hotels dot-com gift card

my boss asked me if I got gift card value recently, and I did. it was from the recently completed sale project. this did remind me of how I still had $100 in gift card money left over from December to use, but void after one year. I scrolled through the possible ways to use it and I liked hotels dot-com. it helps that I just used them this weekend. and this is a good thing for me to use it on since I have other travels I want to do this year.
    tonight I did make it to the performance venue. the show runner wanted to start a 'manufactured rivalry', and no it wasn't perkins who said this. I still mostly told stories about what I witnessed when I was in Chicago-land, as some of it was weird.

general mills tiny toast

over the weekend I got a box of cereal from the discount bin at the grocery store. it was general mills tint toast, strawberry flavor. it says it is new, so odd how it ends up there. yes, I get how it is expiring soon, but wondering if it will continue since it said 'new product'. it tastes fine, but normally I have oatmeal for breakfast.
   I did make it to the performance venue, and most of my set was about visiting Chicago-land this weekend. no surprise there.

reggio's pizza at o'hare

this was my final day in Chicago-land, the main thing was getting checked out of my hotel in elk grove village. I got a postcard for myself ready, and dropped it in a mailbox in des plaines before leaving for the airport.
   it was 4pm and I hadn't had lunch, so I had some reggio's pizza at O'Hare airport. at first I wasn't sure what to have, since I had pizza at the wolves game the night before. but it still works for me, I decided to get sausage this time, as I had pepperoni at the hockey game. it is nice to try different kinds of pizza.
   when I got back, as expected it wasn't too hard to get unpacked. I like being able to get all of it into a green duffel bag, especially for a quick 48 hours like this annual Chicago visit. mostly dirty clothes and cheap souvenirs. some of the souvenirs are already in a photo album- the postcards.

gatsby's pizza, arlington heights

after attending the Chicago wolves hockey game in Rosemont tonight, I went to a bar and did karaoke. it was Gatsby's pizza in Arlington heights. I did 3 songs: 'better man' by clint black, 'hand in my pocket' by alanis morissette, and 'same old love' by selena Gomez. as usual, I liked the stage time.
   I also went to the shedd aquarium, on Chicago's museum campus. first visit there since age 8. and I tried finding the historical marker about a 1930s gangster shootout in barrington, but I think I found where it USED to be. I saw a rock and the bolt marks, with a shadow on it. so it means more research to find out what happened to it.
   the wolves beat the iowa wild 4-1. it was tied 1-1 for a while, but there was a flurry of 3 goals after the midway point of the 3rd period. then there was a big fight just after the wolves went up 4-1, frustration maybe? 5 players left the ice, but it appeared to be 'technical' ejections as it was '5 for fighting' penalties and there was less than 5 minutes left in the game.

people know me?

I went to two places this morning and was surprised that I was recognized at both, and not due to performing. on my way to Chicago-land this weekend.

hugging a teddy bear

needed some things at Walgreen, hugged a teddy bear there left over from valentines day. did not buy it though. saw 2 'big bang' episodes. Sheldon thought he was screwed, and raj can't go to comic-con.

pie instead of cake

we celebrated this month's birthdays at the office with pie instead of cake today. and I got stage time at two different clubs.

brick deposit made

this morning I made the deposit for the brick I would like to buy in new ulm, and had been saving for. then I called to confirm the process of ordering it, and was informed that they would mail me the form. so I can look forward to seeing it soon. I am thankful that it is closer to becoming reality.
   I made it back to cheapo tonight to get another pearl jam CD, 'yield'. I unwrapped it and started listening to it right away in the drive to the performance venue. I did ones about karaoke, the credit union, the play, log cabin, church sign, calling my dad, and internet dating. I did a customary walk after the show and it netted 31 cents that went into my change bank. 2 dimes a nickel and six pennies.
   busy day at the office, as it was the day after the holiday. I did what I could and can probably get caught up on Wednesday as I would expect the volume on the payoff report to drop.

I am mine, pearl jam

over the weekend I got another CD at cheapo, it was 'riot act' by pearl jam. I listened to it in my car tonight while driving to and from the comedy clubs. there was just one song on it that really caught my attention, it was 'I am mine'. I watched the video on youtube, but it was a simple one of them performing the song and not the typical video which would be considered a 'mini-movie'. there are some brilliant lyrics in it, although this is not the first time where I have noticed that frontman eddie vedder can be unintelligible. I liked 'I know I was born and I know that I will die, the in between is mine, I am mine'. other standouts to me were 'all the innocence lost at one time' and 'I only own my mind'. the Wikipedia article said it was written in response to the june 2000 Roskilde festival tragedy in Denmark where 9 fans were crushed to death while the band was playing. so this explains some of the lyrics, like the part about innocence. and the existential parts like the 'born and die' line. it appears that this was the biggest hit single from the album. I now have seven studio albums by pearl jam, and I think the next one to get is 'yield'. the others are singles or a live album. I like having 'live on tow legs' as this was from the 1998 tour, where I drove up in a rental car from suburban Chicago, just over a month after moving from Iowa, to see them at alpine valley, WI. and there is a thumbnail of the 'Chicago and Troy' poster from the tour in the CD packaging. among many other posters from this tour. of course I saw them again at the same venue in 2003, when 'I am mine' was a fairly new song.
   I did try getting another CD at target, but I hardly ever pay full price for them now. so getting 'joanne' by lady gaga, or 'revolution radio' by green day will have to wait. I did get a DVD, it was Charlie brown and snoopy comic strips that are now animated. two discs are included.
   I liked getting plenty of small things done on this presidents day holiday, like getting more stamps onto a page from e-bay order envelopes as I like collecting them. more junk mail was shredded as well. and I took a walk around the neighborhood, and it yielded more than a dollar in change from various places that went into my change bank.
   at the performance venue, I did ones about internet dating, a posting about the holiday, a call from dad, a ticket salesman, arby's, the 'bad dates' play, and the spire credit union meeting.

cracker barrel macaroni and cheese

I like trying items from the discount table at my neighborhood grocery store. one item I picked up this weekend was cracker barrel macaroni and cheese. I have eaten at the only cracker barrel location in Minnesota, in Lakeville, but it has been a while. what I liked was apparently not needing milk and butter for it, as there was no mention of it on the directions on the box. boil the water, add the macaroni, and eventually let the cheese sauce ooze out of the package. then of course mix well. I did add some chunks of spam to it, an entire can. I had one serving for lunch, and will have the other the next day as I have Monday off for presidents day. there were plenty of boxes available at the discount table as I recall, but I just decided to pick up one. the box said it expired early this month, but I didn't mind. some foods are still edible, even after the expiration date. but once I know this, after buying it I try to consume it fairly quickly. usually it is just days later, definitely before the next weekly visit to the grocery store.
   I spent plenty of time today getting various souvenirs, from performing or otherwise, into the binder. then I also decided to use the shredder on the junk mail, most got processed but it stopped after a while, I know this is a safety thing. I did go performing this afternoon, the donut party. I did ones about the match not from Chicago, long call with my dad, panhandler in skyway, 'bad dates' play, and spire credit union.
   dad called me this evening, just before 'the simpsons' began, I probably should have let it go to voicemail since I like watching that show. he was telling me about some comedian from over 50 years ago that he saw on some show doing impressions, George Kirby I am not mistaken. so this became another long call.
    I also picked up some supplies throughout the day. before the comedy show I went to Walgreen and got some soap and razors. then after the show it was to Walmart and got a photo album for postcards and business envelopes for my tax returns. after the call it was to a CD shop where I got a Pearl Jam CD, 'riot act'. I also was on facebook communicating with my cousin who lives in west des moines. it was in reference to Dad saying she had seen some of my comedy sets on youtube. found out this wasn't true. what is true is that she knows I have been performing.

spire credit union annual meeting

i went to the spire credit union annual meeting this afternoon. it was at a 'mega-church' in eden prairie. first time at such an event. I saw the man who got me my car loan back in june. we got $25 when turning in our ticket at the end of the event, and I decided to put it in the fund for the brick I would like to buy in new ulm. looks like I have enough for the brick now. I picked up a few souvenirs while there, such as a little jigsaw puzzle of their mascot, a 1952 ford pickup. and a sticker of the same truck.
   in the evening I went to a play in Bloomington, 'bad dates'. I said I could write a play like this, but I don't have the happy ending just yet.

a horse called music, willie nelson

a friend shared a song on facebook and I liked what I heard. it was 'a horse called music' by willie nelson, and featuring merle haggard. it is a little mournful, about a lost love, but I don't mind. the song does mention montana, and this friend I understand lives there now. the video has a western theme, and shows willie riding a horse in a dusty town to a church. and this church happens to have a sign saying willie is 'scheduled to appear' there. it continues on to show indoor scenes, with cardboard cutouts of john wayne and gene autry. the old western films being shown also seem to include roy rogers. the montana theme includes mention of 'boston to bozeman', and this friend is listed as living in Bozeman. lyrics like 'better to just let it slide' and 'a horse he calls memories', both about the lost love, are brilliant. I do like metaphors, and the horse names of 'music' and 'memories' are good metaphors. according to Wikipedia, this song is from the album of the same name, from 1989. I do like this pairing of country music 'outlaws', willie and merle. with the older country music I do like the 'outlaws' more, including johnny cash and hank Williams. since they handle raw emotion well in their songs.
    at the office I liked getting recognition for the 'how-to' article. one of these people was the man with the master's in political science. it was published earlier today in our newsletter, called 'news to know'. in other issues, we are moving right along with the sale project. most of the accounts have now been found. there are not many pages left, after starting out with 70.
    after getting off the bus in the early evening I knew there were various things that I wanted to get done. I picked up a ticket for a play in Bloomington, I am going to the Saturday performance. I had seen just two plays before there I think, 'you're a good man Charlie brown' and 'guys and dolls'. I wanted to do a dry run to see that I could find the venue on event night. then I went to eat the Chicago hot dog place. I also made it to the nearby cooper's grocery store and bought some items that were in the discount rack. one of them wasn't discounted, microwave popcorn, but I wanted it anyway as it had a free night code for a redbox rental. then I knew I needed to get more reservations made for the upcoming annual visit to Chicago-land. before tonight, I just had the plane ticket ordered. but now I have the hotel reservation, rental car, and hockey game ticket. I am still trying to figure out what works in other areas. haven't seen the Shedd Aquarium in a while, and it has been promoted at wolves hockey games before. the other would be opportunities for performing. it may mean going to the same open-mic as last year, but I am not picky about stage time. and I narrowed the list of karaoke venues to look at, in the northwest suburbs near where I once lived. of course it means letting a former office colleague know about it that would like to see me perform. it will be kind of nice to see somebody I know for a change.

yammer, jabber, twitter

I had another article due for the company newsletter, this one a how-to, and I devoted the time to it in the afternoon. I decided to write about our internal social media platform, called 'yammer'. not to be confused with 'jabber', our instant messaging system. even though these words are synonyms, the systems are nothing alike. and when I was confirming them being synonyms I found out 'twitter' is another synonym. my first posting was about writing the article, and the response was 'welcome' from the AA that I ended up submitting to. there was one 'like' to the posting, from somebody I didn't know, likely from an office in another city. getting more exposure to the company as a whole may help with more article ideas in the future. I have hated having to ask others for article ideas.
    I made it to the performance venue tonight, and it meant watching just one episode of 'big bang theory'. it was a syndicated rerun, the one when Sheldon first meets amy Farrah fowler. I got some egg rolls from a holiday station for my dinner before I went there. I did ones about polar plunge, internet dating failures, and a panhandler in the skyway. after the show I went to get some ice cream at a mcdonald's. I liked how just paying attention netted more coins for my change bank. it was 56 cents, 4 dimes a nickel and 11 pennies. it helped to speak up when at first the order-taker didn't give me my change.

food in goodwill bag

I did a walk around the neighborhood and spotted a goodwill bag by a bus stop that had various kinds of food in it, liked sandwiches wrapped in plastic. I thought it was such a waste! I picked up the bag and tossed it in a trash bin eventually. I also found 57 cents, from various places including the car wash. it was one dime, 2 nickels, and 37 pennies, that went into my change bank.
   then I went to the performance venue later on. I started off by saying I liked seeing the drink holders on the microphone stand as not every place has it. I did ones about the new DVD player, the wolves game, and more failures in internet dating. also some song references like nicki minaj, and pitbull.

karaoke, the suitable replacement

I went to my regular open-mic and it was canceled as not enough people had showed up by a certain time. so after I spoke with whopper for a few minutes I decided to go to another venue and do karaoke. this was the one I was at in December where I knew the button likes to perform at regularly. I did two songs tonight, first was 'whatever' by godsmack. 'doing the best I can' speaks to me well. the other was 'umbrella' by rihanna and jay-z. the second song I had a longtime friend in mind- who had a tough time after his wife left him. I may have met a new friend there, who at first asked to sing along with me during the second song. we spoke after I was done. she is a nursing student, I gave out my business card and extended the invitation to find me on facebook.
   at the office there was ice cream treats for two dollars, a fundraiser, but I turned it down as I had plenty of ice cream over the weekend. I used my 2 for 1 dairy queen blizzard coupon.

speck and log

I spoke with the cousin of Belarus tonight and for some reason I referred to something in the bible about specks and logs. it was in reference to how somebody trying to tell me how to live my life is the cardinal sin. I do enjoy the conversations with her about various subjects.
    after I was at the comedy club, I moved on to a performance venue where I did 3 karaoke songs. it was 'amber' by 311, 'folsom prison blues' by johnny cash, and 'my immortal' by evanescence. the middle one got mixed reviews, an older man didn't like it but another performer did.

pretty in pink movie

since I got the newer DVD player, I was able to watch 'pretty in pink', on loan from the library. I found it to be relatable, the class struggles in high school. of course this meant I knew what it was like to be from the 'wrong side of the tracks' like the molly ringwald character. I found the jon cryer character, duckie, to be annoying. I was most impressed with the annie potts character, who molly worked for at the music shop. most relatable was the prom fiasco, where she said she was going anyway to 'prove to them that they didn't break me'. what prompted me to find it was having bought the movie soundtrack at the neighborhood family dollar store. I did listen to it, finally, when I was driving tonight, taking it back to the library. I got to all of the songs on it except the last one, 'please let me get what I want', by the smiths. only got through part of that song. of course I recognize it from another john hughes movie, 'ferris bueller', but that one was an instrumental version, and the one in 'pink' had lyrics.
    I did go out performing at the donut party this afternoon, after getting my laundry done. I did ones about the DVD player, watching the movie, polar plunge, cookies at office, another internet dating rejection, and big ten night.
   tonight I called my dad, first time since just before Christmas. it was a long call as usual, and I know I gained at least one thing from it. he said there was a relative who had went to college, one of his uncles. I did check the obit, and it does mention how he 'attended' the u. of northern iowa. but I wonder if that means he did not graduate. I was familiar with how he served in world war two. I did not know him that well, just that he died in 1993. unsure how hard it would be to find his college records. but I know I can start somewhere, and it means finding online who to best contact.

replacement DVD player

i tried playing a DVD movie tonight and it wouldn't play. so I knew I had to go back to best buy and get a replacement DVD player. didn't expect to be back there so quickly, a week after getting a new TV. this one is much smaller than the RCA, and is a Sony. seems to play fine once I got things figured out by reading the owner's manual on getting it hooked up. though at one point I had a 'CSI Miami' rerun on and it was in Spanish, so I don't know what button I pushed to get there. I would have to check the owner's manual to confirm how long I had the RCA, but I am thinking at least a decade as the first DVD I played on it was 'Fahrenheit 9/11'. this sony apparently also plays CDs, would have to read further as to how.
   I did some of the typical chores and errand running, after going to mcdonald's this morning to have an egg mcmuffin. it meant picking up four e-bay orders at the post office, then on to jc penney in Roseville where I wanted to use a gift card that arrived by email as I am part of their loyalty program. I got socks and undies with it. I printed some things at the library, then it was on to dairy queen to use a 2-for-1 blizzard coupon that was expiring soon. as usual I ate one there and took one home that went into the freezer. when I got home I fell asleep in my easy chair and I slept for a while. then I got up and went to the grocery store before the 6pm news was on. I notified a friend through facebook that I wanted to see the show he was an MC at, big crowds there tonight. I ended up sitting in the back near where he was, and laughed a lot. this was the DC native. many of the jokes I had heard before, but I still liked them. I also knew the middle performer, she is from fargo and we have some of the same friends. the headliner was from los angeles, and did plenty of jokes about the president. then it was on to social commentary, and he was good at it, especially about dating relationships. I picked up the DVD player just before the show started, and left it in the trunk of my car. I figured this was a better idea than trying to stash it somewhere at the venue. I liked how some of the staff recognized me.

big ten night, t-wolves game

I went to big ten night at the MN Timberwolves basketball game tonight. there was food and drink- party snacks- at the Mayo Building near the arena before the game. I had some wine as they were out of beer by the time I arrived. like many others, I was wearing my big ten gear. in my case it was an iowa hawkeye sweatshirt. my ticket also included shooting from the foul line after the game. my shot was errant, no surprise there. the wolves lost to new Orleans 122-106, but I liked being part of a group outing like this one. it says it was a 'first annual', so I am hopeful there will be more of the same for years to come.
   I did a half-day at work so I could be at the game for festivities a little earlier. it was a good idea as there were other things I wanted to do before departing for the game. I saw a physician for a blocked ear and given a prescription, then went to the library and printed some things. then it meant doing pay-by-phone on two bills and canceling an internet dating membership that would be renewing soon. I had it for a year, and half of that year was free due to their guarantee, yet it yielded nothing. one match contacted me, which is why I joined. but I never heard from them again after being told their mom died. the other only said 'not interested' when I got a response. I am keeping e-harmony as it has yielded some actual dates, and match didn't. at work I still got another page submitted for the sale project before leaving at 12noon, and I liked seeing another article of mine published in our weekly newsletter. this one is about our department, a quarterly writing.

cookies re-deployed

looks like it was a good idea to re-deploy the cookies I brought in from the previous day, as all of them were eaten when I put them in underwriting. it is a high traffic area and more visible than an empty cube. I am pleased that most were eaten without my help, as I ate 6 out of the two dozen. we are still chugging along with the sale project, more than half of the 70 pages have been found.
   I watched 2 episodes of 'big bang theory' tonight. syndicated rerun was when Sheldon got drunk to get over stage fright, and it was posted on youtube. prime time episode was when Sheldon tried to work on an engine and said he was now an engineer. it was funny when he drew the Charlie brown face on the dry erase board and called the other two that were part of the project 'blockheads'- howard and leonard.
   after this I got various things done, such as get a spaghetti dinner and some peanut butter crackers at the family dollar. then I took a walk around the neighborhood and netted 39 cents, 2 dimes and 19 pennies. already have over a dollar in my change bank after just turning in change last week. but it looks like the typical pace that goes into it, a quarter's worth per day.

already enough sponsors

after testing out the water I decided to get registered for the polar plunge this morning. it didn't take long before I had enough sponsors to plunge. I needed $75 and I already have $100. this surprised me a little, but I did reach out on facebook to my friends in the comedy circuit. I let a swear word slip when the message came in, and my boss heard it and asked what was happening. well I have more time than expected to psyche myself up for it. my guess is I am ahead of most people at the office on the fundraising. godmother, dictionary, and Hillary Clinton look-alike were the sponsors. the other was listed as 'anonymous', but I had a comic tell me who it was, themselves.
   I brought in cookies for my service anniversary, 18 years. but we didn't have a table in a high traffic area, so they were left in an empty cube. so only half of them were eaten. so a 'sequel' is in order.
    I went to the iowa-minnesota basketball game tonight at Williams arena. Minnesota won 101-89 in double overtime. it likely surprised some since Minnesota led by 11 at the half. thankful how I got on a train after the game right away, arriving just as it pulled into the station. then I took it across the river to where my car was parked.
   i did make it to the performance venue after the game. i did ones about the game i saw, replacing a TV, a super bowl date, a facebook anniversary video, failed interview, polar plunge, and the cookies.

kissing a pig

there was flyers at the office about the upcoming polar bear plunge and it reminded me of being in high school and there was a fundraiser. the teacher with the most 'votes' had to kiss a pig, and no surprise how the least popular teacher was it, the late mrs. spiker, never had her a teacher.
  I posted on facebook about the plunge as I wanted to test out the waters, as I haven't done this before and hadn't seen it in person either, only on t.v. I said the thing that may prevent me from doing it is knowing I am not good at fundraising, as $75 is needed to plunge. I heard from the godmother, as I recalled she has done this before. and from the dictionary, though I asked how the mrs. would feel about any contributions when he said he is willing to be a sponsor. and we did hear from her, the Hillary Clinton look-alike, and she said 'do it' as well. so it means going into the office in the morning and getting me registered. I said it may answer the question of how many friends I have, and how many haters as well, based on the sponsors I get. I also heard from a club owner who said his friend is an event coordinator, though I said I don't need to be coaxed into it. I said I can be like jim carrey in 'yes man', a good message movie about living life more fully.
   I did make it to the performance venue tonight. I did ones about buying a tv, a date on super bowl sunday, being a plus one, 8-year facebook video, polar plunge, and goodies for my service anniversary. I did take a walk after it and found some coins, 10 pennies that went into my change bank.

tipped-over mop bucket

I went to the comedy club to see friends, then it was on to the performance venue to sing karaoke. at one point I heard a drinking glass fall and break. then somebody tried to help out by getting a mop bucket, but it tipped over and spilled onto the carpet. the latter did happen to me when I was stacking soda pop in a convenience store when I was in high school. I liked being able to do 3 songs, the most I had done previously was 2. it was 'lonely no more' by rob Thomas, 'hook' by blues traveler, and 'breakaway' by Kelly Clarkson. it felt like the first was just a warm-up, as the other 2 were easier for me to do. I did think of another song to add to my list while there, already plenty to choose from. growing up in a small town I knew the last one was a good one for me.
    at the office there was an advisory board meeting in the morning, the first in a while. it was nice that it finished early, 45 minutes and 60 was allocated. I was in 2 pictures in this newsletter, which arrived just before I attended the meeting.

the comedian movie

saw the movie 'the comedian' in Roseville this morning. I was trying to find a super bowl movie that fit my schedule and this was it, a 10:30 showing. it starred Robert de niro. I did recognize some of the cameo appearances but not all of them. it has a good cast, liked seeing danny de vito in it, along with cloris leachman. as a performer I liked how it covered the business of doing comedy. a few scenes involving a lot of arguing were tough for me to watch, but I liked this movie. I think it compares well to other recent movies about comedy performers- such as 'sleepwalk with me', 'obvious child', and 'don't think twice'. I found some of it to be relatable, about being spotted when out and about. along with people asking for you to perform when spotted.
    it was a busy day. I also went to get a new t.v. at best buy near the theater. it is a Westinghouse, a brand that had name recognition as my family had a refrigerator with this brand name. I grumble about having to get a new TV, but the RCA I had lasted a while, 17 years. this is the third I have owned, and the first I purchased. I got one as a graduation gift, a zenith. the RCA was something I won in a contest at my workplace when I was in suburban Chicago. hopefully this one will last a while. I got it hooked up just in time to watch the super bowl, the kickoff was the first thing I saw. I of course needed to do things like channel scan first. I brought it home from the best buy, then went to perform at the donut party. I did ones about the TV, the movie, a date on a super bowl sunday, being a plus one, riding the elevator, and a facebook anniversary video.
   with the super bowl I liked seeing the lady gaga halftime show, as I have seen her in concert twice. I spent more time online when Atlanta was way ahead, but new England closed the gap. it was 28-3 at one point but tied at 28 at the end of regulation. so it was the first overtime super bowl, and new England won 34-28. after it I went to a going-away party for two friends who are moving to the los angeles area, tetris and jane goodall. I liked seeing many people that I knew there. it seemed like a good idea to go, not just to see friends but also since I have been documenting the comedy scene on an unofficial basis. I got one photo of people at the table. it meant plenty to be hugging people there as it has become my circle of friends.
 

converter box, antenna

I made 2 visits to best buy in hopes of finding what would help with the t.v. issue. it looks like it still works fine when playing DVDs. but not when I want to watch t.v. I got a higher-grade antenna at the one in Roseville, then in the evening another converter box at the mall of America location. but it was to no avail. so I priced televisions online and it looks like a basic model doesn't appear to be much. so it means returning these recent purchases. I said I wanted to watch the super bowl at home, and that is currently in doubt.
   there was plenty of errand running. I turned in change at the bank, a total of 18.75. I picked up an e-bay order at my p.o. box, 10 ezra meeker postcards. it was annoying that some mail was delivered to me again after writing 'return to sender' on it. also made it to the winter carnival and to a hockey game at schulz arena. then to a comedy show in the evening.

rocky movies

I went to the performance venue tonight and it was hard to ignore what was on t.v. there. it was some of the 'rocky' movies, the 3rd and 4th. I said the 3rd one was the final movie I saw at a drive-in. I hadn't seen either in a while. as expected, it was helpful to go perform. I wanted to dump pain from a failed interview, the results were revealed earlier today. others were about a recent date, doing karaoke, shoreview library, and a green day song. and I am adding another comic to the ring of honor, as I got stage time from this show runner much like last month. it was a guest set, and I went to get a Minneapolis paper and an ice cream sandwich at a nearby gas station not long after getting to the venue.
    we had pizza for lunch at the office, part of a department meeting. and I liked seeing the attorney while riding home tonight, we spoke about movies some, including westerns. I had alluded to seeing the remake of 'the magnificent seven' as a redbox rental.

ownership, empowerment, evidence

I spoke with my boss near the end of the day about various subjects, eventually I realized I was passionate about some of the standards in my line of work. I spoke of favorite words, especially: ownership, empowerment, and evidence. the first one I just discovered, the others I had spoken of before. who doesn't like empowerment over their own job?
   I did a walk around the neighborhood after watching 2 episodes of 'big bang theory'. it netted 24 cents, a dime a nickel and 9 pennies that went into my change bank. didn't pick up any trash this time, but noticed how the walk went quicker due to it. the syndicated rerun was when Sheldon tried moving to Bozeman, montana, after their apartment was ransacked. prime time episode was about raj inviting his exes over to find out why the relationships ended. I liked how this typical night of not going to the clubs was still productive in its own very necessary way. I got two items ready to be mailed. one was a survey about a medical office visit, and the other was a membership renewal. I also got some stamps from e-bay orders onto a collector page.

trash and treasure

as the saying goes, 'one man's trash is another man's treasure'. I am finding this out this week at the office. it is a clean-up week, and there are carts available for throwing things out. I have claimed a few things that I know I can use, even if it is small things like pencils it is worth it. another would be a stapler, as the one I had been using kept jamming on me. I saw some flower pots left in the main breakroom and it reminded me of having one stowed away. so I placed it in there with the others, along with a 3-hole punch I hadn't used at all after claiming it a while back. I also claimed a t-shirt this week, along with some framed advertising art.
  tonight I made it to the performance venue. I did ones about karaoke, work spouse, computer name, library grand opening, twins fan-fest, we don't call it that, and a green day song. I was asked by the m.c. what mary tyler moore history I knew. I just spoke of what my dad would say about the opening segment where mary throws her hat in the air.
  before I ventured out to perform I saw something on t.v. about what had happened on this date in history. one of those things was the janet Jackson 'wardrobe malfunction' at the super bowl. there was a claim that the website known as youtube started when the founder was frustrated about being unable to find the video. will have to check the story further. I also picked up some supplies at the family dollar. one of those items was a can of chili, my dinner this evening. also picked up some toilet paper and a CD, the 'pretty in pink' movie soundtrack. now it means finding out if the library has this movie.

two credit unions

today I was sent an invite to a credit union annual meeting. I am a member of two credit unions, the other is a holdover from my time living in suburban Chicago. I think I got similar invites from them, but didn't go. well I think curiosity will get the better of me, and this time I think I will go. it means sending an RSVP, it is later this month.
  I did make it to the performance venue late in the evening. it was after I got plenty of comedy souvenirs into binders, three pages in all. but I have even more to get in there. during my set I did ones about karaoke, my work spouse, my computer, library grand opening, and the twins fan-fest. after the show I did a long walk, and netted 33 cents. there was a special on CBS about super bowl commercials before I went to the venue. it included something about the cindy Crawford pepsi ad from 25 years ago.