multiple microphones

i went to sing karaoke tonight after watching the 10pm news and there was multiple microphones, three in all, on the table. I chose the one with some green tape on it, and sang 'doll parts' by hole. it seemed like a good idea as I wanted to scream a little about my departed classmate. I have the 'someday you will ache like I ache' lyric.
   there was the typical errand running, including going to the post office to check my box, and there was two e-bay orders to pick up. and in the afternoon I returned the rental car. I figured it was no big deal to use it as long as I could, in terms of the time given on the rental agreement. it was returned within minutes of the scheduled time. I was going to see a baseball game at the Vikings stadium but found out just before venturing out that the iowa hawkeyes are in the same classic, so I will wait until sunday afternoon to go. I checked the schedule online to confirm it. means more to see the school I attended, instead of the Minnesota gophers, the host team.

colin witt

I began the day in des moines, iowa, at my hotel. I was in town to attend the funeral of colin witt, a classmate. it was great seeing all the people I got to see there, but I wish it was for a different reason. it was nice seeing a mutual friend there. this was my little league teammate. no surprise how we talked about baseball after the service. first time I had seen him in a while. we have both been through a lot. the funeral was at a catholic church in the beaverdale section of the capitol city. big crowd was there, proof of how he had plenty of friends. but he knew so many from being a judge. in fact, there weren't many seats left by the time I arrived, about 15 minutes before it began. so I was advised to sit in the choir section. some who arrived after me were left standing. I dropped a hymnal during the service, I can be a little clumsy. there was a little girl in the row in front of me, but she was being fussy so her mom left with her. memorable for me was the priest saying there were no good answers for why such a young man had died of cancer. after the service I also liked seeing my late classmate's wife, and one of his two sisters. the latter recalls attending a concert with me when we were much younger. I also liked seeing his dad. I said there were not a lot of classmates where I would be willing to drive from out of state to attend their funeral, but this was one of them. knowing colin is a reminder of reaching maturity. we were friends, then we weren't, then we were again. we both needed to grow up, and we did. I didn't stay in town for long after the luncheon. I looked around a little at merle hay mall and then it was on the road. while at the mall I got a call, it was an offer for a job interview. I am fine with it being Tuesday morning. I made a full stop a the casey's in clear lake, and one of the things I bought there was a small pack of baseball cards for a dollar. then there was another stop at a rest area near Northfield, to go to the bathroom. much like on the drive the previous day, I made good time once I got on the road.
  when I got back to the twin cities, it was early in the evening. I went to a fish fry at a church. then eventually I went out again to sing karaoke. I did 'wonderwall' by oasis. the lady that looked like a cast member from 'Rent' informed me in advance about what song she was doing.

3 bus rides

it took me 3 bus rides to pick up a rental car. they wanted to see I had applied for the real-ID. so it meant going back home to find it. I am thankful it didn't cost extra on riding the bus as the other two rides were considered to be 'transfers' since I was quick about getting home, then back to the shop. now that I know the importance of this document, I will be keeping it with me at all times. as usual, I prefer to rent a car when going out of town. and I am headed to des moines, iowa, tonight to attend a classmate's funeral. I liked how I made good time once I got on the road. I made one full stop just south of the state line, to go to the bathroom and get food. I was in dire need of a bathroom break by then. I liked getting some Canadian bacon pizza there, 2 slices. I made it to my hotel near merle hay mall after 10pm, and didn't stay long there after checking in. because I wanted to go sing karaoke at a bar near my hotel. it was an hour-long wait, due to I.T. problems. I got annoyed with a patron during the brief time I walked around the bar, most of the time I was sitting at the bar when I was having a beer. I sang 'so hard to say goodbye' by boys 2 men. it seemed like a good one for the reason why I was in town. although I found out people thought this was too much of a downer to hear. I liked how there was no problem whatsoever on the weather while driving. I check the weather report before departing to know what I am up against. and as usual, after I was done singing I went back to my hotel to do some writing about the day while having a beer. even if it largely just journalizing, I like the act of writing, the devotion and time commitment.

expired candy bar

at midday I went to the dollar store and got a candy bar from the discount section. only after I bought it did I notice it expired last year. I said 'you get what you pay for' as it cost less than a dollar. but I ate it when I got home and it tasted fine. there were no appointments today so I could stay in for a while. I went out again in the late afternoon, printing some things at the library. also needed to sign and submit more forms from this week's job offer. not sure what else is left to do. and I spent more time going through binders, stressing quality on what is put in sheet protectors. for a while in the afternoon I laid down and slept for a while. this is a common thing for me when I am 'on vacation' as it fills in the time well.
    in the evening I performed at two different venues. the first was an open-mic, I was on near the end. the second was a karaoke bar, where I sang 'i can't dance' by genesis. it was my way of honoring a classmate that died of cancer recently. I had attended a genesis concert with him shortly after graduating from high school. the bartender said he had lost 3 lady friends due to this disease.

i am intense

i had an appointment this afternoon in Burnsville and was told that 'i am intense'. I think of it more as being passionate, especially when it comes to performing. we spoke for a while, and I would like to think it will become productive. it was about trying to get back to work, and I have been working on it. the search may have yielded something, as I was showering this morning and got a callback from somebody that had interviewed me last week. I was told to expect an offer letter, and got a text message asking me to look at it when I was driving back from the appointment. the offer is of course dependent on a background check, but I have passed plenty of those before. I should be more excited about it, but I think it will mean more once I am back at work. there were a few other calls made this morning, hard to say where any of them will lead. when I went to take care of the offer letter at the library, I also finished applications, three in all, from the previous day. there was more information needed, and I saw it as the time to upload my most recent resume.
   I went to the performance venue tonight but did not perform. the show was running late and there were plenty that had signed up for stage time. not sure what I do aside form arrive even earlier. it was nice to see a fellow performer, airway, there. this is one reason why I decided to show up earlier than I was. and upon arrival I liked hearing the show runner's poem. I had heard it before but I still like it a lot. there was a svengoolie type at the end of the show, first time I had seen him there. it was a weird performance for him. was it due to it being mardi gras? I don't know.

library guest pass

first time I used a library guest pass was this afternoon. the computer just quit on me and I couldn't change it from a blank screen. so I still got plenty done once I switched to another computer. I let an employee know about it, except no 'out of order' sign was put on it. while still at the library, I sent a text message to a classmate asking about another classmate. I got a response as I was on my way home, and responded to it once I got to the comedy club. he was aware of his passing and plans on attending the funeral.
   I went to perform in the evening, and eventually I went to the upper level where I could lay down on a couch. of course I took off my shoes first. although I will admit I was fighting to stay awake. the flautist did not play the flute tonight, as she recited a poem instead to get warmed up for a performance this weekend. I think I had heard it before, it was about somebody being denied use of a public bathroom.
   I didn't do all that much this morning, at least in terms of job searching. I spent some time shredding pages I had pulled out of two shoe boxes though. I filled two plastic shopping bags full and there is still some left to go. I also decided to go through souvenir binders and shave a few pages, freeing up some sheet protectors. it was no problem deciding how to re-deploy them as there were some things I wanted to get into the binders for a while. one of them was an article from the magazine known as 'the writer', something I once subscribed to and I am still on their email list.

5th quarter movie

I watched a DVD movie on loan from the library this afternoon, '5th quarter'. it was about the 2006 football season at Wake Forest university in north Carolina. although it begins with the tragedy of a teenager's death in a car wreck, it was the little brother of one of the Wake Forest players. I recognized Andie MacDowell in it, she was the mom. some others were listed in the closing credits as 'himself' except I didn't know who these people were that were playing themselves. they weren't famous football players or coaches, to the best of my knowledge. I have a classmate that went to this school. the movie was all right but not great. movies 'based on a true story' usually pack more punch than this one does.
    I did get to the library to return this movie, in the final hour of the day that they were open. I got a few things printed as well. I got a good look at multiple lists of Lenten fish fries in the area. it is seven Fridays and I like how most of the places I visited last year are having these events again this year. I like trying as many as I can so it means going to each venue only once during Lent. the St. Paul paper listed more than the Minneapolis paper, and I prefer going to 'churches and organizations', mostly churches but also at least one 'veteran group'- American Legion or VFW halls. it means studying the schedule well, as some do not have a fish fry on good Friday, and some only have one fish fry during the season. but I wrote down nine places so I think I have enough ideas. I don't see myself as being that religious, I just like good food that I don't have to cook.
   'the simpsons' had 'big bang theory' star jim parsons on it, and the prof had bit-coin. joel osteen is on after the 10pm news on WCCO, and he likes starting off with 'something funny'. it was a variation on a joke I had heard before, including on bumper stickers. asking a man to choose between football and his lady, and choosing football.


    

hockey at saints stadium

this afternoon I went to an event at the saints baseball stadium honoring the 'miracle on ice' at the 1980 Olympic games. there was a replica of the herb brooks statue near thr entrance where people were taking pictures. the video board in center field was showing footage of the game, and two of the local high schools played a game in the ice on the infield. I got a small American flag on a stick, but not the imitation medals, apparently sponsored by eco-lab. I also got a look inside the baseball museum, which had some hockey artifacts. but it sounds like they may have been on loan, and this may have been the last day to see them. so I am thankful I went there.
    in the evening, after the 6pm news, I went grocery shopping, then on to a speedway to get dinner. it was a chili dog and a bag of chips. when I got home I watched two DVDs. one was an HBO- produced documentary about the miracle on ice team, made in 2001. I found this many years ago at a family dollar store. the other was the major league baseball all-century team. after watching the 10pm news I ventured out again, this time to sing karaoke. I sang 'spiderwebs' by no doubt.

somebody brought chipotle

I went to sing karaoke tonight and noticed when I sat down there was an adjacent table with paper bags from chipotle on it. surprised since I figured most bars did not allow outside food. one bag had some chips in it so I ate them. it helped fill the void from seeing no popcorn at this venue. I sang 'here' by Alessia cara. it was nice to see friends there, one of them sent a message on facebook in advance to ask if I would be there. I said I tend to arrive after watching the 10pm news. I saw one group of young men sing, 9 in all, had to be the largest group I had ever seen do a karaoke song.
   the main thing from job searching today was a phone interview in the afternoon. except I called them as they were late on calling. the interviewer said she had just gotten out of a meeting. but I still waited until 7 minutes after the scheduled start time to call. I did some fact finding for travel plans but no reservations made just yet. when I was at Walgreen around midday I saw an employee there that I knew. it was the first time I had noticed tattoos, in his arms. I had to ask what they were for, as one said 'azalea' but it is not after the musician. he said he had two kids, one of them has that name.

behind the fuddruckers

I went to an appointment with an agency in the afternoon and as I was leaving to go back to the parking ramp I noticed an insurance sales office. I asked if the company was hiring for other things and was told to try across the street, behind the Fuddruckers burger place. I rang the bell once I got to that floor, then called a number given on a framed flyer. eventually I got to speak with a secretary who informed me of what the insurance company was hiring for. I liked how somebody met with me without an appointment. then my next stop was the library, where I did apply for 3 jobs with this company. there was also a job fair in another town just before midday, but not much there in my chosen field. near the end of the job fair I was called by another agency, hadn't heard from them lately. and it was annoying when they waited only 10 minutes before calling again. I had to let them know I wasn't home yet, so if there was an email sent to me I would see it when I got home. in both cases, they hung up right away, didn't give me a chance to respond. and then would call right after that. so I decided it was best to let them wait a little while, on my response to their email.
    it meant something to me when I was watching the 'young sheldon' episode tonight. it was about Sheldon's first ever plane ride, to California to see steve hawking speak. I recall my first plane ride, it was to Tucson, Arizona with my old man to visit his aunt when I was a teenager. and of course I understood the tie-in to the original series, 'big bang theory', as they show the breakroom from it once Sheldon arrives at Caltech with his dad. this show does help fill the void left by 'theory' going off the air, along with syndicated reruns of 'theory'. eventually I went out to sing at the karaoke bar, it was 'give it away' by the red hot chili peppers. I decided to put some things away before venturing out, including coin albums. I had to check them after getting a French coin the previous day. I found out I had one already, but it was 5 francs and the one I just acquired is 1 franc. this was a rare time when  paid for coins, it was at a festival in south st. paul I think. the price, under a dollar, is written on the cardboard it is stapled into.

french coin

I went to have change counted and turned in at the bank, but the first one was broken so I had to go to an alternate one. I checked the rejected coin chute and noticed five coins in it. one of them was an American quarter, odd that it would get rejected. three were 'euros', and one was a French franc from the 1970s. I recall living in suburban Chicago and refusing one as change in a grocery store, not sure why. so I am thankful I have one, as far as I know it is the first for me. I think the only other one I have is actually Indochina, which is now Vietnam. since France no longer uses the franc, I know these are harder to find than when I refused one. also not the first time I found euros, but unsure when I will get to use them as I have yet to visit a nation that uses them. I have been to Great Britain, but of course they still have their own currency. I am pleased with how many foreign coins I have found just by being out and about, not having to buy them. I guess it helps to live near a major airport, where there are some international flights. the ones I found went into a candy tin with the others. some are in collector albums, but the ones I have are full and I haven't bought another one yet. I already have three albums. most memorable would be the first one I found, more than likely, in a barber shop when I was young. it was a Canadian penny.
    after the bank I went to a job fair, hard to say if it yielded any good leads. one of them said it cost a lot of money to get the commercial driver license needed. another said a teaching license didn't cost near as much. I did see an advisor there, who called a referral in for me. this led to a weird interaction. a man saw me writing down my contact information on a post-it, and said he was left-handed. then it took a while to find out he was looking for work as well, before that he wanted to talk about a wide variety of subjects, including his kids and his own time playing sports. I didn't talk much, mostly listened to him. a man at the desk asked us to move to another area, and we did. then he must have thought we were still being too loud, and when this happened I said 'gotta go' and left right away. this is still my achilles heel, wanting to just react to what others are doing instead of 'owning' the situation. I learn more when I listen more. I guess I just want to be polite, but some people are time wasters like this man seemed to be. why did I listen to him for so long? because he was from iowa like me? I need more than that. he didn't even look like he was looking for work, no formal outfit on, was wearing a ford ball-cap. usually what happens is when I see the same person again, I am tight-lipped and I take pride in how they get away with it only once. I learn my lessons quick.
   after having lunch back at home, I made some calls based on the business cards I hadn't looked at in a while. it led to me sending updated resumes to two of them. then it was on to the library to do more things there. tried to do a video interview but it didn't work there either. and still trying to get around an I.T. issue with redeeming survey points for airline miles. while at the library I fielded two calls, three if you count the one that went to voicemail that came in at the same time I was on another call. one of the two aforementioned resume sends were due to these library calls. they were responding to a voicemail I left when I was still at home. for one call I went to a quieter area near the entrance, and I have an appointment with an agency on Thursday. it was in response to an application on indeed.
    in the evening I performed near the end of the show, the fancy comic was the closing act. we had a fill-in show runner who asked that the fireplace be turned off, said he was too warm with it on. although where I was sitting I was right under a ceiling fan, which wasn't making it any warmer.
   on facebook there was a posting on my class's page saying that a classmate had died of cancer. but then later on it was said this posting referring to it and forwarded there wasn't accurate. I had been following his caring bridge site and the most recent posting there said he was stopping treatment and coming home. some took this as 'going into hospice' although that word wasn't used at all. and when I pointed this out I was accused of being wrong, even though I wasn't, so I deleted my comment. I just didn't think it was right to try to get into a shouting match with someone in this forum, and definitely not over this subject. this is why I sometimes clash with others, as I go by fact and not emotion or rumor. I had hoped that this particular facebook group would be different, but it doesn't appear to be. and to be honest, there is a reason why I have very little or nothing to do with most of my classmates. I prefer to move on as most as possible from that part of my life. especially when that time of my life was 'awful' and I have evolved a lot since then, made plenty of friends since then. even though I have been to all of my reunions so far, if I want to see somebody bad enough I don't wait for a reunion. I go see them in person. and with the classmate that has cancer, he is not on facebook due to his line of work. but we had other ways to stay connected. since he lives in des moines, I would try to schedule a meeting when I was in town for something like an iowa cubs baseball game. I last saw him on labor day weekend. he knew I was in the area for my uncle's funeral in November, but I think our schedules didn't quite match up. 

ducks unlimited word find

i have completed two word finds in the past week. one was from the loft literary center event I had just attended. the other was from ducks unlimited. not sure when or where I got that one, although it does say to find the solution online- under 'august 2018 answer'. one side of the page has the word find, the other says 'so many species all under one protective wing'. I don't know ducks that well, but I recognized how one of them shown here is the Canada goose.
   I had a job interview this morning, with a mortgage company. I have to hope for the best. it was nice to discuss more than just the work, as I said I do enjoy attending baseball games. I had applied for more than one role with this company. I am told there might be another interview later on. in the afternoon I eventually got up and went to the library to print some things. I also applied directly for some jobs, instead of going through indeed. these were companies I had heard about at a job fair last week. considering that there is a history of indeed yielding very little, it might be a good idea to continue this although it takes longer to submit the application. there are some more job fairs to attend later this week.
    in the evening I went to perform, and I arrived a little earlier than typical. there was a fill in show runner, not a big deal. a performer after me said I made his night. on facebook there was mention of a classmate that has cancer. by pure coincidence, this was also the day of the funeral for the former high school football coach, john Jenkins.

a simple favor movie

i watched a DVD movie on loan from the library this afternoon, 'a simple favor'. I recognized anna Kendrick in it, as well as linda cardellini. although linda has a small role. I like thrillers, it is why I chose this one. if I was to compare it to ones I have seen before, probably 'deceived' comes close. goldie hawn was in it, and it also had a faked death as part of the storyline. I also learned the term 'vlogger' from it, since anna plays one. this would be a 'video blogger'. I liked how it kept me guessing until the end, with some double crossing along the way. the other leading lady, blake lively, played a fashion company employee. she of course had plenty of stylish outfits on, but it was hard to like her based upon her conniving and constant swearing. but I guess this makes her a better villain as well. or is conniving a correct term, where at one point she is called a con artist? I like how anna's character evolves over the course of the movie, starting out as naïve and wanting a friendship in the worst way, then getting into the investigation after a while. it was worth seeing, but I did not watch all of the special features as there were too many.
    I went to perform in the evening, deciding on  a different parking space as I was paranoid about the chance of a snow emergency being declared and seeing no cars on my customary street for parking. before then I was a 'seat filler' for brawler while he was holding court.

re-used shoe boxes

i did some cleanup this afternoon that was long overdue. I decided to go through a loose pile of papers and put the contents into some re-used shoe boxes. some of it ended up in my pile of things to shred as well. and I went through the refrigerator drawer to do the count of what I ate based on things like candy bar and potato chip wrappers for the past few months. so my trash can was no doubt full by the time I was done. and it meant using some duct tape to plug the holes in the trash bag. this morning I also went through my binders and found some sheet protectors I could re-deploy, stressing quality. I decided to use them on getting an article by moe berg about baseball into the binder.
    around midday I turned on the radio, something I rarely use at home now, and listened to the iowa-minnesota basketball game. iowa won 58-55. Garza was no doubt a factor for iowa, scoring many of their points, fouling out in the final minute but of course the iowa hawkeyes still found a way to win. I got the dishes done earlier in the evening than typical, then laid down before the 10pm news began, and fell asleep during the news. no big deal that I didn't go anywhere by car today. I went out once, it was to get some toilet paper at the dollar store. I got a look at the discount section, where I had bought all seven of the single- serving cereal tubs recently, no more than two at a time. some canned items there are of interest to me. this includes beef stew, chili, and apple pie filling. so even if I am not getting my customary can of spaghetti there, I still find things of use to me. my guess is if  I go back to this store in the next few days, that some of these canned items will still be available.

sgt. pepper movie

I watched a DVD movie on loan from the library this morning, 'Sgt. pepper'. the Beatles were not in it but plenty of their songs were. the main band had peter frampton and the bee gees. there was also Alice Cooper, earth wind and fire, as well as aerosmith. and Donald pleasance played a record executive. there was a cartoonish villain in it, but I didn't recognize who played him. George burns played the mayor, and narrator. I also liked seeing Steve Martin in it. seeing this movie led to me looking up the bee gees, as I was confused about their lineup. I recall the death of Andy Gibb, then I found out he was the little brother that wasn't in the band. it does make more sense about the origin of hearing 'come together' by aerosmith more often than the beatles version. and it is evidence of alice cooper, as well as aeroamith, being in movies before 'wayne's world' and its sequel. I had seen earlier Beatles movies, 'Yellow Submarine', and 'Hard Day's Night', and this one compares well with the other two.
   this was an active day, and I like it that way. went to the annual meeting of a credit union, and got a print of the chalkboard art depicted there. also was recognuzed by a cop, who is married to a comic. this was when I was leaving. when I got home I did grocery shopping, watched the 6pm news, then went to a hockey game in downtown st. paul. no, not the minnesota wild. it was at TRIA rink, first event I have attended there. it was a college game, hamline vs. st. thomas. hamline made it 1-0 at the end of the first, then st. thomas tied it 1-1 early in the second. both were on power plays. st. thomas went ahead 2-1 early in the 3rd, and it was tied 2-2 with about 5 minutes left in regulation. it went into overtime and hamline won 3-2, the goal was about halfway through the first 5-minute overtime session. it was senior day/ no concession stand was open, but there was vending machines. so i got some peanut butter crackers, and peanuts.
   I went home again, watched the 10pm news, and went out again, this time to sing karaoke. I did 'school's out' by alice cooper. it was nice to see familiar people from another venue, sounds like some of them also got poor customer service like I did. at one point we played 'never have I ever; first time playing this game, it petered out after  awhile. only familiar with how it was depicted in an episode of 'big bang theory'.

cherry cordials

I went to cub foods after a date tonight, as I needed a few things. I got a TV dinner, and cherry cordials, from little Debbie. I had one already and it tasted fine. my date was still with me at the time as we both needed some things. guess it was a big deal since I think it was my first date in 3 years. we ate at Genghis grill in Eagan, a place I went to every so often when I had been in a relationship. when I arrived the hostess recognized me, then I had to find out why. it was due to my date arriving first and showing my picture so I could get recognized. the hostess said she had also seen me perform recently. I wanted to talk about that more, but I said I didn't want to talk about it with my date as I don't want to be 'in character' all the time. I said 'it is just something I do' although I will admit I like being recognized for performing. I liked how I covered a wide variety of subjects with my date, it is not too often that I get this kind of intellectual stimulation. it was likely a good idea that I didn't talk about my family much, aside from when my dad broke his leg slipping on a wet floor at a movie theater. I still sometimes tell that story, because I had to see this movie after hearing about the story. it was '10 things I hate about you'. I didn't do much after getting home, watched 'blue bloods' and then fell asleep watching the news. by then it was nearly midnight, it was cold outside and I figured I wasn't going to get around on time to go sing karaoke. so I put in a DVD and watched a charlie brown special about valentines day. I think it was a later version, after schulz died.
    the weather was likely why I didn't get out all that early today. I watched some episodes of 'different strokes' that I found on youtube, some of them were the 'cautionary' ones. but around midday I went out to pick up a few things at Walgreen, and then lunch at a speedway. then on to the library, where I filed a few more online job applications. and some emails that were follow-ups to the interviews this week. I left before closing time because I wanted to be on time for the date.

turn in bus pass

I was called in the early afternoon about my bus pass, and was told I was still being charged for it despite my job ending over a week ago. so I turned it in, then went to two job fairs. hard to say if the job fairs will yield anything, but you never know.
   I remembered my plans to attend one of them real well, but when I got the reminder page out of my letter sorter I was reminded of another one that I had wrote down. so I went to one at a library first, since it was going to wrap up first. there were some nice surprises there, including getting some treats from the bimbo bakery table. although no jobs in my field for them. I picked up a few flyers at other places. guess that even a medical device company still needs admin people. one table I didn't need to talk to, but I did. since there was 'laboratory' in the name I was thinking of my college roommate, who was a science major. it was nice to talk about that subject, I will admit. the second job fair was company-specific. I had been to it twice before, but it sounds like they might have something in my area of interest this time. before it was just call center. I like doing analytical work, and claims, even spoke of the insurance exams I had done when working in life insurance. but the catch is that the role wouldn't start until april, and I am not sure if I can last that long being unemployed. but I was given the email for who I interviewed with, so still a good idea to follow up about it. no offers yet, so I have to chase down any decent leads that exist. it was cold outside, so no problem at all remembering to get my coat when leaving, I decided to hang it up instead of have it on the back of a chair.
   in the evening I went to sing karaoke. I did 'when you hot you hot' by jerry reed, and 'elastic heart' by sia. there was birthday cake when I arrived, in honor of somebody I didn't know. but somebody that knew me said I could have some.

sassy, chic nail brushes

i went to perform tonight and the show runner was offering prizes to those who went onstage. I was on near the end and got sassy, chic nail brushes. they are green, my favorite color. hard to say how it compares to other things I have acquired due to performing. the one I evoked tonight was the doll leg I got when I performed with the late bill young.  a drag queen performed twice, at the start, and end of the show. as I was leaving I had somebody tell me they had seen me perform at another venue. I guess it is nice to be noticed.
    this day started earlier than most did. I had an appointment at a coffee shop with a fellow u. of iowa alum, who would like to help me with job searching. it was odd to get an email about 30 minutes prior saying the time had changed to the afternoon, but it hadn't. I checked on LinkedIn and was told the time was still the same. so I said I was within walking distance and made it over there right away. I like knowing I can talk history with this alum as he said he majored in political science and minored in history. when he spoke of spending time in the Carolinas I spoke of my visit there nearly 10 years ago, and finding sites related to francis marion. I also spoke of last night's event at the loft where there was mention of a book about john Fremont.
    I had two more appointments after this one. there was a phone interview, which started late and didn't last long. I didn't say much about it starting late, because I want the job. then in the early afternoon I went to a 'hiring event', or job fair, at an online car dealer. once I was done there I went to the bank and deposited a check, then went to the library to print some things. when I got back after I was done performing, I saw an email about a job so I responded to it. of course it was after-hours for this place, but I hope to hear something the next day. although I must be wary when I did an online search, to find out it is a staffing agency. but when there are no offers yet I can't afford to be overly picky. another notable thing after I performed I found some episodes of 'different strokes' on youtube. I hadn't seen this show in a while.

vodka lemonade

I went to an event at the loft literary center in Minneapolis tonight. the first drink I had was a vodka lemonade, hearing about such a drink intrigued me. the lineup for the wordplay event in may was being announced. one of the authors will be CBS newsman scott pelley. I also recognized two history books-about Washington, as well as john Fremont. and there was mention of an event leading up to it having karaoke, and we all know I like to sing. I went to get some godfather's pizza after the event, and I timed it well on the parking fee, expiring the minute I got back. then it was on to home for a brief time, then back on the road again, this time to perform. there was some arguing and I heard the show runner talk about it with two people at the bar. something about the dude being ejected last week but still came back. this might explain why I heard him say on arrival 'never want to talk to you again' and as expected it wasn't directed at me. I liked seeing airway there, so I have some motivation to get there even earlier now. there was a long pause, and empty stage for a while, after the dude was ejected tonight. then a poet went up and did two poems. then the techie said it was an open stage and it was getting late, not many people left, and I said 'me'. I did a completely different set than I had originally planned. it was largely story telling, but it still got some laughs although that was not my intent by any means. I just didn't believe in ignoring what had happened. there is a time and place for everything, and it was no big deal to change it to something appropriate.
   on the job front, I went to the library and printed more pages. and more interviews are set up. in fact this week is busy enough that I said it was fine to move one interview to next week since it was the time that fit both of our schedules. so I would like to think I won't be idle for long. although I am aware that getting interviews is one thing and getting offers is another.

onstage after proposal

I performed tonight, and it is hard to say how this compares to so many other performances over the years. I followed the trumpet player proposing to his lady. thankfully the show runner did a joke before I went on. the dude told me in advance that he would be doing it, when he was practicing in  the hall where one finds the bathrooms. the flautist was there as well, but behind a closed door. she said she was called 'flute lady' when on a local French language radio station. I said I have to push myself to call her by her name instead of what she plays.
 I got a lot of little things done, a few more interviews scheduled for later in the week, albeit phone interviews. I was trying to get more set up, but it was a case of phone tag. had to let the call go to voicemail since I was in my car, and reviewed the message when I got to my destination, the library. I printed some things while there. one of them was a reminder of a place where I would like to have dinner on Friday evening, with a new friend. if it progresses farther, I think I will be fine with saying more about it. at this point, it is a long story and kind of a weird one.

shampoo movie

this afternoon and into the evening I watched a DVD on loan from the library, 'shampoo'. I recognized many of the actors in it, warren beatty, and jack warden, as well as goldie hawn. carrie fisher had a small role in it as well. howard hesseman was listed in the cast but I missed out as to what role he had. I will have to admit that I needed to watch the special features to understand the connections between some of the characters. I knew that warren's character, the hair dresser, was fooling around with three women. but not that they were apparently all related to jack's character, an investor. his wife, mistress, and daughter. a man that wanted to invest in warren starting his own business. warren was always needed for his hair abilities, and at times it meant he left the salon and went to their homes, riding his triumph motorcycle to get there. the backdrop was the night of the 1968 election, and one does see big pictures of Nixon, as well as Reagan, in the background at one party for it.
     there was a snowstorm overnight, and into the morning. but it was no big deal getting around once I needed to, around midday. I had a gig, being the blogger for the show done by the Wisconsin couple. it didn't take long to get the snow cleared from my car. there was a system problem that I heard about when I arrived so I still documented the show, although there were no facebook postings. unless they are done by the show runner later on. school bouncer was one of the performers, as well as a comic that I did a fringe show with. she had  a pink hat, matching the color of her hair. she did some jokes about her tattoos. bathtub comic was there as well, along with his mom, and I shared the story about buying her music CD when I was surprised to find it. I saw Arizona Chicago near the end of the show, but she did not perform at all. there was a Barbra Streisand impersonator, and I liked hearing about her story. I guess she goes to impersonator conventions. after the show we had lunch and I was next to a man that told a story about finding a rare history book. I had a mushroom and swiss burger.
   after watching the movie I tuned in to the Oscars, and since I had seen two of the nominees this weekend it meant more to me to see clips during the show. I had seen three nominees in all, and all three won in some category. this also included 'judy', as renee Zellweger won for her role, playing judy garland. the first thing I saw when tuning in was a Verizon commercial. it was notable to me as it had a smashing pumpkins song in it. I asked my college roommate on facebook as to if he had noticed, as he was the one that got me interested in that band's music.

marriage story movie

this afternoon I went to see the movie 'marriage story' at the lagoon in Minneapolis. this is a limited release movie, only one screening today as part of the theater wanting to show all of the Oscar nominated movies. surprised me a little that it wasn't until this weekend that I saw any of this year's best picture nominees- 2 out of the 9. I had seen 'judy' and it did get 2 Oscar nominations but neither one was best picture. 'marriage' was hard to watch because it is about divorce. this may have been why I noticed one couple leaving the theater. it was during a scene when there was arguing. well I kind of expected some arguing! there were multiple things that made it compelling enough to go see it. one of these was the all-star cast, including laura dern, ray liotta, and alan alda as the lawyers. another was movie-music veteran randy newman doing the music. although I will admit that I barely noticed the music in it. this was probably the first movie I saw that was produced by Netflix.
   much like the previous day, I had a quick meal before the movie, but this time it was a sandwich, still at a speedway gas station. the news had something about a pedestrian being hit by a car on a busy road in the capital city. facebook had a posting from a classmate about the death of my high school's football coach.
    tonight I think I will try a new karaoke venue. it worked well at a new venue, I sang 'bad day' by REM. I like how there is some kind of 'barrier' between me and the crowd while singing. all too often, I am singing in a 'dive bar' when there isn't a barrier. I spoke with somebody before I went to sing and at first he appeared a little un-nerved by what I might have been looking at. I was asked how I was doing, I said I am doing the best I can. I was looking off in the distance at the TV monitor showing a boxing match. so we spoke about boxing for a little while, as I said I had seen some live matches in the area. for some reason, I forgot to mention seeing boxing at the pan-am games in Toronto as well. although that is not professional boxing. so I ended up with a cheering section, I could hear them even though they were way in the back. so I likely have found a place I will stick with for a while. and I have to think it was 'prophetic' for lack of a better term. I saw a signup slip that mentioned a song from the blues brothers movie, and it reminded me of asking a trusted advisor about how I should handle an altercation recently. I liked the response, as I am fine with going to a place where I feel welcome, even if it is farther away. I just hate having to change my schedule, but sometimes it is necessary. it can be liberating to say 'I have had enough' and there is nothing wrong with saying it when one arrives at this understanding.

ford v ferrari movie

this evening I went to see the movie 'ford v ferrari' at the discount theater in Maplewood. I got a quick dinner, a hot dog, at a nearby speedway gas station. there was a good crowd at this movie, but I am also aware that it is getting just one screening per day at this theater. the camera work was real good. I liked how it felt like you were right in the middle of the action in the fast-paced car racing scenes. this is definitely a 'manly movie', no surprise when it is about car racing. there weren't many women in it and it didn't expect many women in it either. same was true with my favorite movie, 'Good will hunting', and matt damon was in it as well. it meant something to see the debut of the ford mustang car in the movie, as I have owned 2 mustangs. I had heard of carroll Shelby before, and not just related to sports cars being known as 'Shelby models'. also because of a brand of chili bearing his name. this is the role played by damon. when it is 'based on a true story' I am not too surprised to see a disclaimer saying 'some scenes and characters were invented for dramatic effect'. and as usual, I can guess fairly well which ones. even though it was long, two and a half hours, I didn't mind as it kept my attention the entire time.
    it was a fairly busy day before going to see the movie, and I didn't mind. in fact when I went out to do some errand running, my phone rang as I was in my car. so I postponed my drive until the call was done. it was an agency calling me, but it was to say I would be hearing more soon. then I got a call from another agency, and checked the message once I got to an office max where I was wanting to find baseball card sheets. I called back after I got home, and I stopped at a Walgreen for a few items, my weekly order. I saw the photo guy I knew there, who ended up being the cashier. and as I was on my way out to the movie, I got yet another call, about an application submitted on indeed. after the movie, eventually I went out again, to sing karaoke. it was 'only happy when it rains' by garbage. I got the idea for this song after hearing it at another karaoke venue the night before.

gobstopper

I went to sing karaoke tonight, and the bartender offered single serving candy. I chose the gobstopper jawbreakers, although they were kind of small. but they tasted fine. the other choice was 'nerds'. I did 2 songs, 'mony mony' by billy idol, and 'the middle' by jimmy eat world. I knocked over the chair I was in on my way to the stage for the second song, except I didn't have one in yet. so I was moved back one slot in the lineup. I also found out there was more than one 'tequila' song, not just the one by the champs.
   I went to another job fair, this one in Shakopee, and it meant seeing somebody that recognized me. I spoke with somebody from a state agency, as well as a staffing agency. and I got a chili cheese dog at a speedway gas station on the way back home because it was midday. my phone was ringing just as I was about to get home, so I had to let it go to voicemail. it was from an agency out of state. I hadn't responded to their 'right to represent' message, but I eventually did. I also started on getting applications submitted on indeed. although it was annoying to hear from one of them, saying that applying there doesn't count. so it meant having to re-apply, through the company's website.
   I fell asleep for a while in the afternoon, then got up and went to the mall to use some jc penney gift cards. I got some jeans, as well as a bedsheet set. then it was on to the library to print some job fair notices. I had registered for both, and they will be next week. one of them was a company that I have visited before.

real-ID application

in the afternoon I went to the driver license station to apply for a real ID. the main thing I noticed when looking at the form was how I didn't need to sign it. there was a space for somebody to do so, if they were signing for somebody under age 18. I liked how I was in and out in a reasonable amount of time. I knew well enough to pay attention to a news segment about it, and went online to see what was needed so I could get it done in one visit. so I had the passport, social security card, and a utility bill besides the existing driver license. I went there after going to a job fair in Burnsville. it meant seeing an advisor for the first time in a while. the census bureau was there, and I was told I will not hear much until the end of march. although later in the day, I got a call from Rochester and was offered a position but it will not start until early april. there is another lead to follow up on from this job fair, based at the airport. and in the early evening I went to one at the main office for a car dealer, although I was told the people I needed to talk to were absent. but I still liked the food and drink they had, and ate some of the jimmy john's sandwiches there.
   later on I went to perform, and before the show began I saw the grad student from texas there, first time in a while. I spoke of how I would like to visit that state again, but not sure when. of course one motivation is to see a writer friend that lives in Houston. but it has been on hold for a while because of my job situation. I was on near the end of the lineup. the performer just before me read song lyrics, about a milkshake.

family ties, rosalie episode

many of the shows I am now finding on the rerun channels, such as me-tv or antenna tv, are ones I recall watching new. most recently, this has been 'family ties'. tonight the episode being shown was about Mallory's friend Rosalie, who committed suicide. and Mallory does her best to help the mom through it, but then she has to say 'I'm not her' when the mom talks to her like she is Rosalie. I do have a different perspective about it now that I am older, although I think this episode was done after a distant cousin of mine committed suicide. of course one line was well-said, how some realize that things will get better- if they are willing to work through the lower points in their lives. I think this was one of many episodes where this sitcom was willing to cover real-world issues. it was one reason why I waited to depart for the performance venue, once I found out which episode will be. and it was one thing I spoke of in my set.
    I liked how I stayed busy today, but I knew full well there were things to do. there was the oil change at the dealership just before midday. and I liked the snacks available in the breakroom, as well as a paper to read. no surprise how the headline was the delay in the results from the iowa caucuses. after that I went to Maplewood mall and looked around there, but did not buy anything. at first I was looking at what places were in the food court, but figured I could wait on eating since the snacks from the oil change place meant I wasn't too hungry. I found the crepe place I had heard about due to my former job, it is in the former dairy queen storefront. there were plenty of empty storefronts there, most notable was one of the anchor stores, sears. not sure how long ago it closed. I noticed two places were selling items with a confederate flag on them, one was a convenience store- in this case hats. they were having a liquidation sale. the other was in the main walkway, and it was shirts, odd how it appeared to have Marilyn Monroe on it. then it was on to the library to print some things. before I left I had to call the French alliance and find out why I couldn't order a ticket to the karaoke event this week, was told it was being postponed, not enough people. except it seemed a little early to postpone it, still three days out. on to a hair cutting place, a short wait to get it done, which was nice. I got some food items at a nearby grocery store, some rolls as well as lunch-ables. after shredding some junk mail, and getting more pages into the comedy souvenir binder, I decided to lay down and fell asleep for a while. when I woke up I knew it was time for 'the conners'. I notice I can predict more often what will happen on shows like these now that I am an adult, this was when becky bragged a little too soon and then something bad happened, I said 'yep' as I kind of expected that to happen. guess I did myself a favor this morning when I went to the dollar store, by not just getting two single serving tubs of cereal- in the discount section. I also got some more sheet protectors. which helped not only with comedy souvenirs but with getting non-comedy items into other binders. along with getting a look at what is already there and deciding to stress quality. either taking out a page, or doubling up things, as I shaved two protectors and re-deployed them. one now has an article about writing in it, from the magazine known as 'the writer'.

remodeling, no ATM

i went to a holiday gas station tonight but saw a notice saying they were remodeling, and it meant some services were not available. this included the ATM. so I went back to the comedy club and paid for my beer with the debit card, although I prefer paying cash. I was wearing the Emerson Hough hoodie so I made reference to it in my set. it was 5 minutes, last time on there was 7, but it was still great to be back in the lineup there. brawler asked if I was all right, this was when I was writing out my material. normally I go to my 'inner sanctum' away from most people.
   I stayed busy today despite being 'on vacation'. it meant getting plenty of things dine that were on my list, some of them had been delayed for a while. this included finding a snoopy statue and getting a picture of it. I knew it was also time to do laundry, and I made it to the library to update my resume. of course I had to go there when I don't have a printer. I also scheduled an oil change for Tuesday. it might be a good idea to do a haircut that day as well, when there are job fairs to attend this week. I got a good look at some items of interest to me at jc penney. I have some gift cards to use. one of these is a bedsheet set. so as long as I stay busy and I am back at work soon, then I will be fine. of course I still need to register for these job fairs. I wanted to update the resume first. not a big deal, getting it done on indeed as well as monster.

replacement cooking oil

I made my annual attempt at making popcorn on the stovetop, but figured it was a good idea to replace the cooking oil I had as the bottle expired last june. so I got some more Crisco at cub foods after I was done typing up and submitting my writing contest entry at the library this afternoon. it worked fine on doing the popcorn this time, and I used some seasoning I created at work during a staff meeting. I ate half of it during the super bowl, now I will have to figure out when I am eating the other half. I called my college roommate after I got back from the grocery store, wanted to get it in before the game started. he is getting divorced but I think I ended up talking more than he did, about performing. and I still wonder why I downplay the importance of what I do, when people like him say it is a big deal, it is something that others can't do.
    the main thing I ask for in the super bowl is a watchable game, and I got to see one. chiefs beat the 49ers 31-20. chiefs had another come from behind win, much like the two in the playoffs. even though they found a way to win, one would think it would be easier to win when not having to work out of a hole. it was 10-10 at the half, and chiefs trailed 20-10 in the 4th quarter, mahomes was intercepted twice. but he led them to the TDs that put them ahead and was voted the game's MVP. of course there were plenty of notable commercials, usually the best ones all year as now the price tag for a half-minute ad during the super bowl is over $5 million. this is an election year, explains why there were ads from mr. trump, as well as mr. Bloomberg. trump actually had two, but the second was after the game had ended. since it was groundhog day, there was one with bill murray in it, an ad for jeep vehicles, a spoof of the movie of the same name that he starred in. not too surprised as to what was most common, as there are usually plenty of ads for snack foods, cars, and beer.

olympic autograph

I had various things on my list to do today. one of them was to go to the st. paul winter carnival. I did so around midday, after picking up a CD at best buy and then doing some writing at the library. I decided to pay for parking for 90 minutes, and it was enough time to be satisfied with what I wanted to see and do. besides seeing the ice sculptures and the artifact display, it also meant getting food and I chose a corn dog. then it meant going inside an Olympic trailer where I was able to get a picture with an Olympian, but I will admit I didn't know who it was. I did like the oreo cookies though, as that was the sponsor. now I have somebody to look up, it will be memorable as she was likely named after a TV show character.
   I went to best buy first as there was a gift certificate I wanted to use, it was the last day. I got a roy orbison CD, 'black and white' session if I am not mistaken, performing with the likes of bruce Springsteen. the writing at the library was for a contest through my university. once I got started, it flowed really well. now it means typing it up and submitting it on sunday. after the winter carnival, it was on to a high school hockey game, at the arena named for 'charlie brown' creator Charles schulz. cretin-derham hall uses it as their home ice. cretin beat park, of cottage grove, 4-1. no goals in the first period, cretin got the first goal just over a minute into the 2nd. park tied it around the midway point, and cretin went ahead 2-1 with about a minute left. cretin scored again just over a minute into the 3rd, and their final goal was with just over 5 minutes left. I did the 'chuck a puck', for one dollar, during the second intermission. it was no big deal to park a block or so away, the lot was full. it meant not having to fight traffic in the lot after the game, since I was already on the street.
    after getting home from the game, I watched the news and had dinner. then it was time to go to the grocery store for my weekly order. but then it was time to venture out again. there were two facebook event invites, and I went to both tonight. the first was a birthday party, at a karaoke bar. I sang 'johnny b. goode' by chuck berry. I had the movie 'back to the future' on my mind, it was what inspired me to pick this one. the friend was somebody I got to know at another karaoke venue. it seemed a little weird to be there, as my visit is usually on a different night of the week. even the bouncer said so when I arrived, so I explained myself. a friend's comedy show was nearby, and I went there next. it was helpful to do so, as I was able to bury the hatchet with another performer. I was frustrated by unanswered messages, but hadn't tried saying so in person, until tonight. I think that is called 'being an adult' when one is willing to try to figure out what got missed and listen to another perspective.