postcard album space needed, found

I knew I was running out of space with photo albums I am using for postcards. so I said this was a good day to go through photo albums and see if I could stress quality again. and I could, taking out more than a hundred photos and another album is freed up. I knew I had done this before, evident with a partial album I found in the middle. I knew well enough to do as much as I could today as it is hard to find this motivation and momentum. so no worries now on where to display postcards from recent e-bay orders that will arrive soon. or any others I order this year or find in my travels.
   I did the comedy marathon early this morning, and as expected I didn't stay around for long after my time slot was done. I drove home and slept. I also decided to go get a hair cut at sport clips. and much like the last one, I paid cash as I didn't want to get double-charged as that is what happened when I paid with a card last summer. so it meant I just did the haircut and not the shampooing.
   I watched 'the simpsons' this evening, my only real break from the album project. it was lisa going out of town for music training. I recognized j.k. simmons playing a role much like in 'whiplash', and I saw a parody of 'the shining' in it as well.

screwball movie

I went to see a movie in Minneapolis tonight, called 'screwball', a documentary about performance enhancing drugs in baseball. it was a weird story, using child actors fairly often when not showing interviews with actual people or archival footage. some of it I do recall, such as when alex rodriguez was suspended from the game for one season. I was not familiar with how he has the baseball stadium at the u. of Miami named for him.
   I got plenty of errand running done today by mid-afternoon, such as going to the grocery store and printing things at the library. I had to think ahead when I am performing late at night in a comedy marathon. when I woke up this morning I panicked, thinking I had missed my slot. then after I left a voicemail I said 'wait a minute, I haven't been to the post office yet'. so I was wrong, hadn't missed it yet, was off by a day. so I sent another voicemail saying 'please disregard'. after the movie, I headed home and stopped off at a cub foods first, for the items I can't find at the aldi earlier in the day. then it was watching the late news, and eventually on to sing at a karaoke bar. I was advised that it would be a long wait to sing, but thankfully there was a no-show so I moved up a little. I did 'little miss can't be wrong' by the spin doctors. then I had to leave shortly after that to get to the comedy marathon.

whole milk at fish fry

I went to another fish fry tonight, at the American legion hall on the east side of st. paul. as usual, there was sponsors, including a business association, represented by somebody from a motel 6. there were not many options for drinks, it is why I chose milk in a jug from cub foods. I did not know at first that it was whole milk, and I am used to skim milk. after the main course was done I had what I call a 'rapper cookie', as it was an M and M cookie. there are 3 more Fridays during lent, and I have already starred 5 possible venues for those nights from the article.
   at work I closed just 20 cases, it was disappointing. I had some bounce-back cases and felt obligated to handle them, and it meant I lost 4 cases I could have done. with one of them I was sent an I.M. about it and a team lead decided to reverse a recommendation that I had been given 2 days earlier. there was also a potluck for the last day for a mentor of mine, I had some of the leftovers once it was announced that we could have them.
   in the evening after I went to the fish fry I went to a Walgreen to pick up some things. I decided to get a hand-sized charlie brown book about birthdays, it was the last one on display. then I watched the college basketball tournament, and eventually went out to sing karaoke. I did 'taking care of business' by bachman turner overdrive. I liked seeing somebody I know from another venue. it was the karaoke jockey from a place that I recently became a regular at.

binder put away

i know I turned a corner at work today, by finding another time saver. I put the binder away, really didn't need it anymore to recall the 12 steps on each claim. I closed 26 cases, so it made a difference. it would have been more, but I was hung up on if a case was reviewable and had to send an I.M. about it. but I think I had a similar case later on in the day, so what I learned was helpful right away.
   when I got off work I saw an online article about pancake mixes. it was aunt jemima, bisquick and hungry jack. I know those are owned by quaker oats, general mills, and smucker. although for the last one it had been owned by Pillsbury for a while. it reminded me of 'merging' 3 boxes of pancake mix one time in college, but I think one of them was Martha Gooch and I couldn't find much about that company online. I went to the karaoke bar and did two songs. it was 'love hurts' by Nazareth, and 'bullet with butterfly wings' by smashing pumpkins. the karaoke jockey said his dad's funeral was earlier in the day.

bookstore calendar

and it continues on making some nice finds in the breakroom. today it was a bookstore calendar, with lists for each month. I sent it to my cubicle, although it is displayed sideways as that is the only way it would fit the wall. I closed 21 cases today, but I know I can do even better. I was not thrilled about the schedule I am assigned, taking effect in just over a week from now. it means working a half-day on Saturday, but I will find a way to make it work. I also saw a meeting invite to a training class, one full day next week. it will be for some kind of cross-training.
   I performed this evening, and I saw a comic who is a show runner near a former brewery for the first time in a while. people really like the bit about the 'hot mess' I encountered over the weekend. also odd when I got home, checking email, and there was a request for information from an insurance company. I responded and had more questions about the position. hard to say if it will yield anything, but I know I pretty much stopped looking for work when I went back to work over a month ago. nothing wrong with keeping my options open, especially when I am still with an agency and prefer something that is direct-hire.

campbell's soup, from canada

there was plenty of items up for grabs in the breakroom at the office. one that caught my eye was campbell's soup, chicken with rice, product of Canada. this was just a subtle difference on the label, along with at the top where it says 'Canada' in a circle surrounding a crown. so I had it instead of the soup I had brought, which was chicken noodle. it can wait for another day. other items I picked up were a can of Walmart cola, two tubes of travel size crest toothpaste, and a card that said 'our strategy and vision' as well as 'foundation'. I was told it was a card that could be clipped together with the i.d. badge. I closed 19 cases again, first day of not putting them on my shelf. I also saw an email about choosing shifts once the audit period is done. there are four options, two of them have a shift on the weekend, albeit four hours on a Saturday. I still prefer to avoid weekends, so it leaves the other two that I hope to get. there was 5 of us in the office today, according to I.M. same person from Monday was absent again. a timecard issue was resolved, my stamp-ins were not being accepted and I found out it was best to un-approve my time card. then it went back to saying 'transaction valid' along with a green light.
   I performed tonight, near the end of the show. I got the biggest reaction from the story about the 'hot mess' I met over the weekend. and I was given some information about a show that is starting up this week. I said I still need to figure out the logistics on getting to two shows on the same night. 

shelf and release

i closed 19 more cases at work today. but according to an email, the system may not be counting all of them. since I have been doing what I did in training, which is put it on my shelf to see that no one else takes it. and then having to release the next one. the fill-in boss while mine is on vacation said if I avoid doing that, then the stats should go up. and it is hard to tell how many are left from my training class. one was absent, but not the same one as last week. but the most important thing is paying attention to my own work. it was nice to see what was up for grabs in the breakroom, I claimed 2 packets of quaker oatmeal and will have it eventually.
  I performed tonight, but it was harder than typical. I kept fighting to stay awake as I was really tired. it meant standing up a lot while waiting to go onstage, and walking around as well. I spoke about various subjects, including the 'hot mess' from over the weekend.

pitch perfect 2 movie

I watched a DVD on loan from the library this afternoon, 'pitch perfect 2'. it was the oldest one available in the series. I chose it because I often saw a song credited to anna Kendrick when looking through the binders at karaoke bars. and I was unfamiliar with any other music movies that she might have done. the commentators said a lot of weird things throughout the movie. it felt like the movie might have been too long, nearly 2 hours. I don't know if having to restart the movie when the disc kept freezing at times had anything to do with feeling this way. I hadn't seen much else that rebel Wilson had done, just when she was in something from the 'night at the museum' series. no surprise how there was plenty of songs in it, I had to pause the closing credits to see that I had read all of the songs listed there. the movie was all right, but it seemed like there weren't too many compelling characters besides anna's. I liked how she was also an intern at a record label, this helped with the story well, especially with some of the jokes making fun of a hipster.
   there was plenty to do today. I checked this morning and found out my school's game in the college basketball tournament was an early start, 11am local time. so I watched it on CBS, but they lost to Tennessee 83-77 in overtime despite trailing by 25 at one point. I also went to a show in the evening, it was a women's history show, the science edition. I liked it when they sang a version of 'love hurts' when covering watch factory workers being poisoned by radium. I saw one of the performers after the show and said it had just about everything except for a reference to the 'big bang theory' TV show. there was the three sessions with a contestant as well, I knew the cue being the 'price is right' jingle. I sat on a bench seat, but I said it looked like a church pew. I had a beer there, wanted to order at the bar but was sent to order inside the 'cabaret' since a server was there as well. it is a reminder of why I prefer ordering at the bar as I get what I want right away and pay right away as well. sadly the server was a hindrance to the show.
   I finally completed some more things today that were delayed due to visiting Chicago-land two weeks ago. it was taking out the recycling, and going through the souvenir bag some more. I took out the receipts, most had been in my wallet and dated back to September. naturally these things had been low priority, but it is a good thing that they are finally done. and when I got back from the show I did some online surveys as well as the dishes.

comment card said awkward

I did a guest set at a micro-brewery tonight. I shared the stage with blake, the button, and school bouncer. some people left comment cards after the show, but another comic found most of them. I found one. under dislikes it said I was 'awkward'. ha! I have heard way worse. I was given 3-5 minutes and I started to wrap it up when it looked like I got the light. I know by now what my best 5 minutes are, so no big deal to me. I recognized the show runner, I think this is somebody that I called 'conga line'. when I arrived this is who I recognized, and I found out it was fine to check in with them. I said I live 'the manic life of a comedian' because it was a busy day with various things to do. I had just got back from the grocery store, and knew I needed to leave for the venue shortly after I had eaten. it happened to be one of the dinners that I had just picked up.
  I sang some karaoke later on in the evening, after watching the news. it was 'little lion man' by mumford and sons, a song I heard while in the training room recently. somebody recognized me from the bank, and we talked some but she left her phone at my table more than once. then she also needed to go to the bathroom more than once. she seemed to be a 'hot mess' to me.
   in the morning I got my car into the shop to replace the o-2 sensor. I was hassled by some wino when I picked up breakfast at a nearby convenience store. the car was ready by later afternoon, and I was called about it when I was at the family dollar getting a can of spaghetti.

server with stars

I went to perform in the evening, and it was also a place listed in the fish fry article I had. when I arrived I checked in with the show runner, and was told to find the server with stars. I am not sure if this is who I got, but I put in my order, along with beer. I had a guest set. I had performed at this venue before, but it had been a while. it looks way different now, no comedian pictures in the entryway. memorable was having to make a U-turn to get there. after this I did my typical thing for this night of the week, singing karaoke. I did 'roam' by the b-52's. I asked the karaoke jockey why I wasn't introduced, she said because I was eager to perform.
   at work I closed 19 cases, so I think I am getting into a rhythm. according to a coworker from the same training class as me, another member of the class has dropped out, so we are now down to 5. I noticed she had a gray dot next to her name on the I.M. list for most of the week, saying 'offline'. I guess that absenteeism claimed another one. when I called about I.T. issues this morning, I said they probably weren't sending me the singer of the same name, and no they did not. my computer battery power has been declining, it says it is not charging when docked. but I found out it is not a big concern just yet.

just like the orthodontist

i had a meeting with the agency this morning, shortly after getting into the office. I was told that I am doing fine and there would be another meeting scheduled for a month from now. it reminded me of when I did orthodontist appointments, where it was at a satellite office in my hometown, only on a Thursday. it was in the same conference room where I sometimes make a call as I know I will have some privacy there. I do recall an email from this agency rep, early on in training, but an in-person meeting means way more to me. despite the morning meeting, and minor I.T. issues, I still closed 16 cases, so I think my speed is getting better. but I was late leaving the office as I wanted to re-route a case after talking to a team lead, not my boss, about what to do with a case with an authorization already on file. but it was a 'semantic' issue as it was for the generic version of the drug and the claim I saw was for the brand name.
    in the evening I did some karaoke, two songs. it was 'hold on' by Wilson phillips, and 'say it ain't so' by weezer. the karaoke jockey said he was having a cocktail as his dad had just passed. he also dealt with somebody entering his 'workspace'- which is a cardinal sin. he threatened the bouncer on him, and I don't blame him when I say some things are the cardinal sin to me as well.

first error report

I got my first error report at work today. this is really nothing to celebrate, but if I am on audit for now on all of the cases I touch then just 1 out of 11 cases is a good thing. I find that I am still hung up on the 'is it reviewable or not?' question. this one wasn't. and some of those I asked for advice on from my mentor also were not. I closed 12 cases, and hopefully my speed matches my quality soon. I saw a meeting request from the agency on Thursday, already responded to the email and accepted it.
   I went to perform tonight and I was on near the end. I was tired so I didn't stay around for long after the show ended. I added to one of my stories saying there was 'taking a selfie' part of it. looks like I will have some stage time this weekend that isn't karaoke.

subway freestyle rap

at the performance venue tonight, the performer after me did a freestyle rap that mentioned subway as this sandwich shop was nearby. it was announced that there is just 4 more weeks at this venue, the show runner will try to find another venue soon. I also liked seeing who was in the crowd, it was whopper's cousin. I hadn't met him before but said I like to attend saints baseball games. I asked for a photo and got one. the lady with him said she was familiar with a nearby venue that had closed, one I had performed at. so it is definitely a fluid thing with performing, with shows opening and closing all the time.
   at work I closed 11 cases. there still was some i.t. issues but it didn't last near as long, it was due to system package updates. I had a one on one with my boss, saying I am hopeful to get my speed up soon. but they are allowing me the chance to grow, as I am still on 'audit' for now due to being new.

floutist did poems

the floutist did not play flute tonight at the performance venue, instead recited poems while playing on a bongo drum. guess there is nothing wrong with a change of pace. she did call out some people that were talking in the back of the room. I know she said it bothers her also when playing the flute. I said I had plenty of 'number jokes' tonight, that was the mnemonic device anyway I used. one of them was inspired by what the MC said earlier in the show, and when it is related to history I knew full well I would want to answer it. at the comedy club, earlier in the night, I saw a comic I hadn't seen in a while. I think I called him 'pizza philosopher' but I also know him for liking my quote about cooking units. some of us talked about the recent passing of Raghav Mehta, a comic that I didn't know very well. his memorial will be within the week. while at the performance venue I liked seeing a comic that I recalled gave me good advice about how to use the microphone while performing.
   at work I closed just 6 cases, since I had i.t. issues for most of the morning. I went to lunch late as I wanted to finish at least one case before then. I was told to account for this when I reported my time in the system. there was a team huddle in the morning, and I completed two more online classes. a mentor advised me to do the classes as a way to stay occupied, but they didn't take long to do. 

pride movie, tom arnold

I watched a DVD movie on loan from the library this evening. it had been on my list for a while, it is called 'pride'. it was released in 2007. I did not recognize many of the actors in it, just Bernie mac, and tom Arnold. the latter was why I chose it. but tom Arnold has a small role in it, as the coach of a rival swim team. it is about the coach of a swimming team in Philadelphia in the 1970s. as usual, when 'based on a true story', I am used to them having a disclaimer saying 'some scenes and characters were invented for dramatic effect'. it does remind me of some other sports stories I had seen. closing credits said it was filmed in Louisiana.
    I did laundry around midday, and there was a man I liked listening to. he said he moved to Minnesota because of garrison Keillor. and he was willing to do any job that public radio had. but now he owns a resale shop, and spends plenty of time in Colorado as well. later on I went to the library to type some letters in response to birthday cards. I also picked up a few items at a nearby cub foods that I was unable to find at aldi. in the evening I watched 'the simpsons', about parents trying to live through the athletic accomplishments of their kids. then I watched the movie. I also did some research on upcoming movies. I said I had seen an email where there would be a baseball documentary, but I figured it would be part of the upcoming MSP film-fest. it took me a while, but I found it again: it is called 'screwball', and it will be shown before the festival begins, likely at the same venue. it was this week where the festival lineup was announced, so it was on my mind to look it up. also helped to see a postcard at the library advertising it. so I looked at the listings, over 260 films this year. the first 'short list' I created had 13 on it, then I cut it to 5 and finally 3. two of them are biographies, and the other is a Minnesota-themed documentary. two of them I can see on the same day. some years during the festival I see just one movie, maybe two. so it would be a big deal to see three this time. also, before I did laundry I did some more looking at baseball schedules. I kind of got a better idea of when to travel, or maybe when not to in order to avoid scheduling conflicts this summer. I also have to ask myself if I want to attend a football team convention in the summer, I saw an ad for it in my facebook news feed.

greta movie

i went to see the movie 'greta' in Eagan this evening. I have a loyalty card at this theater and it saif there was a free popcorn waiting for me as it is my birthday month. it is down to just one screening a day there, otherwise I would have chosen something earlier in the day. I wanted to see this one as it is a thriller, and it kept me guessing for a while. it is about a young woman who finds a bag on the new York subway and returns it to the owner. but then the older lady won't leave her alone. no doubt they got some attractive ladies to play frances, and her friend Erica. it reminded me of some other thrillers I had seen, in terms of 'take nothing for granted'. I watched the closing credits and it said it was filmed in Canada, Ireland, and new York city. I did not recognize any of the actors in it but this doesn't prevent me from seeing a movie. I care more about the storyline.
   there was plenty that I wanted to do today. first thing I did was to get a can of spaghetti at the family dollar. but I fell on the ice and snow on the way to the store, and I said 'that is going to leave a mark' as I felt that I had skinned my right knee a little. so I got a bandage on it when I got back from the store, and it is still on as I write these words. then it was on to the post office, first visit in two weeks as I was out of town a week ago. only two items there, a magazine was one of them. but I also knew to avoid placing e-bay orders if I was going to be out of town. then it was to the bank to turn in change. just over two dollars. while I was there I saw a man with his young son, and the machine stopped as one of the bags was full and needed to be changed. then it was on to the library to print some things. when I got home I decided to lay down, and I slept for a while. it was evening by then, and I went to get groceries at aldi. I had a hot dog at speedway on my way there. when I got home again I did some online surveys for airline miles. then it was time to go see the movie. after the movie I went to sing karaoke, I did one song. it was 'kids in America' by kim wilde.

issued a laptop

at work, this was the final day in the training room. when I arrived I noticed that the space where Maryland had been sitting had been cleared, and his name card was taken down as well. we were there until midday, then we were issued laptops and sent to our spot on the floor with the other employees. it took a while to get through the I.T. issues, even had to call to get a ticket set up for one of them. I closed 4 cases in the morning, but none after I was out on the floor. tried working on two, but lost both of them. hopefully it will be resolved soon. I am pleased to be one of the 6 that made it until the end of training. I asked if there was anything ceremonial, such as photos, but the trainer said no. so I took a selfie while still wearing my coat and winter hat shortly after I got home. we even have to 'badge in' to make copies there. I did a test copy, it was double-sided, so more things to change of course.
   I went to a fish fry in the early evening at a catholic church and school, we even ate off of school trays. I don't think I had been there before. I also bought a box of girl scout cookies after I was done eating. I got a good look at the article from the st. paul paper and narrowed it down even more. proximity and price are good standards. I also did some karaoke, the song was 'everybody have fun tonight' by wang chung. a younger man liked what I did and I spoke about performing near the end of the night with him. he has a name that is the same as my stepfather. I spoke of the first venue where I sang karaoke, and the song I did as well.

afternoon snack cart

we had some visitors in the training room this afternoon, they brought a snack cart around and I chose the peanut butter crackers. they arrived kind of swiftly, and I said 'we are new here, can you introduce yourself?' and the trainer laughed. but I said I do this all the time, when I don't know somebody. Maryland was absent again, so we are likely down to just 6 in the class now. I closed 12 cases, had to re-boot my computer in the afternoon when the 'control alt delete' function didn't work. the end is near for the training part of the class, as we will be sent out on the floor soon. I think I am ready, as the mentor hasn't found much to object to before I send it to another department, usually the pharmacist. always nice when I am doing merge cases, I had some today. those tend to be less tedious, especially if re-opening a case as much of the relevant information has already been entered.
   I went to perform at the karaoke bar in the evening, two songs. 'the one on the right is on the left' by johnny cash, and 'here comes the rain again' by the eurythmics. had to do a cash song after hearing the youth orchestra at the hockey game less than a week ago. and it rained for much of the day, but it changed to snow in the evening, so it also explains doing a rain song. I liked seeing wee bit there, he was sitting in the back at the pac-man table. his two friends are from iowa like me- Sioux city. one of them said he went to college in st. louis. I saw the other sing, she did 'crimson and clover' by tommy james.

retired travel bag

i noticed there was a rip in my main travel bag when I went out of town over the weekend. so I looked in my closet and saw I had another good bag available, a little-used one. and this made it easier to retire one, by ripping it up and throwing it in the trash. it was given to me when I joined the sierra club. so I probably had it for a while, likely over a decade. the one that replaces it has a GE logo on it, I once worked there. it looks more like a gym bag, but it will still serve the purpose. and I decided to move a few things over to it, such as the two plastic grocery bags inside and the luggage tag. the plastic bags are for dirty clothes. it was a round tag saying 'we all have baggage' and it means more to me than the one that was there- a free one from Jefferson bus lines. I don't use travel bags much but much like with backpacks I know full well that they are less useful when one sees holes in them. this is typical for me- 'retired' when it concerns clothing, or a bag, usually means 'junked' instead of donating to a resale shop. I like getting as much use out of something as possible.
    we had guest speakers at work, about the planned move to an office in another town in the next 2-3 months. it was in the afternoon, and I was unsure how long to allow for them but it was over 30 minutes. so no surprise, the urgent request on my shelf got snapped up by another technician. not a big deal. I still closed 13 cases, aided by some of them being merged cases. Maryland was absent, the trainer said something when the guest speakers arrived and I am unsure what she said about it, in terms of getting packets to people about the move. but it is likely that he is no longer in the class. they warned us about absenteeism before we even started. in the evening I went to perform, but it felt like I was just getting warmed up about my story of visiting Chicago-land when I got lighted. of course I prefer more than 3 minutes, but one must make the most of what one is given. it was nice to see magic man, he arrived after the show started and also got stage time.

re-attached wiper

I seem to understand better why some people leave their windshield wipers up during the winter weather, seeing what the ice and snow can do to them. I saw that one wiper had worked its way free this week, so I threw it in my car. well it was raining when I was leaving the workplace in the early evening and knew I wanted both wipers working. so I just got a look at the other one to see how it needed to be re-attached. and this worked fairly well on getting me home, being able to see on an adequate basis. but I had to try again later on when I arrived at the comedy club. and, as expected, it meant having the parts snap into place.
   at work the day started off with a lecture about non-reviewable cases. this lasted an hour, after this I was able to close 10 cases. this included a merged case. I found out it is fine to start on another case while waiting to be checked, this should help with my speed. Maryland was late this morning. he gave me a snoopy toy, one of those at McDonald's last year, now I need to figure out how it works. some of the donuts that he brought in from last week are remaining.
   I think I am largely caught up from being out of town over the weekend. the sink may be full of dishes and recycle (such as empty soup cans) but that is all. I even did my first surveys for airline miles since my birthday nearly a week ago. I knew full well I wouldn't find time for them when I wanted to make the most of my time while traveling. despite skipping four days worth of surveys, I already have enough for a full redemption, more than two weeks from now.
   it went fine with my set at the comedy club tonight, I said it could have been better to mason city when I was on the bathroom after I had performed. he said it is good for a performer to think that he can do better. I wanted to do more but I saw I had been lighted, just as I felt like I was getting warmed up, so I knew well enough to respect the light and finish up. I mostly spoke about my visit to Chicago-land over the weekend. after the show, I had something like 5 crowd members say they liked it, and in the end this means more to me than how I felt about it. being at the venue reminded me of how I hadn't submitted my entry yet for a comedy contest starting in about a month from now. so hopefully I got it in early enough. I saw a facebook posting about it last week, but hadn't seen the official entry form on the venue's website. I had done the contest before.

cubicle tour

at work we were given a cubicle tour, so now we know where will be sitting when we are on the floor. the class has shrunk again, we are now down to 7. but I like how I am still there, as of the start of week 4. even said so when I did the 'one on one' with my boss. there were some i.t. problems today so the trainer asked us what we all did this weekend, I said I went out of town. on the way to work this morning I stopped at a convenience store and got a can of spaghetti-o's. it was more than what I would normally pay, but of course I didn't have the chance to go anywhere for groceries when I got back late last night. I closed 9 cases.
    I was tired, so after work I decided to wait on going out to perform and see my friends. I went straight to the grocery store as I was out of food. I slept after getting back, then had my evening meal. I mostly talked about being out of town in my set, and followed a joke from the MC about how somebody got fired from their job.

tea and pie

I had some tea and pie when waiting for my flight to leave O'Hare today. also did some massage therapy. I liked hearing the stories of the therapist. I find out that people aren't that much different at all, once you take the time to listen to them.
   I had the time for the massage therapy as I missed my scheduled flight and had to get re-booked. an extra 30 minutes would have been enough. I was trying to make it on time, but things just weren't moving as fast as I had hoped. I had to stop for a freight train in des plaines, a reminder of living in the area, when I was coming back from the park and ride at the Rosemont CTA stop. then I wanted to get a postcard mailed to myself, so it was on to the post office before getting to the rental car agency. I am aware that some of this was on me, as usually I do very little on the final day in town anywhere. I am used to saying that all I do is have breakfast, check out of the hotel, and get on the road. but there was one thing I wanted to see in the city, and it meant taking the train there. it was in doubt for a while as to if I was going to get on a flight, as I was put on stand-by. but I got on the last flight of the night. I could have easily decided to wait on going through security, considering how long I ended up waiting. there was another wolves hockey game, already saw the traffic cops when I passed by the arena when I was on my way to returning the rental car. even though the airport is close to the arena, less than 5 miles, I was unsure of how to get there. I know one time I lived in the area the cabbie cussed out the dispatcher when I was put in his cab as I was a 'short fare'. and it also is a case of being able to get back to the airport in time, as well as where to stash my travel bag while at the game. so it was a 'logistical' issue. but it does remind me of how I may be able to find a way to see two games in the same weekend, as they often have weekends like this. so it is something that I will have to consider for next season. I said that I was afraid I would be out of a job if I didn't make it back home tonight. after not making it on stand-by from one flight, I asked a gate agent what it looked like for the next one. then when I gave my name, I was told I was already booked on it, not sure who had done this for me. I still ended up flying first class on the way home. it was late when I got back, around midnight, and it meant I had to wait longer for a bus to get home. I got the last bus of the night. so I made it, just barely. and it means that some things have to wait, such as some of the chores and errand running, that I was expecting to have enough time to do in the evening. not just dishes, but also getting to the grocery store. since I usually decide to run out of food on purpose when I am going out of town.

great lakes naval museum

I toured the great lakes naval museum today. it took a while to drive up to it in the north suburbs but I had no other plans for the day. and of course it takes longer when I want to avoid the toll roads. but I am good at following the directions from mapquest. I liked that it was free admission, but after the tour I left a donation. I talked with the lady at the front desk before starting the tour, she heard about me being from Minnesota and spoke of touring the home of prince, the musician. the museum was next to the main gate for the naval base. it took about 90 minutes to look at everything. as usual, I learned something as it is a museum. there was mention of how William Wrigley, jr. and his son phillip, from the chewing gum company, influenced the base in its early days. it was after 1pm when I left, and I took a different route driving away from there compared to how I arrived. I got off the road at the first exit when it looked like it was becoming a toll road. I ended up in Evanston and drove past ryan field, the football stadium at the university, then eventually found me a road to get me to des plaines, which was dempster. I sometimes have to rely on memories of living there as to what roads to take. I found my way to the mcdonald's near the site of the former number one museum and ate there. an employee wasn't sure what was happening across the street, it is a construction site now. I also noticed that the nearby des plaines theater is under construction. when I lived in the area I knew about a 'movement' to 'save' the theater, so I know this has been an issue for a while. I drove back to my hotel and laid down for a little while, watched parts of some movies. then it was time to get up and go to the hockey game.
   when I arrived at the arena, I liked seeing a youth orchestra performing in the welcome area. it was 'ring of fire' by johnny cash. this of course was the wolves hockey game in Rosemont. wolves beat the iowa wild 4-1. wolves led 2-0 at the end of the 1st, and 3-0 at the end of the 2nd. I had some pizza and root beer at the game. after the game I wanted to let the traffic thin out, so I walked over to the nearby target store. I found out I was not alone on doing this. by then I saw the traffic cops had locked one gate, so I had to take a different way out of the arena's parking lot. I had hoped to do some karaoke but it was not to be. I went to a pizza place/bar in Arlington heights and an employee said they haven't had karaoke since august. so I just went back to the hotel and drank the rest of my beer that was saved from the night before.

surveys must wait

I  cleared out most of my emails after getting off work, but the four surveys must wait, if I do them at all. I get them nearly every day, from e-rewards as well as from American airlines, so it may be no big deal. I am headed to Chicago-land for the weekend. I closed 10 cases at work, and the training class shrunk again, down to 8. and just 7 were in today. I got a few more birthday wishes as well.
   this is the start of the fish fry season, as lent just began this week. I like eating fish at a different place each week, but tonight I decided to go to a nearby mcdonald's as there was no time to find a place from the article I printed from the st. paul paper. I had just enough time to pack and eat, then it was on to catch a bus to the airport. it was annoying when I was told by TSA that I had to re-walk a line, but I follow orders, especially when I just wanted to get on my flight. I checked the board and it was the last one of the night to O'Hare with the airline I had booked with.
   as usual, at the end of the night I decided to do some writing in my hotel room in elk grove village while having a beer. it was a big can of Carlsberg, one liter. so I decided to drink just half of it and put the rest in the little fridge for the next night. I found the beer at a liquor store near my hotel on the way to a karaoke bar in Schaumburg. it was nice that it stayed cold in the rental SUV while I was inside at the bar, but it is still freezing outside. I sang 'minority' by green day, wanted to sing some weezer but there wasn't anything in their database. they said all of their selections are online, and I had found their website while checking the hotel's computer. but I am still used to seeing those thick binders. same place I went to a year ago, and much like before it was tricky trying to see the turn-off from the main road. when I was leaving the venue I was looking for a souvenir, and I chose two business cards from the bulletin board by the door. somebody said they liked hearing me sing, but I didn't know who as I had my back turned to them at the time. but I did say 'thank you'. there was a line jumper who kept using different names but he got caught, and had to wait longer to go sing. he sang 'chicken fried' by the zac brown band. he asked me if thought the blackhawks hockey team would make the playoffs, I said I was from out of town. and when I did live in the area, I went to see the minor-league team, the wolves, way more. of course that is why I chose this weekend to visit. I also picked up a bud light beer cozy, which had a 'hello my name is' tag on it.  

not the last one out

at work I was not the last one out at the end of the day, and this was a big deal to me. I closed 10 cases, just above the previous day total. some of them were merged into other cases. looks like the training class has shrunk again, we are now down to 9. I trust that I am becoming proficient at the right time, in order to stay in the lineup. I know I had fewer things to add after sending an IM saying I was ready for a check before closing the case. I think some of it is repetition, being exposed to more cases, where it makes more sense to me after a while.
   there was plenty of birthday wishes on facebook, more than 20. I liked seeing them. in the evening I went to sing karaoke. I did 2 sings, 'sweet home chicago' by the blues brothers, and 'all fired up' by pat benatar. he latter is one I thought of based on my mood of the day, related to work. 'i believe there comes a time when everything just falls in line'.

toasted bagels

I went into the breakroom this morning before stamping in to work and saw the boxes of bagels. this is something the company does once a month. so I went to the training room and left my coat and lunch bag there to free up my hands. and I found out toasting bagels works well, more flavor. this place has toasters. I had two, but I wanted until the first break for the second. and at the end of the day, I noticed there were still plenty left. so still a chance to have more later on.
   I closed more cases, 8 this time. but it is still going slowly, some of it is waiting to be checked. then finding out I missed something and have to change it. at one point I said I had 'the yips' as it was taking me too long to figure out something that should have been simple, and something I figured I had already mastered. was I too tired? I don't know. but I am still trying to make the most of the opportunity I have. at lunchtime I went into an empty conference room and returned a voicemail, then found out the call was for jobs where the pay was too low.
   a friend of mine had a birthday, so I went greetings on facebook. and it reminded me of another one where I needed to get a card in the mail. so I checked and thankfully I had one to send and didn't have to get one at a store. it must have been from those I had claimed in the breakroom from a former job, who doesn't like free things? so I made two stops before arriving at the performance venue tonight. first was the post office, then to a holiday gas station for the ATM. although it was a different location than what I am used to, and it was harder to find and I had to ask. it was in the back, and hard to see since it was so cramped there. yemen native was headliner, but was not the show closer. go figure. one of my jokes was inspired by a story that involves him, and I was expecting an answer to it in his set but there wasn't one. the show runner spoke of the venue being up for awards in city pages I think, and encouraged us to vote for it.
  I also heard from a ticket salesman for a hockey team, the only voicemail of the day. I responded by saying I had just bought a ticket, and was surprised to get a response so quickly. I had said before how I don't make it very often, usually it is just an annual visit. and I buy from ticketmaster since I already have an account there and it is user-friendly. 

rainbow, kacey musgraves

I was driving home after work and as usual had my car radio on. I am thankful I kept it on whatever station that I got to hear a song called 'rainbow' by Kacey Musgraves. I tend to do plenty of searching for music I like, and I think this is called 'channel surfing'. I understand much of the song is metaphor, and that works for me. because she is mostly singing about rain and storms, and the rainbow as well. most profound lyric to me was an early one, 'it's hard to breathe/when all you know/is the struggle of staying/above the rising water line'. I also liked the ending, 'it will be all right'. it does remind me of what somebody once said to me, 'celebrate the triumph, don't just remember the tragedy'. the video that I found on youtube mostly takes place inside a house, although some scenes are outside in a very green area. most memorable was an indoor scene where a shirtless young man stands in front of countless liquor bottles. I am sure each scene has some meaning, such as when the singer is at a table where a family is gathered. there is plenty of piano in the background. first time I heard it, but it's impressive.
   I got farther with work, which felt good, despite I.T. problems in the morning which eventually led to having to re-boot my computer. I closed 6 cases, 7 if count merging one into another. Maryland was late again, so I am not sure what that means in terms of the attendance standards. it wouldn't surprise me at all if the class shrinks some more. I know all I can do is take care of myself.
    it was nice performing tonight. I know I said last night was lackluster, but I have to accept that not every night is going to be good. but at least I am out there working on things. it may have helped to reflect some about the previous performance as to how I can make it better. all of that goes back to what I have spoken of before- preparing well before taking the stage. I even heard what a crowd member had said and I responded with how I don't usually do jokes about that subject. it was nice to see airway, he arrived near the end of the night and he performed as well. there was plenty of catching up, such as about the new job. we also spoke about watching boxing. he often asks me about how often I am performing, and I am trying to get to a mic he spoke of before but I said it can be hard to do with the winter weather we have had. the toughest thing can be getting there for the first visit.

kwik trip car washes

I got some mail that wasn't meant for me. it was deals related to car washes at kwik trip, a gas station I sometimes go to but not very often. so I put it back in the mail and wrote 'please forward' on it. I don't know what else to do since I see it as the job of the post office to get the mail to the right people. at work we got more practice in, but I hated how it still seems to go slowly, closing just 5 cases. but it also means waiting to be checked, and we want to get it done right. the training class has shrunk again, we are now down to 10. so that eases the pressure a little on trying to make it through. especially since I am showing up every day, on time, and trying to learn whatever I can.
   performing seemed to be lackluster tonight, not sure why. I went to a mic for the first time where the barefoot dude is the show runner. I recognized a few other performers there, such as magic man. it was nice to talk to whopper at the comedy club, a different venue, before then, about fringe festival. I said I noticed how he got wait-listed as well, but he tells me he has come off the wait list before. I also liked talking baseball with another comic there, who was wearing a Twins hat. he said he has partial season tickets, and his school made the state hockey tournament. I have done his podcast before.

you say, lauren daigle

it has probably been a while since I have written about music. but every so often there is a song that I am hearing on my car radio that catches my attention. when I was driving home from the library it was 'you say' by lauren daigle. the 'hook' for me was 'the only thing that matters'. although an online search, based on these lyrics, was not enough, since it does appear to be a title for some songs. so I added 'i am weak' and there it was. I really like the piano play that one hears in the background. in the video I found on youtube, she starts off sitting on the couch, looking out the window. but then she gets up and starts to walk around the house at the time of the 'hook'. I understand why it is called 'you say' as this line is repeated often/ I noticed this once I listened to it again. I keep saying I like passion in music, and lady singers often bring this when singing about relationships.
   I printed some things at the library, and then went to target to pick up a few small items. I was at the library for a while as I wanted to cross plenty of things off of my list. I wanted to find an online article I had seen the night before, but I didn't until this evening. it was about the top 25 baseball managers of all time, and I am pleased that three of them on the list were cardinals- Schoendienst, larussa, and Herzog. one could also count joe torre, but he didn't have the same success there as the others did. I watched two 'simpsons' episodes in the evening, one was about Christmas. the other was about homer taking a classic car on a joyride and then being arrested for it. after this I decided to get caught up on comedy souvenirs, and four more pages were put in the binder. it meant freeing up three more sheet protectors to do it. I hadn't done this chore in about a month. then it was doing the dishes.

snowplow on a hill

i was on my way to get groceries at aldi this afternoon and saw a john deere snowplow going up a hill made out of snow. so I had to get a picture of it. an man in an SUV briefly stopped to talk to me about it. I end up saying the typical thing, which is 'i like pictures'. he noticed it just like I had. this is one reason why I like having my camera wherever I go. some things are just too weird, and I want to remember them better and for longer. I did attend an event on this site, a festival during the summer. so I get it as to why some places become 'snow depositories'. since it is an open piece of land, it is not being used, and then the snow is out of the way. same reason why the snow is moved to the edges of big parking lots, as people still have things to do during the winter. I am wondering if anyone has given this temporary snow mountain a name, I have seen this happen before.
    in the evening I sang some karaoke, 'i saw the light' by hank Williams. I was in the mood for something by this artist, and this is what was available in the binder. always good to have some options lined up. I must have been thinking of 'all for the love of sunshine', which is in the movie 'Kelly's heroes' but then I found out that song was actually by hank jr. it was funny to hear oddball talk about why he played music.

stewardess play, history theater

tonight I went to see the play 'stewardess' at the history theater in downtown st. paul. it is about the class action lawsuit brought forward by the flight attendants union against northwest airlines. there were just 6 actors playing all of the roles. I liked seeing the big 'turntable' that took up most of the stage, it had a northwest airlines logo on it. in the entryway to the venue was a display on loan from a museum about this airline in Bloomington, according to the address given it is likely near mall of America. I walked around during the intermission, and I noticed how it is more depressing to see the building since the music school left. there are the paint scars on the wall from the artwork that once hung there. and other things such as vending machines are gone. before the show began there was an announcement made about flight attendants being in the crowd, and they stood up. I knew well enough to park in a ramp due to the snow, to avoid being towed for snow removal. after the show I went to a Walgreen to pick up a few things, including the paper as I like to get that once a week. I also went to a karaoke bar and sang 'take the long way home' by supertramp.
    in some ways it may have been appropriate to do the song as I took a different way home after work. I didn't want to get caught up in traffic on the freeways, I could see how slow it was going before even entering. at work there was a 'one on one' with my boss, I was the first one. I did not see Maryland today at all, on earlier days he was late. we had fewer people show up. so I am wondering how much more the training class might shrink. all I can do is show up every day, on time, and do my job, and hope for the best. although this means I likely have less competition, and when going through an agency I have to think of myself even more than one normally does.