broken change counter

i wanted to turn in change at my typical branch, but the change counter was broken there. so I searched online and found another one, even called in advance to confirm it. I turned in a small amount, just under three dollars. but I wanted something to do today. I also went to a Walgreen and ordered some prints of photos. I hadn't done this since late august, after visiting the state fair. already got some likes on facebook when I posted some of them. besides the disc and photos, I also got some discounted candy. two pieces of reese's peanut butter, and a cookie that looked like a Christmas tree. although I liked the reese's way more. I will see how much of it is left by the end of the week, and I might get more of it. I also took a look around at a mall and got a postcard.
  plans are to go to a bar and sing some karaoke tonight, since it is a big deal to be performing on new year's eve when one is a performer. it will likely be a different venue compared to last year though. I did 3 songs, not many singers when I first arrived. it was 'enter sandman' by metallica, 'champagne supernova' by oasis, and 'folsom prison' by johnny cash. since the venue was serving champagne at midnight, it seemed like a good idea. one song performed reminded me of a joke by bathtub comic. since the lady was trying to sing the one about a Barbie doll, let's go party. but she spent just as much time laughing as she did actually trying to sing.

documenting consumption

every so often, I document consumption of some food items. I keep things like empty potato chip bags and candy bar wrappers in a refrigerator compartment and then write it down and then put them in the trash. according to the card I wrote on, as I saw writing on the other side, that this is the first time I had done it since august. no surprise how there were plenty of potato chip bags that were old dutch, as I like the 99-cent bags from super-America, now known as speedway. another common thing I saw was reese's peanut butter. I place the banana peels in there as well, so they don't stink in the trash can inside. I prefer to minimize the time spent there, so the peels went in the bag with the other items tonight, then outside shortly after that.
   as usual, I didn't do much today. I watched some of the pro football games, and went to the dollar store to get some bars of soap. it was the only thing I needed at this time. naturally as a Chicago bears fan I watched more of their game with the Vikings, but that was later on, starting after 3pm. the bears won 24-10 and will play the eagles next weekend. I did plenty of cleanup as well, such as running a vacuum on the rugs under my easy chair. there is plenty of sand to sweep up this time of year. I am fine with giving my car the day off every so often if I didn't have anywhere that I needed to go.

dollar stores, variety stores

I saw an online article today that said there was a 'backlash' against dollar stores. it went in-depth about the industry. the three best-known brands are: dollar tree, family dollar, and dollar general. those three have the most stores nation-wide, and the first two are owned by the same company. I had to check what their presence is in the twin cities. no surprise how I found the fewest stores for dollar general, don't know if I have been to one. I know I have been to the other two, and family dollar the most since it is the closest for me. I get a can of spaghetti and meatballs there every week. other items I sometimes get, when needed, include dish soap and toilet paper. it is closer for me than going to a Walgreen. some of the things mentioned in the article, in terms of the 'business model' or 'concept' I am familiar with. this includes how the stores are small and sometimes cramped, and a limited number of employees, who often perform various duties. I don't mind, as I know what I want and just want to get in and out. sometimes I have found some good CDs and DVDs there, but of course they are anything but new. one article said it can be a good place for finding books or novels, and I think it is the same thing with them as well- anything but new. there was mention of how these kinds of stores do well in low-income neighborhoods, especially after a grocery store has closed. and how the number of stores in this category have greatly increased during times of economic recession, while other stores aren't doing as well such as big-box department stores. much like any other kind of store, some things I would get there and some things I wouldn't. it is all about what each store has and what needs I have to fill. I have said it at times in online surveys I do for airline miles: just have what I need at prices I can afford. a Wikipedia article spoke of 'variety stores' in other parts of the world, of course they can be known by other names depending on the local currency. in great Britain they are called 'pound shops'. at one point they were known as 'five and dime', and Woolworth was well-known in that category. also no surprise how the store brand tends to be cheaper than a name brand, this is true at most stores. even though they have some food and grocery type items, I do not go there for my main weekly order as they don't have everything. I see boxes of cereal there, besides canned goods. and plenty of snack food as well. I have bought peanut butter crackers there.
    I am still in the Christmas spirit even though we are a few days past it. I watched two more DVDs this afternoon after I went to the grocery store. It was 'Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer' and 'the grinch'. probably was too busy performing on the nights they aired on TV. I also went on a search for egg nog. thankful I found some at the second store I went to, but after Christmas I know full well it won't be around much longer. a quart a week is fine with me during its season.
   I went to the Minnesota gophers hockey game tonight, my annual visit. I saw two former co-workers during the second intermission. the gophers lost to ferris state 3-2. gophers scored first, about 5 minutes into the game. then it was tied when ferris state scored with about 7 minutes left in the second, but the gophers went ahead again about 2 minutes later. it was tied again early in the 3rd, and ferris state went ahead with about 8 minutes left in the 3rd. there was a figure skater entertaining us during the first intermission. after the game I went home and watched part of the news, then I went to do some karaoke. I sang 'leaving on a jet plane' by peter paul and mary. 

covered wagon illusion

I checked my post office box today and one order was there. it was the one of the 'world's largest covered wagon' at a phillips 66 gas station in Nebraska. but getting a closer look at it, I see an illusion. where the store looks like a covered wagon, with the big wheels as well. I still like having it, though. and I placed four more orders on e-bay. two of them were postcards of entertainer bob hope. I also applied for more jobs on indeed. I turned my phone on early today, as opposed to waiting until the afternoon the previous day. I fielded three calls, the first was in reference to the 'phone tag' of the previous day. so now I have a phone interview set up for next week. one wanted donations, I turned them down. and the third said they had a job for me, but it was out of my driving range and I tend to be wary of companies that call me after saying they saw my resume on a site. I prefer emails over calls as I want to get a visual. 

  in the evening I did some karaoke. it was tough to decide at first, but eventually I went with 'soak up the sun' by Sheryl crow. it seemed like a good one on a cold night. kind of odd when I was at the bar, where somebody passed me a song binder but I told them I already had my song in and I get beer after that due to the wait there usually is to sing. but it is nice how I am recognized there, but it helps that I have become a regular, being there once a week. 

smile more

I did karaoke tonight, three songs. I spoke with a couple for a while at the bar and the lady said I should smile more. she also said I had really white teeth. I consider this to be another chapter of 'weird interactions with the general public'. I was about to leave when they arrived, had already done two songs but hadn't finished my beer yet. it started off with a joke that I responded to seriously. I ended up staying two more hours as I enjoyed talking to them fairly well. or maybe I should say to her, as she did most of the talking. at times I could tell her guy was getting bored as he kept putting his arm around her, trying to get her attention back. eventually it worked, as they were hugging and kissing by the time I did my third song. I found a comfort level of conversation with them, which can be hard to do when I am used to relying on having a 'R.B.F.' to get through life. she spoke of being diagnosed with cancer, also about visiting the Dominican republic. he spoke of being a truck driver. both had shoulder-length hair, hers was still blonde but his was gray. his hat was mostly black, but half of the bill was silver and looked like the pattern from a toolbox that is mounted to a pickup truck box. best way of describing it. and he was wearing a red santa shirt, which one could see at times despite wearing a jacket over it. oh, and he bought me a drink, the second beer that I drank tonight. at the end of the night she spoke of something that sounded vulgar, but must have been the name of a mixed drink. I said I've got to go, and I mostly drink beer anyway. this is more evidence of how karaoke bars look like a goldmine for comedy material as the people I meet there inspire many of the stories I end up telling. oh, another reminder of subjects I discussed with the lady. made sense when it is a karaoke bar and we talked about newer versions of songs, or 'covers'. the lady spoke of being from Wisconsin, and the man from Houston, texas. I got the ideas of what to sing just from the drive to the venue, parts of songs I heard on my car radio. it was 'no one is to blame' by howard jones, 'to be with you' by mr. big, and 'peaceful easy feeling' by the eagles. and to think, I figured it was going to be hard to top the story of who I first met tonight, a dude that wanted to brag about meeting someone that worked for prince. he admitted to being drunk, and he sang 'my way' by frank Sinatra. the same dude annoyed another patron at the bar, to the level of he having to tell the bartender about it. something about how he 'talked her ear off' she also came to sing, and did some adele songs.
    not much activity on the job front, aside from one voicemail on my phone. I responded to it, but it became 'phone tag'. it was an application that I had just filed a day earlier. I spent much of the day going through performing souvenirs and getting them into binders. first it meant seeing if I could 'shave' any sheet protectors, and I could-six in all. it meant some more doubling up in order to save the proper amount of space. so now I see some pages in a pile that will be shredded, as I decided to cut out from those pages what was most important to save. 

sears kitchen towels

I had some errand running to do on my list, including printing things at the library. this included a hockey ticket for the weekend. on my way home I stopped at the sears in st. paul near the capitol. I had made one previous stop there during the liquidation sale. this time I bought three items. it was two kitchen towels, and a pair of socks. I know well enough to get low-risk, low-cost items when it is 'all sales final'. there is not much merchandise left, so I would expect the store to close for good real soon, possibly at the end of the month. all told, the three items cost less than four dollars with all of the discounts. I got some photos as well, such as a sign saying 'what you see today, you may not see tomorrow'. it applies not just to a sale, but to life in general.
   I had lunch kind of late due to the visit to the sears store. I wanted to take a good look around. after I got home and ate, I went to a dollar store. before I went on my errand running, I applied for some more jobs, mostly ones saying 'apply on company site' from indeed. I considered going out to perform tonight, but I let the weather decide for me. there was plenty of snowfall in the evening, and the news said it was kind of slippery out there. so I was fine with staying in and watching some of the episodes from a DVD of the red skelton show. I still try to study the craft of comedy at times. it was in the back of my mind since my dad spoke of this performer in our call this week. I also went to a gas station and got some peanuts and an ice cream sandwich. It was a little slippery out there on foot, but thankfully I avoided falling. notable about what I bought was some of the ice cream was sticky and mashed. so it was hard for me to choose. so eventually I got an oreo sandwich on a stick.

mr. bodewell, growing pains

the rerun channels were doing plenty of Christmas episodes today, no surprise there. one of them I found was from 'growing pains'. I had seen the episode before, but it had been a while. it was about mr. bodewell, who threatened to kill himself by jumping down the seaver chimney while wearing his santa costume. I recalled the part about the meat and the Tupperware, and being on the roof, but not how it had ended. I don't know for sure why I got the least bit emotional while watching it. I watched more of 'yule log' as well, but I still shut it off at times if I had some other things to do.
    I posted on facebook how I would be doing my annual viewing of time-honored holiday shows on DVD. this included the charlie brown Christmas specials, as well as national lampoon's Christmas vacation. I got both of those completed before having lunch, which was pizza and beer. I know, not festive at all, but it still works for me. then it was on my way to a meetup event after eating. it was a walk at como zoo in st. paul, much like on thanksgiving. there seemed to be a larger crowd at this event compared to last month. I parked in the picnic area parking lot as there was a big crowd all around there. I had to think about and it made sense as to why. the weather was decent, and not much else was open. I got plenty of photos, including of a 'dear santa' note in the giraffe building, it was signed by the baby giraffe. the sloth was not available. I also performed in the evening, but it was a light crowd at the performance venue. when I arrived most people were outside, on a cigarette break.

happytime murders movie

i watched a redbox rental this afternoon, 'happytime murders'. I have a poster from when it was being promoted at the comedy club. I had a free night code to use that was going to expire in a week. it was from a microwave popcorn box. this was a weird movie to say the least. it was from the jim Henson 'muppets' production company, now run by his son, brian. it was about puppets getting murdered and one of the puppets in the movie was a cop, trying to figure out who did it. he was paired with Melissa McCarthy. In many ways, it reminded me of 'roger rabbit', but of course that was animated characters instead of puppets. I liked seeing the cop/private eye puppet driving a dodge dart car from the 1970s. some of the things making it weird was seeing swearing from the puppets, as well as porn.
    I went to a meetup potluck at a church in Minneapolis tonight. it was nice to see the postal accountant, he was at the first meetup event I attended , nearly 3 years ago. I brought a vegetable tray that was from cub foods. I did not play any card games or board games, but eventually I spoke with somebody more my age there, who was hard to find. he said he was a massage therapist. he was surprised to see some of his colleagues there. he liked hearing about my stories as a performer. when I was at cub foods to get the potluck item, I also decided to get a box of Christmas-themed cap'n crunch cereal as it was just a dollar. I also went to a church service after getting back from the meetup event. I liked getting a good look inside the fellowship hall after the service, even though no cookies and juice were being served. some art was on display, as well as a tree, and a wreath.
   my dad called me back this morning, and said he did have a battery problem with the phone and it just needed to be re-charged. he liked the railroad photos, said one of them was a steam engine and the other probably had vista-domes on it, a passenger train. also mention of how he rode something like it when going for military duty at fort ord. he shared some of his holiday plans, something about going to the casino on Osceola, Iowa. 'yule log' is on channel 5-2, or 45, I like watching it when it is on annually.

the mule movie

this afternoon I saw the movie 'the mule', starring clint eastwood, in Eagan this afternoon. the Vikings football game had just started when I was driving to the theater, and it had just finished when I left, the Vikings beat Detroit. I had seen plenty of TV ads for this movie. I recognized some of the actors besides just the lead, as I had seen brad cooper and larry fishburne before. they played federal agents. eastwood plays a geriatric drug runner in this one, in Illinois. the credits included mention of how it was inspired by a new York times article about a drug mule. another thing I noticed in the credits was an actress named Alison eastwood, and I checked Wikipedia and this is his daughter. I liked how there were some scenes at places that many would recognize, such as at a waffle house.
   I called my dad in the evening, and I was surprised to find out he hadn't seen it yet as he likes his clint eastwood movies. he said it hadn't made it to his small town in iowa just yet. this is the second weekend of wide release. the call ended when I think his phone battery gave out, he said he kept hearing beeps. it was time for the late news anyway, and it was an hour later due to football game running over. 'the simpsons' episode on tonight was the Christmas episode from 1990, when they got their dog, santa's little helper. I had seen it before, but it had been a while. for a while in the evening, before I called my dad, I went out for a walk even though it was kind of cold out there. I ordered a ticket for a gopher hockey game that will be played in less than a week. I looked at the prices for gopher basketball and I think I will pass this season. the hockey ticket was way cheaper, less than half as much.

a karaoke jockey returned

i went to two different karaoke venues tonight. at the first, it had been a regular one of mine for a while. I saw an invite on facebook for a holiday party there. I did one song, 'so lonesome I could cry' by hank Williams. eventually I met the event coordinator and said he was why I was there tonight. I like to use mnemonic devices to remember people, and will recall how he had a name matching a character in a john hughes movie. although I ended up talking to someone else even more, once I found out we both liked the movie 'good will hunting'. he said he bought one of the history books mentioned in it. I said I needed to go as I wanted to get to another venue, and it was snowing by then. no big deal finding my way there though, I learned a long time ago to be careful in winter weather.
  and I was surprised to hear somebody call out for me when I arrived at the second venue. it was a karaoke jockey I recalled from another venue I once frequented. she said she had quit that venue though, in response to me saying I hadn't seen her there in a while. she spoke of getting roped into singing, which I didn't mind as I really wanted to see her sing. she did 'my heart will go on' by celine dion. I was on later, a few singers after her, and did 'good vibrations' by marky mark and the funky bunch. the people at the table nearest the performance space really liked it, and got up to dance while I was singing it so I enjoyed seeing others enjoy it. the snow had stopped by the time I left the second venue, so of course it was no big deal getting home.
   I did some of the typical weekend errand running today, first of course was checking my p.o. box. there was just one e-bay order there. naturally there would have been more, but I had picked up a few others earlier in the week. later on, in the afternoon, I went to the grocery store. and after I got back I slept for a while, then went to another grocery store to get some things that I couldn't find at the first one, such as egg nog. then shortly after that it was on to doing karaoke.

cry freedom movie

I watched another DVD movie on loan from the library this morning, 'cry freedom'. I had heard about this movie for a while. I recalled interviewing a catholic nun in san diego in late 2006 and she said she had seen the movie, a big deal when she doesn't go to movies much. now I understand better some of the things that surrounded the movie's release, such as apparently some theaters showing it were bombed. it is the story of a journalist writing about those who have died in police custody during the apartheid era in south Africa. every so often I knew this nation was on the news, and I wondered if the movie would mention the Soweto uprising from 1976 and they did. I did not recognize any of the actors aside from those in lead roles- kevin kline and denzel Washington. it is long, over 2 and a half hours. the part about the need to leave the nation reminded me of another movie I had seen, 'not without my daughter'. no surprise how this movie needed to be filmed in another nation, the closing credits said it was filmed in Zimbabwe.
   I have some free redbox codes to use, so it might be a while before I get another movie from the library. no big deal there. not much activity on the job front, but no surprise this close to the holidays. I printed some things when I was returning the movie to the library. in the evening I went to do some karaoke. I did one song, 'the pretender' by foo fighters. a man approached me after I was done and he said he liked seeing people find the courage to sing. I spoke some about performing with him. he later sang a Michael Jackson song, 'the way you make me feel'. also notable was seeing some young ladies wearing Christmas lights like a necklace.

abandoned potato chips

for the second time this week, I was put and about and noticed an abandoned bag of potato chips. actually, the first time it was corn chips, but close enough. I took some care to inspect the bag first, and no it was unopened and no punctures anywhere, so I figured it still was edible. these were the lays honey barbecue, a fairly big bag, over 7 ounces. and I found a few coins during this afternoon walk, of course those were thrown into my change bank. this bag was found near a bus stop.
   I had a phone interview with an agency this afternoon, and hopefully they will find me something soon. but I let them know that another official from this agency got me an interview two days ago and I still haven't heard the result of it yet. this morning I drove to an office to complete an application. after calling them to confirm that the position was still available. I had received an email stating that I needed to complete the company's application and not just indeed's. it was a little annoying to find this out, two weeks after applying on indeed. they could have said something way earlier. either that, or I will see 'apply on company site'.
   I did some karaoke tonight, two songs. it was 'bang and blame' by REM, and 'orange blossom special' by johnny cash. I was in the mood to do a train song, likely due to sending some train photos to my dad this week. except the first one I looked for, 'driver 8' by REM, was not in the binder. I liked seeing the video for it, showing a train from chessie system, I found out this railroad has since been bought out. 

gender neutral bathrooms

i have found a new venue in my performing lineup tonight. the button had made a recommendation and I was second on the list. the show runner said he had seen me perform before. there were plenty of familiar people performing there. I liked seeing popcorn available. although I did not see the button tonight, but I said 'thank you' for the help in this area. once I find a venue I like, I tend to stick with it for a while. this is my 4th Wednesday venue in as many years, since bill young died. the first two I stayed at until they closed. and yes, this 'new venue' has gender neutral bathrooms. no big deal to me, it means separate stalls and no urinals. and people are sharing the wash basins. I had been to another venue where this was the case.
   I had a phone interview this morning, I had applied for two different jobs with this organization. I also had a back-to-work meeting in the afternoon, but I didn't enjoy it much. and the fire alarm near the end of the meeting had nothing to do with it. I am just plain not on the same page as who has been assigned to help me. as for the job leads found for me, two of the three I had already applied to. it likely means going back to their boss, saying the status quo is not what I signed up for.

not the interviewer

i showed up for an interview around midday and somebody greeted me, but I found out they weren't the interviewer. it was the agency that got me the interview. it didn't last long, under 30 minutes, and I ended up asking more questions than the interviewer did. so it left me puzzled, even said so in my message back to the agency that was requested. while waiting I spoke of performing, including bob Newhart, who I claim as an influence.
   I found a way to get things done before I needed to get there, including going to the library to return a movie and print the email invite as well as type a letter to be included in a Christmas card to my aunt. then it was on to a Walgreen for some supplies. and now I have a phone interview for a different position the next morning.
   I performed tonight, and was flattered that another performer found me and said he had photos of me performing at this show to use to promote it. I shared where to find me on social media, and look forward to seeing more soon. as usual, it has been no problem finding inspiration. I even found some after parking my car, on the walk to the venue.

great train robbery movie

i watched another DVD movie on loan from the library, 'great train robbery'. it is the one from the 1970s, starring sean connery and Donald Sutherland. I do understand how it times it felt like a con-man movie, as sometimes they had to act like a con artist to help them get their end result. of course I enjoyed the costumes in it, since the setting was the mid-19th century.
   there was some movement on the job front, as I got a call for an interview on Tuesday. this was after seeing an email saying 'hired' and I had to call and ask 'what for?' in the morning I went to the post office to mail some Christmas cards and then I went to the bank and turned in some change. it was just over two dollars. it was a longer line than I expected to get to the counter. I also went to a ribbon cutting ceremony in the late afternoon at a credit union. I have a car loan with them and there was the celebration of opening a new branch. the bossman spoke of how it had been the site of a Wendy's fast-food outlet. there was some little sandwiches available, as well as potato chips and cut-up fruit. on another table was some small brownies and other similar desserts. we even saw their mascot, a panda. I got the email earlier today and I like doing things for the experience, and this sure qualifies. it was a good place for a few photos.
  I performed tonight, the show runner spoke of candy canes when he introduced me. the popcorn was taken away a little early at this venue. I was still fielding some questions about the facebook posting from last week, people wanting to know what venue I spoke of that had been an empty room. great seeing some people I don't see much, and one of them has been added as a facebook friend. he is now based out of branson, MO.

plenty of santas

I performed tonight, although it was a small role. the show runner wanted some people to paly santa in a sketch at the end of the show, and I was one of these santas. I was 'sent' to Duluth. it was why I had been to a costume shop to get a hat and beard for it, wanting to look as authentic as possible. I used a few other things from a previous costume. school bouncer was the headliner, in the middle of the show just before intermission. as usual I liked the voice inflection, and said so. he spoke about brunch at one point. I arrived early, before the show began, as I know it is customary to do so. it led to me seeing a back room, it is where I was sent after wanting to check in with an 'event coordinator'. many of the other performers were already there.
  I spent some of the day watching football, first the Vikings game from home. then at halftime, I went to watch the bears game at a bar. I wanted to eat before getting there, and I did, which is why I waited until halftime. the bears led the packers 14-3 then, and the bears went on to win 24-17 to clinch the division. it was crowded there, not sure why. a matinee maybe, since last week's game wasn't? or because it was an important game? some of the cheering was lost on me, apparently it was due to a rogue packer fan at the bar. even though there are bars catering to packer fans. I know the motive for some people is 'to cause trouble', so it wouldn't surprise me if this was the case. I watched some of the patriots-steelers game as well. I left for the venue at the 2-minute warning, steelers were leading and went on to win. oh, and the Vikings went on to beat the dolphins, but it proved to be a moot point since the bears won.
   one thing I did before the football games were on was to try to translate the French version of the song 'angel of the morning'. I happened to discover there was a French version, after reading Wikipedia. no surprise how there was some variations, meaning it wasn't literally translated into a different language. the same spirit of the song is still there, despite the variation on the words. I had a dictionary, and I feel I came very close to what it was trying to say. I hadn't really tried this before, but I know how I am inspired by music so it was important enough to me. 

beatnik writers

I liked who I met at the bar while waiting to sing karaoke tonight. it was a well-dressed man in a fedora hat and a suit coat, brown with red and black and gray stripes. he spoke of beatnik writers, and I also noticed a tattoo near his throat of an Italian flag and wings on the flag. I sang 'losing grip' by avril Lavigne. I also picked up some e-bay orders from my post office box this morning, and typed up some letters to family who sent Christmas cards.

greatest showman movie

i watched another DVD on loan from the library, 'greatest showman'. I had read about p.t. barnum in college, so I knew what to expect from the movie on some level. I also knew how it was a musical. a few times I knew what was going to happen next, guess I have seen it often enough in life, or in movies. meaning, seeing betrayal, unrequited love. hugh Jackman played barnum, I am not too familiar with this actor, aside from he just played gary hart in 'fronr runner'.
   I applied for some more jobs today, but nobody called me about the applications I had already filed. in the evening I went to sing karaoke, and did one song, 'boulevard of broken dreams' by green day. I liked seeing how one couple was dancing near me during my song. the karaoke jockey apologized for the wait, I said it was a part of performing. also no bog deal since I got moved up whenever somebody didn't respond when their name was called. it was a longer wait than typical, but I found ways to stay occupied. it also helped that the room cleared out a little so I could claim a seat closer to where I would be performing.

ordinary world movie

i watched another DVD movie on loan from the library, 'ordinary world', starring green day frontman billie joe Armstrong. It was a farce, kind of predictable, but a good vehicle for his music. I didn't recognize too many actors in it besides him, just Selma blair, who played his wife. and joan jett, who played herself. the storyline was about the main character's two worlds colliding- his past as a musician, and his present as a family man.
   I did 3 karaoke songs tonight. 'hard to handle' by black crowes, 'royals' by lorde, and 'smells like nirvana' by weird al yankovic. this was a day where there still wasn't too much movement on the job front. I was called near the end of the workday, I asked them to email me about it so I could review the job description more closely and have a contact name with the agency. odd how they claim they found my resume on career builder, as I haven't been on that site for a while. I have been using indeed way more.

an almost empty room

I did a facebook posting tonight where I said 'i have had enough'. not with performing in general but with a particular venue. for quite a while, I had been performing to an (almost) empty room, or sometimes completely empty. this is no fun at all, especially when all too often the one person in the crowd would heckle me or try to join me onstage. tonight I was heckled by a fellow performer, a musician, that should know better. performers usually know how to respect the stage. I let the show runner know how I felt, that it was out of line. so I am looking for a new venue to perform at on Wednesday nights.
   I applied for more jobs online, but haven't heard from any applications I have filed this week. this morning I checked my post office box, two e-bay orders were there. I had a cookie and some apple juice, it was customer appreciation day. then I went to pick up the second half of an order at a UPS store. odd how it was just a button but it was shipped in a box that was the same size as the shirt. when I got it home I 'merged' the boxes, not a big deal. also odd since the button arrived just two days later, it would have made more sense to wait and just send them together if it was known there would be just a minimal delay. these are college football bowl game items, the game is more than two weeks away. I wouldn't have noticed the two days at all this far in advance.

smashing pumpkins, jimmy kimmel

i tuned into ABC a little early to see 'nightline' and jimmy kimmel was still on. I was pleased that the musical guest was smashing pumpkins, a band that I have seen in concert twice. frontman billy corgan had on a flashy outfit, nothing like his days when he was wearing the 'zero' shirt. he even was close to guitarist james iha at one point while doing the song. it has been hard to keep up with their lineup changes, but I like how they have been staying somewhat relevant by being on a national show. I have plenty of their CDs.
   I performed tonight, but there was a fill-in host. he spoke of having a show soon on new year's day. I called his number and got a text about it. I did one thing tonight in my set that I normally don't do- interact with the crowd. and it seemed to prove why I normally don't do this. a steeler fan, a regular performer at this show, arrived just before I went onstage. and I referred to some things such as having a steeler trash can and a song that refers to the team. I feel that I lose focus when I do this, and told myself I had to do the material I intended to do.
   I had another back-to-work meeting, I had a lot to say. I would like to think it will lead to more effective meetings, but only time will tell. when asked how I was, I said I would much rather be at work. I prefer being honest about it. after I got home from the meeting, eventually I had lunch and then went to the library to return the two DVDs and get two more. I also applied a lot on the indeed website, and was asked to do a phone interview already with one. it felt familiar, where it was a 'robo call' for lack of a better term. not the typical phone interview, but I do the best I can.

eleanor and franklin mini-series

I finished up watching the DVD on loan from the library, two discs, today. it was 'Eleanor and franklin', about president franklin Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor. it was a mini-series, according to what I found online it was first broadcast on ABC in 1976, the early years. then the white house years was broadcast a year later. Mackenzie phillips played Eleanor as a teenager, and I recognized mark harmon in it as well, as a wounded GI during world war two. not a lot of new information, since I have already studied this president a lot. but it did go in-depth on some of the people closest to this couple, such as franklin's mom, as well as his secretary, and another aide. they covered the death of all three of them. the story was told through flashback, when Eleanor was coming back from warm springs, Georgia, after FDR had died in april 1945. I have seen a later movie also about this president, called 'hyde park on hudson', where bill murray played the president. but it was more about his time with his mistress. there were a few times when I said 'i agree with them', where I understood they were going for a certain reaction from the viewers and got it. I think this was no doubt true from me when FDR spoke of being stricken with polio, and trying to cope with it. I understood, in terms of not wanting pity from anyone. of course I liked seeing the portrayal of theodore Roosevelt in it, but I was not familiar with the actor that played him.
   not much movement on the job front today, but I picked up a package from a UPS store. it was part of my order related to the iowa hawkeyes in the outback bowl. I knew well enough to check to see what was there, and just one of the two items was there. the other is on back-order, so it means going back at some point soon. I also went to a nearby Walgreen to pick up a few items. I watched the second half of the mini-series when I got back, the first half I watched on sunday. I showed some family photos to brawler when I went to the comedy club in the evening, as he expressed interest in seeing them last week when it came up in conversation. then I went to perform at another venue, I was on near the end of the night. one performer yelled at the crowd, although I didn't care for it since it was just one person that was talking during her performance. I try to ignore anyone who does this during my performance, and just plow through, as I know full well that not everyone is paying attention. one must live for those who are engaged in it, and try to forget those who aren't. it was also nice to hear from the crow, who spoke of having performances in iowa soon. it prompted me to look up new deal art in post offices, since it reminded me of one visit where I had read online about this art and just had to see it. I liked finding what I was looking for without saying a word to anyone.

table sharing

this evening I went to a bar to watch the bears-rams football game, it was on NBC. the bears won 15-6, it was tied 6-6 at the half. the bears went ahead on a safety early in the second half. I shared  a table near the door with somebody who happened to be a native of iowa like me, in his case he said he was from Grinnell. he also wen to the university of iowa like I did. but I knew we were of different generations, so I figured one way to find a common interest was ask what dorm buildings he lived in. he also mentioned something about knowing the bossman for spire credit union, due to being a part of the st. paul winter carnival. I had an urge to get out and see the game as I knew I have a hard time getting NBC on my TV, even though I could have caught the game on the radio. and I hadn't been outside all day up to that point. I watched part of a DVD on loan from the library, 2 of the 4 segments. I took a break and watched some of the NFL, it was the chiefs-ravens game, chiefs won in overtime. when I got back from the bar I saw an online article saying the veterans committee had voted in two players to the baseball hall of fame, Harold baines and lee smith. the baseball writers ballot results are usually announced in January. and I did the dishes after I got back.

elvis and nixon movie

i watched another DVD movie on loan from the library, 'elvis and nixon'. I had considered seeing it at the theater but didn't, a few years back. the movie states this was the most requested photo from the national archives. like most movies 'based on a true story', my guess is that 'some scenes and characters were invented for dramatic effect'. kevin spacey played the president. part of the storyline is how the meeting almost didn't happen. but as the saying goes, we know how the movie ends, because if they don't meet, there is no movie.
   I picked up one item from my post office box this morning, and ordered two more from e-bay, so there are four orders I am waiting on currently. then I watched the movie, and after that went to aldi for my weekly grocery order. after the grocery store, I watched some of the army-navy football game on T.V. I had an urge to eat out in the evening, and went to IKEA. although the salmon balls left a lot to be desired, but I wanted something besides Swedish meatballs this time. I watched some of the holiday specials, although CBS had already aired both 'frosty the snowman' specials this season. then I liked seeing an interview with sarah Jessica parker on 'the alec baldwin show'. I like seeing people get interviewed about their craft. then after the 10pm news I did karaoke, one song. 'my church' by maren morris. the karaoke jockey liked seeing me, and touched my elbow. I spoke of how I also do stand-up, and she said she did stand-up for a while. I liked being able to park right by the front door of the venue.

reindeer singers

I sang some karaoke tonight, and after I sang I saw on the screen 'santa?!' and it was the people in reindeer costumes. so I decided to get a photo of them. the song I did was 'rocking in the free world' by neil young. I knew it made mention of president bush (41), with the 'kinder, gentler' and 'thousand points of light' lines. the popcorn was back at this venue, so I had some. I stopped at a holiday station to use the ATM on the way there and got some potato chips and some cheese, so it meant having just one boat of popcorn instead of two.
    I went to another meeting with an agency this morning, then in the late afternoon it was a phone interview with an insurance company. although I don't have a good feeling about the phone interview as I was called 10 minutes late and we had a hard time understanding each other.
   I have been watching plenty of cop shows lately. 'blue bloods' was on tonight, I had seen some syndicated reruns of it before. also saw reruns of 'barney miller' and 'NYPD blue', the latter I just found this week on H and I. the former I have found on Me TV or Antenna TV. I recall saying I liked sipowicz saying 'i wasn't going to chase him, he mowed down somebody when he was getting away' during one of my annual visits to st. louis. related to TV shows, I was asked to view an episode of a sitcom tonight as part of my normal answering of surveys. I said 'farce' more than once, since it sure seemed to be one.

already in building

I attended two events- a job fair in the morning, and an interview in the afternoon. when I checked in at the interview I was told I needed a visitor badge, I said ' I am already in the building' but found out it was needed to get even farther into the building. it is hard to say if either event will yield much, but the interview was the first for any position with the state government. the job fair was at a hotel.
   in the evening I did some karaoke, two songs. it was 'wish you were here' by pink Floyd, and 'what I got' by sublime. I was at the bar and spoke at length about performing with somebody next to me, and they bought me a second beer. nice to hear from those who enjoy my performances. another patron joked about wanting to do a duet song with me. I said I don't do them much.
   an agency asked for my electronic signature on more forms, and there was a voicemail about wanting to discuss a position with me. I still hope there is some kind of offer soon. telling friends about getting interviews is boring, as I want to get an offer.

better angels of our nature

i watched some of the funeral of ex-president bush (41) today, from the Washington national cathedral. there was some mention of bush's 'thousand points of light' speech, comparing it to 'better angels of our nature' speech by Lincoln. as I recall, former Canadian prime minister brian Mulroney made this comparison. I was unfamiliar with the speech, but when I searched it online what I found was 'Lincoln's first inaugural'. I tried to read it but it is a long speech and my computer go stuck. I found out it is on youtube. no surprise there, as just about anything can be found there. I think I was still able to read at least half of it. there was mention of continuing mail delivery, and some foreshadowing of the civil war as of course there were well-known 'divisions' between the states already. also mention of majority and minority opinions. like many others, I know the Gettysburg address way better. it helps that it is much shorter. and as I recall, at the Lincoln memorial in Washington, DC, one sees the Gettysburg speech and the second inaugural there. this serves as a reminder of wanting to visit the nation's capital again, as I haven't been there since 2009. and it would be nice to visit this cathedral as well. I shared some of my thoughts on facebook about seeing the funeral on TV, commenting on the threads of others. I said I had attended two family funerals in iowa this year and I was thankful that there were no TV cameras there. this funeral had much of the same VIP line-up as the one for Sen. McCain this summer, held at the same venue. I had to get to a meeting so I only watched the first hour of it. I caught some of it on my car radio on the way to get on the light rail, and by then they were up to the eulogy given by his son, ex-president bush (43). in the evening I got out a book that was a photo essay of the nation's capital, published in the 1980s, and the national cathedral is in it.
    it is hard to say where the meeting of today will lead, but I was told by the agency that he had met with my ex-boss and what he heard was fine, and if it wasn't then it would have ended right there. I pride myself in 'show up every day on time, and do my job' so what he said was expected. there were some 'on-boarding' documents sent by email, over 30. I completed all but one, because it said it was only if an offer had been extended and of course there is no offer yet.
   in the evening I went to perform, and I even got in a drumming lesson. we got way farther than before, some mention of the band queen, I think in reference to the beat on the kick drum as it made me think of 'we will rock you'. and the show runner I think was playing some from 'yellow ledbetter' by pearl jam on his guitar. there was one man that said I was creeping him out by sitting in the back by myself, even though I liked the view of the stage from there as well as the TV that is in the bar area. so he invited me to sit closer to the stage at his table.

pickpocket movie

i watched another DVD movie on loan from the library, 'pickpocket', a French movie from 1959. it was kind of short, 76 minutes. but I also watched some of the special features, which included somebody tracking down the 3 lead actors decades later. one was in Austria, another in mexico. I wrote down 3 words due to the subtitles, understanding language better. this was explain, pari-mutuel, and brouhaha. part of the storyline was the death of the pickpocket's mother. naturally another part of it is when he gets caught.
   I filed more applications on indeed, but hard to say when I will hear from any of them. I got another rejection email, but it was no real surprise when I had been waiting for word for more than three weeks since my interview. I fielded some calls as well, but I think one of them is a scam artist. I was sent an email asking me to confirm the pay rate, and it is $4/hour lower than last month. if they are going to scam people, then do better at trying to hide it. I saw some unchanged things in the email compared to last month. I got an explanation that didn't satisfy me, not even close. I have another in-person meeting lined up as well, for the end of the week.
   I performed tonight, and it was nice to see airway, who said he was on break between jobs. something about making food deliveries, no cash transactions, for uber. I had only heard about them being a taxi service, although I will admit I haven't sued their services at all. it was nice hearing somebody sing 'love on the brain' by rihanna.

atlantic city movie

I watched another DVD movie on loan from the library today, 'atlantic city', starring burt Lancaster and susan Sarandon. it was from 1980, I hadn't heard of it before. the main characters were living in the same apartment building, and her estranged husband shows and then trouble ensues. I had enjoyed burt in some other movies, including 'field of dreams', so the cadence of his voice, for lack of a better term, added a lot to this commanding presence. I really didn't recognize any of the other actors in it. though I didn't like the older woman in it, who lived in the same building. but I think my dad would have said 'you are not supposed to like her'. she was quite demanding. this would be considered a thriller, and I do like thrillers. although the ending was a little anticlimactic. but of course what led up to it sure wasn't.
   I printed some more things at the library, including a ticket for a job fair this week. also a long application for an interview on the same day, after doing the exam last week. and I sent more emails to follow up on interviews from last week or even earlier. I would like to think there will be an offer soon, because I am afraid of getting too comfortable being 'on vacation'. and on the way home I stopped at a target and bought two items. one was the sia Christmas CD, the other was some pumpkin cheesecake frozen yogurt. I knew I would get this CD soon since I liked hearing one of the songs in a target commercial this season.
  I performed this evening, it was a new venue to me- a micro-brewery. it had a nice upper level to it, being able to get a good look at the stage from there. I had some 'sweet bacon' on a stick- but only one of the two slices were eaten at the venue. something on the package said 'microwave for 15 seconds' so I decided to take the other one home to see if it tasted better that way. and it was no surprise that it did, when heated up.

can you ever forgive me? movie

I went to see the movie 'can you ever forgive me?' today in Edina. it looked like I was running out of time to see it as it was just one of two theaters in the area showing it for more than one screening a day. I chose this theater over inver grove heights as I found out from online searching that the ticket price was lower. it was $10, so I was correct, I found a use for what I had found the night before. I haven't seen that many movies that Melissa McCarthy is in. I mainly chose it because I knew it was about a writer, and I was intrigued by the forgery part of the story. much like when I see con-man movies like 'the grifters', I want to see how they pull off the deception. I liked seeing jane curtin in it, as the main character's agent. and I liked seeing how one scene took place at Yale university, I am aware how it is just 70 miles from new York city. I had seen a football game at Yale in 2004, and knew it was easiest to get there by train from New York. it was weird in some places, but I liked it.
   I went to an art event in the afternoon, before I went to the movie. I had a little Godfather's pizza before I arrived, and still had some of the snack foods served at the venue. I like the cheese, as well as the pineapple chunks, on those serving trays. two of the presenters were absent, one due to the health of a pet, and the other due to the winter weather. a drummer performed at the end. somebody also brought cookies, I had two of them. most of the pro football games had went final by the time I got back from the movie, and when I turned on the TV I decided to have it on CBS as it was showing the garth brooks concert from the notre dame football stadium. although I will admit that I barely watched it as I was more interested in other things such as my online activity.

vanishing newspaper boxes

I said I wanted to do the 'vivan maier thing', which meant getting a picture of a newspaper box showing the article about the passing of president bush (41). but I noticed that many places no longer have them. my guess is not enough sales, especially when one can find the paper at gas stations. so I found the photo-op at a mcdonald's, albeit the second one I went to. the first one was sold out of the Minneapolis paper by then, as it was late in the evening and I was on my way to perform karaoke. no surprise how there have been plenty of news stories about the passing of the ex-president since last night. this would be the fourth in my lifetime, the first being Nixon while I was in college. so I know the flags will be half-staff for a while, a month if I am not mistaken. and there will be no mail delivery on the day of his funeral, and it sounds like this will be Wednesday. but I don't get that much mail now, so no big deal there. 

   there was the typical errand running, such as going to the post office to pick up e-bay orders, there was two. I placed three more orders this morning, before I ventured out. I stayed in and watched college football for much of the day. it was conference championship weekend, and a make-up game weekend as well. I checked the paper and it said iowa state played drake, to replace a canceled game at the start of the season. one article I found said it was the first meeting since 1985. one of the games I watched was the big ten game, ohio state beat northwestern. although I was often falling asleep on the couch so I missed quite a bit. I looked outside the window in the mid-afternoon and noticed it was snowing, so I got started again on more errands. first stop was the dollar store. then on to aldi, although it took longer than typical to get there due to the winter weather. but I figured I could still make it, didn't feel like turning around and going home when this is my typical grocery shopping day. and it's just a few miles, not all that far away. then I stopped at a third place to get TV dinners and egg nog, knowing I couldn't find them at aldi. and then I stayed in until I went out to perform. 

    I went to a different venue than typical tonight, for multiple reasons. I like proximity, and it is much closer than where I was going. during winter weather this is an important factor. and of course last week I was too annoyed while there. this is a place I had been to twice before, the first time was on Oktoberfest weekend. I did 'your love' by the outfield. it had been on my list for a while, and I was reminded of this when I heard it at another venue last night. there was a fairly long wait to sing, and it was crowded, so I sat at the bar. during that time I had two different patrons talk to me, but I got bored with them rather quickly. with one of them, I said he was being too loud, so I moved away from him. also notable about tonight was finding $10 on the floor. when I see it, I just quietly put it in my pocket. I am sure I can find some use for it. 

calamity jane movie

I watched another DVD on loan from the library today, 'calamity jane', starring doris day, from the 1950s. I didn't recognize the other actors in it, but there was somebody playing wild bill hickok in it. this is a musical, so it was about an actress coming to entertain people in deadwood, in Dakota territory. hard to know what else to say about it. this is decidedly not a bio-pic, so it did not get into the life story of the title character.
    I also went to the library to print some things, and take the four assessments an agency assigned from the previous day. I found out when I called to respond to a voicemail that I did well on all four. there is an appointment now scheduled for next week. and I was pleased to see the results from this week's exam, where I have been invited to an interview with them as well.
   this will also be a night of performing some karaoke. I did one song, 'ain't no rest for the wicked' by cage the elephant. while I was driving to the venue the public radio station said that ex-president bush (41) had died. it was not on the 10pm news, so it must have just been made public.

north pole express train

this evening I went to union depot in st. paul  as I had a ticket for the north pole express train. I wanted to do this last year but was told it was sold out. I liked knowing it was on a former metra train, as I saw those often when I lived in suburban Chicago. the ride was a fairly short one, as we did not leave the railroad yard. I saw the holiday gas station off in the distance, I knew this is the one on east 7th. I recognized one of the performers, she is a children's entertainer I have seen at a karaoke venue I once went to. there was also a magician, and a guitar player. even a face painter. I had to ask who was manning the shop that was selling candy canes, it was one thing we saw from the train. it looked like it was closed. I also saw an outhouse. it was nice to have cookies and cocoa inside the depot after the train ride was done. one thing I said is a reminder of my insurance background, understanding liability on a 'common carrier'. it explained why we stayed in the yard. plenty of kids on this train, but it wasn't full. so hard to understand why they claim it was 'sold out'.
   I went to another job fair this afternoon, in Shakopee. I saw somebody that recognized me there from previous job fairs. I was also on the phone with an agency, they were responding to applications I had filed this week after speaking with somebody at an earlier job fair. I was asked to complete some assessments, and it sounds like one of the jobs I applied for is the same place I worked at for a month. so it was hard to ignore that when he saw it on my resume, so I answered questions about my time there. I said I was fine with returning, but to a different department. and this was understood.
   I went to perform after being on the train, and of course it was karaoke. I sang 'ho hey' by the Lumineers. it was kind of crowded at the venue, and I was tired, so I was fine with doing just one song. I decided to step outside for a few minutes for some air, but it proved to be a mistake. I ended up getting annoyed with a man there who was trying to act smarter than he was, and liked hearing the sound of his own voice. sadly, this is still a problem for me at times: trying to reason with people that can't be reasoned with. but I have gotten better at just leaving the situation, so this is a rarer occurrence than it was.

math exam, taxes

in the early evening I went to the state capitol complex and completed a math exam. it was for a job I had applied for with the state, the revenue (or tax) department. it was delayed a few minutes due to the winter weather, expecting a few more people to show up, and they did. it was 20 questions, I ended up using most of the 1-hour time allotment. I finished shortly after the 5-minute announcement was made. I am confident that I will get an interview next week, based on questions asked before the exam began in terms of what is a passing grade. I brought my own calculator, it was a little-used gift from a non-profit that wanted donations from me. then I went home and ate, watched some reruns for a while, and ventured out again to perform. once again, somebody wanted to join me onstage and I said I wasn't comfortable with that. there was also a man that claimed to be homeless, having a beer, and was asking for help. I saw the spoken word performer outside the venue as I arrived.
    I went to another job fair in Burnsville just before midday, hard to say if it made a dent in my job searching. one agency advised me to apply to postings online and make a note of the phone numbers and contact names on the posting. I made some calls after I got home, but I was getting bored with having to make all of those calls- 6 offices for the same agency! and I turned in some change at the bank, it was just over 2 dollars. the lady in front of me had way more, and some of her coins were rejected, she said they were Canadian quarters.

blank menu screens

I had two appointments today, and between them I had to have lunch so I went to a Wendy's. actually I went to an arby's first, but the line seemed to be too long for my taste so I knew there was another option nearby. when I went to order, two of the three menu screens were blank. due to the limited information, it was harder to know what to order so I stated what I would normally get. so there was a 'way through'. although I didn't like how they asked me twice if it was for here or to go.
   the first appointment was a job interview. I drove there due to being double-booked, otherwise I would have taken public transport. it was a struggle to find parking, I passed on a few places as I planned on being there for an hour and didn't want to overpay. I actually met with two different people, one of them gave me a packet which I am told has benefits information in it. but it was disappointing to find out there would be a third interview before any offers would be extended. the most I can recall is having just two interviews before.
   the second appointment was with a job coach. and I couldn't hide my frustration with them. I keep telling them 'i don't celebrate moral victories' and this time I heard things repeated to me. I found it to be condescending, even said so. I want somebody that can help me get back to work, and they've done very little in this area. and in some cases, what I did with them-apply for jobs on indeed- I can do on my own, and I have. it appears that signing up for this program has been a mistake, and a complete waste of time, when I am stuck with 'incompetent fools'.
   I am thankful I have performing throughout this ordeal. I feel more at home there, since I am good at it and it is good to see my circle of friends there. this night was no different. at one point, the show runner tried to tell people to be more respectful since some were talking in the back. but this proved to be only marginally effective. I know well enough to try to plow through when this happens, as I know somebody still might be paying attention and like what I am doing.

dude goes west movie

i watched another DVD movie on loan from the library this afternoon, 'dude goes west', starring eddie albert. of course he is best known for his role on the TV show 'green acres'. this movie is a western from 1948. was it making fun of westerns? possibly. it sure had many of the same things in the storyline. but also some jokes with the character names used, such as eddie's character name being close to 'Daniel boone'. and the love interest was named 'crockett', of course boone and crockett were well-known names in the history books about exploring the wild west, along with kit carson. and at one point the story arrives in carson city, Nevada. the main character is a gunsmith, but appears to be a tenderfoot even though he isn't. there was an actor named james gleason in it, not to be confused with Jackie gleason. it was all right.
   I performed tonight, near the end of the show, and I held the mic-stand up during my set. you do what you have with what you've got. also did a phone interview this morning, as well as some follow-ups with jobs I have already interviewed for last week.

andy warhol baseball art

I watched some of the pro football games today, and after a while I decided to look at my collection of books, especially the baseball books. some of them cover baseball art, and I noticed there was two artworks by andy Warhol. one was of pete rose- a baseball card- and the other was tom seaver. I am familiar with how he liked doing pop art of the famous people of his time, especially during the 1960s. although it reminds me of when I got laughs while at an art museum in Minneapolis. I still don't see why anyone considers his campbell's soup cans to be art. but I think by that time of his career, anything he produced would be considered art. and I think both of these baseball artworks were in the 1980s, near the end of his life. I hadn't looked at most of those books in a while. but it is one way to stay interested in the sport during the off-season. the two games I watched were seahawks-panthers and steelers-broncos. both were wild games.
   I didn't go anywhere today, no need to go anywhere. in the evening I watched 'the simpsons', it was about krusty the clown trying to be a circus clown. after watching some 'big bang theory' reruns I decided to turn off the TV and get some other things done, such as apply for more jobs on indeed. of course there was also doing the dishes. I also went through my organizer and looked at notes about jobs I have upcoming interviews for, or have already had the interviews. so it means making some calls soon to follow up with some of these companies.

expired chimichanga

i went to aldi for my weekly grocery order this evening and was going to get two chimichangas, one chicken and one steak, but before I reached the check-out lane I noticed how one of them was expired, back in may. so I put it back. this meant looking for one at cub foods after I was done singing karaoke, along with a few other things such as egg nog.
   this of course is an errand running day. I went to check my post office box and three orders were there, a postcard and two trading cards. then it was on to the library, to return two DVD movies and get two more, as well as print some things. one item printed was a message from the local alumni chapter stating when the annual outing at a twins baseball game will be, in july. I also placed some more e-bay orders while there. I went to a target and bought two charlie brown items from their dollar section near the front of the store, as well as some lunchables, which served as a late lunch. when I got home I got out a DVD I own, and did my annual viewing of it, 'planes trains and automobiles'. since it is about getting home for thanksgiving, this is the weekend to see it. I said that 1980s movies now look dated due to the defunct airlines in it. I said there were three in this movie, but noticed there are four that are either shown or mentioned. this would be eastern, trans world, America west, and US Air. the fourth one I didn't notice as easily as the others, but it is in an early scene at O'Hare. I still enjoy this movie, but I notice one thing that I hadn't for a while. it shouldn't take all that long to get from st. louis to Chicago.
   after getting back from aldi, I spent some time this evening looking for something and finding it- an order form. then it was seeing about how many sheet protectors I could free up, and it was three. two of them have already been re-deployed. much like before, it is either doubling up on them or deciding to stress quality. then I went out again after the 10pm news, and did karaoke. I did one song, 'here I go again' by whitesnake. I heard it on my car radio while getting there, and it sounded like a good one, especially mention of 'walking alone'. but now I am considering changing my normal venue for this night of the week, to a closer one. proximity is a good factor, especially when I rarely see people I know. and tonight, I got annoyed with somebody rather quickly, answering a question I didn't even ask. I even said so. I pride myself in figuring things out on my own.

lady sings the blues movie

i watched another DVD on loan from the library this afternoon, it was 'lady sings the blues', about billie holiday, the musician. it was produced by berry gordy, the Motown records boss. I recognized many of the actors in it, such as diana ross as billie. also billy dee Williams, who had a big role in it, along with Richard pryor, and Isabel Sanford. of course I know Isabel from her role on 'the jeffersons' as louise. it covered plenty of her struggles, such as prostitution and drugs, as well as legal problems. the big thing at the end of the movie was her concert at Carnegie hall in new York city, and newspaper clippings of her life after it were shown, including mention of her death in 1959, at age 44. there are also scenes from a concert tour in the south, where she sees a lynching, and the klan marching in the streets next to the tour bus she is in. so of course it was hard to watch in many places, but these are stories that need to be told. I had seen another story about her life, a play back in 2008. it was 'lady day at emerson's bar and grill'. the play was memorable as there was a brief interruption due to a couple arguing, then deciding to leave the venue. in the tour that led up to the Carnegie hall gig, I liked seeing how one of the venues depicted was the Chicago theater, as I have seen a concert there. the movie was from 1972.
    I got started early on things to do, making it to a costume shop shortly after it had opened. I was a little standoffish as there was a dog barking at me from the upper level, even said so to the employee. but I stated what I needed and got right down to business. then I headed home to watch a football game, as my school- the iowa hawkeyes- was on TV, against Nebraska. iowa won 31-28 on a last-second field goal, but Iowa let Nebraska get back into the game as iowa led 28-13 at one point.
   in the evening I watched my DVD copy of the charlie brown thanksgiving special, of course I like to watch it annually. I did this after watching two 'frosty' specials on CBS. first there was the original, with jimmy durante as the narrator. then there was the sequel, with john goodman as the snowman. I am ambivalent about the sequel. john goodman does well, but as a big charlie brown fan I didn't like how some of it looked like a rip-off of charlie brown specials. it seemed obvious in what some of the characters looked like, and their mannerisms. I noticed how bill Melendez was involved with it, much like with charlie brown specials, so this might explain some of it.  I watched some of the high school football championships as well, Lakeville north edged eden prairie 28-21. then after the news I went to sing karaoke. I did 'human' by Christina perri. I was asked to switch mics early in the song.

plenty of pie

I picked up my order from buca dibeppo this afternoon, and when I looked at my order in the bag I said there was plenty of pie. but I was not complaining about that. I am used to one slice, there was three. I can find some use for all of it. it proved to be two meals for me. I went home to eat it so I could watch the rest of the bears-lions football game, it was at halftime when I left. the bears went on to win 23-16, aided by a 'pick-6' late. this is my favorite play to see. there were other games on after it, but the 'lead-off' game was the only one of interest to me.
  my day started fairly early, as I wanted to get to a meetup event. it was a walk at the como zoo in st. paul. it started shortly after the zoo opened for the day. an old man in the parking lot asked me when the zoo opened, I said I didn't work there. much of the tour was familiar from previous walks, such as of the conservatory. it meant walking outside some to get to animal exhibits such as the giraffes. on my way home from the zoo I stopped at a speedway and got a bottle of Heineken beer to go with my thanksgiving dinner.
   In the evening I went to do karaoke, after watching 3 different 'big bang theory' episodes. I sang 'midnight girl/sunset town' by sweethearts of the rodeo, and 'why does it always rain on me' by travis. it was great to see the button there, and many of her friends were there as well. the button let me know of a fairly new show to perform at, and I will see when I can make it.

wedding singer movie

I watched another movie on loan from the library this afternoon, 'wedding singer'. I had heard of it before, and I noticed it had plenty of 1980s fads and clichés in it. just the way the movie started, it seemed to say the ending was a poorly kept secret. we know the adam sandler character eventually ends up with the drew Barrymore character, it is just a question of how. or what I usually call 'the thrill of the chase'. I am thankful I finally saw it though, as adam is at his best if you want to see him as a goofball. I recalled clips from the previews such as him yelling 'yesterday!' at the lover that spurned him, so seeing the movie meant I had more of the context as to why he said it. I recognized a few other regulars from 'Saturday night live' having small roles in it, such as kevin Nealon.
  there was plenty of things that I got done today. it started off with an earlier morning than typical while 'on vacation', as I had an appointment with an agency. but I get there and it is only warehouse positions, didn't like how they waited that long to tell me is it seemed to be a waste of time. I still walked around the downtown area for a little while as I wanted to get my money's worth on the parking fee, as I had paid for just over an hour. during that time I walked to places such as the saints baseball stadium, and the train station- union depot. while at the depot I got a good idea- responding to the original text message with 'stop' as ending those messages would save me a lot of trouble. I also got plenty of pictures, but when I often speak of Vivian maier this shouldn't surprise anyone.
   in the early afternoon I made it back home, after stopping to pick up orders from my p.o. box, to have some lunch and take a call from an advisor about my resume. I like how they are willing to help, as I keep comparing them to other places who seem 'incompetent' by comparison. I spoke of some recent interviews, and some others coming up. I also made it to dairy queen and used the 2 for 1 blizzard coupon which was expiring today. I had to line up alternate plans as some of the flavors I wanted were not available. they claimed they were out of bananas, so a banana split was not possible. reese's peanut butter, and the brownie flavors, were the two I chose.
  in the evening I went to the Minnesota wild hockey game, the wild beat Ottawa 6-4. the wild led 2-0 at the end of the 1st, and 4-1 at the end of the 2nd. the first Ottawa goal was the middle one in the 2nd. the wild switched goalies in the 3rd, after the game was tied 4-4. the final goal was on an empty net. it was nice to see my college roommate and his family at the game, I found them during the first intermission after finding out where he was from a text message.
   after the game I went to perform, but it is hard to keep going to this venue when there is such a small crowd. in addition, some annoying things happen there. a crowd member kept wanting to talk during my set, and I don't know him. before I took the stage, he reached for some of my popcorn and I stopped him. I said there was plenty of popcorn available in the machine in the bar area, I even pointed it out. so there was no need to do what he did. especially when the popcorn thing happened a second time, when I was onstage. the show runner tries to do as much as possible, but it often seems like it is not enough.
  I found more inspiration from music as well. I found a country song on my car radio, called 'midnight girl/sunset town' by sweethearts of the rodeo. proof of how you can take the kid out of iowa, but not the iowa out of the kid. hopefully I can find it at a karaoke venue as I would like to sing it sometime soon. 

simple math assessment

I finally decided to do an assessment for a job I had already done a phone interview for. I let them know that their links didn't work, had to enter it manually. this was a big reason why I hadn't done the assessment yet. but this time they said in the email how they wanted it done in two days. much of it was simple math and language skills that I was being tested on, so it was no big deal to complete. I also had an in-person interview at a credit union. I went to a teller and said I was there for an interview, didn't know what else to do. then I was asked if I was there for safe deposit boxes, since I was waiting at a table with this sign on it, but I wasn't waiting for that. I was advised to sit in a waiting area which had various books, and I chose the children's book 'velveteen rabbit' as it was mentioned in the movie 'up in the air'. it of course means more waiting after the interview, since this week has a holiday. even at the end of the workday I got a text message from an agency, and got scheduled for an appointment with the agency for the next day. but for a while this afternoon, I didn't know what else to do with the time so I just laid down and slept for about an hour.
   also in the evening I got my ticket ordered for a Minnesota wild hockey game, since I knew my college roommate is expected to be there. it was ordered from stubhub. I also went to perform, and I was pleased to hear from so many who said they liked my set. it surprises me to hear how people are really paying attention, even filming me on their phones.

cell phone advocate

I was at the bar tonight before the show began and I saw a fellow performer who kept telling me about the cell phone he just picked up, and I was getting bored with his being an advocate, even said so. I worked it into my comedy set later on.
   I had some phone interviews today, as well as handled the new anti-virus protection that my computer has. although I didn't enjoy the three calls for it as there was two dropped calls. but hopefully I won't have to deal with it again for a while. I followed up on an interview from just over a week ago, still waiting to hear something. there was also an email I responded to. it was for a job in records management, much like what I had before I would expect, but I turned it down as the pay was too low.
   I called my dad while sitting in my parked car while between shows, since I won't be going to iowa for thanksgiving. I have made some plans for the holiday, such as a food order from buca dibeppo. and signed up for a walk through meetup. he spoke some about the election, as well as the weather.

the front runner movie

this afternoon I went to see the movie 'front runner' at the southdale in Edina. I have seen most movies directed by Jason Reitman, including 'tully' in may. he has become a favorite director ever since I saw 'up in the air'. I was familiar with some of the storyline, as it is 'based on a true story', as I was around when it happened in the 1980s. but I was very young then, and I just recall things like Colorado senator gary hart being on a boat called 'monkey business' and the name of the lady, donna rice. most of the movie covers a fairly short timeframe, from when he announced his candidacy to when his campaign ended, about a month later. many of the actors in it are familiar from other Reitman-directed movies, such as j.k. simmons, and vera Farmiga. simmons plays a campaign manager, and Farmiga plays hart's wife. I changed my seat because I grew tired of one couple that kept wanting to talk during the movie. I didn't feel the need to scold them, I figured just plain moving would be a louder statement than anything else I could do. I went from the back of the theater to the front of it. the review in the Minneapolis paper said the movie left it up to the viewer as to what their opinion of the scandal should be. I feel this is a fair assessment. in the end, the main thing I couldn't understand is why this movie is in limited release, at least in the twin cities. there was just one theater in the area showing it. this was why I went to see it on the first weekend, as I wasn't sure how long it would last. much like before, I had some popcorn that was left behind by another patron. I like popcorn and I still hate to see things go to waste.
   I watched some of the pro football games this afternoon, steelers-jaguars was on CBS. steelers were trailing at the half but found a way to win. shortly after it was done, I hit the road to see the movie. and I still can't get NBC on my TV, so I caught the bears-Vikings game in the evening on the radio. I must have been really tired, as I recall it being scoreless and the Bears had just picked up a fumble in the first quarter. when I woke up it was in the 3rd, and the Bears were up 14-0. they went on to beat the Vikings 25-20. after that I did some chores, such as the dishes. I also watched some youtube videos, recommended by somebody from the workforce center that I just met this week.

thank you cherry much

I just finished some ice cream from aldi, called 'thank you cherry much'. pretty good. I got it today as part of my weekly grocery order. I went there in the evening after I woke up. as usual, I must have been really comfortable in my easy chair. I did my typical weekend errand running, going to the post office. there was three e-bay orders waiting, and that leaves 8 orders outstanding. then I went to the counter to pay for the next 6 months on my box. I got the employee that likes to joke around, but I said I really needed to be serious here. but then we got back to me responding to his jokes. then it was on the library to return two movies and get two more. and of course print various things.
    after I got back from the grocery store I was online for a while, and was kind of paying attention to the movie channel, which was showing 'giant', starring james dean. I got caught up on getting comedy souvenirs in the binder as well, but it meant freeing up some sheet protectors to do it of course. then after the news it was on to perform at the karaoke venue. I did 'looking out my back door' by creedence clearwater revival. I saw the bubbly lady, and her husband as well.
   while I was online I found out that the iowa hawkeye football team won big against Illinois. I checked the paper from the previous day that projects them in a bowl called 'redbox' if they win out. this is the one in northern California, at the 49ers stadium. I am familiar with how there once was a bowl game that was sponsored by blockbuster video, in florida. I still use redbox from time to time, and the emails I am getting tell me there is a free night waiting for me. this is likely due to their loyalty program, as I recall I needed 15 rentals for it.

invisible man movie

I watched another DVD on loan from the library today, 'invisible man'. I didn't like the main character in it at all, as he wanted to commit crimes while invisible, a 'megalomaniac'. I watched the special features as well, it included mention of a bio-pic about the movie's director, called 'gods and monsters'. this movie was short by today's standards, made in 1933, and just 71 minutes. I liked seeing an NRA 'we do our part' logo at the start of the movie, as I am familiar with this Depression-era program. of course it has nothing to do with the gun lobby, which has the same acronym.
  I got another email inviting me to another interview, this one would be Tuesday of next week. but other than that, no real movement on the job front. it is annoying to hear how low the unemployment rate is, and when they say there is a shortage of workers, and yet I am still unemployed.
   in the evening I did some karaoke, 'mr. jones' by counting crows. kind of loud there, but I didn't mind. on the news there was mention of former Vikings player, and former state supreme court justice, alan page getting the president's medal of freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. it was one of seven awarded this year, three of which were posthumous- babe ruth, elvis Presley, and Antonin scalia. two others were retiring senator orrin hatch, and pro football player roger Staubach. I was unfamiliar with the seventh, the wife of a big contributor to the president. but it did lead to me recently ordering a few items from e-bay, either trading cards or postcards, since I have been doing this for a while. I now have postcards of 10 of the 13 baseball people, mostly their hall of fame plaque postcard. not many football people had been honored yet- just the fifth. it really was no surprise how Trump honored some football players, as he once owned a pro football team in the now-defunct USFL. and of course Obama honored some basketball players since he had played college basketball. I will have to check my p.o. box this weekend to see what has arrived.

3:10 to yuma movie

i watched another DVD on loan from the library today, '3:10 to Yuma', the 1957 version. I will admit that I was interested in seeing this one as I had seen the 2007 version, starring Russell crowe, at theaters. I had heard of glenn ford, who played the villain, but not van Heflin, who was hired to get him on the train to Yuma. there was plenty of suspense in it, which made it a good movie to watch. I do like a good western every so often. it was based on a story written by elmore leonard, and I know this name as he has written other stories that have become movies. a song of the same name is also in the movie. for some reason the song sounded a lot like the one in another western from that time, same year if I am not mistaken, 'gunfight at the o.k. corral'.
   there was some activity related to job searching. I have another phone interview scheduled, but it is over a week from now. I made some calls as well, to agencies I had contacted before. and I called the rep from the workforce center and said I have two phone interviews on Monday of next week. but there will be a longer wait to hear more about what to do to get a more attractive resume. I didn't recall hearing a time-table on Wednesday so I figured it was a good idea to follow up. I was asked to send an online version of my resume.
   In the evening I went to perform and it was great to see whopper and some of his theater friends at the venue. he said they were there after a long 'give to the max' day. he sang some, the first one was by Suzanne vega, and the other was springsteeen. I liked being able to talk at length with him, as it is rare to get this chance when there are usually so many around at his theater shows and the comedy venues. I did three songs myself. it was 'round and round' by perry como, 'low' by cracker, and 'muzzle' by smashing pumpkins. of course I had the recent target commercial in mind for the first one, since I was thrilled to hear Sia's version of it in the commercial.

sideroom resume help

I went to a job fair in Burnsville around midday and spoke to only one employer, with the state. it was the only one that I really wanted to see. somebody said that being frustrated doesn't work and wanted to look at my resume to see if re-writing it would make a difference. so it meant going to a side room for advice about it. naturally, it remains to be seen as to what help I will receive. but I left three different versions with this employee of the workforce center, and was told to expect some kind of follow-up by email or phone since this is listed on my resume. I am not sure what difference it will make though. I have said before how I will get five completely different answers about a subject if I go to five different people for advice about it. this applies to not just job searching but also dating. she said she understood frustrations, due to being out of work for three years at one point. due to divorce, health issues, and the recession. I do have some more phone interviews lined up, both on Monday of next week. and one interview from last week is still in play. I filed a few more applications through indeed this afternoon as well.
   I performed this evening, and it was memorable to say the least. a crowd member jumped onstage during my set, thinking I needed help but I didn't even know his name. thankfully the show runner coaxed him offstage. it is weird that such a thing happens, but I think it is more likely to happen at a mic where most people get used to seeing musicians and they don't know how to respond to a comic. or, as I have said before, they 'just don't get it'. but I know well enough to 'plow through' as I have an agenda of subjects to cover.

round and round, sia

recently I have been excited about a song I found in a target commercial, it is 'round and round' by sia. it is a happy song, and that sets it apart from most songs by sia that I know about. it is also a cover, and this song was a big hit for perry como in 1957. much like a jess kent song before it, 'get down', hearing part of it in a 30-second commercial was enough for me to look for it on youtube. I was not immediately aware of it being a cover, but once I found out I listened to the earlier version as well. both versions sound good to me.
   I had a meeting with a temp agency in the morning and I took the light rail to get there. when I got home I saw an email about a position with them but it would be a long commuting distance so I turned it down. there was even a 'robo-call' from one place saying there was a job available, but I was getting annoyed because they kept asking if I wanted to go back to school and I said I already have a degree so I don't expect much to happen with them. not sure how I got on their calling list either. in the evening I performed, and another performer spoke of stage time at his show next week. he was playing trumpet earlier in tonight's show, and I recognized some of what he was playing. at one point it was from 'my favorite things', also heard some from church hymns such as 'ode to joy'.

beerfest movie

i watched another DVD on loan from the library, 'beerfest'. one big reason why I chose it was knowing that cloris leachman is in it. I didn't recognize any other actors in it. this is from 2006, something that was mentioned in the movie at least once. as the name suggests, it is about beer, drinking lots of it. actually a 'drinking team'. I called it a 'farce' early on when there was one slapstick scene in it since it was ridiculous, and unlikely to happen. it covered some drinking games that I had very little knowledge of. \
   I had a phone interview this morning, though it started 30 minutes late. and another interview is scheduled for Tuesday morning. a third organization called me this morning as well, although I was getting a little annoyed when three calls took place and it could have all been done with just one.
   I performed tonight, near the end of the lineup, and there was a drunk lady in the crowd that had some outbursts every so often but I tried my best to ignore her. I also knocked over a music stand while onstage, but after my set was done I decided to correct that.

the great buster movie

I saw the movie 'the great buster', a documentary about silent film star buster Keaton,  this afternoon at the lagoon in uptown Minneapolis. I know these 'art films' don't last long, so I figured it was best to get there during the first week. I learned something as usual, how he had a career after the silent film era ended, but of course had to re-invent himself. he went all the way into the TV era, doing some commercials such as for northwest orient airlines and Alka-Seltzer. as a fan of 'the simpsons' I recall one time when he was name-checked, when his Hollywood walk of fame star was taken out to make way for someone else's. there was a 'simpsons' clip in it, a parody of one of his stunts. much like some other profiles of famous people, it had some lowlights in it such as mental health issues and a drinking problem. we comedians understand how mental health is a delicate thing. I even recall an episode of 'family ties' when he was name-checked, that one made sense since the family on that show was known as the keatons. this may have been a reference to buster. there were interviews with various entertainers, such as dick van dyke.
   it wasn't the only movie I saw today, but the other was a DVD on loan from the library that I watched at home. it was 'the grifters', starring john cusack. this was a conman movie I recall seeing part of on a movie channel when I was in high school. but I told myself I probably hadn't seen all of it. this was more of a character study than actually covering con games, since the characters were inter-related and all con artists- the mom, the son, and the son's lady friend. I saw how martin Scorsese was listed as a producer of the movie, but he did not direct it. the movie is all right, but I would have enjoyed it more had I seen more about how they pull off their con games. I have seen some other conman movies such as 'American hustle' so I had some to compare it to.
   I watched some pro football this afternoon, since the bears-lions game was on fox. the bears won 34-22, despite four missed kicks. it is a reminder of how I haven't seen a game at Chicago's soldier field in a while. there was plenty of things on TV about the centennial of the ending of world war one, which explains why the game in Chicago got plenty of attention as it is a war memorial. I saw the football game on TV and then left for the movie theater about an hour after it ended.

empty spaghetti can

when I was coming back from the dollar store I noticed an empty can of spaghetti-o's near the bus stop. so I got a photo of it, and said 'uh-oh, spaghetti-o's'. then the can went into the trash bin. I bought two items at the dollar store, a can of spaghetti and some toilet paper. so it was a weird coincidence to see the empty spaghetti can at this time.
   this was after I got back from my weekly grocery store visit, to aldi. I briefly misplaced by re-usable grocery store bags this afternoon when I was there. I was distracted by wanting to use a 'stray' cart after arriving at the 'cart corral' where I likely left them. when I didn't see them after paying the cashier I was told they were brought inside and next to an inactive check-out lane. so I like how they were still there.
   this was an eventful day. I checked my p.o. box and five online orders were there, four from e-bay and the fifth from delcampe. so it leaves just one order outstanding. both stamp orders from Germany were there, the charlie brown and snoopy stamps. one was the actual stamps, the other a first day cover. the moe berg card was there, as well as two postcards.
  for much of the afternoon I watched the iowa-northwestern football game on TV, the fox channel. iowa lost 14-10 but was leading 3-0 at the half. some late turnovers doomed the iowa hawkeyes. in the evening I first went to a CD recording at a micro-brewery, neck tattoo invited me to it and he was the first performer after the MC. I hadn't seen him performing much lately. I briefly went home after it and then headed out again, this time to perform. first venue didn't have karaoke tonight, so I had to line up alternate plans. I got one song I  near the end of the night, 'take the money and run' by the steve miller band. I saw them take the books off of the table before I sang. I think it is my second time performing there, the first was Oktoberfest weekend.

popcorn improv

I didn't see any of the typical 'boats' when I went to the popcorn machine at the performance venue to tonight so I decided to 'improvise'. it meant getting a to-go container meant for a sandwich. it worked just fine. I got a photo of it full of popcorn next to my bottle of grain belt beer. It reminded me of a time I had done this before, when I used a coffee filter. I did one song, it was 'get rhythm' by johnny cash. I liked how one couple decided to dance during this song. in many ways this tells me that people really are paying attention.
   this was a busy day for interviews. I had two, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. I had lunch between the two and went to Walgreen and got a paper as well. the clerk that knows me from the photo department was my cashier. I spoke of what happened with my most recent job but said hopefully I won't be out of work for long. I tried to watch a DVD movie after I was done but fell asleep. I know I've said this before, but this really does happen a lot to me. I enjoyed the first interview more than the second, even though it lasted longer. we spoke a little about movies, I think that is a big tip-off when one can discuss less serious things. I actually said I didn't like one of the questions at the second, but still did my best to answer it.
   in the evening I found some good TV programs to watch. it started with watching a rerun of 'big bang theory' and a high school football game was on after it. it is now the playoffs, and this game was broadcast from the Vikings training facility in Eagan. this is a place I want to see a game at, but the first two sold out and now of course it is winter, snowy and cold. I watched most of the game, Lakeville north beat st. Michael-Albertville 35-8. L.N. went ahead early, leading 21-0 at the end of the first quarter. the first two TDs were aided by turnovers. after it I found the movie 'copland', starring Sylvester stallone. I watched most of it but joined it in progress and left before it ended as I wanted to go perform. I recall seeing it at the theater. it was about the 'sheriff of cop-land', a new jersey suburb of new York city where cops liked to live. I liked how janeane Garofalo was in it, one of my comedy influences. it is a reminder of my time living in west des moines for a year and a half after college in iowa city. I recall a write-up in an alternative publication that referred to the lead actor as 'sheriff rocky', of course in reference to his most famous role as a boxer.