gatorade and cornbread

i made it to the performance venue tonight, which is hosting a show that was migrated from a venue that has closed. I checked in with the show runner and confirmed that the place doesn't sell beer. so I had to get something else. I got a bottle of Gatorade and some cornbread, and it cost less than beer did at the other venue. the show runner liked my story about me analyzing a dream, I think it was the voice inflection that helped. it was just a block away from the other venue, so I ended up parking at the same place as before. naturally I also told the story about what place I went to last week, since I am used to the same crowd and they are likely used to seeing me. I stopped at an ATM on my way there, and it looks like the check engine light is off now after going on while I was running errands on Monday. hopefully it will stay that way. the mechanic said it may just be bad gas. I liked listening to somebody in the waiting room while there, an older woman, a widow, who said she is an uber driver.
   it went fine on the first day back at test scoring. It was a day of training, and I qualified on the first try. I recognized a few familiar faces from last year, and some recognized me as well. I said I had hoped I wouldn't be back, but two temp jobs didn't pan out. I liked the test scoring work I did though. what I didn't like was how it was short term and no benefits. but I am hopeful to miss fewer days than before, last season it was three and a half. two were for family funerals, one for traveling that was planned before I got the job, and the half was for a job fair at a basketball arena. I would like to think I won't need it for the first two reasons this time, as it was hard to forget how I missed out on attendance bonuses for those weeks. for one paper I said I scored it lower because they used 'maybe' four times, and I was reminded of how a writing teacher said to me to 'say it like you mean it'. I noticed how I was likely given the same ID badge as before, guess they just kept it in a box along with others who had worked there before. since it was wet I didn't go outside much during breaks.

gift card finished

i finished up a Hy-Vee gift card around midday, when I bought a frozen entrée there. dad had sent me this card, as a way of encouraging me to visit this store more. I had made two previous visits to use some of the value from it. I liked how someone said I could go ahead of them in the check-out line since I had just one item. I did this after I went to the agency and turned in my badge and key. I couldn't get ahold of the contact at first, then decided to call a different office as all I was getting was voicemail. it surprised me a little how I already have another gig lined up. I called the test scoring company, the same one I worked for last year, and told them I am available. and I go to work for them Tuesday morning. it is a different project compared to what I was offered a while back, no surprise there. but I know it is hard to look for work when I am there, so I did my best to apply for longer-term jobs as well. one was an agency that called me first. I was told that the training classes will come around again, so no big deal if I want to complete the test scoring project first. I also went to the library to print some things, and some of them were items that had to wait because I arrived just before closing time this weekend. I even talked with somebody from an insurance company as their office happened to be in the same building as the agency I was visiting. I performed at the comedy club tonight, as usual it is nice to get some stage time there. also nice to see bathtub comic and opera singer after the show.

hamline baseball vs. st. thomas

I went to the saints stadium this afternoon for a college baseball game. hamline was playing st. Thomas, in a doubleheader. hamline lost 11-5 in the first game. I left after this game ended, as it was windy and I had other things I wanted to do. according to what I found online, hamline won the second game, 6-3. I saw a box score that spoke of the attendance, not sure how they counted it up. but the first game said 114 and the second said 154. it was free admission. hamline led 1-0 at the end of the first inning of the game I saw, but did not score again until the 7th. I am used to games being shortened to 7 innings when it is a doubleheader for college or minor league games. I saw what looked like will be the saints baseball museum, it is on the concourse near the left field corner. I am aware of how there will be giveaway promotions related to it this season, four in all. the one with a pennant interests me the most. I did not get any food or drink at the game, there was just one concession stand open and I ate before I departed for the stadium.
   after the game I walked around downtown st. paul for a little while. I found the venue that one of my regular open-mics has migrated to. it is just one block over from the previous one. what was confusing was when another performer gave me the name of the place and it was the wrong name. in addition, when I went to look for it that time I was looking for a bar. and this isn't a bar, it is a restaurant. I guess the other one was as well, but the menu I found online made no mention of beer being available. so I may have to drink something else. I have said this before, how sometimes one must go with what is available. I also spent some time getting things into binders as I just got some more sheet protectors this week. sometimes it means stressing quality, explaining what I have done before where some things get doubled up to save space. I also worked on my stamp collection for the first time in a while. I watched 'the simpsons', it was about lisa being in Canada for a little while. it was funny to me how the school she attended there was named for singer alanis morissette. then I fell asleep for a while after that, which tends to happen while tired and laying down in my easy chair. when I woke up the late news was on, so I knew I had to get up and get things done like the dishes and recycle. I wanted to get caught up on as much as possible, such as answering surveys, so I can spend plenty of time with job searching on Monday.

replacements movie, keanu reeves

i watched a DVD movie on loan from the library this afternoon, 'the replacements', starring Keanu reeves and gene hackman. it of course already looks dated, since I saw an ad in the background for Pontiac cars at the stadium. they stopped making that brand of car 10 years ago. apparently this movie is from 2000. I do recall the 1987 NFL strike where there were replacement players, so I understand what inspired this movie. I called this movie a 'farce' because there were some ridiculous and unlikely things in it. such as one player having stickum on his hands, I think this substance was outlawed a long time ago. much like other sports movies, I recognized what can be called 'stock characters' as most every team has one. I also thought of my dad, who once said 'you're not supposed to like that character' when I have watched movies before. I liked gene hackman in it, an everyman, he played the coach. and Keanu reeves played the quarterback. I like reading the closing credits and it said this movie was filmed at the Baltimore ravens stadium. there was plenty of music throughout, and I liked that. some songs I knew, some I didn't. in the end, I liked seeing it. also good to have pat summerall and john madden as themselves.
    I picked up e-bay orders at the post office this morning, four items. then I placed two more orders,  both postcards. I made it to the library just minutes before closing time, enough time to get copies of my updated resume printed. I went after I watched the movie to make the trip more worthwhile. I also got the updated resume uploaded to a few sites, such as indeed, monster, and two banks. I also applied for some jobs with a bank. I turned in change after I went to the post office, it was over four dollars. after the library, it was on to the grocery store. I slept for a while in the evening after watching the news. I watched part of two movies, 'lords of flatbush' and 'terms of endearment' on the channel known as 'movies!'. eventually it was time to go out again, to the karaoke bar. I sang 'bittersweet symphony' by the verve. the KJ had a red sticker on saying 'i ate', it looked like those 'i voted' stickers but larger.

apple for the road

I find it easiest at work to pick up an apple on the way out, so it becomes an 'apple for the road'. today was no different, except it proved to be the last day. I closed 32 cases despite having a one on one with my boss and an IT. issue that led to me being down for an hour. in the evening I let my phone charge up and when I got home from picking up some things at a Walgreen there was a voicemail that was hard to understand. there was also an email, and I called once I saw it. I know full well why I got cut- as I wasn't fast enough. it was hard to keep up, much like when I got cut in November, also through an agency. I had hope to get more time to improve my speed, but it was not to be. so now I am looking for work again, the fourth time in two years. wonder if that means test scoring is still available. I got a call from an agency about it this week, because I forgot to shut off my phone. now it means finding out on Monday if the agency is able to place me somewhere else. but I wouldn't count on it. I accepted offers from agencies as those were the only offers.
   I also called best buy geek squad about a suspicious email, and was advised to let them remove some things so it would run better. I had to call a second time since my battery was running low. once I saw this I figured it was time to get up and go out anyway. and of course after watching the late local news, it meant going to sing some karaoke. I did 'dirty deeds' by AC/DC. I slapped hands with a few people after I was done, guess they really liked hearing it.

ravioli with a spoon

at lunch I tried eating ravioli with a spoon. it wasn't working as well as I had hoped. so I finally wised up and decided to get a fork. and that made it way easier. but the spoon was still helpful when I was ready to scrape up all of the tomato sauce. I was fine with getting a can of ravioli at the family dollar as the spaghetti, and macaroni beef, was not available. at least the store brand, which is cheaper. kind of like what we see at work, where the generic is usually cheaper than the name brand. I know others have said this before, as I recall it was a line in the 'movie ghostbusters'. it was uttered by that nerdy accountant played by rick moranis. I did really well at work, as I closed 43 cases. but it helps to have a day where there are no meetings to attend and nobody sending me i.m.'s either. so I would like to think that I will make it as my numbers are getting better.
   this evening I went to sing karaoke. I did two songs. it was 'break my stride' by matt wilder, and 'until I fall away' by gin blossoms. I think I have done both before, but it has been a while. I think I did the former during one of my des moines visits. I saw that one couple I have written about before, the dude is a truck driver. they went outside to smoke and asked me to watch their drinks so I moved to their table to do that more effectively. they got back just before I did my second song. the lady called me 'superstar' just before I went to sing the second song, they missed the first one. they were outside for about two songs.

soccer bar

I performed in the back room of a bar tonight, more of a crowd than the previous week. the local soccer game was on TV out in the main bar area. and after the show ended there was a big crowd as the soccer game had ended, a scoreless tie. so it meant having to wade through the crowd a little to get out. the main show runner was out of town, but the fill-in MC did fine. he is from the same town in northern Minnesota as a former coworker, the one that worked at a museum there. but he didn't know him. magic man was the show closer.
     at work I closed 30 cases, fewer than the day before. but I am also learning to get any of the non-production time entered in the system right away so it doesn't count against my daily numbers. and I had multiple chats by i.m., as well as a team huddle. some of the chats were about merged cases. I liked how the team huddle didn't last long, less than 15 minutes. I liked how a former job didn't have that many meetings. I do my best work when I spend most of my time on my normal duties as I am better able to get into a rhythm. but one never knows what cases will arrive from one day to the next. there was also a case to re-open from over a week ago. we all know how I hate the 'bounce backs' even more. I saw to it that a team lead signed off on how I was to handle it as I don't want to see that case again.

believe in me

i spoke of my job to another comic tonight, this time it was happy meal. last night it was brawler. and both of them said they believe in me, which I like hearing. but I know full well how I am struggling to be fast enough with closing cases. I did close 35 cases today, despite some i.t. issues. so time will tell. it was nice that there were no meetings to attend.
    I went back to an open-mic that I hadn't been to for six months tonight. I wanted to perform and I hadn't heard anything about the venue for the replacement show that I was doing. I could tell that this venue had been remodeled. I had to go outside and pay the meter again because I was in the second half of the lineup. there were two MCs tonight, first it was happy meal then it was 'extra murder' comic after the latter arrived from another venue. I liked seeing a decent number of comics I knew there, I said to one of them- fish noodle- how I hadn't seen him in a while. there was a dust-up with a performer that I didn't know before the show started. I was near the table that had water pitchers on it and I was cranky, twice saying 'i don't work here'.
   I got three letters mailed to family this morning before I went to work. since I had typed them up on Monday I didn't want to let too much time pass before I got them in the mail. it meant taking a slightly different route to work but I still made it on time. after I was performing tonight I went to a Walgreen before I went all the way home, to pick up a few things. since it is just past easter I wanted to see what they had for a discounted candy selection. there is still plenty there, and I got some for half off. I may want to get some more later in the week.

plastichrome detachable postcards

i picked up 2 e-bay orders from the post office this morning. one was a single card, but it did not fit inside the box. the other was scores of cards, and did. go figure. with the larger order it was expected to be 61 cards, I counted just 59. and five of which were duplicates. but 54 cards for about $5 is a good deal so no complaints here. one of them was a copy of the 'blue boy' painting, I have seen it before. six were actually still together, and the top part said it was 'plastichrome detachable postcards'. there was a copyright date on the back, from 1965. I am thankful I ordered it on a lark. as we all know, I like to collect postcards. this was of the white house in Washington, DC. the highest totals were from d.c. and California. there were some from Canada, as well as Europe. it took a little while to have them arranged in the photo albums in terms of them all fitting, but I found a way.
    I found some other things to do on my day off. this included going to the library to print things. I got started on the property tax refund forms as well. and I typed up letters to family in iowa. after I was done I stopped at a cub foods to get two TV dinners for the week. I performed this evening. the show runner introduced me with a voice that sounded like jerry lewis to me. I also spoke of the postcard order to brawler and he said he could send me one from places he has traveled to. I would welcome that. nothing wring with getting some help at times.

pariah movie

I watched a DVD on loan from the library this evening, 'pariah'. it was a coming of age story that took place in Brooklyn, new York. I did not recognize any of the actors in it, but noticed how spike lee was listed as an executive producer. I would have preferred the story being more about the main character's writings, and less about the other things in her life. it didn't always seem like there was a connection between the two. it was also hard to watch the scenes with the parents fighting.
   I went to easter church services and there was one family that showed up after me and sat a row behind me. usually, no big deal. but one of their kids couldn't stay quiet so I changed my seat early on, during a hymn. I heard him ask where I went. I am fine with being around kids, but when I am at church or a movie theater I want them to stay quiet during the actual event. I walked around for a little while and then headed back to my car. after a little rest at home, I had a late lunch at IKEA. then I went to do laundry. After watching 'the simpsons' I did a short walk, then watched the movie. I was doing  dishes when the late local news was on.

westinghouse kennedy building

i went to the 'unified auditions' at the Westinghouse kennedy building in northeast Minneapolis this afternoon, after a half-day at work where I closed 17 cases. no doubt I like seeing another re-purposed building. the kennedy part is after the street it is on. and I feel this audition was better than last year's for the Minnesota fringe festival. since I am a performer and told myself this is stage time. I heard laughs this time, so I would like to think that a producer will call me for their show. I like photos and got a few while there. one was of a maytag refrigerator that was inside.
   I picked up some postcards from my post office box before going to work. and this evening I ordered some more. according to e-bay, I might have two to pick up on Monday. one find I made was of shakey's pizza issuing baseball cards honoring hall of fame members in the 1970s. I chose one of the Washington senators players, sam rice. I can place it next to the other three in the binder when it arrives. I have them in the same section as Washington's current team, the nationals. I also had the gashouse gang on my mind and confirmed I didn't have a card of pepper martin yet, 'the wild hoss of osage'. so I ordered that as well, it was a card from the team's centennial in 1992 and McDonald's is a sponsor. I am aware of how some other companies got into printing baseball cards as a form of advertising. it is why I got a card that said 'woolworth' on it. after the late news I went to do some karaoke, and sang 'to be human' by sia. I saw it in the binder last night, and found it on youtube. I wanted to hear it before singing it myself.

fish fry discount

I went to another fish fry after work, the last of the season. it was at another catholic church. there was a posting near the door about a discount for the evening, nine dollars. so it was cheaper than most of them. I had some of both the baked and fried fish. there was also tater tots and cole slaw, I got up to get the water I wanted. a little girl came around and offered a cookie, I ate it. and I got a box of girl scout cookies as well. looks like we were in the dining hall for the school, it looked familiar and I knew I had been there before, just not this season. at work I closed 28 cases, and had a one on one with my boss before midday. I went to the karaoke bar after watching the late news, and sang 'i drink alone' by George Thorogood. this was a slower night than typical, I got up shortly after getting a song request in. I do like reflecting about the fish fries I have attended, a different place each week. four were churches, then a  bar/restaurant, a 'veteran group' (American legion), and a mcdonald's. each one had its merits.

duplicate photo order

i called Walgreen this morning, responding to a voicemail. I was told there was a photo order waiting from august. except I already had the order. they even said it was listed as 'paid' in the system. so it must have been a duplicate. not sure how that happened. sounds like it will just be thrown out now.
   I had a meeting with the agency after I got to work and completed some cases. I said it still bothers me how I am not yet up to speed. there was a team huddle as well, I came back a little early from lunch to attend it. and during it I went to get stamped back in. I also picked up a box of 'chicken in a biscuit' from the breakroom, and claimed two half donuts, at lunchtime. I closed 27 cases, still getting hung up on some of them. I sent three to outreach, that is not typical. but when it is incomplete, when we can't tell what drug is being requested, we have no choice.
   in the evening I went to sing some karaoke. the 2 songs were 'unwanted' by avril Lavigne, and 'psycho killer' by talking heads. memorable to me was when somebody sang something written by beyonce Knowles. I looked it up when I got home and found out it was 'survivor' by destiny's child. so I may have to do this one sometime soon.

the move meeting

i went to a 'move meeting' at the office this afternoon. I will admit that I was bored and wanted to do be doing my normal duties more. I picked up a box of headphones on the way out, I think it is more of the same on so much being 'up for grabs' now. also claimed 2 more binders, seen them in big carts and they would otherwise be thrown out. I closed 28 cases, still not quite there on speed of production. still seeing some odd cases where I want to ask for help on i.m.
   in the evening there wasn't much time to do things after getting home from work. I ate, had a pot pie, and went through most of my emails except for the surveys. then it was on to get stage time. this was my first visit to a venue since the name change, and for an open-mic. I was there before to sing some karaoke. I know this show runner, and it was in a back room that I hadn't seen before. I was called a 'legend' so I responded to it in my set. I said I would likely make it a regular place to perform on a weekly basis. still haven't heard about another show that was supposed to be starting up, a mixed or variety mic, so I have to go with what is available.

model release form

i went to the venue tonight but the show was cut short so I did not perform there. it was a big crowd for the final show at this venue. though I am told that the show will move to another venue next week. I saw a 'model release form' on a table after the show ended. I guess this was due to the photography I saw periodically. I have the after-work routine so it would have been hard to get there any earlier than I did. some of 'the city's finest' were there for a short time in the building's entry-way. all that the show runner said was that 'we were being too loud'. I usually do not see police where I am performing.
   at work I closed 30 cases, but hated getting 'hung up' on the first one I had after lunch. I agonized about it for an hour, it was an appeal, additional information, then merged it. then I got it back, so I hard to work on it again. I told my boss about it, I said I tried to figure it out on my own and even asked others by I.M. so I don't know if I am getting better at it. I picked up an empty binder and will use it for comedy souvenirs. I had an apple as well, at the end of the day. I threw one out after noticing it had multiple bruises on it.

black and decker dust buster

i decided to get a dust buster at target this afternoon, after going to the library to print some things. the black and decker model seemed to fit my needs just fine. but it was odd that I got a paper cut from the box, so I asked for a band-aid from an employee. I filed my taxes online when I was at the library, usually I do not wait this long. since I got more postcards picked up from the post office as e-bay orders, I decided to re-organize some of the albums holding them. incorporating one just freed up after it held photos meant I have plenty of space again for more postcard orders or even ones I end up buying new in any upcoming travels. I performed this evening, and before that a man kept asking me questions about the open-mic at the comedy club. I had to say I don't work here.

mike wallace movie

i made it back to st. Anthony main to see another movie in the MSP film-fest before midday. it was about mike Wallace, the journalist well-known for being on '60 minutes'. I liked seeing parts of some of his interviews with the likes of frank Lloyd wright, and Salvador dali, as I have toured museums dedicated to both. as a history major, it should come as no surprise that I wanted to see this one as it does serve as a study of history. and I learned some things as usual, such as about the death of his young son. but I also noticed one thing, how there was no typical 'born this year' and 'died this year'. I had to check Wikipedia for that when I got home, it said he was born in 1918 and died in 2012. I figured the film-makers would have included this. I still voted 5 stars for it, same as the previous day's movie, as I really liked it. I was still using the rental car at this time. I returned it after I walked to the repair shop to pick up my car, still out front where one can see it from the road.
   after seeing the movie I picked up a few items at cub foods, then when home and had lunch. after lunch I watched a DVD movie on loan from the library, 'pygmalion'. I wanted to see it as I knew it was based on a play by George Bernard shaw, but the 'george' was left out in the opening credits of the movie. it was a good story, as it had in the 'liner notes' how it served as the inspiration for another movie, 'my fair lady'. of course I have seen the later updates, 'pretty woman', and 'she's all that'. since this was a british movie, I was not familiar with any of the actors in it, especially when it is from the 1930s. but I still liked the story of having a bet to turn a 'common woman' into a 'proper' one. so now it may mean finding 'my fair lady'. I have seen an Audrey Hepburn movie, 'breakfast at tiffany's'. this was when I was in college, after finding out a hit song of the same name was referring to a movie. I did the walk to pick up my car after the movie was done, as I wanted to be caught up, more or less, with my chores and errand running first.
    I watched 'the simpsons' this evening, I liked how homer and marge were impostors at a wedding expo. then I got a look at some of my mail, and getting things in order for finishing my taxes on Monday. since I have the day off I have plenty of time to take care of it. then there was doing the dishes and recycling of course, as well as some shredding. I figured it was time to shred some of the things from my job searching activities now that I have been back at work for 8 weeks. this included when I was printing indeed job listings once a week. odd thing was that I applied a lot through that service, got some interviews, but the offer was from somewhere else. so the site now seems to be over-rated for me.

underestimate the girl movie

i went to see a movie at the MSP film-fest tonight, 'underestimate the girl'. it is a documentary about british musician kate nash. as a performer, I found it to be really inspiring. I was not familiar with her story prior to seeing it, but I will have to see about singing something by her at some point at a karaoke bar. it covered the lawsuit after it was discovered that her manager had stolen from her. the q and a session with the film-makers lasted long enough, I was ready to leave by the time they called it. I parked in a ramp near the st. Anthony main movie theater, but it took too long to get out of the ramp after the movie. I went home to watch the news after getting a hot dog at bobby and steve's, then I was out again to do karaoke. I sang 'another day in paradise' by phil Collins.
   much like last week, it was hard to do a half-day of work, because it feels like I am just getting into a rhythm and then I have to go. I made it back to the shop after that and paid for the car repairs, but I will leave it there for now since I still have the rental car. I won't be saving much by returning it a little early, as the rental agreement is for two days. the car needed brakes and a wheel bearing replacement.

brakes locked up

i went to a fish fry at a church in Mendota heights tonight right after work. when I was leaving the church I tried to turn onto the main road and it felt like I had flat tires but they weren't flat. I pulled into the town hall parking lot across the street and eventually got help. the police station behind the town hall had a phone and they told me of a towing company. when the tow truck arrived I decided to demonstrate what was happening and was told that my brakes had locked up. so I got towed to a repair shop and then walked the rest of the way home. and it meant finding a way to the airport to rent a car there for the weekend. I have work, and two movie tickets at the film-fest. so I really need a car this weekend. once I got the rental car I then went to sing at a karaoke bar. I did 'malibu' by hole. I had just heard a different song of theirs on the radio, but it was not in the binder. I knew how tired I was so I didn't stay long after I had sang. it left me behind on some things, including doing online surveys. at work I got my laptop up and running again, before lunchtime. but I stayed in the training room until lunchtime as I wanted to stay in the rhythm of things. I closed 32 cases, some of them mergers. so I would like to think I am turning a corner, but I still had to ask questions on a few of the cases I had.

back in training

no, not one of those 'police academy' movies. I had to go back to the training room to get my work done after my computer crashed early in the day. I had no other options since the i.t. person was working remotely. many others were as well, due to the weather. the row I am in was deserted except for me. I decided to get started earlier on the drive into the office, and take an alternate route where I wasn't on any of the interstates. the i.t. man said it was 'brave' of me to make it into the office, but I didn't think it was that big of a deal. I actually got into a good rhythm once I resumed my work, although I was idle for two hours. it crashed because I ran a test claim on a membership that had no claims on it. somebody told me about how to avoid it, but a lot of good it did after the fact.
   I did some karaoke tonight, two songs. 'riding the storm out' by REO speedwagon, and 'going to hire a wino' by david frizzell. the former seemed like a good one after hearing it on the radio this week, with all of the weather we are having. but I know many use it as a metaphor as well, saying they are 'weathering the storm'. it was no big deal while driving this evening, the roads were mostly wet. after staying home last night, I knew full well I was itching to get out again.

the band is back

I picked up some more things left out for spring cleaning at work. in this case it was two little buttons, and one of them said 'the band is back'. bot sure what it means, if it is any way related to my workplace where we handle pharmacy claims. but these are a nice add to my button collection. I got an apple on the way out. the boss said it was fine to leave early and work from home due to the snow, but I stayed at the office. it was no big deal on getting home, light traffic, once I brushed the snow off the car of course. I closed 26 cases, still trying to turn the corner but I was hung up on a few cases today. I admitted in one instant message how my confidence is not where it should be when I got an email about a case that was non-reviewable. I missed the part about checking the brand/generic, but I have checked this on other cases before. the reject code was misleading. there was a team huddle in the early afternoon, started just as I was returning from lunch. I decided to go to the opposite side of it as it was too crowded on the side closest to my cubicle.
  I stayed in tonight for the most part due to the weather. there was a new open-mic I wanted to perform at but it was canceled, according to facebook. I said 'bummer', and hopeful I can make it next week. it is more likely that I can arrive even earlier than planned next week, as I said 'i have a thing'. it was the annual 'jeopardy' online test. there was 50 questions, I knew about half of them and was guessing a lot. I ventured out to get a can of spaghetti at the family dollar. and I used the time to get through plenty of online surveys. the schedule shift means I am watching the news later and on a different channel than typical. it spoke of the president visiting the twin cities next week.

beatbox blues

when i went to perform tonight, I was pleased that I was able to see whopper's cousin perform. I don't know how else to describe it other than it was beatbox blues. usually I think I didn't make it in time since he would perform early. I saw two photos of me from this show on facebook, but I will admit I liked one over the other as I prefer close-ups. but I just pressed 'like' on both and did nothing else. he even set up for posed photos after the show, including a black curtain and the lights, but I wanted to get home so I didn't stay for long after the show.
  at work it was more of the 'uncharted territory' as I was back at work and doing my first 9-hour day on the new schedule. but I still had a one-on-one and there was 'administrative' things to clear in the morning, including a compliance audit. I know well enough to do those first as it would hard to find the time to do them later on. I closed 23 cases, still trying to 'turn the corner' but not there yet. after I was done performing tonight, I stopped at a gas station and got some reese's peanut butter. two single serving packs, both were season-themed. one was eaten right away and the other will be saved for another day. 

personal shopper movie

i watched a DVD movie on loan from the library around midday, 'personal shopper'. I think this was one I considered watching at the theater but didn't. some of it was in subtitled French, but not a lot. it does mostly take place in paris, where Kristen stewart's character Maureen is an assistant to an important person in the fashion industry. hence the title, 'personal shopper'.  I chose this one because it is a thriller. it was slow for a while, but then the story started to get good when she gets mysterious text messages. and one part of the storyline is the death of her twin brother, as well as her being a medium for ghosts in a house that he inhabited but has been sold. there were no actors I recognized in it besides Kristen, and I don't know if I had seen any of the movies she had been in before, since I haven't seen anything from the 'twilight' series that she was in. I've said it before how watching a thriller can lead to an ending that is anti-climactic, and this one is no different. not sure why that is, but it may be that I like 'the thrill of the chase' because I like it when they keep me guessing.
   I performed at the comedy club in the evening, as usual I enjoyed it. I ran through my set a little faster than expected and did a story about my grandfather but I feel like it was choppy at the end because my voice was slipping. but there were some who still liked it. a blonde lady found me after the show and said she had been watching me for a while, I said it couldn't have been longer than 10 years, as I have only been doing stand-up that long. I gave the typical line of tell management if you like what you see so I get to perform there more often. I didn't want to stay too long after the show, knowing the final of the college basketball tournament was happening nearby. but when I left to walk to my car there was more than 3 minutes left in the game. so I figured I would be fine, and I was. the game went into overtime and I drove past the venue just before the end of regulation. virginia beat texas tech in overtime. I just didn't want to get caught in the after-game traffic when the crowd was comparable to a Vikings game.

final four fan-fest

i enjoyed attending the college basketball final four fan-fest at the Minneapolis convention center this afternoon. the free food was nice, starting off with Wendy's. but that was on nicollet mall before reaching the fan-fest. I got a burger and a little frosty. no surprise how there were religious zealots, I have learned to ignore them and keep going. also had some orange vanilla coke, and kept the little glass it was served in. buffalo wild wings had some chicken, and there was ritz crackers as well. the free things were nice, because the non-free souvenirs weren't cheap. I had hoped to get a button but saw none being sold. not even at a pop-up store that was a Walgreen. most notable was the buick car exhibit. I liked singing some karaoke there, it was 'pump up the jam'. it was either that or one of the fight songs of a final four team. I posted the 45-second video on facebook and it has two likes, from international falls, and yemen native. there was also a makeshift 'buick arena' there, saw part of a game between two nba academy teams, from china and Africa. I am thankful I went as it did not cost much to get in, just ten dollars. and I liked getting plenty of pictures of what I saw. it of course reminded me of other fan-fests that have been in this venue, besides last year's super bowl there was also the baseball all-star game. I used light rail to get there. when I got back home it was the evening by then. I watched 'the simpsons', it was a parody of 'oklahoma'. then there was the dishes to do, and watching the news, which had plenty of coverage about the final four events. I drank all of the maple syrup from the previous day, it was a little bottle. but I had to keep working on it to get it open. I ran water over the cap for a while and let it sit, then it opened.

turkey hill maple syrup

this was the start of my new work schedule, doing a half-day on Saturdays. I noticed how people are still doing spring cleaning and leaving things out for the taking. what I claimed today was a little bottle of Canadian maple syrup, from turkey hill. it reminds me of those little bottles of liquor that one can find on airplanes. now of course it is a matter of when I will use it. I had two people ask me about my schedule, guess there aren't many who work on the weekend. this was as I was leaving in the mid-afternoon. I had a little godfather's pizza from a nearby gas station on the way home. then eventually it was on to the library to return a movie and get another one. and get a few things printed. I watched some of the college basketball tournament on TV but it was largely on for background noise while I was getting things done online. one of those things was a few more e-bay orders of postcards. I have been doing this once a week lately. when I pick them up from the post office, mark that I have received them and then order a few more. I did some karaoke tonight, two songs. there was a request to do a second one from two ladies at an adjacent table. I did 'you say' by lauren daigle, and 'brown eyed girl' by van morrison. one of them likely would be called a 'hot mess' since she asked me my name more than once, and asked me to find a certain music act in the binders. it goes by alpha order, so it shouldn't be hard to find. some of their friends showed up later on, after she sent a phone message to them and she asked me what bar they were at.

paterno movie, al pacino

I knew I was running out of time to watch a DVD on loan from the library, so I watched it tonight. it was 'paterno' starring al pacino as the penn state football coach. I do recall some of what was covered in this movie, about the events of 2011 that led to Paterno's firing. when I was watching it I said 'what a mess' as it was, on so many levels. I did not recognize many actors in it aside from pacino. it was a movie produced by HBO, which may explain why I hadn't heard much about it if it didn't get a release into theaters. the closing credits said it was mainly filmed in white plains, new York.
   I went to another fish fry this evening, at a catholic church and school. the food at this one was pretty good. the main thing was coming in a different way than others did so it was harder to see where to pay and where to get in line. besides the main course there was little cups of pudding. some drinks were extra, I was fine with getting water out of a jug. a man was there with his lady and said I looked familiar. I said I had worked downtown, I think he recalls me from a former job.
   at work I had a long 'one on one' session with my boss. I would like to think I can get past any obstacles that exist for me. I was upset about losing cases, then I was informed I could put them on a shelf if I was hung up on something and then take it off the shelf when I am ready again. I tried to go to a karaoke bar to sing tonight but I waited around for over an hour and never came off the waiting list. I hated the feeling of how it was a wasted trip. I just didn't feel like driving to another venue, farther away, even though I have before when a venue looks packed. I am also aware of how I can leave even earlier, such as skip the late news, or leave immediately after it is done.

jameson black barrel select reserve

there are plenty of items being set out at the office, getting ready for the move in the next month or so. I have claimed some of them. one of them today was a drinking glass. it said 'jameson black barrel select reserve'. I know this is advertising irish whiskey, but I mostly drink beer. it also said 'sine metu'- according to an online search it means 'without fear'. I figured it was a good idea to wash it out before using it. and yes, it is kind of funny to me to be drinking water out of a whiskey glass. but in some ways, not much different from what I had done before, water out of a coffee mug.
   we had some cross-training this morning, for about two hours, in a different room than before. it was a smaller one. but too much of the day after it was lackluster, getting practice in on those kinds of cases we saw in the training room. I ended up losing three cases because I was agonizing about how to handle some of them and it was taking way too long to figure it out. I have  a 'one on one' scheduled with my boss for Friday, so I am hopeful to find some solutions. such as who I can go to when I have questions. I was trying to figure them out on my own. with another, I was told it was in an email we had been sent. I didn't like being laughed at  when it happened the second time, got an 'lol' by i.m., but I know full well I will try harder, as I have no choice.
   I got more items into my comedy souvenir binder. I freed up 6 sheet protectors to get the pages preserved. in the evening I went to perform at the karaoke bar. I did two songs, 'don't lose my number' by phil Collins. and 'the gambler' by Kenny rogers. found out that people can have stage names even for karaoke. 

ice cream instead of beer

i had hoped to be performing tonight. but it was not to be. my first choice I found out I didn't get signed up in time. I had heard about a new show starting up at another venue, but I went there and found an event coordinator and was informed that it isn't a go just yet. so I decided to go to a dairy queen and have a blizzard treat. I hadn't been there much lately as they are no longer sending the 2 for 1 blizzard coupons to my email. and I had been doing the shamrock shakes at mcdonald's. so I don't know if I saved any calories by having ice cream instead of beer tonight. I don't see it as an entirely wasted trip as I am better able to talk business when a show isn't happening. I like to pay attention to the performers when I am at a show. I also spoke of how I can use the time to do some planning for events I want to attend soon. it led to me ordering a ticket to the MSP film-fest. it is starting soon but I will be seeing this movie just over a week from now. I checked what I had printed about the final four fan-fest and it looks like tickets are at the door. so I will likely just see one festival movie this year, same as last year. hopefully I can see some of them outside the festival. I have before, it just means waiting a little while to hear about a wider release than just 2-3 screenings. notable about having ice cream tonight was getting there less than 30 minutes before closing time and an employee made an announcement to the seating area how they would be closing soon. some teenagers were in this area. I had just went there after waiting for my order. I was in and out quick, and the young people were still there.
   at work I closed 31 cases. it helped that I only got up from my seat for lunch. there were some weird ones. so I still got hung up on a few. there is a full day of training scheduled for Thursday. one member of my new hire class was absent. I know I didn't have to wait for any cases today. but I didn't like having a 'bounce-back' case. it took a while to hear from I.M. that this colleague wanted to save me from getting 'dinged'. still hard to handle, when she sounded condescending and I said I was aware of the procedure but still a rookie. I don't like having to drop everything just because somebody sends me a message. so I said I would finish the case in front of me first. this may be one thing that I want to cover at the 'one on one' meeting with my boss at the end of the week.

gave you everything, interrupters

over the weekend when I was driving home from my late-night stage time and heard a song I really liked. but it was a matter of finally searching some key lyrics online to find it again. it was 'gave you everything' by the interrupters. I recalled 'gave you all I got' and 'bags are packed', close enough to find it. I had heard a song from this band before, 'take back the power', as it was in a Michael moore movie. from this newer song I really like the energy in it. reminds me of something I heard before but still trying to think of what, but probably from the alternative genre. other lyrics I liked were 'walk the floor like a country song', along with 'i don't really care anymore', and 'too late for apologies'. the song is relatable for many, since it is about relationships. I liked the artistic direction of the video as well, mainly in black and white but splashes of color throughout. I think this band is playing a concert nearby soon.
    at work I think I am getting better, as I closed 25 cases today. I hope I can keep the momentum going. but I am still trying to find more time savers to increase volume. I fell asleep for a little while this evening, then knew I had to get up and go perform. I was on near the end of the show. the one that sometimes has a muppet performed as well, singing 'at last' by etta james. I liked how somebody showed me a thrift store find after hearing in my set mention of how I majored in history. it was two documents rolled into a tube. it appeared to be marriage certificates, from  north Dakota, from 1881 and 1908 respectively. I advised them to see what they can find about them online. I know it would be the curiosity that would send me there. I also spoke of the state historic society, as I sometimes visit their museum. 

ignore system updates

a team lead advised me to ignore system updates and keep working. good idea, as it was stuck on 91 percent for the rest of the day, and I first saw this after returning from lunch. I closed 24 cases, was hung up on one case as to if it was an appeal and then found out it wasn't so I later rerouted it to the pharmacist once it bounced back to me.
   I performed at an irish-themed bar tonight in the dinkytown section of Minneapolis, first time at this venue. at first it was a big deal to me when the MC introduced me as 'enigmatic' but then I noticed that another comic after me was given the same intro. it was hard to find parking at first but then I went to a ramp and walked about three blocks.