Wits Show, Peter Sagal

   This evening I went to see the Wits show at the Fitzgerald in downtown St. Paul. I went to this edition as I like 'Wait Wait Don't Tell Me' on public radio and the show's host, Peter Sagal, appeared. One of my comedian friends performed early on, it was her bit about a cabin in Wisconsin. She has done jokes about playing football as well. And there was the music. Before the show I liked hearing 'Tennis Court' by Lorde. I liked being a part of the sing-along near the end, it was 'Birdhouse in your soul' by They Might Be Giants. There was also a story about the Adele song 'Someone Like You', where little kids were dancing to it. Though even funnier was telling the story of Leonard Cohen texting himself, and how his song 'Hallelujah' was written. In my notes I said 'Lenny'.
    Before the show I liked hearing songs on public radio and one ad to guess what they were. It was 'Why do fools fall in love', Don't you want me', and 'Do you realize'. While waiting at the Fitz for the show to begin it was 'You don't own me' by Lesley Gore. Certain lyrics really resonated with me, suc as 'Don't tell me what to say' and 'Just let me be myself'. The show started off with Peter Sagal doing a 'Wait wait' joke, and another was about Garrison Keillor since 'Prairie Home Companion' is based in this venue. Then there was one about Steve King books, 'Christine' and 'Carrie'. Later ones were about Spider-Man, Steel Magnolias, Cuban Revolution, and Dirty Dancing. Then references were made to two rappers, Lil Wayne and Jay-Z, followed by the Beatles, Shakespeare, and Little Women. After intermission, a bit was about tough choices to make. Lincoln or Einstein, Clooney or Damon, comedy or pizza. More book references were made, to Charlotte's Web, and Slaughterhouse Five. One star reviews were read from online.
    It was a good day in general for hearing music, likely due to the warm weather. I went to a festival in Eden Prairie, called Schooner Days, and heard a DJ playing some country songs. The first was 'Water' by Brad Paisley, the second was 'Chicken Fried' by the Zac Brown Band. On my car radio while on my way to run an errand I heard what sounded like a Hank Williams song, and it was. It was 'Riding the rails under God's blue sky'. The title was 'Rambling Man'.
   I had a date at a Caribou Coffee shop inside a grocery store this afternoon. I haven't seen this type of setup too often, usually I see it in its own building.

Serving Trays

    At work in our 'News to know' weekly message there was mention of serving trays available in the executive side break room. I went there shortly after seeing it, knowing they may not last long. Both of them are plastic, one is round and the other is square. I said it looks like I could serve pizza in the round one, though it seems to be bigger than even a large pizza. I am sure I will find a use for both of them. One thing I mentioned was putting electronics on it to prevent scratches on furniture.
   It can be an adventure taking the bus to and from work. In the morning I decided to sit in the back, and it meant not sitting next to the woman I have talked to on a regular basis. I find that she is hard to talk to, either being kind of negative about many things or just plain not being on the same page when we discussed subjects. It is easier to read from the book I carry in my backpack when I am by myself anyway. In the evening I had to deal with a man that had too much to drink. He was talking to a man who had his lady friend's young son, age 3 think, with him. This man had an unopened can of beer with him, Natural Ice. He was advised by his new friend not to open it on the bus, but eventually he did anyway. When this happened, the driver asked him to get off the bus, and he did about two stops later, also my stop. The man swore at me and asked me what my problem was, claiming I was touching him but I did nothing of that sort. I said I'm not the one sitting in the aisle.
   I went to a friend's comedy show in Minneapolis tonight, actually there were two shows. It was The Turkeys. I know many of the members of this troupe, having performed with them before. Before the show I said to 'The big dog' when I was greeting everyone that I am here if you need me. I had enough time before the show began where I was able to go get dinner. I had hoped to get a little Godfather's pizza but all they had was cheese, I need more than that on a pizza I am eating. I got a chicken ranch wrap sandwich. Many of the skits I had seen before, but there were some new ones. I laughed quite a bit at most of the jokes I heard during the show. This also includes self-checkout, Grizzly Adams since he once did a joke about looking like this character, and the Oklahoma native. The second show had some variations on the stand-up sets, so it was worth staying for. I also liked being able to speak at length with the skit director after the show, at first about Harvey Pekar books since he said this blog has a writing style like Pekar's. I do like discussing more than just comedy. Some of it was also about dealing with people, wanting to avoid what I would call being too extreme. We agreed it was best to be neither too naïve nor too cynical about people. I don't think I have a name yet for the lone female member of this troupe. I know she went to Augsburg College. She played the co-MC of a debutante ball in the first show and was in some of the skits as well. I did see plenty of pictures on Facebook recently that she shared about getting a pet pig. When I made a reference to the movie 'Mad Dog and Glory', about the nightclub owner booking himself for the comedy shows, I liked how the skit director got the reference. It was about how I mostly write about the performers, though there are some exceptions. I also enjoyed the shop talk with Grizzly Adams after the show.
     The skits, or sketches, started off with Gorilla Fingers. Then there was the conference call and the sequel. Another was about scars and tattoos, ending with inhaling redi-whip. Grizzly Adams did a joke about the Island of Misfit Toys. Self Checkout did one about his Ford Escort car being retired. Another was about shopping at Wal-Mart, and Macy's. I think the Ricky and Joe show is brilliant, making fun of some local sports stars. Grizzly and the Oklahoma native played those roles. The erotic novelist skit was next. The big dog was next with jokes, doing one about living with his lady for 7 years. He said Bruno Mars was a joker. He would like to be screamed at. He did a voice impression of his dad calling that I really liked. Others were about watching porn, calling in sick, chivalry is dead, zealot love, and some more skits. We saw another jewelry commercial, and Leon, which is inspired at least in part by Old Yeller. Grizzly did more jokes. One was about walking cats, followed by why leave? you're an idiot. There was also ones about a thumbs up at a car wreck, and visiting the ultra-sound clinic. More skits, the third date and then the third jewelry commercial. The Oklahoma native did jokes. This included one about it making perfect sense, followed by how it will work this time with his lady. There was also the boob-less joke, grabbing valuables in a fire, retirement plans, broken stall, and haircuts.
    There was some variation with the second show. Oklahoma did one about stocks you should have sold earlier, followed by buying a car on Craigslist. There was also one about people with a blue tooth, and I got a shout out. Grizzly did one about 'We got you, perverts'. We all look at porno. He then plays a recording. Self checkout did one about not blaming us for the weather. He is thankful he is married. He does a joke about friends picking up girls in bars, ending with 'Bravo!' The big dog did one about finding a dead body, followed by music about dying for his lady. There was one about porn, and sliding salami. He called the crowd depressed people in a basement. There was one about eating at Denny's, and somebody doing a shoulder drop in the bathroom and then saying 'Good evening'. There was one about going after the words, and do I call him a slowpoke. I liked hearing a voice impression, 'You need to be more creative'. He caught a yawn from an ugly person, and there was 'Suicide by cop'. The closing song was 'Help' by The Beatles.

Boarded Up Windows

    On my bus route I have noticed this week how there are now boarded up windows at the hardware store near the Xcel Center. So their liquidation sale must be complete now. I went there once, got a hammer and some duct tape. It is sad to see boarded up windows and empty buildings anywhere. I have accepted it as what I call 'Economic Darwinism'. I noticed this term can already be found in the Urban Dictionary.
  At work I completed an online class. I usually don't take these seriously as the classes have little or nothing to do with my actual job duties. It is about banking regulations. So I quickly went through the screens and failed the assessment on the first try, passed on the second. I also got a self-evaluation sent to my boss, it was accepted despite being a day late. I was getting caught up on emails and noticed this had no action taken on it yet. The volume was low enough on the payoff report, new titles, and letters that I did get caught up by the end of the day. It still was a full day for me.
   I watched two episodes of 'Big Bang Theory' tonight. The syndicated rerun was when a colleague died and a tenured position opened up, and it got competitive. The prime time episode was one I don't think I had seen in full yet, I had just seen part one but not part two. It was when Sheldon discovered something by mistake, then later retracted it when it was disproven by Leonard. Barry was in both of these. He is more annoying than Sheldon, which says a lot.
   I walked around the neighborhood after it was done, and picked up some trash, along with five pull tabs from pop cans. I made it a shorter walk than typical as I wanted to be back in time to see 'Last Comic Standing' on NBC as some of my comedian friends are on it. I think I fell asleep in the middle of it and missed some, unsure how much. I recognized one of the comics who advanced, she is from Chicago and has performed in the Twin Cities before.

I Give It A Year Movie

   I did more searching of versions of the song 'Don't dream it's over' by Crowded House. I yielded more than expected, thank you, Youtube! I listened to two more versions, so now I've heard a total of four. One was by Susan Boyle, and it may have been the first time I had heard her sing. I knew she achieved fame on a talent show, I usually don't watch those. The other was by Lolo, or Lolo Pritch, and was in the movie 'I give it a year'. IMDB said it was a British comedy, from 2013. Looking at the cast, I recognized one name- Minnie Driver, who was in my favorite movie, 'Good Will Hunting'. I would expect it to be hard to find, especially since I don't use Netflix. I prefer Redbox.
   I did go to the comedy club tonight, but I was tired and had a hard time staying alert. So I decided to move around a little and ended up in a different seat. It worked out fine as I was asked to be a fill-in on the light. The show closer was familiar, I think he has done an Aunt Jemima joke. He is also memorable as he has a brother that does comedy. He did one about his lady having a conception watch. Kind of odd that I hear about news at the club, in this case it was the passing of Maya Angelou, the writer. I did see her speak at St. Kate's in 2010, and finished her book 'Caged Bird' just before the speech.
    This morning I got off the bus a few stops early after seeing a Charlie Brown and Snoopy statue in Rice Park. It happened to be Linus with his blanket. At the time there was nine in the park, a tenth was unveiled by midday- Charlie Brown. These are part of the celebration of the Twins hosting the All-Star Game this summer, and a children's festival sponsored by the Ordway performing arts center. I got pictures of the front and back of each statue, as they were wearing Twins or All-Star uniforms with their name on the back and '14', for the current year. Since Schroeder had the catcher equipment on, he's the only one where no name or number is seen. I had seen this in other cities that have hosted the All-Star Game, like when I went to Atlanta in 2006 since they had some left over from 6 years earlier. Another was St. Louis, where the All-Star Game was held in 2009. No surprise how the ones in St. Louis were arches, inspired by the Gateway Arch.
    At the comedy club tonight, the Happy Meal comic was MC. he did one about having a tooth pulled, and going to the ER. The Netflix comic did one about being filled with regret, along with asking her exes. Others were about a happy to be me doll, and Jane Goodall. The exercise guru did one about losing weight, Magic Cards, and debt collecting. The laundry comic did one about movie night at his house, watching Steve King's 'It' and 'Deliverance'. Another was about bakery, prison, and hookers. The Hillary Clinton look-alike did about a Brazilian wax. Others were about a DUI, passed out in a swimsuit, her parents divorcing, and Weight Watchers. Magic Man did ones about how nobody showed up at a performance, and shovel your walk. The Kentucky native did one about this is my face. Others were about having a cat, and eating a banana. The rapper comic has a son, and one about a water boy. Another was about fireworks. The godmother did one about a bucket list, along with a recent Boston visit. Her dog had surgery. The Texas native and barber was the one who spoke of Maya Angelou. He also spoke of Candy Crush. The Perkins employee did one about a family cruise.

Try To Catch The Deluge

    At midday I wanted to take a walk outside but I noticed it was raining hard, coming down in sheets. And for some reason I thought of the phrase 'Try to catch the deluge in a paper cup'. I looked it up and found it was from the Crowded House song 'Don't dream its over'. I do like metaphors, and I understood this one well. It's about attempting something that is foolish. After my online searches for the lyrics- and listening to their version along with the later one by Sixpence None The Richer- I understood the song had nothing to do with rain, but relationships. I hadn't heard the song in a while. The deluge part was early, and later lyrics were also brilliant. This included 'Get to know the feeling of liberation and release' as well as 'Walking again, to the beat of a drum'. I tend to like any song where a lyric about a drumbeat is in it. I've probably said it before how I understand the importance of a drummer in a band. The drummer is the forgotten member in the back, but very necessary. I identify with drummers as I often took those 'Lesser or forgotten' jobs in the back when I was young- like dishwasher and janitor. I liked hearing Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl say in a magazine interview basically the same thing, though more bluntly. How 'Your band sucks without a good drummer'.
     After the comedy show tonight, I saw a Facebook posting from the Mason City native where a song was being shared. First time hearing of it, it was 'Get up Edina' by Desmond Dekker. The posting said it was early 1960s Jamaican ska music . Memorable was the lyric about sending somebody back to their mama. I liked how I was thought of when this song was being shared on Facebook. But I know those who read these words know I often write about music, as I hear plenty of it. This is especially true when driving someplace as I usually have my car radio on. Naturally the first thing I thought of was how it was spelled the same way as the name of a rich Twin Cities suburb. He is right, they probably don't listen to much ska there. But it's a good joke, and we are comedians.
    There was another edition of the contest tonight at the comedy club. The 'Resistable comic' and the turtle check comic were in it. Turtle check advanced, one of three. He will be added to my 'Ring of honor', as a photo was done after the show. The Maryland native will be added as well. I liked hearing not just the sweater joke from turtle check but also the variation on a swear word.

Cashew Butter By JIF

      I like trying things from the discount table at my neighborhood grocery store. This weekend I decided to try some cashew butter by JIF. It is a small plastic jar, 12 ounces. I have eaten most of it already. I like peanut butter, and I like cashews as much as peanuts so I was willing to give it a try.
   I had the day off for Memorial Day and it meant getting caught up on some things. One of these was getting baseball cards into binders, now that I have more of the plastic sheets for it. I had about 170 cards waiting to go into the binders, and had just 6 duplicates which is good, less than 5 percent. I am still destroying the duplicates, not sure what else to do with them. I got some orange juice and a breakfast bar at the convenience store across the street this morning. I liked watching 'Who wants to be a millionaire' and 'Jeopardy' of course. Cedric the Entertainer, host of 'Millionaire', was in a 1970s costume as it is decades week. Florence Henderson from 'The Brady Bunch' asked one question.
   In the evening I went to Walgreen and got more pictures onto a disc to upload to Facebook. It was nice largely staying in until then, having a can of Hormel chili for the evening meal. Two photos of comedian friends were added, so now I have 18 comedians in my 'Ring of honor' if I'm not mistaken. Already got some comments about them. Those added were the Tetris comic and the Wisconsin couple. So now 4 of the 5 contestants from 'Last Comic Standing' are in it.

About Last Night Movie

    I saw the Redbox movie earlier today. It was 'About Last Night', the remake that was at theaters earlier this year. It had been promoted at one of the comedy clubs I frequent. I usually will eventually see those movies they promote. I think I have seen the original from the 1980s, but it has been a while. There is a clip from the original in this version. I liked one of the couples more than the other. This would be the characters played by Michael Ealy and Joy Bryant. They were more sensible than the other couple, played by Kevin Hart and Regina Hall. But I understand that Kevin Hart is a comedian so as some would say 'There is a reason behind the madness'. Kevin was in it for comic relief. As a baseball fan I liked seeing baseball as part of the storyline, where one date was at a Dodgers game and he wears a Fernando Valenzuela jersey. Also familiar when he answers his office phone by saying 'Yeah', which is often what I do. In fact I got the idea from a movie or TV show. Another line I liked was when Joy's character is on a business trip in Chicago, and meets her ex. She says 'I forgot how nice you are' and he says 'I hate that about me'. I liked it as it was an honest depiction about dating relationships, the good and the bad. Plenty of good points were made in it.
   I did watch one segment out of six on a DVD I got at Walgreen recently, it was a mini-series. This was an adaption of Carl Sandburg's book about President Abraham Lincoln. Hal Holbrook played Lincoln, and it was from 1974. I watched the segment known as 'Prairie Lawyer' where Mary Owens refuses to marry him. It does not appear to depict anything related to his relationship with Ann Rutledge, based on what I have seen so far. I know this part of Lincoln's life still interests me, ever since I rode an Amtrak train from Chicago to St. Louis where the train was named Ann Rutledge.
    I went to the St. Paul Saints baseball game tonight, the Saints beat Sioux Falls 3-2. The Saints went ahead early 1-0 on a solo home run, then fell behind 2-1. But they went ahead 3-2 after a throwing error in the 7th. I saw two people I know tonight, one of them was a comedian friend. This is the one that moved from Arizona and does a joke about having a lisp. He is an airport bartender if I'm not mistaken. The other was an old friend that I hadn't seen since August. Actually it was somebody I had dated for more than 2 years. We spoke about baseball games we had attended this season, Twins as well as Saints. Also about movies attended, and how I had bought a Brad Paisley CD at a dollar store in my neighborhood. This was my old friend's favorite musician. We found each other after the game, it was food truck and fireworks night as this is Memorial Day weekend. After we spoke for a few minutes, we hugged and I left. I watched the fireworks at another location. I like how we spoke again. What I also like is not just what I said, but didn't say.