holmes and watson movie

i watched a redbox rental tonight, 'holmes and watson'. I have a poster of this movie as it was being promoted at the comedy club. but I read the reviews and I figured it was a better idea to wait for it on video. the movie isn't that good, way too many sex jokes in it, including 'wanker', the british term for masturbation. as a history major I also saw it as historically inaccurate, although there is a disclaimer in the closing credits saying it is 'a work of fiction'. this explains why cast members listed including actors playing mark twain, albert Einstein, Sigmund freud, and charlie chaplin, as well as Houdini. in one scene I even said 'the queen lives until 1901' and then there's the queen almost getting on the titanic, although that ship doesn't sail until 1912. I had seen other movies before with these lead actors, will Ferrell and john c. reilly, so I kind of knew what I was getting myself into. there are some obvious references to mr. trump as well, although not mentioned by name. things like 'a trumped-up charlatan' come to mind, along with a variation on his MAGA hat. I haven't seen that many of the sherlock holmes stories, but I know that moriarty figures into the story as his nemesis- and one does see moriarty in this one. so it stayed true to many things that one expects from a sherlock story, at least in terms of the characters that one would expect to be in it as well as things like sherlock liking drugs. I got it back to redbox right away, so I basically had it long enough to watch it. this was because I wanted to go out and sing karaoke, and I sang 'all apologies' by nirvana. I spoke about performing with two people there, so I guess I am getting noticed by some there. but it helps to be a regular. I like it that people pay attention. at work I scored more than 200 essays again, felt good about the volume. it was actually 227, reminded me of a sitcom from the 1980s. I am trying to get an interview scheduled for a different role next week, as I know that test scoring season is likely done soon. this project will wrap up next week, but by the end of the day I saw a posting offering me another project that will go until late june.

they're going to disneyland

I still get some weird papers to read with test scoring. one of them spoke about going to Disneyland and duct tape was involved. I scored 207 essays, even after being pulled out due to discussing the validation papers from the previous day. still working on the next gig as I know this project is only scheduled to run through next week.
    I did 3 songs at the karaoke bar tonight, it was a thin crowd tonight. they were 'don't follow' by alice in chains, 'i'm alright' by Kenny loggins, and 'don't look back in anger' by oasis.

scribbled post-it notes

I am looking at some scribbled post-it notes that I brought home from a day of test scoring. I have to write down something quick while thinking about it and then get back to work. it is a good way of clearing my mind. there are four, all small pink ones. one is about a redbox rental I haven't done yet. one is a link to look up after hearing about it on the news, on WCCO. one is something I might use in a comedy set. one is baseball players who have received the president's medal of freedom. I've wrote down this list of 13 before, but I still like being able to name all of them. on the same one in the corner is a small shopping list. one thing crossed off, just got it this week. the other two items can wait for now. not the same immediate need when it hasn't run out yet. I scored 140 essays, felt good about that as it was more than the previous day.
   I liked seeing mason city at the performance venue tonight, we talked before the show. saw the Philadelphia native after the show, when I went across the street to a cub foods as I had a craving for some spam after hearing about it at the show. I liked how a crowd member wanted to hug me after the show and say she liked my set. it reminds me of what I have said before, how I have been given so much due to performing. the love and respect, that others found without having to be performers. and I am reminded of a quote by baby puppet, how performers are poor people that get to do rich people things. such as having people listen to them. so do I treat it as a means to an end? some probably do.

rice park re-opened

i got a look at rice park in downtown st. paul after an open-mic tonight and it looks like it has been re-opened after being under construction for a while. it is of interest to me as there are two of the 'charlie brown and snoopy' statues there- peppermint patty and Marcie. there were some tents up for a festival, and I got a few photos of it. at this week's edition of the open-mic I really liked the violin player, I don't hear that too often. also helped that her first song was one I recognized- 'love on the brain' by rihanna. then of course it was back to my car after seeing the park.
   at work I scored 118 tests, much like before I was fighting the tired feeling in the afternoon. we had the 'recal' tests as well, four in all. there was something in the mail about my 401-k, not sure what it means as it sounds like the servicing company may become the same one for both of my accounts. I haven't done much with either since I was laid off over a year ago, but I have considered merging them. it wouldn't be the first merge of accounts, as I did it when I lived in suburban Chicago.

pride of st. louis movie

i watched the other DVD that recently arrived just before midday, 'pride of st. louis', about dizzy dean, who mostly pitched for the st. louis cardinals. I had seen it before, but it had been a while. and it does remind me of books I had read in elementary school, as I did read one about him as well as his brother, daffy. since I do recall mention in the book of how teachers didn't like some of the words he used as a broadcaster. it is like many other movies of this time, the early 1950s. not only black and white, but also covering the highlights and little else. I did not recognize any of the actors in it, not a big deal.
   this was a day where I got caught u on things. I did the twitter posting, and the dishes, today, and normally I do them on sunday. I also took care of going through a 'food report' which meant emptying a drawer from the refrigerator which had various food wrappers in it such as potato chips. I hadn't done this in 5 months, no surprise as to what I tend to order as there was plenty of old dutch chips, along with reese's peanut butter. then I had a very full bag to send to the trash bin. then I slept for a while. after that I called my college roommate, as I had hoped to see the twins baseball game tonight with him. but due to the weather, he decided not to go, as it had been raining quite a bit today. I was listening to the radio when driving to the comedy club, and found out they still played the game. they were his tickets, so his decision to make. when I arrived at the performance venue, I was surprised to find out I would be the show closer. it must have been a little lighter on the lineup due to the holiday. I made a reference to the MC doing a song that reminded me of 'bang the drum slowly', a baseball movie I had seen before. he had served in the army so he wanted to do an appropriate song for memorial day. before I arrived at the venue, I did some shredding of junk mail. it is a good idea to get this done on a regular basis so I have more counter space available.

basketball diaries movie

around midday I watched a DVD I recently purchased from amazon, 'basketball diaries'. I wanted to find this movie after finding the jim carroll song 'people who died'. I am thankful I saw this movie, as I like honesty in storytelling. I kept wondering 'when is he going to get his life in order?' after he goes down the path of drug use. then, I arrived at 'oh, right. when he gets arrested and goes to jail for a little while'. also compelling was the 'mickey' character, played by marky mark. the actor playing him is likely why it was more compelling. I liked the music in it, as pearl jam and soundgarden have songs in it. I am not a big fan of Leonardo DiCaprio, and I think this is one reason why I didn't see it for a while as he played the lead role. he may not have been well known at the time either. if I were to compare it to any other auto-bios I have seen, it is closest to 'girl, interrupted'. I like the special features that DVDs have, and it included a spot from the everclear front-man who spoke about drug abuse. according to the closing credits, it appears that jim carroll had a small role in it.
    after the movie, I went to cub foods to pick up a few items. I decided to get the special edition of sports illustrated about the history of baseball, as there was just two copies left. as the saying goes, 'get while the getting is good'. I really liked reading it, I think they covered just about everything in the sport in its history. at first I wondered if they had a photo of yogi berra in it, but they do- the one at the perfect game in the world series as he is the catcher. other things about the game are covered as well- integration, spring training, college ball, the minor leagues, and the movies.
   I also went to the saints baseball game in the early evening, a group outing. the saints beat Sioux city 5-1. a 3-run home run which started the scoring, it was just inside the left field foul pole. after the game ended and before the fireworks started, I first went to eat from a food truck, after the floodgates were opened of course. I chose tot boss, as I have ordered from them and know what I am getting. then I went back to my seat as I wanted to sit down while eating. then I found out I had enough time to tour the team's museum. I didn't want to tour it while the game was being played. I liked it, although a few things were missing or not correct. but I know they try really hard to be accurate at museums, and I am not sure how many others noticed. as a big charlie brown fan, I was pleased to see a charlie brown comic strip on display that mentions the saints. as usual, I learned something while at a museum. there was mention of a saints player named bill sharman, who later became a teammate of bob Cousy's with the boston Celtics. but I am familiar with how athletes are often multi-talented. this included mention of George halas, who briefly played for the saints and went on to become the founder of the Chicago bears.

free apple fritter

i wanted some godfather's pizza and went to the bobby and steve's in Minneapolis at midday, after I was at the library printing things. I got the pizza, and when I was in line to pay I was offered an apple fritter. I was told that it would otherwise be thrown away, as the would-be purchaser abandoned it after their card was declined. I had to ask at first what it was. it tasted fine, I ate more than half of it there and then took it home. I also had a pina colada smoothie, although it was a chore to get it blended as I needed help from an employee. they proceeded to re-boot the machine, and we daw it leaking water but it still blended the smoothie. one of things I did at the library was order a ticket for a twins baseball game in july, an alumni outing. and before the library I went and picked up all of my orders at the post office, four in all. three were postcards, the fourth was a DVD. now it means finding the time to watch it. I placed some more e-bay orders after these arrived.
    I also went to the grocery store this afternoon, and after I got back I slept for a while. then it was early evening and I got ready to watch a baseball game on TV. I was disappointed that the cardinals- braves game was not being shown in this area, we got the red sox-astros  game, astros won 4-3. during this time I got the idea to go through my photo albums again, to see about freeing up more space so I could re-purpose an album for postcards. it looks like I can, as I am now up to 84 vacant slots in one album. after the recent orders of postcards I knew I was running low on space in the available albums. I also went to the karaoke bar, and did one song: 'welcome to the black parade' by my chemical romance.

dirty business play

tonight I went to see a play at the history theater, my second of the season. it was called 'dirty business', about women who were spies in world war two. I was drawn to it because one of the four profiled was josephine baker, as I had seen a bio-pic about her that was on cable TV. there of course were some other compelling stories in it besides just that one, and I understand the Minnesotan in it was betty pack. I bought a ticket in the lowest price point, and it was obstructed view as it was in the front row close to the stage. I liked being close to the stage, but I was in the corner. the man making announcements before the show saw me and said I could move to another seat at the intermission if I could find one, so I did. I found something in the upper level, a better view but still somewhat of an obstruction. at the intermission I picked up a flyer about the lineup of shows for next season, and it looks like there is one that is of interest to me. I will likely get a card mailed to me as well.
   at work we had some more training, and I got qualified in all three categories. I ended up scoring 47 tests, we got started on scoring just before lunchtime. but I was tired and was scoring kind of slow. I had to get used to the material we are reading as well. I was told to approve my timesheet before the second break, as there is no work available this weekend due to the holiday. after the play I went over to a karaoke bar and sang 'stressed out' by 21 pilots. I chose that one as I like the line 'wake up you need to make money'. I don't have cable TV so I also liked watching the monitors there. this included some ultimate fighting from long island in new York, the Nassau coliseum.

double case of the familiar

i went to the karaoke bar tonight and I saw familiar people for the first time in a while. one of them is known for harmonica playing, he did 'wagon wheel'. he said he couldn't sing for 6 months, and how he had a stroke as well as heart surgery. the other sang 'lose yourself' and said she took care of her dad for a while, who has passed. I knew her from open-mics, she was a show runner at one of them. she was on right after my second song. I did two, 'honesty' by billy joel, and 'take a chance on me' by ABBA. so of course it was cool to see both of them. the regular karaoke jockey was not there.
    at work it was day one of a project, and we had training all day. it is three scoring points, and by the end of the day I had qualified in two of the three categories. I started off the day by going to get my materials basket from another room, but probably didn't need to as a new name card was attached to my assigned work station. there was plenty of stories to read about pets, especially ones that fought but then became friends. I got annoyed with somebody at lunchtime that was complaining about letters to the editor, then about the president. so I moved to another table, although I forgot this man talked a lot about sports. so at the next break I was much happier when I went outside and took a walk by myself.

return to workshop

i went to perform tonight and at first we didn't have any crowd members, only comics. so the show runner decided to make it into a workshop. I hadn't done one of these in a while. I was on first after the show runner, and I did get some feedback about being accident prone as well as visiting a book shop. later on some audience did trickle in, eventually we had six people. some I think had been at the nearby soccer match. before the show started I was asked to pull the screen down to cover up most of the mirror, previously it was magic man who did this. he did show up eventually. a bartender recognized me from being there for karaoke in the past, this surprised me a little.
   at work I scored 134 tests, and I am aware of how I was going slower. they were typed up, and it is harder to read some of them not being sure if it is a '1' or 'not scorable'. not many good papers, and even the scoring director alluded to that. I ended up leaving at 4pm, as we were in 'close out' mode by then and was told there was about 15 minutes left. it still gave me an 8-hour average for the three days this week so far. notable about the day was how I spent my lunchtime, doing a job interview in my car. and it meant having a different kind of lunch than typical, as I had no time to go heat up something in a microwave oven. I had beef jerky and cheese, as well as cheese and crackers. it was for what I called the 'George Clooney job', referring to the movie 'up in the air'. I called and left a voicemail with my college roommate about it as he had something like this when he lived in Memphis, when I visited him there in 2008. he responded by facebook messenger, and I gave a few more details as he had questions about it. I went to checking my email and I saw how they had turned me down. well at least I got an interview, more than what I can say about most jobs I have applied for.
   also after work, I went to get a few items at the nearby dollar store. there is construction happening in that strip mall, but not a big deal as it just meant having to stay off the sidewalk that is in front of the store. I got some photos of what they are doing. still not much posted publicly as to when, or if , any new businesses are arriving. before work, I liked hearing a song on my car radio that I hadn't heard much of before. found out it was called 'honesty' by billy joel. how true, as to how the lyrics went. 'honesty is hardly ever heard'.

rapper needed background music

there was more than one rapper tonight at the open-mic I went to. the last performer of the night tried to rap but couldn't get very far. then he put on some background music and sounded way better. due to my set, I liked hearing things I hadn't heard before about the show runner. I spoke of how I had attended boxing matches in person and may do so again this summer, and he said he had been an amateur boxer in his younger years. he also spoke of a quote by mike Tyson. the dude right before me was a rapper that I performed with on new year's day, I still like the passion he has while performing.
   at work we closed out a project, and it was surprising how we were offered another one to fill out the day. I scored 33 tests and then 78. I guess they were way behind on the project we started in on after it took just 90 minutes to close out a project we started just over 3 weeks ago. since I need the money and wanted to stay busy, I accepted. but of course I have to move to the one I had already
accepted on Thursday, so I can do just one more day of this one. I brought a can of ravioli, as well as the animal crackers, in my lunch bag so I didn't need to hunt around for lunch anywhere. we were given a longer lunch and I decided to fill in the time by taking a longer walk. I responded to a voicemail and I have an interview scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. I will do it in my car where I can hear them better. it means most of my lunch will be devoted to it, but I will allow for it by having a different lunch than typical. then I won't need to deliver a note for a schedule variation.

dog at open-mic

a lady brought her dog do the bar I was performing at tonight. it looked like a husky. I have for a while enjoyed the looks of huskies and german shepherds. both are known as work dogs. the dog was getting a little fussy, barking a little, so it made sense to go with ice cream sandwiches and m and m candy. I listened to both CDs from over the weekend.
    at work we are nearing the end of the project. I saw more type-written letters. we were given course evaluations to do, except I was I scored 171 tests, real good despite the 15 cents burger.

scottish rite masonic temple, minneapolis

I have said before how sometimes it helps to be a little nerdy, as I was watching the news last night and it spoke of 'door open Minneapolis' or something like that, having 'behind the scenes' tours at various buildings this weekend. I checked online after going to the link on WCCO and found one of interest to me. it was the Scottish rite masonic temple, kind of in uptown. there was over a hundred places listed, some I had been to before. it was a photographer's dream, I know I have said this before about some of the tours I have done. I like finding inspiration, and continuous learning, in so many places. there were many people on hand in gray shirts there to answer any questions. I said I had been to the masonic center in Bloomington for a show last year, and I keep meaning to return to see their museum as well. I would have liked doing more than just this one tour, but at least I did one. it would have been hard to get to more than one. but I have the publication that I picked up there which gives a list of all of the buildings involved, so I have more ideas about where to go later on. and hopefully this becomes an annual event. I walked around uptown after it was done, although not much fun today to be out walking when there was plenty of rain. I liked getting more photos of various places, including a mural saying 'Minnesota nice'. I also stopped at the cub foods to pick up a few items before getting back to my car. can't forget walking past the lagoon movie theater, a place where I see movies every so often. looks like there is a music documentary coming up that interests me, there was a poster on display out front.
    when I got home I went out again, to use a coupon from the loft wordplay festival at half price books. except I didn't buy any books. I got two clearance CDs, one was of charlie brown music and the other was by crowded house. It had 'don't dream it's over', that is why I wanted it. I also bought three postcards, they look like reprints of old cards. one was of charlie chaplin as a paper doll. I watched 'the simpsons', it was a weird episode that was an 'amazing race' parody. another part was a black and white segment where marge was interested in someone else, in a hotel. then I did some laundry, along with the dishes.

needs a toothpick

i did some overtime at work today, and somebody brought in cut-up fruit to share. it was watermelon and strawberries. at first I was willing to eat it with my fingers, but said I needed a utensil. and when I looked at it again I saw some toothpicks in the middle of the tray. it reminded me of the line from the movie 'rain man' where he said 'he needs toothpicks'. I scored 99 tests, slightly more than the previous Saturday. pizza was ordered, it was from domino's. I had three slices, but waited on getting the third. but when I was told there was plenty left, I figured having a third was no big deal. I had my car looked at this morning before going to work. they found some corrections to minor issues and I was on my way. I checked my p.o. box and four of the five orders were there, one of the amazon orders was not but it will likely arrive within the week.
   after work I went to the library to print some things. still trying to plan out some summer activities. then it was to home to unload some things, and on to aldi where I get my weekly grocery order. I wanted to stay home and rest but knew I needed to get going again after the grocery store, as I had a ticket for the st. paul saints game this evening. it was my first of the season, against the Milwaukee milkmen, a new team in the league. the saints won 2-1. I spent most of the game in my seat, but left to walk around late in the game as it was cool and windy at the ballpark. I was pleased that the game was kind of short, about 2 1/2 hours, as it meant I could get home on time for the late local news. I fell asleep in my easy chair after the news, but knew I had the urge to perform so I got up and went to a karaoke bar. I sang ' I guess that's why they call it the blues' by Elton john. I had something by Elton in mind as the Japanese man at the saints game sang an Elton song, 'Saturday night'. I could have easily said ' I am too comfortable at home' especially when it meant driving through the rain to get there. and it is still raining a little as I write these words. I even felt a little groggy at the bar when I first arrived, but I know this is common after sleeping. a man asked if I needed help with the song, and I said I was good. he was right next to me for part of it, singing along with me.

donations for candy

at work there was a request for donations for candy. some people left coins, it was next to the big tray holding the candy. on another table was some cookies. I scored 219 tests, pleased to get a few more done than the previous day. we also did some trivia in the afternoon, a reminder of how we are nearing the end of the project. the scoring director projects that it could end a day early, less than a week from now. one kid said he expected to get a low score, and he did.
   I got caught up on some mundane things such as shredding junk mail this evening. then after the late news I went to the karaoke bar and sang 'never be the same' by camila cabello. a thinner crowd compared to last week, which is fine with me.

moved by a sitcom

I watched the 'big bang theory' final episode, and retrospective, tonight. plenty of changes in my life since the show started in 2007. this episode 'moved' me, especially when Sheldon thanked his friends in the nobel acceptance speech. it rang true because I have often struggled to make friends.
   at work I scored 202 tests. and there was mention of a would-be rumble between the day and evening shifts, even though we get 30 minutes to clear out.
   i made it to the karaoke bar as well. I did two songs. it was 'back on the chain gang' by the pretenders, and 'mama tried' by merle haggard. I saw the couple that includes the truck driver. but they did not see me sing. they went out to smoke during song one and left before song two. I did not see the lady from last week. the karaoke jockey said she is an infrequent guest, when I asked about it.

two from austin

there were two performers from Austin, mn, tonight and both spoke about Hormel and spam. so I had to satisfy my craving after the show and went to a nearby cub foods for a spam single. also got some string cheese and peanut butter crackers. it was great seeing the big dog as headliner, hadn't seen him in a while. we got some photos after the show. the fancy comic was there as well.
    I scored 189 tests, same as the previous day. sounds like they are ordering pizza for those who are doing overtime on Saturday. I applied some more on indeed tonight, we will see as to if any of them lead to interviews. I am wondering if one of those I found there is the 'George clooney' job I was searching for, referring to the movie 'up in the air'. that one was 'apply on company site'.

   

cold room abandoned

at midday we moved to a different room at work, and I think most of us were fine with how we abandoned a cold room. this happened when we returned from lunch. I scored 189 tests, much like the previous day I was fighting the tired feeling too much. I have a new neighbor as well. this is a larger room and I recognize it as one where we occupied it for the florida project last year. it was this week that a sheet was passed around asking about availability for projects after this one is done, so I am hopeful more work is offered. this is because I like the work and I know it might be hard to get something else lined up. but it also means following up with some companies since this project is slated to end next week. I checked messages on monster, and indeed, and nothing relevant was found on those sites. much like before, I think some of them are sales jobs, not interested.
    I performed tonight and I spoke of the cold room, otherwise my set was much like the night before. I missed out on a few performers I would have liked seeing, one of them was the floutist. she sent me a facebook friend request during the show and I accepted it after I got home. she said some of her performances are shared in that forum. a rapper that I shared the stage with on new year's day showed up near the end of the night. I liked hearing the show runner's time-honored poem, 'by yourself', it closed out the night.

yoga for writers

i listened to a CD in my car on the way to and from work today. it is called 'yoga for writers', bought at the book festival over the weekend. it would say 'end of track' with each track. and it seemed to be more about yoga than writing. but it will likely be helpful in some form, even if it means listening to it again a different way such as on the portable CD player. it sounds familiar, so I am wondering if I have a card advertising it somewhere.
   at work I scored 212 tests, surprising since I was tired near the end of the day. and we did the re-cal test set as well. I performed at the comedy club tonight, brawler was on after me. I gave out my standard line to a crowd member that saw me after the show, saying you can tell management if you like what you hear. I am pleased to be getting on more often, I had said it was once a month but it may be even more often now. I saw the barber and I said I was staying relevant by performing 6 nights a week. he liked hearing about some of the songs I have done at karaoke bars. he along with the bartender said they would pay to see me sing some of them.

loft wordplay

this afternoon I went to wordplay, a book festival through the loft literary center in Minneapolis. I had already ordered my ticket this week, but I still needed to pick up my wristband at the site. on my way walking there after getting off from the light rail at the Vikings stadium I noticed a police vehicle stopped by the entrance. at first this unnerved me, wondering if there was some trouble. but then I realized it is typical to have a police presence at these kinds of events as they need crowd control. I looked around a lot at the tents, plenty of people selling books but I didn't buy any. I said I was more in need of book cases. I bought three postcards, one of them was at half price books. I also got a coupon from them, but I have to use it quick as it expires in less than two weeks. I got a free book from hamline university, as well as a tote bag, and information about how to submit writings in hopes of getting published. I was informed how there was a big crowd on Saturday to see Stephen king, no surprise there as he was the biggest name that was invited to the event. one thing I liked was seeing a lounge area, it was sponsored by target. they had granola bars as well. on the way there and the way back, I shared the ride on light rail with twins fans, as there was a twins baseball game this afternoon. they told me the twins lost to Detroit.
   I didn't do much after getting back from the book festival, first stop was to cub foods to get a TV dinner to round out my grocery order for the week. I watched 'the simpsons', it was about marge trying to sell crystals to people. I took a walk after it was done, and eventually called my dad. I am thankful I did plenty of things before the book festival, such as order event tickets as I likely wouldn't have had the same energy for it after the event. so now I have tickets ordered for two saints baseball games this month, as well as a play. and an amazon order for two DVDs as I had some gift card money to use. it was my first amazon order in over two months.

wrangler ranch play

i saw a play this evening, 'wrangler ranch', at the middle school in Roseville. I saw the poster for this show at the library, and made a point of telling them what advertising worked when I bought my ticket. I arrived less than 10 minutes before the curtain went up. I got some popcorn and water before the show. it was about a long-lost grandson being enrolled at a ranch after being found at a new jersey pizza parlor by the rich grandma. I noticed well the background for the scenes at the pizza parlor, as there was pictures of famous Italians and it appeared that lady gaga was one of them. it was the final performance of the series, explains why there was more ceremonial things than just the curtain calls by the cast. it meant handing out gift bags to various people. hard to ignore the hat the lead actor was wearing- a gaudy oversized foam cowboy hat. also compelling was the old-school guy who was also a rodeo clown. during intermission I walked around some, and had to get assertive with an annoying man who wanted to make jokes about iowa after seeing my sweatshirt. besides verbal self-defense, I also knew well enough to get away from him.
   it was a busy day. it started off with checking my p.o. box, 3 orders there. I went to the window to pay for the greeting card I wanted, with a babe ruth quote on it. I also paid for 6 more months of the rental of my p.o. box. then it was on to test scoring, as overtime was being offered. I got a bagel with plain cream cheese, as the company decided to order them. I scored 96 tests, decent for the weekend. after work I went to the grocery store, and then to do laundry. I saw somebody I knew from the performing circuit, the spouse of the lady that likes to hug me. and I did some karaoke, it was 'boy named sue' by johnny cash.

spilled candy

in the afternoon there was a brief pause due to hearing and seeing some spilled candy in the row behind me. it was peanut m and m's. I heard a joke about helping her pick them up, likely as a way to eat some of them. I tried to get back to work as quickly as possible. I ended up scoring 183 tests, felt good about that many as much like before I was fighting the tired feeling near the end of the day. I stopped at a Walgreen on the way home but they didn't have the Minneapolis paper. actually they did, but the lone unsold copy looked like some of the sections were missing. I like being able to read about the movies for the weekend, so an incomplete paper doesn't work for me. I ended up getting one at a holiday gas station, where I was also able to use the ATM and get a sandwich. it was payday, it is every 2 weeks there. but I found out this year that if on direct deposit, and I am, it means no paystub will be issued, unless it is viewed online. so I think I am good, probably won't need to see it. I still got some other items at the Walgreen, as they had string cheese and peanut butter cookies. I was thinking ahead and the cookies will be part of what I bring for the Saturday shift. I don't plan on being there as early as I want to check my P.O. box and pay the 6 month fee, which is due at the end of the month.
   I considered going to a burlesque show tonight but decided to stay in. I was trying to figure out the logistics of still performing tonight, hard to do both unless I went early. I was still tired as well, and I eventually fell asleep in my easy chair. the show is once a month, same venue I am now performing at, so there will be others. I made it to the karaoke bar and sang 'survivor' by destiny's child. I liked how I was able to keep up with it. but it was crowded in that part of the bar, so after I was done singing I moved out fairly quickly to the back. I was there for less than an hour, and once I finished my beer I was on my way. even without the burlesque show it still looks like it will be a busy weekend for activities, as I want to see a western play and then get to a book festival.

   

roses are red

I saw a paper today from test scoring that actually wrote that famous poem 'roses are red, violets are blue' into their essay. I showed it to my boss and deadpanned it when they couldn't read the handwriting and she laughed. it became non-scorable. we are seeing some weird papers on this project. I scored 217 papers, pleased with those numbers. although I was fighting the tired feeling even before lunchtime. but I am thankful I managed to last through the day without much fanfare.
   I went to sing at the karaoke bar tonight. I did 'center field' by john fogerty. I was getting some air in the patio area in the back, and doing some ladder golf, when a lady found me and said she liked my performing. I enjoyed talking with her as I found out we are both from iowa, and performers. she does music and theater. she spoke about being a regular so hopefully I will see her again there soon.

tennessee stud song

I was listening to the radio on the way to work and it spoke of an anniversary of the death of eddy Arnold, who performed 'Tennessee stud'. had to check Wikipedia, and it said it was written by jimmy driftwood. I am more familiar with the johnny cash version. I liked the line 'long and lean'.
   at work I scored 147 tests. had to leave a little early for a job interview across town. I did not go outside for breaks or lunch as it was raining, at least not for walks. I went to my car to make calls as I don't want anyone listening in.
    I performed tonight, but near the end of the show it was hard to stay awake. university accountant gave me a loaf of bread, as it would otherwise be thrown out. I think some of it will go into my lu
lunch.\

cursive handwriting

some of the tests I am scoring are in cursive handwriting, but not many. one of them was today, and I wanted to give them a good score since it looks more graceful than other forms of handwriting, but it was copied text so that is non-scorable. I did score more tests today, 253. I am looking forward to performing tonight, and it should be no problem getting used to how this venue does not serve beer. I just want the stage time, and I can find other things to drink. on the way to the library tonight I liked seeing a bagpipe band practicing at a nearby church, but I could barely hear them even after putting my car window down.

season ticket whiner

I did karaoke tonight, the second choice open-mic was not available. I did 2 songs. it was 'fooling yourself' buy styx, and 'sunday morning' by no doubt. two songs I wanted to do this weekend, but couldn't for multiple reasons. while at the bar I talked with a man there for a little while, but he was whining about the cost of season tickets for st. paul saints baseball. I hate negative energy, especially when it comes to my favorite sport. so I had the perfect excuse to end the conversation, as it was my turn to sing. and I did not talk to him for the rest of the night. looks like this venue does some karaoke contests, I am largely unfamiliar with where those take place. first time at this venue. at work I scored 153 tests, I am aware that was kind of slow but I was tired in the afternoon, that tends to happen after lunch, hitting a wall. we had some training as well, for one hour.

dog day, siebert field

I saw some college baseball this afternoon at siebert field in Minneapolis. the Minnesota gophers beat ohio state 3-2 in game 2 of a doubleheader. I had things to do and  did not attend game 1, which began at 10am. Saturday's game ran long, 18 innings, which is why sunday became 2 games.  there was a rainout on Friday. I followed the score of game 1 online, gophers won 11-2. I departed for the venue shortly after this game ended, and made it to the venue in the top of the 2nd, gophers were up 1-0. it was tied 2-2 at the end of the 2nd, gophers got a solo home run to tie it. and the game winner was scored in the 8th. it was  a day when people could bring their dogs. the gophers swept this 3-game series.
   I did not do much after getting home, tried to watch 'the simpsons' but got in just one episode and then fell asleep in my easy chair. I got the dishes done before the late news started.

chaperone movie

I went to see a movie this afternoon, 'the chaperone' at the Edina theater. I didn't recognize many of the actors in it, mostly Elizabeth McGovern, who was also listed as a producer. she played the chaperone for a teenager from Kansas that went to new York city to attend a dance school, and later became a silent film star. I am aware that blythe danner, the mother of Gwyneth Paltrow, was also in it, but only in the closing credits I found out she played the chaperone's birth mother. this was an arthouse movie, explaining why just one theater in the area was showing it. and I knew I needed to see it right away, when it is now down to just one screening per day. I of course liked the previews, as they show the kind of movies I like to see. there is another moe berg bio-pic, the baseball player who later became a spy in world war two. I have seen the one where paul rudd played him. a poster in the lobby was about a new version of 'all  about eve', starring gillian Anderson from 'x-files'.
   in other issues, this evening I went to sing karaoke, but there was a fight so the bartender said the bar was closed. first time I had witnessed this. found another bar to sing at, 'spider webs' by no doubt.
   I got some work in as well, I scored 139 tests. I slowed down a little after seeing the previous day stats, as my quality had slipped.

commuter movie, liam neeson

this evening I watched a DVD movie on loan from the library, 'the commuter'. I didn't  know many of the actors in this movie, just liam neeson and vera Farmiga. I wanted to see it because it is a thriller. in fact I even said 'it's done' and there was even more of the movie. it really only became a good movie, living up to being a thriller, when it got onto the train. before that was just setup, the main character meeting his cop friend, for one thing. then after watching it and the late local news I went out to do some karaoke. I sang 'little talks' by of monsters and men.
   at work I scored 273 tests. I wanted to pick up the pace when I saw the release of the first numbers. I recall getting a letter, well after the season ended, saying I wasn't fast enough. so of course I want to go as quick as possible. somebody brought in a book from 1951 that had poetry in it, including the poem by Robert louis Stevenson- the one we are reading essays about. after work I picked up a few items at a Walgreen, on the way home. I saw a few emails about jobs, I will have to see how I can handle interviews while I am test scoring as I want to minimize the time off that is needed.

soft earplugs issued

in the afternoon it was hard to stay focused on test scoring when we heard somebody talk about another project on the other side of the partition. so my neighbor got out soft earplugs, but I was not sure how much they would help, after a few minutes, the speaker was done, so no big deal to me. I scored 198 tests, although some were blank pages or copied text, which are not scorable. I like keeping track on a post -it so it is no surprise what my numbers are to me. I know they want accuracy as well as speed. I was expecting announcements in the morning, but there weren't any. we finally got them at midday, after we got back from lunch. the moderator said he wanted to wait until there was a full day of test scoring to report about. we were informed about how there will be Saturday work available, although they haven't done the official poll to find out who is in. I was unsure what projects I had done before, which seems relevant again. I knew I did 5 last year. then I realized how when I log in they are all listed there. I did florida, Wisconsin, south Carolina (two separate projects) and Pennsylvania (keystone) last year, which is a different test than the one from Penn. that I am doing now. it can be a blur. since I went in a little early and stayed late, and plan on doing the same on Friday, I expect to qualify for the attendance bonus. I prefer to avoid missing out on those, which means avoid taking time off as much as possible.
    I went to the karaoke bar tonight, but it was kind of crowded there, so I did just one song. it was 'second chance' by shinedown. it was a song I referred to when talking to brawler this week. while I was at the bar waiting to sing I spoke with somebody next to me. he spoke a lot about the twin cities in the 1970s, such as the luxury hotels in Bloomington near the sports arenas. something about one wing was for swingers only. later on he spoke of his partner who had just died, and how they met. something about how he was crying on the steps of the YMCA in  Nashville back in 1970. and without him, he would have went to the hills and lived a life of poverty. it was a sobering story.

bold survey response

I got a voicemail about a survey I responded to in the past week, after visiting a bank. I said the thing that thye could do for me was hire me, and I gave my email account. I called in the afternoon during my break from test scoring and said there was nothing wrong with the transaction, it met my needs. hard for me to do a scale of 1 to 10 surveys. but I got somebody that said she would forward my resume to those who might help with getting hired by the bank. I understood there are no guarantees in life, but I am looking for better odds, somebody who can advocate for my candidacy as I haven't had this yet. so I will hope for the best.
    there was some more training for the Pennsylvania test scoring, including the second qualifying set although I qualified for it with the first. there was also doubling up with my neighbor for some scoring, eight at mine and right at hers. during my share, four of them were blank pages. in all, I scored 71 tests for the day. I looked at previous entries and that appears to be in line with my typical pace. my last one of the day was mostly copied text, I had my boss look at it and was advised to write down the test number so others can look at it. Saturday work is being offered so I think I will take it, especially when I was off on Monday. I want the attendance bonus. I saw more familiar faces today, such as the HR rep. I think they are still recruiting for this season. at this point I will likely accept any more offers of test scoring projects, although I am used to how the list is only posted near the end of the current project one is on. right now it is nice to be back at work doing what I enjoy doing.
   I made it to the dollar store after work, for my typical purchase of a can of spaghetti. while I was there a kid spoke to me. before that I had my car looked at due to the on again-off again check engine light and I was told they need more time to look at it. one of the rerun channels was on there and the show 'give me a break' starring nell carter was on, the episode where joey performs in blackface. I do recall this show and this episode, and said shows like this being on a rerun channel make me feel old. I made it to the performance venue in the evening, and it was great to see the button there. I spoke some about changing jobs in my set. there were way fewer people in the main bar area as there was no soccer game happening. there was another decent crowd for the show in the back room, so I think this mic is doing fine.