Pigeon Missiles

      At the comedy club tonight, the Tetris comic did a joke about pigeon missiles being used in World War Two apparently. He also did one about being threatened. The 'Extra murder' comic did one about being at the food truck fair, as well as ones about a new apartment and going to a strip club. The show closer was the bathtub comic. He did one about flooding at Valleyfair, the theme park in Shakopee. Another was about seeing a classmate in the bookshop he works in. After the show a woman asked him why all of the comics were men, and I had the list with me. I said the last ten comics were men, but there were some women earlier. I found out she would like to try doing comedy. We spoke for a while and I did share what works for me. I offer my advice to new comics if they want it.
    The rapper comic spoke of once being in car sales, the test drives, and former dealer Denny Hecker. Mr. Pibb did one about his lady's IUD poking him, and how he would fidget as a kid. IED/IUD did ones about Wall Drug, Walgreen, and a Liam Neeson movie. Netflix did one about how she talks too much, and understanding Jane Goodall because of her living arrangement. The Yemen native did ones about learning English, teaching Arabic, and working at a gas station. The school bouncer did ones about somebody asking if they look suspicious, a 100-year-old woman at his show, and the movie 'Blind Side'. The 'Resistable' comic did ones about her red air at Target, a hipster roommate, and her dad's cancer. Pottery Barn did one about being engaged to his lady. Bus fare did ones about a State Fair horse show, and muscle relaxers. The Wisconsin comic did ones about an orgy, at a county fair if I'm not mistaken, and yoga for his favorite football team. The Louisiana native did one about cooking a Jack's pizza on a grill. The Maryland native did ones about O'Doul's, hockey, and a date with a 'Trannie'. Postage stamp, though he didn't do the joke tonight, did one about a gay pro football player. The fever comic did one about deer suicide. 
    My car was in the shop today, two new tires were put on. I picked it up after work in the early evening. I do my best to listen to mechanics to prevent as many issues as possible. A medical office employee once said to me 'Know your body'. I find out this applies to cars too- 'Know your car'.  

Tie Dye Coat

      I went to the pancake breakfast this morning at Fury Motors in South St. Paul, as part of Kaposia Days. It was nice to see a 1914 Dodge car in the back of the showroom. This was a shorter visit compared to the previous day. Then I found two more historical markers before I left town.
  I needed to do laundry and I went to the one in Maplewood where I have gotten to know the owner, who calls me 'Iowa'. I wanted to check on how it was going with the coat, and it was shown to me. She said it was soaked in order to clean it and said the colors 'Flinched'- it looked like they bled into other parts of the coat. So I said it looked like tie dye. Hopefully it will be available soon, but some mending is still needed. I sent it there weeks ago, but haven't needed it since it is out of season.
   I did another guest set at the comedy club tonight, and I did more jokes about internet dating this time. I had wanted to do more of these jokes this time, so it meant getting to them earlier. And I knew I had when the jokes I did early one weren't getting many laughs. I liked discussing comedy after the show with the headliner, I noticed he did say 'As long as you enjoy it' more than once. I know this is an important part of doing comedy. I know this was comparable to advice I gave to a new comic after he saw me perform. I said 'Have fun up there, because if you don't enjoy it then why do it?' when asked what would be the number one piece of advice I could give.  

Church Basement Ladies Play

     I went to see a Church Basement Ladies play in Plymouth in the afternoon, it was the fifth and last in the series, known as 'The last potluck supper'. I had seen one other play in the series, the fourth, known as 'Mighty fortress'. I liked how they did laugh at themselves at times, like one character saying she couldn't live in a fake basement for the rest of her life. Later on it was how they couldn't envision anyone wanting to see a play about their church. There was a big crowd on hand, since it was the final weekend after starting back in August. One of the ladies was a klutz. Plenty of Bible verses were quoted when the ladies wanted to make a point. One framed poster there said it was originally to run until February but was extended due to popular demand. There was a wedding reception happening at the same hotel when the play was finished. It was also raining by then. I had an ice cream cone at a nearby McDonald's, then drove to the Bobby and Steve's in Minneapolis where I had a little Godfather's pizza. I listened to Laughing Matters on AM950 for the first time in a while, some of the discussion was about Iraq. Another topic was about CEO pay. I got groceries and was tired by then and decided to stay in for the rest of the night.
    I was out and about fairly early today, as I wanted to make it to an event before the play. I went to Kaposia Days in South St. Paul. I found two historical markers before reaching the festival in the middle of town, it was marking the sites of the Armour and Swift packing plants. I like seeing the Armour marker more as they kept the stockyard gates up, though they look a little trashy inside now. I saw a critter who had made a hole under the gate, but he was too shy to come out after seeing me. I liked seeing the Charlie Brown and Snoopy statues at Pro-X Pharmacy, where I got the festival button. I was behind somebody who was taking too long with buying lottery tickets, so I went in the back to the pharmacy part instead. I did eat at the festival, a hot dog and some bottled water. I liked hearing a DJ playing songs there, I recognized two in particular. One was 'Fancy' by Iggy Azalea and the other was 'Mmmbop' by Hanson. With the former at first I expected the title to be 'From LA to Tokyo' as it is the most memorable lyric. Surprising to find out how Iggy is Australian, haven't heard of rappers being from there before. I found the car show nearby at the Wells Fargo bank, it was moved from the high school due to construction. I saw a military Jeep from the 1940s, and liked seeing a Shelby Cobra there as well, a forerunner to the Mustang of the same name.

Count On Me, Bruno Mars

    Tonight I was watching TV after work and heard a song I really liked. Memorable lyrics were 'Count on me, like 123'. I found out it was 'Count on me' by Bruno Mars. It was in a Hyundai car commercial. It moved me like few other songs have, so I had to find it on Youtube. I like songs about friendship, and this one has some passion in it as well. It may be a simple song but it works for me.
   At the comedy club tonight, I was one of the performers. I did some of the same jokes compared to the guest set of the night before. The software developer did one about how he is not ready to be a grandpa. The big dog did one about a step-brother he doesn't have. Others were about getting married recently and his wife's horrific cackle. I like the voice impression of his dad. After the show ended I heard a Ben Folds song, a cover of a Dr. Dre song.
    The rut-roh comic did this joke. Others were about 'You're a ham', and asking a girl what her major is when hitting on her. The roller grill comic did one about an abortion billboard, his dad, and making a sandwich. Restaurant host- or two chains- did one about calling Comcast when needing a therapist, and old rappers. Poster artist did one about rabbits. Fantasia did one about sending her your way, and idiots think alike. Mr. Pibb did one about the 55 year old friend, a Garfield balloon at Macy's, and his lady's IUD poking him. Tortoise and hare did one about a DUI, and his dad was a journalist. Others were about cemeteries, and going to 9 by himself. University accountant did one about a gymnast. Some of the others were about 'That's so raven', and Tootsie Rolls. Hillary Clinton look-alike did one about sex and self-esteem. Others were about guacamole, selling diamonds and her body at a retail job, and the food baby.  

Guest Set Number 3

     I was thrilled to get some stage time tonight. Normally I don't go to the comedy club this day of the week. This guest set would be my third if I am not mistaken, and this one was longer, 5 minutes instead of 3. The headliner, who is from Canada originally, was willing to book me since we did crowd rap together when I was at a show in suburban Chicago in early March. I did include this story of how we met in my set. At first I went with a fake story, and said it was the storyline to the 1980s sitcom 'Perfect Strangers'. Though the real story was good on its own. I attended a show when I was back visiting some of my 'Old haunts' and we could hear each other just fine in the mall venue even though I was way in the back. I did one about finding 40 pennies in the downtown St. Paul skyway, outside of a US bank- where they have a change counter. I put them in a little bag and they were dumped in my change bank when I got home. Another was about visiting a classmate over the weekend who calls me 'A legend'- which led to my best bit of the night. The MC and the headliner liked mention of how I was bullied at church, and during the headliner's set I spoke of how when requested. And I did one about my dad discussing lead paint. I did get a 'Ring of honor' photo done after the show with the headliner and the feature act, a North Dakota native who was wearing a Batman shirt. 
    I knew well enough to show up early, I was there 30 minutes before show time as this is what I do when I am performing at an open-mic show. I checked in with the MC, the Alabama native and photographer, who shared how I got stage time on Facebook. I brought my video camera as I know I should use it more often to film myself doing comedy. I think I last used it nearly a year ago when I traveled to Mount Rushmore. After the show, a crowd member said to me that 'The nerdy look works for me'. I said I was being me, and if it is working I will continue with it. I liked how the headliner said he was familiar with some Twin City comics, he named the Oklahoma native as one of the two. The other was a comic who followed me on the night I performed with The Turkeys troupe in September. And I said it was helpful to hear some songs to remember this night. The one I picked was 'Applause' by lady gaga, same song I heard on the radio after The Turkeys performance. I heard it at the bar tonight.
   I saw the headliner after I completed my set as I needed to go to the bathroom, he said he made it just before the show began so he saw the set. I said I thought I did well even though I was stuck at one point, but I wasn't stuck for long. He did a quick interview that he said would be posted on Insta-gram, a service I haven't used yet.

Cheers, Drink To That, Rihanna

    Recently I heard a song that was catchy since it mentioned having Ray-Bans on, as in sunglasses. I did guess it was a Rihanna song and was correct, it was 'Cheers, drink to that'. After finding it on Youtube and listening to it there the lasting impression was the lyric about how 'Life is too short to be sitting around miserable'. Plenty of truth there. Hard to say how this compares to other songs by her, as they are all pretty good. She does plenty of collaborations, I seem to like those a lot. One is with T.I.- 'Live your life'. Another, Eminem- 'Love the way you lie'. Still another with Jay-Z and Kanye West- 'Run this town'. I think 'Who's that chick' is also a collaboration. 'Umbrella' is not, I once said I liked emoting (not 'Emo') to that one. The 'Ay' or 'Hey' repeated after 'Under my umbrella' is what I meant that I liked emoting to. It also has a memorable lyric- 'Said I would always be your friend, took an oath and I will stick it out until the end'.
   I lunched with the perky girl today, it was moved up one hour since I expected to be attending the senior leader's meeting right after it. I get stamped in from lunch and go to the venue and find out it was postponed as there was a burned out bulb in the overhead projector. It was annoying that five people no less felt the need to tell me, I heard it the first time. It sounds like the perky girl is still trying to sell her coffee shop, something about a loan from the Small Business Association didn't pan out. I liked telling her about recent travels, and I spoke of recent dates as well though there haven't been many and I didn't enjoy them enough to continue it.
   It was a good night at the comedy club as usual. The Hillary Clinton look-alike was MC. She did a guacamole and pound cake joke, along with what I would normally call the 'Food baby' joke but she didn't use that term while telling it. Another was about waxing. I have probably given a name to the next comic but not sure what, she did one about 'Locks of love' as well as her husband looking up heavy duty trannies. The ex-TSA comic did ones about traffic at a presidential visit, a car phone where I got a shout out, and the pound of rice. He also did one I really like- Tony the Tiger in winter. The fancy comic started off with how he is the best looking man in comedy, and about commercials he has done like Croc Hunter and car financing. The Texas native and barber did one about Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann on Jeopardy. Others were about candy crush, and a midget at an MLK speech.
   The preschool teacher impressed me by saying she reads this blog, and spoke of one entry from last month in particular. She did one about 'The wrong jack'. Others were about having music for her dog, and a caterpillar book. Also notable was the one about getting a catheter after being slipped the date rape pill. I had described it differently before, with fewer words. Whenever I am told somebody reads the blog, I am still expecting people to ask 'Who is Emerson Hough?' But I haven't had this question yet. A recent contest finalist did one about 'If you ask most Japanese people', as well as one about Gilbert Grape. The Kentucky native did ones about a cesspool, the boogie man, and 'We have a cat'.
   The big dog was show closer. Before the show I said it was always a treat to see him perform, and as expected I got an irreverent response that fits his comedy persona. I started liking the first joke, catching a yawn, once it progressed as he sold it well. Then there was the one about a Bruno Mars song. He spoke of recently getting married, and I saw the one about Basic Skills scores as brilliant. Another was about 'Used to be funny', and the 'Frightful cackle'. I like voice impressions, and he did one of his dad. Then there was ones about hemorrhoids, chivalry is dead, porn as motivational films, and slowpoke isn't good enough. I hadn't heard this variation of the porn joke but I liked mention of trying out a piano technique, this is something really specific that I couldn't have thought of since I haven't played piano at all.
    After the show, I liked discussing various subjects, with the bartender as well as the Texas native and barber. The latter was surprised to hear how speech was my worst subject in high school and college, but it is true. Apparently this means it is a big deal how I do comedy. He didn't see this as possible since I am told I am chatty. Well I can be when I'm among friends as I am more comfortable. I don't think in this respect that I am much different from others. And the other was with the big dog, when I was coming out of the club. I asked if he knows my laugh as many comics claim they do. I said I don't laugh at everything, and won't, but I laughed at most of his jokes. I spoke of how we make a good 'Straight and ham' comedy act, and our interaction proves it is still sharp but I think of myself as the straight part of the act as I am not much of a goofball.
   Most everything evolves and adapts, it has to in order to survive. I am no different, and I feel I have evolved and adapted to my environment in comedy. I would like to think I have shed the 'Aw-shucks' and shy persona in the comedy world. I know I have evolved regarding interactions with the big dog, why I've ever been self-conscious around somebody who has accepted me I don't know. It helps to pay attention to advice when given. Like one night I froze and didn't know what to do after a spill I caused, he knew what to do and normally I would too. But I felt bad about causing a spill and quietly berated myself for it. He said 'Just be my friend'- as to what I could do- and I can do that. I am aware of my former self, it was even written in a report card from elementary school. It said 'Try to be more tolerant of mistakes made'. I have had a hard time forgiving myself in the past, and others found it easier to forgive me. It does remind me of the saying about how reaction to what happens is more important than what happened. And the evolution also includes how this comic had a nickname change, as I realized it had to be done. It is rare for me to change a name after giving it.
    I know the tone of this entry is likely much different from most, readers. Understand that at times I must philosophize about myself. I do like to observe, and write these observations. But I am not a robot, a machine, and I still need to pause when necessary and take care of myself. I feel this makes my writing more effective- to write about myself- and know something about who is behind what is being written.   

Blatz, Schlitz, Pabst, Miller

    This morning a colleague said hi to me in passing and I spoke of some places I had been to recently, like the festival at the former Schmidt brewery. He is from Wisconsin and I am used to how he will recommend things from his native state. This includes Ella's Deli in Madison, part of a visit there last year. So he spoke of brewery tours in Milwaukee. I decided to do more research on my own and it is hard to tell what is all available for tours at the breweries there. According to Wikipedia it appears just one major brewer still operates there- Miller. I did their tour when I was young, but I no longer have the postcards from it like a statue of their founder. I recognized names of four historically Milwaukee beer companies- the other three being Blatz, Schlitz, and Pabst. There may also be tours of the former homes of these brewery leaders. But the fact remains that it will be hard to schedule for a while, even though I may enjoy some part of it. One of the articles spoke of how this was a 'Mount Rushmore' for the city, since there was four and these beers were prominent in the city for a while, including in philanthropy. I think there was even mention of a comedy show if I'm not mistaken about these four beers, especially when arranged properly the names sound funnier. I know I have two Schlitz postcards that I bought from a local antique shop, and a Pabst postcard from the Chicago World's Fair. I have drank Pabst at some local bars when there for a comedy show, but not too often.  Miller is a beer I drink even less often. I know Pabst is popular with hipsters, though I don't think of myself as one. I did like the hipster episode of The Simpsons, where they drank a Pabst knockoff at Moe's. Tavern.
   At the comedy club tonight, the Alabama native and photographer was MC. She said it was her first time in a while doing comedy, as she just had a baby in January. The big dog was near the end of the show, and did jokes about recently getting married. The Mason City native was added to the list, and did some about his wife being from Wisconsin and mention of regional terms confusing people like what they call ATMs there. The bus fare comic and sub teacher also performed. The show closer is from Fargo, and will be the feature act this week. He did a rambling joke about anxiety.