eau claire visit

tonight I drove out to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, to get stage time at a friend's comedy show. I am told there are musicians in this open-mic as well. the music part was first, then the comedy part. the comedy friend that told me about it wasn't there though. but it was no problem finding the venue, having to make just 2 turns after getting off I-94. the venue was a bar in the middle of town, and I found parking about 2 blocks away. plenty of art on display, there was a tank in front of the children's museum. I liked how I didn't need to make a stop on the way back to the cities. didn't need a bathroom break and I wasn't tired enough to stop for a bottle of Coca-Cola. I made one stop on the way there, in Hudson, for the bathroom, and to get gas. I did make it to a venue before then, said hi to some people and got a beer so I would get airline miles. the show at the first venue did not happen, not enough people there for a crowd. guess this happens on Halloween. there was some candy near the front desk, I claimed a small pack of m and m candy on my way out.
   in Eau Claire I saw that I picked up some show announcement cards as souvenirs, I do that whenever I am performing somewhere so I have something to include in my comedy binders. I listened to game 6 of the world series on the radio on my way there, the Dodgers beat the Astros 3-1 to force a decisive game 7. I also brought a CD to listen to, by Lana Del Rey, and listened to it on the way back, after the game was over. when I performed I did ones about being at 2 haunted houses, doing karaoke after one of them, the Coolio song 'gangsta's paradise', Weird Al as an imitator, attending a burlesque show, a dream about a bicycle, power walking, weekend at Bernie's, and my previous visit to Eau Claire as well as attending my cousin's wedding in a different part of Wisconsin.
   I got an oil change done for my car this afternoon. I liked reading an article about baseball in the Atlantic magazine. odd how there was a coupon hanging in my car after it was done.  

what kind of agency?

I responded to an email from an 'agency' asking what kind it was. I got a brief response, and it really didn't give me the answer I was looking for. I asked if it was a temp agency, they said they weren't and just stated the name, something I already knew. so I used the information I was given to search them online, and found out they were an insurance agency. all right, insurance interests me. but it is kind of a hike to their office, so for multiple reasons I think I have to say 'not happening'.
   I made it to the performance venue, I went on fairly early which was fine with me. I had more jokes than needed, better than having not enough, so I feel like it went well. I was asked to forward my set for a show I am doing later this week. not used to doing that, but I like stage time so I will do it. I spoke of how group chats on facebook can be a little much, so I hadn't read closely the message there. this was the first venue I went to, and a patron let us know they were going into the show but they didn't want their food to go to waste. so I had all of the remaining cheese curds, half of the grilled cheese sandwich, and half of the fries. hard to turn down good food. when I performed I did ones about being at 2 haunted houses, doing a karaoke song after one of them, attending a burlesque show, seeing simpson characters as their costumes, and a dream about a bicycle. 

pastime paradise, stevie wonder

sometimes facebook can yield some inspiration. in this case it was one of my postings from two days ago, asking of another comic did a joke about the song 'gangsta's paradise' by coolio. found out he did a joke about a different rap song. it led to mason city, who is known for his music education, telling me about the earlier version of the song. it was 'pastime paradise' by stevie wonder. it was done in 1976, and coolio's version was nearly 20 years later. hearing both versions is helpful, he said to prepare for having my mind blown. I said I respond best to reading the lyrics, as I can do so at my own pace. I needed to listen to it more than once to get a good feel of it. no doubt I liked finding a live version on youtube, different from what he shared in the facebook posting. the live version had stevie performing it with a pack of violin players, and I do like me some violin. the rhyme scheme was 'tion/shun' and just single words on each line, made it more memorable. it does explain the coolio version better, as to why he starts off with a line from psalm 23. as stevie makes a reference to a savior in his version. rappers usually don't make religious references in their songs.
   this was a busy day for events, three in all, but I didn't mind. the logistics worked on getting to all of them. first was filming some reviews at the garage venue. I did two, first was about a Charlie brown story- book version as well as DVD. second was a Sia CD, 'this is acting'. it was postponed from last week. then it was on to an open-mic where I liked getting some stage time in. the venue was one I had been to before, in uptown Minneapolis. I had performed there before, at a comedy marathon in april. last event was a show in the east metro. three members of my 'comedy ring of honor' were in the lineup, including the show runner. and the first one I added to the ring, hadn't seen him in a while as he had family issues that kept him in Chicago. saw an office colleague there as well, after the show. I arrived just before it began.

don't fear the reaper, blue oyster cult

tonight I did some karaoke after acting at a haunted house. the song was 'don't fear the reaper' by blue oyster cult. seemed like a good one since it was in the first 'halloween' movie. meaning, it is in season so to speak. though when I hear it on the radio, I think of another movie it was in, 'miracle', about the 'miracle on ice' Olympic hockey team from 1980. so I say the line I recall hearing in the previews, 'looks like a lot of guys from Minnesota and boston. yeah, that's going to work'. I liked how people seemed to be responding to what I was doing, as there are some percussion interludes in it and some people in the crowd were tapping along to it. but this is why I like performing. the regular karaoke jockey was still there, but not in charge of it. I did one song and left, and said hopefully she is singing as well and she said she would be. the most memorable thing about this song, in my opinion, is the stat in it about '40,000 people every day'. of course they mean the grim reaper, or death personified.
   I tried watching a DVD this morning, but it stopped in the middle and wouldn't move from an outdoor scene of a house. it was 'who's afraid of Virginia woolf?' so I returned it to the library along with the other movie I had. I tested the other disc with it, as one was the movie and the other the special features, and it just appeared to be the one disc that was a problem. I got to the library and was disappointed how the used book sale had already ended, although I already have plenty of books. I got two more movies to watch, probably will watch them in the next few days. I made a visit to my post office box, but nothing to pick up. and I made it to the grocery store, before I made my way over to the haunted house. actually it wasn't in a house, but it doesn't have to be. as usual, I liked the experience of acting there. meeting the people I act with, getting a costume, and the makeup. I got a picture of me in costume, and will share it on facebook after the season is over, which will be in less than a week. I see it as a good deal, as it gives me comedy material. I may be a volunteer, but some of them are paid. I get a free meal, it is something to do, and I know I have done my job well when I hear people swearing at me as I know I have scared them. I made sure to wash off the makeup before I left, especially knowing I would be performing karaoke. although when I arrived at the venue, it looked like some were in costume. but I knew my outfit, the street clothes, didn't match the makeup.

get over it, eagles

I saw a facebook posting from the d.c. native tonight and he spoke of this being the golden age of victim culture. I asked if that was the 1990s, and offered up 'get over it', a song by the eagles, as evidence. since it includes lyrics such as 'don't blame me, victim of this, victim of that, billy (Shakespeare) was right, kill all the lawyers, the world don't owe you a thing'. he said social media has led to the victim culture surpassing the 90's, as it is now traded like currency. I said I was giving him that one, as the song was around before the internet became a big thing. I still see the song as relevant though, in many ways timeless, especially when it starts with mention of 'turning on the TV' much like another social commentary song I really like, 'sign of the times' by prince.
   this started out as a low-energy day, as I was still smarting over the job rejection of the previous day. I shared my frustrations with a mentor that I hadn't spoken with in two weeks. it prompted me to schedule an appointment with an employment agency that I had spoken with earlier this month. it was a little disappointing how two job leads appear to be with a company I had already applied with, but has yet to invite me for an interview. hard to follow and remember and understand all of the stupid rules of job searching. especially when I thought letting my HR contact know when I've applied would give me a leg up, but it largely hasn't when I've had just one interview in the past two weeks.
    but then what happened? I applied with the last of the five job fair companies from last month, three separate applications, one was an outright rejection but another led to an invite for a phone interview. of course I was surprised to hear this. another sent an email, so at least I had more options than I did.
   eventually after I got home from the appointment I decided to lay down and fell asleep for a while. then I knew it was time to get up and find dinner somewhere, and I got a sandwich on the way to a haunted house, fright farm in Maplewood, at the ramsey county complex where the fair is in the summer, in the month of july. it was helpful to go early, arriving just after it opened for the night, at 7pm. also what kept the crowd down some, I would expect, is being colder due to snowfall. I was in and out by 7:30, so I was thankful to have more time this evening before I attended another event. I went to the tim Horton's donut shop in the same town, arriving just before closing time, and got some pumpkin spice coffee with a donut. a couple arrived just after I did, odd that they left their car running while going inside, something that I wouldn't do.
   the second event was a burlesque show, and as usual there was some re-used ideas there. but some new ones as well, which I said were brilliant. and one dancer arrived in a purple outfit, and I said it sounded like a prince song and it was, 'pussy control' (or p. control). I was still kind of hungry after the show so I found another sandwich on the way home. there was a part of the crowd that was in the bar area waiting for a concert to begin at the adjacent venue. some had Halloween costumes on, and some were inspired by 'the simpsons' such as mayor quimby.

bill nye movie

I went to a film festival in st. louis park this afternoon, as there was a documentary or bio-pic there about bill nye, the science guy. I mainly know him from being a guest star on 'big bang theory'. it spoke of doing debates with those who believed in creationism, and this included the man who founded the creation museum in Kentucky, I've heard a little about it. along with a 'noah's ark' amusement park. I liked learning something, as usual. it was said his science show was a popular one, I just haven't seen it. so popular that it is shown in schools.
   there was plenty to do. I got my car out of the shop, then it was on to the library to print some things, such as the ticket for a job fair at a hotel near the mall of America. I wanted to get there even earlier, especially when the same thing happened at another one, some companies left an hour early. I spoke with two companies and gave them my resume, I will find out soon enough what the results are. there was even recruiters for the U.S. army, but I said I am probably too old for that. we shook hands though, as I said I had some college roommates who served in the military.
   I had a near miss on the way to the movie, as somebody pulled out of a parking lot and just didn't see me, I slammed on the brakes just in time. there's something to be said for defensive driving.
   after the movie I went to a community center that was having their annual spaghetti dinner. I had been there many times before. there is also a library in the same building. and I liked the art painted onto to book drop outside the main entrance. though it is hard to have people wait on me, as is done at this dinner. I am used to serving myself. the server got me the spaghetti, and I got myself the water. the bread and butter was already at the table, and I got myself the pumpkin bar and later on a brownie. I got some photos of what I saw, such as using a thesaurus as a paper-weight for the balloons. and there was music playing, it was Italian dinner party music, according to the CD case.
  I watched a little of the pro football game as well, it was the dolphins vs. the ravens. then eventually I knew I wanted to get on the road and perform at a karaoke bar, what I normally do this night of the week as I like my stage time. it meant more after getting an email saying my candidacy for last week's interview was 'unsuccessful'. I've said it before how performing is a healthy outlet for me, as I am often dumping pain that way. I did three songs. it was 'doll parts' by hole, 'whatever' by godsmack, and 'today' by smashing pumpkins. the last one was one I had wanted to do at a different venue over the weekend, but was told they didn't have it even though it was in the book. the first two I had wanted to do for a while. as far as I know, I haven't repeated any songs yet, as there are so many that I want to do.

broken seat belt

my car is still in the shop, due to a broken seat belt. it just wouldn't recoil. I am still waiting as I was told that the delivery was made to the wrong midas shop. so it meant more time taking buses or walking. I walked over to a dairy queen to use a 2-for-1 blizzard coupon that was expiring today. I got some minis, cheaper and I felt better about eating both before I went home. I knew the second one probably would have melted before I got it home. judge judy was on while eating them, it was a case about facebook photos. more proof of how we live in the facebook era.
  I watched one of the movies on loan from the library, it was 'saddest music in the world'. it caught my eye was it was about a music contest in Winnipeg in 1933, during the depression. the movie was released in 2004, and is Canadian. it may have been why I hadn't heard much about it before.
   I performed at two venues tonight. I did a longer set at the second one, and had a guitar player as part of my set. I did ones about a karaoke bar, walking to the festival, seat belt, the hockey game, dairy queen, and a callback to another comic who had spoken about going to catholic school. I got a card from a guitar player, not the one onstage during my set, for a show she is doing next month. I will have to see if I can make it there, but it is a venue I have performed at. so I would like to see this venue again.

cooper's grocery store

today one of the 2 st. paul locations for cooper's grocery store closed. it was the one in sibley plaza, near MSP airport. I have been to both st, paul locations, but not the one in chaska. I went to the sibley location one last time, in the final hour they were open, scheduled to close at 6pm. I got two items, a block of cheese and a box of 3 microwave popcorn bags. this one is larger than the other st. paul location, which is closer to downtown. the other one is famous as a movie, the sequel to 'grumpy old men', was filmed there as they wanted the feeling of a small-town grocery store. I got some photos as well, much like during other final visits.
  I put my car in the shop this morning, hopefully it will be ready soon. it meant taking the bus to the wild hockey game tonight, they played Vancouver. the wild lost 1-0, and the only goal was scored midway through the 3rd. not many penalties in this game. I had hoped to see my college roommate there, but it was not to be. he notified me on facebook earlier in the day that he couldn't make it, had to give up his tickets. bummer, since I don't see him that often. I got the giveaway item, it was given out when leaving, a calendar. I got some mini donuts at the game, and some bottled water as well. I try to eat before I go as I know it can be expensive to eat at these sports arenas.
   I may not have watched any movies on video today, but I did get more comedy souvenirs into a binder, it was 10 pages in all. 3 more went into another binder.

running scared, roy orbison

I did some karaoke tonight, as I didn't make it in time to an open-mic. I did 'running scared' by roy orbison. I will have to admit I chose that one as I had seen the concert video on DVD. although this song is just over 2 minutes, so my karaoke stage time for the night was short.
   at first I was planning on going to an open-mic, since I was unsure if any of my reviews would be airing. but I was told there was some speaking parts available, so I told myself that works for me. this of course is the 30-minute show, my role was an unscripted interruption of a news anchor segment. many others did this, we took turns. I was also in the one about physical fitness, although I had no outfit that fit the scene, I was wearing jeans. pizza was ordered and we ate it in the breakroom at the studio, first time in a while that I had rocky rococo pizza. I sometimes had it while living in iowa, but it had been a while. part of the show included a musician, I liked hearing his two songs. what I was most moved by was the mention of the state's nickname- land of 10,000 lakes- since I have now lived in Minnesota for a while.
    I got two more movies from the library, and that meant returning the two I had from over the weekend. I spent some more time with them before returning, as there was more notes to take from the special features of one of them. with the other, the roy orbison movie, I wanted to see it in full as I was unsure if I had in the first try as I was tired that night. I also returned a shirt that didn't fit, too small. it was given to me the previous day at the bowling event I attended. I probably should have checked the size before accepting it, but the most important thing is recognizing rather quickly that I couldn't use it. I hate seeing things go to waste, so I am hopeful that it goes to somebody who will wear it since it will fit them.

saving brinton movie

tonight I went to see a movie at st. Anthony main in Minneapolis, 'saving brinton'. it is about an iowa man that 'inherited' a big collection, including some long-lost movies from the silent era. as an iowa native I figured there would something I would enjoy about this documentary, and I was right. I liked seeing how my college, the university of iowa, helped with this story. I read about this movie in the Friday edition of the star tribune and figured this kind of film doesn't get long at theaters, often just one week. so I needed to see it now. loved the tie he was wearing, depicting the famous grant wood painting 'American gothic'. I am not too familiar with the towns shown in it, besides iowa city of course. we see ainsworth, and Washington, in eastern iowa. this film travels a lot, going to the library of congress in the nation's capital. then on to france and Italy as well. I liked seeing potlucks and parades being depicted, it is familiar from growing up in that state. when I decided to see it I first thought of Vivian maier, the street photographer, in terms of a big collection being unearthed.
   I do not see movies here as often as another 'arthouse' theater, the lagoon. but I am always so moved when I go to st. Anthony. it is because of the view I get when leaving the theater, directly outside the doors. it is so calm there, on the river looking directly across to see a big bridge and the city's skyline. I tried to get a photo of the view, but hard to do at night, too dark. there are some pluses to the neighborhood that the lagoon is in, uptown, as it is a busy one. no problem finding food there- if you don't want to eat at the theater. but I still like the calmness at st. Anthony, it can keep me grounded in this sometimes crazy world we live in.
   I did laundry in the morning, after watching more from a Charlie brown movie. then at midday I went to a bowling outing. I bowled two games, cracked the century mark in the first but not the second. I liked having some pizza there. then it was on to filming some reviews. but I get there and find out it was not to be, postponed. so I went to the gas station as I was low on fuel, then drove home. when I got there I knew how tired I was during the drive, kept yawning. so I slept for a while and then had dinner and did the dishes before going to the movie.

10k laughs at VFW

I went to 3 shows with the 10k laughs festival today. one started after midnight in a basement venue, and the third was at a micro-brewery. the second was at the VFW in uptown Minneapolis. I liked seeing so many people I knew there, in the crowd like me but some of the performers as well. I got plenty of photos from the day, and will eventually share them on facebook. I decided to make it count as to which shows I attended, especially when some were performers I don't see that often. the button was MC for two of these shows, and she was in the crowd at the VFW show. international falls was at the midnight show, and a Chicago comic that spoke of working at a grocery store was at the brewery show. Wisconsin man asked for photos at VFW, after seeing I had a camera, but it sounded like his request was to send them in a  private message on facebook as he said messenger. so those will be kept separate from the others. I even said I am thankful to have shared the stage with the Wisconsin couple, and pleased to have them as friends, so I know well enough to honor any requests they might have. I did three, all from different angles. and I figured it best to get close to the stage while I was taking them, as for much of the show I was in the back. I liked being able to sit at a table next to a fellow university of iowa grad. he heard about some of the weird interactions I've had lately, and said they were good enough to tell onstage. so on my list they will go. the VFW show had bingo cards, and when I won I submitted my card and got a festival shirt. the photos I took of this venue included the price list for the merch and a view of the merch as well.
    I still had some other things to do of course, since the weekend is also about chores and errand running. that included not just going to my PO box, where the Sia greatest hits CD had arrived, but also the grocery store. after getting groceries this evening I went to do some karaoke, and did 2 songs. it was 'you don't own me' by Lesley gore, and 'rock in the USA' by john mellencamp. had to find another song to do after I was told one selection was not available, so I did the Lesley gore song as it had been on my list for a while.

veronika decides to die movie

I found more movies at the library. this evening I watched 'veronica decides to die', starring sarah michelle Gellar. she plays a resident at a mental hospital, sent there after a suicide attempt. naturally I thought of other films at mental hospitals while seeing it. first would be 'girl, interrupted'. this is based on a book by Paulo Coelho, who I know also wrote 'alchemist'. I read that one as it was highly recommended by my 'ohio friend'. much like 'I smile back' I found some inspiration for my writings due to watching it. I have to accept being inspired whenever it happens, however unsettling or disturbing the inspiration might be to some or even to myself. I liked watching the 'special features' as well, interviews with the filmmakers. this included, but was not limited to, the director.
   I also watched a concert film about roy orbison, called 'black and white night'. it was filmed in late 1987 and was originally shown on a cable channel, cinemax. on the special features they showed the original packaging from the VHS version, from 1988. the DVD version that I was watching arrived about 10 years later.
   I registered for COBRA benefits this morning, after having to call about it as it kept saying 'invalid' when I tried to enter my user-ID and password. found out it meant re-registering, which of course left me feeling disgusted. but at least it didn't take long to do. also manually typed my resume into a response to an earlier email to an employer, who said he wasn't receiving my resume when I was sending it. as I've said before, technology is wonderful only when it works. this first week of being 'on vacation' has been fine, but I know I should have a different lineup of activities next week. there are a few exhibits I want to see, and one of them closes next month so of course I am running out of time and don't want to wait until the last minute. there are also some Halloween-themed places that I want to see.
    Actually the first movie of the day that I saw was 'the librarian', starring noah wyle. it appeared to be a sequel of some sort, couldn't find the original though. I chose this one as bob Newhart played his boss at the library in new York city. king Solomon, from the Bible, was the main theme for his adventures in this one. and in the evening I went to the karaoke venue and performed 'rearview mirror' by pearl jam. the show-runner, a children's entertainer known for making balloons, likes to hug me and I am fine with that.

i smile back movie

watched two more movies today. the first was 'I smile back', starring sarah silverman. it was recommended by a former boss, who knows I am a comic and of course sarah is as well. it was hard to watch at times, that I will admit. since it was about a suburban housewife that drinks a lot and does drugs like cocaine. there is one part where she is sent to rehab. and I know the scene where she visits her estranged dad got a strong reaction out of me. this is the kind of movie that inspires me to write, as it is easier to find the passion that I am looking for.
   I have said before how I can explore some dark parts of my life in my writings, the things that did happen and some that didn't but could have. I even said so when performing last night, where I made a reference to an intervention. but thankfully I haven't was low enough where an intervention was needed. I think it is just as much about how I don't want to get too comfortable while I am 'on vacation'- and I probably won't be- but you never know. although whenever I see mention of going to rehab or to a mental hospital in a story it makes me think of 'girl, interrupted' and how I 'seemed to understand' well the struggles that the main character was going through. also how she likes to say 'ambivalent' and I like saying that word as well. why is that? since like many other performers, I am aware of how fragile our mental health can be. and performing is our coping mechanism. sure beats seeing a therapist, where the ones i saw just didn't seem to have answers for me, had to figure most of it out on my own. I had even less patience with the second therapist, as i was doing stand-up by then and I really needed somebody that understood performers. there is another movie on my list where the main character ends up in a mental hospital. it is one of five on 'list one' so unsure as to when it will top the list, so many good movies I found and wrote down this week.
   I am proud of how I am staying active during this time, and I have left my home for more than just performing. I have to get the movies back to the library. and there was a voicemail saying my new glasses from last week's appointment were now ready. I went there after the library, and after going to the ATM. I was bummed that an ATM in a booth was out of service, so I had to keep going. I was ready to sing 'need a doctor', the Eminem song that was about his mentor, dr. dre. since he refers to 'crying in this booth'. I made another step on becoming more serious on finding more paid writing and comedy gigs by contacting a writer friend through facebook. she had inspired a posting where I became more willing to share some of the ugliness of what my high school years were like. I printed some articles from her website, and creating my own website will likely help me find more of these kinds of gigs that I want.
   the other movie I watched was 'inequality for all', a documentary by Robert reich, a former cabinet member from the Clinton years. it was about the uneven distribution of income in America, and what it means to our economy. there was some footage from a college class he was the instructor of, at UC- Berkeley. as an iowa native it meant something to see senator tom harkin in the deleted scenes.
   I made it to the karaoke venue tonight, didn't watch much of the raiders-chiefs game on TV. I did two songs, 'plowed' by sponge, and 'take a bow' by rihanna. I did take a bow after I was done with the latter song. I saw a fellow comic there, hadn't seen him in a while. one of his claims to fame was playing a hipster on a TV show, and another was being arrested for being part of a group that was shooting squirt guns at a 'peddle pub'. 

dixie chicks, shut up and sing

I am still fine with enjoying being 'on vacation' and it means more movies from the library. actually this time it was three. first was a documentary about mary tyler moore, from 2015 on public TV, better than what was aired this year just after she died. then there was 'shut up and sing', about the Dixie chicks and the controversy after front-woman natalie maines saying she was ashamed that the president, George w. bush, was from texas as the second Iraq war was about to begin. plenty of interviews in it, and some footage from concerts as well. I do have one of their CDs, the one called 'home' and have sang one of their songs at a karaoke bar. it was 'long time gone', I liked how many country singers were name-checked in it. I liked how it showed their perspective of the controversy and fallout from it. but those of you that know me best know I like documentaries.
   I returned them and got two more, and watched one of them already. it was 'fastball', as a big fan of baseball I was pleased to find it. and yep, another documentary. I have met one of the players in it, rich gossage. he was signing autographs at a st. paul saints game a few years back. he was honored by the iowa cubs when he became a hall of fame inductee, as he played for the triple-A des moines team when they were the iowa oaks, and a white sox team.
   also made it to the performance venue, and spoke of what I had been doing in the past week, as usual. so it meant mention of watching the movies, but also Oktoberfest and seeing a panhandler on the way to the venue, and  a version of 'wish you were here'.

nashville movie

I am continuing to stay active while on 'vacation' by watching movies I checked out from the library. the next one happened to be called 'nashville', a satire of the country music industry in that town, from 1975. the Wikipedia article said the movie was selected for preservation in 1992. I have heard of movies that are designated as 'national treasures'. this was a 'busy' movie to say the least. there were so many characters in it, 24 in all. I recognized some of the actors in it, such as ned beatty and lily tomlin. most memorable would have to be the british journalist, since she seemed to be in most every scene. her character was written as being from the BBC and producing a documentary. at one point it showed her in a junkyard for cars, and a school bus barn. I do like satire, and this movie works for me. my guess is that some of the characters were based on actual people. I like the honesty found in satires. not much of this movie actually showed music being performed, but this didn't bother me any.
   I also made it to the performance venue. I did ones about 'you first', Oktoberfest in new ulm, watching 'weekend at bernies', and started off with a response to what one of the MCs said. I don't live in the basement at the venue, don't even know if they have a basement. after I left the venue I saw the beer pitcher that became a tip jar. a bartender said it was stolen by kids who claimed they wanted to work there. but they only got away with a dollar, so it didn't bother them at all. sounds like they are pleased to have the tip jar back.

sex, lies, videotape movie

I was able to find the movie 'sex, lies, videotape' at the library in shoreview, after going to a job interview in the same town. I liked how the movies are just grouped by letter instead of by category, made it easier to find. I have seen plenty of shows starring james spader, and he is good in this one. he is the one that comes to town, a college friend of the lawyer that is cheating on his wife with her sister. he likes to film women talking about sex. this is another movie that had been on my list for a while, much like 'weekend at Bernie's'. the thing I said was that of course he was going to be found out. he ends up interviewing both women. this movie was mentioned in an article about disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. it was distributed by a company he founded with his brother, Miramax. the Wikipedia article states that the two left the company while it was owned by Disney, and founded another movie studio. I was quite familiar with the Miramax name, as they also were the distributor for my favorite movie, 'good will hunting'. I had seen some shows that the two women had been in, as they are played by andie MacDowell and laura san Giacomo. of course laura played the friend of the julia Roberts character in 'pretty woman'.
    I got the day started fairly early, wanting to see I was ready for the job interview. I checked online and found out how early the post office opened, since it wasn't my typical day to go I had to confirm it as I wanted to pick up an amazon order. it was a book about geneaology, and the other order I made last week was for a music CD. eventually I will have to find out if my dad has a version of the same book, my guess is he does. I got a reprint of a book that was published in 1921, in paperback.
   I would like to think the interview went well enough, although I wonder if one thing I did was a good idea. near the end I heard my phone ring, it was in my pocket. so I pulled it out and shut it off, and apologized as I thought I had shut if off. I had questions ready for them, three in all, and one was about the benefits they are offered. I am told it is a good idea to have questions besides when I expect to hear more, which will be later in the week.
  I got stage time at the comedy club tonight. I did ones about seeing 'forrest gump' at my hotel during my iowa city visit, a bank holiday, I can't believe he really did it, visiting new ulm, the movie 'weekend at bernies', and a callback where I spoke about learning French in high school.

weekend at bernie's movie

I found the movie 'weekend at Bernie's' on loan from the library and watched it this evening. it had been on my list for a while. I recall seeing the preview while still in high school. 'the only way they survive the weekend, is to make it look like Bernie did'. I said 'you're an idiot' numerous times while watching the movie, so it is more evidence of how I am a 'stodgy academic'. I know it is a 'screwball comedy' so I had to allow for that. I made it a facebook posting and I got some likes for it. the comic known as whopper is a big reason why it became higher priority to see it. he does plays, and one of them was a mashup of this movie with the founding fathers. I am trying to think of how often I actually laughed while watching it, probably not as often as others. but I am thankful I got it crossed off my list. I was trying to find another movie when I saw this one. at this particular library they have the movies in distinct categories and that can make them harder to find.
  'the simpsons' episode was about Maggie having the talent of whistling, it had some swipes in it at child stars. thankful I got chores and errand running done such as going to the grocery store, and doing the dishes. although my neighborhood grocery store is closing soon, in just over a week from now, some in some departments there is not much left. so it meant getting a few items that were 'close enough' in terms of what my needs were. and I decided to get a tube of Aim toothpaste as well, since there weren't many left and it saves me from having to find it at another store.

copywriting class at the loft

this morning I went to the loft in Minneapolis and did a 3-hour class on copywriting. found out the instructor knows a local comic, 'wallpaper now'. and another class member asked me if I knew a certain journalist, I said I did as he interviewed me for the article that was published in December. it was helpful to take the class, hearing about various concepts and preferences to get ahead in this industry. also saw two comics on the lower level after the class was done, they got me stage time last month at a nearby venue. it was midday by then, so I knew I needed to get on the road to new ulm for Oktoberfest. I stopped at the bobby and steve's and got a little godfather's pizza first.
    I arrived in new ulm around 2:30pm, it was light rain for much of my drive there. I had to get tickets for food and drink in the middle of town, I got popcorn, root beer, and apple strudel. also got a concord singers CD at the chamber of commerce after finding out it had a slightly higher price at a nearby store. and I made it to the glockenspiel for the last performance of the day, at 5pm. then it was a quick side trip to sleepy eye to see the linus statue in front of the library, across the street from the hardee's. I had a chocolate shake there, the order-taker gave it to me for free. at first I thought he was joking, I even said I spend a lot of time around jokesters. there was also the visit to the fountain inside german park, I pitched a penny into it. and there was having a beer at turner hall, finally out to the hotel at the edge of town. was a holiday inn, now a best western. I had a landjaeger on a bun with sauerkraut, and some german chocolate cake along with some more schell's beer. I liked hearing the band in the middle of town when I arrived, so many songs I knew. such as 'hey jealousy' by the gin blossoms, 'mrs. robinson'- first done by simon and Garfunkel. others were 'basket case' by green day, and 'plowed' by sponge. the last one i knew as the one that has the line 'in a world of human wreckage'. I also danced a little when I got to the hotel, with the narren- the costumed ambassadors. it was 'the burger song' and 'the chicken dance'.
    I brought CDs for the drive to and from there, played four of them out of five. then I had the car radio on for the rest of the drive, as I was getting close to the cities by then. I had hoped to make it home without having to stop along the way, but it was evident that I was tired so I stopped at the holiday gas station in Jordan. it was really helpful to do so, got a can of Coca-Cola and two candy bars in the discount bin. I ate one of them, and will be saving the other for a later day. it was nice how I didn't take long with cleaning out my car. there was some food and drink containers, tourist items, the CDs and the notebook from the class. but it meant gong inside to get a bag so I could gather it all up, and there still was some light rain so I put my rain jacket back on.

all eyez on me movie

this afternoon I watched the movie 'all eyez on me', a bio-pic about rapper/actor tupac shakur. I have heard the old adage of 'live by the sword, die by the sword' and it seems to apply here. it is mostly a series of interviews while in prison, and I liked this different way of telling the story compared to most bio-pics that I have seen. but this movie is still violent and has plenty of drama, so at times it was hard to watch. I am familiar with how these kinds of movies have a disclaimer saying 'some scenes and characters were invented for dramatic effect' and I have a good idea which of these scenes would fit this description. I had seen 'straight out of compton' so I liked the connection between these two movies as it does cover Tupac's time with death row records. I do recall how his death-being murdered in las vegas in 1996- was a big deal. I also recall clipping an article about the 1996 MTV video music awards, as it had a photo of the band smashing pumpkins with it. and the last line of the article mentioned tupac. 'where's shakur?' an officer said hurriedly. although this was during the time when I was unemployed for 3 1/2 months after I graduated from college, so I try not to remind myself about that time too much. they did cover many of the movies he was in, but I don't think I have seen any of them. will have to check IMDB to see what they all are, and see if any of them interest me. I had also seen 'notorious' about the rapper known as 'notorious BIG' so I was a little familiar with this rapper as well, and he is part of the tupac story as well.
    this was my last day at the office, done around 12noon. not much to do on the last day, much like a last day when I travel somewhere. check out of the hotel and get on the road. and of course pack up. I had more than expected to pack up, a box and a bag. I still threw out some more items as they just didn't fit in what I had, and I abandoned a few items as well, leaving them in the main breakroom. I knew I would leave behind the two spider plants, no space for them at home and probably not enough light for them to keep growing. there was goodbyes all around, and I exchanged business cards with an I.T. man who had spent time in texas. there was a line to turn in your badge and the signed severance form, so I waited a while to get in line, finally near 12noon. I wanted to see that all things were in order, such as forwarding some messages to my Hotmail account. and getting things set up for my benefits, so I can access the website away from work. that meant changing the password. and it meant my 'work spouse' was helpful one last time, by forwarding something to me about the benefits. got a card from a colleague that is from iowa like me, we did bridge walks and WII dancing together. I said I will be fine, as I can afford to turn down bad job offers. and I do have an interview already scheduled for Monday. as I was walking through the skyway, I stopped at the metro transit location to check the balance on a card I had and I was pleased to find out there still was $23 on it. so I have something that works even though the other one will be inactive now. also notable was talking to our security guard as I was leaving and I spoke of performing, and she said she cries when hearing 'under pressure' by david bowie and queen, the song I said I did when at a karaoke bar the night before. so more evidence of how performing is a good thing for me, as people take notice.
  I found things to do in the evening, went to a high school football game in north st. paul. robbinsdale cooper won 46-7, it was 25-7 at the half. it was homecoming for north. I liked the senior girls dancing at midfield at halftime, a reason why I like going this game each year. I would have liked having this much confidence to dance in front of others at that age. also spoke with somebody who drove a bus for cooper, he said he was a truck driver for the star tribune paper for a while but had retired from that job a few years back. and I found my way to a karaoke venue after the game, and performed 'life is a highway' by tom Cochrane. it was one of two songs I heard when getting into my car to get to a holiday gas station in the afternoon. the other was 'water under the bridge' by adele. so they will remind me of my last day, much like 'this love' by maroon 5 does of my last day at my job in suburban Chicago back in early 2004.

under pressure, david bowie and queen

tonight I went to perform some karaoke, after I fell asleep in my easy chair while watching a football game, eagles vs. panthers. I chose 'under pressure' by david bowie and queen as one line in particular stood out for me. 'this is our last dance' as I have been saying it often at the office lately, as my job is ending soon. I watched the video on youtube, and there is plenty of black and white footage in it. also people trying to get to work on the train, or of course walking. then there is also depictions of building being imploded, or even a bridge. and cars being scrapped. when I started off I said 'no, not ice ice baby'. I recall in a 'Wayne's world' book how this was named as one of their favorite songs. I also liked seeing a young lady with blonde hair, braided and in a tail, and wearing glasses, singing a johnny cash song, 'big river'. since it mentions st. paul in it. I even said so after she was done.
   at the office, I threw out some more files and printed some more emails. also applied for another job. I called some people that left voicemails, had to turn down the job offers as they weren't good offers. they've mostly been temp jobs. one of them appears to be a job I am already interviewing for next week, but I didn't tell them that. I went to use the fitness center on the lower level one last time, at midday. I used the pedaling machines for about 10 minutes.
 

indecent exposure witness

I see all kinds of things while performing, though what I witnessed tonight- indecent exposure- may be the weirdest. I started off with covering the movie 'forrest gump', saw it over the weekend while in iowa city and cedar rapids. then I hear a crowd member yell 'lt. dan!' and it seemed to be fair warning of what was to happen. then later on I hear 'show me your tits' and then 'show me your thing' (the latter request was made twice). shortly after leaving the stage I see this man walking to the bathroom and he shows me his thing. he was probably drunk. I went to the MC, who shook my hand, and said 'he actually did it' as I was in disbelief about it. I was just trying to shut him up, and when I said 'you first' I wasn't expecting to see what I saw. I have seen some crazies while performing, so I have accepted that it is the 'nature of the beast'. and it is comedy material now.
    I applied for more jobs near the end of the day, seven in all. five were with a bank, and the other two were not. there were a few things that I looked forward to, such as the luncheon at midday. we had pasta from cosetta's (sp?). I am thankful I went when I did. the food arrived just before 11:30am, and I went to the conference room just a few minutes later and much of it was gone by then. most, but not all. there was some salad, and dessert items, as well. as usual, I had water as my drink. I walked around downtown st. paul some after I was done eating, though my camera battery shut off so the photography didn't happen. then I had an eye appointment in the evening, though I was a few minutes late. I said I went to the wrong eye clinic at first, in a different strip mall. since there are two, and it depends on if one turns left or right at that light. I had a sandwich at a nearby jimmy john's after the appointment.
 

baby food in breakroom

various items are being left in the breakroom to be claimed by others since we are in transition now. much of it is books, novels. but there are other things, even I have left things on the tables in there. but what looked really odd to be in there was numerous jars of baby food.
   not as much to do at the office, though after what likely was a 'phishing' email claiming my inbox was over the limit I did spend some time deleting sent messages from many years ago. my work spouse got the same email. I applied for another job, and the site leader wanted to make his rounds since he is out on business later this week when some of us will have reached our last day. I saw the attorney on the bus in the evening, I had just missed a bus and had to wait for the next one. she spoke of preparing more for her speech, sounds like it would be for a crowd of well over 200. and how she was getting moral support for it. I liked hearing about her kids, a son, age 4, and a daughter, age 2. the son likes legos, and the daughter is up early in the morning. I spoke of how I like writing about those that I meet from wherever I go and whatever I do.
   I made it to the performance venue in the evening, and did ones about a comic talking about FDR, tom petty songs, visiting cemetery, who moved my cheese, and bank holiday.
   I found more family history online as well, inspired by the cemetery visit over the weekend. and it looks like there is a book I can order on amazon that is about this subject. I have a code from august that is still unused, and decided to see what else I could get and I like getting a greatest hits CD of songs by Sia. already have 3 of her CDs but this one is mostly songs that I don't know, even earlier ones as two of the CDs I already have were much more recently produced.

shots at bar after TD

I was watching the bears-Vikings football game at the bar, waiting for the show to start where I would be performing. when the Vikings scored a TD the bartender, a lady wearing a bears shirt, gave all of us a shot to drink. o said I would drink it as long as I don't have to dunk it in the beer I already had. I did ones about the final article, the unsophisticated one, not a house, tom petty songs, iowa football weekend, visit cemetery, who moved my cheese, and bank holiday.
   It was my first day back at the office after being out of state for part of the weekend, and thankfully there weren't many emails waiting for me, 11. I had many people say in passing how they liked the final article. and it was nice to get gift card points for it, though I had to go to my 'work spouse' to confirm who sent it. there were a few meetings today to keep me busy for a while. there was a phone interview in the morning, then a one on one with a mentor I was assigned, and finally the flu shot in the afternoon. saw the attorney on the bus in the evening, she spoke of a speech at a conference coming up. she said she doesn't do as much public speaking as I do, but I said there still was a need for her kind of public speaking.

 

shoes instead of shredder

I spent the day recuperating after the day trip to iowa. plenty of resting, but also decided to get around to a return and exchange. didn't need the shredder, for some reason the one I had started working again. but I had another need, and Walmart has shoes. needed to replace mine before the colder weather sets in. also called my dad in the evening. and the simpsons episode was about lisa and marge doing a graphic novel called 'sad girl'.

family heritage, part 2

after the iowa hawkeye football game, I went searching for migrant relatives that are buried in eastern iowa. I found them, but it wasn't easy. on the final approach, I had to drive on a gravel road for about 3 miles and I try to avoid those as much as possible. there were 5 graves on the printed online list that I had with me, and I found four of them. the 5th in the same row was too weather-beaten to read.
   good to see a hawkeye win, 45-16 over Illinois. iowa led 17-13 at the half.

kingston stadium

   after arriving in Cedar Rapids and checking into my hotel, I went to a high school football game at Kingston Stadium. It was likely my first visit there. I saw CR Washington play mason city, and wash won big, 46-7. it was 40-0 at the half, and there was a lightning delay in the 3rd quarter. I didn't have much else to do that night, so why not go to the game? this is the same reason why I waited out the delay.
   I had hoped to find a karaoke bar to perform at, but it was not to be. the one I went to does have it on some Fridays, but not all and not this one. so I left. I also did an online search this year and found out some more of my relatives are buried in a cemetery in eastern iowa, near cedar rapids. these would be 'migrants', instead of the ones I found in May, who were 'immigrants'. there was on-again off-again rain for much of my drive today, so the cemetery search will have to wait.
   I understand that my 'coda' article for the company newsletter is due to be published today, will see it when I get back.

two valerie songs

I made it to the karaoke bar tonight, after I fell asleep while watching a football game, sound familiar? happened last week as well. this one was patriots-buccaneers, patriots were leading 16-7 as I left. I heard two Valerie songs being performed, one was 'same boy I used to be', it was by steve winwood. the other was 'come on over', and apparently was first done by the zutons. a later version was done by mark ronson and amy winehouse. I had heard both before. I did 'shutting Detroit down' by john rich. I also saw a man I had recognized from before, but all I recall from our previous conversation was that he once lived in Chicago. he was talking to the karaoke jockey. the lady performing after me did 'born to die', by lana del rey. nice selection, also made me think of another lana song, 'dark paradise'.
   at the office I went through my files some more, still found some untouched ones. so of course more was thrown out, into the recycle bin. I did apply for two more jobs neat the end of the day. and I went to a meeting or presentation in our main conference room, it was about unemployment insurance through the state of Minnesota. they have an office in our building, a floor below us. I was scheduled to have one with a senior leader that helped me rewrite my resume, but it was moved to Monday. of course Friday is not available as I will be out of the office.
   I also heard from my college roommate, on facebook. he commented on a photo uploaded this week, a headshot from the studio in the brooklyns. he said 'cash in on my celebrity'. It prompted me to say something about getting a pocket schedule for the Minnesota wild hockey team. he plans on attending a game this month, and I have a number to call about ordering a ticket. the one game I saw last season, he attended as well.
   on my way to the karaoke bar, I stopped to get some roller grill items at super-America, the credit card machine was down so it was free. I said 'thank you so much'.

who moved my cheese?

there was a presentation in the main conference room at midday, and it meant showing the animated film called 'who moved my cheese?' I recalled seeing it before, when I was with the company in suburban Chicago, in 2001. of course it has a different meaning now. I liked mention of 'the writing on the wall'. and I liked how there was some cheese to be eaten at this event, appropriate when it is part of the title. I also packed up four copy paper boxes and sent them home in the evening, since I drove to work instead of taking the bus. I wanted to make the most of it, and I did. two were sent to my car at midday, and the other two at the end of the day. though I was winded by the time I got to that floor, the 4th, in the parking ramp. I also threw out more files, likely more than the previous day. I did talk on the phone with one employer, but they gave me sketchy information so not sure how to proceed with them.
   I made it to the performance venue tonight. I did ones about junk email, a grotto, rain songs, the movie 'how to succeed in business', in the house, and cheese at the meeting. also got one in about songs titled 'take a bow', as I have found four.

ickey woods

I made it to the performance venue tonight, and started off with a callback to an earlier joke that a comic did about NFL endzone celebrations. I said the debate is not a new thing, as I was thinking of elbert 'ickey' woods, who was a tailback for the Cincinnati bengals and had the 'ickey shuffle'. he did this shuffle again in a GEICO commercial, when he was going to get some cold cuts, a few years back. I also did ones about junk email, a grotto, rain songs, and the movie 'how to succeed in business'. I made it to another venue before this one, great to get a beer there as I get airline miles.
   at the office, I spent more time throwing out some of my files and turned to applying for 2 jobs in the afternoon. the HR man said 'let me know if you apply for anything that was one of the five companies at the job fair'. I also did the webinar, or dial-in meeting, for the copy-writing course through the writer magazine.

riding to the studio

I made it to the comedy club tonight, and I got a ride to the studio after seeing the list. I got rides from different people to an from there, no big deal. I said it was hard to see myself on film, much like why I don't watch my sets on youtube much. they aired the reviews of the taylor swift/def leppard DVD, as well as the movie 'southpaw'. I wanted to stay active after getting there, so I helped out where I could. at first I just wandered around and found another wing to the building.
   I made it to a karaoke venue after the show was done, and did 'bridge over troubled water' by simon and Garfunkel. wanted to do a rain song since it has been raining hard for part of the evening, but I didn't want to spend much time deciding about what song to do.
   I wrote my 'coda' article for the company newsletter, and submitted it before going to lunch at midday. it was harder than I thought it would be to write, as I started out with 4 pages and knew I had to do some serious editing. it meant taking out more than half of it. then I applied for 2 jobs. I wanted to do the article first as I wanted to avoid getting too emotional and knew I needed to move on to other things. I ended it with saying I liked doing the articles, and was taking a bow. I spoke about it with the attorney, who I rode the bus with in the evening. she spoke of how she would be doing a speech at a conference in Minneapolis at the end of next week.
   on my way to the karaoke venue, I got annoyed with a panhandler knocking on my car window when I was stopped at a light near the xcel center. no, he didn't get anything from me. and the car next to me didn't give anything either.


 

signed into skype

I signed into skype for the first time this morning. a match on e-harmony spoke of being on this site. I needed to upload a photo as well. and so it begins. less likely to shy away from anyone who says they are on the site. eventually I will have to figure out if I want to pay fees, same as with OK cupid. I responded to my first like on OK cupid this evening.
   it was a fairly busy day, starting out with doing laundry. then I got on the road to do more sketch filming, same place as three weeks ago, a garage with the 'don't mess with texas' sticker. I reviewed the movie 'southpaw', which has Eminem songs in it, and a comedy show DVD that ian bagg did. I had appropriate shirts on for both reviews. I liked how it didn't take long, done in about an hour. I said the idea if a road trip to Nashville is good, but don't know yet if my schedule allows it.
  in the evening I watched a DVD on loan from the library, 'how to succeed in business without trying'. I got it back to the library shortly thereafter. on the way home I stopped at a gas station as I needed fuel. also went inside and got an ice cream sandwich, as well as some donut holes. unsure if I had enough vanilla wafers for the week for snacking at the office or in the evening after work.