Expenses Without Receipt

Starting from Monday, September 26:

• Actually, let's go back to Friday, September 23, where, after deciding not to go to the Twins Game, I instead unwound after a difficult day at work with dinner at the Leaning Tower Of Pizza.  I always only had slices of pizza there, but that is only on their late-night menu, and I was there smack-dab in the middle of dinnertime, so I had a proper meal of a hoagie.  With beer and tip: $25.
• I then went to Bebe Zito for ice cream ... just because.  Creme brulee with flan is very, very filling.  With tip: $7.24.
• Go back to Wednesday the 14th, where I went to Caffetto on a weeknight because I felt like I needed a spot to work and home wasn't going to cut it.  Tea, chocolate cake, tip: $9.
• And then we hurtle back to Tuesday the 6th ... started off The First Day Of Fall stopping by Caribou before heading into work.  Whatever I got, with a free upgrade, minus the discount for the correct answer, plus the tip, equals: $6.79.
• And then after work I went to Moler to get a shave.  The female student who shaved me (not well, but she was learning) was kind of a worrywart, I think, and a motormouth.  I mean, I'm glad she cared, but there was a lot of stuff that she missed.  And yet I gave her my usual $5 tip, meaning I paid a total of: $14.
• I was handed from some place of business (I think) two fresh, crisp, consecutively-numbered $5 bills.  I had been meaning to use them both in the same place, but at the end, I couldn't split up twins, so I stored them, meaning I took out of my wallet: $10.
• Labor Day: Went to the State Fair.  I had the following: The lobster roll from Scenic 61 (really good, but $20 is a lot for something the size of a hot dog, and not even a brat); the non-alcoholic Pina Colada from Manny's Tortas (can they serve it with rum?); the tofu and The Drink from Union Hmong Kitchen (tofu is edible if you spice the hell out of it, and the "Tiger Bite" sauce was all bark and no bite, but I mean that as a good thing, savory without being hot); a tall Hard Pink Pineapple Cider from Wild State (as good as a few people said it was); a short Ron Gant Was Out from Surly (a typical hoppy craft beer, but I like the name); the Grain Belt Light Blu slushie (with tip; I now understand why it's become a fast Fair staple); and, finally, a cotton candy float from one of the small kiosks that dot the shadow of The Grandstand (good and indulgent, and I am surprised that a new and ambitious food shows up at one of these really old and traditional small kiosks that dot the shadow of The Grandstand).  I hope I did my math right ... total: $82.
• Sunday the 4th ... went to the State Fair ... got the following: A tot dog (don't quite get it; it tastes like a corn dog; it may have a little hash brown texture to it, though; no matter, it tasted real good); Grain Belt Blu (with tip; I wanted the slushie, but this sweet sour still hit the spot on a hot late afternoon); Farmer's Union pork schnitzel sandwich (a very good and yet substantial food item; people said that if ate this, you might be wiped out for eating the rest of your trip to the Fair, and they were largely right); and the chicken and The Drink from Union Hmong Kitchen (I think I may like the chicken more than the sausage, and the scallion sauce I got was perfect).  All told I spent: $53.50.
• To Friday, September 2, the day before my alma mater's first football Game of the season.  I was scrambling like hell when I realized that the place we were going to go to watch the Game no longer has the network that is broadcasting the Game, so I had to find a new place.  But first, I had to go back to my old stomping grounds to make sure everybody there knew we were not going to see our Game over there because we can't.  And in dropping in, I needed to keep up relations and buy something.  Whatever I ate and drank (don't remember) plus tip: $9.
• Then I went to Billy's On Grand in St. Paul.  This place had the network we needed, but the last time we saw a Game there was at least three and may have been five Years ago, so like with this place we were going to go to in downtown Minneapolis, there was a chance that they switched satellite services after I left.  Well, I don't know if they switched satellite services, but that place has definitely changed.  I had to pay a cover of ten bucks.  I also had to get patted down by one of the three security guards stationed there.  And then, instead of a sports bar setting when I went there, there was a DJ and a bunch of, let's just say, people who weren't interested in watching sports.  I don't know what the fuck happened to this place, but even with all the TVs I saw, this was no longer the sports bar this once was.  No, this place transformed into something uglier.  So nope, not there either, and I instead decided to cancel (even though it turns out I went to the apartment of a fellow member of the ex-club; I went to his place once a few Years ago to watch our alma mater on the same obscure network).  All I got at Billy's (or Zombie Billy's) was a can of Pepsi, and I tipped on top of that.  Total: $13.
• Finally, we go back to Saturday, August 27, when I went to the State Fair for the first of my three trips for 2022 after the United FC Match.  While waiting out the storm I got a Naughty Shirley, and after the storm blew through I was able to snag a Minneblueberry pie with cinnamon ice cream.  The Minneapple Pie stand may be the most underrated kiosk in the Minnesota State Fair; all their offerings should be considered classics.  I mean that!  All that plus the tip for the Naughty Shirley (which was good, although you can just describe it as an alcoholic Shirley Temple) came out to: $21.50

Good through September 26.

Just want to note that because I filled in for work Thursday and Friday, my start time then was 8 a.m.  And then I came in on Saturday, and that shift usually begins at ... 8 a.m.  And then it just so happens that yesterday/Sunday morning, my call time for the Vikings Game was ... 8 a.m.

And guess what?  Today for work I have to be in at ... 7 a.m.  It's my regular start time, and I'm not filling in for anybody else.  Sorry to mislead y'all.

And So Ends A 60-Hour Workweek (With An Aside About Paid Time Off)

A combination of staying a bit beyond my shift (something I usually do, and something now permitted nowadays since we're so short-staffed), offering overtime for stuff we're behind on, and filling in for people both last Sunday and yesterday/Saturday, I just worked each of the past seven days at my main job.  And boy, am I tired.

I do want to help out; I don't feel like "quiet quitting," at least not yet.  But a bigger motivation, of course, is financial.  Overtime is at time-and-a-half, which is awesome.  But for last week, knowing that I had the opportunity to fill in not one but two days, I decided to friggin' go for it and work at least 60 hours for the week, because after that point, I get double overtime pay.  Well, I guess I should have researched all of this before last Sunday, because it doesn't appear as though the state mandates double OT (and federal regulations explicitly state there are rules for, uh, "single" OT but conspicuously say nothing about double OT), so maybe I don't get double pay after 60.  But I went past 60 anyway!  Working in excess of 11 hours on Wednesday, when I came in early and left a couple hours after my shift was over, helped me blow past it.  Seriously, I should be up to 63-4 hours for the week.  So if the company provides double OT, I'm in the money!  And if not ... well, I know better now, and I can say that I had the intestinal fortitude to work that much in my old age ... so, yay me?

---

I think I haven't blog posted about this on WAF.  I didn't know till, uh, fairly recently that paid time off does not count toward overtime pay.  I thought I had a big opportunity to rack up the hours one week even with a holiday, and so I worked like a dog.  But because I worked a total of less than 40 hours of, uh, "actual" work, it was just straight time.  I looked at my pay statement once and thought my pay was a bit low, so I dug deeper and that's when I found out about this, well, dumb rule.  This is a disincentive to work; if the only way to get OT in a week where you have a day off is by, essentially, working a day, why not just enjoy the day off?  Maybe that was the intention when this policy was made all those years ago.  Maybe labor pushed for it.  Don't know.

At any rate, with a few months left before the year is over, I can start to compute how much paid time off I have left.  And even with a big holiday coming up around Christmastime, I still have so much that I currently am above a threshold of 40 hours I can carry into next year.  Once 2023 gets here, any paid time off above 40 is lost to me.  So, I am going to be taking an occasional day off here and there till the end of the year.  That includes Tuesday, where I hope to see that hot Hooters waitress, maybe convince my stripper girlfriend to touch or suck my dick, and then see Blonde at the Lagoon to see what gives that movie an NC-17 rating.  Hey, if you have to take a day off, might as well enjoy it, right?

The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey

#-1: Gopher football (Last Week: -2).  The Dinkytown gridiron men take the top spot this screening Week by virtue of their 49-7 septupling of Colorado at Huntington on Saturday.  They complete a home-and-home series with that Game, and Minnesota outscored the Buffaloes by a combined score of 79-7.  Only a Touchdown six Minutes into the Fourth Quarter prevented Colorado from getting shut out for the whole series.

That's a great thing, and goes a long way toward giving these guys the WMNSS perch.  However, the result may also be evidence that the University of Colorado has The Worst Football Program In The BcS.  Also, while the U. is 3-0, and that's a lot better than 0-3, one of the Wins came against a second-division school and the third came versus New Mexico St., a program you can say should be a second-division one.  So, you can say that they still haven't proven anything yet.  If that's the case, playing at Michigan St. this/Saturday afternoon might be the test this club finally needs to prove that they are more than paper tigers.  We shall see.

#-2: Gopher soccer (Last Week: -4).  Routed Indiana at Robbie Stadium Thursday, 3-0, the last two Goals being scored 85 Seconds apart.  That's great, especially since this was the only Match this club played this Week.  But this is not the traditional power of the Indiana men's soccer program; the Hoosiers after the Game had a record of 2-6-1 (that's two Wins, six Draws and one Loss).  The Gophers, meanwhile, still aren't good at 5-1-4.  This XI still has a lot of work to get into tournament shape, and they'll have a chance to do that this Week because they finish a three-Match homestand with Games vs. ninth-ranked Northwestern Sunday afternoon and Michigan Thursday.

#-3: Vikings (Last Week: -1).  OK, so they're not going undefeated this season.  In fact, the euphoria expressed by The Purple Faithful after Week 1's dominating Win over the Pack was matched in its intensity by contempt and despair after getting humiliated Monday night in Philadelphia.  We are an impetuous, impressionable people, aren't we?  You shouldn't get too high after Wins, and you shouldn't get too low after Losses ... wait a second, what the fuck am I talking about -- of course you should get too low after Losses!  This is fucking devastating!  The season's already over!  Kirk Cousins is washed!  Kevin O'Connell is no better than Mike Zimmer!

OK, I'm joking.  A little bit.  Maybe.  Maybe not.  Whatever, it's a Head Coach's first Year, you always give him a mulligan.

This Week's home matchup versus the Detroit Lions is no gimme.  Seriously.

#-4: Gopher volleyball (Last Week: -6).  There's something very wrong with this team.  They beat Washington St. in four Sets Saturday, but then go to West Lafayette and get swept by 11th-ranked Purdue last/Friday night, 18-23-30.  There is continued dissension in chatboards over Hugh McCutcheon not putting different players in the rotation, or even giving gassed players a breather here and there.  Do something, they say, because shit isn't working right now, and they're going to slip down from sixth to eighth, where they are now, to something worse in the AVCA Top 25.  Please note that this squad is 5-4, and they have Matches against Wisconsin Sunday night and Northwestern Wednesday coming up this Week.  Those start a three-Game homestand, and maybe that'll help, but right now, who the fuck knows?

#-5: United FC (Last Week: -3).  These Loons are fucking wheezing to the finish line.  With a slew of injuries and talisman Emmanuel Reynoso sitting out for too many yellows, they went Saturday to Sporting KC, a team that is all but officially eliminated from the playoff race and got boatraced, 4-1.  As has happened too many goddamn times, the Backline cracked after one Goal and then allowed a couple more in quick succession.  In this case, Michael Boxall gave SKC the lead in the 31st Minute, and then MNUFC coughed up two tallies four Minutes apart, the second of which came in the 45th.  My fucking God.

This team, which was once third in the West, is now in sixth place, two Points above eighth.  And still they have a decent chance of making the goddamn postseason at least because the two teams left to play are slumming with Sporting in the bottom of the West, the first of which is the final road Game of the Year at San Jose on the 1st.  They should get Bebelo back for that one, so maybe all will be right with the world, but right now, who the fuck knows?

But hey, at least they're not the ...

#-6: Twins (Last Week: -5).  Holy fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.  A 1-6 screening Week, which overlapped a 1-8 road trip.  The Guardians beat 'em won four-of-five in Cleveland, all but putting their playoff hopes out of reach.  And then they go to Kansas City and get fuckin' swept by the Royals.

Goddamn this whole organization.  Things looked so good early on, but then everything went to shit -- the Lineup got hurt, the Rotation couldn't hold up, and the Bullpen, including the relievers they brought in at the Trade Deadline, crapped out on them.  And this is new -- Byron Buxton is having surgery!  And he's going to miss the rest of the Year!!!

The reaction from the local fan base has gone from anger to apathy.  This team started to slide shortly after the Trade Deadline, and by the time this club put together a string of bad play, it was Vikings season, and like the 100th grounder you've seen this season, the locals go through their routine of shrugging their shoulders, whispering to each other, "Hey, it's the Twinks," and putting on their Vikings jerseys.  And closer to the New Year, after it's clear the Vikings aren't fucking going anywhere either, we'll either put on our Wild or, nowadays, our Timberwolves Jerseys.  For every time there is a season.

Ten Games out of first place in the A. L. Central.  And four Games under .500.  Why do we give a shit?

They play the Angels (and by the way, I made the right decision not going to last/Friday night's Game, even with Shohei Ohtani pitching; I'll watch a baseball Game outdoors if it's cloudy, cold, windy and dry, but cloudy, cold, windy and raining, even at a drizzle?  Fuck and no) through the weekend, then host the White Sox, then go to Detroit starting Friday.

Fucked-Up Fridays

Need to note that today/Friday, last Friday, and the Friday before last either were or will be fucked-up.  It has rained or will rain those three Fridays, and that's bad, but they've been fucked-up not just because of the rain.

Well, Friday the 9th was mostly fucked-up because of the rain.  I wanted to get to the volleyball Matches as soon as I could leave work, but I stayed in my car for, oh, an extra 20 minutes because of the steady rain (and because I couldn't bring my umbrella to the Sports Pavilion).  I'm glad I was able to see the whole Minnesota-Oregon Match after the Penn St.-Stanford Match, but I wish I could have seen more of the Nittany Lion-Cardinal Match than I did ... but for the rain.

Now, last Friday, the 16th, was kind of fucked-up because of the rain.  But I was mostly late to the volleyball Match between Pepperdine and Washington St. (which the Waves won in five Sets after being down 2-1 to the Cougars), even though I was going to miss its start regardless due to work, because I lost my fucking watch.  I was preparing to leave, was going to put my watch back on after I take it off the start my workday ... and I couldn't find the damn thing.  I went to my car twice, intending to leave and feeling as though my watch couldn't have walked away from my workstation, only to come back inside the building to canvas not just my workspace again but also everywhere else I was that day -- my main desk, the bathroom, the break rooms, etc.  I took an extra ... oh, between 15 and 30 minutes before I gave up and went to the Match.  I think -- I think -- I saw barely more than half the Match, and barely more than half the Points of a great contest.  Obviously I would have seen more than half easy if I didn't go back and fruitlessly look for my watch.

Still, I couldn't let go, so after the Match (and stopping by the place we usually see our alma mater's football Games) I went back to work to take one final look-see through my workstation and, voila, I found it.  It was behind one of the monitors.  I put it on its stand, then over the course of the day I guess I piled my paperwork on top of it, and then used it to push my watch to the back.  I crawled underneath the desk to look for it, for God's sake, but it was kind of disguised in darkness just behind that monitor.  If I had only looked back there in the first place, I could've saved myself 15-30 minutes, dammit.

I think I encountered some drizzle on my way to Maturi.  But it looks as though the rain will be steadier today.  And that absolutely sucks, because I want to go to the Twins Game.  Not to see the Twinks; they've fallen into the shitter the second half of the season.  No, I want to see their opponent for the tilt, the Anaheim Angels.  As bad (shockingly so) as the team is as a whole, they have arguably the two best players in Major League Baseball: Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani.  In particular, I've always wanted to see Ohtani pitch.  And it just so happens that Ohtani is scheduled to start for the Angels tonight.  And I'll be goddamned, there is a just-better-than 50/50 chance it'll rain at Opening Pitch of 7:10.

So it could rain so bad that the start of the Game will be delayed, or, it'll be delayed at some point after Opening Pitch, or, the Game will be rained out.  And even if the Game goes on, it'll be cloudy, cool, and quite windy -- not perfect baseball weather, in other words.  Is it worth all that to see Ohtani pitch?  It would ... were it not looking like a good possibility that it'll rain.  Fuckin A, man, I might not be able to see Ohtani pitch ever again after tonight, but this goddamn rain. ...

I kind of snapped at someone.  Not a co-worker, but some guy I have to deal with through e-mail.  Oh, and it was this fucker.

He was being a whiny bitch again, and with all the bullshit I had to go through this afternoon, I took exception to his words in his stupid goddamn e-mail and I had it.  Now, I didn't tell him to fuck off, but I'm pretty sure my tone of voice with him could not be mistaken.  And good.  Because I'm done with dealing with this asshole.  Seriously, I'm done.

So a stripper girlfriend of mine is having a party this week and I, thinking with my small head, asked if she would have the time to come through my place and give me a couple dances.  And I want it to be "dances" but I'm not sure because she's never, you know, done that.  She can swing by, though, so I'm wondering if I can take this to the next step or, if I come out fully nude or something, will she slap me in the face and turn right around.

See, that's the, well, expectation I now have of any stripper girlfriend who comes by the house.  They "know" what I'm after.  But maybe I shouldn't expect that.  Or, maybe she knows the deal and she's totally cool with it.  Or, maybe I should do my old routine whereby I wear my porno pants and it, you know, just slips out.

I'm having a fantasy before I have to go to work.

Addendum To: I Think I Accomplished A Lot Tonight

Make it two in a row for productive me!  I wanted to make homemade simple syrup and grenadine for the cocktails I will soon enjoy once I have the time.  After work, presumably while talking to my psychotherapist, was the perfect time.  I procrastinated because it felt like doing both was going to take so long.  I really thought I was going to do one and then the other another day.  But while I was waiting for my shrink to call me (he finally did 45 minutes after I thought we were going to talk), I was able to finish both.  They're chilling on the stove right now; I figure that tonight/Wednesday night, after I get back from checking out this place in St. Paul where my fellow alumni might watch Saturday night's Game, I'll add some vodka, pour them into containers, then put them in the fridge.

---

Tangent: Overtime was offered, again, after work yesterday/Tuesday.  I could use the money right now.  On top of that, I could have set a brand new high for most hours worked at my company for a week.  I am working all seven days this week, and with a couple of those days being in The Fourth Department, I could make a run at 60 hours, which, if I'm right, would mean that double overtime would kick in.  I'd like to get money at double OT, ngl.

Unfortunately, on Monday my therapist's assistant finally got back to me (I texted her last week) about a time to set up a tele-session with my therapist, and so I promised after work yesterday/Tuesday with him and so I had to leave without picking up OT.  That damages my chances of reaching 60, but I am trying to do my best by waking up early today and coming in early because OT has been offered for the morning.  Don't know if I can max out at the usual two extra hours per day, which would help in reaching 60.  Heck, I don't even know if I can get up before my usual time because, shoot, if I want to get up early, I should be in bed already.

I Think I Accomplished A Lot Tonight

Even though I was on three hours of sleep and was noticeably grouchy and quiet at work today (I became that when I got the impression my co-worker, the one who has bailed me out many, many times, was perturbed at me for not doing one thing when I should have done another thing before I left to go to a different spot during the day and left her with some work regarding that one thing I should have done instead of the thing I did do), I have a reason, or an excuse/justification.  I was up Sunday evening, in what you would call a quasi-mental breakdown, going all over the house for two reasons: Trying to find a way to replace the broken blinds, and finding this form to get reimbursed for my dental checkup from June.  I went to this room to find a yardstick so I could measure the window frame, and I checked and rechecked my bookbag, which I laid close to the front door, for these reimbursement forms.  I did this so much that I went to bed to get less than three hours of sleep.

All this running around -- which, upon further reflection, may have been a manic episode -- nonetheless made me determined to fix both problems: To change the broken blinds and to fill out and fax this form to get my money back.  And even though I was running on fumes (even though my lunch nap did wonders for me), I was going to do both last/Monday night.

And I did.  On my way home I bought a tension rod, which a dear co-worker of mine suggested I use to hang up the curtains she gave to me (her child didn't want them as she went to college), from Target.  I took a deep, well-needed nap for about 90 minutes or so, then got on my two-step ladder to figure out how to open the brackets and take out the headrail and thus the whole thing.  I thought I needed a screwdriver to unscrew something; turns out I needed it just to pop open the brackets that snap shut, then I used it to pry open the, uh, valence clip (aside: It's the weirdest thing that, when something breaks and you try to go on the Internet to see how to fix it yourself, you are introduced to a world of terminology you need to nail down in order to figure out how the hell to fix it) that held up the middle of the headrail.  But once I did both things, the broken blinds slid out.  The first tension rod was not long enough -- I should have paid closer attention to the length of the rod that was stamped on the label -- so I had to run to Target, wait for ten minutes behind some Asian dude returning at least, and I shit you not, three grand worth of Apple products, then buy a long tension rod.  But I got back home, found a curtain wide and long enough, and put it back in the bracket.  We'll see how much sunlight it lets in compared to the venetian blind, but I won't have to worry about the strings on the blinds completely snapping and falling while I'm either in the nude or masturbating, or both.

Oh, and after I got home I filled out the form and then went out to fax it.  The local Cub used to have a fax service where each page was only a buck, but they don't do that anymore, so I had to go to a FedEx where I did it for a bit over two bucks, which I swear is a hell of a lot cheaper than the last time I went there to fax something.  My main concern over this is filling it out correctly.  I remember having to talk to someone for about 15 minutes, having her tell me what I do in this section and then in this section.  I have a form I needed to fill out from 2019, and I used that to guide me for this one.  I hope what I did then was correct.  Hell, I hope the fax number didn't change.

So, assuming that the fax went through and the curtain is going to do what it's supposed to do, the two problems I stayed up for Sunday night I was actually able to fix.  I'm proud of myself.  And I think I should reward my self with rest ... even though it's only going to be four hours.

Hottest Babe In The Hooters Calendar: August 2022

Since that month was mostly spent in my drawer, I have had to linger on this month for a while now to take all ten babes in even though I hung it up in September after my parents left.  It's time to make a judgement, and it's based on a sentiment I have heard is misogynistic: I like women who smile.  Now I get that that statement might sound creepy, but I say that it's only from creeps and groomers who spit out that yang in some craven way to get tail.  Smiling is a gesture of kindness and grace in society.  You approach someone with a smile, you are more likely to get what you want because you are saying that you are a nice person who appreciates what that person can do for you.  There is a rightful currency in public for smiling, and I don't think I should be canceled because I think this way.

As it applies to Hooters waitresses showing skin, I have gone back and forth between five of the ten who stand out for August '22.  I keep looking at the month and re-evaluating, but eventually I believe that, at least for this month, I prefer the ones who are smiling.

So, in ascending order:

In fifth place is Sierra of Ft. Myers, Fla.  Blonde with a periwinkle two-piece bikini, she is smiling and reclining, but sorry, her arm in front of her is a big distraction.  This would be an awesome picture if that arm weren't there.  (Now, I wouldn't know where Sierra should put that arm instead without falling over, but, well, that's how I feel.)

In fourth place is Baylee, hailing from Brandon, Fla.  Another blonde with long hair; green-blue two-piece, and she's clutching the sides of her bikini bottom.  But she's not smiling.  No, she's not frowning either, she's just got neutral expression.  And that's OK, but she's on this list mostly because of her stunning body.

In third place is Alyssa, out of Brunswick, Geo.  Long blond hair; two-piece bikini; and like with Baylee, Alyssa is clutching the sides of her bottom, alluding to her pussy.  She's shown with her body directly facing the camera, which is a very good thing.  The problem: She's not smiling, and for her and this photograph, it's a drawback.

In second place is Brianna, of Joliet, Ill.  Long brown hair, very light blue (maybe eggshell?) two-piece.  And yeah, she's smiling, and very broadly, and that makes her sexy in a very cute way.  The only downside to her photo: She has her arms crossed in front of her.  I think she's got a great bod, and I wish I could only see it.

Finally, in first place is Lexi, out of Davenport, Iowa.  The fourth out of the five with long blonde hair, and the third out of the five wearing a perwinkle/very light blue/eggshell two-piece bikini.  She's a little small up top, but that's no crime.  I love that she has her arms holding her head.  But her smile, though not as wide as that of Brianna (it may be more of a smirk, albeit a sexy one) makes that entire shot.

So, congratulations to Lexi, and to all the others who I have pointed out.  I will masturbate to you -- when I have time, which I hope to have before the end of September, because I don't want a backlog of Hooters months to jerk off to.