Expenses Without Receipts

Starting from Thursday, April 25:

• One of the things I wanted to do during this week of second shifts is go back to Caribou, a place where, when I was unemployed, I went to every morning to fool my parents into thinking I was working during the day.  It's been months since I've been here, and it's felt really good to come back to do something that was once routine for me, even if it was for one day.  Large mocha (which was a dollar off this day), small oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, minus ten cents for getting it right.  Got a receipt for that, so this EWR is just for the tip, which is: $1.
• Tuesday the 23rd -- With the shift on my workday for the week to second, uh, shift, I had wondered what to do with my mornings and afternoons.  Should I stay in and save money?  Should I go out and exercise?  Are there things that I haven't been able to do during the workday that I could do this week?  Ultimately I decide by asking what I usually ask: Are there things that I won't be able to do again if I decide to skip it?  Well, I'm not sure if there will be another weekday where the Nomad Pub will be open, so I left early on this day to take in Tottenham Hotspurs' EPL match against Brighton and Hove Albion, at least for the First Half.  (Spurs won with a Goal late, 1-0.)  Since there is no food served at the Nomad besides Heggies Pizza, I got there early, walked to Chipotle, and brought my bowl (first time I eschewed a burrito from Chipotle ... but I think I'm going back to burritos because I don't think I got a whole lot in my bowl) into the bar to watch the match.  I bought a Surly Hell, on special for soccer games, to wash the Chipotle bowl down.  With tip the beer cost me: $5.
• On Monday the 22nd I went to the library -- ostensibly to finally get tabs for my car, but Mother asked me to print something, and then while I was at the library she asked me to print something else.  Turns out neither of the two things I printed for her was what she wanted, so I'll have to go out again and get that printed for her.  Anyway, I printed six pages' worth, so I spent: 60 cents.
• Monday was Earth Day, and Dunn Bros. was selling all drinks for a buck off of what would be a small (regardless of the size of your mug) if you brought in your own mug.  I was starting my week on second shift, and I really wanted to switch it up, even though I didn't want to buy coffee every single day of the week.  But normally, if you bring your mug into Dunn Bros. you would only be charged for a small (no extra dollar off, like on Monday), so to switch it up just this one time, I went in.  It was still expensive, IMHO.  With tip: $4.75.
• On Sunday the 21st I went to the Golden Gopher baseball game against a school that doesn't come up these parts to often (well, not at all, at least not in half a century), Oklahoma.  Got one hell of a sunburn; should blog about that.  And the Sooners put the kibosh on the U.'s at-large hopes with a come-from-behind win.  In other news, they finally caught me.  I presented them with my decades-old student ID, and the person at the ticket window said that all students now have to go through the application.  I have no idea if it would work for me, and besides, the game was about to start, so I just paid for a ticket, albeit the student price of five bucks.  I don't remember what I paid for my hot dog and souvenir-sized Coke.  Add a program (which was a buck) and I am guessing at how much I spent at the game: $19.50.
• After the game/loss I had time to go to St. Paul and finally go to Mickey's Diner for the year.  Best to do it on this date: I could take in an afternoon snack in the afternoon, go to downtown St. Paul on Sunday when meters are free, and I'm going when there's nothing going on.  I mean, there ain't no Wild playoff game, heh-heh!  I was going to eat big at home in a few hours, so I just got a Potatoes O'Brian and a chocolate shake.  With tip: $12.50
• Friday, April 19 ... had this urge to get my hair cut.  Paid full price at Great Clips, even though it seems obscenely expensive to do so.  With tip: $19.
• That evening, after dinner, I went to McKinney Roe, this swank new bar in downtown Minneapolis, which was hosting the MNUFC watch party.  Great room and great atmosphere, even though the eventual come-from-ahead loss was ultimately a downer.  All Summits were on sale, so I got a Summer Ale for the less-than-90 minutes I was there.  With tip: $7.
• Went to Glam Doll afterwards.  Got a free donut this time around!  One paid donut, pour-over, tip, and a dollar for the free donut equals: $9.29.
• Tuesday the 16th I was in Dallas, where I spent much of my time with my friend with who I was staying with (well, she and her husband).  We went out to the Rangers game (they beat Anaheim).  I am fanatical for not paying for parking, but she insisted that we park as close as possible because she didn't want to walk.  In any relationship you compromise, so I paid for parking and she paid for food.  And I paid -- oof: $20.
• And then my friend found a couple stray dollar bills in her hand and gave them to me.  She didn't have to -- she was saying for food -- but she insisted.  I love her.  An Infusion of: $2.
• On Monday, April 15 (aka Tax Day) I left the hotel I stayed at for the day.  It was a run-down big hotel that had its days.  I wouldn't say it was a grand hotel, just big.  It was one of those that had balconies on the inside of the building, not the outside.  I find such a set-up fascinating, and if the people staying there were businesspeople and not those who are struggling financially, I would really like staying there.  Nevertheless I had a great room which I regret not staying in for more than a day.  Well, the toilet didn't flush.  I would press down the lever and the water in the bowl would just gurgle.  Oh, and my room was a weird mish-mash of old and new features.  The bathroom (toilet excepted) looks incredibly modern, but the walls in the bedroom are made of stucco.  Oh, and the TV is new school ... but after the evening I couldn't get the volume to work.  Anyway, morning housekeeper tip: $1.
• I've been to the Big D three times, and I have been to the institution called Sonny Bryan's every single time, including on this day.  Was treated nicer this time.  One of several instances I got sweet tea, which seemed natural to buy in this part of the country.  With tip the meal was: $10.63.
• Had an afternoon free, so I went to arguably The Greatest Soccer Pub In The U.S., the Londoner.  I underestimated the length of time I needed to drive from close to downtown Dallas to a suburb north, and so I was late for the game, which I hate, but hey, I had never been up there before, so I have to give myself some slack.  Smells like a soccer pub, which means a lot to me and may not make a lot of sense to you.  Per a recommendation on a Thrillist article on Dallas soccer pubs, I got a craft beer called the Blood and Honey from Revolution Brewery.  Really good.  In fact, I was impressed by all the craft beers I got while down there.  With tip: $6.
• Sunday, April 14 is the first day of my vacation to Dallas, whereby I was going to succeed in my twin goals of 1) seeing my friend and 2) seeing a Rangers game at Globe Life Park before they close it down at the end of the year.  (I needed to go in April instead of later in the year because I would lose all my Southwest Airlines funds if I didn't go before the 20th.  Have I blogged about this before?)  Tip for the rental shuttle: $1.
• My arrival time to Dallas was several hours before my departure time from Dallas.  If I had reserved a rental car for my entire stay in Big D, I would have had to pay for an extra day to cover those several hours.  I was not going to do that, so I gave myself a choice: Either stick around Dallas Love after arriving and maybe have a big lunch before getting the car, or return the car and get to the airport early and may have a big lunch then.  I decided to spend most of my time during my vacation watching baseball.  I wanted to take in a college baseball game, and I thought it would be at, of all places, Texas-Arlington hosting TCU.  But with my friend being free only on that night, and me deciding that we would spend that night at the Rangers game, that would mean that if I wanted to take in a college baseball match, it would have to be different.  Well, I had only one other option: TCU again, this time hosting, of all teams, Seton Hall.  Decided I would get the rental early -- touch down and get going.  (My friend had time Wednesday afternoon, so after I brought my car back in time, we had time to eat barbecue and sit alone together.)  The stadium at Fort Worth is faded, but it is a bona fide small baseball stadium.  Too bad the team lost to the Pirates, 7-3.  (Only saw after I got back home that TCU is actually a Top 25 team.  Didn't see it that day.)  The Horned Frogs also apparently started selling beer this year, what with the signs indicating that beer was available.  It was weird, though, to see a young girl, obviously too young to drink beer herself, pouring me a Deep Ellum IPA -- and twice, since her hand slipped off the first can she needed to pour into a generic purple (the main color for Texas Christian University sports) plastic cup and dunked the whole can in it.  Sunday was Dollar Dog Day, so that's what I ate.  With ticket: $23.
• Even though I didn't have the money, I had to go to a strip club, and so I went to "The" strip club in town, Baby Dolls.  Babes everywhere, and one babe, a domestic one, uh, made me cum.  Cover, tips, a Shiner Bock (a well-known Texas beer) and that lapper: $152.75.
• Saturday the 13th ... MNUFC's first-ever game at beautiful Allianz Field.  I wanted to record the opening kick, and goddammit, I forgot to press the button on my phone.  I charged my food on my credit card, but I tipped one of those drummer-buskers on my out of the match: $1.
• Oh, I parked at Rosedale and rode the A Line from there and back.  Because I wanted to make sure I wasn't fumbling around with my wallet if the bus taking me there was there, I charged the ticket on the way to the stadium.  But I used cash on my way back to the mall: $2.
• Tuesday, April 9: This was the day where I finished up my taxes.  I went to the library in order to make the copies of them: $1.50.
• On Monday the 8th, amongst other things, I went to get my shoes shined at Lisa's.  With tip: $15.
• Back to Sunday the 7th, where I spent the morning inbetween my stint working the Final Four at Diamonds to concentrate on my taxes.  I should drink tea more often, and I decided this was the day to do so.  Besides, I was drinking coffee like a fiend each and every day working the FF, about four cups a day.  With tip: $3.75.
• I then went to the Egypt's Sunken Treasures (or something like that) exhibit at the Minneapolis Institute Of Art.  Bought the ticket beforehand online and I charged the audio tour.  I threw in a donation on my way out, specifically: $3.
• Then went to the library.  When I was working on my taxes at Diamonds, I believed I needed to print out more forms.  That's what I did, and I printed out a letter for Mother, I think.  Total: 30 cents.
• Went to My Favorite Stripclub (Non-Cover Version) at night, I think.  With the price of coffee going up again there, I decided fuck it, I'll just get a beer like everyone else.  It's not as if I'm walking into that bar again come the New Year.  With a tip for the Budweiser, stage tips and possibly the first-ever lap dance I got from the big-titted veteran Julie U., I spent: $34.
• Wednesday, April 3 -- went to the library in the middle of my stint at the Final Four.  Went to the library after work, and I was so tired and flustered while working on my taxes that I forgot my fucking change.  Still mad at myself about it.  Printouts of tax forms and the change I "donated" to the library: $1.