Expenses Without Receipts

Starting from Friday, July 11:

• Went to My Favorite Stripclub (Non-Cover Division) for coffee and tips: $11.
• Afterwards I went to Caffetto.  First I went for an iced mocha, something I forgot to mention when I was here last Sunday (which, by the way, I charged to my credit card, which is why it's not listed as an ERW here) and so received a hot mocha instead.  I then got a cherry vanilla cola from a local company, Whistler, because I was really, really thirsty.  They have a 50-cent deposit which I got back when I gave back the glass bottle.  It hit the spot!  (ETA a bit after 2 in the afternoon of July 20 that I was reviewing this while writing down expenses in my day planner and saw that while describing my night, I didn't write down my expense.  Fuck, and now I don't remember what the amount was.  Luckily, I have a receipt from that last Sunday, when I got a hot mocha when I should have specified an iced one, because I believe they are the same price.  With that I can make a semi-educated guess on the cherry vanilla cola, and assuming I tipped only for the mocha and not the soda, the total comes out to my best estimation of: $8.75)
• On Wednesday, July 9, Also Known As My Last Day Before Going In For Surgery, I was willing to just go home, watch So You Think You Can Dance, and eat some leftovers.  But then Angelique, a stripper who was moving out-of-state this weekend, texted that she was dancing at My Favorite Stripclub (Non-Cover Edition).  I knew she was leaving this weekend, but I forgot at that moment that she was leaving, so I frantically texted back asking if this was the last time she's ever going to dance there.  She didn't reply.  So my plans of having a quiet evening flew out the window because I needed to get a dance from her one last time ... except, when I got there, it wasn't going to be her last time, and that in fact she wasn't moving after all; the job she supposedly was moving out-of-state for fell through.  She didn't reply to my text because her phone died before she was able to plug it into a charger, blah-blah-blah.  Well, at least I didn't have to spend twenty bucks on a dance.  But I had to stick around until Angelique got done with her dance, and so in the meantime I tipped Carissa on-stage so it didn't look like I was dashing in and out: $2.
• And since my day of not spending any cash out-of-pocket fell through because of Angelique, I thought, What the hell, I might as well eat out, too, and if that means I miss a part of SYTYCD, so be it.  This is the point where I should backtarck.  The night before I was still debating whether or not I should eat out.  I examined my frequent eaters' card at Which Wich.  I thought I had accrued enough punches to get a free sandwich, but it turns out I was one punch short.  I was going to use it and then spend extra money on, like, chips or something, but then I decided to wait another day.  But then I went to see Angelique, and so I decided to spend money on a sandwich and also a house milkshake.  So I decided to spend a lot of money when I first decided to spend only a little, then decided not to spend any money at all.  Got that?  If you did, also follow this: I have a receipt, but I'm only including the tip, which obviously isn't on the receipt: 50 cents.
• On Tuesday the 8th I wanted to see 22 Jump Street, the sequel to the TV show adapted for the screen, and which I thought was the funniest film I saw last year.  This one was ... different.  It looks like Jonah Hill was given all this money to do a sequel even though he had no idea how to continue the story, and so he decided to turn it into a satire on sequels.  What's missing in this movie that wasn't from 21 Jump Street was -- no joke -- its heart.  There was an actual story between the two leads, a heartfelt one, that was nowhere to be seen in this movie.  Jokes were funny, but that central story was lacking.  So, uh, B+?  Ticket, popcorn and pop: $9.75.
• Saturday, July 5 ... spent the Argentina-Belgium World Cup quarterfinal at the Nomad, probably the hardest-core soccer bar in the Twin Cities.  Got a passport the previous weekend, but it was only this time where I got stamps for it -- 15, to be exact, just for tipping, which I did the previous weekend but only got "rewarded" for this time around.  Plan to attend Sunday's final, after which we get to turn these stamps for raffle tickets.  Prizes if I win include trips to Europe to watch a club league soccer match.  Good bartender for giving me stamps, all 15 just for a Boulevard IPA.  With tip: $7.
• Friday, Independence Day: After watching Germany-France at The Local (have a receipt for it) I went to the Sweetwater Inn for Brazil-Colombia.  This was touted as a soccer hangout, and there were about a dozen people there, but I thought it'd be more packed.  Maybe the St. Paul location isn't appealing.  Or maybe the fact that it's a hotel bar detracts people.  Wanted only one beer, but since it was 2-for-1, the guy gave me two.  Great, I get even fatter.  With pizza and tip: $19.
• Thursday, July 3 ... because I had a great night of sleep, I guess I decided that I wanted to try and see if this outdoor parking lot close to the parking ramp I usually park in is more conducive to me sleeping in.  It's not; I don't think I'll get the sun pattern down so I can nap without overheating.  Besides, it's a little farther away from work, far enough that it'll claw into the nap time I've relied on to get through my day.  So I'll just stick to the ramp, even though the lot is only $4.50.  I made this conclusion without trying to take a nap; for my lunch break I thought I had enough energy to take in a food truck, the Dandelion Kitchen.  I had the chicken sandwich, and it was good, though overpriced.  I like the fig jam even though I didn't think I would like it; distinctive ... nice touch.  With tip: $9.50.
• This was the day my sister and I took our parents to the airport.  We thought about going mini-golfing at the Walker after we dropped them off, but instead we decided to save that for Sunday, and do it with our cousin.  Instead my sis and I decided to watch my idea -- and it was my idea to watch Snowpiercer, a film I had heard a lot of good things about.  And I was blown away by the cinematography as well as the ideas behind it.  I'll give it an A.  Unfortunately I raised my sister's hopes up too high.  I told her that this was something like The Matrix without telling her there is no awesome CGI.  She was slightly overwhelmed by the action as well as the themes of the flick.  Wanted to pay my sister back for my ticket, but she declined because we both know she makes more money than I.  So I paid for the popcorn and pop I had for myself: $6.
• Wednesday the 2nd was the day Mother took my car.  Therefore, I had no car to sleep in during lunch.  Therefore, I took the opportunity to do like most other humans do during their lunch and actually eat lunch.  I sauntered down Nicollet Mall and had a BBQ pulled pork sandwich from the food truck of Stanley's, which is an extension of a brick-and-mortar restaurant which was once called Stasiu's.  I have never been to Stanley's, but I went to Stasiu's a couple times.  Back then it was a rock-and-roll bar, and the couple times I went there I stayed till 2 in the morning.  Fun times, times which I doubt I could have now that it's Stanley's.  Not a bad sandwich, though, even if the pulled pork easily falls out of the sandwich, a pet peeve of mine.  With tip: $9.
• Let us go back to Monday, June 30, my first day back at work from vacation.  That evening my sister gave me back money she said she borrowed from me while we were at Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons so she could buy a postcard.  I thought she had already paid me back, but again, she has more money than I, and she insisted she needed to pay me back, so who am I to argue?  And Infusion of: $1.
• Later that evening I had to refill the money I took out of the alumni club kitty that, in a pinch, I used to give to my niece.  Yes, I'll talk about her as soon as I can: $100.
• Sunday, June 29: Well, I went to the Local to see one of my bets fall to pieces.  I had a two-team parlay, and all I needed was for Costa Rica to beat Greece at full time.  They failed to hold onto their 1-0 lead, goddammit, with an injury time goal that sent it eventually to Penalty Kicks.  To add to the shitshow, I ordered one type of soup but was given the other type, and to the Local's credit, they offered to give me both.  Sadly I am not the strapping, high-metabolic boy I was and though I tried to be even-handed, eventually I gave up and had to return both soup bowls unemptied.  They both were good, however.  I also got a beer, and I chased it down with a Coke which the bartender gave me for free.  Too much food, but too great service.  With tip: $12.50.
• I think I came home afterward to pay my sister back for the money I lent from her to make bets while we were in Las Vegas: $100.
• And then I stored a wheat penny and two shiny new quarters depicting ... wars?  Mountains?  Rivers?  I forget, but they're shiny, therefore I take them out of circulation: 51 cents.
• To Saturday the 28th ... I saw the Colombia-Uruguay game, where I had an Alaskan Kolsch from the Nomad, a beer dog from the Dr. Mustachio's food truck, and no stamps.  With tips: $12.50
• Friday, June 27, aka The Last Day Of Our Vacation.  I borrowed money from sister, an Infusion of: $100.
• I then decided to get a frequent gamblers' card from the Wynn, the casino where I borrowed money from my sis but did not make any bets.  Instead I just tooled around and spent the free cash I got for signing up.  Glad I made some money from slots, even if it was only an Infusion of: $4.
• We then went to the Palms, where I thought the lines were better.  That's where I spent the money I borrowed from her, on two World Cup bets: $50.
• On Thursday, June 26, I made two World Cup bets.  Both of them lost, by the way, and I should blog about that soon.  I think it was at the Las Vegas Hilton where I bet Russia would beat Algeria, a bet My Father copied: $100.
• Then I watched Algeria tie Russia at the Palms.  Crestfallen, I nevertheless made a bet there that Brazil would win the whole thing: $100.
• Wednesday the 25th -- so I spent nearly all of my day at the Las Vegas Hilton, where I wanted to take it easy and just sit in the giant sportsbook and watch soccer.  No betting, just watching.  Ah, how peaceful to just watch on a giant screen and not be bothered, nor worry about losing money.  But I had to whet my gambling jones, so I played a little slots: $4.
• ... then had some coffee at this place called Fortuna: $2.18.
• ... then I finally dove in and made a bet, on Game 3 of the College World Series (which I lost, BTW -- thank you, Virginia!): $25.
• ... then, finally, before I went home, I made one more bet, on the World Cup, something I decided to do as soon as I knew when our road trip would take us into Vegas.  It was going to be larger, but I decide to halve my bet since Virginia was behind at the moment and I knew that was a bad sign.  Boy, I should have seen all the bad signs and took it as God's way of saying, "Don't bet at all during your time here," because I lost this particular bet, too: $25.
• We skip back to Sunday, June 22.  During this part of the vacation we were neck-deep in woods, so seeing civilization, even if it was the tourist town of Jackson, Wyo., was a good break for all of us.  I decided to help my sister with Starbucks.  Charged the coffees but took out my wallet for the tip: $1.
• Going back into the Grand Tetons we stopped into a Visitor Center.  We needed to know the next time Old Faithful was going to blow, but for some reason the kids (and I do mean kids -- they didn't seem to be out of high school) had to call for the time.  Weirdest thing was, no one picked up, so the kid had to come back to me and say, "Sorry, I don't know the time, no there was going to pick up."  Weird.  Made a donation to the Jr. Rangers anyway: $1.
• Oh, during this same time was when my sister asked for money to get a postcard.  She returned the change to me, so I am just going to put down the price she paid for the postcard: 75 cents.
• Let's leap back to Thursday, June 19, the start of our trip.  We traveled all day through Minnesota and into Rapid City, S.D.  The hardest part of the trip was trying to negotiate around Mankato, which was flooded because of all the rain that fell around that time.  But we made it with plenty of sun to spare.  Also, I was lucky to fall into reserving the night at the local Howard Johnson's.  Why?  One of the last things the hotel representative said was that happy hour, with complimentary beer and wine, was ending soon.  We made it just in time to partake in the oasis that is HoJo Happy Hour!  Is this a Howard Johnson's thing, or is it only specific to Rapid City?  Either way I was so goddamn glad to have this.  We all had some alcohol.  I tipped: $1.
• And I think I found a dime on the floor.  An Infusion of: 10 cents.
• OK, Tuesday, June 17 ... I think work ran out of coffee, so I took some time out to run down to Starbucks and get something for myself.  With tip: $4.75.
• This was a day where I decided to have the evening to myself in order to concentrate on the roadtrip.  Before that, though, I went to My Favorite Stripclub (Non-Cover Version).  Good things I did, because, finally! I ran into ****e*, the chick who gave me the handjob in the parking lot!  Missed her so much I got a lapdance from her even though I wasn't planning on spending a bunch of money.  With coffee and tips ****e* and the other three strippers: $31.
• Afterward I printed out directions for the road trip at the library.  A lot, it turns out: $1.
• On Monday the 16th I again went to Starbucks.  This may have been a case where I had time in the morning to get something for myself before reporting for work.  With tip: $4.75.
• After I got done I had time to take in the second half of the U.S. World Cup game against Ghana.  I went to the downtown bar where our alumni club is going to watch the football games, I'm assuming.  I wanted to speak with the manager then to make sure things are still good, but she wasn't there.  Oh, this was the place where my waitress had this crazy but very personal tattoo.  Happy Hour-priced beer with tip: $5.
• On Sunday, June 15 I saw the second half of France's whipping of Honduras at the Nomad.  Got a Budweiser, then I had these awesome roasted vegetable tacos (meatless tacos?  Yep!) at the Dr. Mustachio's food truck which hauls itself next to the Nomad bocce ball courts.  With tips: $13.50.
• Afterwards I went to My Favorite Stripclub (Non-Cover Division) for quick coffee and a tip: $4.
• Saturday the 14th was the day the entire family my brother and sister-in-law's new baby, a girl.  You know, I've dropped so many quick hits about my niece I've basically blogged about her even though I promised you guys I would actually talk about her.  Oh, well.  These are social occasions where I guess I'm supposed to bring a gift.  It never occurred to me; guess that shows how self-centered, if not narcissistic, I am.  So in a panic I decided to give my newborn niece some money.  Technically I have to say this is an Infusion of: $100.
• ... then a gift to her: $100.
• Friday the 13th seems to be a bad day to be going out, but I guess I wanted to get away from my family for a little bit.  Went to My Favorite Stripclub (Non-Cover Edition) for coffee and tips.  I think this time around two girls expects five bucks on stage, so I only spent: $7.
• On Tuesday the 10th the only EWR I had was spending money on a haircut.  Have a receipt for the cut itself, but the tip was: $2.

Goddamn, I need to do these EWRs more often.  Done through July 11.