I Think I'm Starting To Get The Hang Of Helping Out My Parents

Father this morning asked me to help them book a hotel in Venice.  Normally I would have freaked out on them, but I really had nowhere to go this morning, so I wanted to help.  It was a struggle at times trying to understand what they want and coaxing the right information from them so I could help them.  But after 90 minutes (and a mistake over sending a receipt to a correct e-mail address), I think I helped them get what they wanted.

My parents are getting better about understanding how much help they can lean on me for.  They thought it was OK to just leave things like they were, even though they also need my help booking a hotel in Barcelona, but there's time to do that.

On my way out to do things I want to do, Mother asks me for help booking a tour of Barcelona, where they'll be staying for a few days.  "Tonight, can you give us ..." and Mother said, "Two hours of your time?"  And I kind of freaked out -- "TWO HOURS?!?!?!"  I gave them almost two hours this morning, and they want another two?!  And then Mother backed off and I calmed down.  Helping them look for a tour shouldn't last two hours, and regardless, I have time to help them tonight.

Baby steps.

Oops, I Did It Again!

I fell asleep some time in the evening and woke up overnight.  This time I conked off at around 9, just after I went to gas up and grab an Orange Vanilla Coke, then returned home to see Colombia lose to Chile on stupid Penalty Kicks in the Copa America Quarterfinal, which I saw streaming.  Woke up some time before 4 in the morning, and try as I might (that's why I'm doing my daily blog post right now), I really only went back to sleep briefly before I had to get up to go to work.

Like the last time, I went downtown Minneapolis to watch the USWNT kick ass.  Had alcohol to go with it, too.  And somehow I fell asleep well before my bedtime, like last time.  I sense a pattern.

Anyway, I am typing this at the library just before I head off to the United match.  Second consecutive day I get to leave work early.  And I am done working for the week.  I am FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Very Bad Day For The #Resistance

Not gonna lie, y'all -- for the correct-minded people in America, for those who truly care about this country and what it is supposed to stand for, for you folks who have an actual soul, we suffered a really bad 1-2 punch yesterday.  First, the activist Republican Supreme Court legalized gerrymandering, which means the Republicans who have rigged states to harness the power they currently have basically can consolidate it forever.  And second, moderate Democratic cucks caved into a Republican border security plan that allows the Trump Administration to use the money appropriated by the House of Representatives any way they want without guaranteeing the safety of children being caged up by the white supremacists that make up ICE and Border Patrol.

Forces are coming down upon us, and they won two key battles Thursday, one with the help of people supposedly on our side.  I don't know how we recover from this bad day, to be honest.

Expenses Without Receipts

Starting from Wednesday, June 26:

• I have receipts for things I bought from then back to Sunday, June 23, where, after my club shindig, I decompressed by going to My Favorite Stripclub (Non-Cover Division) for the first time in a long time.  Coors Light tall boy, tips and a dance from Cicily came out to: $33.
• On Saturday the 22nd I went to Glam Doll.  I got to stay a little bit before they closed early.  I really am beginning to think they're cutting down on the number of donuts they make.  The good news is is that I didn't have to pay for the donut and pour-over I bought.  The bad news is I felt I had to give a tip anyway and I planned on charging everything that day.  Whatevs; I got free food and drink!  Total for tips: $2.
• Back to Tuesday the 18th, which was the day the CONCACAF Gold Cup came to Allianz Field for its doubleheader: Panama (and their hot fans) vs. Trinidad and Tobago followed by the U.S. versus Guyana.  I really got tired for the second half of the DH.  Didn't help that the seat I was in (not my season ticketholder seat; this was at a corner of the lower level) was in the sun for most of the First Half of the first game.  Tricky to see the net when everybody in front of you is standing up.  Maybe the raked rows in the upper deck are not so bad after all.  This was the USMNT, so it was a sell out, so I had to scramble to get a cup of elote and a Loon Juice to consume.  Total: $18.50.
• Monday, June 17 -- went everywhere!  Got up early to go to the dentist at the U., so that involved a round-trip on the LRT.  Actually jumped the light rail after the dentist on my way downtown because my stay in the chair went really long.  Total: $4.50.
• I went to downtown to get my shoes shined by Lisa.  With tip: $15.
• After I slept on the light-rail, I went to the library to air my shitty service on a few surveys for Dunkin' Donuts and McDonalds.  Printed out a DD coupon for a free donut, I think.  That cost me: 10 cents.
• Sunday the 16th: Went to La Dona Cerveceria, a Mexican craft brewery just west of downtown.  Went to see USWNT there play Chile with a friend/fellow alum.  Wish I had time to try out the food because there was a party going on there that day.  But I felt as though I needed to leave after the match was over.  The beer was good, and even though it was only 10 ounces (like with Sociable; see below), I got good value for the beer.  With tip: $5.
• That evening I went out to Caffetto.  The only thing I bought was a blue cream soda from this craft pop place called Dad's.  With tip: $3.
• At Caffetto I found a penny, head's-up.  An Infusion of: 1 cent.
• To Wednesday the 12th, where I went to a U.S. Open Cup match where United routed Sporting Kansas City.  I also bought a ticket at a spot different from my usual STH seat: Other side, lower level, in the shade.  Good thing, too; I wanted to buy a seat different from where my usual spot is because I wanted to see how a match looks from different viewpoints around the stadium.  Moreover, when I got there, not only was the second deck baking in the setting sun, no one was sitting up there.  Imagine if I did just choose my usual seat!  Photos would be taken of me and I'd be all over social media as That Weirdo Who Sat By Himself At A Half-Empty Soccer Game.  On the downside, although it was great to be only three rows away from the pitch (I got to slap a high-five with Vito Mannone after the win), the flat angle makes it hard to see plays develop from the other side, and I was at a corner so I couldn't see action on the other side of the pitch well.  The search for the best seat in the house continues.  I am in the middle of a quest to try all the recommended dishes in Allianz Field.  This time around I got a pork sandwich, which was pretty good, although a bit lukewarm.  With a Mich Golden Light and a tip for beer, it all came to: $26.
• Back to Saturday, June 8 ... Saturday night was one of those summer days where I just had to go out in the evening and ... go out.  I planned on doing that anyway, but I felt as though I was going to just laze around for a couple hours before going.  But then, after taking a short nap, I saw myself just lying dead in my bed and hot room with nothing but a baseball game to potentially watch.  And I'm like, "I gotta get up and fuckin' do something."  And I walked a lot and ate a lot -- a special Salvation Army donut at Rosedale, Milkjam and, finally, Glam Doll, where the dude gave me both of my donuts free.  All I paid for was the pour-over coffee and tipping for everything, which came out to just: $6.59.
• Friday the 7th: After work I had to hit the library.  One great thing about working early is that I have some time -- not a lot, but some -- in the afternoon to do things.  Libraries around here close at 5, so I don't have a lot of time, but I had enough to print out a form from work and another for my alumni club.  Total: 20 cents.
• I am afraid I already did, and already noted it, but in case I haven't, I got four shiny new quarters and I am putting them in storage: $1.
• Sliding back to Monday, June 3, where I went to Caffetto on my day off.  Apple pie, small hot chocolate, tip: $7.38.
• This was the day I went to **y's place for an HJ.  She did say that she was up for it, and even though we would be doing this on her lunch break (ugh), I wanted to do it just to see how good she was.  She was good; I was not.  I finally had to do it myself, although my first ejaculation seemed to have caught her on her chin, tee-hee!  I don't know if I'd do it again over her lunch break, however, and I don't know if what she provides (no BJ) is worth the price of: $140.
• After that tryst I went to Cost Cutters to get a haircut.  Surprisingly, it cost more (with same tip amount) to get a cut there than at Great Clips: $21.50.
• To Sunday, June 2 ... started off at Diamonds, and since this was a Sunday, I eschewed coffee for a mixed berry smoothie.  Good, but not worth the price.  With tip: $7.95.
• Went to the United match.  There are food trucks parked outside before every game, and instead of getting something inside, I tried a food truck called Fare Well Food Truck, which apparently offers, uh, environmentally-friendly food.  I got fried, which were good.  But the main thing was that I finally recognized why I was given such a crooked total.  I thought I got screwed over when I bought tacos from the Los Ocampo truck.  Turns out I was given a different number than what was written on Fare Well's board.  That's because the city of St. Paul charges a city tax on food sold from trucks.  Minneapolis does not.  Since I have always bought food truck food on the main side of the river, I was not used to a food truck tax.  OK, I wasn't getting screwed over by Los Ocampo after all.  With tip: $8.55.
• And I washed the fries down with a Furious -- which I got inside.  Total only: $12.
• Oh, and I used the A-Line to get to and from Allianz Field.  Total round trip: $4.
• On Saturday the 1st I went to the Minnsky Theater to catch an act by the Experteasers, a burlesque-ish show that features a stripper from My Favorite Stripclub (Non-Cover Version).  For someone who seems so much in her element while taking off her clothes, I found her, tbh, to be somewhat timid in her act (which did not, btw, involve taking off her clothes).  She's still hot, though, and I tipped the troupe: $2.
• Afterward I walked over to Sociable Cider Werks.  I swear I had no idea I could walk to this place from Central Ave.  It is part of a nexus of craft breweries in the area, but to me it was just a little out of the way.  No to worry; just walk around the side of the building where the Minnsky is housed, walk through the alley (so maybe it's not a great idea) and boom, you are at the huge parking lot for Sociable.  Got a Burn Out, a very spicy cider.  At 10 ounces, I think I got good value for it.  With tip: $5.
• Since the night was still relatively young and I didn't feel like going home, I went to Dinkytown to get a slice of pizza and a Coke from Mesa.  What I thought was lamb was actually eggplant, so I bought me a veggie pizza, ish.  Rounded up for tip: $5.
• Back on Friday, May 31 I picked up this special delivery.  On Facebook I saw some guy advertise selling Krispy Kreme donuts.  It would be perfect for me because I could take them to work as a treat the next day.  I ordered two dozen.  The rendezvous point was my local Target.  It was just a dude in a beat-up coupe.  Online he said he was doing this to raise money for college, for which he was entering this fall.  Interesting way to make a buck.  I've seen him do two more runs, although because the deliveries are being made on Saturdays I didn't buy because I don't work Sundays.  But it looks like this is working for him.  Good on that enterprising young man.  Total for the 24 donuts: $34.
• After that I stowed the donuts in my car overnight and went to a stripper party.  It was the one in my hometown, not too far away from me, and one that I haven't been to in a long time.  Still a clean party.  You see, there were four hot chicks, and I danced with three of them.  Two of them were friends and insisted I got dances by both simultaneously -- and downstairs, where lapdances were $30, not $20.  Well, the trade-off is I got complete privacy because no one else was there, so you know what that means -- time to whip it out!  And I did ... and both *****y and *****y just stopped what they were doing and noticed that my cock was out of my pants.  OK, strike one and strike two.  Strike three came when the third babe, ****e*, wanted to do her LDs upstairs for $20.  Couldn't lure her downstairs where I would try my out-comes-snakey routine again.  But she was hot, and she recently became a bodybuilder, and I was able to touch her hard body, and so I got a pair of dances from her.  With cover: $120.
• We go back to Tuesday, May 28, whose day I had off from work as my Memorial Day holiday.  Went to Moler, at its new place, for a shave.  Yes, these guys are students, but the person who shaved me was very evergreen, and so I got cut a few times and I think he missed a few steps.  (Didn't put a towel over my face, for example.)  Still tipped the usual 80% anyway.  I am such a pushover: $9.
• Was able to go downtown to get my shoes shined by Lisa.  With tip: $15.
• Then walked over to the Bogart's kiosk for a doughnut.  With tip: $3.
• Then I went to the library to work on getting Mother's miles reimbursed.  Had to print out the itineraries she forwarded to me so I could scan them, convert them into PDFs, then send those PDFs to Delta, like the customer service reps wanted.  Man, that took a long time to figure out.  Total: 60 cents.
• Finally, that evening I went to Caffetto.  It was a hot day, so I got a lemon and raspberry San Pellegrino Momenti.  With tip: $3.

Phew!  Good through June 26.

No Sex After All

Well, apparently the fuck session I had scheduled for last night fell through.  ****e, the girl who gave me a mind-blowing blowjob about six weeks ago, said she had family over last night.  Figures; I remember her blowing me off when we scheduled a rimjob a couple years ago.  She said she needed the money, but it didn't occur to her to make time so we could mess around at our appointed time.  I think the difference is is that six weeks ago, she was determined to make money through sex.  This time around (as well as a couple years ago), I was the one who initiated our tryst -- and she had something come up.  I sense a pattern.

I told her to let me know when she's free.  Yeah, I won't be holding my breath.

The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey

#-1: Lynx (Last Week: -2).  Only one game this screening week, one coming after almost a week-long break.  And it looks like it did the Jynx a bunch of good, as they broke their losing streak at four with a 93-82 victory over New York at Target Center.  I still have no idea if they've figured anything out when it comes to rotations and roles, but they have time, it's a 12-team league, and only four teams don't make it to the postseason.

Right now they are kicking ass over an Indiana Fever team who had an adventure getting home.  Their contest before this was a four-point loss at Seattle.  They were supposed to fly home (commercial, not charter; the WNBA is too poor to get its players to charter planes) through Atlanta.  But there were fuck-ups with the plane in Seattle, and once they got to Atlanta, the Fever missed its connection and could not get 18 tickets together.  So they bussed it to Indy ... except the bus broke down.  Fever Forward Natalie Achonwa documented her team's ordeal on Twitter.  They finally got home 22 hours after they started their sojourn, and they got home 23 hours before tonight's game vs. the Lynx.  So yes, they have a built-in excuse to lose at home to Minnesota.

Team plays in Dallas versus the Wings Sunday.

#-2: Twins (Last Week: -1).  Another middling week -- 3-3, featuring a four-game split in Kansas City and (if you include Monday) a series loss at home to Boston.  A regression to the mean has been accompanied by a growing rash of injuries.  The Dodgers now have the best record in baseball.  But at least they still have the best record in the American League, thanks largely to a seven-game skid suffered recently by the Houston Astros.  (Meanwhile, the New York Yankees have supplanted the 'Stros by virtue of a nine-of-ten winning streak; they are now only a half-Game behind the Twinks.)

They have just started the first game of a three-game series vs. the Tampa Bay Rays at home.  This represents their homestand; Minnesota goes to the White Sox for a trio over the weekend.

#-3 (tie): Timberwolves and Wild (Re-Entry!).  I have no idea how to gauge both teams' drafts.  For the Wolves, I have heard that their pick, Jarrett Culver out of Texas Tech (who played in town for college basketball's title game in April), has great potential.  But I also heard that the Wolves were trying to get Deandre Hunter, a Point Guard, and there was another PG, Coby White, who was sitting there at #6, where the Wolves traded with Phoenix in order to move up.  But the Two Elves bypassed White, who was drafted with the next pick by Chicago.  Jeff Teague is on his way out, so of course the club could use a Point.  But did they get one?  No.  And now I've heard the squad is gunning for D'Angelo Russell.  Are they gonna get him?  Who the hell knows?

I no very little, if anything, about NHL prospects.  And despite some quick reading-up, Forward Matthew Boldy was not a name I saw getting picked.  I have no idea this person existed on this temporal plane, so I have no bleepin' clue if this is a good get for the Mild.  Me, I would have gone for Spencer Knight, the most-touted Goaltender I have heard of in many a moon.  He was sitting there, at #12, but Minnesota selected Boldy instead.  And like Coby White, he was picked with the selection right after, by Florida.

But hey, Minnesota signed Defenseman Brad Hunt to a two-year deal!

So I fell asleep a little before 8 (and a little before So You Think You Can Dance), and I woke up just before 3.  Seven hours of sleep.  Probably what I get after 1) worrying about an event that happened yesterday; 2) waking up very early because your body told you to; 3) having drinks for both lunch and a bit snack; and 4) eating 5 1/2 slices of pizza.

But now I'm up and I'm afraid I won't be able to go back to bed before I have to wake up for work.  Despite having seven hours, I'm up too early, and if I don't get back to bed, I'll be too tired to stay up for work, lunch nap included.

---

Hmmm ... meanwhile I'm letting the afterglow of the party melt away.  Too busy -- well, too busy watching soccer and eating and sleeping.  There are so many other things I want to do -- the WMNSS, the EWR. ...

Oh, and I need to fuck this woman who needs money.  I'll do that tonight, after dinner and the library.  Do my parents know whenever I wear my porno pants?

Still coming down from the event yesterday.  It went well.  Splendidly, even.  But I saw ... well, heard something that I really didn't want to hear, and something that was unfortunate to witness and overhear during the event.  Saw/heard it and chills went up my spine.  Reminds me of my family, and my childhood, and my adulthood.

Think I have to leave it at that.

Conflict Day #1

So today is the big day of the event, and as usual, I don't feel like I'm prepared.  I need to make a big speech, but I know that, like it usually happens, I'll fumble through my words, make no sense, and leave the people I'm trying to impress with the feeling of, "That guy's the president?!"

And this is after I agreed to go into work for a few hours before the party.  I'm regretting that decision more and more.  I'll be sweating, I'll be tired, I might smell like piss, something might happen whereby I'll be delayed getting out of work, and instead of really concentrating on putting myself together, I'll be distracted by ... work.  I should've just stayed home and lolled around my bed all afternoon.  That would have been time better spent.

Then again, I bought a ticket for Sunday's final round of the LPGA ... no, excuse me, the Women's PGA Championship at Hazeltine.  I bought the ticket before the hosts decided they wanted to host the party today.  I wish it hadn't shaken out like that, but this event is way more important than golf, and if they wanted to host it on this day, that's when we'll host it.

(Aside: Everything is happening this weekend, isn't it?  There's the Women's PGA, there's Pride, there's the State Fair Vintage Car Show, Hugh Jackman was at the X, and it seems like many cities have festivals featuring food trucks.  I would have been able to find something to do this weekend if I didn't have the event.)

I have tried pawning off my ticket, but no one seems to want it.  I tried selling it, but on Monday, when I went downtown and saw the scalper company, they refused to buy because there is a glut of tickets still available.  So I am eating the ticket.  I would be angrier about it if I hadn't forgotten how much I paid for it.

I wonder if there will still be tickets available for the PGA's 3M Open, happening at the TPC Twin Cities a couple weeks from now.  That is an inaugural event, and far away from a major as you can get.  But are tickets available for that event?  If not, then you have another stark instance of sexism in sports that is as plain as the eye can see.

Whatever.  I am tired, and I have to figure out what I'm going to wear, and yet I'm on the Internet figuring out which big and fancy restaurant I'm going to eat at after the event to reward myself for not pooping my pants.  So wish me luck.

House Insurance? Not This Week!

Mother dropped another favor to ask of me, and this one is, well, a mother.  She wants my help deciphering a questionnaire from an agent regarding home insurance for my sister.  Home insurance?  What the fuck do I know about home insurance?!  My parents are the ones who know about home insurance, and yet they need my help?

This seems pretty damn important to her, but after looking over the questions I still don't fucking understand it.  Worst of all, I can't deal with this shit right now.  Next weekend I can deal with this.  Last weekend I could've dealt with this.  But fuck no, not this weekend.  I have an event I have to plan for!  I have to work today -- and tomorrow before the event!  And now she expects me to give her the answers to something I've never ever done before?!?!  That's bullshit!!!  And I know she'll fucking melt down on me over this.  Goddamn her. ...