sharing pittsburgh photos

I found an album that had photos from a visit to Pittsburgh in 2002 and showed them to brawler tonight at the comedy club. many of the places were familiar, since he grew up there. it went well performing tonight, I spoke of the weekend in iowa and acting at a haunted house.

eat that question movie

saw the movie 'eat that question', a documentary about musician frank zappa, as a redbox rental. there was a free day code available, so why not? it was mostly 'in his own words', as advertised, through the various interviews he had done. I liked seeing how many of them were from foreign countries, to show the reach, and influence, he had. he proved to be intelligent, in terms of the tough responses he gave to tough questions. I liked seeing some of his testimony at congressional hearings from the 1980s, when tipper gore led a crusade against song lyrics. I recalled reading the transcript in a college class, and he would say things like how it can't be compared to acting, where actors are hired to pretend. what did I learn? the main thing, and I usually learn something from documentaries, is how he was trained in classical music. I knew he did some weird songs, with titles like 'burnt weeny sandwich', 'don't eat yellow snow', and 'valley girl'. he died in 1993, it was mentioned in the campus paper at the college I attended.
  I had plenty to do today, since most of my chores and errand running was moved back due to the 'day trip' and acting at the haunted house. so it meant getting laundry done, along with dishes and the grocery store. add performing in the afternoon, and watching the world series, in addition to the redbox rental. somehow I got it all done, but it meant having to scrap going to the fitness center. probably more time available for that next week, when the open-mic is called off due to the Vikings game. I even did a few small things while watching the world series, game 5. Chicago beat Cleveland 3-2, so the series will go back to Cleveland and game 6 is Tuesday. the cameras kept showing actor-comedian bill murray in the crowd, and at times I think john cusack as well. musician eddie vedder sang the 7th inning stretch.
   it went well with performing, though a light crowd for this 'donut party', as I was one of just 6. I did ones about being confused for someone else in the parking lot, corn nuts, being at the fitness center last week, the day trip to iowa, and the haunted house. I have a few others ready as well.

coming clean, green day

I began the day in west des moines, iowa, at my hotel. and I finished the day back in Minnesota. I played more CDs for the drive back home. one of them was 'dookie' by green day. I liked one line in 'coming clean', a lesser known song, about being '17 and strung out on confusion'. I said I couldn't ignore how much that green day songs are relatable to me. this was in addition to those that I already liked, such as 'longview', 'when I come around', 'basket case', and 'she'. I've noticed that all of my addictions are metaphorical, and this song uses a metaphor. also part of my playlist was the social distortion self-titled CD. the line I really liked hearing was 'you can run all of your life and not go anywhere'. it is from 'ball and chain'. but there are so many songs that I like on this CD. this includes 'story of my life', 'ring of fire', 'coulda been me', 'she's a knockout', and 'place in my heart'. to some it was surprising that I ended up liking this band, and have seen them in concert twice. but I keep re-inventing myself, and I've learned that different genres can have relatable music. punk, rap, and heavy metal are all good at the 'I don't care' attitude.
   I liked how once I got started on the road, it was just one stop I made, in clear lake, iowa. actually there was one once I reached the twin cities, but hard to count as it was a place I get gas at regularly so it is in my neighborhood. and it was time to have some lunch as well. I set the alarm on my phone for 8am and was up just a few minutes before then, showered, and went to have a breakfast sandwich at mcdonald's. there was a woman there with a kid wearing a Kansas state shirt as their football team was scheduled to play at iowa state later in the day. then I checked out of the hotel and was on the road at 9am, made it back home just before 2pm.
    when I made it back I noticed there was very little mail, some of it was about candidates running in the upcoming election. didn't take long to go through emails, but I couldn't rest for long as I wanted to do some acting at a haunted house tonight. I played a clown, no big whoop. but I liked the comedy material I got from it. and I do like doing various forms of performing. I made it through the shift without needing a bathroom break, though I took one at the end of the night. I kept a bottle of water and some graham crackers nearby.

charlie brown corn maze

plans are to go to Cambridge, iowa, to see a Charlie brown themed corn maze. since it is my native state, I told myself I should do some other things while there like see a football game and find stage time. so I have ideas for both, for the stage time it would be karaoke. I am a big Charlie brown fan and once I heard about it I knew I would end up finding one of these.

six word pitch

I went to the loft literary center in Minneapolis tonight after work, taking the light rail. I was attending a member event, and the theme was teen angst. attendees were invited to give a six word pitch about this subject, and I was one of those who wrote one down on a post-it. mine was chosen, so I got to share a 5-minute story about it. I found that it wasn't hard to think about what to say, since I have the experience from performing. it was about a prom rejection, and what happened after it. already shared it on facebook and it has more than 10 likes. this has happened before, where I show up and get stage time even though I wasn't a scheduled performer. this was how I met a comic in suburban Chicago, and how I got to be part of an improv show in new York city. I said it proves that this 'performing thing' is a part of who I am. and how I guess I am in it for the long term. 'the need to perform' is something that I didn't understand for a while, but now I do. I will also recall this event by the song I heard in a café part of the building as I was leaving, as I heard 'at last' by etta james playing. it reminds me of the movie 'rain man', a favorite, as it is in that movie.
   I know what I did after this stage time was typical for me. I thought about it a lot. I had the time to think about it when I was taking the light rail home. naturally I turned my attentions to music, like anna nalick's 'breathe'. we have already heard about that one before. for some reason I also thought of 'back on the chain gang' by the pretenders. I know this is on my list of songs I think I could do when performing karaoke. lines like 'circumstances beyond our control', and 'wretched life of a lonely heart'. it is a song with passion, and that is why it works for me. the longing in it, the 'ohhs' as well as 'found a picture of you'. it took a while to get home, as there was mention of a wreck on the track. but this also gave me more time to get on the train near the loft as well. but my attitude is 'I am on, let's go' instead of being thankful that I hadn't just missed it. and I thought I had. we stopped short of the transfer point, train was taken out of service. I grumbled about it but thankfully the wait for the next one wasn't long. odd how I found some nice dress shoes on the train, I took a picture of them and took them with me when I left the train, placing them next to a trash bin as I saw the size and knew they wouldn't fit. when I got home I took care of some things online that I had been delaying for a while. one of them was signing up for a shift this weekend at a haunted house.
   at the office I was a little annoyed at how I found out by accident about a meeting that I wasn't invited to, but should have been. so once I heard I attended it.

was he lit?

I performed tonight and early on in my set I dealt with a man who said 'you better be funny' and then wanted to join me onstage. he did get close to me but I said 'off!' and the techie helped him off, while a server don't 'don't talk back to me' to him. I think I also saw the manager at one point. don't know if he was ejected, but he didn't bother me after that. so I had to wonder, since he heckled somebody before me, was he lit? it was at this venue where I learned this term. I had heard other slang terms for 'drunk', but not that one. I liked how I got through all of the jokes on my list, like pot kettle, snapchat, ambivalent, conference rooms, fool, corn nuts, and what kind of dog someone claims he is. now I have another story to tell.
   I did watch most of game 2 of the world series tonight before leaving for the venue, Chicago beat Cleveland 5-1 so it is 1-1 now. the game starting time was moved up one hour as rain was expected and they wanted to get the game in. sounds like it was a good move, as there was some rain near the end of the game.
   at the office I was covering for my cohort, who was using a vacation day. no big deal though, made the day go faster, having all of the payoff report and new titles.
  

skeleton bowling

I went to a Halloween party at a candy factory tonight and one activity was skeleton bowling. I hadn't heard of such a thing before. but it looks like it involves using baseball bats as the pins. and I thought it was a big deal to see 'candle pin bowling' on the recent boston episode of 'the simpsons'. the rain made it less fun to be there, much like last year. but I did get a photo with two of their mascots.
   I did watch some of the world series, game one, before departing for the performance venue. Cleveland beat Chicago 6-0. it was 3-0 when I departed, and the game was over shortly after the show was done. I liked catching some of it on my car radio. when at home, I caught it on TV. I was on near the end of the lineup, and we had two show runners that I did not recognize at first that were filling in. one of them recognized me from attending a show at the venue she works at over the weekend. in my comedy set tonight I did do one about the patriotic shirt I was wearing. others were about corn nuts, ambivalent, and pot kettle.
   at the office there was a bombshell, we are getting a new boss as my cool boss got a promotion. aside from that it was an easier day compared to Monday, as expected.

document control tour

somebody at the office was giving a tour, and called us 'document control'. I said it works for me as I didn't like being lumped together with collections when we don't make any collector calls. it was nice to see the Filipino man, who gave me more ideas for what to see in his native land should I go there. both are historic sites in manila.
   tonight at the comedy club I saw brawler, who got a business card to look up my blog. we hugged 3 times, more than typical but I don't mind. I liked hearing his conversation with another man from Pittsburgh about neighborhoods there, I said I had been there in 2002 to see a pirates baseball game. I was told I was likely staying in Coraopolis since it was between the airport and the city. I recalled driving past an abandoned drive-in movie theater, which had a sun on one side and a moon on the other. it was a fond memory to visit this city.
   at the performance venue I said I wanted to do a story about being ambivalent and I did. others were about conference room names, pot and kettle, hearing 'fool' in a song, and corn nuts.

lady and the trump

saw the 'lady and the trump' show at brave new workshop in Minneapolis tonight. I laughed a lot, and I liked seeing one thing in particular in it. there was a scene about couples therapy that was about how people argue on social media- sad but true. I never cared for anyone saying 'unfriend me of you feel this way'. I am likely to oblige them as it is being way too extreme about issues like an election. there was also a 'bonus act' where the improv troupe did some unscripted improv.
   I made it to the twin city film festival in st. louis park, but got frustrated about how hard it was to get there due to the closed roads and dead end roads. I hadn't been there in a while, and can't believe how some of this construction is still happening. the movie I saw was a documentary, 'searching for america', about the presidential primaries. I was offered a free ticket as compensation, but quietly declined as I wasn't sure if there was anything else I wanted to see. and I had other things I wanted to do for the rest of the day.
   I made it to the company's fitness center this afternoon, first time in years I think. not sure how long, but I don't think I made it there at all when I was in a relationship. I was proud of being there most every week after it opened, this was back in 2008, 'except for the weekend right before the republican convention'. guess it was a good idea for a day when a regular open-mic was canceled due to an event at the Vikings stadium. I am more likely to lose weight if I go to the fitness center instead of eat donuts and drink beer. or is it possible to do both on the same day? as dad would say, priorities.  

bowling and pumpkins

it was a day filled with events to attend. the first was a bowling outing in northeast Minneapolis, at elsie's. I had been there before, and had plenty of photos from earlier visits, but I liked being there again. these photos included one of a wall of lockers, a reminder of my inspiration as a photographer, Vivian maier. it was a lackluster bowling outing though, two games- 81 and 95. I needed a strike on the final ball to reach the century mark. I was willing to eat cheese pizza upon arrival as it was all that I saw, but they eventually brought out some sausage pizza which I like more. I got some reese's peanut butter out of the vending machine as well.
   when I was finished I went to the library in Roseville, knowing I needed to get mapquest directions for my next destination. I knew full well how it would end: seeing a used book sale, I was going to see what they had. I got five books. one was about the 1990s, and I liked how there was mention of alternative music becoming popular. the index had two grunge frontmen listed- kurt cobain and eddie vedder. one was about the great depression, my favorite era of history to study. another was about Herbert hoover, the president that was born in iowa. there is one about English history, and more than just what I studied in college, which was roughly 1500-1800. the fifth one was about the Spanish-american war, knowing it would have something about the Philippines in it. and it does mention the war after it, where it was more costly than what America paid Spain for the Philippines.
   the next place was the pumpkin farm in ham lake. I think that was my first visit in two years, having skipped last year. the owner still recognizes me, which is odd. but I am ambivalent about the experience, even though I shouldn't be. I got a ride in his Polaris ranger around the farm, and ate a Charlie brown special for free. it was an A and W root beer, chips (I chose doritos) and a hot dog. I got in free to the place, even though it said it was $5 per car. I liked seeing the snoopy supper dish that had been at mall of America when the theme park was known as Camp Snoopy. this was why I made it back: I like the Charlie brown and snoopy statues there, four in all. I know what made me ambivalent though: he said he would like me to perform stand-up comedy there, even though I didn't see a stage or microphone. a free meal was offered, but he already gave me that. also since he said I didn't like the place on facebook, and said I was going to make it there this summer when I know full well I didn't say that at all. I try not to describe people as 'loopy' all the time, he may be better described as 'eccentric'. and I did like how one of the free activities was 'pumpkin bowling'. but I didn't buy a pumpkin there, even though I did get some apple cider and mini donuts.
   the final place I stopped at was fright farm in Maplewood. I like making it to this haunted house annually. much like before, it really is more for the teenagers as they are more likely to scream at what they see. I saw some who were scared going in, and I said 'you will be all right' and they didn't believe me. this may have been why I was asked to go first in our group. a few times I was caught off-guard, but much of it was me going through and saying 'hi' to people or things like 'looks like this thing'. I did do a facebook photo after it was done, and was asked what I thought about it. then it was home, where I meant to get to the grocery store but knew I was tired so I laid down for a while in my easy chair. and by the time I woke up I knew it was closed for the night.
   I like how the facebook posting about performing from the night before is getting plenty of likes, at this point I think it is up to 20. it got a response from mason city, who said he know about my 'obsession with lady gaga' in response to hearing about a snapchat with school bouncer about selena Gomez songs. I said it will be hard for selena to catch up to gaga in my book, as I have just one of her CDs and I have four of Gaga's and have seen Gaga in concert twice and haven't seen selena yet. even though in the snapchat I didn't speak of 'same old love', I spoke of another song of hers, 'love you like a love song', it was 'same old love' that sold me. it should have failed my 'artistic integrity' test, since there is a swear word in it, but that is why I like it. I have frustration about my failed relationships and this song captured that feeling better than others could. it does seem to explain better why I was sold on lady gaga as well, as 'bad romance' sold me. this music still works for me, as I continue to feel frustrated about relationships but no longer have expectations for them either. performing makes me happier, so I focus more energy on that. when I was having a breakfast sandwich at mcdonald's this morning I heard 'mandolin rain' by bruce Hornsby and the range, and was reminded why I pay so much attention to the music I hear. it is what helps me focus, more than anything else can. when I focus on the music, I am more disciplined and have less time to feel sad about most things.

water and lemon

I performed a guest set at the comedy club tonight, and started off having a rolling rock beer. I went into the showroom to watch the headliner and was offered a water and lemon, and accepted. I said I 'fell in love with performing again' and how 'it is still fun'. well I have learned that one has to enjoy performing to keep at it. so it is nice to have nights like these. and it is more fun to perform in front of larger crowds as well. I did say I liked sharing the stage with school bouncer and perkins as well. school bouncer got me onto another snapchat video, and I wanted to talk about selena Gomez songs. it might surprise some, but I like lady gaga as well. we tend to like what we are good at, and I find that I like doing videos as much as stand-up. I do like holding court with crowd members who liked what jokes I did, but I had to get used to it as part of performing. if they like what you do, they will tell you. I do like talking about the craft of comedy. and it is nice to hear how somebody said 'I needed to laugh' so I liked how it helped them. so it can go beyond just me wanting to work through annoying things in my life, where I look forward to 'dumping pain' by telling jokes about it. one was about what I heard at a super-America tonight after I went to eat at a pizza place at mall of America. there were ones about the new conference room names, the united way campaign, internet dating, the great pumpkin, and my dad asking me the meaning of a word.
  it worked just fine not to do much after being at the office. I considered going to a haunted house but I knew I would prefer resting a little while. it helped figure out where I wanted to eat tonight, and when I did was up and out the door. then after I got back I watched my DVD copy of 'the great pumpkin'. I wanted to see the entire Charlie brown special and I like how I can watch it whenever I want. since it aired on TV this week I knew I wanted to see it while still thinking about it.

build your own burger

we had a build your own burger event at the office for lunch. I arrived after perfecting titles. I had one burger, though our AA said she was going to get me to eat two. well the remaining food was placed in the main breakroom, and as expected it didn't last long. I had fries, as well as sweet potato tater tots. I had some extra slices of cheese, no surprise there as I do this when I see relish trays at events I attend.
   it was a busier morning than expected. we had a department meeting, which is rare. no big deal, it was short. but then another one was scheduled on short notice. it was for an advisory board that I just agreed to be on for the holidays. I said I wanted to finish my normal duties first, the payoff report. and it meant I arrived with about 15 minutes left in the hour-long meeting. the afternoon was much easier for me. one of the things I got around to was placing a gift card order since I was sent 50 points this week, for participating in the advisory board related to communications like our weekly 'news to know'. I needed some time to figure out what I wanted, as I found out it wasn't a simple ordering of 2 gift cards as the clothing stores had $10 but not $25. so I chose macy's and kohl's, $20 each, and the remaining $10 became an amazon code. I wrote down boom! after making this decision, as I was pleased with myself.
    I did a walk around the neighborhood this evening. as usual I picked up some trash, and some coins. my first stop was the family dollar for some peanut butter crackers. I didn't have an actual evening meal, I've told myself before that it is fine to eat when hungry even if it means skipping a meal. I also picked up some coins, 22 cents in all. it was a dime, nickel, and 7 pennies. much of it was found at the car wash. on the way home I did stop at a place as I was in dire need of a bathroom, and I liked being able to get in and out without saying a word. I tried to watch a 'big bang theory' rerun but fell asleep. I think it was the one where Sheldon meets james earl jones, as he does speak of going to find him after checking his twitter activity. when I woke up I noticed 'x-files' was on. I do recall how I started watching 'big bang' when I saw it as I woke up.
   I did see the attorney when I was riding the bus home this evening. all I spoke of was taking my car on Tuesday as I wanted a better way to get the artwork home. I did get some ice cream from the treat cart, as part of the united way campaign. found out the Filipino man is absent as he just became a dad for the second time.

wearing orange

many were wearing orange at the office as there was an anti-bullying presentation in the afternoon. I did attend it, about halfway through, after getting perfected titles filed. I did not wear an orange shirt as I was not immediately aware of having one.
   it went well performing at the comedy club, many said so to me after I left the stage. I spoke of the great pumpkin, internet dating, the new names on conference rooms, artwork from the silent auction, and a recent blog entry where I said 'I hate therapists!' I tried to get stage time at another venue but the show ran long and it was not to be.
    I saw something about the great pumpkin trending on facebook and there was mention of Charlie brown-themed corn mazes, although none were listed that close to me. at least 200 miles away. but I told my work spouse that 'I think we know how this will end' and it means figuring out the logistics. there are 2 in my native Iowa, and one each in Minnesota and Wisconsin. at this point I am leaning towards going to one of them in Iowa.

artwork sent home

I brought my car to work instead of taking the bus today as I wanted a better way of getting the artwork home. it worked fine on stashing both of them in the vault for the night. so it meant I paid nearly as much to ship it home, or 'protect the investment', compared to what I paid to acquire them. it was easier getting them moved once I realized that holding them together worked better than separately, as it was hurting my hands and I had to take more breaks. somebody even opened the door for me at pone point, after I went to the ATM to have enough for the parking fee, and I forgot to say 'thank you'. but I do like having them, even if they are bigger than most of my framed art. I likely did myself a favor a by parking a little closer in the ramp, I think I usually park higher up than level 4 but there was a compact car stall available.
   it went well at the performance venue tonight, saw the fancy comic again and it was nice to see happy meal, and big dog, as well. the middle of these three bought me a drink and said it was due to the gift of the Vikings ID badge holder, I saw to it that he was thanked. he did ask in advance what I was drinking, wasn't sure what that was about but I understand now. big dog closed the show, and I don't see him that often since he became a dad and it was nice to chat it up a little. I did some jokes about the new names of the conference rooms, the blog entry about therapists, the art, internet dating, and a reminder of a story about a stool from school. there was an issue with a stool on the stage at this show, not sure what, as I had stepped outside for a few minutes.
   I liked getting a few things crossed off my list the office, like getting a word find submitted for the united way campaign drawing. and I did my self-evaluation as well, likely the first time I spoke of 'performance art' in this forum. that is what I called it, specifically. my boss said it was fine to mention it, I wanted to know in advance if it was relevant enough.

escape hatch open

it was raining when I was getting off work this evening. I got on a bus that had an escape hatch open, so it was wet inside the bus. eventually the driver stopped and got out a tool to close it, reminded me a little of mary poppins. I like how there was a simple solution. I didn't want to try it myself as I believe the solution should be better than the problem. I wasn't sure if I could reach it, safely.
    we had an advisory board meeting this afternoon at the office, looks like I am getting closer to making a contribution to 'news to know', our weekly online newsletter. I am doing the 'how-to' corner. we are continuing the united way fundraising campaign, looks like the penny wars replacement, an election, will be starting soon. one of the candidates to vote for is our senior leader.
   I did make it to the performance venue tonight, and some of the things I covered included the united way campaign. but also how I paid for the artwork from the silent auction and I think I will be delaying getting it home until I can bring my car as I think the bus is a bad idea for it. all the more reason to wait when it was raining. I left both of them in the vault, or our file room. it is a good idea as it has controlled access, having to enter a code. I of course will grumble a little about having to pay for parking, but I know this time it is worth it. it was nice to see the fancy comic performing as well, I like how he seeks me out and greets me each time. not everybody does this, so I like the gesture.
 

broken drumstick

I went to perform this afternoon and saw a broken drumstick on the stage after the show ended. I took a picture of it and put it on a table, along with a blue blanket. odd what I sometimes see left behind at venues. there is probably a story about the drumstick but hard to say what it is. this is a small stage so I wonder how musical equipment could fit on it. my set included mention of a brick in new ulm, an office colleague that calls me by the wrong name, an internet dating match that found my youtube clips, and getting a sock puppet. guess it made a difference how international falls decided to promote the blog for me after I was done, as the previous entry did get some views.
   it was nice getting plenty of things done before performing. this included doing the dishes and reading the paper, though I found nothing I wanted to see at the movie theater just yet. I am still fine with waiting for the movie as a redbox rental.
   I liked seeing 'The Simpsons' Halloween episode tonight, and it was number 600 as well. it ended up being a james bond theme. I even liked an inside joke how it was 'Halloween episode money' in one scene to explain what was happening. then after it I laid down in my easy chair with a blanket on me and slept for a while, waking up just before the 10pm news. then after the news I went outside again to take some carts back to the grocery store that I found in my neighborhood, six in all.
   every so often I have weird dreams. I had two of them today. one was about waking up and saying 'good, it is 12 o'clock'. found out it was the wrong 12 though, and I had missed a half day of work and probably should have asked for a vacation day to avoid a black mark on my attendance. another was talking with my dad about songs by prince.
    I do my best to analyze my own dreams, but some still are a mystery to me. I know the former has been a concern, having I.T. problems and being unable to 'stamp in' on time to the system. the latter? I guess there was a comic in it as well, who witnessed the talk about prince songs, but I haven't seen them in a while. not complaining about that when we weren't good friends anyway. the mystery is why my dad was a part of this dream. unless it was witnessing a conversation on a street after performing one night this week and one man said to another how prince put Minnesota on the map. I am not big on these conversations with people I don't know, especially at night, so I know full well it would have made me feel uncomfortable to have been a part of it. I know I have been told before how the best decisions you make are the ones you don't have to make.
  

Pancakes and Balloons

   It was more of the same for the weekend, wanting to attend some shows in a comedy festival when I knew some friends I don't see that often would be in town. I did this after doing some errand running, such as checking my post office box and turning in change at the bank. I deposited over 14 dollars in savings, and once again the total value of the pennies was more than the nickels. And I know why, as I don't get nickels much as change, and I am willing to pick up pennies anywhere I see them. I printed some things at the library, and saw an RV in the parking lot that was offering legal advice, it was from a local law school. It was about advance care planning, and there is a 'tree logo' next to the title from Honoring Choices Minnesota. At some point I will look at it more closely.
    I made it to the venue, where I first performed karaoke, after I was done at the library. I stopped at the adjacent CVS pharmacy to get what looked like Lunchables but had a different name as they weren't made by Oscar Mayer. I ate it quick and then went inside, and got a beer, and worked the room as many friends were there. One of them was the button, who did perform at this show. I know she likes doing karaoke and spoke of songs I had done before. I also spoke of getting ideas that I wrote down after the most recent performance. Sounds like she has done some of them or has heard others do them, like 'Break my stride' by Matt Wilder, or 'Eleanor Rigby' by the Beatles. Hard to say when I will be doing karaoke again, but I think I will like performing both.
   This show was called 'The late late breakfast' as there was pancakes available. I did have one, but had to ask for them as it didn't get circulated out to me for whatever reason. I was sitting near the back. One of my photos was of the pancake next to my can of lone star beer. The premise I think I had seen before, at last year's festival. Each performer would pop a balloon and inside it would be what kind of comedy set to do. One of them, the button, was wearing sunglasses. Another, Tetris, was doing his set with his back turned to the crowd and looking at a mirror. It was a takeoff of Al Franken as Stuart Smalley on 'Saturday Night Live'. This of course meant something to me as I had played Stuart at a Saints baseball game this season. But the balloons had another use. When my friend, the puppeteer, was performing she had balloons tied to her wrists. Another performer, called Laundry, had Gummy Worms thrown at him during his set. Another was interrupted by constant New Year's Eve countdowns, called a '1999 theme' in reference to the Prince song.
    I wanted to stay a little while to talk to friends after the show ended, but I was tired and knew it was best to go home and rest for a while since I wanted to get to another show in the evening. I had my meal at the Bobby and Steve's in Minneapolis as I like their little Godfather's pizzas and it was fairly close to the venue. At this second show the closer was Arizona Chicago, who I understand is now based in New York City. She was at the earlier show as well, but the pancake show was a 4-minute set for all. She had a longer one at the second show. I had heard some of the jokes before, but I still liked them as I don't hear intelligent humor as much as I would like. It was about things like Hobby Lobby, and the election. I liked seeing Grizzly Adams in the crowd, we spoke after the show and I found out he would be MC at the later show that I didn't attend. I hadn't seen Grizzly in a while. I was invited by the event coordinator to stay for that show, but turned it down as I had other things to do like go to the grocery store. In addition, it was a big deal this weekend that I attended 3 shows and didn't perform at any of them. But there were friends I wanted to see. I do like how I am more serious about performing than I was, which means I am showing up much less often now 'just supporting friends'. Some of them I think only show up if performing, so there is nothing wrong with having the same attitude as there is no substitute for stage time.
   Being around people at this festival, for whatever reason, prompted me to philosophize some. I think this was also aided by seeing an online article this morning about the 18 best jobs for people who hate people. Some of these jobs wouldn't work for me, as they are blue collar and I would probably need plenty of training for it. But one of them made sense- poet, lyricist, creative writer. I know writing has been there for me when I needed it, a healthy way of sorting out any issues I was having. It may not have yielded answers though, as I recall many of my writings having questions that I couldn't answer. I don't think I necessarily 'hate' being around people, but there are many times when I am comfortable being alone.  And I know why, as the life I have led explains it. Brawler pegged me well, saying I look like the type that has been messed with and now have the demeanor that says 'don't mess with me'. I know I still have a hard time trusting people for a while for this reason, until I know them for a while and feel accepted. And to me, call me crazy, but friendship means being respectful. But unfortunately, to some it means having a license to 'prank' friends, thinking they will be forgiven. At times I known I have been accused of being 'unable to take a joke'. Well not everybody knows about what I have been through! And I don't feel the need to tell everybody my life story either! And not everything is funny, especially if the joke is a mean one at my expense! I am reminded of a line from an Everclear song, 'Father of Mine', that says it well: 'I will always be weird inside, I will always be lame'. I know this is true for me, as I know myself well enough in terms of my tendencies.
    I am pleased that somebody like my puppeteer friend is so thrilled to see me, and that we hug each time we meet. I wasn't used to this, feeling accepted that is. I've said before that 'we can't ignore who we are', and I am more comfortable with who I am than I was. This may make a difference on my interactions with people now- where I am more receptive to others. I've compared my time performing to my time at the office, how I have met some friends at both. But I have also met some people that I find to be annoying. But as our 'facility czar' said, that is called life. I think that would be true of most anything I would have done in life. I often speak of  how I am ambivalent about things. I think this is called 'I've learned to take the good with the bad'. And I really didn't find any answers from going to therapists. Some, maybe. But those seem to pale in comparison to the ones I found out on my own. No therapist ever recommended that I try performing, I had to think of that one myself and find the courage to do that on my own.
    I have seen therapists off and on in some form or another since age 12, if one counts guidance counselors. It is hard to recall some of those details, as it was so long ago. But I think I was under the impression that I had to go, and I hated the feeling of there being no option at all. Why, were they just thinking of their own interests of needing to stay busy and needing to be paid, and not my own? And did this lead to me becoming 'addicted' to therapists, because they created some dependency? I have spoke of being 'addicted to the drama' at times. But now I tell myself I can't watch my favorite movie, 'Good Will Hunting', that often because the drama in it can be a little too much for me. I can only take drama for so long before I start feeling sad. So I know well enough to avoid what are triggers to me, and that includes some sad songs as well. I can listen to them, but only when the time is right. Like 'Too Far Down' by Husker Du, or 'End of the world' by Skeeter Davis, which was in 'Girl Interrupted'. I know why 'interrupted' speaks to me, as I still think it is a miracle that I avoided being sent to a nuthouse. I have often wondered if I am mentally ill. Although I still don't understand why I knew somebody in college that once said 'I should be locked up' when I didn't do anything worthy of that. The way I dealt with any mental illness was usually deciding to avoid people. Even though we know some of the same people, thankfully I haven't had to see him for years. Hard to respect somebody who said this when he thought I wasn't listening. I was in another room, and I woke up and heard him say it. I think he is just plain judgmental, and not only with me, but there is no excuse for that.
    I have said that performing still feels like a futile attempt to avoid landing in a therapist office, but I don't think it is fair to say it has been futile. I have been to a therapist only once since I started performing, and it really had nothing to do with performing. It was more about other issues I dealt with, as it was after my dating relationship (my longest to date) ending after more than two and a half years. And I was brave enough to say 'I have had enough' after two sessions as we were getting nowhere, and the therapist just didn't know how to counsel performers. So I take some pride in knowing when to quit a venture that wasn't worth my time, as I have to be my own advocate. I guess there was somebody at the office this year that was hand-picked to be a career advisor by somebody who had been for me, but was moving to another state. I am not even sure if it counts as a therapist, when he is not licensed to be one and it wasn't part of my Employee Assistance Program. It was definitely an unofficial, more informal, program. But there was some similarities to seeing a licensed therapist that I couldn't ignore. I liked the first dude, an Iowan like me and a performer like me, a jazz musician. But his successor was inept to say the least, constantly would 'run the light' and it felt like there was no substance to our discussion at all. And as I recall, I think he wanted to help me with joke writing, something I didn't need help with at all. I did cancel two sessions since then, but I had no choice if I was busy with more important things like my normal duties. Or needing to take a day off for car shopping. I haven't said much since then about it, as I have been getting my 'unspoken wish' at this point, that these meetings are over. It is not enough that somebody wants me there, I have to want to be there too. This is what I have learned from dating relationships as well.
    As one song tells us, 'this is my fight song, take back my life song'. So I am proud of how I fight for myself way more than I did, although I prefer not having to at all to get where I need to. I've said before that I started fighting for myself as I had no choice, nobody else was. And I noticed how everyone else was fighting for themselves. And things mean more when they're not just being handed to me. It is a competitive world, I have to think about my own interests and protecting them when some I know full well aren't friends and don't have my best interests at heart.
    I have spoken of some who 'restored my faith in people'. This was true of a classmate from high school. This friend was there for me when I felt broken after a disastrous dating relationship and I wanted to be bitter about it. I recalled there was a time when this friend pulled me put of an embarrassing situation, I was thankful for a 'Good Samaritan' but I also had to learn how I couldn't expect someone to intervene on my behalf all of the time when I needed it. I needed to be smart enough to know when to leave. This is why one of my favorite sayings now is 'I have had enough'. And there was a friend at the office, that is now a journalist, who I have said 'humanized' me. This would be 'my dear friend' or 'the peerless one'. Even with her, I said I was ready for a friend like that by then. Had it been earlier in life, I would have probably said 'get lost', thinking she was feeling sorry for me as I have never wanted anyone's pity. So I think I am trying to say that my puppeteer friend arrived in my life at a time when I as ready for that kind of friend as well. Since I had weathered some storms by then and had found a way to 'get myself well'. And one of those things was deciding to quit torturing myself like I had been for too long. And quit whining about being dealt a 'bad hand of cards' by life. And about being 'orphaned' by my verbally abusive parents. I said I learned to have a high regard for my former boss and mentor in suburban Chicago, who wouldn't give up on me but also wouldn't put up with my whining. 'I can't do it' wasn't true- 'I won't do it' was. My life wasn't over, it was only beginning. Life isn't a sprint either, it is a marathon. So what if I got off to a slow start!
     I have done my best to keep track of how often I have that 'how right I was' feeling. Some may call it a 'self-validating moment'. It has been way more often since I started performing, as I am out doing things. And also because I understand it is my life now. I am reminded of poetry I once wrote that I still may have somewhere, that was directed to my family. Basically saying 'I am an adult now, it is my life, I am fine with being able to sink or swim on my own'.   
    I have made mistakes that were due to lack of maturity. I don't make these mistakes like I did, but I still deal with the mental anguish of knowing I need to be mature and how difficult that still can be  for me. It is not an automatic thing like it should be, even though I find a way to get there, as it is hard to internalize any bad feelings that I have. Basically, I suffer alone with this issue as I don't want to bother anyone with something that I know can be hard to understand. I know well enough to be mature when handling disappointments and rejection, but I know I am haunted by the times I wasn't, explaining the 'mental anguish' or I sometimes call it 'old data'. I have a hard time forgetting things, with a mind like mine. There are a lot of things I wish I could forget. I think about how I am struggling or battling some issues, things that shouldn't be a problem anymore, but it is still better than what I was doing. I would avoid them and not confront things, then wondered why I wasn't getting the results I wanted. Of course I wasn't if I was fine with forfeiting all the time! Life is tough at times, but as a local writer said, one can't stop living just because life can be tough. And some may have had it tougher than me, for all I know. Now I tell myself 'I've got this' more often than I did. It is all about confidence, which I lacked for a while. I know I did say 'I know well enough to go with my strength' to the button about singing karaoke. Some might call it 'arrested development', I know I have before. I have also learned that I don't need to struggle alone, as others might understand if I trust them enough to say something.
    I don't know what I am trying to say, other than I know I have made some great strides in my life due to performing. For one thing, it gave me a circle of friends that I was lacking. I found a place where I belonged, after feeling like a misfit for way too long. And I like how I do it for ME, and only me, when for too long I tried to live my life to please others and ended up pleasing no one. It meant parting ways with people that were like poison to me, even if they were family. I have said it before how it makes a world of difference when one is around like-minded people that are encouraging me. I know it meant ending the attitude of 'be perfect or quit' as that was unhealthy. I know this is why I often say 'close enough' now. I've learned that I can't afford to be afraid of nearly everything, as life is really about 'the sum total'. I once had a boss that knew I liked baseball, and reminded me it was wrong to be upset about each and every failure. So I struck out, if I learned something then it wasn't a complete failure. I know I'm good when I decide to complete, and avoiding things because 'I'm just not good at it' means I forgot about how I wasn't good the first time I did most things. It's called being a rookie! You live, you learn! And asking for help doesn't make one weak. Comedy may have not been the first time I had a chance to learn these lessons, but I was more receptive to learning them by then. I didn't want to live with the pain of regret like I had been. So I am all right, nobody worry about me. As it was said in a Kenny Loggins song.

Football and Puppets

I am double-booked tonight. First I attended a high school football game in South St. Paul, and plans are to see a friend's puppet show as part of a comedy festival as the nightcap.
  I am pleased that it still worked in my schedule to see the football game tonight, as I like high school football. South St. Paul was playing Henry Sibley, of Mendota Heights if I am not mistaken. I wanted to get caught up on email and watched the news, so I waited a little after getting off the bus from work to depart for the stadium. I arrived late in the first quarter, and there was no score. Early in the second quarter there was a long quarterback keeper, for about 50 yards, for a touchdown, SSP up 7-0. A Sibley fumble led to SSP tacking on a field goal, and it was 10-0 at the half. There was some dancers and 'chuck footballs' as halftime entertainment. Sibley got on the board in the 3rd quarter, and went for 2 to make it 10-8. I checked my program and noticed how nobody was listed as a kicker, that seems to explain the going for two. For kickoffs it appears Sibley was using a tight end/defensive lineman. Another quarterback keeper led to the next SSP touchdown, this time for 70 yards, leading 17-8. A personal foul penalty against SSP aided a Sibley drive that made it 17-16. The third quarter ended with this score. Another personal foul penalty, this time a horse collar against Sibley, aided an SSP drive, making it 24-16. Sibley got a long 40-yard pass play, and later converted on fourth down, to make it 24-22. They went for two and were stopped short. There was 2:46 left when SSP got the ball, and it meant they still had to run some plays, but SSP won 24-22. A song I heard often enough at this game was 'She wants to dance like Uma Thurman' which I know is a reference to the movie 'Pulp Fiction'.
   Naturally this is more of a reason to sing the praises of high school football, as it is definitely affordable. The game ticket was six dollars, and my first food order was a hot dog, chips and bottled water for four dollars. At halftime I got a candy bar and popcorn for two-fifty. I parked for free at the school's lot nearby. So it was nice to have had a good time, for less than 20 dollars. The game tickets, as well as food and drink, are way more at a major college or professional sporting event.
   I did make it to the puppet show, it was a late-night edition. This friend was in town from Los Angeles, and I went to her wedding two years ago. We hugged before the show and she spoke of how performing is still going better than dating. The show started with two puppets in the back. I am good at recognizing voices and I definitely knew one of them. Many of their jokes were 'hack jokes' about subjects like cocaine, and ISIS. Also about the event coordinator. Then it moved on to a video of a puppet watching TV. First Mr. Trump was on, then it switched to other boring things. I don't think the MC has a nickname yet, but I have seen him perform before. Then my puppeteer friend was on with one of her colleagues from la-la land. Her friend's puppet likes the smart phone, I liked how it didn't take long to catch on to the 'gag' in this segment. Next act was a comic, on the screen behind her was something about meditating and emoji's. She did ones about Lean Cuisine, the Wisconsin state fair, childhood wardrobe, snack foods, ranch, and you should be a comedian. My friend was on next, with a puppet doing a 'vagina monologue'. This was one of my photos from the show. I did not know the next comic, but he made a lasting impression by playing the national anthem on a guitar. He said he had recently moved from Portland (probably meant Oregon, but there is also one in Maine) and did ones about taking supplements, and vision boards. The two opening puppets came back, and did more 'hack jokes'. Then there was a 'cat tube' video. Then my friend and her colleague did a segment with a Mr. Trump puppet. The final act was a comic that spoke of growing up in Nebraska, and spoke of Taco Tuesday. This led to the two opening puppets coming back, being replaced by the Trump puppet, after seeing one about the 'undecided voter' from a recent presidential debate.
   I am usually not writing my opinions in this forum, mostly I am just stating what I saw. But I will say I enjoyed this show. The jokes about Mr. Trump worked well, seemed like a much better forum for them than seeing them all the time in my Facebook news feed. I had seen her perform before with one of her puppets, this summer, at the same venue. I do recall saying to an office colleague that I never thought it was possible that I would know a puppeteer that performs at the famous Jim Henson studio, but now I do! And I liked getting a notable souvenir, it was a sock puppet with buttons on it for eyes. Now I must figure out how to get it into the binder with other comedy souvenirs- if this is the best place for it. There was a suggestion to perform with it on dates, but that was probably a joke. It is a weird collection of things, but will fit well with items like a whoopee cushion that I won at an 'encyclopedia show'. The sock puppet was an 'audience participation' thing and I was told before the show that it was a good idea to sit up front. Well I found out why.
    In other issues, I did see the event coordinator- who I think is often referred to as 'boss man' in this forum. We hadn't spoken much lately, he is often busy. When he said it was good to see me, I knew I had the best chance in a while to say how things were going. I did say how I hadn't been to the venue's open-mic in a while, as I wasn't getting picked and was upset about it. I had made that decision nearly a year ago, following the advice from school bouncer, who said it was best to take a break if I was upset about it. So I would like to think that I can get stage time there more often, though it is hard to say when as I have gotten used to doing other things on a Friday night. It is much harder for me to turn down stage time now, but I also say that I can't go to the clubs every night of the week as I don't want to get burned out from performing. In addition, I have other things going on in my life, other interests, that still mean something to me and had before I started performing. Nothing wrong with spending a night at home watching reruns and resting every so often. Sometimes that is now what I do on a Friday, wanting to de-compress after being at the office.

weird man on bike

I went to a spaghetti dinner at a community center tonight, an annual event. I saw a weird man on a bicycle in the parking lot when I was leaving. there was flashing lights galore, plenty of American flags, and a basket on the back. I like doing this event as it is good food that I don't have to cook, for not much money. I lucked out and it was free, as I showed up about 10 minutes before 7:30, the end time for serving, and a woman gave me one of her tickets. I guess he had bought them in advance. I was asked if I was waiting for anyone there, as she had even more tickets, but I said 'I am chronically single'. I had two little cartons of milk with my meal.
   I did the long walk around the neighborhood after it, and watching a 'big bang theory' rerun that had bob Newhart as guest star. it was his second appearance, so it was with bill nye. I found 29 cents, a quarter and 4 pennies. so I have more for my change bank, and the new ulm brick fund. I had two bags of trash, as I found a second one along the route. unusual where I have two matches from internet dating that are interested. already at email stage with one, and soon will be with the other. one of them found some of my comedy sets on youtube, and I said 'I urge you to see some of them' as it is a 'package deal'. accepting me means accepting my 'need to perform'. notable in the comedy circuit was seeing an announcement on facebook. a fellow comic is in transition and I said I will have to get used to saying a different name, but it doesn't bother me any.
 

hawkeye hat retired

I noticed there was a tear in my iowa hawkeye hat when I arrived at the office. so, as expected, I ended up ripping it up. I am not sure how I acquired it, but probably at an alumni event. I don't think I purchased it. hard to say if I will replace it, when this is the fall season, getting colder, and I already have some other hats I like wearing more.
   I did get stage time at the performance venue, working through things like internet dating. one match spoke of finding me on youtube, I said that some of my comedy sets are there. also the senior leader who calls me by the wrong name on purpose, thinking it is funny. he did this when I was passing by a big meeting. there is plenty of silent auction items available this week for the united way campaign, including 12 artworks. I haven't bid on anything yet, and I noticed just 9 of the artworks have been bid on. the bidding will go until midday Friday. I said 'oh god' to a colleague when I read on about events for this campaign next week. pleased that there is no penny wars, but what they replaced it with is worse: a presidential poll. I said I am not touching it with a 10-foot pole.

creative writing survey

I do online surveys all the time, after some delays and ignoring it I finally did a creative writing survey. it is from the organization that sponsored a 'fair' that I attended last year. but when I was asked about creative writing programs, I didn't know what to speak of aside from the writing classes I had taken at the loft in Minneapolis as I hadn't done anything like a master of fine arts. I did speak of a therapist recommending the writing classes.
  tonight I made it to the performance venue after the show started, in part due to me falling asleep for a little while this evening after work. some of my set was about the office, like the treadmill. but also about a conversation with the Filipino man who spoke of cockfighting being a sport in his native land. I said I was trying to research baseball, but couldn't find much aside from the manila stadium that was part of a battle I world war two. he said he would send messages to find out more. I was pleased with what little I had found out so far, how American all-stars, including babe ruth, played at the manila stadium, called rizal, in the 1930s. also checked e-bay under this name and some items for sale include ticket stubs from a beatles concert, and a program from another visit by American baseball players. this one was the new York Yankees, in the 1950s. also found out about the origin of the name, he was a martyr.

self serve problems

after performing at the comedy club tonight, I went to a gas station as the light was on saying I was low on fuel. I had self-service problems. I forgot to enter my loyalty card number before running my method of payment, so I canceled the sale and no matter how many times I tried, it stayed canceled and I had to go inside and prepay with the cashier. this was even after moving to another pump. so I told myself I see it as a valuable lesson as I prefer self-service. it explains why I slammed my car door when I got home. but I also know well enough not to let this bother me for long. I am still reminded of what a teacher said to be when I was young: try to be more tolerant of mistakes made. I did ones about internet dating, a treadmill, and time out in my set.
  at work I canceled out of a meeting in the afternoon as I was too busy with my normal duties, as Monday is our highest volume day. when I arrived, with about 5 minutes left in the hour, I was told I hadn't missed much. we also started our united way campaign today and there was a viewing of the silent auction items for two hours. hard to say if I will bid on anything, but I did notice plenty of artwork available.

the simpsons: boston americans

I liked getting most of my chores done before watching 'the simpsons' tonight. it was about a pro football team called 'the boston americans'. it looked like a knockoff of the new England patriots. homer wanted to do a 'hate vacation' to boston, and it did speak of many things the city is known for. I liked mention of 'southie', as to me that is close enough to my favorite movie, 'good will hunting'. there is mention of the afflecks, and wahlbergs. and fenway park, the red sox baseball stadium. I see a red sox game annually as a way of keeping the memory of my favorite movie alive. then I fell asleep, I think near the end of the episode, and when I awoke the presidential debate was on, from st. louis. these two hardly ever discussed the relevant issues.
   I stayed in for a while to get photos uploaded to facebook, I was way behind, months behind. but now I have two more albums created, one is called 'missouri' as I visit st. louis annually. another is about the Minnesota fringe festival, as I had a role in it. the show runner, resistable comic, likes the album. I wanted to document the experience, and I already had a binder full of souvenirs so it was time to share my photos as well. I had more of the time to deal with it when I knew my typical open-mic, the donut party, was canceled due to the Vikings game. I stayed in taking care of the photos until just after 4pm, then went to do laundry. then I went out to return the redbox rental from the previous day, and got a hot dog and chips from a super-America. I arrived home just as the simpsons was starting. before the debate ended I started working on the recycle and dishes. it meant getting out a set of towels for it as the ones I was using were put in the laundry. and I had to go find the dish soap as it was put away for an exterminator visit this week. I also sent messages to a match from e-harmony, to mason city, and to a college roommate that lives nearby. the college friend likes going to see the NHL's Wild so hopefully it works in our schedules for me to attend a game with my college friend this season.

barbershop 2 movie

saw the movie 'barbershop 2' tonight as a redbox rental. it had a little bit of everything, so it works for me. funny in some places, but also good social commentary. wanted to see it as I knew nicki minaj, the musician, would be in it. I haven't seen the original movie, but I don't think much was lost on me by missing out on that one. when this one has the ladies doing hair next to the dudes then the banter is good. especially when they talk about relationships. hard to say what the main takeaway was from this movie, but it likely was cedric the entertainer. he played the elder statesman in it, and spent plenty of time commentating. I know this fits ced, as he is a comedian. but I also noticed how he hardly ever seemed to be cutting hair, for this reason. after that, the main plot seemed to be ice cube dealing with his young son. I had seen a movie he was in before, 'boyz in the hood'. it had been a while since I had done a redbox rental, but I looked at my facebook and meetup invites and didn't see anything of note so I said I had the time for a movie. especially when I checked the paper and nothing at theaters was of interest to me. a redbox rental is way cheaper anyway.
   naturally, I did more than watch a movie today. I went to the Iowa/Minnesota football game over at TCF bank stadium. I don't mind these 11am starts, as the game is over earlier as well. but it also meant that chores and errand running had to wait until after the game. I drove most of the way over to the university and parked at a surface lot, and walked the rest of the way. I actually like walking across the river to get there. but walking takes longer than the light rail, and I arrived after the game began but still early in the game, no score. iowa led 3-0 at the half, and went on to win 14-7. iowa trailed 7-6 at one point, but went ahead again on a long running play, and went for two after it. I bought my ticket on stubhub and it was in the lower level near Iowa's sideline. after the game ended, some fans were gathering by the wall, so I joined them. the iowa players came over to acknowledge us, and high fives were given though I had to jockey for position so I had a hard time getting any high fives at all. it also meant they showed off the trophy, the pig known as 'Floyd of rosedale'. when this was part of the experience, I said 'worth it!' after that I walked back across the river, but then it was to bobby and steve's to get a late lunch. I already had godfather's pizza this weekend, so I got the chicken and mashed potatoes meal. a fountain drink was included, I chose a vanilla sugar free seagram's, it tasted good. then it was back to my car and on to the library to print some things. though I didn't stay until closing time at 5pm like I typically do. I drove home and rested for a while, and had a late dinner at the Chicago hot dog place. it is no longer known as chris and rob's apparently, but the 'Chicago taste authority'. I arrived just before closing time, which is 9pm. then I went to a dairy queen and used a 2 for 1 blizzard coupon. one employee was interested in how I do stand-up, so I gave him a business card. he said some people say he looks like jesus, due to his beard and hair. then after going to the grocery store I watched the movie.

we are young, fun. and janelle monae

recently I was watching a video and heard a song in the background. I recognized it as 'we are young' by fun., and Janelle monae. the video takes places at a bar where the band is performing. and for some reason a text message is being sent, and eventually this phone starts a fight. I do like the angst in this song, and this appears to be where one first hears 'tonight, we are young'. I always thought that it was funny to see this band's name: 'fun, period'. other lyrics I liked in it are early on, 'getting higher than the empire state' and 'seat taken by some sunglasses'.
   I had the day off so I could go to new ulm for Oktoberfest. but it started off weird, dealing with the smoke alarm going off while showering. at first I pulled an Alfred e. neuman (what, me worry?) and waited a little before I decided to step out and investigate. the shower probably tripped the alarm, as the door wasn't shut all the way. I tried to wave away the steam but the alarm still chirped for a little while longer. but I didn't have that much left to do by then in the bathroom.
   I made the most of my time in new ulm, and outside of it as well. I love the lunch buffet at the godfather's pizza in st. peter, so I stopped there on the way to the festival. I arrived around 2pm and looked around at some stores, after going to the chamber of commerce first. I liked getting a button at the chamber about shopping in new ulm. and I did find some treasure at the second-hand stores. I found four books for a dollar, including one about Olympic athlete bruce jenner. another was about the TV show 'mork and mindy', a third was about the movie 'American graffiti', and the fourth was about various TV shows, published in 1971. I saw one photo in it, of musicians glen Campbell and johnny cash. it was nice to find a charlie brown and snoopy tin as well, it says 'happy holidays' and once held shortbread cookies.
    I made it to the final glockenspiel performance of the day at 5pm, and after that I went to sleepy eye to see the linus statue. it is across the street from the hardee's, so I got a chocolate shake at the hardee's. then it was back to new ulm. I made my customary visit to the fountain inside german park, and there was more activity than typical. I heard some music from the area, it was 'living on a prayer' by bon jovi. guess there was a high school football game at the nearby venue. then it was on to turner hall where I had a drink, schell's beer of course. when I see their rathskeller sign I am reminded of what dad would say to me when I was young: 'you can find me in the rathskeller'. I had hoped to make it to the hotel for the evening festivities in time for the keg tapping, but it was not to be. I still did eat at this hotel, now a best western, it was a holiday inn. I had a landjaeger on a bun, with sauerkraut, german potato salad, german chocolate cake, and some 1919 root beer. looks like there was a slight change in venue as the poolside stage wasn't being used, there was an outside tent instead. I left shortly after I was done eating, and headed back to the twin cities. as usual I brought some CDs to make the drive easier for me. my playlist: REM, toad the west sprocket, cowboy junkies, and billy joel.
    I liked how the drive home was fairly uneventful, didn't need to stop anywhere along the way. I made an early stop to get a look at a historical marker, making a mental note about it on the way into town. it was at a Lutheran church and school, and had an American revolution bicentennial logo on the marker. this was in courtland township if I am not mistaken. I stopped to look at another marker in this town on a previous visit. I think this is the town that went with a joke name for a drinking establishment: calling it a 'crow bar'.

TTI technologies

I was going through my bank statement from august and at first wasn't sure what a debit card purchase was, from 'TTI technologies'. so I went online and did a search, and found mention of 'business centers'. so I figured this must have been from checking email when I was at my hotel in new York city. I like being able to understand all of what is there, even though I probably should have reviewed it much earlier. it was one of a few things I decided to do tonight before I ventured out for a walk. another was going through souvenirs found at performance venues and get them into binders. and then there's shredding junk mail, something done once a week on the average. once I noticed it was raining I decided not to go out at all. there was a pro football game on, which made the decision easier, cardinals- 49ers. cardinals won, rare to see a safety and it was at the end.
   I panicked a little when I found out what method of payment was used for the football ticket purchase on stubhub, where it appears to be automatic payment. I expected it to be paypal credit, where I would get more time to pay it off without paying interest. this would be for the iowa-minnesota football game this weekend. I haven't ordered much from stubhub in recent years, so it was largely irrelevant for a while as to how I paid with them. but crisis averted, as even though it was from my checking account there is enough in it and payday is soon as well.
    when I saw news of hurricane matthew at midday in the breakroom I know how some people think, wondering how it would affect the major college and pro football schedule. there are 3 NFL teams in the state of florida. hard to say how it will, as there are various options available to get the games in like change the time it is played, or even the venue it is played in.
   at work I was a little cranky when my boss came around and asked about the special requests, saying I usually submit the payoff report first. but I decided to check and found out there was just two special requests to find, and got them sent on. I did allude to it later in the day, saying I am still getting used to integrating this one into my schedule.

paid holidays announced

at the office I saw an email this morning, announcing the paid holidays for next year. looks like there are some changes, most notable is having two more holidays. this would be president's day, and veteran's day. those two weren't recognized at this office before. something about how it made sense to be closed those days since there would be no mail delivery, at least from the post office. though there still would be deliveries from other couriers.
   I did perform at the bar tonight, more about the weekend in iowa city. also mention of a recent match from internet dating. when I said performing is what I do in the evening, including karaoke, I was informed by this match about doing karaoke- but needing liquid courage.

micro sleep

I experienced 'micro sleep' while in a booth at the performance venue tonight after I was done performing. this has happened all too often lately, including while taking the bus home in the evening. I should know by now to get more sleep overnight, that means retiring earlier. easier said than done.
   at the office it was an easier day as expected. no problem doing the payoff report, new titles, and some new contracts as well. had to contact the 'not much help desk' about getting back into a system that I hadn't used in a while. but my duties have changed some.

dish towel becomes rag

I decided to keep a dish towel I found in the street as a rag for my car. it was dirty and I let it soak in soapy water in my mop bucket but knew it would be hard to clean it entirely. probably would mean dry cleaning, and I mainly do that for actual clothes and not towels. so when I was leaving to go to the comedy club tonight I had it thrown in the trunk of my car. it had been hung up to dry for much of my day, while I was at the office. nothing wrong with having another rag, much like having another snow brush.
   at work I saw the Filipino man and spoke of getting started on the travel guide for his native land. he did say the etiquette mentioned in it is correct, about it is best to avoid being pushy. I have read that part, and the history, that is it. this item is the one thing I didn't pack for the weekend in iowa city. I know myself well enough that when I pack in a rush there is usually one thing that end up forgetting to pack that I would like to have, and it is always a question of how well I can do without it. I spent my time writing in my hotel room, so it was no big deal doing without the travel guide.
    I did get stage time tonight, doing karaoke. I sang 'these are days' by 10,000 maniacs, a reminder of being at college. I just had to wait for the Vikings game to end, and they beat the giants 24-10. I looked through the binder, it took a while. looks like there are some more that I can sing with passion at a later time, I made a note of those six songs by writing them down.
 

saudi arabia snack food

I went on a walk this morning after having breakfast and doing dishes. as usual, I found plenty of trash along the way. one of those items was an empty bag of snack food from Saudi arabia with what looked like Disney's mickey mouse on the front. couldn't read all of it since some of it was in Arabic but it did say 'cheese flavour' on the front. I know this is British-English to have this kind of spelling. another thing I picked up was a karaoke CD from Thailand. both items were put in my trash bag and thrown into a bin at a super-America. as usual I found some coins as well. at one place I found three quarters, which is not typical.
    at midday I went to a booya soup serving. I didn't have a drink with it as they were out of bottled water and only had diet root beer left. didn't want to drink coffee or beer with it. I saw the police band perform and had some popcorn, then I went to a Walgreen to get more sheet protectors and got a drink there instead. then later on it was time to go to the performance venue. much of my set was about the weekend in iowa city. and I found more change while walking around after the show. in the evening I watched the 'simpsons' episode, I liked mention of a Canadian penny when ned flanders was counting pennies. also mention of snoopy on his doghouse, by homer.
 

quadrangle hall, u. of iowa

I started the day in muscatine, iowa, at my hotel. then I had continental breakfast and got on the road to iowa city for the football game. after the game I went to look at quadrangle residence hall, a building I lived in for 3 of the 4 semesters of my time living in the dorms. It was already a demolition site, but I still got some pictures of it, on the 'legal side' of the fence. I lived in slater, across the street, for one semester, then moved to quadrangle. I recalled an underground tunnel connecting it to rienow, and there being a public cafeteria in it as well. somebody once said I should work there, after hearing I was a dishwasher at the student union. but the student union wasn't that far away, and what is so wrong with walking or biking for some exercise? I also recall this dorm building being one of the 'transition scenes' for the TV show 'coach' in the 1990s. there was a banner up saying it is the 'future site of the pharmacy college'.
   at the football game, iowa lost to northwestern 38-31, after iowa led 21-17 at the half. though iowa trailed for most of the first half. northwestern was moving the ball better, picking up third downs more often, while Iowa's QB often got sacked on third down. it rained some during the game, but light rain, definitely not a downpour. I got on the hawkeye express, a train, back to my car about an hour after the final gun. I got started a little earlier, compared to last year, on my drive back to the twin cities, about two hours after the game ended. although there was some heavy traffic at first, getting onto I-380, then for a few miles after that. so I waited a little while until I started putting in CDs to listen to. before leaving town I did redeem two cans and a bottle, at a Hy-Vee grocery store, then got some fuel for the car as well as a candy bar and a can of dr. pepper for me. after this I made just two more stops, my typical ones at a casey's gas station in cedar falls, and then clear lake. I liked getting a slice of pizza at both, as well as some Coca-Cola to drink.
   as usual, I liked how it didn't take long to unpack when I got home. I travel light, so most of what I bring can fit in a duffel bag. then dirty clothes go in the basket, and souvenirs in one plastic bag. and a trash bag was quickly emptied as well, cans and bottles in the sink to be washed and the rest in the trash. there was some coins as well, 30 cents, that went in the change bank, half of which was pennies. it was nice that I made fewer stops compared to the drive down to iowa city. I also noticed how I tend to be a recluse while home, but on the road as well. not complaining though, it is what I prefer! I found it easier to get some writing done about my traveling while alone in my hotel room.
   I liked how I was up early this morning. I set the alarm on my phone for 8am, and I woke up 2 minutes before it went off. then it was time to have continental breakfast, I had some cereal as well as a 'make your own waffle'. then I was on the road at 9am, allowing for the drive time, about 40 miles, from Muscatine to iowa city. tried parking at hancher auditorium, but the traffic wasn't moving after I exited I-80 at Dubuque street. so I did a U-turn and continued on to the Coralville mall exit so I could take the train to the game. it meant I was in my seat before the game started at 11am, in fact I arrived just before the national anthem. I am fine with these early starts, as I can get home earlier as well. I made it back to my home in the twin cities at 10:30 pm, and my plan was to make it back before midnight so I liked being early. then I didn't need another night in a hotel room, already had two this weekend.