hymn for the weekend, coldplay and beyonce

I keep finding songs that force me to take notice when I first hear them on my car radio. today it was 'hymn for the weekend' by coldplay and beyonce. for me the hook was hearing 'so high' repeated, and I wondered if it was coldplay, and it was. I had seen them in concert in Milwaukee in 2006. though I didn't hear the parts by beyonce much until I found the video on youtube. there are many catchy lyrics in it. for me it starts with 'when I was down, when I was hurt, you came to lift me up'. also profound is 'life is a drink, love is a drug'. kind of weird how I also heard 'your love is my drug' by kesha at midday, a reminder of visiting the Carolinas in 2010. it looks like beyonce starts out the song, with lyrics like 'shoot across the sky', and 'symphony'. the video ends with fireworks, and this makes sense to have the 'shoot across the sky' lyric in it. and it has happy multi-colored children running around in India, and part of it takes places in a movie theater where beyonce is an actress. as usual, I liked how finding it online wasn't a problem. I had enough key words, like 'angels sent from up above' and 'got me feeling drunk and high'. this is understood to be a love song, and I like the choice of the title. the main thing I liked about attending church, when I did on a regular basis, was the music, the hymns, we sang. even the album by the band 'the verve' was called 'urban hymns'.
   there was two notable things about the day. the first was going to the weisman museum at the u of Minnesota as it was the last day of the 'cowboys and Indians' andy Warhol art exhibit. I had seen it in may but didn't get many pictures then, I was low on memory space. since then I got another memory card, so at midday I went there and got pictures of all of this exhibit. I was there long enough to do this and then I left, about 15 minutes tops. I wanted to get to uptown Minneapolis for a tech rehearsal for the fringe play I am in. good thing I did the museum first, so I was less anxious to get out by a certain time. I had a small role but I liked getting the practice in, as I did my set twice. I made it to the donut show after it but it had just ended, as expected. in the evening I went out to get some of the cards advertising the show on display at bulletin boards. I had some ideas from when I was hanging signs for the 10k laughs festival in 2014. I went to six places- two caribous, a dunn brothers, a grocery store, a Panera bread, and a music shop. some places were closed but I made a note of their hours and can go back when they are open. I should be able to get all the cards distributed before our first show, on Saturday afternoon. I can get some more to some people at the office. I will keep at least one for my comedy binder, which helps document my career. I may keep two, so one can see both sides of the card. it is what I did at these bulletin boards, and I know others did the same.

tears of silence

I went to a swap meet in the parking lot of a grocery store and picked up three books. one of them was called 'tears of silence', by jean vanier. it is copyrighted 1970, and it says the author was educated in England and Canada, but makes his home in paris, france. it appears to be a poetry book, but there are photos in it as well, likely appropriate to each writing. the title of course was compelling. last line in the first poem was 'who can liberate me from myself?' the other two were about the national museum of American history, and one about the decade of the 1950s.
   this was in between the two events of the day. in the morning I went to Canadian days in little Canada. it was for the pancake breakfast and the bagpipe band. then after it I got plenty of pictures at the car show. one of them was a dodge demon. I had heard of this car before, but hadn't seen one. I liked seeing a v-8 ford from the 1930s as well, reminding me of how bank robbers like Dillinger liked them. a man there was telling me how Dillinger even wrote a letter to ford stating this, a story my dad had told me as well. but around 11am, I knew I needed to move on and do other things like print things at the library. I finally got some lunch, egg rolls, after 2pm at a holiday gas station. I went to a costume shop and got a prop for a show I am doing soon. then after this, I was on the road again, this time to hastings. I wanted to see the little log house pioneer village event. it was probably my first visit there in 4 years, back when I was in a relationship. the flyer advertising it had mention of not only porky's restaurant but also the drive-in movie theater from nearby cottage grove. I got a bacon burger at a tent next to porky's, but I waited on some of my tour as it rained. I waited it out inside a place that appeared to be where wedding receptions were held. I got two free railroad photos there. I listened to two soul asylum CDs driving to and from there, getting ready for their concert at the saints stadium soon. one of them had just been acquired from a family dollar earlier today, 'let your dim light shine'. the other I've had for a while,'grave dancers union'.
  it was evening by the time I got back from hastings, and I didn't go to another event after that. I fell asleep in my easy chair, and then I got up and went to the grocery store. I also went through some recent souvenirs, mostly printed pages, and got them into binders. I decided to switch out one binder for a larger one. I don't do this all that often, as it can be hard to find the time for it.

replay, IYAZ

I went to Canadian days in little Canada tonight after work. it was a typical first night at the festival, getting my button and having the corn on the cob. I also liked hearing some recorded music there, found out the song was 'replay' by IYAZ. the hook was 'I can be your melody, a girl that could write you a symphony'. some versions on youtube are listed as a sean Kingston song. according to Wikipedia, it was released in june 2009, and Kingston and Jason derulo were two of the writers along with IYAZ. there was also mention of a remix with flo rida. this is a catchy song, so I understand why it topped the charts in some nations. other notable lyrics were 'shawty's like a melody in my head that I can't keep out', and 'like my ipod stuck in replay'. I get the reference of 'that girl is a gun in my holster', much like saying 'hand in glove' on how well it fits. I also like 'so come baby girl let's sing with me'. it is a reminder of being in new York last year when I was out on a walk and heard a dude say 'come on, baby girl' to his lady. the video shows a british virgin islands flag in the background, where IYAZ is from. he is often wearing a new York Yankees hat, using headphones, and at the beach. there was another Wikipedia entry for a song called 'replay' by zendaya, released in 2013, but it is not the same song apparently.
    I was recognized at the festival as 'the one with all the buttons', but I had to say 'since I moved here in 2004'. besides the corn I also had some pizza, and mini donuts. I walked around and got pictures of things like the tilt a whirl, and the stage as there was some live music happening. it may have been a cover band, called 'bad girlfriends' if I am not mistaken, mostly female members. I tried to find the sports authority store in Roseville after leaving the festival, and I did, sort of. it is now closed, according to the sign on the front door. so I got a few pictures, after parking my car near the front door, and left.
  it was nice to get the workday sone as I was covering for my 'cohort' who was out, and it sounds like she will be out on monday as well. so I was busy seeing that things like the new titles were caught up, and they were but just barely. there was over two hundred.

news to know

at my employer the newsletter is called 'news to know'. it is emailed to us once a week, usually on Friday. there was an advisory board meeting this afternoon that spoke of possible changes to it. I am very much interested in helping with writing it, although it might mean longer meetings as this one was just over 30 minutes. I like writing, and want to make a contribution any way I can. I did say that my 'cohort' and I enjoy seeing it when it arrives, as not much else gets us excited on a Friday. after the meeting I decided I had the time to call back the dental office, they had left a voicemail. first of course I had to look up my password since I don't get many calls on it. looks like the billing problem dating back to march may be finally getting cleared up. there will be a balance after the insurance payments post, but it is less than $15. I am thankful that somebody finally took ownership of it, but it still feels like it is too little, too late when I am already offended at how they fumbled around with it for this long. I haven't seen anything yet on if my vacation day requests are approved, but I put them in this week. one was a half day so I can make it to one of the fringe shows I am in, the other is for new York city. when the latter happens, I think I will want to contact my new Yorker friend about it.
   there was a rehearsal for the fringe show tonight, same venue in northeast Minneapolis as before. I liked making it back to this place, as I liked the artwork at the nearby intersection and got plenty of pictures of it. some photos were of the railroad yard as one is directly above it when at this intersection, since it does function as a bridge. after I was done I went to bobby and steves and had a milkshake, then drove home. I was listening to the Hillary Clinton speech, from the democratic convention in Philadelphia, on my car radio, as I had it tuned to public radio.

opening act at speed friending

I did the 'speed friending' event tonight, invited by Belarus. there was an opening act, two comedians started things off. the second one, yemen, was way better than the first. then I went to perform after this show or event was done.

eggs and v-8

I was late getting to eating lunch today after searching new York hotels online, and then getting saints tickets for next week's all-star game festivities. so I went to the convenience store in the skyway and got two hard-boiled eggs and a bottle of v-8 juice. I've done it before, and it was an available option at 2pm as some of the food outlets had already closed. so the can of soup I brought will have to wait.
   I did perform at the comedy club tonight, and was brought up by soap opera as a 'legend' much like before. when I made a reference to an Eminem song, 'need a doctor', and quoting lyrics, he started a 'believe in me' chant after leaving the stage, it made me laugh.

bite size licorice

I do recall getting some bite size licorice in the past month or so, A and W flavor. I pulled out two pieces from my car tonight, seeing it fallen between the driver seat and the console. no I did not eat it, but I kept dropping it in one of the three drink holders and it sounded like I was rolling dice.
   dad left a voicemail around midday and said he had been watching 'back to the future 3' and had dozed off. so I called again this evening just before I went to the performance venue. the call started in my car, in my parking spot. then I started walking to the venue and was still on the call for a few minutes after arriving. he said he had seen some media coverage of this month's police shooting in the twin city metro area, I said it was a big news story here. he was also telling me about helping out with RAGBRAI, which will be visiting the town he lives in.

US Bank Stadium Open House

I went to the US Bank Stadium open house this afternoon. It was a photographer's dream, as I took over a hundred pictures while there. I enjoyed it once I got in, as I was getting cranky. I guess crowds have a way of doing that to me. first, finding a parking spot, then waiting in line to go through security. I liked seeing some artwork there of famous Minnesota sports figures like herb brooks. I said my dad in Iowa would be pleased as the Hy-Vee grocery store is a sponsor, and was giving away cookies as we were leaving. some of the food stands were open, but I had already eaten so I felt no need to get anything. much like many other new facilities, not everything is ready yet. I saw a few signs that said 'still under construction'.
   I did get to the performance venue near it after the tour was done, but as expected the show was canceled, the crowd at the bar was too big. I probably stayed too long as I ended up arguing with somebody I know about famous people with legal problems. my attitude has always been that I could care less about what happens to famous people that I have never met, as I know what happens in my own life is way more important. guess it proves that my Achilles heel is still there- trying to reason with people that I just can't reason with.
   after I left I went on a search at more Super-America locations to see if any of them had the visa card I was looking for as a reward from the loyalty program. on my fourth try today (a total of nine tries over two days) I finally found it and couldn't hide how excited I was about it. it shouldn't be that hard to find, especially when I went to a holiday station this morning and they had it, the 'purple box' visa card. I still plan on putting it towards my weekly grocery store order, but it will have to wait as I had already been to the grocery store in the morning. I needed milk and orange juice for breakfast, as I didn't make it the night before due to searching for the card after the saints game.
    I liked getting caught up on a few things, like writing down my gift card code for amazon from enterprise rent-a-car, where I answer surveys. I had four card codes waiting, a total of forty dollars. I used them all for a six-item order, it covered most of the total, leaving less than ten dollars for me to pay. one of them was a don rickles DVD that bob Newhart is on. I also got two more Charlie brown encyclopedias to complete my 15-book collection of the 1980 edition, and two more Maytag home laundry encyclopedias. I understand there are five in the series, I already had three of them. It is a paperback hand-size book, so it doesn't look like the 'typical' encyclopedia to me, which is much bigger and had a hard cover. one of those other three was bought at an antique mall in my hometown as I recall. I recall the Wisconsin man telling me about the don rickles DVD, and I printed the page to remind me to order it someday. the online article said it was printed over two years ago! sometimes it takes a while before things top my priority list, but I know full well that I was more interested in getting comedy CDs done by friends. hard to say when I will get the next one, I already have nearly 40. the last one I got in person, I try to order online only when it is too hard to find in person.

national parks adventure movie

I went to the science museum in st. paul this afternoon to see the omni-theater film, 'national parks adventure'. they mentioned Theodore Roosevelt in it often, though a different president- Woodrow Wilson- signed it into law in 1916. but teddy was well known as an outdoorsman. I did get two souvenirs after it, a magnet that says 'national park service centennial' and 'quotable notables' from teddy. I liked recognizing one statue in the film, as it looked like the one from Roosevelt island in the Potomac, saw it in my 2009 visit to D.C. it covered some parks that I hadn't been to yet like Yellowstone. it also mentioned places I had been to like the statue of liberty, and the national mall in D.C. I heard more than one version of leonard Cohen's 'hallelujah' in it, one was just piano and the other, according to the closing credits, was the jeff buckley cover.
   it was a fairly full day. I went to the post office, and the 'up in the air' movie program from japan had arrived. then it was on to target to get two poster frames, as I just got another  comedy poster last night. I also got two Charlie brown and snoopy items, both on clearance. one was 'bath squirters' and the other was a small version of snoopy's doghouse and had figurines included. I went to a postcard show in Eagan and liked getting not just some more from the 1933 Chicago world's fair but also the fieldhouse at the u. of iowa, and the post office/customs house in st. paul. I ate at Kentucky fried chicken after the postcard show, then after a short time at home it was off to the science museum.
    after the science museum I went to the st. paul saints baseball game, saints lost to Laredo 9-3. I arrived early to get the giveaway item, a beach towel sponsored by treasure island resort and casino. there were three colors available, I chose green. the other two were pink, and orange. I liked hearing 'get this party started' by pink at the stadium. but I know it fits the theme, as it said 'Saturday night'. saints went ahead early 2-0, a home run with one on. but they fell behind by as much as 9-2, then scored another one in the 9th. a man was near me wearing a dallas cowboys shirt and was heckled by a man who said he was a Vikings fan. I spoke with the cowboy fan for a little while, and with his companion as well, saying sports rivalries can get really stupid. his lady kept saying she didn't want to pay scalpers for tickets, I said go to the team's ticket office. to me a scalper sells them on the street, but her definition or usage of the word was broader. Gert the flirt, an usher-tainer, was in my section. I got a lipstick kiss from her, and it reminded me of a math teacher in junior high who gave out lipstick kisses to students late with an assignment. I shared it on facebook and two of my classmates said they recalled her. some teachers are more memorable than others.

 

i choose cheese

I went to a friend's comedy show tonight, number 25 was headlining. she had posters available after the show, and the poster said 'I choose cheese' in reference to working in a vegan diner. she signed it for me, and when I got it home I noticed when I put it in the sack with other comedy posters not yet framed there was a considerable number waiting. It is now one of six, seven if you count the 'up in the air' movie poster- in german- that I bought from e-bay. I really like that movie. I sent her a private message on facebook and said 'so yours may get a frame before George Clooney does'. and a ha-ha. so this weekend I think I should make it high priority on getting two frames. the other would be for the meat raffle show that I was a part of last December. the movie poster is still in an envelope. she was doing a CD recording, and I did see the founder of stand-up records after the show. I had heard many of the jokes before, but I still liked hearing them. I really liked the one about the 'cube mate'- about how 'we have the same job'. I find it to be relatable. feature performer was from Houston, don't know him. the godmother was MC and long straw did a guest set. also saw conga line doing the announcements before the show.
   I ate at the Chicago hot dog place this evening, and got signed up for another loyalty program. it is related to my cell phone, as text messages will be sent there.

hillary's america movie

I went to a movie tonight, 'hillary's america', a documentary, in Roseville. I couldn't find mention  about it in Friday's hard copy of the Minneapolis paper, but saw mention of it in the top 50 movies from the weekend box office. it prompted me to see if it was playing in the area, and there was mention in the online version of the paper. I recognized the name of a producer, Gerald molen, who had a small role as dr. bruner in 'rain man', a favorite movie of mine. as a history major I knew that many historical figures from the democratic party were mentioned in it. this movie was opposed to this political party, much like Michael moore's 'Fahrenheit 9/11' was opposed to bush 43. it remains to be seen as to if it backfires like 'fahrenheit' did. it centered around an immigrant from india researching this political party, after going to jail over a campaign contribution that was illegal.
   I got the bookcase assembled tonight while still watching 'big bang theory'. it meant getting out wood glue as I figured the 3M adhesive wouldn't be strong enough. I figured it was time to do it since I had picked it up two days earlier. I got a picture of it after I was done, doing the Vivian maier thing. I watched two 'big bang theory' episodes tonight. syndicated rerun was when leonard 'took one for the team', sleeping with a widow who was a rich donor. prime time episode was when everybody was mad at somebody, after leonard said he didn't want to attend the roommate agreement meeting.

green bingo tickets

I keep getting green tickets for the bingo drawing with out themed week at the office, but I am too busy to go to the bingo games that are twice a day or see the drawing. I have like five or six tickets now. duty calls, as the saying goes.
   I had the dental appointment after work, and I kept hearing 'i'm sorry' from one of the office people. I don't want to hear 'sorry' anymore, because it doesn't change the situation. I did not make another appointment due to the billing problem. normally I do at the end of each appointment. it feels like I would be rewarding incompetence if I did. so now it means finding out what the final total is on what I owe the dental office, and then find another dentist.
   I did get stage time tonight, though there was a long delay due to construction on the interstate. the set was mostly about the st. louis visit, but also some about the dental appointment. I tried getting stage time at another club after this first show was over but too many people had already signed up. so I will get them next week.

sorry, so am I

I called and found out the bookcase had been found. so after work I went to the store to pick it up. I was under the impression that it was already assembled, as the earlier one from them was. I arrived and saw it was in a compact box, so 'some assembly required'. I knew not much of it would be assembled tonight when I planned on performing. it was a little annoying when the cashier was ready to have me pay again, I said it was already paid for as I had to pay before it was even ordered. she said 'I am sorry' and I said 'so am I', and then she said 'hope you still have a good night'. I get tired of hearing 'sorry', and I think many others are too. just do your job! and as I recall, 'so am I' was a line in my favorite movie, 'good will hunting'. I hate the feeling of how this bed bath and beyond store is a one-man operation.
   I did make it to the performance venue, though most of the jokes in my set were about the weekend in st. louis, five in all, along with a response to the MC making mention of a politician and I had a story in response to it about RT Rybak.

bookcase order missing

I was of course annoyed when I showed up at bed bath and beyond tonight to pick up the bookcase I had ordered and nobody could find it for me. I hated the feeling of it being a wasted trip. I used the word 'wrong' a lot- did I show up at the wrong time? the manager on duty wasn't the same one that had helped me when the order was placed. I was advised to call when he returned, which would be midday the next day. I did accomplish other things on my list tonight, chores like doing laundry and washing dishes. I exchanged some text messages with the e-harmony match while doing laundry.
  first day back at the office, I had some items waiting for me at my cube. I decided to collapse one of them as it was a three-sided advertisement for the company, and it was just plain too big. I got annoyed when calling my dental office, following up to the threatening letter that arrived over the weekend. I was told it never should have been sent out, when it mentioned things like late fees. I told them the claim had been paid, no thanks to the dental office. I had to do the leg work. I have an appointment for Wednesday, but I am so offended that I am telling myself that it will be the final one. I have no choice but to dump this dental office due to the billing fiasco. there has to be another one where they care about me more as a person, this one doesn't leave me feeling valued at all. this should make it easier for me to find the time to find another primary physician as well. I haven't been there in a while as I don't trust them, so I technically dumped them a while ago. I feel like some of the tests they have run are not necessary.

so alive, goo goo dolls

I started this morning at my hotel room near the st. louis airport. I heard plenty of music from this weekend, as expected, when I have the radio on with the rental car. the standout was 'so alive' by the goo goo dolls. the lyrics really work for me. what hooked me was 'never going to live if you're too scared to die'. but not the only lyric that I liked. others were 'no, you never crash if you don't try'. others would be 'looking in the mirror, making peace with the enemy, for the first time I feel like someone, don't tell me how it feels'. I found the video on youtube, on the second look at it the filming location appears to be at an abandoned railroad station. one sees plenty of signs in the background saying 'tickets', as well as 'bag check'. I understood the prevailing theme in the video, it was a boxing match that a young lady had with somebody that looked like her twin. it explains he 'looking in the mirror' lyric. I hadn't heard much by the goo goo dolls lately, though I had seen them in concert when I lived in suburban Chicago over a decade ago, at one of the big outdoor venues in the area.
   there was one thing that happened to me in this annual visit, that has happened before when out pf town. I woke up and asked myself where I was and how I got there. then I said 'you're at a hotel, idiot!' I know why this happens. my bed at home might be familiar, but the ones at some of these hotels are way more comfortable.
   I didn't do much today, as expected, since it was my final day in town. it was eat, swim, check out of hotel, and fly. I liked getting to the hotel's pool before checkout. I feel like I don't go swimming often enough, sometimes just once a year. I was in the pool for about 15 minutes. I made it to the Mexican restaurant near my hotel, and the owner recognized me from before even though I just make it there annually. I had a green burrito, I noticed plenty of onions in it. I mailed myself a postcard, but forgot to find a box before the flight so I did it after I made it back to Minnesota. it was typical on unpacking, not taking long. I take a duffel bag, traveling light. it is mostly full of dirty clothes and cheap souvenirs. we touched down at MSP around 5pm, and I was back home an hour later. I tried watching 'the simpsons' but fell asleep, I had seen it before though. when I woke up I knew I still needed to get groceries, and I did after I went over to bobby and steve's to get a little godfather's pizza.

 

karaoke bar, busch beer

after the baseball game I went to a bar on karaoke night. I chose a pearl jam song, 'elderly woman behind the counter in a small town'. being from small-town Iowa helps with that one. 'the need to perform', there is a lot of truth to this statement. for this reason, this annual visit to st. louis feels different than the others. also notable was the cheap beers, compared to what I am used to. I had two bottles of Busch beer and they were $2.50 each.
   I tried touring a photography museum before the game near St. Louis University but it was closed. I did go to Ted Drewes and had a pineapple concrete ice cream treat. the game was a good one, the Cardinals beat the Marlins 5-0. Adam Wainwright went the distance in this one, rare to see a complete game shutout. They played 'little ball' to take a 4-0 lead.
  I said 'what are the odds?' about seeing a man from sioux center, iowa, next to me at the game. then i saw the same man with his family when i finally decided to take the metro-link light rail system back to the airport. i walked around for a little while after the game ended, liked getting pictures all over downtown. i stopped at the ballpark hilton and liked finding a some psotcards there, along with a bag of cashews that was likely way cheaper than at the game. since i found the reanissance hotel, airport location, and got pictures of it after picking up my rental car that may complete my list of finding places where 'up in the air' was filmed. at least in this metro area.
   i found the karaoke bar while out and about, and another stop was to find a hot shots bar and grill. not too impressed, and i had already eaten lunch. but i liked hearing a green day song at a tent sale, it was coming from an SUV owned by a radio station sponsoring the event. i picked up a sticker as a souvenir, it was 105.7, playing alternative music, some of it was a reminder of my college days.

airport marriott st. louis

i am in st. louis for my annual visit for cardinal baseball games. first time staying at the airport marriott. when i checked in i said 'we were all rookies before' when somebody was helping a new employee understand the process. i flew southwest, flight was delayed about 30 minutes but didn't affect my plans much. wanted a hot dog at auntie anne's at the airport, but they were sold out. went to the main terminal on the light rail and got a hot dog there. heard from my friend who lives locally, trying to figure out our schedules to meet up. probably will be for breakfast. exchanged some text messages with a match from internet dating while waiting for my flight. i spent a little time resting in my hotel room, about an hour, then headed for the stadium on the light rail. arrived downtown and went to a hotel bar to have a drink as 'up in the air' was filmed there. made it to the stadium in time to get the giveaway item, a beer stein. expensive to eat there, had a cheeseburger and fries and bottled water. after the game i got socks and a lou brock button and some postcards. cardinals lost to the marlins 7-6. cardinals hit 4 home runs, but 3 of them were solo shots. i had a club box seat, 100 level, not too often i sit this close. it was near the right field foul line. i got a good deal on stubhub. as usual i liked the people i met along the way, including the train ride back to the airport. he was going to columbia, the college town, after the train ride. he laughed a lot at what i was saying, and he had some tattoos on his arm. when he sat next to me i said 'i don't bite'.

sara lee honey wheat bread

there was a loaf of Sara Lee honey wheat bread left in the break-room at my office this week. I helped finish it off over the past two days. I got the last slice, the heel, so I kept the bag to make it easier to know what to write about. now I know why it was left there. I am looking at the bag and it said 'best if used by July 6'. well it tasted fine to me, despite being 'expired' as of last week. there is a sticker on it that says 'special'. I also see how the bag states it is 'made with real honey, no high fructose corn syrup, no artificial colors or flavors'. (actually it says this on dots all over the package) nutrition facts say it is 70 calories per slice. I then found how it said 'for best results, please use by date on package'. it claims 'it is a choice you can feel good about making-every day'. and 'how did something so yummy get so nutritious?' naturally we are in the social media age, so I also see the 'like us on Facebook' message, much like on many other food packages now. funniest thing to me is seeing it is made by 'Bimbo bakeries' in Horsham, PA. due to the meaning of 'Bimbo' in America, that is different from other countries. the definition found online sure fits the bill-derogatory slang term for attractive but unintelligent female. I am sure that if one 'ring of honor' member sees this post he will point to it as more evidence of my writing style being like Harvey Pekar's. 'how we both have a unique take on the minutia of everyday life'.
    as expected, I stayed a little late at the office to see things were caught up since I am out of the office on Friday. no big deal to me. I did watch two 'big bang theory' episodes tonight, but did not do the typical walk after it as I had other things to do. syndicated rerun was when penny fakes being with Leonard to have her dad think more highly of her. prime time episode was when the game 'never have I ever' was played by the group of friends.
   the walk didn't happen tonight as I wanted to get to the library to print some things, like some sporting event tickets that I had just ordered from StubHub. hard to believe that baseball tickets could be cheaper there than through the team's website. then after this I went to the Ramsey county fair in Maplewood. I skipped this event last year as I was in  Toronto for the pan-am games. not much fun being there tonight due to the rain, but it was nice eating some chili-cheese fries. and hearing a cover band playing 'wagon wheel'. or seeing art in two different buildings. one display was about a mom battling chipmunks in her garden. I had some ice cream as well, 45 flavors to choose from so I went with German chocolate cake. I evoked the movie 'rain man' as I was thinking of all of the flavors of pancakes available in one scene of the movie. After the fair I stopped at a grocery store as I was in dire need of a bathroom. then I bought a lottery ticket from a vending machine for a dollar. the lottery ticket purchase is definitely 'few and far between'.
  oh, and the colleague who had to leave the previous day? she was back at work. so nice to hear she is on the mend.

this is my cube

around midday at the office a colleague complained of hurting all over- stomach, chest, back. 911 was called, EMTs arrived, and there was a crowd around her cube. I politely said 'this is my cube' to one of those in the area when I wanted to sit down. I said that nobody asked me to help her, so I decided to keep working- especially when I am not a medical pro so I wasn't qualified to help. I also said that if I needed help, I would only want people surrounding me that were helping me, and wouldn't want any gawkers. I am hopeful that my colleague is all right.
   I went to a rehearsal for the fringe play I am in tonight, in northeast Minneapolis, a building I hadn't seen before. then it was on to the performance venue, and my set went well, including one about covering for a colleague this week who is now back.

equate flushable wipes

after I was done performing tonight I walked around a little before I decided to head home. I noticed a plastic bag along the way, and I looked inside and found a wide array of items. one of those was a pack of equate flushable wipes, distributed by Wal-Mart. I hadn't used these before, but I took them home and used some in the bathroom and they proved to work really well. I started out with ten items, and decided to keep five. I tossed the perishable items, not knowing how long they had been sitting there. I also kept a travel size toothpaste, mouthwash, tissue, and a t-shirt. the shirt still had the tags on it, but was from a different store, JC Penney. I don't know how it all got to where I found it, I don't want to know. but I hate to see things go to waste, especially when these are items that I can use. also during the walk I found coins, the more likely thing to find. I netted 13 cents, a dime and 3 pennies, that went into the change bank.
   my 'tag team partner' was due back in the office after a day of vacation, but was absent so I had to cover for her again. I still found a way to get the highest priority items done, it was just harder to do.
  I went to perform after hearing from friends who live in st. louis, found out they will not be around when I am in town. they usually are busy in the summer. I was asked how I was doing, and did speak of things like last month being a time of transition, regarding cars. and my role in a fringe show next month. in my set tonight I did end it with mention of looking forward to going there. others were about hearing an Eminem song on the way there, songs by Sia, and responding to the host, soap opera, who had jokes about republicans and what is happening in Syria.

cheap thrills, sia

I have been hearing another Sia song on my car radio, had to look it up online and listen to it again on youtube. found out it is called 'cheap thrills'. the lyrics are good, and so is the beat. I point to things like 'turn the radio on, hit the dance floor, I got all I need, as long as I can feel the beat'. the video is an idea I had seen before, with a 1950s theme. it works on some level, I think for contrast purposes, much like the different styles that Madonna uses in 'papa don't preach'. or in terms of just the video itself, I am thinking of Nirvana's 'in bloom'. I am still surprised that I am just starting to hear her music, when according to Wikipedia she's 40 and moved to NYC over a decade ago. she's Australian, and was in great Britain for a while as well. this one sounds like a hit, much like 'elastic heart' and 'alive' before it. I also had to listen to another song she did, 'guts over fear', which she did with Eminem. from what I can recall, I think there was mention of how she has wrote songs that others have performed. and then sometimes she will perform them herself if they are turned down by other musicians.
   I sent my bio on to the resistable comic tonight for the fringe show. I found out it wasn't that hard to write one, just needed a little time to present what I thought was relevant. I did mention the blog, and how I was inspired by emerson hough. I sent the bio after watching my DVD copy of 'up in the air', since it was mostly filmed in st. louis and I will be there soon. I did make an appearance at the comedy club tonight, but after I wasn't picked I decided I needed to go home right away and get some things done.

what's going on, marvin gaye

I got a response to a recent facebook posting about the prince song 'sign of the times' being relevant due to the news of all of the shootings. a bartender and musician I know spoke of another song that is sadly relevant as well, 'what's going on' by marvin gaye. I don't think I had heard it much lately. but it does have some of the same spirit as prince's song, since both have social commentary in it. though marvin gaye's is more focused on one subject than prince's is. this is evident when the lyrics include mention of picket signs and brutality. others include 'too many of you crying, dying' and 'find a way'. I was familiar with the book 'makes me wanna holler' by Nathan McCall, as I read it in college. the book title takes its name from another marvin gaye song, a/k/a 'inner city blues'. I found out due to Wikipedia how 'what's going on' is the title of another book by the same author.
   it was a busy day for events. I went to the bastille day celebration in downtown st. paul at landmark park, sponsored by the alliance francaise. I went to it twice, before and after the donut show that I performed at. I had a hot dog, then when I returned I had a strawberry crepe. I got some pictures as well of some of the entertainers, like the accordion player. at the donut show I spoke of being at this event. there was also a man who had done paintings of famous Frenchmen who figured into Minnesota's history, one of them I ahdn't heard of, Radisson. I was informed that he had nothing to do with the founding of the hotel chain of the same name. in the evening I went to see school bouncer perform as MC. I got a shout-out, and of course I like getting these. I liked ones he did about uber, and others were good though I had heard them before. this included ones about being a school bouncer, as well as listening to rap when he was young and dates being auditions.

alive, pearl jam

I was driving to see a friend's comedy show tonight and heard 'alive' by pearl jam on my car radio. I was shouting some of the lyrics, like 'oh i'm still alive'. I think I was on vacation in Atlanta 10 years ago and front-man eddie vedder said 'he wrote it about somebody he didn't know that well for a while, he wrote it about himself'. this statement still resonates with me. I went swimming this afternoon, something I don't do that often now as it is not much fun by yourself or with people one doesn't know.
   the comedy show was good, auto-correct was MC and big dog was feature. I had heard most of big dog's jokes before but I still laughed. auto-correct found me near the end of the show and I found her as we were leaving. I said the headliner was pretty good, first time seeing them. liked his jokes about internet dating. when I was driving back from the show tonight I was listening to the twins baseball game on the radio, they were playing the rangers. there was some mention of part of I-94 being shut down in st. paul, and the announcer told all of us 'to be safe'. an online article said it was shut down due to a protest in response to the shooting in falcon heights this week.

roam, b-52's

I was having a sandwich at erbert gerbert at midday and heard the song 'roam' by the b-52's. for some reason it seemed to be the right song to hear when hearing about all of these shootings. since it is a happy song and encourages people to be free. I also liked it since the video depicts some young people getting into the back of a pickup truck, a reminder of how I often got around to events like little league baseball games as a kid. it was the typical response that I had to a song I liked, where I decided to linger a little to hear more of it. but eventually I knew I needed to get to Walgreen down the block and pick up a few items before getting back to the office.
    tonight I went to see a play, 'george', just blocks from my workplace in downtown st. paul. I had seen it last year as well, it had whopper as the lead character, Washington. I decided to seek out the actor that played benedict Arnold as I said he was convincing in his role, being sneaky. although it was the actor playing ben franklin that encouraged me to make it out, as he was thrilled to see me at the saints baseball game this week, where they were promoting the show. I did hear about another play they are doing, it is part of the fringe festival. I am in a fringe play as well, but it looks like there is still a chance to see their play as not all of the 5 showings conflict.
    I also saw school bouncer as a guest on a local news segment, he has been on it before but it was the first time I had seen it. I liked how he said things like 'not wanting to be hopeless' and 'build bridges not burn them'.

big bang theory trivia box

after work I went to the family dollar and got a few items, this included a 'big bang theory' trivia box. it is still in the shrink wrap. it says it has 20 character cards, and hundreds of trivia questions. I had a different one already, called 'fact or fiction', bought at a Walgreen. the other items I bought were some toilet paper, a 'star wars' plastic drinking cup, and a small bag of doritos. the doritos happened to be why I went there as I wanted something for the evening meal to go with the burrito I already had.
   I did watch two episodes of 'big bang theory' tonight. syndicated rerun was when howard decided to hide from Bernadette, under the table. prime time episode was when leonard and howard was caught in a lie, they were at the movies. and Sheldon decided to take amy to his storage locker.
   after that I did take my customary long walk around the neighborhood, bringing rain gear but I didn't need it for long. it was before the midway point of the walk, and around the time that I needed to go to the bathroom so I went inside a restaurant and used their bathroom without saying a word to anyone. as usual it was worth it to stop at the car wash as well, as I found 3 pennies there.
   my facebook news feed was full or postings about the police shooting in falcon heights. it affected me the most when I saw the one from school bouncer. why, I don't know for sure. I said 'I am here if you need me' and I got a 'like' in response to it. one of his sentiments was 'tired of protesting'.  

unwritten rule book

went to the saints baseball game tonight, saints beat Joplin 3-2. got the giveaway item, the unwritten rule book, and had it signed by hall of fame player rich gossage. after the game I went to perform.

cryptic communicator

I sent a text message to an old friend saying I would be in town soon. since I have a flip phone, a small keyboard, my messages are short. I was told I was a 'cryptic communicator' and had to look it up as I first thought of 'tales from the crypt'. the meaning I found online was 'mysterious in meaning, puzzling, ambiguous'. I had to laugh, and I decided to put this bit in my set tonight. I said I could wear it like a badge of honor, as I feel like I could play a menacing crackpot well. most of my jokes were about going to a museum, and a baseball game, on the 4th of july. in order to keep track of them I said 'number one' and so on, since five of them were inspired by being at the game.
   I got some help with the payoff report, so it wasn't too bad coming back after the holiday. there still are some new contracts and titles waiting, but I would like to think those can be done quickly. not too many letters to do, so the box is at zero which I like.
   I am seeing more related to the fringe festival show I am in, so now I will likely have to figure out what bio I want on the website.

chuck jones exhibit

I went to the chuck jones exhibit at the Minnesota history center this afternoon. as usual, I learned something while there. I knew he was an animator for warner brothers, as he did characters like bugs bunny and others. I found out what he did after leaving warner brothers, and this included 'the grinch' TV special. not much photography was allowed at this particular exhibit, just two places. one was at the beginning, with bugs bunny. the other was near the back, and it showed an anvil overhead, made me think of wiley coyote and the road runner.
   I also saw the exhibit next to it about people from india who have immigrated to America. notable was seeing mindy kaling mentioned, who was on the TV show 'the office'. I noticed how bobby Jindal was left out, not sure why. is this because he is a politician? it looks like it was a good idea to go when I did, as both exhibits were scheduled to end soon. the chuck jones exhibit closes in the middle of august and the india exhibit closes next week.
   sometimes I have no choice but to do some chores on a holiday, but I liked what I got done. I decided to empty another bookcase and re-fill one that had 'half collapsed' earlier this year. the one that I emptied was in bad shape. now I must figure out when I am going to get another bookcase from bed bath and beyond, as I have two gift cards to use there. the only sturdy one I have owned, out of three, was bought there. the other two were from target. I got a photo of the one I retired after pulling it pout of the corner, then I folded it up and put it on top of a grocery cart to haul it to the dumpster.
   in the evening I went to the saints baseball game, the saints beat Joplin 9-2 after falling behind early 1-0. the saints were aided by a grand slam among other things, which put them ahead 6-1. I had a chili cheese dog and bottled water at the game. after the game ended I went to look around at the souvenir shop and got some saints stickers. one of them was put on the back of my car, as I wanted this new car to carry a saints sticker just like the previous one did. it was delightful to sit next to a boy who said he was 11, he wanted a foul ball and he did get one thrown his way in the 7th. when I arrived I saw some people  I knew from the play 'george', they were in costume promoting the play as it starts soon at a nearby venue. after the game I got an ice cream sandwich at a super-America, but not the one near the stadium. at first I was a little un-nerved, it sounded like something was hitting my car, then I told myself 'it was just the fireworks'. this was a busy fourth of july, but I very much enjoyed myself.
  

shoes at kohl's

I went to kohl's to get some shoes after performing this afternoon. I had a gift card that arrived recently that helped knock the price down. I thought it was odd to see another Star Wars- themed item there, even some shoes were promoting the movie. I got a picture as evidence, but didn't buy those. for one thing, there weren't many left. I found them in the discount section. and it meant there weren't any in my size. I didn't want to be there for long, get in and out, as there other things I wanted to get done before watching 'The Simpsons' tonight. It was one about Homer buying a grill instead of a washing machine. I went to the kohl's at Maplewood mall, or as I sometimes call it 'maple-weird', and thankfully I found a comfortable walking shoe quickly. it was the only pair I tried on, Fila. I had tried Vans and they didn't seem to last long. same is true with those I got at target in February, as a winter shoe for trudging through the mud and snow, a pair of Merona shoes. these were marked down even before the gift card was used, and there was a discount added by the cashier as well, so there was discounts galore. then it was on to a nearby McDonald's where I got a vanilla ice cream cone, and liked seeing a classic Chevrolet pickup in the lot so I got photos of it. I had been nearby this weekend to go to the library, and liked seeing some Charlie brown and snoopy statues, well this was why I wanted to get back in the area but needed a reason besides just photography. I had to take a frontage toad to get there, but I found them. there was two, a Charlie Brown, and a Lucy. it appeared to be outside a car dealer, the kind where the cars are kept inside. and since it was Sunday I got free rein on pictures, no chance of anyone saying 'what are you doing?' I had run out of ideas on finding some that I hadn't found yet, as I have already found over 170. and many of them are now in private collections. it has been much easier to get access to those on public display, no surprise there. I think these are the first that I had found this year, and the last one may have been behind the new saints baseball stadium last year.
   I did perform at the donut show this afternoon, I closed the show. I spoke about seeing 'The Lobster'  movie  and my recent Facebook posting about being single, along with seeing a fellow member of the writers union. we could get an extra minute if we did an America bit, so I did one about John Philip Sousa marches, such as 'The Thunderer', and 'Stars and stripes forever'. the former was in a Clint Eastwood movie, 'Bronco Billy'.

the lobster movie

this afternoon I went to see the movie 'the lobster' at the highland park theater in st. paul. it served as a replacement for being unable to tour a museum. when I got to the museum in south st. paul I saw a sign on the door saying 'closed for the holiday'. after researching online I decided on this movie as I figured this dark comedy was just what the doctor ordered, laughing about my being single. I will admit that even though I knew the premise, it was still a weird movie to me. single people are sent to a resort, and if they don't find a mate after 45 days they are turned into an animal. I probably should have laughed more often as some observations about life that were made were 'spot-on'. good cast, I recognized many of the actors in it like colin Farrell, Rachel weisz, and john c. reilly. the ending seemed to be a 'choose your own adventure' as it was left unresolved as to what happened to the main character in it. thankful I saw this movie though.
   I also went to a comedy show, and performed at it. finally did some jokes that I had meant to do recently, but forgot to. and I did mention seeing this movie. another one was about my facebook posting this week, 'I am single because I am an idiot' seemed to be the way I decided to sum it up.

mainstreet bar and grill, hopkins

I went to another meetup event tonight, it was at mainstreet bar and grill in Hopkins. I think it was the first time I had seen the town. I arrived at 10pm, an hour after the event began, and shortly after this the event coordinator decided that the group get up and take a walk around the area. then he went home, and the other 2 attendees did as well. I got a good look  at the comedy venue there, across the street. and I got a small bag of peanuts before heading home myself, along with some string cheese at a super-America farther down the road. I didn't get the chance to have a drink at the event, so after th others left I headed back there and had a grain belt beer.
  I stayed a little late at the office tonight, but wanted to see that I was caught up with the letters since the holiday I coming up. and I did pay by phone on two bills, though it was tougher on the second as I had to find an alternate number to call on the website since 'technical difficulty' meant I was being kicked off the number I was supplied from the billing statement.