accidental inventions

tonight at the comedy club I heard a comic try to do a joke about inventions discovered by accident. except he didn't do it well at all. so when I went onstage I started off by answering his joke, saying there were many inventions discovered by accident like the x-ray. so it is really not a big deal. the set went well, part of it was about what I did for thanksgiving. and egg nog. and asking a friend for advice. then when the show was over I went to another venue to perform. and I made more references to various songs at the second venue. liked how some liked hearing how listening to heavy metal music one time at a long concert gave me the healthy 'I don't care' attitude that I needed and was lacking for too long.
   I met with my boss in the afternoon for my performance evaluation. at first I was unnerved to hear he wanted to meet with me, through i.m., as I wondered what I had done wrong. but it went fine and I said I wanted to go on record about what qualities I want in the new boss since he got promoted. I don't want to work for a micro-manager. it was hard to stay occupied at work since there wasn't much on the payoff report, due to the holiday as it is typically on a one-week delay. I did help with hanging some holiday decorations, some garland and bulbs. and another vacation day off has been requested for the final month of the calendar year.

whatever, godsmack

recently I recall fargo Moorhead quote a song I was kind of familiar with when he heard my standard line 'doing the best I can'. I knew the next line was 'now go away'. it was 'whatever' by godsmack. the video I found on youtube takes place at a live performance. there are times where heavy metal songs like this one really works for me. so many good lines in it, like 'I don't like you anyway'. or 'you're pathetic, in your own way'. and besides 'the best I can' I also like how they follow it with 'the best I ever did'. this band, according to Wikipedia, is from Lawrence, MA, and the map states this is north of Boston.
   tonight I was at the performance venue, and the fancy comic showed up later on and was show closer. I did ones about thanksgiving dinner and walk, facebook arguments, annoying people at work, seeing 'napoleon dynamite', a call from a dental office, and an emergency drill.
   at the office my 'cohort' was out, taking a day off, so I had to cover the payoff report by myself. no big deal, makes the day go faster.
    on facebook it looks like there is already some activity from joining groups related to an interest in visiting the Philippines. I will have to let my colleague know about this as he has already said he is willing to help me with understanding the culture and customs of his native land.

tony danza shows

tonight I went on at the comedy club. I also liked getting shout-outs from two other comics, university accountant and tetris. with the former, she did a joke about tony danza jokes that I laughed at, which led to the shout-out. of course this was 'who's the boss' and 'taxi'. and a reference to some music group where part of their name is his. it did remind me of when I saw 'the simpsons' play at the Guthrie and another attendee said she wanted to see it as she liked 'cape fear'. except it wasn't that much about it, just inspired by the episode that was a parody of the movie.
  it went well performing tonight. I did ones about egg nog, my thanksgiving day, seeing 'napoleon dynamite', and a match from internet dating saying she was 'taking a break'. before the show I used my 'doing the best I can' line and fargo Moorhead spoke of a song that I was familiar with, I knew the next line was 'now go away'. it is 'whatever' by godsmack. I then spoke of an alice in chains song as a musical number at a burlesque show.
   as expected, hard to go back to work after 4 days off. but I found a way through. notable was getting another emerson hough item ordered, it was a flyer advertising the movie 'man next door' at an opera house. I knew this was one of his books, but it was hard to find how it also became a movie. this happened a lot in the silent era, sketchy records. but there was a listing for it on IMDB, and according to what I found, it was released in may 1923. this was a month after his death. this means it was the same year as 'covered wagon' which was a best-selling book and popular movie. for 'door' I will have evidence that it was based on his book, and much like 'ship of souls' there would be enough reason to update IMDB to list Hough as the writer.  also notable was getting a letter to the editor published in my hometown of newton, iowa. it was given a title of 'lessons learned in newton'. it was shelved for nearly a year but of course I finally re-submitted it over the long weekend.

napoleon dynamite movie

I saw the movie 'napoleon dynamite' this morning, it was on loan from the library. some might wonder 'what took me so long?' but it has been a while since I was a teenager. I did make it a facebook posting and there was 15 likes to it. I am thankful I finally saw it, even though it isn't my favorite teen movie. the scene where the main character is dancing while wearing the 'vote for pedro' shirt makes more sense to me now. I think this was the only scene that I was aware of previously. I thought the 'slap fight' was funny. I got annoyed when there were depictions of nerds getting beat up by bullies. this was where I said that this movie reminded me of many things that I do NOT miss about high school. I had a hard time liking the uncle, who lived in the past. I have met a few people like him already in my life, sadly. it is weird, it is quirky, but enough of it works. when I was thinking of comparisons to other teen movies I had seen, I was often going back to 'she's all that'. I think because both had an election in it.
   I liked getting some other things done today. this included placing another order with amazon. it was three items this time, a Michael moore book and 2 movies on DVD. I had to check and it was one of his books that I didn't have yet, and I already have three. the 2 movies would be replacing VHS copies. and no, I am still trying to figure out what to do with 'hype!' I ordered 'she's all that' and 'romy and michele'. as usual, I liked using a gift card code which meant the final total was around three dollars. another one where I could replace the VHS copy would be 'breakfast club'.
    I did make it to the performance venue in the afternoon. I did ones about egg nog, burlesque, bowling and zoo walking, the aforementioned 'napoleon dynamite', my hat, and finally responding to a facebook message. in the evening before watching 'the simpsons' I got a hot dog and chips at a super-America. the clerk had braces, and since I had them I usually will ask about them. she said she got them a month ago and would have them for 18 months, and eventually they would break her jaw. this doesn't sound good at all to me, they didn't have to do that to me. 'the simpsons' was a rerun, where marge went to jail and wanted to stay in longer. after it I still went on a walk, but not the typical route as it was raining. I probably stayed out there longer than I should have, but I liked staying active and I found ten carts to return to the grocery store. I also finally checked my mailbox, from the previous day. nothing special in it, non-profits that wanted my money. and a catalog from Gettysburg. I am saving one page from it as it was funny to see shirts for sale with Lincoln wearing sunglasses saying 'that's so 4-score and 7 years ago'. in reference to his speech there.

loving movie

tonight I went to see the movie called 'loving' at the Edina theater. I liked reading about it in the paper, so I told myself to do my best to see it soon. it is based on the true story of what became a landmark supreme court case about interracial marriage, known as 'loving v. virginia'. it did show many of the things that the couple was up against to be given their rights. it let me feeling proud to be an ACLU member as they helped with the case. since I am a performance artist of course I believe in free speech. there were some things in this movie that I noticed, probably more than others did. when I saw dinner plates being washed, I said the pattern on them reminded me of some that I own. and when I saw a wringer washing machine in the background, I wondered if it was a maytag. eventually I noticed that it was. and it covered how the families felt about it, something that still needed to be told as part of this story. much like what I said about other movies 'based on a true story', it serves as a reminder of how being 'first' isn't easy, much like being famous isn't easy. I am thankful I saw it, and when I posted this on twitter and searched the 'hash tag' for that theater I saw two other postings from me. I do like going there for 'art films'.
    I had wanted to see this movie in the afternoon, but when I got there the parking ramp was full. so I was correct to decide 'don't bother' at the time and just come back later in the evening. the ramp was nearly deserted by then. I knew one of the oakdale theaters was showing it, but after driving over from Edina I noticed I would have a long wait to see the next screening. so I just went home and decided to take some time to figure out my strategy. and it was aided by an evening event being a no-go, seeing a play in downtown st. paul. the nearby ATM wouldn't cooperate, so I only had a debit card available. so I decided to get a ticket for a performance that is in two weeks. I was getting annoyed with one ticket office employee, I was asking fair questions but she couldn't hide being stressed out. some people don't belong in customer service. I know this from working in that field for a while.
   I returned one movie to the library earlier today, and checked out two more. one of them I already watched, after getting back from oakdale. it was 'marty', starring ernest borgnine, a best picture winner from the 1950s. I knew that it was much like a later movie I had seen, called 'only the lonely'. I remember thinking 'some people have a lot of nerve' when they get to a scene where a man is trying to pay five dollars to anyone who is willing to take his date off his hands. my guess is this did happen at that time, and possibly still does. it's also a reminder of how important it is to fight for what you believe in, what you really want in life. his family and friends say he should settle down and get married, and when he finds somebody he likes they don't like her. I know I have to be willing to fight for what I really want, so I think this is why I liked both of these movies as they are relevant to me. or should I say three? including 'loving', as that was also about fighting for what you believe in.
   when I was driving home from the movie tonight I heard a song called 'purple hills' or 'purple pills', by a group called D12, which includes Eminem. it is from 2001, according to Wikipedia, and this also explains the two titles. some mention of the references to drug use made one version wouldn't get radio play, so they had to have an alternate one, called 'purple hills'. I found out it was 'hills' that I heard on the radio. the lyrics I found online proved it.

finally resent letter

I liked having the day off as I got some little things done, had more of the energy for it. one of those was, finally, re-sending a letter to the editor in my hometown in iowa. it was rejected nearly a year ago as it was too long, needed to be 400 words or less. I counted it and it was 455. this time it was just over 300. so I look forward to hearing more soon as to if it will be published. I also got signed up for some facebook groups, such as those who attend bears games at a st. paul bar. and those who post photos for historical purposes.
   I watched some of the iowa-nebraska football game this afternoon, once it was put on ABC. the early game, Houston at Memphis, ran long. but it was still a scoreless tie, when the first game ended, so I guess we didn't miss much. iowa went on to win 40-10, it helped that they took advantage of some big plays in the first half. so now we will wait to hear what bowl game they are going to. it would be nice to attend another one of their bowl games, but it probably won't be this year. I did like attending the outback bowl in tampa, florida, in early 2009, iowa beat south Carolina that day.
   during halftime of the football game I went out to do some shopping. I went to a family dollar and got seven items, including a CD and DVD. the CD was the soundtrack to the movie 'breakfast club'. and the DVD was 'the truth about cats and dogs', starring janeane garofalo and uma Thurman. I also placed an order with amazon, it was for the movie 'girl, interrupted' and for a book about norman lear, the TV show producer. I know I had written about 'interrupted' before. another online order that I placed was for a ticket for a gopher hockey game next week, I go to Mariucci arena annually.
     the amazon order would have been three items, but I was unsure about the options available for the movie 'hype!', about the grunge music scene in seattle. I already have it on VHS, but wanted to get it on DVD. looks like the only options were imports, from france, Germany, or japan. the options were just as limited on e-bay, though I did see an Australian edition there. I want to get it right, it is my money, after all! so no big deal if I wait a little longer to figure it out. attending a st. paul saints game this season prompted me to watch the movie again, since the theme was a salute to grunge music.
   in the evening I went to perform at a micro-brewery, the show runner was the resistable comic, who of course I did a fringe show with in august. I did ones about my hat, my dad, his jacket, online classes at the office, painting the walls, and where I once lived. I liked having some popcorn there, and notable was needing a restroom key. I just gave it to the next person in line, which was how I got the key myself. after the show I went to have some ice cream at a mcdonald's.

on the waterfront movie

I watched the DVD copy of 'on the waterfront' that was on loan from the library this morning. this was a compelling story. I knew it was a best picture winner in the 1950s. the 'facility czar' at my workplace, an ex-new Yorker, said I should see it after saying he liked my hat recently. I liked karl malden as the catholic priest, trying to clean up the corruption at the docks. and of course marlon brando was great in it as well, as a 'monkey boy' for the mob. I liked hearing brando's line 'I could have been a contender' in it. this is one thing I long knew about the movie. I also liked seeing some of the special features included. there was theatrical trailers for this one and two other movies. one was starring lizzie taylor and kate Hepburn, based on a Tennessee Williams play. the other was called 'picnic', with a setting in a Kansas town.
   this was one of two movies I watched today. I did the annual viewing of 'planes trains and automobiles' as well. I did this after getting back from the walk at como zoo. I even saw a fellow comic, happy meal, share an article on facebook about it so I also shared the link. my favorite scene I think still is when they are near the end of the journey and they ride in the back of a semi with the cheese. 'the driver is a little freaky about passengers riding up in the cab'. and then 'we should be in Chicago in less than three hours'. naturally a few things make it look a little dated, but it was made in 1987 after all. for one thing, two airlines in it are now defunct. trans world airlines is seen in st. louis, and an ad at the el-train stop in Chicago says 'the sun run' for America west airlines. but this movie holds up well, as I like road movies.
   after I finished watching 'on the waterfront' I made it over to a buca di beppo restaurant as I had a reservation there. good food as they had the thanksgiving dinner available. even though it was called 'individual' there was enough for two servings for me. so it meant I had the leftovers for my evening meal. and actually, I got full before finishing them. so there is a little stuffing and turkey left. then it was over to como zoo for a meetup event. I was trying to think of the last time I had been there, I kow that my employer has had some summer outings there. the place closed at 4pm so we had a little over an hour to look around as we waited to see if more people showed up. I was one of six people there, it sounded like some others canceled out.
    in the evening I watched two 'big bang theory' episodes. the syndicated rerun was when stuart was hired to do dirty work, and it meant Sheldon and amy were talking through him. Sheldon made a big deal about somebody cutting in line at a movie. prime time episode was about leonard and penny having another wedding ceremony so their families could witness it. I liked one line in it, how penny said she was quickly reminded of why she eloped before. since the families brought a lot of drama to the event. then it was off to do my typical long walk around the neighborhood. not as much fun to pick up trash when it was wet, looked like it was snowing but it wasn't sticking to the pavement. I walked away with plenty of coins though. some of it was at the car wash, but also at a drive-through window at a food outlet. since it was thanksgiving it was easier access to the window. the final total was 93 cents. a quarter, 5 dimes, 2 nickels, 8 pennies. I didn't watch much of the football games today, three in all. but I know the Vikings lost to the lions in the lead-off game.

youtube subscriber

tonight I did one thing that I think I did for the first time: subscribe to a channel on youtube. it was about the Philippines, a place I am considering a visit to. I made a comment on one video already and got a response to it. but the festival being mentioned in Cebu is in January, so I don't see myself getting there that early. I am told that typhoon season is done, so hard to say about when to go unless it means going in the spring. I still want to study as much as I can before I go.
   it was a fairly busy day at the office as I had to cover for my 'cohort' who had taken a vacation day. but I am fine with busy days as the day goes faster. I had a request to do the special requests early, there was five of them. I did them after the 'wired on wires' payoff report was done, which was given to my 'work spouse'. a colleague asked me to get into my i.m. system as my boss had a question. I said hopefully I have an answer. I hadn't spoken with this colleague in a while, first time in months. but it led to us talking about holiday plans, and mine are to stay in the area, the twin cities. some things have to wait, as one system wasn't working. but it was printing makeup barcodes, so low priority, we can easily afford to wait until next week on it as it sounded like there was a problem with one of the drives.
    after watching some t.v. tonight, including the Charlie brown thanksgiving special on ABC, I did head out to the performance venue. I did ones about egg nog, lady gaga, dad and his jacket, online classes, painting at the office, bars, and bowling.

big cookies returned

I liked being at the performance venue tonight. not just that it was stage time, but the big cookies returned. last week there wasn't any. so I had a cookie along with my beer, my typical order of a glass of surly hell, a local craft brew. I did ones about egg nog, painting at the office, calling my dad, churches and bars as well as bowling. I was introduced as 'the best friend of the venue', so I had to do things about a double play and a dog, as the former is a pitcher's best friend, and the latter is man's best friend.
   when I was riding the bus this morning I was sitting next to a woman who said she was an iowa native as well. it was from the town called rake, in northern iowa. I had heard of it as it is near buffalo center, and my grandma was born there. for some reason she spoke of the son of actor marlon brando being a murderer.
    at work I knew I needed to get started on asking for more time off, and that meant four more days in December. it would now mean 5 days off for the month, and two and a half days are not yet spoken for. I can carry some days over into next year, but I am not used to doing that. before long I will likely do something with the remaining days. I was strategic so far on wanting to avoid days when I already had meetings scheduled, and so far just one day off per week. I did speak of this to the attorney, who I saw while riding home this evening. no problem getting home despite the snow, but it wasn't all that bad at the time. but it kept falling into the evening, and I noticed it while at the performance venue. I called it a 'substantial snow', especially compared to the one late last week which didn't last long.
   I did wish the Filipino man a happy thanksgiving, finding out he is out of the office on Wednesday. we spoke of our plans, I guess it means spending some time with his in-laws. we laughed at our family issues that we've dealt with at holidays. I am still trying to figure out the best time of year for visiting his native land. I watched more youtube videos tonight about the subject of their president, and questions were posed about what notable changes can be expected. one spoke of needing a visa, well I will have to check if that is true. last time I checked, it wasn't needed for short-term visits like what I would want to do, a week.

painting office walls

late last week it was announced that there would be painting at the office. well it started earlier today. most of the walls were yellow, some burgundy, but now they will be gray. I guess it fits our company colors. I think I already like it, but like with most things I will need to get used to it. in just one day it looks like they already have a decent amount done. I even asked early in the day if the painters were getting the Friday after thanksgiving off. he said he hoped so, as he would like to go hunting. it did remind me of a song by 10,000 maniacs, called 'like the weather', as one line is about how the color of the sky is gray.
   I did make it to the performance venue tonight. I did ones about egg nog, dad and his jacket, online classes, the painting, a weird dream about going to jail, and going to a burlesque show this weekend. I just looked up some songs I heard on the radio recently, according to an online search- based on the lyrics anyway- one of them is by train. the other I guessed was alessia cara. I did like an earlier song of hers, called 'here'. and as I recall I wrote about it. I know it was mentioned on a date, as it is about parties.

donuts at alary's

it had been a while since I had watched a Chicago bears football game at alary's, a bar in downtown st. paul. but I went there today, and there were donuts available. some looked like 'bear claws' which seemed appropriate, but I didn't have those. I had two of the round donuts, one blue one orange, the team colors. some others had M and M's on them. I decided to go as the 'donut party', where I usually perform on sunday, was canceled due to the Vikings game. found out the Vikings won, a close one against the Arizona cardinals. the two games were happening at the same time. I had an ambitious list of things to do today, and I didn't get to all of them. but most of them. I had hoped to get to the fitness center, but one way I may be able to get as much exercise in is to walk more often during lunches at work. there still was groceries, laundry, dishes, watching 'the simpsons', and calling my dad. he said he found some of my comedy sets online, but didn't say much else. I will have to check to see how much of it is jokes about my dad, I know some of them probably are.
   before I departed for alary's to see the football game, which the bears lost to the Giants 22-16, I did get caught up on getting comedy souvenirs into sheet protectors. it went back about 3 weeks, as some were from the weekend when I was in the des moines area to see the Charlie brown corn maze. this was the same weekend where I was acting at the haunted house. I wanted to keep working on it until I was done, and it was 13 sheet protectors used. so I didn't make it to the bar until halftime, and the bears were leading then, 16-9. I tried watching a DVD tonight, on loan from the library, but I was too tired and fell asleep. so I will have to try again soon. also notable, was seeing a friend request on facebook. it was from a friend who once lived in the twin cities, but is now in st. louis. this is a city that I like to visit annually.

brunswick zone, brooklyn park

tonight I went bowling as a meetup event, first meetup event for me since july. I went to Brunswick zone in Brooklyn park, it has 48 lanes. according to another attendee, it is the largest bowling alley in the state. I said there are worse things to do on a Saturday evening, and there are, as I like bowling. my scores could have been better, 63 and 83. I had no marks in the first one. before we started bowling I met another performer, he said he does stringed instruments like the bass. he said he bowls fairly often, like 4 nights a week, and works at a group home. I liked how I actually met people, hence the name of the organization. this included a man who asked me if I knew Belarus once he heard about me doing stand-up comedy. and there was the event coordinator, who spoke of having problems meeting quality people. one of them he said didn't like talking on the phone, only liked doing text messages. I will have to agree how that sounds weird. I also saw one device that I hadn't seen before, it was holding beer and the base said pabst blue ribbon. sounds like it is called a 'tower' and the beer volume is equivalent to two pitchers. I ate a little godfather's pizza on the way there and picked up a candy bar from a super-America on the way home. it was nice to hear plenty of music at the bowling alley, I recalled one song being 'the greatest' by sia. others I recalled and recognized were 'use your love' by the outfield, and 'got a good feeling' by flo rida.
   this morning I went to pay the fee on my post office box, so it has been renewed for another 6 months and I have had it for 2 years. I had one order waiting, it was from amazon, the 'la vie en rose' movie soundtrack. I had seen the movie, and now I agree with one song, how 'I regret nothing'. I had to pause and listen to one song I heard while at the post office, it was 'don't dream it's over' by crowded house.
   around midday I went to a funeral home as there was a memorial service for a co-worker who passed away this month, her name was sherrie. as expected, many of my colleagues were there. the officiant asked if there were any stories to tell, and not too surprised how most wouldn't speak up and that the first to do so was my boss. after the service he said he expected me to share something due to my background in performing, and I said 'appropriateness'. felt like others could share better than me in this case. some noticed the water fountain in the lobby area, as it was made by general electric. one employee said the water fountain was 63 years old.
    after this event I went on with my chores and errand running, and it meant going to the library to print a few things. but the computer was slow so I just got 2 items printed. I did get a copy of 'on the waterfront' to watch soon. the 'facility czar' at my workplace said I should watch it, after seeing my hat this week.

beyond the soundtrack

at midday I picked up a book at an nearby book shop, it was called 'beyond the soundtrack', representing music in cinema. sometimes I do buy movie soundtracks. it states in the book that it is essays about movie soundtracks. plenty of movies are listed, the book was published in 2007. some I hadn't heard of, foreign language films, older movies from the silent era, or both. I noticed that two of them are starring bill murray, 'scrooged', and 'groundhog day'. I know I will like having it. I picked up some postcards as well. one was candyland with the two Charlie brown and snoopy statues outside. then there was the mickey's dining car, and a light rail train.
   we had the first snow of the season, but for a while it was just wet. no big deal getting around. I still made it to a burlesque show in the evening. I had to skip last month's show as I had the guest set at the comedy club. as usual, I liked most of what I saw. my favorite had to be the one where the dancer chose 'SOB' by the night sweats as her musical number. she held up signs that said 'divorce' and then 'self-loathing'. then it ended with her giving the finger. I think many can find it relatable, I know the part about self-loathing I could relate to. also notable was a belly dancer. I liked seeing those who did TV show theme songs, more than one act did this. one did 'the jeffersons' and 'Laverne and shirley', among others. the other did 'WKRP'. also liked seeing one dancer dressed up as the statue of liberty. I know the act was announced as being about the recent election, as she held up a headline about it and later held up a sign that said 'I quit'.
     I did get some things done after work and before I went to the burlesque show. it meant going to the Chicago hot dog place for my evening meal. (for lunch there was the leftover thanksgiving food in the main breakroom again) then it was on to a used CD shop, where I got a Sara Bareilles CD, called 'blessed unrest'. I got it as 'brave' is on it. I mentioned the song in a recent facebook posting, where I said I reached an understanding of needing to talk first if I want others to talk to me. and how it seems wrong that I still claim to be afraid of some things.
 

eharmony profile revamped

I heard 'no' from my recent date this morning. the longer I waited, the more likely I knew I would hear 'no'. so this prompted me to revamp my e-harmony profile. I know I hadn't done this in a while, based on how some of it was worded. but I like the way it looks now. I have changed some since it was last done, which must have been shortly after my longest relationship ended more than three years ago. I am not sure how many people fully read it though, and based on the answers I was getting on Sunday's date, I think my date didn't read much of it. I was stating things already listed in it, like some of my favorite movies. I even talked about how it was foolish to think internet dating would be a cure-all in a facebook posting that has more than 20 likes. I've told myself that some of this is on me, nothing wrong with creating my own opportunities by being willing to talk first when I am out and about. I gave up my seat on the bus this morning, but a lady I offered it to wouldn't take it. but at least she talked to me a little. then I chatted up a flight attendant when taking the bus home in the evening. she had her uniform on, with delta airlines, and spoke of going to Atlanta tonight. I have been there twice. she seemed to enjoy the talk as much as I did. the more I talk to people, the more comfortable I am with it.
  I did take a long walk around the neighborhood after watching 'big bang theory' tonight. syndicated rerun was when Sheldon did his flag show with amy, and raj broke up with Emily right before valentines day. prime time episode was when Sheldon was upset with someone else winning an award and he ends up hurting himself. then he goes to watch the 'ellen' show in the studio audience with the same scientist. steve hawking makes an appearance. the walk yielded the typical trash that was placed in a plastic shopping bag. some coins were found as well, 54 cents in all. 4 dimes, a nickel, and 9 pennies. I was surprised to find that many dimes, but not the pennies. much of it was found at the car wash. I saw what looked like a domestic dispute when I was nearly home, but I chose to ignore it, didn't want to get involved.
   at midday I walked to a library and turned in a library card that I found while walking earlier this week. this was after we had a thanksgiving dinner as a department in a conference room. I did take some of the leftovers home, at the time there was plenty left except for the turkey which was gone quick. so there still was mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, stuffing, and sweet potatoes. I was extra careful on getting it home, taping shut the paper plates it was in, and placing it in a fed-ex envelope before it went into my backpack.

torn, natalie imbruglia

recently I heard the song 'torn' by natalie imbruglia. found out on Wikipedia how the song was originally done by ednaswap. when it was done in some other languages, it was translated as 'burnt' instead of 'torn'. the video has plenty of activity in it. the man is moved out of the way by somebody else. then somebody is helping the man with his hair. a chair is moved out of the way. then there is construction, and the background changes. the lines I really liked in it are 'cold and shamed, lying naked on the floor' and 'inspiration has run dry'. the latter is a good companion to 'conversation run dry'. I liked what I found online about the meaning of the song, how it is about relationships, we've all been there.
    I did make it to the performance venue, after doing some shredding of junk mail. I did ones about ice cream at mcdonald's, dance marathon, karaoke at VFW, a date, surveys about surveys, and two from the office. one was about my end of day routine, another was making a lady's day when I said to her that I liked her earrings when she went into an arby's. I had read how that is one way to connect with people. just talk to them and compliment them, do things like open a door for them. I did like seeing the attorney when I was taking the bus home tonight. I spoke about my new hat, and how I hade a date this weekend. but now I have my doubts about the results of the date, when I have waited a while for the response. I liked how the attorney shared about having to participate in hearings recently. I tell myself that I have to spend some time listening to others, so it means yielding after a while.

afraid

for some reason I was thinking of the word 'afraid' a lot today. I know in the movie 'good will hunting' the toughest scene for me to watch talks about this word. I liked what skylar said back to will: 'i'm afraid too, but I want to give it a shot'. I know I have been afraid of many things before, and often the way I handled it was giving in to my fears. but not anymore. I've learned that it is fine to acknowledge being afraid, but just keep going. then there is Cameron frye in 'ferris bueller'. he said it was the best day of his life, as he just got tired of being afraid. and then there is 'not afraid', a song by Eminem. 'married to the game, gift a curse'. those lines resonate with me. I think I know why I was thinking about this word. I must still be afraid of something, in this case failure and I don't understand that one. but when it comes to my social life, dating, I still am. telling myself I am socially awkward, but that doesn't have to be true anymore. afraid of talking to people, even though I am a performer and can talk to people when onstage.
   I got my outlook back this morning, contacting the help desk. thankfully no important emails were waiting. I also called a number about my 401-k account, as one line on my statement, or itemization, sounds like it is being liquidated soon. no big deal to move one company stock back to the other one, and it was a low amount in there, looks like less than one percent.
   at the performance venue, I did ones about an answer to an earlier joke I had heard there. others were about sia CDs, average dog, surveys, and people who made too many mistakes on dates.

outlook won't open

I got annoyed when my outlook wouldn't open at the office. this is the second straight work day where this has happened. since it is a high volume day I had my boss send the link I needed to get my work done through our I.M. system. I haven't called the 'not much help desk' yet but eventually I will need to as I want to see my emails and upcoming meetings. can't believe how many I.T. problems we face there.
     at the performance venue I liked what I did there. It was about what had happened in my life recently. it was the weird stories from the past two Fridays, clothing shopping, dance marathon, doing karaoke at the VFW, and having a date at an 'undisclosed location'.
   naturally at the office we shared some of our stories from the dance marathon. I am reminded of wanting to share a photo from it that was sent to my Hotmail account, it means forwarding it to outlook of course.

buying and selling

I had a date earlier today, and I did let some friends know about it after it was completed. I said I am hopeful about date 2 happening, but that is not up to me. the way I worded it was 'I will find out soon enough if my date wants to buy what I am selling'. I know I did speak of these sentiments before. before I got help with finding an outfit, I spoke of some past dates and understand know some of them weren't going to pan out no matter how hard I tried. I referenced a song, 'what about love' by heart, where a line in it is 'I can't sell you what you don't want to buy'. the friend that helped me, the yemen native, did speak of being in sales so I think he may have understood that feeling.
   the date was at midday at an 'undisclosed location' in the west metro. that is what I told my friends as I didn't want any of them showing up. it was during the Vikings game, sounds like the Vikings lost to Washington 26-20. I asked for a table that was away from the TV monitors so I could focus my attention on my date, and it worked. we had lunch, and just over an hour later we walked back to our cars and hugged. much like in January, when I got home my first call about it was to my 'work spouse'. I got voice mail, kind of expected that. but I said I feel like it went well. in all honesty, I was a nervous wreck even though I hid it well as I wanted to be impressive. it may have shown up in how much I talked, I don't know. I was advised that I keep it positive, and I know I did. when I have been through countless first dates before, it is hard to say what will happen now. I know I paused at times when I talked, as I wanted to be careful when I was forming my words and thoughts. nothing wrong with that. I played both of my Sia CDs to and from the drive to the venue.
   I did change out of some of my clothes before I went out again, this time it was for performing. I went to the donut party, and I made reference to lewis cass and the magna carta to get more minutes. it was what international falls spoke of, weekly games she has. government facts. I spoke of how 'rumor has it that I went on a date', (but still stayed tight-lipped on the details) dealing with the annoying man at mcdonald's, the dance marathon, and doing karaoke.
   as for the dance marathon, when I went to a super-America tonight to get dinner I was recognized by the clerk from that event. I spoke of doing that charity event as it was through my employer. then there was a computer problem and I guess it was fine as it was after my payment went through but there was a long delay on the printing of the receipt so I left without one.

dance marathon, mall of america

I participated in a dance marathon at the mall of America  this afternoon. many office colleagues were there working the event. my cohort was there and we did a photo. the Filipino man was why I signed up for dancing and he was doing crowd control. we did a photo as well. I had to park across the road from the mall at IKEA though, way busy today which is typical for a weekend. but worth it going there, great to be enjoying myself with all the music. one of two places where I got the 'how right I was' feeling.
   the other was when I was at the VFW in Minneapolis in the evening. I was at friend's birthday party, poster artist, and some of us signed up for karaoke, including me. resistable comic, who I did a  fringe play with, liked that I did 'sign of the times' by prince. risky to do it in Minneapolis, I knew people would either love it or hate it but I only heard from those who liked it. one of them I didn't even know, a fist bump. it was crowded and eventually we went to another bar nearby that was much less crowded, but I knew I needed to move on eventually as I have a date and wanted to get some sleep.
   I liked how I stayed busy today with various things, as it helped me avoid over-thinking it and psyching myself out. one thing I did early was go to uptown Minneapolis as the yemen native helped me with finding an outfit for the date. while in the fitting rooms we heard a loud lady that was swearing, hard to ignore. she was finally called out by an employee. thankful that somebody was willing to help me.
   I didn't pay much attention to the sporting events of the day, mostly college football I would expect. but when I was at the VFW I heard the iowa- michigan football game was still happening. iowa trailed late but won on a last-second field goal, 14-13. it is shades of 1985, beat Michigan on a last second field goal then as well, 12-10.

pizza at target

I went to target in Roseville tonight for my evening meal, had some pizza and lacroix water. found out I knew the clerk from my office job, back in 2008. she was laid off from that job, and another one after it. she told me she went back to school and wants to be self-employed now. I apologized to the people behind me in line. I gave her a business card and she said she may see me perform. I figured she had recognized me from performing, I tend to hear that more often. I went to get another Sia CD after this, and it looks like Lady Gaga has another CD out, called 'joanne'. so I will have to hear some of it at some point, like from youtube. since many of you know I like Lady Gaga as well.
   then another chapter of 'weird conversations with the general public' happened. I left the target and went to the mcdonald's in little Canada, as I wanted an ice cream cone. I was watching something about mr. trump on ABC-TV there when a man approaches me. I wonder if he is a panhandler, we say 'good evening' and 'hi' to each other. I am asked if I am eating that, the cone was half-eaten by then. I said I am enjoying it, good stuff, doesn't cost much. I then hear this man get ice cream for his kids say to the order taker that he 'is like Donald Trump'. this can be interpreted in many different ways. I finished my ice cream and got out of there before I was stuck talking to this man again. it reminds me of how I am thankful I evolved. I have to rely on my wits to stay out of trouble. I am willing to give deadpan responses to see that things don't escalate.
   when I got home I put in my DVD copy of the movie 'only the lonely' as I get inspiration and motivation after watching it for the dates I go on. I have one scheduled this weekend, and I like the Ally Sheedy line- 'fight for me!' in it. I also read some articles about how to be charming. I reminds me about what to do, and what not to do. I have to tell myself that I have a chance if I bring my 'A game' and don't psyche myself out. I have already lost if I think too much about how many times I have already failed, and the ways I did. I've got this and have learned from all of it. I know it is a good idea to stay as busy as possible before the date, so I don't think about it too much.
   at work I got an article submitted for our 'news to know'. it was a how-to about booking conference rooms. I liked the challenge of technical writing.

leftover jamba juice

we celebrated some client wins at the office this week, on Tuesday, with having snacks including jamba juice. found out when I went to the break room for lunch that there still are some of those jamba juice smoothies, left in the refrigerator. also found out that I didn't need a spoon, as I could just drink them now. I had two, a third didn't taste good so I dumped it out after one sip. I don't think I have had this kind of thing too often before.
    my workday included an announcement fairly early about how a colleague had died, complications from surgery. I said I have worked for the company for a while and it wasn't the first time I had heard of the passing of a colleague. I was reminded of two that were in underwriting that had died of cancer. one of them led to my getting into performing, as I went to his benefit event and it taught me how life was too short to be left wondering how good one might be at something. there already was an email about when the memorial service is happening, in just over a week from now.
   I did watch 2 'big bang theory' episodes tonight. syndicated rerun was about amy Farrah fowler going on another date with a Brit, and it was interrupted by Sheldon showing up and saying he wanted her back. prime time episode was about Raj trying to date somebody at the office, and Sheldon trying too hard with amy to 'make a baby'.
   after this I did take a long walk around the neighborhood, and it netted the typical trash pick-ups but also some coins, 78 cents in all. 2 quarters, 2 dimes, 8 pennies.

confessional booth

tonight when I was performing I called it 'my confessional booth'. there is a lot of truth to that when most of my set is about what has been happening in my life. this included things like when somebody tried to sell me drugs, karaoke, sia songs, Lincoln memorial and the Gettysburg address, getting ready for an upcoming date, and a friend being brave to share on facebook. I said she was more brave than I have been at times. I am too ashamed to admit certain things, too afraid I will be judged harshly. she spoke of having an abortion in the past week. I got out my st. paul saints hat, put it on, and took it off so I would be accurate on saying 'my hat is off to you' for being brave. in the end that got to me more than anything else on my news feed. most of it was friends saying they were disappointed with the outcome of the election.
   I did get ready for a date by deciding to do a dry run tonight over to the venue I have chosen. I like being prepared. I also had the Filipino man visit my cube and help with registering for a volunteer event that I am helping with this weekend. I had some i.t. problems with it recently, so I had to speak up and say I needed help.

is it november yet?

the election happened today. I grew tired of hearing about it on TV in the break room at work. and I kept asking 'is it November yet?' well it is now. I was able to ask it for months. I voted after work, getting off the bus and changing my after-work routine some. I liked how it didn't take long to vote at my precinct, I know some had shared on facebook how there was some long lines. but I was able to walk over to my precinct in a quick fashion, and I was in and out in just over 10 minutes. much of my time inside was filling in the boxes well enough to see that they would count. and I picked up an 'I voted' sticker as well. it is red, but my 'ohio friend' shared a photo on facebook where the sticker was white, showing a flag on it.
   I performed tonight as well, and it was why I wanted to get started early on voting so I would be on time at the club. I did ones about last week's hockey game, internet dating and meeting halfway, and somebody trying to sell me drugs after the movie on Friday. the photographer was MC, hadn't seen her in a while. mason city shared some Halloween candy at the club, he wanted to get rid of it. I had some of the starburst candy, there was no chocolate candy in the plastic bowl that had a piece missing from it.

reported a spill

I went to perform karaoke tonight and noticed there was a spill near me while I was looking at the book for song ideas. the spill happened after a trash can fell over. so I reported it. I did 2 songs, last time at this venue it was just one. I did 'back on the chain gang' by the pretenders, and 'this love' by maroon 5. I did speak of how the maroon 5 song was what I heard when I was driving home after being laid off in suburban Chicago. it was more fun to do the first one, and took more energy out of me to do the second. this really didn't surprise me much. now I am trying to think of when I will be doing karaoke again, possibly at a venue I haven't been to yet. the button spoke of the place that I did research online.

 

winter coat acquired

i did some more shopping around for a winter coat and found one that I liked at a resale shop. it looks much like one of the three that I already have. I cared a lot about price, which made sense as to why it was bought at a resale shop. I also saw the Maplewood laundromat owner for the first time in a while. she is interested in hearing more about when and where I am performing.
   tonight's 'simpsons' episode was about strip clubs, and the sport known as lacrosse. after it was done I did dishes and then went on a long walk around the neighborhood. besides the typical trash, I picked up some coins, 6 pennies. after the 10pm news I went to the grocery store. this morning I went to put my oatmeal in the microwave oven and was reminded of how there was some left over from Friday. I was wise enough to dump it out since it didn't smell good and didn't want to end up vomiting later on. it has happened before- eating spoiled food, and then I threw up eventually.

snoopy snack attack

I did plenty of shopping today at various stores, two of them were resale shops. at one of them, first time since they re-opened after an extensive remodel, I saw two Charlie brown and snoopy items. one was 'make your own jewelry', didn't buy it. the other I bought, called 'snoopy snack attack'. it does remind me of the snow cone machine I got before, since it is made out of hard plastic and comparable size. and it looks a lot like snoopy's doghouse in terms of shape.
    I wanted to use up some gift cards to kohl's and macy's that I ordered recently. so I got some dress pants at both places, stopping at kohl's first. they essentially replaced two other pairs that were too dirty or worn to continue using. I did a typical thing, ripped them up and threw them in the trash. at kohl's I also got a pair of star wars socks, and some discounted Halloween candy, reese's peanut butter. at this thrift store already mentioned, I also got a book by lewis black, the comedian. at goodwill, it was two books. other items bought there included a 'great pumpkin' pail that reminded me of what was at mcdonald's, and the fourth item was a DVD collection, a season of 'simpsons' episodes.
   I am still shopping around for a winter coat, and went to plenty more stores. some were definitely out of my price range. I have decided to keep looking, as there are more stores I can look at. I am taking this seriously, when it will cost more than a candy bar, CD, or DVD. at macy's I took it seriously on getting pants there, trying on 5 pairs before finding one that I liked.
   of course other things were on my 'to-do' list, typical things like go to the p.o. box and to the library to print things. plenty of books to pick up, looks like all of them from the 6-item order from amazon have arrived. there were some e-bay orders waiting as well.
   I was at it for a while, and when evening rolled around I decided to eat at a popeye's chicken. when my order arrived I said nothing about being given fries in  addition to mashed potatoes. I ate the fries there and took the potatoes home and will have them at a later meal.
   I was home for a little while after this big shopping day, as didn't want to have all of it left in my car for long. then I was off again, this time to attend a comedy show that I had performed at before. the show runner did shout-outs at the end, and when he mentioned me he made reference to my recent facebook posting where I spoke of somebody trying to sell me drugs. so it looks like even though I turned him down, it is still a big deal.

gimme danger movie

tonight I went to see the documentary 'gimme danger', about a band called the stooges, iggy pop's band. I knew mason city would be pleased that I went to it since he had spoken of iggy in his postings that I call 'music education'. as usual, I learned something. since it was about his band and not his solo career, as I only knew his solo songs like 'lust for life' and 'passenger'. I paid attention to what was in the background of many of the interviews, since it was laundry equipment. I saw enough of the badge to see it was Kenmore, the sears brand. the Minneapolis paper said most of the members of the band died before the film was completed. they go back to the 1960s and mention many of the bands they had performed with, which backs up what they said early on in terms of the band being influential. mention is made to how the band got its name, and it is a reference to the comedy act known as the 3 stooges. it serves as a nice reminder of how much musical talent has started in Michigan, since the band originated there. I was familiar with bob seger and alice cooper being other Michigan musicians.
   I saw this movie at the lagoon in Minneapolis, well known for its art films. as I was walking back to my car I am approached by someone who wanted directions to a bowling alley, which was a few blocks away. I am caught off guard when I am asked if I wanted any of the drugs he claims he had, but I turned him down. I quickly realized that when he said 'coke and molly' he wasn't talking about the soft drink. I had heard how it can get weird in that neighborhood, well I finally witnessed it.
    the night started with a visit to the Chicago hot dog place, followed by getting 2 CDs at cheapo records. one was by Sia, the other a simpsons CD that includes 'do the bartman'. I started looking at winter coats at target as well. but I want to shop around some more so I didn't get a coat tonight.

gaming the system

saw the attorney while riding home, and as usual I enjoyed the conversation. she spoke of what were arent-teacher conferences at the day-care center. for her son, who I understand is three, she spoke of how he was 'gaming the system' when he was told whoever found a hidden item would be hugged.
   I had the contest night at the comedy club. I filmed myself. I liked getting through all of my jokes, even though I had less time than the night before, 5 minutes. I shortened them up some. did not advance, but I liked the stage time. all 3 that did are in my 'ring of honor'. int'l falls, phila, and wee bit.
 

cupcakes moved to breakroom

when I was at lunch I noticed how some cupcakes were moved to the main break room. there was two containers, one was in my department. I know why they were moved- as they would get eaten more quickly in a high traffic area.
   I watched some of the world series tonight, and then I went to perform. I was onstage near the end of the show. I did ones about the corn maze, half dollar, karaoke, haunted house, prom, hot for teacher, and the wild game. there was mention of a song from the movie 'blues brothers' just before I went on.

wild vs. sabres game

I went to the xcel center tonight and saw the Minnesota wild game vs. the buffalo sabres. Minnesota lost 2-1. I wanted to see my college roommate, he was there with his family. it was military appreciation night. he got to ride in a 'third zamboni' that had fans on the ice but was not clearing the ice. I thought that was cool. I was sitting on the opposite end of the row from his family. I was sitting next to somebody he knew from school in osage, iowa. it was nice to know somebody that knew him, we did swap some stories. I was told he was a pervert even 30 years ago, which doesn't surprise me much. my seatmate said it was her first hockey game. and about being in the twin cities for training, having a master's in botany.
   there was email problems at the workplace, we did not have it for a while, most of the day actually. be we adapted. the main thing was getting a link to the system where I could log out the payoff report. the way around it was my boss having to send it through the I.M. system. and I liked seeing the Filipino man as we spoke about the movie 'la vie en rose'. he was familiar with the music of edith piaf. but what caught me off-guard was getting choked up about discussing the song 'I regret nothing'. so what I had to do was write about it, free verse poetry, before I could move on emotionally. I knew it was a moment where I really was inspired to write, couldn't waste it.
   I also decided to change the name of my twitter account. I have had it for over two years, and found out I could change it to something that I liked more. I also changed a few things, updated my profile, on facebook. I don't do either that much.