poker face movie

 i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, 'poker face' in the afternoon. i recognized russell crowe. it was only minimally about a poker game between longtime friends. what made it a thriller was who showed up after the game began. when there is talk of bluffing, guess the lessons learned from playing cards can apply to other things. but it seemed slow before the poker game began. i was aware of how crowe was involved with the movie in other ways besides just acting. some of the songs in the credits say 'written by crowe'. plenty of artwork in it, the credits did say it was filmed at an art gallery in sydney, australia. it was all right, a free rental for me as i had enough points from previous rentals. 

normally i watch the movie in the morning, but i saw when the music city bowl would be starting, 11am on ABC, and said i needed to get other things done first. it meant going to the post office, two orders picked up. and i went to barnes and noble in eagan and got a national geographic edition with world war two maps, as well as a charlie brown calendar. i made it back just before the start of the game. iowa beat kentucky 21-0, all points scored in the first half. two of the three TDs were on a 'pick 6'. one was from close range. this is my favorite play in football. i started the movie shortly after the game ended. then it was on to errand running after the movie. there was the weekly visit to aldi for groceries. then i went to the gas station and dumped the movie. after that i went to target and got some chocolate milk, they were out of egg nog but i knew it was nearing the end of the season for that drink. also got some jif peanut butter, 'jif to go', in an 8-pack. during my walks i found 26 cents. hard to say what i will do for new years eve, although i did hear of a show on NBC with sia, as well as dolly parton, performing.

magnum ice cream

 when i was at hy-vee in eagan tonight i made a nice find in the ice cream aisle. it was a 3-pack of bars by magnum. it is a 'chocolate duet' i chose, vanilla ice cream with a raspberry swirl, dipped in white chocolate and milk chocolate. it tasted good, hadn't seen it before. it is made by unilever, which i have heard of before- the food and soap company. before i went to the grocery part i went to their liquor store and got a can of schell's so now there are 3 beers waiting. at work it was a light volume day, easier to get caught up on things. heard from a colleague, asking of there were any checks for her in the i-pay file at midday, there was not. it was in the second run late in the day, so those will be set aside until the next business day. i had the performance evaluation with my boss in the early afternoon, who tried to move it up a little but i had just printed the updated form and hadn't read it yet. so it was still done at the scheduled time, and i moved up having my lunch. sounds like i might finally be doing job shadowing in the new year, hard to do when 'return to office' has been on a limited basis for my colleagues. i found discounted christmas candy for four straight days at walgreen locations, but not today. went to a CVS and didn't see anything there, but i have plenty for a while. there is some little debbie brownies as well. in the evening i went on a walk and found 2 dollars 28 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when penny and bernadette meet anu, and we meet sheldon's friend tam. it was followed by a new year's eve episode, where the friends win best costume with their 'justice league' theme that includes zach as superman. i got a letter typed up for my aunt and will send the card the next day, my eighth of the season.

wednesday dance

 i don't have netflix, but i heard about another netflix phenomenon due to mason city's facebook posting. i knew it was another case of a show making an old song popular again, as it was called a 'kate bush moment'. i actually found more than just the 'wednesday dance' to the song 'goo goo muck' by the cramps. i also found lady gaga doing the same dance, to her song 'bloody mary'. i bought a kate bush greatest hits CD when one of her songs became popular again. it remains to be seen if i am buying this band's CD as well. at work i was going through old emails and responded to one of them, as there was mention of what was needed to move out the inactive check printer. i said the installation was completed a week earlier, and the newer one is running fine. probably more waiting for the printer to get picked up. my boss moved back the meeting to discuss my performance evaluation, by one day. i knocked down the check backlog, now it is just under three hundred. and i sent up the refund check file to another floor, it hadn't been done for a few weeks. when i was walking through the branch, checking for deliveries near the end of the day, i heard part of 'bad blood' by taylor swift. it made me pause a little, much like earlier in the week when i heard 'run around' by blues traveler when at the mall. in the evening i drank the bottle of beck's with my meal so now there are 2 beers waiting. during my walks i found 2 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when amy said 'what the hell' to penny, about penny saying she wasn't having kids. it was followed by the one where howard said 'i choose you' to bernadette after bernie said 'her or me', as howard's mom made it complicated.

morning donut

 early in the workday my boss arrived and asked if i wanted a donut from hy-vee. i said i wasn't too picky and would choose from what was available. i was given a sugary glazed donut in a little bag when he returned. since it was the first day back after 4 days off, it took a little while to get caught up on things. there was some mail left behind in the mailroom and i needed to use a scissors to cut off the zip tie from the previous day's tub. i was told a tech was there to work on the envelope stuffer. and there was a meeting invite for my performance evaluation that will be on thursday. once caught up i sent a christmas card to the nearby post office, for my late classmate's wife and son in des moines. after lunch i went to walgreen and got some discounted christmas candy. much like earlier visits most of what i chose was discounted but not all. from the fargo files there is two stacks of checks to run through, as those files arrived later than typical. in the evening i watched a celebrity edition of 'jeopardy' on ABC, 'the conners' wasn't on. it was on for a full hour, so three rounds before the final one, where the answer was eiffel tower, at one point the world's tallest building. still not a big fan of celebrity editions of game shows when they are guaranteed a certain amount for their charity, and the contestants are more likely to goof off. and i watched part of the holiday bowl on Fox, oregon rallied to beat north carolina. i had attended the 2006 edition of this bowl. later on i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 3 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon and amy went on a scavenger hunt about a re-gifted wedding gift. it was followed by the one where penny told her friends to take their sheldon back after he tried to sabotage their work on an app.

bubba gump smashed penny

 i accomplished plenty on my day off. it meant going to mall of america in the early afternoon. i wanted some cookies from the nestle place, which is next to the dairy queen i've been to before. hopefully i will get some airline miles from the visit. then it was on to bubba gump. still haven't eaten there but i noticed there was a smashed penny machine just outside the souvenir shop. so i got one. i have seen the movie a few times before, and have the soundtrack. i got another idea while there, from an electronic billboard. there is a limited run louvre museum exhibit, ending in the middle of january. it is in the same general area of the mall as the sistine chapel and failure museum exhibits. after going to the mall i went to a walgreen and got some more discounted christmas candy, although a smaller amount compared to the previous day. before the mall i went to mail a card at the post office, and later in the day i saw how i got my fifth card of the season. for lunch i went to buca di beppo, and saw by email right away how i am getting miles from this visit. i had a meatball sandwich and fries. i liked looking around at the pictures on the walls there. notable to me was a bride on her wedding day kicking a soccer ball, and another that spoke of a clown, as it reminded me of the song 'tears of a clown'. i contacted hotels dot-com customer service, and they finally added the 2 days from my des moines visit in september. so now i am over the hump and have the free night in my account. in the evening i listened to the dolly parton greatest hits CD, a recent purchase. later on i went on a walk and found 79 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard said amy's dad is a 'mousey little man' while sheldon throws away hot dogs as sheldon and amy are on their honeymoon in new york city. it was followed by the one where amy keeps saying 'hoo' when she sees penny's ex, zach.

chocolate advent calendar

 in the early afternoon i made my first stop at a walgreen to find discounted christmas candy. i bought 11 items, one of them was a chocolate advent calendar. i ate it all shortly after getting home, as the 24 pieces were all small. rudolph, santa, and an elf are on the front. as expected, i got plenty of reese's peanut butter as well. one of them was seven minis inside of a plastic cane. i will likely get to some other walgreen locations in the next few days, as the saying goes, 'selection varies by store'. i made it back to see 'jeopardy', and the final jeopardy clue was about a netflix series i hadn't heard of, because i don't have netflix, 'grace and frankie' if i am not mistaken. i got a decent amount of things done, such as sending off a letter to the editor i had written late last week. and i watched a cardinals video on youtube i had heard about by being on their email list, called 'last inning', about the final season for albert pujols and yadier molina. besides hall of famer ozzie smith serving as presenter, there were stories shared by famous st. louis natives, jon hamm, jenna fischer, and john goodman. it prompted me to order a book about the 1980s cardinals, from e-bay. another order i placed was on amazon, for the french movie 'happening', on DVD. 

   the next thing to order online, once these two arrive, is two eminem CDs. it would be a greatest hits edition and a movie soundtrack. i have most eminem CDs and was surprised there was a few i didn't have yet. there is a second edition of greatest hits just released this year, eventually i will have to get that one as well. because it has some new songs on it, same as the first edition. there is still more things i want to get one on my next day off, the fourth and final one. in the evening i sent a text to brawler and spoke of the passing of football player franco harris, who said the city is in mourning, had just been back to pittsburgh for the holiday. then i went to perform at an open-mic, notable was the story about acronyms and abbreviations. later on i went on a walk and found 89 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when mark hamill was a guest star as sheldon and amy got married. i liked it because penny said 'park it' to amy's mom. it was followed by the one where leonard and penny were faking it for her dad.

reddi whip, fat free

 i had two turkey dinners for christmas, and i tried whipped topping from a can this time. previously i got it in a bowl as it was easier to find in the store. i had to ask what section it was in, the refrigerated one. it's a different section than the bowls, which are usually in the frozen aisle. the can says it is reddi whip, made with real cream, fat free. i got the smaller can, 6.5 ounces. it is made by con-agra, who made both of the turkey dinners i ate- hungry man and marie callender's. it is more fun to see it spray out on top of the pie than just spooning it out of a bowl. and i already had plenty of bowls for left-overs, be it whipped topping or ice cream. i got a half pie from cub, blueberry. hard to say how i will use up the rest of the whipped topping, unless i just get more pie. it seems like a better idea than eating it plain, although i have seen people spray it straight into their mouths before. i drank the can of schell's, and the bottle of summit, with these dinners so now there are 3 beers waiting. i did do some walks throughout the day, three in all, and found 50 cents. so now i have enough for a smashed penny, an idea i got from my most recent visit to mall of america. just didn't have the proper coins to put in the slots at the time. i got some other things done as well. i did my annual viewing of 'christmas vacation' on DVD, and i think i noticed a few short scenes i hadn't before. this can happen all the time when seeing a movie that one has seen before. i also read in a book i had recently purchased, and reviewed my monthly bank statement. and i finished listening to the ken burns baseball CD, which had multiple versions of the national anthem, and 'take me out to the ball game'. as expected, i got more done because i didn't have the TV on that much. i have two more days off and there is more that i can do. it means making a list remind myself of what i'd like to get done.

musial awards

before i started watching some christmas specials on DVD i noticed what was on TV, it was the musial awards from st. louis. hadn't heard of such an event before. of course it honors stan musial, and was recorded a month earlier. i saw the tail end of it, albert pujols got the lifetime achievement award. sounds like the venue is downtown near the hockey arena, so of course not far from busch stadium as well. this is something i will try to find on my next visit. i sent a text to a friend who lives there and spoke of my findings. i watched all four specials on my list, the annual viewing of frosty, rudolph, the grinch, and charlie brown. there was bonus episodes with the first and fourth, a later version of the two. with the former it had john goodman playing frosty, and the latter it had the hallelujah chorus from handel's messiah. was trying to find 'yule log' but was unsuccessful. in the morning there was shopping to do. i did some searching online in advance, wanting to know when all the stores would be closing early for the holiday. i went to aldi first, usually it is not the first stop. then i went to cub foods, hy-vee, and target. i had hoped to stop at just the first two but i wanted some more egg nog and cub was out. so was hy-vee, but i still got 2 items at there. besides egg nog at target i also got some hawaiian rolls. i was getting grumpy by the end of the hy-vee visit, as expected it was busy. this is why i try to go there on fridays. because holiday or otherwise, saturdays tend to have more traffic. i stayed in after going to target, as there is still a wind chill advisory in effect. the Fox-plus channel has church services on sundays so i can watch on TV. in the mail was two more christmas cards, including the one from Fox-9, saying they liked the 'peanuts' card. on the 'movies!' channel i found 'stowaway', with shirley temple. during my walks i found 65 cents. i also made it to the liquor store and got a can of michelob, and this week drank the can of pabst with dinner, so there still are 5 beers waiting.

crystal farms cheese

 i did not do much after work because it is so cold and windy. i did go to the nearby gas station and got the paper as well as some crystal farms shredded cheese. i can try getting to the grocery stores the next morning. it was a low volume day at work, no surprise there, being right before a holiday. i already knew about many people being out of the office. i confirmed with a senior leader by I.M. about monday being a bank holiday. i know a good rule of thumb is that if the branch is closed for a holiday, then so are we in the rest of the bank. now i will have 4 days off, using my last vacation day of the year. i will start up the nightly walks again when the weather gets better. i have been trying to listen to recent purchases of CDs but i usually end up falling asleep because i am tired when i start them. this includes the ken burns baseball soundtrack. i liked finding a song about christy mathewson and nap lajoie on it, then the mention of earlier famous people with the same name. no plans to rent a redbox movie this weekend, as i will do the annual viewing of some of my christmas specials on DVD. one of them, the first 'frosty', i saw on TV just after thanksgiving. the 'big bang theory' reruns were both christmas episodes, same as the previous day. it was when sheldon went to texas to help deliver his sister's baby, and the friends back in pasadena do their version of 'it's a wonderful life' and say they wouldn't have met without knowing sheldon. as usual i relate more to amy's story, because she is dour, deadpans her lines, and said she didn't have many friends in school. she cries on her birthday cupcake. it was followed by the one where leonard's mom visits and bonds with penny- they both get drunk. and she states she has left leonard's dad.

hostess baby bundts

 when i went to walgreen after lunch i did not get ice cream on a stick because it is cold outside. still got a smoothie in a bottle, and a  2-pack of hostess baby bundts. the wrapper said it is new, and 2 mini cakes with icing. apparently it is lemon drizzle. before i arrived there i went to the post office and dropped off another christmas card, my fourth. later in the afternoon an employee from another site arrived in the branch area and picked up four checks from the iowa revenue dept. i did an alpha search and found out there are five, but the last one probably hasn't been returned yet. not a big deal for me if someone else wants to take ownership of them as they had been in a box for a little while. although these sometimes are ones i re-send myself, once i am given an invoice to send along with it. as the agency tells us we don't know what it is for, as the account number is absent. in the morning i got caught up on running checks through the machine. and the tax specialist responded to an I.M. although he was listed as out of office. so there was two envelopes of checks to pick up from the lockbox. kind of funny where i wasn't sure what acronym or abbreviation was being used. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon was mad at santa for a wish from years earlier. it was followed by the one where sheldon got a leonard nimoy napkin from penny.

replacement check printer

 when i get back to work after a day off, right away i noticed a big box on a pallet in the 'back room' of the shop. it was the replacement check printer. i had seen some emails about it, where the courier just left it and my boss had to figure out a way to get it to another floor. in the early afternoon a technician i had seen about the server room showed up and set it up. i had just got back from the post office, where i picked up a box of charlie brown cards. it remains to be seen how the previous one will be sent to the warehouse in ohio as there was no return label sent. about a hour into the shift i got a call from a technician about the envelope stuffer, explaining what was nearly 3k fargo checks waiting. not much was found in terms of what was wrong with the machine, no parts were replaced. i spoke of seeing a mcdonald's bag in the trash with some fries and an untouched cheeseburger. i didn't eat those but i claimed the napkins. with all of the commotion it was harder to get caught up but i liked how there is just under a thousand checks to run through. and there is some incoming mail but not a lot. after i drove home and ate the evening meal i went to the dealership to return the rental car and picked up my car from the shop. i had to improvise on snow removal, as there was no snow brush in the car. but at work i saw a snow shovel so i used it to push the snow off. during my walks i found 10 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when amy finally did a slumber party, and the dudes went to see 'indiana jones'.

dinar coin

 i stayed active on my day off, and at one stop i found a 5 dinar coin. it was from yugoslavia, dated 2000. according to wikipedia this nation ceased to exist in 2003 and is now serbia. didn't buy anything there, it was a cub foods, was looking for holiday snack cakes. i found what i was looking for at a target. first stop was the post office, both orders were there, one had just arrived that day. and i finally sent the recycle to the capitol, it was delayed 3 days. i got my car in the shop and was reading a book in the waiting room then i found out after more than an hour had passed that the wrong part arrived. it was annoying as it was my first time taking my car there. then i am told i would be called for a rental car, but 30 minutes later no one had called, so i called again an found out the employee that was to call me had quit. i got the rental car, but couldn't hide my disappointment with what had happened. it was close to midday by then so after some of the errand running i went to mall of america and ate at the a and w. and i got a bag of popcorn at another place. i made it home in time to watch 'jeopardy', where the final jeopardy clue was about the song 'here comes santa claus'. during my walks i found 1 dollar 9 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when amy picked out a weddiug dress. it was followed by the one where the friends did poorly when interviewed by the FBI about howard.

backyard games stamps

 when i went to send a holiday card i got a look at the stamps available. there was a sheet of backyard games stamps of interest to me. looks like the 8 games are horse shoes, petanque, frisbee, croquet, cornhole, badminton, tetherball, and baseball. after purchase i saw the display of greeting cards, and i saw a box of charlie brown cards. there was 2 small boxes, hopefully these are still there when i am back at work after a day off. it was a long day at work, due to getting just over 3k checks from the foundation to print. and the machine kept stopping. most of the foundation envelopes were used up. this business line sends checks few and far between, but when they send them it is usually a high volume. i was asked to fill a printer with stock for a test page, although the first one just printed small smiley faces across the top of the page. my boss called in the afternoon, saying i didn't enter anything on the self-evaluation. i still don't know what got missed unless it was that i added my comments in the wrong section. hard to recall when i do these evaluations on an annual basis. so i spoke of it in my set tonight when i performed. i gave a shout-out to the wild guitar player, who said he learned that willie nelson's 'on the road again' was a movie song. it was in 'honeysuckle rose'. i only recently found this out myself, in the past year or so i think, after reading about the movie in a special magazine and then buying it online. another one that got a reaction was the one about the free candy bar. later on i went on a walk and found 25 cents.

sullivan's travels movie

 in the afternoon i went to trylon micro-cinema in south minneapolis and saw the movie 'sullivan's travels' from 1941. i get emails from this place on a regular basis. i had read enough things about this one that it interested me. one of those was 'o brother where art thou', which became the name of a movie much later on. along with it being about travels. i did think of 'nickel and dimed', where the writer of the book lived among who she wanted to write about to see how tough it was to live on minimum wage. there was some comedy in it, with people falling into a swimming pool. i stayed in until i went to the movie, there was plenty of things i wanted to get done. i got a can of labatt from a nearby liquor store so now there are 5 beers waiting. i also noticed a desk left next to a dumpster, and claimed a ball as well as dominoes found inside of it. the ball was from when selig was commissioner of MLB. and when i was satisfied with being caught up on online activity it was midday. i turned on the football game, eagles-bears from chicago. i watched most of it, but had to leave early in the 4th quarter to get to the movie. bears were trailing and lost, despite 3 takeaways as they didn't get many points off turnovers. after the movie i watched a DVD of sub teacher's comedy set, a recent purchase. i am wondering if the CD will be the same set, this is likely. school bouncer was part of the intro to the video. the jokes i liked the most were about being a sub teacher and his grandma lady friend. 'the simpsons' was about a fitness trainer. later on i went on a walk and found 66 cents.

savage salvation movie, chamber orchestra

 in the afternoon i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, 'savage salvation'. i recognized robert de niro and john  malkovich in it. this was the story of a couple dealing with a drug addiction. when one of them dies the other goes on a shooting spree to avenge that death. the setting was the south, guessed that one even before seeing license plates on cars. one scene had a 912 area code, correctly guessed it as georgia. although the closing credits say it was filmed in puerto rico as well. in many ways it truly was a sad story. an alternate title was 'wash me in the river'. based on seeing this in multiple scenes, it made sense. watching it was delayed for various reasons. first was going to hy-vee in eagan. it was a small order, and after i got back i noticed i didn't get egg nog. i saw a warning light on the instrument panel so i took it to a shop, parts need to be ordered so i will be back at the shop in a few days. it was midday by then, so i went to a nearby arby's, hadn't eaten at one in a while. then it was home. in the early evening i went to aldi for my weekly grocery order, and they were out of orange juice. so i had two reasons to get to a target. i made it back from target in time to get on the road again to an event. first i dumped the movie at the gas station. then it was on to the ordway in downtown st. paul for a performance of 'handel's messiah'. first time i had seen the st. paul chamber orchestra perform. probably was paying more attention this time compared to last year, where i said 'so this is where the hallelujah chorus is from'. i noticed a young lady in the front row of the chorus who seemed to be frowning whenever she wasn't singing. there was clapping when the conductor and the soloists walked out on stage, this seemed appropriate. the soprano soloist really nailed the high notes. there was 3 parts, with one intermission, between parts one and two. although the conductor and soloists still briefly left between 2 and 3. later on i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 2 cents.

apple pie nut roll

 i didn't go to hy-vee tonight due to the winter weather. i did go to the gas station as i wanted to pick up a redbox movie. while there i got the paper, chocolate milk, and a candy bar. i was going to get cashews but while waiting in line i saw a clearance section. it was a salted nut roll, apple pie flavor. it was free as the cashier said it didn't ring up, and he planned on moving out the others for this reason. i will try again in the morning on going to hy-vee, when i have more energy as well. it took longer than usual to get home after work as the snow was falling. as expected, first day back after a day off i saw some things left over. a small check file, for one thing. and i sent a message about a check to be picked up. my boss asked about the check printer, i said i only saw the emails i was copied on from the previous day. it led to me asking about vacation days, and the next two have been approved and it looks like i already know who the fill-in is for the first. i got a card from the colleague in payroll that is retiring. on the news i keep seeing on Fox-9 about sending holiday cards, i will want to get on that this weekend. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 76 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when sheldon said he was screwed, but found out how it was a ruse to be introduced to amy's mom.

nostalgia movie

 this morning i watched a DVD movie, a recent purchase, 'nostalgia'. i recognized bruce dern and ellen burstyn in it. the lead actor was jon hamm, who played a sports collectible shop owner. he is seen at work and then goes back home to help his sister clean out the house of his parents. although it started out as a story about an insurance man either appraising items or coming in after a claim was made such as a fire. i liked the character study, such as the woman who didn't want to go to assisted living. and examining the generation gap on photos. except it might be hard for me to watch more movies with jon hamm in them. because even though he is from st. louis, i had read on wikipedia how he had been arrested for fraternity hazing. by the time the movie was done, it was midday so it was time to get started on my to-do list. first stop was the post office, 3 orders to pick up. then to IKEA for lunch. i had the swedish meatball dish, and a little flag was included so i am keeping it as a souvenir of the day. on to dairy queen at mall of america, where i got a candy cane blizzard. i bought just one other item while there, a dolly parton greatest hits CD from barnes and noble. it was on my list after the recent drag brunch. next was cheapo records, but i didn't buy anything on this visit. i saw some ideas in the movie soundtrack section, but was unsure about what i already had or that category based on what i saw. it was getting time for 'jeopardy', so i went home and watched it. liked knowing i knew a daily double answer the contestant didn't know, about legionnaire's disease. i checked and found out one of those discs i already had, took pictures of them. but two others i didn't have. so after watching the news i returned and got the ken burns baseball disc, as well as 'prairie home companion'. for the latter i recall getting the actual movie on disc at another resale shop in the spring of this year. also went to target to get cheese, and winter shoes. mine were in need of replacement. used one of two gift cards from the museum survey i did. later on i went on a walk and found 39 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when raj finds a drone and then creeps out the owner. it was followed by the one where raj and sheldon spar over  a desk, and howard gets back together with bernadette. some famous people are trying to direct the action in the back seat during their making out. drank the can of schell's with the evening meal, so now 4 beers are waiting.

still just rain

 there was mention on the news of  'weather alert days' for tuesday and wednesday. except in the twin cities it still has been just rain. so not a big deal on getting to and from work. at work i was asked to try the check printer again that the ticket was opened on. but it still doesn't print some business lines properly. i tried 4 checks in the morning, had to re-print them to the other printer. figured it was a good idea to start small for this reason. same thing later in the day on another business line. but most checks sent there are fine, go figure. the two fargo files arrived late, saw them ready to print when i returned from lunch. in spite of this, i got all of them printed by the end of the day, nearly 3k checks. and all but just over 600 went through the machine and were sent out. so i liked how there wasn't much left over for my vacation replacement as i will have a day off. some checks for the tax specialist are on top, and i sent an email saying 'keep in loop' which mentioned it all. late in the evening, as the snow was starting to fall, i went on a walk and found 81 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when bill gates was a guest star. it was followed by the one where sheldon's mom is called after sheldon and amy break up, because sheldon gets plenty of cats. 'the conners' was a rerun.

an early meeting

 there was an early morning meeting at work about the fargo files. i missed it because i was running late and it was scheduled at the last minute. my boss briefed me when i arrived. if it was like many other meetings it would have been hard to find the part that pertained to me. often there is a lot of technical terms related to other departments such as fargo themselves, or I.T. this confusion still existed on the I.M. thread, hard to tell when the second file would be ready after i said the first had been printed. when i had a donut just before midday i spoke with a payroll employee that is retiring soon. i said i have a day off when her retirement luncheon is happening. in the afternoon i was asked to cancel a check order. i found out it was already approved to print, i said i could print them and not send them out. it was 2 checks, both were for less than a dollar. the news showed the grinch being arrested. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon and amy got a wedding venue, but it meant making a horrible deal with kripke. it was followed by the one where sheldon uses a virtual presence device.

do not feed zombies

 i went to perform tonight and i was advised to take a later slot in the lineup due to a performer i rarely see. i asked if it was the guy in the shirt that said 'do not feed the zombies', and it was. they wanted somebody uplifting to follow him as he can be a downer apparently. he did talk about famous women he didn't like, one of them a politician. before i went on i was told by the show runner that he swapped our spots, so i went on a little earlier, number 7 instead of 10. i prefer to go early, so i was fine with that. i don't stay for the entire show too often as i can get tired, but i stay as long as i can. i gave a shout out to the wild guitar player as we spoke before the show and said i go to an early screening of a movie on super bowl sunday. i made mention of how the whitney houston bio-pic is finally getting released, and he decided to do 'want to dance with somebody' as his second song. show runner liked mention of the redbox rental due to the director. another one that got reaction was the weird things i saw at the grocery store. at work the 2 fargo files, the largest of the day, were not there. volume was low enough that all of the mail fit in just one tub, which doesn't happen too often. in the morning i bought 3 small bags of peanuts from the vending machine, will have one a day until they are gone. in the evening after the show i went on a walk and found 33 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when howard and bernadette had their second child. it was followed by the one where penny is the chaperone on sheldon and amy's date. howard is a pervert with the robot arm.

running from my roots movie

 this morning i watched a DVD movie, a recent purchase from a dollar tree, 'running from my roots'. it was billed as a 'country star is born', not sure why unless it was released the same year. i did not recognize many of the actors in it, just neal mccoy, who performs early in the movie. had seen neal in concert many years ago. i did look up the names of some cast members, deana carter- and dallas lovato. deana is the daughter of fred jr., both singers. she played the main character's mom. dallas is the sister of singer demi lovato, she played the young lady who was interested in the small town preacher. the story is about a country singer who tries to go to a bar incognito but is recognized, then it is all over the tabloids, then she decides to leave nashville and go back to her hometown- a small town in texas. the manager, an ex-fiancee, is somebody that you are not supposed to like. one line was that 'your stupid footloose of a town takes care of itself'. the movie does have a decent amount of music in it, most of the songs were ones i hadn't heard before. i like movies with plenty of music, although the story was a little predictable. it was hard to find much about it online, it was released in 2018 but hard to tell if it was at theaters. i did get some other things done throughout the day, such as listen to two more CDs. both were music CDs, the soundtrack to the movie 'top gun maverick' and the greatest hits of loretta lynn, both recent purchases. so now there are two recent purchases of discs i haven't watched or listened to yet. i performed at an open-mic in the evening, thankful to see cul-de-sac there. part of my set was about beer soap and riding a coin-operated horse. sadly one comic didn't know how to leave the stage gracefully, even after being clapped off twice. during my walks i found 95 cents.

munsters movie, glow holiday festival

 in the morning i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, 'munsters'. when i first saw the disc i wondered what i was getting into even though it was listed as a comedy because it said it was a rob zombie film. since that is the front-man for a heavy metal band. but the movie was good, although i didn't like the idiot brother who must have been the stand-in for the character played by butch patrick in the TV show version. (the munsters have no kids in this version) i got it where they had borrowed from previous macabre stories such as having a raven in it, as in poe's raven. along with the count being like dracula, herman being like frankenstein. even liked the clips from the abbott and costello movie in it. as a comic i had to laugh when the news reported the deaths of two brothers that were very different, one a scientist and the other a comic, and the comic was considered to be an idiot. especially when the comic did a lot of bad jokes. i did not recognize any of the actors in it, but i didn't mind, as sometimes i care more about the story than knowing who the actors are. 

after the movie was done i needed to get going. there were no orders to pick up at the post office. after dumping the movie at the gas station i had lunch at the cane's chicken in eagan. i liked seeing the 'christmas vacation' movie theme and it was why i made another visit. i got some pictures of the displays, such as the cardboard cutout of clark griswold. after i got home i went to aldi for my weekly grocery order, and listened to a comedy CD that had been ordered from the label. it was by the bearded comic from fargo. the jokes about going to mcdonald's were good. in the evening i had to get going again. first was to union depot in downtown st. paul, for the euro-market. i walked around for about 30 minutes and then i left, it was too crowded for me. then it was on to the saints stadium nearby for the glow holiday festival. i enjoyed this a lot more, and i have done non-baseball events there before. noticed a mural was covered up with a tarp with a holiday theme, saw this as appropriate. what i also found appropriate was seeing a ball of lights with the saints logo on it, as it was at their venue after all. went around the concourse level twice, and the field level once. i did the slide, in many ways making up for not doing the slide at the state fairgrounds this year. i went down backwards. there were light displays in the dugouts and on the field. not every concession stand was open, but most were. i got some apple cider. also got a selfie photo with santa. during my walks i found 51 cents. on facebook i saw the wisconsin lady share more about being on the fallon show, i watched the set on friday.

duke cannon beer soap

 i went to hy-vee in eagan tonight for my weekly grocery order. the weirdest thing i saw was going to be the box from elf on a shelf, where one could adopt an elf. but then i saw beer soap from duke cannon. of course that was going to catch my eye. the display also said 'grooming goods for hard-working men' and 'benefits U.S. veterans'. there was budweiser and busch, online i saw lone star beer. next to the soap was a shaving kit. what i did get was 2 boxes of little debbie brownies, christmas theme and snowflake. there are three more kinds of holiday-themed snack cakes in that display that i don't have yet. i was waiting to buy those when i wanted to finish up the halloween candy first. along with the oreo cookies, but now all that is left is the oreos. at work there was some things left over from my day off, kind of expected that. a box of envelopes were in the mailroom on the counter, so i got out a cart and moved them into the shop right away. the boss asked at the dial-in team huddle about the ticket on the check printer, i said there was an email thread so this got forwarded. it took a little while to get caught up on things such as emails, but i was by midday. it was a light volume on overnight packages, aided by the account closure department sending much less than typical. vacation day requests are still pending, the boss alluded to that at the dial-in meeting. wanting to see there is enough coverage everywhere. just two days for me are pending. later on i went on a walk and found 2 dollars 45 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when amy was on the professor proton show. it was followed by the one where we first meet amy, as sheldon is blackmailed by a dirty sock.

riding gustav

 i am thankful i did more than just mundane errand running on my day off. i also made it to the american swedish institute in minneapolis, co-opting an idea from meetup. i had toured it before, but it was years ago. when i got to the highest floor of the mansion, one room had a coin-operated kiddie horse called gustav. it looked like the 'dala horse'. at first i passed on riding it, but it said there were free rides so i got on it. another patron asked if there was a weight limit, but there was no mention of one. and they found the button for me. i spoke of how i didn't get to the circus until i was 28, my parents wouldn't take me and didn't say why. the music played reminded me of what is played on an ice cream truck. before i did the tour i went to the cafe and had some apple cider and a scone. the server added some whipped cream to the cider. i looked at the gift shop after the tour but there was nothing of interest to me. for one thing, i already have plenty of christmas tree ornaments. this was in the afternoon, when free admission was available. i saw a car crash on lake street as i was waiting to turn left, one of the cars likely ran the light. when i got home i watched part of 'jeopardy', and was pleased to know the final jeopardy clue when the contestants didn't. same name, it was manhattan. a cocktail drink, an island, a world war 2 project. in the morning i started with some online orders. one of them was the music city bowl game button, the bowl game the iowa hawkeyes will be playing in. i got it from e-bay again, wouldn't have saved much by getting it through another store. and i ordered 'boogie nights' from amazon, co-opting an idea from a micro-cinema. i know it has the same director as 'licorice pizza'. this was the last of the gift card from the car purchase in june, then it was on the road, first stop the post office. two orders were ready to be picked up, including the delayed one. i printed a ticket at the copy store, and got a loretta lynn CD at cheapo records. line was too long at cub foods for the customer service counter, but still got some milk and cereal there. DVD was too high at target, still got some cheese and cereal there. so now i have 2 boxes of 'elf on a shelf' cereal. i went home and had lunch, then went to spire credit union in eagan and got the winter carnival button. this was why i tried cub foods first. it was considered to be a donation through my savings account. i tried going to the holiday market  at the former schmidt brewery, but there was not a lot of activity there. i walked through it twice and then i left. was it because it was a thursday? i don't know. a sign said santa will appear on sunday. later on i went on a walk and found 41 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when raj met the estranged husband of a lady he met at his planetarium gig. it was followed by the one where leonard tells the story of why the elevator is broken. 'young sheldon' was a good one as usual. mee-maw spars with the preacher over movies. drank the bottle of famosa with the evening meal so now 5 beers are waiting.

another printer ticket

 i sent check copies by email to my boss and to I.T. as the checks were printing improperly to one printer and i had to re-print them to the other. it led to 2 meetings in the afternoon, so of course this left me behind a little on my work. i knew i had to say something when i was going to have a day off soon. it meant calling another ticket for the check printer. i decided to get something different with the change i am finding, this time it was peanuts. since i already have plenty of little chip bags or beer at home. when i take kind of a late lunch then having some peanuts before midday works well. there was a check to be sent inter-office but i got no contact name or mail code, so i overnighted it even though it is in the same metro area. i don't hold onto checks for long, and there was no response from customer service as well. i requested 2 more vacation days, just waiting to hear if they are approved. in the evening i went on a walk and found 28 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when penny said to sheldon that he had a 'rebound science' in dark matter. it was followed by the one where 'dr. slut-bunny' arrives to visit sheldon. 'the conners' had louise's mom visit, played by jane curtin. 

chunky monkey popcorn?

 near the end of the workday i picked up plenty of boxes from the branch. most were envelopes, one was a smaller box and from chunky monkey if i am not mistaken. i let a colleague know it had arrived and it was picked up from the shop shortly thereafter. she said it was popcorn and the company thinks she orders this for the bank. guess it is the time of year when we see plenty of snack foods and candy as gifts. the big envelope order arrived before midday, the courier said their company does not allow time off during the final two weeks of the year. i got the idea to see a performance of 'handel's messiah', and bought a ticket but i am seeing a different organization perform it this time- the st. paul chamber orchestra. in a charlie brown special, 'christmastime again', there is a performance of it. as i recall this is the one with the famous 'hallelujah chorus'. i think this will be the first time i see this orchestra perform. there weren't many low-tier tickets left, so i am thankful i got it when i did. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 50 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when penny said to amy 'you are an idiot' about wedding planning and amy came running and called her 'bestie!' and they hug. this one made me laugh a lot. it was followed by the one where sheldon is chased by a dog and gives up most of the hot dogs he had for dinner with penny. then leonard and penny watch sheldon sleep after penny takes sheldon to disneyland. 'monarch' was the season finale. and somehow it finds ways to top their own storylines from previous episodes in this prime time soap opera- plenty of twists and turns and double crossing. liked hearing 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger'- the sisters do this one. 

johnny cash documentary

 in the evening i went to see the johnny cash documentary movie in eagan. sounds like this is part of an 'american icon' series of movies. it was the first of three nights in theaters. some of what was covered about the man was sobering to say the least. and it sounded like what may not have been mentioned before in other media such as the special magazine i had bought. such as canceled concerts, one of them being at the KRNT theater in des moines, iowa, my native state. i liked seeing interviews with various people in it, one of them being his sister. as well as fellow performers such as sheryl crow, alice cooper, and john schneider. and there were plenty of johnny's interviews, with larry king as well as with MTV. sounds like the latter was his last interview. of course a documentary about a musician would be nothing without music, and there was a decent number of songs in it, including 'ring of fire' and 'hurt'. some of the story was covered in the bio-pic, 'walk the line', but not once was this movie mentioned in the documentary. but i am aware of how a 'bio-pic' and 'documentary' are decidedly different, and the latter will cover more of the subject's life. i had often heard of billy graham crusades at big stadiums but don't think i had seen one, so i was not aware of how johnny made appearances at them. another one of the interviewees was franklin graham, billy's son. thankful i saw this movie, as i am not sure how else i would have. sounds like one i can't count on finding at redbox. at work the shipment of check stock arrived before midday, most of it but a small amount is on backorder. and i was asked a second time for a tracking number for a check. this time i sent a check copy, proving there was no request on it to overnight it. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when professor proton was re-cast, wil wheaton got the role, and we see bob newhart guest star. then it was on to the movie, and i got my apple cider, a can of it, at the trader joe's before the movie, along with some english toffee.

tale of 2 guns movie

 this morning i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, 'tale of 2 guns'. i recognized tom berenger in it. this is a western. berenger is a marshal that is wounded and finds a deputy to search for a wanted man. a lot of familiar things from western movies are in it, such as gambling in a saloon, and shootings. though a few things didn't make sense to me. such as the wanted man would empty the bullets from his pistol, was it that he didn't want to shoot a lawman? and how he was able to shoot somebody after being handcuffed. it did have the feeling of a b-movie when he credits list the cast members but don't say what role they played. guess that danny trejo is in it, but in a small role. once the movie was done it was midday, so it was time to have lunch. i had a turkey pot pie, and while I watched the movie i finished the cheese curds. then i had to get on the road. first thing was to dump the movie at the gas station, where i also got gas and went to the ATM. on to cub foods, where i looked for a greeting card i had seen when there to get thanksgiving dinner. it wasn't there, so when i got home i ordered it from e-bay. i didn't leave empty-handed, as there was a 'big bang theory' card that i liked. next stop was the german american institute on summit avenue in st. paul, there was an open house called 'christmas in germany'. i stayed for about 30 minutes, it was crowded and all 3 stations i had went to said they had run out of apple cider. i got a picture of their saint nick, who was carrying a staff. then i dropped off recycle at the capitol, then went home after getting hash browns and a donut at a gas station. and milk, so i could finally consume the 'hot chocolate bomb' i got during the halloween candy sale. it was a chocolate shell with marshmallows inside. basically one cup of hot chocolate. during my walks i found 4 dollars 10 cents. i went to the liquor store near me and got a bottle of beck's so now there are 6 beers waiting. i performed in the evening, great seeing the wisconsin couple, as well as bathtub. after the show i saw newsboy hat, who lives nearby. my greatest crowd reaction was the one about a TV commercial.

dolly parton drag brunch

 at midday i went to the dolly parton drag brunch in downtown minneapolis. it was the 5th i have attended but the 1st christmas edition. i missed one light rail train and had to wait for the next, so i wasn't at the venue when doors opened. not a big deal. i still made it before the show started. it meant i didn't have to mill around waiting to go to the upper level. it can be tough to do when the throng is in a cramped area. thankful they played more than just christmas songs, though some were played such as 'rudolph the red-nosed reindeer'. the big hits were played, notable was the dolly puppet when a performer dressed as kenny rogers did 'islands in the stream'. when they got to 'i will always love you' they told the story about how not all know that dolly wrote it. well i knew dolly wrote it! because dolly sang it at the end of the variety show she hosted, years before whitney houston sang it in a movie. nice hearing 'jolene', 'coat of many colors', and '9 to 5' as well. the outfits were brilliant, and i was amazed at how quickly a performer, the MC, did an outfit change between songs. i was able to see down the hall from my seat at the bar. it was listed as a sold-out show but there was some no-shows at the bar near me. i ate the pork belly and hash brown dish, and drank a grain belt beer, but still ate after the show was over. i walked past a walgreen, on nicollet, on the way back to the train. i got a turkey sandwich, chips, smoothie, and a twix ice cream candy bar there. i did some errand running before the show, made the time count by getting started early. went to barnes and noble in roseville, and bought the eminem special magazine, as well as a 'big bang theory' bazinga button in a little box. on to JC Penney, where i got a shirt for the office, replacing one that was torn. then the post office, where the 2 back issues of the paper were there, along with an e-bay order. the eccentric employee called me 'cowboy' when i asked if another order was there, it wasn't. so i went to e-bay and said i ordered it 3 weeks ago and it isn't here yet. hearing 'please mr. postman' on the new prague radio station after the drag brunch seemed very appropriate. i laid down and woke up in the evening, so i went right over to aldi for my weekly grocery order, as it was going to close for the night in 30 minutes. later on i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 50 cents.

broken promises hot wheels car

 i was looking for a toy for an event this weekend and went to a nearby dollar store. when i was looking at the model cars section i liked one so much that i bought it but i am keeping it for myself. it is a broken promises hot wheels car. it is a custom hot rod. i researched the name 'broken promises' and found a website that sells mostly clothing. and there was mention of the 'collaboration' for this project. when the models were mostly young people it explains why the box the car is in says 'mod rod' as i am reminded of how 'mod squad' was the name of a TV show. a cobra head is on the front of the car, this is the logo found on their website. when i went to hy-vee in eagan in the evening i found a toy that will be donated, it is  a thomas the tank engine. there was a display of 'stocking stuffers' from fisher-price. while there i got a few other things that had been on my list. two coloring books- the grinch, and rudolph the red-nosed reindeer. as well as a snoopy and woodstock- on a rainbow- christmas tree ornament. at work it was a catch-up day, the 2k checks i didn't have time to run through from the previous day were done first. some checks to be sent to the shredder were voided. and 2 more packages for another manager- for their new employee- were sent to the delivery table. while at the dollar store- a dollar tree- i got a few more ideas on DVD purchases. since the family dollar near me closed there is nothing wrong with getting a look at what other stores have. guess those 2 are owned by the same company, but the looks of those stores are decidedly different. in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 25 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when raj met a lady after doing his planetarium gig and penny said 'decaf, genius'. it was followed by the one where sheldon gets an award and gets drunk before his speech.

tax specialist arrived

 around midday a branch employee brought over the tax specialist. first time we had met and i have been with the bank for 2.5 years now. it was alarming as to why. i am told the courier couldn't be reached. so out of business or didn't pay the phone bill. it meant getting an envelope from the previous day out of the lockbox. i am told that more of them will be going to the office and not home, something about return to office 3 days a week in that department. there was a resolution to the checks from the previous day, 3 more printed and these had a physical address on it so i am able to overnight those. it meant the ones from the previous day will go to the shredder. i heard from yemen native, who had sent me a quiz. in the evening i went on a walk and found 85 cents. i drank the can of michelob with the evening meal so now 5 beers are waiting. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when bitcoin was put on a flash rive. it was followed by the one where the friends did a parody of 'lord of the rings'. 'young sheldon' was a rerun, when the mom said 'i have had enough' and walked out of church. of course it resonated with me, in more ways than one. i don't attend church that often because i wasn't enjoying it. the hypocrisy that sheldon spoke of was one of the reasons why. and in other parts of my life i reached the point where i told myself it was fine to say 'i have had enough'. one must establish limits, boundaries, in their life.