rivertown market, st. paul

i understand this was the final day that the rivertown market in downtown st. paul was to be open. i went to shop there 3 times after finding out it would be closing. i walked past it tonight and saw the sign in the window saying 'closed, going to auction'. candy-land is next to it, i liked getting popcorn every so often at candy-land. there will be an auction but i probably won't be bidding on anything as i checked what is available. i write it off as 'economic darwinism' as the strong survive. i have a few items left that i bought there and aren't consumed yet. one is a box of cereal, the other is some bags of microwave popcorn. but i expect both to get eaten soon.
   i had a job interview in downtown Minneapolis just before midday. i ended up talking about sports stats as it seemed relevant to be asked if i am good with numbers. will hope for the best on that one. i also performed tonight and spoke about it there.

kansas movie

i watched the movie 'kansas' today, starring matt Dillon and Andrew McCarthy. i already had it on VHS but like being able to replace it with a DVD copy. i just acquired the DVD copy over the weekend. i had to look at the receipt inside the VHS copy to be reminded of how long ago i bought it, it really had been a while. it was from 2001, when i lived in suburban Chicago. i moved the receipt to the DVD copy. about the movie itself, i hadn't seen it in a while. i recalled things like a bank robbery being a big part of the story, as well as one of them saving the life of the governor's daughter. it is beautiful scenery in this movie, as one sees plenty of farmland, especially wheat fields. of course some of it looked familiar to me, having grown up in small-town iowa, although it was mostly cornfields there instead of wheat.
  this afternoon i made another visit to print things at the library, much like the previous day. and i made another visit to cub foods, much like the previous day. Monday it was some TV dinners, this time it was cereal. i noticed i was running low on the cereal i have for the week, and having a single-serving bowl will fill the void well as otherwise it looked like i would run out a little early. i also got a small container of ice cream, and thankfully there was a wooden spoon in a wrapper in the freezer next to it, i ate the ice cream in my car in the grocery store parking lot before i went anywhere. it served as a reminder of how i prefer a metal spoon over a wooden or plastic one. but you make do with what you have.
  i performed at two venues tonight, and the big dog was at the first one. he is headlining at a nearby venue this week and asked me to help promote the show.

improv audition

i had an audition this evening for an 'improv' show. i don't have much experience with this form of entertainment, but i am willing to do most things for stage time. it was more fun than expected. i was one of four in the audition segment, and it was fun to feed off of the other performers. it led to me thinking of some long-dormant jokes as of course one has to think on your feet. sounds like i will hear more about the results of it later in the week. will hope for the best. one of them said she recognized me from my performances at an open-mic i started going to a few months ago.
   i ordered a ticket for a history show that will be next week. i skipped one of my normal venues tonight to go to the audition, but i still performed at an open-mic after that. a few familiar faces were there, such as happy meal, his first time (that i know of) at that venue.
   i got another job rejection, the second time that i was rejected as a test scorer. i even said to the agency that it is silly to reject me based on my writing abilities when i write a blog, as well as having many letters to the editor published. so i am still looking, still trying.

pride of the yankees movie

i watched another baseball movie this afternoon, it was 'pride of the yankees', starring gary cooper as lou Gehrig. i had seen it before, but it had been a while. it was recorded from TV on a blank tape. there were some scenes that i didn't like, such as how he was treated at the fraternity house. but it either actually happened, or invented for dramatic effect as they were trying to sell a movie. some scenes in it were funny, such as the confusion about 'hartford' and 'harvard'. i liked how the ending was of his famous speech, 'luckiest man on the face of the earth'. this was from the july 4, 1939, day that honored him after having to retire due to ALS. i prefer bio-pics when it ends on a high note.
   i also did some mini golf at can can wonderland in st. paul. i had been there before, but this was the first time for golf. it was a group event and i liked the pizza that was ordered. i got some root beer for myself, better than just getting water. before that i made a nice find at a resale shop, two items. one was the soundtrack for the movie 'sweet dreams', i had just seen it this weekend. the other was the movie 'kansas' on DVD. i have it on VHS but i like replacing it with DVD whenever possible.

3 to tango movie

this was a good day to stay in and watch movies on DVD, since there was more snowfall. i ended up watching four, and one of them was '3 to tango', starring neve Campbell and matthew perry. i had bought it a while back and i think this was the first time i saw it. i know why i got it then, as i like neve as she is from the 'scream' movies. the storyline would be considered a 'farce', since a businessman asks somebody to spy on his mistress after he thinks he's gay. i liked it, and it helped that the setting happened to be Chicago.
   the other three were '8 men out', a French movie, and 'sweet dreams'. so as we can see, i do like bio-pics as 2 of them are. i had 'sweet dreams' on my mind as i had seen the country music play a week ago, and patsy cline was one of the singers profiled in it. also since i called my dad this morning and spoke of the play.
   after watching '8 men out', a baseball movie about the black sox scandal, it was afternoon and i knew i needed to go get groceries as the snow was already falling. but i decided to stay in after that as the news seemed to say the roads were bad. so going to sing karaoke was out, as i didn't want to get my car stuck in the snow anywhere.

bull durham movie

i watched 2 more of my recently acquired DVDs today. the first was 'bull durham', a baseball movie. i recall seeing it at the theater when i was young. but of course i will look at it differently now, since i have an adult's perspective. i know i said one thing in it wasn't all that accurate, it was when 'nuke', the young pitcher, was sent directly to the majors from class A. but otherwise i liked it. i know it was credited with a resurgence of interest in minor-league baseball. although there already were many at that time who knew about it. for one thing, growing up near des moines, iowa, and seeing the iowa cubs often i grew to like minor-league baseball a lot. it was cheaper and closer.
   the other one i watched was highlights of david spade on 'Saturday night live'. i haven't seen much of his work since SNL, 'just shoot me', one of his sitcom roles, is about it. but I liked his 'Hollywood minute' segment on SNL. 'liked it the first time i saw it, when it was called'. he does the 'smarmy' thing well. after it i watched the 10pm news and went to do some karaoke. i did 'last time' by the rolling stones, and 'love hurts' by Nazareth. also this evening, i went to another fish fry, this one was at the VFW in south st. paul. i had been to it before, last year.
   i also had an interview this afternoon, and went to the rivertown market after it, a grocery store nearby in downtown st. paul. it closes in less than a week, and there is not much left. i bought four items, two were consumed rather quickly as i was having a late lunch. this was some Perrier mineral water, and old dutch arriba cheesy nacho flavored crunchy curls. i got an egg salad sandwich at the nearby Walgreen, there weren't any sandwiches left at this grocery store. the other two items bought were a box of cereal, and a dutch apple pie. the pie was not discounted, but the other three items were, 75 percent off. good chance it was my final visit, considering not only a limited inventory but also having to pay for parking since it is downtown. looks like the same auction company that handled the one for cooper's is handling this one as well. i will have to take a look to see if there is anything of interest to me. i bought three items from the cooper's sale, in November.

hawkeye lunch bag

after i had a phone interview at midday, and went to another job fair, i decided to stop at another resale shop. i was pleased with the findings as usual. i bought four items. one was some food, a can of lay's stax BBQ chips. i also found a book by actor Charles grodin, and a DVD of david spade on Saturday night live. i was walking through the bag and luggage section and saw an iowa hawkeye lunch bag, and said i should get it as well. i hadn't seen anything like it before, and of course it is way cheaper at a resale shop. i saw the original price tag still on it, and what i paid was less than half!
   before the phone interview i watched another DVD, it was a recent amazon order, a Charlie brown special. it was 'i want a dog for christmas', and the bonus episode was the new year's day special where Charlie is reading 'war and peace'. i hope to get to the others soon, which includes the three baseball movies. there wasn't much at the job fair, though i recognized one of the HR people from target. we had talked before, and it was the third job fair i have seen him at. i did my best to write down some advice from the rep from mall of America, although we disagreed on if the job search is a 'game' with rules. but to me it sure seems like one.
   i made it to an open-mic in the evening, no big deal getting there although the snow was already falling. and i could tell how plenty more fell while i was performing, based on how much was on my car when i got back. it was also no big deal getting home, as i have driven through snowstorms before. i like to say 'prepare for the worst, hope for the best'. i am reminded of what i had said while having to drive home from work when living in suburban Chicago, when it was foggy. look straight ahead, try to avoid lane changes, and don't go too fast.

baseball all-century team

i made another visit to a resale shop and was pleased to find more CDs and DVDs that were of interest to me. one of these was about the baseball all-century team. i had recently scanned the listings on amazon to see if there were more good ones to be found, and it was nice that i didn't have to order it at amazon and wait to have them ship it to my PO box. in fact, i have already found the time to watch it. i had heard how pete rose was a part of it, despite being banned for gambling. the other two items were CDs- learning French, and one with garrison Keillor.
   just before midday, i went to another job fair, but not much to be found at it. and in the afternoon, i did a submittal for a job through an agency. and i have another interview scheduled, for Friday.
   this evening i went to the Iowa-Minnesota basketball game at Williams arena. iowa never led in this one, trailing 31-19 at the half, and they lost 86-82. neither team was shooting well in the first half, so the game was still very much up for grabs. what likely kept iowa in the game was the rebounding, they held a slight edge in this area. for most of the game, Minnesota made more threes, and shot better from the foul line as well. but then the 'garbage time' happened at the end of the game. iowa was trailing, and had no choice but to foul. i was getting bored as it felt like it was delaying the inevitable. although the margin became more narrow during this time. i saw a former coworker before the game. he seemed to be unaware of me being an iowa hawk, not sure how since i figured we had talked enough at the office.
   i went to do some karaoke after the game, there was a long wait so i did just one song. it was 'one week' by the barenaked ladies. it was harder to keep up with than i thought, don't know if having another drink would have made a difference.

REM, singles collected

i made it to a resale shop i had been in before this afternoon, for the first time in a while. i was pleased with my findings there, and bought four items. one was a book, and the other three were CDs. for those who know me well, this will come as no surprise, as i do like media. besides books and CDs, i also like DVDs. the book was simpsons comics madness, and i already listened to one of the CDs. it was REM, singles collected. the other two i will get to soon. they are by regina spektor, and norah jones. i liked how the total was under seven dollars, tax included. i had an REM compilation already, but i think this one has more songs on it, as this one has 20. it includes a cover of 'king of the road', a hit when performed by roger miller. it does say some of them are 'edits', four in all. it explains why i noticed some missing lyrics on one in particular, it was 'end of the world'. i had seen this band in concert when i lived in suburban Chicago, when i lived there from 1998-2004. this song was the last one of the show, it was at an outdoor venue in the south suburbs, tinley park.
   i did more with job searching today, compared to the previous day, as of course Monday was the presidents day holiday. and i figured there was a chance that some places were going to the closed. i sent a resume to one agency, and when i was out doing things like printing at the library, and checking out the resale shop, they must have called. so i will have to try calling them in the morning. i watched another recently acquired DVD, it was 'lincoln' starring Daniel day-lewis. this was one of the two found at a family dollar, in sleeves instead of a plastic case. but i don't mind as it was cheaper. and i know i can still get a case later on if i so choose. it was why i looked up song lyrics this morning, as i spoke of it in a comedy set and realized the line was from a song.
   i performed at two different venues tonight, the first is where the 'extra murder' comic is the show runner. happy meal was there, he had recently been on vacation in japan and Taiwan. cul-de-sac is one of the show runners at the second, and some comics that went on before i did were annoyed with a table full of people near the stage wasn't paying attention at all. but i am used to it, where at some venues the crowd isn't always there to see a show.

re-scraping frost

i eventually made it to the performance venue in the evening, but i scrapped one venue i normally go to. there was an ice and snow storm, and it took a while to scrape frost off my car. i was at it for 10 minutes, letting it warm up, and i knew it would take a while, so i shut off the engine. i checked the clock once i got back inside, and noticed i was at it for nearly an hour. part of the time was spent re-scraping frost as it kept falling. i figured if i wasn't going to be on time to the first venue, i might as well go back inside and watch some reruns for a little while. guess the scraping was a form of exercise for me, since i spent much of the day inside before then.
   i watched a DVD i recently acquired, it was the one that had 3 'big bang theory' episodes on it, all with Christmas themes. i had only seen the last of the three, from 2012, it had all three ladies in it, including Bernadette and amy, and the first two only had penny. after watching it i spent much of the day going through my binders and getting them organized better. it was items i have placed in sheet protectors. and now for this section there are four binders instead of three. it is better to have them grouped by category more. one is iowa, one is sports, one is Minnesota and my other travels, and one is miscellaneous. some would see it as a hodgepodge, but the sports section includes plenty of event tickets i wanted to keep. and of course i like the 'print at home' option, which means it will be a typical 8 1/2 by 11 page. at some point i might want to go through it more, as i still might want to see if i want to keep all that is in it. there were a few, but not many, pages where i said they didn't belong, and they were placed in my shredder pile. i like to stress quality when i know space is limited.

ESPN college basketball top 10

i watched a DVD i just bought this week from a dollar store this morning. the disc said 'college basketball' with ESPN logos on it. as well as volume 2, greatest players, coaches, and fiercest rivalries. this included some from women's basketball as well. there were no iowa players or coaches that made the list, although two coaches were either mentioned or interviewed. it was George raveling, and Vivian stringer. the disc was produced in 2005, so with anything it would eventually look a little dated. stringer was mentioned as a coach that hadn't won a national title, and raveling as i recall played for villanova, one of the five Philadelphia schools that make up one of the ten rivalries profiled. one of the rivalries was from division 3. i enjoyed watching it, and as usual i learned something from the media i partake of. no surprise how it covered the hotbeds for college basketball, as i have long been familiar with four states in particular being known for it. Kansas, Indiana, Kentucky, and north Carolina. it does leave me wondering what is on volume 1.
   in the afternoon i made it to another resale shop and got 2 more DVDs. both were baseball movies. 'bull durham' and 'pride of the yankees'. i also went to a Walgreen and noticed there still was a decent amount of valentines day candy left, at half price. so i got some, and one of them was a little box of chocolates, really wanted to have it as it had a Charlie brown theme.
   then shortly after that i went to go perform, at two different shows. in between i had a little godfather's pizza, i had a craving for it as i hadn't had one in a little while. conga line was one of the performers at the second show, resistable comic was the show runner at the first.

legendary ladies of country music

saw the play 'legendary ladies of country (music) tonight in Bloomington. it was at the Minnesota masonic heritage center in Bloomington. first time visiting there. i stopped at a holiday gas station just a few blocks form there as i needed food and fuel. i found out, as expected, i was nearby, just wanted to check. i will have to return sometime soon to tour the museum. i was there to see the play, so i knew i had no time to tour the museum, especially when it appeared that it closed at 5pm on a Saturday anyway. there were 24 names listed in the program, i recognized most of them. not sure how often they played full songs though, a copyright issue maybe? when i heard 'he thinks he'll keep her' by mary chapin carpenter i knew full well they skipped the middle part of it. an older man was next to me in the front row and he either wasn't paying attention to me, being condescending, or both. i spoke of how i wanted to see it at the Plymouth playhouse but then read it was canceled after seeing a card advertising it,  and then he basically repeated what i said. we didn't talk after the part before the first act, what was the point? he proved to be a retired man with too much time on his hands. i liked how it covered some backgrounds information on some of the songs and performers, and i laughed a little when there was a joke about wanting to sing 'love hurts'. i was familiar with how it had been performed many times, and not just by Nazareth, before them by the everly brothers, then roy orbison. so i would say it was well worth it to attend the play.
   it was a busy day in more ways than one. of course it started off with getting a breakfast sandwich at a holiday station, then checking my PO box, and one of my amazon orders was there. it was a dick enberg book. i watched some of my DVDs, first a documentary from HBO about the 'miracle on ice' hockey team. then it was a Charlie brown special, valentines day and two others on the disc. then it was on to eden prairie to a mega-church as the spire credit union annual meeting was there. i liked getting a st. paul saints baseball schedule there, as they are a saints sponsor. i also inquired further about some of their services. there was some circus performers as well. i got home and then shopped for groceries at aldi. then before long it was time to leave again, for the play. i got home and watched the news, then after a while it was time to leave again, for performing. i made it to the karaoke venue, and did one song. it was 'rose garden' by lynn Anderson, inspired by the play i had seen earlier. i waited longer than typical, an hour, but it was more crowded than usual. something about an annual event, karaoke in costume.
   what came after it was more errand running, a stop at the cub foods at 36 and rice street, in Maplewood but also close to little Canada and Roseville. i got bananas, and TV dinners, 2 things i couldn't find at the aldi. and it made me think, while driving home, how i do seem to be a late bloomer. i mean, i am at a grocery store in the middle of the night, a little tired, after having 2 beers and singing. is this living the dream? this is more like what somebody does in their 20s, i am older than that. better late than never i guess. i saw a cop stopping somebody in the parking lot as i was leaving, but i understand that a priority after midnight is stopping drunk drivers. oh, and i was listening to a CD in my car, a greatest hits compilation of johnny cash songs. i knew i felt inspired when thinking about it while driving, and this is a good thing to acknowledge that. also notable about the day was getting 2 more DVDs at a dollar store, but in sleeves and not cases. cheaper this way though, 2 dollars each. earlier i had bought one for six, and it was in a case. then there was a 'facts of life' episode after the late news, on a different channel, about a schoolgirl committing suicide. one of my comedy friends did that, and some people at my high school did as well. i think this was why i agreed with jo saying 'death is brutal' in response to tootie having a hard time accepting what had happened.

colin powell leadership academy

i went to my first fish fry of the lent season, it was at the American legion hall on the east side of st. paul. tonight's sponsor was the colin powell leadership academy, first time i had heard of it. some were in uniform, military cadets with the ROTC program. some served me food, and others were willing to take care of my trash when done eating. i have more to look up about this organization, although there was a display about their mission in the dining hall.
   i did some karaoke tonight as well, but at a different venue than the fish fry. 2 songs, 'still haven't found what i am looking for' by U2, and '33' by smashing pumpkins. a young lady asked me to be in her selfie, and i agreed to it. it is a nice form of recognition, as the request doesn't happen too often.

rock n me, steve miller band

i did some karaoke tonight, one song. it was 'rock n me' by the steve miller band. i had heard it on the radio and i said it fits my mood as it is about looking for work. then it was on to the next venue, a comedy open-mic.
    i had another meeting with an agency this afternoon, but it had a disappointing ending as i was told the job mentioned 2 days ago was not available. it was why i scheduled the meeting.

writing sample for evaluation

the first appointment was this afternoon, in Plymouth. i needed to get them a copy of my college degree as well as submit a writing sample for an evaluation to see if the client wants to hire me for a job. i really enjoyed doing the writing, although a little odd to write about writing. i am so proud of my writings that i asked the agency to make me a copy of it, and they did. there was also an optional math section, but i still did it. why not, if it is there? the door was locked when i arrived, somebody nearby said 'maybe they are at lunch' but it was 2pm, most people have taken lunch by then. i was thankful that somebody opened the door and asked if i had an appointment, and i did. something about some recent threatening calls was why the door was locked. i was in and out in under an hour, and since i was close to the hotel that had Plymouth playhouse i went over there as well. but all i saw was an abandoned ticket office and the stairs to the lower level, where the theater venue was, were roped off. i had seen something around the end of December about how the theater was closing, i guess there is no new tenant yet. a TV was on in the hotel lobby and there was something about a school shooting in florida.
   when i got home i got a letter ready for mailing. it was a request to close my account with a credit union in suburban Chicago. i called the previous day and was informed i needed to make the request in writing. i sent it to the actual post office as i knew it would go out earlier than if placed in a remote collection box. then i watched 'the peanuts movie' on DVD, for first time since i had seen it at the theater. and i went out to perform in the evening, but it was a light crowd likely due to it being valentines day as well as ash Wednesday.

hoosiers movie

this afternoon i watched the movie 'hoosiers' on DVD. i recently acquired it from a dollar store. the line i really like in it is 'coach stays' in reference to the vote where he almost got fired. it had been a while since i had seen this movie. i had seen it with my dad on video before, a VHS copy of course.  it is a reminder of why i liked gene Hackman as an actor, as he played the basketball coach.
   i also got two appointments set up about jobs, same agency but 2 different offices. surprising how the calls were only a minute or two apart. they will be on separate days, one on Wednesday and the other Thursday, both in the afternoon. and i performed at two different venues in the evening. for the second straight week i helped out with shutting off the TVs at the first venue before the show began. i have performed at plenty of venues, and i know full well it can be distracting to have TVs on in the show room. sometimes I end up watching the TV more. not too big of a deal to have them on in the bar area, away from the stage.

smashing pumpkins, greatest hits

i watched the other DVD that i got over the weekend, this morning. it was the smashing pumpkins, 1991-2000. it was their greatest hits. some of these videos i had never seen before, others i hadn't seen in a while. included was a short film called 'try', filmed in Sweden. the video for 'try, try, try' had footage that was much like it, of course in a shorter format. there was 21 listings, i watched all but one of them. the final one, 'untitled', was nowhere to be found. it was a good selection of their music, although one notable missing song was 'muzzle'.
   i did a facebook posting about what i did over the weekend, and i mentioned junking another VHS tape as i found the same movie on DVD. a writer friend in Houston said she still has some VHS tapes as well. it inspired me to check amazon to see how many i could replace with a DVD format. it looks like a good number of the 40 movies could be replaced. although one, 'joe torre, curveballs along the way', starring paul sorvino, does not appear to be available on DVD. i selected 12 to research, besides the ones i saw in a store this weekend of course. many of them are going for cheap as a used copy, under five dollars before shipping.
   hard to say how much closer i got to being hired today. i was on the phone a lot, after turning it on just before midday and seeing 7 messages waiting for me. although 4 were from the same agency, so of course i was annoyed, especially when it was within one hour.
   it was nice performing tonight, even gave a shout-out to a crowd member who brings her Kermit the frog muppets doll as she is cheerful.
   i also made another visit to the downtown st. paul grocery store that is closing soon. and i was approached by a panhandler again, but this time before i even crossed the street. i bought 9 items this time, and got some photos. but i know most of the items will get eaten right away, the way i prefer it. it helps that two of those items are sandwiches, and two others were dessert items- some cake, and pie. one item that may last a while is a box of microwave popcorn bags. i chose one that had a redbox ad on it, a free night code that is good through the end of this calendar year. had to check the date on the box.

babe ruth movie, john goodman

i bought a few movies on DVD this afternoon. the previous day i noticed there was multiple copies of 'hoosiers' at a dollar store, i checked and i didn't have it yet. so i bought it and decided to look at a resale shop as well, cheapo records. first time i had looked at the movies there, usually i am looking at the music. i bought 2 DVDs there, one was videos by the band smashing pumpkins. the other was the babe ruth movie, starring john goodman, from 1992. i had a list of movies with me that i have on VHS, and this was one of them. so i was pleased that i was able to junk another VHS tape. the total has slowly dwindled over the years, it is now down to 40.
   i very much enjoyed seeing the babe ruth movie, as i love baseball and this time of year is tough for me as a baseball fan as it is the off-season. so this is one thing that keeps me interested. i am aware of the improvements on the DVD versions when i switch over, as there are special features on them. in this case it was some short movies starring the babe himself. there is mention of his doing movies in this movie, such as when he shows up late to spring training. i like it when i hear him saying 'banana oil' to the server, he is wooing her. i recall a high school classmate saying he was an extra in this movie, as it was filmed in Illinois and some of it was at Wrigley field in Chicago. and i have met one of the actors in it, wayne messmer, who plays a radio announcer in it. he is often seen at Chicago wolves games, a minor-league hockey team.
  i liked how it was a fairly leisurely day for me. i reminded myself about the backlog on the baseball cards i had bought, and not yet in binders. so i took care of some of them, but not all. the ones now in are the ones bought as a 'grab bag' item at the Minnesota twins fanfest last month. remaining are the ones bought at a Walgreen. but i am out of sheets now, and will need to buy more.
   i also bought two items on amazon for the first time since November. one was a baseball movie, '8 men out', and the other was a book by dick enberg, the sports announcer. already had his book 'oh my', it was after he died in December i found out he did another one, 'humorous quotes'.

sledding at saints stadium

i made it to the st. paul winter carnival on the final weekend. first event i did was the sledding at the saints baseball stadium. i went down the slide 4 times. i needed to get a feel of it, so the first wasn't as fun as the others. then i said it was like the carpet slide at the state fair. so it meant i do the same thing as at the state fair, scream like lt. dan did in 'forrest gump' during the hurricane. i saw how one concession stand was open, but i didn't buy anything there as i expected plenty of food vendors at the main part of the winter carnival a few blocks away. I saw the ice castle at rice park as well, and went inside the landmark center across the street. i saw plenty of coins on the side of the ice blocks. i got some hot chocolate and a chili dog from a food stand there. after i was done i was walking back to my car, and noticed the signs in the window at rivertown market, a grocery store a few blocks from there. it said they would be closing soon, at the end of the month. so i went inside to see what i could get as i didn't get a dessert item at the carnival. i got some TGI Friday's potato skins, and some german chocolate cake. it was less than two dollars. a panhandler approached me shortly after leaving the store, and i was already eating the cake. but as usual, i said no to them. when another patron was paying for his purchases, i recall an employee trying to assign blame for why the store had to close. saying people forgot how there was a grocery store in downtown st. paul before the lunds and byerly's opened. although those stores are really not that similar. i know when i was working downtown i didn't go into this store much, as i didn't know about it for a while. it kind of blends into the storefronts, next to candyland, a place where i liked getting popcorn every so often. and when i did go in, i said if i was going in during my lunch break, that i would only buy what i could eat right away as it seemed wrong to get a lot of perishables, and grocery stores have plenty of them. in addition, one has to pay for parking to shop there! one doesn't have to do this at most grocery stores. he also spoke of the amount of money that the nearby palace theater got for their renovation, which sounded like jealousy just as much as the 'true' competitor.
    in the evening i went to perform, and did karaoke, '18 and life' by skid row. much like other recent selections, it was inspired by hearing it on the radio. there was a different MC than usual, and i was invited to do more than one song but i said no. i arrived kind of late, had some things to do, so my next time up there would have been near closing time. i usually don't stay that late. so i finished by beer and then i left.

3 poems written

after watching the 10pm news tonight, i knew i needed to go perform. but i was also inspired to write poetry, something that hasn't happened in a while. so i knew i needed to write before i departed, not sure when i would be inspired again like this. i wrote 3 poems, and the last one was likely the best one. it was inspired by the meeting with an agency where it was off-putting to hear how the position i was informed about didn't want to interview me. it was hard for me to get over that, even though the recruiter said there was another position available. so at this point, when i spent more ranting about failed interviews than i should have, i am not sure if i am being submitted to the one that is still available. i should know by now to try to hide my disappointment better, when i know it can be costly. i already sent a thank-you message to the recruiter and it included my deepest apologies, saying i don't mean to be the least bit difficult to work with. hopefully i will get a response, but i also know i can't count on one either. i spoke of some of this to somebody i know at a Walgreen, as i was there to pick up some supplies i needed.
   i did 2 songs when i made it to the karaoke bar. it was 'walking after midnight' by patsy cline, and 'the only one' by Melissa etheridge. i had somebody that wanted to interact with me while performing the second one. and a regular introduced me to some people he knows, something i asked for as he had said before how he knew some people there.

phone tag, job lead

i played phone tag with an agency today, but we finally connected and i have an appointment scheduled with them about an insurance claims position. i like how i am meeting with them right away, the next day. i took the call while at the library, and i knew well enough to lock up my computer, as i was checking email. i went to the entryway, a better place to take the call. nobody really cares there. better than going into the bathroom, more comfortable as there are better places to sit down, i had written about taking a bathroom call before.
   I also got some event tickets ordered, one of them is for this weekend and the other is for the following weekend. since both events are coming soon i didn't want to wait too much longer as i might forget to order otherwise. this tends to happen when i get too busy.
   I  performed at two different venues in the evening. first venue was karaoke, i sang 'you could be mine' by guns and roses. i had just heard it on the radio, and it reminded me of how it was in the movie 'terminator 2'. and of course the second was a comedy open-mic. i think it is a good idea that i have been moving up my visit to the super-America, to before the show. trying to go after it to get a small bag of potato chips, i realized it wasn't the best game plan. since it can be cold, and late at night, and i just want to get back to my car, and back home. although the clerk said he liked talking to me before, the man who said he had been laid off as well.

public enemies movie

i watched one of the DVDs i recently acquired from Walmart this afternoon, it was 'public enemies', a gangster film, mostly about john Dillinger. it was probably the first time i had seen it since i saw it at the theater back in 2009. it made me laugh a little when the FBI agents were discussing what movie he would likely attend. it was said 'he is not going to see a Shirley temple movie' and he was more likely to see a gangster film, 'manhattan melodrama', starring clark gable. it does not cover all of his activity, as he was known for spending some time in st. paul, MN. the city is mentioned, though. about kidnappings, as the hamm's beer heir was kidnapped, and then the Schmidt beer heir was mentioned in the same scene. although they say 'bremer', in reference to being a banker, but his dad still ran the brewery. i think one thing that got me thinking about it again was seeing mention of the movie on Wikipedia, when i was looking for information about bank buildings designed by louis Sullivan. and it was said the movie was filmed at one of them. but so far, i have only seen the one in Owatonna, and it wasn't filmed there. johnny depp did well in his performance as Dillinger, and i liked marion cotillard as well, who played his lady.
   i ate at an arby's at midday and there was a flyer saying 'we have the seats'. it was in reference to an upcoming timberwolves basketball game against golden state. basketball isn't my favorite sport, normally i see the wolves play new Orleans but it won't be this season, already played them twice. i tend to be more interested in college basketball. so hard to day what i will do. i performed this evening as well. much of it was about my super bowl stories, but also about music in commercials, and the time spent looking in the DVD bin.

broken pizza cutter

i was ready to have some pizza at midday. while i was cutting it the cutter fell apart. so i did my best to keep it together to finish the cutting and then threw it in the trash. i reminded myself how i had another one to use, so there was no need to buy one. it was in a bag of free items from being in the studio audience at twin cities live. don't recall how long i had this pizza cutter, but hopefully the next one will last for a while.
   during the morning i did laundry, for the first time in a while. i knew it was necessary, as i was running out of clean clothes to wear. at least the socks and undies, as i have plenty of shirts. it led to me going to get another pair of socks, seeing that one pair had holes in them. i went to a target to get the pair. i also noticed i needed more hangers, as i put three more shirts into use. the hangers were acquired at Walmart, as i am picky and wanted either wooden or metal, instead of plastic. i also looked through all of the discounted DVDs in the bin, and found two to get. one of them i tried to watch already, but fell asleep in the middle of it. i was intrigued when finding out musician johnny cash had done a movie, playing a villain. it was called 'five minutes to live', and ron howard was in it as well, but was a little boy at the time. he had at least one song in it, no surprise there.
   i performed at two different venues this evening, and i think i had a longer set at the first one. i shared my super bowl stories and spoke of the finds in the DVD bin as well.

discounted super bowl merchandise

i knew one way to stay busy for the day was looking for super bowl merchandise at various stores. it is a lot like shopping for candy after certain holidays like Halloween, Christmas, and valentines day. i went to seven stores, four of them were cub foods. then one each of Walgreen, target, and Hy-Vee. i bought something at five of them, two of the cub locations was where i didn't buy anything. i got six items. first was m and m candy, with the super bowl logo stamped on the candy. i also got a pennant, a plastic drinking cup, a program, napkins, and a wooden coaster. the pennant was likely made before it was known what teams would be playing, as it looks more plain than the pennant i got on Friday at the convention center. i got the coaster at the Hy-Vee in oakdale, and the cashier saw what i was getting and said her boyfriend worked security at the game. i got photos of the displays at various stores as well. at one of the cub foods i didn't buy anything at there was a big plastic m and m holding up a tray of the candy for sale. this was the one at har-mar in Roseville. i walked around the mall and needed to go to the bathroom. i went in even though there were yellow plastic signs up. there was somebody working on a fixture, but i really needed to go. another patron arrived shortly after i did, so it was proof of how i was not alone. i said to the repairman that i answer the call when nature calls, it sounded like the other bathroom wasn't that close anyway. in addition, i was in and out quick.
   i performed karaoke in the evening. i did three songs. it was 'one piece at a time' by johnny cash, 'ready or not' by the fugees, and 'on the road again' by willie nelson. when i was looking for ideas, the first one i said was a good idea. i noticed i made it the title of blog entries twice. and i had heard this johnny cash song recently on the radio.

super bowl hot dogs

i went to a bar to see the super bowl as, for whatever reason, NBC doesn't get picked up by my TV. one offer they had was free hot dogs and chili during the game. so i had some, besides beer. i think this is fairly common as a promotion at this bar, usually though it is during Vikings games of course. whatever brings people in, although the crowd was kind of thin, but i didn't mind. i spent some time clearing a little space on my digital camera memory card before i departed, which meant i arrived after the game began. but i still made it there early in the game, before any points were scored. Philadelphia beat new England 41-33, after leading 22-12 at halftime. i did see a man setting up for karaoke during the game, but i didn't stay for the karaoke. i had other things to do, such as the dishes.
   i picked up some TV dinners at Cub Foods after game, and noticed some Super Bowl souvenirs for sale there but didn't buy any, yet. also seeing the TV ad for blue ox heating and air, catchy due to the music in it. it is not the first store i have been in that has this kind of merchandise. so if i feel the need, i can go back and get another look. i have done this before, think about it, as it is often a good idea to avoid buying on impulse, especially if one has a limited budget. although there is something to be said for 'get while the getting is good', not knowing how long it will be there.
   i normally go see a movie in the afternoon on super bowl sunday, and it is over well before the game begins. but i did not do that this year. i reminded myself how i have some videos i hadn't watched yet. so i watched 'mr. warmth', about comedian don rickles. i had tried to watch it before, but fell asleep. i liked it as there was plenty of interviews with bob Newhart in it. there was two discs, the main one was longer, and i liked it more. the second disc had special features on it. really the only memorable thing about the second one was what Newhart said about acting.

improv show audition

this afternoon i went to an improv show audition. i had been to this venue before. due to the snow i decided to go on mostly secondary roads so if course it took longer. i was a little timid during the warmups, may have been why one of the show runners questioned if i wanted to audition. but i wanted to, and i did. there was two rounds, doing scripted lines and your own lines. i liked trying this form of entertainment, for the experience of it. on the way to the audition i saw somebody 'hit and run' a train, the light rail. it blocked the road for a few minutes, it was near the u of m campus.
   i went to use a best buy gift card code before then, as i knew it was expiring today. it was just five dollars. i looked at the discount bins for the DVDs and CDs, and i found two DVDs of Charlie brown specials that i didn't have yet. i have watched both discs already, as i needed something to do. it was 'he's your dog', 'you're not elected', 'life is a circus', and 'he's a bully'.
    in the evening i went to a comedy show. i figured the odds were good that i would get stage time, but it was not to be. the show runner found me and sad it was a rough show, and he just wanted it over with. it was the 5-year anniversary show. so i am told i will get stage time at a later show he does. during his set he had 2 comics cancel out. the three headliners were school bouncer, brawler, and a lady with dread locks. he was disappointed about the low turnout, and a lady that kept heckling. the weather likely played a role in the turnout, more so than the upcoming super bowl, since it was no big deal getting around the city in the places i went. although after the show it was a madhouse at a gas station near the stadium. i had no choice to stop there, as a gas station near the venue was closed and 'pay at the pump' wasn't working.

super bowl 52 experience

i went to the super bowl 52 experience, held at the convention center in Minneapolis. i arrived just after 11am as it was a timed entrance ticket, taking the light rail there. it was nice to get some free items. this included towels from two sponsors, Hyundai cars and bridgestone tires. i got some gift cards from Hyundai as well, and used them for some souvenirs. i got a pennant, button, and pen. there was 99 cents left on one card- as the cards had $5 each on them. it was also nice to get some free food, as another sponsor had samples of their product- Campbell soup. i also picked up a sticker album from panini that was left on a table. i got 13 photos on my own camera, and two others were emailed to me. they were of a super bowl ticket, and holding up a jersey on draft day. i shared one of them on twitter, and it was liked right away. it would have been both, but the other one looked blurred when i tried to post it. two photos were a reminder of my school, the iowa hawkeyes. there was a sweatshirt that belonged to football coach hayden fry as part of a display from the college football hall of fame, now based in Atlanta. i saw a former coworker there, with his son. he had been 'missing in action' for a while, he told me why. it was a leg injury from falling on the ice. he said he almost died as it could have been a serious head injury. he had a patriots jersey on, john (hawg) Hannah, number 73. we swapped stories about some of our coworkers, at one point i said i was 'astounded' ( for lack of a better term) that one of them attacked this coworker's dad, and son. i said i had turned down this colleague's connection request on linkedin as i found that colleague to be annoying. it bothered me a little when knowing his injury happened on a walk, and i know i am an avid walker as well. one photo, when walking back to the train, was of a hum-vee. i had seen on the news about plenty of security available.
  i made it to two other venues in the evening. both were places where i sang karaoke. the first was the French alliance, i sang 'rien' by edith piaf. i liked having some ham and cheese inside a wrapped, thin pancake. there were some crepes as well. another song was by celine dion. after just under two hours, i drove home and watched the news. then i ventured out again. i did two songs at the second venue. they were 'raise your glass' by pink, and 'not afraid' by Eminem.

need a folder?

i went to a job fair in Dakota county before midday and picked up plenty of booklets in the workforce center next to it after it. so many that my organizer was more than full, and some spilled out. i was asked if i needed a folder for them, and accepted it. not my first job fair attended there, so i was thankful i got a better look around than before. I was impressed with how much literature was available, way more than the one I had been to in st. paul just north of university avenue. hard to say if it will yield to any decent job leads though. one was a bus company, and they kept saying to me 'we will train you' even though I have never driven a bus. i had done some one-offs, with U-Hauls, and that is all so far. i met with an agency that i had already filed an application with, a month ago. I said i didn't like how nobody had called me yet, felt like i was being ignored. he said he was sending an email and i would get a call, and i did. checked my voicemail, except all they said was 'we don't have anything'. didn't like hearing it, but at least i finally heard something. i do like how some of these places have candy available. but i am aware of how most of those represented there don't come close to matching my skill set, unless you count temp agencies. 

  i performed at two venues tonight, first was karaoke. i did 'last kiss' by pearl jam. then it was on to a comedy open-mic.