cherry cheesecake hershey bar

I went to see a friend's play in Minneapolis tonight, and before I arrived at the venue I wanted to get some dinner. looked like there was a wait on the food at pizza places, nothing already made. so I went to a CVS pharmacy on Hennepin and got a sandwich and apple juice. I was going to get reese's peanut butter as well, but in the same bin near checkout I was intrigued by a Hershey bar. it said it was the 'flavor of new York, cherry cheesecake'. the statue of liberty is in red on the wrapper, along with the rest of the skyline. it tasted good, but it is hard to say if I will see it again anywhere as this appears to be a special edition candy bar. it also made me think about being back in Chicago at age 8, my first time I recall being in the big city. was this what I envisioned city life being like? getting a sandwich and then eating while walking to my destination? it is a comfortable thing for me, familiar as I have done it fairly often. I've said it before how I live 'the manic life of a comedian'.
  whopper was doing a play a few blocks from there, I parked in a ramp first. then I found food, and the venue. it was called 'the good boy and the kid'. normally I don't go for anything about wrestling, since I grew up in iowa around plenty of wrestling meatheads. but I had seen plenty of his plays before, so I knew I would be giving this one a chance. it was centered around a little girl of age 12. I liked it as I saw some metaphor in it, and it was a 'story with a message' as well. it became a silly farce at the end, but in many ways that fit what should be expected. I like these small theater venues, as I it felt like I was almost on top of the performers. twice I saw a door open near my seat in the back row, and it was performers coming out for their scene. I did see whopper after the show, I said I may not have laughed much but I call myself a 'stodgy academic' and I majored in history so sometimes I want to see serious theater. well tonight I got to do this, nothing wrong with that at all. he said he knew I was there as he could hear my laugh. so I guess the article about me from late last year is still accurate. the david spade look-alike was in it, but his role was smaller than in other shows.
  before the show I got a text message from my st. louis friend, sounds like she got the postcard I sent recently. I said I had some pictures from the photo booth last weekend, so at some point it means sending them as well. at the office it was a fairly slow day, as it usually is for a Friday. it was nice getting some small things done like pay by phone on one of my bills, and requesting some time off for the month of july. I also placed an amazon order after getting back from the play. I decided to get 2 music CDs, one by lorde and the other by lana del rey. there was a slight problem with placing the order, as it would take a gift card code at first. but after confirming that the code was correct, I tried taking out the hyphens and it worked. these are from a few years back, I understand that both of these musicians will be releasing new albums soon.

dessert potluck, pulled pork

as an early celebration for the 4th of july, at the office there was a 'dessert potluck', at least that was mostly what people brought. my cohort said somebody brought pulled pork, and I had to go back and see if it was there, and it was. so I had some, along with a packet of Heinz BBQ sauce. wondering if there is enough leftovers for a repeat of this event, I don't think anyone would complain if there was. near the end of the workday I found enough time to do an online class that is due in a month. my boss is in florida this week and emailed me about it, I said I would do it when I found the time. I wanted to get it done quickly, and thankful it didn't take long, about 10 minutes. third straight day of doing new titles, but we are staying caught up on it. at midday I went over to the saints baseball stadium and got a ticket for the fireworks show this weekend, on sunday, july 2.
  things might be falling into place for doing more filming of sketches, trying to get it scheduled for next month. I also did some karaoke, choosing another 'up in the air' song, 'bust a move' by young MC. though at times it was hard to keep up with the lyrics, it was going fast. I also shared a facebook video, plenty of photos in it, in reference to facebook having 2 billion users. I tagged 8 people, figuring they would like seeing themselves in it.
 

fresh cookies from potbelly

at the office there was plenty of food left over from some kind of event, so it was left in one of the breakrooms for whoever wanted it. when I was coming around in the afternoon I was offered some of it, a fresh cookie from potbelly sandwich shop, in a nice wrapper. I turned down the spicy potato chips, saying it was too rich for my blood. the sticker keeping it closed said it was a chocolate brownie cookie, it was soft and I like it. it gives the ingredients on the back for this kind, and two other cookies- oatmeal chocolate chip, and sugar. it says this sandwich shop is based in Chicago, looks like an address in the loop as it is a low number on canal street. I liked having some of the little cupcakes as well, and potato salad.
   the postcard I sent myself from st. louis arrived earlier today, pleased to see it. eventually it will be placed in a photo album next to the others. at the performance venue tonight, I did ones about seeing an old friend, doing karaoke, visiting a waffle house, doing my own intro, an office colleague being condescending, and a callback to another comic who mentioned muppet characters.  I also liked doing a 'bridge walk' at midday but it was kept inside in the skyway due to the rain. I saw some light rain when I was ready to get on the bus, but didn't want to go back and get my rain jacket.

macklemore throat clearing

I went to the performance venue tonight for a farewell. this open-mic has a changing of the guard on hosts as the two they've had for a while are both moving out of state. when I was being introduced one of them kept saying 'all right, okay' and it reminded me of Macklemore clearing his throat before deciding to sing. I gave a shout-out to both of them, as I recall they are soap opera and the basketball player. I did ones about seeing an old friend, doing karaoke, the jukebox, being at a memorial service, and a condescending coworker. I got a photo of the hosts onstage at the end of the show. after it ended I did a walk before I decided to get into my car and go home. it yielded 36 cents- a dime a nickel and 21 pennies. earlier I noticed some coins in a parking lot on my bus route so after I had eaten in the evening I went there, I picked up 3 pennies.
  it was a busy day at work, not due to the payoff report but due to the new titles that had arrived. it was a high volume compared to most, as I perfected just over 280 titles. this was the pack that was deferred on Friday as I was out of the office and so was my cohort. the second pack was done by my cohort. so there is not much left now, a pack of new contracts. it will take much less time than the new titles. I liked seeing there was another chance on getting the dairy queen pie slices, so I got one. these were left over from Friday, I was bummed at first that I missed out when I was looking through emails when I got back. I did another 5-minute chair massage as well, in the early afternoon. it was a different therapist than before.

it was taylor swift

I was performing tonight and drew a blank when going through the four jukebox songs from visiting st. louis. I named three, but after I left the stage I realized the fourth was taylor swift. what also made it more challenging was a woman who wanted to talk to me while onstage, saying she remembers me from another venue and I don't know her. I said we should take it offline and the show runner had just 'lighted' me so I knew it was time to go. she invited me over to where she was sitting at the bar, then made me wait for a few minutes and eventually I said 'if you have something to say, then say it. otherwise I've got to go as I have work in the morning'. then she said 'just go'. I didn't find out what she wanted, don't know if it matters as she was probably drunk. the show runner said the camera battery died during my set so it probably did not film her appearance in it. the other ones I did were also about being in st. louis.
   I struggled to finish the payoff report, not just due to the high volume, but also due to being tired in the afternoon. but I did, and got started on the new titles as well. as expected, the ones that arrived on Friday were 'deferred' as I was out that day and so was my cohort. no big deal, as Tuesday can serve as a good catch-up day since the payoff report volume is much lower. I claimed an apple from a basket in the breakroom as well, there was some left over from Friday, our designated 'fruit day'.
   there was no open-mic at the comedy club tonight, due to Worthington having a special show there, part of his CD recording. so I was fine with staying in a little longer after work. I got plenty of things done, like shred more junk mail and order a hawkeye football ticket for the upcoming season. the email giving us a link to order through the alumni association just arrived over the weekend. I didn't want to let too much time pass before ordering, not knowing how long supplies would last. eventually I can reserve a hotel room as well. I try not to make reservations too far in advance.

hurt, johnny cash

I began the morning at my hotel in st. louis, Missouri, near the airport. I got breakfast at the waffle house nearby. I liked seeing the good deal at the jukebox, four songs for a dollar. first one I chose was 'hurt' by johnny cash. the others were 'shake it off' by taylor swift, 'it's my life' by no doubt, and 'time of your life' (good riddance) by green day. I know that songs number one and three were covers, 'hurt was a trent reznor (nine inch nails) song first. and the no doubt song was first done by talk talk. I had to go with what was available, and when I was thinking of the first one I said it had to be johnny cash, not sure why. it is a brilliant song, especially lines such as 'you can have it all, my empire of dirt'. while I was waiting for some of them to play I heard one I really liked, 'love on the brain' by rihanna.
    as usual, I wish that  could stay longer, and visit more often than annually. but you do what you can. and as usual, not much to do on the final day. besides get breakfast, there of course is check out of the hotel, and get back to the airport. I had to return the rental car, and did so after breakfast. it was nice that the shuttle driver was willing to take me back to the hotel, albeit after the other two were dropped off at the airport. my flight wasn't until 3pm, so I didn't want to arrive too early for my flight. the driver spoke of her son being like me, not wanting to date friends. when I checked out of the hotel, I was pleased that the desk clerk said I would get a lower rate for the parking fee. I ate at a nearby restaurant for lunch, had been there before. I had found them on the delta airlines dining for miles program. I had a beer with the meal, it was Mexican food.
   on my flight I was in the back of the plane, a full flight. the gate agent with the mic was a spirited lady, and I liked how she seemed to enjoy her work as there it such a rare thing. I watched a documentary on my flight, 'food- you are what you eat', produced by the BBC. it fit well in terms of time, about 50 minutes. it was finished just before we arrived at MSP. I could see a football field for st. olaf, so we must have been flying over northfield. and I saw water towers for Farmington and Eagan as well. we touched down at MSP just before 5pm. I got two postcards there, for a little over a dollar. no surprise how I slept for a little while after I got back, shortly after I unpacked.
  I went to a memorial for roger Schultz, after I woke up and did the dishes. it was at a comedy club in the area. I was one of those who spoke when the question went out to the crowd if anyone wanted to. this was in the second half of the show, after the stand-up performances. I picked up a card advertising it, an image of batman in front of a microphone was on it. there was food as well, I had some cheese, and some baby carrots. I hadn't eaten dinner but I had a big lunch. then I went to the grocery store after the event was done. thankfully there wasn't much to do in terms of chores or errand running. this included the postal mail, not much waiting. and I kept the email knocked down when I was out of town.

missouri transportation museum

after i got my rental car this morning, i got some breakfast at a 7-11 and then went to the missouri transportation museum. plenty of cars and trains on display there. i got a smashed penny souvenir as well, and more of that ted drewes frozen custard. except it was cheaper than at the airport, no surprise there. less than half the price. i did a free ride on a trolley there. i wanted to get a good look around as i wasn't sure when i would be there again. it meant going to this place only, the other one was the museum campus at jefferson barracks but that will have to wait for another visit. i had some chick-fil-a at a suburban mall, and got pictures at a photo booth, after the museum.
    then it was time to get to the baseball game. cardinals lost to the pirates 7-3, never led in this one. i got the bob gibson bobblehead giveaway item. i didn't buy anything in the souvenir shop, already have plenty and wanted to avoid redundancy. i got food at the stadium though, hot dog and chips and bottled water. it was more fun to watch friday's game with my old friend, that i will admit. i knew i would make a comparison between these two games.
   after i took the light rail and made it back to my hotel, i got into the rental car again and found a bar to perform karaoke at. it was fairly close to the hotel, less than two miles. i did 'time after time' by cyndi lauper, as it is in the movie 'up in the air'. one patron said he liked my performance, and was fine with seeing more, but i one song was enough for me. i wanted to perform somewhere as i love performing. it is fine with me being a mysterious out-of towner. i didn't stay for long after my song was done. notable to me with other karaoke performers was a woman doing a song where part of the lyrics are 'fix your makeup, it's just a breakup'. i am often looking up songs after doing karaoke, as it helps with discovering more music. \

monsanto giveaway shirt

i am in st. louis, mo, for my annual visit for cardinals baseball games and i liked getting the giveaway item tonight. it is a short, sponsored by monsanto. cardinals lost to the pirates 4-3 though. i liked seeing the game with an old friend though, who now lives in the area. we joked around a lot, more so than most of my friends but this is somebody that knows me well so i am more comfortable with it. after the game i decided to get onto metro-link, the light rail system, one stop early to avoid the after-game crowds. but it was the blue line, so it meant getting off at forest park and transferring to the red line to get back to the airport. i had a beer once i got back to the hotel, and this may have made it easier to go through emails like the e-rewards surveys as i didn't care as much if the questions were annoying. i am tired, and the beer made me more relaxed as well.
   there were a few things to get done before getting on my flight this morning. i checked my p.o. box, nothing there. and i did a pay-by-phone on my utility bill. i stayed at the st. louis airport for a little while after the flight arrived, and got some TGI friday's potato skins. also some ted drewes vanilla concrete, frozen yogurt. and some postcards. also made it to the chapel, and shortly after i was there i was about to leave to get to my hotel and my old friend called. we made each other laugh during the 6-minute call, and i said i needed to leave before i spent any more money at the airport, where things are more expensive. i watched a little TV after i checked in, and fell asleep for a little while. then i got up and walked around the area, familiar as i usually stay near the airport. i noticed the trailer park where i saw the 'smile piper' signs appears to be closed, as there was locked gates up. things change, i am aware of this. i am thankful i heard the story of this man, although he had passed by the time i heard it while saying to a resident how i liked the signs there. i was going to get a sandwich at subway, but i liked how there was a little red baron pizza, microwaveable, at the hotel for 3 dollars. so i ate it in my room, there are plenty of things in this 'gift shop'.

1955 studebaker

I went to the comedy club tonight to get signed up for the open-mic but wasn't picked. after it I went to print things at the library, and find a quick dinner somewhere. I loved finding a classic vehicle in the parking lot of a target store, a 1955 Studebaker pickup. I asked permission on doing pictures, found out it was easier to do when the Hyundai left a nearby parking spot. I said 'that is so cool!' and 'thank you'. I did have to remind myself how it is more likely to see these vehicles during the summer, as there are more cars shows. especially this weekend, when the 'back to the 50's' car show will be happening at the state fairgrounds. I got lunchables at the target, and at the library I ordered and printed a baseball ticket from stubhub for this weekend. then it was on to the karaoke bar, where I did two songs. first was 'only happy when it rains' by garbage. I said I had to do a rain song as it has rained today. in fact, it rained so much that the twins-white sox baseball game was delayed for hours. the white sox raced to a big lead in the first inning, and the game was just getting started as I was leaving the office for the day. the second song was 'circles' by soul coughing. I wanted to do that one as I liked hearing a particular word- 'languishing'- in the lyrics. I know I have languished before, must be why I liked it as I find it to be relatable.
    I made it to the office in time this morning, just barely. I woke up late, didn't hear the alarm go off. but I was pleased with how I made it, as I had less than 30 minutes to work with. I have done it before, but I don't recommend it. for one thing, I had to pay for parking as I drove in, and taking the bus is way cheaper. then we had a department lunch, make your own burgers. there was a choice of fries, the typical thin kind and then sweet potato tots. I wanted to get the payoff report submitted first, and my boss was at my cube at 7 minutes past the hour asking where I was with things. I said I was caught up now, just needed to stamp out and he said he would wait for me. must have wanted to see how I got a chance at the food before most of it was gone. I said at the end of the day how I likes how he shows he cares, hard to find somebody who does.

conference call, advisory board

this afternoon at the office I did a conference call for an advisory board. I had been anticipating this for a while, some activity, or movement, since I first heard about it months ago. not sure why it was delayed for so long, but I am more excited about it now something happened with it. sounds like I am the only one from my office on this board, which has people from all over America, and our office in Puerto rico as well. the moderator spoke for most of this session, and I was fine with it. since I had little or no information about the program. it is related to improving training opportunities across all of our offices. there was mention made of a hyper-link for courses, couldn't find anything in the emails I was sent. I did do some classes that sounded similar last week though, not sure of this was the same or even close to it at all. I hadn't done a dial-in meeting in a while, probably not since I did the disaster that was the Roosevelt mentoring program. since it was easier to join the meeting that way than drive out to the eden prairie office. and at midday, just before it, we did bridge walks, and then some, in downtown st. paul. I had to break away from the group so I could get back in time from my lunch break, having just one hour. it was longer than last week's, so I needed time to go to a convenience store in the skyway and get a sandwich. I got egg salad.
   in the evening I performed at two different venues, the set was shorter at the first one. I did ones about spike hat, john Coltrane movie, meetup event coordinator, dad telling family stories, the interviewing class, somebody who wandered in, and can't eat the cereal.

10 percent off

I was thankful that I waited on making a car rental reservation. when I checked emails in the evening I saw one from enterprise offering a 10 percent discount. so I decided to use it right away, not knowing when my next need for a rental car would be. it said the last time I made a reservation with them was when I wanted to drive through upstate new York back in august, renting out of new Rochelle. I rented with thrifty back in February when I was back in suburban Chicago. I still don't have enough points yet to get a free day though.
   another notable thing was finding out, through online searches, more of my family history. I found out where a 2nd great-grandpa is buried, in eastern iowa. so on my next visit to the state, I will have to see about finding the cemetery. since it is near cedar rapids, that means stop there on my way to a hawkeye football game in iowa city. at the office we got started on boxing up some files in the afternoon.
    at the performance venue, I did ones about the beer I ordered, meetup events, calling my dad, like volunteering, dick cavett, and saying it is an open-mic. also found a few coins on a walk after the show, mostly pennies. so of course they there thrown into my change bank.

like a junkyard dog

dad called me back and got my voicemail. so I responded when I had the time, at the comedy club before I was ready to move on and perform at another venue. I spoke of finding where immigrant relatives are buried, he spoke of one of them 'being mean like a junkyard dog'. and another as 'doing most of the talking for the couple'. I liked how he was willing to share these stories, guess it meant taking some control in terms of the subjects being discussed.
   it was a busy day at work, as expected since it is a Monday. but I found way to get the payoff report, new titles, and new contracts done. yes, the same contracts left over from the end of last week. but I think the payoff report was lighter than typical. it looks like there is more movement on being on an advisory board that connects me more with other offices. it was just announced last week that I am on it, but I was still looking for my 'marching orders'. well now I have a meeting for it scheduled this week.
    at the performance venue tonight, I did ones about getting laundry soap, the Coltrane movie, painting, a knife, calling my dad, 3 classes at the office, and my boss and captain crunch cereal. I got some more material from just being at the venue, wasn't expecting it. one was about dick cavett, and the other about somebody not knowing it was an open-mic.

trans-america board game

this afternoon I was back at a meetup event, more board games. except it was a different venue than last week, this time at black dog café in downtown st. paul near the saints baseball stadium. I had been there before, to perform at an open-mic, and probably for a date even before that. I played two board games, one of them was called 'trans-america', about building railroads. it was the second one we played, and the first was 'one night ultimate werewolf' if I am not mistaken. it was a game of bluffing, I was the villager. with the railroad game I had Richmond, Memphis, Denver, Helena, and Portland. I let the event coordinator know that I will try to make it as often as I can, and he is a big reason why I am attending. this of course is the postal service accountant. he had his son there as well, I said I hadn't heard much about his family before. I arrived around 4:30pm, about 2 hours after it began, as there was other things I wanted to get done first.
    the first thing I did was laundry, though I got started a little later than expected as I woke up just before 12noon. then there was some other cleanup I wanted to do, and I wrote out a check for the subscription to the Writer magazine that will be mailed Monday morning on my way to work. while I was doing laundry I got a text message from my st. louis friend. it let know that the  baseball tickets have been ordered for Friday's game. I said we needed to figure out where we should meet up before the game. I walked around a little while doing laundry, found a penny and nickel that went into my change bank. after the board games I went home to watch 'the simpsons' but it wasn't on. so I had dinner, shredded some junk mail, and did the dishes. then after taking care of the recycle I went to a Walgreen and got some razors and a pack of baseball cards. I tried to call my dad but got voicemail, so I watched the 10pm news and then looked at two bank statements. I guess the magazine renewal check reminded me to look up the memberships I have, there are nine. and it prompted me to look at the bank statements as well. best game plan of course is to keep the credit balances low. it helps to pay them off as quickly as possible, and try to avoid buying things that aren't necessities. easier said than done, when I like to travel. but I have been cutting back on traveling, knowing how expensive it can be.

chasing trane movie

this afternoon I went to see a documentary movie at the lagoon theater in Minneapolis. it was called 'chasing trane', about musician john Coltrane. I knew a little about him, I recall mention in pop culture twice about 20 years ago. he was name-checked in the Sheryl crow song 'if it makes you happy' and his music is mentioned in the movie 'jerry maguire'. I knew that he died in 1967, at age 41. although this documentary claimed it was due to liver cancer. the brief bio write-up I had read many years ago said he was known for drinking and hard drugs, although in this movie they say he quit those. notable was one of the interviewees being ex-president Clinton. there was also some interviews with a member of the doors. I have 'kind of blue', a CD mentioned in it, from when he performed with miles davis. I bought it many years ago when I lived in suburban Chicago, an office colleague recommended it, named paul kane. I liked seeing the previews as well, one was for a movie called 'b-side', about a photographer. I saw the one about Vivian maier so I will likely see this one as well. but according to the flyer I picked up it states the movie isn't due to arrive until next month.
   in the evening I went to the grocery store, shortly after a baseball game began on fox, cubs-pirates. I watched the first inning and rejoined it when it was in the third. the pirates won 4-3. then I went to do some karaoke. I did two songs, 'if it makes you happy'- aforementioned as Coltrane was on my mind- and 'my prerogative' by bobby brown. I saw somebody there who recognized me from another karaoke venue, in fact she said she was the button's friend. I decided to get out the 'kind of blue' CD and listen to it again, driving to and from the venue. it does seem to be good music to listen to while driving, as it has a steady beat. definitely better than loud and angry music such as rap, punk, and heavy metal. and it seemed to fit driving by myself, on a night with some rain. I may not listen to jazz much, since I prefer songs with lyrics. but I do like some jazz, as I am a fan of Charlie brown and snoopy. so I said to myself I just need to picture Snoopy dancing around to this music.

mounties, trumpet player

there was two photos on my digital camera from my lunch hour walk. one was of mounties, cops on horses that is. and the other was of a trumpet player, next to a business in downtown st. paul. I don't think I see either one that often. I didn't need much, and I went to get both items at Walgreen. the two items were the Minneapolis paper, and some cookies. I found some lunch at the office. there was some good barbecue left over from a meeting in our main conference room. the last of the three seminars was in the afternoon, resume writing. I think I learned a lot from these sessions. I couldn't stay long after it was over, as my boss scheduled a department meeting for right after it. I found out it was about packing up files in the vault. there wasn't much to do after that, which is typical for a Friday afternoon at the office. there was some new contracts to do, but I decided to defer them until next week. my boss made an announcement that we could leave early and still be paid for a full work day. this was due to the verdict announcement from a trial that was at the courthouse, just blocks away from us. I said I would mull it over, but I not only saw him leave early, but also my senior leader, shortly after we were informed of this around 3:30pm. so this made it much easier for me to decide to 'get out of dodge'. my 'work spouse' was left in my area after that, and not sure who else. it is around the time of day when many people are leaving or about to leave anyway. I stamped out just before 4pm. when I got home from the bus I went to get some laundry soap, and saw an employee of the nearby grocery store there. he is a performer like me.
   in the evening I watched the news, and tried to watch other TV programs but fell asleep. when I woke up I decided to eat at the taco bell. near the end of the 10pm news there was live footage of protests, due to the trial verdict, on I-94 that shut down the road.

party in the USA, miley cyrus

tonight I went to the karaoke bar and performed 'party in the USA' by miley cyrus. it made me think of my own moves from a small town to the big city. although this song was harder to do than expected, as at times it went so fast that I had a hard time keeping up. but much like anywhere else, I understand the importance of doing the best that you can. so I am not sure if anyone noticed at all. in many ways it is not much different than some other outings while doing karaoke, where I am flat but warm up quickly while doing the song. somebody asked to have a sip of my beer after leaving the stage, as they were going onstage with a friend. I turned them down.
   I am still trying to get to the micro-brewery on time to get signed up for their open-mic, but it is hard to do unless I leave really early. I got a chili dog and a bottle of juice from a super-America on the way there. I watched a 'big bang theory' rerun and then I left. it was the one about valentines day, and Sheldon kisses Amy after ignoring her on the train to Napa valley.
   at the office I was still bust despite no class to attend, as there still was the payoff report, new titles, new contracts, and special requests to do. actually the new titles were from the previous day, I had enough time to copy them on Wednesday as they arrived late and that was it. there was over 250 new titles so no need to get started on perfecting them with just 30 minutes left in my workday.

linked-in class

this afternoon I did the second of three classes, workshops, or seminars offered at my office this week. it was about linked-in. I have an account but haven't logged in there in a while. I do plenty of social media activity on facebook, and once a week on twitter. I liked how the moderator stressed the importance of the site when looking for jobs. I will likely have to change some things once I log on again. I had been seeing emails at least once a week asking me to see what is there. I will have a day off from classes, then be on again on Friday. I've liked seeing snacks in the room where it is being held, I have had some of the ritz cheese crackers, as well as peanut butter.
  at the performance venue tonight, I did ones about my soup, postal service accountant, massage therapist, interviewing class, the man at the karaoke bar, and people I ride the bus with.

5 minute massage therapy

there was plenty to do at the office even though it is not as busy as a Monday. there was an email about massage therapy available, but just 5 minute sessions. I think it was the same therapist as before, just a month ago. it was done in our health room, where I sometimes weigh myself. except the session isn't long, get started and it is done. sounds like this is a place in the skyway as well if one wants to make an appointment. the other notable thing was the first of 3 90-minute classes I signed up for this week. this one was in the afternoon, about interviewing skills. sounds like the moderator had interviewed many people before, and it was helpful that he was sharing his expertise.
   I made it to the performance venue, and did ones about paint in the parking lot, karaoke, a man on the bus, the moderator, and the massage therapist. sounds like it is a little stormy outside, I was getting annoyed how WCCO was interrupting programming for storm warnings. just crawl it across the bottom of the screen.

civil war preservation trust

recently I got more mail from the civil war preservation trust asking me to renew my membership. I sent a response to them in the postage-paid envelope asking to be taken off the mailing list as I am not renewing. I knew how I already had a membership with the American historical association, and I feel like one history membership is enough. in addition, my 8th grade history teacher, Russell clayton, died in august. I recall saying this was one of the few history things he still did. I kept the civil war membership, when I was cutting back on them, when I found this out. I don't take it lightly on not renewing memberships, especially this one, as it said I've had it since 2006. but as the saying goes, priorities change. it may not cost much, but I can find uses for the amount saved.
   it was a busy day at the office, I got the 'wire' pages done early, before lunchtime. this was about 4 pages in all. and it took me the rest of my workday to do the other seven. I didn't even get to the new titles, but figured I should have the time to do them the next day when the payoff report tends to be lighter. although I have three classes scheduled this week, around midday.
   I made it to the performance venue tonight, there was a fill-in MC. I did ones about karaoke night, they've invented that, facebook activity, first visit to a bar, my soup, meetup events, and my class reunion. the parking was at a higher hourly rate due to the nearby event, but I just had to pay for one hour.

exploding kittens game

tonight I went to another meetup event. it was at the Grumpy's in Roseville, first time at that location. I went as I knew the event coordinator for my first-ever meetup event over a year ago. I played two games there for the first time, the first was called 'exploding kittens' and the other was 'king of tokyo'. all I can say about the cards in the former game is that the artist has an overactive imagination. and some of it would be considered vulgar. but I am thankful I played both games as it wasn't too hard to learn how to play both. I said 'call' a lot, figuring it was like in cards where it meant 'I am good'. I was there for three hours, then left as I was tired. I also noticed that a classmate, the judge in Des Moines, had called me and I wanted to respond to the message. but when I got home and responded I got his voicemail. I still felt more comfortable being tired while at home.
  I was woke up this morning by thunder and lightning around 9am. at first I wanted to ignore it but it got too loud, so I knew it would be hard to go back to sleep right away. I still waited a little while, until most of the storm had passed, to use the microwave oven to heat up my oatmeal.
   there was plenty that I got done before leaving for the meetup event. I decided to get a pack of baseball cards I had bought at a Walgreen into binders. there was cards for all 30 major league teams in it, except one (Tampa Bay). there was 13 duplicate cards out of 100, that will be destroyed. I decided to keep a sticker was in the mix, it  said 'triple play' from panini, by placing it on the page that was my ticket for the meetup event. it was of Chipper Jones, who played for the Braves. so it is next to my nametag on the page that was put into a sheet protector along with the ticket from the Saturday event. other cards that were put into binders were the ones bought in Des Moines recently, from last year's triple-A all star game, and 'swap cards' bought on e-bay from Australia, Charlie brown and snoopy themed. I was reminded why I don't do this project much as it is time-consuming.

I, Daniel Blake movie

tonight I saw the movie 'I, Daniel Blake' at the uptown theater in Minneapolis. I liked the writeup in Friday's paper about it. I had probably seen some American movies with the same spirit before. where a frustrated man is willing to do extreme things as he desperately wants to be heard. guess I shouldn't be surprised at all how the main character is played by a comedian. the most lasting impression of this movie was when a woman is seen eating directly from a can while still inside the food bank. and not too surprising how the same woman gets job offers to sell her body, that she accepts as she feels like she doesn't have a choice.
   I made it there after having a quick dinner from super-America, a hot dog and a small bottle of juice. I liked getting to a meetup event this afternoon as well. it was at the Minnesota history center library, about how to search family history. I found a few things there of interest, and had a link emailed to me.
   I also bought 2 used CDs at cheapo. it was 'piece by piece' by Kelly Clarkson, and '25' by adele. two of the songs on the former were co-written by sia. with the latter I was really impressed with 'million years ago', I liked the passion in it.

sugar movie, baseball

tonight I watched a DVD copy of the movie 'sugar', from 2009. I bought the copy from the blockbuster video liquidation sale. I saw the movie at the theater, limited (arthouse) release at the Edina theater. this may have been the first time I saw it since seeing it in Edina. as an iowa native and a big baseball fan, of course I like this movie. a preview for another iowa baseball movie, 'final season', about the Norway, IA, baseball team, was on the disc. seeing 'sugar' prompted me to see a minor league baseball game in davenport, IA, where it was filmed. it took two tries during that 2009 season, as it was rained out the first time. I recall how some wondered why the team didn't try to capitalize on the movie with merchandising, but 'bull durham' this isn't. since it was about a Dominican baseball player, much of it was in subtitled Spanish. and I am aware of how most americans don't like reading movies. a third reason I liked it was hearing a Spanish version of leonard Cohen's 'hallelujah' in it.
  saw this movie after eating at taco bell, having some ice cream at mcdonald's, and taking a walk around the neighborhood that yielded plenty of coins. it was 70 cents, 5 dimes 1 nickel 15 pennies.
   I was busy at the office for much of the day, submitting a 'how-to' article for the weekly newsletter in addition to my normal duties. payoff report was light, but there was plenty of new titles, and some new contracts as well.
  I also did some more writing, hard to categorize what kind though. if it was for comedy purposes or more serious ones, maybe both. it was mainly writing down words that resonate with me, and sometimes I say I am writing down what are good ideas for comedy albums/CDs.

center field, john fogerty

tonight I did some karaoke, and chose another baseball song. 'center field' by john fogerty. I was still wearing the iowa cubs hat from last weekend, I had baseball on my mind, no doubt. no problem singing this one with passion, as I love baseball. some of the people watching noticed this and said they loved it when I left the stage.
   at the office we had an advisory board meeting in the morning, I still need to submit my 'how-to' article for this week's newsletter. there was talk of going to 'summer hours'- publishing the newsletter less often than once a week.
   after I was done with karaoke, I went home and did a short walk around the neighborhood. it yielded 66 cents, 5 dimes 1 nickel 11 pennies. at lunchtime I got a look at the art display at the landmark center, it is closing soon. I will want to go back and get another look as it was a quick pass through as I needed to get back to work.

lone earbud

when I was listening to a CD today I noticed there was a problem getting the CD player out of my backpack. the cover on one earbud came off and it wouldn't play out of that one. so after a while I let one earbud hang free. I found a few coins when walking around at lunchtime, as well as another free CD. there was cards advertising the jazz festival as well, near the end of the month.
   at the performance venue I did ones about my class reunion, the Owatonna bank, empty cans, facebook issues, underage bar visit, doing karaoke, and a loopy comic.

two contracts left over

I like perfecting contracts when they arrive at my job. but I ended up doing less than the full total. I perfected and filed 36 of them. there was two left over, looks like they are accounts that are now paid off. so it meant putting them aside so they can be released. also at the office, near the end of the day when I was doing drawer lockup I had somebody ask me about the copier in my area. well I wasn't going to let anyone into that room when it was at a time where a manager is hard to find, who can give me permission to do so. not worth losing my job over- letting in the wrong employee.
   at the performance venue I did ones about my class reunion, a loopy comic, the Owatonna bank, and empty cans.

AA batteries re-deployed

I wanted to listen to a CD this morning but the batteries died in my CD player. do when I got home I checked some remote controls I no longer use to see if there were any batteries that fit. I found one set of AA batteries to re-deploy. I wanted to delay buying more batteries for as long as I can.
   I did some karaoke tonight. I did two songs, 'right now' by van halen, and 'fidelity' by regina spektor. a man wearing a marijuana t-shirt wanted to apologize, saying we had words before, I do not recall this man at all.
   at the office I had a fairly light day on the payoff report, for a Monday. but there was also some new titles, and having to copy them first.

roger schultz

I was expecting to start off this entry about getting back from out of state, but tonight I heard some sad news. a fellow performer, roger Schultz, died this weekend. I found out through some facebook postings. one of them said he dealt with alcoholism, I knew he once did a comedy set about being in rehab. and another said he took his own life, due to depression. he is now the second 'ring of honor' member that we have lost. we is number 49, bill young, who we lost in late 2014, is number 24. I did leave a condolence online, it says services are pending. it sounds like it just happened over the weekend, on Friday apparently. I know I will want to attend any services and memorials that will be held, much like I did for gus lynch, and bill young. I think it is a good thing that I only found out after I got back to Minnesota, as it would have been hard to enjoy this weekend, my class reunion included, had I known about it any earlier. I know I did say at the reunion how, as performers, we are aware of many of the perils that exist when performing. with over-drinking and hard drugs being the main temptations. and I did recall saying how I had an 'up close and personal' version of 'scared straight' because I saw how costly it was for my stepdad's friend to have a drinking problem. and how we lost two more than two years ago, drugs claimed both of them.
   that being said, I did start the day in des moines, iowa, at my hotel room. I had continental breakfast, yogurt and some waffles, then packed up and checked out of the hotel. I stopped for gas near the hotel and got a small bottle of milk, and made just one stop along the way. it was in clear lake, iowa, at the casey's. it was for some more fuel, and it was also lunchtime so a slice of pizza and a bottle of tea. I arrived back home around 3pm, and after unpacking my bag I fell asleep for a while. I watched a 'simpsons' episode, a documentary theme, then went to the grocery store and after that to Walgreen. I wanted to get some pictures on to a disc from the weekend, and post them to facebook. some were also from the comic softball game on memorial day, and some of them already have likes. not long after getting back I did post to facebook about the weekend and say I was back home. I gave my 'play list' from the drive to and from iowa, and many of the CDs were from the same year. it seemed like a good theme since it was a reunion weekend. there wasn't much mail waiting for me upon arrival, which was nice.
 

empty cans

I started the day in des moines, and watched a movie on AMC at my hotel, 'the fugitive'. then I went to eat at hardee's,  and got ready to go to newton for my class reunion. while in newton I looked around for a few hours before arriving at the reunion venue. it meant going to the town square to see our class display. there was a 'relay for life' event at the county courthouse grounds. I also found two more empty cans to pick up, bringing it to a total of four. I tried to going to the fareway grocery store near the square, they no longer accept them. I was advised to go to Hy-Vee, they have self-serve machines there. I got a bottle of water and a slice of pizza, and the can refund, 20 cents, was taken off my bill. I saw a junior high teacher and football coach, mr. hurt, there. he recognized me right away, this surprised me. he was wearing a Chicago cubs shirt, I knew he has been a cubs fan for a while. I also had a banana split blizzard at dairy queen, and found emerson hough school, as well as berg middle school. final stop was driving past the football stadium, close to the reunion venue, the American legion hall. we had our reunion there 5 years ago as well.
   it was a small crowd, I kind of expected it based on facebook postings. scheduling conflicts for many. but I didn't mind it, as I enjoyed this one more than most of them. it sounds like I have yet another reminder of how I am 'sitting on a winning lottery ticket' with performing, and writing. one classmate is a dentist in suburban Chicago, and does very well. but she sounded envious when I spoke of performing, as she said she can't do public speaking in front of crowds the size that I sometimes perform for. at times I got emotional, thinking about how I survived it all and still not sure how. but I like how I am in a different phase of life now, the one where I tell myself: who cares how you made it through? you're alive, go enjoy it! I did take some pictures at the reunion, but not many. I was there to catch up with classmates, not take pictures. I got one with two classmates near the end of the night. also of a banner advertising the DJ. I made 2 song requests with the DJ, both I have done on karaoke nights. 'muzzle' by smashing pumpkins, and 'breakway' by Kelly Clarkson. the latter one seemed appropriate for my story, as it is about growing up in a small town and not forgetting where you are from. we did talk some about those classmates that are no longer with us, up to seven now. hard not to, but probably a good thing that we briefly talked about it and then moved on as thinking about it for too long would be depressing. then I went back to my hotel in des moines at the end of the night.

coldwell banker hat giveaway

plans are to go to des moines, iowa, today as part of being back in iowa for my class reunion this weekend. I want to see an iowa cubs baseball game tonight, and I understand there is a hat giveaway, sponsored by Coldwell banker. I also hope to find this famous bank building in Owatonna, on the way there, designed by louis Sullivan. it was on a postage stamp. as long as I get started fairly early, it should be no problem to arrive at the stadium in time to get the hat. even though not many are available, just one thousand. if you can believe it, even though I grew up seeing iowa cubs games, I don't have any of their hats.

this is not art

I wanted to make it to an open-mic that is near the walker art center in Minneapolis, but didn't make it in time to get signed up. so I went over to the walker and got a look at what has been a big news story this week. it is the artwork that depicts the scaffolding used in the hanging of 38 people from 1862. this was called by different names, including Dakota war, and Sioux uprising. it made the news as it is controversial to have such a subject become art, and one sign on the fence near it said 'this is not art'. I heard somebody try to talk about the event, and I had to tell them that president Lincoln actually pardoned some of those who were to be executed, most of them actually. in spite of that, it still became the largest mass execution in American history. the news said this creation will be coming down soon, in the next few days I think. this may be why I was not alone on wanting to get a look at it while we still can, and try to understand why it has been controversial.
    I still wanted to go perform, and I did. I made it to a karaoke bar just a few minutes before it was set up for the night. so I had plenty of time I order a beer, I got Hamm's. I performed 'nothing compares to you' by sinead O'Connor, and I am aware how prince wrote the song. when somebody at the table next to me said they liked hearing it, I said I knew a departed friend liked to sing it. and I said in many ways it was a way of remembering this friend. this of course would be bill young. when I went home I did the Jeopardy! online test, the first step in being a contestant, I have done it before. I knew some of the answers but not all, 50 questions in 15 minutes. it was the third and final night of the test, and I had missed out on the other two as I didn't quite get logged in on time. this time, I made sure I was logged in a good 5 minutes before the test began.