linda ronstadt movie

i went to the Edina theater this afternoon and saw a documentary movie about musician linda Ronstadt. I was largely unfamiliar with her music, since she was mostly a hitmaker in the 1970s and I am too young to recall that. so, as usual, I learned something while there. it is why I like bio-pics, and documentaries, especially about musicians. I mainly knew about her dating California governor jerry brown. it covered well who her contemporaries were, such as members of the eagles. there was plenty of clips from talk shows, such as johnny carson, and dick cavett. as a baseball fan, of course I liked seeing mention of her singing the national anthem at a dodgers baseball game, possibly in the world series. and she does talk of having to retire from performing due to Parkinson's disease. there are currently three theaters showing it in this metro area, but I made the right choice with going to Edina. it is known for showing 'art films' and I am used to how they do things there, such as the 'lobby cards' promoting movies as well as the flyer about upcoming movies. the one in Roseville wouldn't have this, since it is owned by a different company. looks like the bio-pic about judy garland may be in Edina next weekend. I saw a facebook friend talk about wanting to see it, I said I am interested but not this weekend. I chose an early screening today so I would be home in time for the bears-Vikings football game. the bears won 16-6, in Chicago.
     before I left for the theater, I watched another charlie brown DVD. it was 'snoopy come home'. I did so after finding something online about some area theaters showing it, and I told myself there was no need for it when I already have it on disc. It wasn't the only time I filled in time this way this weekend, the other was 'charlie brown's all-stars' since I am still in the mood for baseball. speaking of that, it looks like the st. louis cardinals are division champions. they beat the cubs 9-0 today to clinch it. next up in the playoffs is atlanta. I checked the stats and it looks like yadier Molina is closing in on some notable milestones. I knew about 2,000 games played as a cardinal was in range for early next season, then found out so is 2,000 hits. this evening after watching 'the simpsons' I took a long walk around the neighborhood, hadn't done one of these much lately. but I liked walking on a bridge over the interstate, being above 'the craziness of it'. and it helped with finding ideas to look up. a dry cleaner had something in the window about a 'booya' soup event, and it reminds me of how this is the season for it so it is time to find the schedule online and print it. one thing often leads to another, and it prompted me about how the annual spaghetti dinner at a community center is coming up as well.

verlander 3000

I was watching the baseball game on fox tonight, cubs-cardinals, and there was a report about Justin verlander reaching the 3,000 strikeout milestone. he is just the 18th pitcher to join this club. I checked the stats, and he has over 200 career wins, and may be the only 20-game winner in the majors this season. so he has a chance at reaching the 300-win plateau, as well as 4,000 strikeouts, at this pace in five years. as a history major, I am aware that we celebrate longevity, things that stand the test of time. he has pitched for the tigers, and astros, but I am not sure if I have seen him pitch in person, since of course pitchers don't play everyday. I noticed the decided difference between these two all-time lists. there hasn't been a 300-game winner since randy Johnson in 2009. and seven of them, out of 24 in all,  notched enough wins for this plateau before the first world series was played in 1903. but the strikeouts are different, as there was just walter Johnson for a while, in 1923, until bob Gibson joined in 1974. of course Nolan Ryan is the record-holder, the only one to reach 5,000. I am aware of how fans like to see strikeouts, although my preference is just to get outs and get the win. the cubs won the game 8-6, but the brewers lost to the rockies 3-2 in 10 innings, so the cardinals still lead the division by one game. it is the only division not yet clinched.
   there were errands to run, and I got started on them fairly early. after a quick breakfast at home, it was to the post office, where the two charlie brown books I had ordered from amazon were there. they were good retrospectives, from 1970 as well as 1980. then it was on to the bank to deposit a check, it was a small rebate on health insurance premiums. after a short time at home again, it was on to the repair shop. it didn't take long to get the bulb replaced on the headlight, although I had to use my phone while in the shop to get somebody to the front desk. the shop is under renovation. I went to the grocery store in the afternoon, and considered going to a movie but knew there probably wasn't enough time so it will be moved back a day. I was tired once I got back from grocery shopping so I laid down for a while. the baseball game had just started when I woke up and decided to get up. after the late news I went to do some karaoke, and sang 'sunday morning' by maroon 5. I like their recent song, 'memories', explaining why this band was on my mind.

cruel intentions movie

i watched a DVD movie on loan from the library this afternoon, 'cruel intentions'. it made more sense to me after seeing the opening credits when it is mentioned it is based on 'dangerous liaisons', from the 1700s. I had heard of the movie version, starring john Malkovich, but haven't seen it. I recognized all of the main actors in it- ryan Phillippe, reese witherspoon, sarah michelle Gellar, and Selma blair. I also recognized one of the parents- saying it was leonard's mom from 'big bang theory'. and it was- Christine baranski. I couldn't watch it for a while because I saw the preview, where sarah said 'i'm aware' when asked if she realized that an innocent girl was being destroyed to win a bet. it is 'rich people at play'- plenty of double-crossing in it. but it doesn't end the way I expected it to, based on my dad seeing it and trying to spoil it for me. and it kept going after what I would have expected to be the end of it. so there were some redeeming qualities to the movie- such as the final scene where the song 'bittersweet symphony' is played. in the special features, there was two music videos. one was from placebo, and the other from marcy playground. of course seeing the jaguar roadster in it was nice, a classic car.
   there was a little movement on the job front, but not a lot. I applied for more jobs on indeed, and got another interview scheduled. but I had to call them again after I got no response to my voicemail.
   also tonight I went to my third high school football game of the season. tartan beat south st. paul, 26-13, and it was 14-0 at the half. tartan did well with turnovers, pulling down 4 interceptions (and blocking 2 punts) while SSP pulled down just one INT. it was chippy at times, there was plenty of penalties, and one tartan TD was called back due to it. another was for unsportsmanlike conduct. I moved to the visitors side for the second half, way more seats available. on my way home from the game I was pulled over by a state trooper, I was told that a headlight was out. so I will be taking care of it in the morning. I still went to sing karaoke, but put my high beams on after I found out they were still working. I sang 'we are young' by fun.

h and m grand opening

I went to look around at rosedale mall in Roseville just before midday and saw a line forming at the h and m store. I found out it was a grand opening, at 12noon. so I got in line and was given a card to scratch off. except I didn't buy anything, but I did go inside and look around. I had shopped at this chain store before, in uptown Minneapolis when I was looking for an outfit for a date. before this I was across the road at the Best buy, using a gift certificate that was expiring soon. I got a CD and a cookie, after looking at the DVDs first because I could find them more easily. an employee said the CDs were all in a discount bin near the front of the store, and I decided on one by metallica, the self-titled one from 1991. good thing I passed on the one from alice in chains, as expected I already had one by them. there were two by metallica that interested me, the other had 'for whom the bell tolls' on it. I have already played some of this CD since I can in my car.
   there was some movement on the job front but not a lot. the main thing was a phone interview with a bank in the afternoon. I considered going to a job fair, but I had been to the one in Shakopee just last week and I knew what was in the lineup. it looked like very little would be of interest to me. I responded to a voicemail from a company claiming they are having interviews at midday Friday, but I have yet to hear them respond to me.
   I went to the library after the mall and printed some things. some of those were related to the 1959 pan-am games in Chicago. I was interested in the baseball tournament held there, at both the stadiums for the cubs and white sox. articles I found said there was not much media coverage of it, and there was low attendance. some of this was due to a big interest in the white sox that year and their pennant race. one of them was from 1987, the year that another American city, Indianapolis, hosted the pan-am games. a comparison was being done between the two. I once saw a photo used by the media for sale on e-bay, it was from Wrigley field, but I did not buy it. being a history major, of course this explains some of my interest in it. some great athletes get started in Olympic-type events like this one. for baseball, it said lou brock played for the US team. and for basketball, jerry west , Oscar Robertson, and bob boozer did. of course I am reminded of my visit to the pan-am games in Toronto back in 2015. I made the most of my time there, seeing 2 baseball games, 2 basketball games, and one session of boxing. along with a blue jays baseball game, the hockey hall of fame, and 2 comedy shows. it was just my 3rd visit to Canada, so I knew well enough to make it count.
  in the evening I went to the karaoke bar and sang 2 songs. it was 'sad but true' by metallica, and 'blue moon of Kentucky' by bill Monroe. just before I left the karaoke jockey showed me videos on his phone of flame throwers. it was spurred by my mention of noticing one lyric in a song that somebody was singing was about a Molotov cocktail.

goonies movie

I watched a DVD on loan from the library this afternoon, 'the goonies'. it had been name-checked on the TV show 'big bang theory' so I decided I needed to find out why. it made sense, as the kids on the adventure were nerdy, and there was four of them. one was a 'the gadget guy', and the james bond theme was played for him. I recognized some of the actors in it, including the kids, such as sean astin and corey feldman. others would be anne ramsey, and john matuszak. anne was mama in 'throw momma from the train' and john was a pro football player. although it wasn't until the closing credits that I knew about john in it, as he played somebody with a deformed face that was locked up for a while. although it made sense that the first shirt he was wearing was a raiders shirt, as that is the team he played for. there was plenty of booby traps in it. at times it reminded me of 'home alone' as it was kids trying to outsmart adults. it ended the way I kind of expected it to end, where there was a threat of something happening but it didn't happen, and it was stopped at the last minute. this was familiar, as I had seen some other movies where this was the case. it was all right, but I think I might have enjoyed it more at a younger age. I was getting annoyed with the teasing and bullying in it. I recognized many of the names involved with it, such as steven spielberg as a producer and richard donner as director. donner had also directed 'lethal weapon'. so this likely explains things such as the special effects being really good. I watched the special features as well, some of them anyway, and it included a music video from cyndi lauper. the closing credits had many of the songs listed as hers. and the song and video seemed to be inspired by the movie, although it took place at a gas station.
   on the job front there was a phone interview this morning, but I will admit that I didn't get a good vibe from it. for one thing, I discovered in my research that it was with a staffing agency. and then the interviewer seemed clueless at times. such as asking me aobut what my duties were at my most recent role, then I had to ask if he had a copy of my resume. he took it as me refusing to answer questions, when it was him that wasn't answering. also how i kept hearing interference on the line, like he was possibly taking the call outside. I was informed that there would be an assessment sent to me, but so far it has not. I also accepted a phone interview, that is due to happen thursday afternoon.
    it was nice to perform tonight as usual, I was on early in the lineup. the joke from the show runner was that I would be good at doing a 'tell it like it is' podcast. another performer offered me stage time at their upcoming show, and I look forward to hearing more about it soon. notable was being asked to find a remote control for the air conditioner, at first I did not, only a chain and padlock. then I noticed it was on a ledge that was part of a beer tapper, along with three others, and then gave it to the show runner. 

missing link movie

I watched a DVD that was a Redbox rental this afternoon, 'missing link'. I had placed an order for movie souvenirs in June, and 2 of the 4 were of this movie, some stickers and a puzzle. I wanted to use up the points because the movie theater I had a loyalty card with, in Eagan, had closed. so it was no big deal to say I should see it as a Redbox rental. this was 'Clay-mation', or whatever they call it now. wasn't sure about who was voicing the characters, but the closing credits yielded the answers. I have heard of Hugh Jackman, as frost, and Zach Galifianakis, as 'mister link'. it was about a British adventurer that wanted to get into a private club, and he made a bet to get into it. and it meant going to America to try to find 'the missing link'. the setting was late 19th or early 20th century. as usual, it was quite clear who the bad guys were. one scene might have been a reference to 'planet of the apes', just by the way it looked to me. it was all right, but not great. I will have to admit that I don't see that many animated movies, documentaries are more my thing. Frost at times came across as a 'bumbling idiot' to me, so he seemed to be the right pairing with 'link', who was not fully human. was it a 'message movie'? possibly, based on some of the statements made in it.
   the main thing seen on the job front today was text messages, no joke. not a big fan of them, prefer employers sending me emails. I responded to two of them saying 'stop' and then got a message saying I was 'unsubscribed' although I never really was 'subscribed' in my opinion. and it led to a phone interview being scheduled for Wednesday morning. In the evening I watched more of the ken burns documentary about country music, although this segment ran longer than some others did. plenty about dolly parton, willie nelson, hank williams jr., and waylon jennings. this was covering the 1970s, more familiar to me when it is more recent. and I have seen willie nelson in concert, in 2005 at the St. Paul Saints baseball stadium. it felt like it was running long, so I checked my alarm clock and said it was time to go perform. I was the show closer, the show runner liked the story I told when I swore at an annoying performer. the flautist had already performed, but then she became a part of the final thing after I was done so I got a picture of it. she played while sitting down. one can't ignore when they are inspired.

mapquest auto-correct

I went to an interview this morning, but the mapquest directions I am told did an auto-correct and sent me to the wrong town. I ended up in new brighton, and needed to get to arden hills. the interview still happened, although I couldn't hide being disappointed about having to complete another application first. I figured applying on indeed was enough, but all too often I am finding out that it doesn't count. they also didn't tell me in advance of needing to complete a second application. I went to the library after that to return a movie, and print a few things. this included a high school hockey schedule, as well as two festival schedules for next month. the film festival still interests me, but the comedy festival does not. it appears that there are no shows with free admission this year, and I am used to getting in free when either I am performing or know who is. I also filed more applications on indeed, but I will have to check if there are any hiring events this week. as far as I know this was the only appointment scheduled. the entered the personal information being requested online for the job offer I accepted with the state government, and notified who hired me by email once it was done. this also included entering my direct deposit information.
   I was the first performer at the show I did tonight, figured it was better than going on near the end. then I went to a place in the back where I could lay down and watch the show. I got a little too comfortable and nearly fell asleep. I had hoped to see mad hatter there. at the first venue, I did. but it happened again, where I got annoyed with somebody when I wanted to see mad hatter. so I don't know what I do other than what I suggested to him- only do one on ones. I covered the annoyance in my set. 

wild rose movie

this afternoon I saw the movie 'wild rose', about a Scottish lady trying to make it as a country singer. it was a single screening per day at plaza Maplewood, a discount theater owned by a church. I think it was just my second visit there, and the first time in 10 years, when I saw 'yes man' starring jim carrey. I noticed how Kacey Musgraves had a cameo in it. I liked listening to the accents in it. I had heard about this movie at the MSP film festival in april, but of course movies have a limited number of screenings there. I saw two at this year's festival, and it wasn't one of them. but much like some other movies, I got another chance because it got a wider release. this was also true about another music movie, 'patti cakes'. some of it was filmed in Nashville, a city I haven't visited yet but it would be nice to get there someday. I liked how there was a minimal number of ads and previews before the movie started.
    this morning I watched one of my DVD movies, 'sweet dreams', the bio-pic about singer patsy cline. I did so because I saw a filmography for john Goodman after watching 'always' and I had to satisfy my curiosity. I found out he had a small role in it, as Otis. I think this was a friend of patsy's husband. I read Friday's paper after the movie was done, and after having lunch. it was helpful to do so as I get it for the movie times for the weekend. I had to look up some of the movies listed there, but it looks like just one appealed to me after the research. this is the documentary about singer linda Ronstadt, so I can go see it next weekend. after going to the movie theater, I got home in time to watch another segment of the ken burns documentary about country music. this segment was one that had quite a bit about johnny cash. also about some lady singers, such as Loretta lynn and dolly parton. it covered 1964-68, so they were getting into an era where I am more familiar with the singers since some of them still have careers at this time. and in the case of charley pride, somebody I have seen in concert. 

always movie, john goodman

i watched a DVD movie on loan from the library this evening, 'always'. I knew the main actors in it, Richard dreyfuss, holly hunter, and john Goodman. also correctly guessed what role Audrey Hepburn had. I actually swore at dreyfuss a few times while watching it, but I understand that he was just playing a role and was convincing as a hotshot pilot. I had heard about this movie when it was first at theaters, but this was my first time watching it. I knew it was about somebody who dies in a plane crash. but I did not know that it was about pilots fighting forest fires, or wild fires. I chose it because I like john Goodman, he is good at playing an 'everyman'. at times it did remind me of 'ghost', it is the movie that seemed to be most like it. memorable will be when holly hunter gets in front of a plane right before takeoff because she wants to say goodbye to dreyfuss. according to the closing credits, there was two versions of the song 'smoke gets in your eyes' in this movie. I liked the passion in it, when I did see it, such as when john Goodman said 'i miss him too'.
  I had hoped to complete my entire 'to do' list today, but it was not to be. I got to all but one of what was on it. I went to the bank to turn in change, it was just over five dollars. I saw a man there who had so much change that it was in a suitcase. I also made it to the grocery store earlier in the day than I normally go, as I wanted to get to a movie. except there is just one screening a day, and I fell asleep and knew I wouldn't make it in time. so it means it is pushed back yet another day. I also made it to the karaoke bar, and did two songs. it was ' so lonesome I could cry' by hank Williams, and 'roadhouse blues' by the doors. there was two dudes singing a duet that is normally not sung by two dudes.

hot chocolate directions

i went to the car dealer to get an oil change. while in the waiting room, somebody asked me if I needed help with the hot chocolate directions. I did not. I said 'i can read' and I figured it out on my own. there was two sets if directions, I will admit that the ones with pictures were more helpful. there were a few calls and emails on the job front, but that was it.
  in the evening I went to a high school football game. delasalle beat north st. paul 21-0, it was 14-0 at the half. I was next to a man that I found to be annoying for the first half. he kept talking about subjects that I just didn't care about at all. so I told myself  'I have had enough' and when I wanted to get food at halftime I decided to watch the rest of the game somewhere else. I still wanted some food despite getting a free 'taco in a bag' from a local church before entering the stadium. I got a hot dog, water, and reese's peanut butter. this game never was much of a contest, as north st. paul just wasn't moving the ball. as usual, I liked seeing the senior girls dance at halftime at midfield, since it is the school's homecoming. when I got back to my car there was a flyer on it about sex education. it was hard to tell for sure what the organization was for. I had sex-ed in school, so if they are opposed to it then I am not in agreement with them.
   after the game I went to my second choice karaoke venue, the first one looked too crowded. I did 'immigrant song' by led zeppelin. I think one of the servers recognized me, and I used my standard line of 'doing the best I can'. I chose this song as I must have been thinking of my immigrant great-grandparents, that I never knew.
   there was not much happening on the job front today. I called one place to confirm an interview, since I got no email from them. they told me it wasn't happening today, and I would be contacted to have it re-scheduled. I told them I can't show up if I don't know where it is.

grosse pointe blank movie

I watched a movie on loan from the library tonight, 'grosse pointe blank', after getting back from the karaoke bar. I recognized many of the actors in it, besides john cusack and his sister, joan. also dan aykroyd, Minnie driver, Jeremy piven, and jenna elfman. it was weird and funny at the same time. it is about an assassin going back for his class reunion in suburban detroit. naturally when it is about a class reunion it means having to tell some back story about how the characters are relevant to each other. Minnie is the old flame, Jeremy sells real estate, and dan is a rival assassin. i liked hearing 'under pressure' by david bowie and queen in this movie. one observation i made was about the reunion being at the school, as this is unlike my school's reunions. the last two have been at the American legion hall. it does remind me of other movies in terms of it being 'one last job'. trying to think of a lasting impression, it is probably seeing a bomb inside a microwave oven. another would have to be a dimwit security guard.  

   I went to two more job fairs today, but as usual there was not a lot at either one. i had some cookies at the first one, i called one of them 'rapper cookies'. the second had somebody from an insurance company who said he went to wartburg college in waverly, my native state. i am still looking for work despite accepting an offer this week. looks like i have been issued an employee number, so it is becoming more of a reality. but there are more things to do online apparently, according to the email.

  in the evening I watched a baseball game on fox, cubs-cardinals. i fell asleep for a little while, but it was tied 1-1 by then in the 4th i think. cardinals went ahead 4-1 at one point, but the cubs tied it 4-4 in the 9th. i left at the end of the 9th, wanted to get to the karaoke bar. i caught the rest of the game on the radio, cardinals got a home run in the 10th and won 5-4. i sang 'complicated' by avril lavigne. i might have done it before, but it was on my mind after last week's twins game because of who i met on the light rail. i like how people were paying attention, singing right along with me. 

 

truth hurts, lizzo

I had to respond to a recent posting from the jenny Lawrence look-alike about the song 'truth hurts' by lizzo. I said I had to print the lyrics to understand the song better. I had heard it on the radio fairly often so I had a good feel of it. although for a while I mainly knew it as the song where a football team, the Minnesota Vikings, are name-checked. the song really works for me. the video takes place at a wedding ceremony and reception. the singer appears to be the bride, makes sense to me on the role she gave herself. don't text me, tell it straight to my face. I have said this for a while, at least a variation of it. truth hurts, needed something more exciting. I have often said 'sad but true' but don't want to be lied to either. I will never be your side chick. I never have enjoyed being someone's first, be it after weight loss surgery, divorce, or their first American they've dated. I also don't enjoy being their second choice either. where I am just a 'back up plan' in case it doesn't work out with the 'incumbent' and they conveniently 'forgot' to be honest with me. I put the sing in single. I found out it is easier to pursue performing when I am single. hard to meet quality people, especially those who understand 'the need to perform'. I recall going to florida many years ago with my then-date to meet their family, and one thing they said was 'don't let your date choose performing over you'. why? performing has made me happier than dating.
   I went to two job fairs today, saw an advisor at the first one, in Burnsville. but I didn't recognize her at first. I said I had an offer from the state, and I was advised to accept it formally in the system real soon. so by the end of the day I did. what made it easier was knowing there are no other offers right now. and no idea if there will be any others. especially after going to the second job fair. it was with a company I had interviewed with before, most recently on Monday no less. it felt like a waste of time to go, since they wouldn't interview me. although one official said it was wrong of me to think of it that way. well what am I supposed to think? I got some bottled water, a bag of potato chips, and left.
   it was nice to perform in the evening. I was show closer, since the headliner was moved up. it was the Wisconsin girl, and both of them actually performed. it was nice to see both, and she even advised me about doing a joke about a joke. it was in reference to a story I told about calling my dad this weekend. it was also nice to see gumby, who was on early in the lineup.

walmart st. paul closing

I went to the Walmart in st. paul as I knew they were having the store-closing sale. the final day is Friday, and as expected there is not much left. I bought three charlie brown and snoopy cards, two of them had a thanksgiving theme. I got them 90 percent off, and the total with tax was just over a dollar. although it was annoying how I had to prompt the cashier to give me the proper amount of change. this is why I normally do self-checkout.
    I had one appointment, but it ended quickly. I was brought there under false pretenses, told it was in management but it was in sales. at times I had a hard time understanding the scheduler, and I found her to be condescending as well. so I went home and had lunch, and then went to the library and returned a movie. one of the things I printed was an article about how yankees pitcher mariano rivera was given the medal of freedom by the president. in the evening I watched more of the ken burns documentary about country music, and this segment dealt with hank Williams quite a bit. then it was off to performing, I think I was show closer again unless you count the freestyle rapping after me. I had a donut as there was a box of them on the table where the signup sheet was placed.

in the same complex

I had 3 interviews today. the first was a phone interview at home, and I found out it wasn't right for me for various reasons. one of them was that it wasn't day shift. so I have no idea why the agency set it up. the other two were direct hire opportunities, I think I have  a better chance with those two. although I have interviewed with the second company multiple times already. the third was actually a nursing home. I was asked to complete a questionnaire, but then said if I am in administration then how often would I be in contact with residents. it was in the same complex as a 'heritage center' or 'museum' where I had seen a show about country music over a year ago. I drew upon what I recalled from growing up in a family that worked in nursing homes. actually I did as well, but only briefly, when I was in high school. somehow it worked on the logistics, as I allowed enough time to eat lunch at home between appointment two and three.
   in other issues, I think I have an offer. the call came in when I was driving to the middle interview. I left my phone on and it was in my pocket, I could hear it ringing but left it alone. I called and left a voicemail at the end of the workday, just before I left for the clubs. I should be thrilled about it but I am not because it isn't my first choice, that I will admit. it went fine performing, I drew upon some from the call with my dad last night. but also other things I have been doing such as going to festivals. notable to me was seeing a musician perform 'zombie' by the cranberries. she said she was kind of new, but it was hard to ignore how she didn't sing all of the song and some of the lyrics were repeated. I recognized the '1916' lyric but I know full well it's in the song only once. 

country music documentary

I liked watching part of the country music documentary on public TV tonight, the latest one from ken burns. of course once the channel was scanned in, and after I woke up, so I just saw half of it. It was mainly about jimmie Rodgers, and the carter family. I heard more about the latter, since june carter cash's mom was in the carter family. but it said many of jimmie's songs live on, as other musicians have done their own versions of them. I heard about it in Friday's Minneapolis paper, as I get it once a week so I have the movie times for the weekend. I am not sure how much more I can watch of it, when I am normally performing most evenings. maybe I can see some more on Tuesday. I had seen all of the baseball documentary, on DVD, when I was in a relationship.
    it was a fairly active day as I had another festival to attend, this one was st. sahag at the Armenian church in st. paul. I saw a fellow comic there, the ex-cop, he was wearing a Vikings jersey, 82, kyle Rudolph. he said his future in-laws are Armenian. I had some coffee and a sweet item, plenty of powdered sugar on it. I will have more to talk about if, or when. I hear from the lady that is an instruction in the Armenian capital of Yerevan.
   aftter I got back from the festival I watched some of the Chicago bears football game, they were playing at Denver. it was a wild ending, but Chicago won on a last-second field goal, 16-14. after I saw the documentary I went to pick up a few items at Hy-Vee in Eagan, and then called my dad and he had seen of the documentary as well. although I got a little annoyed with some of the subjects he wanted to cover, such as things that happened decades ago. but I can handle it better over the phone than in person, where I have to drive out of state for the privilege of the ordeal.

hands of stone movie

i watched a DVD movie on loan from the library this morning, 'hands of stone'. it was a bio-pic about Roberto duran, the boxer. much like many other bio-pics, it mostly covered his time before he was famous and then ends shortly after the pinnacle of his fame. in this case, just one fight was depicted after the 'no mas' fight against sugar ray leonard in 1980. I recognized some of the actors in it, the main one was Robert deniro, who played his trainer. ellen barkin played the trainer's wife, and a rapper played sugar ray. I was confused at first when I saw 'usher Raymond IV', but then saw the special features which had a music video in it. this was how I found out it was usher, the rapper. odd how there is a disclaimer in the closing credits that said 'it was fictitious', when I am used to seeing 'some scenes and characters were invented for dramatic effect'. it does cover the politics of his native panama, including the canal zone. I noticed how rod carew, the baseball player, was listed in the closing credits under 'thank you'. more evidence of 'it's not easy to be famous'.
   I got various things done today, including going to mcdonald's for lunch and getting one of those 'astronaut snoopy' books. there was also getting groceries. and two events in the evening. first was st. paul's Oktoberfest at the former Schmidt brewery. I stayed for an hour, got a good look around, and had some bratwurst and potato salad. then it was on to the saints stadium for the playoff series. I got a standing room ticket. saints fell behind early against Sioux city., 3-0 after one inning. but the long ball helped the saints, first it was a solo shot. then it was a grand slam to put them ahead 5-3, and they went on to win 6-3. I heard a few hecklers from the rail in the outfield. I also placed some postcard orders online. after the game I went to sing some karaoke, I did 'breakfast at tiffany's' by deep blue something. the man that sings without lyrics, known as sandy, did 'one tin soldier'.

second half, no announcer

I went to a high school football game tonight, my first of the season. it was st. paul highland park vs. st. paul como park. highland park won 35-6, it was 35-0 at the half. there were two interception returns for touchdown in this game, aka 'the pick-6', my favorite play of the game. actually there was 3, but one was called back by a penalty. notable was seeing a bagpipe player, when I went to get food early in the game. I asked if he was playing tonight, he said he had before the game started. I missed it, got there just as the game started. it was to start at 6pm, but started a few minutes before there. he played again at halftime, although I said I enjoy hearing bagpipers more as a group especially when there are drummers included. there was the parade of parents on the field since it was parents night, not just for the players but also the cheerleaders. another notable thing about the game was hearing no PA announcer in the second half, not sure why. the second half went quicker than the first. the game was over a little after 8pm, and I said it was still early. so I went home and worked on some things on my laptop, such as getting caught up on online surveys.
    eventually I went out again, to sing karaoke. it was 'soul to squeeze' by the red hot chili peppers. while I was watching cable TV there, since I wanted to see baseball highlights, I was approached by a younger woman who invited me to sit with her friends. at first I wondered if she was working for the bar, as she asked if I wanted to do shot drinks. but I already had a beer. she said her name was angel, and she plays professional basketball, in spain I think. I guess she briefly played for the local team, the Minnesota lynx. and played in college at Marquette in Milwaukee, and plans on getting a master's at drake. it prompted me to say that I am from iowa, and grew up near des moines. she was there to sing as well, in fact went on right after me. she had a neck tattoo, also notable about her. I did not recognize the song she sang, a rap song that name-checked yves saint Laurent.
   it was a busy day for me before going to the football game. I had two in-person interviews, and got some bottled water at both. one was through a staffing agency, the lid-lifter. the second was one where I applied directly, but needed help getting there as I missed the turn. I pulled into a lot at a strip mall across the street from a mcdonald's and called them. between the two interviews I did some errand running. first it was to Walgreen for my weekly order, then to the library to print some things and get two more DVDs to watch. I was wiped out by the time I got home, so I laid down and fell asleep for a little while. I still had enough time to get to the ATM before the game started.

good time movie

i watched a DVD on loan from the library this afternoon, 'Good time'. it was a crime thriller. I didn't recognize many actors in it- just Jennifer Jason leigh. and I had to go back to the start of the movie to figure out where she was. she had a small role early on in the movie, in a scene at a bail bonds office. This was different compared to most thrillers I have seen, for one thing I wasn't rooting for the main character because he was a criminal. what kept me interested throughout was asking 'when is he going to get caught?' this was also a brother movie, with his brother having special needs. one scene I liked was when they ended up at an amusement park. there was a body count, and in the end there were no real winners in terms of the main players in this story.
   I went to the Minnesota twins baseball game tonight, because they had a charlie brown and snoopy theme. it meant getting a special ticket so I would get the snoopy bobblehead. the twins lost to the Washington nationals 12-6. starting pitching was lackluster tonight. also memorable was who I rode the light rail with. I am thankful they got the game in. there was some rain, it led to an hour delay, but there was no rain after the game started. it was an adventure taking the light rail home. since it was after 10pm, it meant waiting a little for the train. and the fun started even before getting on. a man wearing a packers hat was interested in the bobble-head. we talked about various subjects, such as him seeing a foo fighters club show in the los angeles area, which is how they wrap up their concert tours. guess he lived out there for a while. he also was wearing a polk high football jersey, and I know this is in reference to the al bundy character on 'married with children'. once we got on the train there was another younger man, who at one point spoke about going to raves. there was also a fight on the train, but I asked the first man what we could do besides ride it out this late when there weren't many other trains. how it ended was that some of the fighters got off. I happened to be making a point at the time about name recognition getting people elected to political office, referring to Leland Stanford being elected governor of California.
   on the job front I had a phone interview, a company I had interviewed with before. and more interviews were scheduled as well. I got three calls while watching the DVD. two were from the same agency, and it was to reschedule the appointment I had already made. sounds like there was a scheduling conflict that the interviewer had. so it was moved up one hour, and will be early next week.

indeed application limit

for the second straight day, I filed applications on indeed. and both times I had to stop when I reached 40, as I am told that is my limit for the day. not a big deal, as it often leads to more activity such as having to submit assessments which also takes some time. there was an interview this afternoon, and I knew I would be late to it as I got a call while in my car but hadn't left my parking spot just yet. and when I am looking for work, I felt that I had to take it. more interviews are now scheduled for later in the week, including one I had forgot about from over a year ago. there is finally an opening in that department, after making mention of it while attending a job fair. I have a phone interview Thursday morning. and a little confusing when I hear from two people from the same agency.
   this evening I performed at two different venues. usually it is just one. but I decided to move up one day one of my typical karaoke outings, since I plan on attending the twins baseball game on Thursday. I sang 'reach for the sky' by social distortion. it was on my mind after attending a festival this weekend, although a different outlaw- bonnie and clyde- is mentioned in the song. there was a reminder of the 18th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, as one singer chose 'god bless the USA' by lee greenwood. also the karaoke jockey wearing a sweatshirt, NY fire dept. and a yankees hat. the singer after me did 'off to see the wizard'. also heard one from muse. at the first venue I was on near the end, and the show closer was lunch lady. hadn't seen her in a while. the one about coffee is doing real well.

girl in the box movie

i watched a movie on loan from the library in the early afternoon, 'girl in the box'. this was originally aired on the lifetime channel. it was about a young lady named colleen stan, who was abducted in 1977 while hitch hiking and held captive for 7 years. a disclaimer was given at the start, saying some scenes are disturbing. this is because she was a sex slave, including s and m. I was unfamiliar with this story, but after seeing the movie I found quite a bit online about it. of course what does keep some people watching it is wondering how he ends up escaping. I hadn't heard of too many stories like this one before. I was not familiar with any of the actors in it, but if it is made for TV I think this explains why.
   there was some movement on the job front, but there were no interviews today. I filed 40 applications on indeed, and then got a prompt saying this was the limit for the day. I got a call near the end of the day while at the library from a staffing agency. they told me about 3 different roles that were of interest to me, and I asked to be submitted to all three. I was bummed to find out that the offer I accepted from the census bureau 3 weeks ago apparently fell through. I called and asked about the background check, which was done after finger printing. there was nothing wrong with the results of the background check. I said I was still interested in whatever was still available, but I have no idea when they might extend another offer. I was told I would be called by somebody later in the day, but this never happened.
   in the evening I went to perform, but I was disappointed with another thin crowd at the show. I hope this isn't going to be a long-term thing. after the show I decided to mill around the saints baseball stadium, as I knew their playoff game was happening. I got some pictures of the charlie brown statues in the back, and on the way there I noticed somebody walking in front of me with a full grocery store cart as well as two husky dogs. I was able to watch part of the game from outside, as there was a TV monitor in the souvenir shop so I still saw it through the window. this was when the saints had just tied it 5-5, but then I saw them trailing again to fargo/moorhead 7-5. but when I got back from the outfield part of the stadium the saints went ahead 8-7 in the 8th. I started walking some more and ended up at the dog park. I noticed some others were there to sneak a peek of the game, as it is behind the plate when near the entrance gate to the dog park. but there is still plenty of vegetation to look through. I watched less than a full inning from there, but I watched the ending there. the saints went on to win 9-7 to take the series 3-2. I was thankful that the top of the 9th was a quick one, the side was retired in order. when the gate said the dog park was closed at sunset, I was unsure how legal it was to be there. but I still saw people coming and going to walk their dogs, so not a big deal. I also never saw a cop during this time. but once the game ended, I got a picture of the scoreboard and then I was gone. I walked back to my car which was parked on the street, behind the history theater. when I love baseball, this is a time when I say 'we all know how this is going to end' especially when I didn't feel like going home right away after performing. now I will have to see if it works in my schedule to see a game in the league championship series. game four, if necessary, will be sunday.

windshield wiper adjustment

it was raining off and on today, and it meant having to look at my windshield wipers more often. I noticed how one of them was off-track, so part of it stuck out farther than typical. so after a while, I got tired of looking at it as I knew it wasn't working properly. when I got to the gas station to fill up, it is the first thing I took care of when I got out of the car. otherwise I may have forgot to handle it. I know this was true with getting copies of my resume at the library. the wipers haven't worked all that well since winter, when there was plenty of ice and some of the parts came off. I just haven't felt like putting them back on yet. and I am aware that it doesn't rain every day either. it feels appropriate whenever I hear a rain song on my radio while raining. today it was 'driving my life away' by eddie rabbitt. most memorable was the line about 'windshield wipers slapping out a tempo'.
   there was two appointments today, in the morning it meant getting re-registered at a staffing agency. then in the afternoon it was an interview with a bank. it sounded like the second one I was interviewing for more than one role as there was two managers there. I let my former colleague know I wanted them to be a reference and was testing the line at the phone number I've had for a while. it is a bummer having to wait a while to hear the result of it.
   in the evening I went to the performance venue. it sounds like happy meal is trying to get more readers of this blog as I was asked about it at the first venue I ventured to tonight. then I had to go where I could find stage time. I was moved up to early in the lineup, as mad hatter wanted some space between performing in costume as a musician and then a stand-up set. my storytelling included mention of trying to figure out why somebody laughed. they hadn't heard about what I had spoke of, from pop culture. also notable about the day was coming back after the interview and stopping at a repurposed building to see what is in there now. I ended up with a tour of one business that isn't open yet. and I got a flyer for their business, I wanted some takeaway information.

high fidelity movie

this morning I watched a DVD movie on loan from the library, 'high fidelity'. I recognized many of the actors in it, including the star, john cusack. also his sister, joan, as well as lisa bonet, sara gilbert, tim robbins, Catherine zeta-jones, and jack black. it was about the owner of a record shop in Chicago, talking to the camera about his failed dating relationships. he talks about the 'top five'. he has just went through a break-up. jack black's character works in the record shop, he was funny at times but also annoying. he reminds me of some of the people I have known over the years, the 'slacker' type. I liked how there was a clip showing the biograph theater on the north side of the city, famous for where Dillinger was shot. I had heard of some of the venues shown in it, such as the music box movie theater, and the double door music venue. although I never visited them when I lived in the area for nearly 6 years. I knew the music box showed indie movies, and as a suburbanite I was more comfortable going to Glen Ellyn. it is where I saw 'last days of disco' when I first moved to the area in 1998. I am aware that what this movie did was called 'breaking the fourth wall', referring to talking into the camera often. for whatever reason, I don't recall this movie being at theaters, even though if it was in the year 2000 this was during my time living there. of course I liked seeing some familiar scenes in it, such as the CTA trains, or 'the el'. there were plenty of songs listed in the closing credits, no surprise when he played an ex-DJ as well as a record shop being a big part of the storyline. I recognized one song as being a variation of 'the night Chicago died' by paper lace.
   I got kind of a late start on the drive to Northfield due to watching the movie first, but I made it just in time for the last bank robbery re-enactment at the annual jesse James festival. I got the festival button after the re-enactment. I looked around the middle of town, but the button was my only souvenir this time. I wanted to save some money for doing laundry. I said my choice of a parking space was 'problematic' since it was beyond the street where the parade would be happening. so it meant taking the long way around to get onto the road that takes me to the interstate. actually I stopped at the flying J travel plaza first, next to the interstate. I hadn't eaten lunch yet, and got a chili cheese dog there. on my way home I stopped at the Hy-Vee in Eagan and got a few fill-in items that I can't find at the aldi. I was tired so I laid down, and when I woke up I decided to get the laundry done before watching 'the simpsons'. I know I hadn't done laundry in a while. near the end of my time at the laundromat there was a woman talking about her espresso coffee from Starbucks and needing to get some socks dried. she asked to piggyback on my drying session, extend it by a quarter, but I turned her down. it was an odd request to me. she ended up getting her own dryer.

panache artisan apple juice

i went to an open house this afternoon, it was for the new building for the French alliance. there was samples of panache artisan apple juice, it tasted fine. I bought two postcards as well, in their gift shop or boutique. I walked the final half-mile there as I was getting frustrated with all of the one-way streets and detours in this part of Minneapolis. so I figured it was better to stop wasting gas. when I was walking back to my car after the event I still wanted photos of the area I was in, near the farmers market in Minneapolis. I saw a bar with a hamm's beer sign, when I got a picture of it somebody in their car in the parking lot asked if I wanted one with me in it. I said no. we talked for a little while, odd how I think his car engine was idling that entire time. it is near the twins baseball stadium. he said the bar is closed, and how light rail would be going through the area soon. I spoke of Vivian maier, which is typical when I am doing street photography. usually people get confused and that is the end of the conversation, which is fine with me. since often it is judgmental, 'what are you doing?' when I am seen taking pictures.
   in the evening I did some karaoke, I sang 'interstate love song' by stone temple pilots. I sat at a booth near the stage at the behest of the karaoke jockey. some of her friends were there. sometimes it meant getting up for them when it was their turn to sing.

glass house movie, alan alda

I watched another movie on loan from the library this morning, it was 'glass house', based on a short story by truman capote. when searching it online after watching it i found it to be confusing, as it wasn't the only movie with this title from the year 1972, or at least the titles were almost the same. this one apparently was 'made for TV'. i recognized some of the actors in it, such as alan alda and billy dee williams. the story takes place in a prison, and it is graphic at times, no surprise how the body count was kind of high. i don't think i had seen many movies before like this one, covering the life in prison, along with the corruption that happens. i also liked seeing some of the special features, as it included movie trailers from the era. one had telly savalas, another had martin sheen. but i hadn't heard of these movies in the trailers.
  I had no interviews today, a phone interview was scheduled but they never called. so i called them and got their voicemail. but i do got two interviews for monday scheduled today. then in the afternoon i went to the library to return the movie and print some things. before the library i oicked up some items at walgreen, after it i went to target. i wanted a 'ome stop shop' but not everything i wanted was at walgreen. in the evening i liked watching 'blue bloods', it was about the police commissioner doing a 'quid pro quo'. after the news i went out to do some karaoke, i sang 'here' by alessia cara. i also liked heairng somebody do shaggy's version of 'angel of the morning', i had done it before. i also had a piece of cake, it was on the back table. a chalkboard which usually has a monthly calendar on it just had mention of somebody's 90th birthday. not long after i had some cake it was moved to a table up front as this was a higher traffic area. but the cake was already messy by then. i am thankful i got some when i did, it was already cut and on a plate. it was something that i don't see too often at venues i perform in.

costco half muffin

I was busy with appointments, there were four. first was at a staffing agency, they had granola bars, but I didn't like the wait to talk to someone. and the rep seemed a little clueless, asking me questions that were on the form I had been asked to complete in the waiting room. second was just as I was getting home from the light rail ride. it was a phone interview. I really needed to go to the bathroom, so this happened early on in the call. not sure if they noticed at all, at least I didn't let on what was happening. third was a job fair, been to it at this venue many times before. but I think this is the first time I had seen muffins from Costco. so I had a half muffin that someone else left behind. I left my resume with just one company, and it wasn't them. the fourth was an in-person interview with a trucking company, with the boss. It made me think about a don Henley song when meeting him. I got a look at the warehouse, but since they handle refrigerated goods it was cold in there. I am surprised that the interview was out in the open, I asked if there was a conference room available, he said he had a private office but we never made it there. I was offered another interview but said I was too busy today, so it will be Friday morning. there was also a voicemail that arrived while I was at the fourth event, I responded to it but they had already left for the day. I would like to think something good will result from all of this activity, along with an email from a bank inviting me to interview.
   there was plenty of online surveys to complete, six in all. and I sent off a completed application for a job I had already interviewed for last week, guess they needed more information on background checks. in the evening I went to sing karaoke, the song I chose was 'Good vibrations' by marky mark. it was on my mind as the word 'druggie' is spelled out in it, and I must have been thinking about the 'drug hotel' in my hometown. but the petition to close it is still short of the goal of a thousand signatures. now there is just a dozen more needed.

any given sunday movie

I watched another DVD on loan from the library this morning, it was 'any given sunday'. I liked how I recognized many of the actors in it, all 6 listed on the cover. al pacino, Cameron diaz, dennis quaid, James woods, LL cool J, and Jamie foxx. it showed plenty of close-ups that one normally doesn't see when watching football, don't know how to describe it other than 'in your face'. there were plenty of notables all around in the cast, such as ex-football players. I recognized Lawrence taylor, dick butkus, and barry switzer. there was ann-margret, as well as Charlton heston. oliver stone, the director, even gave himself a role. it was a fictional but realistic and accurate account of life in pro football. although it did not cover an entire season. it looks a little dated, but it is from 20 years ago now. I say this because a sponsor on the scoreboard said 'first union bank', and I think this bank has been bought out. I liked seeing what was in the closing credits. it said the movie was filmed in Miami, at the orange bowl stadium, as well as texas stadium in suburban dallas. no surprise how this became a vehicle for promoting music, especially when a rapper is in the cast. in the special features there is the song and video 'shut them down' by LL cool J. it compares well with other football movies I had seen. first one I can think of is 'the program'.
    I did another free food event, since it is around the first of the month again. I moved up to number 44, last month it was 50. I got a bag of small potatoes, 42 in all, as well as a pack of 8 hamburger buns. I saw no apples this month. I made it to the library in the afternoon, where I returned the two movies and got two more. while there I got a response to calling back from a voicemail from the previous day. it meant going to an empty conference room on the upper level. now I have an interview for Thursday afternoon. so it will be a busy day, 4 appointments now.
   in other issues, I noticed there are a few more who had signed the petition to close a hotel in my hometown, still short of a thousand, now at 986. I performed in the evening, was going to be show closer but they added somebody to go after me. either that or they forgot to include them when the lineup was put on the bar. I started off with a call-back to a joke by university accountant, about youtube. another was an answer to the intro that the show runner gave me about me and history. and it became a bit about governors. I wasn't planning on doing that one at the outset, but it got laughs so this is an important thing.

typing test, 10 attempts

I had an interview for this morning, but it was canceled. it was odd that they decide to have the typing test first, I am used to having this as part of the process much earlier. I was told I would get 4 attempts to pass, needing 40 words per minute. I made 10 attempts, got close but couldn't reach 40. I said to the interviewer 'sorry for wasting your time' and they said they would review this process more closely. I said the phone interviewer was a younger woman, and she didn't seem to be the most competent based on the interactions I had with her. I did some more applying on indeed after this happened. I slept for a while in the afternoon, and then was woke up by a call. I said I needed more information about the job. then I found out it was a company that had already rejected me, through another agency, so it was a no-go. then I noticed my battery was low so I shut off my phone and plugged it in the wall to recharge it. during this time I got a call from another employer. but I did not turn on my phone again until late in the evening, so it means waiting until the next day to respond.
    in the evening I went to perform and it was a thin lineup. somebody showed up after we had called it a night, we told them they needed to show up earlier. I got a bottle of Gatorade this time as the place had it again. previously I was getting jarritos soda. the show runner liked hearing about one thing I found when I was in iowa. after the show I was still a little hungry and stopped at a small independent grocery store. I got a fruit pie, peach flavored, as well as a pack of 3 Kaiser rolls. 

gridiron gang movie

i watched a DVD movie on loan from the library this afternoon. it was 'gridiron gang', starring 'the rock' as the football coach for juvenile criminals. it was violent at times, but that is to be expected when they needed to show what got them locked away. I am trying to think of what is the best comparison, probably 'coach carter', which was about basketball. I am aware that there was a disclaimer saying 'some scenes and characters were invented for dramatic effect'. one scene didn't surprise me much, when a dad kept letters from his daughter. but you have to let people live their own life. it takes place in los angeles, and covers how activity between rival gangs greatly influenced their environment. even though it was long, just over 2 hours, it kept my interest throughout.
   I returned the rental car, or actually SUV, this morning. even though it was with payless it was no big deal to go to the return bay for avis and budget, since that appears to be the same company. eventually I went to get groceries at aldi. in the early afternoon I fell asleep for a while, and when I woke up I wanted to get something done on this labor day holiday. so that is why I put the movie in.
   in the evening I went to perform, checking the facebook invite first. I arrive at the once a month place and there was no show runner. the bartender said he wouldn't be having it due to the holiday. except there was no mention of this on facebook. so I went home and checked the directions for a karaoke bar I had performed at only once prior. I did three songs. when I arrived I heard singing but didn't know where it was coming from. I found out it was the bartender. she was doing 'creep' by radiohead. I did 'glad you came' by the wanted, 'longview' by green day, and 'here comes the rain again' by eurhythmics. the third seemed like a good one as it was raining hard at the time. and when it is raining I am more in the mood for a rain song. it gave me more time to wait it out and when I was done singing then the rain had tapered off. so then it meant I wouldn't get soaked when going to my car or leaving it to get inside once I got home. also notable was the hotel petition is getting closer to its goal of a thousand signatures, as it is now at 981. 

fernando's near drake university

my day started at my hotel in des moines, iowa, near merle hay mall. i got to see a classmate around midday for lunch at a place called Fernando's, near drake university. there was some framed posters on the wall there, I noticed one about the drake relays from 1979, it may have been bruce jenner. before that I met my classmate at the adjacent coffee shop, which had plenty of photography art on the wall that I liked looking at. it appeared to be from concerts at some small music venues. the place we ate at had jarritos soda, I said I have it at a place I perform at in the twin cities. i had a burrito, it reminded me of going to panchero's in iowa city. he wanted to hear about me and performing, except I don't think I talked about it all that much. i was given some book recommendations, memoirs by supereme court justice john paul stevens, as well as university of iowa president willard 'sandy' boyd. 

  I went to another iowa cubs baseball game, in this one iowa won 6-5 after going up 5-0 in the 1st inning. i liked seeing the kids enjoy the fountain near the right field corner. after the game i went to merle hay mall and found some hawkeye socks at the target store. then i got on the road in earnest, back to minnesota. my next stop was at the flying j travel plaza in hamilton county. i needed fuel, and to go to the bathroom. then it was in clear lake for food as well as fuel. final stop i was nearly home, at the edge of the metro area. as usual, it didn't take long to empty my duffle bag from being out of town for a weekend. it was mostly dirty clothes and cheap souvenirs. not much was waiting when i got back, at least important things, in terms of the postal mail or email. i finished some online surveys. i checked the status on the petition to close a hotel in my hometown, it is slowly gaining more signatures, now up to 969 but still short of 1,000. it is probably a good idea to be retiring for the night real soon, since i will need to return the rental vehicle in the morning.