher's pet, you have now, psychic birthday, Chinese fire drill, sumo wrestling, and TP a house. International Falls did ones about a sleepwalker poem, day 155 no HR, former punk rocker, emergency contact to Prince, and 12 pound bucket of coffee. The dad of ex-Navy did ones about not senior moments, a lesbian bar, and court ordered recovery. Louisiana did ones about visiting family, crawfish, scrolling through porn, court ordered therapist, grocery store, Best Buy rewards, name the law after me, I like working dogs- Huskies and Labradors, small dog is clingy, hook up a fume nozzle, and making fun mistakes. Ding Dong did ones about what's behind the curtain?, clean tiger enclosure, hang out with wolves, body cavity search, sort books send to Africa, any pizza joint ever, Chinese food and cheese, and her husband using her body lotion. Godmother did ones about not in her 50's, mall walking, yoga at church, Comcast arguments, a monster can't cry, Stella got groove back, hairdresser walked to work and drunk, c-pap, danger zone, JV landscaping, and candy bars and salad dressing.

Biometrics

    While going through new contracts at the office today I saw one buyer who had a military ID. We see these all the time. This one stated Department of Defense, 'Biometrics'. I had to look it up, it is about identifying people.
   I performed at the comedy club tonight, got to all but one joke on my list. It was great to see hipster plantation performing, he said it was his first time doing stand-up in four months. His drawings are really good, he once brought a sketch book full of them. He did ones about fired from job, 2 weeks notice, crowd rap, and what's in the box?
    International Falls did ones about sleepwalkers, teen witches, and the national bird. A comic back from LA did ones about guided meditation, haters on Instagram, an intervention, bachelor party, masculine posturing, luxury strip club, read my Twitter, good old boy trouble, will kiss men good sport. The Wisconsin guy did ones about not a real handyman, we go to Youtube, bikini malfunction, dad a deep fryer salesman, gifts were product samples, flying to Las Vegas, massage Groupon, and Rihanna posting selfies on Twitter. Fish noodle did ones about baby on bus, ear drum terrorist, barber shop promo, not dad's mom, and a girl you kind of like. No-mic did ones about Tom and Jerry, squirrel and mouse, 75 yard dash ribbon, frame rejection letters, watch to look at watch, and chain on wallet. Long straw did ones about Dad wrong on age, Lollapalooza 3 times, chicken and hammock, cyclist in rush hour, groceries at Target, and Ocean's 11 at Aldi.  Nebraska filmed himself. He did ones about watch TV, fake limbs, mountain climbing, be all you can be, I'm not Wells Fargo, the smell of Old Spice, dogs get presents, London look, and taking shoes off. Mr. Pibb did ones about
Yelp reviews, side of fruit, pancakes, take table home, healing gems and stones, your hair looks fine, Bloody Mary 3 times, spit on everything, and choking song. Grizzly did ones about grocery store pedophiles, prefers mean people, and I got a shout out, you don't have to answer that! Others were about American cars, Kid Rock, Bob Seger, did a good job, and feel worse about himself. The Crow did ones about business as usual, where will you find good weed?, Nazis and meth, popular in rural America, bullet factory, bullets are for relieving stress, and he and International Falls are fren-emies. A comic visiting from LA did most of his set right in front of me, but also got 2 people into it that are former Target employees. He was wearing a Suicidal Tendencies hat.   

Not Laminated, Close Enough

   At the comedy club tonight, I performed and I was the lead-off, after the announcements, as well as the reading a page from the novel. One joke was about filming myself, something I don't do very often, and keeping the video camera in a fanny pack. When Mason City took the stage I liked getting more than one shout-out. One of them was about the list of concerts I had typed up in October. I said it was not laminated, but close enough. Looks like the posters for the anniversary show in two weeks from now have already been printed. I saw a few posted there tonight so I should attend it.
   My boss was not in the office again today, but it was no big deal getting things done, just busy as it was the typical high-volume day with the payoff report. I picked up my car after work. The time may arrive someday when I say I have had enough on the repairs, but I am not there just yet.
    Also at the comedy club, Dictionary did one about basketball socks and shorts, now it's pants. Mason City did ones about seeing a therapist, I am a comic. Others were about a passive dependent, Smash Mouth, turn 30, you are awesome button, keyboards- someday love will find you, and a Wisconsin Dells slide. It was followed by sex like Bohemian Rhapsody, John Lennon tooth, Jurassic Park, Johnny Cash bio, and a rainbow dream. Brew did ones about laundry day, went to Target, order pizza, accept defeat, roll dice, consider adoption, I'm nice tip me, drama last a year, and 2am wrong house. Tortoise did ones about pups change light bulb, it's me I love chips, actor the Rock, 9 by myself, did you feel that?, and shook hands across bed. Bus fare did ones about eggs in basket, mood altering sun lamps, knife to gun fight, bring me ice cream, every Radio Shack is haunted, and Air Bud. A newer comic who looks like Turtle Check was wild card winner, and did ones about Grandma called me a hipster, and Twin Peaks on VHS. Big Dog did ones about swear at foreigners, erotic novel, and gas stations and sex. Bronze did ones about the keyboard, performing at a nursing home, and did a riff of 'Clocks' by Coldplay. The crow did ones about business as usual despite it being 4/20, where can you buy weed?, Nazis liked meth, a gun factory, and better for cats. Brawler did ones about you look so normal, heroin is cheaper, shooting gallery, crack house, I don't care rough day, junkie now a hipster, so does my cousin no one cares, comparing Batman to Captain America, trickle down, and Sam Jackson. Blind Side did ones about Bemidji and Saginaw, a weathergirl, catcalling, how much I am worth, and shock and awe. Chameleon did ones about a warning that she was going to spread hate, and was brought on by 'no sleep till Brooklyn' by Beastie Boys. I say 'no sleep till Schaumburg' as I often heard it when driving back from baseball games in Milwaukee when I lived in suburban Chicago. She performed a song about an 'open marriage', and said it was a 5-month fetus. Another was about 'where is my gay-dar?' I got the 'how right I was' feeling during this set. I have had it before a few other times in my life, sometimes called a 'self-validating' moment. Basically, a show like this one reminds me of how right I was to start doing stand-up comedy. I do it for me and no one else, and have gained so much from it. Another time I got this feeling was at a New Year's Eve party after I had left my native Iowa for suburban Chicago. It was a statement that it is my life, and I will do what is right for me.
    There were some other comics tonight. New Ulm mayor did ones about bought a vaporizer, not how addiction works, DARE class, and this is public school. Sub teacher did ones about a South Dakota gig, the MOA threat, domestic terrorists and strippers, don't use that match, his dad, a summer home in Connecticut, a cucumber, Inconvenient Truth on DVD, Comcast call, ruined Mozart, Highway to Hell, his lady liked none of it, and wine and time travel.        

Outrageous Sophie Tucker Movie

     This afternoon I went to see the movie 'Outrageous Sophie Tucker' at the MSP film-fest, at the
St. Anthony main theater in Minneapolis. Even though my car is in the shop, I got there by taking the light rail to the Metrodome site stop, then walking the rest of the way on the Stone Arch bridge. I hadn't heard of this entertainer before, but hearing about her career going back to the vaudeville days interested me. I found out why I hadn't heard about her- she died in 1966, and it sounds like she didn't do many movies or TV shows. One movie was with Judy Garland, in 1938, a year before Judy did 'Wizard of Oz'. And one TV show she did was with Ed Sullivan. I of course like documentaries and biographies, so I did like this one since there were interviews with so many that knew her. I liked how she lived life her way, and I have learned this before with entertainers how they tend to be more
successful when doing something one's own way. I did check the list of the festival movies after it was done, it looks like 'Poverty, Inc.' is in the first ten in terms of ratings by viewers so it may get another screening during the 'Best of the festival'.
   In the evening I went to the comedy club and saw an entire lineup of comics I know. The D.C. native was MC, a visitor from Chicago (called 'Mouthy Broad' by D.C. native) did a guest set, Jersey Video was feature, and Oklahoma was headliner. I did a 'Ring of honor' photo with the Chicago visitor before the show, I think I will call her 'Baby puppet' since I liked a joke she had done before about a 'Shiny new baby puppet'. I had a shot as my drink as it was a dollar cheaper than the beer was. D.C. native did ones about railroad tracks, July 4th and the number joke, motivational sayings in rehab, nausea is binary, 7-up, cash weight loss prize, NBA Hispanic night, traffic court, water a fake plant, and 7 ladies on east coast. Baby puppet did ones about whiskey drinker, wishing it loved me back, Crown Royal, stoned and watch Animal Planet, Mr. Cuddles, sickle in litter box, sand papered, tenderized meat, 'sleepwalkers', lost 55 pounds, jelly roll and dinner roll, pick who's on my team, and hit on by married dudes. Jersey Video did ones about not wearing glasses, prosthetic foot, 20 years and 3 felonies, terrorist acronym, basketball and hockey penalties, above ground railroad, Aaron Rodgers, smoke weed, Sports Center, duck hunt, and his uncle pops up. D.C. returned and did ones about the Oinker, a free shirt, 30 minutes past a meal, bought 100 hot dogs, sell shirts and free tickets, Catholic school sex-ed, and 'Danger Zone', a song in 'Top Gun'.
   Oklahoma did ones about something great happened yesterday, wearing a hat, boobless on a
calculator, balding, and barber turning chair. Others were about morgue guy nicer, don't you mean either?, rug and ice cream shop, I like leaving 30 minutes earlier, stuff you said about yourself, quit jogging, a guy's towel dropped, physical therapist and personal trainer, haunted apartment, Bill Gates, dog poop, too early for handshake, server, wrote 'I'm sorry', I like tartar sauce, I was on the Garrison Keillor show, burn victim, compared to what?, and losing at Connect Four. This was followed by NASA is closed, living the dream of a kid, looked great 2 years ago, send a marching band, bought car on Craigslist, Bob Dole bumper sticker, saving for mid-life crisis, what's he doing here at the nightclub?, women don't pay for each other, comment cards, broken lock on stall, and throat clearing.

CHS Field-Hamline Baseball

     I made my first visit to CHS Field this afternoon. the St. Paul Saints will be playing there soon. I watched a college baseball game, Hamline beat Augsburg 10-4. I liked being able to walk all the way around the stadium, including behind the outfield wall. I learned something, how the city of St. Paul has a flag. It was flying below the Minnesota state flag. It was free admission to this game, which is nice as the food and drink seemed expensive. I had some bottled water, popcorn, and a hot dog, it totaled ten dollars. With the action on the field, Augsburg was getting blanked for a while but finally got on the board in the 7th and closed the gap to 7-4 in the 8th. It was odd where I didn't hear 'Take me out to the ball game' in the 7th but in the 8th 'Center Field' by John Fogerty was played. I liked finding a seat in the second row behind the plate, this was due to a sparse crowd. But it was to be expected when college baseball doesn't interest most people. I got plenty of photos while there, found out moving around a little throughout the stadium to get better camera angles helped. I said more than once to other fans how it looks great, looking forward to seeing the Saints play there. But it won't be for another month.
   I did get some errand running done, but it had to be cut short for reasons besides the baseball game. First thing on my list after having an Egg McMuffin at McDonald's was getting an oil change at Jiffy Lube. When I came out of it the brake pedal went through the floor, and I pointed it out to them. I got tired of pumping the brakes for them to inspect it. So I had to go to another place up the road and will have them look at it. But I was told it probably won't be ready until Monday. I picked up an Amazon order from the post office, a book, then went to find a Vanilla Visa gift card at Super-America. I had
to make three attempts before finding one that had it in stock. I requested it on my loyalty card three days ago and said I wanted it by the weekend as it pays for a week's worth of groceries, or most of it. After the baseball game I took the bus home and used the card for my grocery order. Then I watched a Charlie Brown DVD, 'Race for your life'. So now I am caught up on seeing all of the Charlie Brown specials I own. I had seen it at a movie theater as a kid, but not much since then. I don't think I liked it as much as many of the other specials I have seen, since much of the storyline was about Charlie and his friends dealing with a bully. In other issues, one match from E-harmony is moving along, somebody who asked if I am from Iowa, as this match is also from there.   

Down To One Escalator

    I went to the post office to drop off mail at midday and it was down to one escalator to get there from the skyway. So I met two people on the way down, doing my best to slide through but I think I rubbed butts with one of them. At the office the supervisor was out, and the political science guy spoke of what he saw in 'News to Know'- out weekly email of announcements. He said one photo was of two things he doesn't like- a dog and a baby. It was a bulldog.
   I went to two shows at the comedy club tonight, the Big Dog was headliner at the first one. A comic I knew from the Campus Pizza shows said he read this blog and referred to knowing who I wrote of in one entry, when I was waiting for the light rail after a show. I liked how he said that I seem to enjoy being alive, and I think this is largely true. I know I enjoy writing. He did one about how his dad got cancer.
    Also at the comedy club, Duffel Bag did ones about seasonal depression, Good Charlotte on the bus, and was wearing the smiley face sweater. Others were about getting a license on the second try, haven't been to the dentist in a while, one time use Tupperware, what does a funeral cost?, a super religious family, build a church or a bookstore, and a cat and a therapist. Mr. Pibb did a guest set. He did ones about Rihanna, Mom and son at skate park, MOA and Southdale, spoon and cherry, Orange Julius, and Dad kisses. The Big Dog did ones about bad porn, not a property dispute, die for you songs, does she understand sarcasm?, top or her head blown off, and tennis ball against wall. Others were about a voice impression of his dad, bathroom at Perkins, Backdraft and Point Break, horny goat weed, oh good evening, ring the bell, breathe into your shirts, if wrestlers invented baseball, the worst motel, hard core porn, spin the wheel and whammies, Kevlar face mask, an antique water pump, Christian Mingle, pregnant woman running, Halle Berry want to feel good, where is your furniture?, Dahmer and Menendez brothers, and real estate brokers.
    At the second show, the open-mic, International Falls did ones about sleepwalker poem, the national bird, placenta, hamsters, and police dog poem. Big Dog did ones about People magazine, and hemorrhoids. The shorter of the brothers did ones about a triple-X store, a Super Bowl bet, and a Grim Reaper costume. Tetris did ones about auto-mist at a grocery store, voice and face doesn't match, slippery when wet, return a welcome mat, and not video pin-ball. The taller of the brothers did ones about already look homeless, sell your guitar, studio apartment, and it's your bathtub. Extra murder did ones about automatic doors, and a urologist. Fantasia did ones about 'this guy', job interviews, role playing, and writing home. Tortoise did ones about solve crimes, Colt 45, and they always leave you. A newer comic did ones about a power forward, and Crocodile Dundee. Mr. Pibb did ones about Dad kisses, MOA and Southdale, spoon and cherry, Orange Julius, well laid out, side of fruit, Yelp review, and mustard wizard. Bus fare did ones about Air Bud, put the dog down, knife to gun fight, Grandma, and the Muppets. Software developer did ones about going to Las Vegas, adopted from China, night terrors, and two monsters to deal with. Duffel Bag did ones about still riding the bus, using permit as ID, computer cat and therapist, and sibling rivalry.
   On the way to the club tonight I heard some memorable songs. This included 'No one ever' by Howard Jones, 'On Fire' by Springsteen, and 'These Are Days' by 10,000 Maniacs.

Neydium Porcelain Shade Guide

    After watching 2 episodes of 'Big Bang Theory' tonight I did a long walk around the neighborhood. Most of what I found was placed in a Walgreen plastic bag I started with and thrown in a trash barrel at the end of the walk. One thing I kept was a pamphlet, about the Neydium porcelain shade guide. It said 'Look for the tag of quality'. It is a crown and bridge shade guide. And it speaks of the Ney color in dentistry book emphasizes that 'All color is in the light'. Makes sense where it was found, near a dentist office. It was printed by the J.M. Ney company, Bloomfield, CT. There happened to be two phone numbers listed, one has a 203 area code and the other is toll free. It is printed in the USA, but hard to tell when. There is one marking in the other corner of the page stating '1/78', judging by some of the photos it wouldn't surprise me if it dates back to 1978.
   The first episode of 'Big Bang Theory' I watched tonight, the syndicated rerun, was when Howard found out Bernadette was being pressured to get a pre-nup. Sheldon was forced to go on vacation and decided to work with his lady friend, Amy Farrah Fowler, that week. The prime time episode was about Penny auditioning again, and Raj asking his friends for help on a recorded message that might be seen by aliens in space.
   At work there was a brief tornado drill, it happened just minutes after I had returned from lunch. It was annoying how the message kept being repeated. I decided to take work with me and stapled some contracts I planned on perfecting in the system later. Over my lunch hour I went to the pep rally for the local hockey team, the Minnesota Wild, as they are starting a playoff series tonight. I got there in the final 20 minutes, snapped a few photos and ordered some food. It was a hot dog, a bag of Barrel of Fun chips, bottled water and a cookie, six dollars. I saw a schoolgirl with tape over her mouth, she was participating in a 'Day of Silence'. I also went to the Landmark Center on a fact finding mission about the baseball exhibit there. Found out it is a small one, shouldn't take long to get a good look at
all of it. I can see about getting there again this weekend, like before I attend a college baseball game at the new Saints stadium. It will be nice to see a game there before the Saints play their first game there next month.

Mr. Burns Post Electric Play

     I went to see a play at the Guthrie theater in Minneapolis tonight, 'Mr. Burns post electric'. As a Simpsons fan I said I needed to see it. I read about the play in my regular City Pages email last week. The tickets are a little cheaper on this particular weeknight, made it easier to attend. It was a good crowd, some empty seats but not a lot. It is a must see for fans of  'The Simpsons' TV show. I liked a segment which had a music medley. I recognized snippets from many songs. It included 'Umbrella' by Rihanna, 'Lose Yourself' by Eminem, and 'Bad Romance' by Lady Gaga. I did get a souvenir after the show, a Simpsons wallet, as well as a postcard with various Twin City landmarks on it. I was next to two elderly women who said they didn't know the TV show that well but were familiar with the movie 'Cape Fear'. This play is largely about an episode that is a parody of the movie. There have been two movie versions, but I think it leans more toward the more recent version from 1991, starring Robert DeNiro. Good thing I bought some peanut butter crackers at Bobby and Steve's Auto World
nearby before I got to the Guthrie, as the food and drink at the theater venue was more. It is what one calls a 'Captive audience'.

Boxed Coffee, No Donuts

     At the office today there was an email about coffee being brought in from Caribou. It was left in the executive side break-room, which is the smaller one on the floor. I am not much of a coffee drinker so once I found out no donuts were there I decided not to have any coffee. There was some Easter candy on the table, I had some of the smaller chocolates and left. A colleague was asking me how to pour the boxed coffee, but it seemed to be like pouring any other liquid from a box to me. I did 14 settled letters in the afternoon, the box was at zero by the end of the day which is rare. I think I did see the woman I spoke with on the bus this evening, the one who spoke of Duluth and Detroit earlier this month. But I got off the bus one stop early as the traffic was slowing to a crawl due to a construction delay. After work I tried to get an oil change done at Jiffy Lube but I arrived about 15 minutes before closing so I was turned away.
   At the comedy club tonight, I was onstage early in the lineup. I spoke about people I interacted with over the weekend at the writer's convention, as well as a reference to sitting on a keg at another show. International Falls did ones about getting out of the house, danger level is up, 145 days no HR, Prince as emergency contact, dog rescue, and police dog poem. Fish noodle did ones about a flying car, crying baby in stroller on a bus, side bro or girl, and Jack's Pizza at gas station. Rapper comic did ones about a new soccer team, Vikings stadium, rapper movies, and a rap about the movie 'The Notebook'. TSA did ones about pull my finger, keg butt, full body scanners in life, semi-retired, in school and went back to work, and slap people who stutter. Nebraska did ones about be all you can be, sell cookies at school, ghosts and condoms, dog food commercials, Toppers pizza delivers, rock climb sky dive dic-pics, out of work for a while, and Bud Light ads. IED/IUD did ones about got out of rehab, not the worst looking person at Walgreen, seeing a therapist, Bowie knife on Amazon, Jim Jones and Kool-Aid, and go play golf. Yemen native did ones about a smoke shop, living the Arab dream, and volunteer at a farm. D.C. native did ones about a costume and clown, sports and Dad, TP houses, Karma is real, no TP at church, were you struggling then?, doing nerd shows, provided games, bigger than WNBA, it's an imaginary sport, and the ACL of video game injuries. There was also somebody who had a feather in a hat- like a fedora, shades, a mustache, and his dummy was a clone.  

1959 Chevy Pickup

    When I arrived at the comedy club tonight I saw a classic vehicle, a 1959 Chevy pickup. I had my camera with me and got a photo of it. Sometimes trucks are considered to be classic as well.
   At work the political science guy spoke of having his own black market. It may have been in response to a news story I had recently seen about people who had bought tickets for a Twins game on Craigslist that were canceled as they were bought with a stolen credit card. I let my colleague have all of the new titles as there weren't many, just over 50. I did the settled letters, 12 in all, some had been requested on Saturday. It was a high volume on the payoff report, even for a Monday. My 'Work spouse' returned from being on leave for a month but I said very little other than 'You're here!', since it was a busy day.
   Also at the comedy club, Chalm-Skinn did ones about a bracelet, darts, one percent, and being a bar bouncer. IED/IUD did ones about being in rehab, and Jim Jones. Rut-roh did ones about bosses aren't cool, a rhetorical question about movies, and vegan crack. The former bartender did ones about Hazelden, an iguana, pajamas, and no breakup we moved. A comic who spoke of being native will now be known as 'brawler', since he was willing to brawl with somebody who was trolling me. He did ones about a friend in Texas, history classes, and bring cookies. Bus far did ones about the band Velvet Underground, Panera Bread, seeing a therapist, a gun fight, Air Bud, I got books, and the Muppets. The D.C. native did ones about stolen toilet paper, karma, sports and love from Dad, one year sober, near beer, and a recycle bin. Mr. Pibb did ones about spoon and cherry, hopscotch, identical twins, dad kisses, free library, Twins 86, and Mall of America/Southdale. Maryland did ones about Friends on Netflix, Disney movies, a gas station, yoga pants, O'Doul's, an apartment fire, he has a dad, and high horse. Perkins did ones about custody, Alcatraz, cheese grater, no GQ model, storage locker, and plug his website. A comic back from Florida did ones about then Butch, snoring, Olive Garden, tattoos and marriage, me or comedy, and comparing grocery stores. Wisconsin guy did ones about Just For Men, Menards, car dealer ads, wine tasting, a Swedish nurse, mow the lawn, chili cheese, and a fat roll. School bouncer did ones about sex receipts, LeBron, Hillary, and a du-rag. Sub teacher did ones about a Connecticut summer home, a cucumber, Snap Fitness, Little Caesars Pizza, a South Dakota gig, fall down on own, and comparing a domestic terrorist to a stripper. Extra murder did ones about an automatic door, tax day, Bond villain and a tax bracket, her second wedding, Freddie Mercury, Verizon plan, and seeing a urologist.     

Russell Stover Dip-It Rabbit

     I noticed some stores still have Easter candy for sale a week later. I got some of it at a Walgreen, including a Russell Stover dip-it rabbit. The chocolate rabbit can be broken into 6 sections, and there is some Skippy peanut butter it can be dipped in. I like the concept of peanut butter and chocolate together, same reason why I like Reese's peanut butter. The Easter items are going for real cheap now, 70 percent off where I found it.
     When I went out for a walk and to pick up trash in the evening I passed by some books that were left out by the curb. The one on top said '8th grade graduation'. Seems kind of sad to throw this book out. A thicker book on the bottom of the stack was about fashion. I found the typical items to pick up as trash, mostly food and drink containers. I took a Walgreen bag with me but used a Walmart bag I found along the way instead. I did this after watching the Simpsons episode about fracking. I returned the rental car that I used to get to the show in Stillwater before watching the Simpsons.
   At midday I did go out and tried to see a movie in the MSP film festival, but the one I wanted to see was sold out. I was upset about it but then took some time to study the schedule and decided to get an advance ticket for a bio-pic about a vaudeville performer, the screening is in a week. I also bought a set of 6 postcards about the 1970 Dinky-town protests, a movie being shown at this festival. After I left I went to Bobby and Steve's and got a little Godfather's pizza. Then it was on to Walgreen where I made another photo order. But those added to the CD today weren't the ones I posted to Facebook tonight. I was behind on it, and posted from a CD I got 3 weeks ago. It included photos from Campus Pizza, now closed, and from my Chicago-land visit as well as the comedy marathon. I already got some likes to those I just posted. Before leaving for the 'no-go' movie I watched another Charlie Brown DVD, it included the special known as 'Snoopy's getting married'. There is just one left that I recently bought and haven't watched yet, it is the one known as 'Race for your life', a rare movie length Charlie Brown story.     

AWP conference, Lift Bridge Brewing

    I had 2 big events to attend today. First was the AWP conference and book fair at the Minneapolis convention center. Made the most of my time there, picking up writer submission information from various tables. I bought a book full of writings from Iowa authors, including Emerson Hough, early on. The man I bought it from said something about an emergency clown nose. He said it was a happy day as he met a clown earlier. I liked knowing it not only had a Hough writing, but that it was his earliest published piece, called 'Far from the madding crowd'. This was the name of a book shop in the Valley Junction section of West Des Moines, where I lived after college in Iowa City. I did cover the entire floor, but had to rush through it a little since it was so big and I knew I was running out of time. I know I got plenty of buttons as well, and bought some postcards at a gift shop in the convention center before registering for the conference. The nametag reminded me of attending the American Historical Association conventions I have attended, since it is in a different city each year and I chose to say my affiliation is the University of Iowa.
    In the evening it was on to a comedy show at Lift Bridge Brewing in Stillwater, Red-faced comic was headliner and Tortoise was MC. I got plenty of photos there, and sat on top of a keg for some of the show though it wasn't too comfortable. Also went to a bar after the show, invited by the headliner. The bar had a spider-box punching bag, besides the typical dart boards. Another item was a Duck Dynasty shooting game in HD. I spoke about Milwaukee beers with who bought me a drink, somebody who was also at the comedy show. I am familiar with four historically Milwaukee beers- Miller, Pabst, Blatz, and Schlitz. 

Girls Just Want To Have Fun, Cyndi Lauper

      I heard the song 'Girls just want to have fun' by Cyndi Lauper during the comedy show I attended tonight. Another song sounded like Hank Williams, 'So lonesome', I am also familiar with the Cowboy Junkies covering it. With the Cyndi Lauper song I recall it from when I was a kid. Later on I did see the video at a Twin City mall, in Maplewood, when I was in a relationship. The video seems to suggest the social change that is happening, where girls wanting to have fun meant not wanting to be housewives, but more independent. With the latter, the red-faced comic was brought on by this song, which seemed to fit his persona of playing a guitar.
    Also at the comedy club, a comic back from California did ones about capturing insects, puberty hit me, a few days of a panic attack, cat doesn't like me, afraid of dad, who has foreskin?, and he likes the same sandwich. I also got a shout out. Nebraska did one about a crack-head pops, be all you can be, Golden Corral yeast roll, and rock climb skydive and dic-pics. Tetris did ones about just relax, slippery when wet, coefficient, stress eating, nothing on TV, return a welcome mat, voice and face doesn't match, and the pen place moved. Tortoise did ones about 8 spiders a year, and sing 'Start believing in myself'. Extra murder did ones about cop walking into an automatic door, existential crisis, tax bracket- bond villain, sisters second wedding, Denny's placemat, Elton John duel, got a shout out about the Pizza Hut logo, bigger in Texas, and wear glasses look smarter. Bus fare did ones about Mikes Hard Lemonade, souvenirs thrown in crowd, hey there Delilah, teeth found in a hotel room, continental breakfast and Yelp review, and crypt of old pocket watches. Fantasia did ones about trash people, an improvised joke about the letter P, and pan of gold. Mr. Pibb did ones about MOA and Southdale, spoon and cherry, Orange Julius, tampons at thrift store, look fine using a mirror correctly, saying Bloody Mary, and Fuddruckers. Ragu did ones about drinking on the bus, all break ups are bad, emotional meltdowns on Facebook, how do you live like that?, playing landlord at parties, Harry Potter movies, and you get a do-over. International Falls did ones about teen witches, day 131 no HR, Prince as emergency contact, and OK cupid. Red-faced comic did ones about 12/13 CDs, Johnny Cupcakes, and send the bill to my heart. Happy meal did ones about a feminist rally, live next to fish store, and quiet man's hobby. Duffel bag was wearing a Coca Cola sweater. She did ones about cosmic bowling and laundry, one time use Tupperware, life insurance and funeral costs, turned from the lord, and heard working head shop.  

Plymouth Congregational Church

     I went to a Vietnam event at the Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis tonight. The 40th anniversary of the fall of Saigon is this month, and a writer's conference is in town this week. So this event was held in conjunction with the conference. I knew the event coordinator from the National Writers Union. I did get some photos of the speakers there. I briefly spoke with somebody from the at-large chapter who is in town, she is from Houston. She said she recalled seeing me at the last convention (or delegate assembly) in Chicago 2 years ago. I am hopeful to go again this year, it will be held in New York City. It of course means having to get elected, much like before. It was a mix of rain and snow when I was getting off work tonight, and I probably should have changed back to my winter coat but didn't. I walked a few blocks from the light rail to the church, it was chilly but I was fine as I was moving most of the time. The event coordinator offered me a ride back to the light rail stop after the event had finished, and I accepted. I saw some trash on the train so I picked it up and threw it in a bin when I got to my stop. It was an edition of City Pages, an empty box of Skittles, and a food tray from the Holiday convenience store.
    The payoff report was late today due to I.T. problems, so I perfected the new titles first. I did get the payoff report submitted by the end of the day, and still finished 10 settlement letters as well. This morning the perky girl confirmed for me how an underwriting colleague of hers no longer works in our office. I was about to send him and email this week, and I had a message before sending saying 'Invalid'. I will miss him, I had a gleeful greeting for him much like I do for some of my friends in the comedy circuit. In this case it was 'Thielmann!' I wanted to tell him about how I am trying to plan out summer travels some more, like my cousin's wedding in Wisconsin means there is a chance to do some touring along the way. One of the jokes I recalled from his earlier stint as an underwriter (he just finished the second stint, hard to recall how long he was away) was when I needed help one time and he got a big laugh out of the buyer being from Dickeyville, WI. I said I knew it as a town that has a grotto, a man-made religious shrine. I haven't seen it since I was a kid. But not sure how it would work with the logistics on trying to see it on the way to the wedding. This was why I liked to call him 'Grotto boy' for a while. He was also interested in how I would like to attend the Pan-Am Games in Toronto this summer, as he spoke of his wife being from this city. The perky girl said he lives in Canada now, my guess in or near Toronto.

Geoffrey Lewis

     I read how actor Geoffrey Lewis died, it meant something to me as he was known as being a co-star in some Clint Eastwood movies and my dad likes Clint. I found out actress Juliette Lewis is his
daughter.
   I made it back to a comedy venue tonight that I hadn't seen in a while, in part it was due to another one having closed recently- Campus Pizza. So it was the first time in a while I had seen some comics perform like the godmother.
   At work the political science guy was back in the mood of joking around, which I prefer as it can be entertaining to match wits with him. The event coordinator had a long conference call so we didn't do Wii dancing this afternoon, but she did briefly do some bar basketball which is in the same game room cubbyhole.
    Also at the comedy club, no-mic was MC. He did ones about late to liquor store, bought vodka with nickels, vote no campaign, she's not a MILF, and a vibrator ad. Ding Dong did ones about a
rescue victim, mortuary job interview, tan body lotion, pizza place and pot selling, and a body cavity search. The former bartender did ones about a Hazelden vacation, learning 12 steps and God, buying a pet iguana, a breakup we just moved, and pets at animal shelter. Turtle check did ones about going to Home Depot, not Rosie O'Donnell, 3 belt sanders, built cabin with beard, weight loss challenge, changed shapes, and Xanax and boxed wine. Godmother did ones about Comcast downgrades, fear of fire engines now arsonist, science fair circuit, read Bible avenge people, homecoming date say no, and pro-nap. Magic Man did ones about make my wife disappear, driving dad's car, and looks Italian but isn't. Perkins did ones about no GQ model, raising kids in storage locker, plugging his website, cranberry soda water, thrown out of Green Mill, run out of Montana town, ball park frank, cooked in trash can, friend stole 3 ferrets, and face on garbage bag. One of the brothers, the shorter one, was next. He did ones about treasure a triple X store, joint before marathon, fight with midget, baby pictures, Super Bowl bet, a thousand words, free t-shirts, no monsters under bed, living in can house, old folks home dress code, and a kids menu. Louisiana did ones about being depressed, seeing a therapist, surprised he had never been arrested, suicide watch, polar bears, Walmart shotgun, multiple lives, loyalty card, and the Florida snake problem.

2000 Miles, Pretenders

     While I was at the comedy club tonight, I heard a song in another room so I went to confirm what it was. It was '2000 Miles' by the Pretenders. I have the CD 'Learning to crawl', the song is on it. But
I like 'Back on the chain gang' and 'Thumbelina' more. With the latter it is because I like to travel, and it is a road story. 'Once we get to Tucson', then later on with 'And the Oklahoma sunrise becomes the Amarillo dawn'. With 'Miles' it is a slow song about living far away but being back at Christmas-time. It went well doing new jokes about subjects like office colleagues laughing a lot, along with things that didn't look right in online dating profiles like the notification email of a new message having a different name and city on it.
  Our game room cubbyhole at the office is now getting cubicle walls, our facility czar said the Health Ahead material will be in there. I like being able to weigh myself at the office once a week, so I am
hopeful it means the scale is moving there. It was in a room that became somebody's office, then it moved to the HR conference room and of course it is unavailable if somebody is having a meeting in it. There are still plenty of mouse pads in the main breakroom but I already have more than one, and all I really need is one.
    Also at the comedy club, International Falls did ones about no HR day 125, urban legend, Prince as emergency contact, drawing bathtub full of blood, and bucket of coffee. No-mic did ones about men and women luggage, why I'm a vegetarian, and dog treats smell like bacon. Tortoise did ones about silk boxers, remix encyclopedia, it's me I love chips, turned away from Canada, and random word generator. Brew did ones about dating advice, before we have sex talk, and student loans. Mr. Pibb did ones about a Macy's theft, thrift store blanket, MOA and Southdale, spoon and cherry, and Orange Julius. A newer comic back from California did ones about art school, not new clothes need new body, and world is too mean. Nebraska did ones about working construction, not liking porta potties, paying for car insurance, and death row last meal. Rut-roh did ones about seeing Grandpa for Easter, ask parents for life insurance, bosses aren't cool, self diagnosed insomnia, ads ruining dreams, and parents on Facebook. Fish noodle did ones about Jack's Pizza, and tongues in notebook. Big Dog did ones about People magazine, general enthusiasm, own worst critic, wrong way signs, and reformed pedophiles. A lady comic did ones about strip clubs are fun, taxidermy diorama, stole paper for coupons, and a half brother. Others were about live with Grandma in a rectangle. Lunch Lady did ones about car repairs, my therapist was busy, they are hiring, a Scooby Doo episode, and date night means doing taxes. Blind Side did ones about a hobby farm, phone material, blackmail, MLK, and Tyler Perry. Long straw did ones about chase squirrel around tree, Dr. Doolittle, and crazy people are never boring. After the show, Big Dog asked me if I say 'Dear Reader' in this blog, I do not. But there
are times I do end a sentence with a comma and then 'readers' though. Also heard a Johnny Cash song that mentions a cocaine shot.

Egg With Candles

     At the comedy club tonight, Belarus was there with a companion and they had what looked like an Easter egg with candles coming out of it. This might seem odd, but for those who know him it is par for the course.
   I liked how the payoff report at my office job was lighter than typical for a Monday, so I could get to other things much earlier.
    Also at the comedy club, Tortoise did ones about Robin Williams as Santa, a couch and regular potato, Grand Theft Auto, and 9 by myself. Fantasia did one about a Domino's Pizza delivery. Turtle Check did one about going to Home Depot. International Falls did ones about no HR 124 days, caress in a porta pottie, Prince as an emergency contact, and the police dog poem. Extra murder did ones about Elton John, a urologist, tax time, and a wedding invite. School bouncer did ones about a bobsled, a bike for his niece, and a kid in his office. Bathtub did ones about Sour Patch candy, allergies, waffle fries, and an old camera. Worthington did ones about sports villains, cyber bully his dad, and a tough dad speech. Tetris did ones about counting sheep, and returning a welcome mat. Maryland did ones about Disney movies, a gun collection, and ordering on Amazon. Mr. Pibb did ones about no dessert, a Macy's theft, a cop in a trunk, and clowns and commitment. Mason City did ones about a you are awesome button, the Johnny Cash biography, cat show, passive dependent, and a stolen kid. A visitor back from Florida did ones about then butch, CPR dolls, visiting Olive Garden, Jehovah's Witnesses, and grocery store comparisons. Fever comic did ones about jail in Iowa, and snuggling. Wee bit did ones about Great Clips and Super-America, bought condoms, and a trash can baby. University accountant did ones about Rosedale Mall conduct, no rules at Mall of America, a Pringles can, and a Youtube video. Postage stamp did ones about a teaspoon, new phone here, missing salad, and measuring system. Sub teacher did ones about 'Highway to Hell', a Comcast call, a South Dakota gig, a mall threat, domestic terrorists and strippers, his dad, and a cucumber. Louisiana did ones about Rain Man, a therapist, depression, pythons in Florida, and a bear civil war. Perkins did ones about no GQ model, cheese grater ride, aquarium, storage locker, his website, fix my family, Ball Park Frank, Green Mill, cranberry soda water, and a urine test.

Anne Of Green Gables Play

     I saw the play 'Anne of Green Gables' at the Round Theater in Minneapolis this afternoon. I had seen one of the movie versions of it but it had been a while so I didn't recall much. I knew it was about a spirited red-haired Canadian girl. And she kept saying her name was 'with an E'. In the first act I did recall the part about the currant wine. I really liked this play, I found it to be relatable as some of my characteristics were like Anne's. It was my first visit to this venue in a while, I think I saw two plays there in the same season. The first one was 'Devil's Disciple', a George Bernard Shaw play. It was due to finding out an office colleague did the background music for it. A notable thing about this venue is the 'Round' name fits, because the stage sure is. I was close to the performers on stage and I was in the front row. Hard to say if I will see another play there this season, but I did see how another play later on is by Woody Allen.
   I liked how I got to cross all but one item off my list, and this was an exhibit about baseball that will be around for a little while. I made it to Easter church services, and after it I had a dinner at the Glockenspiel in St. Paul. I called my college roommate after seeing the play as he spoke of it after going to Prince Edward Island, Canada, on a business trip one time. He said the book series is a big tourist attraction there. This was when he worked on cancer treatment equipment in hospitals. He spoke of plans for a cruise in Europe, and visiting family in Chicago-land later this year. I know he is a big fan of boxing, it explains why he asked if I am seeing the Floyd Mayweather fight which is coming up next month. It is pay per view but many bars will carry it.  

Jump Around, House Of Pain

    When I was driving to the comedy club tonight, I heard on my car radio the song 'Jump Around' by House of Pain. It is a popular one at some football games, being played at the kickoffs. It also makes me think of a classmate and Little League teammate who liked this band. Like many other rap songs I liked the clever word-smithing in it, such as mentions of tennis star John McEnroe, The Terminator,
and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Then it was followed by another rhyme, Sega. Some of what works is writing about rap itself, with the early mention of 'Came to drop bombs'. Notable in the video I found on Youtube was the front-man wearing a Celtics jersey, number 33 which is Larry Bird.
     At the comedy club tonight, Maryland was MC. He did ones about O'Doul's, I have a dad, sobriety field test, due you first, hockey game, condos, flopping in NBA, Urkel, cat burglar, adoption agency,
a cute Target dress, yoga pants, Disney movies, high horse, Friends on Netflix, and shopping on Amazon.
   The feature was a magician. He had a deck of cards, how you get into magic, writing name on card, crowd member onstage, 2 young kids, Haz-Mat response, Wells Fargo stagecoach, Trojan horse condom, January 20 paper, French symbolist drama, and beer bottle in paper bag. Radio Personality was doing a guest set. She did ones about reading sci-fi magazines and comic books, marathon serial killers, sword collection, zombie apocalypse, Kill Bill style showdown, Mom said wear cargo pants, Ellen DG probably has them, and a lost cell phone.
   The headliner was a visitor from Chicago and is originally from Phoenix. She did ones about friending on Facebook, shake all hands, everyone in town who hates their family, life with sleeves, the university's online, Arizona has the most grandparents, and don't make long term plans. Others were about keep the NRA out, stabbing who lost gun?, more shot there than Iraq, Obama you're from here, Virgo and Capricorn, just be consistent, you made us do math, pass out on this Ferrari, tried pot friends have quit, order it at Burger King, not high little drunk, friend having a home birth, and today is a BOGO. Continuing on, there were ones about onion ring in fries, in Walmart shopping for people I don't care about, he was born here, you're in Target, adopt a 3-legged cat, I don't live on a pirate ship, doesn't get gifts for Mom's Day, I will let you pay my rent, found perfect guy online, the FBI's wanted man, parked car can't find Soldier Field, opposite of north, watch Sesame Street, and you've made society's JV squad. Others were about MSP airport, I'm not Columbus, Hobby Lobby, birth control, better than watching Frozen, when it fails it's called Christmas, put a ring on it, crush its soul, he stole internet modem, take her panties, too smart to sleep with, your brains explode, and attracted to wrong person. Still others were about threw the spear not invented it, K State pamphlet on how to prevent rape, put it back, take your bishop, she kept me, end before begin, it's real I'm driving through it, loitering, sock on dumpster, get a punchbowl, paid for makeup, face wash, got a raise, and barely wash mine.

Rearview Mirror, Pearl Jam

    At midday I had a sandwich at the Erbert Gerbert. I heard a song playing in the background, it was 'Rearview Mirror' by Pearl Jam. I love driving my car, so this song works well with it since it starts off with 'I took a drive today, to emancipate'. Then of course it continues with 'Saw things so much clearer, when I saw you in my rearview mirror'. Many of us can say this is relatable. Also downtown I heard 'Kiss me' by Sixpence None The Richer as I was leaving the Walgreen, where I went to get some drain opener. This evening when I was driving home from the comedy club it was 'Lonely no more' by Rob Thomas. So much good music out there. I made another visit to a Walgreen, different location, before heading for the comedy club. I found wooden coat hangers in this location, and I have seen it before where the disclaimer may be 'Selection varies by store'.
    At the comedy club tonight, Worthington did ones about a pet parrot, no mayo on sandwich, a prostate exam, geese fly, tip dunk to win the game, 'Shut it down', and being punked by a twin brother. The D.C. native did ones about traffic court, watering a fake plant, orphanage without compassion, the number joke, and Ben Franklin. IED/IUD did her signature joke. A newer comic did ones about a pimping career, not easy I'm just really cool, basketball in the 1940s, ankle tat, and
Adam's apple. International Falls did ones about her roommate doesn't trust the dishwasher, 117 days and no HR, emergency contact to Prince, subculture is dangerous, conjoined twins, and adopt old dogs. Mr. Pibb did ones about Fuddruckers, stealing at Macy's, Robin Hood, take them to Southdale, spoon and cherry, a holding baby dream, and longest hopscotch. Perkins did ones about pay for Tinder, Netflix is cheaper, no GQ model, lightbulb and sugar daddy, forward pilot to A and E, 3 stolen ferrets, and a trash bag. Ragu did ones about full blown emotional meltdowns, roller coaster photo, and Obama campaign emails. Happy meal did ones about crossed arms, bought an I-pad for Grandpa, ham radio hut, Dish Network, and Wi-Fi password. Extra murder did one about a doctor appointment. Tetris did ones about a Harry Potter spell, a zoo billboard, free pizza, and Bush 43. Red-faced comic did ones about a no porn sticker, it doesn't say that, buy a box of them, 7 songs we play 4, some Mellencamp, Coldplay vanilla scented, and Gwyneth Paltrow. Michigan did ones about wrong turn into Canada, and convince people she's real. Bus fare did ones about seeing a therapist, mayors don't exist, Jurassic park movie script, McRib left the menu, waiting for bus, and Whitney Houston. Nurses aide did ones about dating her boss, confident about various things, better tips as server due to I don't care attitude, and tinted windows. Postage stamp did ones about Toy Story, hate cooking, measuring system and teaspoon, new phone is here, 1,000 yard score in Candy Crush, not protesting at post office, and Indiana. Long straw did ones about groceries at Target, Tom Hanks with autism, Asperger's would explain so much, and baseball stats and insecurity. Mason City did ones about lost in Coon Rapids, cat show, Ace of Base, passive dependent, comics are needy (I got a shout-out), affirmation button, and stolen at grocery store.    

Cathy's Clown, Everly Brothers

    Before going into work I happened to see a damaged CD case on the sidewalk, it was 'Country' by the Everly Brothers. I recognized many of the songs on it, including 'Cathy's Clown'. It prompted me to look up this song on Youtube, and the version by Reba McEntire as well. I was more familiar with Reba's, more recent. Also a reminder of the generation gap, as my dad didn't like Reba's version. The two versions are decidedly different, as the brothers have a quicker tempo. Reba's is a western theme, evident in the video with Bruce Boxleitner playing Cathy's clown. Let it be known I found everything but the actual CD. The back part stating the songs on it was there, I can read it fine. Some of them I sang in a chorus concert in junior high, like 'Bye Bye Love' and 'Wake up little Suzie'. Track 13 is listed as a medley, including 'Love hurts', I am more familiar with the version by Nazareth. Much like many other long walks I take, I picked up plenty of trash today.
   It was weird doing a half-day of work, after last night's concert. I have done them before but it was the first time I did the second half as I prefer doing the first half when needing to be done earlier in the day. I found ways to stay occupied before going in. I saw the CD case when walking to the post office, but I found out there was no mail to pick up. Then I looked around at a flower nursery, I had wanted to do this for a while as I often noticed the elephant statues there. The statues have an asking price of $3,000. There were also some greeting cards but I like postcards more, one of the reasons why I bought nothing. I did like getting photos while there, and not just of the elephants.
   I also found the time to watch one of the DVDs I had bought recently, two Charlie Brown specials were on it- 'Easter Beagle' and 'Arbor Day'. I got on the bus earlier than I needed to as I wanted to get a better look at the Saints baseball stadium. A few others were milling around outside as well. I hadn't eaten lunch yet so I got a slice of pizza at the Super-America and then headed to the office. Even though the payoff report had been delivered by then, there was still plenty to do- three pages of new titles to perfect into the system and file, along with settlement offer letters.
   I watched two 'Big Bang Theory' episodes tonight. Syndicated rerun was when Howard announced he was going into space but Bernadette and his mom doesn't want him to go. Sheldon goes to a Wil Wheaton party, where he also meets Data from Star Trek. I liked one line Amy Farrah Fowler had, referring to Sheldon as a 'Left handed monkey wrench'. Prime time episode was when Leonard and Sheldon tried to go to the George Lucas ranch but are turned away. There was also more about cleaning out the house following the death of Howard's mom, there was a ping pong game involved with it.

Two Shirts And A Thermos

    At the office today there were various items left in the main break-room. At first it was drinking containers, and I claimed three of them including a metal thermos (actually the more generic term is 'Vacuum flask'). Then later on it was shirts and calculators, even cubic zirconia. Some of the shirts I already had, from last year's Como Zoo outing and from the Biggest Loser weight loss program in 2009. I was pleased to find two shirts that fit, both I can wear to the office as they have collars. It was a good idea to try them all on before claiming them, as I found out some of them that I wanted
didn't fit very well. I tried on way more than just two. It will be nice to have the thermos, as I don't think I had one yet. I had seen and used hard plastic ones before.
   Tonight I attended a concert at the Cabooze in Minneapolis. Again it worked well taking light rail, as it is near the Franklin stop. I have friends in both of the acts, Valley Meadows and Circle of Heat. I would expect plenty of friends being in the crowd as well. There were hula hoops in the pre-show that glowed in the dark, I liked getting photos of two of these. It would be nice to see both of these acts again. It was mentioned how Valley Meadows is performing again soon, at a venue I haven't been to yet. I let opera singer, a member of Circle of Heat, know it is easier for me to attend on a different night of the week or a show starting earlier than 10pm. In spite of this, I still have been to two of the band's shows, because I decided to take the next day off from work in both cases.
   I just read an article from City Pages about the closing of Campus Pizza at the U. of Minnesota campus, which happened last week. This meant something to me as I performed comedy there on their open-mic nights. Odd that the owner blamed the closing on the light rail, which started last year. Commenters on the article said it had more to do with nearby pizza places offering a better product.