Blog Archive 2018 Aug
Wed Aug 1 = Nathina of Casio in Waco, TX is magic. When I called her about my HR-100Tm printing calculator locking up when I selected any PRINT function, it started working. I had already tried resetting it multiple ways and times.
- I projected budget through end of September and made a phone call to someone who said they were interested in buying some of my desert land. I think they just want cheap land... not my game.
Thu Aug 2 = I found out about the OptumCare Community Center by listening to Health Futures with Bob Roth on KFNN. I recorded his weekly shows while I was away on my trip. I phoned the community center and found that it is open to the public free of charge.
- Around noon I lay in the sun for 10 minutes on a side for a total of 20 minutes.
Fri Aug 3 = I don't know why my brain works the way it does, but it missed a day, as it occasionally does. I don't think it's dementia, because I have always been that way. All night, in my mind, was planning on taking Arlette to her doctor's appointment tomorrow. It was today! I got up with my SleepBot alarm at 10:45. That's when I was supposed to be picking up Arlette. I realized that after I drank some morning water and checked my wall calendar to confirm that today was Friday.
Then into semi-panic mode in which I:
- Put on deodorant, check
- Located Arlette's event on my phone's calendar, check
- Determined how long it will take to get to her house, check
- Set up the route on my phone, check
- Phoned Arlette that I would pick her up at 11:00 (15 minutes late), check
- Unplugged my laptop and set it out to take, check
- Two minutes of exercycle was out of the question, check
- Put on some clothes, check
- Figured I'd get a little hungry with no breakfast, check
- Figure no one will notice if I don't shave, check
- Put on my sandals because that is the fastest way to be shod, check
- Scooted out to my van and took off, check
- Looked at my phone for which way to turn at Union Hills, check
- Picked up Arlette who was waiting at her curb at 11:01, check
- Followed her excellent directions to the Mayo Clinic, check
- Delivered her to the door at 11:16, only one minute late, check
Sat Aug 4 = I have enjoyed my week off from comedy.
- For diet and meals, I tried an experiment to see if I can improve my chronic urgent BMs: I ate only odd day meals for five days, ending yesterday. Today starts five days of only even meals.
Sun Aug 5 = Tonight I did my first performance back home in Phoenix by hosting Insane Off Main at
- COMS
- Comedy Off Main St, a comedy club in Mesa, AZ
.
Good to be back in the groove.
Mon Aug 6 = Around noon I lay in the sun for 10 minutes on a side for a total of 20 minutes.
- Tonight I made my first appearance at
The Loft Again,
15015 N Cave Creek Rd, only a few miles from my house.
Tue Aug 7 = Tonight I was back at Dos Gringos for my 43rd appearance there. Since there were not manny comedians there Jill gave us longer times and I did 6:21 minutes about being old and
- Stan
- Stanley, my older brother who was a retired as a machinist for Eaton Corporation in Hutchinson, KS until he succumbed to a three-week bout with Myasthenia gravis in March, 2018
and his duplex.
- Most of the night my bowls were in an uproar.
Wed Aug 8 = This morning I reduced my Rockwood drip interval from 7 days to 3.
- My BMs these days are usually urgent; sometimes good, but mostly a little or lot loose. I know you wanted to know that.
- My comedy tonight was my 29th appearance at Toso's where we were given 10 minutes and I did 9:02 of being 76, xxx, Waning Prowess, Stan's pills, his Duplex, my collision with a Dumpster, Tomatoes and T-Shirts.
Thu Aug 9 = This afternoon I had an appointment for getting my finger prints taken for renewal of my Level One Finger print clearance, which I need as a volunteer for
- Duet
- The organization I support and through which I take non-driving seniors shopping and to their doctors' appointments
.
They do criminal background checks and a whole bunch of other things.
- Comedy was at
Improv Mania in
Chandler
Fri Aug 10 = The neat analog thermometer/hygrometer/time/moon phase clock in my lab has been stopped for months due to a depleted battery. Tonight it did no good to put in a new battery, so I zapped the clock with 2 V from my power supply. The clock started working and continued after I installed a fresh (Dollar Tree, of course) battery. We'll see how long it lasts. I am trying to install new batteries and reset all the clocks that need them now upon my return from the road trip.
- Around noon I lay in the sun for 10 minutes on a side for a total of 20 minutes.
- I found out the hard way this afternoon, by driving 12 miles, that the OptumCare Community Center closes at 4 rather than 5, as it says with a Google search. I suggested the correct time with Google and, surprise, surprise, it was corrected immediately.
- About 7:20pm tonight I couldn't keep my eyes open paying bills, so I went to bed. Slept for almost 2 hours then got up and continued with my bills. I also uploaded a
picture and video from when I killed at The Winners Circle in Salisbury, MA.
Sat Aug 11 = My Casio HR-100Tm calculator started working a couple days ago and is still working. We'll see how long that lasts. Since I got home it has been locking up with an error anytime I put it in any print mode.
Sun Aug 12 = I hate foam soap to the point that today I measured it. Foam soap contains 1/30 (3.3%) of the soap of the same volume of liquid soap.
- I prewashed my van's bugs and wheel covers today and then ran it through my favorite no-touch automatic car wash, which has an undercarriage rinse and air dry. Before I did I checked the forcast and weather radar. About three minutes after I exited the car wash bay, and while I was wiping the rear view mirrors and visiting with a Mexican, it started to rain. Of course! I knew the rain was going to be brief so I pulled into one of the empty self-service bays and proceeded to buff out my headlights. Perfect timing. By the time I had finished the headlights the rain had quit.
- Comedy tonight was the first time since my trip at the Phoenix Center for the Arts' Third Street Theater. Good to be back.
Mon Aug 13 =
- Stan
- Stanley, my older brother who was a retired as a machinist for Eaton Corporation in Hutchinson, KS until he succumbed to a three-week bout with Myasthenia gravis in March, 2018
had a small Securian life insurance policy so today I phoned and got some information about receiving my half.
- Tonight's comedy was my second appearance at nearby
The Loft Again.
Tue Aug 14 = Around noon I lay in the sun for 10 minutes on a side for a total of 20 minutes.
- Tonight's comedy was at Dos Gringos in South Tempe. Jill, the porducer, liked my set. I started off with Avery and Bill's Juul and worked into my new NikeAirs, VanStarting and T-shirt routines.
Wed Aug 15 = I went over to
- George & Cindy
- my younger brother and his wife who live in Mesa, Arizona
's
for lunch and to tie up some loose ends from
- Stan
- Stanley, my older brother who was a retired as a machinist for Eaton Corporation in Hutchinson, KS until he succumbed to a three-week bout with Myasthenia gravis in March, 2018
's
estate.
- This evening I did comedy at Toso's, on west Union Hills, a little shopping and a gym visit which earned me my weekly protein frosty.
Thu Aug 16 = This afternoon was my first shopping trip with my new shopping neighbor under the auspices of
- Duet
- The organization I support and through which I take non-driving seniors shopping and to their doctors' appointments
.
Willie is a charming lady. I think we are going to hit it off well.
- Comedy was at Improv Mania in Chandler, folowed by a gym workout on the way home.
Fri Aug 17 = I talked
- Cindy
- my younger brother George's wife
into buying a ChromeBook, since she has no computer at this time. Tonight she bought one at Walmart. CONGRATULATIONS, CINDY!
- For comedy tonight I got to The Highside Bar early. When Rob, the host informed me that the evening was booked, and not an open mic, I felt badly leaving, but I had a lot of things to do. On the way home I stopped by LA Fitness for my weekly heavy torso workout. Then home to replace the fitness video on my Press Kit with a more recent one from last month.
Sat Aug 18 = Around noon I lay in the sun for 10 minutes on a side for a total of 20 minutes.
- After checking out all the comedians appearing at the valley's comedy clubs, I went to the show at
Comedy off Main St;
in Mesa. The audience gave little response to the comedians. Good thing it wasn't me behind the mic.
Sun Aug 19 = Under the auspices of
- Duet
- The organization I support and through which I take non-driving seniors shopping and to their doctors' appointments
today I took Selma to her doctor's appointment way out in east Scottsdale. She is a delightful person - obviously from Brooklyn, who enjoys game shows.
- This evening I hosted Insane Off Main, an open mic show at
Comedy off Main St in
Mesa. We had 19 comedians and a few non-comedians for our audience.
Mon Aug 20 = This afternoon, under the auspices of
- Duet
- The organization I support and through which I take non-driving seniors shopping and to their doctors' appointments
,
I took Selma to her doctor's appointment way out in eastern Scotsdale.
- Tonight was my first time at
Tukee's Sports Grille in
south Phoenix. The neat thing about the show is that we got 10 minutes each! I did some of my old man introductory stuff as I usually do for my first appearance at a venue.
- After the show I went across the street for a light, fast arms workout.
Tue Aug 21 = I think I figured out MailChimp. I started with 233 subscribers in my PHX list, added 38 and ended up with 271 (233+38). The campaign for Sunday's New Faces show was sent out to 271 contacts, what I expected. My total email contacts with MailChimp are now 341. I have an additional 253 in my computer that I have not yet needed to upload to MailChimp.
- My van overheated just as I arrived at Dos Gringos to practice my Hurt Hand routine for Sunday. After my appearance there, the van had cooled off enough for me to add a gallon of water, courtesy of Dos Gringos and their big gallon pitcher. That diluted the antifreeze, but should be OK.
- On to Grand Avenue Pizza for my first appearance in six months, where I again practiced my Hurt Hand routine for Sunday.
Wed Aug 22 = Today I recharged my Remington F5-5800 shaver. The last charge lasted from 4/9/18 to today (Unless I missed a charged) That would be 136 days; 19 3/7 weeks or 4.5 months.
- Around noon I lay in the sun for 10 minutes on a side for a total of 20 minutes.
- I went to Dr. Travis Lamb, my dertomologist, for my 6-month skin check. I fessed up and told him how, every four days, I lay out in the sun for 10 minutes with a bubble reflector. He said it is most important that I never burn.
- The rest of the day, I stopped by Joann for some water soluable self-adhesive fabric stabelizer to use with my light-weight T-Shirts, trimed my beard to 1/8", took a bath,
Thu Aug 23 = Today I took a grand tour of Sky Harbor Airport. There were about 50 people in about three groups. We each wore very comfortable and lightweight headphones and followed our tour guides all around Terminal 4, aboard the sky train over a runway etc. Very interesting.
Fri Aug 24 = I have started figuring out how to contact some cruise lines about doing comedy aboard one of their ships. I figured the first step would be to contact some local travel agencies, which I have done the last few days. Jennifer of Terra Travel phoned me back with some phone numbers. Thank you, Terra!
Sat Aug 25 = Don't send money to anyone using Walmart to Walmart unless you are prepared to wait in a slow line, not use your Walmart Bluebird card and to risk your checking account. I sent Tom Paris of the Savannah Comedy Review money for his November 10th competition. Walmart accepted my debit card, but did not ask for a PIN number. Stupid and insecure!
- I misplaced about 10 of my tickets for tomorrow's show at
Stand Up Live in
Downtown Phoenix,
so I printed tabs for the remaining four ticket blanks I had on hand. That ought to do.
Sun Aug 26 = Around noon I lay in the sun for 10 minutes on a side for a total of 20 minutes.
- Tonight was New Faces at
Stand Up Live in
Downtown Phoenix. To update my Press Kit, I videoed my Hurt Hand routine. My comedy was a little dark so the audience didn't laugh as much as I had hoped. I sold three of my comedy T shirts... to the service staff, Missy, Atutmn and Carlos... and they wore them during the show! Neat, hardworking bunch of young people.
Mon Aug 27 = Tonight was my second appearance at
Tukee's Sports Grille;
in south Phoenix.
Tue Aug 28 = This morning I checked my van's radiator. It was full of coolant but the expansion reservoir was empty, so I filled the reservoir with antifreeze up to the minimum mark.
- I researched alternatives to my very expensive ($40 each) Belkin Wemo Insight plug switches and found the Gosund Mini Smart plugs for $8.50 each if bought by a 4-pack.
- Tonight was the debut for my new Steve Talker routine at Dos Gringos and Grand Avenue Pizza. I am trying something new:
- Write my ideas out on 1x4" cardstock tabs
- Sort the tab ideas on my kitchen counter
- Go through the routine and rearrange the tabs as necessary
- Record the routine into my ICD voice recorder
- Send the recording to Rev
- Twelve minutes later, the transcription was completed as a word processing file at a cost of only $3.00
Wed Aug 29 = This afternoon I made my first visit to Terry Peters, my new dentist. He offered an excellent first-visit deal to former patients of Jeff Kronh who retired.
- This evening I did my Steve Talker routine at
Toso's Bar & Restaurant ;
not far from home.
Thu Aug 30 = Before venturing out today I added 5 oz of antifreeze to my van's coolant reservoir to bring the level up to Minimum.
- Around noon I lay in the sun for 10 minutes on a side for a total of 20 minutes.
- This evening I did my Steve Talker routine at Improv Mania in Chandler and then at The Woodshed in Tempe.
Fri Aug 31 = This evening I went to
Stand Up Live;
in downtown Phoenix and saw the headliner, Lavell Crawford, a Black comedian who had the place rocking for 1 hour and 23 minutes.
