nissan sales event commercial

 i have been seeing a TV commercial for nissan cars quite a bit lately. it is a 'sales event ad', and the blonde lady driving the car is going through an obstacle course. she asks 'is this boring?' and at the end it shows a billboard saying 'up to $1000 holiday bonus cash'. the version of the ad found online is longer than the one seen on TV. i think this explains why we see the ad sandwiching another ad, so the one on TV must be 15 seconds long. i had to research who the actress is in the commercial, it appears to be brie larson. i don't know who that is, but there was mention of her being in a movie called 'captain marvel'. looking at her acting credits i saw 'trainwreck', the amy schumer vehicle, i have seen that one. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when penny gets addicted to online gaming. it was followed by when penny and zac help the friends win a justice league costume contest at the comic book shop that stuart owns.

and there were some other things that happened. i went on a walk late in the evening and found 69 cents. a new years eve show was advertised on facebook and i got the zoom link from the yemen native. bathtub, and button, were also part of the lineup. it was a virtual show, as many things are during the pandemic. bathtub served as the MC. on the news there was a story of a horse that lived a long life, named 'rambo' after a popular movie from the year it was born. the horse liked to drink mountain dew. and on a radio station i am able to get from new prague, i heard what must have been a buck owens song when i was getting home from work. i wrote down some key lyrics and i think it was 'love's gonna live here'. my first answer when searching was 'open up your heart' but based on the lyrics i recall, 'someday my life will shine a light on me', the first result didn't seem to fit when listening to it on youtube. much like on christmas eve, it was a fairly low volume day at work. i didn't mind it being a slow one compared to most other days there. when i made it to walgreen at lunchtime i got a box of christmas cards as i was nearly out after sending off three more today to friends and family. as the saying goes, 'wise shoppers stretch dollars', and the box of cards was half-off. 

faucet inspection

 there was somebody from facilities onsite today to inspect the fire extinguisher in the check shop. i spoke of how it was odd to discover a faucet in an adjacent file room. it led to him inspecting the faucet as well, and eventually somebody was sent to deal with the leak that apparently was happening. i said it was 'above my pay grade' so the best thing to do was to notify someone like i did. i don't have access to that room but i can still hear and see things happening there. i was called by my boss early in the day about one of the check printers being down, it sounds like the tech is recommending replacement of the unit. another call i got was from our tax specialist. i called and left a message about a check to be picked up from the lockbox, and when he called back he spoke of how a family car was totaled. but how the check i called about needed to go out soon so no problem for him to call for the courier. otherwise it was a fairly ho-hum day. i had hoped to get farther on finishing the response to holiday cards but got only one sent, it was inter-office to who sent the candies. i had to take care of the refund checks, high volume, in the morning hour that is usually the slowest time of the day for me. in the evening i went on a walk and found 26 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard and lesley dated, but broke up over scientific differences. it was followed by the one where penny hires bernadette and amy to do her history paper after claiming she didn't want help when leonard wrote it for her. i tried watching reruns of 'the conners' in primetime but i laid down and fell asleep. it was 2 hours worth, and i had probably seen all of them. jimmy kimmel was on when i woke up, so it was after the late local news. i watched a little of the show but not that close, and the walk was after it had ended.  

snowmobile booklet, hunting map

 i went to the minnesota DMV- its official name is 'driver and vehicle services'- as it was a day off and i wanted a lien released on my car title. it meant waiting outside for a little while, as they only allowed 5 patrons inside at a time. when i was done with why i was there i decided to look at a display in the corner. it had a booklet about snowmobile regulations, and a map about hunting in the state. i tried not to take too long looking at them as i knew the next person in line would like to go inside. it was the first time i had been to this facility, in inver grove heights, same town i had bought my car in. one page gives a list of ways to be a safe and responsible rider, and one of these was taking a safety training course. there are some ads, including one about visiting the iron range, must be a good place for snowmobiling. another is for an event called 'hay days', held in north branch in september. the map, it is what it says it is. one section is about chronic wasting disease management and surveillance areas. there was an A and W restaurant nearby, but like most food establishments during this pandemic it was drive-up service only. so i went to a walgreen where i could see the photo guy i know and got lunch there. this included the 'burger in a box' as well as a small bag of lay's BBQ chips. also got a tin can of pineapple juice, hadn't seen one in a while. after having lunch at home i decided to re-copy some notes onto another page, and eventually i wanted to get going again on mundane errand running. the snow was just starting to fall at that time. so i went to a place near the capitol and dropped off recycle, then it was to the post office and there was one e-bay order to pick up. these last two things i am aware i could have done on the weekend, but i had the time today so i was fine with doing them early. i was pleased with what got done on this last day off for this calendar year. in the evening i went on a walk and found 5 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when penny lied about graduating from college, and leonard got it out of sheldon when he was drugged. it was followed by when howard returned from space and ended up alone at a diner and got some free food. 

payroll temps

 it is hard to keep up with the personnel changing in the payroll department, many of them appear to have been temps. i just got introduced to another one this afternoon when printed paystubs were dropped off in order to be mailed out. the lady called where i work a 'print shop', close enough. it was a fairly low volume on check printing all around for the day. i was unsure of what to expect when it is the first day back after a holiday. odd how i was asked to find tracking numbers for three checks and i knew i had shared it earlier with two of them. no request was found to overnight the third. but i think this is due to working with a vacation replacement for about two weeks, until the start of next week. on the way home from work i stopped at a UPS retail location in my neighborhood and picked up the second item in the hawk shop order. it was the bowl game button, of course the game was just canceled over the weekend. so this will be a unique souvenir. i still wanted it because i had paid for it. i did a virtual open-mic this evening, it included a poet from colorado. this is in addition to a guitar player we've had from gloucester for a few weeks now. notable was the stories about the dancing santa, and being at the laundromat. after the mic was done i went on a walk and found 51 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when sheldon got an assistant, and amy said to penny 'that skank is your problem, not mine'. 

i can see clearly now

 i was about to put a DVD in this morning and a CBS morning news show was doing a year-end event. it included those we had lost this year, one of them being johnny nash, who sang 'i can see clearly now'. so i went to find the song on youtube. i am more partial to 'ooh child' by 5 stairsteps, but both are good songs. in terms of them being uplifting and positive. the song was a number one hit in 1972. the video i found was from 'the midnight show'. when i was out and about i paused when i heard a song off in the distance by a dumpster, i think. it was 'leather and lace' by stevie nicks and don henley. i am thankful i got going early on laundry, as i was able to finish it around midday. it meant i caught most of a pro football game on TV i had wanted to see, bears were playing the jaguars in jacksonville. bears won and control their destiny on making the playoffs. right after breakfast was eaten i put in the DVD i was planning to watch, it was the charlie brown christmas specials. there was the original from 1965, and a second one that was done in 1992. after the bears game was rams-seahawks. i laid down and fell asleep for a while. so i didn't see muvh of this second game. i had dinner and cleared out emails, eventually watching 'big bang theory' reruns as 'the simpsons' wasn't on fox tonight. then i called my dad and this time it went through. during the call he had the news on and there was something about the music city bowl in nashville being canceled as there are covid issues for missouri, iowa's opponent in the bowl game. these are crazy times we live in. i had already ordered a bowl game button from the hawk shop and hopefully it will still arrive. late in the evening i went on a walk and picked up 41 cents. 

boxing at shrine auditorium

 i liked watching some boxing matches on fox tonight, held at the shrine auditorium in los angeles. i am thankful i was paying attention to the brief segment about the history of the venue, as they covered some of the music shows that happened there over the years, including the grateful dead. it spurred me to look up the venue further on wikipedia. it is called 'shrine' because of the fraternal organization known as 'the shriners'. many award shows have been held there over the years, and two versions of the movie 'star is born' have been filmed there (including the 2018 version). and i liked reading how this venue is on the national register of historic places. as for the boxing tonight, all four matches shown ended in knockouts. one of them was in the first round, as a fighter was knocked down three times. another match ended between rounds. the fourth match of the night, the main event, was won by a fighter from the twin cities. he was wearing trunks that said 'armory' on them, referring to the minneapolis armory, now a boxing venue. i saw some matches at the minneapolis armory 2 years ago. 

this was an errand running day, and i was pleased with how much i got done. it started with going to pick up packages, although just one of the two i was expecting was at a UPS retail location. two e-bay orders were at the post office. then the other places on my list were food-related. i found plenty of discounted christmas candy at a walgreen, as well as at hy-vee. so i am good on snack items for a while, probably a month. as i now have two boxes of little debbie snack cakes, 21 pieces of candy (mostly russell stover) and one little box of keebler cookies that included a storybook. the candy find at hy-vee was unexpected, but it became part of my weekly order. i went to cub foods twice, first to get a winter carnival button. i returned after finding out hy-vee was out of egg nog. i like it so i got two quarts at cub, along with a snoopy popcorn tin. before i got started on the errand running, waiting for places to open, i had breakfast and then watched a christmas special on DVD, 'the grinch', and its companion 'horton hears a who'. although the latter wasn't a christmas story. when i got home it was time for lunch, so i had the steak and egg burrito from the holiday gas station that i had bought the previous day. i watched some of the first responder bowl, a college football bowl game. it was Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Texas-San Antonio, from Dallas, and the Ragin' Cajuns from Louisiana won. in the early evening i went to aldi for my weekly order, and later on i went on a walk and found 1 cent. i am aware it might be harder to see coins to pick up when there is snow on the ground. 

words on bathroom walls movie

 i watched a DVD movie this morning, a redbox rental, 'words on bathroom walls'. it is about a teenager who suffers from schizophrenia. he is good at cooking and wants to go to culinary school. while at catholic school, he meets maya and they begin a relationship. this movie struck a chord with me. i think it was due to how he understands the need to try to ignore his demons and stay focused. also with just wanting to feel normal. of course it helps that there is a reference to the 'it's not your fault' scene in 'good will hunting', my favorite movie. and i like how it looks like he is talking to the camera in many scenes, but actually it is to his psychiatrist. comparing the disorder to cancer was a good observation, as well as him saying 'being ambiguous doesn't make you profound'. i didn't recognize any of the actors in it at first, but i was thinking the priest that he confesses to is familiar. and i was right, as the closing credits said it was andy garcia, who i also recall being in 'jennifer 8'. there were times when i clapped as he said things i had often wanted to say, or had said before, such as his dislike for his stepfather. there was a notable name-checking of another teen movie in it, 'never been kissed', a movie i have seen. much of the music for the movie was by the chainsmokers, and i have heard of them. also liked how i knew 'canard rouge' is french for 'red duck'. i am also the type that pays attention to the special features, as there was previews for other movies before the feature began. except i was bummed that neither is currently at redbox. it was 'peanut butter falcon', bruce dern is in it and a pink song, 'walk me home', was in the trailer. the other was 'forever my girl', about a country singer, and it appears one of his concerts is at the superdome in new orleans. it would still be nice to see them someday, somehow. 

i did my best to stay busy on this day off for christmas. when i returned the movie to the gas station i also got a paper and lunch for saturday. i made it home in time to watch a church service on fox-9, it had been advertised a lot lately. it was from the our lady of grace catholic church in edina. if the pandemic is still happening by easter sunday then i guess i can take in easter services on TV. in the afternoon i went on a walk and found 50 cents. i also saw a car stuck in the snow, but i saw people there helping out the driver. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when raj's dad visits, notable as normally he is just seen in skype calls. sheldon and amy get each other christmas presents they really like. i hadn't seen this one before but it was a good one. the other was about sheldon going to texas to help with the delivery of his sister's baby. then the friends back home talk about what their life would have been like without sheldon, of course this is like the movie 'it's a wonderful life'. from time to time i was watching 'yule log' on channel 45, a companion channel to ABC-5. but i didn't want to watch it all day as after a while i was hearing some of the same songs again. in the evening i listened to the iowa-minnesota basketball game on the radio, iowa lost 102-95 in overtime. and it was nice to hear from the yemen native from facebook, much like at thanksgiving, as few other comic friends have checked in with me. already have a list of things to do for saturday, seven things in all. 

metaphorical winter wheat

 when i was clearing off my car after work i decided to leave the snow on top, as it serves to protect it from the wind. kind of like winter wheat. i once had a car where i had a bald paint spot due to parking it outside all the time. i parked offsite after getting it stuck trying to enter the lot after the snowstorm. i lucked out on somebody passing by and offering to help. at first i tried to shovel it out, but to no avail. so i knew i had to go inside and get some work done. the car was stuck there for a few hours but i was out by midday. i still did a full workday, not a big deal to me. the branch closed at 2pm, and i think some others left early as well. some business lines did not send any checks, others sent a smaller volume. so it served as a day to get caught up on some things. such as finding a canadian check and sending it to the shredder. or asking about the ability to send refund checks to the branch. i still made it to walgreen at lunchtime for a snack. it reminded me to get there in a few days to see what discounted holiday candy is available. i saw some charlie brown sugar cookie tins there, two different styles on the front. the walk was shortened due to the cold and snow but i still found 20 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the friends decided to have a surprise birthday party for leonard, it led to howard going to the hospital due to his peanut allergy. it was followed by the one where penny gets drunk with bev, leonard's mom. in the evening i went to the holiday gas station and got a redbox DVD movie, i will watch it in the morning. the store was closed early due to the holiday, but the machine was outside of course. i saw some people show up and look disappointed that the store was closed. 

cbs holiday music

 when I got home i turned on the TV right away and dolly parton had just started her christmas music special. it ran for an hour, and she told stories between songs. some of those she performed include 'coat of many colors' and 'i saw mama kissing santa claus'. the last one was 'have a holly jolly christmas' which made sense as the show was titled 'a holly dolly christmas'. it was followed by another music special, hosted by garth brooks and tricia yearwood. the couple did requests. i was pleased that one of the songs performed was 'shallow', from the 2018 version of the movie 'star is born'. another song performed was 'feliz navidad'. it was a nice way to transition from a long day at work, and a longer than typical drive home due to the snowstorm. hard to say if the can of summit beer also helped with taking the edge off. i am pleased that my car didn't get stuck at all, although on the way i saw some that were. as the saying goes, it doesn't matter how slow you are going as long as you do not stop'. at times it meant going just 20-25 mph, but i didn't mind. i will also recall it well due to seeing a UPS truck stuck in the parking lot when i was leaving at the end of the day. they didn't ask me to help them out, and i was busy clearing the snow off of my car and hoped i wouldn't get stuck either. i put it in reverse to get out of the lot, figured it increased the odds that i would make it. there was a technician that arrived just before midday to put in the maintenance kit on the check printer, and even then the machine was jamming a lot. not long after the tech left, it jammed and i couldn't clear it. so it meant printing the remaining checks on the alternate printer and calling for service. and i was behind on things so it meant those checks had to wait on being run through the envelope stuffer, nearly two thousand. as logn as they are done the next morning, then everything is fine. it was confusing to see emails from UPS about the hawk shop order. i ordered two items, figured it would be one tracking number but there are two. one is already at the retail location in my neighborhood and the other is one the way. if they are closing early on christmas eve then it means waiting until saturday to pick it up. not a big deal, i have a week to pick them up. and that it the same day i go to the post office to pick up orders there as well. 

just a window pane

 i was out walking tonight and wondered what kind of artwork i saw next to a dumpster. when i got closer to it i noticed it was just a window pane. i still got a picture of it though. of course it reminds me of how eminem speaks of a window pane in one of his songs. during this walk i picked up 24 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when penny gave sheldon a leonard nimoy napkin. it was followed by the one with a christmas edition of dungeons and dragons, where sheldon wakes up from a nightmare as santa appears. for dinner i drank the first of the three beers i bought this week, the can of labatt. it tasted fine, and i have known for a while i like the lighter-colored beers and this one is a pilsener. i also decided to watch plenty of labatt commercials on youtube. one was of a race of shopping carts. some others had somebody dressed in a bear costume. i looked it up online and it confirmed what i knew about canadian breweries. the best known, and largest, ones are labatt and molson. others mentioned include moosehead, and steam whistle. the latter means something to me as i have a steam whistle bottle opener from my visit to toronto in 2015. the brewery is in a railroad roundhouse, and off in the distance one can see the blue jays stadium. at work i was asked about missing payments, from two u.s. treasury checks. i had to defer to my boss, who forwarded the attachment to those who could better research it. i liked being able to get caught up on some things in the morning, between big check printings. this included getting a toner cartridge shipped out of state for recycling. when i got home i saw a UPS tracking number for the hawk shop order placed on sunday. so i can look forward to going to a retail location in my neighborhood soon to pick it up. 

coats for flowers

 i went to cub foods in eagan tonight and decided to get a picture of a sign next to a poinsettia display. it said a good rule of thumb is if you are wearing a coat, then the flowers should be too. i didn't buy any flowers, as i was there to get christmas dinner. two more turkey dinners, as well as dessert. i wanted pie but none of the offerings appealed to me. so i got some decorated cupcakes, and a box of little debbie brownies. before the grocery store visit, i went to the liquor store. i bought three cans of beer for the holiday. i chose two out of the discount cart, a summit and a labatt, and the third was a hamm's. it gave me another idea of a time to have beer when the bars are closed and i am not going there for performing: the super bowl. at work it was a long day, as my free time in the morning was gobbled up by finding the rest of the duplicate checks from friday. i did, and at the end of the day all were sent by inter-office mail. then in the afternoon was over 2,000 checks from the foundation. and one business line that normally sends them around midday sent theirs more than 2 hours late. so i only had enough time to send out half of them, so the other half will have to be done the next day. you do what you can with the time given. it was nice to see what was in the mail this morning. one inter-office envelope was addressed to me, which is not typical. there was a christmas card in it as well as a gift card for subway sandwiches. it was from a business line that i have sent out plenty of checks by UPS overnight delivery. there was also a little box with small candies in it. in the evening, after doing a virtual open-mic, i went on a walk and found 3 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when howard was in space and was fielding calls from his mom, and his wife. raj was part of sheldon and amy's date as well. at the open-mic, the MC said it sounded weird that i was calling it 'the bank job'. never really had thought about it that much before it was pointed out. also at work, i finally saw the iron mountain rep, who handles the shred bin. based on what we discussed, i must have been at lunch when he tried to visit the check shop before. but this time he arrived before i went to lunch.  

facebook live spiritual service

 sometimes i accept facebook event invites, today there was such an event. it was a facebook live spiritual service, hosted by the fancy comic. no surprise how it was just under a full hour, as the bears-vikings game was slated to start at 12noon. there was just two other performers besides the host, i didn't know who they were. one was a guitar player. i noted how i grew up in presbyterian churches and we'd say 'debts' instead of 'trespasses' in the lord's prayer. as for the football game, the bears beat the vikings 33-27. i followed the game on the radio. before the service, i watched another DVD for the holiday season, it was 'rudolph'. it included watching some of the special features, such as a version of the song done by destiny's child, and then one by regis philbin. both appear to have been in 'claymation' form like the main feature itself. in the afternoon i went on a walk and found 46 cents. i was checking for bowl game information throughout the day to see what the matchups would be, and it looks like 4 more bowls were canceled. iowa is slated to play in the music city bowl in nashville, against missouri. i already made my annual order from the hawk shop, 2 items. except this year it was socks in place of a bowl game shirt, still ordered a bowl game button. i already have plenty of shirts and i needed the socks more, and the socks will get used more. of course it means having the order diverted to a UPS retail location once a tracking number is given. i called my college roommate in the evening, he said he might invite me over when he gets a new place. i also tried to call my dad later on but the call wouldn't go through, tried 3 times. 

fatman movie

 this afternoon i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, 'fatman'. i recognized mel gibson in it. this was a santa claus story, although by no means a 'feel-good' story. it is about santa having to take on a military contract when his business has declined. i have seen better movies than this one. a big part of the storyline is a rich kid used to getting his way hiring an assassin to kill santa. the ending kind of saved the movie for me, although it reminded me a little too much of 'frosty the snowman'. watching this movie was moved back as i wanted to watch some other things first, on TV. first there was an iowa hawkeye basketball game on CBS, against gonzaga, at a neutral site-sioux falls, south dakota. iowa lost 99-88. then there was the big ten championship (football), ohio state beat northwestern 22-10. for the latter i switched over once the former was done, and the second half had just started. ohio state was trailing, 10-6, at the time. before the basketball game started, i checked my post office box and nothing was there, but i had picked up two items two days earlier. no e-bay orders yet, but this time of year i am told to expect delays. then it was to the holiday gas station and i got lunch that was heated up later, string cheese, corn dog, hash brown. in the evening i went to the aldi grocery store for my weekly order and had dinner after getting back. after i had finished dinner i watched one of my four christmas specials on DVD, 'frosty the snowman'. i think it had been a while since i had watched it, as i didn't recall it had a 'bonus episode', 'frosty returns'. later on i went on a walk and picked up 52 cents. i also made a list of upcoming events, or errands to run. after seeing some more college football today, it got me thinking about the bowl game schedule. some schools have opted out of a bowl game this season, and some bowl games are canceled due to the pandemic. one article said 12 bowl games have been canceled. the most notable of those is the sun bowl in el paso, as it began play in the 1930s. two others- including the rose bowl- have had a change of venue. articles found online are projecting iowa to go to the citrus or outback bowls. the bowl game matchups will likely be announced this weekend. 

michigan-iowa game canceled

 i get the paper, as i normally do on fridays, and found out the michigan-iowa football game had been canceled. it appears it was canceled on an earlier date though, on tuesday. the indiana-purdue game was also canceled that day, so the contest for the old oaken bucket trophy will not take place. friday's paper said the michigan state-maryland game was canceled as well, as of thursday. so it leaves just four games taking place in the big ten this week. according to the standings, just three schools had played eight games. besides iowa, so had penn state and rutgers. so most of the big ten, all but now two of the fourteen schools, had at least one game canceled due to the pandemic. of course this has been a crazy season. there was mention of this when a schedule was released for a third time, in september. there was the original schedule with 12 games, including non-conference games. then there was one revealed in early august with ten games, conference-only, which was scrapped a week later. i hadn't seen any of iowa's games on local TV this season, but i did listen to the game against minnesota on the radio. hard to say what games i might watch on TV this weekend. and it remains to be seen what kind of bowl game schedule will happen as well. 

    i went to hy-vee in eagan for my weekly visit for groceries in the evening. i also went on a walk, albeit a shorter one due to light rain, and found 6 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the quiz bowl happened, sheldon tried to beat his friends on his own. it was followed by the one where howard goes into space, and the story of his wedding to bernadette is told in flashback. how it was moved up, and was going to take place at the courthouse, but it was done on a rooftop instead. and amy was still taking it seriously on being a maid of honor. at work there a request to pull just over a hundred checks out of a file of more than two thousand. it would have been really helpful had i been notified of it much earlier, such as when the file was ready to print. most of the checks had been printed and run through the envelope stuffer by then. i found the time to pull out about 40 of them, including one that was slated to go to italy, so it still leaves about 70 to find. some still went out, as i was confident based on the list being put in number order that those going out had no duplicates in them. the rest will need to go out on monday of course. 

bang!, AJR

 while i was out errand-running on a day off, i heard a catchy song on my car radio. it was 'bang!' by AJR. the video takes place in a gambling casino, surrounding a craps table. the outfits of the band does not change, but they constantly do on the other people surrounding the table. at one point these other people are naked. it was memorable because the lyrics often include 'here we go', kind of nice to have a spoken part in a song. it is called 'bang' because the line in the song is 'go out with a bang'. i went on a walk in the evening and found 4 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon got a new, younger rival, albeit briefly, a refugee from north korea. it was followed by howard finding out his space mission was moved up. so he wondered what to do about the wedding to bernadette as it creates a scheduling conflict. i am pleased with much of the things i got done today, just didn't get to all of it. but it wasn't do to lack of trying. the one thing left was going to the DMV. tried going to the one in st. paul on university avenue, but the line was too long. it was out the door and i didn't feel like waiting outside in the cold. guess it means trying one in the suburbs on my next day off, which is over a week from now. i still dropped off recycling, and got to the post office. i sent two cards to family, as well as a form to the test scoring company to let them know i am unavailable. and i made it to walgreen, a larger order than typical. there was nine items bought, not just getting lunch but also bar soap and laundry soap. it was nice to see the photo guy i know, who only works weekdays now so i will only see him if i go on a day off like this one. i also liked listening to a lecture on zoom, another one from the american historical association. this one was about epidemics and plagues, relevant as there is a pandemic at this time. it reminded me of how smallpox was a plague, but it was a while ago so sometimes now is largely forgotten. not as recent as the flu epidemic of 1918 or the polio epidemics of the mid-20th century, all of which were covered in this lecture. this is one good way to be using my membership, one of just two that i kept when i needed to cut back after i was laid off in 2017. not much in the mail, at the post office or at home, and i like it that way. 

last man standing sitcom

 tonight i watched a rerun of the sitcom 'last man standing' because 'the conners' was not on ABC. i liked what was said in the episode, after the mom had to defend working at an energy company because it does the unpopular process known as 'fracking'. how sometimes one must compromise in life, especially when the mom had few options for work. if not at an energy company, then be an instructor, and she found out how much she doesn't like other people's kids. i had watched it a few times before, a good show. and i had seen tim allen's earlier sitcom, known as 'home improvement'. at work, as expected, i stayed a little late to see that things were caught up before being out of the office the next day. it meant notifying my cohort about what was to be done. one was an envelope to be put out as courier pickup, it is tax checks. the other was a check to be picked up in person, but not by the listed recipient. i went on a walk in the evening and found 18 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the friends decided to hang out at a 'planet of the apes' marathon as sheldon was sick. it was followed by the one depicting howard's bachelor party. i liked this one because bernadette said 'you're not going anywhere, three-way' to raj. on the way to work i heard a song on the radio where nicki minaj sang about edible panties. i recall first hearing her on the radio 10 years ago and i said 'she is good', it was a song where one of her lines was about the babies in haiti. it was also nice to hear from my 'work spouse', asking about our former boss. i was told he is likely using a different I.M. platform. found out both of us are staying home a lot right now, no surprise there. 

chanel number 5 commercial

 i have enjoyed the chanel number 5 commercial that has been on TV every so often lately. french actress marion cotillard is in it, and part of the song 'team' by lorde is in it. i still know it as the theme song i chose for my chicago-land visit in 2014. sometimes i enjoy commercials of products i don't buy for stores i rarely visit, as it is for the macy's department store. at work i had to notify one business line that i wasn't sending out their checks as the file hadn't been approved to print. so it will have to roll over to the next day. it was a notable day in terms of replacing things. not only the toner cartridge for the check printer, but also the fluid bottle for the envelope stuffer. for the latter i knew the bottle was nearly empty so i switched it out at the end of the day. in the evening i went on a walk and found 13 cents. so i have enough for a bag of chips i sometimes get out of the vending machine at work- the fritos chili cheese kind. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon and leonard told a lie to cover up a lie, and it led to sheldon having a cousin leopold and going to his intervention. it was followed by the one where sheldon works for howard as he wants to meet stephen hawking. in the mail i got something from the test scoring company i worked 3 seasons at. i will have to tell them i am unavailable, since the bank job i am doing is going fine. 

sorry not sorry, demi lovato

 when i was performing at the virtual open-mic tonight, i did a story about hearing 'sorry' a lot at walgreen. the MC said there was a song by demi lovato, 'sorry not sorry'. so i found the video on youtube. it takes place at a house party, and some parts are subtitled, and apparently jamie foxx is there. it ends with mention of how the police might shut down the party. articles i found about the song said it is directed at demi's haters. i know 'sorry not sorry' was part of a TV commercial for reese's peanut butter as well. although it likely has a different meaning in the commercial. at work there was one box that was put out at the end of the day, too big to go into the mail tubs. so it was put on top of one of the mail tubs. the volume is staying high with the tax checks that get sent out by courier pickup. in the evening after the open-mic i went on a walk and picked up 1 dollar 17 cents. so i nearly have enough for chips out of the vending machine again. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon and leonard fight at the end of the lecture, and howard films it and puts it online. the video is to the tune of 'three blind mice'. it was followed by the one where bernadette said 'metrosexual, my ass' about raj. it was after giving raj a little dog. 

free table claimed

 when i was out for a walk this afternoon i saw a snow-covered table. there was a 'free' sign on it. i did not claim it because i was trying to think of where i had space for it and what i would use it for. near the end of my walk i saw how somebody else was claiming it. during the walk i found 26 cents. so now i have 5 dollars for beer money for christmas dinner, and i can go back to saving up for other things such as the bags of chips from the vending machine at work. when i was in the liquor store just before thanksgiving i recall many of the brands of beer, in single cans. this led to me tonight wondering what the best beer sellers were, and i found an online article showing beer sales from 2019. the top 25 list in america was dominated by 2 companies, anheuser-busch inbev, and molson coors. the latter also owns the miller, keystone, blue moon, steel reserve, and icehouse brands that were on the top 25 list. and i knew hamm's is owned by this company as well. i have been watching plenty of old hamm's commercials on youtube lately. there aren't that many companies doing beer commercials now, i am used to it being just these two companies mostly during pro football games. one of them i saw today was a coors ad, saying it was the 'beer of being done wearing a bra', of course the target market is women, as the ad depicts a woman taking off her bra while still keeping her blouse on. 

i am aware that normally i am titling the sunday entry as a movie. i still watched a DVD movie this morning, it was 'christmas vacation'. i recall seeing it at the theater with my dad while still in high school. i said in an enterprise rent-a-car survey that my main plans for the holiday was watching classic holiday shows such as this one. so i figured this was as good a time as any to get started on it. the others i named are all animated, and shorter than this movie. i watched some of the vikings-bucs game, but not that closely, same is true with the one after it, packers-lions. 'the simpsons' was about filming a christmas movie. 

unhinged movie

 this morning i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, 'unhinged'. it is a thriller about a case of road rage. i recognized russell crowe in it. plenty of car chases in it, and there is a body count. also some double crossing. i noticed how the license plates on the cars said 'america's heartland' to make it a more generic location for the story. the closing credits said it was filmed in louisiana. also in the closing credits there was a cover of the song 'don't fear the reaper'. naturally there are plenty of factors leading up to the road rage. there was a traffic jam, the kid is late for school and must serve detention, the mom is getting divorced, and she loses a client. also a grandma in an assisted living facility. and the news reporter in the background tells the story of crowe's character, a divorced man that lost his job after some kind of injury. the movie held my attention. it was also an errand running day, so it meant going to the post office, both e-bay orders were there. thankful there was no yellow card as the line was long for the window. i was pleased that when i returned the movie to the gas station, i found a little godfather's pizza there. i watched some of the college football on TV, it was the army-navy game. it was foggy, which likely explains the low score. it was 3-0 army for a while. then early in the 4th quarter i left to go to office depot to get some more baseball card pages for the charlie brown cards that had just arrived as an e-bay order. i did some fact-finding and found out there is a charlie brown calendar at barnes and noble, as there is a location in the same plaza as office depot. so i am hopeful there still will be one after january 1 as they will be discounted by then. i counted 7 at this time. another place that has them, last time i checked, was fed-ex office. found out army went on to win 15-0. it led me to wonder if another historic football rivalry was played this year, in spite of the pandemic. but i found out the harvard-yale game was not played this year. in the evening i went to aldi for my weekly grocery order. later on i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 13 cents. so i have went beyond my goal of wanting beer money for christmas dinner. i also saw the news how musician charley pride has died. it meant something to me as i had seen charley in concert in 2012, saying i need to go now when i have the chance. i knew he had played some professional baseball as well before becoming a musician. and how he had been at spring training for the texas rangers.  

pamida socket set

 there is a pamida socket set in the trunk of my car, it once belonged to my late grandfather. it got used again today for the first time in a while. i needed to tighten the bolts on the wheels of a new cart at work. it saved having my boss come in with a wrench. in the afternoon there was a meeting for my performance evaluation. and before i left for the day i made the request for another vacation day, more than two weeks from now. in the evening i went on a walk and picked up 34 cents. so i have reached my goal for beer money for christmas dinner, two weeks early. after having dinner tonight and getting caught up on email i went to the cub foods in eagan, then the hy-vee. i found one of the two special edition cereals i was looking for at cub, the christmas edition of capn crunch, and the holiday edition of rice krispies at hy-vee. odd how the self-checkout did not recognize the rice krispies, so an employee had to override it. a third seasonal cereal was seen at both, if i am not mistaken, 'elf on the shelf', from kellogg. i will wait a week to get that one, as i have plenty of cereal for now. i did the fact finding and it looks like getting holiday dinners from cub again, as the options at hy-vee aren't as good. for one thing, the pies are more expensive, and not as many frozen dinners to choose from. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon got drunk and then played an electric piano, after impressing raj's date. it was followed by the one where amy made a scene after sheldon skipped out on meeting her family as he much rather wanted to do star wars games with his friends. 

minor league baseball realignment

 after the recent announcement about the realignment of minor league baseball, i wanted to study what teams still existed. of course what happened to the iowa teams was of great interest. the triple-A team in des moines was retained, no surprise there, as it has been a cubs team since 1981. in the single-A midwest league, there was four iowa teams. the ones in cedar rapids and davenport were kept, but not the ones in clinton and burlington. but i am aware how the ones kept are in larger cities. it leaves 120 teams with an affiliation, four per major-league team. locally, of course, it was a big deal as the independent st. paul saints will become the triple-A team for the minnesota twins. i noticed what was 10 changes at the triple-A level. the red sox moved their team, but kept it in the new england region. the saints were one of three teams moved up, so it meant three teams were moved down. two were moved to double-A, wichita and san antonio, and the third was moved to single-A, fresno. there was an article from the AP that bemoaned the changes, called 'MLB plays hardball- and deals blow to the heartland'. it does mention wichita, which built a new stadium to lure a triple-A team from new orleans, as well as fresno. the others mentioned were ones that didn't make the cut, including teams in troy, NY, and geneva, IL. there is hope for some teams to end up in independent leagues. and there was mention of teams that made the cut due to joining a new league, including the ones in brooklyn, NY, and hudson valley. i had seen a game in brooklyn when i made a visit to new york city in 2016. i checked wikipedia and there appears to be space available in the american association. the saints left that league, and it said that another team folded- the texas air hogs. but i am aware that league membership changed a lot, at times it was hard to keep track of the opponents of the saints from one year to the next. 

in many ways, the history of minor league baseball shines a light on american history as a whole. there was another article i found that covers this phenomenon, from ballpark digest, called 'the last great (MiLB) contraction'. i had read books about the saints that mentioned some of the same things. the sport flourished after the end of world war two, then in the 1950s there was stiff competition from television. in addition, major league teams moved into what were minor-league cities, so of course those cities had to dump their minor league teams. in the twin cities it meant the saints and millers left town when the twins arrived. although it doesn't mention that major-league expansion led to the minors following suit. the triple-A team in des moines began play in 1969, and that was an expansion year for the majors-four new teams. it said there was 118 minor league teams in 1963, the year of the last great realignment, for what was then 20 major league teams. there was 59 leagues at one point, and the dodgers once had 25 affiliates. 

i went on a walk in the evening and found 23 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when howard slept with penny's friend from nebraska. it was followed by the one where sheldon goes to great lengths to get a haircut. i did put in a request for one of two vacation days, after a team huddle where i got an instant message from my cohort saying what days he is out of the office. i said i likely should request the other day by the end of the week. i have just over two days to use, but it means leaving 2 1/2 hours on the table. use it or lose it by year end, but not a big deal leaving behind that much. 

dammit doll

 i got a call from my boss that asked me to look for a key for the shredder bin. it was at a cube for another manager. i had to move a 'dammit doll' in order to find it, but once the bin was open it didn't take long to find the needed document. when my boss arrived to pick it up i said i hadn't met this manager yet, but seeing the doll proved she has a sense of humor. i wrote the rhyme i saw on the doll on a post-it. and the web address where the dolls can be found was there as well. considering that i don't see my boss that often, then this wasn't a typical day at work. and there was another request to use up vacation days before year-end. i have just two days to use, but still must be aware of what days are available to have somebody fill in for me. i went on a walk in the evening and found 2 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard hooked up with lesley and she flash freezes a banana. it was followed by the one where sheldon and kripke play sports in order to decide who gets an office that became available. 

no loading dock

 there was a delivery of check stock this morning, just minutes after i had arrived for the day. i read the manifest and it said 'no loading dock', which is correct. for whatever reason this was on there. but when it means unloading from a pallet onto a small cart, then not a big deal. although it means multiple trips. i saw a man at the entrance and actually chose the alternate one as i didn't know him. then the mail clerk from another department arrived and i found out what it was for. i said whoever it was could call somebody, thinking they wanted the bank branch. since there is a big sign saying it is the employee entrance. and we hardly ever get deliveries this early in the day. i hadn't turned on everything yet. but it didn't take long to get caught up, in terms of the check printing that is done early. i went on a walk in the evening and picked up 26 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon's mom showed up to help him get his job back. it was followed by the one where sheldon decides to work in amy's lab when he is on vacation. 

college athletic programs cut

 i am aware of how the pandemic has taken its toll on college sports, in some cases programs have been cut. over the weekend i watched the segment on '60 minutes' about it. there were interviews with officials from the u. of minnesota, and mention of the decline of gymnastics at universities. minnesota, and iowa, had just cut this program, and now apparently it is under 20 schools nationwide offering it. this led me to research further about my alma mater, iowa. i found an article from august in sports illustrated saying that the u. of iowa will cut four programs at the end of this academic year. it is mens and womens swimming, mens tennis, as well as mens gymnastics. there was mention of comparisons to the big-revenue sports, football and basketball, and how the sports cut wouldn't lead to all that much of a savings. also how iowa will be hosting the national championships for swimming. at work i was pleased with how the order of boxes of UPS envelopes arrived quickly, had just placed the order on friday. i got an answer about checks for mortgage payments not meant for my department, it was the overnight them out of state and not to the intended location on the interoffice envelope. go figure. i went on a walk in the evening and found 72 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon shut off the power and gave leonard his own day of appreciation. it was after leonard said he didn't like the roommate agreement after a safety test. it was followed by when leonard went on a first date with penny and got a concussion. 

aurora borealis movie

 this morning i watched a DVD movie, one I bought many years ago, 'aurora borealis'. i recognized donald sutherland and juliette lewis in it. it has a minnesota setting, a big drawing card when this is where i live now. i noticed the beer in many scenes being local brews usually, such as grain belt and summit. the grain belt sign appears as well, along with the metrodome, mall of america, and the spoon and cherry sculpture. i like how a postcard figures into the storyline, sent by a friend from san diego. i hadn't seen it in a while, so it was like seeing it again for the first time. memorable was when duncan is out with his friends, doing things like floor hockey and snow-mobiling. still haven't done the latter yet, but it is on my list. the scenes where the grandfather, played by sutherland, struggles with dementia can be tough to watch but i like how he shows a sense of humor in some scenes as well. and i like the 'mary tyler moore' theme song being a part of the story, in a bar scene. 

after the movie was done it was midday, so it was time for lunch. then i got moving with the laundry. after it was done it was a long walk, where i picked up 49 cents. so some more was set aside for beer for christmas dinner. i think i am ahead of schedule as it is more than 2 weeks away, and already closing in on my goal. naturally the next 'set aside' thing would be a winter carnival button. i got a look at what is being offered this year, as usual four different styles. i just pick one each year though, preferring to make it count. and i used the oven for the first time in a while, as i knew the expiration date was coming soon on some snoopy cookies from pillsbury. there were 20 in the pack, and i baked 10 at a time. they will be a snack for this week after work. i watched some of the pro football games but not a lot. first there was the vikings game against jacksonville, then the packers game against philadelphia. when i have other things to do, be it laundry or any other chore, i don't let TV prevent me from getting it done. 

the accountant movie

 this morning i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, 'the accountant'. i recognized ben affleck, anna kendrick, jk simmons, jeffrey tambor, and john lithgow in it. finding out it is a thriller, along with a good cast all-around, i said 'we have a winner' when looking for a rental this week. i saw it as echoes of two of my favorite movies, as affleck is also in 'good will hunting' and kendrick is also in 'up in the air'. of course a thriller is a serious movie, but i did laugh in one scene. when ben's character saves anna's, i kind of expect him to say 'come with me if you want to live' like arnold did in 'terminator 2'. what he does say is 'we should go', close enough. as a baseball fan i noticed some of the valuables in ben's airstream trailer were baseball cards, one of them being the coveted honus wagner card. it kept my interest throughout, and the loose ends were tied up at the end about who is who and what happened to everybody. an accountant that is also a weapons expert made it entertaining. i get regular emails from redbox and this one was listed as 'back at the box', as it was released to theaters back in 2016. i tend to be picky about seeing movies at theaters, and it was only during this pandemic that i have been renting from redbox nearly every weekend. i think these are two big reasons why i had passed on it before. 

i got started early on errand running, going to pick up 3 orders at the post office, as i wanted to be part of a zoom meeting at midday. it was through the american historical association, in four parts. two were about botany, one about radiation, and the final one about cholera in the philippines. i had a question for the one about radiation, as there was a map of manhattan project sites and one of the dots is in minnesota. the presenter said it was likely a place of manufacture. there were 17 participants including the moderator and four presenters. thankful i tuned in to it. it meant watching less college football, but i didn't mind. i did see some of the indiana at wisconsin game, indiana won. in the evening i went to aldi for my weekly grocery order, and i watched the DVD that just arrived as an amazon order, the 'pied piper' charlie brown special. later in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 4 cents. 

kings and queens, ava max

 when i was driving home from work today i took note of a song on my car radio when i was almost home. then i searched the key lyrics and found out it was 'kings and queens' by ava max. it appears that many of the things in the video depict the lyrics as well. she is on a throne and has a sword, and there are plenty of dancers. there is a big dinner table, and a life sized chess board. and an interlude with maybe a dozen hat wearing guitar players. it looks like those involved with making the video had fun with it, as even a parrot seems to be dancing to the music. when i was looking up the lyrics i liked what was written about the song. it was called 'a message of empowerment', which is evident with a lyric such as 'no damsel in distress, no need to save me'. ava herself said 'i was never accepted, and i think a lot of people can relate to that. school is never easy, but it teaches us to be kind, most of us'. wikipedia said ava is from milwaukee, the daughter of immigrants from albania. 

at work there was a spike in the overnight packages, 36 in all, so i stayed a little late to get it caught up. in the evening i went on a walk and found 26 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when raj thinks he is dating his phone. i made the weekly visit to the hy-vee in eagan after looking at email. no surprise how the order was larger than last week's, as i try to buy only what i need, no more no less. and i needed more this week. it was odd that the receipt showed reese's peanut butter as 'general merchandise'. i already knew there is tax on it since it is considered to be a candy bar and not food. not much postal mail, which is the way i like it. i got a postcard about medicare benefits, not sure why, when i am not eligible for it just yet. 

itm and atm

 i saw the 'younger thin dude' in the breakroom for the first time in a while today. i understand he is mostly based at another bank branch but sometimes helps with coverage at the location i am assigned to. he spoke of something i hadn't heard of before, an 'itm', or intelligent teller machine. something about that branch will now have them instead of actual tellers. i have used an 'atm' before, 'automatic teller machine', but not an 'itm'. i spoke of using self-checkout at grocery stores and target stores, and most of the time it works fine, but just like any other machine sometimes it gets stuck. there was an instant message asking for a tracking number on a check around midday, a check that was ready to print when i arrived in the morning. i had to let them know i had just printed the label, and it still wouldn't go out until evening as the courier only picks up once a day. in the evening i went on a walk and found 26 cents. as expected, i am moving right along to have enough for beer for christmas dinner, paying cash that is. one just needs to be out there on a regular basis and paying attention and there are coins to pick up. the 'big bang theory' reruns were the first episode, when sheldon and leonard meet their new neighbor penny. it was followed by the one where leonard and penny try to hide that they are a couple again. leonard said to howard that howard is 30 and still lives with his mom. 'young sheldon' was about going to bible camp, as a stamp collecting camp was canceled due to a lack of interest. 

second printer back on

 the repairman arrived this morning and after about four hours the second check printer is back on. there was mention of the expansion tray jamming no matter which printer it is on and it was determined that the replacement part for it is 'not under warranty'. after more than a month of being down to one printer, it is nice to have them both running again. so it matters little to me that one tray jams as the other works fine. it meant taking a late lunch as i wanted to be there for any help that was needed such as testing the unit and moving things around. i was a little behind on check printing for a while but it was also a high-volume day. the monthly supply order has been sent, and the envelopes from the box that was set aside have all been used. in the evening i went on a walk and found 29 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were the second half of the final episode where sheldon and amy get their nobel prize. it was followed by the one where amy gets a tiara, and her saying 'put it on me' is still really funny to me. 'the conners' was about protesting, including at the plastics factory that darlene and becky work at. 

what's your country song?

 when i was driving home tonight from work i had my car radio on and i really liked a song that i could tell had name-checked many other songs. i made a mental note of key lyrics and when i searched it online i found out it was 'what's your country song?' by thomas rhett. the video includes a song reference as well, as somebody spray paints 'billy bob loves charlene' and i know this is 'in john deere green' by joe diffie. themes i seen repeated in the video include teenage girls singing together in a minivan, as well as a football game and the cheerleaders at the game. when reading the lyrics i wrote down nine songs i recognized. here we go: mama tried, dixieland delight, barefoot blue jean night, exes in texas, lonesome i could cry, friends in low places, neon moon, when country wasn't cool, and family tradition. according to articles i found, there are even more, a total of maybe sixteen songs name-checked, at least twelve. one of them was apparently a hit for his dad, rhett akins. the wikipedia article said thomas rhett is actually a 'junior' so i understand why he chose a shorter version of his real name as his stage name. this song proves once again one thing i had said before about me: you can take the kid out of iowa but not the iowa out of the kid. i still like some country music, when i hear something good. this is evident in one of the key lyrics that helped me find the song- 'a small town anthem'. this is already proving to be a popular song, and with the nostalgic theme this comes as no surprise. it appears it has even cracked the billboard hot 100 and was just released under a month ago. so i think this makes it a 'cross-over' song. 

at work the repairman was to arrive to work on the check printer, but just before midday i got an instant message saying he had to attend to a personal matter. so he will try again on wednesday. i decided to get some of the envelopes from a box that was set aside in october into circulation, and now half of them got used. the box was set aside because some were not sealed on the sides. but i went through and found the ones that weren't and put them in the shredder. the further inspection shows that most are still useable. i hate having to throw out an entire box of envelopes and that is why i hadn't done it yet. there was a snafu again with the test checks in the afternoon, as i was unable to get into that system for a while. i notified I.T. about it and when i was able i went to print the non-test checks first. but i was able eventually to print the two test checks. i think these were the same two that came up blank when i tried to print them before, based on the date on them as they were date-stamped 2 weeks ago. in the evening i went on a walk and found 14 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was part one of the final episode, where it is announced that sheldon and amy won a nobel prize- and the elevator in their building is fixed. i did not watch the next one, as i got a tipoff early into it that it was when leonard meets a bully again. so i switched to another channel and found the ending of the movie 'music man'. there are a few episodes i don't enjoy at all and i know what to do when i find this out-do something else. 

out of paper towels

 when i did the virtual open-mic tonight, the one with the muppet saw my background and said i was out of paper towels. i said i had been for a while, due to finding plenty of napkins in my home. i am trying use up the napkins before i buy paper towels again. this was not part of the set i did, during my set i think the one with the most reaction was talk of the catalogs sent me or the story about planning to see the movie 'newton boys' at theaters. finally had the one on one with my boss before lunchtime, various subjects were covered and it was mainly driven by me which is something i am not used to. over 500 checks from the foundation were ready to print near the end of the day. i went on a walk before performing at the virtual mic and found 28 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when howard goes to the airport to stop raj from going to propose to anu. it was followed by the one where amy goes on a date with stuart and then sheldon changes the relationship agreement with amy.